Nexus 4 stuck after 4.3 update fail - even after hard reset

[mattopotamus]

same thing happened to me. I completely restored my phone and am going to wait for the update to get pushed through again. I tried the method someone mentioned using google framework. It made the update appear again, but it still failed. I'll post back if the restore works.

 

[deeje2]

Just a quick question, were any of you guys charging your phone during the update procedure?

 

[Miffo]

I've got this issue on my Nexus 7. For both my Nexus 4 and Nexus 7, I waited for the OTA update. Worked fine on my N4 but the N7 is stuck on the X logo.

I did unlock the bootloader on the N7 just to root it (for stick mount use) but I restored the standard boot loader. Previously I've had to apply updates manually as the non standard bootloaders don't seem to work with OTA updates. I wish I'd stuck with the manual option now! I'm no expert on these things and have to follow step by step guides.

Presumably I can sort it out with adb but I'm wondering now - I have one of the 8GB N7's that they don't make now. Perhaps I should contact Google. If they can't walk through fixing it then perhaps they'll send me a new one with 16GB?

- - - Updated - - -

>Just a quick question, were any of you guys charging your phone during the update procedure?

Didn't use charger for my phone or the tablet. One worked, one didn't.

 

[mattopotamus]

Just a quick question, were any of you guys charging your phone during the update procedure?

I've got this issue on my Nexus 7. For both my Nexus 4 and Nexus 7, I waited for the OTA update. Worked fine on my N4 but the N7 is stuck on the X logo.

I did unlock the bootloader on the N7 just to root it (for stick mount use) but I restored the standard boot loader. Previously I've had to apply updates manually as the non standard bootloaders don't seem to work with OTA updates. I wish I'd stuck with the manual option now! I'm no expert on these things and have to follow step by step guides.

Presumably I can sort it out with adb but I'm wondering now - I have one of the 8GB N7's that they don't make now. Perhaps I should contact Google. If they can't walk through fixing it then perhaps they'll send me a new one with 16GB?

- - - Updated - - -

>Just a quick question, were any of you guys charging your phone during the update procedure?

Didn't use charger for my phone or the tablet. One worked, one didn't.

I was not charging my device at the time of the update failure and had about 75% battery left.

 

[Jeroen Rombouts]

Just call Google on the provided number. It's better to talk to someone than interact through email anyway.

And if you live outside the US, use Gmail's "google voice" to call. It's free to any US number.

I did a couple of hours ago. The line was bad. I just got this mail from Google (She got my name wrong):

Hello Geroen,

Thank you for contacting Google Play Support. It was a pleasure speaking with you today. As promised, I have forwarded your concerns to our specialist. Please allow up to 48 hours for a response.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reply to this email and I will be happy to assist you.

Best Regards,

*redacted*
The Google Play Support Team

All I can do now is wait, I guess. Unfortunately, I'm going on holidays on Friday. :s

Also, FYI, Google voice isn't free when calling from Belgium to the States. It's cheap at 1.2 Euro cents a minute, but not free.

 

[lonhai]

Google gave me the answer.
To perform a factory reset:

Go to Home > Menu > Settings > Privacy (on some devices, the option to factory reset is located under "Phone storage" instead of "Privacy")
- Press Factory data reset
- Press Reset phone or Reset tablet

After you perform the factory reset, you'll need to sign into your device with the same primary Google Account you were using before in order to sync your purchased apps and other content.

If you're unable to get to your Settings menu, follow the steps below:

1. Power down your device
2. Press and hold both volume keys and the power button to enter Bootloader mode
3. Press the volume keys to cycle to the Recovery mode option
4. Press the power button to select Recovery mode
5. From the Recovery mode screen, press and hold the Power button then press the Volume up button.
6. Use the volume buttons to select wipe data/factory reset.
7. Select Yes -- delete all user data.
8. The factory data reset process will now start. Once its finished, select 'Reboot system now.'

 

[mattopotamus]

Just a quick question, were any of you guys charging your phone during the update procedure?

Google gave me the answer.
To perform a factory reset:

Go to Home > Menu > Settings > Privacy (on some devices, the option to factory reset is located under "Phone storage" instead of "Privacy")
- Press Factory data reset
- Press Reset phone or Reset tablet

After you perform the factory reset, you'll need to sign into your device with the same primary Google Account you were using before in order to sync your purchased apps and other content.

