Running Builds

This page provides details for running builds on specific devices and complements the information in Building the System.

Building fastboot and adb

If you don't already have fastboot and adb, you can build them with the regular build system. Use the instructions in Building a System and replace the main make command with:

make fastboot adb

Booting into fastboot mode

Fastboot is a bootloader mode in which you can flash a device. During a cold boot of a device, use the following key combinations to boot into fastboot mode:

Device Code name Keys
Pixel XL marlin Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Pixel sailfish Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
hikey hikey Link pins 1 - 2 and 5 - 6 of J15.
Nexus 6P angler Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus 5X bullhead Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus 6 shamu Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus Player fugu Press and hold Power.
Nexus 9 volantis Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus 5 hammerhead Press and hold both Volume Up and Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus 7 flo Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus 7 3G deb Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus 10 manta Press and hold both Volume Up and Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus 4 mako Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus 7 (2012) grouper Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus 7 3G (2012) tilapia Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus Q phantasm Power the device then cover it with one hand after the LEDs light up and until they turn red.
Galaxy Nexus GSM maguro Press and hold both Volume Up and Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Galaxy Nexus (Verizon) toro Press and hold both Volume Up and Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Galaxy Nexus (Sprint) toroplus Press and hold both Volume Up and Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Motorola Xoom wingray Press and hold Volume Down, then press and hold Power.
Nexus S crespo Press and hold Volume Up, then press and hold Power.
Nexus SG crespo4g Press and hold Volume Up, then press and hold Power.

You can also use the command adb reboot bootloader to reboot from Android directly into the bootloader with no key combinations.

Unlocking the bootloader

You can flash a custom system only if the bootloader allows it, and the bootloader is locked by default. You can unlock the bootloader, but doing so deletes user data for privacy reasons. After unlocking, all data on the device is erased, i.e. both application private data and shared data accessible over USB (including photos and movies). Before attempting to unlock the bootloader, be sure to back up any important files on the device.

You need to unlock the bootloader only once, and you can re-lock it if necessary.

Unlocking recent devices

All Nexus and Pixel devices released since 2014 (starting with Nexus 6 and Nexus 9) have factory reset protection and require a multi-step process to unlock the bootloader.

  1. To enable OEM unlocking on the device:
    1. In Settings, tap About phone, then tap Build number seven (7) times.
    2. When you see the message "You are a developer", tap the back button.
    3. Tap Developer options and enable OEM unlocking and USB debugging. (If OEM unlocking is disabled, connect to the Internet so the device can check in at least once. If it remains disabled, your device may be SIM locked by your carrier and the bootloader cannot be unlocked.)
  2. Reboot into the bootloader and use fastboot to unlock it.
    • For new devices (2015 and later): 
      fastboot flashing unlock
    • For older devices (2014 and earlier): 
      fastboot oem unlock
  3. Confirm the unlock onscreen.

Re-locking the bootloader

To re-lock the bootloader:

  • For new devices (2015 and later): 
    fastboot flashing lock
  • For older devices (2014 and earlier): 
    fastboot oem lock

Using Flash Unlock

The getFlashLockState() system API transmits the bootloader state and the PersistentDataBlockManager.getFlashLockState() system API returns the bootloader’s lock status on compliant devices.

Return value Conditions
FLASH_LOCK_UNKNOWN Returned only by devices upgrading to Android 7.x or higher that did not previously support the bootloader changes required to get the flash lock status if they supported flashing lock/unlock capability.
  • New devices running Android 7.x or higher must be in either FLASH_LOCK_LOCKED or FLASH_LOCK_UNLOCKED state.
  • Devices upgrading to Android 7.x or higher that do not support flashing unlock/lock capability should return FLASH_LOCK_LOCKED state.
FLASH_LOCK_LOCKED Should be returned by any device that does not support flashing lock/unlock (i.e. the device is always locked), or any device that does support flashing lock/unlock and is in the locked state.
FLASH_LOCK_UNLOCKED Returned by any device that supports flashing lock/unlock and is currently in the unlocked state.

Manufacturers should test the values returned by devices with locked and unlocked bootloaders. For an example, the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) contains a reference implementation that returns a value based on the ro.boot.flash.locked boot property. Example code is located in the following directories:

  • frameworks/base/services/core/java/com/android/server/PersistentDataBlockService.java
  • frameworks/base/core/java/android/service/persistentdata/PersistentDataBlockManager.java

Selecting a device build

The recommended builds for devices are available from the lunch menu, accessed when running the lunch command with no arguments. You can download factory images and binaries for Nexus devices from developers.google.com. See Device binaries for downloads. For details and additional resources, see Obtaining proprietary binaries.

Device Code name Build configuration
Pixel XL marlin aosp_marlin-userdebug
Pixel sailfish aosp_sailfish-userdebug
HiKey hikey hikey-userdebug
Nexus 6P angler aosp_angler-userdebug
Nexus 5X bullhead aosp_bullhead-userdebug
Nexus 6 shamu aosp_shamu-userdebug
Nexus Player fugu aosp_fugu-userdebug
Nexus 9 volantis (flounder) aosp_flounder-userdebug
Nexus 5 (GSM/LTE) hammerhead aosp_hammerhead-userdebug
Nexus 7 (Wi-Fi) razor (flo) aosp_flo-userdebug
Nexus 7 (Mobile) razorg (deb) aosp_deb-userdebug
Nexus 10 mantaray (manta) full_manta-userdebug
Nexus 4 occam (mako) full_mako-userdebug
Nexus 7 (Wi-Fi) nakasi (grouper) full_grouper-userdebug
Nexus 7 (Mobile) nakasig (tilapia) full_tilapia-userdebug
Galaxy Nexus (GSM/HSPA+) yakju (maguro) full_maguro-userdebug
Galaxy Nexus (Verizon) mysid (toro) aosp_toro-userdebug
Galaxy Nexus (Experimental) mysidspr (toroplus) aosp_toroplus-userdebug
Motorola Xoom (U.S. Wi-Fi) wingray full_wingray-userdebug
Nexus S soju (crespo) full_crespo-userdebug
Nexus S 4G sojus (crespo4g) full_crespo4g-userdebug

Flashing a device

You can flash an entire Android system in a single command; doing so verifies the system being flashed is compatible with the installed bootloader and radio, writes the boot, recovery, and system partitions together, then reboots the system. Flashing also erases all user data, similarly to fastboot oem unlock.

To flash a device:

  1. Place the device in fastboot mode by holding the appropriate key combination at boot or using the following command: 
    adb reboot bootloader
  2. After the device is in fastboot mode, run: 
    fastboot flashall -w
    The -w option wipes the /data partition on the device; this is useful for your first time flashing a particular device but is otherwise unnecessary.

Restoring devices to factory state

Factory images for Google devices are available from Factory Images for Nexus and Pixel Devices. Factory images for the Motorola Xoom are distributed directly by Motorola.