Google Says The Pixel 3 Is Obsolete - So I Hacked Android 13 Onto It

[@emdotrod]

Installing custom ROM to an older phone is really a great way to prevent e-waste.

[@-Aashish-]

Which roms are reliable to be used on a primary device? Any suggestions?

[@_hassannnnn]

@@-Aashish- Arrow os ( best if you ask me ) Havoc os Evolution Os Pixel Experience rom

[@SmitePlayz_]

​@@-Aashish- if u have an old xiaomi with a snapdragon processor (because mediatek chips are close to impossible to unlock) then definitely install pixel experience rom

[@_hassannnnn]

@@SmitePlayz_ I've unlocked the redmi note 8 pro with Mediatek processor. It isn't hard

[@SmitePlayz_]

@@_hassannnnn idk man i have the redmi note 10S with mediatek and ice tried every method on KZbin for unlocking that specific phone but it didn't work at all

[@Alias_Anybody]

Useful information: Custom ROMs inspired by Pixel Firmware usually come as a complete package, most more traditional/AOSP ROMs on the other hand can be (and are per default) installed without any Google software, so you'll have to add at least a compatible GApps package (and potentially individual packages) when flashing if you want them.

[@homocidewhore4171]

I remember using LineageOS plus OpenGapps back in the day for this same purpose on my old Sony Xperia phone a couple years ago. I actually did like how minimally I could customize my phone, but to see that stuff like this is still possible is quite cool.

[@homocidewhore4171]

Though I don't know much about the unlockability of bootloaders on newer Android smart phones, but if I were to switch back to Android again, a similar setup would be something I'd do.

[@NanoMine]

Oh man this feels so nostalgic to me. I used to change roms every month on my devices because there were just so many options available to try. Using twrp is so easy. I certainly don't miss those times because I look for reliability now but man it looks so fun to try out new ROMs.

[@yeettmaples5064]

reliability is fine on most roms and makes my phone with sd865 (kona) and 60hz pannel Feel faster than a s22! Plus all the amazing ai features on most roms

[@-Aashish-]

@@yeettmaples5064 are custom roms reliable for primary device? I'm concerned about using it as daily driver because I use banking apps on daily basis. Can you suggest which roms are regularly updated and are reliable?

[@DarkGT]

@@-Aashish- If the custom Rom comes with rooted kernel you won't be able to use any banking apps. Just something you need to know. It highly depends on the developer reputation for making safe and stable roms. Check the history of the dev and how many people have tried it.

[@ParodieHecker-mobile]

@@DarkGT You can actually hide the root status to banking (or basically any) apps

[@DarkGT]

@@ParodieHecker-mobile Must be a feature of the newer versions of Android, mine is Android 6.

[@rosaria8384]

The big difference is that it's possible to just toggle the bootloader and just install whatever custom ROM we want, unlike Apple where an obsolete device can be bricked without a solution

[@ghajik.]

at the same time, apple provides 5 years of updates while google for just 3. Pixel 2 is the earliest pixel to have received custom ROM for android 13, which is infact 5 years old. The iPhone 8 released in 2017 (same year as pixel 2) also is running the latest iOS officially from apple. Its just a bit hard to make custom ROMs after 5 years because things change too much, you can install whatever you want, but its more of an headache and you are most likely to get updates for 5 years or maybe 6 years tops, before your hardware becomes the limitation

[@Zafiria]

@@ghajik. yes but the ios for iphone 8 is not the same ios as the one on iphone 14. having to be able to unlock the bootloader and install any flavor of android means you still get the same features depending on the custom rom you install

[@a2zeetech]

@@ghajik. well the latest pixels do provide an extra year of updates

[@SunnyShuklathedoctor]

@@ghajik. usually people install custom ROMs on old phones, to prolong the life and to use it as a spare device for anything you don't wanna do on your main phone. Giving it to that annoying cousin that comes over and demands to play games on the phone is one niche use case. Apple does great with providing updates and Android should definitely follow suit, but Apple should also not render their very old devices just bricks. Atleast with the Pixels, you can do this.

[@BiomX3D]

"just toggle the bootloader" -> Google is one of a few who allowing this that easy ... there are other Android brands out there who make it more complicated (with Sony u need to create a unlock code at their website for example) or completly deny the opening of the bootloader (this would be something for "hacking" Android 13 on a phone, not with Google phones ...).

[@TheSpotify95]

This is good to see. I might (at some point) try updating the ROMs on other phones if required, if and when they run into software issues. I'm not too fussed about being on the latest OS - just so that app support is still present, which will become an issue once the device gets to a certain age.

[@NoobsDeSroobs]

There are certain possible security implications though, so be aware.

[@cyberphython]

The sad part is if you have a pixel phone from Verizon then the bootloader is permanently locked

[@Warp3326]

Everyone in my family except my mom and my older brother has AT&T. AT&T is one of the earliest phone companys after all. I'm just GREATFUL that no one in my family has T-Mobile..

[@NonLegitNation2]

yeah i learned that the hard way when i bought my Pixel 3 off ebay. The listing said unlocked version but a few months ago when I tried to install LineageOS I found out it is a Verizon variant. I was and still am pissed. I can't return the phone either or get a refund because I purchased it like 2yrs ago.

[@lejoshmont2093]

Yea don't buy locked phones either carrier locked or boot loader locked.

[@DanielPereira-ey9nt]

In my country buyin devices from a data carrier is the interior option almost nobody takes, but you guys make it sound like you don't have a choice over there

[@Warp3326]

@@DanielPereira-ey9nt For example walking into a AT&T store and buying a phone is buying from a data carrier? Idk what country you're in but almost everyone in the US doesn't go to a apple store (for example) mainly because the prices are super high at apple stores. Its common in the US for people to buy phones straight from the carrier store. At least in the US.

[@AustinMichael]

This really isn't a hack but it brought back the early days of Android when I was doing this all the time.

[@Ragonex]

One word: cyanogenmod

[@Leonvolt28]

@@Ragonex kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6TNhaNvqLaofKc

[@sayurkol4825]

@@Ragonex and ClockWorkMod

[@zat-svi-ua]

oh cyanogenmod..

[@thegroi]

cyanogenmod my beloved. i remember the booting melody too.

[@2048Megabytes.]

Good video! My mom is still using a Pixel 3a (not the normal 3) and it's still an amazing phone

[@jacksonsneed7689]

I got my mom a Pixel 3a XL for Christmas a few years ago, a great phone, and she loves it! I got her a Pixel 6a for Christmas this year, I'm gonna use her old 3a XL as a development platform, as it's still a solid device.

