Nexus 7 Android 4.4.3 KitKat Update Now Available

Nexus 7 users looking to bypass Google’s slow Android 4.4.3 KitKat update roll out can now install the Nexus 7 Android 4.4.3 KitKat update manually ahead of the OTA.

Earlier this week, Google started pushing out its long awaited Android 4.4.3 KitKat update, an update designed to tackle Android 4.4.2 KitKat problems and deliver changes to Android’s dialer and People application. The update, which had been rumored for weeks prior to its release, first started rolling out to the Nexus 7 and soon after, it began rolling out for a number of devices.

A day after the start of the Android 4.4.3 KitKat roll out, we saw the update push for Google’s Nexus 5, its Nexus 4, its Nexus 10, and an assortment of non-Nexus devices including the company’s Play Edition versions of the Galaxy S4, HTC One M8, HTC One M7, and Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

Motorola also announced plans to roll the update out to the Moto X, Moto E, Moto G and sometime later, the Droid Ultra, Droid MAXX and the Droid Mini. Moto X, Moto E, and Moto G Android 4.4.3 KitKat updates will start rolling out this week while the Droid Ultra, Droid MAXX and Droid Mini don’t have any definitive dates. Motorola says that it will relay the information when it becomes available.

For Nexus owners, Android updates can be a bit of a pain due to the slow roll out process that Google employes. Google rolls its Nexus Android updates out Over-the-Air and the process can take a week or more to complete. And with Android 4.4.3 KitKat coming with fixes and enhancements, many Nexus owners are growing impatient.

Fortunately, there is a way to get these updates early. The files are typically discovered lurking on Google’s servers, something that allows Nexus owners to install early, ahead of the OTA. We’ve already found the files for the Nexus 5, Nexus 4, and Nexus 10, and one version of the Nexus 7 and today, we’ve found another.

Early in the week we shared the file for the Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi only model. Today, we’re going to share the file for the Nexus 7 2012 Wi-Fi + 3G model. The file for owners of the cellular version of the Nexus 7 2012 is available to sideload via Google’s servers, users simply need to be running stock Android 4.4.2 KitKat and be in possession of the correct file.

Nexus 7 2012 Wi-Fi + 3G users that are currently running stock Android 4.4.2 KitKat and know how to sideload software can use this file to install the Nexus 7 2012 Wi-Fi + 3G Android 4.4.3 KitKat update and all of its fixes right now. Those that don’t know how to sideload can take a look at our guide from last year. Users will want to substitute today’s update with the update listed in that post.

Those that don’t feel comfortable with the process are advised to sit back, relax, and wait for the OTA update to arrive.

We still have not found the Android 4.4.3 KitKat for the Wi-Fi version of the Nexus 7 2012 but we imagine that that file will turn up in the near future now that the update is available for the cellular version of the device.

Android 4.4.3 KitKat and its bug fixes could be the end of the road for the 2012 Nexus 7. Google sticks to an 18 month Android roll out window and with the Nexus 7 already beyond that mark, there is a very good chance it will remain on Android 4.4.3 KitKat. If that does happen, this being Android, Nexus 7 users will be able to find the next update through unofficial routes thanks to developers.

HTC Nexus 8 rumors continue to swirl ahead of Google I/O, Google’s annual developer conference that is set to take place later this month, and they point to a brand new Android 4.5 update. Google typically releases a new update at the mid-year but nothing is set in stone.