Fixing Stuck "Update Failed" Prompts on Rooted LG webOS TVs

readme.md

If your rooted LG webOS TV keeps prompting you to retry a failed system update (especially after powering off during an update), this guide explains how to clear that state.

Prerequisites

• Rooted LG webOS TV (tested on webOS 5.6.0)
• SSH access to the TV (default root password is typically alpine, with sshd from Homebrew Channel enabled)

Wait, I need root?

Yes. And chances are, if you have been letting your TV auto-update, you are out of luck.

But turn it off now, and eventually an exploit will be found.

Diagnosis

SSH into your TV:

ssh root@<TV_IP_ADDRESS>

Check for stuck update state:

cat /mnt/lg/cmn_data/swupdate/Image_Update_Info.xml

If you see <PHASE>downloading</PHASE>, the TV thinks an update is in progress and will keep prompting you.

The Fix

Warning: These commands modify system files. Proceed at your own risk.

Option 1: Delete the update state files (recommended)

This clears all pending update state. The TV will recreate these files fresh when it next checks for updates.

rm /mnt/lg/cmn_data/swupdate/Image_Update_Info.xml
rm /mnt/lg/cmn_data/swupdate/Image_Update_Info.xml.backup
rm /mnt/lg/cmn_data/swupdate/Package_Update_Info.xml
rm /mnt/lg/cmn_data/swupdate/Package_Update_Info.xml.backup
rm /mnt/lg/cmn_data/update/.deltaFailureMode

reboot

Option 2: Edit the phase (minimal change)

If you prefer to preserve the files:

vi /mnt/lg/cmn_data/swupdate/Image_Update_Info.xml
# Change: <PHASE>downloading</PHASE>
# To:     <PHASE>idle</PHASE>

reboot

Preventing Future Updates

To block app updates, see the webosbrew App Update Blocker. System updates might be able to be blocked via DNS blocklists at router level/etc, but its whackamole.

Tested On

• LG webOS TV 5.6.0
• Kernel: Linux 4.4.84 (aarch64)