14 DAY TRIAL // Owners of GSM flavors of Galaxy Nexus are already receiving their share of the new Android 4.2 Jelly Bean platform release, and it seems that Sprint’s users can also do that.
The official Android 4.2 update might not arrive on their devices for a while now, but there is a custom ROM available out there, with all the goodies packed inside.
Since this is not an official release, users interested in downloading and installing it are advised to be cautious, so as not to harm their smartphones.
Moreover, they should know that installing this ROM will erase all data on the device, which means that they will need to back up all files to not lose important information.
Furthermore, the bootloader of the device needs to be unlocked, and the ClockworkMod recovery has to be installed on the smartphone. Specific info on how to do that can be found here and here.
The aforementioned Android 4.2 ROM for Sprint’s flavor of Galaxy Nexus can be found as available for download over at the XDA-Developers. Also, users will have to download the Google Apps package to install on the handset.
To flash the handset to Android 4.2, simply copy the downloaded files on it, boot into ClockworkMod (CWM) recovery keeping the Power + Volume Up + Volume Down buttons pressed while rebooting and navigating through the available options using the Volume buttons (Power button to select).
Users are also advised to perform a Nandroid Backup of the existing ROM, to have it at hand in case it is needed, then select wipe data/factory reset and hit yes.
As soon as the phone has been wiped out, users will have to select install zip from sdcard, choose the ROM file and confirm the installation. As soon as the installation has been completed, they should also install the Google Apps Pack using the same method.
When the process has been completed, select the reboot system now option from the recovery menu and the device will come back online with Android 4.2 loaded on it.
Apparently, some apps might not work properly after being restored. However, should users want to revert the device to the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, they will simply need to boot into recovery, select backup and restore and choose the previous ROM from the list.