Nexus 6: How to Install a Custom ROM

Now that you have root access to the Nexus 6 with a custom recovery installed, a custom ROM can finally be installed. Simply follow these steps to get a custom ROM installed onto your Nexus 6.

As we get close to the end of the Nexus 6 tutorial series, we are now ready to install a custom ROM. You can think of a custom ROM as a modified version of the Android OS. These modifications are inserted into the core OS so you have much more control over the various types of customization options to choose from.

If you are new to these tutorials, you should be aware of a few things that you need before you can install a custom ROM onto your Nexus 6.

Requirements

The first thing that you need to do is unlock the Nexus 6 bootloader. When you do this, it will do a factory reset on your device so just be aware before you proceed. After you have unlocked the bootloader, you will need to gain root access to the Nexus 6. Next up, you will need to install a custom recovery on the Nexus 6. The last thing that I recommend is that you create your first Nandroid backup, just so you have the choice to restore from it in case you don’t like the custom ROM that you picked first.

Once you have all of those things done, let’s begin with the custom ROM tutorial. . .

Nexus 6 Install Custom ROM

1. Download the Custom ROM of Choice Onto the Nexus 6
2. Download the Gapps Package for the Android Version of the Custom ROM
3. Boot the Nexus 6 into Recovery Mode
4. Tap on ‘Wipe’
5. Then Tap on ‘Advanced Wipe’
6. Make Sure the Following Partitions Are Checked. . .
7. Dalvik Cache, System, Data and Cache Partitions
8. When Ready, Swipe the Blue Arrow to the Right to Wipe Those Partitions
9. Tap on the Home Button at the Bottom
10. Tap on the ‘Install’ Option
11. Browse to and Tap on the Custom ROM You Downloaded
12. Tap on the ‘Add More Zips’ Option
13. Browse to and Tap on the Gapps Package You Downloaded
14. When Ready, Swipe the Blue Arrow to the Right to Install
15. Wait Until the Installation is Completed
16. Tap on the ‘Wipe Cache/Dalvik’ Option
17. Tap on the Back Button
18. Then Tap on the ‘Reboot System’ Button

Explanation

As I said, you will first need to have all of the requirements done before you can start this tutorial. When you are ready though, this installation process is fairly easy once you get the hang of it. Thankfully when it is broken down into a step by step guide like this, it becomes very easy to learn. So the first thing you need to do is download a custom ROM for your specific model of the Nexus 6 from XDA(onto your Nexus 6). I will compile a list of all available custom ROMs and Kernels later this week but they can all be found on the XDA forums.

You also want to download the Gapps package that is made for your version of Android. For example, if you downloaded a 5.0.x Lollipop custom ROM, then you’ll want to download the 5.0 Gapps package from the link in the tutorial above. If you downloaded a custom ROM base don 4.4.x KitKat, then you’ll want to download the 4.4.x Gapps package from the link in the tutorial. Once you have both the Gapps package as well as your custom ROM downloaded, you can then proceed to boot the Nexus 6 into recovery mode.

While in the recovery mode of the Nexus 6, if you haven’t created a Nandroid backup then please do so right now. You can follow this tutorial and it will walk you through the entire process. It’s easy to do and I cannot recommend it enough. Always have a backup created before you start any major Android modification like this. You could have accidentally downloaded a custom ROM for a different Nexus 6 model or something so please make sure you have a backup ready just in case something goes wrong.

Now that the warning is out-of-the-way, go ahead and tap on the ‘wipe’ option once you have booted the Nexus 6 into the recovery mode. From here, you’ll want to tap on the ‘advanced wipe’ option and then you’ll see a list of available partitions on your Nexus 6. Make sure the Dalvik Cache, System, Data and Cache partitions are the only ones checked here. When ready, you can swipe the blue arrow that you see at the bottom of the screen to the right. This will wipe those selected partitions and this is required in order to do a ‘clean install’ of a custom ROM.

Once those partitions have been wiped, tap on the Home button that you see at the bottom so we can go back to the main menu. Then you can tap on ‘install’ and you’ll be shown a file browser. Most likely you just need to tap on the Download folder because that is where downloaded files(aka the custom ROM) are stored on Android. When you have found the custom ROM, go ahead and tap on the and then tap on the ‘add more zips’ button. Then locate the Gapps package that you downloaded earlier and tap on it so add it to the queue. Once you have done that, you can swipe the blue arrow at the bottom all the way to the right to start the installation process.

You’ll see a lot of text scrolling by the little box in the middle of the screen and this is just showing you what is currently being installed. When the custom ROM and the Gapps package has been installed, you should see a couple of buttons appear at the bottom. Once is for rebooting and the other is for wiping the cache/dalvik cache. Go ahead and wipe the cache and then tap the ‘back’ button after that is done. Then all you have to do is tap on the ‘reboot system’ button and you will be rebooted into your newly installed custom ROM.

Assuming that you are installing a custom ROM based on 5.x Lollipop, the first boot up is going to be slow. Depending on the device, it can take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes(maybe even 15 minutes) before you finally see the Android setup screen. Don’t panic if it takes a few minutes on the first time. Subsequent reboots afterwards will be like normal, there’s just a lot of things that Android needs to set up on that first reboot.

As always, if you have any questions about this tutorial, or if you run into any issues, then please do not hesitate to leave a comment at the bottom of this tutorial. I might not be able to familiar with, or able to reproduce, the issue/question you have. However, I will certainly do what I can to help out in any way that I can.