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Still awaiting the update to Gingerbread on your Nexus One handset? If patience isn’t your thing and the OTA version of the update just seems too far out of reach, you can manually update your handset to Android 2.3.3 now by following a few easy steps. In no time you can be running Gingerbread with the best of them!
Here’s how to do it:
- Download the Android 2.3.3 firmware for the Nexus One – here is the link to download.
- Rename the file update.zip and copy it to the root of your microSD card via USB. [Note: make sure the file is named update.zip and not update.zip.zip.]
- Power down your Nexus One
- Hold down the “Volume Down” button as you power the phone back on.
- A screen should appear showing your phone’s system searching for various files. Scroll down to “recovery” and press the “Power” button.
- When you see the triangle with an exclamation point symbol, press the “Power” and “Volume Up” buttons at the same time.
- From the menu that appears, select “Apply sdcard:update.zip.”
- When the screen displays “Install from sdcard complete” select “reboot system now” and wait for the phone to power back up.
Special thanks to AGStumps8807 for tracking down the update file on Google’s servers. A note: this update is designed to work only if you are running a Nexus One that is currently up to date with the latest version of Android officially released prior to this Gingerbread update (FRG83G). If you have installed a custom ROM or are using an older (or newer) version of Froyo, this most likely won’t work for you.
Godspeed, N1 owners. The rest of the world (minus Nexus S owners) envies you.
Hey Guys,
not getting any ota updates over here in Germany god knows why. Which is the official Android Version prior to this one? Wouldn’t be 2.3X as already some Gingerbreadish thing or still Froyo and if which version# exactly and where’s an archive to download the one’s prior to them? =/
Is this only for the AWS model? Or will it work for us AT&T/Robelus users, too?
P.S. Oh, forgot to add…THANKS!
.
And hopefully the Nexus non-believers will put a sock in it now. ;-)
2.3.2 on my Desire.. loving it :D
Is this for the AT&T version or the Tmobile version?
The file says from FRG83B, that is what my at&t one has so it should work. I am downloading now.
I’m on AT&T, but I believe Tmo and AT&T versions were merged in one of the last updates. If your version matches, give it a try. If they’re not compatible, it’ll just say that the update failed.
Excellent news, thanks phandroid. I have waited ages for this
can i manually update my cm6 n1?
worked for me here. tmobile version with FRG83G. thank a lot!! i couldnt wait.
Hey Richard,
Nexus One is awesome!
kthxbai
I seem to sit at the triangle with the exclamation point, pressing power and volume up doesn’t seem to do anything. Is there a delay at this point? Should I wait or try to reset the phone?
Update fails with:
getprop(“ro.bootloader”) == “0.35.2017” || getprop(“ro.bootloader”) == “0.35.0017”
:S
And what about the manual update for Nexus S?
@Tim, that happens, just try volume up and power a few times… seems to get me past that.
@Tim It’s not Power + Volume Up at the same time. Instead press and hold power then hit volume up.
FINALLY!!! GINGERBREAD TASTE GOOD!!!!
I have a tmoble version and I get a bootload error everytime I tried to install it. My version is frg83d
stock unlocked tmobile and i get an error when applying.. tried it twice:
assert failed: getprop(“ro.bootloader”) ==”.35.2017″ || getprop(“ro.bootloader”) == “0.35.0017”
E.Error in /sdcard/update.zip
(Status 7)
Installation aborted.
I keep getting an error message.error in update.zip (Status 7) assert failed get prop (“ro.bootloader”) ==”0.35.2017 WTF???????????????????
Worked great on my Tmobile version Nexus one. Now to figure out what makes gingerbread different other than the black and green.
DLing now but I’ll gladly let others be the guinea pig for a day or two to be sure. ;)
power button first then up
Thanks. It worked like a charm and I’m enjoying the taste of Gingerbread! For whatever reason, even though I bought my Nexus One on Day 1, I must be at the back of Google’s server list since I’ve rarely gotten OTA updates early on. I like it when people post the ZIP file. The Nexus One community is great in that regard.
@Tim, I’ve done this a number of times in the past. That step can be a bit tricky. Try pressing the volume up and power buttons a few times, and then try pressing power by itself. Eventually that menu shows up.
Also, at some point during the install, you’ll see a symbol that looks like the Android standing next to a large box. It will stay there for a little while, and then reboot after that.
Thanks everyone, worked like a charm and Gingerbread is running perfectly! (AT&T version)
It might be better to just name it “update” and not “update.zip” because I have done this before 2 times with 1.5 and 2.2. It will always add the .zip at the end when you put it in the root of your sd card.
Yup mine rebooted on it’s own, the box with the arrow coming out of it it pointing to the android sat there for a bit, then rebooted.
