A simple and comprehensive guide to hacking the Nexus Q

Unimpressed by the Q’s limited functionality or want to do more? Want to run your favorite Android app on the big screen? This is a guide that will help you do whatever you like with the Q. You don’t need to be a hardcore techie but some relatively basic knowledge is assumed. If you can open a terminal window (like cmd.exe on Windows) and navigate around (“cd”, “dir” or “ls”, etc) you should be fine.

Here are some examples of the what you can do:


(http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6rb4iQDBom0)

The goal here is twofold: To put tips and knowledge I have gained as I have hacked the Q, and to make it so easy that anyone with a basic knowledge of the command prompt can follow it. If you’re a hardcore Android hacker then you can skip chunks of this guide, but I hope you will still find many things useful.

Disclaimer: Rooting a device, sideloading apps, etc, is risky. You will probably void your warranty and you may “brick” your device (render it useless). The chance is slim but it is real.If you choose to follow these instructions and something bad happens, it’s nobody's fault but your own.

OK with that out of the way, let’s dive in!

(This wiki is constantly being updated so if a bullet point below is inactive please check back later. Please post contributions from your own Nexus Q hacking.)

Here are the things you’ll want to do first:

Here are some useful (and not-so-useful) apps:

Some more random information:

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