The highly anticipated Android 5.0 Lollipop update has finally arrived on many devices this week, but not including the obsolete Nexus 4 smartphone. But yesterday Google promised it will come soon and here we will explain how to get Nexus 4 Android 5.0 update right now.
The Android 5.0 Lollipop update will be the over-the-air update for most devices, including all Nexus smartphones and tablets lately. And while the over-the-air updates are yet to come, users with some knowledge and how to do the following can now flash the stock Android 5.0 image on their Nexus 4 instead of waiting. Via these “factory images” published today by Google.
Above is a guide for flashing the first developer preview of Android 5.0 for Nexus 5 and the same methods and steps apply to Nexus 4. You will need the newly released Android 5.0 factory image provided by Google to install it on your device. . Additionally, you will need to install the Android SDK or at least ADB and Fastboot. For those who want to get Android 5.0 on Nexus 4 right now, we will simply go over all the details.
The Android 5.0 System Image is a download that contains all the files needed to install the stock version of Android 5.0 on the Nexus 4. This is basically everything you would download as an OTA update for regular Android updates. But this is the phone stock as it works out of the box (also known as the factory image) and the .
Android 5.0 over-the-air updates haven’t started yet, especially for the Nexus 4, but we can most likely expect OTA updates to roll out in the next few days or the next two weeks. But some don’t want to wait.
If you don’t want to wait for official updates for your device in the coming weeks, you can get it right now by following the steps below. It’s worth the wait for average users, but if you’re up for the challenge, here are all the details. This guide will show you how to install the Android 5.0 Lollipop update on your Nexus 4. This is something you can do from Windows, Mac, Linux or ChromeOS.
How to Install ADB on Windows, Mac, Ubuntu and ChromeOS
Before installing Android 5.0 on your Nexus 4 smartphone, you need to install ADB and Fastboot on your computer. This is a program that runs on your computer to connect to your Android device via a USB cable and install Android software on your device.
Installing ADB and Fastboot is one of the most annoying parts of installing Android factory images, but a few new tools make it incredibly easy.
How to Install ADB on Windows
If you are using a Windows machine including Windows 8 and up to Windows 8.1, you can use the 15 second adb installer to make the process easier.
Download ADB installer for Windows. Locate the file, right-click on it and choose Run as Administrator. When prompted, you must grant access to the application to run as administrator. Once the application is started type a Y and enter to Install ADB & Fastboot, select yes to install system-wide ADB/Fastboot intsll and Drivers. When a new window opens, follow the steps to install the drivers.
Once this is installed you should be ready to install Lollipop on the aging Nexus 4.
How to Install ADB on Mac, Linux, and ChromeOS
Nexus Tools makes it easy to install ADB on a Mac, Linux, or even ChromeOS. All you have to do is open Terminal on your computer and code from xda. Open terminal by going to search and typing Terminal and opening the program.
This will install ADB and Fastboot on Mac, Linux and Chrome OS without you needing to do anything else. It’s that easy and avoids all ADB package clutter.
After the script is complete, you can type ADB or Fastboot to start running any program. You will need to be here to flash the new Android 5.0 image on your Nexus 4. Don’t forget to go into developer options and enable USB Debugging first.
How to Install Android 5.0 on Nexus 4
The first thing you need to do is download the newly released Android 5.0. Factory Images. You will need to download the latest Android 5.0 image for the Nexus 4 (aka Occam).
You will need to unzip this file to a folder you can access, we just extracted it to our Mac desktop. After unpacking the factory image, you will need to find the folder and type cmd in the address bar on Windows or open the terminal and change the folder to this folder on Mac, Linux or Chrome OS. Reminder, if you are using a MAC, you need to make sure the terminal is running inside the folder you just opened.
If your Nexus 4 is not unlocked, you should do this first. We were unable to load Android 5.0 System image with device locked in preview images.
Open a Terminal in the adb folder and type and hit enter.
adb reboot bootloader
In fastboot type:
fastboot oem unlock
Then press enter. Follow the onscreen instructions and choose to wipe the device. Wait a minute or so to unlock. This removes everything from your device. (Here’s what you can expect, shown on the Nexus 5 instead)
Now open the folder containing the uncompressed Android 5.0 factory image. Type cmd in the address bar. Type the following (below) and hit enter. On Mac, you can open Terminal in folder by enabling terminal shortcuts in settings. This is key for Mac users. Go to System Preferences and select Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services. Find “New Terminal in Folder” in settings and click the box. Now while in Finder, right-click on a folder and it will show Terminal open for you to open. Or do this from the desktop where you opened the Factory image as shown below.
Once in the terminal, simply copy and paste the commands below to install the Android 5.0 image on your Nexus 4.
flash-all.bat
This will flash all the necessary files. If you’re on a Mac or other computer, you’ll have to type;
sudo ./flash-all.sh
This will send all the files to your Nexus 4. Files will start pushing and uploading and your Nexus may reboot and you’ll see an Android figure followed by an animated Android logo. The logo screen may stay for a long time. . This may take 15 minutes or longer. You can unplug the Nexus when Android prompts you to complete the setup. It took less than two minutes for us.
If you encounter an error saying the system image is missing, see these instructions at Android Police.
When the device is finished, instead of waiting for the official update over the air, you can enter your information and start using Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Nexus 4 today. Try using the new Tap & Go (auto restore) feature and NFC to automatically restore all apps, settings, accounts and more from another device. Works like a charm on Android 5.0 Lollipop. Enjoy!