Worked great on the first try for me, via update.zip filename. I love the screen off animation.
Just got finished with the update but why is the market the old one?
For the bootloader assert failed issue i had to first download and apply this update to my stock Nexus One running 2.2.2:
http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/passion/d6096cac5e9f.signed-hboot-0.35.0017.zip
That updates the hboot from 0.33blah to what is required for Gingerbread apparently. Follow the same steps with this file as above, then repeat with the new Gingerbread update once that’s done.
Don’t sue me if i’m wrong, but i saw that in XDA and it works on my stock Nexus One now running 2.3.3 :D
If have problems with do it manually this code worked for me on my nexus one: *#*#checkin#*#*
The market will update itself. Just give it a few minutes ;)
Just loaded this on my At&t Nexus One without any issue. Installed in 10 minutes. Runs GREAT so far! Thanks Phandroid and community! I’m WAY too impatient to wait for the OTA so this was a great surprise to see!
update worked on an N1 with the AT&T radio. Sweet!!
Shows Build Number as “GRI40”
Awesome! Worked for me. No problems. Thanks Phandroid!
Is it possible to flash that update.zip from ClockworkMod Recovery? I get assert_failed: applay_patch_check(“MTD:boot…
*Minus nexus s owners and anyone running CM7
Installed the update and everything is looking good. Digging the new black status bar and crt power down effect. Running launcher pro and had to disabled the 3d app drawer effect. It wasn’t scrolling correctly. Other than that it looks awesome.
GREAT SUCCESS!
VERY NICE!
I LIKE!
TMO-N1
@jdog25 It’s probably just your crummy desktop OS (Windows, I’d bet?) hiding the extension from you. The original filename ends in .zip, but Windows hides that by default because it thinks that’s somehow helpful. So then, when you rename it to update.zip, it actually renames it to update.zip.zip. Hiding known extensions is an option you can (and should) disable in Windows.
@David Goemans
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I applied the update you provided and then 2.3.3 and it worked!
Help!!! FRG83G Here
E:failed to open /sdcard/update.zip (No such file or directory)
E: signature verification failed
Installation aborted
Am I saving this properly on my sdcard? What is the root of your sdcard?
Thanks David for posting the bootloader update, installing gingerbread now, rebooting, and we have GINGERBREAD!!!
So… Now that we have Gingerbread… What now?
Now that they’ve patched rage against the cage, need another workaround for root access dammit
Thanks again, Phandroid! Just updated my AT&T/Robelus Nexus One without any problems. The new look might take a bit of getting used to, but it certainly feels zippier…and smaller, to boot! I’ve now got an extra 12MB of free space to play with!
Worked for me. Stock Nexus One. On Wind Mobile in Canada.
Jmax!!! I am having the same issue!!!
E:failed to open /sdcard/update.zip (No such file or directory)
E: signature verification failed
Installation aborted
What am I doing wrong?
@ David gomans
Your link helped. Any N1 owners running FRG83G must perform that update prior to 2.3.3 update.
David Goemans, yups your right. thanks for the link yo
N1 stock FRG83G here,
tried both updates and none of them are working. Keep getting the same error message: E:verification failed to open.
Don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Is there anywhere specific that the update file has to be on the sd card? I’m not putting it in any specific folder. Is that the problem?
Any help would be appreciated!
Ben
Hey Guys, I managed to update but I was running some custom roms and going back to a rooted 2.2.2 (FRG83G) didnt work…so I followed the guitar_east guide to go back completely stock…
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=965287
And now I’m on sweet Gingerbread!
“Rename the file update.zip and copy it to the root of your microSD” Where do I find the root of the SD Card? I’m looking at all of the files on my SD card from USB but what is the name of the root?
i get
E:failed to verify whole-file signature
E:signature verification failed
Installation aborted
what am i doing wrong?
FINALLY got it to work… after transfering it to my SD card with 3 different OSs! Ubuntu for the win!
Ran into the same problem as David reported at 13. Used the fix he reported at 30. All is well. Thanks, David.
U should modify step 6.
You hold down the power button first and then press the up key.
That’s how you do it right
@mtcisme
My file was named update.zip.zip (hidden extension)
Works great!!! N1 At&t
i think i just creamed in my shorts
@ BreatheElectro yeah that 6th step messed w me, i didnt actually know how to do it i jsut kept pressing power and vol. up and coincidentally got it to work
Ran into an error the first time. Then I realized I was putting the update.zip file into another file on my SD card. I tried it a second time, making sure the file was in the right place and it worked like a charm! (TMo) Love the blacked out bar.
@David ….was getting the error but your link fixed it ….THANKS
AWESOME! On so many levels!
