Download: Android 5.1 for Nexus 7 2013 LTE arrives, get factory images and OTA files here

The Nexus 7 2013 LTE has finally gotten its shot at receiving Android 5.1 Lollipop, folks. The OTA is rolling out, but if it hasn’t hit your device yet you can get going a couple of different ways. The first is by downloading the OTA file here, renaming it “update.zip”, dropping it onto the root of your device’s storage and jumping into recovery to flash.

You can also grab the factory image right here, which can be flashed through ADB (you’ll also find instructions for doing so if you aren’t already familiar with the process).

Android 5.1 doesn’t add much to Lollipop on the surface, though it does address many lingering bugs and adds a few tweaks to tighten up the blissful Lollipop experience. Go ahead and get it loaded onto your LTE Nexus 7 2013 as soon as possible!

Download: Android 5.1 factory image for the Nexus Player

We talk a lot about Android 5.1 for phones and tablets, but what about Google’s first Android TV product? Looks like the Nexus Player is finally set to get it as the company has posted the factory image over at their website.

We aren’t sure if there are any big changes specific to TV, but we’ll certainly be looking to load this up onto our unit and check. In the meantime you can grab the factory image and flash the file through fastboot if you aren’t interested in waiting for a network OTA process.

You’ll be on version LMY47D and it figures to cost you little more than 442MB of bandwidth. Grab it from Google’s site right here to load it up and give it a go.

Download: T-Mobile LG G3’s Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA file

T-Mobile’s LG G3 started receiving its Lollipop upgrade yesterday, though many were disappointed to find that it was only available over-the-wire with a tool only available for PC. If you weren’t able to use that tool to upgrade your phone you’ll be happy to know that we’ve snapped up the OTA file T-Mobile is eventually planning to push to handsets.

You can download the file right here, and either flash it through ADB’s flashing tool (here’s a handy guide on AndroidForums.com) or placing it onto the root of your storage and flashing it through your device’s recovery (you should name the file update.zip to ensure recovery can find it). We should note that you do this at your own risk, so if you aren’t comfortable carrying this out on your own then you should either find a way to use a PC or simply wait for T-Mobile to push the OTA to your device. Happy flashing!

Download: Android 5.1 Factory Images for Nexus now available (for 3 devices)

Google has finally broken their silence about the rollout of Android 5.1, finally making an official announcement. Things are starting to move quickly: the company has wasted no time in publishing the first set of Android 5.1 factory images to their repository for Nexus Devices:

• Android 5.1 for Nexus 5 (download link | forum)


• Android 5.1 for Nexus 7 Wi-Fi 2012 (download link | forum)


• Android 5.1 for Nexus 10 (download link | forum)

You can download these files directly from Google.

An Android Forums member has made a post that will show you how to manually install Android 5.1 on your Nexus device, but here are the steps summarized directly from Google:

To flash a system image:

1. Download the appropriate system image for your device below, then unzip it to a safe directory.


2. Connect your device to your computer over USB.


3. Start the device in fastboot mode with one of the following methods:
   
   
   
   • Using the adb tool: With the device powered on, execute:
     

     adb reboot bootloader

     
     
   
   
   • Using a key combo: Turn the device off, then turn it on and immediately hold down the relevantkey combination for your device. For example, to put a Nexus 5 (“hammerhead”) into fastboot mode, press and hold Volume Up + Volume Down + Power as the device begins booting up.
   
   
   
   


4. If necessary, unlock the device’s bootloader by running:
   

   fastboot oem unlock

   
   

   The target device will show you a confirmation screen. (This erases all data on the target device.)



5. Open a terminal and navigate to the unzipped system image directory.


6. Execute the flash-all script. This script installs the necessary bootloader, baseband firmware(s), and operating system.

Once the script finishes, your device reboots. You should now lock the bootloader for security:

1. Start the device in fastboot mode again, as described above.


2. Execute:
   

   fastboot oem lock

   
   

Locking bootloader will wipe the data on some devices. After locking the bootloader, if you want to flash the device again, you must run fastboot oem unlock again, which will wipe the data.

