T-Mobile has started sending out Android 1.6 to its customers in an over the air update. The rollout is staggered and occurring over several weeks. You can stare at your phone endlessly waiting for the download or you can manually download it yourself.
We have discovered the file for the T-Mobile G1 which updates your phone to Android 1.6. This file is being hosted by Google so I don’t think anyone will complain about distributing it.
For the full list of Android 1.6 highlights, visit the official Google Android site.
If you have a T-Mobile myTouch 3G, please be patient while we wait for the download link to be discovered.
Method A – My G1 has the official T-Mobile version of Android 1.5
Read first: This method is for people running an official T-Mobile USA version of Android. You will be downloading the official update file from Google and manually installing it on your phone. The update file is the exact file that is being sent to phones over the air, but this method allows you to manually download it (instead of sitting there waiting).
Warning: Some developers have not updated their apps to be compatible with Android 1.6 yet. Check your favorite apps to make sure they have been updated and contact the developer if they have not.
Warning 2: If you have a home replacement app that does not support Android 1.6 you may get stuck in a force close loop. You can boot into safe mode and uninstall the offending app. Hold down Power+Menu when turning on the phone and keep holding down both buttons until the phone boots in safe mode. You can then go to Settings > Manage applications to uninstall the app.
- Download T-Mobile Android 1.6 (DRC83) from Google. (Search Google for “signed-kila-DRC83-from-CRC1.c41b93c1.zip” if the link is removed)
- Copy the downloaded file to your phone’s SD card. (Advanced users only: Use the command “adb push signed-kila-DRC83-from-CRC1.c41b93c1.zip /sdcard/update.zip”)
- Rename the downloaded file to update.zip (Make sure you can see the file extension. Many users make the mistake of naming the file update.zip.zip)
- Reboot your phone into recovery mode. Power off the phone first and then hold down the Home key while powering it back on.
- The recovery mode is finished loading when you see the ! mark inside the triangle. Press Alt+L to display the list of options.
- Press Alt+S to flash the file update.zip.
- Wait for the update to apply. Your phone may reboot during this process so be patient.
- Press Home+Back if prompted to reboot your phone.
Verify: When the update is complete you can double-check your version of Android by going to Settings > About phone.
The build number should read DRC83.
Method B – My G1 has a hacked version of Android currently installed
Read first: This method is for people running any hacked version of Android. Installing the official T-Mobile version of Android 1.6 will wipe your phone and you will lose root access. This is for people who wish to return to the latest default install of Android.
Warning: Some developers have not updated their apps to be compatible with Android 1.6 yet. Check your favorite apps to make sure they have been updated and contact the developer if they have not.
Step 1: Downgrade to RC29
- Download the file DREAIMG-RC29.zip (Search Google if this link is removed)
- Unzip the file DREAIMG.nbh and copy it to your SD card home directory.
- Power off your phone first and then hold down the camera button while powering it back on.
- When prompted, press the power button to begin the downgrade. Wait for it to finish and display the rainbow screen. Press Talk+Menu+Power to reboot your phone (or just pop your battery out once the downgrade has finished)
Step 2: Upgrade to Android 1.5 CRB43
- Download the file signed-kila-ota-148830.de6a94ca.zip (Search Google if this link is removed)
- Rename the file to update.zip and copy it to your SD card (Advanced users only: Use the command “adb push signed-kila-ota-148830.de6a94ca.zip /sdcard/update.zip”)
- Reboot your phone into recovery mode. Power off the phone first and then hold down the Home key while powering it back on.
- The recovery mode is finished loading when you see the ! mark inside the triangle. Press Alt+L to display the list of options.
- Press Alt+S to flash the file update.zip.
- Wait for the update to apply. Your phone may reboot during this process so be patient.
- Press Home+Back if prompted to reboot your phone.
Step 3: Upgrade to Android 1.5 CRC1
- Download the file signed-kila-CRC1-from-CRB43-FIX.7ca4a1d7.zip (Search Google if link is removed)
- Repeat the steps from above to flash the update file.
Step 4: Upgrade to Android 1.6 DRC83
- Download the file signed-kila-DRC83-from-CRC1.c41b93c1.zip (Search Google if this link is removed)
- Repeat the steps from above to flash the update file.
Verify: When the update is complete you can double-check your version of Android by going to Settings > About phone.
The build number should read DRC83.
[Thanks Justin for the link]
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Taylor Wimberly
Taylor is the founder of Android and Me. He loves playing with all kinds of gadgets, but most importantly cell phones. His other hobbies include cooking (BBQ hero!), politics, football, and watching every MMA event possible.
