Marco Angelo D'Souza
Google has just taken out the moniker of their latest and greatest Android: version 6.0, a.k.a. Marshmallow. If you’re disappointed it isn’t called Malai Kulfi or Mysore Pak, take solace in the fact that you can now download and install system images of their latest operating system for select Nexus devices.
Note that these being developer previews, even though they are “near final” they may still be unstable. But if you can’t wait to try out the new features in Android Marshmallow such as direct device-to-device data transfer and integrated fingerprint recognition, or if you simply want to be known as top dog in your circles flaunting the latest Android version on your phone, head over to the Android developer downloads page.
As of writing this, Android Marshmallow developer images are only available for four devices: the Nexus 5 (GSM/LTE, codenamed “hammerhead”), the Nexus 6 “shamu”, the Nexus 9 “volantis””and the Nexus player “fugu”. If you’re lucky to have any of these in your possession and are willing to take the plunge into pre-release Android waters, download the relevant compressed archives for the relevant device.
These archives are in tgz format that need to be uncompressed before installation using a program like 7-Zip. Next, backup your device’s data in case you need to revert to the original state. Then follow the instructions on this page to load the new OS onto your device.
