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Galaxy Note 4: How to Downgrade to Android 4.4.4 KitKat

Doug
03/30/2023
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The Galaxy Note 4 is currently being updated to Android 5.0.1 Lollipop but not everyone wants to use it. So today I will guide you through the step by step process on how to downgrade the Galaxy Note 4 from Android 5.0.1 Lollipop back to Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

There are a lot of reasons why someone might not want to run Android 5.0.1 Lollipop right now. It’s no secret that there are a handful of bugs that might tarnish your experience of the new version of Android. Some people do not like the fact that Google has removed various features in Android(silent mode, notification ticker in the status bar, etc). Then again, some people refuse to give up the ability to install Xposed.

Even though Xposed has been released for the Galaxy Note 4, it’s currently having issues with TouchWiz and will bootloop your device unless you are running CM12 or any other custom ROM based on AOSP.

You might think to yourself, if the person doesn’t want Lollipop then they don’t have to accept the Lollipop update notification. Sadly, this doesn’t work for everyone. Some carriers will only let you refuse an update a certain amount of times before you are forced to hit that accept button. Other carriers will sneakily update your device, even after you have declined the update, in the middle of the night.

Also, some people might experience bugs a decrease in battery life after they update. Whatever your reason is, today I will show you exactly how to downgrade the Galaxy Note 4 from Android Lollipop to Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

Warning:
Downgrading is essentially like a factory reset so you will lose all of your data that you haven’t already backed up.

Downgrade the Galaxy Note 4

  1. Download, Extract, and Install the Samsung USB Drivers(then reboot)
  2. Download and Extract Odin v3.09
  3. Download the Android 4.4.4 KitKat Firmware for Your Galaxy Note 4
  4. Extract the .tar.md5 File from the Galaxy Note 4 KitKat Firmware
  5. Enable Developer Mode on the Galaxy Note 4
  6. Open Up the Developer Options and Enable USB Debugging
  7. Power Down the Galaxy Note 4
  8. Boot the Galaxy Note 4 into Recovery Mode
  9. Perform a Factory Reset on the Galaxy Note 4
  10. Power Down the Galaxy Note 4 Again
  11. Boot the Galaxy Note 4 into Download Mode
  12. Connect the Galaxy Note 4 to the Computer via the Micro USB Cable
  13. Launch Odin(with Administrator Rights)
  14. Click on the AP / PDA Button in Odin
  15. Browse to the .tar.md5 File You Extracted from the Galaxy Note 4 Firmware
  16. Make Sure Re-Partition is NOT Enabled
  17. When Ready, Click the Start Button

Note – One user reported that they ran into a bootloop from this tutorial but clearing the cache partition cleared up the issue perfectly. If this happens to you(and please leave a comment telling me if it does or doesn’t) then hopefully the cache partition will resolve it as well. Another user has reported that they needed to perform a factory reset on the Galaxy Note 4 in order to clear the bootloop. Both have reportedly work so one of them should definitely help you out if you come across the issue.

Also – If you have an AT&T Galaxy Note 4 then you should be able to click here to download the firmware.

Explanation

The first things you need to do is to download some things ahead of time. You will need the Samsung USB drivers installed, you will need Odin v3.09(or another compatible one) and you will need the Android 4.4.4 KitKat firmware for your specific model of the Galaxy Note 4. To get this, simply visit the link in step 3 of the tutorial above. You will see a search box on SamMobile and you will need to type in the model number of your specific Galaxy Note 4. For example, if you have the SM-N910C variant of the Galaxy Note 4, then type that in and then press Enter.

Locate your Country/Carrier in the list on SamMobile and click on the Android 4.4.4 KitKat firmware listing. You’ll be taken to the download page where you can select Regular Download or Fast Download. Unless you are a premium member, go ahead and click on Regular Download and wait for it to complete. Once you have it downloaded, you can extract the file(s) inside it and you should see a .tar.md5 file in there. This is what you load into Odin to downgrade your Galaxy Note 4 back to Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

Once you have your files downloaded, go ahead and enable the Developer Mode on your Galaxy Note 4 and then make sure the USB Debugging option is enabled. When this option has been activated, you can power down your Galaxy Note 4 so you can boot up into Recovery Mode. It is advised that you go perform a factory reset on your Galaxy Note 4 so that everything is how it was when Android was just installed. This helps to revert any changes that you might have made that could prevent KitKat from being flashed onto your device. Once this is done, you can power down the Galaxy Note 4 again so you can boot up into Download Mode.

Follow the link in tutorial above if you have any questions about how to get your Galaxy Note 4 booted into Download Mode. You must be in Download Mode in order for Odin to flash the KitKat firmware(or any firmware) onto your Galaxy Note 4. Once you are in Download Mode, you can connect the Galaxy Note 4 to your PC via the Micro USB cable and then click on the AP box/button in Odin to load up the KitKat firmware. One of the readers here(Alan) suggested that you launch Odin with Administrator privileges. To do this you will just need to right-click the Odin.exe file and click the ‘run as administrator’ option here. Thank you again Alan for your feedback.

