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How to Get the Nexus 4 Android 4.3 Update Right Now

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Yesterday, at Google’s Android and Chrome event, the company unveiled a new Android update in the form of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. The update will be rolling out Over-the-Air to Nexus devices like the Nexus 4. However, Nexus 4 owners that don’t wish to wait for the slow roll out are able to get the Nexus 4 Android 4.3 update right now.

In the weeks leading up to yesterday’s event, Google was heavily rumored to have an Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update up its sleeve for July. The company did not disappoint, making Android 4.3 official alongside the new Nexus 7 yesterday in San Francisco. The update is not a major overhaul of Android Jelly Bean and is, instead, an incremental update building upon Google’s celebrated software.

Read: How to Get the Nexus 7 Android 4.3 Update Right Now.

The Nexus 4 is part of Google's new focus on design and build quality.

The Nexus 4 can be manually updated to Android 4.3 right now.

Android 4.3 comes with a number of features including support for OpenGL 3.0, Bluetooth Low Energy and some more minor changes like dial pad auto complete. Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie this is not, but it’s still an update that Android users want.

The good news is that Android 4.3 started to roll out for Google’s Nexus devices yesterday. Google has stated that the company will start with the Nexus 7, Nexus 10, Nexus 4 and the Galaxy Nexus. The bad news is that Google tends to roll its updates out Over-the-Air in an extremely slow manner. Those who are impatient fortunately have some options to choose from, however.

Nexus 4 owners in particular who want their Android 4.3 update right now, have the option of getting the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean software update on their device right now.

The first way, which is both the easiest and non-guaranteed way of trying to do it is by trying to force the update. The second, is to manually install the Android 4.3 update on the Nexus 4.

The first is a simple trick that works with these types of updates though more and more, it has proven to be useless. The second is to download the software straight from Google and manually install the update.

The first option is the easiest. This method isn’t going to work for every Nexus 4 owner and in fact, will likely not work for most people. Some owners use different variants of these steps to force the update so Nexus 4 users should try different combinations of these steps.

1. Go to Settings -> Apps -> All

2. Find Google Services Framework.

3. Tap on Force Stop.

4. Select Clear Data.

5. Head back to the Nexus 4’s Settings, go to About, and check for a System Update.

Once again, this is unlikely to work for most people but it’s worth a shot if the wait for Android 4.3 is unbearable and the manual installation methods aren’t an option.

Manually installing the software is the only way to truly guarantee an update right now, however, it’s a bit of a tricky process.

The process does not come without risks, risks that we can’t be responsible for. It’s possible that something could happen to the Nexus 4 when installing the update so those who are new to this should reconsider. The OTA update for the Nexus 4 is likely around the corner so it shouldn’t be too much of a wait.

How to Manually Install the Nexus 4 Android 4.3 Update

First, for those who are rooted and on stock software. The first thing to do is get the Android SDK set up and running, something that is absolutely necessary. Second, owners will will also need to be running the current version of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean which is Android 4.2.2. The current version of Android 4.2.2 is build JDQ39.

At this point, owners will want to download the Nexus 4 Android 4.3 update from Google.

After downloading this file, Nexus 4 owners running stock software will want to boot the device into recovery, attach the device to a USB cable plugged into a PC, and choose the “Apply update from adb” option. From there, type in ‘adb sideload [Insert Full File Name Here]‘ and it should work its magic. Again, this is how to install the software without custom recovery or root.

For those that need more clarification, XDA-Developers has a great guide that will talk Nexus 4 owners step-by-step through this process.

The Nexus 4 Android 4.3 update leaks.

The Nexus 4 is just one of many Android 4.3 updates that will roll out in 2013.

Those Nexus 4 owners who are rooted and running stock can flash through custom recovery. To do this, download that same file to the internal storage, reboot into custom recovery, choose “Install zip from SD card” and then select the update file that was downloaded to the storage space. It will flash and Android 4.3 will then be on board.

Again, for those that seek more clairity, head to XDA-Developers as it will go more in-depth.

Google’s Android 4.3 OTA update should be hitting devices over the next week or so so those who don’t feel comfortable with this process can simply wait for the update to roll out Over-the-Air.

To check for the update, head into the device’s Settings, the About section and check for the update.

41 Comments

41 Comments

  1. yergay

    07/25/2013 at 12:54 pm

    Useless waste of my time reading and the authors time writing (or should I say copy/pasting) as this dies absolutely squat.

    • Ben Messer

      07/25/2013 at 5:17 pm

      well arent you a f*cking c*nt. i thought it was interesting and actually worked for me.

      • Mr N

        07/27/2013 at 1:01 pm

        And for me.