Note: SuperOneClick does not seem to work after update to 2.3.3. See discussion at XDA.
thanks – no problem on my att/rogers N1 stock. worked first time. seems faster now.
anyone know of a list of GB features?
Upgraded from FRG83G and DID NOT have to use that link so it is NOT a mandatory step in the upgrade process. Not sure why some people are having to do it and some not but I did not have to do that.
@steveblue
http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-2.3-highlights.html
The gingerbread man, has been caught
Gingerbread is amazing. Update worked perfectly. My n1 is on Bell mobility in Canada. 850/1900mhz 3g version.
Good to go on my T-Mobile N1. This rocks I new this phone would be a good investment!!
E: Failed to read footer from /sdcard/update.zip
E:signature verification failed
Any suggestions?
And I made sure to name it update.zip not update.zip.zip
I wonder if Steve jobs has an iPhone…. or an android? hahahahahaha fuck apple…
gaaa, i want this for my g2. should i just try it with this update?
@DAVID GOEMANS Thanks for your comment, it saved me a lot of time. This article should be updated to include your reference
Awesome! Breathes new life into my somewhat fatiguing n1 and makes it feel brand new again. Thank you!
Keep getting signature verification failed. What can I do?
I’ve downloaded into astro file and renamed to update.zip, am I missing a step??? Is that not saving to the SD root automatically?
Just received the OTA update here – San Francisco
E: Failed to read footer from /sdcard/update.zip
E:signature verification failedAny suggestions… someone help I want my gingerbread NOW!!!!
@ David Goemans
Gracias your link and that update.zip really fixed my status 7 error.. Thanks man..
E:failed to open /SDcard/update.zip no such file or directory
E: signature verification failed installation aborted
Anyone know how to correct this???
Excellent! Also just upgraded no problems from N1 on FRG83G. Note the point about power button first then vol up at exclamation mark.
Many thanks indeed.
@Dave Thanks I forgot that 90% of all computer in the World use Windows so they will and have had this problem before, I know this first I did this was back in May 2009. Your a douche.
To everyone who is getting the “signature verification failed” error, I bet you are using Chrome. I got the same error the first time I tried to install the update. Then my coworker mentioned that Chrome somehow screws up zip files when it downloads them so I fired up a dusty version of IE, downloaded the file again, and lo and behold, it installed perfectly.
tldr if you’re getting “signature verification failed” error, try downloading the zip using IE instead of Chrome.
Make sure not to drag the update.zip into a different folder on your SD card, like I did! Got an error and figured it out. Worked like a charm after that! (T-Mobile)
Opened this page on my phone… downloaded directly to sd card then moved out of download folder and renamed using Astro. Powered down and followed instructions. Worked perfectly! If you have an N1, why would you download to computer, rename file, attach USB, transfer to sd card, etc. Just use your phone and if you don’t have a file manager, then you shouldn’t be trying to manually update anyway. Just wait for OTA. Gingerbread is nice. Faster and freed up a lot of space somehow.
@jdog25 I was explaining the problem to you because it was clear from your previous comment that you didn’t understand what was going on (you thought the extra “.zip” was added on copying to the microSD card). I was trying to be helpful. Feel free to be offended and call me a douche if you like. I still offer the helpful advice that it’s wise to disable Windows’ default extension hiding. Have a nice day.
I just wanted to say thank you. This worked for my Nexus One on T-Mobile. I’m really loving the new look and feel of gingerbread. This will probably make me hold on to this phone for a little while longer even though I have been looking to upgrade. Thanks again.
For those of you having problems with signature verification, I was having that problem too. The issue that I had (I’m a Mac OSX user) is that the file was being automatically unzipped on download. Recompressing the file won’t work.
1. Go into your trash and find the file that was moved there when safari automatically unzipped it.
2. Drag it to your desktop, (to ensure that you don’t name it .zip.zip: right click on the file, click info, look at Name & Extension” and make sure that it doesn’t Hide extension isn’t clicked)
3. Rename the file update.zip
4. Follow the instructions above.
I have noticed a significant improvement in battery life. Can somebody else confirm this?
I got a huge increase in internal memory too (about 30GB). And the phone feels smoother and more responsive.
The new UI elements are great….with the exception of the tiny icons in the system tray and the grey on black notification icons (very hard to see).
I’d like to hear other folks opinion/experience of the upgrade on an N1.
@Keith #74. 30GB… Huh? Anyways. I’m with you with the green on black for the tray icons. Perhaps it will just take a bit to get used to them.
Has anyone gotten the zombie easter egg to work? It might not be in this version. Also, the new power-off animation is very cute. Makes me think of an old CRT tv
After monitoring this upgrade for the last 24 hours, I can report the following. NO intermittant touch screen issues! Battery life improved roughly 35%. Faster GUI performance, i.e. no lag or very minimal. Phone is operating brilliantly top to bottom. Great job Android team!
