Last night, Google started rolling out the Android 7.0 Nougat update for all compatible Nexus devices. The company is yet to release the factory images of Nougat for its Nexus devices, so right now, the best way for you to get the update on your device is to sideload the OTA update manually.
Sideloading OTA updates on a Nexus device is particularly easy and does not require that the bootloader of your device be unlocked. Additionally, there will be no data loss involved since sideloading the OTA update will not wipe your handset’s internal storage clean of your files, apps and their data.
Note: If you have not already, set up ADB/Fastboot on your PC before following the instructions below. It is also important to note that your Nexus device should be running the stock version of Marshmallow with no modifications whatsoever.
Download Android 7.0 Nougat OTA File
Step 1: Download the OTA file from above and transfer them to a folder called “Nougat” on the desktop of your PC. This is the full image file of the update and not incremental update files, so they are larger than a normal OTA update. For simplicity purposes, rename the OTA file name to “nougat.zip”.
On your PC, open a new command prompt or Terminal window and navigate to this “Nougat” folder. If you are on Windows, Shift + right click on the folder and select the ‘Open command window here’ option. On a Mac, open up Terminal, type “cd”, drag ‘n’ drop the “nougat” folder inside the window, and then press enter.
Step 2: Boot your Nexus device into bootloader mode by pressing the Volume Down + Power button for a few seconds. From here, use the volume keys to select the Recovery mode option and confirm your selection by pressing the power button. Your device will reboot and show an Android logo with an exclamation mark. At this point, press and hold the Power button for a few seconds and then press the volume up button for a second. As soon as you lift your finger from the volume button, your device should be into the stock Android recovery.
Step 3: Now use the volume keys to select the Apply update from ADB option, confirm your selection by pressing the Power key. Connect the device to your PC, and switch over to Terminal or Command Prompt window you had opened in Step 2.
Step 6: Copy-paste the following command to sideload the OTA zip file to your Nexus device. Once the transfer is complete, the installation process will automatically start.
On Windows:
adb sideload nougat.zip
On Mac:
./adb sideload nougat.zip
The whole process will easily take up to 10 minutes so be patient.
Step 7: After the installation process is done, select the “reboot system now” option to manually reboot your Nexus back into Android. The first boot can take its own sweet time, but there is nothing you should worry about. On an average, the first boot can take nearly 5-7 minutes.
Enroll in the Android beta Program
A significantly easier way to get the Nougat update on your Nexus device right away without much of a hassle is to simply enroll into the Android beta program. You should then directly get an OTA update to the final version of Android 7.0. Sign up here.
If you are facing any issues while sideloading the OTA update, drop in a comment and we will help you out.
