How to Download and install Android 13 Beta GSI on any Android Phone

Google has finally launched 1/3 Android 13 beta. But as you realize that Pixel has to be formally miles away, owners of different gadgets can’t use it without alternatives. Fortunately, Google has an opportunity called GSI ‘Generic System Images’. And if you need to try Android 13 Beta on a non-Pixel phone, you can configure GSI. Here you can download and setup Android Thirteen Beta GSI on any Android phone.

GSI or Generic System Image has been added to Android 8.1 Phase at some point in the past few years. And since then it’s been up to the principal for every Android update. The main reason for this is the ability to test the modern Android model on any Android phone, despite the fact that it is a non-pixel phone. Developers can use it to check apps, capabilities, and various development paintings on a treble compliant device.

Android GSI is an open supply venture that developers can use to create custom ROMs, etc. Now let’s go straight to the download section.

Download Android 13 Beta 3.2 GSI

Like Android 13 Factory Image and Android 13 OTA Image, Google has also provided Android 13 GSI builds. So anyone interested can download and enjoy the latest Android 13 beta. It’s useful for developers, but tech enthusiasts can also use it to try out the upcoming Android 13. Let’s go to the download links now.

Android 13 Beta 3.2 GSI

Type	Link
ARM64 + GMS	Download
ARM64	Download
X86_64 + GMS	Download
X86_64	Download

Android 13 Beta 3.1 GSI

Type	Link
ARM64 + GMS	Download
ARM64	Download
X86_64 + GMS	Download
X86_64	Download

Android 13 Beta 3 GSI

Type	Link
ARM64 + GMS	Download
ARM64	Download
X86_64 + GMS	Download
X86_64	Download

Android 13 Beta 2 GSI

Type	Link
ARM64 + GMS	Download
ARM64	Download
X86_64 + GMS	Download
X86_64	Download

Android 13 Beta 1 GSI

Type	Link
ARM64 + GMS	Download
ARM64	Download
X86_64 + GMS	Download
X86_64	Download

The links provided are based on the hardware architecture of the device. So, make sure to download the correct image file that matches the architecture of your device. You can easily test the architecture using ADB commands or by using third party apps to check system information.

As you can see there are GMS and non-GMS links in the table, so if you don’t know about GMS then this is the package which includes all the important services and apps of Google. So depending on your usage, you can choose Android 13 GSI with or without GMS. This is because Google Apps are not available in some areas.

How to Install Android 13 GSI on your Phones

Installing GSI is different from installing beta updates on Pixel phones. There are also some standards that require a device to have GSI installed on it. So let’s first check the requirements after which the installation steps.

Prerequisites

Works on Android 9 or newer version
Install adb and fastboot driver on your PC (Or download Platform Tools)
Unlock bootloader of your phone (Different method for each brand)
Check if your phone support project treble (steps given below)
Take a full backup of your phone
Download the correct GSI for your device
Download vbmeta.img
Make sure you are installing it at your own risk
Some OEMs have different process for installing GSI (It shouldn’t be much different than this one)

Step 1: Enable USB Debugging

If you have unlocked the bootloader, you already know how to access developer options. So enable USB debugging from the developer options.

But if you do not remember this process, go to Settings> About Phone and tap the blood number 7 times. It depends on the device you have, such as OxygenOS version for OnePlus phone tape, MIUI version for Xiaomi tape, etc. Now go back to settings and find developer options and then open it. Enable USB Debugging in Developer Options which will be somewhere above.

Step 2: Check for Project Treble Support

Most state-of-the-art devices are projectable, but still, make sure to execute the given command.

You need to enable USB debugging on your phone to run the command, which I think you already know in the way described above. So after enabling USB debugging, enter the following command.

adb shell getprop ro.treble.enabled

The answer must be true. And if wrong then your phone is not compatible with Android 13 Beta GSI.

Step 3: Extract Android 13 Beta 3 GSI

Now copy the downloaded GSI or Generic System Image to your computer. The file format will be the zip format, so extract the file. Copy system.img from the extracted folder and paste it into the C: / adb folder (if you have adb and fastboot drivers installed) or in the Platform Tools folder (if you are using Platform Tools).

Copy the downloaded vbmeta.img file to the same location as system.img.

Step 4: Boot your Android phone into Fastboot Mode

To accomplish this, USB debugging must be enabled (if you know the shortcut keys to boot your phone into bootloader mode, skip it).

adb reboot bootloader

Your phone will boot into bootloader/Fastboot mode.

Step 5: Flash GSI to install Android 13 Beta 3

To flash GSI, you must first disable Android Verified Boot to avoid boot loop issue. Open the CMD / Command window from the C: / adb folder or the Platform Tools folder where the system.img file is located. You can insert CMD in Path Location in File Explorer to open CMD at any specific location.

Enter the below command to disable AVB Android verified boot:

fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img

Now wipe all the data for clean install using the mentioned command (It will remove all the data):

fastboot erase system

Next, Install the Android 13 Beta GSI on your phone with this command:

fastboot flash system system.img

Now Wipe the userdata partition once the installation is done:

fastboot -w

That’s all, now you can reboot and enjoy Android 13 on your phone.

fastboot reboot

After reboot, set up Android 13 and enjoy it on your phone. There is also a DSU loader method to test Android 13 GSI without having to install it permanently. You can check the DSU method here.

With GSI you can enjoy the features of Android 13 before the official launch. This is really helpful if you are a developer to create apps that are compatible with Android 13. You can also report bugs to Google.

Other OEMs will soon release beta based on Android 13 for their phones. Maybe after Google I / O, so if you have the latest flagship phone of other brands then get ready to try a new Android 13 beta.