This month was a big one for Android 5.1.1 updates, as you can see from last week's roundup and the barrage of posts on the portal's front page in the recent past. So far we are seeing the lineup of Wear watches, the Nexus 4, Nexus 9, Nexus 10, Nexus Player, and a handfull of others slowly make their way to the latest Android. While waiting around for updates may be fine for casual users, this is XDA; we have OTA download links and we know how to use them. Read on to grab those files and patch your droids ahead of Google's sluggish timetable.

The only difference between a sideloaded OTA zip and one that actually comes over the air as the name implies is the delivery method. These links all point directly to Google's servers, and are guaranteed to be genuine. Of course, this also means your system directory needs to be stock in order for the flash to do you any good. Assuming you either haven't tweaked your phone too much (or have rolled back the system partition changes), then flashing is a standard affair. Simply add the file to your ADB directory, reboot into recovery mode, enable ADB sideloading, and connect up your device. After that, "adb sideload filename.zip" is all that it takes (as usual)!

More information and device-specific troubleshooting is always available in the Forums, but if you have come this far and are reading a post on flashing, it's assumed that you are already caught up on the literature. For an in-depth primer covering various install cases, please refer to this helpdesk post, or a similar post for your specific device. Installing an OTA is relatively tame, especially here, but please proceed with caution.

Here are the files you'll need to get started.

Nexus 4

Nexus 5

Nexus 9 (LTE)

The latest build is listed below, but tablets still rocking 5.0.1 will need to flash 5.0.2 first before upgrading. Don't worry; we have you covered with links for both.

 

If you would rather hang on to your modded phone a little while longer, source code drops should follow in short order; just be patient. If not, then happy flashing!

 

Did we miss an OTA zip? Tip us below to help the community grow!