In Android devices, various problems appear over time, which are eliminated in the only way - by flashing the device's firmware. You should only do this yourself as a last resort if there are no other options to solve the problem. During the firmware, complications may arise that will lead to even greater damage to the device. But if you carefully read the instructions and follow all the steps described consistently, the likelihood of new errors will be lower.
What you need to know before flashing your device
Before flashing a phone or tablet, you need to clearly understand what firmware is, in what cases it is really necessary and what the risks may be.
What does flashing the device provide and when does it need to be done?
Device firmware is updating or downgrading the operating system of a phone or tablet to certain version manually. When you buy a device, all the data necessary for operation is already installed on it, but sometimes it’s worth intervening and changing the version or type of firmware yourself. This happens in the following cases:
- Some companies quickly forget about supporting devices, even those released relatively recently. System updates stop coming to phones or tablets. You can check for available updates in the device settings by going to the following path: “About phone” - “System update”. If there are no updates, read minimum requirements to the firmware you want to install, and make sure that the insides of your device can still support new versions of the operating system.
- Some companies install proprietary firmware on their devices or add their own innovations to the standard one. The problem may arise that you do not like the twist from the manufacturer, or the non-standard operating system will greatly overload the device. Most often the most common Android versions work as stably and quickly as possible.
- There may be folders, files and applications on your device that cannot be erased by simply pressing the “Delete” button, since they are protected by the system. One way to get rid of such elements is to reflash the device, in which case all folders, files and applications will be irretrievably lost.
- You can install special versions of Android firmware from third party developers, who distribute their creations on the Internet completely free of charge. The advantage of such versions is additional functions and extensions. For example, the user is given the opportunity to configure in more detail appearance system, gain access to previously hidden folders.
- If you are afraid for the security of your data and do not trust companies that constantly synchronize their applications with your device, you can, for example, install the “Android without Google” firmware, which completely disables access to your information to applications from Google.
Possible consequences of device firmware
When manually installing a new version of the operating system, you need to take into account some risks:
- During the flashing process, your phone or tablet may freeze or produce some other errors, since each device has its own percentage of uniqueness, and it is because of this that you may experience a failure that others have not experienced. But don't be afraid, most possible errors can be corrected, this will be discussed towards the end of the article.
- If you update your device to a higher firmware version, its internals (processor, battery, etc.) may not be able to handle the increased load. With each new version The firmware is filled with more and more features and improvements, and the hardware of your device may not be designed for such loads. In this case, it will freeze or simply won’t start.
- If you install unofficial firmware, it may not support some processor models or may conflict with them.
- Manually flashing a device will void its warranty. If you encounter problems after updating the system version yourself, you will not be able to return your device to technical service under warranty.
Rules to follow when manually flashing a device
There are several rules that must be followed for the update process to be successful:
- Make sure your device's battery is at least 60% charged. If the device crashes during the update, the firmware will break in the middle, and this will lead to breakdowns and errors.
- Before you start flashing your device, carefully read the instructions below to make sure that all steps are clear and understandable to you. Be sure to do this, otherwise there is a high chance that you will get stuck at one of the steps and will not be able to move forward.
- Complete all preparation steps described below.
Preparing for system firmware
Before starting the operation, you will need to prepare the following:
- Computer with operating system Windows system or macOS.
- USB cable to connect your computer and Android device.
- Application for firmware SP Flash Tool. Install the most latest version to avoid problems. But be careful this program Suitable only for devices with MTK model chip.
- Drivers for the company that manufactured your device.
- Suitable firmware. It should be downloaded and saved in a folder that can be easily and quickly found.
- A backup copy of all data stored on the device. This should be done just in case, so that if problems arise, you can roll back the process.
Backing up your data
For quick and convenient creation To backup your data, you will need to get root rights on your device, and also install a third-party program, Nandroid Backup.
- Download the 360root application from the official website of the developer. It is necessary to obtain superuser rights.
- Launch the program on your device and press the big button in the center of the screen. Done, root rights are obtained.
- Go to Play Maket and install the Nandroid Backup application.
- The application will ask for root access, click the Allow button.
- Wait for the backup process to complete; it can last from two to ten minutes, depending on the amount of data.
- Once the information has been copied, you will receive a notification that the operation was successful and an indication of where the backup copy is stored. It must be moved to a computer or other device.
Flashing the device using SP Flash Tool
- Launch the SP Flash Tool application. At this point, all drivers and firmware should be downloaded and unpacked.
- We indicate the path to the file “MTK_txt number”, which is located in the folder of the unpacked firmware or in the target_bin subfolder.