    • Aleksey Yaremenko

      07/30/2013 at 5:55 am

      It worked for me too! I mean first option

  2. JM

    07/25/2013 at 8:11 pm

    You need to be VERY careful doing this. Clearing the data in Google Services Framework will break all push notifications, Play Store downloads, Google Voice inbox, and will probably lead to you needing a factory reset.

    Don’t do it.

    • Ovidiu

      07/26/2013 at 1:00 am

      Actually I did it loads of times.. it will only disable the location setting but you can easily re-enable it. Play store is not affected or push notifications or whatever :))

      • Brett

        07/26/2013 at 4:01 pm

        JM is correct. It will break Play Store (fixed by uninstalling updates to Play Store), and it will break push notifications (fixed by removing and re-adding your google account).

        Not worth the hassle.

        If you think things aren’t affected, then you probably haven’t tried to download anything from Play Store since doing it, or just think people aren’t talking to you in hangouts.

        • Steven

          07/27/2013 at 8:31 am

          All you have to do is delete your gmail account and activate again and it works again no factory reset at all.

    • Brian

      07/28/2013 at 3:45 pm

      I just updated a Nexus 10 and a Nexus 7 without any difficulties using this method. Nothing was disabled, and I was able to update apps and purchase new paid applications. I also didn’t notice any problem with location service. Seemed like a safer alternative and worked out well for me. Hard to tell how long it would have taken for the “official OTA” to take place… Many thanks to Adam!

  3. Andy Miller

    07/25/2013 at 9:51 pm

    Thanks for the article! Downloading now.

  4. abhijeet

    07/25/2013 at 9:59 pm

    First method is VERY harmfull , it broke my Google play sync.
    see xds thread which cautions against using this crap

    https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1937183

  5. kunal

    07/26/2013 at 12:37 am

    Wtf!? My playstore doesn’t works anymore… what should i do?

    • Jordan Rivera

      07/26/2013 at 12:57 am

      Remove your account then re-add your account, you should be back in business.

  6. kunal

    07/26/2013 at 12:55 am

    If you brick your device by clearing data of google service framework then you are probably gonna brick your google playstore sync and play wont recognise your device and wont allow you to download anything…..best way to fix this without factory reset is delete your google account from your phone then restart your phone then clear data of google playstore and then add your google account to your phone back again…..now everything should be normal….

  7. Joe

    07/26/2013 at 6:12 am

    Yeah the first method didn’t work and broke some stuff but was easily fixed by deleting my Google account and then syncing it up again.

  8. galaxy

    07/26/2013 at 6:32 am

    Has anyone at all received the 4.3 update over the air? I have a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 7 and neither has received the update.

  9. Alexis

    07/26/2013 at 1:51 pm

    Yes! The easy method worked for me. I guess it helped that I reset my phone a couple of days ago because it was acting up. Can’t wait!!

  10. Lucas

    07/26/2013 at 2:43 pm

    I cleared the Google Framework services and restarted my Nexus 4. I clicked “Check updates”, downloaded update to 4.3 from OTA and during installation i saw “Error”. Restarted device and Nexus 4 started showing “installation in progress” and switch it of, and again up, again off without touching it – now my Nexus 4 (not rooted) is useless… what to do? It’s in a never-ending-loop of trying run the system but it constantly show the colorful logo and that’s all… the two hours Nexus4 is just showing starting animation…

  11. Kavita

    07/26/2013 at 5:12 pm

    I got the notification in notification bar this morning saying system upgrade is downloaded and click on Restart And Install button to install android 4.3 jelly bean…After clicking on the Restart and Install button, it restarted phone and also started installing upgrade..and Last message I saw on phone was Error ! It was sitting there for 5 minutes and then I restarted phone thinking that install must not have been finished so I can reboot the phone and it will power up with old OS 4.2.2..But how wrong I was !! It’s hanging on restart now..it doesn’t go any further than animated X icon..After calling google customer care, they asked me to connect the phone with charger and reboot again and if that doesn’t work, last option is Factory Reset…

    Now my worry is..if i go for factory reset, i will lose all my data and I didn’t take backup of my data nor sync any pictures on google+…

    any solution ?

    • Shiram

      07/27/2013 at 9:47 am

      Yep kavitha
      Do this:
      1. Settings -> backup and reset -> sync on. Let this back up your Apps, Settings etc.
      2. Connect your phone to a PC. Navigate to Galaxy Nexus folder and back up everything – data folder, downloads etc
      3. Do a factory data reset
      4. Update to 4.3 and restore.

      • kavita

        07/27/2013 at 11:57 am

        Thanks Shiram for reply..Much appreciated. My phone is not starting at all..It hangs on that animated X icon after starting..I tried to connect to pc as well but no luck there..I can only get fastboot commands run but no adb commands ..can’t see nexus device on phone..

        also i did hard factory reset.oem lock/unlock…still no luck..phone doesn’t get past that animated x symbol for hours and hours..and if i i keep the phone in that state for long time,,my phone gets really hot..i m afraid that that will harm the phone more..

