How to: Update Nokia firmware over the air

In the old days, you’d hook your smartphone up to your PC and sit back helplessly while a 100MB download was written all over your data disk, followed by a tedious data and app re-install. In 2009, it’s quick, easy and you get to keep everything!

The promise of being able to update the Operating System inside your smartphone Over The Air (i.e. using Wi-Fi or 3G data) has been there for a while in the Symbian OS world, but it has only become real since S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 (devices like the Nokia N79 and N85).

An additional technology, UDP (User Data Preservation), first appeared in the N82 and this too helps make firmware upgrades painless.

Step 1: Back up anyway – please
It goes without saying, but, regardless of your confidence in this procedure, it’s ALWAYS a good idea to do a backup first. Here we’re using a Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, running S60 5th Edition, so go to ‘File mgr’ and use the prominent ‘Backup’ function to back your C disk up to memory card. Do it now.

Step 2: Checking for an update
On the home screen, bring up the dial pad and type “*#0000#”. Up will pop the ‘Device updates’ utility, showing the current firmware version. Use ‘Options>Check for updates’ and allow your phone online in the usual way.

Step 3: Woohoo! An update is available!
If a new version of the OS (firmware) is available, it will be shown, as here for v21 on the Nokia 5800, in a ‘Download’ pop-up window, along with the file size in bytes. Unlike a full PC Suite re-write of the firmware, the Firmware-Over-The-Air (FOTA) version will likely be less than 10MB and quite practical for downloading even over a cellular connection. Press ‘Accept’ to start the download.

Step 4: Better safe than sorry
Once the download is complete, you’ll see  an ‘Install now?’ prompt. Tap on ‘Now’ and you’ll be prompted with a few ‘better safe than sorry’ safety reminders (‘backup’ and ‘not using during the backup’).

Step 5: Install time
Step through the reminders and the installation will start for real, overwriting memory blocks in the OS image in your phone’s ‘Z’ disk. The update is accompanied by a progress bar and shouldn’t take longer than a couple of minutes.

Step 6: Restart and check
Once complete, the phone will restart and you can not only verify that your data and applications are all intact but also repeat the “*#0000#” bit to check the new firmware version. If you’re curious about what’s new, see the software and support section on www.nokia.com.

Written by Steve Litchfield. Originally published in Smartphone Essentials.

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