Monday, June 23, 2014

Updating your Nexus — Everything you need to know

Nexus phones are easy to update by design — here's how to take advantage of that

More people than ever own a Nexus device. From the introduction of the Nexus One in January 2010, and through the subsequent releases to the Nexus 5 in 2013. Plus, we've got the Nexus 7 tablets (one name, two models from 2012 and 2013), as well as the Nexus 10.

While the idea of what "Nexus" actually means seems to vary from release to release, what hasn't changed is that these remain some of the most "open" and "developer-friendly" devices available. They're great for veteran hackers to do some serious customizations, or for the inexperienced folks who want to get their feet wet and learn their way around Android. (Or, they can just be great phones for those who don't care to tinker.)

Nexus devices also generally are the first to receive new Android operating system updates. When a new version of Android is announced, it's safe to say it'll be available on a Nexus device first. And, traditionally, other recent Nexus devices are first in line for updates. That's changed somewhat with the introduction of "Google Play experience" devices, and Motorola's close involvement with Google, and so it's caused a bit of a firestorm.

Regardless, Nexus devices actually offer several ways of updating to the latest operating system. They are:

A traditional over-the-air update.
Sideloading an over-the-air (OTA) update file.
Updating from a factory image file.
Starting from scratch with a factory image file.

This isn't a step-by-step tutorial of how to update your Nexus device. Think of it as a (relatively) basic primer for the options available. Let's discuss the differences between these options, and which is best for you.