Install PixelExperience on lake

Basic requirements

Important: Please read through the instructions at least once before actually following them, so as to avoid any problems due to any missed steps!

Make sure your computer has adb and fastboot. Setup instructions can be found here.
Enable USB debugging on your device.

Unlocking the bootloader

Note: The steps below only need to be run once per device.

Warning: Unlocking the bootloader will erase all data on your device! Before proceeding, ensure the data you would like to retain is backed up to your PC and/or your Google account, or equivalent. Please note that OEM backup solutions like Samsung and Motorola backup may not be accessible from PixelExperience once installed.

Connect the device to your PC via USB.
On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type:
```
adb reboot bootloader
```
You can also boot into fastboot mode via a key combination:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power.
Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing:
```
fastboot devices
```
Tip: If you see no permissions fastboot while on Linux or macOS, try running fastboot as root.
Follow the instructions at Motorola Support to unlock your bootloader.

Note: If your device is not supported by the Motorola Bootloader Unlock website, you may be able to use an alternative bootloader unlock method like SunShine, though they only support some devices/firmwares.
Since the device resets completely, you will need to re-enable USB debugging to continue.

Temporarily booting a custom recovery using `fastboot`

Download a custom recovery - you can download PixelExperience Recovery. Simply download the latest recovery file.
Connect your device to your PC via USB.
On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type:
```
adb reboot bootloader
```
You can also boot into fastboot mode via a key combination:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power.
Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing:
```
fastboot devices
```
Tip: If you see no permissions fastboot while on Linux or macOS, try running fastboot as root.

Tip: Some devices have buggy USB support while in bootloader mode, if you see fastboot hanging with no output when using commands such as fastboot getvar .. , fastboot boot ..., fastboot flash ... you may want to try a different USB port (preferably a USB Type-A 2.0 one) or a USB hub.
Temporarily flash a recovery on your device by typing:
```
fastboot flash boot <recovery_filename>.img
```
Note: Newer fastboot releases dropped legacy A/B support, so it might attempt to flash to boot__a / boot__b rather than boot_a / boot_b if you try to flash boot. In this case, you must manually specify which slot to flash to based on what slot fastboot failed to flash to. For example, if fastboot fails to flash to boot__a, you must flash to boot_a.

Tip: The file may not be named identically to what stands in this command, so adjust accordingly.
With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power, then select “Recovery mode” using Volume keys.

Pre-install instructions

In some cases slot b can be unpopulated or contain much older firmware than slot a, leading to various issues including a potential hard-brick. We can work around that by copying the contents of slot a to slot b.

To do this, sideload the copy-partitions.zip package by doing the following:

Download the copy-partitions.zip file from here.
Sideload the copy-partitions.zip package:
- On the device, select “Apply Update”, then “Apply from ADB” to begin sideload.
- On the host machine, sideload the package using: adb sideload copy-partitions.zip

Installing PixelExperience from recovery

Download the PixelExperience installation package that you would like to install or build the package yourself.
If you are not in recovery, reboot into recovery:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power, then select “Recovery mode” using Volume keys.
Now tap Factory Reset, then Format data / factory reset and continue with the formatting process. This will remove encryption and delete all files stored in the internal storage, as well as format your cache partition (if you have one).
Return to the main menu.
Sideload the PixelExperience .zip package:
- On the device, select “Apply Update”, then “Apply from ADB” to begin sideload.
- On the host machine, sideload the package using: adb sideload filename.zip
(Optionally): If you want to install any additional add-ons, click Advanced, then Reboot to Recovery, then when your device reboots, click Apply Update, then Apply from ADB, then adb sideload filename.zip those packages in sequence.
Once you have installed everything successfully, click the back arrow in the top left of the screen, then “Reboot system now”.

Warning: Depending on which recovery you use, you may be prompted to install additional apps and services. We strongly advise you to opt out of installing these, as they may cause your device to bootloop, as well as attempt to access or corrupt your data.

Get assistance

If you have any questions or get stuck on any of the steps, feel free to ask on our Telegram group.