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Official LineageOS 18.1 builds arrive for Xiaomi Mi A2, LG G3, Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S5
Official LineageOS 18.1 builds with Android 11 are now available for Xiaomi Mi A2, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, LG G3, and Galaxy S5.
The team at LineageOS dropped LinageOS 18.1 late last month, with the first official builds going live for nearly 60 devices at the time of launch. A week later, a bunch of new devices were added to the roster including the OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T Pro, Redmi Note 5 Pro, and Moto X (2014). Now, the team is extending the support for several new devices. The official LineageOS 18.1 builds are now available for the Xiaomi Mi A2, LG G3, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S5, and Galaxy S5 Active.
LineageOS 17.1 builds are here for the Redmi K20/Xiaomi Mi 9T, Samsung Galaxy S5, and Samsung Galaxy Note 3
LineageOS 17.1 builds are now available for the Xiaomi Redmi K20/Mi 9T, Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy S5 Active, and Galaxy Note 3.
The team behind the popular LineageOS custom ROM has extended LineageOS 17.1 support to several devices over the last couple of months. While a lot of popular devices like the OnePlus One, Google Pixel 3a, OnePlus 7T Pro, etc. have already received support for the Android 10-based build, the team is still working on releasing builds for more devices. Since our previous coverage, the team has added support for four more devices.
[Update: 4 New Devices] Paranoid Android Quartz 4 brings new features, adds support for Mi A2, Redmi K20, and more
Paranoid Android Quartz 4 starts rolling out with new features and support for popular devices, like the Redmi Note 7, Mi A2, and more.
The team behind the popular Paranoid Android custom ROM released the first stable Android 10-based build earlier this year in April. Since then, the team has rolled out two more stable releases with new features and support for more popular devices. With the Quartz 3 release last month, the team added support for a couple of Xiaomi devices and revealed that they were working to extend support for a few more popular phones, like the Google Nexus 6P, Xiaomi Mi A2, Redmi Note 7, and more. Now, the team has started rolling out Paranoid Android Quartz 4, which brings support for a few of these devices and adds a couple of noteworthy features to the ROM.
Developers bring Android 10 to the ancient Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note 3
Developers have brought Android 10 ROMs to the Samsung Galaxy S II and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which were launched in 2011 and 2013 respectively.
Nowadays, Android flagship phones receive two years of software support. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S8 was launched with Android 7.0 Nougat. It received Android 8.0 Oreo and Android 9 Pie, but it won't officially receive Android 10. The same is applicable for flagship phones of other device makers. Mid-range phones and budget phones often receive only a single year of software support, or in case of some budget phones, no software support at all. Device makers have no incentive to roll out Android version updates to any device two years after its launch, because a) The phone's BSP (Board Support Package) stops receiving support from the chip maker, and more importantly b) They have to convince consumers to buy their latest flagships. It's certainly not an ideal situation, because competing Apple iPhones receive as much as five years of software support. While official software updates will only go so far, users of older devices still have one option left. It's the custom ROM community.
LineageOS 16 adds support for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and HTC One M8
Multiple variants of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 are officially supported by LineageOS 16 along with the addition of the HTC One M8 too.
Many of us have been sporting LineageOS 16 on our devices for most of the year but that isn't the case for everyone. Throughout the year we've seen the list of supported LOS 16 devices grow. This month, in particular, has been great for Samsung devices with official support reaching the Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 and Galaxy A7 2017 a little over a week ago. Then a week later official support was announced for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. The good news continues as multiple variants of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 are officially supported along with the addition of the HTC One M8 too.
Analysis of the Galaxy Note 3 Android 5.0 Leak
Find out how Samsung improves TouchWiz on the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop update in this in-depth analysis of a leaked ROM for the Galaxy Note 3.
When I first heard about the Vietnam leak of Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N900) I was hesitant to install it. I was comfortable with my highly modded custom ROM which gave me a solid performance boost to the traditional TouchWiz configuration of the Note 3. I had disabled DVFS, overclocked my CPU, changed the kernel, switched the CPU governor, and had per-app profiles to ensure I’d get the last drop out of my phone’s powerful Exynos 5420 Octa-core processor. But the flashaholism I left behind months ago crept back to me and ended up pushing me to getting this new build on my phone.
Android 5.0 Leaked for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3
A leaked firmware of Android 5.0 has appeared for Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Learn how to flash it.
Android Lollipop is still making its way to many new devices. Firmware updates have been already pushed by Motorola, LG, and Samsung. Most of these updates have been officially released by these OEMs, and another device that should get an official update pretty soon is the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, as a Lollipop firmware build has leaked.
If you own a Samsung device, you have undoubtedly heard of the EFS partition. If you haven't, let me explain. EFS is a partition where quite a bit of important radio data is stored. Without this data, you won't be able to use your phone correctly. It's extremely important to keep a local copy of your EFS partition, and we've already presented a Windows utility and application to backup the EFS partition on Samsung devices.
Update: It appears as if this firmware is now rolling out in Poland. As such, it has been added to XDA Senior Member AdamLange's stock firmware collection. And luckily for SM-N9005 device owners in other regions, you can get your download on post haste, without the wait.
A custom recovery is where most of the aftermarket magic happens in Android. Using one, you can backup your ROM, wipe your data, and of course flash a new ROM. In contrast to fastboot, recoveries can flash ROMs even on locked devices. There are some workarounds required, but it can be done.
Yesterday, we featured a quick recovery-flashable modification for the Sony Xperia Z1 that boosts the device's maximum volume. As it turns out, however, Xperia Z1 users aren't the only ones who like it loud.
Anyone with a Samsung device will undoubtedly know the importance of the EFS partition. This partition controls many important radio functions, and when corrupted, can lead to all sorts of issues such as a possible loss of network connectivity. Because of this, it's important to make a backup of the EFS partition, just in case anything goes wrong with a future flash down the line.
In this episode, XDA Developer TV Producer TK shows you how to root your Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with Odin and a PC. TK just recently reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, and it is the latest in Samsung’s phablet line. Many people say it’s a great device that is the current device to beat and is wonderful out of the box. But at XDA, we must root all the things.
Another day, another action taken by Samsung seemingly intended to earn the ire of its users. Those looking into the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 may already be familiar with the device's region lock situation. While not the very latest scandal surrounding the device, region locking a device means that when you travel to a different region, you will be forced to use your native country's SIM, rather than a cheaper local SIM card. And despite the company's claims otherwise, many angry customers testify to this indeed being the case.
We've written about XDA Elite Recognized Developer Chainfire's CF-Auto-Root for various devices in the past. For those just now hearing about CF-Auto-Root for the first time, it's essentially the easiest and quickest way to achieve initial root for your Samsung device, while keeping your newly rooted device as close to stock as possible. And due to the ease at which this can be applied, it's essentially "root for rooting beginners," as Chainfire himself puts it.