Why flash Android? Because of the desire to expand the functionality, see how your gadget might look like in a new “wrapper”, restore the phone when it is not possible to roll back, etc. But regardless of the reason, this is done.
How to install firmware on Android from a computer?
First you need to download it. It’s best to download the official one from the mobile device manufacturer’s website. It is worth noting that the software is selected directly for a particular phone model, otherwise it may not “become”, which may cause additional problems.
If the manufacturer’s official website does not have the necessary software, or if it doesn’t suit something, you can go to the expanses of the World Wide Web and look for custom. Custom firmware is an operating system from an unofficial developer that has some improvements, bug fixes and bugs, and may even increase battery capacity. You just need to look for it exclusively on secure sites, and before downloading, be sure to familiarize yourself with the features and features, view screenshots, read reviews from other users.
Need to know
Before flashing a mobile device, you need to remember and follow a few rules:
- It is necessary that the battery power of the phone should be at least 80%, and better all 100%.
- Install drivers on the computer for your device.
- It is very undesirable if the Android firmware via the PC breaks due to a power outage. Therefore, it is best to use a laptop or a stationary computer with an uninterrupted power supply in this matter.
- To protect your device from low-quality OS, you need to make a backup copy of the current software and data.
- It is extremely undesirable to use the USB 3.0 port for flashing (USB 3.0 port is blue, 2.0 is white).
- Once again, before downloading the firmware, you must carefully read it. Suspicious sites should also be avoided.
- It is best to use the original USB cable that came with the device.
- Usually, after flashing the device’s power button, you need to hold it for 15-20 seconds, so do not panic if it turns on for a long time. Then it will turn on as before.
Fastboot
Using Fastboot, the Android tablet firmware is available through the computer. Download the Fastboot utility, unpack it to the root of the system drive (most often this is drive C). It turned out the folder with the path to it C: \ Android. There are 2 more folders: Tools and Drivers. The first contains the necessary programs, the second contains drivers. Open the Drivers folder and install the necessary drivers. Next, transfer the downloaded firmware to the Tools folder in the zip archive. Now we connect the gadget to the computer via USB.
Open the command line (or cmd) and enter the command without the quotes “cd C: \ Android \ Tools”. Moving to the directory of this folder, enter fastboot devices.
In this case, the device code should appear. If the code does not appear, then you need to unlock the bootloader.
Bootloader provides OS information about the status of the memory card, RAM, kernel and is responsible for loading the OS. And if it is not unlocked, then flashing will fail. It is worth noting that when you unlock the bootloader, the device loses its warranty. However, it is quite simple to lock it back if such a need arises. You need to pay attention to the fact that unlocking will erase the entire contents of the device and the memory card, so it is best to backup the data of the internal memory and SD card before doing this.
Unlock bootloader
To unlock the bootloader (and the firmware of the Android tablet via the computer has become possible), you need to perform the following steps:
- Turn off the mobile device.
- We connect it to the PC and hold down the power button and both volumes simultaneously.
- On the computer, open the command line (or cmd), where we enter without quotation marks “cd C: \ Android \ Tools”.
- Enter the command fastboot oem unlock.
- Check again with the fastboot devices command.
- If instead of the gadget code appears waiting for device, it is worth checking the presence of drivers and changing the USB cable.
If the device was recognized, enter the command: fastboot update file_name.zip. After flashing, we reboot.
Flashtool
Before installing the firmware on Android from a computer using the Flashtool utility, you need to download the operating system in ftf format. After downloading and installing the program. The downloaded file for flashing is placed in the Firmwares folder, which is located in the program directory. Run the utility.
Click on the button with the lightning bolt in the upper left corner, leave the dot on Flashmode.
Now you need an operating system file from the list for the gadget, on the right should be a checkmark on Wipe User Data and Wipe Cache. We wait a bit, after which a window will appear with instructions for connecting the phone. We connect it to the computer and hold down the power button and the volume down (camera, menu - the key combination may be different for different phones, so you need to clarify it for a specific model). As soon as the program gets access, automatic phone flashing through the computer will begin . "Android" will be installed quite quickly, in a few minutes.
After the process is completed, turn on the gadget and go through the initial setup.
This method of installing software is one of the best, since installing the firmware on Android from a computer using Flashtool is possible when the phone is turned off, in which Recovery mode is not provided.
Using specialized programs
Many developers of mobile devices have developed special service utilities. One of these utilities is the Fly smartphone software update. With its help, it became possible to update the current OS and firmware "Android" through the computer Fly-smartphone.
Download it, install it. Once installed, the utility will offer to connect the device to the PC. It is worth noting that USB debugging on it must be enabled. If it is disabled, the utility itself will help to do this. After that, click "Install Driver."
We connect the smartphone, run the utility. Click "Check for update" and select a model from the list (if you have not decided yet). Next, a window with information about the software will appear, where we click "Start Download" and follow the simple instructions.
Such a program is far from the only one, since it is possible to install firmware on Android from a computer using a similar utility from a developer on almost every smartphone.
Recovery Mode
In the "recovery" mode, that is, in recovery mode, you can also reflash your device. As in any other case, you need to download the OS and move it to the SD card. It is worth noting that this Android firmware is made without a computer.
In order to install a new OS on the phone, you need to go to the engineering menu or Recovery mode. To do this, turn it off, then hold down the power button and the volume down, up button or the “menu” button (for each phone manufacturer, the combination may be different, so you need to find out additionally).
Depending on the version of Recover, our actions are as follows:
- in the standard version, click apply update from external storage;
- in TWRP version - install ZIP;
- in CWM version - apply update from sdcard.
After the “Android” firmware of HTC or any other manufacturer is successful, you need to restart your smartphone and go through the initial setup.
It should be noted that if all possible combinations were tried, and the gadget did not enter the "recovery" mode, it means that this function is disabled or completely absent in this device.
A couple of words
Once again, we recall a couple of important points that can save several thousand nerve cells from certain death:
- Before installing the firmware on “Android” from a computer, you must make a backup copy of the data. This can be done using special utilities from both an official developer and an unofficial one. This will help to do a system recovery if the flashing failed.
- After flashing, you need to hold the power button for 15-20 seconds. If it does not turn on, you can try to remove and insert the battery and try turning it on again.
- Rather, the flash card will have to be formatted. Even if there is a lot of information, the new Android can create new sections on it over the old ones, completely ignoring the latter. Therefore, before connecting a USB flash drive, it is best to reset all its contents to a computer.