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Chainfire successfully roots the Nexus 9

Chainfire has successfully rooted the Nexus 9 and created a 64 bit SU binary for Google's newest Nexus tablet.
By
November 5, 2014
Nexus 9-2

Well that certainly didn’t take long. Rooters and modders that have expressed interest in the extremely new Nexus 9 will be pleased to know that superuser guru Chainfire has already successfully managed to root Android Lollipop running on the Nexus 9.

Considering that the factory images for Android 5.0 were only just released a few hours ago, it’s pretty fair to say that Chainfire works pretty darn efficiently. After all, in that amount of time he not only managed to root Lollipop on the Nexus 9, but he also managed to create a 64bit version of the superuser binary as well.

Now for those who can’t wait to get this device rooted (that would be me), there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Right now there is no custom recovery for the Nexus 9. Also, as this is a brand new device running a brand new version of Android, the typical CF Auto-root method is also not yet possible, as the CF Auto-Root framework hasn’t been updated to patch live kernels (which is an Android 5.0 requirement) or to work with 64 bit devices. That means that if you don’t have experience with ADB and Fastboot commands, you might want to hold off just a bit.

That being said, anyone familiar with ADB will be able to root the device in most likely under 5 minutes, as the process really is pretty simple. Chainfire has provided the 3 files you will need to complete the process, which basically consists of:

  1. Enabling fastboot oem unlock via developer options and executing it
  2. Performing fastboot boot inject.img
  3. Performing fastboot flash boot patched.img.

As mentioned before, anyone with a bit of ADB/Fastboot time under their belt will find this process extremely easy to do. Chainfire went on to say that he will get started updating Auto-root with all of the new 5.0 components, but that it would require a bit of time.

Android L brought forward an insane amount of changes, and considering that 64 bit support came with it, it’s no wonder that it took Chainfire “a few hours more than I had hoped for” to get everything working. Rooters should also keep in mind that lots of root apps will probably be very buggy, or may not work at all on Android L until they are updated.

For those looking for the CFAR method to root their device, simply check out the Chainfire thread regularly to see when the update arrives.

With all the great things we’ve seen and heard about the Nexus 9, will you be rooting yours? Let us know why or why not in the comments below.