How to manually update your Nexus 7’s and Nexus 10 to Android version 4.4 KitKat

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Android version 4.4 KitKat is rolling out for both Nexus 7’s and the Nexus 10 today.

If any of you want to see how impatient Android users can be when it comes to updates hop on over to any Android forum when there’s an Android version update announced, but hasn’t hit all devices around the world just yet (except for us over at CTO because we’re perfect). It can be chaotic!

Anyhoo, this method of updating your Nexus devices is for the bit more advanced users that know their way around Android more than the everyday user (you guys keep mashing that update button all day ).

Jerry Hildenbrand over at Android Central is my personal favorite Android journalist (beside any of us of course) and he wrote up a really nifty guide to updating the Nexus devices to KitKat. This guy really knows his shit when it comes to Nexus devices and Linux, so down below is his method of manually updating the 2013 Nexus 7 (still waiting on 2012 Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 update packages).

Here it is folks! 

The prerequisites

A completely stock Nexus tablet running the latest build of Android 4.3
The latest version of the Android SDK installed
The OTA packages: Nexus 7 (2012); Nexus 7 (2013); Nexus 10 (Links will be added as they become available)
Check past the break to see the full manual update process.

The process

Place the update .zip package from Google in the Android SDK/platform-tools folder on your computer, but do not unzip it.
On your Nexus, go to Settings > Development options and switch the toggle on. Then enable USB debugging under the “Debugging” menu group.
Power down your tablet
Start up the bootloader by holding down volume up, volume down and power on your tablet.
When the menu loads, plug your Nexus into your computer.
Use the volume up/down keys to navigate to “Recovery mode”, then press the power button.
When the Android with the red exclamation point appears, hold down power first, followed quickly by volume up. You should now see the recovery menu.
Use the volume up/down keys to select “apply update from ADB,” then press power to select it.
On your computer, open up a command prompt or terminal window.
Using the command line, navigate to the Android SDK/platform-tools folder
On Windows, type:
adb.exe sideload … or on Mac, type:
./adb-mac sideload … or on Linux, type:
./adb sideload The update should begin installing. When it’s done, select “reboot system now.”
Enjoy some delicious KitKat

Source: The great Jerry Hildenbrand at AC (this guy really does keep it interesting). Thanks Jerry!