Following this tutorial should be very straight forward but if you run into any issues or have any questions, use the comments section below and don’t hesitate to ask.

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482 comments

    1. Awesome. Thank you so much for the feedback. I’m happy to see that it worked out well for you.

      If you don’t mind me asking, was there something wrong with Lollipop that you didn’t like?

      Reply

      1. Thanks for the tip. I am downgrading now. What’s is wrong? Mostly everything. No silent mode, no ticker, blocking mode is gone, priority mode is without time schedule, white notification, annoying crashes of software (e.g. phone process), most of my tasks in tasker wont work anymore (e.g. on/off mobile data), notification led is crap… You would expect that google does things right, but compare to IOS (I can’t believe I am typing this), lolipop is a huge step back. Google should fire their UI/UX designers and quality assurance team.

        Reply

        1. Downgrade operation completed with success. However, I have had boot loop issue. You may want to add to your article that, if impacted by this user needs to clean/swipe cache partition. Otherwise worked as a charm.

          Reply

          2. managed to do it ,thx to ur guide.Thank you everything worked great,I have to say that to be sure it wont fail I cleared cache so i wont have to do it twice.

          3. No problem at all. I am happy to help when I can. I definitely understand you wanting to clear the cache just to be sure. Thank you again for the feedback. It’s great to know that the guide is working for everyone

          4. run into a bootloop on mine, tried to clear cache but still went into to bootloop so decided to factory reset, after that it worked fine..
            thanks..

        3. tried this link. it doesnt work – please suply one. thanks “Download the Android 4.4.4 KitKat Firmware “

          Reply

          1. The link goes to SamMobile. If their firmware download links are down then you may want to contact them about it

      2. I agree with everything 3r3rc3 said. Additionally, all of the Samsung icons are smaller, the circular icons are stupid, it uses a lot of power on ugly animation, the lock screen won’t show full size clock, and it looks like Samsung bleached out each of its apps into a very garishly bright cartoonish color. Pretty much everything about Lollipop is wrong, UI-wise. I don’t know of a single thing that has been improved.
        If anyone knows how to get the lollipop back end with the Touchwiz interface from 4.4.4 let me know. that would be best, since the AOSP ROMs are just as bad since they are based on google’s UI problems (such as delayed lock)

        Reply

    1. I haven’t seen this personally, but I did locate a few solutions that might work for you

      – http://www.s4miniarchive.com/2014/07/solution-what-to-do-when-odin-fails-at-hidden.img.ext4.html
      – http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2662373
      – http://www.sammobile.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25093
      – http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2493578

      Let me know if anyone of these helped. And if so, which one helped so I know what to recommend to future readers if they experience the same thing

      Reply

        1. As long as you only flash the official firmware downloaded from the SamMobile website, then it shouldn’t trip Knox. To my understanding, the only thing that trips Knox is rooting it and installing a custom recovery. Downgrading to an official firmware does neither of those things

          Reply

  5. Well apparently I HAD a note 4. Tomorrow I will go for my 2 years warranty due to this fake site that I will report not only in samsung but in national Police to encript this site and find you. It litteratly stuck my phone. I used a 4.4.4 kitkat south east europe version i passed it to my phone with odin and now my phone is stuck on samsung galaxy note 4 and the intro samsung logo. I REPORT THIS SITE and if i find the IP address and WHO is the host of this site or article I will sue him/her. THANK YOU

    Reply

    1. As long as there is a firmware download for your N910A variant, then it will work. You just have to make sure the firmware you are downloading is for your specific version of the Note 4. For example, if you try to flash the Verizon firmware on the AT&T model then you will run into some issues

      Reply

      1. I checked the link, and not only do I not see a firmware for AT&T, I don’t see one for the entire USA? What gives? (SM-N910A)

        Reply

    1. If there is a firmware download available for your specific mode, then no, it shouldn’t brick your phone. All you’re doing is flashing official Samsung firmware files and it should be completely save

      Reply

  9. Just want to write, took a chance and it works ABSOLUTELY wonderful. version 4.4.4 working great! Hopefully, I don’t get force updated in my sleep.

    Reply

  11. i am head over heels glad I was able to do this!! and I gotta thank Lollipop for being the 1st thing to make me want to learn how to flash a Galaxy!!

    it has crazy great potential , and I can see the vision.. BUT it was waaaay too premature.
    KitKat is Heaven 🙂 thank you!!

    Reply

  12. When i open Odin launching as administrator, the ID COM button is not blue and will not let me load files because of it. What do i do with that?

    Reply

  13. big problem. I finished the process and it seemed to work, except now my phone cycles through the verizon startup screen and samsung boot up screen. It wont stop. What do I do?

    Reply

    1. Are you sure you downloaded the correct Verizon firmware for your device?

      First thing I would try is to boot up into recovery mode(instructions on how to do this are in a tutorial on this website) and then do a factory reset.

