[GUIDE] Setting up ADB and fastboot on an x86_64 Chromebook

[nathanchance]

Hey everyone!

I know that one of the biggest barriers for completely ditching my MacBook Pro for my Pixelbook was the ability to use ADB and fastboot (upgrading Android versions, flashing TWRP, factory resetting). ADB and fastboot are installed on later versions of Chrome OS; unfortunately, these versions are too old for devices like the Pixel 2 (XL) and there isn't a ton of information on how to get them updated and working properly.

As such, I created an installation script that will push the latest versions of the platform tools to the local binary directory and install a small wrapper script so you can use the commands as you normally would. The scripts should be fairly easy to read if you have a basic understanding of the command line, I have commented them so it's clear what is going on.

The installation script can be used to install the tools for the first time as well as upgrading to newer version as they come out. The changelog for each version can be found here.

Please see the README for the full instructions and let me know if you have any questions, enjoy!

 

[zarthan]

On Chrome OS Canary version 69 on an ARM CPU, ADB and Fastboot are both installed by default.

 

[nathanchance]

On Chrome OS Canary version 69 on an ARM CPU, ADB and Fastboot are both installed by default.

Do they actually work? They were installed on my Chromebook Plus out of the box but they are too outdated for my Pixel 2 XL.

 

[firegoblin]

Will this work in Acer c720p, or is it too old? If not what about Samsung Chromebook pro? Would it have to be in developer mode?

 

[nathanchance]

Will this work in Acer c720p, or is it too old? If not what about Samsung Chromebook pro? Would it have to be in developer mode?

In theory, it should work for both.

Please see the README as it answers the second question.

 

[firegoblin]

In theory, it should work for both.

Please see the README as it answers the second question.

Dear lord my c720p has a purpose now. Thank you! ChromeOS ftw

 

[firegoblin]

In theory, it should work for both.

Please see the README as it answers the second question.

Do you know if there is anyway to run a shell directly from the downloads folder in ChromeOS? I couldn't get fastboot to function properly.

 

[nathanchance]

Do you know if there is anyway to run a shell directly from the downloads folder in ChromeOS? I couldn't get fastboot to function properly.

Going to have to give me more details, like the stuff I request in the README.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using XDA Labs

 

[zarthan]

Do they actually work? They were installed on my Chromebook Plus out of the box but they are too outdated for my Pixel 2 XL.

fastboot doesn't report version but adb is 1.32 which is old. I don't know how recent adb was added to Chrome OS but I am sure I have used them in the past. I have lived in Canary for the last 2 years so I have no idea whether it was a Canary thing or widely available within developer mode.
Another option since you are in developer mode is Crouton and install a fullish version of Linux. adb does work within a Crouton session. Even if I was to update the version installed in Chrome OS, I would need to reinstall it every day since Canary is updated daily and sometimes two or three times a day. Even stable can be updated mid-cycle so you could get caught with the outdated one at an inopportune time.

 

[nathanchance]

fastboot doesn't report version but adb is 1.32 which is old. I don't know how recent adb was added to Chrome OS but I am sure I have used them in the past. I have lived in Canary for the last 2 years so I have no idea whether it was a Canary thing or widely available within developer mode.
Another option since you are in developer mode is Crouton and install a fullish version of Linux. adb does work within a Crouton session. Even if I was to update the version installed in Chrome OS, I would need to reinstall it every day since Canary is updated daily and sometimes two or three times a day. Even stable can be updated mid-cycle so you could get caught with the outdated one at an inopportune time.

For me personally, I bought a Chromebook for Chrome OS, not the hardware, so Crouton wasn't really an option.

You don't need to reinstall these as they are in /usr/local/bin so they're not touched during a Chrome OS upgrade.

 

[zarthan]

I don't think I understand "Crouton wasn't really an option". Crouton is a simple script that installs various versions of Linux desktops that run alongside Chrome in a chroot. Probably any Chromebook made can install Crouton. The only thing required is to be in developer mode, which you are. I choose to run my sessions in a tab but it can be a separate window. Not much you can't install and run in these sessions.

