How to install Google Android 2.3.4 for the Nexus One

Google has begun pushing out an over the air update for Nexus One smartphone users bringing Android 2.3.4 to the company’s older flagship phone. The latest version of Android started showing up for Google Nexus S users last week.

If you don’t feel like waiting until a notification pops up on your phone letting you know your download is ready, you can go ahead and install Android 2.3.4 manually. Here’s how:

1. Download the update file directly from Google’s servers and save the file to your desktop.
2. Change the file name to “update.zip.”
3. Copy the file to the root directory of your microSD card.
4. Turn off your Nexus One.
5. Hold the trackball and press the power button to turn on the phone.
6. When you see a white screen with three Androids on skateboards use the volume buttons to move up and down. Choose “bootloader” and then press the power button.
7. On the next screen choose “recovery.”
8. The phone should reboot and show you an exclamation point inside a triangle.
9. Press the power button and volume up button at the same time.
10. Use the trackball to select “Apply sdcard:update.zip.”
11. Once the update has been applied, choose “reboot system now.”

That should do the trick.

Note that while Google Android 2.3.4 for the Nexus One should fix some bugs, it won’t bring voice and video chat to the Google Talk messenger. That feature is currently only available for the Google Nexus S… or for anyone who installs the latest version of Google Talk manually on a rooted phone. You’ll need to disable signature verification for this to work, which means installing ClockworkMod Recovery if you haven’t already. You can find good instructions for doing that at Jaxov.

The nice thing about this update is that you don’t need to root your phone to apply it — but if you already have a rooted phone you may want to try using the modified version of the update.zip file posted by xda-developers forum member netzpirat which should let you update without losing root access.