How to Get the Android M Preview on Your Nexus Device (Video)
The Android M developer preview has been released by Google and if you happen to have a Nexus device then you already know what time it is: update time!
In this video, I’ll show you how to update any Nexus device to the Android M Developer Preview downloaded from Google. Keep in mind, there will be bugs, glitches, etc. as will all of these type of previews, but if you’re as anxious to try out the latest version of Android on your device as I am, it’s a small price to pay.
I. Before You Begin
1. This will erase your device so be sure to backup all of your photos, contacts, data, before you get started.
2. This only works for the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and Nexus Player (as that’s the only previews they’ve released).
II. Enable Developer Mode
1. On the device, go to Settings > About Phone.
2. Tap on Build Number repeatedly until it says you are a developer.
3. Hit back.
4. Tap on Developer Options.
5. Turn on USB debugging.
III. Download and Setup the SDK & Android M Preview
1. Download the SDK Tools for your OS, install it, and open it.
2. Under tools, select SDK Tools, Platform-tools, and Build-tools.
3. Select everything under Android M Developer Preview section, and the Google USB driver, and click Install packages.
4. Accept the Licensing Agreement for all of the packages and click Install.
5. Download the correct version of the preview for your device below:
*If the above link doesn’t work you can head directly to the Android Developer site and download it from there.
6. Right-click the file you downloaded and select Extract All and extract it to your Desktop.
7. Take all of the files that are inside the folder and copy them to the C:/android-sdk/platform-tools/
IV. Flash the Android M Preview
1. Plug the device in via USB cable.
2. Open the folder android-sdk/platform-tools.
3. Hold shift on your keyboard and right click in a blank area in that folder, then select Open Command Window Here.
4. Type adb devices and you should get a serial number back (if you didn’t your drivers are not installed properly, head here for more help with that). If you did get a serial number, continue.
5. Type the following into the command prompt with hitting enter at the end of each line:
adb reboot bootloader
6. When the device reboots into fastboot mode, type the following into the command prompt with hitting enter at the end of each line:
fastboot oem unlock
7. Say yes on the device and this will unlock the bootloader (and erase your data). Then the device will reboot.
8. When it reboots, type the following into the command prompt with hitting enter at the end of each line:
flash-all.bat
9. This will now begin to flash the Android L image to your phone.
10. When it’s all done, unplug, and enjoy.
