14 DAY TRIAL // Nexus 4 users out there interested in installing the Android 4.4 KitKat platform on their smartphones as soon as possible can now grab the official OTA update from the web.
The platform upgrade has started to roll out to Nexus 4 users out there a couple of days back, yet the process it performed in stages, and some people will have to wait several more days before the software reaches them.
If they do not want to do so, they can now download the OTA update from the web as a zip file, and then install it on the smartphone through the Android SDK.
To be able to do so, however, users will need to have stock Android 4.3 JWR66Y or Android 4.4 KRT66O firmware releases installed on their Nexus 4 devices.
Before making the update available OTA, Google has put the KitKat factory image for Nexus 4 up for grabs on its servers, and those who used it to update would be running Android 4.4 KRT66O at the moment. The update for them weighs only 9MB now.
Following the update, users will be running under build KRT16S. Both the OTA update KRT16S-from-JWR66Y and KRT16S-from-KRT16O were published on Google’s servers, which means that they are safe to download.
To install the software, you will need to download the 239MB zip file that contains the KitKat upgrade and you will have to install it using the adb sideload, fastboot flash commands on your PCs (with the smartphone connected to it via USB).
As Android Police notes, installing KitKat via adb sideload does not require for the bootloader to be unlocked, nor does it wipe the data on the smartphone.
The process is not too complicated, but it requires a lot of attention and some technical knowledge from the user. Those willing to install KitKat via adb will be doing so at their own risk.
If something goes wrong, you should be able to bring the Nexus 4 back to life using the factory image. Of course, there’s also the option to wait for the update to arrive on your devices over-the-air, though we cannot say how long that will take.