105 Comments
hey i have a rooted g1 and have been trying to unroot for awhile now but cant find out how. can u please help me so i can get the donut update for my g1? thx,dan
Finishing up the guide to unroot and install Android 1.6 now. You need to downgrade to RC29, then install CRC1, CRB43, and finally DRC83. I’ll have the steps up in awhile.
thx, cant wait for steps =)
Cyanogens already has all the new features. Its a shame some people think going unroot will make their phone better with this new download. And it wont. I am keeping my Cyanogen 4.1.11.1 as it works like a top and has extra features that Google will never have on this as they refuse to learn from the pros. I think it all comes down to money and time as they have a schedule to follow with new Android phones with the 2.0 and up in the future.
You are SO right! I just went to his site and checked out the screenshots of his mod as well as the themes. There’s nothing, and I mean NOTHING on the cell phone market that compares. And yes, that includes iPhone. I don’t know why I took so long to see the light.
am i the only one gettin an “error at line 2″ scipt??? whats goin on??? im not new to doing this. i have a g1 as well
At what step did you see this error message? I have never heard of this message before.
i get the same error. im pretty sure that’s because my phone is on cupcake CRC37 and not CRC1. @soultruth what cupcake build do you have?
CRC37 is a UK version. This update is for US G1 phones.
OMG thank you guys sooo much! just did the update and it works PERFECTLY on my phone
woot woot ^.^
thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuu
will this work for my mytouch?
Nope.
I have a mytouch 3G. Once, I rooted my phone with cyanogen and used flash cyanogen recovery 1.4. I switched backed up the phone to its original state ( i dont know if this un-roots the phone). I received to OTA of 1.6, downloaded it, but when tried to install the phone restarted and cyanogen recovery booted up, not allowing me to continue and aborted the installation. When i turned on the phone, the update was not available in the “system updates” section, where I initially checked where the update was. Now I am not able to do any update. What is the procedure in this case, if any? What should I do now, besides of waiting for them to send the OTA update again, if they do…
so i am stuck in an endless loop of “force close” cuz i didn’t switch out of Open Home before i updated . any way to get around this?
You can boot into safe mode and uninstall Open Home. Hold down Power+Menu when turning on the phone and keep holding down both buttons untill the phone boots in safe mode. You can then go to Settings > Manage applications to uninstall the app.
would clearing the default boot into Open Home work as wel, or should i just dump it completely?
It might work. I would just uninstall the app till it gets updated.
i think it has been updated, but i’ll dump it for now . thanks for the quick response
I did everything the way it said but it says no such file!!
If you get the error message “no such file” this means there is no file named update.zip located in the home directory of your SD card. Make sure the file is named update.zip and not update.zip.zip. Also make sure the file is located in the main directory of your SD card and not inside any folder.
I did. I renamed it update.zip and just dragged it onto the sd card.
If all else fails and it will still not recognize the file update.zip try the following.
Format your SD card using your phone or pc. If using your PC, make sure it is formatted to FAT32 file system.
Warning – Formatting your SD card will erase all info so back it up.
Do you have to uncompress it?
No, just rename the DRC83 file to update.zip
If you try to uncompress the file it will not work.
the steps worked perfect for me, on my non-rooted official t-mobile G1. thank you!
Ok so heres the deal. I got a G! not rooted all factory from Tmobile. I did everything right downloaded the file renamed it to update.zip dragged it from my laptop to the sd card. then did the boot process. and it says error?? HELP PLZZ!!!
What is the exact error message? If it says update failed after finding the file, it might be corrupted. Try to download the file from your PC and not over 3G or edge.
it says cant open/sdcard/update.zip(no such file or directory) installation aboreted.
But i downladed it from the link up above 3 times already from my pc. And the file IS there. i dunno im loost!
Sounds like you are using Windows and have file extensions hidden. View the file properties to make sure it is not called update.zip.zip
hahaah. Yup that was it right there. i looked in properties. yup it was update.zip.zip so i just named it update. and it works. its installing now. thanks for all the help.
Can’t wait for the myTouch update.zip! Thanks for keeping us posted!
What should one do if the DREAIMG.nbh file is not recognized in bootloader mode.
Did you extract the nbh file from the zip file? Try to redownload it and make sure it is in the home directory of your SD card. Once that is done, hold down the camera button and power on your phone.
I am continually told there is “No Image File!” even though the DREAimg.nbh file is on the root of my sd
For anyone who is having the same problem I am, reformat your SD card to FAT32 from FAT. This was mentioned above, as well.
yeah same thing happened to me! how can we fix this! i hav tried to redownload like 7 times and it still wont work. plz help?
