Here, therefore, I’ll describe what I had to do to get my phone upgraded.įollowing this guide will install the BCM Ice Cream Sandwich mod (based on CyanogenMod 9) on a stock Google Nexus One. The internet is full of forum posts and YouTube videos showing bits and pieces of the update process, but I haven’t been able to find a guide that describes the entire procedure step by step. With some repartitioning and a modded ROM, the Nexus One can run Android 4 and have plenty of RAM left to be usable. There won’t be an official update to Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich (supposedly for memory reasons, see below), but at the same time, the Android 2 apps have gotten so many updates that even with just the bare necessities installed, my phone has continuously been at its memory limit for months. With my Nexus One already being a few generations old, hacking finally has become necessary. That’s why I buy Nexus devices – the updates come directly from Google, and if necessary, I can hack the phone. There has been a lot of criticism about Google’s supposed update policy, when in fact the problem mostly lies with device manufacturers. I’m a big fan of the Android system, both from a consumer perspective (I like the usability of the system, and I like not being restricted by the manufacturer), from a developer perspective (the tools are free, programs are easy to test, and the API is good), and from an idealistic perspective (open source, and maintained a company that’s not focused on patent wars). The described procedure worked for me, but there is no guarantee that it will work for you.
Disclaimer: This is a guide for rooting and flashing the Google Nexus One smartphone.