With the Android 11 is said to have about 20% upper performance to Android 9, I recommend to learn how to update to Android 11 on Retroid Pocket 2 Plus. It is not an easy walk, and it doesn’t magically make any unplayable games playable, so at the end of the day, it’s your choice to update.
Android 11 is also the requirement to install Garlic 2.0 on Retroid Pocket 2 Plus, so if you want to run a Linux-based system on the Retroid Pocket 2 Plus, you really need to read this guide.
Before you start, I must warn you that you need a computer running Windows (at least Windows 10, all editions). MacOS users should wait for a proper respond from Retroid, although I don’t think there will be any support for a discontinued product like the Retroid Pocket 2 Plus.
You can trust the box cable that is included with the Retroid Pocket 2 Plus when you buy, otherwise you should choose a reliable cable. Final warning is a failed flash can brick your Retroid handheld, so do every step with utmost caution.
What you need
- The latest version of 7zip
- Driver requirements for Windows 10
- This version of ResearchDownload
- Image file of Android 11 (released in 17/12/2022)
- Turn off your Retroid Pocket 2 Plus (mandatory)
How to update Android 11 on Retroid Pocket 2 Plus?
Another warning to make sure you are doing your Android 11 update on a reliable PC, and with a reliable cable (the stock cable of the RP2+ is more than fine).
One thing you should remember, you must keep the SD card using in TF2 slot in exFAT format.
Step 1: Preparing your PC
- Extract the compressed file of driver requirements for Windows 10. Install these drivers
- Extract both ResearchDownload_24.0.0001.rar and RP2PlusA11_user_20221217.7z files with 7zip
- Open ResearchDownload.exe
Step 2: Updating Android 11 on RP2+
- On ResearchDownload, choose the Gear icon (⚙), select RP2PlusA11_user_20221217.pac that you previously extracted. Double check it as a
.pacfile. Wait for the process to finish - Choose the Double Gear icon (next to the Single Gear icon), set to Format Upgrade and click Start Upgrade
- In Download settings, select Flash Options, and make sure to tick the option Erase all Flash
- Choose the Sideway Arrow icon (➣) to start downloading. Now plug in your cable into the RP2+, and hold both VOLUME DOWN and POWER buttons of the handheld at the same time for at least 7 seconds (I recommend only to release the button combination after seeing FDL2 pop up on ResearchDownload)
| ⚠️ | You should make sure that you don’t see any BKF or erasing flash steps, otherwise I recommend to release the button combination of VOLUME DOWN and POWER. If you keep holding for too long, you get “user canceled download” message, and you need to try it again. |
- Wait for the process to finish, it should take a while
- When you see the “Ready” message, the RP2+ will restart on its own. Proceed to the initial setup for your handheld
You’ve finished installing Android 11 on your Retroid Pocket 2 Plus.