You have to reformat your sd card. First back up everything you have on the sd card. Then, when you are on a pc, go to my computer and find your sd card. Right Click the sd card icon and go to the reformat option. You should be able to go from FAT to FAT32 here. Keep in mind that reformatting will delete everything on the sd card. This is why i recommend the back up.
thx for the help. it works now! =)
i need help. i boot into recovery mode (home+power) and it gives me the triangle with exclamation point or whatever, then i press menu+l and nothing. press menu+s, nothing. my keyboard does not work. i can press home+back and reboot the phone, though. anybody know what i should do?
I can’t help you if you don’t read the instructions. You are supposed to hit Alt+L. Not Menu+L.
Press Alt instead of Menu.
How come the youtube app is not present anymore
nevermind the shortcut was wrong..move along nothing to see here
I keep trying to download crc1 file through my g1, but it keeps telling me “download unsuccesful. File not supported on phone.” So I’m stuck on crb43, don’t know what to do now?
Install Download Crutch from the Market (or any of a number of File Managers) or download on your PC then transfer to your SD Card over USB.
Does anybody have any clue whether these steps and the 1.6 image shown will work for Tmobile G1’s from countries like Germany, the Netherlands?
just tried the update over here in germany.
not successful.
Could you at least roll back to Cupcake?
Anyone know if this is supposed to work on a UK un-modded G1? I tried it last night and got:
– Install from sdcard
Finding update package…
Opening update package…
Verifying update package…
Installing update…
E:Failure at line 2: assert file_contains(“SYSTEM:build.prop”,
Installation aborted.
the update is for CRC1. do you have CRC37? (btw. i get the same error)
Yes, mine is Build CRC37
Hopefully the UK release will be soon.
Me too
– Install from sdcard
Finding update package…
Opening update package…
Verifying update package…
Installing update…
E:Failure at line 2: assert file_contains(”SYSTEM:build.prop”,
Installation aborted.
I think thats US version… Im from Czech republic…
This is U.S. Only Update
Does this version have the Spanish language??
– Install from sdcard
Finding update package…
Opening update package…
Verifying update package…
Installing update…
E:Failure at line 2: assert file_contains(”SYSTEM:build.prop”,
I got that same error and mine is a US un-modded G1. Made sure of it by completely redoing it with the instructions from this site
http://code.google.com/p/android-roms/wiki/Unroot
Worked perfectly on a unlocked Tmobile G1 w/ cupcake.
Thanks!
Nevermind, all I had to do was reinstall Cupcake using this link
http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=OTA_Updates#Cupcake_1.5
Now it’s installing.
I got the donut push on Friday. Since then, I cannot access the browser and many other basic functions of the non-rooted G1. The browser gives me the error “The application Browser (process.com.android.browser) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again. So I downloaded the file above and tried to reinstall. When I hit alt-l, alt-s – I get “Install from Sdcard, Finding update package, opening update package, verifying update package, installing update, installation aborted. Any idea of what is happening or what I should try?
I NEED HELP!!!!!! everytime i copy the dreaimg.zip file to my sdcard and turn off the phone then power it back on while holding down the camera button the rainbow screen says loading….no image found. plz help me!!!!!! thx,dan
You need to extract the DREAIMG.nbh from DREAIMG.zip and put the nbh file on the SD card.
sorry yeah i meant dreaimg.nbh i was in a hurry when i waS typing
Dan, I had the same issue. All you have to do is format(fat 32) your sd card and try again. It will work.
It worked fine for me baaaaaaaaaaaaby!!!!
Something that isn’t really clear in th instructions is that u MUST uninstall Open Home or Ahome before u install the 1.6 update. If you don’t it won’t work.
Or, if yo have a rooted G1, just go here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?s=57bf25f185ee958eced87d7594a54171&t=566130
and download the newest rom and flash
It is the official APD1 rom, but modified so it will still be rooted, at the expense that PDF viewer will not work (v3.0) or might be excluded in future builds.
thank you I updated my phone today, but I was wondering if we could use the same method to get the hero UI
email me if you can
I did Method B earlier this week – works fine!
HELP please
I get –Install from sdcard…
Finding update package…
Opening update package…
E:Can’t open /sdcard/update.zip (bad)
Installation aborted.
The update just came to me OTA! yaayyy
hey i had the same problem. what did you do?
Hey I was really hesitant about doing this but I did it. and it works!
lols nothing bad yet. just did it 1 min ago. =]
i jst updated using the first method. WOrks! haha nicee lovin the VPN
anyone know a home replacement that works well with 1.6? betterhome replaces the new google search box with an older one and the search doesnt work the new way it’s supposed to in 1.6…
open home*** sorry
3 screens just wont cut it for me :/
Ok So Y did my GF get the update on her MT3G before me!!! Anybody know how to find the link on her phone?? Tell me so I can post it!!
