Google’s Pixel Repair Tool might be a faster way to get your Android updates
If the over-the-air updates aren’t arriving to your Pixel phone fast enough and you can’t stop checking the system update menu, there’s a new way to install updates manually: Google’s repair tool. All you need is a web browser, a USB cable and a computer, as 9to5Google reports, instead of the previous method that made you install a chunk of Android’s software development kit and type text commands into a terminal just to sideload an update onto your phone.
The process is not without some risk, so you’ll want to read these step by step instructions carefully. You’ll need a Pixel 3 or newer phone with Android 10, and a computer with a browser version that supports WebUSB, including the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, or Opera, to make it work.
Before you get started, make sure you back up your phone’s data just in case. Then, head over to the repair tool landing page where you’ll select your phone’s carrier. The tool should walk you through the steps, and show you any recommended updates available to install. Note that if there are no updates available, the system will ask if you want to do a factory reset of your phone, which most users will want to avoid — but that’s why you backed up your phone, right?
If the over-the-air updates aren’t arriving to your Pixel phone fast enough and you can’t stop checking the system update menu, there’s a new way to install updates manually: Google’s repair tool. All you need is a web browser, a USB cable and a computer, as 9to5Google reports, instead of…
