Whenever we talk updating our phones, we inevitably talk about "manual updates." And that leads to the inevitable questions, "Is it safe?" and "How do I do it?"
Manual updates are just like over-the-air (OTA) updates. Only difference is that instead of letting your phone download the update from a server somewhere, you download it yourself, move save it to you phone's SD card and then manually start the update process. In an OTA update, the phone does all this for you. But the big difference is that there's no waiting with manual updates.
In the video above -- edited for time purposes -- we walk you through manually updating the Nexus One to Android 2.3.3 Gingerbead. And note that this is for a stock phone -- unrooted, stock recovery, the whole nine yards.
The general process is similar for most phones, though you'll want to follow the instructions for your specific device. And as always, if you have more questions, hit us up in the Android Central Forums.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

From the Editor's Desk: My year of hobbies
It's been a year of filling in the gaps, but these hobbies are what's keeping me going.

Here's why the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller joysticks drift
The new DualSense controller isn't the only controller with joystick drift — it's just the newest. Here's why it happens and why there's not much you can do about it.

The Galaxy Watch 4 is coming soon — here's everything you need to know
Samsung is working on a new smartwatch that'll abandon its proprietary OS for Wear OS, plus a non-invasive blood glucose tracker for diabetic users. We're just not sure if it's the Galaxy Watch 4, Galaxy Active Watch 3, or something entirely new! Here's what we do know about, and hope to see in the new Galaxy smartwatch.

These photo printers make it easy to print from your Android phone
Do you want to be able to print photos directly from your Android phone? Well, now it's easier than ever and we have found the best photo printers to choose from in 2021.