[@jbritain]

I recently upgraded to a 6 but my only gripe with my 3a was that the battery life was really getting bad, I loved that phone otherwise.

[@steviesevieria1868]

I have a 3a but I’m sure Google will soon be forcing me to get rid of it. The mighty corporate dollar must be taken at any cost.

[@jbritain]

@@steviesevieria1868 they literally can't, especially since you can install a custom ROM on it. If you want to continue support for it, have a look at LineageOS

[@PipPerfect010]

@@jacksonsneed7689 hi jackson can u sell me your mom pixel 3 phone for 40 bucks . In my country its hard to find orignal pixel phone. Every one is scammer

[@nonnymoose7005]

Custom roms do help with security issues on out-of-date devices, but unfortunately as google is no longer providing updates to the kernel, if there are any linux vulnerabilities discovered after the device's support has stopped, it will remain vulnerable. Also, since the bootloader is unlocked, an "evil maid" attack is possible. Anyone who is interested in doing this should consider these issues and decide whether they are willing to accept the risks they present. For the average person, this may be fine. If you are a journalist or an activist or you travel to countries that would want to surveil you, you should not do this.

[@airshaped]

Wouldn't using a custom upstream kernel prevent the former issue? (Correct me if I'm wrong)

[@harpingon]

@@airshaped Doesn't prevent the security issues inherent in having an unlocked bootloader though. That's why CalyxOS and Graphene OS enable boot loader lock after installing them. Sadly though, those two projects also desupport old devices on the same cadence as Google (because the upstream updates stop).

[@Madinko12]

2:55 The reason for this is quite simple: factory images still contain proprietary drivers and partitions that are not included (and sometimes not flashable) in the ROM image itself. Therefore, flashing the proper factory image beforehand will ensure your setup is consistent with the maintainer's setup. If the ROM were to run over an unsupported factory image, weird bugs could happen, or the device could even refuse to boot at all. Conversely, it also reduces non-reproducible bug reports and maintenance burden for ROM developers. 4:30 Yeah, oddly enough, MTP has kind of always been borked. However, I find it easier to use adb sideload rather than pluging in a USB stick. 6:00 If the device were really "yours", you would be able to relock the bootloader by using your own signing keys rather than the manufacturer's one, which would both make the ugly warning disappear and improve the device's security. BTW, any modern computer is able to do that with secure boot. It's also worth noting an unlocked bootloader (or a locked bootloader signed with custom keys) will tamper the "device integrity". Therefore the device wont pass SafetyNet anymore (which usually means you won't be able to use Google Pay or even some banking apps), and widevine certifications will also vanish (which means DRM-protected content probably won't work properly, and you'll have to watch Netflix in SD).

[@Madinko12]

@@danimayb Not exactly. Magisk's DenyList (± formerly MagiskHide) is able to hide to specific applications that the phone is rooted. It can fool apps that make dummy root checks (like some banking apps), but AFAIK, it doesn't help much with SafetyNet. There are some tricks to make SafetyNet pass in some cases (like Universal SafetyNet Fix), but they usually rely on downgrading the hardware attestation to a software attestation which is a very fortunate hack that is only possible because Google allows it for the time being. While this seems to have been permitted for a while, it's very likely that Google will shut off this possibility at some point in the future without notice, because it simply defeats the purpose of SafetyNet. As soon as they enforce hardware attestation everywhere, SafetyNet will break forever and without recourse.

[@sabry000]

U can still pay with some roms , even without magisk

[@sampreethiitkgp7918]

Ig u won't fail safety net test just by flashing rom. It usually depends on the rom. 🙂

[@CattaRappa]

@@Madinko12 very well said

[@Madinko12]

@@sampreethiitkgp7918 As I don't use SafetyNet dependant software myself, I've never used such ROM, but I'd bet they somehow use the attestation downgrade hack I mentioned in my previous comment. Which may work at the moment, but is still kind of weak and not guaranteed to work forever. Google ultimately owns SafetyNet attestations, and by flashing software not signed by Google or an authorized manufacturer, you're technically not playing by SafetyNet's rules…

[@CattaRappa]

Got a Galaxy Note 3 from 2013 (almost 10 years old!) running android 13 as well AOSP projects like LineageOS and others rock

[@Dan-oj4iq]

CR: Mind telling me why you still prefer the Note 3 over newer updates? The cost, maybe?

[@CattaRappa]

@@Dan-oj4iq It's more of a backup for my Note 20 Ultra. I bought a 7000mah replacement battery from PowerBear right before they stopped making them and it can last for weeks on standby with Mobile Data. I use it with MicroG instead of Gapps because it can drain the battery hard. It isn't slow to use at all for most of the apps i use, Discord, KZbin, etc. 3GB of ram is still more than enough for stock android anyway.

[@Dan-oj4iq]

@@CattaRappa Very insightful! Great feedback!

[@mr.sidious9163]

By the way Hugh (and anybody else who may want to get Android 13 on the Pixel 3), there's a really cool custom de-Googled ROM called CalyxOS, which is still supporting the Pixel 3, giving it as many updates as it can (so typically the open-source components get updated, but the proprietary ones don't). It's really worth a try, and I wish you a Merry Christmas and happy holidays as well!

[@kyletrent.mp4]

Louis Rossman approved

[@swimfan6292]

Can't really completely de-google the entire phone... That's misleading at best, a clever marketing ploy, or you're perhaps someone naieve who truly believes it's a thing... Google spent the past few years replacing the free open source binaries and libraries to all non free, but 1.