Flashing a factory image will erase EVERYTHING on your device and if you don’t follow the steps properly, you risk damaging your device permanently. We won’t take any responsibility so proceed at your own risk and if you need help… we highly recommend visiting the appropriate section on Android Forums.

Google will inevitably push updates for additional Nexus devices over the course of time so stay tuned to Phandroid for that breaking news.

Download: OTA update links for Android 5.1 on the Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 2012 and Nexus 10

In case you haven’t heard, several Nexus devices have started receiving the upgrade to Android 5.1 over-the-air. You should check to make sure it is available on your phone or tablet (we know it to be hitting the Nexus 6, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 2012 WiFi and Nexus 10 right now) and see if you can pull it down the natural way.

But if you can’t wait and you don’t like to go the factory image route, you’ll be happy to know that OTA links for each of those devices are now available to flash atop your existing installation. Note that these should only be flashed on top of the appropriate firmware (listed next to each file) and that you might need to be on stock firmware (meaning no root or custom ROMs) for the best result.

Without further ado:

Nexus 5

• Android 5.1 LMY47D (flash from Android 5.0 LRX21O)


• Android 5.1 LMY47D (flash from Android 5.0.1 LRX22C)

Nexus 6

• Android 5.1 LMY47D (flash from Android 5.0.1 LRX22C)

Nexus 7 2012 WiFi

• Android 5.1 LMY47D (flash from Android 5.0.2 LRX22G)

Nexus 10

• Android 5.1 LMY47D (flash from Android 5.0.2 LRX22G)

We’ll be looking to update this post with more links for different devices if they become available. As always, be sure to make a backup of your important data before flashing, and if you’re not comfortable applying the update on your own then you should simply wait for the OTA to hit your device.

Need help? The folks at AndroidForums.com are always willing to lend a hand to anyone not familiar with the manual flashing process:

• Nexus 5 Android Forums


• Nexus 6 Android Forums


• Nexus 7 2012 Android Forums


• Nexus 10 Android Forums

Let us know how your device is feeling after you’ve gotten it loaded up!

Download: Android 5.1 build LMY47I factory images now available for Nexus 6 and Nexus 5

Another minor firmware upgrade for those on Android 5.1 has been released by Google, and it’s headed to both the Nexus 5 and Nexus 6. It’s build LMY47I, and there doesn’t appear to be much new compared to the base release of Android 5.1. It’s our understanding that this release deals with a couple of bugs pertaining to dual-SIM support, but that’s about it.

If you’re in a rush to get it and don’t want to wait for the OTA you’ll be happy to know that the factory images for both are now available for download directly from Google.

As always, you’ll need fastboot (available in the SDK tools) to flash the system image to your Nexus device. Google has instructions laid out at the aforementioned link so be sure to reference it if your flashing skills are a bit rusty. Let us know how it’s treating your device once you’ve gotten it loaded up!

PlayStation Mobile shuts down July 15th, be sure to download your games

PlayStation Mobile is coming to an end, folks. It was an exciting journey that brought one of gaming’s most iconic and exciting brands to those who prefer to game on their smartphones an tablets. Alongside a handful of PlayStation 1 classics, Sony used PlayStation Mobile as a driving platform for great mobile independent games that embody everything the PlayStation brand stands for.

So here are the quick details:

• Distribution of games and in-app purchases will cease on July 15th, meaning no new purchases can be made after that point.


• Games you’ve already bought can continue to be downloaded and accessed through September 10th.


• Games can be played after September 10th, but only if you activate your device.

So how do you activate your device? Simply open up the PlayStation Mobile app and launch any purchased content between April 10, 2015 and September 10, 2015. The activation / authentication process was always done each time you opened a game and has never been a permanent solution so you’ll want to make sure you get this done.

It’s a sad day, but Sony feels like there isn’t much more reason for them to continue down this road (especially with how nice Android’s library of games has gotten). Get everything taken care of on your end before it’s too late.

