Googler and AOSP gatekeeper Jean-Baptiste Queru announced that the factory restore images for the GSM flavored Samsung Galaxy Nexus are now available for download on the Android Building Google group this afternoon. This means that no matter how bad you screw up the system software on your new Nexus phone, you now have a path to go back to where you started, namely Android 4.0.1 (ITL41D) as well as the original baseband and bootloader. To use these images, you'll need to have fastboot up and running and have a bit of know-how about how exactly to use it, so be sure to spend a bit of time reading if you're not familiar with the process. You can find the image, with a handy flash-all script to simplify the process included, at the link below.
Source: Android Building Google group
Reader comments
GSM Galaxy Nexus factory images now available
all these Nexus posts keep getting my hopes up for a Verizon release date...you would think i would have learned by now. Verizon= Nexus killer
Awesome. Glad they are getting their side up to speed while waiting on a US release. At least when I finally get mine everything, including some of the fixes, will be there patiently waiting on my eager hands. Can't wait to work on this phone!
I feel bad for the VZW people here, its nice to be on AT&T for once for the fact actually have the phone and get to do this without dealing with all of the carrier drama.
Agreed. At first I found it funny that I could flaunt my GN on AT&T...but not, this is ridiculous, it seems like VZW is just punishing those who want a pure Google experience rather than another HTC phone overloaded with Sense-crap (Rezound) or the latest locked bootloader offering from Moto, the Droid RAZR, complete with the inability to change batteries!
Cmon VZW, get your shit together and give the people what they want.
So, theoretically, if pigs fly and AT&T does release this (and modifies/changes/adds stuff to their version), I could flash this to the device and itd be like having the international version, right?
Yes. Yes you could.
So does this mean we have a release date?
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{sarcasm}
Dumb question from new user. Does this mean that you can't brick the phone? So say a new user wanted to starting playing with ROMS and such, they would not have to be overly cautious because this amazing community could help bring them back to stock semi-easily?