Android 11 Developer Preview 2 has been released by Google. After releasing Android 11 Developer Preview in February, the search giant has released the second update. With the Developer Preview, Google is detailing its vision for the mobile operating system in a staged manner. The update is still aimed at developers and it is not recommended to install on your primary device.
Since it is a developer preview, the process to install it is not straightforward. The beta release with easy to install OTA update is not expected to arrive until May. Like the first developer preview, the update is expected to have bugs but it will be fewer. Google has also added new features including resume on reboot option. One of the user facing feature includes option for apps and games to set their preferred refresh rate.
This will greatly benefit devices like Google Pixel 4, Samsung Galaxy S20 series, Poco X2, Asus ROG Phone 2, and others. The update is available for Google Pixel 4 through Pixel 2 series. Only the original Pixel phones are not allowed to beta test Android 11. If you already have Android Developer Preview 1 or DP1.1 installed then you will get an OTA update. However, you can also manually download and flash the update. Here is how.
How to sideload Android 11 Developer Preview 2 on Google Pixel
Step 1: The first step is to get the Developer Preview OTA image from Google’s hosting site. Google is offering individual files for different models. You need to scroll down to Android 11 Developer Preview and grab the file associated with your device.
Step 2: Now boot your Pixel smartphone into recovery mode. In order to do so, you will need to fully power down your smartphone first. Now, hold down on the power button and the volume down button at the same time. Do this till the time you don’t get to the Bootloader page. When you see an Android figure lying down on the screen, that means you have reached the right screen.
Once in the Recovery mode, you can navigate using volume buttons. You can make a selection by clicking the power button. If you are already connected to a computer with ADB, you can even use the reboot recovery command. You should now see a smaller Android lying down with an exclamation mark over it. Now, press the power button and volume up button for about a second. This will allow you to fully enter the Recovery mode. When you release the Volume up, you will enter Recovery.
Step 3: In the Recovery mode, scroll down to Apply update from ADB using the volume buttons. Now select this option by pressing the power button. This should launch a mostly blank screen with text directing you on how to sideload an OTA.
Step 4: Now, connect your Pixel smartphone to a computer with ADB tools installed. Before you connect, make sure that USB debugging is enabled on your smartphone. Also make sure that ADB and Fastboot tools are in a handy place. You can download the ADB tools from the Android Developers website.
Step 5: You can now sideload the Android 11 DP1 update file. If you have a Windows machine then ensure that your Command Prompt is directed to the ADB tools folder. The easiest way to do is by opening the Platform tools folder in Windows Explorer and typing “cmd” in the address bar. Now type adb sideload followed by the file name of the .zip folder downloaded from Google. Now click on the enter button to start the flash process. On Mac or Linux, you can do the same by using Terminal. You will need to use “cd” and “Is” commands to ensure that Terminal is directed at the right folder. To sideload, type ./adb sideload and enter the file name of the .zip folder. If everything is in the right place, you should see Android 11 start to flash on a connected Pixel device.
Step 6: Once the OTA is done installing on your Pixel device, you will be taken back to the Recovery Mode. In order to start using Android 11, you need to select the Reboot now option using the power button.
