Follow These Steps Before Installing Android 10 on Your Phone
Android 10 is available for some, but it might not be for you. If you own a Google Pixel (from the OG Pixel to the latest Pixel 3a or Pixel 3a XL), you can download and install the new version of Android OS right now. For everyone else, you’ll have to wait a bit.
Before you download and install Android 10 – anyway – here are a few steps you should consider:
Back up your stuff
While you should be fine when upgrading from whatever version of Android you’re running to Android 10, you don’t want to be an exception to the rule, especially if you haven’t backed up important data on your device recently. Fortunately, this is a fairly straightforward process:
- Pull settings
- Click on system
- Click on Backup
- Click the big blue ” Back up now ” button.
This should cover most of the important functions of your device: app data, call history, contacts, device settings, and text messages. If you want to be careful, you can also use a third-party app like Slight Backup to create a secondary secondary backup. If you’re using root, you can also use Titanium Backup to keep everything on your device, but that seems a little overkill for a standard system update.
I also recommend running Google Photos if you are using this app / service to make sure all of your device’s images and videos are synced to the cloud. Since it’s free, there is no reason not to use Google’s storage service for your media, especially if you own a Pixel and the company gives you unlimited storage for your full-resolution images and videos.
Finally, if you are using your device – and only your Android Authenticator device or app – to verify login details for important accounts, make sure you have backup codes for those accounts in standby. If the update goes wrong and you can’t access your phone or authenticator app, you can still sign in to your accounts from a different device and start the rather arduous 2FA setup process elsewhere.
Test your device for speed before installing Android 10.
This step is optional, but I always love seeing how a new operating system update affects the performance of my device – and if it interferes with my device in any way, it’s a good reason to consider a factory reset, additional troubleshooting, or perhaps phone call. or an online chat with the manufacturer (after checking to make sure my warranty is still active).
Grab some benchmarking apps like GeekBench 5 , AnTuTu and GFXBench and run them before upgrading your device to Android 10. Once you’re ready to upgrade to a new version of the operating system, run it again; the results should be very similar. If they are significantly worse than before, then you may have a problem.
Of course, you can always browse your favorite Android forums to make sure three times that other owners of your particular smartphone do not encounter any bugs or issues when upgrading to Android 10. If so, you can postpone the update until any issues are resolved. This is especially true for any battery issues other users may encounter. If you see reports that Android 10 is reducing your device’s battery life (say, by about 25 percent), you can wait for this update as well.
How to install Android 10
When you’re ready to pull the trigger on Android 10, perform an over-the-air update:
- Pulling up settings
- Clicking on the system
- Clicking on Advanced
- Clicking on System Update
- By clicking on the big blue “Check for Updates” button.
At least that’s what I did on my Pixel 3a. Your steps may vary slightly for your specific Android device. However, it is not very difficult to install an OS update and you should be ready to go after downloading, installing and restarting. Say hello to Android 10.