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21 comments Ivan Linares @ivsu

How to revive a phone that was left on Android 6 and has not received security updates for several years? Installing a cooked ROM is the only option, as I have done with my Samsung Galaxy S5. After analyzing the phone as it was at the time, I have decided to refresh it with LineageOS and Android 9 Pie. The experiment has turned out to be better than expected.

Being a technology sufferer usually arouses the desire to renew the mobile phone more often than necessary. This is what has been happening to me since I started earning money for myself: it would be impossible for me to say from memory all the mobiles that have passed through my hands. Most of them I have been selling, others I gave to my family and friends. A few were left in the drawer waiting to have a new life, as is the case of the Samsung Galaxy S5, a smartphone that, as is often the case with old glories, was completely outdated. Fortunately, it is possible to bridge the time gap with the help of the developers. In my case, thanks to LineageOS.

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The Samsung Galaxy S5 updated to Android 9 Pie

Even today it is still a powerful mobile even though many current (and new) mid-range smartphones outperform it in performance. And the experience with official LineageOS version 16 (Android 9 Nightly) has turned out to be very good: I haven't missed anything. The interface looks stock (who would still want TouchWiz?), it runs smoothly despite some setup slowdowns, and I haven't run into any notable bugs. Bottom line: It's amazing how well an outdated phone still works when you install recent software that suits your needs. Of course, we must not forget that in its time it was a high-end, that is why it has aged more or less well.

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With Android 6 and TouchWiz, the Samsung Galaxy S5 was not bad, but the appearance of the phone felt terribly old. In addition, the huge number of Samsung apps and services slowed down the phone, it ran out of security patches and on a version of Android that was more than four years old. Flashing LineageOS 16 (Nightly) has been a great refresh, greater speed, security and the guarantee that I can continue installing applications even though the phone is 6 years old. What is said soon?

The Samsung Galaxy S5 with its original software: TouchWiz

At a general level, the improvements are notable, both in performance and speed, also in energy consumption (it is what the phone most accuses after being years without being used). Of course, there is a problem that cannot be solved: despite the fact that the software provided by LineageOS 16 is recent, and that Android 9 Pie does not close the door to current apps and games, the Snapdragon 801 is a 32-bit processor, a old architecture that prevents the installation of some applications. For example, I haven't found a working Google Camera, not even a Gcam that was specifically tuned for 32-bit processors. Fortnite is not supported, for example, neither are benchmarks like Geekbench. It is not a serious problem considering the achievement of bringing Android 9 Pie to a 2014 mobile, but it is a notorious inconvenience.

ROMs, the only resource when the manufacturer fails

Screenshots of LineageOS on the Samsung Galaxy S5

I would not recommend the installation of cooked ROMs in current mobiles since, in general, the software that comes as standard is usually good enough to open the door to the best Android experience (there are always exceptions, of course), but yes It is recommended in those phones that were left without support and without security updates. The case of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a clear example: LineageOS has completely revived the phone, both in appearance and in possibilities. It offers a Pixel stock style thanks to the Gapps that I installed, the operation is very fluid, the consumption with the screen off is minimal (nothing to do with the original TouchWiz) and LineageOS 16, with the latest Nightly, has updated the patch of security as of March 2020. This would be unfeasible to continue with the original Samsung signature: it stayed in August 2017.

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The phone has changed so much that no one would say that it is almost six years old, a real brutality for a smartphone. But there it is: with Android 9 Pie, with all the extra features of LineageOS (multiple screen modes, sound effects, camera apps and files...) and without running the risk that applications as important as WhatsApp stop working due to old Android version. It's worth reviving a phone in that category to continue using it on a daily basis, even for minor tasks. How to use it for applications that deserve ROOT access, such as a multimedia server or a WiFi access point with which to take advantage of all those free GB that the operators are offering.

I thought my Samsung Galaxy S5 would stay as a collector's item, but no: it still has a lot of life to offer. And all thanks to the developers who dedicate their efforts so that mobiles don't die due to lack of updated software: long live cooked ROMs.

This is how the Samsung Galaxy S5 revives with LineageOS: the importance of ROMs in outdated mobiles

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