Here is exactly how to root Android 10 on Google Pixel 2 and original Google Pixel smartphones. Once you have installed Android 10 on your Pixel device, Magisk can be used to gain root. It is great to see third-party utilities such as this one being carried over to the new Android revision. Speaking of new, range of features have been introduced in Android 10 such as better privacy, UI tweaks and more. And once installed, you can also root Android 10 with this guide running on your Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel or Pixel XL.
For the procedure itself, we will make use of Magisk (latest version) to root the phone. Magisk Manager being an app, it will help you patch the boot image of your phone and then you will be able to flash that patched file through fastboot hence getting root. Unfortunately, this method doesn’t work for the Pixel 3 as it has a different system structure. Nonetheless, older Pixel owners can enjoy root and also, for developers, they can test out their root apps and mods as well before Android 10 officially comes out. Read right ahead to root your Pixel 2 or Pixel.
Disclaimer: Try this on your own risk. We are not responsible if you mess up with your Pixel device.
HOW TO: Root Android 10 on Google Pixel / Pixel 2 Devices
We have gathered all the steps you would need in order to root your Google Pixel or Pixel 2 device. Our method requires you to have TWRP custom recovery installed.
For root, it is essential you first unlock the bootloader of your device:
Just To Remember:
- This tutorial is only for Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL devices running Android 10 official firmware.
- Your phone should be running latest Android 10 factory image.
- Enjoy rooting your Google Pixel / Pixel 2 and let us know about it in the comments!
Complete Step-By-Step Instructions:
Step 1.1 – Download Android SDK from the Android Developers website and install. Also set it up with downloading platform-tools and USB drivers package in SDK. See: How to Set up ADB and Fastboot on Windows.
or
Step 1.2 – Download ADB / Fastboot – Android SDK Platform Tools separate package and install on your computer. Download from the following links depending on your OS and extract it anywhere in your computer.
- Windows: Download platform-tools-windows-latest.zip
- MacOS: Download platform-tools-darwin-latest.zip
- Linux: Download platform-tools-linux-latest.zip
Step 2 – Enable USB Debugging mode in your Pixel 2.
NOTE: Skip Steps 1.1, 1.2, 2 if you already have them.
Step 3 – Download MagiskManager-Canary-18119.apk directly to your phone.
Step 4 – Download the Android 10 boot image taken from the official firmware and place it on your phone. (We will use the /sdcard/Download/ location)
Step 5 – On your phone, locate where you downloaded the MagiskManager and install it.
Step 6 – Once installed, open MagiskManager and then click on “Install“.
Step 7 – After you click on install, it will ask you to locate the boot image, we placed ours in /sdcard/Download. Once you select it, MagiskManager will patch this boot image.
Step 8 – Copy the patched boot image to your PC. The patched boot image would named patched_boot.img located in /sdcard/MagiskManager/
Step 9 – Connect your phone to your computer and use ADB to reboot to bootloader by issuing the following command:
adb reboot bootloader
Step 10 – Flash the patched image to your device by issuing the following two commands.
fastboot flash boot patched_boot.img fastboot reboot
That’s it! You should now have a rooted Pixel / Pixel 2 device. You can go to MagiskManager app to verify.
To make sure you have correctly installed the above root method and it’s working, verify with Root Checker as given in the link.
Have fun playing with it! If you have any issues, please fire them up in the comments below!
