Install TWRP 2.4 on Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 and I9305

One can never be unknown to TWRP if he/she is related to the Android Custom World. TWRP stands for TeamWin Recovery Project, which is a Touch GUI based Custom Recovery for Android. It was initiated in the year 2011 by TeamWin keeping ease-to-use and customization in mind, taking AOSP recovery as a base and loading it with a bunch of features which shall come in handy. The version 2.0+ brought complete XML based GUI which is now easily theme-able.

Lately, TWRP came up with a new version as promised for a New Year present. It is now updated to v2.4.0.0, which certainly brings in a huge amount of changes, further we’ll have a look at them.

Features

• Using libtar instead of busybox’s tar for better control over tar file creation and breaking the 2GB barrier that Busybox imposes.
• Support for exFAT formatted SD cards.
• Support for decrypting Samsung TouchWiz encrypted devices including internal and external storage.
• Improvements to OpenRecoveryScript including displaying a proper GUI while the script is running.
• Added wipe cache and dalvik after ADB Sideload.
• Replaced many system calls with their native C counterparts.
• Fixed bugs in file manager where it would display an empty list after moving or deleting a folder.
• Fixed AOSP recovery commands to run after decryption on encrypted devices.
• Improvements for building TWRP in CM10.1.
• Other minor bugfixes and improvements.

These are all noted to be class-apart improvements. The latest release is compatible with several devices including the Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 & I9305. So, we shall lay down the steps to flash this recovery successfully to your device.

Prerequisites

• USB Data cable
• Samsung USB Drivers
• Download Samsung Odin tool zip package

Please note that these steps are only meant for the International variant I9300 and International LTE variant I9305, so do not bother to follow these instructions for any other device models or variants. Doing so will brick your device completely.

Flash using GooManager App for Android

1. Download the GooManager
2. Transfer the file to your device storage.
3. Using a file manager, Install the app.
4. Open app drawer and tap on the app to execute it.
5. Tap menu button and select Install OpenRecoveryScript. When prompted tap Yes.
6. Make sure that the file name displays the codename of your device i.e i9300 or i9305. When confirmed, hit Yes.
7. The recovery file will download and install itself.

Flash Recovery Image using ADB or Terminal Emulator

1. Download Image for I9300 | Image for I9305
2. Open ADB shell or Terminal Emulator. If during the process, you are prompted by Superuser access, tap on Grant/Allow.
3. Type in the following commands to flash the respective recovery image on S3 I9300

   su

   dd if=/sdcard/recoveryfilename.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p6

4. Type in the following commands to flash the respective recovery image on S3 LTE I9305

   su

   dd if=/sdcard/recoveryfilename.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p6

5. Please make sure to type in the commands letter-to-letter, any wrong block code or wrong command shall brick your device permanently.

Flash Recovery tar file using Odin Flasher

1. Download .tar for I9300 | .tar for I9305
2. Extract the downloaded- Odin3-v3.04.zip and double click on Odin3 v3.04.exe to execute it.
3. The Odin window will pop-up.
4. Switch off your device. Press the Volume Down + Home + Power buttons until you see the Warning!! screen, now press Volume Up button to enter into Download Mode (It is screen displaying a green Android bot and text, Downloading).
5. Connect the device to the PC via USB cable and make sure that the device is in Download Mode.
6. On the very left of the Odin window, you’ll see a random COM number if the device is detected successfully. If not, make sure to have the Samsung USB drivers installed or try using a different USB port on your Laptop/Desktop. Once detected, you shall proceed further.
7. In the Odin window, click on the PDA button and select the respective .tar file for your device, which was downloaded in step #1.
8. Hit the Start button to initiate the flashing process.
9. When the process is complete, you’ll receive a PASS! message.

You may now reboot your S3 into the TWRP recovery mode  by pressing Volume Up + Home + Power buttons simultaneously until you see the recovery screen. Enjoy the latest TWRP on your International S3 variants. Credits are to be offered to the TeamWin for enormous efforts and hard work in creating such a marvel.