How do I stop a system update while downloading?

[miamicuse]

I have an HTC 10. I have heard so many horror stories on significant battery drain issue after the Oreo update so I have not updated to Oreo yet. I have read somewhere the issue has been resolved on Android's end but there is no more update on the HTC end to incorporate this update for the HTC 10. So every time the Oreo system update prompt came up I did not allow to update to proceed. I had it set to update only on WIFI and always ask me prior.

This morning I must have accidentally hit OK when the prompt came up while I was scrolling the screen for something else and it started to update. I immediately turned off WIFI but it continued the download with my mobile data. So I turned off mobile data as well on my phone. Right now I am at:

Software Update: 3.16.617.2 (1.32GB) Download is paused because your data connection was lost.

Shows a status bar at 3%.

I cannot find a way to cancel or stop this download and subsequent update. Is there a way?

I tried long press on the download screen, the Updater only has options of: Block all, Show silently, On the lock screen, Override do not disturb, all having to do with notification presentations but nothing to cancel the download altogether.

I went into Settings > Apps and popped up Device Configuration and did a FORCE STOP. that didn't do anything. There is an option there to UNINSTALL UPDATES but I didn't touch it since the update hasn't started yet and not sure if this app even deal with system updates.

An update:

Just tried a Wipe Cache Partition and rebooted. The system download is still being queued. There is no way to stop this?

I am surprise it will continue to download this huge file even with WIFI off. I had it set to not download any updates unless WIFI, but I guess now I understand it means this is only checked when download started, once it started it will download on my cellular network if WIFI goes out of range? This is a poor design.

Now if I let it download, is there a way to stop the update once the download is completed?

Another Update

I went ahead and turned on WIFI to allow the downloading to complete. Once it completed it asked me about installing with two options:

Install Now
Install Later

I selected Install Later and it gave me a choice of being reminded again in:

30 minutes
1 hour
2 hours
4 hours

So I selected 4 hours and dismissed it for now. It will ask again in 4 hours, I assume there is no way to dismiss it for a month or a year.

So now I have two questions:

(1) Is there a way to disable this reminder prompt?
(2) Where is this downloaded file? Can I find it with a file manager and delete it? and if it is deleted will it trigger an auto download again or will it go back to just prompting me to download once in a while like before?

 

[Rukbat]

No matter what you do, unless you root and freeze or uninstall the updater app, the phone will eventually update. And once it starts downloading, it starts updating, it doesn't make you wait with no phone when it's updating. You can always fine a Nougat ROM and, when Oreo finishes installing, back up anything you want to save and flash Nougat back. But it's still going to start the update cycle again.

 

[Mooncatt]

Look for other apps in your app manager that may stop this. My LG V20 has a couple of system apps that are called "System Updates," and force closing them stops me from being prompted to update. My Oreo file already downloaded, which I haven't found a way to delete yet, so for now it just sits there taking up space.

 

[miamicuse]

No matter what you do, unless you root and freeze or uninstall the updater app, the phone will eventually update. And once it starts downloading, it starts updating, it doesn't make you wait with no phone when it's updating. You can always fine a Nougat ROM and, when Oreo finishes installing, back up anything you want to save and flash Nougat back. But it's still going to start the update cycle again.

Are you saying while it's downloading Oreo it's already updating it at the same time? What if it was unable to complete the download will it end up half corrupted?

I was hoping that when it finishes downloading it will prompt me again for permission to update and I will have a chance to stop the update, but from what you are saying this is not going to happen basically I am out of luck?

 

[miamicuse]

I went ahead and turned on WIFI to allow the downloading to complete. Once it completed it asked me about installing with two options:

Install Now
Install Later

I selected Install Later and it gave me a choice of being reminded again in:

30 minutes
1 hour
2 hours
4 hours

So I selected 4 hours and dismissed it for now. It will ask again in 4 hours, I assume there is no way to dismiss it for a month or a year.

So now I have two questions:

(1) Is there a way to disable this reminder prompt?
(2) Where is this downloaded file? Can I find it with a file manager and delete it? and if it is deleted will it trigger an auto download again or will it go back to just prompting me to download once in a while like before?

 

[Rukbat]

Are you saying while it's downloading Oreo it's already updating it at the same time? What if it was unable to complete the download will it end up half corrupted?

That's one reason Google finally converted to the a/b system. An update is done to the side that's not currently active. The last thing that gets done is to switch active sides. If the update corrupts at any point before that, you just haven't updated - you're still on the last update. And the phone will prompt you to give it permission to update the next day. No more "replace my phone because the battery threw a dendrite during an update" problems. I've had updates corrupt to the point that they took out the recovery partition - the next time the update went through, everything as fine.

As for the file, the only place I can think of it to be that you could access is the Downloads folder. If it's not there, it's in a system folder somewhere.

Disabling updates? No. And that's not an arbitrary decision. Normally, if enough people complain about a bug they missed, they'll fix it and send out an update. Then you call tech support, still running the pre-update version, to get help with the bug. You're wasting their time. Multiply that by a few thousand people who don't want to update and they don't have enough people to handle a problem they've already fixed.


Edit:
I just found another thing. Enable Developer Options, and you'll fine an "Auto update system" item. Disable it.

 

[miamicuse]

I just found another thing. Enable Developer Options, and you'll fine an "Auto update system" item. Disable it.

The Auto Update System option does not do what you suggested. What it does is it will prompt you to update instead of automatically update apps without asking.

However, with a system update it prompts you every time you activate the screen, so the chance to accidentally trigger an update by mistake is very common, and there is no way to stop it.

 

[miamicuse]

well,it just get better and better LOL.

I didn't want to install the system update, but it happened, accidentally. I was out and about, and was in a middle of texting someone, and for a split second while I typed, the system update screen popped up. Since I was in the middle of typing, it took my typing as a confirmation to "Install Now" and began the update. Never mind I only had 31% of battery left at that time and never mind I was not even home and needed the phone. I just can't imagine Google never even bothered with a "Are you sure you want to update now?" prompt. Incredible.

So after it finished the update, a good 30 minutes later, it rebooted, then did more updates, rebooted, and eventually, it started up again, and a lock screen pattern dialog popped up. I put in my pattern and it says it is not recognized. I am certain the pattern is the one I set. Yet something caused the correct pattern to not be recognized. So now I no longer can access my phone. It says I have 28 more tries before it deletes all phone data.

So now I am totally crippled without a chance to even back up all my data.

Anyone know of a way to bypass the lock screen pattern?

If I have to factory reset in order to access my phone again, will the reset bring back Android 7 (original delivered version of the phone) or will it be Oreo (new updated version)?

 

[Mooncatt]

Anyone know of a way to bypass the lock screen pattern?

Because it's a security feature, discussions of bypassing it are not allowed here. The only option would be if you have a pin/password backup that you can revert to trying.

If I have to factory reset in order to access my phone again, will the reset bring back Android 7 (original delivered version of the phone) or will it be Oreo (new updated version)?

It'll reset to the updated version.

 

[Catio788]

How can I stop the system installing update on my Android phone it's been 2 hours it still starting up in it I can't get off that screens

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Which phone? That typically indicates that something went wrong with the update.

Was this an official update pushed over-the-air to your phone, or did you download it as a file from some website?