How To Install Ubuntu Touch on Nexus 7 (2012) After End of Support

Ubuntu Touch was a promising mobile operating system developed by Canonical, the company behind the popular Linux distribution Ubuntu. However, official support for Ubuntu Touch ended in 2017, and the Nexus 7 (2012) was one of the devices that were left unsupported. Despite this, it’s still possible to install Ubuntu Touch on your Nexus 7 (2012) device, albeit with some caveats.

This guide will walk you through the process of installing Ubuntu Touch on a Nexus 7 (2012) tablet after the end of official support. Please note that this process may involve potential risks, such as data loss and device damage, so proceed with caution and at your own risk.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

• A Nexus 7 (2012) device
• A computer with a USB port
• A USB cable to connect your Nexus 7 to your computer
• The latest version of the Android SDK Platform-tools installed on your computer
• The last available Ubuntu Touch image for Nexus 7 (2012), which can be found on the Ubuntu CD image website

Backing Up Your Data

Before you proceed, it’s important to back up any important data on your device. Unlocking the bootloader and flashing new images will erase all data and reset the device to factory defaults.

To back up your data, you can use the adb backup command, which is part of the Android SDK Platform-tools. The syntax for the adb backup command is as follows:

adb backup [-f <file>] [-apk|-noapk] [-obb|-noobb] [-shared|-noshared] [-all] [-system|nosystem] [<packages...>]

Here’s what each parameter does:

• -f <file>: The path to the backup file on your computer.
• -apk|-noapk: Back up or skip backing up APK files.
• -obb|-noobb: Back up or skip backing up OBB files.
• -shared|-noshared: Back up or skip backing up shared storage.
• -all: Back up all installed applications.
• -system|nosystem: Include or exclude system applications.
• <packages...>: The package names of the apps to back up.

For example, to back up all installed applications and shared storage to a file named backup.ab on your computer, you can use the following command:

adb backup -f backup.ab -apk -shared -all

Unlocking the Bootloader

To install Ubuntu Touch, you first need to unlock the bootloader on your Nexus 7. This allows you to flash custom images to the device.

To unlock the bootloader, you can use the fastboot oem unlock command, which is also part of the Android SDK Platform-tools. The syntax for the fastboot oem unlock command is as follows:

fastboot oem unlock

This command will unlock the bootloader on your device. Please note that this will erase all data on your device and reset it to factory defaults.

Flashing the Ubuntu Touch Image

Once the bootloader is unlocked, you can flash the Ubuntu Touch image to your device. To do this, you can use the fastboot flash command. The syntax for the fastboot flash command is as follows:

fastboot flash <partition> <filename>

Here’s what each parameter does:

• <partition>: The name of the partition to flash the image to.
• <filename>: The path to the image file on your computer.

For example, to flash the Ubuntu Touch image to the system partition, you can use the following command:

fastboot flash system ubuntu-touch-grouper.img

Please replace ubuntu-touch-grouper.img with the actual filename of the Ubuntu Touch image for Nexus 7 (2012).

Conclusion

Installing Ubuntu Touch on a Nexus 7 (2012) device after the end of official support is a complex process that involves potential risks. However, with careful preparation and execution, it’s still possible to breathe new life into your old device.

Please note that due to the lack of official support, there may be issues with the graphics performance and other aspects of the device. Therefore, this process is recommended for advanced users who are comfortable with troubleshooting potential issues.