Updates to the Android operating system are designed to improve performance, fix vulnerabilities and add new features. However Android 10 is the version that for many users has become the last stable: further upgrades to Android 11+ often lead to slowdowns, loss of functionality or incompatibility with favorite applications. If you are faced with the fact that your smartphone downloads and installs updates without permission, and you need to save the current version, this article will help completely disable Android 10 updates without the risk of “breaking” the device.

We will look at both standard methods through the settings, and advanced ones - using ADB, disabling system services and even physically blocking update servers. Important: some methods require superuser rights (root), others work on “clean” devices without additional manipulations. Choose the appropriate option depending on the smartphone model and your level of expertise.

⚠️ Attention: Disabling security updates increases the risk of malware infection. If your smartphone is used to work with payments, banking applications, or stores confidential data, assess the risks before blocking updates.

Manufacturers regularly change the logic of system services. For example, Samsung One UI and MIUI paths to update settings may differ even within the same version of Android. If the instructions did not work, check the current menus in the user manual of your model.

1. Disabling updates through standard Android settings

The easiest and safest way is to use the built-in system options. It is suitable for most smartphones on Android 10, including devices Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Nokia and others with minimal changes to the shell.

Go to the menu Settings → System → Advanced → System update (on some devices the path may look like Settings → About device → Software update). Here you need:

  • 🔄 Click on the three dots in the upper right corner (additional options menu).
  • ⚙️ Select "Settings" or "Update Options".
  • 🚫 Disable the switches:
    • "Automatic download over Wi-Fi"
    • "Automatic installation" (if available)
    • "Update notifications"
  • 📵 On some devices (for example, Samsung Galaxy) additionally disable "Downloading in the background".

After this, the system will stop downloading updates on its own, but notifications about available updates may continue to appear. To remove them, you will have to use the methods from the following sections.

📊 What brand of your smartphone?
Samsung
Xiaomi/Redmi/Poco
Huawei/Honor
Google Pixel
Other

2. Blocking updates through mobile data restrictions

If your smartphone tries to update via the mobile data (for example, when Wi-Fi is turned off), you can block this channel. This method does not cancel notifications, but prevents background downloading large update files.

Instructions:

  1. Open Settings → Network and internet → Mobile network → Data transfer.
  2. Find the section "Use of data by applications" (may be called "Application traffic").
  3. In the list, find Google Play Services or Software update (on Samsung — Software Update).
  4. Disable the switch "Background data" and set the limit to 0 MB.

For reliability, also limit traffic for Google Play downloader i Google Play ServicesThis does not block updates completely, but makes downloading them via the mobile network impossible.

💡

On some firmware (for example, ColorOS from Oppo), background downloading of updates can only be disabled via ADB. If the option is not in the menu, go to the section about ADB commands.

3. disabling system services

A more radical method is to disable services responsible for updates via Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method works on most devices without root, but requires connecting to a computer and enabling USB debugging.

Step-by-step guide:

  1. Download and install ADB Tools on your PC.
  2. Activate on your smartphone Settings → About phone → Build number (press 7 times to enable Developer mode).
  3. Go back to Settings → System → For developers and enable "USB Debugging".
  4. Connect your phone to the PC and enter in the command line: 
    adb devices

    (your device should appear).

  5. Run the commands to disable update services: 
    adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.updater

    adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.gsf.update

The commands may differ for different manufacturers. For example, on Xiaomi Additionally, you need to disable: 

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.miui.updatemanager

Install USB drivers for your model|Enable USB debugging|Download ADB Tools|Connect the phone to the PC with the original cable|Check device detection with the adb devices command-->

4. root access

If you have root accessyou can completely remove system applications responsible for updates. This method irreversibly removes the ability update via standard meansso use it only if you are confident in your decision.

List of applications to remove (depending on the firmware):

  • 📱 /system/priv-app/Updater/Updater.apk (standard update application)
  • 🔄 /system/app/SoftwareUpdate/SoftwareUpdate.apk (on Samsung)
  • 🔧 /system/priv-app/UpdateCenter/UpdateCenter.apk (on Huawei)
  • 🤖 /system/priv-app/GoogleUpdateServices/ (Google services)

To uninstall, use a file manager with root access (for example, Root Explorer or FX File Explorer). Alternatively, via ADB with superuser rights: 

adb shell

su


mount -o rw,remount /system


rm -rf /system/priv-app/Updater/


reboot

What to do if, after removing updates, the phone stops booting?

If you have deleted a critical system application, try restoring it via TWRP (custom recovery). To do this, download the original firmware for your model, extract the deleted APK file from it and flash it back with the command:

adb push Updater.apk /system/priv-app/Updater/

adb shell chmod 644 /system/priv-app/Updater/Updater.apk

If this does not help, a complete flashing of the device is required.