- Leave the program running, click on the “My Computer” icon right click mouse and select the “Properties” section in the menu that opens.
- Go to the “Device Manager” section.
- We take the device that needs to be flashed and remove the battery from it. We insert it back and connect the device to the computer using a USB cable.
- Turn on the device. Until the moment when it is finally activated and goes into charging mode, you need to select the gadget on the computer and click the “Update drivers” button. You will have 5-10 seconds from the moment the computer notices the connected device until the moment it starts charging it. If you did not manage to get into this period, repeat steps 6–7 again.
- Specify the path to the file “MTK Preloader Number”, which is located in the folder with the drivers, and then go through the installation process. If any warnings appear, ignore them.
- Now we return to the SP Flash Tool program and expand the Frimware menu, select the Upgrade item in it.
- We wait for the firmware installation to finish and we get this message about a successfully completed process.
Video: how to flash a device using SP Flash Tool
How to recover lost data
In case it is necessary to recover deleted data, we created backup copy device data. To restore, perform the following steps:
- Download and install the Adb Run program. We connect the device to the computer via a USB cable.
- Launch Adb Run and go to section 12.
- Select the second option - ADB Restore (specify the path to the created backup, if necessary).
- We pick up the device and select the “Recover data” option.
Possible problems when flashing the device
If the device stops starting after flashing or freezes during the activation process, then you should flash it again using the SP Flash Tool, while turning on the DA DL All With Check Sum function.
You may also encounter errors with the following unique numbers:
- 1003 S_COM_PORT_OPEN_FAIL - you need to use another USB adapter or plug the device into another USB port;
- 1011 S_NOT_ENOUCH_STORAGE_SPACE - the device does not have enough memory or the version of SP Flash Tool is not up to date - update the application;
- 1013 S_COM_PORT_OPEN_FAIL - a problem with the USB cable or port, this error also appears with an outdated version of the program;
- 1022 S_UNSUPPORTED_VER_OF_DA - problems related to the SP Flash Tool version;
- 1040 S_UNSUPPORTED_OPERATION - incorrect firmware or driver version;
- 3001 S_DA_EXT_RAM_ERROR - you need to use a different USB cable;
- 3012 NAND_FLASH_NOT_FOUND - you need to update the program or use another computer to flash the firmware.
Also, if SP Flash Tool does not see the device, you need to change the USB cable, update the program version, change the USB port, or restart the computer.
Other ways to flash a device
There are several more ways in which you can change the firmware of your device:
- through the device settings - this method is not intended for installing new firmware, it is needed to roll back the system to factory settings;
- through a hard reset - this method can also roll back the system, but in this case you can choose the firmware option; you must have a memory card;
- through others third party programs, if you have problems with the SP Flash Tool, there are a lot of free applications on the Internet for carrying out this process.
If for some reason you want to change the model, version or type of firmware to Android device, then you can use free application SP Flash Tool, having previously downloaded the necessary firmware and drivers for your phone or tablet. Just in case, create a backup copy of the data stored in the device memory so that you do not lose it in case of any error. If SP Flash Tool does not work with your computer or device, you can use one of the other methods.
Often, Android device users experiment with new firmware for their devices. Before such an update, you must make a backup on your Android device.
To put it simply in simple language, backup is creating a backup copy of the flash memory of your device. Such copying ensures the creation of a complete clone of all data on your system and transfers it to local computer or in cloud storage.
After successfully creating a backup, you don’t have to worry about the performance of your device and conduct installation experiments with it third party software or firmware update. After all, in case of problems with the device, you can always restore its functionality from a saved copy.
Today we will talk about how to make a backup on your Android using the Flashtool utility.
Flashtool is a utility that allows you to perform data copying and flashing operations for various electronics.
Attention! All operations carried out using these instructions are carried out by you at your own peril and risk.
Before you begin to remove the backup, we strongly recommend that you read these instructions fully.
To carry out the entire procedure you will need the following:
- The SP Flash Tool itself (Developer's website)
- original firmware for your device;
- reliable and working USB cable;
- computer.
Preparing and setting up the device.
First stage
The first thing you need to backup on Android is to download original firmware for the device.
Important: You need to download it only from the official website of the manufacturer of your mobile device.
We will need the firmware in order to remove from it 2 files necessary for operation.
These files are:
- MT_(firmware_number)_Android_scatter.txt;
- preloader_br(firmware_number)_weg_l.bin.
Create a working folder on your computer and place it above specified files.
Second phase
Download the latest Flash version Tool. If it is in the archive, then unzip it. Place the software folder in the working directory where preloader and scatter.txt are located.
