Google has finally released the first developer preview for Android O, the next major version of its mobile operating system.
The first Android O developer preview, however, is being rolled out differently compared to the first developer preview for Android N, which later turned out to be Android Nougat. While the Android Nougat developer preview was immediately released into the Android Beta channel, the Android O developer preview is only being made available for now to owners of Nexus and Pixel devices.
If you are the owner of a Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, or Nexus Player, here is a quick guide on how to install the first developer preview for Android O by flashing a factory image into the device.
How To Install Android O Developer Preview
The first step to installing the Android O developer preview into a compatible device is to unlock its bootloader. Head to the Developer Options under the Settings app, but if it is not showing up, head to the About page and tap on the build number of Android several times. Once under Developer Options turn on the OEM Unlocking and USB Debugging options.
Next, users should prepare their computers. Download the Android O developer preview for the appropriate device and Android Studio, which should be installed. Users should then launch the SDK Manager that was installed alongside Android Studio, but it should be done by right-clicking on the app and selecting Run as Administrator. There will be 15 checked boxes, but the only ones that users will need to install or update are Android SDK Platform Tools and Google USB Driver.
With the Android device and computer prepared, users should then connect the device to the PC. In the same folder where the SDK Manager is located, search for the Platform Tools folder. Hold shift and right click on it, then choose Open a Command Window Here. While in Platform Tools, users should then extract the zip file that contains the downloaded Android O image into the folder.
Users should then enter the command "adb devices" and see their connected Android device. The next steps will be the "adb reboot bootloader" command, which will reboot the device into fastboot mode, the "fastboot oem unlock" command, which will unlock the bootloader, and the "flash-all" command, which would initiate the installation process for the Android O developer preview.
Should You Install The Android O Developer Preview?
Installing the Android O developer preview is relatively easy, but the next thing to think about is whether or not you should install it into your Pixel or Nexus device.
The process, specifically the act of unlocking the bootloader, will erase all the contents of the device. Due to the Android O developer preview being the first one, there will be a lot of bugs, and third-party apps will not be compatible.
Once users are done with experimenting with the Android O developer preview, rolling back to the previous operating system version in the device will only require users to look for a factory image of that version for the device, and then follow the same steps as above.
