How to Flash / Install Ubuntu Touch on Galaxy Nexus from Mac OS X

These are instructions for how to flash / install Ubuntu Touch on a Galaxy Nexus GSM from Mac OS X.

If you brick your Galaxy Nexus by following these instructions, its your fault. Don’t do this if you are a noob or never installed a custom ROM. Consider yourself warned.

Pre-requisite: Unlock your phone. Google it.

Download the following files from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-touch-preview/quantal/mwc-demo: quantal-preinstalled-phablet-armhf.zip, quantal-preinstalled-recovery-armel+maguro.img, and quantal-preinstalled-armel+maguro.zip.

Download the Android SDK

Unzip the SDK.

Open up Terminal.

cd into adt-bundle-mac-x86_64/sdk/platform-tools

(Optional: move the above downloaded files into the platform-tools directory or just specify the location of the files below)

Turn off the phone.

Boot into bootloader (as in press down both Volume up/down and power for a couple seconds).

Back in the Terminal, type:

./fastboot flash recovery quantal-preinstalled-recovery-armel+maguro.img

Looks like this installs a version of ClockworkMod Recovery.

Reboot back into the bootloader by clicking on Volume Up or Down till you see ‘Restart bootloader’ and clicking on Power.

Go into Recovery Mode by clicking the Volume Up/Down button a couple of times till you see Recovery Mode. Then click the Power button.

Back in the Terminal:

./adb push quantal-preinstalled-phablet-armhf.zip /sdcard/0/Download/quantal-preinstalled-phablet-armhf.zip

And then:

./adb push quantal-preinstalled-armel+maguro.zip /sdcard/0/Download/quantal-preinstalled-armel+maguro.zip

The sdcard is referring to the internal storage, not a separate SD card (which the Galaxy Nexus doesn’t support anyway).

• Select ‘install zip from sdcard’ (use Volume keys to scroll and Power to select)
• Select ‘choose file from sdcard’
• Go into /sdcard/0/Download.
• Select quantal-preinstalled-phablet-armhf.zip.
• Scroll to ‘Yes – Install…’ and select it. The zip will get installed.
• Select ‘choose file from sdcard’
• Go into /sdcard/0/Download.
• Select quantal-preinstalled-armel+maguro.zip.
• Scroll to ‘Yes – Install…’ and select it. The zip will get installed.
• Select ‘+++++Go Back+++++’ a few times to go back.
• Select ‘reboot system now’

Have fun.

G+