  12. Bob

    07/26/2013 at 5:44 pm

    Yes Sir !!!! Work wonderfully well. Nexus-4 in Canada. Clearing that data then going to the system update did the trick. OTA update. 4.3 system update 169.3 MB

  13. wals

    07/26/2013 at 11:22 pm

    updating to Android 4.3 with the first method…who the hell is writing all this crap…if your play store has stopped working..remove and add your account once..why so much of fuss?

  14. rajusreenivasan

    07/27/2013 at 10:33 am

    It worked…Thanks a lot…

  15. NickFes

    07/27/2013 at 12:44 pm

    To check for updates:

    1. Stop the Google Services Framework (System->Apps->Running)

    2. Clear Google Services Framework data (System->Apps->All)

    3. Then check for updates.

    4. Repeat this process until the update shows up.

    WARNING

    This process may result in your device not showing up on Google Play. To restore it:

    1. Stop the Google Play Store processes (System->Apps->Running)

    2. Clear Google Play Store data (System->Apps->All)

    3. Reboot

    It might take some time.

  16. Nikhil

    07/27/2013 at 8:27 pm

    Shit. I got the same problem as kavita’s. got an error during update and once restarted the phone doesn’t go beyond the animated X symbol.

    • kavita

      07/27/2013 at 11:47 pm

      Did you reach out to google customer service? I spoke to one rep and she asked me to do factory reset..that didn’t work either..
      I have been sending so many emails to google support team to take some immediate action…do you think google will replace the phone if firmware is messed up totally while installing updates?

      keep me posted what answer you get from google and i will do same too..

      • Lucas

        07/28/2013 at 8:59 am

        i have the same problem. only “X” logo animation

      • Nikhil

        07/28/2013 at 10:26 am

        yeah,i contacted google customer support and they guided me through factory reset but to no avail. They offered to report it to Return merchandise authorization(RMA) executive but I declined. I started to exchange emails with google support later and explained my situation. I believe google is most likely to replace the device but I am living in India and the phone was purchased in the US. I did tell them that my phone was a gift for which they have taken my IMEI, email, shipping address…Waiting for their confirrmation now. any luck with yours??

        • kavita

          07/28/2013 at 1:16 pm

          I am also trying to get replacement. I bought phone in march..so I think I am still under 1 year warranty period. However, google hasn’t specifically uttered a word for replacement but I asked customer rep to add a note on my case that I want replacement ..waiting for google to start the process and hope to get replacement…

          • Nikhil

            07/28/2013 at 8:55 pm

            Did you buy yours from play store? Coz they specifically asked that.. and that’s when they spoke of warranty replacement..I’m still waiting for their confirmation on replacement..

          • kavita

            07/28/2013 at 9:39 pm

            yes I bought from google playstore..

  17. kthdexkeith

    07/28/2013 at 10:29 am

    I did as stated above, then kept getting an error message from the play store, and was unable to download any apps. I contacted on the UK free number, and google resolved the problem. I guess I will just have to be patient and await the update ote.
    Keith.

  18. vineet

    07/28/2013 at 10:35 pm

    First method works for me. Now i have android 4.3 on my nexus 4. Thanks for your tips.

  19. Alessio D'Addario

    07/29/2013 at 12:29 pm

    I’ve just followed the force stopping Google services framework method and it worked a charm. I wondered why I wasn’t getting the 4.3 update and now have it downloaded on my N4. Also, my notifications are still coming through and am able to download apps from Play Store with no issues. The only thing is I had to re-enable location services for Maps. That’s all.

  20. Naren

    07/29/2013 at 11:45 pm

    Hi Thanks it worked for me

  21. Hans Wiggers

    07/31/2013 at 10:19 am

    Resetting the Google Frame Services worked for me. It’s downloading the update as I type.
    Thanks for the info

    • Hans Wiggers

      07/31/2013 at 1:09 pm

      One caveat. The update works well, but because the services frame work was cleared, apps updates don’t work anymore after the update to 4.3. To fix it, DELETE your Google account, Shutdown and reboot. Recreate your Google account, shutdown and reboot again. Now the apps get updated just fine and you are good to go.

  22. adam

    09/01/2013 at 8:31 pm

    Thanks for the help, it worked for me completely fine.

  23. pixionwebdesign

    09/09/2013 at 3:39 am

    try this url,,, may be it ll be useful to you which specifies tips and tricks google nexus 4

    https://www.phonesappstabs.com/tips-and-tricks-for-the-nexus-4/

    hope this help you…

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