Feature request: in-app SD Card Firmware Update (re-flash fallback) for USB-locked X4 units

[RogerVeiga]

Summary

Please consider restoring/porting the in-app SD Card Firmware Update feature
from upstream CrossPoint (also present in the CrossInk fork). On X4 units with USB
serial flashing permanently disabled, this is currently the only non-hardware way
to re-flash — and CrossPet doesn't expose it.

Background

A number of grey-market X4 units ship with the ESP32-C3 USB serial download mode
permanently disabled (eFuse burned). On these units the device never enumerates as
a serial port ("USB device not recognized"), so both the web/browser installer
and the PlatformIO CLI are unusable — they both depend on USB serial.

For these users, OTA is the only available flashing channel:

• CrossPet's own OTA (CrossPet → CrossPet) works fine.
• OTA cross-flashing to a different firmware (back to CrossPoint/CrossInk, or to
  stock) downloads the image fully, but then fails at the device-side
  install/finalize step ("Update failed").

Net effect: once CrossPet is installed on a USB-locked unit, the user can update
CrossPet but cannot switch to another fork or revert. There is no working exit.

The upstream workaround that's missing

Upstream CrossPoint and the CrossInk fork expose an in-app "SD Card Firmware
Update" option (place update.bin at the SD root, flash from within the
firmware). This is the documented escape hatch for exactly this locked-device
scenario. CrossPet appears to have dropped it — there's no equivalent under
Settings → System, and the docs only describe reverting via USB (browser installer
/ PlatformIO), which locked units can't use.

Request

Port/restore the SD-card firmware update path so users on USB-locked X4 hardware
have a non-USB way to re-flash (switch forks or revert to stock). Since the feature
already exists upstream, this is hopefully a low-effort restore rather than new work.

Why it matters

Without it, installing CrossPet on a USB-locked unit is effectively a one-way door.
Restoring the SD-flash fallback makes CrossPet safe to try on this (fairly common)
locked hardware.

I have a USB-locked X4 currently stuck on CrossPet and am happy to test any build.

[tulioveneno]

I have the exact same issue. My X4 came with the Chinese factory firmware and has the USB serial port permanently disabled (eFuse burned). I flashed CrossPet using the in‑app System Update option from CrossPoint (firmware on SD card). The flash worked, but after that CrossPet itself has no "SD Card Firmware Update" option anywhere. It's also incredibly slow and I can't even turn it off properly. Since USB is locked, OTA cross‑flashing fails, and the SD card method no longer exists inside the firmware, I'm completely stuck on CrossPet with no way to revert to CrossPoint or CrossInk. This feature is absolutely critical for devices like ours. Without it, installing CrossPet on a USB‑locked unit is a one‑way street. I really hope the SD flash fallback can be restored. I'm also happy to test any builds if that helps.

[tulioveneno]

since OTA isn't working, what about usb locked devices running a crossingpet build? would OTA work specifically for crossingpet once it drops on github? because there's literally no other way for usb blocked devices to work.

[fqtelles]

+1 to this request.
I'm in the exact same situation.
My X4 arrived with USB serial permanently disabled (eFuse burned). I installed CrossPet via SD card after seeing it recommended as an alternative to CrossPoint, not realizing that CrossPet had dropped the SD firmware update path. I've since tried every available recovery route: the Crosspoint web flasher, the Xteink Unlocker hotspot, the Power + Up bootloader combination. None of them work on a USB-locked unit.
The OTA cross-flash failure is what finally closed every door. At this point, restoring SD card firmware update is the only way out for users like me who are stuck on CrossPet on locked hardware.
Worth noting: CrossPet's own README and feature list advertise "OTA firmware updates" as a first-class feature. For users on USB-locked hardware, that description is misleading. OTA fails when trying to cross-flash to another firmware, and with USB also blocked, there is no working flashing channel at all. A user reading the feature list has no way to know they will end up with no exit path.
As the original report notes, this feature already exists upstream in CrossPoint and CrossInk, so it's a port rather than new work. I'd also be happy to test any build that re-enables it.
For what it's worth, CrossPet itself works well. this isn't a complaint about the firmware quality. It's specifically about the locked-device recovery scenario where the SD path is the only viable escape hatch. I don't think the intent of an open-source firmware is to lock users into it.

[LuritoCosta]

I'm having the same problem with my X4 =(

[jeremy89632]

I have the same issue on my x3

[yirme]

I also have the same issue on my X4. I just got my device 5 days ago. Now I'm stuck on this firmware. I already disabled most of the apps but I still see a noticeable battery drain unlike CrossPoint and vCodex.

