With Google having released the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop Developer Preview images, a lot of eager Android fans cannot wait to get a taste of the goodness that it brings. If you’re using a Mac, and are one of those rare few who own a Nexus 5, you can easily install the preview image on your device using your Mac.
Before you proceed, it is important to note that this is a preview image and is not meant to be used on your daily driver. Google will release Android 5.0 officially sometime in November this year.
Installing Android 5.0 Lollipop Using Mac
Step 1: Download Android 5.0 Lollipop Developer Preview for Nexus 5.
Step 2: Extract the contents of the file to a folder.
Step 3: On your Mac, open Terminal and enter the following command to begin an automated setup of ADB and Fastboot on your Mac:
bash <(curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/corbindavenport/nexus-tools/master/install.sh)
Step 4: That being done, open System Preferences > Keyboard – Shortcuts and select Services. Here, check ‘New Terminal at Folder’ to enable this option.
Step 5: Connect your Nexus 5 to the Mac using a USB cable.
Step 6: Now you’ll be unlocking the bootloader of the device, and you will loose all your data. If you already have an unlocked bootloader, skip to step 9.
You need to run the Terminal app from the folder of the extracted zip file you downloaded earlier in step 1. Right click on the folder, click Services and select ‘New Terminal at Folder’.
Step 7: Now run the following command in the Terminal, and hit Enter:
adb reboot bootloader
Step 8: When in bootloader mode, enter the following command, and hit Enter:
fastboot oem unlock
Now simply follow the on-screen instructions and choose to erase the device, as we mentioned earlier. You might have to wait a minute or two for the bootloader to unlock.
Step 9: Now that the bootloader has been unlocked, flash the Android 5.0 image by entering the following command in Terminal:
sudo ./flash-all.sh
Wait for the image to be installed on the device, which might take 5 to 10 minutes. Once the installation process is complete, the device should reboot by itself.
If you’re a PC user then you can follow the guide posted here. Remember to use the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop Developer Preview images while following the steps.
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