Upgrading the OS Firmware on Zebra Devices

This procedure is useful when the user needs to upgrade the firmware on their Zebra mobile devices but does not want to set up and register Zebra's LifeGuard OTA. Additionally, a user may not have a Managed Google Play binding in place to deploy Zebra's Enrollment Manager application as part of the OTA process.

More information on LifeGuard can be found here: https://pulse.soti.net/support/soti-mobicontrol/help/?V=2026.0&T=console/reference/dialogs/globalsettings/zebra_lifeguard_ota

This applies to all versions of SOTI MobiControl.

1. To create a new file sync policy, navigate to Policies > File Sync.

2. Give the file sync policy a descriptive name and select Next.

3. Select Download From Server as the file sync type and upload the appropriate OS update file.

Note: Ensure that the appropriate incremental or full update OS file is downloaded from the target device's OS download page. Here is a link for Zebra TC 52 device-OS download files: https://www.zebra.com/us/en/support-downloads/software/operating-system/tc52-operating-system-for-gms-devices.html

4. Once the files are uploaded, specify the location of the file you want to sync in the Device File/ Folder Name field, then select the appropriate network.

Note: The file name and location of the file must be accurate. Uploading files larger than 2GB may fail due to a timeout. If this happens, create a case with SOTI Support for them to accommodate this request accordingly.

5. Next, enable the Post-Sync Script to send the following command:

sendintent -b "intent:#Intent;action=com.symbol.intent.action.UPDATE_PACKAGE;S.file=/sdcard/et1.zip;end"

Note: In the command above, replace /sdcard/et1.zip with the absolute file path of the uploaded OS file.

6. Set a device update schedule, then select Save and Assign to assign this policy to your target devices.

Useful links:

Zebra's Documentation on OS Updates using File Sync Rules: https://support-new.zebra.com/article/Perform-an-OS-Update-using-StageNow-Tool-or-SOTI-MobiControl?language=en_US

Zebra's Documentation on OS Updates using MX Config Files: https://support-new.zebra.com/article/OS-Update-single-package-using-SOTI-MobiControl-Mxconfig-Script?language=en_US

You can verify that the upgrade was successful using the SOTI MobiControl web console Device Details tab.

Alternatively, you can find the same information by navigating to System Settings > About Phone on the device.