The Google Nexus 4 is getting older now, but because the Google-owned smartphones are known as the item to buy for those looking to gain root access, it’s never been a better time to try out a custom ROM. So, if you are already using your Nexus with root access and want to check out a new custom ROM you might not have tried before, you might be interested in checking out the new Dirty Unicorn option.

REQUIREMENTS

• You should have gained rooting privileges already and have a custom recovery image installed such as TWRP recovery or ClockorkMod recovery.
• Download the Google Gapps pack from here if you want to have the stock apps from Google such as the Play Store and Gmail.
• Download the Dirty Unicorn custom ROM.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN 

• You should take a Nandroid backup of the current ROM so you have a snapshot of the ROM and the data.
  – if you are switching between ROMS we recommend taking a factory reset before flashing the new ROM. In that case, you will lose the data unless you do take the Nandroid. Those not factory resetting will not lose any data just by flashing the new Dirty Unicorn ROM.
• You should have the USB Debugging Mode enabled from the Developer Options menu. Moreover, make sure you have the USB cable you use for charging.

HOW TO UPDATE THE NEXUS 4 WITH ANDROID 5.0.2 LOLLIPOP DIRTY UNICORN CUSTOM ROM 

1. Download the files above to the desktop of the computer.
2. Connect the nexus 4 to the computer and transfer the files over to the internal storage SD card.
3. Unplug the phone and completely power down.
4. Boot it up in bootloader mode by holding the Power + Volume Up + Volume Down together.
5. Select to enter the recovery mode from the menu.
6. Those of you wanting the factory reset should select the “wipe data/factory reset option” from in recovery.
7. Now wipe the cache partition, followed by wiping the Dalvik cache.
8. Navigate out of there and select to “install zip from SD card”.
9. Choose to upload the Dirty Unicorn custom ROM zipped file.
10. Confirm you want to install the file and wait until it’s done.
11. Do the same and upload the Google Gapps package.
12. Now go back to the main recovery menu and select to reboot the system.