5. hosts file

Another way without root is to redirect requests to update servers to an “empty” IP address. This is done by editing the file hosts, but requires superuser rights or using special applications (for example, Hosts Editor).

Add the following lines to the end of the file: /system/etc/hosts the following lines: 

127.0.0.1 android.clients.google.com

127.0.0.1 update.googleapis.com


127.0.0.1 android.com/ota


127.0.0.1 system-update.server.com

Server addresses differ for different manufacturers. For example, for Samsung add: 

127.0.0.1 fota-cloud-dn.ospserver.net

127.0.0.1 fota.samsungcloudsolution.net

After saving the changes, reboot the device. be blocked.

💡

Editing the hosts file without root is only possible through applications like Hosts Editor, but they require permission to write to system partitions, which is not issued on all firmware.

6. Physically disabling the Internet for update services (without root)

If the previous methods did not work, you can use the built-in traffic limiting function for individual applications. This will not remove notifications about updates, but will make downloading them impossible.

Instructions:

  1. Open Settings → Applications and notifications → Show all applications.
  2. Find Google Play Services i Software update (name may vary).
  3. Select "Mobile data and Wi-Fi".
  4. Disable the switches "Background data" and "Wi-Fi".
  5. For reliability, also disable "Autostart" in the application settings.

On some firmware (for example, EMUI from Huawei), you additionally need to block Internet access via Firewall. To do this:

  • 🛡️ Go to Settings → Security → Firewall.
  • 🔍 Find Software Update or System Update.
  • 🚫 Disable access to Wi-Fi and mobile data.

⚠️ Attention: Blocking Google Play Services may interfere with other functions such as account synchronization, Google Pay or Push notifications. If you notice any glitches, return the settings back.

Comparison of methods for disabling Android 10 updates

Method Required root Complexity Efficiency Risks
System settings ❌ No ⭐ Disables auto-update, but notifications remain No
Mobile data limit ❌ No ⭐⭐ Blocks downloads over 3G/4G, but not over Wi-Fi Background ones may stop working tasks
ADB commands ❌ No ⭐⭐⭐ Completely disables update services If the command is incorrect, system applications will fail
Uninstall via root ✅ Yes ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Permanently removes the ability to update Risk of "skipping" when deleting critical files
Editing hosts ✅ Yes (or special. applications) ⭐⭐⭐ Blocks connection to update servers Other Google services may stop working

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about disabling Android 10 updates

Is it possible to roll back from Android 11 back to Android 10 after a failed one updates?

Technically yes, but the process is complex and risky. You will need:

  1. Find original Android 10 firmware specifically for your model (for example, XDA Developers or 4PDA).
  2. Unlock bootloader (on some devices this will reset all data!).
  3. Flash the firmware via fastboot or TWRP.

⚠️ On many modern smartphones (for example, Samsung Exynos or Google Pixel) rollback to the old version is blocked anti-rollback protection. In this case, the device can turn into a “brick”.

Why do they turn on again after disabling updates via ADB?

Some firmwares (for example MIUI or EMUI) automatically reset ADB settings after a reboot. To fix the changes:

  • Use the command with the flag --user 0 (as in the instructions above).
  • Install the application Shizuku to constantly use ADB commands without a PC.
  • On some devices, disabling the application will help DevicePolicyManager (but this is risky!).
Will Google Pay work if I block updates via hosts?

Most likely not. Google Pay requires up-to-date services Google Play Services and regular device security checks (SafetyNetBlocking update servers can lead to:

  • Error "The device is not certified".
  • Refusal to operate contactless payments.
  • Problems with other applications that depend on Google (Gmail, Maps, etc.).

If Google Pay is critical, use methods without blocking googleapis.com (for example, only disabling auto-updates in the settings).

How to check if updates are really disabled?

To make sure that the smartphone is no longer trying to update:

  1. Go to Settings → Applications → Show all and find Software update or Software Update.
  2. Check that the cache size in the "Storage" section is not growing.
  3. Open Settings → Network and Internet → Data usage and look at the traffic Google Play Services - if it is 0, the blocking worked.
  4. Try to manually check for updates - the system should show a connection error.
Is it possible to disable updates only for specific applications, and not for the entire system?

Yes, but this is a different process To block auto-updates only for applications (from Google Play):

  1. Open Google Play Store.
  2. Click on the profile avatar → "Settings".
  3. Select "Network and auto-update".
  4. Set "Do not update automatically".

This does not affect Android system updates, which are managed by a separate service.