TUTORIAL: Downgrade Samsung Galaxy S5 from 5.0 to 4.4 KitKat

[ironass]

hey, Anas here
i have galaxy s5 active g870a at&t and i followed all the steps but it still doesnt work. the message box in odin says that operation failed all threats completed, but its not downgrading. can you please help me here, i really want 4.4.4 in my phone. kindly reply asap, thank you!

Hello and welcome to Android Central anas baig!

If yo are on the latest releases of AT&T's own firmware, then I am afraid that you are not able to downgrade.

 

[CrazyCall]

Yes, I did a lot of downgrades on my S5 GM900F, from Marshmallow to KitKat without any issue. I recommend Odin3 V1.8.5.
Before loading the new rom, first do a factory reset followed by wipe cache.
If for some reason it gets on looping for a long period of time, remove battery, do another factory reset and boot it again. I expericiend this when trying other roms. Now I'm confident doing this. Good lucky.

 

[TheChainDude13]

Hi folks,

I got the 5.0 update for the Verizon Galaxy S5 (SM-G900V) and really dislike it. Does anyone know of a method to downgrade it to 4.4.4?

**UPDATE** I was able to successfully downgrade to 4.4.4. Here is a tutorial for those who may find this post and want to do the same. My S5 is the Verizon model; this should work on all Galaxy S5s. Do this at your own risk, preferably while your S5 is under warranty (though keep in mind your carrier's warranty policies may vary and may not cover you in the very slight chance something goes horribly wrong.)

**UPDATE #2** Please see the forum thread for additional details on your specific model. If you have an international or Verizon S5, you may no longer be able to downgrade.


1. Download Samsung Kies and back up your phone data. Remove the microSD card from your phone if you have one. Make sure your phone has a good charge (at least 50%).

2. Download the firmware you want to downgrade to at SamMobile dot com slash firmwares. (All S5s are model number SM-G900x, with the x corresponding to your carrier. Look up the model number for your carrier's phone - example, SM-G900V is Verizon, SM-G900P is Sprint, etc.) You'll probably want the latest 4.4.x version. The file will be in .zip format and will be 1.5 - 2 GB large, so be patient.

3. Once the download is complete, extract the firmware file to a place you will remember, like a folder on your desktop.

4. Download Odin from a reputable source like Softpedia or another site that tests its downloads for malware.

5. Make sure your phone is off and disconnected from your computer.

6. Open Odin. Under Options, only "Auto Reboot" and "F. Reset Time" should be checked.

7. Click the "AP" (or "PDA") box and browse for the extracted firmware file.

8. Press and hold the following buttons in order: Volume Down + Home + Power. Keep holding them until you see a screen that says "Warning!!" at the top.

9. Press the Volume Up button to continue.

10. The next screen will show the Android logo and say "ODIN MODE" at the top left.

11. Now connect your phone to your computer via USB.

12. In Odin, look to the top left and wait until you see in the leftmost box "COM" followed by a colon and a number, such as "COM:4". The number doesn't matter. Once you see that, you can proceed.

13. In the Message box in Odin, you should see several lines of text.

14. Press Start in Odin.

15. Odin will begin processing, and on your screen you will see "Downloading" with a status bar underneath.

16. When Odin is successfully finished, you will see in the Message box "All threads completed".

17. Your S5 should begin rebooting. You can disconnect from the computer.

18. If your S5 reboots successfully into good old 4.4, you're done! You can re-insert your microSD card. If your data is gone, connect to your computer and restore with Samsung Kies.

If your S5 gets stuck in booting mode (mine got stuck on the Verizon screen during booting), wait a few minutes to see if it boots. If it doesn't, remove the battery, put it back in, and try powering it on again. If that doesn't work, do the following:

1. Press in order: Volume Up + Home + Power until you see an Android screen.

2. Use Volume Down to scroll to "wipe data/factory reset" and press Power to select it. (Make sure you have backed up your phone!)

3. On the next screen, scroll to Yes, select it, and your phone will reset.

4. When it's done, select reboot system now and it will reboot. You should enter the original S5 welcome & setup process.

5. Restore your data using Samsung Kies. This will restore most of everything; you may need to re-setup the home screens and some of your settings, though.

6. If your phone still doesn't boot properly, you'll probably need to take it in to your carrier and/or make a warranty/insurance claim.

