The Google Nexus S can now be installed with an unofficial custom Android 6.0 Marshmallow ROM. The unofficial Marshmallow ROM for the Nexus S allows legal installation of Google apps though it reportedly comes with issues affecting proper device function.
Users of the Google Nexus S can get a taste of Google's latest software platform with an unofficial Android 6.0 Marshmallow ROM. The custom Android M ROM for the Google Nexus S was created by a developer named Dmitry Grinberg.
According to Phone Arena, Grinberg made the custom Android Marshmallow ROM to show that older phone models can run the latest Android software. The Google Nexus S was made back in April 2011 and got its last Android Jelly Bean update in October 2012. Since then, Google stopped releasing updates for the device to market its newer handsets running the latest software.
Grinberg made the unofficial source code available for download on his website. He also created images and patches of the Android Marshmallow ROM which are available on his site as well.
International Business Times reported that Grinberg's custom Android Marshmallow ROM is a stable build. According to the developer, the unofficial Android M ROM allows Google apps to be installed legally on the device. "Since Nexus S was originally a Google-Play-equipped device, you can legally install Google Apps on this image and enjoy a full Google Android 6.0 experience on your Nexus S," said Grinberg. "That part, however, is up to you to do yourself. I am not offering GApps downloads here."
Grinberg added that the Google Nexus S' Bluetooth, camera, GPS, NFC, and Wi-Fi features function properly on the Android Marshmallow build he created. Yet, it was reported that there were ROM issues that affect the phone's function. Grinberg detailed the said issues in his website, saying that the APN setting reverts to iPV6 and other problems.
Making the Android Marshmallow ROM was not easy and Grinberg had to overcome problems he encountered along the way. One such problem is the double storage partition of the Google Nexus S. The latest Android phones today only have one partition, whereas the Nexus S has two partitions - one for media storage and another for the apps and software.
Grinberg said that the Google Nexus S OS partition can only contain 1GB of data which is not enough to install Android Marshmallow. His solution was to transfer everything to the media partition which has 15GB data space, reported Venture Capital Post.
The Google Nexus S has a 4" AMOLED screen with 480 x 800 pixel resolution. Under the hood, it is powered by a Qualcomm Hummingbird processor clocked at 1GHz. It contains 16GB of internal memory and 512MB of RAM.
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