If you still own a Nexus 4, you’re probably really excited for the Android 5.0 update, especially since the phone is now two years old, and typically two year old phones don’t get the update even from Google. Just ask the Galaxy Nexus. However, Google is updating the Nexus 4 from late 2012, and the update is rolling out right now. It’s a pretty sizeable update, and is one of the biggest updates that Android has ever gotten. So don’t be surprised if it takes a bit to download and install.
Google first showed us Lollipop at Google I/O this past summer where it was just Android L. It’s a really big update for the OS, as we’ve got a complete new redesign, it’s even bigger than Holo in Ice Cream Sandwich. We also have Project Volta, better notification toggles and so much more. I’ve actually spent the past week with Lollipop on the Nexus 9 and 6 and let me say it’s a breath of fresh air. Everything in the OS is so fast and smooth and snappy, it’s amazing. Not to mention the transitions, I spent a good few hours just playing with the transitions in Lollipop. They are just that good.
For those that need help side loading the update to Android 5.0 on your Nexus 4, we’ve got the instructions down below, and you can grab the OTA here. You’ll need to download and install the Android SDK first.
- First place the update .zip package from Google in the Android SDK/platform-tools folder on your computer, but do not unzip it.
- On your Nexus, go to Settings > Developer Settings options and switch the toggle on. Then enable USB debugging under the “Debugging” menu group.
- Power down your tablet
- Start up the bootloader by holding down volume up, volume down and power on your tablet.
- When the menu loads, plug your Nexus into your computer.
- Use the volume up/down keys to navigate to “Recovery mode”, then press the power button.
- When the Android with the red exclamation point appears, hold down power first, followed quickly by volume up. You should now see the recovery menu.
- Use the volume up/down keys to select “apply update from ADB,” then press power to select it.
- On your computer, open up a command prompt or terminal window.
- Using the command line, navigate to the Android SDK/platform-tools folder
- On Windows, type:
adb.exe sideload <the complete name of the OTA zip file you want to flash>
… or on Mac, type:
./adb-mac sideload <the complete name of the OTA zip file you want to flash>
… or on Linux, type:
./adb sideload <the complete name of the OTA zip file you want to flash> - The update should begin installing. When it’s done, select “reboot system now.”
- Enjoy some delicious KitKat