OTA vs Flash

[Leemo26]

What is flashing a factory image? Is it a better way to get a new software rather than OTA?

 

[Golfdriver97]

Flashing the stock ROM will get you updated, but it will wipe the device.

 

[TwitchyPuppy]

"Better" if you know what you're doing. Plus, flashing does wipe (factory reser) your device.

OTA doesn't is the most efficient and reliable way to do so.

 

[LeoRex]

Flashing the factory image basically means a ground-up reinstall of all the software on the phone.. everything is wiped clean (by default, you can bypass the wipe if you want) and it's the most straightforward way to 'start clean'.

Now, the OTA image is often a smaller sub-set of files, stuff that changed since the previous version. Like all those security patches that get sent out that are only 50-100MB or so, which is considerably smaller than the full image. The OTA will go in and update what it needs to update, leaving the rest of the system alone.

As to which one is 'better', it all depends on you. Personally, I usually only deal with the full factory images when they are released (often long before people start to get the OTA update for that same release). I've been messing around with this stuff for a while and it's just easier for me. But the OTA updates, well, all you have to do is click on "Install" and let it do its own thing.

 

[ptkelly]

I've done both and I often to a factory restore after the OTA update. Both ways seem to work fine for me.

 

[LeoRex]

I've done both and I often to a factory restore after the OTA update. Both ways seem to work fine for me.

Yeah, usually that's the case. The system partition is pretty locked off, but there could always been some junk either left in there or some other sort of corruption... and an OTA and Factory reset (which just resets userdata) may not clean up the mess.

Too each, their own. Whatever works.

 

[benjaminllim]

I wouldn't recommend flashing at all. I was so mad because I tried to flash back from Nougat to Marshmallow and I thought I bricked my device.
OTA is much safer.