How To Load Android 4.4 KitKat Via AOSP ROM Onto The Nexus 4

Although Google has already officially announced that Android 4.4 KitKat will be rolling out to Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 owners in the coming weeks, there are no doubt many of you unwilling to wait that long. Fortunately, the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) has you covered, with an AOSP custom ROM based on Android 4.4 KitKat.

As always, DroidReport assumes no liability for the firmware installation. Proceed with caution.

Before Getting Started

Before you get started, make sure that your Nexus 4 is the E960 model. Flashing this ROM onto any other device will most probably result in a bricked phone.

You must also have your Nexus 4 rooted, with ClockworkMod installed.

As always, you want to backup your device and charge it to at least 80 percent. Finally, enable USB Debugging mode by navigating to Settings -> Developer Options.

Updating Nexus 4 (E960 model) to Android KitKat 4.4 via AOSP ROM

1) Download the Android 4.4 KitKat AOSP ROM, as well as the Google Apps package, which can be found here and here.

2) Using your USB cable, connect your Nexus 4 to your computer.

3) Copy AOSP custom ROM and the Google Apps package to the root folder of your handset’s SD card.

4) Boot your phone into recovery mode by pressing the Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously. After the Google logo appears, release the power button to enter Bootloader mode. Now press Volume Down twice to open Recovery, then press the Power button to enter recovery mode.

5) Open CWM recovery and perform a factory reset.

6) From CMW recovery, navigate to Install Zip from SD card and choose the ROM downloaded earlier. After the ROM is installed, repeat the steps above to install Google Apps.

7) After installation is finished, navigate to the recovery menu and select “reboot system now.”

8) After restarting, your Nexus 4 will officially be running Android 4.4 KitKat AOSP ROM. Kudos.