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I have a TV from the brand "Haam". It's supposed to be smart, but recently I couldn't use any app. Nothing works on it. I can only watch regular channels from satellite. I want to update the TV software, but the only way to update it is by using USB. The following figure shows the system details:

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This is my first time to update a TV. I don't have the experience on this. Please, I need your help and advice in this regard. Thanks in advance.

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    Android OS 4.2 is over 10 years old and your TV is unlikely to be running that version of software. So the version number does not help. Sadly your TV is probably running a custom version of Android and only the manufacturer can update the OS.
    – Morrison Chang
    Commented Mar 27 at 4:36
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    @MorrisonChang Actually, I think it's very likely their TV is running Android 4.2.1, as per the photograph.
    – Amazon Dies In Darkness
    Commented Mar 27 at 6:14
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    Is the TV connected to the internet via WiFi, an Ethernet cable, or other means?
    – Amazon Dies In Darkness
    Commented Mar 27 at 6:15
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    How long have you had this TV? Was it discounted when you bought it? A bit of searching reveals that Haam TVs seem to be available in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. Do you know if they are available elsewhere under other brand names?
    – John Dallman
    Commented Mar 27 at 15:37
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    @EndAnti-SemiticHate I have updated the images, yes it's connected via wifi
    – F 505
    Commented Mar 27 at 18:11

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The possible routes to updating this TV are:

  • If the manufacturer has produced a later version of Android for it, install that.
  • If someone independent has produced a "custom ROM" for it, based on a later version of Android, you could install that, if you trust them. The best place to find out about that would be xda-developers.com.

In either case, if your TV is available under other brand names in other countries, Android for the differently-branded models might work, but there are two things to check:

  1. Is that Android available in Arabic?
  2. Is the differently-branded model identical, except for the branding?

Point 2 is really important, because there are no "generic" versions of Android available to install.

Why can't I get generic Android? I can get generic Windows for a PC!

PCs are all descended from the original IBM PC, first released in the early 1980s. They all have a lot in common in the design of their hardware. Android devices have a lot less in common: they mostly use ARM processors and lithium-ion batteries. But almost everything else can and does vary.

To let the same Android operating system run on widely differing hardware, there's a layer of software called "device drivers" that operate the hardware. All operating systems have something like that, but the details vary.

Windows comes with a large library of device drivers, enough to let it start up on almost any PC-compatible computer, and then download the correct drivers if necessary. But Windows takes up a lot more storage than Android, and has the advantage of all of its hardware being generally similar. Windows also requires care and maintenance; Android has to do without that, because it's intended to be usable to anyone, including people without any computer skills.

Also, many of the device drivers for Android hardware are proprietary to the SoC or device manufacturers, who don't want to let anyone else see their source code. They make and sell hardware: Android is a necessary overhead for them, so that the hardware is useful. Microsoft, in contrast, are mostly a software company.

All this means:

  • Only the manufacturer of your TV can easily produce an updated Android for it.
  • Anyone else who want to do that needs to find or write source code for device drivers for it. Those are needed to operate the screen, the USB ports, the TV receiver and decoder, and all the other electronics in the TV.
  • They may be able to find open-source device drivers for some of the electronics, but they'll likely need to write some drivers themselves.
  • Writing device drivers usually involves "reverse engineering" the relevant parts of the electronics: figuring out how software can operate them by trial and error. This is quite time-consuming.

Ask on XDA-developers, but prepare to be disappointed. There are millions of Android-based devices out there stuck on old versions of Android. Their manufacturers would rather sell you a new device than spend money on producing updated software, which few people will install.

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