[via Sony]

Google Search will now show a download link for indexed apps that aren’t on your phone

Google’s app indexing feature for Android apps is a great way for content creators to make their goods more accessible. If you don’t know what it does, it allows Google’s Search engine to index articles within a news app, so that if a user searches for something and happens to come across a link from one of their favorite websites, they can open that article within that app.

Google’s improving the feature with a new tweak to Google Search results that will now let you know if a search result is indexed in an Android app, and will prompt you to download that app if it isn’t already on your phone. It’s a great way for publications to get new readers, and for users to learn about an app that they may not have known of otherwise.

Over 30 billion links have been indexed to date, and with how big mobile has become a part of our lives that number is only going to grow. Good on Google for figuring out a way for apps to become relevant search results instead of the typical blue link parade we’re used to.

[via Google]

Google Keep update finally adds labels, reoccurring reminders, and floating action button [DOWNLOAD]

Google Keep 3.1 is now hitting the Play Store for some folks. Arriving today in a staged rollout, the update is huge (at least for us) finally introduces a few much needed functionality to the previously bare bones note taking app.

First up is the new floating action button. It’s a small Material design tweak, and allows users to quickly add a new recording, photo, list, or just a general note with 2 taps.

Google has also added the ability to add reoccurring reminders, this way you can dismiss the notification for now, but will be reminded either daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. There’s also the custom option if you’d like to fine tune the reminder to every few days, until a date, or for a number of events. We can’t stress how insanely helpful this is.

Lastly, labels have finally made their way into Keep. It’s basically the folder system we’ve been asking since the app’s inception, with the ability to move notes into a label and organize your digital mess of a life. Set up a label for work, video games, or just whatever the heck it is you’re into (sexy Instagram ladies?). We have a feeling many of you who were holding out on Keep will return solely for this feature alone.

This is a huge update and if it hasn’t hit your device just yet, you can download and install it from us right here. Enjoy.

Google Keep – notes and lists (Playboard) | Google Keep – notes and lists (Play Store)

Download: LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition getting Android 5.1 Lollipop, here’s the OTA file

Android 5.1 is finally headed to the LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play edition, as many of you have reported being able to grab the upgrade over-the-air. Android 5.1 doesn’t house a significant bundle of new features on the surface, though the extent of the bugs fixed (read: a metric crap-ton) is likely incentive enough to grab this one as soon as you can.

Can’t grab the upgrade OTA for whatever reason? Thankfully the OTA download file is already available right here. Simply download it, rename it to update.zip, and either use ADB to flash it or drop it onto the root of your device’s storage as “update.zip” and flash it through recovery.

This file is meant to take you from LRX21P.L004 to LMY47O.L002, so be sure you’re on the right firmware before attempting to flash it. Not comfortable doing it yourself? Be patient as the OTA is likely to be on its way before this batch of Lollipop gets too stale.

DOWNLOAD: All of the stock wallpapers from the HTC One M9+ (Quad HD)

We don’t expect the HTC One M9+ to have many different wallpapers compared to the flagship that was officially released today, but they did have to be upscaled to Quad HD resolution. Here’s the full set of wallpapers swiped straight from the HTC One M9+ we’re expecting HTC to announce in April (click to enlarge):

[via Google+]

You can now download Amazon Instant Video for your Nexus Player (and other Android TV devices)

Sony was crafty enough to secure themselves an exclusive to Amazon’s Instant Video app for their Android TV products, but why should Bravia owners have all the fun? If you have yourself a Nexus Player or the original Android TV device — ADT-1 — you’ll be happy to know that it’s now possible to download and install the APK on your device.

The app was extracted from Sony’s firmware just as it exists. You sideload it onto your Android TV device if possible (how to sideload APKs on the Nexus Player) and you’ll be able to run it just like you would any other app. It’s possible the app works with other Android TV products, though only the Nexus Player and ADT-1 are reported to have been tested.

Once you’ve gotten it loaded up simply login with your Amazon credentials and before you know it you’ll be off to watching all the movies and TV shows you’ve bought through Amazon Instant Video, or the content you’re entitled to as part of your Amazon Prime subscription. XDA has the download you’re looking for right here so be sure to check it out if you’ve been looking for a way to grab this app for your non-Sony device.