Third stage
If MTK drivers for your Android device have never been installed on this PC, then download them from the Internet. You can do this like this: connect your phone via a USB cable to your computer. Wait until the system detects the device and offers to find or install a driver for it. After this, specify the path to the folder with the drivers that you saved. Wait for the installation to complete.
At this point the preparatory stages are completed. Next, let's move on directly to working and setting up flashtool.
Setting up and working in the utility
Run the program as administrator.
After the launch occurs, you must specify the path to the _____scatter.txt file. To do this, click on the “Scatter-loading” button and specify the required path.
If everything went well, a workspace with data blocks will appear.
Now you need to do a memory test. This procedure is necessary to correctly create a backup of memory blocks.
In order to complete the procedure, check that the program has a checkmark on the “preloader” tab.
Note! That when going to the “Memory test” tab, only the following check boxes should be checked:
- RAM Test;
- Data Bus Test;
- Addr Bus Test;
- Dedicated Pattern Test;
- Inc/Dec Pattern Test.
After the piece necessary settings, you can start the test itself.
To do this, press the start button and connect the device (which should be turned off) with a cable to the USB port of your PC or laptop.
Attention! First we press start, and only then connect.
As soon as the device is connected, flashtool will begin reading the memory and displaying information on the screen.
After receiving the necessary data, you can turn off your phone or tablet.
Now we need to run standard program"notebook". After which we need to copy the information we need from Flashetool to Notepad.
Note! You only need to copy sectors that have a size (it is indicated in brackets in megabytes).
There is no need to transfer sectors with zero indicators to the notepad!
The information will be in the following form: 
We save the received data in notepad and close it. Disconnect the device from the computer.
Backup process
So we got to the most important thing - copying the device’s memory.
Open the backup utility again and uncheck the “preloader” box. 
Go to the “Readback” tab. 
After pressing the button, the following line will appear in the sign window:
Double-click on it with the mouse. A window will open to select the path to save the backup file. 
In the dialog box, specify the location to store the data file and its name. The file name can be arbitrary, but we recommend giving meaningful names. This is necessary to understand which memory sector is a copy in front of you.
Once you have specified the name and location, the backup settings window will appear. 
Here you need to indicate your data for each memory sector (those that you wrote down in the notepad).
For example, for the EMMC_BOOT1 sector, you need to copy the data located in the notepad, namely 0x0000000000200000. And insert them into the “Length” column. We do not change other columns. 
All that remains is to click on “Ok” and then on the “Read Back” button. 
Now you can connect your turned off smartphone or tablet to your computer. Once connected, a copy operation will occur and a green icon will appear, signaling the completion of the work. Now the device can be turned off.
Congratulations!
The first dump block was copied and saved.
Just in case, check the location you specified earlier to save the image. If the file is present and has a non-zero size, then everything is fine. You can start backing up the following memory sectors.
The next stages of work on copying sectors are similar to the previous stage. Just note that the names of the images and copies are given differently, one by one. 
When you have finished copying all the blocks, you can move all data files from a folder on your computer to a safe location. For example, to Yandex Disk or similar cloud storage. If the device malfunctions, you can always restore the device using backups prepared in advance. This is done in a similar way, with the same program - SP Flash Tool. But that's a completely different story.
SP Flash Tool- a smart and convenient tool designed for flashing devices based on MediaTek chipsets. If you decide to flash an Android smartphone or tablet with such a processor “under the hood,” then you need to first of all take care of the possibility of making a backup ROM of the device if something goes wrong. In addition to the usual reason (precautionary measures), there is another reason here: not every firmware you choose may be suitable specifically for your device. Therefore, it is worth making sure that the requirements for display characteristics, memory capacity and other parameters regulated by the new firmware are fully met. Otherwise, the software, and along with it the device, may be partially or completely inoperative. Practice shows that if the parameters match, flashing an Android smartphone using the SP Flash Tool goes smoothly, but we decided to still provide instructions for creating a backup copy.
Creating a full backup of your smartphone's Flash memory
To create a backup copy of the Flash memory of an Android smartphone, you must have the utility itself and .1. Launch the flash drive, then in the "Download" tab, download the scatter file (if necessary, you can borrow it from an Android device with a similar processor). Don't be alarmed if you don't see any firmware files in the folder with the scatter file - this is normal. Leave the checkbox only on the first line (PRELOADER), uncheck the rest.
2. Determine how much information needs to be read and from where. After that, go to the "Memory Test" tab. Here, too, there is only one tick left for " RAM Test", the rest must be removed.
