Root Google Nexus 4 Running Android 4.2 Official Firmware [How to]

The Nexus 4 - Google's fourth generation Nexus-branded smartphone, manufactured by LG, was the first to feature Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), which is the latest version of the popular mobile operating software. The Nexus 4 went on sale in the UK with the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 (manufactured by Samsung) and the former was sold out in less than half an hour! At present both the 8GB and the 16GB Nexus 4 are unavailable for order on the Google Play Store and the devices have been listed as "Coming Soon".

However, the lucky few who did manage to get a Nexus 4 can now root devices running official Android 4.2, with this guide. IBTimes UK reminds its readers it will not be held responsible for any damage to the device during installation. We also caution readers this tutorial is only for the Google Nexus 4 running Android 4.2 (JOP40C) official Jelly Bean firmware.

In order to get this root method working, users need to have ClockWorkMod (CWM) Recovery installed, since this method uses CWM as custom recovery and Superuser as the root package. However, before proceeding, users should ensure the Nexus 4 meets these requirements:

Pre-Requisites

• Download USB drivers for Nexus 4
• Ensure back-up of all important data, including APN settings
• Ensure battery has at least 80 percent charge
• Ensure device is factory unlocked
• Ensure bootloader is unlocked (follow this tutorial to unlock)
• Ensure Nandroid back-up of previous set-up

To Root Google Nexus 4 on Android 4.2 JOP40C Jelly Bean

• Download Android SDK from Android Developers' site and install. Set it up with downloading platform-tools and USB drivers package in SDK (to do so you may follow this tutorial)
• Enable USB debugging mode on Nexus 4
• Download Fastboot and extract to "android-sdk-windowsplatform-tools" directory
  • Note: Skip opening steps if already completed or in place
• Download SuperSU v0.97 (CWM-SuperSU-v0.97.zip) for Nexus 4 to computer
• Connect device to computer with USB cable and copy CWM-SuperSU-v0.97.zip to SD card on Nexus 4
• Switch device off
• Download CWM 6.0.1.0 (recovery-clockwork-touch-6.0.1.0-maguro.img) and save to "android-sdk-windowsplatform-tools" directory on computer
• Enter Fastboot/Bootloader Mode on Nexus 4 by pressing Volume Down and Power for a few seconds, until text appears on screen; this is Bootloader Mode
• Select Recovery from Fastboot menu and enter Recovery Mode
• In CWM Recovery, scroll to Flash Zip from SD Card and press Power button to select
• Now press Power again and select Choose Zip from SD Card
• Use Volume keys to navigate to CWM-SuperSU-v0.97.zip, press Power to select and confirm installation
• After installation is complete, return to main Recovery menu and select Reboot System Now (first reboot may take up to five minutes)

After successful boot, the Nexus 4 should be rooted while running Android 4.2 (JOP40C). This can be verified with the Superuser app or with Root Checker.