Applying a Rescue OTA to a Nexus 5X

This guide provides examples for a Windows 10 PC; however, the basic concepts still apply to
MAC, Linux and other Windows versions. Just remember to change c:\ to ~/ on MAC and Linux
machines.

1. Follow this other guide to install ADB and FASTBOOT to ensure these utilities are configured
as expected.

On the Computer:

2. Right click on the Windows icon in the lower left corner of your screen and click Command
Prompt (For MAC and Linux open a Terminal window).
3. Right click on the Windows icon in the lower left corner of your screen and click Device
Manager (Not applicable to MAC and Linux).

On the Nexus 5X:

4. Boot the Nexus 5X into Fastboot Mode. This can be done by pressing and holding both
Power and Volume Down simultaneously. You should see a green android on his back and
“FASTBOOT MODE” in red about 2/3 down the screen.
5. At this point do a test to see if drivers are properly installed in the Computer. Attach the USB
cable between the Computer and the Nexus 5X. Device Manager should now show an entry
of Android Phone with a sub-entry of Android Bootloader Interface (Not applicable to
MAC and Linux).
6. In the command prompt on the Computer from step 2, enter the command fastboot
devices. If you see a response with the serial number of your Nexus 5X, then all is good
and proceed. If you do not see this then further work is required on the Computer to get the
required drivers installed, so do not proceed further and ask for assistance.
7. Remove the USB cable between the Computer and the Nexus 5X.
8. Tap Volume Down until you see “Recovery Mode” in the arrow, then tap Power once to
select it.
9. After a few seconds you will see the Google logo followed by a green android on his back
with “No command” underneath. Press and hold Power, then tap Volume Up once, then
release Power.

NOTE: If your device starts rebooting at this point, your only recourse is to contact
your place of purchase about a warranty replacement or repair.

10. You are now on the Android Recovery screen. On the third line at the top of the screen you
will see something that looks like this:

6.0.1 / MOB30I / 2756745

The middle one is your current Build Number. Make note of this as the Rescue OTA you
need corresponds to this one or a more recent one. (NOTE: You cannot install an older one
than your current Build Number.

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Techno Bill
2017-12-06
 11. Tap Volume Down until the entry “Wipe cache partition” is highlighted, then tap Power to
select it. Tap Volume Down once to highlight Yes, then tap Power again to start it.
12. When this is complete, tap Volume Down until the entry “Apply Update from ADB” is
highlighted, then tap Power to select it. You Nexus 5X is now waiting to receive the OTA file.
13. Attach the USB cable between the Computer and the Nexus 5X. Device Manager should
now show an entry of Android Phone with a sub-entry of Android Composite ADB
Interface (Not applicable to MAC and Linux).
14. In the command prompt on the Computer from step 2, enter the command adb devices. If
you see a response with the serial number of your Nexus 5X, then all is good and proceed.
If you do not see this then further work is required in the Computer to get the required drivers
installed, so do not proceed further and ask for assistance.

On the Computer:

15. On your Computer, create the folder c:\MyNexus (on a MAC or Linux ~/MyPixel).
16. Download the OTA for the current Build Number of your Nexus 5X from here.
17. When the download finishes, click on “Open Folder” at the bottom of the browser window.
This will open Windows File Explorer. Right click on the highlighted file that was just
downloaded, click Cut, then select the folder c:\MyNexus, right click again and click Paste to
move the OTA zip file into c:\MyNexus (For MAC and Linux move the file to ~/MyPixel).
18. If the Nexus 5x Apply Update from ADB timed out (step 12), then re-initiate it.
19. Enter a command similar to the following, but the highlighted filename will be the one you
pasted into MyNexus in step 16 (don’t forget the .zip extension in the command):

adb sideload c:\MyNexus\bullhead-ota-opm1.171019.011-14dd617a.zip

(NOTE: For MAC or Linux change c:\ to ~/ and \ to /)

20. Progress messages should now appear on both the Computer and the Nexus 5X. If there
are any errors, do not proceed further and ask for assistance.

On the Nexus 5X:

21. When the update finishes the line “Reboot system now” should be highlighted. Tap power
once to initiate a reboot.
22. After the reboot, your Nexus 5x should be back in operation.

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Techno Bill
2017-12-06