HOW TO UPGRADE ANDROID OPERATING SYSTEM?

There are two techniques of updating / upgrading your Android OS

• Over The Air Method (OTA)
• Custom ROM Method

Over The Air (OTA) Method 

Upgrading the Android OS on your smartphone / tablet via this method is easy. This is because your carrier automatically sends you the latest updates, so sooner or later you’ll get an over the air (OTA) update to the latest supported Android OS. All you will need to do is confirm the installation and let it go. Ensure you have sufficient data.

Once installed, you can confirm by going to your phone’s device information screen to see that the latest version of Android is now on the phone. On some Samsung devices, you’ll need to enable your Samsung account in order to upgrade Android OS. To do so:

• Go to Settings
• Select Accounts & Sync
• Select Add account
• Select Samsung Account
• You will then be prompted to set up a Samsung account, which requires inputting your email and creating a password.

You could decide to search for the latest OS yourself just in case there’s a delayed notification to your device. Simply:

• Press the Home key
• Tap the Menu button
• Go to the Settings option.
• Select About phone
• Select System updates
• Your phone will search for any new Android updates to download and install.

Custom ROM Method

If your phone is too old, your carrier doesn’t think you should get a particular OS, or you’re just too impatient to get it, you can always root your phone and download a custom ROM of that given OS once it becomes available. Rooting means you get administrator access to your phone and can customize it’s functions. There is a very active community of Android fans who are constantly working on versions of Android called ‘ROMS’ which make a new version or Android available to phones that don’t get them, or that streamline the OS taking out overlays like Motoblur or TouchWiz.

Upgrading with a custom ROM that is made from a much more recent version of Android actually means replacing your whole OS with this “new OS”. This is recommended especially if you have an older device that has no chance of getting upgraded again, but you want to squeeze more life out of it before you buy a new one. To update with a custom ROM:

• Find a proper (stable) custom ROM for your device on XDA Forum (preferably one based on CyanogenMod)
• Copy the ROM on the SD card of the phone
• Backup your files
• Root your device
• • Install a custom recovery like ClockWorkMod
  • Reboot into recovery
  • Backup your original OS with Nandroid backup
  • Wipe data, cache and Dalvik cache
  • Install zip file from SD card (select the custom ROM)
  • Install Android apps from Play Store if they were not already included in the ROM
  Are there other things i should take note of about upgrading Android OS?
  • The same Android OS might act, look and feel different on different smartphones / tablets. This is because each manufacturer picks different ‘skins’ and customizations.
  • After a fresh update, you might want to know how to download android apps made specially for your new Android OS. Play Store is where to look.