What you need to know
- Users have started reporting that they are experiencing issues with their Pixel 9 series device while rooting/unlocking its bootloader.
- Many of Google's new AI features for the Pixel 9 stop working when one of these methods is applied to the device.
- It's unclear why this happens, though it's unfortunate considering that unlocking the bootloader and rooting a device can help resolve issues users may be experiencing.
Attempting any kind of deeper customization on your Pixel 9 may result in some buggy or non-working features.
Some users in the XDA Forums started a thread to mention that the Pixel 9's AI features are broken with an unlocked bootloader (via Android Authority). The original post author claims that Pixel Screenshots stopped working on his Pixel 9 Pro/Pro XL when using a bootloader. Instead, his device displays a persistent “downloading model” message.
The user managed to get it working, though he had to “disable the device's AI.” Pixel Weather's AI reports suffer when using an unlocked bootloader, similar to Call Notes in the last series.
About Pixel StudioThe user claims that it initially showed a message saying “something went wrong” with an unlocked bootloader. However, a later edit indicates that can It works, but requires users to “not spoof the device fingerprint with PIF or they will be spoofing an A15 Beta fingerprint for any of the Pixel 9 family devices.”
A user with an unlocked and rooted Pixel 8 Pro Pixel Studio reportedly workedbut it didn't last long, as it soon stopped working.
He It seems safe that unlocking the Pixel 9 bootloader causes many of the recently described features to fail. It seems that the best option for users is to brick and unroot their device if they experience issues with its AI features.
Android Central has reached out to Google to report these issues regarding rooting and unlocked bootloader. We will update this article when we hear back.
It is known that rooting a device can hinder certain services (such as streaming), but Something good comes from doing it. Users sensitive to screen flickering, also known as PWM dimmingare a prime example. Naturally, the Pixel 8 has a low flicker rate of 240Hz, which can cause nausea, headaches, and other unpleasant sensations for some users. However, rooting the device and installing a custom ROM can allow a (very intuitive) person to rewrite the code to alter this rate. Nicholas Sutrich from Android Central got some help and increased the PWM rate to 4800Hz, which allowed him to get rid of those awful sensations.
The specific reason for these issues with the Pixel 9's bootloader and rooting is unclear, leaving users wondering if there's a bug that Google needs to fix. Additionally, the ability, or lack thereof, to root or unlock the device's bootloader seems to be putting off many in the thread.
