News about Android 7.0 “N” is just beginning to trickle out, but that hasn’t stopped some Android users from already installing the OS on their devices.
If you feel like living life dangerously, and want to install one of the official experimental builds from Android, then we’re going to show you how to do it.
What You Need
Android N is only available on the following devices:
-Nexus 6/9/5X/Player
-Pixel C
-General Mobile 4G (Android One)
-Sony Xperia Z3
Got one of those devices? Good. You’re ready to begin.
Perform a Backup Before You Begin
Installing a test version of Android without a backup is a bad idea. To backup your Android device, go to:
-Settings > Backup and reset
Then, make sure both Back up my data and Automatic restore are enabled.
If you have important data on your PC – like photos that you want to back up – then use cloud storage or connect your device to your PC. Once you’ve ensured all the information on your PC is protected, you’re ready to begin.
Enroll in Android Beta
You’ll need to first enroll in Google’s Android Beta portal, which is available for all of the above devices except the Xperia Z3 (see below).
After enrolling your device, you’ll receive new updates over the air (OTA) every few weeks in the leadup to the release of Android N. You can actually stay in the beta program after Android N is released, in which case you’ll continue to receive maintenance updates.
That’s it! Your updates will arrive over the air just like ordinary OTA updates.
How to Install Android N on the Xperia Z3
Installing Android N on the Xperia Z3 requires signing up to the Sony’s N Developer Preview program.
That program works just like the Android Beta program. You’ll receive OTA updates up to the release of Android N for Sony devices.
You can un-enroll from this program as well at any time.
Change Your Mind?
If you ever change your mind about using the Android N beta, then you can roll back to the latest public (i.e. non-beta) release by un-enrolling your device from the Android Beta program. Rolling back to an earlier release wipes out your data, which is why we told you to back up your data in the first step (so you can restore it immediately after you un-enroll from the program).
