Pixel devices getting bricked / stuck in Pixel ROM Recovery after flashing AOSP-based builds with Android 15 QPR2 (BP1A.250305.019) [402455330]

Assigned

Bug

[AOSP] assigned

Status Update

No update yet.

Description

tm...@gmail.com

created issue #1

Mar 11, 2025 08:43PM

Device details

Google Pixel 7a
fastboot version 35.0.2-12147458
Bootloader Version...: lynx-15.2-12878710
Baseband Version.....: g5300q-241205-250127-B-12973597
Android build based on BP1A.250305.019
Device bootloader is unlocked

Problem description

My device has nothing on the screen. It is warm. It will not "turn on" in response to buttons. It appears in lsusb and dmesg as "Pixel ROM Recovery".

Background

I work on a team that develops a custom AOSP-based operating system for Google Pixel and other devices. During the regular course of development and flashing, multiple of us have now seen unexpectedly bricked devices that will no longer respond to buttons or show anything on the screen.

This issue, though, focuses on my specific device and experience for now.

Lead-up to the problem

Here is what happened:

I made a small change to an app in our checkout.
I ran m to build with the change.
I used adb reboot bootloader to put my device back into bootloader mode.
I ran fastboot flashall to flash. The output of this command looked normal and ended with a reboot into the system as usual. "Finished. Total time: 123.171s"
I tuned out during the fastboot flash as usual, since it takes a while. At some point, I looked over at the device and saw the screen was black, so I thought it might be off. I held the power button for about 60 seconds and it turned on and showed the usual unlocked bootloader warning.
The Google logo appeared. It froze here and stayed on this logo for a few minutes.

That was the last thing I ever saw on the device screen. Now, when I hook it up to the computer, I see it is consistently detected as "Pixel ROM Recovery".

Steps 1 through 4 are steps that I and other team members typically do on a very regular basis (sometimes multiple times per day) without issue.

Attempted solutions

Hold all three buttons - volume up, down, and power - for 60 seconds. Then, hold volume down and power for 10 seconds. No visible response. When connected to a computer, however, I can see via dmesg that the device disconnects and reconnects every so often while these buttons are held.
Any other button combinations I could think of: No visible response.

Command history:

[2025-03-11 15:51:52] adb reboot bootloader
[2025-03-11 15:52:04] fastboot flashall

Fastboot output:

