You can share steps which you took. This page is also linked from the installation guide.
After having completed the installation, I would like to share some details and observations in addition to the description on Install /e/ on a Sony Xperia XA2 - “pioneer”
that worked for me or that I made in the setting:
- Sony Xperia XA2 (H3113)
- Android 9
- e-OS: e-0.20-q-20211216151800-dev-pioneer.zip
- Recovery-image: recovery-e-0.20-q-20211216151800-dev-pioneer.img
- pre-install-instructions: copy-partitions-20210323_1922.zip
This is mainly a summary of the preceeding posts.
Temporarily Booting a custom recovery using fastboot
I followed the steps including section Temporarily Booting a custom recovery using fastboot, which gave:
user@host:~/Downloads/e-os$ sudo adb reboot bootloader
user@host:~/Downloads/e-os$ sudo fastboot devices
CABC12345C fastboot
user@host:~/Downloads/e-os$ sudo fastboot flash boot recovery-e-0.20-q-20211216151800-dev-pioneer.img
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'boot_b' (23461 KB)...
OKAY [ 1.047s]
writing 'boot_b'...
OKAY [ 0.191s]
finished. total time: 1.238s
Please note: If you should need to reinstall the recovery image, the outcome might be:
user@host:~/Downloads/e-os$ sudo fastboot flash boot recovery-e-0.20-q-20211216151800-dev-pioneer.img
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'boot_a' (23461 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.929s]
writing 'boot_a'...
OKAY [ 0.190s]
finished. total time: 1.119s
i.e., the slot has changed from b to a. To check and - if necessary - adjust (and re-check) the slot, I did:
user@host:~$ sudo fastboot getvar current-slot
current-slot: a
finished. total time: 0.001s
user@host:~$ sudo fastboot --set-active=b
Setting current slot to 'b'...
OKAY [ 0.008s]
finished. total time: 0.008s
user@host:~$ sudo fastboot getvar current-slot
current-slot: b
finished. total time: 0.001s
Then I was able to reinstall the recovery image to slot b.
Pre-install instructions
With regard to step 2 in the section “Pre-install instructions”, i.e., to be able to select the “Apply Update” on the phone, I needed to unplug and reboot my phone in (e-)recovery mode by holding the volume down and power button. To start, release power button after vibration. This opened the e-recovery mode. After plugging again the phone to the PC and the selection “Apply Update”, then “Apply from ADB” could be done via the e-recovery mode on the phone.
Afterwards I sideloaded the copy-partitions-20210323_1922.zip, which gave:
user@host:~/Downloads/e-os$ sudo adb sideload copy-partitions-20210323_1922.zip
* daemon not running; starting now at tcp:5037
* daemon started successfully
Total xfer: 1.00x
Steps to install /e/OS from recovery
In the section Steps to install /e/OS from recovery, step 9, I would like to mention, that the PC seemed to be stuck for some minutes at 47 % and then even seemed to have stopped the process:
user@host:~/Downloads/e-os$ sudo adb sideload e-0.20-q-20211216151800-dev-pioneer.zip
serving: 'e-0.20-q-20211216151800-dev-pioneer.zip' (~47%) adb: failed to read command: Success
However, on the phone, in small fonts, a progress could be followed, giving the (last three) log lines
Installing update...
Step 1/2
Step 2/2
After a couple of minutes an arrow in the upper left corner appeared. On the main screen, there was displayed
Install completed with status 0.
Than the phone could be rebooted as described in steps 14 and 15. Rebooting took approx. 2 minutes.
I hope this helps.
Hello,
the upgrade manual (/e/OS Version Upgrade) mentions that the latest recovery and the latest image should be downloaded. But it only uses the image. It would be good to either say what to do with the recovery or remove that from the manual.
I updated the recovery with fastboot after installing the image on one phone (kirin instead of pioneer but they are very similar) which worked fine. I also tried it the other way round on another phone which made some trouble during reboot from bootloader into recovery but otherwise seemed to work too.
Note that this is true for multiple phones and not only pioneer.
Best regards
Christian
I am about to do an upgrade to S from R, so what you are saying is of quite some interest to me.
During my upgrade from O to R last year, the instructions had a section wherein one flashed the recovery first, and also did a copy-partitions process. These both appear to be missing from the new instructions.
It’s not clear to me why this would be the case, given that the pioneer has an A-B slot architecture that one tends to need to pay attention to.
In fact, the differences between my detailed notes of last year and the new install instructions are very major indeed. Has anyone done the R-to-S upgrade following the instructions as given?
Hi,
I cannot succes to install e on Xperia XA2. I already have two phone on e but with this one, I stuck.
