IVY

Install IVY Draft

How installing is planned to work. These steps are generic and will be finalized with the first build.

Draft. These steps have not been tested on a real device yet. The right commands depend on the phone, and flashing the wrong thing can brick it. Do not flash anything because of this page until the first build is released.
Back up everything first. Unlocking the bootloader and flashing a custom ROM erases your data.
FB

Fastboot images

Flash the partition images from the bootloader. Best for supported devices.

fastboot flash boot boot.img fastboot flash system system.img fastboot -w fastboot reboot
SL

Recovery sideload

Install the signed zip from recovery. This is also how updates are applied.

adb sideload IVY-V278A11_sm-a520f.zip
GSI

Generic System Image

One system image for any Treble device with an unlocked bootloader.

fastboot flash system IVY-V241A10_ARM64_GSI_AB-T.img fastboot -w fastboot reboot

Steps

  1. Unlock the bootloader

    Enable OEM unlocking in Developer options, then run fastboot flashing unlock.

  2. Download IVY

    Grab the files for your device and Android version from the Download page.

  3. Boot into the bootloader or recovery

    Use adb reboot bootloader for fastboot, or adb reboot recovery for sideload.

  4. Flash

    Run the commands from the method you picked above.

  5. Reboot into IVY

    The first boot takes a few minutes. After that, updates arrive over the air.

Updating IVY

The plan: updates work like they do on any Android phone, and nothing is wiped. Not tested yet.

  • Over the air. Planned: open the updater in Settings and install the new build. Example: IVY-V271A11_sm-a520f to IVY-V278A11_sm-a520f.
  • New Android version. Moving up, for example to IVY-V001A12_sm-a520f, is also designed to keep your apps and data. The build number starts again at V001 on each Android version.
  • Manual. Prefer to do it yourself? Sideload the new zip from recovery. It is the same file the updater uses.
  • Going back. Moving to an older Android version is not possible without wiping the phone.

Reading a file name

IVY-V278A11_sm-a520f.zip
IVY-V241A10_ARM64_GSI_AB-T
  • V278. The IVY build number. Higher is newer.
  • A11. The Android version the build is based on.
  • sm-a520f. Your device. Device builds end in .zip, or _images.zip for fastboot.
  • ARM64. The CPU type (ABI) a GSI is made for.
  • GSI. A generic image that runs on many devices.
  • AB-T / A-T. The partition type. AB-T is A/B + Treble. A-T is A-only + Treble.

Which GSI do I need?

Connect your phone and run these three commands.

  • Treble. adb shell getprop ro.treble.enabled must print true. If not, a GSI will not work. Use a device build.
  • Partition type. adb shell getprop ro.build.ab_update printing true means A/B, so pick AB-T. Empty or false means A-only, so pick A-T.
  • CPU. adb shell getprop ro.product.cpu.abi printing arm64-v8a means ARM64. armeabi-v7a means ARM.
  • Verified boot. Some devices need fastboot --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img first.

Stuck? Read the notices.

Explore the IVY treeEvery manufacturer is a branch, every device is a leaf. Fallen leaves are devices that reached end of life. Roots are the people who build it.Open the tree