How to unbrick Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro using the Fastboot method

Recently, Google has made two new additions to the Pixel family and they’re two of the best smartphones you can find in the market. Pixel smartphones have always been known to be active players in custom development, be it for custom ROMs, adding custom features, or gaining administrative access by rooting your smartphone.

However, carrying out such tweaks could be risky and there is always a risk that things might go south. However, there is a way you can easily fix soft brick by flashing the firmware using the Fastboot method. In this guide, you’ll get to know how to unbrick Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro using the Fastboot method.

How to unbrick Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro?

Step 1: Install Android SDK

To start off, install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC or computer. It’s the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google. You should download it and extract it to a convenient location on your PC. Doing this will give you the necessary platform-tools folder.

Step 2: Download Google Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro Firmware

1. First, you’ll need to download the device’s stock firmware from the links mentioned below –

Pixel 7 (Panther) – Download

Pixel 7 Pro (Cheetah) – Download

2. Once it is downloaded, you’ll need to extract it to the platform-tools folder

Step 3: Boot your bricked Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro to Fastboot Mode

You’ll now need to boot your smartphone to the Fastboot Mode. In most cases, once the device is soft-bricked, it’ll automatically get booted to Fastboot. However, if your smartphone is stuck in a bootloop, allow the battery to be drained out such that the device gets powered off. After that, connect your smartphone to the charger, and as soon as you’ve done so, press and hold the Power and Volume Down keys. Your device has now been booted to Fastboot.

Step 4: Flash the firmware on Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro via Fastboot Commands

1. Start off by extracting the firmware inside the platform-tools folder
2. After that, rename the bootloader, image, and radio files so that it becomes easier to type in the CMD window –

• bootloader-codename-codename-x.x-xxxxxxx.img to bootloader.img
• image-codename-xxxx.xxxxxx.xxx.xxx.zip to image.zip
• radio-codename-xxxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxxx-x-xxxxxxx to radio.img

3. After that, connect your smartphone to the PC using a USB cable and ensure that it is booted to Fastboot mode
4. After that, go to the platform-tools folder and type in CMD in the address bar before hitting Enter to launch the Command Prompt
5. Type the following command in the CMD window for flashing the bootloader file –

fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img

6. Then, execute the below command for booting you device back to Fastboot mode

fastboot reboot-bootloader

7. After that, flash the radio file using this command –

fastboot flash radio radio.img

8. You’ll once again need to reboot your smartphone to Fastboot Mode, so you the following command –

fastboot reboot-bootloader

Now, you’ll need to decide if you want to format your smartphone or not. Generally, it is recommended that you should perform a factory reset. If you’re only installing monthly security patches without any changes in the Android version, then you could skip the format step.

9. Here are both commands that you can refer to be in sync with your requirement –

Factory Reset: fastboot –w update image.zip

Without Reset: fastboot update image.zip

10. Once you’ve flashed your device, you can use the following command to boot your smartphone to the OS –

fastboot reboot

Done!! Your Pixel 7/7 Pro should be fixed.