      If that doesn’t fix it then I would download the firmware all over again and try it once more. Make sure you read through each of the steps and follow them exactly as described. Your previous download could have been corrupt somehow or maybe you had the wrong option ticked in Odin

      Reply

    1. No, downgrading does not require a rooted phone and it will not void your warranty as long as you’re downloading an official Samsung firmware(I generally get my firmware files from SamMobile.com)

      Reply

        1. I don’t think you can. You would have to look into seeing if there was a version of Odin for the Mac. I’ll try to look into this later but I’m not aware of one off the top of my head.

          If you find something though, please be sure to come back here and let us all know 🙂

          Reply

          1. i did the above on a windows and my fone is hung on the samsung part
            as i put it on, it says note 4
            then samsung and gets hung

            please help !

          2. sorted out, cleared cache and rebooted , back to 4.4.4, ufff, got a heart attack there, lol

            thanks for the help, any better than kitkat 4.4.4 firmwares out there for note 4 ??

          3. You’re very welcome 🙂 Glad to see that it is all working out now.

            It depends on what you think better is? If you want to root and install a custom recovery then you have the opportunity to install AOSP-based ROMs(so it would be like Vanilla Android).

            If you want to stick with TouchWiz, there might be some TouchWiz based ROMs that offer the TouchWiz experience but adds in some mods and extra features. There’s a ‘list of custom roms’ article here on Android Explained that you might enjoy looking through

          6. Hey,

            I downgraded to kit kat but a notification symbol of software update stays on the top bar and it doesn’t go away
            How do I get rid of it?
            Thanks

          10. by stock u mean lollipop as thats the most current version ??
            i want to keep kitkat without that notification !!!
            is it possible without rooting ?
            thanks !!

          11. Stock just refers to the OEM firmware. So for Samsung devices, stock means TouchWiz. TouchWiz has both a KitKat and a Lollipop version of the software but they are still both referred to as stock

            I don’t know how to remove that notification without rooting. I will have to look into it and see if I can come up with something.

            Stay updated here at Android Explained and I will write up a tip/tutorial for this if I am able to find one 🙂

          12. thank u so much, trust me , am checking every couple of hours for a reply , i can’t stand that notification , very eagerly hoping for u to find a solution to this !!!
            but on the other hand:
            1. is it easy to root?
            2. what are the advantages apart from getting rid of the notification of software update ??
            3. can i unroot it if my phone ever needs to go for repair and its still under warranty and is unrooting easy ?
            4. am an idiot wen it comes to rooting , flashing rooms, firmwares etc so are there high chances of me bricking my phone ??

            sorry for bombarding u with questions but i can’t live with this notification , am a very tidy person so therefore jus wondering if theres no solution, what rooting is exactly !!

            thanks !

          13. Rooting is relatively easy but the difficulty of it depends on how technically inclined you are. With step by step tutorials that I write out, I try to make things as easy as possible.

            Rooting will allow you to install applications that require root access. These apps are way more powerful because they have root access and can do things that regular apps can’t. My favorite is Better Battery Stats as it will show you exactly what is eating up your battery.

            Rooting a Samsung device will void your warranty and there isn’t any way you can unroot to undo it. Samsung uses a security layer called Knox and there’s no way to reset Knox as far as I know.

            I wouldn’t say there’s a ‘high chance’ but there is definitely a chance. It would be a ‘soft brick’ though and all you would have to do is use the Odin(like in the downgrade guide) to reset the device and make it work again

            No need to be sorry. It’s what I’m here for. If you ever have any questions I will be here to help in any way that I can

          14. i guess then ill just have to root my note 4, can u please provide a link with step by step instructions and also link to instructions for removing the software update icon in notification once rooted as thats my primary concern !
            do u have an article on best apps for a rooted phone as well , since am rooting , y not make the best of it !!

            thank u !

          15. This is great news! I’m glad to see that you were able to get it working. I’m sorry the link I provided wasn’t enough but thank you for the feedback and the steps you used. Hopefully that information will be able to help anyone else that is looking to do the same thing in the future.

          16. hi, i rooted my fone and then followed instructions from that link u pasted earlier.
            i disabled KNOX, downloaded disable service , went to google services framework, unchecked system update service and restarted my fone but the notification REMAINS !!!

            wen i pull the notification bar down, it says SOFTWARE UPDATE
            UPDATE POSTPONED

            and it doesnt go away !!!

            can u please help !

            thanks !

          17. OMG , ICANT EVEN TELL U WHERE ALL AND WHAT ALL IVE TRIED AND DONE since my last post , after i tried ur method (disable service)which didn’t work, i searched on google, became a member of XDA, found an appropriate forum , tried the footakill.apk file method
            ( download file, download root browser, move file to system app, install , run ) , still didn’t work,

            then i searched again and tried link2sd method ( freeze software update ) as i did it , for a min i didn’t realise the OTA notification had gone as i was convinced it will never go but soon i realised and i was so surprised and relived.

            any thanks for all ur help and support, this was a journey from lollipop to kitkat to rooting to searching and finally deleting OTA notification

            I’ve already downloaded juice defender as its supposed to be a good battery saver app and now installing your better battery stats !!

