The Android O Developer Preview 3 has been out for just a few days now, but that didn’t stop Chainfire. Chainfire released SuperSu v2.82 SR1 (beta) less than day after the latest Developer Preview was released. Along with it were a few fixes, mainly the issue where boot images on the Pixel and Pixel XL needed to be signed.
From SuperSu v2.82 SR1 onwards, the flashable zip will automatically sign the patched boot image. That means no need to flash something after rooting. With that being said, flashing SuperSu on the Android O Developer Preview isn’t that stable and takes some extra work. You can view how to do so here. We will be covering how to root Android O Developer Preview using the boot-to-root method for the Pixel and Pixel XL.
Before we begin, make sure your bootloader is unlocked! If not, please go here (it is the same process for the Pixel and Pixel XL).
**READ EVERY STEP CAREFULLY. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING THAT GOES WRONG**
How to root Android O Developer Preview:
Step 1: Download Minimal ADB and Fastboot
Minimal ADB and Fastboot is my go-to tool for flashing. There is no need to download the whole Android SDK. This tool was made by shimp208 over an XDA and it installs the latest version of ADB and Fastboot very easily and quickly. The size of the tool is only 2 MB.
The download is very quick and the install shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. Just follow the prompts,. accept the user agreement, and make sure you create a desktop shortcut. It makes things very easy and speeds things up. If you have any questions or problems, visit the thread over on XDA or ask me in the comment section below.
Click here to download Minimal ADB and Fastboot
Step 2: Download the appropriate boot-to-root image
Google Pixel: root-sailfish-pixel-v2.82-SR1.zip
Google Pixel XL: root-marlin-pixelxl-v2.82-SR1.zip
Once you have the correct boot-to-root image downloaded you will have to extract it. Now that the image is extracted, copy the file image to your Minimal ADB and Fastboot folder. It is located in Program Files (x86) > Minimal ADB and Fastboot. Once the file is in place, open Minimal ADB and Fastboot.
Step 3: Run the commands to root the Android O Developer Preview
Run the following commands to find your Android Device:
adb devices
If your device does not show up after you run this command, make sure you have USB debugging enabled.
Now that your device is connected to your computer, we will reboot the device into the bootloader and run the command to root your Pixel or Pixel XL.
adb reboot bootloader
Once the device is booted into the bootloader, continue on.
fastboot devices
fastboot boot boot-to-root.img
Once the command is run, it takes awhile for the device to boot back up. It can take up to 5 minutes, so do not worry if your boot animation is taking awhile. The device will reboot at least two times as well. When the device reboots, you should see the SuperSu app in your application drawer. Your Pixel device will now have root running Android O.
