Be it for flashing custom ROMs, recoveries, or mods, it is always among the front runners in adopting these tweaks. However, these customizations do come with a few risks as well. And the fact that these devices have now adopted the A/B partition scheme has only made the task more challenging for the users. In this regard, quite a few users have reported that they are getting the Slot Unbootable Load error message on their Pixel devices. Moreover, their devices are stuck in the Bootloader/Fastboot screen and they cannot access the OS. Most of these users were flashing the TWRP Custom Recovery when they were greeted with this error. If you are also getting bugged with this error message, then fret not. In this guide, we will show you numerous different methods to fix the Slot Unbootable Load Error on Pixel devices. Follow along.
How to Fix Slot Unbootable Load Error on Pixel Devices
There exists three different methods that shall help you fix this error. And we have listed all of them below. Proceed in the exact same order as given, as there is a high chance the issue would be rectified with the first fix itself. So on that note, let’s get started.
Fix 1: Boot Pixel to TWRP [And then Flash]
So here’s the root cause of this issue: Pixel devices (and most of today’s Android devices) don’t come with a recovery partition. So you wouldn’t be able to directly flash TWRP to the recovery slot. In other words, if you try and use the below command: Then you will get the following error message: So how could you flash a custom recovery on these devices? Well, you will have to take the help of the boot partition to boot your device to the TWRP Recovery. After that, you may then permanently flash the recovery via its ZIP file or Install Recovery to Ramdisk. Here’s how: Your device shall now boot to the TWRP Recovery. You may now permanently flash the TWRP file to your device. If your device has a TWRP ZIP file as well, then transfer it to your device via How To Transfer or Install Files via TWRP Recovery [3 Methods]. Then head over to the Install section and flash this file. On the other hand, if your device just has the TWRP IMG file, then transfer it to your device via the above-linked guide. Then go to Advanced > Install Recovery to Ramdisk. You may refer to our guide for the same: How to Permanently Install TWRP without TWRP ZIP File (only using TWRP.img file).
Once the TWRP has been permanently flashed, go to Reboot and select Recovery. Your device will again boot to the TWRP Recovery. Finally, you may now boot to the OS via Reboot > System. That’s it, this should have fixed the Slot Unbootable Load Error on your Pixel device. If not then here are a few other workarounds that deserve your attention.
Fix 2: Change Slots
In some instances, the issue might be that you are booted to the inactive slot that currently doesn’t have the OS installed (or in more technical terms, the system.img flashed). In that case, you should consider switching slots, which could be done either via Fastboot Commands or TWRP Recovery. You could refer to our detailed guide that explains both these methods: How to Check and Change Current Active Slot on Android. Or, here’s the instruction in short: Fastboot Method:
For the TWRP method, go to Reboot and check your current active slot. Then select the Other Slot and reboot your device to TWRP. The slot change will now have taken place and you could now boot to the OS via Reboot > System. Check if it fixes the Slot Unbootable Load Error on your Pixel device or not.
Fix 3: Force Boot to Fastboot Mode | Flash Firmware
This is another pretty impressive tweak that has worked for many users. You will first have to force reboot your device to the Fastboot Mode and after that, flash the stock firmware. Here’s everything you need to know about the same: So with this, we round off the guide on how you could fix the Slot Unbootable Load Error on your Pixel device. We have shared three different methods for the same, do let us know in the comments which one worked out in your favor.
How to Fix Error: Cannot load recovery.img[4 Methods] How to Fix TWRP Error: FAILED (remote: No such partition)Fix FAILED (remote: ‘Slot Change is not allowed in Lock State’)TWRP Recovery gone after a Reboot: How to Fix
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