[@mr.sidious9163]

@@swimfan6292 Uh not too sure what you're talking about, CalyxOS is based off of AOSP, which is open source and doesn't have proprietary Google stuff in it

[@neetop1557]

@@kyletrent.mp4 nobody cares

[@notanetcher]

​@@neetop1557yes because he's dogshit I don't even care about his opinion

[@louisgreenleaf235]

Installing a custom rom isn’t hacking

[@cubertuber780]

1:25 The "/etc" folder isn't meant for binaries/executable files, only for configuration files (like the paths file you've edited). You could've left the folder in your home directory and edited the ~/.zshrc file (EDIT: for the BASH environment that would be ~/.bashrc) and appended 'export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/" ' so you wouldn't have to touch the /etc/paths file at all. 2:29 For one it provides the latest/last firmware patches for the modem, wifi module and anything that only exists as a proprietary bloob file (CustomROM might also borrow some other things from the StockROM). Second the Devs most likely tested with the latest version. 3:56 Not sure how much time you've spend inside a terminal but when you enter the command fastboot boot twrp.img like this it expects you to be in the same directory as the twrp.img file. Since you've specified no path and only gave the filename it is assumed you're looking for ./twrp.img (but since you're in / there's obviously no such file; as the terminal told you). 4:17 not necessarily. You could've used adb sideload which would've spared you from having to go all this way around. Or if you'd like to copy it anyways adb has it's own way to move files onto the device: "adb push /storage/emulated/0/" (this copies a target file or folder to the device's internal storage) Edit: 6:10 I'd suggest you look into CalyxOS then. It's capable of OTA updates and you can lock the bootloader again. However since Google isn't supplying updates anymore, anything besides what's open source (like proprietary firmware) won't get updated anymore and there's nothing the developers of Pixeldust or Calyx can do about it. So if there's a problem with lets say the WIFI module and it where to allow to run some arbitrary code you WILL be vulnerable.

[@luimu]

I have never used macos and I cringed so hard when he said that he would put the folder in /etc and edited the /etc/paths. I agree with every point, excellent comment.

[@serkandevel7828]

One the easier methods would be just to install android studio, it comes with all the tools needed

[@kishorv06]

When he said he will put the binaries in /etc, I paused the video and went to comment. Then I saw yours. I agree with all your points.

[@radomane]

Definitely agree, don’t dump stuff in to /etc, use .zshrc.

[@radomane]

@@serkandevel7828 You would still need to add the cli utilities to your Path, so you didn’t actually suggest anything that would solve the problem…

[@sjoerd104]

You couldn't move the file to the phone because you had just formatted data, you need to boot to the os and reboot back to recovery, then it would work fine. An alternative without needing to boot to the os first is adb push (adb push dragfile /sdcard)

[@finnjacobs]

Exactly. I hate him saying that 'as usual android's file transfer doesn't work.' Like, Hugh, love your videos and what you do, but that is simply your "fault", since you just formatted the data in twrp, and the way you say this makes it seem like iphones do have a proper dile transfer between computer and phone?? Like the only thing you can do when you connect your iphone over usb to a computer is COPY the photos from the Phone to the pc. Yeah, like that's definitely better than android, where you, idk, can view the entire system and transfer stuff from and to the phone.

[@CaptainChrom]

I don't think you even need to boot to system first. Simply rebooting right back to recovery should be enough.

[@sjoerd104]

@Mt Everest no it doesn't sadly

[@jamesmicklewright2835]

@@finnjacobs To be fair, MTP is terrible, it just isn't the culprit in this instance

[@thegroi]

Hugh did the worst mistake ever which was not using an SD card to move the files needed for flashing

[@amaljoe367]

I tried to buy a used Pixel 3 and flash custom ROM and use it as a daily driver. It was half the price of Pixel 4a, I loved the form factor and design of 3 and the camera was great. Sadly it was very difficult to get a used one in our country as there were many mass imported verizon locked models sold in market, which we can't unlock bootloader or enable dual SIM. Also parts such as battery or display is also hard to obtain in our region. 🙁

[@MissFoxification]

You can re-lock the bootloader with a Pixel, that's why Graphene devs favour it. I am not sure if there's anything extra you need to do but yes, it can be re-locked. Also it bears mentioning that if you run an unlocked bootloader you should ensure your device is encrypted (it should be anyway).

[@randomstuff0069]

Actually it does brick the device I'm using a realme device, and after flashing ROM some people tried relocking it and their phones were soft bricked

[@Burger_Party]

@@randomstuff0069 its different when using a google pixel devices . Chinese devices like xiaomi realme vivo will brick your device if you try to lock the bootloader

[@yjk_ch]

Does that mean Pixel devices will accept and boot unsigned firmwares even if bootloader is locked? I had similar question when he did Anom Phone video, because it is a modified Pixel that boots into custom OS(with bootloader warning about custom OS being installed)in locked state.

[@ShippoHsu]

@@yjk_ch not when the bootloader is locked, only when it's unlocked

[@MissFoxification]

@@ShippoHsu No, you can re-lock the bootloader. It's rare and most devices do not support it but it's one of the reasons Graphene chose the Pixel.

[@vitalyanasvyazi]

Why not an official Pixel experience? There is, especially the plus version ...

[@niveZz-]

everyone: flashing a custom rom him: i hAcKeD aNdRiOd 13 oNtO mY PiXel

[@noahk113]

My Pink Pixel 3 was probably my favorite phone. No excuse for Google to stop updates after three years when Apple has pushed out updates for 6+ year old phones.

[@Tom2404]

The difference is that you can use even Android 7 and most Apps will run, while an iOS Version that is just outdated by a few versions will throw an error at every app you want to install.

[@mihaelhrvat99]

@@Tom2404 Yes, latest app updates require higher iOS version but so does android. It's almost the same thing with both OSs. They're just commenting on how Apple supports older devices for longer period of time and Google doesn't for their own OS and devices

[@Tom2404]

@@mihaelhrvat99 I have never encountered an App where the latest version wouldn't run on an Android release that is less than 5 years old. Apple on the other hand actively tries to prevent developers from supporting any iOS version that is not the latest by making their dev tools incompatible.

[@FurryTwT]

somethings you could have done is when having issues trasfering files over in TWRP, you could have do adb sideload example.zip and will do most of the work for you. Also noted is that 99% of the time USB debugging is not really needed to be enable. (in my past experience with op3 op5 pixel 2 and poco f3)

[@Daniel1987H]

I'm a bit confused: I don't know how the Mac handles folders, but generally /etc is for configuration files, not for programs. Also: is there no "sudo" or "su" (or any other way to get root)? copying the path-file to the desktop and back seems... strange.

[@Warp3326]

apple computers are weird. I'm a windows guy, but I used a macbook pro once, I didn't like it, mainly because it was so hard to repair/upgrade.

[@mjc0961]

It seems even in Mac OS, Apple wants to tell you what you can do with their device. Their device, not your device. On a normal computer, that's your file on your device, you can edit it even if you end up bricking something. But on Apple, nothing is yours, how dare you try to edit a file in place!

[@Warp3326]

@@mjc0961 Yep, thats why I will always have a windows computer unless microsoft shuts down or starts having bad security, which those 2 are SUPER unlikely.

