SHIELD Developer OS Images
As a service to developers, NVIDIA makes "beta", "rooted" and "early access" versions of certain SHIELD system images available for download.
These packages are for software developers only and may provide: root level access by default; non-certified preview graphics drivers; beta system device drivers; or OS features that have not been fully tested. System images with root level access provide developers with root level privileges by default (ie running "adb root" succeeds but note that the su utility is NOT included) to allow access to parts of the device typically restricted from users. Similarly, preview drivers may provide functionality not exposed in the final consumer release.
Before releasing an app or game developed on a developer OS image, the developer must confirm that the app or game runs correctly on a standard consumer OS with standard drivers and without root level access .
These images should not be flashed to consumer devices or on devices that are in every day use as many of Android's user security features can be easily bypassed.
WARNING & DISCLAIMER
By downloading a Developer OS Image, you acknowledge the security risks inherent in a preview, beta or rooted version of the Android OS and acknowledge that the OS may be unstable and that user data on a device using these images can be easily obtained by malicious software or if the device is stolen. NVIDIA does not provide any warranty and is not responsible for potential hardware damage or data loss or corruption caused by a Developer OS Image.
Currently Shipping Rooted SHIELD Android TV Images
Instructions & Downloads
NVIDIA provides a rooted OS image for SHIELD ANDROID TV that matches the currently shipping public OTA. To flash the rooted image to the SHIELD Android TV, download the image for your specific device and follow the instructions listed on the Download Center entry.
Vulkan support is included in OS images with versions >= 3.0.0.
SHIELD TV 2017 (16GB) SHIELD TV Pro (500GB) SHIELD TV 2015 (16GB) SHIELD TV China
To enter fastboot mode on the SHIELD TV (2017 edition), follow the instructions in the "How To Flash" section of the latest open source README listed on the SHIELD open source page (for example, the 5.0.0 README).
NOTE: When flashing the recovery image for the SHIELD ANDROID TV Pro (500GB edition), you may end up with only 11GB of available space. We are investigating this issue. To workaround the problem please:- Complete a factory reset upon first boot after the flash process. To do a factory reset, boot the device and go to Settings->Storage & reset->Factory data reset->Full reset.
- Alternatively, skip the instruction to flash the userdata partition.
Reverting Device to Stock
To revert a device to what a consumer has installed (ie a "stock" image), follow the instructions to download and flash the latest consumer recovery image.
Android PRO Audio Developer Preview for SHIELD
NVIDIA supports Google's latest Android PRO Audio developments on SHIELD Tablet K1. The public OS image for SHIELD Tablet K1 now includes all required changes and API's and the developer preview image is no longer required.
System images for the original SHIELD Tablet family (wifi & LTE versions) that include Android PRO Audio are still going through final verification but should be available soon.
Vulkan Developer Preview for SHIELD
NVIDIA supports Vulkan on Android with its family of SHIELD devices. Full Vulkan support is now available on all SHIELD ANDROID TV and SHIELD TABLET products (SHIELD TABLET K1 and SHIELD TABLET WiFi & all LTE).
NOTE: To reiterate, you do NOT need to contact NVIDIA to use Vulkan on SHIELD products. The default public operating systems now include full Vulkan support (including the rooted developer images for SHIELD ANDROID TV listed below (versions >= 3.0.0)).