Samsung Galaxy Note 3
A man talks on his mobile phone near advertisements promoting the Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 3 at the company's headquarters in Seoul October 21, 2013. Picture taken October 21, 2013. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiReuters

Prolific custom ROM developer community DarkLord has released an updated version of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop for the Galaxy Note 3 LTE. 

A key aspect of this version is that it brings features of the latest Galaxy Note 5 device to the 2013 model.

The salient features of DarkLord Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM include:

  • Note 5 screen write option
  • Note 5 Air command, action memo, smart select
  • Galaxy S6 Edge+ People Edge app
  • TouchWiz change option (home mode)
  • Performance tweaks and other personalisation options to enhance user-experience on Galaxy Note 3

Prerequisites (things to remember before installing the custom ROM):

  1. The new DarkLord Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM has to be installed on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N9005) LTE only, if tried on any other device, it might get bricked [To check your device model, go to Settings >> About phone >> model number]
  2. Make sure the device is rooted before going forward with custom ROM installation
  3. Installation of custom ROM requires clearing of memory in the smartphone, so make sure to back all the data by installing Clockwork Mod (CWM) Recovery/TWRP in the smartphone.
  4. Make sure your PC has USB drivers software, or else your device (Galaxy Note 3) will not be recognised by the computer.
  5. Make sure your device has more than 80% battery, or else there is chance of the smartphone getting temporarily bricked if the installation process is interrupted midway.
  6. Though installing custom ROM improves the device's performance and UI experiences, it makes the company warranty void; the company will no longer be liable to provide updates in future [users can restore warranty by flashing the device with stock-ROM]

[Disclaimer: This procedure is very technical and should be performed by a person with sound knowledge of rooting (or manual software installation) Android devices. If the step-by-step installation process is not followed properly, there are chances of the smartphone getting bricked or being permanently irreparable. IBTimes India cannot be held responsible for any damage or claims from readers if the procedure does not yield the required results or if the smartphone is bricked. Hence, users are advised to proceed with caution.]

Tutorial: Step-by-step installation procedure of DarkLord Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 LTE:

Step 1: Download DarkLord Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM (HERE) and Google Apps (HERE) on to your PC.

Step 2: Connect the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 LTE N9005 to PC via USB cord.

[Note: Before plugging the phone to the computer, be sure that you have installed USB driver software; if not, click HERE to download the firmware]

Step 3: Place Android 5.1.1 Lollipop zip file and Google Apps .zip file into the phone's SD card memory [Note: Users are advised to paste the .zip file in SD card root, not in any other folder. Before installing the custom software, be sure that the device must have been rooted and has installed ClockworkMod Recovery tool].

Step 4: Turn off the device and disconnect from the PC.

Step 5: Perform the regular Recovery Mode sortie by press holding 'Volume (up)', 'Home' and 'Power' buttons.

Step 6: After entering the RECOVERY mode, clear the phone memory, by choosing 'wipe data/factory reset' option.

[Note: Use 'Volume' keys to navigate and 'Power' button to select options while operating under Recovery Mode].

Step 7: Clear the cache memory by selecting 'wipe cache partition'.

Step 8:  Come back to ClockworkMod recovery, and select 'advanced' and tap 'wipe dalvik cache' [Note: This step is optional, but many recommend this procedure so that user will not face boot loops or any other errors in the middle of custom ROM installation].

Step 9: Return to main recovery screen and tap 'install zip from SD card'.

Step 10: Tap 'choose zip from sdcard' and go to Android 5.1.1 ROM .zip file in SD card and enter the installation process. Repeat the same procedure to install Google Apps [Note: use 'Volume' keys to navigate and 'Power' button to select options]

Step 11: Once done with the installation process, navigate to '+++++Go Back+++++' and re-start the device by opting 'reboot system now' seen in the recovery menu.

Now your device (Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N9005) will take at a few minutes to complete the booting process.

Users can then head to 'Settings' >> select 'About phone' to confirm the installation of DarkLord Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM.

[Credits: Team Android]

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