With Android 4.2.1 being one of the smallest updates ever to Android, fixing only a single bug, it was only a matter of time before Google rolled out Android 4.2.2 to fix other issues that still plagued Nexus devices. Lo and behold, last week the OTA update to Android 4.2.2 finally started rolling out for the Galaxy Nexus, bringing along some noticeable improvements and changes.

The biggest improvements are the return of the “Project Butter” smoothness that went missing with Android 4.2.1, and also a fix for the Bluetooth issues some people were having. Minor changes include a countdown timer in the notification for app downloads from the Play Store, some UI changes in apps like the clock or Contacts, and also a few text changes in the settings.

The OTA update is as usual available for download from Google for flashing manually, and if you’ve still not received Android 4.2.2 on your Galaxy Nexus, you can use our guide to download and install it yourself. Both the takju (GSM Play Store variant) and yakju (international GSM variant) can be updated.

Without further ado, let’s begin with the installation procedure, shall we?

Prerequisites

  1. The update is for the takju and yakju variants of the Galaxy Nexus. Takju is the variant available directly from the Play Store, while yakju is the international GSM model.
    To check your phone’s variant, install the Nexus Update Checker from the Play Store and check the “Product Code” in the app. Do not try this update if your product code is yakjuw or something else.
  2. Your phone must be running a totally stock version of Android, unrooted and unchanged in any way. Having a custom recovery installed is okay, but the update will fail to install if you’ve rooted or made other changes to the system.
  3. The update needs your phone to be on build number JPO04D. Check the build number in Settings » About phone. If it’s not JOP04D, then the update will fail to install.

How to Install Android 4.2.2 OTA Update on Galaxy Nexus

  1. First, make sure you have the drivers installed for the phone on the computer. Get them → here if you don’t have them installed already. NOTE: Don’t worry about the drivers saying Verizon in the file name, they work for all variants.
  2. Download the OTA update file.
  3. Download Fastboot, which includes the adb files needed for flashing the update.
    Download Fastboot | Filename: Fastboot.zip
  4. Extract the Fastboot.zip file on your computer to get a folder named Fastboot with four files inside it. To keep things easy, extract the Fastboot folder to drive C.
  5. Then, copy the update file downloaded in step 2 to this “Fastboot” folder you just obtained. You’ll then have five files inside Fastboot.
  6. Turn off the phone, then boot it into stock recovery. To do so, first boot into the bootloader mode by holding down the Vol Up + Vol Down + Power buttons together till the screen turns on. Then, using the volume buttons, scroll till you see the “Start” text change to “Recovery mode”, then select it using the power button to boot into stock recovery.
  7. You will then see an Android with a red exclamation point. Now hold down the Power button then press the Volume Up key to see the recovery menu.
  8. Select the apply update from adb option in recovery, by scrolling to it using the volume buttons and selecting it with the power button.
  9. Connect the phone to the computer. Wait for the drivers to finish installing if this is the first time you’ve connected the phone after installing the drivers.
  10. On the computer, click on Start menu » All Programs » Accessories, right-click on Command Prompt and click on Run as administrator. If you are using Windows 8, this can be done by right-clicking on the extreme bottom left corner of the taskbar, then selecting “Command Prompt (admin)”.
  11. Now, perform the following steps in the command prompt to flash the Android 4.2.2 update:
    1. Navigate to the Fastboot folder which you obtained in step 6. For example, if the Fastboot folder is in drive C on your computer, enter cd C:Fastboot in command prompt (and press Enter) to navigate to the folder.
    2. Then, enter adb devices. If your Galaxy Nexus has been detected properly, you will see a device ID show up in command prompt. If nothing comes up, make sure you have installed the drivers (step 1).
    3. Finally, to flash the update, enter the following command:
      adb sideload *name of file* (where *name of file* is to be replaced by the update file’s name, like 472aafeb9fe3.signed-takju-JDQ39-from-JOP40D.472aafeb.zip)
    4. After you enter the above command, you will see the “sending: sideload” message in the command prompt, and once it reaches 100%, the update will start installing on your phone.
  12. After the update finishes installing, select reboot system now on the phone to reboot it and boot up into Android 4.2.2.

That’s about it, your Galaxy Nexus is now running the latest version of Android. If you run into any issues, don’t forget to leave a comment below. Enjoy!