Android M Preview: How To Install It On Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 And Nexus Player

The Android M OS was showcased at Google I/O 2015 in May. Following Google's pattern, the new OS is expected to roll out first on Nexus smartphones and tablets. But users who are eager to try it can download and run the Android M Preview on Nexus devices.

Currently, the Android M Preview is available for a few models such as the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player, reports NDTV. Here are the steps on how to download and install the preview version:

1. The most recent version of Android Studio Preview first must be downloaded and installed on the PC. It will install programs like ADB and Fastboot.

2. Right-click My Computer and navigate to Properties > Advanced System Settings > System Properties > Advanced > Environment Variables and then select Path > Edit and enter the name of the folder where SDK was installed. Separate each entry by adding a semi-colon.

3. Go to the Nexus device and go to Settings > About Phone > Software Information and enable USB debugging by tapping on the build number several times.

4. Next, navigate to Settings > Developer Settings and add a tick mark for USB debugging.

5. Download and extract the correct build on which Android M Preview has to be installed from the following links:

Android M for Nexus 5

Android M for Nexus 6

Android M for Nexus 9

Android M for Nexus Player

6. Establish a connection between the Nexus device and PC through a USB cable.

7. Start the device in the fastboot mode by pushing the correct key combination on the device. The list of key combinations is available on this link.

8. Alternatively, the ADB tool can also be used to enter fastboot mode. To do this, launch the command terminal and execute: adb reboot bootloader.

9. If required, the bootloader of the Nexus device can be unlocked by going to command terminal and executing: fast boot oem

10. Now navigate to the directory where the image file was unzipped.

11. Execute the file named lash-all.bat to install the bootloader and the OS.

12. Once the installation process gets done, it is recommended to lock the bootloader of the device for security reasons. This can be done by starting the device again in fastboot mode when the device is still connected through USB and then launching the command terminal to execute the command: fastboot oem lock.

One needs to be aware that the Android M Preview is not the final version and users can come across bugs and issues while using it. Users are urged to back up the device before installing it or install it on secondary Nexus device in order to prevent any data loss.

The aforementioned steps will install Android M Preview. However, it will allow the device to receive official OTA updates until the final version is made available, reports Android Police.