If you're unable to get to your Settings menu, follow the steps below:

1. Power down your device
2. Press and hold both volume keys and the power button to enter Bootloader mode
3. Press the volume keys to cycle to the Recovery mode option
4. Press the power button to select Recovery mode
5. From the Recovery mode screen, press and hold the Power button then press the Volume up button.
6. Use the volume buttons to select wipe data/factory reset.
7. Select Yes -- delete all user data.
8. The factory data reset process will now start. Once its finished, select 'Reboot system now.'

I am glad you posted this. I tried to get into the stock recovery and it seems like the failed update removed my stock recovery. I actually had to unlock the bootloader and reflash the stock recovery to get it back. I wonder if everyone you had the dead android man with the triangle had the same issue.

 

[mr_nobody]

@ChromeJob,
Thanks for your very useful input. It was very helpful.
Now if you can hear me from your throne up there, where did you read that I tried all the tricks and deleted Google framework and all? Why do you assume that we are just newbtards breaking everything?
I received my update OTA, I didn't do anything to accelerate it, it just arrived after 48h. And after trying to install it, it killed my phone.
I didn't frak anything, I didn't try to throw my phone in the toilet (let me know if you do, I'm interested) and I didn't even try to root my phone.

So please be a little more respectful towards those who post about their issues, without sounding like a pompous know-it-all.

Thanks.

Pretty sure his comments were directed at marathone...

 

[mattopotamus]

After two failed updated this is how I got it to work. I downloaded the nexus 4 toolkit located here [NEXUS 4 TOOLKIT V2.0.0] Drivers, Backup, Unlock, Root, Recovery, Flash, Mods + MORE - xda-developers

unlocked my bootloader, flashed the stock recovery and the OTA came through and worked without a hiccup.

 

[b2k1121]

For those of us waiting on a new phone to arrive, is there anything we should do before running the update on the new phone to prevent this from happening again? Anyone figure out the cause of it yet?

 

[mattopotamus]

For those of us waiting on a new phone to arrive, is there anything we should do before running the update on the new phone to prevent this from happening again? Anyone figure out the cause of it yet?

I guess only time will tell. I think it is funny I had to unlock my bootloader to get it to work. I bet all of these devices having issue could be fixed by reflashing the stock recovery, but google would never advise that.

 

[Himeko7]

Had the same today, finally fixed it after some hours and even got to keep all my data:

• Go to bootloader (power+vol down)
• Install TWRP from the pc through USB (with fastboot from SDK)
• Enter Recovery (twrp). From here you can recover all your data even if encrypted (mount /sdcard then pull files with Nexus Toolkit)
• Download 4.3 mako image from google, extract to sdk/platform-tools
• Flash bootloader img, then reboot back to bootloader (bootloader-mako-makoz20i)
• Flash radio img, then reboot back to bootloader (radio-mako-m9615a-cefwmazm-2.0.1700.84)
• Manually flash all the other img files from the zip, 1 by 1, EXCEPT FOR DATA, this way you get to keep all your stuff, everything will be the same after the update, installed apps, setup etc
• That means: boot, system. "writing system" could take a while, if it didn't change after a couple hours just ctrl+C to cancel, I had this.. and the update was properly written anyway)

 

[Jeroen Rombouts]

Google gave me the answer.
To perform a factory reset:

Go to Home > Menu > Settings > Privacy (on some devices, the option to factory reset is located under "Phone storage" instead of "Privacy")
- Press Factory data reset
- Press Reset phone or Reset tablet

After you perform the factory reset, you'll need to sign into your device with the same primary Google Account you were using before in order to sync your purchased apps and other content.

If you're unable to get to your Settings menu, follow the steps below:

1. Power down your device
2. Press and hold both volume keys and the power button to enter Bootloader mode
3. Press the volume keys to cycle to the Recovery mode option
4. Press the power button to select Recovery mode
5. From the Recovery mode screen, press and hold the Power button then press the Volume up button.
6. Use the volume buttons to select wipe data/factory reset.
7. Select Yes -- delete all user data.
8. The factory data reset process will now start. Once its finished, select 'Reboot system now.'

Tried that, didn't do anything

 

[AsidXxx]

So I had the same issue and find the probelm:
During upgrade to 4.3 the baseband/radio file is been updated as well BUT due to some reason (I think it is based on the location in the world - Carrier) the new baseband is stuck.
What you must do is to download the old (4.2.2) baseband to the phone.This will fix the issue - Than the phone will cpontinue to boot normally....
You should use Nexus Root Toolkit to do so.Under Advanced Utilites you will find the option to load Radio/BaseBand only.

