How to update a Sony or Philips Android TV when you don't have an Internet connection

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Having a smart TV is necessary to be able to take advantage of the full potential of an Internet connection, either by cable or Wi-Fi. And no, we're not just talking about accessing online service applications (Netflix, HBO Max, Spotify...). Even to update the firmware we need a connection on the television, although in this case we can count on an extra resource.

And it is that updating a television based on Android TV is very easy to carry out even if the television does not have a network connection. We have tested one of the Sony models, although we will also see how to do it on Philips televisions with the Google operating system. If you don't have Wi-Fi nearby or the cable doesn't reach you, you can always update it if you have a USB stick and a device that does have an Internet connection.

For Sony TVs with Android TV

To update a television with Android TV, in this case from the Sony brand, you must follow a series of steps. First of all, identify the model, something we can do by looking at the small sticker that is located in the back area or by going into the "Settings" of the television and looking for a section related to the information of the device (it usually comes in About the Device "). But what has been said, the easiest thing is to look at the back and look for the sticker that identifies it.

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With these data we must access the Sony website referring to our specific model. In it we will find a section with the title "Product registration and assistance" or "Downloads" and confirm that our model is among those included.

We connect the pendrive, with the precaution that it must have FAT32 format and we download the installation file and take it to the USB. Normally a file that comes in .PKG format and we will have to place it in the root directory of the USB flash drive.

With the television turned off, we connect the USB flash drive that contains the extracted file, taking care not to have any other USB accessory connected, and when it is turned on, the update starts automatically. The process may take up to 30 minutes and during the installation the TV will turn off and then turn on automatically until the update is complete.

When the software update process is complete, a message is displayed on the screen indicating that the update is complete.

For Philips TVs with Android TV

In the case of Philips televisions, the process is very similar, with some differences. Once we have checked the software of the TV in the path "Menu" > "Settings" > "Software" > "Current software", we go to the Philips website on the support page.

On the support page you have to enter the model number, data that we can find again on the back of the TV.

If there is a newer version available in the support section, we proceed to download the file to the computer, usually a compressed .ZIP file. We unzip it and take it to the root folder of the USB flash drive that we are going to use.

With the television turned off, we connect the USB flash drive to the USB port of the television and turn it on. The software update screen will be displayed automatically and we follow the on-screen instructions to install it, and then the TV will download and install the software. All settings and connections will remain intact.

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