How to fix Nexus 6P “Bootloop Of Death” issue

There won’t be an issue other than the “BootLoop Of Death” that plagued a vast majority of Nexus 6P users day and night. Unlike the common bootloops that we encounter in our devices, the “bootloop of death” as the name itself suggests is, indeed, a tragic. Capable of rendering the valuable Nexus 6P as useless brick and thereby collectively referred to as a BLOD device. Well, thanks to those bright XDA members, we’ve now a plausible fix for reviving the affected Nexus 6Ps. Let’s see a guide to fix Nexus 6P bootloop issue.

nexus 6p bootloop issue fix

For those who don’t know, the “bootloop of death” is a term given to the infamous bootloop persistent in some ageing Nexus 6P devices. The random reboots, only to get trapped on bootlogo is attributed to the hardware of the device and hence cannot be fixed by a simple factory reset or reflashing the stock image. Effected Nexus 6P users were left in much agony, brainstorming a way to take their device at least to the lock screen.

Since every problem has a solution, luckily, it does. Below we’ll be sharing the fix that was initially developed by an XDA senior member XCnathan32 and then by xls654.

Fix Nexus 6P Bootloop issue Running 7.1.2 or 8.0

Warning: The method we’re going to provide involve unlocking of the bootloader and then flashing a modified kernel. Hence, any error or unpredictable hinderances can render your device as useless. Proceed if and only if sure what you’re doing and very well aware of its consequences. We’re not responsible for any damages that incur to your device.

Follow below steps if the Nexus 6P is stuck in bootloop and is already OEM unlocked. If you have locked device, there’s a different procedure to fix Nexus 6P bootloop issue (mentioned below).

  1. Boot your phone into bootloader (hold power and volume down)
  2. Connect your phone to the computer.
  3. Go to the folder where you have the modified files, then hold shift and right click in a blank space, click on “open command prompt here” in the menu that pops up.
  4. In the command prompt: type “fastboot flash boot [name of the file here]” and then press enter. If you’re flashing TWRP, replace boot with recovery. (Linux users, make sure you’re running as root)
    Note: First flash twrp via ADB, and then  EX Kernel.zip via TWRP( Download Links Below)
  5. Boot up your phone, and hopefully, it should work without the Nexus 6P Bootloop Issue.

What if the device is OEM locked?

The thing that you can do is to get your phone to boot long enough to enable OEM unlock. Courtesy to some successful workarounds as reported by some users, you have to let the battery drain all the way to 10-15% and then try to boot the phone. However, the most successful method seems to be heating up your phone’s backside.

Be utmost careful and wise while doing the above methods. Heat up means, increase the surrounding temperature and not to burn the device.

If you’re somehow successful to boot. Then, enable OEM unlocking and unlock bootloader: For that,

  1. Go to settings.
  2. Go to developer options, if you do not see that, go to “about phone”, scroll to build number, and then tap it seven times. You should now see developer options in settings.
  3. Once you’re in developer options, click on “OEM unlocking” and accept the prompt.
  4. Now reboot your phone to bootloader, connect your phone to the computer, and type “fastboot flashing unlock” Your bootloader should now be unlocked.
  5. Then go back to the initial steps and flash the modified EX kernel. This way you can fix the Nexus 6P bootloop issue.
Downloads

Modded TWRP v3.1.1 For BLOD: Download

EX( Elemental X)v5 KernelDownload

BLOD Nexus 6P fix on Android Oreo 8.1

Follow below steps if the BLOD device runs the latest Android Oreo 8.1. Let’s se how to fix Nexus 6P bootloop issue:

  • If your device is, Bootloader/OEM unlocked then you’re good to go. If not, then unlock the bootloader by following steps mentioned earlier.
  • Flash/boot patched TWRP.
  • Flash BLOD Workaround ZIP.
  • Reboot.
Downloads

Modded TWRP v3.2.1: Download

BLOD Workaround ZipDownload

Logic Behind the Nexus 6P bootloop Fix

As already mentioned the problem is with the hardware. To be precise, the four high-performance cores – ARM Cortex A57 in the Octa-Core Snapdragon 810 SoC of the Nexus 6P are culprit here. Preventing the device from booting due to some malfunctioning in the cores.

So, have you wondered what does the above fixes do? We’re flashing a modified boot image(Kernel) that hibernates the high cores so that the device will not utilise them, instead of the low-performance but efficient Cortex A53 cores.

Of course, the device would be performing similarly to a quad-core Snapdragon 410 device. Though a bummer, it’s better to have something rather than nothing, isn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s the performance being compromised to boot the device. Nevertheless, your device going to have good battery endurance, thanks to the low-power 4×Cortex A53 cores.

Conclusion

The above workaround is best suited for BLOD Nexus 6Ps that are not covered under warranty. And, for those under warranty, it’s highly recommended to visit their place of purchase for warranty or repair options. So that’s it for Nexus 6P Bootloop fix.

Check out fixes for other issues on Nexus 6P:

We can’t guarantee whether the trick will work on every Nexus 6P and under every condition. However, it’s worth trying as the success rate was high so far. That said, we’d be pleased to know the case on your device after adopting the above methods.

So, your Nexus 6P Bootloop issue has been fixed or not? Share with us in the comments below.

Ijaz
Ijaz
He is so desperate to try Custom Roms such that tripped Knox of his brand new Galaxy within 24 Hrs of its purchase. Purely "flashaholic" and can torture his device to any extend for deadly customizations.
6 COMMENTS
  1. Hi,

    After following your steps for fixing the bootloop for devices on Oreo 8.1; Installing a factory image, flashing the Modded TWRP v3.2.1 image, and then flashing the BLOD Workaround Zip, I can only seem to boot the phone into the TWRP interface for recovery/sideloading/etc. I cannot, in any way, get into the actual Android OS. I have not performed any formatting, restoring or even cleaning after applying the fixes for the BLOD.
    I have tried: Reboot > System in TWRP, however I get brought back to TWRP again and again.

    Could you please assist me with this?
    Thanks,
    Ryan

    • Hello, could you please confirm that you’ve unlocked the bootloader? If yes, I request you to drain your battery till 15-20% and try to boot the device. Even if that couldn’t help, please flash Magisk, followed by a wipe cache/dalvik cache partition. Then ultimately reboot to system. Hopes this could work.

      Thanks.

        • hey can you please provide the steps or link you have followed to fix the bootloop issue…. i have very important data in my phone and everything is at stake now

  2. When flashing the BLOW I get:

    Sending ‘boot’ (1630 KB) OKAY [ 0.077s]
    Writing ‘boot’ FAILED (remote: ‘image is not a boot image’)

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