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 mobile custom ROM developer community CyanogenMod have released the new Android 5.1.1 Lollipop firmware to the 2013 flagship phablet Samsung Galaxy Note 3 LTE model.

It brings bug fixes, performance tweaks, improvements to battery life and personalisation options to enhance the user experience in the Galaxy Note 3.

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

  1. This new CyanogenMod [official] CM12.1 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop firmware has to be installed on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N9005) LTE model only ; if tried on other devices, 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 for 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. Users make sure you have installed USB drivers on the PC, or else your smartphone (Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N9005) will not be recognised by the computer.
  5. Make sure your device has more than 80% battery, or else there is a chance of smartphone getting temporarily bricked if the installation process is interrupted mid-way.

[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 CyanogenMod [official] CM12.1 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM Nightly on Samsung Galaxy Note 3 LTE-

Step 1: Download CyanaogenMod [official] CM12.1 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM nightly (HERE) and Google Apps (HERE) in to your PC.

[Build date: 9 July 2015]

Step 2: Connect 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: Then 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.]

[Note: Before installing the custom software, be sure that the device must have been rooted and has installed ClockworkMod Recovery tool.]

Step 4: Now, turn off the device and disconnect from the PC.

Step 5: Then 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: Now clear the cache memory by selecting 'wipe cache partition'.

Step 8: Then to go 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: Again come back to main recovery screen and then tap 'install zip from SD card'.

Step 10: Then 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 a few minutes to complete the booting process.

Users then head to 'Settings' >> select 'About phone' to confirm the installation of CyanogenMod CM12.1 Android v5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM nightlies.

[Credits:CyanogenMod.org]