In this guide, we will show you the steps to flash the crDroid ROM based on Android 14 onto your Pixel 7A. The A series in the Pixel lineup has always managed to carve out a niche segment of a loyal fanbase for itself. And the seventh iteration is no different either. Moreover, even from the tech enthusiast’s point of view, the devices are among the most active players in custom development.
But when you are already getting a clean stock UI, why is there a need to flash a custom ROM? Well, while we do get the Pixel experience, however, the entire OS skin is quite barebone in nature with not many customizations and tweaks. So if you are looking to welcome abode a plethora of mods and tweaks onto your device, then flashing a custom ROM like crDroid is the best bet for your Pixel 7A. And in this guide, we will show you how to do just that. Follow along.
Table of Contents
How to Flash crDroid ROM Android 14 on Pixel 7A
Before starting, please take a complete device backup beforehand. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.
STEP 1: Install Android SDK
First and foremost, you will have to install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This is the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google and is the only recommended one. So download it and then extract it to any convenient location on your PC. Doing so will give you the platform-tools folder, which will be used throughout this guide.
STEP 2: Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking
Next up, you will also have to enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your device. The former will make your device recognizable by the PC in ADB mode. This will then allow you to boot your device to Fastboot Mode. On the other hand, OEM Unlocking is required to carry out the bootloader unlocking.
So head over to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Go back to Settings > System > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking.
STEP 3: Unlock Bootloader on Pixel 7A
Next up, you will also have to unlock the device’s bootloader. Do keep in mind that doing so will wipe off all the data from your device and could nullify its warranty as well. So if that’s all well and good, then please refer to our detailed guide on How to Unlock the Bootloader on Pixel 7A.
STEP 4: Download CrDroid Android 14 for Pixel 7A
- You can now grab hold of the ROM and its associated files from the below link:
crDroid: ROM | Recovery
- Rename the ROM file to rom.zip and transfer all the files to the platform-tools folder.
STEP 5: Boot Pixel 7A Fastboot Mode
- Now connect your device to the PC via a USB cable. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled.
- Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
- Type in the following command in the CMD window to boot your device to Fastboot Mode
adb reboot bootloader
- To verify the Fastboot connection, type in the below command and you should get back the device ID.
fastboot devices
- If you are not getting any serial ID, then please install the Fastboot Drivers.
STEP 6: Install crDroid Android 14 on Pixel 7A
- To begin with, extract the recovery.zip to the platform-tools folder.
- Then flash the four files that you have got via the below commands:
fastboot flash boot boot.img fastboot flash dtbo dtbo.img fastboot flash vendor_kernel_boot vendor_kernel_boot.img fastboot flash vendor_boot vendor_boot.img
- Once done, reboot your device to crDroid Recovery via the below command:
fastboot reboot recovery
- Then go to Advanced > Format data/factory reset > Factory Reset.
- Once done, select “Apply Update” > “Apply from ADB”.
- Now in the CMD window, type in the below command to start the sideload:
adb sideload rom.zip
- Wait for the installation to complete. Once done, select Reboot System.
- Your device will now boot to the newly installed OS.
These were the steps to flash the crDroid ROM based on Android 14 onto your Pixel 7A. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.