[@Warp3326]

@@mjc0961 Actually not just windows, linux too.

[@Daniel1987H]

@@Warp3326 you can edit every file in place on Linux, if you have the correct rights, of course. And Linux doesn't tell you where to put your files, but there are conventions that make working with different systems running different derivatives of Linux much easier. I would never even look for a program in /etc or configs in /usr, for example.

[@ecodev15]

CORRECTION at 5:56 TL;DR this is correct for most android devices, but ironically completely wrong for pixels (amongst a select few other phones) android's bootloader actually supports adding your own custom signing keys, so with some configuration, you can re-lock the bootloader with a custom rom (it will display a message warning you about the custom keys however) the reason locking the bootloader is important is to defend against physical attacks, as all an attacker has to do is boot into your custom recovery and flash his own operating system/malicious payload on your phone (if your data is encrypted they cannot access it, but a dedicated hacker could write a payload to extract the password from you upon next boot). these are known as evil maid attacks by using your own signing keys that only you have access to, and signing these custom roms (compiling the source code by yourself) you can get the best of all worlds, but unfortunately most companies omit this feature from their customized versions of ABL.

[@jbritain]

It's really not recommended to relock the bootloader though because if you screw something up you end up with a brick.

[@skatcat743]

@@jbritain depends on the rom so read rom docs carefully. If the rom you download says you can then its probably right.

[@ecodev15]

@@jbritain yes, however some custom roms support it and recommend it (like grapheneos)

[@MultiTelan]

Graphene does this. Have it on my 6a and it rules.

[@focusblast1]

You were probably required to flash the factory image to have the same version on both slots A and B, to ensure the ROM you're flashing will be installed on top of the firmware version that it needs to run on. Your phone switches slots every update. For example, if you're on the A slot, the update will be flashed on B and vice versa. That's the reason on Pixels or any device with A/B scheme enabled, you wouldn't need to turn off your phone to apply the update.

[@ishaqahmed._]

"hacking" is such a cringe term for flashing a ROM

[@CaptainKenway]

Upgrading my Galaxy S8 to LineageOS 20/Android 13 gave it a new lease of life. It's so much better and faster than the bloated stock ROM, which is stuck on Android 9 and unmaintained. There are a few compromises, such as losing Wi-Fi calling due to the S8's proprietary implementation, but the trade-offs are more than worth it. It's still my dream phone in terms of size, weight and hand feel, so I'm happy to cling onto it for as long as possible.

[@bigpots9142]

Maybe I'll try this with my old Samsung Galaxy A5 from 2017 as it's really slow, even after uninstalling as many apps as I could.

[@MattTheTekie]

@@bigpots9142 they also have modded stock ROMs if you want the flagship features disabled on the midrange ones and run better too.

[@0neGal]

I really wouldn't recommend moving anything into a system directory, especially /etc, as it is meant for configuration files, unlike /usr/bin which is actually meant for programs. However, I would still rather recommend going into the platform-tools folder, and making the adb binary/executable, actually executable, either through Finder or with "chmod +x adb", then run the program with "./adb" whilst being in the directory, this stops you from having to mess with system files. And if you really want to be able to run just "adb", you can add the folder to the PATH variable, which is originally set to the values inside the paths file. Simply running "export PATH="$PATH:path to platform-tools"" (replace "path to platform-tools" with the actual path), will do the job, you'll need to either run this every time you open a terminal, or you'll need to put it into your Bash aka your shells configuration file. TL;DR: Don't edit system files when not needed, especially not in this way, instead execute the files directly.

[@steviesevieria1868]

I tried Google translate to put this into something I could understand, but it doesn’t work lol.

[@lejoshmont2093]

@@steviesevieria1868 They know what they are talking about.

[@steviesevieria1868]

@@lejoshmont2093 i’m certain they do, but I don’t. Don’t have the patience to keep trying all the steps, that will be changed a week after this video is made anyway…

[@rayoflight62]

Thank you for this update video. I have the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 where the update will end in the coming year, and I would appreciate if you publish a step-by-step guide for those Pixel models - when the time comes. The Pixel series of phones has been a pleasant surprise in the dull Android world, and into the "War of the Benchmarks". Comparing a top Samsung phone to a top Google phone, the difference in benchmarks is totally in favour of Samsung, but the practical experience is in favour of Google. It seems the Samsung realise what software is running, and remove all the throttling at crucial times, just like a Volkswagen phone would. Maybe one day Android will be sold stand-alone, as it happen in the computer world. Merry Christmas Mr. Jeffreys...

[@astrailiaous_Sempticreed]

Pretty much what you saw on this video is what is needed to be done. For some odd reason, USB OTG is a requirement as side loading is messed up for TWRP rn

[@alvintollah]

There's usually videos that explain those steps, since Pixels are pretty easy to unlock and change the ROMs, since the things needed for the creation of custom ROMs are made available almost immediately after the device is released by Google.

[@harrytsang1501]

It will be exactly the same, but you need to know that everything will be wiped when you unlock the bootloader

[@lejoshmont2093]

Dang I can't believe the Pixel 5 is already nearing eol.

[@youngblood4826]

I wouldn't suggest doing that, because it severely breaks android's security model in major ways. For starters, your bootloader needs to be unlocked in order to use a custom rom, meaning that you cannot guarantee software integrity, meaning that anyone can tamper with your system and you wouldn't notice. Second of all, firmware updates will be missing and this cannot be fixed by installing an up-to-date custom rom. Android isn't equipped to handle old firmware, unlike Windows where they put mitigations for firmware flaws inside the os.

[@marcccc834]

All Script files in MacOS, and Linux including ADB and relevant fastboot commands need to have a ./ before it, thats why your adb did not work before moving to /etc. its not neccesary to move it to etc but doesnt hurt for example to list devices without moving to /etc in macos you would do ./adb devices

[@GarnetSunset]

Also AHHHHHH not appending to path with bashrc made me feel ill

[@sampreethiitkgp7918]

A tip from a regular custom rom flasher. For the encrypted storage, you can use flash drive or you can use adb sideload to flash roms(which I prefer). Also I suggest permanently flashing TWRP recovery. And regarding the rom, I prefer using some reputable ones like pixel experience or evo x. They have regular ota updates and are all in December 2022 patch rn.

[@yotoprules9361]

I personally prefer LineageOS and CRDroid (which is based on LOS but with more features)

[@sampreethiitkgp7918]

@@yotoprules9361 Yaa rn I am using crdroid coz I need pixel goodies too.