Too bad I haven't read first this Google Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vTGCAP5BJhmS0E3cLlK5jZh7MeP9ZDforBp6f6kzfXUmZR7r0NIuUddxJ5A7q_HhBn86S7x17lu0MEn/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true&pli=1

I think our device is permanently bricked.

[r-barreto]

Strange enough, on my device any network requests fail; that also includes OTA updates. So I'm currently stuck in it. The only solution for me now is to try to exploit this firmware and force it into a recovery mode or act as a man in the middle.

[LuritoCosta]

Strange enough, on my device any network requests fail; that also includes OTA updates. So I'm currently stuck in it. The only solution for me now is to try to exploit this firmware and force it into a recovery mode or act as a man in the middle.

Friend, if you find a solution, please don't forget to share it here.

[r-barreto]

I have created a merge request that copies the SD-card flashing functionality from Crosspoint into Crosspet. Let's hope the mantainer give it some attention.

#29

[jfsdias]

I have the same issue and I'm stuck on build 1.8.0

[y4ybgmydfv-tech]

I am having problem with my X3 as well.

[viskhale19]

Strange enough, on my device any network requests fail; that also includes OTA updates. So I'm currently stuck in it. The only solution for me now is to try to exploit this firmware and force it into a recovery mode or act as a man in the middle.

Same issue for me, I ordered X4 through a group buy, the seller pre-flashed v1.6.12 and I can't do anything more.

• OTA updates (inside Settings)
• SD card flash
• usb install
• OTA flash (using Chrome)

[jeremy89632]

I managed to get something to work but I got stuck with it. I managed to find another fork of crosspet. Below is the link - the OTA flash works BUT that version doesn’t come with SD card flashing. If someone can modify with that feature it will save us. I tried for a few weeks and I got stuck with the other crosspet firmware. If someone can spend some time it will help. https://github.com/bcrpntr/crosspet-x3 NOTE: Please do not flash it directly as it does not contain the sd card feature. The above version of crosspet is accepted by OTA flash but we need to edit the fork to add the SD card flashing feature or copy the manifest to include Crossink / Crossreader software. If someone could spend time with Claude code or Codex to figure it out. Thanks folks

…

________________________________ From: viskhale19 ***@***.***> Sent: Monday, 22 June 2026 19:39:08 To: trilwu/crosspet ***@***.***> Cc: Jeremy Goh ***@***.***>; Comment ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [trilwu/crosspet] Feature request: in-app SD Card Firmware Update (re-flash fallback) for USB-locked X4 units (Issue #28) [https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/81746639?s=20&v=4]viskhale19 left a comment (trilwu/crosspet#28)<#28 (comment)> Strange enough, on my device any network requests fail; that also includes OTA updates. So I'm currently stuck in it. The only solution for me now is to try to exploit this firmware and force it into a recovery mode or act as a man in the middle. Same issue for me, I ordered X4 through a group buy, the seller pre-flashed v1.6.12 and I can't do anything more. * OTA updates (inside Settings) * SD card flash * usb install * OTA flash (using Chrome) — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#28?email_source=notifications&email_token=AAUD4HD4JLJO3PAZS3547CT5BFVLZA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTINZXGEYTENBWGE32M4TFMFZW63VHMNXW23LFNZ2KKZLWMVXHJLDGN5XXIZLSL5RWY2LDNM#issuecomment-4771124617>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAUD4HHENBSQZA7OSFN3CWL5BFVLZAVCNFSNUABGKJSXA33TNF2G64TZHMYTCNZQGMYTINRVHA5US43TOVSTWNBWGI2TONRTGYZDFILWAI>. Triage notifications, keep track of coding agent tasks and review pull requests on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS<https://github.com/notifications/mobile/ios/AAUD4HBDJHQNFTRL7WFDZVT5BFVLZA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTINZXGEYTENBWGE32M4TFMFZW63VHMNXW23LFNZ2KKZLWMVXHJKTGN5XXIZLSL5UW64Y> and Android<https://github.com/notifications/mobile/android/AAUD4HC7OVISN5MHGGXN5ST5BFVLZA5CNFSNUABFM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2JONZXKZKDN5WW2ZLOOQXTINZXGEYTENBWGE32M4TFMFZW63VHMNXW23LFNZ2KKZLWMVXHJLTGN5XXIZLSL5QW4ZDSN5UWI>. Download it today! You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[GiitMM]

Has anyone tried using Escape Hatch as mentioned in this note:

This note is from the warning below the section to guide flashing with SD card for locked devices (from the official CrossPoint). You can read the section here and find the note’s link below it.

I'd like to try the CrossPet, but I'm worried about not being able to flash back to other firmwares. So could somebody please try and tell us the results?