            Cu

  17. Hi, could you please advise if the process will be different for Galaxy Note 3 and how that would differ from Note 4. Thank you in advance

    Reply

    1. The process should be exactly the same for the Galaxy Note 3. The only difference would be that you download the Galaxy Note 3 firmware from SamMobile instead of the Note 4 firmware.

      The version of Odin, settings in Odin and the rest of this tutorial will be exactly the same

      Reply

  18. Hi there is this for Bell Note 4 ? I cannot seem to find the right firmware file for my Note 4 will any of the firmware work? Please let me know which country I can use for English only ?

    Reply

  19. hi i haved just downgraded my Note4 after odin notice me it passed well i’ve unplugged the usb and i wait for reboot but it’s still with blue led sparkling and samsung logo . it’s so long how many time i must wait

    Reply

    1. How long have you been waiting? Have you booted into Recovery and cleared the cache? There’s a guide on Android Explained that shows you exactly how to clear the cache. I believe it has worked for other readers here as they have indicated in the comments multiple times

      Reply

  20. Can you explain the process after opening odin on the pc now……in the middle of the process….asap

    Reply

  21. This update is the idea of stupidness .. it pisses me off i cant stand it .. ill downgrade it tomorrow and leave a comment here.

    Reply

  22. Please help me to downgrade my xperia z3 5.0.1 lollipop to the elegant kitkat 4.4.4 UI. I just hate lollipop. I’m really ready to sell my new xpeeia z3 in case i cant downgrade it to kitkat

    Reply

  23. Hi I had a post on here and why was it deleted? ! I asking for a firmware version for my Note 4 and I HATE the lollipop version of too much whiteness as Im legally blind here ! DO NOT DELETE MY POST! which version from Sam mobile would be compatible with the north American version for LTE networks please? Thank you

    Reply

    1. I only delete comments when they are insulting to somebody. If the comment had a URL in it, then it might have been caught in the spam filter and was never approved in the first place.

      In a previous comment I see that you said you have the Galaxy Note 4 with the SM-N910W8 model number but I need to know what carrier you are on too

      Reply

    1. I’m sorry you are sad. I can’t help you find out why you were unable to downgrade until you give me more information. Did you download the KitKat firmware(and not the Lollipop firmware)? Did you come across any errors during the process?

      I’m thinking you missed something along the way since this guide has helped multiple people so far. Give me some more information and I will try and help if I can

      Reply

  25. the kitkat firmware 4.4.4 is refusing to download, is there any other link to download it ?

    Reply

    1. You can probably find mirrors around the internet but when downloading firmware you want to make sure it’s from a reputable source/developer. Else you leave yourself open for malware.

      Could you link me the firmware you’re having trouble with?

      Reply

          1. during the download, i’ll get my friend to try it for me today hoping it works.

  26. Hi can you please tell me if this works on a mac? Do all the files that require me to download works on mac?

    Reply

  27. SUCCESS !!!!!! everything works perfectly, THANK YOU SO MUCH, i would’ve been hating my life if this article wasn’t there, again ! thank you.

    Reply

    1. This is great news! Were you able to download the firmware properly yourself or was your friend able to help you out with this?

      And you’re very welcome. I’m so glad that it all worked out for you in the end

      Reply

  28. Hi,

    It is a very nice tutorial. I am using N910C Note 4 and I am in UAE. I had updated my device to Lollipop to the Poland version when it was released. However now Lollipop is released here for UAE and is available for download on SamMobile. When I am trying to install this UAE 5.0.1 firmware, Odin always fails after hidden.img. And my phone doesn’t respond. On restarting, it says the ‘firmware update has encountered an error’ message. I made my phone work again by simply flashing CF-Autoroot for now. Is there any way I can install the UAE version? Do you know what is this problem?

    Many thanks,

    Marvel.

    Reply

    1. I had one other reader come across this issue. I found a few threads that might help but they never replied with confirmation about it working or not.

      Try these links to see if they can offer a solution for you

      – http://www.s4miniarchive.com/2014/07/solution-what-to-do-when-odin-fails-at-hidden.img.ext4.html

      – http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2662373

      – http://www.sammobile.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25093

      – http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2493578

      And if they do or do not work, try to remember to come back and let me know which one it was that helped. this way I can help anyone else who has this issue in the future.

      Reply

  29. Hi, just wondering if this downgrade would work for Note Edge? I have a Korean Note Edge on hand, and once I’ve upgraded to Android 5.0.1 (which I assume is lollipop?), my mobile doesn’t have reception for 4G while it is offered for our local (Hong Kong) mobile provider, and works on my S5 mobile… so I am looking to downgrade to fix the problem since it was working before I did the upgrade.

    Reply

    1. Yes, this guide will work for the Galaxy Note Edge. You will just need to make sure you use the firmware from SamMobile that is made specifically for your device

      Have you tried doing a factory reset on your Lollipop Note Edge since it was updated? That would be the first thing I try before opting for a downgrade since both routes will cause you to lose the data on your device.

