The Team Win Recovery Project custom recovery is the best recovery to have running on your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 if you are a T-Mobile subscriber. It once was a two-horse race with the other runner in ClockworkMod Recovery originally made by Koushik Dutta, but that is no longer active.

A custom recovery on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 smartphone allows you to take complete backups without the help from adb commands; we do this with the NANDroid backup button. Additionally, a custom recovery is how you upload your new ROM files and custom kernels should you ever want to overclock the device.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

These are the guidelines to install TWRP Recovery on the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 5 device:

Files You Need

  1. Download the TWRP file for the T-Mobile Note 5 from here.
  2. Download the Odin flashing tool that works with the Note 5 from here.
  3. The following guide is made for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 with the model number SM-N920T only. Find out the model number of your Note 5 smartphone by pointing to the Menu > Settings > About Device >Model Number.

Installing TWRP Recovery on the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 5

  1. Enable the USB Debugging Mode on your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 device so you can connect it to the computer with the USB cable and use the flashing tool.
  2. Extract the TWRP file for the Note 5 and the Odin flashing file to the desktop of the computer.
  3. Double-click the mouse on the executable file for the Odin app that is on the desktop and it should open.
  4. Boot the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 in download mode and connect it to the computer where you have the Odin app open and waiting.
  5. Wait for a few seconds for the flashing tool to detect your device; you know that happens when you can see the green ID: COM port light up and the word ‘added’ appear as a message. Anyone who does not see that happen should install the Universal ADB Driver and try again.
  6. Take off the Auto Reboot option from the Odin default settings. Leave all other default settings the same.
  7. Click the Start button and the TWRP Recovery will get flashed on your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 device.
  8. Wait until the Odin flashing tool gives you a pass message from the display.
  9. e TWRP Recovery is flashed on your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 device, but you still have to boot your device immediately to recovery mode.
  10. Reboot the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and then press the hardware key combination for the recovery mode on your device so it boots to the recovery mode during the first time boot.

Anyone who doesn’t get the guide to work for the Note 5 should try installing a different version of the Odin flashing tool. It does come in a few different versions and sometimes it takes you trying a few versions until one finally works. That problem is unique from the usual driver problem which is easily identifiable by finding the “added” message or the device detected from the Odin flashing tool. Driver problems are usually fixed by closing and opening the Odin application, or rebooting the computer and letting the drivers run.