The Nexus 4 and the other Nexus tablets are expected to get the Android 4.4 KitKat update over the coming weeks. Hopefully, Google will roll out the update available by the middle of next week itself.

However, if the wait is too much and you are itching to get your hands on Android 4.4 KitKat, fret  not. An AOSP based KitKat ROM is already available for the Nexus 4, so you can enjoy the latest version of Android on your handset right away.

Before you jump to the installation steps below, make sure that the bootloader of your Nexus 4 is unlocked and you have CWM recovery installed. If you are using TWRP recovery, download ROM Manager from the Play Store and use it to install the normal CWM recovery. Also, make sure to backup all your data since installing this ROM will wipe your data partition.

Step 1: Download the Android 4.4 KitKat ROM and the Google Apps package and transfer the zip files to your device.

Nexus 4 KitKat ROM – Download

Google Apps – Download

Step 2: Reboot the handset into Recovery mode. If you don’t know how to do that, use Quick Reboot from the Play Store.

Step 3: Since the CWM version you are using is non-touch based, you will need to use the Volume keys to navigate around and the Power key to select any option. Navigate to the “wipe data/factory reset” option and select it by pressing the Power key.

Step 4: Now, select the ‘install zip from sdcard’ option and select the Android 4.4 KitKat ROM you transferred to the device in Step 1.  Once the ROM has been installed, select the Install option again but this time select the Google Apps ZIP file.

Step 5: Once the installation is complete, reboot the device to enjoy Android 4.4 KitKat. Keep in mind that the first boot can take up to a few minutes.

If for some reason the device is stuck on the boot animation screen, repeat the above steps again. If you are still facing any problem, drop in a comment and we would be happy to help.