Owners of the 2013 Nexus 7 LTE and the 2012 mobile version are the stars of Google's latest Android Lollipop-related activity. The search giant has finally released factory images for the aforementioned handsets for users to get a load of. This means that the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop is literally just a tap away. With the images ready to flash, Google is probably close to sending out the sweet update over-the-air as well.
The build is branded LRX22G, identical to the ones used for the Nexus 10 and Nexus 7 Wi-Fi versions a couple of weeks back.
Google has not worked on updating the 2013 Nexus 7 LTE and the 2012 mobile version to Android Lollipop since the operating system's rollout in November, which is why users can be forgiven if they think that OTA updates (although just around the corner) are just too grueling to wait for. The devices have been running Android KitKat as their Nexus brothers are already enjoying the new treat. But with these factory images, users can now make a jump from the last-generation software to the most recent form of Android Lollipop.
For those who want to make the most of the factory images, here are instructions (courtesy of Droid Life) that will make the transition smooth. First, users need to get the Android SDK setup from here. They must then download the factory images on the PC. Here is the one for the Nexus 7 2012 and here's where to download the image for the Nexus LTE 2013. Flashing the images will wipe out all the data on the device so backing them up is a must. The next step is to unzip the file and its contents into the SDK/platform-tools folder. Before doing this, users must make it a point to extract them to the platform-tools, not on their own folder. Then, they need to open a command prompt from within the platform-tools folder and type these commands:
adb reboot bootloader
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-hammerhead-HHZ11d.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash radio radio-hammerhead-M8974A-1.0.25.0.17.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot -w update image-hammerhead-krt16m.zip
fastboot reboot-bootloader
A few things to keep in mind while keying in the commands: these instructions are for the 4.4 (KRT16M) files. One must make sure to adjust the filenames depending on the factory images. Add "./" at the start of all commands for Mac users. For those who do not want to wipe their data, remove the "-w" in the second to the last command.
To return to 100 percent stock with a locked bootloader, key in "fastboot oem lock." To keep the bootloader unlocked, users can just tap the power button from the Start screen.
