Check for Your Android Phone Updates

Method 1: Checking for System Updates

1. 1
   Open the Settings menu for your Android. You can find this by tapping the Settings app in your Apps list.
2. 2
   Scroll to the bottom of the menu and tap About device. It may say "About phone" or "About tablet," depending on your device.
   

   • If you don't see "About device," tap the "System" category first.
   • On some Android devices, you'll see the "System updates" option in the main Settings menu below "About device." Tap it instead.
3. 3
   Tap System updates. It may say "Software updates" or "Download updates manually."
4. 4
   Tap Check for update. The wording may vary depending on your device.
5. 5
   Tap OK if asked to confirm.
6. 6
   Wait while your device checks for updates. This may take a few moments.
7. 7
   Tap Download or Yes if an update is available. The update will begin downloading to your device. It is recommended that you download updates while connected to a wireless network, as they can be quite large.
   

   • If no update is available, you can try again later. Mashing the Check for Update button won't make the update appear faster.
8. 8
   Tap Install Now after the update has downloaded. It may take a while for the update to download the installation option to become available.
9. 9
   Connect your device to a charger. You'll need at least 50% battery before starting a system update, and it's recommended to keep your device charging during it.
10. 10
    Wait while your device updates. Your Android device will restart and begin the update process. This may take 20-30 minutes to complete.

Method 2: Checking for App Updates

1. 1
   Open the Play Store app. You can find this in your Apps list. The icon looks like a shopping bag with the Google Play logo on it.
2. 2
   Tap the ☰ button. You'll find this in the upper-left corner.
3. 3
   Tap My apps & games.
4. 4
   Tap Update All to install all available updates. This will not appear if there are no apps with updates available.
5. 5
   Tap an app in the Updates list. If you'd rather check out the details of an update before installing it, you can update each app individually.
6. 6
   Review the What's New section. While it's up to the app developer to choose what changes are listed here, you'll often find information on what the update is for.
7. 7
   Tap Update to download and install the app update.

Method 3: Forcing a System Update Check

1. 1
   Open the phone dialer on your device. On some devices, you can force your phone check for available updates using the dialer. Some people report success using this method to get updates before their device normally would.
   

   • This method is not guaranteed to work, even if your device is slated for an update.
   • This method will not create an update if there is not one available.
2. 2
   Dial .*#*#2432546#*#*. Your phone will automatically check for updates as soon as you dial the last *.
3. 3
   Look for the "checkin succeeded" message. This will appear in your Notifications bar. This indicates that the connection was successful, but does not mean that an update is necessarily available.
4. 4
   Download your update (if available). If an update is available, a message will appear on your screen with instructions on beginning the download.

Method 4: Using Smart Switch for Samsung Devices

1. 1
   Open a web browser on your computer. If you have a Samsung device, you can use the Smart Switch computer program from Samsung to check for and install updates. This program replaces the old Samsung Kies device manager.
2. 2
   Visit the Smart Switch website.
3. 3
   Click the Download for PC or Download for Mac link.
4. 4
   Run the downloaded installer.
5. 5
   Follow the prompts to install Smart Switch.
6. 6
   Connect your Samsung device to your computer.
7. 7
   Click the Update button on the Smart Switch screen. This button will appear underneath your connected device's name if an update is available.
   

   • If there is no update button, the update is not available. If you think there should be an update, there's a chance that your carrier is working on a version for their service that will release later.
8. 8
   Click Update in the window that appears. You'll see the version that you'll be updating to.
9. 9
   Click OK to start the update. Your device will begin the update process. Do not press any buttons on the device or disconnect it until the update has completely finished.