Upadate Galaxy S5 SM-G900v to Nougat

Mick W

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Jun 4, 2017
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Hi
I bought my son a Galaxy s5 at Christmas online in the UK, for some reason it will not update to newer software. I checked the model number and it says SM-G900V which after some looking online seems is a model that may have come from the US. Can anybody give me any advice on updating to latest software safely for use in the UK on o2 network ?
Cheers.
 

Mick W

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Thanks for the reply, has it a Marshmallow one ? i am not so clear on how to flash phones etc but would like to get software more modern that can save battery life etc.
 

smvim

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That model of S5 is a U.S. Verizon model (note the 'V' designation in SM-G900V). Different companies and different countries have varying cellular networks in place so it's not just a matter of flashing a newer or different ROM, the phone hardware itself will consist of different cellular radios in accordance with the appropriate cellular network. In your case you'll have limited cellular connectivity -- 2G and 3G will work, 4G/LTE will not. Go to this phone compatibility site and enter in your phone's info:
WillMyPhoneWork.net - Check if your phone works on a network
If you think your son can get by using WiFi as a primary connectivity source, then this model will work out but if he will be needing cellular too, hopefully you can return it and get one that's suitable.

An option is to use a custom, third-party ROM. With Samsung phones this does require you to root your phone and install a custom Recovery so you can flash a custom ROM. (Stock ROMs do not require root and are done with the stock Recovery.) But this process (rooting, flashing custom ROMs) is more for hobbyists as it does add a whole new layer of user awareness for day-to-day usage and maintenance. It's a matter of do you 'want' to do this or do you 'need' to do it, plus taking into account how comfortable you are working on a phone.
 

smvim

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sorry i have just read your link and it appears 6.1 is there with instructions, would you advise trying this ?

If your son can get by without 4G/LTE and you want to stick with this model of S5, both sammobile and updato are reliable sources for stock Samsung ROMs. Both check their ROMs are valid, carrier-based.
Sammobile does intentionally restrict the bandwidth of their download servers so just keep that in mind (even if you have a fast connection on your end, don't be surprised that it takes so long).
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-s5/SM-G900V/
Download Firmware – Samsung Update

As for the upgrade step itself, you might want to try Samsung's SmartSwitch first:
https://www.sammobile.com/samsung-smart-switch/
If that doesn't work, this method using the Odin utility is a proven fall-back solution:
How to Flash Stock Firmware Samsung Galaxy S5
... if you don't have access to a Windows PC (Odin in a Windows utility), there's also an Open Source equivalent, Heimdall (available for Linux, Macs, and Windows):
http://glassechidna.com.au/heimdall/
 

ironass

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Mar 9, 2015
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Hi
I bought my son a Galaxy s5 at Christmas online in the UK, for some reason it will not update to newer software. I checked the model number and it says SM-G900V which after some looking online seems is a model that may have come from the US. Can anybody give me any advice on updating to latest software safely for use in the UK on o2 network ?
Cheers.

I am afraid that the G900V is a carrier minority variant for the U.S. CDMA based carrier network for Verizon and is therefore not fully compatible, (no 4G), with the U.K. GSM and most worldwide networks. It also requires the user to be registered on the Verizon network to receive updates. See #1.6 of https://androidforums.com/threads/42-galaxy-s5-models-dummies-guide.892162/. The Galaxy S5 models will not be receiving Android Nougat officially from Samsung.
 

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