Upgrading Android Tablets to Unsupported Versions of Android

[smirking]

I've got a 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 that's about 10 years old or so. I believe most current version of Android it officially supports is Android 4.4.

I understand that it's possible to side-load some of the more current versions of Android by grabbing a device snapshot and "restoring" it onto my device.

Anyone here who's done this before have any wisdom to share? Should I bother? Any reason not to try it? Are Android devices upgraded to unsupported versions of Android annoying buggy or do they tend to mostly work if you're not using apps that require more recent hardware specs?

 

[Technerd108]

I've got a 7" Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 that's about 10 years old or so. I believe most current version of Android it officially supports is Android 4.4.

I understand that it's possible to side-load some of the more current versions of Android by grabbing a device snapshot and "restoring" it onto my device.

Anyone here who's done this before have any wisdom to share? Should I bother? Any reason not to try it? Are Android devices upgraded to unsupported versions of Android annoying buggy or do they tend to mostly work if you're not using apps that require more recent hardware specs?

Android kit kat is really old. I bet your tablet has like 1 gb ram. I would look into XDA forums and look up your tablet model in the forums. You will find a development thread. It should have the latest active development for your tablet on custom roms. You can root your device and unlock the bootloader and then you can install a custom rom which usually will have the most up to date version of android available for the tablet.

In terms of restoring a side loaded version of android through a restore is not even possible. You can side load apps but not the operating system. Resetting or restoring will only work on whatever version of Android you already have. You can't restore to a new OS.

The only way you can breath more life into the device would be to root and unlock the boot loader and then install a custom rom version specific to your tablet.

If you just try to side load or restore Android it needs the drivers for the firmware of that tablet to work. That is why you have to look up the model.

In all honesty it is pretty much ready to recycle and well beyond it's planned useful life. I doubt any experience on it with a modern version of Android would be good anyway.

 

[smirking]

Android kit kat is really old. I bet your tablet has like 1 gb ram.

Yup. It only has 1GB RAM. It performs very well on KitKat so I was hoping it'd at least be a passable test/debugging device. The apps I work on aren't resource hogs, but from what you're saying it sounds like I'd still be signing myself up for more trouble than it's be worth.

In terms of restoring a side loaded version of android through a restore is not even possible. You can side load apps but not the operating system. Resetting or restoring will only work on whatever version of Android you already have. You can't restore to a new OS.

Loading it from a ROM made for my device was actually what I meant. I just misunderstood the process. I skimmed a walk-through of how to get newer unsupported versions of Android and I thought they were getting newer versions by restoring snapshots of the OS compiled by someone else.

What are some of the more upgradable stock Android tablets currently on the market? I'm mostly interested in an entry level, but solid device to use for app testing and don't want to be buying a new device every 2 years because I can't test the latest version of Android.

 

[Technerd108]

Yup. It only has 1GB RAM. It performs very well on KitKat so I was hoping it'd at least be a passable test/debugging device. The apps I work on aren't resource hogs, but from what you're saying it sounds like I'd still be signing myself up for more trouble than it's be worth.



Loading it from a ROM made for my device was actually what I meant. I just misunderstood the process. I skimmed a walk-through of how to get newer unsupported versions of Android and I thought they were getting newer versions by restoring snapshots of the OS compiled by someone else.

What are some of the more upgradable stock Android tablets currently on the market? I'm mostly interested in an entry level, but solid device to use for app testing and don't want to be buying a new device every 2 years because I can't test the latest version of Android.

I understand.

Back when Nexus was a thing and TouchWiz existed I used to install custom rims all the time. A lot of the features in Android come from those early developer mods. It was risky and you could brick your device but it allowed so much more functionality at the time it was worth it. Now, not so much. But an old device like yours is a gem. Just keep it as updated as possible. I would go on XDA and just see if there has been any developments in the last several years just to give you an idea of what you are looking at. Otherwise just keep it as it is and use it until it dies or trade it in....

Galaxy Tab S9 FE, 128GB, Silver (Wi-Fi) | Samsung US

www.samsung.com

I would suggest something like the above. It is not $200 but it is not over $500 either and with no trade in it is a good deal.

You will get 5 years of updates and 4 years of OS upgrades. No other Android tablet right now is better and the newer the generation it is the longer it will be supported which is why I am not suggesting a cheaper or older option. You could spend $200 on the 64gb s6 lite but it released in 2022 and I believe you get 3 years of OS upgrades and 5 years security on this device so you would have to wait until they release a new model for the s6 lite. Who knows when or if that will ever be?

You are basically getting the old galaxy tab S8 with an Exynos processor but otherwise same specs. Which means for $419 you are getting a very premium tablet with the longest support at the cheapest price.

