OTA updates, or over-the-air updates, are one of the best ways to enhance the functionality of our Android phones. They do not affect the applications you download from Google Play, and they also save a lot of operational costs needed to apply new functionality. Even though everyone knows about OTA updates, they still need help sideloading them.
The reason is that OTA updates vary from device to device and require rigid installation steps. On that note, we devised possible ways to install OTA updates on any Android device. Fortunately, there is something that we would like to explain here. In other words, we will explain how to install OTA updates today.
How to Install the OTA Update on Any Android Device
Since OTA updates are all about customizing the default settings on your Phone and somewhere connected to unlocking your Phone, once your device has been rooted, OTA updates will install perfectly and will not show any errors. So, being a frequent reader, we hope you have jailbroken your device; if not, do it here. After rooting it, follow the steps below to install OTA updates.
- On your Android, open Settings >> About Phone>> Build Number.
- Then, restore the untouched boot image corresponding to the installed build number.
- Download the Fastboot-compatible factory image corresponding to your PC’s current Android build number. For example, it should be named <device codename>-<build number>. -factory-<hash value snippet>.zip.
- Using any archive manager, open the factory image and locate the image-<device codename>-<build number>.zip file.
- Then, extract the boot—image file from it.
- Now enable USB debugging and reboot your phone to bootloader mode.
- Flash the stock boot image and reboot your device.
- After that, head to settings >> system >> system updates >> check for updates.
- Now patch the boot image with Magisk and restart your Phone.
- That is it, and you are on the latest OTA update.
Alternatively, there is a quick way to install OTA updates on any Android device. However, there are some steps that you must follow. The alternative method suits those with a dedicated factory image for corresponding updates. If so, please follow the instructions below.
- Just download the factory image corresponding to your Android device’s latest Update.
- Locate the image-<device codename>-<build number>.zip file and extract the boot—image using any archive manager file.
- Now, patch the stock boot image using Magisk.
- Next, copy the Magisk-patched boot image from your Phone to your PC and rename it boot. img.
- As mentioned in step 2, open the file and replace it with the stock boot image file.
- Next, remove the data wipe routine, like in Windows. Open the Flash-all.bat file in Notepad and remove the “-w” parameter.
- Reboot your Phone to bootloader mode and perform the flash operation using Fastboot.
- After doing this, your Phone will be updated to the latest OS version.
Furthermore, you can do the same thing using stock recovery mode. Follow a few steps here, and the new OTA update will be on your Phone. It has some requirements but works perfectly. So, to install OTA updates using stock recovery, follow the instructions below.
- Download and move the OTA updates.zip file to your Phone.
- Then, reboot your phone and turn it into recovery mode.
- After that, press the volume-up button to navigate, and select Apply the Update using the power button.
- Now select the.zip file from your Phone and install it.
- Once the installation is complete, reboot your phone, and you will be done.
If you love doing things manually, a direct way to do this is through the ADB command. Although it is a technical part, few people pay attention to it because it helps them know if a function does not work. So, to install OTA updates using ADB commands, follow the steps below.
- First, set up ADB and Fastboot on your PC.
- Download the OTA update.zip file and rename it to ota.zip.
- Enable USB debugging through settings >> about Phone>> tap the build number 7 times >> developer option.
- Now, connect your PC to your Phone.
- Head to the folder where you downloaded the OTA zip file and open a command prompt.
- Next, run this “adb reboot recovery” command to get your Phone into recovery mode.
- Using the power button, select Apply Update from the ADB option on your Phone.
- Now run the installation using “adb sideload ota.zip” with this command.
- That is it; you will be on the latest OS update in a few seconds.
Conclusively, OTA updates can be accessed in different ways. As mentioned here, there are different roadmaps to upgrading to the latest OS update. Moreover, I hope you understand that you can use any method to accomplish what you want. Even though we have covered all the relevant things for installing OTA updates, if any user has any questions, please feel free to ask them below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How do I manually install the OTA update?
Ans. You can do that through the ADB command.
Q2. Is there any alternative to installing an OTA update other than ADB?
Ans. You can do that in stock recovery mode.
Q3. Which is the most suitable way to install an OTA update?
Ans. The best way to install an OTA update is with the ADB command.
Q4. Is it essential to root your Phone to install the OTA update?
Ans. There is no need to root, and it depends on your preferences.