We adore Chainfire’s tool for delivering as close to stock Android as an experience that you can ask for. He’s done it here once again with the CF-Root package for unlocking the system internals of the Google Nexus 9. All up you’ll have root access up and running in less than two minutes flat after you are finished reading the pre-requisites. If you are an experienced Android user you can skip ahead past these words since they hold little value to you. However, if you are new to the rooting game and must learn everything that needs approaching with caution, tips on what to do before you start and other ideas, therefore it’s a great idea to keep reading.
You must have a computer, notebook or laptop running Windows XP through to Windows 8. The safest way to gain root is by downloading the file to the desktop of the computer first before transferring it to the tablet. That’s why we always run the steps that go through the computer first. Furthermore, to connect to the computer with the tablet you must enable USB Debugging mode from the Developer Options menu available from the Settings menu. The menu is hidden in the earlier Android 4.2 version of OS, but that doesn’t matter unless you are still running Jelly Bean. Given that this is the Nexus 9 we know that nobody is running Jelly Bean unless you managed to port it somehow. Anyhow, you must tap on the build number from the ‘Settings’ menu seven times and unlock the ‘Developer Options’ if they are hidden.
Rooting always opens up the hardware and takes away from factory restrictions issued by the device manufacturers. In this case, it’s Google and they don’t care if we open them up. In fact, many Google employees love rooting their devices and they always say that if you are not rooting the Nexus device then you are doing it wrong. However, one thing that never changes: you will void the manufacturer’s warranty by going ahead and following the steps listed below. There is no way around that. We know Chainfire is the same developer who creates many successful apps such as SuperSu and Triangle Away. Triangle Away removes the warning triangle from the screen that is displayed after you gain root. However, there’s no way of returning the flash counter back to zero unless you revert back to the stock software after unchaining the operating system.
Details of Note
- It’s important to stop all security programs from running on the Nexus 9 and the Windows-based computer. That way none of the programs will interfere with the tools we are using to open up the OS. Failing to stop the programs doesn’t always cause problems. However, if you wish to skip the chance you should stop the antivirus, malware, spyware and any others running.
- Arguably the most important action to take before proceeding with the steps is backing up the personal data that’s on the OS of the tablet. Everything that you have added since opening it up out of the box must be backed up or else you run the risk of losing the data. That includes phone contacts, videos, photos, pictures, music files and all other data you have added. Use applications available from the Google Play Store to help you with making copies of the market apps such as Helium. Helium also doubles as a great way to sync the contacts. There’s G Cloud backup, SMS Backup+ for those text messages you don’t want to risk losing and more.
- Do not try following these steps with the same program on any other nexus device. We create separate guides for each device since they are case-sensitive. You risk soft-bricking if you install the wrong files on the wrong device. You can always turn your device on and navigate to the Settings app followed by About Device to check the model number and version of yours. Google also make the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10.
- You can use apps such as GMD Speed Time, Market Helper, Greenify, DriveDroid, GMusicFS, Network Log, dSploit, InstaWiFi, Network Spoofer, DataSync, ADB Toggle and much more after finishing the guide.
- The guide is made for advanced Android users only. If you have little experience with flashing and rooting the OS of an Android-based device it’s time to start searching for a friend or family member that does have experience. If you must follow the steps alone, it’s best to make sure you read over everything twice so you don’t make any mistakes.
How to root the Google Nexus 9 using the CF-Root package by Chainfire
1. Turn the computer on and log in to your user account.
2. Download the package here.
3. Use the desktop of the computer.
4. Extract the contents of the file.
5. Find the tablet and the USB wire.
Try looking at the wire connecting the phone charger if you can’t find it.
6. Boot the tablet into Download Mode by pressing Volume Down + Power + Home buttons at the same time.
Those familiar with using ADB with the nexus range you can do it that way by installing Android SDK.
7. Connect the tablet to the computer using the USB wire.
8. Run the file namely root-windows.bat on the desktop.
9. Do not touch any buttons until the flashing finishes.
10. The tablet is rebooting once it finishes.
You can install the root checker application from the Google Play Store to verify you have successfully created root access. Sometimes uses are witnessing the error “Unfortunately SuperSU has stopped”. You must download and install the latest version of the SuperSu APK.