I have a mytouch 3G. Once, I rooted my phone with cyanogen and used flash cyanogen recovery 1.4. I switched backed up the phone to its original state ( i dont know if this un-roots the phone). I received to OTA of 1.6, downloaded it, but when tried to install the phone restarted and cyanogen recovery booted up, not allowing me to continue and aborted the installation. When i turned on the phone, the update was not available in the “system updates” section, where I initially checked where the update was. Now I am not able to do any update. What is the procedure in this case, if any? What should I do now, besides of waiting for them to send the OTA update again, if they do… HELP!!!
How do you get 5 screens!?
am i doing something wrong!!! I have an “unrooted” g1 and when I copy the file to my sd card and rename it update.zip – it goes through the motions but stays at 1.5 and doesn’t give me 1.6 ??? what am I missing?
someone please help -
If you have Vista, rename it to update. If you name it update.zip you may not notice that the file name renames update.zip.zip. Put it on the root of your SD card and do the rest that you may know.
Wow….this was the first helpful install guide that I have been able to find out of anywhere!!! It helped fix my problem where I had the UK Cupcake on my phone and couldn’t get donut! Thanks for this help…keep it up
Is the rc37 1.6 rom anywhere available for download yet?
I have a G1 with Android 1.5 and my update to 1.6 failed. I hav no reason why.
when i try to install 1.5 it says varifacation not found. does anyone know what to do
This is exactly what i want to do, although im running the HTC Hero, on T-mobile, and HTC have a bunch of extras, that come with the phone, and i dont want to lose them, what should i do to upgrade?
I’m trying to update my android 1.5 to 1.6. I tried through the phone the official way but it keeps saying I need a restart so I decided to wipe it and after the wipe its saying the same thing. Now I’m trying to drag the update.zip file into the SDcard and when I run it in recovery mode it says “no signature (302 files) Verification failed Installation aborted”.
as according to this latest update, a manual download for T-mob G1 UK is available here – http://androidcommunity.com/forums/260160-post88.html. trying it out now..
firstly thx for the great tutorial
i only have one question
will i be able to get the futuring updated from google? i mean will google see my phone as hacked and dont send any other updates?
what are the cons of this manual 1.6 updating?
btw i’m from Turkey and i have CRC1, which seem okay
thanks =)
what does that advanced users only use command… and why wint it wirk on my g1 its rooted already using rc 29 but gives me the
E:Can’t open /sdcard/update.zip (bad)
Installation aborted.
response the card is the right format and the file is not update.zip.zip i check both but it still wont work
E:no signature (302 files)
E:Verification failed
Installation aborted
So I have been stuck on RC 29 forever and I have no way of rooting my phone or un rooting it. I cant receive any updates and I am stuck on this lame version. I have tried every tutorial possible and I still cant get it to work. Is there anyone that can help me please?
Dude, also, make sure when you go to the link to get the initial cbr cupcake, that u get the correct one about halfway down the page, that held me up, using the wrong one. once i figured that out, its as easy as it is in this here “tutorial” lol. it was for me at least.
jaime on
November 4th, 2009 at 12:36 am
hey brother I just followed the steps posted up top with the links provided and I am eating my Donut jajajaja sorry horrible joke
Thanks soo much. I decided to root my phone yesterday and hated it, and was up all night trying to figure out how to unroot and update. These instructions and links are by far the best and simpilest(if thats a word). Once again thanks!
Method B, step 3 doesn’t work for me. It says
“E:Error in applypatch (status 256)”
“E:Failure at line 170: run_program PACKAGE:applypatch -s 4919560″
In the second step of method-B, How did you copy the file update.zip to the sd card as I don’t have access to my sd card through the phone
for method a, it keeps saying, “cant open/sdcard/update.zip(bad) installation aborted.” need some help.
i have the same problem as you
i downloaded the file and rightclicked the file and went to properties and i found out the file was named update.zip.zip how do i change it to update.zip or update?
Dude, Don’t name it “update.zip,” I found that by renaming it to “update,” without the .zip part, and reboot into safe mode, the phone will automatically add the “.zip”. So basically, dowload the update, rename it “update” and flash it. Oh yeah, and follow the rest of the instructions as it says here and you shouldn’t have a problem. Hope this helps papa
Worked beautifully. Thank you for putting together such an easy to follow tutorial. I had no problems whatsoever getting 1.6 installed on my G1.
Thank you so much! Unrooted my phone flawlessly. Follow the instructions EXACTLY people…
Thanks boss. I see no one has updated this in a while but, I was having issues with my rooted G1 and I decided to go back to OTA and so far it works just fine. I thank you brother
i have a rooted g1 heres my ? when listening to music i receive a calll i hear no ringtone no sound comes out of the ear part to hear and when i try to make a call no sound i have to turn the phone off and turn it back on please help