Table of Contents

Jelly Bean 4.1.X is Android at its purest.

Remember, this is risky and can void your warranty. If you unlock, root, and flash roms on your device, you are performing these actions at your own peril. We are here to help, but the you bear the risk alone

First, unlocking

Manually Rebooting Into the Bootloader

Power down the tablet. Plug the tablet into a computer; no need to set it up, just make sure that the USB cable is connected to a computer. Once completely off, hold down the "volume down" button and the power button simultaneously. You will see small lines of dialogue in the right--it should say "fastboot mode" in red at the top of the dialogue. This is the bootloader, congrats .

In essence, unlocking the bootloader enables you to drastically change the software and operating system on your device quickly and painlessly

Secondly, let's talk about rooting

Thus, in essence, "rooting" is the process of installing two files--the binary and the application--that allow you to grant extensive file permissions

Guides for Unlocking/Rooting The Nexus 7

[INFO][/INFO]For many of you, the Nexus 7 (codename: grouper, which will be used throughout this guide, so get used to it!) is not only your first Android tablet, but your first exposure to the Android operating system--clean, pure, and true. See, a lot of phones out there run a form of Android, but not necessarily Android. Have a GSIII? You're TouchWiz, an Android-based operating system. Have an HTC One-series? Well, you're running Sense 4.0--yet another Android-based operating system. Alas, while these may be cool (probably not), these are not Android.As great as stock Jelly Bean is, it has its shortcomings. For one, I personally find that "homescreen" with a boatload of media to be the most obnoxious use of space ever conceived by Andy Rubin and co. For another, while you have a lot of control--certainly more than any iOS/Apple product could claim--you don't have complete control. Think of it this way--running stock Jelly Bean is like having a manumatic. Sure, you can shift up, you can shift down, you can select sport mode, you can select grandma mode, but at the end of the day--where's the clutch?Unlocking and rooting your device gives you that power. Let's break down some basic ideas before you get too excited.. That being said.... If you're coming from Apple, you may think "unlocking" means carrier free, and while that may be a correct usage of the term, for our purposes, it means. What's the bootloader? Well, think of it as the primary, core launching system for the software in your device. From there you can reboot your phone, reboot your phone into something called "recovery mode" (we'll get there), reset your device, and do all sorts of neat and semi-dangerous things. When you're "at" the bootloader, you're in something called fastboot mode. Fastboot is the key to life when rooting your Android devices. Generally, fastboot is an interface by which you can modify stuff--flash software images, boot software images, etc. If you're interested in taking your devices to the next level or simply wanting something to brag about at a 3 martini lunch, I highly suggest learning the ins and outs of adb (another interface) and fastboot. They are[TIP][/TIP][WARN]Notice that second instruction? That's very important. Apparently there's a bug when manually booting into the bootloader. If you follow the above method and try to go to "Recovery Mode," you may end up with an android on its back with a startling red exclamation point. Why? Well, it's not reading a USB connection--at least that's my guess. There are alternative methods to get to recovery (using a widget/app to reboot directly there, using Android Terminal Emulator, using a power menu mod, etc. If you do not have access to one of those alternative methods, please please please plug your device in. If you forget to, do not panic. Shut it down, plug her in, and get back to it.[/WARN]So when you "unlock" your grouper, you allow the bootloader to have access to and to "flash" (flash = install) unsigned packages. At the superficial level, this doesn't matter. But for flashing stuff like roms, kernels, etc., it absolutely matters.. A lot of people have many misconceptions about rooting--it does this, it does that, it means you're an uberawesomegeek, etc. etc. But let's be real--all rooting does is give you access to the very very beginning of your file system: the "root" of your files. That's it. Many folks over-exagerrate the process of rooting. Well, what is it, really? It's a binary that is controlled by an application--nothing more. This gives you "root permission," and you may give an application root permission (i.e. the ability to store stuff at the root/beginning of your file system) or you may deny an application root permissions.[NOTE]These two files are placed in two specific areas. The apk/application (either "Superuser" with the familiar pirate droid face thing or "SuperSU" with a nondescript pound sign icon) is a system application, stored in the /system/app directory. The binary is stored in /system/xbin.[/NOTE][INFO]One of the great benefits of being a member at Android Central is the tremendous support and guidance you receive when hacking your device--support/guidance that, IMO, is second to none. Two examples of this work follows. First, for the visual learners, is a terrific video put together by our own. He'll walk you through unlocking, rooting, and putting a custom recovery on your grouper. Second, for those who prefer written instruction (and for those with all 3 computer OS's--Mac, Linux, and Windows), there isfantastically written guide. Either guide will get you to where you need to be, and I highly recommend meandering over to those threads for step by step instruction.[/INFO]