Can you please post the exact steps? *noob alert*

And I really want to backup my data first, but since I cant even boot into my phone; at my wit's end.

 

[Himeko7]

Can you please post the exact steps? *noob alert*

And I really want to backup my data first, but since I cant even boot into my phone; at my wit's end.

Read my post, you can backup your data without booting your phone, just need to get on the bootloader area and have drivers properly installed in your pc for the USB link.

 

[AsidXxx]

Had the same today, finally fixed it after some hours and even got to keep all my data:

• Go to bootloader (power+vol down)
• Install TWRP from the pc through USB (with fastboot from SDK)
• Enter Recovery (twrp). From here you can recover all your data even if encrypted (mount /sdcard then pull files with Nexus Toolkit)
• Download 4.3 mako image from google, extract to sdk/platform-tools
• Flash bootloader img, then reboot back to bootloader (bootloader-mako-makoz20i)
• Flash radio img, then reboot back to bootloader (radio-mako-m9615a-cefwmazm-2.0.1700.84)
• Manually flash all the other img files from the zip, 1 by 1, EXCEPT FOR DATA, this way you get to keep all your stuff, everything will be the same after the update, installed apps, setup etc
• That means: boot, system. "writing system" could take a while, if it didn't change after a couple hours just ctrl+C to cancel, I had this.. and the update was properly written anyway)

This looks like what I want. My phone went into a bootloop after the OTA update and I am at my wit's end as to how to backup my data before flashing with the 4.3 image. Can you please post more detailed steps?

 

[Himeko7]

This looks like what I want. My phone went into a bootloop after the OTA update and I am at my wit's end as to how to backup my data before flashing with the 4.3 image. Can you please post more detailed steps?

it's a bit techy stuff, let me know if you don't understand something:

• Install the SDK: Android SDK | Android Developers
• Run "SDK Manager". You might need Java for this, download/install first if required.
• Through SDK Manager, download platform tools and USB Driver (usually ticked as default)
• Make sure driver is installed. When N4 is plugged it should show something like "ADB interface" or "Nexus bootloading device" on top on device manager
• Go to bootloader (with phone OFF, hold power+vol down). Leave it there.
• Back to PC: D:\Disk3\adt-bundle-windows-x86_64-20130717\sdk\platform-tools
• Open a command prompt here, preferably with admin power (start meny, cmd, r-click, run as admin)
• Download TWRP: TeamWin Projects - TWRP 2.6 - | TeamWin
• "Get TWRP for your device", "TWRP for Nexus 4 [mako]", "Download the newest .img file here"
• "openrecovery-twrp-2.6.0.0-mako.img" < download this
• Put this img file in D:\Disk3\adt-bundle-windows-x86_64-20130717\sdk\platform-tools
• Back to msdos/command prompt, type:
• fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-2.6.0.0-mako.img
• Now press vol down, select Recovery, this will bring up the custom recovery app from TWRP
• If you had the phone encrypted, it will ask for the password, type it in
• Now here you have to go Mount, pick /sdcard
• Now we need the Nexus 4 Toolkit: [NEXUS 4 TOOLKIT V2.0.0] Drivers, Backup, Unlock, Root, Recovery, Flash, Mods + MORE - xda-developers
• Install, run, pick 13
• Now pick 14 "Pull files from device". 2 "manually answer", say yes
• Now it needs the path, it is "/sdcard/" without the quotes, and including both /
• Let it work. If everything goes well, your files will be in "C:\Google_Nexus_4_ToolKit\pulled_files_are_put_here"

That's for the personal data stuff. Contacts, SMS, apps, apps data etc is a different story, if you need that, you have to do the other steps from my first post (manually flash 4.3 excluding the DATA img)

 

[Jeroen Rombouts]

After two failed updated this is how I got it to work. I downloaded the nexus 4 toolkit located here [NEXUS 4 TOOLKIT V2.0.0] Drivers, Backup, Unlock, Root, Recovery, Flash, Mods + MORE - xda-developers

unlocked my bootloader, flashed the stock recovery and the OTA came through and worked without a hiccup.

This at least got my phone back in working order. I'm back to Android 4.2.2.

 

[mattopotamus]

This at least got my phone back in working order. I'm back to Android 4.2.2.

Hopefully when the update comes it will work for you.

 

[Nauman Alvi]

No, in my case. not.