Proceed next in the following way:
2.1. Click the Start button;
2.2. Connect the turned off Android device to the PC via a USB port;
2.3. The memory test that will occur after connection will show the information you need on EMMC blocks (don’t pay attention to blocks with zero volume, only those with a size will be needed;
3. Copy the received information into notepad, then go to the "ReadBack" tab and click "Add".
3.1. Double-click on the line that appears;
3.2. Specify the file name (ROM_0 by default), and also indicate the location where the memory block will be saved;
3.3. Based on the data obtained earlier, fill in three parameters in the window that appears.
You have the names of your regions, the size is known, and the starting address in each of them will be 0x0.
Example:
Region: EMMC_USER Start Address: 0x0 Length: 0x3ab400000
After filling in the parameters, just click the “Ok” button.
note : On the device taken as an example, there are 4 regions, but this does not mean that there are as many of them on other gadgets. Flash memory can have 3, 2, or even one region ("USER"). In the latter case, you will not have to select a region - this option will not be available in the menu intended for entering block reading parameters. As a rule, this situation happens when working with Android devices based on chipsets from early years.
3.4. Press the "ReadBack" button, reconnect to the USB port of the turned off gadget - reading will begin;
3.5. After reading the block is completed, repeat the manipulations described in step 3 with all other regions.
This way you will get a complete copy of the flash memory of your Android device.
If you decide to use the SP Flash utility, the easiest way is to flash the firmware (modified recovery specifically for your device) and download it to your home computer, corresponding to the gadget’s MTK processor. All old drivers related to Android devices will be needed delete first. You will also need to download the version for Windows or Linux. And do not forget that the SP Flash Tool utility for MTK devices can be compatible with a 32 or 64-bit version of the PC OS - it is important to choose the correct one that matches the system installed on your home computer.
Hardware you will need:
1. Home computer Windows/Linux;
2. A working USB cable for connecting to an Android device;
3. Android smartphone or Tablet PC.
SP Flash Tool can flash devices based on MT6575, MT6577, MT6577T, MT6595, MT6592, MT6582, MT6572, MT6589, MT6589T chipsets.
Driver installation
Let's assume that you already have a driver archive on your PC - for example MTK_drivers.rar. The first step is to turn off your smartphone or tablet and launch Device Manager from the Control Panel. Connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable and wait until the Manager updates and detects unknown device. Next you need to act very quickly: before the smartphone goes into charging mode, right-click on the unidentified device and in the window that opens, select " Update driver".Driver installation is done manually. In the next window, select "Install the driver from a specified location", then specify the path to the driver archive (it must be previously unpacked) and install the one you need. You can now disconnect your Android device from your PC, but it's still too early to turn it on. But you can go directly to the firmware process itself.
Instructions for flashing smartphones based on MTK
Here we provide the complete step by step instructions, following which you can independently perform Android firmware-smartphone or tablet based on MediaTek processors.1.
Download the SP Flash Tool program and unpack the archive onto your computer;
2.
If you have a device with an MT6575 or MT6577 processor based on the AGOLD project, download the SP_MDT program to your computer with the ability to select components in uboot and unpack it;
3.
Download and install USB VCOM drivers;
4.
Extract the archive with the factory firmware for your Android device (the directory name for the unpacked folder with the factory firmware files should not include Cyrillic characters);
5.
Turn off your smartphone or tablet; the USB cable should not be connected to the computer;
6.
Remove the battery and then insert it back;
7.
If the drivers have not yet been installed, connect the device to the PC using a USB cable. operating system after that it will find a new device, and you must point it to the folder with the USB VCOM driver for your OS version. Install the drivers and disconnect the cable from the PC.
8.
Launch SP Flash Tool;
9. Click on the Scatter-loading button and in the folder with the firmware, select the file MTXXXX_Android_scatter_emmc.txt (in MTXXXX, replace the letters X with numbers corresponding to the processor of your device - the scatter file is different for each of them).
ATTENTION! For devices based on MT6575 and MT6577 processors, uncheck the Preloader and dsp_bl items; for all other devices with MediaTek chipsets, uncheck only the Preloader item;
10. Click the Download button;
11. Connect your turned off smartphone or tablet to your computer using a USB cable. As soon as the new device is detected, its firmware should begin. If this does not happen, disconnect the device from the PC, remove and reinsert its battery and connect it to the computer again. During the firmware process, provided it is correct installed drivers mtk usb port (MediaTek PreLoader USB VCOM Port) should be visible in the device manager. If an error occurs, the gadget will no longer be displayed. Once the firmware is completed, it also disappears from the device manager.
