Flash OTA Update via Recovery and ADB Fastboot Commands

Today we are going to share how to flash OTA Firmware via recovery and ADB Fastboot commands. Mostly all of the advanced Android users wish to get the latest Android OS version on their devices but firmware updates are either available via OTA (Over-the-air) or update patches and Android devices get updates in these 2 major ways and users are used to flash the desired firmware updates. But when an official firmware is released then it takes some time to make available all over the world as the official updates are rolling out gradually. But if you can’t wait for an official update to be released in your country then you’ll be required to upgrade your device manually.

There are two methods if you’d like to get the latest Android firmware updates on your device, the first is to update via stock or custom recovery to flash an update .zip file and the other is using ADB Fastboot commands which is the official way is to flash the update file by connecting the Android device with a PC. Here in this guide, we’ve given both of the methods to flash the firmware update files. Now go ahead and read the following guide to flash OTA firmware via Recovery and ADB Fastboot Commands.

1. Steps to Flash OTA Update via Stock/Custom Recovery:

1:- First, download the required firmware update file .zip on your PC and transfer it to your Android phone.

2:- Power OFF your phone in order to boot into recovery mode.

3:- Now turn ON the device while pressing and holding special buttons like Volume Up + Home + Power at the same time. The combination of these buttons may be different which is specific to all devices

4:- As the Android device is now in a custom recovery like TWRP or CWM, select “Apply Update”, or “Choose Update from SD Card”. Locate the firmware .zip file that you have already transferred to your Android phone.

5:- Select the firmware file using the Power button and then choose Yes to confirm the flashing process.

6:- The flashing process may take a few minutes (depending upon the update size).

7:- After the installation is completed successfully, reboot the phone and enjoy the latest Android operating system.

2. Steps to Flash OTA Update using ADB Fastboot Commands:

Here we have also given an example video on how to flash Android 6.0 Marshmallow (Nexus 5/6/7/9).

1:- To flash the Android firmware update, first download and configure ADB and Fastboot on your PC.

2:- Download the Android firmware update .zip file on your PC and give it an easy name like “Update.zip”.

3:- Boot the device into recovery by giving the following command:

adb reboot recovery

4:- As your phone is now in Recovery mode, choose “Apply Sideload from Fastboot”, or any similar option on your phone.

5:- Open the folder where you have saved the firmware file and within that folder run command prompt and enter this command:

adb sideload ota.zip

5:- After giving the above command will begin the OTA installation.

6:- This process may time a long time to complete the installation.

7:- Reboot your phone and disconnect it from the computer after the flashing is completed.

These were some easy steps to flash OTA firmware via Recovery and ADB Fastboot Commands.

Let us know in the comments area below if you have any question regarding the above steps.