Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean Update: How To Upgrade Nexus 4, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 And Nexus 10 Manually

In terms of Jelly Bean updates, Google is apparently on a roll. The search engine giant started rolling out a quick Android 4.2.1 update for the Nexus devices earlier this week with, among other improvements, the fix for the notorious “missing December” bug.

The new Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean update is minor in nature, weighing only 1.1MB. It also brings fixes for a few bugs with Bluetooth and wireless Internet connectivity as well.

If you have already received the update as an OTA (over the air) package, you are all set to go. But in case you haven’t received it yet and can’t wait, you can manually flash your device with the help of the ZIP package from the Internet.

Below are the steps, courtesy Redmond Pie, to update Nexus 4, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 to Android 4.2.1 manually. But before going ahead, the users must note that although the procedure is a tested one, IBTimes will not be held responsible for anything that goes wrong. The users should proceed at their own risk.

What You Need

• - Android 4.2.1 ZIP package [for Nexus 7, for Galaxy Nexus]
• - A computer with the latest version of ADB installed and configured

- There are two different ways to install the Android 4.2.1 update – with custom recovery and with Stock recovery.

With Custom Recovery

Step 1: Move the update package for your device to the root of your internal memory.

Step 2: Reboot the device into recovery.

Step 3: Choose Install ZIP from SD Card, followed by Choose ZIP from SD Card.

Step 4: Point to the update package and flash it.

Step 5: Reboot the device. Once that is done, your Google Nexus 4, Nexus 7 or Nexus 10 should be running Android 4.2.1.

With Stock Recovery

Step 1: Reboot the device while holding the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons pressed together. It will bring up the fastboot menu.

Step 2: Select Recovery from the menu, which will bring an Android doodle with a red exclamation sign.

Step 3: Hit Volume Up and Power buttons together and a new menu will pop up. Now choose apply update from ADB from the list.

Step 4: With the device connected to the PC through USB cable, launch a command prompt window and point to the folder where the update package is located. Now run the following command:

adb sideload ZIP_FILE_NAME.zip

(Replace the ZIP_FILE_NAME part with the actual name of the ZIP package)

Step 5: Wait till the update is complete and the device reboots.

Once it’s done, the device would be updated to Android 4.2.1.

[Source: Redmond Pie]