Samsung phones are notoriously known for the lag issue on their TouchWiz interface. However, one cannot deny the fact that despite the minor and major drawbacks of their phones, Samsung is still the most popular OEM of smartphones. One of the reasons why Samsung Galaxy devices are popular among users is the ease with which we can find the official firmware for our phones and install them using their Odin tool.
If you got a Samsung phone or tablet and are having software-based issues, you can easily restore the stock firmware on it and fix it yourself. Flashing a Samsung device is easier than most Android phones. This is because Samsung provides its own software that can be used to flash all its phone models (Samsung Kies). By using the unofficially released Odin tool, the flashing process becomes easier and smoother as compared to Kies.
The process described below is for flashing any Samsung device back to the original operating system (ROM) and for upgrading to any higher or a lesser version of the Android version.
Disclaimer/Warning!
This tutorial is only for Samsung Android smartphones and tablets. While we have taken utmost care in describing the procedure in a detailed way, the user must be extra careful with selecting the correct firmware file to install it succesfully. If you have any doubts regarding the procedure, we suggest you to drop us a comment below to clear the same.
Flashing the stock firmwares do not void your device’s warranty or trip KNOX Warranty counter. However, if you flash CF-Auto-Root packages or a custom recovery using Odin, doing so will void the warranty. Just follow the tutorial to the word carefully and everything will go fine hopefully. Technastic will not be responsible for any damages caused to your device.
Preparations
Charge Your Device
Before you proceed to install the firmware on your Samsung device, it’s essential that your device has sufficient battery juice left on it. If the battery turns off during firmware flashing, your phone is hard-bricked. To avoid any unpleasant experience, make sure your device has 60-70% battery power at least.
Enable Developer Options and USB Debugging
To install firmware successfully, you must enable USB Debugging on your phone and tablet. You can find this option under Developer Options. If you don’t find it under Settings, here’s is how you can enable it:
- Open Settings and go to About Device.
- Scroll down to Build number and tap it 7 times.
- You will see a toast message that “Developer mode has been enabled” on your device.
- Now go back to the Settings panel and scroll down to Developer options.
- Tap it and check the box for USB debugging option to enable it.
Install the Latest Samsung USB Drivers
Install the latest Samsung USB drivers on your PC. If you already have them installed on your computer, you can skip this step. If you have Kies on your computer, make sure that the program is closed while you use Odin. You can download the Samsung USB Drivers here.
Backup the Apps and Important Data
It’s very important that you take a backup of all your apps, images, videos, messages, memos, and other important data present on your device before installing new firmware. Usually, new firmware doesn’t wipe any data, but you should still take precautions. You can find hundreds of useful backup apps at the Google Play Store to help you with the job.
Download Odin Flashing Tool
Now download the recommended Odin tool for flashing the firmware on your Samsung device. As you know that there are several Odin versions available but considering the rate of success, you should use Odin3 v3.09 (for JellyBean and KitKat), or Odin3 v3.10.7, (for Lollipop and Marshmallow).
Download the Stock Firmware for Your Samsung Device
While downloading the stock firmware for your device, make sure you download the correct file for your device model. You can check the model by going to Settings> About. You can download the Samsung firmware using Frija.
Reboot Your Samsung Galaxy Phone/Tab into the Download Mode
To install stock firmware or any .tar file, you will have to reboot your Samsung device into the Download or Odin Mode. You can easily access the Download Mode as follows: Turn off your device and then press and hold
Turn off your device. Now press and hold Volume UP+Home+Power buttons at the same time for about 2-3 seconds.
When you see the warning screen with a yellow triangle sign, press the Volume Up key to enter Download/Odin mode:
After pressing the Volume Up key, your device will get into Odin or Download mode.
Flash Stock Firmware on Samsung Galaxy Using Odin
- If the firmware/CF-Root/custom recovery file you downloaded is a zip file, extract it to get the file with .tar or .tar.md5 extension.
- Extract the Odin zip file too, and launch the program by clicking the Odin3 vx.xx.exe file.
- Now turn off your device and reboot it into the Download Mode.
- Connect your device to the computer using a compatible USB cable.
- When your device is detected by Odin, the ID: COM port on Odin will turn Blue or Yellow depending on the Odin version and you’ll see “Added!!” message in the message box in Odin.
- In case your phone is not detected by Odin, try the following things:
- Reboot your phone and turn it off.
- Disable and enable USB Debugging again.
- Uninstall Samsung USB Driver or Kies and reinstall it.
- Reboot your PC.
- Use a different USB port.
- Try a different USB cable, preferably the one provided with your device.
- Click the AP or PDA button on Odin.
- Single firmware file installation: Navigate to the firmware or recovery file and select the file with .tar/.tar.md5 extension.
- Multi-file firmware installation: In case you have to install a multi-file firmware with AP, BL (bootloader), CP (modem), CSC, and PIT files, you must add the firmware components to corresponding slots in Odin as shown below. Below is an example of Odin configuration while flashing a multifile firmware.
- Single firmware file installation: Navigate to the firmware or recovery file and select the file with .tar/.tar.md5 extension.
- In the Options section, make sure that only the Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time boxes are checked and everything else is unchecked.
- Having made sure that everything looks fine (as shown in the screenshots above), just click the Start button on Odin to initiate the firmware installation.
- Just wait patiently until the installation procedure is finished. It might take a few minutes to complete.
- A successful Odin flash is indicated by PASS! or RESET! message on Odin and then your device will restart immediately after the process is completed.
How to Fix Bootloop After Installing the Firmware
Sometimes, installing firmware ends up with a boot loop. It means your Samsung device will not get past the Samsung logo screen after flashing the firmware. Some users experience device overheating, slow performance, lag in the interface, or fast battery drain.
Can i flash my samsung s6 using my apple pc to download the drivers?
How can I fix the Bootloop, this is all? only this 4 lines of this subject? My phone is in a bootloop and even if I flash it again stays that way. I installed the compilation file and even that is trap in a bootloop. I reflashed and still in a boot loop I dont know what to do. and here I just find this with the search… there is more ?
Thanks in advance for the help.
Hey, did you try performing a data factory reset via stock recovery before flashing the firmware?