How to Install Android 13 (Get Android 13 on Pixel)

Android 13 is the latest Android version launched on 15th August. Google released Android 13 after prolonged beta testing for almost half a year. We got to see two developer previews and four public betas during the testing phase. If you have a supported Pixel phone, you can finally install Android 13 on your device. And here is the complete guide on it.

Android 12 was one of the biggest major updates in Android update history. And Android 13 keeps most of the visual features of Android 12 but with improvements. Also, there have been some newly added features that are useful.

Google first released the Android 13 Developer Preview in February, and then a second developer preview was also released to developers. At Google I/O in April, Google released the Android 13 public beta. And now after four public betas, Google finally releases the stable Android 13 update for Google Pixel devices.

Before jumping into the installation steps, here are some key points to remember. Take a full backup of your phone before installing Android 13 and charge it to at least 50%. Here are the Pixel devices eligible for the Android 13 update.

Android 13 Eligible Pixel Phones:

  • Google Pixel 4
  • Google Pixel 4 XL
  • Google Pixel 4a
  • Google Pixel 4a 5G
  • Google Pixel 5
  • Google Pixel 5a
  • Google Pixel 6
  • Google Pixel 6 Pro
  • Google Pixel 6a

There are multiple ways to install Android 13. You can use Factory Image, OTA image, or even the Google flash tool to install Android 13 on your Pixel phone. Here in this guide, we will share all three ways to install Android 13 on Pixel Phones. If you have a non-pixel phone then you can use Android 13 GSI once it’s available. Let’s now jump into the installation methods.

  • Make sure to take a full backup of your phone
  • Charge your phone to at least 50%
  • Install ADB & Fastboot drivers or download Android SDK Platform Tools folder
  • If you are on an Android 13 beta, opt-out from the beta to receive a stable Android 13 update

How to Install Android 13 (Easy Method)

The Android 13 is rolling out in OTA, so if you have an eligible Pixel phone, then you can wait for the OTA update to arrive on your device. However, this can take some time as these updates roll out in batches. There are other methods to install the update immediately.

If you have enrolled in the Android 13 beta, then the easiest way to get stable Android 13 is by opting out of the beta program. Once you opt out of the beta, you will get the stable Android 13 OTA update on your device that you can install from Settings.

How to Install Android 13 using Android Flash Tool

This method requires an unlocked bootloader device, so make sure to first unlock the bootloader of your Google Pixel phone. And then proceed with the following steps.

  1. Open Settings on your Google Pixel phone and go to About Phone. Tap seven times on Build Number to enable developer options.
    android 11 system settings screenshot
  2. Go back to main Settings and open Developer Options. And enable USB Debugging to use ADB.
    android 11 usb debugging option
  3. Connect your Pixel with your PC directly using an original USB cable.
  4. Open the Android Flash Tool page using this link. It will ask for ADB permission on your browser, allowing it to use ADB.
  5. On the webpage click on Add New Device, then select the device model and click on Connect.
  6. Also allow debugging on your phone, when a pop-up appears.
  7. Now select your connected device on the browser.
  8. Choose the latest Android 13 build from the list. Also, select the option to wipe data for clean flash.
  9. Click on the Install button and just wait for the process to complete.
  10. Once the flash completes, disconnect your phone and enjoy the latest Android 13.

How to Install Android 13 using Full OTA Image

  1. Install ADB & Fastboot drivers on your PC or you can also use the Android SDK Platform tools folder.
  2. Download the Android 13 OTA Image for your device from here. If the file name is big then rename the file (eg. Update.zip) for an easy process. Remember you must be on the latest Android 12 update to use this OTA.
  3. Now enable USB Debugging on your Pixel phone. Check out the first method to know how to enable it.
  4. Connect your Pixel phone to your PC. You will receive a prompt on your phone, click on Allow to grant debugging authorization. If you don’t receive the prompt enter ‘adb devices’ in CMD and it should show the connected device id.
  5. Once your Pixel phone is connected to the computer enter the command below to boot the pixel phone into Recovery Mode.
    • adb reboot recovery
  6. Once the phone boot into Recovery Mode, select the option ‘Apply Update from ADB’.
  7. Now run the following command to install the latest Android 13 on your Pixel phone. Make sure to enter the correct file name that you renamed in the first step. Replace Update with the correct file name if it is different in your case.
    • adb sideload Update.zip
  8. It will now install Android 13 on your Pixel phone. After installing the file select ‘Reboot system now’ to boot into the system.

How to Install Android 13 using Factory Image

  1. We will be using adb and fastboot commands so first install the adb and fastboot drivers or download the Android sdk platform tools folder (in this case open cmd from platform tools folder whenever cmd is required).
  2. Download the Android 13 Factory Image for your Pixel phone from here.
  3. Extract the Factory Image on your computer.
  4. Now connect your pixel phone to your pc using USB and open cmd (command prompt).
  5. Enter the below adb command to boot your phone into fastboot mode.
    • adb reboot bootloader
  6. Once your phone is in fastboot mode, enter the below command to unlock bootloader (It will wipe all the data from your phone).
    • fastboot flashing unlock
  7. Navigate to the directory where extracted fastboot image is available. It will include flash-all bat and sh file.
  8. In the case of Windows run the .bat file and in the case of Mac run the .sh file.
  9. It will install Android 13 on your phone. Your phone will reboot into the system.
  10. You can now relock the bootloader using the below command. Boot your phone to fastboot mode before using the given command.
    • Fastboot flashing lock

That’s it, now you can enjoy Android 13 on your Pixel phone.

Installing through the Android flash tool is the easiest if you don’t want to wait for OTA update. But you need to make sure that bootloader is unlocked to use the flash tool. You can also use OTA Image and Factory Image to get Android 13. Let us know which method you find the best.

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AUTHOR.

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Ashutosh singh

Computer Science graduate and tech enthusiast. Love testing new tech gadgets ever since my first windows phone from Samsung. Working as a technical writer for more than five years, and I believe I have also developed good SEO skills. In my spare time, I like watching movies, and playing games.

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