Is the firmware completed successfully? All that remains is to disconnect the Android device from the computer and turn it on.
When a phone or tablet is actively used, over time it accumulates important information for users (photos, notes, contacts, etc.). To save it when possible failures in the operation of the software or necessity, the creators of the mobile OS have provided the ability to backup Android (backup). Let's look at what a backup is and how to make an Android backup yourself.
Ways to create a backup on Android
During the existence of the Android OS, many ways have been developed to backup not only personal files and settings, but also the entire firmware of a mobile phone. However, the choice of a specific option depends on what type of data you want to copy.
The most in effective ways installation backup Android are:
- Google cloud service;
- recovery environment Recovery Mode;
- SP FlashTool program.
When figuring out how to make a backup of Android, you need to know that to back up the operating system along with the firmware, you will need to unlock Superuser (root) rights on the gadget. Without root, you will only be able to create copies of user files.
Recording a backup using Google
All Android devices provide the ability to synchronize with Google virtual storage. This allows you to store cloud drive all personal content.
To execute backup contacts on Android and others user information via Google, you will need:
The mounted backup will be placed on virtual disk Google. To full reset settings, use the created copy, open the “Restore and reset” tab and start the return procedure.
Creating a backup using the Recovery Mode environment
You can mount a backup copy of your mobile device along with user data and software using the Recovery Mode tool. The specified recovery area is provided on all smartphones and tablets.
Standard Recovery has somewhat limited capabilities. Therefore, before you make a backup of the Android firmware, you. This is done as follows:
With these steps you will replace the old recovery environment on your smartphone with CWM Recovery. Now you can do system backup Android:
If you need to restore the firmware on your device, you can use the previously created backup and the same CWM Recovery recovery environment.
Recording backup via SP FlashTool
When considering how to make a full backup of Android, you need to highlight the SP FlashTool application. In this case, backup of firmware and user data will be carried out via a computer. This program only works with gadgets built on MediaTek processors.
For Android backup On your PC, copy the following from the network:
- drivers for your MTK;
- drivers for a smartphone (usually they come bundled with the gadget, but they can always be found on the Internet);
- utilities MtkDroidTools and SP FlashTool.
After you have successfully downloaded the specified files, you can begin creating a backup Android on your computer:
- Activate on mobile device USB debugging.
- Connect your phone to your PC and download the required drivers.
- Install MtkDroidTools and wait until the system detects your gadget. If superuser mode has not been enabled on your smartphone, the program will activate it automatically. At the same time, messages may pop up on the mobile phone screen requiring your confirmation.
- In the main window of the utility, click “Block Map”, then click “Create scatter file”. Save this document to your PC without changing the title.
- Next, launch SP FlashTool, select Scatter-loading and specify the path to the just downloaded file.
- In the next window, go to the Read back section and click Add.
- Double-tap on the line that appears, set the name of the new file (it should start with “ROM”) and save it on your PC in a convenient place.
- Then, using a standard notepad, open the previously created scatter document and copy from it the set of characters coming after the word CACHE into the Length field. After completing the procedures, click Ok.
- Disconnect the device from the PC and turn it off completely.
- Reconnect. Windows will detect the phone as an unknown device. At this point, install the previously downloaded and unpacked drivers on MTK.
- Disconnect the gadget from the PC. In the SP FlashTool program, go to the Read back tab. And connect the switched off smartphone to the computer again. The process of reading Android on PC will begin. The download status will be indicated by a blue line at the bottom of the screen.
- When copying is complete, start your smartphone, open MtkDroidTools, click “Create backup” and write the path to the file called ROM that you created earlier.
Once you have successfully backed up your data and firmware, it will appear in the same folder where the ROM file was located. In the future, the created copy can be used to restore Android.
People often do not want to overpay for the brand of a smartphone or tablet manufacturer. After all, for half the cost of a device “with a name” you can buy a purebred “Chinese” in one of the many online stores. The “childhood diseases” of such devices can be cured by reflashing them.
Smartphone firmware: input ruble, output - two
Extremely unclear or absent technical support, firmware designed for the Chinese market - often the lack of basic Google services and the Play Market application store force owners to look for ways to update the software of their devices to firmware that is as close as possible to pure Android: Cyanogen Mod or Lienage OS.
But the firmware of numerous families Chinese smartphones not very transparent and simple: there are plenty of pitfalls. Finding an assembly specifically for your Chinese friend is not easy, and flashing it correctly is even more difficult. What to do if you don’t feel like going to a service center or there isn’t one nearby? How to navigate the winding fairway without running into reefs of fatal errors?