[@RakeshKumar-hy3ky]

How can i install custom rom on my pixel 2xl ? Please guide me with this as i dont know anything about it.

[@sampreethiitkgp7918]

@@RakeshKumar-hy3ky which rom do u prefer and what Android version is it on

[@thalleshenrique9752]

I just got there to see if anyone would comment about adb sideload. It's so annoying transferring ROMs to the internal storage/sd card, specially larger ones. This adb command is a blessing.

[@Enstrayed]

Adding the platform tools binaries to /etc is unnecessary. Entering the directory in the terminal and then prefacing the commands with ./ works as well. You may need to chmod +x the binaries before they will work though.

[@muthaflaco75]

Hugh, check out grapheneOS. You can re-lock the phone after install, and have WAY more control over the device. Caveat - for Pixel only atm

[@panzerstef]

Xiaomi said the same about my Redmi 6 yet here i am running degoogled Android 12

[@windowsxp5780]

Custom ROMs are great. I have LineageOS 20 (Android 13) running on a Galaxy S3 from 2012. it's far from fast but it does work for basic usage.

[@TheDuckPox]

I suppose you're not used to \*nix filesystem hierarchy since I don't reckon /etc should ever used for binaries. I think you're probably better off using a package manager like homebrew to prevent making a mess in your filesystem.

[@Gray_Ti]

Hacked? Really? This is just installing a custom recovery and ROM.

[@ganendranpillay3283]

i miss doing this to old phones. i dont know why but it was so exciting to do the entire process and having a custom ROM on your phone with so much customizations on it.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

TWRP is a great thing. I used it for many years, and am glad it's still a thing. I probably won't be rooting my current Pixel until 'end of support' happens. I am stoked that it still works as well as it used to. Happy holidays and thanks for all the good content!

[@snoochpounder]

Say what you want about apple but they do support their devices for a lot longer it seems like to me.

[@jimmyk2001]

That's so they can nerf them into a useless brick forcing you to upgrade

[@edwardfletcher7790]

Ummm are you daft ? Apple just blocked the iPhone 6 from even registering !

[@xai38-809]

But they wait way too long look at an iphone 4/4s and ipad2 and see how slow they are on the last supported ios version with Android it may stop updating but take my old note 8 for example until I upgraded today it still ran every app I downloaded no compatibility issues or warnings about how it may run slow. And that was Android 9 most apps out there still run on Android 6/7 but I will agree that apple is very good at supporting older devices but they try to support them TOO much causing multiple issues but then again that's just my thoughts

[@xai38-809]

@@edwardfletcher7790 completely forgot about this

[@perpetualcollapse]

@@edwardfletcher7790 On iOS 9… If you update the phone it will activate fine. That’s my biggest gripe about the video, people thought that all 6s models were unable to activate. Of course it’s still unacceptable, but not as big as a problem as others thought.

[@dedr4m]

Notes that Hugh Jeffreys installed ADB on mac in the same way it can be done on Linux based systems. Also, drag-n-drop folder (directory) changing works in most terminal implementations in Linux-based systems. Notes further, mac users have the same problems as Linux users when the user is stuck in the terminal. Mac and Linux users aren't so far apart versus Windows users who are worlds apart. However, using custom ROMs is a great way to get more out of an older phone in general, especially if people had ported a newer kernel to the phone (Being Android is just a Linux distro with quite some differences to the usual Linux distro, i.e. weird boot layers, Android UI, oddly configured SELinux subsystem, etc)

[@tchanel8277]

Oh man, I've recently started to mod after switching to my new phone. I've started to mod my previous phone Xiaomi Redmi Note 8. It was a pain in the butt to unlock it's boot loader but hey I've unlocked and and I've installed PixelOS 13 on it which means that it runs Android 13. And I've rooted it (partially) as well Edit: now the phone is running so much faster that I'll consider switching back to it 😆

[@vishnumenon6541]

Oh yes, Xiaomi phones are a pain to unlock.

[@tchanel8277]

@@vishnumenon6541 it wasn't that bad, I just had to wait 7 days and after that I've installed TWRP and than I f*cked up the phone completely than I fixed it and now it's working flawlessly 🤣

[@vishnumenon6541]

@@tchanel8277 yup, the waiting part is what I meant. Luckily, mine got unlocked immediately

[@tchanel8277]

@@vishnumenon6541 lucky you 😁

[@ventilate4267]

I think you had issues at the start because you're on macOS, It's a bit more straightforward on windows and linux

[@O2chevsky]

Hey, Hugh, you can always push files via "adb push" instead of MTP even in TWRP(its even faster than MTP)

[@shooburshune]

ливай с двача зелень

[@Sandwich4321]

or just do adb sideload in twrp

[@solihininn5013]

Wow man . Im happy to see this . Its been along time since im playing with custom rom . Now the stock rom is better than before . So no need to change it anymore .

[@philbayf]

The /etc folder is not really intended for binaries, would be better in /usr/local or similar.

[@Druid_Plow]

4:30 Anytime I've done custom roms I always use the SD slot. Have never had an issue copying or running files. Although I haven't done a custom ROM flash in several years now, I've never been a fan of loading over USB from a PC, as you said it's always full of issues and a more direct method of communication is preferred as well as available.

[@TROY2048]

Funny how iPhone Xs was released same year and will get at least two more iOS version updates, I wonder why Apple dominate smartphone market ?

[@fifaworldcup1994]

This brings me back to when I messed around with custom ROMs on my Redmi Note 7, I actually used rooted Pixel Experience on it as my daily driver for years until I got an S20 FE for my birthday, and gave it to my sister (after flashing back to stock and locking the bootloader ofc). Never went back to that whole thing since

[@LucidTownn]

Should start doing it again soon! I flashed Pixel Experience today and it's great!!

[@fifaworldcup1994]

@@LucidTownn After soft bricking my device once just for wanting to delete the Camera app (and not having the ROM on the SD, plus a crappy internet connection with extremely terrible spikes and a horrible laptop), I managed to flash stock and never looked back. Except for when I flashed PE again a few months later and didn't try to do that again...

[@lzydaygaming]

Should probably check out Pixel Experience ROM. They have their own custom recovery and over the air updates. The only downside is the maintainers. Your phone may skip a couple of updates if the previous maintainer stops making builds. Besides that it's been the best one I've used.