So I download the file to my Nexus, open with astro file, copy to sd root, rename to update.zip, go thru all steps, and still end up with- assert failed: file_getprop(“/system/build.prop”, “ro.build.fingerprint”) == “google/passion/passion/mahimahi:2.2.2/FRG83G/91102:user/release-keys” ll file_getprop(“/system/build.prop”, “ro.build.fingerprint”) == “google/passion/passion/mahimahi:2.3.3/GRI40/102588:user/release-keys” E:Error in /sdcard/update.zip (status 7) Installation aborted
ANY HELP AT ALL WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED, I’VE BEEN GOING NUTS TRYING TO FIGURE THIS OUT!
I must say that after manually updating my Nexus One it is running really fast. Even the browser is mighty fast and no its no psuedo effect. The live wallpapers dont slow down the overall ui. I installed launcher pro and its even smoother….I love the live wallpapers now. Awesome update…makes the phone feel brand new.
If patient, we wouldn’t have bought N1’s. Thank you XDA heros! I’m loving my tasty Gingerbread! 2.3.3 GRI40 YES!!
Seems pretty fast & adds on the copy & paste function in Gmail. Lots of black so change any notifications or font you have in black, or you won’t be able to see it. Kinda diggin the new green notifications at the top! :)
Stock android rules!
Does anyone know if, after we update manually, if we will still get this OTA update when it comes?
If not, will we still get OTA updates in the future?
Updated Nexus one last night, process was error free.
Thank you XDA
Thank you Kevin and AGStumps8807, it worked like a charm in N1 stock FRG83G now it is GRI40.
Just a note: in my case step 8 was not necessary, the boot happened automatically.
Worked great….Thank You!!!!
Updated mine yesterday, works just fine and my battery life is much better.
DO NOT extract the Zip. That’s what causes this following error:
E: Failed to read footer from /sdcard/update.zip
E:signature verification failed
@Carmel
Hi,
Just update my Tmobile N1 using above file n method, mine was stock firmware, downloaded file using IE7, copy to SD and then took few try to see the menu to go for recovery, after that took 2-3 mins and everthing is working fine, no issues, market is old one, but i know it will be coming new from online
Any advise for us, poor souls, with broken power buttons on their nexuses ?
Mine is rooted with installed both Rom Manager & QuickBoot but i’m always stuck on the screen with the exclamation mark…
Thanks,
Dav
THANKS!
the only problem was pressing Volume Up and Power buttons simultaneously!!!
thanks a lot! I couldn’t wait more.
I’ve been waiting for 84 days for this update
OH. another thing!
I did it all using only my phone.
downloaded with a standard browser (2.2), renamed and moved using Bluetooth File Transfer.
so it is possible.
Works great! Thank you! For those getting this error:
E:failed to open /sdcard/update.zip (No such file or directory)
E: signature verification failed
Installation aborted
Make sure you rename your file to update, not update.zip as it makes it in properties update.zip.zip, thats why youre getting this error
finally! thanks for the info and link to the file. no issues with updating. N1
For anyone who is getting the error
E: Failed to read footer from /sdcard/update.zip
E:signature verification failed
This is what i did. In astro once you copy the file into your sd card area. then long press, and then edit then rename to update.zip. make sure that it says update.zip and NOT update.zip.zip. That was my problem. hope this helps. i am loving GB
I got my OTA of Gingerbread this morning 3/1 in MA on Tmobile. Was running Stock 2.2.2 Kernel Version 2.6.32.9-27240-gbca5320 Build FRG83G.
I am looking forward to trying the internet calling. I have terrible network coverage from tmobile, but very good WiFi in my office.
ok so after countless attempts to update to GB i finally found the problem with the “failed to verify whole-file signature” it is because when you rename the file to update.zip it is really renamed to update.zip.zip since it is already a zip file. i used astro to see the name of the file directly on my phone and fixed the name. it worked! i updated from frg83g
If anyone is getting the Status 7 error, check out (patch provided):
http://blog.vpetkov.net/2011/03/11/google-nexus-s-update-manually-to-2-3-1-2-3-2-and-2-3-3/
Also, it will give you all the updates from 2.3.0 to 2.3.1, 2.3.2, and 2.3.3
Hope this helps people, and saves you the 2+ hours I spent.
Just tried this. First time it said signature failure. The second time i am now stuck on the screen with the android and the triangle with the exclamation point. Any tips?
jake — Did you try the steps in my post? I received a ton of emails from people saying it worked perfectly.
In that triangle, don’t push power+volume up at the same time. Instead, hit power, hold it, and tap volume up and quickly hold (for a second or less)
Will this void your warranty with Vodafone?