Manage System Updates on Android

Use the System Update setting in an Android configuration to control how enrolled devices install Android operating system updates. You can let devices install updates as soon as they’re available, limit installation to a daily maintenance window, or postpone updates. You can also block updates during fixed periods of the year, for example during a busy season.

Choose an update type

Type	What it does
Install automatically when available	The device installs an update as soon as it’s available.
Install automatically within daily maintenance window (Strongly recommended for kiosk devices)	The device installs updates only inside the daily time window you set. The same window also applies to app updates from Google Play.
Postpone automatic install up to 30 days	Automatic installation of an update is postponed for up to 30 days.

Set the system update policy

Go to Android → Configurations.
Click New to create a configuration, or open an existing configuration and edit it.
Enter a configuration name.
In the list on the left, select System (category System). Use Category or Configuration to search the list.
Under System Update, select a Type.
If you selected the maintenance window type, enter Start Minutes and End Minutes. See Set a maintenance window.
Optional: add one or more freeze periods under Freeze Periods. See Block updates in freeze periods.
Click Create, or Save if you edited an existing configuration.
Assign the configuration to groups or endpoints. See Android Configurations.

The devices get the new policy the next time they sync. To send it to a device right away, use the Synchronize command. See Android Device Commands.

Set a maintenance window

The maintenance window is set in minutes after midnight, in the device’s local time:

Start Minutes is the start of the window, and End Minutes is the end.
Both values must be between 0 and 1439. For example, 120 is 02:00 and 240 is 04:00.
If End Minutes is less than Start Minutes, the window spans midnight. For example, 1380 to 180 runs from 23:00 to 03:00.
If the window is shorter than 30 minutes, it’s extended to 30 minutes after the start time.

Choose a time when the devices are switched on but not in use, for example at night for kiosk devices that stay on.

Block updates in freeze periods

A freeze period is a time of year when over-the-air system updates are postponed, so the operating system version stays the same. Freeze periods repeat every year.

Under Freeze Periods, click the add icon (Add Freeze Period).
Under Start Date, enter the Month and Day the period starts.
Under End Date, enter the Month and Day the period ends.

Rules for freeze periods:

Don’t set Year. Leave it empty or 0, because the period repeats every year.
Both dates are included in the period.
A freeze period can be at most 90 days long.
Separate freeze periods by at least 60 days, so devices aren’t frozen indefinitely.
If the end date is earlier than the start date, the period runs over the turn of the year. For example, 1 December to 15 January.

When several configurations set System Update

If a device gets more than one configuration that sets System Update, only the setting from the configuration with the highest priority applies. Configurations assigned directly to the device come before configurations assigned through groups. See Android Configurations.

To check which policy a device uses, open the device and select Configurations → Applied.

Find devices that need updates

On the endpoint list: go to Android → Endpoints and use the System Update Status and Critical System Update quick filters. Critical System Update set to Yes lists the devices with a pending security update. See Android Endpoints.
On a device: the Dashboard tab shows the device’s update status. The Inventory → Hardware → System tab shows OS version, Update status, and Last policy sync.

The update status is one of the following:

Update status	Meaning
System is up-to-date	No system update is waiting on the device.
Security update available	A security update is waiting. It counts as a critical system update.
OS update available.	An operating system update is waiting.
System update available	An update is waiting, but its type isn’t known.
Unknown update status	It isn’t known whether an update is waiting, for example because the device runs an old Android version.