Upgrading to the latest versions is one of the high moments of tech life. We are always very keen and enthusiastic about updating our devices as and when we get to know about the new updates coming up for our gadgets. There are very few people though who like to go back at some point. This can be caused by many reasons: wi-fi not working as fast as it did on previous firmware, apps started to crash after the latest updates, push notifications are delayed in the recent upgrades and many more reasons.
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There is though the possibility of downgrading the firmware: from Android 4.1.2 to 4.1.1, from Gingerbread to ICS and so on. In this tutorial we will go through the process to downgrade firmware on Samsung Galaxy Devices. If you want to learn about this process, stay with us and follow these simple steps to move back to your comfort zone. Important: the procedure of downgrading is considered risky. Proceed with this tutorial carefully and on your own. WCCF & the team would not be responsible in case of any data loss or damage done to your Galaxy device.
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Prerequisites to check before proceeding:
- Downgrading procedure will delete all your data stored on the internal SD card. Make sure to backup your data, and any installed apps.
- Download and install USB drivers for your Samsung Galaxy device in your computer.
- Charge your device’s battery to the full.
- Enable USB debugging option by pressing Menu > Settings > Applications. Navigate and tap on Developer Options to ensure that USB Debugging is enabled.
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How to downgrade firmware on Samsung Galaxy Devices:
Required files: download the firmware file that you want your Galaxy device to downgrade to. One good source for downloading Samsung firmwares is Samsung-Updates.
- Extract the downloaded firmware on your computer.
- Download Odin Firmware Flasher and unzip it. Using Odin 1.85 version for installing older firmware and using Odin 3.04 for newer ones is recommended. Download the relevant ones from these links: Odin3_v1.85.Zip OR Odin3_v3.04.Zip.
- Switch off your Galaxy device and boot into Download/Odin Mode. If it is a Samsung Galaxy phone, you can do so by pressing and holding the Volume Down + Home + Power buttons simultaneously until the screen turns up.
- Go to the Odin folder and run the .exe file there.
- Connect your Samsung device to the computer using a USB cable. When the connection between the device and computer is established, the ID:COM port at Odin screen will show you an Added!! message.
- Make sure that only F. Reset Time option is checked on Odin. Uncheck the Auto Reboot option which is checked by default.
- Next, click on the PDA button on Odin and select the firmware file in tar.md5 format.
- Press START on ODIN to initiate the firmware installation process. The process will take a few minutes. When it's completed you'd get a PASS message on Odin.
- Disconnect the device and remove the USB cable.
- Open the back panel of your device and pull out the battery. Wait for some 60 seconds and reinsert the battery back.
- Reboot your device into Android Recovery Mode: For smartphones >> by pressing and holding Volume Up and Home buttons together and then hold the Power key till screen shows the Samsung logo. Release the power button but keep the other two keys pressed until you see a black screen with green Android bot and blue text. For Galaxy Tab or Note 10.1 >> press and hold the Volume Down + Power keys together for a few seconds until you see the yellow triangle with Android bot followed by a black screen with blue text.
- Once in recovery mode, use the Volume Up/Down keys to scroll up or down, and use the Power button to select any option.
- Perform the wipe operations by scrolling down to wipe data/factory reset option and select yes to confirm the process. Next, go to wipe cache partition and confirm it.
- Once done, go to the reboot system now option to boot your Samsung Galaxy device into the older version.
The long process is finally done and you are now using your Samsung Galaxy device in the downgraded firmware that you liked!
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About the author: Rafia joined Wccftech in 2012 as a tech reporter. She is currently working on stories focusing on people and technologies that are turning Microsoft into a “company to watch” again. She is also responsible for collaborating with tech makers and e-commerce platforms to bring annoying but tempting deals to our readers.
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