Samsung has abandoned the Galaxy S4 a long time back considering it an old device. The Galaxy S4 didn’t receive Android Marshmallow update last year and there is no chance it will receive any updates in the future. So, if you’re looking for some Nougat love, you might be quite disappointed with Samsung right now. Luckily, developers didn’t forget the Galaxy S4 yet. Development for the Galaxy S4 is still going good and there is a Nougat ROM available for your precious S4. So, get ready to install Android Nougat ROM on Galaxy S4.
All credits go to JDCTeam from XDA who have released the Android 7.1 Nougat ROM for Galaxy S4 variants. The Galaxy S4 Nougat ROM is based on AOSP sources from Android 7.1 update. The developer also added some changes from CyanogenMod and Codeaurora to make the ROM smoother. The only known issue in the ROM is that ANT+ is not working as it’s not supported by AOSP. So, if you’re good with that, you can install Nougat ROM on Galaxy S4. Below are some of the screenshots from the ROM:
The ROM is supported for the Galaxy S4 models with the model numbers I9505, I9505G, I9507, I9508, I337, M919, I545, R970, L720, S970G, S975L. Since AT&T and Verizon devices are locked, make sure you’ve either UCUAMDB or UCUAMDL bootloader version installed on AT&T variant and VRUAMDK on Verizon variant. If you’re good till here, download the required files from below and follow the tutorial to install Android Nougat ROM on Galaxy S4.
Prerequisites
- This tutorial is only supported for the Galaxy S4 models with the model numbers I9505, I9505G, I9507, I9508, I337, M919, I545, R970, L720, S970G, S975L.
- AT&T S4 devices should be on UCUAMDB or UCUAMDL bootloader and Verizon S4 devices should be on VRUAMDK bootloader version to flash this ROM.
- Make sure that you have at least 60% charge on your S4 smartphone.
- Install TWRP recovery on your Galaxy S4
- Make a complete backup of important files on your device to a secure location.
Downloads
- Android 7.1 Nougat ROM
- Download Android 7.1 Gapps
- ThemeReady GApps package for N arm
How to Install Android 7.1 Nougat ROM on Galaxy S4
- Download the custom ROM, both the Gapps packages (OpenGapps & ThemeReady Gapps) and transfer it to the internal storage of your device.
- Boot into recovery mode on your Galaxy S4.
- Power off your device and wait until it’s completely turned off.
- Press and hold Power + Home + Volume Up buttons together and release them as soon as you see the Galaxy logo on the screen.
- As you’re in the TWRP recovery, make a complete nandroid backup of your device. You can follow our definitive guide for nandroid backup from here.
- Now, make a complete wipe of the device as we want a fresh installation. To make a clean wipe, just do a complete factory reset and also wipe the Dalvik cache.
- Flash the custom ROM now. Choose the Install option from the recovery menu and choose the ROM zip from the file manager.
- Now, flash the OpenGapps package that you’ve downloaded followed by ThemeReady Gapps in the similar way you did in the above step.
- Reboot the device.
That’s it. You’ve successfully installed Android Nougat ROM on Galaxy S4.
After installing, is there a way to import your data from your previously-used apps in the backup?
You can bacho your apps and data to external sd card using a 3rd party backup app from the Play Store and then restore them using the same app.
Is this ROM compatible with Canadian Galaxy S4 i337M jfltecan?
Would this work on AT&T I337UCUGOK2 ?