Update Asus Zenfone 3 to Android 7.0 Nougat

The Asus Zenfone 3, which saw its release in the USA in October 2016, started to get the update to Android 7.0 Nougat in January this year. However, Asus had to put it on hold as there appeared to be some serious issues with the update and the Nougat roll out has resumed to the Asus Zenfone 3 so far. To be more precise, it seems that Asus rolled out Android 7.0 Nougat OTA update (v14.2015.1701.8) for both its Zenfone 3 versions: Zenfone 3 ZE520KL and Zenfone 3 ZE552KL) and if your phone hasn’t received it yet, manually update it now!

Originally released with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, the Zenfone 3 update will bring many software improvements that I bet that you are dreaming of. To get more specific, the Android update will spruce up the interface and features found in the Asus smartphone; it will bring multi-window support, along with improved Doze power management, not to mention the new notifications panel, or the data saver and file-based encryption. However, the very same update removes some existing Zenfone features, such as Share Link, because of incompatibility with Android Nougat, but I hope that this won’t be a problem for you.

Before proceeding with the below steps, back up every data you have on the phone. Also, make sure that you have at least 1.5GB free space remaining on the SD card if you want to download the update and understand from the start the fact that this can be applied only into one of the two model sizes: ZE520KL (5.2-inch) and ZE552KL (5.5-inch) of the device. There is no compatibility with other devices, therefore don’t mix up things!

So, if you are not afraid of a manual installation, this guide waits for you! Keep though in mind that I will not be liable if any damage occurs to your Asus device and/or its components while following this procedure. That’s all on you, so check twice every step and assume full responsibility!

Update Asus Zenfone 3 to Android 7.0 Nougat:

1. Grab the Nougat update for Zenfone 3 ZE520KL from here or the one for your Zenfone 3 ZE552K from here;
2. You should better rename the downloaded firmware file to ‘update.zip’ and save it on your phone;
3. Switch it off;
4. Enter your phone into recovery mode by pressing Power + Volume Up buttons together);
5. In recovery, choose Apply update from sd card;
6. Then, simply select the update.zip file;
7. After completing the installation, reboot your phone.

Enjoy the changes!