Over-the-air, or OTA updates make the process of reeling in new features and security patches a great deal easier on mobile device users. The rigmarole of connecting a device to a computer while the magic happened was a common occurrence just a few years ago, but such is the fast-moving nature of the mobile field, that any update can now easily applied with a few simple taps – whether at home or on the fly. For those rocking the Galaxy Nexus or a Nexus S, an airborne bundle of joy is heading your way, and if it hasn’t already reached your device, we’ll show you how to pluck it from the skies.
The Google Galaxy Nexus was the first handset to ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich last year, and although its US release was hampered by a series of delays, the device has grown to become one of the most popular of all time for the Android platform – pushing the Nexus brand up with it.
The much-lauded Nexus 7 only saw its update to Android 4.1.2 last week, and hot on its heels comes the official OTA for the treasured Galaxy Nexus of the GSM variety and also the Nexus S. It contains a number of reasonable improvements, and if you’re in ownership of the devices, you should check your System Updates menu right this second.
Of course, the updates of this kind tend to trickle out rather than spill, thus whilst some of you will have already been given a notification of the new software, it could take days before the devices of others are given the official nod of approval. Thankfully, measures are already in place for those impatient folk, and if you simply cannot wait for your device to pick up the signals from the servers, there are ways you may induce your update early.
Before you try and force the update by means of our tutorial located here, you should check to see if the update is already pending by navigating through Settings > About > System Update.
Users around the Internet who tried out this method are giving positive reports. Some managed to get an update in the first try, while others had to Clear Data and Force Stop multiple times before they were prompted to update.
As well as several key bug fixes to the "buttery" smooth OS, expandable notifications can now allegedly be opened up by scrolling with one finger, and if we discover any further improvements, we shall update the post accordingly.
