The Nexus 7 (2013) unit can now experience the goodies offered by the latest version of Google's OS, the Android 7.1 Nougat via Custom ROM.

Since Nexus 7 will not receive the new Android update, the only way to get it is through custom ROM. The Nougat based NitrogenOS is the most popular custom ROM available for Nexus 7.

However, there are prerequisites before updating Nexus 7 to Android 7.1 via NitrogenOS. The USB drivers must be downloaded and installed for Nexus 7 on the computer. Navigate and tap on Developer Options to make sure that USB Debugging is enabled.

The device should be rooted, and TWRP recovery is needed. The battery must be 80 percent or more to avoid interruption. NitrogenOS Android 7.1.1 Nougat ROM and GApps package are also required to download.

By starting the procedures, the device must be connected to the PC using USB cable. Copy all the downloaded files to the SD card of the device before disconnecting and turning off the Nexus 7.

The next step is to boot with the use of the Bootloader mode; press and hold Volume Up, Volume Down and the Power buttons together. Follow the onscreen instructions once it appeared, and go to recovery. When already there, use Volume keys to highlight and Power to select.

Go to factory reset and confirm the operation when it comes to data wipe operations. Wipe the cache partition and go to wipe Dalvik cache to clean it up too. After that, select install and choose zip from SD card. Place NitrogenOS Android 7.1.1 Nougat zip files and approve its installation.

When the ROM installation is complete, repeat the steps for installing the GApps package. Return to main recovery menu and choose reboot system now when done. The boot may take up to 5 minutes.