Depending on your carrier your phone will nag you once a day to update to Android 5.0. Just ignore these messages for as long as you want 4.4.

I hope this helps other folks!

No, it may auto update while you're not using it. My dad's note 4 auto updated from 5.1.1 to 6.0.1, so you may want to go to Setting, Software Update, and find Automatically check for updates. Make sure that it is not checked.

 

[jesush22]

well i think i found a way to fix this, but is really exhausting. its pretty easy but like i mentioned a bunch of files need to be downloaded in order to get this thing done. all you need to do is downgrade your phone one step at the time. what do i mean with one step at the time, well i mean one step at the time, you have to go though all android versions before you get your phone to the one you desire your phone to be at, any other way wont just work. this how i made it, i was a android version 6.0.1 Marshmallow build version G900PVPU3CPJ2, so i went down build by build without missing one until i made it to 4.4.4, build G900PVPU1ANK4. like i said, don't you even try to skip one build because you will just get stucked on the same error SW REV FAIL: [aboot] Fused 3 > Binary 1. again, ive gone through the whole internet and found no other way to downgrade my phone. this is no joke, dont look anywhere else cause you wont find anything. i have an sprint galaxy s5

 

[SuPeR MoDy]

hi guys ..
i am a dev ..

i just want to mention that if the problem is (aboot.mbn fused > binary 1) like this ..
so it is meant that you are tring to downgarde the bootloader ..

it is just simple ... go to the Downloaded Rom you want to downgrade to ...
it is (.md5) open it with 7Zip !!
extract all files that you find in the .md5 rom except a file could (aboot.mbn) ...
now comperss the extracted files once again to (.tar) ..
go ahead flash it and you good to go !!

sorry if was too late to share the fix for this simple problem !! xD

 

[jlchafin256]

Will this method work when trying to downgrade 6.0 Marshmallow to 4.4? It seems Verizon has locked the boot loader but wanted to give this a shot if it will work.

 

[ironass]

Will this method work when trying to downgrade 6.0 Marshmallow to 4.4? It seems Verizon has locked the boot loader but wanted to give this a shot if it will work.

Hello and welcome to Android Central jlchafin256!

The Verizon model, G900V, is a PITA when it comes to doing anything with it. Unlike Samsung's own models, Verizon have locked their version down tighter than a nun's knickers. The only glimmer of hope I can offer you is this thread on xda developers forum...

How To Flash Custom 6.0.1 Roms On Locked Bootloader That Cannot Be Unlocked

 

[jlchafin256]

Awesome I will head over and read it. Has anyone tried the method of removing the bootloader from the tar.md5 file? that looks promising but I don't want to brick the phone.

 

[jlchafin256]

Also the main reason that I am doing this is that I purchased a phone from a local guy who was less than honest about the condition of the phone... It is locked and I can't get past the Samsung user account screen. If I can get an older OS on it I can use the old trick to bypass the lock and then have it associated with my Samsung account.

 

[Dew Master]

Can this work with lenovo a5000? You know I can't remove the battery if I have a problem..

 

[ironass]

Can this work with lenovo a5000? You know I can't remove the battery if I have a problem..

Hello and welcome to Android Central Dew Master!

Unfortunately, I cannot say as it is a totally different manufacturer and firmware. You might do better posting your issue on the Lenovo section of the forum, here...

Lenovo Android Phones (click on link)

 

[Dew Master]

Thanks a lot I really appreciate your words....

 

[fincx]

How it is possible to upgrade to android 6.0?

 

[ironass]

How it is possible to upgrade to android 6.0?

See #1.11 of 42 Galaxy S5 models - Dummies Guide

 

[Explocify]

Hey did you ever make a download file for the 4.4.2 firmware

 

[ironass]

Hey did you ever make a download file for the 4.4.2 firmware

See, Find Firmware

 

[zainhosting]

But can you please tell me that why we should downgrade it?
and I have T-mobile so this method will work on it?

 

[ironass]

But can you please tell me that why we should downgrade it?
and I have T-mobile so this method will work on it?

Some users reported that certain versions of the Android 5.0 firmware were, initially, causing issues on Verizon and AT&T firmware and wanted to go back. T-Mobile (USA) is now on Android 6.0.1 and this should no longer be the case.