--------------------------------------------
Bootloader Version...: lynx-15.2-12878710
Baseband Version.....: g5300q-241205-250127-B-12973597
Serial Number........: REDACTED
--------------------------------------------
Checking 'version-baseband'                        OKAY [  0.000s]
Checking 'product'                                 OKAY [  0.000s]
Checking 'version-bootloader'                      OKAY [  0.000s]
Setting current slot to 'b'                        OKAY [  0.057s]
Sending 'boot_b' (65536 KB)                        OKAY [  1.740s]
Writing 'boot_b'                                   OKAY [  0.196s]
Sending 'init_boot_b' (8192 KB)                    OKAY [  0.234s]
Writing 'init_boot_b'                              OKAY [  0.031s]
Sending 'dtbo_b' (16384 KB)                        OKAY [  0.449s]
Writing 'dtbo_b'                                   OKAY [  0.056s]
Sending 'pvmfw_b' (1024 KB)                        OKAY [  0.028s]
Writing 'pvmfw_b'                                  OKAY [  0.006s]
Sending 'vbmeta_b' (8 KB)                          OKAY [  0.001s]
Writing 'vbmeta_b'                                 OKAY [  0.002s]
Sending 'vbmeta_system_b' (4 KB)                   OKAY [  0.001s]
Writing 'vbmeta_system_b'                          OKAY [  0.002s]
Sending 'vbmeta_vendor_b' (4 KB)                   OKAY [  0.001s]
Writing 'vbmeta_vendor_b'                          OKAY [  0.002s]
Sending 'vendor_boot_b' (65536 KB)                 OKAY [  1.756s]
Writing 'vendor_boot_b'                            OKAY [  0.210s]
Sending 'vendor_kernel_boot_b' (65536 KB)          OKAY [  1.714s]
Writing 'vendor_kernel_boot_b'                     OKAY [  0.196s]
Rebooting into fastboot                            OKAY [  0.000s]
< waiting for any device >
Sending 'super' (5 KB)                             OKAY [  0.003s]
Updating super partition                           OKAY [  0.087s]
Resizing 'product_b'                               OKAY [  0.016s]
Resizing 'system_b'                                OKAY [  0.008s]
Resizing 'system_dlkm_b'                           OKAY [  0.006s]
Resizing 'system_ext_b'                            OKAY [  0.010s]
Resizing 'system_b'                                OKAY [  0.013s]
Resizing 'vendor_b'                                OKAY [  0.012s]
Resizing 'vendor_dlkm_b'                           OKAY [  0.003s]
Resizing 'product_b'                               OKAY [  0.004s]
Sending sparse 'product_b' 1/1 (197300 KB)         OKAY [  5.393s]
Writing 'product_b'                                OKAY [  7.438s]
Resizing 'system_b'                                OKAY [  0.010s]
Sending sparse 'system_b' 1/5 (262112 KB)          OKAY [  7.225s]
Writing 'system_b'                                 OKAY [  1.114s]
Sending sparse 'system_b' 2/5 (262116 KB)          OKAY [  7.106s]
Writing 'system_b'                                 OKAY [  0.969s]
Sending sparse 'system_b' 3/5 (262104 KB)          OKAY [  7.225s]
Writing 'system_b'                                 OKAY [  1.163s]
Sending sparse 'system_b' 4/5 (262140 KB)          OKAY [  7.142s]
Writing 'system_b'                                 OKAY [  1.153s]
Sending sparse 'system_b' 5/5 (32508 KB)           OKAY [  0.921s]
Writing 'system_b'                                 OKAY [  0.204s]
Resizing 'system_dlkm_b'                           OKAY [  0.008s]
Sending 'system_dlkm_b' (11504 KB)                 OKAY [  0.354s]
Writing 'system_dlkm_b'                            OKAY [  0.164s]
Resizing 'system_ext_b'                            OKAY [  0.005s]
Sending sparse 'system_ext_b' 1/2 (262140 KB)      OKAY [  7.310s]
Writing 'system_ext_b'                             OKAY [  1.147s]
Sending sparse 'system_ext_b' 2/2 (70512 KB)       OKAY [  1.986s]
Writing 'system_ext_b'                             OKAY [  0.336s]
Resizing 'system_a'                                OKAY [  0.007s]
Sending 'system_a' (81844 KB)                      OKAY [  2.342s]
Writing 'system_a'                                 OKAY [  0.462s]
Resizing 'vendor_b'                                OKAY [  0.011s]
Sending sparse 'vendor_b' 1/3 (262120 KB)          OKAY [  7.393s]
Writing 'vendor_b'                                 OKAY [  1.336s]
Sending sparse 'vendor_b' 2/3 (262120 KB)          OKAY [  7.366s]
Writing 'vendor_b'                                 OKAY [  1.155s]
Sending sparse 'vendor_b' 3/3 (220348 KB)          OKAY [  6.227s]
Writing 'vendor_b'                                 OKAY [  1.057s]
Resizing 'vendor_dlkm_b'                           OKAY [  0.008s]
Sending 'vendor_dlkm_b' (60924 KB)                 OKAY [  1.777s]
Writing 'vendor_dlkm_b'                            OKAY [  0.401s]
Rebooting                                          OKAY [  0.002s]
Finished. Total time: 123.171s

dmesg output:

[Tue Mar 11 15:52:00 2025] usb 1-2: new high-speed USB device number 37 using xhci_hcd
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:00 2025] usb 1-2: New USB device found, idVendor=18d1, idProduct=4ee0, bcdDevice= 1.00
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:00 2025] usb 1-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:00 2025] usb 1-2: Product: Pixel 7a
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:00 2025] usb 1-2: Manufacturer: Google
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:00 2025] usb 1-2: SerialNumber: REDACTED
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:12 2025] usb 1-2: USB disconnect, device number 37
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:38 2025] usb 1-2: new high-speed USB device number 38 using xhci_hcd
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:38 2025] usb 1-2: New USB device found, idVendor=18d1, idProduct=4ee0, bcdDevice= 6.01
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:38 2025] usb 1-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:38 2025] usb 1-2: Product: Pixel 7a
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:38 2025] usb 1-2: Manufacturer: Google
[Tue Mar 11 15:52:38 2025] usb 1-2: SerialNumber: REDACTED
[Tue Mar 11 15:54:07 2025] usb 1-2: USB disconnect, device number 38
[Tue Mar 11 15:57:02 2025] usb 1-2: new high-speed USB device number 39 using xhci_hcd
[Tue Mar 11 15:57:02 2025] usb 1-2: New USB device found, idVendor=18d1, idProduct=4f00, bcdDevice= 1.00
[Tue Mar 11 15:57:02 2025] usb 1-2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[Tue Mar 11 15:57:02 2025] usb 1-2: Product: Pixel ROM Recovery
[Tue Mar 11 15:57:02 2025] usb 1-2: Manufacturer: Google
[Tue Mar 11 15:57:02 2025] usb 1-2: SerialNumber: REDACTED BUT NOT THE SAME AS BEFORE
[Tue Mar 11 15:57:02 2025] cdc_acm 1-2:1.0: ttyACM0: USB ACM device
[Tue Mar 11 15:57:02 2025] usbcore: registered new interface driver cdc_acm
[Tue Mar 11 15:57:02 2025] cdc_acm: USB Abstract Control Model driver for USB modems and ISDN adapters

