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After T-Mobile and Sprint both quietly announced that Android 5.0.1 was headed to the Nexus 5 today, the factory image is now (finally) available for the unlocked GSM/LTE model direct from Google.
These are essentially the necessary files to return your Nexus 5 to a purely stock state, undoing custom recovery, ROMs, or any of that stuff at the cost of losing all your data. Of course, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of starting fresh.
You can either grab the factory image from Google here, or download and manually flash the Android 5.0.1 OTA update.zip, or wait for the over-the-air update to hit your device sometime relatively soon.
Same applies for the Nexus 6 in which you can either grab the Android 5.0.1 factory image here, or download the updaet.zip here. Godspeed.
Thanks, @GetwAwayFromU!
Starting fresh as soon as the semester’s over sounds pretty good.
Anyone with a n6 having a hard time flashing the OTA zip? Mine loads till about 45% then it dies with what looks like an error in the package.zip.
There’s something wrong with your package
That’s what she said :)
I think his package is perfectly serviceable.
Dammit man
Have you rooted your Nexus 6? If you have ever rooted your device, whether you are still or have removed the root access you cannot OTA update. You will either need to flash the original 5.0 or just save your time of doing both and flash the 5.0.1 from Google’s site.
Not necessarily . one can unzip the factory image and flash only the radio , boot and system. This will get you that update that you’re craving for and yet keep every piece of data intact . just google the steps. Else message back and I’ll try and list down the steps for you. Off course you do need root access of the currently running OS to do the above.
Why would you need root to flash, don’t you only need an unlocked bootloader? Fastboot flash will do the trick, don’t need root to do that…
Heheh its a vicious cycle. So root is needed to unlock the bootloader without delete anything. Yes you’re right , fastboot flash is the way. Bbut if one does have root , the whole wiping restoring is avoided.
Root is not needed to unlock the bootloader. Just press power and down volume to get into the bootloader connect via cable. As long as you have updated SDK you should be able to just type fastboot oem unlock.
Oh, I see. You are saying in order to unlock without wiping data…ok, I get it.
I’ve decided rooting is not the thing for me. I’d rather take regular updates then tricking it to get them. Nothing on root is worth it enough for me to keep it rooted. I flashed the 5.0.1 and I don’t think I will go back to root.
My main reasons for rooting are two. 1. I can’t stand advertisments. It the biggest source of malware. 2. Nexus 5 speaker volume sucks. So I like to tweak it after root (system volume via nexus volume booster). These are enough to win me over :)
Nexus 5 makes sense I think. I was more referencing the Nexus 6. I only rooted it when I got it to remove the AT&T boot animation.
Forgive me for my Nexus Noobness…but I have a Nexus 6 coming from Google (my first Nexus), but it will be used on Verizon’s network. Am I going to be subject to Verizon’s bullshit on updates, or will I not have a problem with OTA from google?
Also, if I will be subject to Verizon’s bullshit…can I simply remove my sim and receive the update?
Carriers can block updates, but you can remove the SIM and update over WiFi.
There are no carrier-specific updates unless there’s a carrier-specific bug. (N5 on certain Pacific/Indian region carriers got one update for that.)
Finally the WiFi at work functions again! Now I just need to update my 2012 N7
How do i update ota on nexus 5?