[@WiiUniverse]

I've been using PixelExperience Android 13 on my Pixel 3, and it feels the same as the stock rom did, while being up to date

[@lzydaygaming]

@@WiiUniverse I like their PLUS version with the additional settings you can make like the 3 finger swipe, getting rid of the gesture bar, and messing with the notification bar.

[@astrailiaous_Sempticreed]

I'm using a pixel 3 on Android 13 rn (soon 4xl), it's the most smoothest experience I've ever had with a smartphone. Like this could probably go toe to toe with the latest pro 7 in day to day performance.

[@etienneunai]

Have you had any issues with apps like youtube and spotify closing in the background since you updated? I've been noticing it ever since I did a fresh install of A13 on my one.

[@astrailiaous_Sempticreed]

@@etienneunai sounds like a batter optimization setting, make sure they get background usage privileges in the settings app.

[@dhrumil_108]

As a custom ROM user,I appreciate such video highly.

[@Sandwich4321]

what one are you using rn

[@nandikoorkiran]

Good to see mainstream youtubers covering in this topic. Especially coming from someone like you Much appreciated

[@Djoki1]

I have been running pixel experience rom on my galaxy s9 for about a year now. The phone runs way better that stock and the only things i loose are some functionality of One UI and the camera capabilities (mostly solved with gcam). With stock firmware, the phone gets unbearably hot while not doing much (browsing or 1080o videos on youtube or from local storage) With a custom rom, the phone almost never gets hot and everything just runs faster. The battery lasts for about 3 hours with either, but then again its almost 5 years old and i havent replaced it because where i live there are no original batteries available and i dont trust any other chinese "4600 mAh" batteries for a phone that originally had 3000 mAh. Not to mention that most shops in my area do a shit job according to google and facebook reviews.

[@ellisgarbutt1925]

Hugh Hacking a phone os in 2022 nice Merry Chriatmas thanks for another year of awesomeness

[@PCJesus0]

What phone is your daily driver? I've seen so many you've repaired, it would be awesome to see what your personal choice is

[@Warp3326]

he probably likes all since he is probably used to alot of them XD

[@Mrshoujo]

I would love guides on forcing updates on other devices or updating KZbin apps on older Android devices.

[@smaug9833]

It's better to use the custom recovery that comes with the custom ROM, instead of twrp. That way, your phone can receive system updates the regular way. You don't need to flash a new version everytime from twrp.

[@shogun7775]

For example?

[@AkhilDakhil4755]

@@shogun7775 Pixel Experience i guess

[@shogun7775]

@@AkhilDakhil4755 Pixel experience ROM comes with its own Recovery??

[@omerakgoz34]

4:25 New Android versions require encryption for internal storage to work. After formatting Data, you need to boot the phone to do the initial internal storage setup before able to use it. So, install anything you want to install first and then format Data and reboot the phone as the last process. The encryption is depens on the lock screen password of the android rom installed. To access to internal storage and copy files into it, you need to enter your lock screen password everytime you enter to TWRP recovery. If you didn't set any password then, it won't ask for password.

[@technicaltacticts4380]

Bro, you can just flash the recovery I think fastboot flash recovery/recovery.img Just drag that twrp or cwm to the terminal from your drive. It will take it automatically as you have done on the video.

[@PatroxGamer]

And you're wrong. On every Pixel device there's no recovery partition. That partition is merged into boot partition due to A/B partition scheming. Of course, on other devices there is recovery partition, but as I said: on Pixel that doesn't exist.

[@technicaltacticts4380]

@@PatroxGamer No bro. A/B partitions doesn't mean there is no recovery partition. It has. But just complex way.

[@Jbrimbelibap]

@@technicaltacticts4380 If it's like my oneplus 6 with the same processor, there's no recovery partition, but the recovery is integrated to the boot partition. And having boot_a and _b is very handy for dual booting windows 11 arm

[@CattaRappa]

@@PatroxGamer most modern devices (2017) and above use the boot partition for recovery I think the exception is Exynos-based Samsung Phones

[@Jbrimbelibap]

@@CattaRappa Xiaomi phones keep the recovery partition it would seem, my 2021 Poco x3 pro still has it. Are tou sure it wasn't a quirk of the Snapdragon 845 ?

[@Russia_Moscow_countryhuman]

I had this phone when it first launched, so it’s weird seeing how fast time flew and now it is obsolete in google’s eyes.

[@ceroa9568]

You heard it boys, installing a custom rom is now considered hacking. Especially on pixel phones, must have been very difficult. Also, the thing you said at the end is just completely false. You can relock the bootloader even after installing custom roms. It wont freaking brick itself.

[@tejasraman6913]

Depends on the ROM; you need to have both the BL and the ROM with custom signing keys.

[@aland7236]

Vulnerabilities intensifying, sweats nervously with completely stock Pixel 2 in hand.

[@LimaNjobe98]

Google really kept it simple for unlocking the Bootloader - While Xiaomi makes you wait 7 days to unlock it. But the nice thing with Xiaomi is that they provide a Mi Unlock tool that is a simple click from unlcoking - You just boot to Fastboot connect your phone to your PC and click on unlock in the Mi Unlock tool. So most of the stuff could be done without using the Terminal that much. Even for flashing the custom recovery you can use XiaomiToolV2 that has a lot of options: From flashing the original rom, custom rom or even the custom recovery. I personally use OrangeFox recovery on my POCO F3. So if you want to try out custom roms I would suggest getting a Xiaomi device. The POCO F3 is a beast still in 2022 with a Snapdragon 870 and a 120Hz Amoled display.

[@rosaria8384]

Yep, I changed to Pixel Experience after seven days. So annoying! But at least it finally works like a charm

[@sampreethiitkgp7918]

I personally use poco X3 pro for this purpose and all custom roms are far better in terms of updates and experience.

[@Austinredstoner]

For me I have a Redmi note 10 pro it has a massive custom ROM support also.

[@mushisenpai7611]

See this is why I'm subbed to this channel. Consistently interesting and helpful content 👌. You explain things so clearly too!

[@garritorious7587]

“Hacked”. Ah yes it is definitely hacking to use the tools created by Google for the purposes of flashing custom software to flash custom software

[@worthless_opinion]

Exactly. Very clickbait title.

[@grandmaster101587458]

I did that with my OnePlus 8 Pro because they managed to screw up the 5G configurations, but LineageOS fixed that entirely. I've been very happy with it since.

