Can I force an update to a new version of Android?

[Android Central Question]

My phone is a (vintage) Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime -- model number SM-G530W. It's running Lollipop 5.1.1 and if I check for updates, it says none are available. Is it possible for me to force it up to Marshmallow or a more recent and supported version of Android? I've tried a couple 3rd party update apps, but none of them worked.

 

[hallux]

That check for updates button only gets you updates that were released specifically for that device by Samsung. That device is on the last update Samsung released for it. To go higher you'd need to explore a third party ROM from somewhere such as XDA, but doing that is not without risk and there's no guarantee that the device will run well on a more recent version of Android.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I agree with hallux. Please register on this forum, which will allow you to engage in discussion more easily, as well as post images. https://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/409154-join-android-central-community.html

 

[mckel]

This is OP, but registered on Android Central now.
@hallux, do you have any recommendations for third party ROMs? I'm checking out a quick intro here but actual human advice is unbeatable.

 

[VidJunky]

Just throwing in my 2 cents but to the OP your device hardware is going to limit you to how far you can update it as well. You're running a device who's last update was to an OS that is 5 generations, soon to be 6, behind the most current OS. I'm guessing that you might have found a ROM that would give you one more OS if you would have looked years ago. You might get lucky and find the old how-to guides but I doubt you'll find much or find much help. People tend to drop things and just move on without looking back.

The good news is considering what you're coming from you could get almost any device with a more up to date OS for pennies. I see a lot of phones with Pie Android 9, for under $100 USD, many for close to $50 USD.

 

[VidJunky]

$30
https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...&ved=0ahUKEwjQneu2k5nqAhU1knIEHW9JCBcQ8wIIqwU

$60
https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...&ved=0ahUKEwjQneu2k5nqAhU1knIEHW9JCBcQ8wIIwgU

$90
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...hUKEwjQneu2k5nqAhU1knIEHW9JCBcQ2CkIjgY&adurl=

Just to name a few.

 

[hallux]

@mckel I don't have any experience with that device, or 3rd-party ROMs...

 

[Mooncatt]

This is OP, but registered on Android Central now.
@hallux, do you have any recommendations for third party ROMs? I'm checking out a quick intro here but actual human advice is unbeatable.

Welcome to the forums. We are mostly a community of enthusiasts and don't really get into the development side of things. I'm with Hallux that the XDA forums are going to be your best bet. They focus more on this sort of stuff, but even that may be a stretch in your case.

Custom ROM's are usually limited to popular flagship phones to make it worth the developer's time. The article you linked to is mostly just an intro to the idea. What you need is to search for a ROM that is specific to your exact model number. According to GSM Arena, there's 5 different versions of the Galaxy Grand Prime, none of which match your model number. So there's at least 6 variants of the phone, and all 6 will have slightly different versions of Android.

So if you do decide to explore this, only use ROMs specific to your model number. Using the wrong Galaxy Grand Prime variant ROM could cause problems, up to and including bricking the phone. So while you're at it, it's a good idea to research how to recover from a hard brick and re-flash the stock ROM (and make sure you have a copy of it available ahead of time so you aren't caught off guard and wondering if it still exists).

But again, that's assuming a ROM exists for your phone. Personally, I don't think it's worth it in your case. That phone is ancient in terms of specs, and any upgrade you may find for it is still going to leave you with ancient specs and an outdated OS. Phones aren't like Widows, where you get updates for a decade and the hardware must be tailored to the OS to remain modular. With Android, it's reversed. The OS is tailored to the hardware, which gives it a much lower usable lifespan due to how fast things advance and need updated.

 

[mustang7757]

This is OP, but registered on Android Central now.
@hallux, do you have any recommendations for third party ROMs? I'm checking out a quick intro here but actual human advice is unbeatable.

Hi welcome!
You can see if firmware available if you download samfirm tool or frija tool and flash through Odin
If no updates then xda to see if they have rom and root for that device