Starting March 27, 2025, we recommend using android-latest-release instead of aosp-main to build and contribute to AOSP. For more information, see Changes to AOSP.
Enterprise OTA updates
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The
Android
Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) Updatable Software
requires devices to implement the
SystemUpdatePolicy
class. SystemUpdatePolicy lets the device owner (DO) app, if
present, control the installation of system updates.
Notify device owners
The over-the-air (OTA) client must notify device owner apps about
incoming OTA updates using a system API. The OTA client must also
include a timestamp recording when the OTA update first became
available. OTA clients can call
DevicePolicyManager.notifyPendingSystemUpdate(long updateReceivedTime, boolean isSecurityPatch)
to notify device owner apps. If the OTA client doesn’t know if an update
is a security patch, the OTA client can fall back to using
DevicePolicyManager.notifyPendingSystemUpdate(long updateReceivedTime).
If an update isn’t currently available, the OTA client reports this by
setting the updateReceivedTime argument to -1.
We recommend sending notifications whenever the OTA client polls the
OTA server, or when an OTA is pushed to the client. You can also send
out notifications more frequently.
System update policy
Android 9 enhances the ability for device
owners to
control
updates by allowing device owners to postpone OTA updates for up to
90 days. Focusing on dedicated device (previously called COSU)
solutions, this feature lets owners pause the OS version running on
devices over critical periods, such as holidays.
To comply with the CDD, the OTA client must implement behavioral
policies. The DO can set the following policies, which must be
respected by the device system update subsystems:
Device owners can also
set
freeze periods (in Android 9 or later) that freeze the OS version
over critical periods, such as holidays or other busy times. The system
doesn't install OTA updates during a freeze period. We recommend using
SystemUpdatePolicy.InstallationOption (see
following section), however the OTA client can also call
SystemUpdatePolicy.getFreezePeriods()
to check if the device is in a freeze period.
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Last updated 2025-06-12 UTC.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-06-12 UTC."],[],[],null,["# Enterprise OTA updates\n\nThe\n[Android\nCompatibility Definition Document (CDD) Updatable Software](/compatibility/android-cdd#11_updatable_software)\nrequires devices to implement the\n[`SystemUpdatePolicy`](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/admin/SystemUpdatePolicy.html)\nclass. `SystemUpdatePolicy` lets the device owner (DO) app, if\npresent, control the installation of system updates.\n\nNotify device owners\n--------------------\n\n\nThe over-the-air (OTA) client must notify device owner apps about\nincoming OTA updates using a system API. The OTA client must also\ninclude a timestamp recording when the OTA update first became\navailable. OTA clients can call\n`DevicePolicyManager.notifyPendingSystemUpdate(long updateReceivedTime, boolean isSecurityPatch)`\nto notify device owner apps. If the OTA client doesn't know if an update\nis a security patch, the OTA client can fall back to using\n`DevicePolicyManager.notifyPendingSystemUpdate(long updateReceivedTime)`.\n\n\nIf an update isn't currently available, the OTA client reports this by\nsetting the `updateReceivedTime` argument to `-1`.\nWe recommend sending notifications whenever the OTA client polls the\nOTA server, or when an OTA is pushed to the client. You can also send\nout notifications more frequently.\n\nSystem update policy\n--------------------\n\n\nAndroid 9 enhances the ability for device\nowners to\n[control\nupdates](https://developer.android.com/work/dpc/system-updates) by allowing device owners to postpone OTA updates for up to\n90 days. Focusing on dedicated device (previously called COSU)\nsolutions, this feature lets owners pause the OS version running on\ndevices over critical periods, such as holidays.\n\n\nTo comply with the CDD, the OTA client must implement behavioral\npolicies. The DO can set the following policies, which must be\nrespected by the device system update subsystems:\n\n- [`TYPE_INSTALL_AUTOMATIC`](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/admin/SystemUpdatePolicy.html#TYPE_INSTALL_AUTOMATIC)\n- [`TYPE_INSTALL_WINDOWED`](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/admin/SystemUpdatePolicy.html#TYPE_INSTALL_WINDOWED)\n- [`TYPE_POSTPONE`](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/admin/SystemUpdatePolicy.html#TYPE_POSTPONE)\n\n\nDevice owners can also\n[set\nfreeze periods](https://developer.android.com/work/dpc/system-updates#freeze-periods) (in Android 9 or later) that freeze the OS version\nover critical periods, such as holidays or other busy times. The system\ndoesn't install OTA updates during a freeze period. We recommend using\n`SystemUpdatePolicy.InstallationOption` (see\nfollowing section), however the OTA client can also call\n[`SystemUpdatePolicy.getFreezePeriods()`](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/admin/SystemUpdatePolicy#getFreezePeriods())\nto check if the device is in a freeze period."]]
