Google is edging towards updating its entire Nexus series to Android 4.4.3, with OTAs headed (and captured for sideloading) to the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 10, and Nexus 7 (2013) WiFi. But, as of this morning, there were still a couple of laggards, including the popular 2012 original Nexus 7 tablet.

Good news – over the air updates are heading towards the Nexus 7 (2012) as we speak, and a fast thinking user managed to capture the update .zip file and make it available on the XDA-Developers forums. The OTA file is for the GSM/HSPA+ (3G) version of the Nexus 7 (2012), a.k.a. nakasig, and brings the firmware number to KTU84L.

This is an incremental update, not a full factory image, meaning that you will need your device to be on firmware number KOT49H (Android 4.4.2) in order for the update to work. Sideloading the OTA file will not delete your user data.

You can sideload the Android 4.4.3 update to your Nexus 7 (2013) using the OTA file on XDA. For a guide to sideloading an OTA file to your device, check out this tutorial, which lists all the steps you should follow.

Download Android 4.4.3 OTA file for Nexus 7 (2012) 3G KOT49H>>KTU84L (via XDA-Developers via XDA-Portal)

Android 4.4.3 brings many bug fixes (though some old issues remained unfixed), as well as small updates to the Dialer and People apps.

As for the WiFi version of the Nexus 7 (2012), we’ll keep an eye out for it – an OTA file should surface any minute now, and we will update this post as soon as we can.