[via Google+]

Be among the first to download the Periscope Android App

The latest social app sensation, a creation by Twitter called Periscope, let’s users share live video with people around the world. The good? The app is supposedly awesome and seeing record adoption rates. The bad? The app has thus far eluded the Google Play Store and is currently only available on that pesky iPhone.

That all will soon change and you can be among the first to download the new Periscope for Android App from the Google Play Store.

Signing up is easy:

• Grab your Android phone


• Visit this link

If you follow a link to a  Periscope live stream from your Android phone, you’re now directed to an e-mail sign up form offering instant notification when the Periscope Android app is available on the Google Play Store.

In reality you can visit any link to a specific Periscope live stream, the above being just one of them. But doesn’t somehow knowing that Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Genevieve was Periscoping while she cooked make you want to download the app that much more? Us too. And if not, we’re sure you can find your own excuse with enough browsing.

Periscope was already off to a great start but it was the Mayweather vs Pacquiao boxing match that helped it skyrocket into the mainstream. At 0 per TV the fight still shattered Pay Per View records, but if Periscope didn’t exist the number may have been much higher: regular Joe’s used Periscope to share the view of their own TV with the globe, aiding what Showtime and HBO are claiming is blatant and rampant piracy. At least that’s what their lawsuit says.

Directly following the fight, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo seemed to make light of piracy, tweeting that Periscope was the “winner” of the fight.

The company took a much different tone after claiming they received 66 complaints from copyright holders, removed 30 live streams of the fight, but had many more that weren’t able to be handled prior to the fight’s end:

“Periscope operates in compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we respect intellectual property rights and are working to ensure there are robust tools in place to respond expeditiously,” the company said. “It’s not the kind of content we want to see in Periscope.”

It remains to be seen who the real winner will be, but until Twitter plops their periscope into the Android pool, we’ll remain mum on the matter.

Download: AdBlock Plus releases an ad-blocking browser app for Android

AdBlock has never been in the browser business beyond providing plugins to help you get rid of ads, but the company is breaking the mold with their latest app. They have released a beta version of AdBlock Browser for Android.

The premise and promise are simple: you browse the web, except you do so without any ads mucking up the experience. Early usage reports suggest it’s just as fast and capable at browsing the modern mobile web as Google Chrome and Firefox Mobile, so there shouldn’t be any qualms using it if you value it for its ability to block ads.

So how can you get it on your phone? AdBlock has provided a direct download to the app through their Google+ community while they await Google’s green light on putting it up in the Google Play Store as an opt-in beta app.

As such, all you’ll need to do is make sure you enable the ability to install third-party applications on your phone, and install the app like you would any other. They even have a handy QR code to take you straight to the download on your phone so you won’t have to deal with wonky file transfers. Be sure to give it a try!

AllCast 2.0 brings a fresh Material design makeover [DOWNLOAD]

Even when you’re a developer as big as Koushik Dutta, getting your apps up to speed with Google’s Material design isn’t the easiest of tasks. Sometimes you need a little help and he got just that thanks to designer/fellow blogger Liam Spradlin who whipped up a fresh new Material look for AllCast in its new 2.0 update.

It’s not like AllCast was bad looking before, but this brings the app up to speed with Google’s Material guidelines. Small changes to the slide-out navigation menu can be found with slick new icons, along with the gallery view also receiving some love.

Without a doubt, AllCast is one of those must-have Android apps for Google’s Chromecast owners as it allows you to cast just about anything to the dongle. Whether it’s media stored on your device, or in the cloud, AllCast makes it all possible. The free version of the app caps video viewing at 5 minutes, but there’s also AllCast Premium which will run you .

AllCast (Playboard) | AllCast (Play Store)

[Update] You can now download Periscope for Android

Waiting for Periscope to hit Android? The app will be launching today according to press information sent out by the company. If you aren’t aware, Periscope is Twitter’s new live streaming service that’ll allow you to quickly and easily broadcast a live stream from your phone and Tweet it out to your followers. Those followers can then get a quick and easy link to tune into what’s going on.