Already are unlock, debuging, USB, OEM etc but It’s not working.
I send you picture and my screenshot : maby somethings goes wrong ?
I dont know if the unlock code are the good code. When I try the laptop and the phone seen doing somthing but I waiting half hour and nothing happen.
Thank by advance for your help.
Guillaume
Hi.
I’m trying to install /e/ or LineageOS on my XA2 but I can’t even flash the bootloader. I keep getting the same error message “fastboot: error: Failed to identify current slot”. I checked everywhere online but the workarounds I found don’t work. Some say the XA2 doesn’t support flashing like this, that I need to boot on the recovery image directly (“fastboot boot boot.img”) but when I do, it’s stuck on “Sending ‘boot.img’ (24673 KB)” for ever. I assume it doesn’t take 15 min to send 25MB on the phone.
How did people get to flash the Recovery with no issue?
Also, why does the e-1.15 come with no recovery img in https://images.ecloud.global/dev/pioneer/ ? How are we supposed to install the software without the recovery?
Thanks for your help.
Is unfortunately a current issue, see Week 42, 2023: Development and Testing Updates and also Post #1 of same thread. Using the first available “pair” e-1.14-s should work then the device will update after install.
Regarding your first point, did you read this thread from the top ? May be some solution.
- (We are asked not to raise issues and bugs on the Documentation Suggestions section. Perhaps open a new support thread if needed. Good luck.
Following the VoLTE discussion I looked at install instructions for the XA2.
First stumbling block: the link to Sony developer site does not work:
“Follow the instructions on Sony’s official unlocking website to unlock your bootloader.”
Also question: are XA2 devices bought second hand in Europe/UK generally bootloader unlockable?
Try this link
https://developer.sony.com/open-source/aosp-on-xperia-open-devices/get-started/unlock-bootloader/
Hi,
after having run the /e/OS Pioneer for quite a while (i.e., 1.8.1-20230207257879-pioneer) which is Android 10, dated February 7th, 2023, on an xperia xa2 today I decided to finally do a step-by-step upgrade to Android 13.
But first I would like to share some observations in comparison to my previous post on this topic:
- it seems that the device-id has changed, i.e.
$ fastboot devices
CQ3001GG7C fastboot
- the nature of the slots seems to have changed (i.e., I get a reply only every second call)
$ fastboot getvar current-slot
getvar:current-slot FAILED (remote: 'GetVar Variable Not found')
Finished. Total time: 0.001s
$ fastboot getvar current-slot
current-slot: a
Finished. Total time: 0.001s
...
- the slot-variable does not seem to be supported any more
$ fastboot --set-active=b
fastboot: error: Device does not support slots
Versions:
$ fastboot --version
fastboot version 35.0.1-11580240
$ adb --version
Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.41
Version 35.0.1-11580240
Coming to my question: For the upgrade I decided to follow the step-by-step-, version-to-version approach. However, I just have a problem with the first upgrade step, from Android 10 to 11:
Following the procedure as described here, i.e., to sideload the most recent version of Android R in the
download section.
After a successful sideload
$ adb sideload e-1.8.1-r-20230206257804-dev-pioneer.zip
serving: 'e-1.8.1-r-20230206257804-dev-pioneer.zip' (~47%) adb: failed to read command: Success
a message on the smartphone appears, that the image that I try to install (the most recent from Android 10, e-1.8.1-r-20230206257804-dev-pioneer.zip)
is older than that, which is currently installed (1.8.1-20230207257879-pioneer) and that this is prohibited by the installer.
Did anyone face the same problem and found a solution for that?
Hi Cassandra73
You mentioned you wanted to sideload “e-1.8.1-r-20230206257804-dev-pioneer.zip” which is in the dev-branch (note the “dev” before “pioneer”)
What is on your XA2 now, “1.8.1-20230207257879-pioneer” you said?
It looks like this ROM is in the stable branch.
So, i wonder if it is even possible to sideload a dev-ROM over a stable-ROM without data loss.
But i can assure: generally it works. My XA2 is running “/e/-1.21-t-20240325389105-dev-pioneer” (Android 13) via adb sideload from sd-card.
I’m at work, will report later…
Greetings
Hi Maschinengeist,
yes, you are right. Currently installed is the “1.8.1-20230207257879-pioneer”. The image, that I try to sideload in the first step is linked in the “Downloads for pioneer” section on the Install /e/OS on a Sony Xperia XA2 - “pioneer”. It was a dev-image that I initially installed on the phone (see above, which describes my previous installation.
Cheers
PS I am really surprised that the device id seems to have changed.