One of the biggest freedoms of wielding an Android device is the choice of ROMs that you get. Unlike almost all other smartphone and tablet platforms, having an Android means you do not have to always stick to whatever the manufacturer has packaged with your device in its factory state, and much like a computer, you can choose to have your own OS, some with their own specialties and enhancements, while others built from ground up based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Power users always prefer AOSP ROMs over stock or stock-based offerings, because of the broader freedom of customization and tailoring that they entail. Among those, CyanogenMod needs least of an introduction – the first ever AOSP ROM to hit the Android world has now taken another hatchling under its wings – the mighty droid, Google Nexus 4.
Coming from a Google+ post made through the official CyanogenMod account, they started rolling out nightlies for Nexus 4 starting Nov. 28, and as of now, there are 4 builds available at the official repository. In this post, we’ll guide how you can install Official CM10 Nightly on your Google Nexus 4.
We noticed a few random third-parties building CM10.1 for the new Nexus devices, and people actually using those builds… 🙂
Since there’s a demand for it, today we’ve started rolling out nightly builds for themako (Nexus 4) at http://get.cm/?device=mako , and the manta (Nexus 10) will join in as soon as it’s ready. The rest of the devices will still be getting 10.0 (Android 4.1) builds until we finish merging 4.2 and flip the switch for everybody.
As usual, no ETAs. Thanks for not asking 😀
Disclaimer
It’s all the usual stuff, that you do what you do, including following these instructions, at your own risk. We cannot be held liable for any damage to your device. Also, do keep in mind that these nightlies are experimental builds, and not always fit for daily usage. They are also updated on a day-to-day basis, as more fixes are rolled into the code. You have been warned.
Requirements
- Rooted Nexus 4 with CWM recovery (if you don’t know how to root your device, check out our rooting guide for Nexus 4)
- CM10 Nightly Package ZIP
- Google Apps for Android 4.2
- At least 50% or more battery charge left
ADB is not a requirement for this, but it’s good to have it installed on your computer, just in case you need to revert back. Also, we recommend taking a Nandroid backup of your current configuration, just in case. You can download the aforementioned files from CyanogenMod.com.
Procedure
Step 1: Download both CM10 nightly package and Google Apps, and transfer them to the root of your device’s internal memory.
Step 2: Reboot your Nexus 4 into recovery by first pressing and holding power & volume up, and then selecting recovery.
Step 3: Do a Wipe Data/Factory Reset, followed by Wipe Cache.
Step 4: Navigate down the recovery menu to Advanced, and here, perform a Dalvik Cache Wipe.
Step 5: Go back, and choose Install ZIP From SD Card, followed by Choose ZIP from SD Card. Select the CM10 nightly package and let it flash.
Step 6: Once complete, repeat step 5 and flash the Google Apps package.
Step 7: Once that is done, too, reboot the device.
The first boot will take longer than usual, as the system complies itself, but when your device boots up, you’ll be running an official CyanogenMod 10 Android 4.2 nightly on your Nexus 4.
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