Upgrading a "Rooted" Android Tablet Forcibly - Anybody with experience on this?

[NightWolve]

Hey guys, I could use some help. I got a 7" tablet and I'm pretty sure the maker doesn't give a shit about it anymore, so there won't be any official updates for the OS in the future. Only way I'll ever be able to upgrade it to Android 4.4 (AKA KitKat) will be by force after it's rooted. Has anybody ever done this ? I need a definitive guide if possible. I spent hours googling around yesterday and I didn't find much of anything that was worthwhile. I need 1) a good guide and 2) the source website for a generic build for Android KitKat... Nothing seems to be clear on where to download the latest build let alone a guide on how to do this for an average tablet... I'm hoping somebody here might have experience so thought I'd ask before continuing on my own. Thanks!

[Vecanti]

Yeah, I have done this on my tablet (old Nook Color) and my phone as well which is running KitKat now.

It really depends on the device. 

Step 1. You may have to root it. You may not.

Step 2. You may have to install a bootloader or you may not.

Step 3. Software is 2 parts. KitKat (CM11) version. This will be a specific Download for your exact device and then something called GAPPS - this is a generic download (zip file). GAPPS is basically generic "Google Apps" I believe stuff like the Keyboard, Play Store, and a lot of essential stuff you need. There is  a GAPPS for Android 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4.  So if you are installing KitKat you would get the GAPPS zip file for 4.4 (CM11 ie KitKat) as if you try to use GAPPS for 4.2 it won't work.  Basically they just separated GAPPS from the actual specific version of KitKat for your device.  So again, to make long story long you will basically have 2 files.

You just need to have the 2 correct files, the correct version of KitKat for your device and then the correct generic GAPPS zip.  The bootloader usually will automagically take care of installing both.



Best place to start is:  http://forum.xda-developers.com/


For my Nook it is dead simple. No root necessary.  There is a DL that formats an SD card for you on your PC.   Basically you just put the Nook version of Android plus GAPPS zip in the root directory and the Nook boots from the SD card and ask if you want to install. 

For my phone I had to root it.  I had to find some files to put on SD that rooted it.  Then I had to install a boot loader.  Then basically same thing as my Nook, copy KitKat version for my phone and GAPPS zip to root of an zip card and the bootloader installed everything.

[NightWolve]

Thanks a lot Vecanti, just the kind of post I was hoping for! Points me in the right direction at least, I have an idea what needs to get done.

Here's the thing though, what happens if there is no specific build for my tablet, what if nobody made one ? Is there a generic build of KitKat ? And is that the risky situation of how people "brick" their devices to where they no longer boot when using that ?

See, this is a cheap Chinese tablet, and I think they're way done with it and moved on to like 40 new models ahead of it. I'm starting to get "Can't install for your OS" messages for apps that I want from the playstore cause it's getting out of date which is why I want Kitkat. Apps like Dragon Dictation won't install on this and I'm getting sick of the virtual keyboard. Wanna be able to speak to the tablet and have good speech to text conversion, etc. I recall a radio app I wanted wouldn't install either...

It's a great device for all the things that I can do, but now I realize why it came cheap at $60.

[NightWolve]

Bump.

Anybody else by chance have experience with this ?

[Vecanti]

I've never seen or heard of a generic Android distro unfortunately. Not like a Windows install for example, where it would sort of install on any given generic device and then install the drivers for your particular device.

I've seen "sort of generic" distros. But they are still for a somewhat specific manufacturer.  Like a certain brand of Chinese tablets where they used several different parts over time.  So when you goto install the 'Generic Distro' for that brand, you have to install it while trying a whole bunch of options. So maybe they used 4 different types of touch screens, 3 different types of wireless, 2 different sound chips, 2 different CPU generations. So you have to install trying Touch Screen type A.  If it fails re-install try Touch Screen type B, if it fails try Touch Screen type C, and so on. Once the Touch screen works, you have to re-install, testing which each wi-fi type they included in the distro, and sound drivers, etc and it becomes a guessing game. 

But you still need a fairly specific distro for that situation.

Otherwise you have to build the distro for your device as far as I know if someone else hasn't done it already. That I have no idea. I have a challenge just getting the pre-done distros installed

As far as bricking, that is probably always a risk. In my experience, the risk there is when you are installing the bootloader.  Once you have the bootloader you are typically safe most of the time I believe. However if you don't have a way to install the original Androind OS that came on the device and the distros you try don't work, well then, you can pretty much consider it a brick at that point as you won't have an OS on it all of course.

Does your tablet have any branding on it at all?  Or model or serial numbers? Or when you go into the About Tablet/Phone in the settings does it give you any information?

[NightWolve]

Thanks man! I guess given all that you've described, I should probably leave well enough alone...

As for the tablet info, it's a Kocaso M752: http://kocaso.com/product_M752.html