Last weekend, a lucky user finally saw the much awaited Android 4.2.2 update arrive on his Verizon Galaxy Nexus, but it seems Verizon is not yet ready to push out the update to everyone. However, the aforementioned user grabbed the OTA update’s link from the official Google servers and it is now available for downloading and installing manually.

With Android 4.2.2, users will see quite a few new features, including a new keyboard with gesture typing, Daydream screen saver mode for displaying images and other content when phone is idle, faster performance and smoother app switching, 360 degrees panorama mode and a new camera interface, and many other small but useful changes. The update also includes new radios for the device, which are reported to improve the network strength.

We have prepared a guide to help you update to Android 4.2.2 manually if you don’t want to wait around for dear old Verizon to make it available. There are two versions available – one is the official OTA update that you can install on a stock unaltered Android 4.1.1 ROM, and the other is a custom version that is pre-rooted and has to be installed from a custom recovery.

All right then, once you’ve decided whether you want the official Android 4.2.2 update or the custom rooted version, follow the respective instructions below to install it on your Verizon Galaxy Nexus.

Compatibility

The procedure described below is only for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. Do not try it on any other device.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.

How to Update to Android 4.2.2 on Verizon Galaxy Nexus

I. Official OTA Update (Un-rooted)

This is the official OTA update that you can install if your phone is on 100% stock Android 4.1.1 ROM (build number JRO03C, which you can confirm from the Settings » About phone menu). It will also install the new radios along with the update, and should be used by anyone simply wishing to update from Android 4.1.1.

  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. 
  2. Download the OTA update file.
    Download Link [Alternate Link] | Filename: 5939ff985946.signed-mysid-JDQ39-from-JRO03O.5939ff98.zip
  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 5939ff985946.signed-mysid-JDQ39-from-JRO03O.5939ff98.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. You can stop reading the guide now as the procedures given below aren’t needed if you followed method I.

II. Custom Rooted Android 4.2.2 Update

This is a custom rooted version of the Android 4.2.2 update that you can install using a custom recovery. You will need to unlock the bootloader on your device to install it, which will wipe all data from your device (unless you’re already on an unlocked bootloader). This doesn’t include the new radios from the update, but those can be manually installed later if needed.

  1. The procedure to flash this ROM involves unlocking the bootloader on the device, which causes all the data on the device to get wiped, including everything on your internal storage. So, backup installed apps and other data such as contacts, messages, bookmarks, etc, by referring to our Android Backup Guide for help. Then, copy everything from the SD card to your computer, which will also include the apps and data you backed up.
  2. Your phone’s bootloader will need to be unlocked to flash the ROM and you also need ClockworkMod (CWM) recovery installed on it. Unlock the bootloader and install CWM recovery by using the Galaxy Nexus Toolkit. Make sure you took a backup in step 1 as this will wipe all data from the phone and reset it to factory settings. Skip this if you already have the bootloader unlocked or have CWM recovery installed.
  3. Download the Android 4.2.2 ROM from the source page.
  4. Copy the ROM to the phone. Don’t extract the ROM’s file, simply copy it as it is to the phone.
  5. Boot into ClockworkMod (CWM) recovery. To do this, turn off the phone. Then, press and hold the following keys together: Power + Volume Up + Volume Down to enter Fastboot mode where you will see “Start” written in big green letters. Then, using the volume buttons, navigate to the Recovery mode option, then select it using the Power button to reboot into recovery mode.
  6. Perform a Nandroid Backup of your existing ROM, so that you can always restore it from recovery if something does not work out with this ROM (this will backup the entire firmware on the phone). To perform a backup, select Backup and Restore –> On the next screen, select Backup again. Go back to main recovery menu after backup is complete.
  7. Select install zip from sdcard, then select choose zip from sdcard. Scroll to the ROM file and select it. Confirm installation on the next screen.
  8. After the installation is complete, go back to the main recovery menu and select reboot system now to reboot the phone and boot up into Android 4.2.2.
  9. What to do if ROM doesn’t boot: If the phone gets stuck at the boot animation after installing the ROM, you will need to wipe data from recovery. To do that, remove and reinsert the phone’s battery, follow step 5 to boot into CWM recovery, select wipe data/factory reset and confirm data wipe (this will not wipe the internal storage). Then, reboot the phone after wipe is complete.

Installing New Radio

The Android 4.2.2 update includes new radios for the device, which people are reporting to provide better network strength and signal quality. If you’ve used the second method and installed the custom rooted version, then you’ll need to manually download and install the radios. To do that, perform the following steps:

  1. Download the radios file.
    Download Link
  2. Copy the downloaded file to the phone.
  3. Boot into CWM recovery (see step 5 of the guide above for the procedure to boot into CWM).
  4. Select install zip from sdcard, then select choose zip from sdcard. Scroll to the radio file and select it. Confirm installation on the next screen.
  5. After the installation is complete, go back to the main recovery menu and select reboot system now to reboot the phone. The new radios are now installed on your device.

Android 4.2.2 is now installed and running on your Verizon Galaxy Nexus, and you can enjoy all the latest and greatest Android has to offer. Don’t forget to shoot us a question if you run into any issues while following the guide.