[@ericswpark]

Don't move files into the `/etc` directory - while it does work it's way better to just leave it in your home directory, then add it to your PATH variable. Latest macOS releases actually prevent you from modifying system files and directories, and adding it to your user PATH is better. Once you've put the tools in a directory like `~/Android/Sdk/platform-tools` add the line `export PATH=~/Android/Sdk/platform-tools:$PATH` to .zshrc or .bashrc depending on which shell you are using.

[@Jbrimbelibap]

Wow. MacOS makes it so goddamn hard to use ADB ! It's really really easy on windows, even more on linux. You might have discouraged a few people from saving theirs phones

[@MultiTelan]

Oh? I have done it on Windows with some ease; how much easier is it on Linux?

[@Austinredstoner]

@@MultiTelan windows is easiest to do it but on Linux you don't need to install drivers on some phone manufacturers like Motorola.

[@Jbrimbelibap]

@@MultiTelan single command in the terminal and adb is installed

[@WalnutBun]

I believe that the requirement that you flash the latest factory image first is there because the ROM makes use of some of the proprietary stuff in certain partitions like /vendor. Since it's proprietary, they can't redistribute it themselves - the only other way to get it legally would be to have a script to extract the necessary files from the factory image while it's on your PC. Also, the "proper" place for executables that aren't from your package manager is /usr/local/bin - /etc is supposed to be for global configuration files.

[@gormanspacemarine]

Clever man. Well done Hugh🤩

[@markusTegelane]

I think device manufacturers should add an option for a "semi-locked" bootloader, which allows custom software to run, but doesn’t let people randomly flash stuff, which improves security of the device.

[@TheRailroad99]

works on pixels. You can re-lock the BL on these. It's a unique feature

[@alejmartnz]

Merry Christmas Hugh! Great video!

[@dagoose1861]

I used to love flashing custom roms on whichever device I had for getting a better experience or performance but with google and third parties relying on components such as safety net and widevine I found less and less motivation to modify my devices, sure you can root it and tweak it to get things working like stock but I can't justify wasting that time anymore

[@ellisgarbutt1925]

GOOGLE: this pixel 3 as recived all the update I can be botherd to give HUGH: hold my pixel 3

[@OtterlyInsane]

Worth noting that a lot of apps will not run with an unlocked bootloader, such as banking apps

[@skatcat743]

Either get a rom that supports locking the bootloader again with the developers keys or go all the way and root the device then you can use tools that hide root from apps.

[@CaptainKenway]

You can get around that using Magisk. All my banking/card apps work on my S8 running LineageOS (including Google Pay), and I have a full compliment of apps in the Play Store, including things like Netflix which usually vanish when you install a custom ROM. It takes a bit of time and effort to set it up, but all the knowledge and tools can be found easily online. Six months ago I'd never installed a custom ROM on a phone in my life, so it's possible for a complete novice to do it.

[@Musyaaaa]

I use pixel experience rom, all banking apps working and everything ok, safety net test passes

[@CattaRappa]

microG Safetynet + Magisk EnforceDeny list lets me still use my bank apps perfectly fine.

[@ic0nrc]

I doubt normal people who’s not into tech will do all that stuff 💀 it’s way too much work like, why google can’t provide atleast just security updates? Since android has longevity when it comes to app supports.

[@thesunstep]

This video is full of shit to be honest. Installing a custom ROM on your phone is not hacking your phone. Hacking an OS is also not the same as installing an OS, so no, you cannot hack an os into your phone, you can install one however. I used to do this all the time on my old Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Unfortunately, phone manufacturers are making it hard to root and modify your phone nowadays, so I stopped doing these kinds of stuff. There are also other points mentioned by other people in the comments here and I fully agree with those people.

[@TheDreamDynasty]

Happy Holidays there In Australia Hugh! 🎄❄️🤓

[@dr_ari_gami]

"It's your phone, so you can just install something else" It's not though, at least in my opinion. While on the surface, google allows you to install custom roms, they make your life harder. Frequently, google has been adding new features to play services, rather than to android itself. For instance, all the image processing that pixel cameras are famous for are exclusive to Google camera, and by extension google play services. Most pixel exclusive features are also exclusive to play services. Even if you install google play services, it will detect that the bootloader is unlocked though the play integrity api, and their services, along with third party apps that also check this api will act buggy. While there is a bypass available for play integrity, it cannot fake hardware attestation, which basically all modern devices support. By unlocking the bootloader, you also loose the security feature that checks to make sure your boot file hasn't been tampered with, which is easy to do though adb without having to type the device's password. There are more problems I can think of as well, though I do not want to go on a longer tangent. In my opinion, being able to unlock the bootloader on specific pixel devices is a smokescreen, because anyone who daily drives a custom rom will run into software inconsistencies that google specifically made.

[@pedr0_m198]

nah, your arguments are bs. Is my phone so if i want to run bare aosp i will. Not running google services despite the shortcomings is a call that should be mine to make

[@perpetualcollapse]

Googles dominance with Play/services is definitely a pain. I just degoogle and use Neo-Store and Aurora Store with other open source software. I also use modded apps from the Mobilism forums if an app depends on Google Play services. Not everyone has the choice to not use GP/s though like users of some banking apps.

[@skatcat743]

You can have a relockable boot loader so your kinda just wrong about this whole rant. Besides if you are replacing the rom on any device why would you want google play services taking ram, data & battery from you?

[@dr_ari_gami]

Having a de-googled phone is not always possible. And yes, relocking the bootloader is possible, but I only know of one ROM that actually supports it. For most roms, you run the risk of bricking your install through an update if you relock the bootloader with custom signed keys. Furthermore, the play integrity API check only passes if the boot image is signed by Google, which it won't be if you install a custom ROM. Believe me, I've done extensive testing.

[@skatcat743]

@@dr_ari_gami I know of 3 roms that support relocking boot loader (on supported devices) Graphene, Calyx, Divest all happen to be degoogled as well. The best phones on the market are degoogled ones. iPhone’s are cringe. Most android systems a headache and filled with too much proprietary data harvesting trash. Linux phones are half baked and dumbphones are a meme.

[@HeroRareheart]

/e/OS has a Pixel 3 image available, it's Android with all the Google gunk ripped out and replaced with functional more privacy friendly alternatives. Highly recommend giving it a try if your device supports it, especially for something like this. There's a delicious irony in a Google phone running a Google-free OS.

[@nathan_tasker]

Fantastic video Hugh. Merry Christmas to you and your family mate. Looking forward to seeing new content soon.

