Last Updated on April 9, 2017 by Mathew Diekhake
The international variant of the Samsung Galaxy S5 with the model number G900F commonly found in Europe is finding a the first ever Android 5.0 Lollipop update. Before today, no Galaxy S5 is running Lollipop; they are all with Android 4.4 KitKat. We reported a detailed story on everything inside the new Android 5.0 Lollipop LRX21T OTA earlier in the day.
The Galaxy S5 comes in several different model number for different parts of the globe. You will find the T-Mobile G900T, Australian LTE G900I, Vodafone G900M, Canadian G900W8 and the international G900f here. Do not try installing the files attached to this post for any of the other models. Files are always specific and don’t belong with any other handset unless specified during the list of essentials before the steps.
If you have a phone with root access you out to understand that the following takes it away, along with any custom ROM and recovery system. For more information about root access read the bottom of the post.
- Installing official firmware issued by phone carrier network or by the manufacturer directly from Android does not void the remaining time on the warranty. You can still send it off for repairs after installing the software update manually. Those of you who don’t want to install Lollipop manually can wait for the official over the air notification alerting you of its arrival. Note that only people residing in Europe will find this notification. If you are in Australia, Asia or America you must install it manually by waiting for the official OTA in your region. Moreover, those in America and other parts away from Europe must install their own file manually and not this one like I mentioned before.
- The S5 comes with many connectivity options including a USB mass Storage device and USB charging as a default feature. When working, USB charging charges the battery through the USB cable so long as it’s connected with a computer, notebook or laptop. It charges slightly slower than it normally would by using a phone charger. Nevertheless, you should find you finishing the installation with more power compared to when you started. Those without USB charging must reserve at least 50% battery power before starting the steps. You can’t have the smartphone turning off during the flashing or you risk having to perform a factory reset.
- If a factory reset is essential you will lose any data stored on the ROM. The ROM holds the phone contacts, call logs, pictures, music files, video, text messages and other data unless you back it up to the internal storage. Internal storage space is never deleted or wiped when performing a factory reset. That’s why you use that space for backing up. Those without any internal storage space left can buy an external SD for creating more space or using a Google-owned service such as Google Drive. It offers customers a limited amount of free storage space. I believe at the time of writing this it’s around 15 GB’s. That is enough to store the remaining data you have left over that doesn’t fit on the internal storage. Backup the usual way with Samsung Kies or by using apps from the Play Store such as Helium. Those now with root access ought to check out Titanium. Titanium is the king of back up apps but isn’t available without the internals unlocked away from the default factory restrictions.
- It’s optional to turn off the security programs such as malware protection from the Android smartphone and the Windows operating system. Remember they come as apps from mobiles. You should find access to the security programs from the system tray on the right-hand side of the task-bar.
- We are updating using the Odin app. That means you must have a Windows PC, laptop or notebook with anything from XP through to Windows 8 installed. Do not attempt flashing through Odin on a Mac or Linux because the Sammy developers only make it from Microsoft OS.
- Unlike customizing the OS, you don’t have to be an advanced Android users to flash files manually so long as you read the steps carefully. It’s a great idea to learn how to install software updates yourself. We are predicting the same technique is around for many years to come.
How to update the Samsung Galaxy S5 G900F Snapdragon Soc with G900FXXU1BNL2 Android 5.0 Lollipop
- Download the G900FXXU1BNL2 firmware ROM zip file from here.
- Download the latest version of Odin here.
- Use the desktop of the computer for both files.
- Optional: Log in to your user account so the files stay protected and under your partition.
- Have the Odin Windows application running and waiting for in a minute when we are coming back.
- Reboot the Galaxy S5 in Download Mode by pressing Power + Home + Volume Down.
- Connect the International S5 to the PC with the USB wire.
- Wait for Odin to respond with the ID: COM port changing to blue or yellow.
- Click the AP button and upload the G900FXXU1BNL2 tar file.
- Don’t adjust any of the default settings in the app.
– you’ll notice two boxes with check-boxes marked and the re-partition box off. - Click the start button and wait for the flashing to finish.
- It reboots itself automatically when it’s done because we Auto reboot box is checked.
You are official running the latest software update for the Galaxy S5 that brings it up to 5.0 Lollipop. Let us know your take on the sweet new take on Android in the comments sections below!
Those hoping to verify they are longer with root access after upgrading to stock firmware can use the Root Checker Basic app from the Google Play Store. By using the app you can tell if it’s still running with the old unlocking of the internal system. Most people can pick up manually if the internal hardware is unchained because an app called SuperSU is often installed. If you don’t see SuperSU or the SU app it’s likely you don’t have root access. That said, it is possible to unlock the OS away from default factory restrictions without the SuperSU tool. That’s why it’s best to check properly with the dedicated application that detects all the possibilities.