How to install the Android N developer preview on your device right now

Today marks the third time Google has offered up a developer preview of an upcoming version of Android. The first was Android L (later called Lollipop) in 2014, then Android M (later Marshmallow) last year. Those both happened at Google I/O, but this year we’ve got the developer preview early — Android N is ready for download if you’ve got a recent Nexus device, and it’s even easier to install this year. Here’s how to do it.

Flashing a developer preview comes with risks, but Nexus devices are robust and you get to play with all sorts of neat new features. Android N (name and version to be revealed later) includes a few particularly great things that you might want to try. There’s multi-window mode for true multitasking, a revamped bundled notification UI, and vastly improved app switching — and that’s just scratching the surface.

There are two ways to install the developer preview this year, but you first need to have a compatible device. For phones, the preview is available on the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6P. On the tablet front, you can use the Nexus 9 or Pixel C (for all intents and purposes, it’s a Nexus device). The Nexus Player Android TV box is capable of running the preview as well.

If you’ve made changes to your device’s core software or have installed a custom ROM, the best way to get the developer preview is the old-fashioned way — flashing a system image. Google makes these available via the developer site. This method is more involved and requires the use of a computer. You will need to install the Android SDK on your computer, then enable OEM unlock on your phone (the developer options menu). Reboot it into the bootloader and plug into your PC. Using a command prompt or terminal from the SDK directory, you can trigger an OEM unlock using either fastboot oem unlock or fastboot flashing unlock depending on the device you have.

After you’ve unlocked, simply download the system image and unpack it in the SDK’s platform tools directory on your computer. Launch the “flash all” batch or shell file with the phone connected and still in the bootloader. The installation will take about ten minutes.
For anyone with a stock Nexus device, this year there’s a much more civilized option. Head over to the new Android beta site and sign in with your Google account. It will show you the devices on your account that are eligible for the beta. Press the enroll button, and that device will be added to the Android N beta. That means within a few minutes you should have an OTA update notification on that device. The Android N preview OTA is over a gigabyte in size, so find some Wi-Fi to download it.

This approach means you don’t need to unlock your bootloader, and you’ll get regular updates throughout the beta. Google hasn’t specified if you’ll get an OTA to the final build this summer, but it saves you a bit of trouble right now. The beta program is definitely the easiest way to experience the latest and greats of Android, but remember this is a preview, not a stable Android version. Proceed with caution.