Pixel 9 Rooted Users Face AI Feature Restrictions: Google Suspected of Preventing Gemini Reverse Engineering

Pixel 9 Rooted Users Face AI Feature Restrictions: Google Suspected of Preventing Gemini Reverse EngineeringRecently, users on the XDA forums have reported that some Pixel 9 models are unable to use AI features after being rooted. For instance, Pixel Screenshots gets stuck on the "Downloading model" screen, while Pixel Studio constantly throws errors

Pixel 9 Rooted Users Face AI Feature Restrictions: Google Suspected of Preventing Gemini Reverse Engineering

Recently, users on the XDA forums have reported that some Pixel 9 models are unable to use AI features after being rooted. For instance, Pixel Screenshots gets stuck on the "Downloading model" screen, while Pixel Studio constantly throws errors. Further testing revealed that even without root access, unlocking the bootloader also causes Pixel Screenshots to stop working. Disabling AI features restores the applications to normal. Similarly, removing root privileges and re-locking the bootloader resolves the issue.

For Pixel Studio, users found that they could restore its functionality by extracting the build.prop file and changing the authentication information to a new Pixel 9 Pro/ProXL (A15Beta) version. Additionally, another user mentioned that their unlocked Pixel 8 Pro can use Pixel Studio normally, implying that the current restrictions might be limited to the Pixel 9 series.

Pixel Weather, the AI-powered weather forecast, shares a similar fate with Pixel Screenshots, failing to work when the bootloader is unlocked. However, as users can directly inquire with Gemini for weather information, the impact of this limitation is minimal.

CallNotes has also received user reports of non-functionality, but the specific reason remains unexplained.

As of now, Google has not provided any response to the issue. Some users speculate that Google might be concerned about Gemini being reverse-engineered and therefore restricting the use of AI features on rooted devices.

XDA forum professionals have also managed to enable some AI functions by installing Magisk modules and deceptive methods, but the results are inconsistent. Currently, the only known reliable solution is to remove root privileges and re-lock the bootloader.

While these restrictions are currently confined to Google's own Pixel devices, numerous upcoming Android models are expected to feature built-in Google AI functions. As a result, users are worried about experiencing similar limitations after unlocking their devices.

This incident has sparked discussions among users regarding Google's true intentions and whether similar restrictions will be imposed on other Android models in the future. Currently, no concrete conclusions have been reached on these matters.