Android 4.4 KitKat Update: Nexus Devices Get KRT16S Update; New Factory Images Available, Nexus 4 Gets OTA [Tutorial]

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) on Tuesday released a new build of Android 4.4 KitKat to the Android Open Source Project, which is comprised of servers and a number of recent Nexus devices. The new update uses the dfim's the firmware build to version “KRT16S,” replacing the previous “KRT16O” build.

According to the Google group Android Building, The new KRT16S build includes bugfixes for the original Nexus 7 and Nexus 7 2013 (Wi-Fi and mobile versions), Nexus 4, and Nexus 10. As such, there may not many user-facing features included in the update.

Interestingly, the Nexus 5, which features a different Android 4.4 KitKat build altogether (KRT16M), has not received the new KRT16S update.

Google has also updated the factory images and the binaries for the compatible Nexus devices. Users can find the full list of devices here, or click on the following links for specific Nexus devices:

- Nexus 7 Wi-Fi

- Nexus 7 Mobile

- Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi

- Nexus 7 2013 Mobile

- Nexus 4

- Nexus 10

Users, who prefer building from source, can visit the Android Git and Nexus Driver Binaries page.

Some users of the Nexus 4 are also reporting to receive over-the-air, or OTA, update for the new Android 4.4 KitKat firmware, weighing 238.9 MB. Meanwhile, a set of OTA links for other Nexus devices have also showed up. Here are the download links to the OTA zip files:

- Nexus 7 Wi-Fi

- Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi

- Nexus 10

You can perform the following the process to update the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets to the new KRT16O build of Android 4.4. But before that, you should have proper backup for your data.

Disclaimer: International Business Times will not be responsible for anything that goes wrong. Users should proceed at their own risk.

What You Need

- A stock Nexus tablet

- The latest version of the Android SDK [Download]

- The latest OTA packages for the respective devices

Manual Update Tutorial

Step 1: Place the .zip package in the Android SDK folder on the computer, without unzipping it.

Step 2: On your Nexus, enable USB debugging.

Step 3: Turn off the device.

Step 4: Get into the bootloader mode by holding down volume up, volume down and power on the tablet.

Step 5: When the menu loads, plug the tablet into the computer.

Step 6: Navigate to "Recovery mode" by using the volume up and down keys, and then press the power button to select it.

Step 7: After an exclamation mark appears, hold down the power button, quickly followed by the volume up button. It will bring up the Recovery Mode menu.

Step 8: Now, use the volume up/down keys to select "apply update from ADB," and then press power to select it.

Step 9: Open up a command prompt or terminal window on the computer.

Step 10: Using the command line, navigate to the Android SDK folder.

Step 11: On Windows, type:

adb.exe sideload

On Mac, type:

./adb-mac sideload

On Linux, type:

./adb sideload

Step 12: Now, the update should begin installing. Once it is done, select "reboot system now."

[Source: AndroidCentral]

After the device is rebooted, it should be running on Android 4.4 KitKat (KRT16S).