How to Install Generic System Image on Project Treble Android Devices

What is Project Treble ? The Android 8.0 release includes Project Treble, a major re-architect of the Android OS framework designed to make it easier, faster, and less costly for manufacturers to update devices to a new version of Android. Treble is for all new devices launching with Android 8.0 and beyond.

Finally, at this time you may ask what advantage a device gets if it supports Project Treble? Well, it enables the device to install Generic System Image (GSI) based on AOSP. GSI refers to system partition files(the ones with .img extension). If we simplify the terms, “Generic” means that any image file can be installed on a device with support for Project Treble. These system image file can be from any vendor. This actually makes way for the various top ranking custom ROMs which users can easily flash on their devices. In this post, we will tell you follow this guideline

Google introduced many new features for the android smartphones. One of the major aspects of the new operating system (OS) was Project treble. Project treble enables faster delivery of updates to the device, independent of the manufacturer. It basically separates the Android OS framework from the vendor implementations With the release of Android oreo.

To even simplify things further, here is exactly what happens. Usually, when a software or system update is created by the developers, they pass it on to the device manufacturer who has to integrate it with its own OEM specific skin. Then they pass it to the tele-carriers and finally, the update reaches the users. However, with project treble, it by-passes the dependency on device maker. So, software or system updates reach the user quite faster than usual.

Any device that runs Android 8.0 / 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box, supports Project Treble. Primarily, there are two ways to install Generic System Image on any Project Treble supported android device. You can either use TWRP or Fastboot method to flash the system.img file. We will take a look at both the methods. There may be some other device-specific procedure you have to follow.
First of all, you have to download GSI image file for your device. Here we have provided you with the image file of Lineage OS 15.1.

Prerequisite:

• Download TWRP Recovery On Android Phone or Tablet & Install Guide.
• Take a complete backup of your device data.
• It is mandatory that your device must have an unlocked bootloader to flash the GSI file.
• You can check if your phone supports Project treble or not, Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel 2 XL, Sony Xperia XZ1, Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact, Essential PH-1, Huawei Mate 10, Huawei Mate 10 Porsche Design, Huawei Mate 10 Pro, Honor View 10, Huawei Honor 9, Huawei Honor 8 Pro, LG V30+ and other's of Project Treble supported devices.

Download GSI ROM

• Download Lineage OS 15.1
• Download Phh AOSP Android 9.0 Pie
• Download Resurrection Remix 6.0

Important Note

Before go ahead into the installation procedures, you have to follow some guidelines. Also, you will need to install few tools to perform the Generic System Image installation.

• You will need to factory reset your device during the installation process. This will erase all the data stored on the device.
• First, make sure whether your device supports Project treble or not. This guide will only be effective on devices with Project Treble. You can check if your phone supports Project treble or not to above prerequisite.
• If you wish to use flash GSI using TWRP, then you should install device-specific latest TWRP recovery.
• Alternatively, if you want to follow the fastboot method 2, you've to install Android SDK tools on your computer.
• You must Make sure that your phone is using the stock boot image/ramdisk image. You can look for your device-specific image [Click Here].
• Some devices may fail due to dm-verity check. To fix, you can install latest Magisk to disable dm-verity.
• A computer with USB cable

 

Method-1: Using TWRP

Step-1 Download Generic System Image from the download above link
Step-2 Move it to the phone’s internal storage or SD card.
Step-3 Switch off the device completely ➔ Press and hold Power + Vol Down button to enter the recovery mode.
Step-4 Alternatively give the following command in the command prompt

 adb reboot recovery 

Step-5 In the TWRP menu, go to ‘Wipe’ > swipe the ‘Swipe to Factory Reset’ button.
Step-6 Go back to the TWRP Menu screen.
Step-7 Tap on the ‘Install’ button.
Step-8 Select the ‘Install Image’ button at the bottom > Navigate to the storage and select the IMG file.
Step-9 Then select ‘System Image’ > swipe to install Generic System Image >

Step-10 It will take a while to install. After it is complete, tap on the ‘Reboot System’ in TWRP Menu.

Method-2: Using ADB Fastboot

Now, this method requires the setting up of ADB and fastboot tool on your computer. It is comparatively simpler than the TWRP method. You have to use the command prompt

• First of all, you have to factory reset your Android device.
  
• After that download the Generic System Image of your choice.
• Copy it to the folder where you have installed the ADB and fastboot. Usually, it's in the C Drive,        C:\adb .
• While in the folder, hold the SHIFT key on the keyboard and right-click on an empty space inside the folder. 
  
• Select the option   ‘Open PowerShell window here’ .
• Enable USB debugging on your device and connect it to the computer.
• Reboot your device into the Fastboot mode using the given ADB command

   adb reboot bootloader 

• Now, give the following command to install Generic System Image on your Project Treble enabled devices

   fastboot flash system "system_img_name".img 

•  In the above step, replace the system_image_name with the actual file name of the GSI file you downloaded.
• It will take a while to install. After that, you have to reboot your device. give the following command.

   fastboot reboot