      Either way, be sure to install the Samsung Kies PC program and backup all of your important data before you proceed with either of them

      Reply

  30. I cant download the kitkat firmware from sammobile.. its took me days and hundred times to download it . Always stuck at 0.2/1.6gb .. my firmware is malaysia model SM910C . Cant find anywhere else the firmware download link … 🙁

    Reply

  32. Thank you for the feedback 🙂

    I’m sorry that you had battery life troubles with Lollipop. Did you try clearing the cache partition or a factory reset before deciding to downgrade or do you not like Lollipop for other reasons too?

    Either way, I’m glad you were able to downgrade and hopefully will be able to disable the OTA notification. I’m happy that I was able to help out a fellow member of the Android community

    Reply

  33. Hi – do I need to have my phone rooted to achieve this? I don’t want Android 5 anymore, there’s no fix for the battery drain and it’s too much hassle to try and deal with battery draining.

    Thanks

    Reply

    1. Jamie, you do not need to be rooted in order to downgrade. I’m sorry that you’re not enjoying Lollipop very much. Have you tried to do a factory reset?

      Since the downgrade will wipe all of your data anyways, I think it would be worth a shot. Either way you go, no, you don’t need to be rooted and downgrading will not void your warranty

      Reply

      1. I’ve done three factory resets now and nothing has worked. I even tried charging it without the fast charge option and let it fully charge and more. Took a few hours but I thought it might have worked. Nope, still decharging super fast. And awesome – I was a bit worried it might have voided my warranty. Do you think I should try installing Android 5.0.1 at a later date, maybe? OR just wait for 5.0.2?

        Reply

        1. Honestly, I would download a 5.0.1 firmware and manually flash it. You can use the tutorial listed here and just substitute the 5.0.1 firmware for the 4.4.4 that is talked about here.

          It’s possible that the update somehow got corrupt during the download process(on your phone) so a manual flash could help this out.

          However, if that doesn’t help to fix anything then be prepared to manually flash/downgrade to 4.4.4 KitKat so you can go back to a firmware you know works. Then it would be advised to wait until 5.0.2(or 5.1) is released before you think about upgrading again

          Reply

  34. My note 4 is N910SK, Did follow the step metion above. download the firmware to the phone. now it keep restarting and cannot get in the operation mode.
    What should i do?
    Thanks alot

    Reply

  35. hey! i done all the steps but my note 4 dont start… just go on sprint home screen and the just reboot!!!!

    Reply

      1. I had no problem with downgrade at all. But after that I found Germany firmware N910FXXU1BOC3 and works great. Actually its allmost the same like 4.4.4 but the battery life is a bit better. Will see…

        Reply

  37. hey, I do all like you say but phone not turn on its restart all time right now, what can I do right now??

    Reply

  38. Thanks a million! I know I don’t want to upgrade to 5.01 all along but accidentally updated it this morning.

    I’m now back to 4.4.4 thanks to your instruction.

    THANKS SO SO MUCH. I just have to spend some time restoring everything and reconfigure my phone back to what I wanted it to be.

    Reply

    1. You’re so very welcome, Harry 🙂

      I’m glad to see that the tutorial worked great for you and that you aren’t forced to upgrade when you don’t want to. If you don’t mind me asking, was there something wrong with Lollipop that you didn’t like?

      Reply

  39. Its work ! Thank you very much ! Before this, Im so curious to know the new features on lollipop. After updating , I realised that I love the old version, Kit Kat on my Galaxy Note 4 and I hate Lollipop

    Reply

    1. It does work on the AT&T Galaxy Note 4. You just need to use the AT&T firmware. I believe I previously found a firmware from XDA and have included it in the comments section here. You can follow that link, download the firmware and you can downgrade just like it is described in the tutorial

      Reply

  41. Hi guys just wanted to know if I downgrade from lollipop to kitkat will it trip knox on my note 4?

    Reply

    1. Hey Freddy. As long as you’re flashing/downgrading an official firmware from SamMobile or another trusted source(and follow this tutorial), then you will not trip Knox at all

      Reply

  42. Congratulations this is the best article since the 5.0.1 release from verizon to the Samsung note 4. i tried everything in every article on the web on how to improve battery life to no avail it just kept getting worst and worst. There is something very very wrong with lollipop at this stage and thanks to you im back on 4.4.4 i also stopped OTA by disabling SDM file so im a very happy man now. Just wanted to say congrats and thanks for your article.

    Reply

    1. I’m sorry that you have had such a bad experience with Lollipop but I’m very happy to see that my tutorial was able to help you downgrade back to KitKat. You’re very welcome and thank you for the feedback.

      Please don’t give up on Lollipop as a whole though. Samsung has admitted about some issues with the Lollipop on the S5 and that ‘micro updates’ should be coming soon to fix them. So I think by the time Verizon pushes out a 5.1 Lollipop update then you should try it out if you feel up to it.

      If it still isn’t running right then you can always come back here and follow the tutorial again to get back to KitKat if you so choose.

