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Manual flashing

SP Flash Tool, without hunting it down.

Innioasis Updater bundles SP Flash Tool on Windows and on Linux x86 machines, so you already have the manual flashing tool after the normal install. This guide covers the model-correct way to use it on a Y1 or a Y2.

Return to the Updater guideFirmware DownloadsTroubleshooting

What this tool is for

Updater flashes firmware for you. SP Flash Tool is the same engine with the training wheels off. It is the route you want when Updater will not start, when a model will not connect, or when you are comfortable reading a scatter file and choosing partitions yourself.

Try Updater first. For most installs and most recoveries, the guided Updater route is the safer choice. Use SP Flash Tool when you know why you need it, and keep a charged battery plus a USB data cable ready.

Where Updater puts it

SP Flash Tool ships with the Updater install folder, not as a separate download. Open it from there when you need it.

Windows

Open the Updater install folder and run flash_tool.exe. The folder is usually under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Innioasis Updater. A Toolkit folder with an SP Flash Tool shortcut is included on some setups.

Linux

Run the bundled flash_tool binary inside the Updater app folder on x86 / x86_64. The project installer prepares USB permissions with udev rules, so the player should appear when connected.

macOS

SP Flash Tool is not bundled on macOS. Updater uses the MTKClient route there instead. Use the guided install on a Mac and keep SP Flash Tool for a Windows or Linux machine.

The tool ships with the MediaTek download agent and model-specific configuration, so you do not need to collect DA or scatter files from elsewhere.

Prepare the firmware

  1. Grab the release you want from Firmware Downloads. Choose rom.zip for a Y1 or rom_y2.zip for a Y2.
  2. Extract the ZIP into its own folder. Windows can use Extract All. On Linux, use your archive manager or unzip in a terminal.
  3. Check that the scatter file is in the extracted folder. It is usually named MT6572_Android_scatter.txt for Y1 packages and MT6582_Android_scatter_def.txt for Y2 packages, though a release may name it after its project.
Keep the models separate. The Y1 scatter describes an MT6572 device and the Y2 scatter describes an MT6582 device. Flashing with the wrong one is how players get bricked. If the scatter inside the ZIP does not match your model, stop and use a package listed for your model instead.

Load the scatter and flash

  1. Open SP Flash Tool from the Updater install folder.
  2. In the Download tab, click Choose next to Scatter-loading File and select the scatter file from the extracted folder. The partition list will fill in.
  3. Leave the flash mode on Download Only unless you are deliberately doing a full recovery, which needs Firmware Upgrade.
  4. Click Download. The tool will wait for the player.
  5. Power the player fully off, then connect the USB data cable. Put the player down and do not move it.
  6. Wait for the green check mark. Only then disconnect the cable and start the player.

Keep the same USB cable and timing rules as the guided route: a data cable, no hub, and connect only when the tool is ready.

If it does not flash

  1. Check that the scatter and ZIP match the model printed on the player.
  2. Confirm the player is fully powered off before connecting.
  3. On Windows, confirm the MediaTek driver installed with the Updater setup; on Linux, confirm the udev rules from the project installer.
  4. Reconnect the cable only when the tool is waiting. A port race can need a full unplug and a fresh Download click.

For anything beyond that, open troubleshooting. And remember: Updater is still the normal route, and Y1 and Y2 restore guides use it too.

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