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10/Q Setup Guide

Installation guide/tutorial for Switchroot Android 10 on Nintendo Switch, based on the original guide at https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/rom-unofficial-switchroot-android-10.4229761/
This guide covers installation of the public release of Switchroot Android 10/Q, based on LineageOS 17.1, on the Switch. The original guide upon which this is based can be found here. All photos are credited to @bylaws on XDA Developers Forum.

Requirements

  • RCM-exploitable Switch (CHECK HERE FIRST)
  • RCM exploitation method (Usually a jig, but other methods can be found HERE)
  • Computer
  • USB-C cable/USB-C Switch autoinjector
  • High quality SD card >= 16GB
  • microSD card reader for the computer

Prerequisites

  • Nuke any Switchroot Andorid Oreo, Pie, or Q dev builds before attempting to install this release
  • Ensure SD is formatted as FAT32

Steps

  1. 1.
    Download the latest version of the hekate bootloader from HERE (hekate_ctcaer_[version]_Nyx_[version].zip)
  2. 2.
    Unzip the hekate archive to the root of the SD card
  3. 3.
    Download the latest zip HERE of either icosa-tab (standard tablet Android) or icosa-atv (Android TV)
  4. 4.
    Extract the zip to the root of the SD card (any major unzipping program should work fine as of 8/16/21)
Your SD card should now look like this, assuming it is shared with HOS (Horizon OS/Switch OS):
root
|- bootloader
| |- ini
| | |- ...
| |- payloads
| | |- ...
| |- res
| | |- ...
| |- sys
| | |- ...
|- Nintendo
| |- ...
|- switchroot
| |- android
| | |- ...
| |- install
| | |- ...
|- lineage-17.1-[date]-UNOFFICIAL-[device]-signed.zip
  1. 5.
    Boot into HOS and ensure Joy-Cons are paired
  2. 6.
    Insert your SD card into your Switch, slide the RCM jig into the right rail
  3. 7.
    Hook your Switch up to your PC (or other payload injector) via USB-C and power off the console
  4. 8.
    Press Power and VOL + simultaneously to enter RCM mode and inject the hekate payload (hekate_ctcaer_[version].bin) that came with your downloaded hekate zip
  5. 9.
    In hekate, launch Nyx Options
  1. 10.
    Dump your Joy-Con BT pairing information
  1. 11.
    Ensure the message is correct, otherwise repair in HOS and try again
  1. 12.
    Navigate to hekate's partition manager
  1. 13.
    Use sliders to select appropriate space for each OS (we recommend at least 16 GB for Android, although it should be usable with ~8GB), then press Next Step
  2. 14.
    Follow instructions and backup Nintendo folder or any CFW files if necessary via hekate's SD UMS tool over USB-C or by removing the SD card and reading directly on a PC (hekate/Nyx can pause and reload when SD is removed)
  3. 15.
    Select "Flash Android" and reject the prompt to reboot to recovery (TWRP)
  4. 16.
    If you plan to use OpenGApps for Google Play functionality, download the ARM64 10.0 pico variant or ARM64 10.0 tvmini variant (for tab vs. atv) from HERE and place the zip in the root of the SD card
  5. 17.
    If you have any other flashable zips, place them on the root of the SD card
  6. 18.
    On the "Home" tab of hekate, select "More Configs," then "Switchroot Android", then hold VOL + until TWRP appears
  7. 19.
    Press Install, then "Select Storage" in TWRP and select "Micro SD Card"
  8. 20.
    Install the Lineage zip, followed by OpenGApps and any other zips you may have to install (see Extra Zips)
  9. 21.
    Upon installing the final zip, wipe cache/dalvik and reboot to system
  10. 22.
    If setup gets stuck on voice detection go back to the Wi-Fi config page and select "Skip for now"--Pico GApps should not include Google Assistant setup, but if you use a different package this issue could arise

Extra Zips

  • OpenGApps--grab the latest Android 10 ARM64 Pico (tablet) or TV Mini (ATV) package from HERE to add Google Play services, apps, and support
    • Other packages (Nano, etc.) do work but can break setup, as Google Assistant setup fails to complete
    • Don't flash ATV packages on tab or vice versa
  • Super Overclock--grab the latest version from HERE to overclock your Switch CPU to 2091 MHz
  • JoyCon Xbox Layout--grab the package from HERE to use an Xbox controller-style control scheme

Updating

Updates are pushed through OTA (over-the-air) updates, just like any Android OEM's. Use the Updater in Settings to get the latest updates without losing data.