Rockchip firmware update guide for Android TV-Box

Check our tutorial to easily update, restore, recover or unbrick your Android TV-Box with Rockchip SoC.

Supported processors are the popular RK3066 / RK3188 / RK3368 / RK3228 / RK3229 / RK3328 / RK3399 / RK3528 / RK3576 / RK3566 / RK3588 and others. It easily restores your Android TV-Box, although we will need a PC for this firmware update procedure.

• FIND A FIRMWARE: You can use the search of our web, if we do not have it published we don’t have it, ask your shop
• NOTE: AndroidPCtv is not responsible for problems that may cause a firmware change.

Select update method

• Method 1-A = I have a single file with .img extension (you don’t need to connect the TV-Box to a PC).
• Method 1-B = I have a single file with .img extension (you need to connect the TV-Box to a PC).
• Method 2 = I have a single file with .zip extension, (you don’t need to connect the TV-Box to a PC).

! ATTENTION !

• If the TV Box works well for our needs DO NOT UPDATE
• If we don’t know what we are doing DO NOT UPDATE
• If our TV-Box don’t work and doesn’t have reset button, DO NOT TRY TO UPDATE , claim to the store.
• Disconnect any other Android device that we have connected.
• You always have to use a USB 2.0 connector (higher compatibility).
• There are many TV-Boxes especially the cheap ones that are copies called ” clones ” that are incompatible with the official roms of the original models and can leave useless our TV Box or do not work the Wi-Fi. It is impossible to know if we have a clone or not without opening the device and comparing it with another original. We recommend buying devices in the stores we recommend, and if possible only known models from trusted brands.
• If you do not find firmware for your model you may not have any brand support.

Flash firmware with IMG file and a SD card

• Method 1-A = I have a single file with .img extension (you don’t need to connect the TV-Box to a PC)

Requirements

• Read the first point of this guide
• Download drivers Rockchip Create Upgrade v1.53
• PC with Windows 7, 8 or 10.
• Micro SD or SD card reader
• We recommend a quality micro SD card, with good speed, such as a 128 GB SAMSUNG EVO PLUS. A cheap alternative, the LD brand micro SD available on AliExpress with good speed and quality.
• SD card formatted in FAT32

SD card creation notes

• If the method does not work with one card try another, some may be not compatible
• You always have to run the program as ADMINISTRATOR.
• If this process does not work, use method 1-B of this same guide.

Prepare SD card to update TV-Box with SoC Rockchip

1. Unzip the Rockchip Create Upgrade v1.53
2. Locate where you have the firmware file in * .img format.
3. We start the Rockchip Create Upgrade program as the ADMINISTRATOR (right click on “SD_Firmware_Tool.exe”)
   In the program we select:
   – Drive where we have connected the SD card.
   – Activate the SD BOOT option in the program menu.
   – Path where we have the IMG file.
   
4. Press the RESTORE button and the process of creating the SD card will start, it may take several minutes.
5. With the TV-Box turned off introduce the SD card.
6. Keep the reset button pressed and without releasing it we connect the TV-Box to the electricity to boot it.
7. Automatically the update process will start, we must have patience it can take many minutes.
8. To the terminal the process remove the SD card.
9. We recommend doing a factory reset when Android boot: Settings> Backup> Reset

Flash Firmware with Rockchip IMG file using a PC

• Method 1-B = I have a single file with .img extension (you need to connect the TV-Box to a PC)

Requirements

• Read the first point of this guide
• Download Driver Rockchip Driver Assistant v5.1.1
• Download Rockchip RK Batch Tool v1.8 Update Tool, see point 1-B-1
  ALTERNATIVE IF THE PREVIOUS SOFTWARE DOES NOT WORK – Factorytool v1.64, see point 1-B-2
  
• PC with Windows 7, 8 or 10.
• Usually you need a USB Type-A to USB-Type-A cable, buy it at AliExpress or Amazon.

Connection notes

• Each TV-Box has a specific PC connection port.
  We have to test the flash process with all ports, USB, microUSB or USB Type-C.
• If our PC does not detect the TV-Box we recommend using another PC
• We may have problems with our PC if we have previously installed another program to update an Android mobile phone or other similar device.
• If one method gives you an error try the next one.

Installing Rockchip Drivers

1. Start the program for the Rockchip Drivers “driverinstall.exe” (execute like Administrator with right button of the mouse in Windows), press in Install
   
2. In the Windows security message click on Install
   
3. Close the drivers program
4. Reboot the PC

1-B-1 Update Procedure for a TV-Box with RK Batch Tool

1. 1. Disconnect the power cord on the Rockchip TV-Box
   2. Start the program RK Batch Tool with the “RKBatchTool.exe“
   3. Click on the Firmware button “…”
   4. Select the Firmware file with extension “. img “and will be loaded on the screen.
      
   5. Hold the reset button on the device and connect with a correct USB cable on our PC (buy it at Aliexpress or Amazon)
   6. The update program will detect the device almost instantly in one USB position (In the TV-Box we will have the black screen, if it enters the recovery is NOT correct)
      
   7. Select the RESTORE option and begin the update process
      
   8. When finished, a green message will appear.
      
   9. Wait for the system to restart and show us the Android desktop, this can take about 5 to 10 minutes.

1-B-2 Update using a PC for TV-Box with Factorytool

1. Disconnect the Rockchip device from the power and run Factorytool
2. First we upload the firmware in IMG format (1) and change to Restore mode (2)
   
3. Hold the reset button on the device and connect with a correct USB cable on our PC (buy it at AliExpress or Amazon)
   
4. The update program will detect the device almost instantly in one USB position (In the TV-Box we will have the black screen, if it enters the recovery is NOT correct)
5. Click on the RUN button (3), at the end it will give us OK.
6. Wait for the system to restart and show us the Android desktop, this can take from 5 to 10 minutes approximately.

1-B-3 Update using a PC for TV-Box with RKDevTool

1. Disconnect the Rockchip device from the power and run RKDevtool v2.58 executing AndroidTool.exe.
2. Change to the Upgrade Firmware section.
   
3. First load the firmware with *.img file.
4. Hold the reset button on the device and connect with a cable from a USB of our TV-Box to a USB port on our PC (* See the previous connection notes if we have questions).
   
5. The update program will detect the device (In the TV-Box we will have the black screen, if it enters the recovery is NOT correct).
6. Press Upgrade button and wait to complete the operation.

Update only with ZIP file

• Method 2 = I have a single file with .zip extension, you don’t need to connect the TV-Box to a PC

1. 1. Copy in the root of our SD or USB the .zip file of the update (depends on the TV-Box one or the other is used, try both)
   2. From the Android system of our TV-Box we go to Settings, depending on the model we have one option or another, examples:
      – Application update in the list of apps
      – Settings> About the device> Update
      – Some TV-Box with the Zip in the root of the SD or USB with the flash button pressed when starting take the update
   3. When you ask for the zip file, we select it and click on load
   4. The update process will begin on restart
   5. Once finished, we recommend doing a factory reset inside Settings> Backup

Impossible to Recover the TV-Box

If our TV-Box is not recovered by any flash method we may be trying to update in the wrong way, it is advisable to repeat the previous instructions step by step, if it still does not recover we recommend reading the following guide.

• Guide to common problems and solutions for our Android TV-Box

Other android TV-Box guides

• Amlogic SoC Update Guide
• Allwinner SoC Update Guide
• LibreELEC a quick installation guide for the TV-Boxes with Android