¬ just serendipity 🍀 (not just serendipity)

I successfully upgraded my Android phone from Jelly Bean (4.1.2) to Kit Kat (4.4.2). Here are notes about my upgrade process.

Key steps #

1. Backup your data before trying anything! Make sure it’s available elsewhere—cloud or computer.

2. Make screenshots of installed apps: press Volume Down + Power buttons together for a while. Save these screenshots!

3. Did you backup your data? (Really!)

4. Is your bootloader unlocked? If not, unlock it first. See the XDA Developer Forums.

5. Is your device rooted? Maybe root it first. See the XDA Developer Forums.

6. What do you want to do?

   • Upgrade Android version? Search for “OTA upgrade”
   • Customize it? Search for “custom ROM”

7. Get a decent recovery. TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project) is one of the best. CWM is another option. A recovery is useful for flashing ZIPs, wiping cache, installing custom ROMs, and other maintenance.

8. Reboot into bootloader with adb: adb reboot-bootloader

9. Or reboot into recovery: adb reboot recovery

10. While in fastboot, you cannot use adb.

11. Get updated adb: ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/labs/android-tools/

12. Upgrade from Windows or Linux: Usually you can do both. Windows is common among power Android developers. Use what’s available and recommended by your tutorial.

13. Don’t install blindly: Read, read, and read before anything! Check opinions of other users.

14. Need support? Use:

    • IRC (Freenode: #android-root channel)
    • Facebook Groups
    • Google+ Groups
    • Reddit
    • Search for groups about your phone model first
    • XDA Forums (technical/advanced place—don’t ask newbie questions unless there’s a specific section)

15. Debloating is a good term to search for after installing/upgrading your device.

16. Google Play isn’t the only option. See F-Droid (contains FOSS software).

17. Only upgrade with a charger connected.

18. Don’t install untested or poorly tested ROMs. It’s better not to install anything than install something that doesn’t work well. Use your head and inspect context carefully.

These items sum up key points. If you want to complement this post, feel free to leave a comment. Happy hacking!

Footnotes #

• Device: Motorola Razr I XT890, with Intel Atom (x86) CPU and 1GB RAM
• XDA Developer Forums: http://forum.xda-developers.com/