Earlier this week, Google announced and released the highly anticipated Android 5.1 Lollipop update for most Nexus smartphones and tablets. However, updates are slow to reach all users, and some may want to install Android 5.1 on their Nexus 6 right now. This guide will show you how to install the brand new Android 5.1 Lollipop update so you can try the latest Android version from Google on your Nexus 6 right now.
Google released an early developer preview of what was called the Android L version back in June when they first released the new OS, and revealed Android 5.0 Lollipop at the end of October. This was quickly followed by Android 5.0.1 and Android 5.0.2 updates to fix bugs and now a major maintenance update has been released.
Earlier this week, Google confirmed that the Android 5.1 Lollipop update is rolling out (slowly) over the air for some users right now, but if you want to get it right now, here’s how to do it. You will need the newly updated factory images provided by Google to install on your device. Additionally, you will need to install the Android SDK or at least ADB and Fastboot. For those who want to try Android 5.1 Lollipop on their phone or tablet right now, we will cover all the details in a simple way.
Android 5.1 Lollipop promises to offer tons of tweaks under the hood that should totally improve the Android Lollipop experience. The first update had tons of minor bugs, memory leak issues causing app crashes, and some users reported poor battery life and device rebooting. Google has covered all this and more, so let’s get Android 5.1 right away.
The Android 5.1 Lollipop System Image is a download that contains all the files needed to install the stock version of Android 5.1 on your Nexus 6. I don’t want to wait, now you can flash. This is essentially everything you would download as an over-the-air update for regular Android updates. However, this ensures that the phone stock is straight out of the box (factory image) and clears all user data and settings. I repeat, this will happen. This makes the phone look like brand new and erases everything.
If you don’t want to wait for the official update 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 latest Nexus Android 5.1 Lollipop update early. 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 5.1 Lollipop on Nexus 6, you need to install ADB and Fastboot on your computer. This is a program that runs on your PC/Mac 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 the Android 5.1 update on your Nexus smartphone or tablet.
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 extremely easy and avoids all the ADB package mess, which usually takes much longer to complete.
After the script is complete, you can type ADB or Fastboot to start running any program. This is where you need to be to flash the new Android 5.1 image on your device. Don’t forget to go into settings > developer options and enable USB Debugging first.
How to Install Android 5.1 Right Now
The first thing you need to do is to download the latest Android 5.1 Lollipop that has just been released. System Image For Nexus 6 you can find it at the link below. Only a few Nexus devices have shipped, but we expect nearly all new Nexus devices to be listed before the weekend.
Google has yet to release images of the Nexus 4 or the newer 2013 Nexus 7, but expects these to arrive soon. The same steps apply to all Android 5.1 system images currently available.
You will need to unzip these files to a folder you can access, we just extracted them to our Mac desktop. After unzipping the Android 5.1 system image, you will need to find this folder and type cmd in the address bar on Windows or open 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 6 is not bootloader unlocked, you should do this first. We were unable to load the Android 5.1 System image while the device was locked. This will wipe your tablet and remove all user data, settings, pictures, etc. will delete it.
Open a Terminal in the adb folder and type the following command 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.
Flash the Picture
Now open the folder containing the uncompressed Android 5.1 System Image file you downloaded. Type cmd in the address bar. Type the commands below and press 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 5.1 update on your Nexus5, 7 or 10.
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 force all files and update your Nexus 6 to Android 5.1 Lollipop. Files will start to be pushed and uploaded and your Nexus device should reboot and you will see an Android figure followed by an animated Android logo. The logo screen may stay for a long time. . This may take 10 minutes or longer. You can unplug the Nexus when Android prompts you to complete the setup. It took less than two minutes for us.
Once done, you can enter your information and start using Android 5.1 Lollipop on your Nexus 6 today. Try the new Tap and Go (auto restore) feature to automatically restore using NFC and use all apps, settings, accounts and more from one another. device. Works like a charm on Android 5.1 Lollipop. Enjoy!
For those who don’t prefer to play around with all that, even though Google hasn’t specified exactly which devices, most Nexus devices are rolling out over the air as we’re talking, so the wait shouldn’t be long. If that’s all a little daunting, expect over-the-air notification in the coming days or weeks. Sprint confirmed the Nexus 6 update yesterday, so users should now start receiving it whenever they want. As a reminder, the above action will erase all data on your device. So waiting for the over-the-air update can be a good way for average users. Also, this is a phased rollout, so the update may not reach all devices right away. Be patient.