Once you get a Samsung Galaxy tab then when you are ready in a few years or sooner you can trade it in for a new model probably nicer for less than what you paid for your FE if you get it. That is the nice thing about Samsung. Once you get a Samsung device they make upgrades affordable and you end up getting a better tablet than you could have otherwise by trading in when ready.

Good luck and hope this helps!

 

[Digitalguy]

Android 4.4 has quite a lot of compatibility issues. Android 5.0 instead still works with almost any app.
Concerning current tablets the S6 lite is the bottom, I wouldn't go below (I would avoid A series tablets).
The S9 FE could be a good option, but depending on where you live the Oneplus Pad is cheaper and it's generally a better tablet (and has a iPad aspect ratio). The exynos on the S9 FE is relatively slow (same speed as the SD 778G on the S7 FE) and I would take the much better specs of the Oneplus over 1-2 years of additional updates any day...

 

[smirking]

Any thoughts on the Lenovo Tab M9?

Lenovo Tab M9-2023 - Tablet - Long Battery Life - 9" HD - Front 2MP & Rear 8MP Camera - 3GB Memory - 32GB Storage - Android 12 or Later - Folio Case Included,Gray

The perfect tablet for entertainment on the go, the Lenovo Tab M9 features a 9” LCD display and weighs less than a pound. Dual speakers provide crystal clear sound to further enhance a stunningly mobile cinematic experience. Inside, you’ll find a powerful octa-core chip and up to 32GB of storage....

www.amazon.com

My buying guidelines is literally three things:

1. Can be upgraded to new Android versions
2. Fast enough to run a few apps for testing
3. As inexpensive as possible

The only time I'd be using this would be in testing apps. It's not going to unseat my iPad mini as my tablet of choice. I'm just buying something that'll spend most of its life in storage so it doesn't need to have any nice features. Skimpy storage, potato cameras, and screens that can't be read in sunlight are fine.

 

[Digitalguy]

Any thoughts on the Lenovo Tab M9?

Lenovo Tab M9-2023 - Tablet - Long Battery Life - 9" HD - Front 2MP & Rear 8MP Camera - 3GB Memory - 32GB Storage - Android 12 or Later - Folio Case Included,Gray

The perfect tablet for entertainment on the go, the Lenovo Tab M9 features a 9” LCD display and weighs less than a pound. Dual speakers provide crystal clear sound to further enhance a stunningly mobile cinematic experience. Inside, you’ll find a powerful octa-core chip and up to 32GB of storage....

www.amazon.com

My buying guidelines is literally three things:

1. Can be upgraded to new Android versions
2. Fast enough to run a few apps for testing
3. As inexpensive as possible

The only time I'd be using this would be in testing apps. It's not going to unseat my iPad mini as my tablet of choice. I'm just buying something that'll spend most of its life in storage so it doesn't need to have any nice features. Skimpy storage, potato cameras, and screens that can't be read in sunlight are fine.

What do you mean by "new Android versions" exactly? The M9 appears already to be in its last OS update at Android 13 and should not get Android 14...

 

[Technerd108]

Any thoughts on the Lenovo Tab M9?

Lenovo Tab M9-2023 - Tablet - Long Battery Life - 9" HD - Front 2MP & Rear 8MP Camera - 3GB Memory - 32GB Storage - Android 12 or Later - Folio Case Included,Gray

The perfect tablet for entertainment on the go, the Lenovo Tab M9 features a 9” LCD display and weighs less than a pound. Dual speakers provide crystal clear sound to further enhance a stunningly mobile cinematic experience. Inside, you’ll find a powerful octa-core chip and up to 32GB of storage....

www.amazon.com

My buying guidelines is literally three things:

1. Can be upgraded to new Android versions
2. Fast enough to run a few apps for testing
3. As inexpensive as possible

The only time I'd be using this would be in testing apps. It's not going to unseat my iPad mini as my tablet of choice. I'm just buying something that'll spend most of its life in storage so it doesn't need to have any nice features. Skimpy storage, potato cameras, and screens that can't be read in sunlight are fine.

You are done on number 1.

Lenovo is the absolute worst mainstream brand in terms of updates. They generally update their devices for 2 years when they feel like it, if they feel like it. If anything is broken it will never get fixed and you can forget about optimization.

It is a shame too. I had a P11 plus and the hardware was great for the cost but the software was a literal disaster. I have had Chinese tablets from Teclast and Aldocube perform better.

OnePlus won't give you as many versions of Android but the OnePlus tab would also be a good option.

Unfortunately it comes down to this. If you want any Android tablet as cheap as possible then one of the first things besides bad hardware you have to deal with is no software updates.

So either you pay as little as possible and buy a new tablet every time you need a new version of Android. Your experience will not be great and you will be spending money every year. Or you buy a mid range, upper mid range Android tablet and you will avoid both pitfalls of cheap Android tablets.