How To Get Android Jelly Bean on your Samsung Galaxy Nexus Right Now (GSM and Verizon Versions)

With the announcement of Jelly Bean, Google’s latest iteration of the Android operating system, yesterday at Google’s I/O Developer conference, the same thought is on everyone’s mind. WHEN DO I GET IT?! Well, for Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S, and Motorola Xoom users the update is coming over the air to you sometime in mid-July, as for everyone else, that depends on your carrier and manufacturer.

So, what if you’re impatient like myself? Well, so long as you have a GSM Galaxy Nexus or a Verizon Galaxy Nexus, you’re in luck. Thanks to some developers at XDA, you can flash the Jelly Bean update to your device after being rooted with a custom recovery image.

I. Before You Begin.

1. This will erase your device. So long as you’ve synced with Google though your contacts and purchased apps will come back after you sync. As for pictures, save them to your computer from your phone, just in case.

II. Root Your Galaxy Nexus and Flash a Custom Recovery

1. If you have already rooted your device and have a custom recovery on it skip down to section III and continue from there.

2. Head to our How To Root the Galaxy Nexus procedure, finish it and return here to continue. *If you have issues with the procedure, make sure to read the Reported Issues at the bottom of that procedure.

III. Flash the Jelly Bean ROM for Your Device

1. Download the appropriate ROM for your device and save it to your computer. Do NOT unzip it.

GSM Galaxy Nexus

Verizon Galaxy Nexus

2. Download the rooting file to flash after the ROM so you regain root access.

SuperSU

3. Plug in your device via USB.

4. Copy the ROM zip and the SuperSU zip to the root of your internal storage (NOT in any folders, just on the internal storage itself).

5. Unplug your device.

6. Turn off your device.

7. Turn it back on by holding down Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power until the bootloader screen comes up.

8. Tap Volume Up until you see the Start text turn into Recovery, then hit the power button.

9. Once you boot into recovery, select backup and restore then backup. Wait for it to finish backing up your device (just in case).

10. Select Install Zip from SDcard.

11. Select Choose Zip from SDcard.

12. Select the ROM .zip file you put on the internal storage. Select Yes to confirm. Wait for it to finish flashing.

13. Once, done, hit Wipe Data/Factory Reset then Yes to confirm. Wait for it to finish.

IV. Regain Root Access

1. While still in recovery mode from above, select Install Zip from SDcard.

2. Select Choose Zip from SDcard.

3. Select the CWM SuperSU .zip file then select yes to confirm.

4. Once done, select Reboot System Now.

If this procedure helped you please head to the ROM developers pages where you downloaded the ROMs from and donate/thank them! Also, donate within the Galaxy Nexus tool kit and Root programs to help those developers out as well! Without them, the Android ecosystem wouldn’t be what it is today!

Let me know if this works for you etc so we can adjust it for others. Thanks as always!

21 thoughts on “How To Get Android Jelly Bean on your Samsung Galaxy Nexus Right Now (GSM and Verizon Versions)”

  1. edit, sorry I’m a new to this. I got it to work expect it won’t find a network connection, just wifi. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?

  2. I get to step 8 under section 3, and I get a picture of an android on its back w/ a red exclamation point. First time doing anything like this, though I feel I followed the directions spot on. Any advice?

        1. Hello,

          Just do this procedure, How To Root the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (One Click Method) (LTE and GSM Versions), and at the very end it says under reported issues the following, do that as well and you’ll be good to go.

          Issue: ROM Manager says I don’t have root.

          Solution: Download the Nexus Tool kit and run it. Choose your device then put your device into fastboot mode (turn off, hold down volume up, volume down, and power at the same time until it boots into fastboot) then plug it in and select Root Your Phone option. Wait for it to finish. Once done, select Flash Custom Recovery then select to flash Clockworkmod. Now, reboot to recovery via the fastboot screen using the volume buttons and power to select and you should be presented with Clockworkmod touch recovery. Now, select install zip from sd card and select the su.zip file that should be on your device from the original rooting procedure. Once done, reboot the device.

    1. It is based on the version Google released to all the attendees at the I/O developer conference. As far as we know it is the same as the mid-July update, although I’d expect small improvements between now and then (bug fixes, tweaks etc).

  3. Where is the superSU..!? Is it the backup root file created by the superuser app installed on my GNEx..!? Mine is in system/bin/su . Is that the one… do i have to make a copy of it on the internal storage (i.e. not inside any folder)

    1. Under the How To Root the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (One Click Method) (LTE and GSM Versions) procedure it has reported issues. Here’s the one you need:

      Issue: ROM Manager says I don’t have root.

      Solution: Download the Nexus Tool kit and run it. Choose your device then put your device into fastboot mode (turn off, hold down volume up, volume down, and power at the same time until it boots into fastboot) then plug it in and select Root Your Phone option. Wait for it to finish. Once done, select Flash Custom Recovery then select to flash Clockworkmod. Now, reboot to recovery via the fastboot screen using the volume buttons and power to select and you should be presented with Clockworkmod touch recovery. Now, select install zip from sd card and select the su.zip file that should be on your device from the original rooting procedure. Once done, reboot the device.

  4. Brian Campbell

    Question: lol I’m a n00b. I just rooted my vxw gnex with wugfresh’s 1.4 toolkit and I already have SuperSU installed, so do I need to install it again?

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