Update Nexus 6 to Android M (MPA44I) Developer Preview 3

by Mike Blass · August 24, 2015

I have great news for Nexus 6 owners! No, this is not a rumor, but the OTA download link for the newly released Android 6.0 Marshmallow (MPA44I) Developer Preview 3 is unofficially available for your device as I am speaking.

If you are also one of those users who simply don’t have the patience to wait for Google’s official release of Android 6.0 OTA firmware, then you can manually update your Nexus 6 to Android M (MPA44I) Developer Preview 3 with the help of this guide.

However, let me tell you from the start that this is not an easy thing to do! I am here to guide you all the way, that’s for sure, but I cannot be held responsible for any damage to your Nexus 6 device during or after the firmware installation. This is a guide for advanced users, so you should proceed at your own risk and only after checking the info below.

Updating your Nexus 6 to Android 6.0 Marshmallow build MPA44I via Factory Image is indeed tempting, but you can do that only if you have taken a proper backup of your important data and if the handset is rooted (use this One Click Root Solution Available for Google Nexus 6 for that).

You must also have the CWM or TWRP recovery installed and its bootloader unlocked, not to mention that you have to enable USB Debugging mode via Settings > Developer Options Note. However, If Developer Options is not visible, then you must go to Settings > About Phone, Scroll down to the bottom and select Build Number and tap build number seven times to unlock the Developer Options under Settings; only now you can enable USB Debugging mode.

Do not forget to check the battery charge level and make sure that it is over 60%, as this could prevent the device from powering down during installation and prepare the original USB cord that you’ll have to use at a later time.
When it comes to your computer (Windows, Linux or Mac), any antivirus app should be disabled as such types of applications can stop you from updating the phone manually. And don’t forget that you must also download the device’s drivers and install them on your PC as they are required, so that your computer will detect the smartphone.

No less important, use this post only with the mentioned version or else you put the device in great danger. Since you’ve gone past all the preparatory steps from above, you are ready to update the Nexus 6 device manually.

Update Nexus 6 to Android M (MPA44I) Developer Preview 3:

From here you have to take the Android 6.0 Factory Image for your Nexus 6 phone;
Establish a connection between the Nexus device and your computer via the original USB cable;
Then, turn off the phone;
You have to boot it into Fastboot mode by turning on the phone while pressing and holding the Volume Up, Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time. Release them only when seeing the Fastboot menu and the START displayed on the screen;
Extract the downloaded file to your desktop;
Go to the firmware folder;
It’s time to copy/paste all the files to the Fastboot directory;
Run the following command with the help of the factory image files from your Fastboot directory:
On Windows, you must run the file “flash-all.bat”;
On Linux, you must run the file “flash-all.sh”;
On Mac, you must run the file “flash-all.sh” using Terminal;
At the end, your Nexus 6 phone will reboot.