ADB and unlocking the Nexus 4

[X 0 N 0 D E]

I could NEVER, EVER get my head around this really mystical piece of software.

I have absolutely NO idea what it does, do I need it, does my phone need it? I have not even used it once. However, Since I plan to root my NeXus4, the guide says I need it. When I connect my powered on phone, it reads it. Fine.

When I put it in fastboot and connect it, nothing. Just plain nothing. I just hate things I don't understand. And I am not a n00d when it comes to Android. Done my fair share of "experiments" with my RaZr. But everytime it comes to this...this A D B...I am just left staring at the screen as if it were in some alien language.

Can someone please be kind and hand hold me through this process of rooting my phone. Also, I dont understand why are we "unlocking". Isn't the phone already unlocked?

Thanks a lot.

 

[zkSharks]

Re: ADB HATES me...and I HATE IT BACK!

I could NEVER, EVER get my head around this really mystical piece of software.

I have absolutely NO idea what it does, do I need it, does my phone need it? I have not even used it once. However, Since I plan to root my NeXus4, the guide says I need it. When I connect my powered on phone, it reads it. Fine.

When I put it in fastboot and connect it, nothing. Just plain nothing. I just hate things I don't understand. And I am not a n00d when it comes to Android. Done my fair share of "experiments" with my RaZr. But everytime it comes to this...this A D B...I am just left staring at the screen as if it were in some alien language.

Can someone please be kind and hand hold me through this process of rooting my phone. Also, I dont understand why are we "unlocking". Isn't the phone already unlocked?

Thanks a lot.

First, I want to point out some of AndroidCentral's lesser-known resources, such as the The Android Dictionary. It's a great way to look up information relating to our devices and the software running on them, and more importantly, it's written as a reference for those who are learning, not for those who are already well-versed in Android modifications.

Here are some more specific links:

Android 201: What is adb? | AndroidCentral
​

Android Debug Bridge | Android Developers
​

ADB Basics (Windows only) | AndroidCentral
​

Everything about ADB! | RootzWiki
​

Jerry's article is brief, the Android Developers resource page has much more information than you need at this point, the ADB Basics thread doesn't have much explanation to go with it, and the RootzWiki guide is rather poorly formatted and is visually hard to follow, but I still think that reading through these will give you a clearer picture of what ADB is. Here's a very basic ten-second version: ADB is a service you can install and run on your computer, which talks to components on your phone that are built in to Android. This allows you to execute commands on your phone by typing them into the command prompt interface on your computer.

As for unlocking, there are actually two different types of 'unlocking'.

Read this: Ask AC: What is 'unlocked'?

 

[ConTejas]

Re: ADB HATES me...and I HATE IT BACK!

The device is SIM unlocked, as in you can take it to any carrier you please. The bootloader is locked, but it can't get any simpler than unlocking a Nexus. Please take a few minutes to read the sticky above. It is very thorough. I highly suggest you understand how to do this via fastboot/adb, BUT there's also Wug's or MSkips Nexus 4 toolkits that are so simple a chimp could use it.

 

[X 0 N 0 D E]

Thanks both u guys...I finally managed to get my device rooted. It was WugFresh's NRT that worked. Everything was very simply explained. It is a tedious process nonetheless.

But thanks again. And I did go through all of that earlier...just can't understand what ADB exactly does...anyways...

Sent from my Π Σ Χ U S 4.

 

[quicksilver53]

I got my N4 unlocked and rooted 2 days after getting it. Wugfresh's nexus toolkit NRT worked great.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums