How to update a phone that was left on Android 6 and has no security updates for several years? Installing a cooked ROM is the only option, as I did with my Samsung Galaxy S5. After analyzing the phone as it was then, I decided to update it with LineageOS and Android 9 Pie. The test turned out to be better than expected.
Being a technical manager arouses a desire to update a mobile phone more often than necessary. This has been happening to me since I started earning money: it would be impossible for me to say wholeheartedly all the previous calls in my hands. Most of them I have been selling, some I gave to my family and friends. A few remain in the cupboard waiting for new life, as is the case with the Samsung Samsung S5, a smartphone that, as is often the case with old-fashioned luxury, is completely outdated. Fortunately, you may have temporarily blocked the abyss with the help of developers. In my case, thanks to LineageOS.
Samsung Galaxy S5 updated to Android 9 Pie
Even today it's still a powerful phone even though most current (and new) mid-range smartphones outweigh the benefits. And the information about the official LineageOS in its 16th version (Android 9 Nightly) has been excellent: I've never missed a thing. The display looks like stock (who would want to have TouchWiz?), performance is smooth without any further reduction in setup and I did not find any significant errors. In conclusion: It's amazing how an outdated phone keeps working when the latest software is installed to suit your needs. Of course, we must not forget that in its time it was the end, and therefore it has grown more or less.
With Android 6 and TouchWiz the Samsung Galaxy S5 wasn't bad, but the phone's look was a bit old. In addition, a large number of Samsung's apps and services have taken down the phone, out of line with Android security over the last four years. Flashing LineageOS 16 (Tonight) has been a great update, great speed, security and confirmation that I can continue to install apps even though the phone is 6 years old. More recently.
Generally, improvements are noticeable, in functionality and depth, and in power consumption (this is what the phone is most suspicious of after years of use). Of course, there is a problem that cannot be resolved: unless the software provided by LineageOS 16 has just been made, and that Android 9 Pie does not close the door to current apps and games, the Snapdragon 801 is processing 32 things, an old structure that prevents the installation of other applications. For example, I couldn't find a Google camera working, or a Gcam designed specifically for 32-bit processors. Fortnite is not supported, for example, or benches like Gebenbench. It's not a big deal to look at the success of bringing Android 9 Pie to the 2014 mobile, but it's a bad reputation.
ROMs, the only way for a manufacturer to fail
I wouldn't recommend the installation of cooked ROMs on mobile phones now because, usually, software comes standard The frequency is good enough to open the door to a great Android experience (There are always exceptions, of course), but it is recommended for those phones that were left unsupervised and without any security updates. The Samsung Samsung S5 case is a clear example: SkyageOS has completely revamped the phone, both in looks and in looks. Offers Pixel stock style thanks to the Gapps I installed, the performance is very fluid, maximum screen usage is minimal (nothing about the original TouchWiz) and LineageOS 16, and most recently Nightly, updated the security park to March 2020. This would not be possible to keep up with Samsung's original signature: it lasted in August 2017.
The phone has changed so much that no one can say it's almost six years old, the real cruelty of the smartphone. But there it is: with Android 9 Pie, with all the additional functions of LineageOS (dozens of screen modes, audio effects, your camera and files …) and without the risk of important apps like WhatsApp stop working due to the age of the Android version . It is good to update the phone of that category to continue using it daily, even for small tasks. How to use it for apps that are eligible for ROOT access, such as a multimedia server or WiFi access point that you can use for all those free GBs provided by employees.
I thought my Samsung S5 would last as a collector's item, but no: it still has a lot of life to offer. And all thanks to the developers who donated their efforts to keep the phones from dying due to the lack of updated software: longevity in cooked ROMs.
