How to update older Vizio TV

Vizio used to be a leading smart TV manufacturing brand with many smart TV models to cater to every budget. From their build quality to the immersive viewing experience, even the basic VIZIO smart TV used to have all bases covered. If you’re a proud VIZIO consumer, you’d agree. 

That being said, it’s important to update your VIZIO smart TV to the latest version like any other device to enjoy the various features that drop in with each update. This article will discuss how to update a VIZIO Smart TV, both automatically and manually. 

Besides, you’ll come to know the other important aspects of VIZIO smart TV. Without any further due, let’s jump to the main part.

Contents show

1 What To Know Before Updating A Vizio Smart TV?

2 How To Update a VIZIO Smart TV Automatically?

3 How To Update A Vizio Smart TV? The Manually Method

4 Can Older Vizio TVs Be Updated?

5 How To Update An Old Vizio TV?

6 How To Update Your Vizio TV Using USB?

7 Does VIZIO TV Have An Automatic Update Feature?

8 How To Reset The Vizio Smart TV?

9 Conclusion

What To Know Before Updating A Vizio Smart TV?

The process of updating a VIZIO Smart TV is different for each model, the platform it is running on, and its release date. Hence, you need to understand all of these aspects of your smart TV before proceeding with its update. 

• The VIZIO SmartCast TVs released in and after 2018 receive all the updates. But still, you can update them manually, on request. 
• VIZIO SmartCast 4K UHD TVs released between 2016-2017 can be updated automatically, but you can also do it manually if it gets the latest update. 
• VIZIO SmartCast HD TVs released between 2016-2017 cannot be updated manually. They can only be updated automatically. 
• VIZIO VIA and VIA Plus TVs released until 2017 can only be updated automatically. No manual updates are available for them as of now. 

That’s how you can know how to update your VIZIO smart TV – manually or automatically. In either of these cases, you must know the clear steps of the process. 

From the above information, we can see most of the VIZIO Smart TVs are updated automatically. Hence, let’s discuss that first. 

How To Update a VIZIO Smart TV Automatically? 

You can check for the following points to automatically update your VIZIO Smart TV. 

• Your VIZIO Smart TV will automatically check for the available updates continuously. All that is required is that it should be connected to an active internet. 
• Once it detects a new update, it will be queued to be updated and installed once you turn off the TV.
• If you turn on the TV between the updating process, the process will be stopped and queued. It will then again continue once you switch off the TV.
• And once the process of updating the TV is completed. You’ll see a notification stating, New Update Was Installed on the screen as soon as you turn on your TV. 

Hence, to conclude, there is no additional step required to complete the process. It is said to be the easiest way of updating the VIZIO Smart TV. You should know that some older versions of VIZIO Smart TV can only be updated through the automatic mode.

But there is another way of updating as well. Next is a detailed explanation of that way.

How To Update A Vizio Smart TV? The Manually Method

Before starting the process, you should know that it will only be allowed on the TVs running on the latest firmware. Being said that; let’s discuss the steps required for the updating process of VIZIO Smart TV manually:

• First, you need to press the V key on the remote. You can find this key below the OK button.

• There’ll be many options on the screen under the TV settings. Select the System option among them.

• Next, choose the Check for Updates option. 

• After this, the TV will start looking out for the updates.
• And if there is any new update available, confirm that you want to install it. Wait for the process to complete.
• Your VIZIO smart TV will download the new update, restart on its own, install the update, and restart again.
• After the final restart, the TV will finally be updated, and you can use it normally.

Note: Don’t turn off your TV in between the process. Otherwise, your TV won’t update. 

Can Older Vizio TVs Be Updated?  

As mentioned above, older Vizio TVs can also be updated. VIZIO SmartCast 4K UHD TVs and VIZIO SmartCast HD TVs both were released during the same year, i.e., 2016 and 2017. But there’s a difference between them. 

Only the latter one can be updated both automatically and manually. But the VIZIO SmartCast 4K UHD TVs can be updated automatically only.

That being said, you might be wondering how you can update an old VIZIO TV. So, next, we’ll discuss that only.

How To Update An Old Vizio TV?  

To update an older Vizio TV, follow the steps mentioned below. 

• Turn on the TV.
• Go to its Settings.
• Select the Support option.
• Then, click on the Software Update option.
• And lastly, click on Update Now.

Your TV will be refreshed once you complete all the steps. This update will take only a few seconds or minutes, depending upon your internet speed. 

