CyanogenMod officially released Android 5.0 Lollipop based CM 12 custom ROM for Nexus 7 3G 2012 edition. The following tutorial will give you all the right steps to tell you how to install this ROM on your Nexus 7.

Android 5.0 Lollipop is the latest yet beautiful OS released by Google recently. Android 5.0 Lollipop has some great features like material design, improved Google Now, fast charging and many more. This CM 12 is a custom ROM made by CyanogenMod team based on Android 5.0 Lollipop. The ROM is a nightly build of CM 12 so this ROM is for testing purpose and have some minor bugs but CyanogenMod team still working on this ROM to remove these bugs as soon as possible. Don’t worry this ROM has been tested and verified good for everyday use.

CyanogenMod

This process of flashing custom ROM to your Nexus 7 is not recommended by Google so you should know that this is an illegal process and using this process may lead to violation of your device’s warranty. As this process is tested safe but if anything goes wrong that only means that simply means that this is all your fault.

In this process we have to format the internal memory of your device so you should backup  all of your data so you never lose them. You can sync all of your contacts to Google account and restore them after this process. Backup all of your important apps using Titanium Backup application (this app needs root access) available on Google Play Store and restore them after installing the ROM. Backup all of your media like your photos, music, videos and all important documents to your PC or any other external drive.

There are some preparation you have to do before going to installation steps. These points are very important so read them all carefully before going to steps.

  • Your Nexus should have been rooted cause we are gong to alter system’s files and a custom recovery must be installed (TWRP recommended) as it will give us the environment and tools to install a custom ROM. And this custom recovery must be the latest version otherwise it will not support Android 5.0 Lollipop based custom ROMs.
  • Enable USB debugging on your device by going to settings > About Device > tap on build number seven times, now go back to settings > Developer Options > enable the USB debugging option.
  • Charge your device’s battery to at leat 75% cause this process eats so much battery so your device should have enough battery so it will not go off during the process if it happens your device will get bricked!
  • Do not skip any of the steps listed in this tutorial cause skipping any step may cost you with your device getting bricked.
  • Use this tutorial and files only for Nexus 7 3G 2012 edition, don’t use these files on any other android variant or it may can brick your device.

Now you are ready to install ROM. Don’t go beyond this point if you have not read all the guidelines listed above. These guidelines listed above are important and make you device ready for this flashing process.

Steps to install CM 12 Nightly Build Custom ROM on Nexus 7 3G 2012 Edition.

  1. Download CM 12 nightly build custom ROM zip file from here.
  2. Download Google apps zip file from here.
  3. Transfer these two zip files (do not unzip these files) to your device by USB cable and unplug your device from PC after the transfer process in completed.
  4. Reboot your device to recovery mode.
  5. Tap on “Backup”, give this backup a name and then confirm the step.
  6. Now come to home screen and tap on “Wipe” and confirm this step.
  7. Now tap on “Install” then “choose zip from SD card” then browse through your device’s memory and select the CM 2 ROM zip file and confirm to install this ROM.
  8. After the installation, install the Google apps zip file using the same way as you installed the ROM (step 7).
  9. After installation tap on “Reboot” the “System”.
  10. This will reboot your device normally and soon you will see the CM 12 boot animation.

Now leave your device until you see the welcome screen, this will take about 10 to 12 minutes. Now complete the setup and enjoy this new CM 12 custom ROM on your device. If your device fails to reach the welcome screen don’t worry, repeat all the steps again, that might solve the problem.

Now enjoy the new ROM on your Nexus 7 and don’t forget to like and share this tutorial with your friends so that they also get some benefit with this tutorial.