Update Galaxy Tab S 10.5 to official Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow

8

Samsung just updated the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 T805 to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. It was unclear previously whether Samsung will update the first generation Galaxy Tab S to Android Marshmallow or not. The new update came out as a surprise. Galaxy Tab S 10.5 was running on Android Lollipop for quite a while. The new firmware brings all new goodies which are packed in the stock Android Marshmallow by Google. Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow arrived on the Galaxy Tab S for the users residing inside Germany only. It’s unclear when Samsung will expand this update to other regions. As mentioned earlier, this update made its way only to the T805, which is the LTE variant of the Galaxy Tab S. Samsung hasn’t given any hints on when it will roll out the update for other variants of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5.613201495518AM_635_samsung_galaxy_tab_s_10_5

Users living in Germany are getting this latest update through OTA or through Samsung Smart Switch. If you own the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 SM-T805 and you are residing outside Germany, chances are you won’t get this update through OTA or through the Samsung PC Suite. To get this update running on your Tab S, you will have to flash it manually using Samsung’s flashtool Odin. The firmware files for this Marshmallow update are already available, which means it is now possible for T805 users to flash this update right away regardless of their region.

The guide going down explains how you can install the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow official firmware on your Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 SM-T805. The same guide will work for other variants of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5, but it will be updated as soon as Samsung pushes it for SM-T800 and its siblings. Let’s have a look on the installation method now.

Early Preparations

  1. Make sure that your device is exactly as mentioned above. To check out what device you have, go to Settings > More/General > About Device or Settings > About Device and match the model number. Be careful about the device model number, flashing a file on a device not listed here might result in bricking it up. In that case, we may not be held responsible.
  2. Your device’s battery should not be weak. In case your device goes dead during the flashing process, your device may get soft bricked and you might be in need of flashing stock firmware and that will ultimately result in wiping up your data as well. So, make sure that you charge your device before you start the flashing process.
  3. Always use the original data cable to establish connection between your Android device and your computer / laptop. Using ordinary data cables might interrupt the flashing process, so to avoid any mishap, you need to meet this requirement as well.
  4. In order to be able to establish connection between your PC and your Galaxy Tab S 10.5, you need to have the Samsung USB drivers installed on your PC. You can find all Android USB drivers here on our site.
  5. Make sure that you turn off Samsung Kies while using Odin3 flashtool. Samsung Kies will interrupt Odin3 and will result in causing errors and may not let you flash your desired firwmrae. Also, make sure that you turn off any antivirus software you’ve installed and also disable firewall to avoid any connection and flashing issues.

Required Downloads & Installations

  1. Download and extract Odin3 v3.12.3.
  2. Download and extract firmware file [Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow – T805 Only] to get the .tar.md5 file.

Update Galaxy Tab S 10.5 to official Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow

  1. Make sure that you read the instructions listed above carefully and you’re all set to go ahead now.
  2. Wipe your device complete in order to attain a neat installation. You may boot into the recovery mode and perform a factory data reset.
  3. Open Odin3.exe.
  4. Put your Galaxy Tab S 10.5 in download mode. To do so, turn it off and wait for 10 seconds. Turn it on by pressing and holding Volume Down + Home Button + Power Key simultaneously, You should see a warning, press Volume Up to continue. In case this method doesn’t work for you, try one from this guide.
  5. Connect your device to your PC.
  6. As soon as Odin detects your phone, the ID:COM box should turn blue.  Make sure that you’ve installed Samsung USB drivers before connecting.
  7. In Odin, hit the AP tab. Select the firmware.tar.md5 or firmware.tar, that you downloaded and extracted above.
  8. Make sure that the options selected in your Odin are exactly as shown in the pic.
  9. Odin 3.10.6 Explained_Techbeasts
    This screenshot is of Odin 3.10.6 attached here for reference only. For Galaxy Tab S 10.5, use Odin 3.12.3 which is quite similar. Odin 3.12.3 for the Tab S 10.5 is linked above.
  10. Hit start and wait till the firmware  flashing is complete, The flashing process box will turn green upon successful flashing.
  11. Once the flashing process has been completed successfully, disconnect your device and reboot it manually. You can reboot your device by long pressing Volume Up + Volume Down + Power Key.
  12. Once the device boots up, checkout the new firmware now.
  13. Your device will be running on new Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow now.
  14. Once updated to stock, do not try to downgrade, or else you will result in messing up EFS partition of your device.
  15. That’s all!

Got any queries? Make sure that you drop em’ in the comment box below. Good Luck!

SHARE
Usama is a software engineer by profession and at TechBeasts.com he uses his expertise to solve everyday consumer tech problems with his main areas of interest being Android, iOS and Windows.

8 COMMENTS

  1. I am not don’t work on Andriod OS’s. My Galaxy SM-T800 32GB, was rooted by a young family member. After I tried a factory reset it shows a custom os in the settings and will not update. After reading you instrutions its seems possble to recovery it to the factory setting. Since I am not familuar with this pocess. I am not sure where to start. Is it possible for you to send me step by step instrution and where I should begin at this point?

      • Thank you so much for your offer to help. Working Microsoft OS’s over the years has provided me with the insight that (if not followed through or carefully when making system changes will most likely require a fresh install, which I try to avoid). That said I feel that providing you with the current settings – OS version and device state will give you a better place to start the process. I would also like to restate that I am not at all familiar with any Android OS or programs you are using. So this is blind trust with the understanding that I am responsible is anything goes wrong. If you are still willing to send me the information I appreciate it. The Specs of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 32GB: Model SM-T800NTSEXAR – Android version 5.0.2 Android Security Patch Level 2015-12-01 – Kernel version 3.4.39-6522999 Dec 7 KST 2015 – Build number: LRX22G T800XXU1B0L1 – SE for Android Status Enforcing SEPF _SM-T800_5.0.2-1_0066 Wed Sep 07-2016 – KNOX version 2.3 Standard SDK 5.3.0 Premium SDK 2.4. (not sure if you need the rest you an let me know) – Device status Custom
        There is a Factory Data Reset. I have used this once since it was rooted because I had no idea how to get the system back to any normal functionality. As you can see it is still not Official OS status. I can only assume that your software and process may fix this. I anticipate your reply. Please email me and let me know my next step.
        ​I posted this on your website but wanted to see if I could follow up with this email. There are times as you are aware that replying to emails are not sent. I didn’t want to waste time waiting for this process. However I must admit I do feel a little uncomfortable posting personal or any of my systems information online, through a blog, or Facebook or twitter. This is due to having ID theft of through my Microsoft account which I can assure is not a fun way to spend a year.

        Sincerely, FS

Got a question/query or a suggestion? Drop it below.