      Reply

  43. You’re the best, your instruction are super easy. Just got my Note 4 and Verizon updated my phone to Lollipop at the store. I was reading about how much people hate the new update and having performance issues. I’m back to KittKat, your instruction are super easy. Just switch for Apple and i love my Note 4. (had to do factory reset to stop the bootloop) Flawless Victory! XD Thanks, its like a computer. I like it.

    Reply

    1. Yay! You have no idea how happy I get when I hear feedback like this.

      My entire goal with this website is to create tutorials for some fairly complex Android tasks but present them in a way that is easy to follow and easy to digest.

      Video also helps and I may transition(or add onto these with videos) to that in the future but for now it will be done via steps like this. Thanks again for the feedback and I’m so glad that this worked out for you.

      Were you having performance issues with Lollipop as well?

      Reply

      1. Not really. Verizon upgraded my note 4 the day i got it; so i never knew how it was with Kitkat. Just wanted to see what the fuzz was about and how androids operates. I enjoy the openness of the platform from apple close systems.

        Reply

  44. After making the mistake of updating to Lollipop OTA i desperately
    wanted to revert back. Suffered from battery drain, tried everything i
    could to fix it. No go.
    Cannot thank you guys enough for posting this up, straight forward and extra details for those unsure.

    Got the job done and back on Kitkat.

    Thanks heaps guys. keep up the amazing work.

    Reply

  45. Everything worked fine until I had almost finished the Odin-part. I fails and on my phone it says “Volume Size is too big 122880 < 204800" and I have no clue what I'm supposed to do

    Reply

    1. Now my phone is stuck with a “Firmware upgrade encountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in Kies & try again”. Tried to connect it to Kies but nothing happens.

      Reply

    1. I’m sorry Curtis, I don’t know about stockroms.net so I’m going to have to delete the comment/link. I’m not trying to say that it’s a bad source for firmwares, I just don’t have any knowledge of it so I can’t allow it to be here. I hope you’ll understand.

      Thank you for the feedback and thank you a lot for your help

      Reply

  47. thx for the setup but i want a problem here …… i downgrade to kitkat ,, but when i again use my wifi system it again starts to download lollipop version .. plz guide me i dnt want lollipop updates i just want to stay on kitkat ..

    Reply

        1. OTA stands for Over The Air and it refers to the update you are being sent into your notification tray.

          Thank you for the feedback, I’ll look into what it takes to disable the update and create a tutorial for it

          Reply

  48. Well when i am trying to download the firmwares it is directing me to a Sammobile website and asking me to register my self over there. Which I don’t want to. Is there any other way to skip this registration and get the firmware???

    Reply

    1. I’m sorry 🙁 I feel SamMobile is a good source for firmwares so that is why I chose to link to it. If you want to browse through the XDA forums, you can find firmwares over there. XDA is another good source since the community typically vets the submits the firmware put up there.

      Just be careful about which place you download your firmware from. If it isn’t an official firmware then you could trip Knox and you always have to worry about malicious code(malware, etc). This is why I use SamMobile and yes, you do need a free account there to download

      Reply

    1. No, as long as you follow this tutorial and download the firmware from SamMobile(or a trusted source) then you will not break the warranty of your Galaxy Note 4.

      Reply

        1. Yes, the most important thing is that the firmware is downloaded from a trusted source. I know that SamMobile pulls their firmwares from the Samsung servers(kies, I believe) and there are some trustworthy people on XDA who also post actual Samsung firmwares as well.

          I just always go to SamMobile as listed in the tutorial and you will always get an official firmware that doesn’t void your warranty as long as you download it from SamMobile’s Firmware section

          Reply

  50. You are so my hero right now. I heard the hype about Lollipop and let my Note 4 upgrade to it. After a week of issues, I wanted to go back to Kit Kat and the was told by both Sprint and Samsung it couldn’t be done. My battery life sucked, apps lagged, clock time would be incorrect, it dropped wifi constantly, and my phone was it’s own heater while charging even in sleep mode. I did all I was told to do by Sprint & Samsung with a hard reset and close all apps. Still no resolution.

    I googled and long and behold I found a miracle, this site. Very easy to do and my phone is back to it’s fantastic self. I need help with one other thing though, how do I keep my phone/Sprint from consistently trying to update.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

    Reply

    1. Wow, thank you for the kind words. I’m sorry that you didn’t have a very good experience with Lollipop on the Galaxy Note 4. Samsung has admitted that their TouchWiz version of Lollipop has issues and that it should be resolved in their Android 5.1 update.

      I’m so glad that this downgrade helped you and that your smartphone is running the way you want it to again. You are very welcome 🙂

      Reply

  51. Thanks for the tutorial – I have followed it and it worked fine until I reached the last step. Odin installation fails repeatedly. Any advice how to overcome this problem?

    Reply

      1. Thanks again for checking this. These are the (error) messages I am getting in Odin.

        After clicking on the AP button and selecting the .tar.md5 files I receive these:

        Added!!
        Enter CS for MD5..
        Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
        Please wait..
        N910CXXU1ANK5_N910CCOE1ANK5_N910CXXU1ANK5_HOME.tar.md5 is valid.
        Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
        Leave CS..

