A software update for your phone provides new features, performance enhancements, and security patches that help keep your device running smoothly and safely. It’s important to keep your phone updated so you can get the latest optimizations and protect against emerging threats. Software updates also fix bugs and other issues in the current version of the operating system. Outdated software can cause your phone to run slowly, crash more often, and be more vulnerable to malware and hackers.
According to Samsung, upgrading your phone’s software regularly provides improvements in performance and stability, resolves potential problems by fixing bugs and errors, enables new features through OS upgrades, and enhances the overall user experience.
Back Up Data Before Updating
It is highly recommended to back up your important data before updating your Orbic phone. This ensures you have a copy of your information in case anything goes wrong during the update process. Here are some key things you’ll want to back up:
- Photos – Back up your camera photos and videos to Google Photos or copy them to a computer.
- Contacts – Export your contacts to a file or sync them with a Google Account.
- Messages – You can back up SMS/MMS messages through various apps like Backup and Restore.
- Files – Copy important files from internal storage to a computer or cloud service.
- Apps – Some apps like games store save data that you may want to back up.
The easiest way to back up an Android phone is by using your Google Account. You can enable backups in Settings > System > Backup. This will automatically back up app data, call history, device settings, SMS, and more to your Google Drive.
You can also manually back up files by connecting your phone to a computer with a USB cable. Drag and drop files like photos, videos, and documents to save them.
Backing up beforehand avoids losing any personal data during the update. It’s always better to be safe than sorry when updating critical device software.
Check Current Software Version
To check the current software version on your Orbic phone, follow these steps:
Go to the Settings app and select “About phone” or “System updates.” This is usually found by swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping the gear icon for Settings.
In the About phone or System updates menu, look for the section that shows the device name and Android version. This displays the current software your Orbic phone is running.
You can also find the software version under Settings > About phone > Software information. Look for the Build number to see the exact version.
As an example, it may show “Orbic Journey V, Android version 10” or “Build number: ORBIC_JOURNEY-V_VZW_10_SPRINT_CRB7_51.0.2704.122_200925”
If you need to check for a new update, stay connected to WiFi and go to System updates > Check for update. This will check if any new software versions are available to download and install.
Connect to WiFi
It is highly recommended to connect your phone to a WiFi network before installing a major software update. While it is possible to download updates over a cellular data connection, using WiFi is the preferred method for a few important reasons:
Large software updates often require downloading files that are over 1GB in size. Downloading over cellular data can lead to high data usage and potential overage charges if you exceed your monthly data limit. Connecting to WiFi prevents unwanted data costs.
WiFi connections are generally faster than cellular data networks. Downloading large files over WiFi will be much quicker compared to slower 3G or 4G speeds.
Installing major updates uses considerable phone resources. Being on WiFi ensures a more stable network connection during the process. Cellular signals can fluctuate or drop unexpectedly.
Some carriers prohibit large downloads over cellular connections. Using WiFi prevents the update from being blocked or throttled by your mobile provider.
Overall, updating over a WiFi connection provides the fastest speeds, greatest stability, no data usage costs, and avoids potential carrier restrictions. This ensures the update process goes smoothly without cellular network limitations.
Download Update
Once you’ve connected your Orbic phone to WiFi and checked for available updates, here are the steps to download an update:
- Go to Settings > System > System updates on your Orbic phone.
- Tap “Download and install” when prompted about an available update.
- A downloading progress bar will appear. Wait for the update to fully download before proceeding.
- Once downloaded, tap “Install” to begin the installation process.
- Your phone may automatically reboot and continue installing the update. Allow this process to fully complete.
- When finished, a message will indicate the software update was successful. Tap OK.
Your Orbic phone’s software is now updated to the latest version. Updates include bug fixes, performance improvements, and new features. Be sure to regularly check for and install available updates for optimal performance. For more details, refer to the Verizon Wireless support article on updating Orbic devices here.
Install Update
Once the update has finished downloading, you will get a notification prompting you to install the update. Here are the steps to install the update on your Orbic phone:
1. When you see the notification that an update is ready to install, tap on it. This will open the Software Update screen.
