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How to Install Android 5.0.2 Lollipop Right Now

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This guide will show you how to install the brand new Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update so that you can try out Google’s latest version of Android right now on your Nexus 7 or Nexus 10 tablet.

Google released an early developer preview of what was then called the Android L release back in June when they first debuted the new operating system, and then it October finally revealed Android 5.0 Lollipop. That was quickly followed by Android 5.0.1 and now Android 5.0.2 was recently released for the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 fixing a slew of problems users have been experiencing.

Read: Android 5.0 vs Android 4.4 KitKat: What’s New in Lollipop

The update is currently rolling out over the air (slowly) for some users, but if you want to get it right now, here’s how to do so. You’ll need the newly updated factory images provided by Google to install on your device. In addition you will need to install the Android SDK or at least ADB and Fastboot. Below we’ll go over all the details in a simple fashion for those who’d like to try Android 5.0.2 Lollipop on their tablet right now.

For most users, the Nexus 7 Lollipop update is worth installing.

The Android 5.0.2 System Image is a download that contains all the files needed to install a stock version of Android 5.0.2 on the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. This is essentially everything that you would download as an OTA update for regular Android updates. However, this makes the phone stock like it was out of the box (aka factory image) and will wipe all user data and settings. Repeat, this will erase all user data.

If you’d rather not wait for the official updates for your device in the coming weeks, you can get it right now by following the steps below. It’s worth waiting for average users, but if you’re up for the challenge, here’s all the details. This guide will show you how to install the latest Nexus 7 Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update early. This is something you can do from Windows, Mac, Linux or ChromeOS.

How to Install ADB on Windows, Mac, Ubuntu & ChromeOS

Before you can install the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop release to Nexus devices you will need to install ADB and Fastboot to your computer. This is a program that runs on your computer to connect to your Android device through a USB cable and flash the Android software to your device.

Installing ADB and Fastboot is one of the most annoying parts of installing Android factory images, but several new tools make it incredibly easy.

How to Install ADB on Windows

Use this tool to install ADB and Fastboot on Windows in seconds.

If you are using a Windows machine, including up to Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 you can use the 15 second adb installer to streamline the process.

Download the ADB installer for Windows. Find the file, right-click on it and choose Run as Administrator. When prompted you need to give the app access to run as an administrator. After the app launches type a Y and enter to select yes to Install ADB & Fastboot, to intsll ADB/Fastboot systemwide and to install Drivers. When a new window pops up follow the steps to install the drivers.

After this is installed you should be ready to install the Android 5.0.2 update on your tablet.

How to Install ADB on Mac, Linux & ChromeOS

This tool installs ADB on Mac, Linux and ChromeOS easily.

Nexus Tools makes it easy to install ADB on a Mac, Linux or even ChromeOS. All you need to do is open Terminal on your computer and past in the code from xda. Open terminal by going to search, and simply typing Terminal and opening the program.

This will install ADB and Fastboot on Mac, Linux and Chrome OS without the need to do anything else. It’s that easy, and avoids all the ADB package mess.

After the script completes you can type ADB or Fastboot to start running either program. This is where you’ll need to be to flash the new Android 5.0.2 image on your device. Remember to head into developer options and enable USB Debugging first.

How to Install Android 5.0.2 Now

The first thing you need to do is download the just released final Android 5.0.2 Lollipop System Images. You can find them at the links below. There are no updates for the 4G LTE models.

You will need to unzip this file to a folder you can access, we just unzipped it to our Mac desktop. After you have the Android 5.0.2 system image unzipped you will need to find this folder and type cmd into the address bar on Windows, or open terminal and change the folder to this folder on Mac, Linux or Chrome OS. Reminder, if you’re on a MAC you need to make sure terminal is running inside the folder you just unzipped.

If your Nexus 7 or Nexus 10 is not unlocked you should do that first. We could not install the Android 5.0 System image with the device locked. This will wipe your tablet and erase all user data, settings, pictures, etc.

Open a Terminal in the adb folder and type then hit enter.

adb reboot bootloader

In Fastboot type:

fastboot oem unlock

Then hit enter. Follow the on-screen instructions and choose to erase the device. Wait a minute or so for it to unlock. This removes everything on your device.

You can install the Android L Beta using these directions.

Now open the folder containing the unzipped Android 5.0.2 Image file. Type cmd in the address bar. Type the following and hit enter. On a Mac you can open Terminal in the folder by enabling terminal shortcuts in settings. This is key for Mac users. Head to System Preferences and select Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services. Find “New Terminal at Folder” in the settings and click the box. Now when you’re in Finder, just right-click a folder and you’re shown the open to open Terminal. Or just do it from the desktop where you unzipped the Factory image as shown below.

