Will this stop my phone from updating?

[groston]

I have a Pixel 7 Pro phone running Android 13. I rooted the phone and when I run Root Checker it indicates 'Root access is properly installed..."

Despite this work, the phone still tries to update itself, despite my having turned off every setting related to updating. When I posted a question about this here, someone replied “Navigate to /system in System Files and a) Look for a file or directory related to the update service – which might be named something like Updater, OTA, etc, and b) rename these files.

When I used X-Plore to look for such files in the directory indicated, I found:

/bin/update_engine
/bin/update_verifier
/etc/init/update_engine.rc
/etc/init/update_verifier.rc
/lib64/libupdate_engine_stable-V1-cpp.so

and a *ota* search under /system found ten files, of which

/bin/otapreopt

may be relevant.

Would it be safe to rename these files? When I selected one of the aforementioned files, the X-Plore Rename button remained inactive; and when I looked at the file’s permissions, only Owner has Write privileges, i.e., the mode is 755. If renaming the files is the proper thing to do, how on earth can I do that?

 

[nickdalzell]

the only method I know of to successfullly circumvent/block/disable updates is to use an app such as 'netguard no root firewall' and disable internet to anything matching the words 'update' 'updater' 'app update' and 'software update'. Just be sure to put airplane mode on before restarting the phone because sadly that app doesn't restart on its own.

I got burned so often by updates changing stuff around, making the UI flatter than MS-DOS, or disabling/removing features I have grown accustomed to using, that I just dont trust anything updated anymore. I honestly still use apps from the Android 2.3 days. I still use Vista and Windows 7, and have linux essentially stuck in 2010. the world got weird after 2014.

 

[groston]

the only method I know of to successfullly circumvent/block/disable updates is to use an app such as 'netguard no root firewall' and disable internet to anything matching the words 'update' 'updater' 'app update' and 'software update'. Just be sure to put airplane mode on before restarting the phone because sadly that app doesn't restart on its own.

I got burned so often by updates changing stuff around, making the UI flatter than MS-DOS, or disabling/removing features I have grown accustomed to using, that I just dont trust anything updated anymore. I honestly still use apps from the Android 2.3 days. I still use Vista and Windows 7, and have linux essentially stuck in 2010. the world got weird after 2014.

Thank you - I will download and try the app. Since my phone has recently popped up some messages about updating, should I update first or install this app first?

p.s. I fully agree with your sentiment. I too am still running on Windows 7, and fundamentally distrust google docs, word 365, etc., because we have literally zero idea of what these 'nice' people are doing with our data.
p.p.s.
One of the reason I do not use Apple products is because I have felt, for quite some time, that they have too much access. Sadly, Windows and Android, these days, are no different...

 

[nickdalzell]

If it's nagging you to update, you can try the paid app Buzzkill, which can disable notifications that are 'undisable-able' normally, or you can try to stop the pop-ups by turning off the 'screen overlay/draw over other apps' permission for 'software update' or whatever your phone calls software update. If rooted, you can just remove 'software update' from /system/priv-app and reboot.

 

[groston]

If it's nagging you to update, you can try the paid app Buzzkill, which can disable notifications that are 'undisable-able' normally, or you can try to stop the pop-ups by turning off the 'screen overlay/draw over other apps' permission for 'software update' or whatever your phone calls software update. If rooted, you can just remove 'software update' from /system/priv-app and reboot.

My phone is rooted and I would like to try 'remove 'software update' from /system/priv-app', but only the owner has write privileges on that system directory. Any suggestions as to how this issue can be overcome?

 

[nickdalzell]

if you're rooted then making /system read/write should be standard should it not? Something such as Root Explorer should be more than up to the task, unless something has changed significantly--I haven't rooted since the CyanogenMod 7.1 days.

 

[ocnbrze]

just turn off updates via developer's mode. no need for root access to do it.

 

[nickdalzell]

the OP's phone is already nagging to install an update, the only way to fully silence it is by removing the updater period. sometimes you can disable the pop-ups by turning off the draw over other apps permission, but not always. the 'auto updates' in dev options doesn't stop the phone from nagging to install a downloaded update. it just prevents it from doing it uncommanded.

since OP's phone is already rooted anyway, they should easily be able to just remove the app from /system/priv-app by using a root explorer to change permission of /system to rw, which was trivial back in the day.

 

[groston]

Two comments:

Permission changing: I installed Root Explorer, gave it the permissions needed, then tried to change the permissions i /system. I was shown the 'fun' message: Permissions change was not successful. Please note that some file systems( e.g. SD card) do not allow permission changes.

Turning off updates: There is a post on a google forum site by a 'platinum product expert' that says: System updates can't be fully disabled

Beginning to sound like we are all screwed...