Google started rolling out the newest version of Android 5.0 Lollipop as recently as Monday. The newest update from Google brings Android 5.1 Lollipop version and is set to be rolled out to various devices, with the Nexus series standing first in line to receive the latest version.
As scheduled, devices including Nexus 5, Nexus 7 Wi-Fi and the Nexus 10 are the three among the few smartphones that will get the update first. Google made its decision clear after it posted Android 5.1 Lollipop factory images for these devices on its website as a sort of confirmation.
However, if you are of the impatient sort, you can manually download and install the Android 5.1 Lollipop factory image from Google's website. Here are three easy steps to download and manually install Android Lollipop on your Nexus 5 handset.
NOTE: The process involved is only recommended to those who have some technical know-how about how to manually install and download factory images on their phones. Stay away if you are unsure, or take help of someone who does, as IBTimes won't be responsible for any kind of problems occurring in your phone following the steps.
Before we begin, let us tell you that will need to hold the volume up, volume down and power buttons while powering on the device. Otherwise, you can also boot the handset into fastboot mode via the ADB tool. Next, with the device powered on, head over to the command terminal and execute: adb reboot bootloader. You will get the Android Lollipop 5.1 factory image for the Nexus 5 here, while you have to head over here to install the latest Android SDK on your Windows computer (for ADB and Fastboot programs).
Here are the steps to install Android 5.1 Lollipop manually on your Nexus 5:
Step 1
Open a command terminal and navigate down to the unzipped system image directory.
Step 2
Once you get around the unzipped system image directory, just execute the flash-all.bat file, a part of the unzipped image file. This installs the necessary bootloader, baseband firmware(s), and more importantly, the operating system.
[Note that for this to work, you will need to add the folder where ADB and Fastboot are installed to the system's location. For that, just right click on My Computer and click on Properties – Head over to Advanced System Settings – Click on System Properties > Advanced > Environment Variables. Later in the window, just select Path, then click on Edit and type in the name of the directory where you installed the SDK]
Step 3
When the procedure is over, Google will advise that you to lock the bootloader for security reasons. You can do so by booting the device in fastboot mode while it's still connected via USB. Also, use the command terminal to execute: fastboot oem lock.
That's it. That's all there is to know about the manual installation of Android Lollipop 5.1 on your Nexus 5 handset. If you are not sure about it, we recommend that you wait for the official OTA update to arrive.