[@d_c_y_1]

You don't need to copy the platform-tools to etc folder. Simply cd into the folder in terminal and use ./adb instead of adb and ./fastboot instead of fastboot commands.

[@AutisTECH96]

Okay, here's one thing I have to give credit to people for in the Android modding and hacking community, they really know how to cater to people's needs if they choose to stay on an older device, which in this case, is the Pixel 3. Android is just such a powerful OS, it's not even funny, this just makes the OS more open to software modifications to be up to date on the latest security patches, even though it may not be the latest, sometimes, it's okay, it's incredible work, nonetheless, they definitely could have much longer support than iPhones, even, thanks to these awesome modders. P.S. - Pixel 5a user, here!

[@TheBasedSociety]

My trusty Galaxy S10+ is also stuck on Android 12... more maintained than that, as it has newer patch dates, but alas, also abandoned. It's a shame as it's still a rather capable device, and no custom roms for the Exynos version seem to exist.

[@TheBasedSociety]

@æ It's good to know Lineage has something already, last I've looked they didn't, but for me, it's just not the time to adopt it yet. Samsung phones are very unfriendly to custom OSes because of Knox security and its hardware root of trust model. It's a one way deal, once flashed, the phone cannot be considered trustable ever again (hardware fuse will trip, permanently), even if you do revert to an official Samsung binary. Which is a real shame, I've received One UI 5/Android 13 on my Galaxy Z Flip3 and it seems like the only relevant changes surround task management, which would benefit the S10's slower hardware.

[@tkaczyk245]

You don't need full sdk for unlocking bootloader and flashing recovery. You can simply use the minimal adb and fastboot from xda.

[@YouShisha1393]

You don't need to copy zip files to the phones internal memory, they can be flashed with adb sideload.

[@ORIOLESFan02]

Hi Hugh, I'd suggest looking into LineageOS as well, even though from what I'm seeing, they haven't been working on Android 13, it's more known and trusted by many after CyanogenMod got shut down by google for many different reasons. Anyways, I do hope that you do a video on LineageOS in the future. Great video btw!

[@TokenFatFriend]

I was just going to type this. Lineageos has really good support

[@ORIOLESFan02]

@@TokenFatFriend Well, I'm glad that I was able to do it for someone :D Edit: my only problem with LineageOS atm is that it's a little hard to know what version they're on without deep diving into what device you're looking for. Other than that, it seems like a good OS.

[@TokenFatFriend]

@@ORIOLESFan02 True True. Most devices that are supported are either running Android 11 or 12. But I get what you are saying. It is a bit of a mess 🤣. I was able to get my old nokia to run Lineageos 19.1 and it has been working like a charm.

[@CattaRappa]

LineageOS 20 (A13) is already out for many devices unofficially. I already have it on my S7 Edge and Note 3

[@-Aashish-]

@@CattaRappa is lineage os safe to use on primary device?

[@favabean13]

Now do this on a Verizon bootloader locked Pixel, and I'll be really impressed.

[@random401]

worked great! i did this on my pixel 3a and installed a different rom. but loved it! super easy on my mac vs pc =)

[@sam_86314]

A few months ago, I switched from my Pixel 5a to a Pixel 3 that I installed LineageOS with microG on. It's still a great device, especially since I got mine for $70 on eBay. Other than its lack of a headphone jack and expandable storage, the Pixel 3 is the closest device to my ideal phone. While LineageOS for it hasn't been updated to Android 13 yet, it still gets regular security updates. I do have some issues with certain apps, either caused by microG or Magisk, but it's otherwise completely usable. The Snapdragon 845 still holds up decently today, and it has some of the best speakers I've ever heard on a phone. Just be aware that, in the US at least, you do *not* want a Verizon model (IMEIs begin with 358) as the bootloader can't be unlocked. I believe other carriers are fine, but the factory-unlocked model is your safest bet. My particular phone is a factory-unlocked model from Germany; though it works perfectly in the US.

[@jbritain]

Why would you go from a 5a to a 3?

[@sam_86314]

@@jbritain Smaller size, better speakers, slightly faster CPU. I'm sure I'll put a custom ROM on my 5a at some point.

[@jaspercas]

Was about to buy a used pixel from a chinese reseller and saw a review that his pixel was from verizon so he couldn't unlock bootloader on it, I messaged the sellee first to make sure that I wouldn't get the 358 imei variant😅

[@SlinkyStoney]

I have a pixel 3xl that has an IMEI that begins with 358 and has the option of an OEM bootloader unlock thing.

[@wobber999]

Hugh my daughter has google pixel 3 so this video will really help her, also merry christmas, and a happy new year

[@Alexander_l322]

Merry Christmas 🎄

[@atomicsoul2990]

I did that to my now 5+ year old OP5T, its running A12 with Nov 2022 security patch. I also managed to lock the bootloader because it runs AVB 1.0 and doesn't check for signatures while booting. Funny how my phone works perfectly and there is absolutely no need to change it, yet we are forced to think that a phone should be changed every couple of years.

[@derekpohl]

What I'm annoyed about is my current phone, my note 20 ultra. It still preforms very well - and looks very similar on the outside compared to the s22/s23 ultra. And yet it has no chances of ever getting android 14, as the bootloader is locked.

[@RikAindow]

This reminds me of the time I spent with my Nexus phones and was too impatient to wait for the carrier OTA updates.

[@Steve_jobs9_41]

Merry Christmas and third

[@kintustis]

unlocked bootloaders should be STANDARD on EVERY PHONE. if they can sell new Android 12+ phones with 2 or 3gb of ram and shitty cpus, then theres no reason faster phones from 5 years ago shouldn't be able to be updated as well. you can install windows 10 on your windows xp pc, so why can't you do it to your phone that YOU purchased with YOUR money.

[@bobbyjohnson116]

Ports don’t update old driver vulnerabilities so keep that in mind some security holes will always exist like Wi-Fi Bluetooth camera etc.

[@RokeJulianLockhart.s13ouq]

This isn't hacking. Installing ROMs such as CalyxOS merely requires running a binary, and for most else, merely running some commands.

[@quanic_en_calzones]

the reason on why you MUST flash the latest official software before flashing a custom ROM is because of "blobs", these are like drivers and if you don't have the suggested firmware you might end up having issues like i.e getting stuck at the bootloader, FP reader not working or some sensors malfunctioning. that's why it's compulsory unless specified by the dev (Wich in some cases they don't use latest firmware)