Google has just unveiled the updated factory images of Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Nexus 5 & Nexus 7 before it drops the final OTA update sometime in November.
The updated developer preview packs in many visual changes and new features like multi-user and granular controls over notifications and much more.
If you don’t mind dropping all your data and cannot wait to try Android 5.0 Lollipop, follow the few steps below to flash the latest Developer Preview on your Nexus 5 or Nexus 7.
Keep in mind that flashing the image needs an unlocked bootloader. I’ve mentioned the step to unlock the bootloader below also, but issuing that command will wholly wipe the data and internal storage of your Nexus 5 or 7 so generate backups before proceeding with the steps below.
Step No 1: Download all the files linked listed below and extract their contents inside a new folder named “android” on your PC desktop. To make it clear, all the files must be inside the same directory and not inside any other folder.
- Android 5.0 Lollipop Developer preview image for Nexus 5 and Nexus 7
- Fastboot/ADB files for Windows / Mac
- USB Drivers for Windows
Step No 2: Open up a new Terminal (on PC) or Command Prompt window and use the ‘cd’ command to navigate to the “android” folder made in the previous step on your PC desktop.
Eg code below in case you aren’t well experienced with the ‘cd’ command:
cd USERNAME/desktop/android
Step No 3: Switch off your Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 and reboot them into bootloader mode using the key combination mentioned below
Nexus 5:- Volume Up + Volume Down + Power
Nexus 7:- Volume Down + Power
Step No 4: Before flashing the factory image, you need to ensure that your Nexus device is being recognized by the PC.
fastboot devices
If you’re using a Mac, then you need to prefix a “./” ahead of every Fastboot command. So, the above command will look like this on a Mac :-
./fastboot devices
The above command should confirm when your device is indeed being recognized by your PC or not. If it is, then carry on to the steps below. If not, repeat the above steps once again. Make sure to check that you’ve properly installed the drivers and are inside the correct folder.
Step No 5: Now Unlock the bootloader of your Nexus device by doing the below command.
fastboot oem unlock
Make sure to confirm the selection on your Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 by pressing the Volume up key. Once the bootloader has been unlocked, proceed to the following step.
Step No 6: If you’re running Windows, So, copy-paste the following command in the Terminal/command prompt window:-
flash-all.bat
On a Mac, copy-paste the following command:-
./flash-all.sh
The script will then automatically flash the full factory image on your Nexus 6 or 7 device after which it’ll automatically reboot. Remember that the first boot is going to take an very long time, so be patient and don’t start panicking, considering you’ve bricked the device.
If the flash-all.sh script provides you a fastboot not found error on your Mac, Just open up the file in Text Edit and add a “./” before every fastboot command.