 

[nathanchance]

I don't think I understand "Crouton wasn't really an option". Crouton is a simple script that installs various versions of Linux desktops that run alongside Chrome in a chroot. Probably any Chromebook made can install Crouton. The only thing required is to be in developer mode, which you are. I choose to run my sessions in a tab but it can be a separate window. Not much you can't install and run in these sessions.

Would help if I actually did proper research into Crouton :silly:thanks for the clarification, I'll have to check it out soon

 

[zarthan]

Crouton was developed by a Google employee. You can create a pretty complete development environment. An i7 and 16 GB RAM are becoming more and more appealing.

 

[nathanchance]

Crouton was developed by a Google employee. You can create a pretty complete development environment. An i7 and 16 GB RAM are becoming more and more appealing.

Ended up trying it yesterday, I'm a big fan so far. Will continue to explore it, thanks for the tip!

 

[smartymcfly]

Ended up trying it yesterday, I'm a big fan so far. Will continue to explore it, thanks for the tip!

http://skycocker.github.io/chromebrew/

If you mainly just want command line to install packages.

There is also chromebrew, almost a chromeos version of homebrew on mac.

 

[Intelli69]

Hello!

First off I would like to thank you very much for making this installation script! I've been waiting the whole time since I bought my Chromebook about 3 weeks ago for somebody to post a script to install ADB/fastboot since the recent added support of the 2 to ChromeOS. ADB/fastboot support is the entire reason why I bought this Chromebook, if it did not have it, I would of been stuck buying a Windows laptop. I was really excited when I read they just added support recently for ADB/fastboot! I have a couple of small problems and if anybody can help me out, it will be greatly appreciated.
1. I cannot get ADB to work yet on my Pixel 2 XL, but fastboot works no problem. When I try to use ADB, it says device is "offline". Sometimes it says "unauthorized" when I've accepted permissions and click 'always allow from this computer' etc etc. Do I have to use a root shell to run adb/fastboot or can i use a regular shell like on my old windows laptop? Do i have to use sudo before every single command as well or just 'adb devices' like I would on a windows. I know these are noob questions but it is because I am a noob and have only used ADB/fastboot on a WIndows 7 laptop before this.
2. My other question is when I powerwashed and it booted to the user sign in screen, I tried to click enable debugging features but it said not all of the features could of been enabled. Wth does that mean? How can I fix it? Does the chromebook stay in developer mode after I powerwash it if it was in dev mode before I powerwashed it? I did return it back to the dev channel after the powerwash bc I noticed it was back on stable.

Do I have to install a custom version of Chromium OS before this will work?
Thank you guys so much, and thanks again @nathanchance for making this script. Also thanks for your Pixel 2 XL kernel, I use that as well. Cheers!

My device is the Acer Chromebook R11 .. 32 GB HD / 4 GB RAM with a 64 GB sdcard in it .. 2 in 1 tablet/laptop .. x86_64

 

[texasaggie1]

ok so how do I copy the files I downloaded to another directory? The chrome files explorer only shows drive and downloads

 

[smartymcfly]

Nathan

Will you be building your own kernel and or system images for pixelbook?

 

[nathanchance]

Nathan

Will you be building your own kernel and or system images for pixelbook?

No. The entire reason I got a Pixelbook is so that I could have a super stable local device and do all my heavy computing on a remote server.

 

[dew912]

Hey everyone!

I know that one of the biggest barriers for completely ditching my MacBook Pro for my Pixelbook was the ability to use ADB and fastboot (upgrading Android versions, flashing TWRP, factory resetting). ADB and fastboot are installed on later versions of Chrome OS; unfortunately, these versions are too old for devices like the Pixel 2 (XL) and there isn't a ton of information on how to get them updated and working properly.

As such, I created an installation script that will push the latest versions of the platform tools to the local binary directory and install a small wrapper script so you can use the commands as you normally would. The scripts should be fairly easy to read if you have a basic understanding of the command line, I have commented them so it's clear what is going on.

The installation script can be used to install the tools for the first time as well as upgrading to newer version as they come out. The changelog for each version can be found here.

Please see the README for the full instructions and let me know if you have any questions, enjoy!

Hi Nathan,
I also have a Chromebook plus which is not x86_64. Have you written a script compatible with the Chromebook plus?
Thank you for all your contributions to the community!
-Dan