Again, don’t turn off the TV during the process. 

Quick Tip: Sometimes, you might notice a slight hanging issue in the TV after installing the update. There’s nothing to worry about as it’s quite common. The best thing is that you can simply factory reset the TV to fix it. This will take your TV to the position before updates.

How To Update Your Vizio TV Using USB?  

Yes, you read it right. You can indeed update your Vizio TV using USB. Follow the steps mentioned below to complete the process. 

• First, you need to plug in your USB Flash Drive to your device. 
• Next, open any preferred web browser.
• Open the VIZIO webpage.
• Select the Support option from the top menu. 

• Click on the Find Your Firmware option in the menu.

• Next, you need to enter the model number of your TV in the search bar. Hence, you’ll find the firmware update of the TV. Just make sure you enter the correct number. 

• Download the firmware link on the screen to your USB.
• Lastly, rename the file and press enter. And after this, disconnect your flash drive. 
• Then, make sure you turn your TV off and plug the cord back and turn it on again. 
• Next, you need to insert the USB flash drive into your TV.
• You’ll see the indicator bar on the screen with blue and red colors. It is somewhere on the bottom of the screen. It indicates that your TV is being updated properly. Wait for a few seconds or minutes to complete the process.
• Turn off the TV and remove the USB Flash Drive from the TV. And again, turn on the TV.
• Check your TV with the help of Info Button to make sure all the updates were perfectly installed. 

So, this is how you can update the VIZIO Smart TV with the help of a USB Flash Drive. 

Does VIZIO TV Have An Automatic Update Feature? 

Yes, of course, VIZIO TV has an Automatic Update Feature. If there is any available update, your TV will automatically install them. But this won’t be done while your TV is on so that your activity on TV is not disturbed. 

As soon as you turn your TV off, it will search for the update and start installing it. If you turn on the TV in between the process, the process will stop and resume only when the TV is turned off again.

All you need to do is connect your TV to a good internet connection, and it will automatically install all the available and required updates. 

How To Reset The Vizio Smart TV?  

Due to a technical issue or any other issue, you might want to reset the VIZIO Smart TV. And to do this, there are two ways. They are:

• Soft Reset Your VIZIO TV

This should be the first option you consider. This is because it does not set the TV to default. It only deals with the current issue that might be causing the problems. And to soft reset, your VIZIO TV follows the steps mentioned below:

• Could you turn off your TV and unplug it? This will solve any issue that might be there due to an overload of information on your TV.
• You need to wait for a few minutes and give time to the TV to reset and solve all the little issues. This works the same as in the case of mobile. 
• After giving it an adequate time, please turn it on. 

Now, you should resume your activity before starting the soft reset, and it should work perfectly fine.

If the soft reset does not solve your issue, you need to try the other option, i.e., hard reset.

• Hard Reset Your VIZIO TV

You should only consider this option if you are willing to lose all your data in the TV, including all the settings and configuration. It will go to the settings; it was when you bought it. All temporary files will be deleted. And still, if you want to go with this, follow the following steps: 

• Before jumping to the main steps, unplug the router of the TV. This means you need to disconnect your TV from the internet connection.
• Next, please search for the menu button on your TV remote and press it.
• Next, go to the system.
• And click on the Reset and Admin option on the screen.
• Click on the RESET TV option on the screen. However, you can still stop if you change your mind and do not want to lose any settings or data.
• Click on the REST and OK option, and there will be an option to enter the parental lock. This is to make sure that you are doing this purposely. And then finally click on reset and OK. 
• After this, the TV will be turned off. It will take a couple of seconds or minutes to complete the process. Give that much time to the TV.
• And once the process is complete, the TV will be turned on. And if the system is set to the default as it was in the starting when you bought it.
• Lastly, plug the router back to connect it to the internet again.

That’s how you hard reset your smart TV. 

Conclusion

So, here you go. You must have understood how to update a VIZIO smart TV automatically and manually. Not only this, the above article consists of everything you need to know about this process. 

Updating your smart TV is important because it installs the new features released by the company and eliminates the prevailing bugs and other issues. If your TV is not updated, it might not work properly, such as a few TV features stopping working or it will start hanging while working. 

And updating is not something that needs to be done with the help of professionals. You can easily do this at your home by yourself. So, why not keep the Vizio Smart TV updated regularly?

Also, in case there is still an issue with the TV after updating, you should get it to check with the repairing company.

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