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Help Upgrading HTC Flyer

J

johnyb12

Newbie
Hello. I have a very old Android device: HTC Flyer. The device uses Android 3.2. I wish to upgrade it Android 7,8,9,10, 11 etc. Is this possible today? If this is possible would somebody please guide me through it? I have never done such an operation, and honestly I am very new in Android.

Thanks and regards,
 
https://www.gsmarena.com/htc_flyer-3829.php
That's a really, really dated phone. No, it is not possible to install and be able to run a current version of Android on it. HTC stopped supporting that model a decade or so back, and there's not going to be third-party, independent developers supporting a model like that either. Also, developers stopped supporting such old devices so any apps you can use on it will be out-of-date and not updatable. So don't get your hopes up you'll be able to upgrade this phone as some kind of everyday working phone. It has both hardware and software limitations so using it with any current online services will be a challenge as far as security and functionality in general.
 
svim said:
https://www.gsmarena.com/htc_flyer-3829.php
That's a really, really dated phone. No, it is not possible to install and be able to run a current version of Android on it. HTC stopped supporting that model a decade or so back, and there's not going to be third-party, independent developers supporting a model like that either. Also, developers stopped supporting such old devices so any apps you can use on it will be out-of-date and not updatable. So don't get your hopes up you'll be able to upgrade this phone as some kind of everyday working phone. It has both hardware and software limitations so using it with any current online services will be a challenge as far as security and functionality in general.
Click to expand...

I understand but I wish to try my chance. Does anyone know how to find a "flash file"? What would the extensions be for them? I don't know anything about them. How can I recognize them?
 
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That's a tablet not a phone.

The problem you will have is finding the actual file to root it. You could check XDA but it's likely that the links to the root or ROMs are dead/outdated.

Even if you could find the file, the tablet doesn't have enough memory or processing power to run anything above Ice Cream Sandwich (That's old!)
 
The thing you need to understand is that you have to build Android for the particular model of device. You can't download a generic android and flash it to whatever device you have.

At some point manufacturers stop providing updates (for that device this happened a decade ago). At that point you have 2 options: learn how to build it yourself and make your own (few people have the skills or the time to learn them), or find one that someone else has made (a "custom ROM"). You'll need to "root" it and install a "custom recovery" in order to install the ROM - the recovery also has to be built for the particular model, and with a device as old as this the tools to root it were probably fairly specific as well, if they ever existed. The number of unfamiliar terms here tells you how much learning is involved. But then there's the problems that other members have posted above: it takes a lot of effort to build and maintain all of this stuff, and it costs money to host the software and make it available to people (all of it: ROM, recovery, rooting tools). So at some point people stop: development stops, and software ceases to be available.

Here is an XDA thread with a list of ROMs for this device. I just tried one and the download site was dead, but feel free to check and see if any of them are available. The nearest thing to an XDA forum for the device seems to be here. But note that none of the ROMs in that first thread were newer than 2012 (Android 4.0), which is not much newer than what you have, and still so old that many apps will no longer work on it. There is no prospect at all of getting Android 7, 8, 9 etc for this device: nobody has done development for it for a decade, and it's unlikely that the drivers for its components would be compatible with a recent Android version.
 
Then I have given up the idea to upgrade its operating system. It doesn't connect to google accounts and google play. Is there any chance to install some basic apps such as pdf viewers, simple scientific calculators, file managers etc for Android 3.2 Honeycomb?

<Thank you for your all interest and spending your time for me>
 
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Keep in mind that any app you're using is going to be unsupported and out-of-date too. Using this phone to do anything involving online access needs to be given special attention.
If you go to
https://www.apkmirror.com/
you can download APK files for various apps. APKs were the common installer packages used to install apps. When you used the Google Play Store to install apps, it was simply downloading and installing the apk into your phone. You can manually install them but be wary about where you obtain them. The Play Store is relatively a safer source as Google regularly monitors and manages what it provides. The APKmirror site is supposedly a safe site that also regulates the APK files it hosts, and it has a reputable history. But there is no such thing as a 100% safe source so it's important to just not be sloppy about what you install on your phone, especially one that's so out-of-date.
Anyway, you'll need to go into your HTC's Settings >> Security menu and enable the 'Unknown sources' option so you can manually install APK files. By default it's not enabled for obvious security issues and you'll see a warning message you should not just ignore when you do enable it. Then go to the apkmirror site and when you do a search there's an advanced search option that allows you to filter by version so set it down to 3.2.
 
If I can't download them from the tablet, can I download them from a windows pc, sending into an sd cart? After pluging the sd card to the tablet, how will I do it? Would you please explain?
 
You can download them from the tablet: use a web browser, go to the site linked above, find the apk and download it.

Otherwise yes, you can download on a PC and copy them, no problem.

Once you have the apk just try clicking on it from a file browser to start the installer. You will first have to enable installing from "unknown sources" in the system Settings (maybe look in the security settings - I can't tell you precisely where it will be because they changed the way you do this about 4-5 years ago).
 
johnyb12 said:
If I can't download them from the tablet, can I download them from a windows pc, sending into an sd cart? After pluging the sd card to the tablet, how will I do it? Would you please explain?
Click to expand...
Don't have access to anything running 3.2 so this is all just speculation, but buried in the Settings menu there should be a 'Storage' option. Open that up to view the internal storage and card storage menus. The Storage option is a very rudimentary, basic file manager itself (even on newer Android versions), so you can at least use it to install a more functional third-party file manager app.
 
This question may be stupid but I wonder about it. Other than an sd card, what kind of external storage devices can I plug in to HTC flyer? I don't have any idea of its adaptor cable entrance, it is neither a usb or usb3. Seems to me very different. Secondly, can I use sim card slot as a way of storage?

Thank you.
 
johnyb12 said:
Other than an sd card, what kind of external storage devices can I plug in to HTC flyer? I don't have any idea of its adaptor cable entrance, it is neither a usb or usb3.
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According to the specs it uses micro USB.

OTG was supported in Android 3.1 I believe, so you might be able to buy a cheap OTG (On The Go) adapter and use a file manager app to transfer the files from your phone/SD card to a USB drive. Two of many options:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BNFKCYM/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C6032G0/

johnyb12 said:
Secondly, can I use sim card slot as a way of storage?
Click to expand...
No, not on the HTC Flyer. Some newer devices have a combo slot that lets you insert a SIM or SD card
 
One thing to note: although USB OTG will handle a pocket flash drive it doesn't provide enough power for an external hard drive. So if you want to do that you need one which can be powered by an external supply (most can't).

I would check specifically whether the HTC Flyer actually supports OTG: it was released about the time OTG support was being introduced, so best to make sure before buying any kit. It is actually one of the very oldest Android tablets!
 
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