Google Nexus phones and tablets are starting to get an over the air software update to Android 4.2.2 even though Google hasn’t officially announced any such news. A Galaxy Nexus owner first reported the update on Reddit and the XDA-Developers site has confirmed it for other Nexus devices. The software appears to be a minor update so don’t expect any major changes.
Perhaps the biggest fix in the software is an update to the Bluetooth stack. An early impression of the Galaxy Nexus after the update shows more stability when the phone is paired to an automobile. My hope is that the software update adds song metadata as well so that Bluetooth-compatible car radios can show more song information — an Android issue that was logged several years ago.
My own Galaxy Nexus doesn’t have the update yet. That’s typical, however, as Google stages Android updates for its Nexus devices.
I may take advantage of the steps at Android Police to manually install it; I’ve done that with prior Android updates and it’s a relatively simple process. If you have a Galaxy Nexus, you can follow the same steps. Nexus 10 tablet owners can manually get the update file from XDA-Developers here, which was pointed out by Liliputing.
Although there are tons of Android devices to choose from, direct Android updates from Google have me continuing to buy and use Nexus devices. The lone exception of late is my Galaxy Note 2 purchase. Even though Nexus phones and tablets may comparably lack a super display, ability to expand memory or a slower processor than what’s currently available, the vastly better software support is a huge feature that shouldn’t be overlooked.
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