Nexus 5 Android 4.4.4 Update File is Now Available for Manual Installation

By Vincent Funaro, Christian Post Reporter Friday, June 20, 2014

The Nexus 5 Android 4.4.4 update file is now available and can be installed manually.

Google released the factory images for the software yesterday. The update contains security fixes and corrects one major issue that affects the Open SSL protocol. The baseband version has been changed to 1.16 from 1.13 on the smartphone. The update could also solve connectivity issues.

It can be manually installed using the OTA file that was captured by XDA Developers member Sucro. The download for the file can be found here. It can only be installed on Nexus 5 models running the most current software which is Android 4.4.3 KTU84M.

The rooting method named Towelroot will still work after Android 4.4.4 is installed. Android Authority claims that the new version of Android does not stop Nexus 5 users from unlocking everything on their handset as the security glitch that allows to be rooted has not been patched.

This Towelroot method released by hacker George Hotz unlocks various smartphones including the unrooted Galaxy S5 on Verizon and more.

Other smartphones that can be rooted using this method include the AT&T Galaxy S5, AT&T Galaxy S4 Active, AT&T Galaxy Note 3 and Sprint Galaxy Note 3, according to Hotz, who is now known as geohot. The method bypasses the system's protections to gain root access.

Geohot said that Towelroot should work with most handsets that have an unpatched kernel, or kernel versions that are older than June 3, 2014. Commenters on various online forums have made claims that say it works with Asus, Oppo and Sony devices.

Towelroot is a one-click rooting tool and it is packaged as an APK. It can be downloaded off Towelroot.com.