        I then click on the Start button and I am receiving the following:

        Odin v.3 engine (ID:7)..
        File analysis..
        SetupConnection..
        Initialzation..
        Get PIT for mapping..
        Firmware update start..
        SingleDownload.
        sboot.bin
        NAND Write Start!!
        FAIL!

        Complete(Write) operation failed.
        All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

        Reply

        1. Ouch, so some people are saying the NAND storage in your Note 4 could be corrupt. Still, there seems to be a few things that you could try

          http://forum.xda-developers.com/chef-central/android/nand-write-start-fail-odin-soluction-t2851096

          http://www.sammobile.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23014

          http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s2/help/odin-stuck-nand-write-start-t2138104

          http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s2/help/help-bricked-nand-write-fail-t1904037

          Some of these threads are for other Samsung phones so don’t just download files and flash things to your Note 4 if people are troubleshooting another phone. But these threads should give you a good idea about things that you could try

          Some talk about flashing a PIT file via Odin. Some suggest using Odin v1.3. Some talk about flashing a custom ROM before trying to downgrade.

          The error seems to be related to the NAND chip inside the Note 4. Some are saying that Samsung needs to replace it as it might be corrupt. Things like this happen on the hardware from time to time and it isn’t caused by downgrading or updating or anything. It’s just faulty hardware from what I can gather.

          After you read through those from start to end and get some ideas, let me know if of the suggestions they talk about help you to overcome this error message

          Reply

          1. Thanks for the advice and the links! Will research and will let you know what have managed to achieve.

  52. Hi

    I am trying to downgrade my samsung note 4 from lollipop to kitkat….I download all the necessary files and also follow all the step..

    but my downgrade didnt success ..it fail with message in Odin:

    modem.bin

    cache.img.ext4

    hidden.img.ext4

    FAIL! (Ext4)

    Complete(Write) operation failed.

    All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

    And on my note screen it says
    Volume is too large
    81920 < 204800

    I dont know what went wrong …now my mobile displayed
    "Firmware upgrade encountered and issue . Please select recovery mode in Kies & try again".
    I also instaled Kies3 for emergency but it says device doesnot support…

    I am completely loss …my mob is not working ..
    Can you please help me ..
    many thanks in advanvce

    Reply

      1. Hi
        Thank you for your reply …
        I also found about it ….but main thing is i cannot find PIT File for Note 4 …IS there any option for it …
        many thanks

        Reply

        1. What I mean is that I can’t find the PIT File for Note 4 SM-910F since when I looked up for the files there was many models for it but the one I was looking for. Thank you for the help.

          Plus does doing I mean using PIT file will void my warrantly. do you think that if i take my phone now to the repair of the samsung note 4 will able to help.

          Reply

          1. On page three of this thread

            http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/help/n910f-flashing-problem-t2911989

            I found someone who had uploaded a pit file for the N910F version of the Galaxy Note 4.

            It seems the source is from here

            http://www.pocketpc.ch/samsung-galaxy-note-4-root-und-rom/220086-galaxy-note-4-n910f-pit-file.html

            But that original thread talks about how to flash it via Odin(check repartition option and a full wipe of the NAND) as said here

            http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=58444130&postcount=22

            I went and created a thread on XDA asking whether or not flashing a PIT file will void the Knox warranty and someone suggested to “make sure reactivation lock is disabled and try flashing again”

          2. Hi
            thank you for your reply
            my mobile is completely stop working so i cannot do anything ….and also cannot disable reactivation lock ….
            is it ok to continue …??
            please help…
            many many thanks

    2. I faced the same problem. I googled “Firmware upgrade encountered and issue” and I saw a video on YouTube uploaded by the username “Koushik twitter”. Watch that. After that’s done you’ll get stuck in a boot loop. Take out the battery, boot into recovery, and repeat the downgrading process, it should work now. It didn’t work for me the first time either.

      Reply

  53. Worked like a charm…thank you very much…one quick question…will this stop the forced update through verizon or will it start to pop back up again?

    Reply

    1. Also food for thought..on odin, its just AP…i was not able to find an AP/PDA button…i had massive wifi issues with lollipop and now everything is flawless…thanks a million buddy

      Reply

        1. Thank you for the very very prompt response…time to root i guess…ur the best…thanks again…great info on this site

          Reply

          3. Unfortunately, no release for verizon note 4..as soon as you get it…please let me know on this page…makin ur site my new homepage…thanks again

          4. After you asked yesterday and I read back to find out that you were using a Verizon Wireless version, I went and did a little research. It seems a root method is getting very close

            – http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4-verizon/development/root-stock-rooted-lollipop-retail-t3103739

            It’s labeled as not working right now, but some things were just discovered this week and the developer is said to be working out the kinks as we speak. I’ll be monitoring this thread for the next couple of weeks to see if there are any developments and then creating a tutorial as soon as one is available

            Thanks again for the kind words and hopefully we’ll be able to root your Note 4 very soon

          6. I’m also seeing this floating around too

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QicDqTKb_sU

            The video shows it working on the Verizon Note 4 but it is being rooted with some closed source software(from China). The other root method seems to be coming from a pre-rooted firmware that you’d have to flash via Odin.

