Rooting My Pixel For Unlimited gphotos backup

All the previous android phones I had, I rooted them and used them with a custom ROM that had gphotos mod or used it with gphotos mod, I’ve had a pixel for android development as my second device..but all this time, it had stock android and not rooted with no modifications.

But what do I mean by gphotos mod..? You get unlimited photos and videos backup in Google photos, the mod makes it seem like you’re using a pixel device. But I already have a pixel device..?.. Google previously had announced that their pixel phones will have unlimited backup, but they reverted this decision after thier initial announcement.

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Google Pixel Phone Storage Offers

Google Photos Storage Policy Changes

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If you read the support page or the wikipedia or any source, it is clear that you get original quaility backups for free for the original pixel device, which is the first pixel device, though im having a new pixel device if I emulate the first pixel device, I can get unlimited storage.

Rooting & Magisk

Back in 2015.. along those times. Rooting was mainly SuperSU, you install a custom recovery and flash SuperSU, or install an apk like (kingRoot..or something similar..there was a long list, I remember this just because of the name, easy to remember). The apk way to root is bascailly the app tries the known os vulnerabilities to do previlege escaltion for that specific android version. Then you would have superSU installed on the device and use the app to grant permissions to any app that uses it. Some of the apps that I’ve used are app2sd, titanium backup, (backup any app with data)..2:22am and having hard time remembering the apps that i’ve used over the years.. those were the days, have fond memories now.

Nowadays there’s just one main way.. and that is to use Magisk.

To install magisk, follow the magisk official docs

For my device, which is a pixel, I need to get the original boot img of the current firmware version I have, this we can check in About Phone or notification shade in android 13 and above(could be from before.. started noticing only it from then on). (Official pixel images) Once I downloaded the zip, extracted it and found the boot img, I then followed the following instructions from official manual.

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bluepie@dev-machine pixel backup % adb reboot bootloader
bluepie@dev-machine pixel backup % fastboot flashing unlock
OKAY [  0.039s]
Finished. Total time: 0.039s
bluepie@dev-machine pixel backup % adb reboot bootloader
bluepie@dev-machine pixel backup % fastboot flashing unlock
OKAY [  0.006s]
Finished. Total time: 0.006s
bluepie@dev-machine pixel backup % fastboot flash init_boot magisk_patched-27000_EyWu8.img
fastboot: error: cannot load 'magisk_patched-27000_EyWu8.img': No such file or directory
bluepie@dev-machine pixel backup % cd ..
bluepie@dev-machine Desktop % cd ..
bluepie@dev-machine ~ % fastboot flash init_boot magisk_patched-27000_EyWu8.img
Sending 'init_boot_b' (8192 KB)                    OKAY [  0.211s]
Writing 'init_boot_b'                              OKAY [  0.014s]
Finished. Total time: 0.228s
bluepie@dev-machine ~ % fastboot reboot
Rebooting                                          OKAY [  0.000s]

Once Magisk is installed and on reboot, you will see warning image that bootloader is unlocked saying device is insecure (which is true),

Install software for Gphotos

Once Magisk is installed and phone is rooted, we need something called Xposed (it exposes/ enables/ writes ways for us to modify certain parts of the system by exposing them as API). Back.. early days Xposed was the king..(its archived and other projects took over). One such is LSPosed (but this only works till Android 13, again project archived). There is a fork of the lsposed which gives support for android 14. Since as of writing this.. I’m on Android 14..and this android version.. i.e. latest android 14..is not supported by lspoed because its archived by that point, so I’ll be flashing the latest lsposed v1.9.2 inside magisk. Once installed..reboot the device. Now you have lsposed installed.

Pixelify gphotos

The reason why we do all this because, for pixelify gphotos (to enable unlimited photos & video uploads), we need to install magisk and have lsposed (as of android 14). Just install the module and enable it for Google photos and reboot. Open the Pixelify gphotos app and set to spoof Pixel XL devices, thats the last step.

Conclusion

Get unlimited backups until this is patched.. I know irl friends that use this to upload xx gbs of photos. I”ve used before, since now that I enabled this, gonna upload all my photos from the gap (3 years of not using this) to backup using this mod.

Photos uploaded through this mechanism do not take space on the account.

Couple of other cool things with Xposed, can emulate an unrooted device with patches and make banking apps work, but I have a separate phone just for that. This pixel is just for development and photos backup (additional bonus)

Personal update

I’ve been slipping on my dreams.. though I am happy on some parts of my life,

Whispers Between Strings

In a place of new beginnings, under fluorescent glow, I crossed paths with a soul I thought I’d never know. A stranger in the crowd, I turned the other way, No intentions in my heart for friendship’s gentle sway.

But fate had strings to strum, and games for us to play, Through chords and pixels bright, we whiled hours away. From strangers into friends, we wove a silent thread, Months unfolded softly, with every word unsaid.

Come February’s whisper, we stepped across the line, Entangled in a moment, pretending all was fine. Yet shadows loomed around us, a truth we couldn’t flee, I tried to fade her presence, like footprints in the sea.

But she held on with courage, refused to let it end, “Just two more days,” she pleaded, “let hearts begin to mend.” Then days turned into months, six circles ‘round the sun, “What happens when time’s up?” I asked. She said, “We’ve just begun.”

“Your birthday marks the turning,” she smiled with knowing eyes, A hint of something deeper, a plan beneath disguise. Now time’s a path before me, with rhythm to approve, It’s time to find my footing, and get back in the groove.

Echoes in the Labyrinth

In the maze of new beginnings, I walked alone, Content with solitary paths, untraveled and unknown. But whispers of a melody, a song of strings and play, Lured me toward a crossroads on an unexpected day.

A fellow traveler appeared, with laughter in her eyes, We danced through hidden corridors beneath the open skies. With every game and note we shared, the walls began to fade, The labyrinth seemed less daunting, its edges softly frayed.

As winter turned to springtime, our footsteps fell in rhyme, We found a secret clearing, a moment out of time. But shadows loomed to tell us that our paths were not the same, I tried to turn away to where no memory spoke her name.

Yet she reached out and held my gaze, “Just stay a little more,” Two days became a promise, then extended to a score. “What’s beyond these winding trails?” I asked beneath the moon. She smiled, “A new horizon comes with August’s afternoon.”

Now the maze feels less confining, each step a subtle groove, Embracing twists and turns ahead, I find my feet can move. For in this intricate design, where every choice is free, I’m learning that the journey means as much as destiny.

Letter to the Universe:

Dear Universe,

I didn’t plan for this convergence of souls. In the hustle of new surroundings, I was content navigating alone, charting my course without expectation. Then, unexpectedly, someone entered my orbit—a bright comet against the night sky of routine.

We connected over shared joys: the strategic thrill of games, the harmony of strings vibrating in unison. These simple pleasures wove threads between us, creating a tapestry I hadn’t anticipated.

As time flowed, our paths aligned more closely than I thought possible. Yet, knowing the stars might pull us in different directions, I tried to drift away, to return to the solitude I once knew. But she reached out, her resolve unwavering, asking me to remain—not forever, just a little longer.

“Stay for two more days,” she said, and then, “Let’s see where six months takes us.”

“What’s at the end of that journey?” I wondered.

She hinted at a milestone—my own revolution around the sun, a birthday that could mark new beginnings.

So here I stand, Universe, open to the possibilities you lay before me. I don’t know where this path leads, but perhaps that’s the point of the journey. I’m ready to embrace the rhythm you’ve set, to find my place within the greater symphony.

Guide me as I step back into the groove of life’s unfolding melody.

With cautious hope,

A Wanderer