Next steps

My Google Pixel 7a is no longer under warranty. Is there anything I can do to recover it? Is there anything that anyone else who runs into a problem like this can do? Any other info you need? I cannot take a bug report because the device won't really do much.

Comments

tm...@gmail.com <tm...@gmail.com> #2Mar 11, 2025 08:45PM

During the regular course of development and flashing, multiple of us have now seen unexpectedly bricked devices that will no longer respond to buttons or show anything on the screen.

I want to be clear that this statement is regarding work being done for Android 15 QPR2 (BP1A) specifically.

tm...@gmail.com <tm...@gmail.com> #3Mar 11, 2025 08:47PM

I tuned out during the fastboot flash as usual, since it takes a while. At some point, I looked over at the device and saw the screen was black, so I thought it might be off. I held the power button for about 60 seconds and it turned on and showed the usual unlocked bootloader warning.

I didn't hold the button for 60 seconds here, more like 10-15 or so. Sorry, mixed that up.

vi...@google.com <vi...@google.com> Mar 12, 2025 07:46AM

Assigned to vi...@google.com.

vi...@google.com <vi...@google.com> #4Mar 12, 2025 11:19AM

We have shared this with our product and engineering team and will update this issue with more information as it becomes available.

im...@gmail.com <im...@gmail.com> #5Mar 14, 2025 06:23PM

no working this mobile fingerprint scanner
please solv my issue.

im...@gmail.com <im...@gmail.com> #6Mar 14, 2025 06:25PM

and no working this mobile vibration

vi...@google.com <vi...@google.com> #7Mar 23, 2025 08:57AM

Thanks for reporting this issue.

Please re-flash the public build without your changes.

tm...@gmail.com <tm...@gmail.com> #8Mar 23, 2025 12:34PM

Please re-flash the public build without your changes.

If this is in response to my issue, that is impossible because the affected device (and other team members' devices) will not start into fastboot or anything else besides Pixel ROM Recovery, which presents as a black screen and warm, unresponsive device that refuses to interact with mere mortals.

It should be noted as well that the latest bootloader for the device was previously flashed to both slots, and the bootloader was not modified at all directly prior to the reaching this state. So I have no idea why the device would get to this point.

an...@gmail.com <an...@gmail.com> #9Mar 27, 2025 03:08PM

Just wanted to add i'm also having the same issue after flashing stock + locally built kernel without modifications from the "android-gs-pantah-6.1-android15-qpr2" branch on p7p. After flashing it rebooted 2 times and the screen went permanently black, lsusb shows the phone connected as "Pixel ROM Recovery"

Issue 402455330

Description

Device details

Problem description

Background

Lead-up to the problem

Attempted solutions

Next steps

Issue summary

Comments

tm...@gmail.com <tm...@gmail.com> #2Mar 11, 2025 08:45PM

tm...@gmail.com <tm...@gmail.com> #3Mar 11, 2025 08:47PM

vi...@google.com <vi...@google.com> Mar 12, 2025 07:46AM

vi...@google.com <vi...@google.com> #4Mar 12, 2025 11:19AM

im...@gmail.com <im...@gmail.com> #5Mar 14, 2025 06:23PM

im...@gmail.com <im...@gmail.com> #6Mar 14, 2025 06:25PM

vi...@google.com <vi...@google.com> #7Mar 23, 2025 08:57AM

tm...@gmail.com <tm...@gmail.com> #8Mar 23, 2025 12:34PM

an...@gmail.com <an...@gmail.com> #9Mar 27, 2025 03:08PM

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