2. On the Software Update screen, tap “Download” to start the installation process.
3. A progress bar will appear showing the update being installed. Do not turn off or restart your phone during this time.
4. When the installation is complete, your phone will automatically restart to finish the update process.
5. After restarting, your phone will be updated to the latest software version. You can check for the new version number in Settings > About Phone.
That’s it! Following these steps will smoothly guide you through installing the latest software update on your Orbic phone once it has finished downloading over WiFi.
Alternative Update Methods
If WiFi is unavailable, there are a couple other options for updating your Orbic phone:
You can download the update to your computer and transfer it to your phone via USB cable. On a Windows PC, visit the Orbic support site to find and download the latest software update file. Then connect your phone to the computer using a USB cable and transfer the update file to the phone’s internal storage or SD card. On the phone, go to Settings > System updates and tap on the update file to begin the install.
Another option is to use mobile data instead of WiFi to download the update directly on your phone. Go to Settings > Connections > Data usage > Mobile data usage and enable ‘Allow background data usage’. This will allow your phone to use mobile data in the background to download updates. Then go to Settings > Software update and tap ‘Download and install’ to have it download over mobile data. Just be aware of potential mobile data charges when downloading large update files.[1]
You may also be able to connect your phone to another phone that has a WiFi hotspot enabled to download the update over WiFi through that device. Check for any available WiFi networks from other devices you can connect your phone to in order to update.
Reset Phone After Updating
Android updates can sometimes cause issues with an existing device configuration and settings. Resetting your phone to factory default settings after a major update like OS upgrades can help resolve problems and give you a fresh start.
According to a discussion on Reddit, resetting your phone after a major update is recommended at a minimum to clear the system cache (source). Resetting to factory settings helps clear out any outdated settings, files or configurations that may conflict with the new OS version.
Resetting your Orbic phone after updating to the latest OS can help your device run more smoothly, fix issues caused by the update, free up storage space, and give you a fresh clean slate for customizing the new Android version.
Update Apps
After completing a system update on your Orbic phone, it’s important to also update all of your apps from the Google Play Store. App developers regularly release updates to fix bugs, patch security vulnerabilities, and add new features. If you don’t keep your apps up-to-date, they may become unstable, stop working properly, or become vulnerable to security risks.
Go to the Play Store app and tap on your profile icon in the top right corner. Select “Manage apps & devices” and you’ll see a list of all apps installed on your phone. Tap “Update all” to automatically update all apps that have new versions available. You can also go through the list manually and update apps individually.
According to this article, regular app updates “ensure that the user experience runs smoothly and efficiently, keeping bugs and errors to a minimum.” App developers are constantly improving performance and squashing newly discovered bugs. By keeping your apps up-to-date after a system update, you’ll enjoy the best experience on your Orbic phone.
Troubleshooting
If you run into any issues while trying to update your Orbic phone, here are some troubleshooting tips:
Ensure your phone has at least 50% battery charge before trying to install an update. The update process can drain your battery, so starting with a sufficient charge helps avoid the phone powering down during the update.
Check that you have a stable WiFi or mobile data connection. Downloading and installing an update requires a consistent internet connection. If you encounter errors related to connectivity, try moving closer to your router or switching to mobile data.
Restart your phone and try updating again. Sometimes a simple reboot can clear up minor glitches that are preventing the update from being installed correctly.
Clear app cache and data for the Software Update app. This erases any corrupted data that could be causing update errors. Go to Settings > Apps > Software Update > Storage > Clear Cache and Clear Data.
Factory reset your phone. If nothing else works, doing a factory reset will wipe your device and allow you to freshly install the latest update. Backup important data first. Go to Settings > System > Reset > Factory Data Reset.
Contact your carrier or device manufacturer for further support if you still cannot successfully update after trying these steps. They may have additional solutions or be able to push the update to your device remotely.
For a comprehensive guide to troubleshooting Android system updates, see this helpful resource: Why Your Android Phone Won’t Update and How to Force It.