Install Official Android 5.0 Lollipop On Galaxy S5 G900FD

Android 5.0 Lollipop is on the roll for so the mainstream Samsung Galaxy devices at the moment. Samsung has rolled it out for some variants of the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy S4 and a number of Galaxy S5 variants have received this update as well. Galaxy S5’s dual SIM family member, SM-G900FD has just started receiving this update now. The update is rolling out to the users in Russia through Samsung kies and OTA updates at the moment. Update carries the Android version Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Apart from being the biggest update in the history of update, this update carries some serious changes. Atop of the list, there’s a completely new TouchWiz UI inspired by Google’s Material Design. It’s a flat UI, that is way smoother and eye-soothing. Battery life of the device has been improved. The new firmware is much more responsive, performance has been enhanced. Notification panel is transparent and new notifications on the lock screen have been introduced. This update will roll out slowly to the users living in other regions, but if you’re an Android power user who is just impatient as much as I am, you may want to go ahead and flash this firmware manually on your device right away.

It’s pretty easy to install Android 5.0 Lollipop on your Galaxy S5 SM-G900FD using Odin3 right now. We will be doing this in the proceeding guide, you may follow us for a while and get it done successfully. Let’s learn some quick early preparations and then install the firmware.

Firmware details:

• Device Model: Galaxy S5 G900FD
• Android Version: Android 5.0 Lollipop
• Build Number: G900FDXXU1BNL9
• Build Date: 19.12.2014

Early Preparations

1. This guide is only for Dual SIM Galaxy S5 G900FD

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. Battery should be charged at least 60%!

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. Use the OEM data cable to establish connection!

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. Backup everything!

Just to be on the safe side, you may consider backing up each and everything from your Android device. This is highly recommended so that in case anything goes wrong, you still have the access to all of your data and you can restore it immediately. Also, clean install is always recommended, that means you will probably have to wipe your device to install the new firmware. So, you may backup everything as listed below.

Backup SMS Messages
Backup Call Logs
Backup Contacts
Backup Media – Copy your files manually to your PC or Laptop.
Backup EFS – If rooted, otherwise skip this step.

5. Install Samsung USB drivers

In order to be able to establish connection between your PC and your Galaxy S4, you need to have the Samsung USB drivers installed on your PC. You can find all Android USB drivers here on our site.

6. Turn off Samsung Kies and other softwares while using Odin3!

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 v3.10.6.
2. Download and extract firmware file to get the .tar.md5 file.
   1. SER-G900FDXXU1BNL9-20150102144544.zip

How To Install Official Android 5.0 Lollipop On Galaxy S5 G900FD

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 G900FD 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. For Odin 3.09 or 3.10.6 hit the AP tab. Select the firmware.tar.md5 or firmware.tar, that you downloaded and extracted above.
8. If you’re using Odin 3.07, you will select “PDA” tab instead of the AP tab, rest of the options remain untouched.
9. Make sure that the options selected in your Odin are exactly as shown in the pic.
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 pull out the battery, place it back and turn on.
12. Once the device boots up, checkout the new firmware now.
13. Your device will be running on official Android 5.0 Lollipop firmware.
14. Once updated, 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!