It was previously only available for iOS, though Twitter had always said Android wasn’t far off. The app is largely the same as its iOS counterpart, with a stream of broadcasts you can explore or an easy button to launch one of your own. It also has some unique features, such as a button in your notification tray to easily return to a broadcast if you were interrupted (by a call or message). It also features Material Design for those who are into that sort of thing.

The concept of Persicope is simple, yet its presence is important. While live streaming itself isn’t new, it hasn’t always been easy to do from the limited confines of a mobile phone. This app makes it easy to broadcast important events outside your home without having a clunky or professional setup.

Whether it be something as fun as a concert after-party or sensitive local events (Baltimore, anyone?), Periscope opens up a whole new avenue of live social media coverage. Periscope for Android will require Android 4.4 KitKat, though that shouldn’t be too tall an order with a vast majority of Android users being on that particular flavor. You can’t actually download it yet, but the app should be going live over at Google Play at some point later today, and we expect it’ll show up right here. Keep an eye out!

[Update]: It’s live! Go grab it as soon as possible!

[via Engadget]

Download the Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint preview apps on your Android phone

Microsoft has today announced that the phone-specific versions of their Office apps are ready for public preview, and that you can download them right now. You’ll be getting Excel, Word and Powerpoint in user interfaces fit for the smaller screen of a phone.

So what do you have to do to download them? Simple:

• Join Microsoft’s community on Google+ right here


• Head to each respective app’s listing to enroll as a tester: Word, Excel, Powerpoint


• Wait for up to 4 hours for Google Play to update your permissions


• Download as you would any app

And that’s it! Prior experience with Microsoft previews tell us there shouldn’t be much to worry about in terms of stability here, and that it won’t be long before we see a general release if no major issues pop up. That said, if you simply can’t wait for general availability then this is the fastest way to get Microsoft’s Office apps on your Android phone.

[via Google+]

Nexus 9 (WiFi) Android 5.1.1 factory images and OTA zip now available for download

It’s been a long time coming, Nexus 9 owners. Starting today, you should be seeing an update to Android 5.1.1 hitting your tablets. Because you may not feel like waiting around for the update to roll out in stages — and quite frankly, it’s been long enough — you have a few other options at your disposal.

Those looking to do things the manual way, the official factory images (build LMY47X) have been posted on Google’s developer page where they’re available for the flashing. What’s more is someone was even able to capture the OTA link directly from Google’s servers if you’re proficient in ADB. Just make sure you’re coming from LRX22L before you update. Cheers!

[Nexus 9 Factory Image | Nexus 9 update zip via XDA]

Download the Google IO 2015 app for Android right now

Headed to Google I/O later this year? Google is preparing to update the Google I/O app in the Google Play Store for the 2015 version of the developer conference, and APK Mirror has the download to prove it.

The app is decked out in full Material Design, as you’d expect, and it gives you an access to the full Google I/O schedule, a map of the conference hall, videos and more. There are robust filter options for finding the exact sessions and events that you’re interested in, and you can even have it sync the sessions you plan to attend with Google Calendar.

Other than that it’s your typical Google I/O app, and we’re sure Google will have it in the Play Store before too long. If you can’t wait then simply head right here for the download. And as they do every year, expect Google to release the source code for the updated version of the app at some point before, during or after Google I/O.

[via Reddit]

Google Play Store 5.5 brings even more Material design animations and other small tweaks [DOWNLOAD]

Just because OEMs seemingly never got the “Material design” memo doesn’t mean Google isn’t doing their part to show the world how its done. There’s probably no better place to find well-executed Material design than Google’s very own Play Store app.

Googler Kirill Grouchnikov posted onto his Google+ page about some new changes rolling out in the new Google Play Store update 5.5. It’s nothing too drastic, just some slightly tweaked UI animations and other small changes. But it’s enough to make us wish all our devices were running the most up-to-date version of Android as only those on Android 5.1+ are able to view them. Phooey.

You can either wait days (or even weeks) for the update to finally hit your device, or download the apk download for sideloading. Enjoy.

Download: Google Play Store 5.5.8