Updating your phone’s Android version is definitely one of the best free upgrades you can get for your smartphone. In terms of software, at least. Each time a new Android version is released, it brings with it new security patches, exciting and great features, a smoother and visually appealing interface, and of course, a cute new name based on a food item and much more. After reading all this, you might be more than interested now to upgrade your phone’s Android version! Just note that not all phones can use the latest Android version because of hardware limitations. But if your phone is fairly new, you can definitely expect to get one or two version updates. This will help you come as close to the latest version as possible. Here are some methods to do just that:
Note: Before updating your Android device’s software, make sure that your phone is connected to a power source or at least has 70% or more battery remaining. This is to avoid the possibility of your Android phone getting bricked, which happens during a forced interruption during a software update. This will render your phone useless until the incomplete software is deleted, and a complete one is installed in it.
How to update Android version from Settings
You can use this method to update your device’s Android version from the settings app on your phone. This is a very generic method, which is applicable to almost all Android smartphones with slight differences.
- Unlock your phone and launch the settings app on the app drawer.
- Go to Wi-Fi and connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (preferably a home Wi-Fi).
- Once you’re connected to the Wi-Fi network, go back to the settings main page and scroll down to find the option “About phone“. Once you do, tap on it.
- From the presented list, tap on the “System update“ option.
- If there are any new updates, they should be listed in this tab.
- If not, tap on the Check for an update button.
- Select the update which is presented, make sure to read all the information about that update before tapping on the “Download and install“ button at the bottom of your screen.
- After the update is downloading you can install it (some brands set it on auto while for others you may need to do it manually) by simply tapping on the install button on the same tab.
- The installation will take not more than 15 minutes, after which your device will reboot. Then, you will be able to enjoy the new features of the update.
- If there are no new updates available for your device, there will be a message which says “this device is up-to-date”.
Update Android version of Samsung phones
In this method, we will discuss all the steps you need to follow to update your Samsung device’s Android version. These steps should be almost the same for all Samsung devices with Android versions 9 (Pie) or above.
- After unlocking your phone, swipe up on the home screen to access your app drawer.
- Navigate to the Settings app and launch it.
- In the Settings tab, look for and select the option of “Software update”.
- Any new updates should be listed at the top of this page.
- And if there is a new update available, tap on the “Download and install” button to install the new software update on your Samsung device.
- You can automate the software update process in the future by tapping on the “Auto download over Wi-Fi” option to toggle it on.
- If there are no new software update available for your Samsung device, there will be a message saying that your device is completely up-to-date.
How to update Security patches on Android
Although all security patches and similar updates are automatically installed on most Android devices, you might want to confirm that once in a while just to be sure. Security patches are extremely essential for any smartphone connected to the internet. New security patches are added to defend against new virtual threats, that’s why they are of such importance. You can follow these steps to ensure that the security patch on your device is up-to-date:
- From the app drawer, launch the settings app.
- From the presented list of options in the settings tab, tap on the “Security“ option.
- You will be presented with another list of options, look for and select the “Security updates” option.
- From there you simply need to follow the on-screen instructions which will tell you what the new security patch offers.
- After going through all that, you just need to tap on the “Download/Install” button to install the new security patch on your Android device.