Unlike Magic Leap 1, OS images are not tied to specific devices. Once you've download an OS image, you can flash it using ADB, use Magic Leap Hub's OS installer to install your OS in a few, short clicks, or update directly over-the-air using the on-device OS Updater.

If you're running a Magic Leap OS version prior to 1.4.1, you'll need to have Magic Leap Hub installed to update your device. More information about Magic Leap Hub can be found here.

Updating your Device using the Magic Leap 2 OS Updater

Devices running Magic Leap OS 1.4.1 or later can download an OS update for subsequent updates on the OS update path directly on their device. If. you're running an OS prior to 1.4.1, you'll need to update your device using Magic Leap Hub. Note: The OS Updater feature may be visible in some prior versions of the OS, however it will not be functional. Additionally, OS Updater will not appear on device's managed by an MDM.

• Start up your Magic Leap 2
• Make sure you're connected to wi-fi
• Go to "Settings > System > OS Updater"
• If you're unsure if an OS update is available, select "Check for Updates"
  • You can also set the device to automatically check for updates

• If an update is available, you will see a menu option saying "Update to [Magic Leap OS Version #] available"
  • If no OS update is available, you'll see a message saying your "OS is up to date"
• Select "Update to [Magic Leap OS Version #] available", you'll be prompted to "download and install [Magic Leap OS Version #]"
  
  • If there isn't enough space on the device to download the OS, a message will pop-up saying so

• You may be prompted to agree to a Software License Agreement (SLA), read and agree to the SLA to proceed

• The OS will proceed to download, while it's downloading you can use your device as you normally would
  • If the download is interrupted, you'll get a system notification and can attempt to download again
• Once the download is completed, you will need to return to the OS Updater screen and select "Install", while the installation happens you're unable to perform other tasks on the device

• Once the installation complete, the device will restart

• Upon restart, follow the prompts on your device to finish setup of the new OS version
  • You may need to re-pair and update your controller

Updating Your Device with Magic Leap Hub's OS Installer

Via The Original Hub

You can install OS updates via Magic Leap Hub. If you are running an OS version prior to Magic Leap OS 1.4.0, you will have to use Magic Leap Hub to install. There are two methods of installing an OS with Magic Leap Hub. Common steps for both follow, with specific steps for installing via OS Installer and Device Bridge following.

Via OS Installer

• Navigate to OS Installer, by clicking the white arrow on the top left (to the left of “Device Bridge”) and returning to the Home Menu, then selecting Start OS Installer. In the dropdown menu under Select OS Version, select your preferred OS from the list.
• Start up your Magic Leap 2
• Connect your Magic Leap 2 to your computer with the included USB-C cable
• Launch Magic Leap Hub on your computer
• Ensure USB debugging is enabled
• You should then see your Magic Leap 2 show up on the Dashboard in the Hub, as shown below. Verify the device's serial number matches the device you're looking to update.

Via Device Bridge

• Select "Start Device Bridge"

• To update the OS, find and click the white "Update Available" button on the left-hand side of Device Bridge under “OS & Version”.
  • For a clean install of the new OS, you can check "Run factory reset".
  • Note: A Factory Reset will delete all apps and data on your device, so this is not recommended.
• You'll receive a prompt confirming you want to install the OS.
  • Confirm the installation by clicking "Yes".
• Follow the prompts on your Magic Leap 2 to finish the installation. It may require you to plug in your controller too. The process takes about 10 minutes.

Downloading an OS Image

From the home screen of Magic Leap Hub, open the Package Manager by clicking the "Package Manager" tile.

Navigate to the "All" tab to see all available software and tools. You should see a heading saying "Device OS Versions". If you do not, click on the "Package Manager" dropdown in the upper-lefthand corner, and click "Refresh Available Packages". If this does not work, try reinstalling the app to make sure you have the latest version.

Click on the arrow to the "ML2 OS" section and, from the "Available Version(s)" dropdown, select the OS version you'd like to download. You should see the following:

Confirm that the OS version you want to download is selected and click "Apply Changes". You will be taken to a screen showing the download progress. 

Downgrading your device

Downgrading your device requires a factory reset. Downgrading can be done using the Magic Leap Hub OS Installer, and when selecting an older OS version the Hub will remind you that a factory reset is required prior to beginning the process. 

If you run into issues using Magic Leap Hub's OS Installer, and your device is stuck in fastboot mode, you can use the flashing instructions to complete the downgrade process.

What to do when OS Installer Fails

If the OS installer in ML Hub fails and your device is stuck in a loop of rebooting, you will need to manually flash your device. You will need to make sure you have downloaded the OS image you need to update your device to. Go to the "All" or "My Tools" tabs and selecting the "ML2 OS" section and clicking "Open Folder" will open the folder containing the files required for flashing.

 

Upgrading your Device via Magic Leap Hub 3

The following steps assume your device is connected to your PC with USB debugging enabled and recognized by Magic Leap Hub 3. In Magic Leap Hub 3, select the "OS" icon on the left-hand side menu. You'll see a screen like the below:

• Click "Select OS version directory...."
  • A drop-down of available OS versions appears
  • If an OS is already installed, click the OS number to open the drop-down instead

• Choose the OS you want to install - you can get the latest, or choose an older version
• In the "Options" section, click the checkbox "Remove file after installation" if you want to install an OS and  get rid of the installation files
• If you want to download a copy of the OS, but you do not want it installed automatically click "Download Only"
  • Otherwise, click "Download & Install" to automatically install the OS you selected.

If you selected "Factory Reset", you'll receive a prompt confirming the decision before the installation script runs. Confirm it, and proceed. It will take several minutes to install, and depending on your computer's settings you may need to confirm the connection your device again when it reboots during the installation process.

The below animated GIF highlights the installation process:

 

Flashing your device

First, shut the device off and restart it in fastboot mode. Enter fastboot mode by holding the volume down button while you turn the device on. If successful, you should see the Fastboot LED indicator on your Compute Pack.

• In Magic Leap Hub, select the OS version you wish to flash from the ML OS dropdown in the "My Tools" section in "Package Manager". Click the "Open Folder" button.
• Open your computer's command line interface (CLI) tool and, if you're not already, navigate to the root folder of the OS image in the CLI.
• Once you've confirmed your device is recognized in fastboot mode, run one of the following commands.
  • If you are on MacOS, run the following:

    • ./darwin_flash.sh

    • If you run into issues running the script, you may need to run the following commands:

      • chmod 755 darwin_flash.sh

  • If you are on Linux, run the following:

    • ./flashall_amd.sh

  • If you are on Windows, run the following:

    • flashall_amd.bat

• This will take around 6-10 minutes to flash everything based on the USB speed. You should see something like the below example using the MacOS flashing script. 

• At the end of flashing, the script will reboot the device.

• It should be recognized when you run:
  
  

  • • adb devices

 

Enabling USB Debugging

When connecting to Magic Leap Hub you will need to make sure USB Debugging is enabled.

• On your Magic Leap 2, make sure you select “Allow” when the "Allow USB Debugging" prompt appears.
• If there isn't a pop up on your device, navigate to "Settings > System > Advanced> Developer Options", scroll down to "Debugging" and toggle "USB debugging" on.