How to get Android 5.0 Lollipop on your PC

If you’re an eager beaver and can’t wait to try out Android 5.0 Lollipop, but your Android phone still has a long way to go before it can actually get updated OTA, usually your last resort would be flashing a custom ROM. Well, today we’re here to give you an alternate solution. Here’s how to get Android Lollipop on your PC.

Get Android 5.0 Lollipop on your PC. / © ANDROIDPIT

After completing this guide, you will be able to use an Android Lollipop emulator on your PC. This emulator simulates the functions and features of an Android device right on your computer, unlike other services, like Bluestack, that only let you run Android apps.

• Android 5.0 Lollipop: find out everything you need to know about Android 5.0 here

Requirements

Android SDK : this contains the SDK Manager with which you will be able to download Android Lollipop and other necessary tools.  

How to install the Android 5.0 Lollipop on your computer

The procedure is divided into two phases, downloading the necessary files and creating the emulator.

Install the necessary material

• Download the zip file for the Android SDK for your computer (32 or 64 bit).
• Extract the zip file that you just downloaded with an archive manager (like 7-Zip). Choose an appropriate location for the extraction and remember where it has been saved (C: \ Program Files \ Android ").
• Open the program SDK Manager and the android-sdk folder, and wait for it to finish loading.
• If you find that items are already selected, deselect them. Under Tools select only Android SDK Platform-tools. Also select the entire section called Android 5.0 (API 21). Now click Install Packages, accept and confirm the installation. The process of downloading and installation will start now.

Tick the boxes which are marked here in red and then choose Install packages. / © ANDROIDPIT

Create the Android Lollipop emulator

After installation, go to the android-sdk folder and open the AVD Manager program. Select the Create button, it will open a window where you can set the parameters of the emulator. Insert the following:

The Android 5.0 Lollipop emulator settings. / © ANDROIDPIT

• AVD Name: the name of the emulator, do not use spaces (example: EmulatoreLollipop)
• Device: select a preset template among those present, I recommend the Nexus 5 or earlier.
• Target : the version of Android to be installed (Android 5.0 - API Level 21)
• CPU: select "ARM"
• Skin : select "Skin with dynamic hardware controls"
• RAM : I recommend you choose either 512 or 1024 (it will be "taken away" from that of the PC, so don’t overdo it or it will slow down the system)
• Leave the other items with default values ​​and press OK.

You will now find your new emulator in the list found on AVD Manager. Select it, press Start and then Launch to run it. The first startup may take several minutes, as it will install Android Lollipop. To select a size, go into the the Launch Options after Start, select ''Scale to display real size'' and set your prefered size.

Screenshots of the emulator once on the computer. / © ANDROIDPIT

Congratulations, you’ve now successfully installed your first PC emulator with Android Lollipop. Now you can immerse yourself into Material Design and comb through each new option brought by this fantastic update!