Nexus 7 With Android Lollipop Gets Unofficial CyanogenMod 12 Update

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Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Asus-made 2013 Nexus 7 tablet has received the stock Android 5.0 Lollipop update. The Lollipop update was less than smooth. Google has quietly updated the factory images to  reveal an Android 5.0.1 Lollipop build for Nexus 7, Nexus 9 and Nexus 10. Anyway, the XDA Developers have a big surprise for Nexus 7 users.

CM 12 for Nexus 7 brings a lot of performance improvements

For those who want to spice things up, the XDA team has rolled out the unofficial version of CyanogenMod 12 (CM 12) ROM for Android 5.0 Lollipop. Advanced Android users mostly prefer custom platforms that bring tons of performance improvements. The unofficial CM12 firmware is more stable and comes with several feature enhancements for the Nexus 7 tablet.

CM 12 is based on the previous official CyanogenMod releases and the stock Android OS. CyanogenMod is working on the new CM 12, but the official version will likely be rolled out only when all the issues and bugs have been fixed. The unofficial CM 12 ROM ports some noteworthy features such as battery percentage indicator on the notification bar, Trebuchet, status bar brightness control and privacy guard. It also has an advanced reboot, CM file manager, CM Superuser controls and a lot of behind the scenes stuff.

How to install it

Note that this CM 12 version may still have some minor bugs. But XDA developers and users who have already installed it on their Nexus 7 tablets said that it was stable enough for daily use. XDA Developers Forum is providing all the details about its CM 12 for those interested in learning. You can choose to test this new software anytime.

If you want to update your 2013 Nexus 7 to the unofficial CyanogenMod 12, save the current ROM from your device. It will help you downgrade your Nexus 7 in case you don’t like the CyanogenMod 12. Before you begin the update, make sure your tablet’s battery is at least 80% charged to avoid inadvertent shutdown while installing it. Also, extract the latest bootloader using this link and install it via fastboot.

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