Screen Shot 2014-10-17 at 11.52.31 AM

Once in terminal simply copy and paste the commands below to install the Android 5.0.2 update to your Nexus 7 or 10.

flash-all.bat

This will flash all of the needed files. If you are on a Mac or other computer you will need to type;

sudo ./flash-all.sh

This will push all of the files to your Nexus 7 or Nexus 10. The files will start pushing and installing and your Nexus device may reboot and you will see an Android figure and then a moving Android logo. The logo screen may stay for a long time. Don’t unplug the device. This may last 10 minutes or longer. When Android prompts you to complete setup you can unplug the Nexus. It took less than two minutes for us.

When the device finishes you can enter your information and start using Android 5.0.2 Lollipop today on your device. Give the new Tap n Go (automatically restore) a try using NFC to automatically restore and and all apps, settings, accounts and more from another device. It works like a charm in Android 5.0 Lollipop. Enjoy!

For those who’d rather not toy around with all this stuff, the over the air update is rolling out as we speak for both Nexus 7 releases (WiFi only) and the Nexus 10, so the wait shouldn’t be long. If this is all a bit daunting, just wait for the over the air notification to arrive and you’re all set.

9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. vbp

    01/23/2015 at 4:03 pm

    I have just updated my OS on nexus to lollipop and I am quite disappointed with the new OS for the following reasons
    1. Notifications which were quite well organized at the top of the phone are not displayed in a very bad format..
    2. Calling history and redialing a number are way too complicated
    3. Items in settings are lot worse with no easy on-off buttons
    4. Not sure if this is happening with every one, but I the blue background when i dial number is really frustrating…
    5. The setting automatically synch’d all my emails to gmail by default and it was way too frustrating to fix that…
    6. by the way, my contacts in the phone were also messed up a bit..

    That said, there may be a few good features with this new one but I adamantly refuse to acknowledge them for the frustration i faced with all basic features on this phone…

    I so want to get back to the previous version…

  2. Steve

    02/03/2015 at 8:36 am

    I upgraded and regret it. My device keeps going to a black screen witht the top status line and the bottom buttons, but no visible appliocations.
    The update was announced on my tablet just like the minor ones. Since security updates are important these days I just went ahead. I did not realise this upgrade was optional. I did not even realise it was a big change from what I had. Since it was called 5.0.2 I assumed I had 5.0.1 already.

  3. Brayan randri

    03/01/2015 at 2:11 pm

    Is that thing work for real

  4. arunbarewar

    03/21/2015 at 7:13 pm

    Use in micromax a34

  5. DJENVZ

    06/09/2015 at 12:28 pm

    Thank you for this How to! I was able to use it to sideload 5.1 onto my semi bricked Nexus 7 2012 … I had some issues at first then somehow figured it out! Maybe detail the unlocking portion – I kind of fumbled around on that part :P

  6. Rajesh Pawar

    09/23/2015 at 10:55 am

    My Lenovo a6000plus is not updating why? When I click on system update it shows this is the latest version

  7. Rajesh Pawar

    09/23/2015 at 11:01 pm

    Dear sir
    My Lenovo a6000plus is not updating why? When I click on system update it shows this is the latest version plz help me for update new version Lollipop
    thenks
    Regards
    Rajesh Pawar

  8. Manikandan

    10/26/2015 at 9:50 pm

    Dear sir my micromax A104 i clik update can’t show lalatest vertionlollipop

  9. Walter White

    10/28/2015 at 8:05 pm

    I don’t understand why android is so inferior to modern day operating systems such as a PC OS like Windows or Linux for PC. You would think they would have one OS that would be able to be installed on all phones. Just like you can have one OS, that is if your PC meets the minimum requirements, that can be installed on any PC. Cellular phones OS’s are so far behind. I’m shocked no one has created a pirated online “update source” instead of every one depending on their manufacturers to update your Android OS- with alteration of code within the system to reach out to that source instead of the manufacturers means of source (which often times is useless). With all the hackers in the world, you think some one would of at-least figured out how to emulate (offline) a manufactures source to update your OS. Oh well, looks like ill be installing Lollipop on the PC, I found a torrent that offered a download with videos on youtube on how to install it on the PC. Maybe, I doubt this but just maybe I will be able to use Oracle to emulate it. Which would be of much more use to me and ease than actually installing it as a stand alone.

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