Do disabled system apps prevent an OTA from installing?

[clankfu]

Someone on XDA posted on that you have to unfreeze any system apps to take an OTA. I could've sworn that I had some system apps disabled when I took the Sprint 4.4 OTA.

I'm stock, unrooted and locked.

 

[B. Diddy]

It probably depends on one's definition of "system app." I usually have various preinstalled system apps like TalkBack disabled, and have always been able to update OTA. However, if you disabled something like the Download Manager (no sure why you'd want to, but some people do), I would imagine you wouldn't be able to update OTA.

 

[Cozume]

I'm stock, unrooted and locked.

Most of the advice on XDA is for those who are rooted and not stock. I can't imagine that anything that you can do when you are stock, unrooted and locked would prevent you from taking the OTA.

 

[clankfu]

It probably depends on one's definition of "system app." I usually have various preinstalled system apps like TalkBack disabled, and have always been able to update OTA. However, if you disabled something like the Download Manager (no sure why you'd want to, but some people do), I would imagine you wouldn't be able to update OTA.

I'm talking mostly about the Motorola system apps like Moto Care, Motorola Connect, Motorola Migrate, etc along with Sprint Zone, Google Keyboard, etc.

 

[clankfu]

Most of the advice on XDA is for those who are rooted and not stock. I can't imagine that anything that you can do when you are stock, unrooted and locked would prevent you from taking the OTA.

That's what I figured but was told otherwise in a thread on XDA.

 

[Cozume]

That's what I figured but was told otherwise in a thread on XDA.

did you tell them you were stock, locked and unrooted? They probably didn't think you were.

Anyhow, they are just trying to help people from bricking their devices. Android makes it pretty hard to brick your device if you are stock, locked and unrooted.

 

[clankfu]

did you tell them you were stock, locked and unrooted? They probably didn't think you were.

Well, I figured that would be implied since I said I remembered the 4.4 OTA installing fine with some system apps disabled. I wasn't positive about it though.

 

[Cozume]

Well, I figured that would be implied since I said I remembered the 4.4 OTA installing fine with some system apps disabled. I wasn't positive about it though.

I wouldn't worry about it. If anything you can do when you are stock, locked and unrooted could brick your device if you took the OTA then Motorola would fix it for you under warranty. And that is what the soak tests are for anyhow.

 

[B. Diddy]

I'm talking mostly about the Motorola system apps like Moto Care, Motorola Connect, Motorola Migrate, etc along with Sprint Zone, Google Keyboard, etc.

I believe you need the Motorola Services app enabled in order to get an OTA. That was the case for my Razr Maxx.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[clankfu]

I believe you need the Motorola Services app enabled in order to get an OTA. That was the case for my Razr Maxx.

Posted via Android Central App

Yea, I haven't disabled that one.

 

[hallux]

"Freezing" an app and disabling an app are similar but different things. When they say "freeze" (or "unfreeze), they're talking about using a root-required app (Titanium Backup is one that can do this I think) to make the app in question no longer function, and possibly disappear completely from the apps list in settings (or start functioning and reappear if they're "unfreezing"). When rooting and "freezing" system apps, it's VERY important to return as close to factory as possible before getting an OTA update.

 

[Cozume]

"Freezing" an app and disabling an app are similar but different things. When they say "freeze" (or "unfreeze), they're talking about using a root-required app (Titanium Backup is one that can do this I think) to make the app in question no longer function, and possibly disappear completely from the apps list in settings (or start functioning and reappear if they're "unfreezing"). When rooting and "freezing" system apps, it's VERY important to return as close to factory as possible before getting an OTA update.

This is what I figured. The people at XDA are just assuming that when you are asking about whether you can take the OTA or not that you have done something requiring a bootloader unlock or root.

Do you know if I just got rid of the bootloader unlocked warning if I will have any problems taking the OTA?

I did this command:

fastboot flash logo logo.bin

where logo.bin is the original kit kat logo.

 

[clankfu]

"Freezing" an app and disabling an app are similar but different things. When they say "freeze" (or "unfreeze), they're talking about using a root-required app (Titanium Backup is one that can do this I think) to make the app in question no longer function, and possibly disappear completely from the apps list in settings (or start functioning and reappear if they're "unfreezing"). When rooting and "freezing" system apps, it's VERY important to return as close to factory as possible before getting an OTA update.

Got it. I always thought disabled and frozen were one and the same. Reason being, on my Nexus 7, the apps that I've frozen with TiBU appear in the "Disabled" section of the app manager settings.

 

[Cozume]

Got it. I always thought disabled and frozen were one and the same. Reason being, on my Nexus 7, the apps that I've frozen with TiBU appear in the "Disabled" section of the app manager settings.

Titanium Back Up requires root access, though so it is an app that is geared towards rooted devices.