            Some people are thinking the Chinese root method shown in the Video is sketchy but from what I’m reading, it’s from the same people who did PingPong root for the Galaxy S6. So it seems like you have the choice. Root now and take your chances or root later once the XDA developer has done the test

    2. Sadly, you will get Verizon’s OTA update notification just like you normally would. From what I can gather, you need to root the Note 4 in order to disable the OTA update notification

      Reply

  54. Hi,

    I was following the steps as explained by you, but the flash failed with a ext4 error. After reading some articles about it and recovered with the CWM Recovery (which by the way, it’s a breath of fresh air when you panick on these kind of things) it booted in the 4.4.4 version.

    Okay, this is weird,,, It booted in the 4.4.4 version even though it failed the instalation.

    Advices on the situation please. Am I risking to lose my device with the incomplete instalation of the OS?

    Reply

    1. Hrmm, so you’re saying you got the ext4 error, then flash CWM recovery and then flash a 4.4.4 firmware/ROM?

      You’re saying that it booted into 4.4.4 but it also failed? Are you able to set up Android with your Google account, install your apps and all of that running smoothly?

      Reply

      1. I followed the steps and it failed towards the end of the flash process (I panicked a bit, since its my second flash). I used the cwm recovery, it did its job and rebooted the phone to realize I have the 4.4.4 version running on it.

        I did not do a reflash. Only the first one that failed.
        I am currently setting up things on it, it runs alright at the moment, no errors, no unexpected crashes (and the internal storage is unchanged, even though I didnt extract the PIT file).

        My question is if the phone is exposed to any crashes or mishaps due to an incomplete install, since I did not complete succesfully, or the errors was due to some invalid file verification probably due to the fact that it was not rooted (now I have SuperSU running).

        Thanks for your prompt reply.

        Reply

        1. So all you did was flash CWM recovery onto it and 4.4.4 was already on it? You didn’t flash a 4.4.4 firmware on there? That is strange.

          I haven’t heard of that before but anything can happen 🙂

          It could go either way, I think, on the crashes. If there was something with the firmware, I think it would have prevented it from booting or at least given you force closes after you had booted up.

          With CWM and SuperSU, I think Knox will be tripped and the warranty has been voided but I think you already know that. I would say try to use the phone as much as possible for now and test as many features as you can. If you can get through an hour or two of no crashes then I think you’re alright.

          If you do get crashes then the next step I would take is to download a 4.4.4 stock firmware that you can flash via CWM. These should be very common on XDA. If you need help finding one(if you phone ends up crashing), then let me know and I’ll do what I can to hunt one down for you

          Reply

          1. Alright, i might have not explained properly. I did the initial flash of the kitkat because the lollipop was driving the phone crazy, battery draining, lagging in 2d games and stuff. The flash went through about 99% then the error popped out in odin. I removed the battery, went into download mode again, got the cwm through odin, did a factory reset and cache wipe and then it booted in the 4.4.4 that i first tried to downgrade to.

            Now im confused. Is the 4.4.4 version stable since the instalation was incomplete or should i perform another cache and data wipe and then run a new flash? I must mention i used the 4.4.4 from sammobile exactly for this carrier (vodafon uk)

          2. Since you did the factory reset, and since there’s no force closes, I think you’re going to be okay. As I mentioned, try to use as much of the features as possible. Make a phone call, use data, try out all of your apps. See if you can find any instabilities from tasks that you would do every day.

            If I had to guess, I think the factory reset gave you a stable install

          3. I was hoping for the same outcome. It does have a bit strange behaviour, a bit misbehaving sometimes, lagging for half a second longer in a few tasks, and i found the processor to have a longer cooling time after reboot. It usually stays in 75% with 4 active cores for around 3 seconds and it eases down to 20 in about 7 seconds, now, it takes a bit longer to stabilise. I’m thinking its the fresh install and until it’s gonna finish updating his apps it will be back to normal. I’ll keep an update.

            Thank you for your help. You’ve been too kind.

          4. You’re very welcome, Alan.

            Please try to remember and keep me updated with how the Note 4 acts as the firmware has settled in. There is a lot of background tasks that are done after a new install/factory reset so I think you might be right there.

          5. Hi there.

            Update on the status is not very gloomy. I get lag in browsing and very low fps running Implosion and EA Real Racing.

            More concerning is the 24427 score in AnTuTu benchmark.

            I’m considering doing a flash with the 4.4.4 version.

            What do you advise?

            Much obliged.

          6. That’s sad to hear 🙁 I think you might on the right track with wanting to flash 4.4.4 but if you do flash it, be sure to download a fresh copy of the firmware to allow it to be as clean of an install as possible.

          7. Do you recommend a certain carrier version? Or should i just go with the Vodafone one? I don’t trust the software developers into putting too much effort in making in as bug free as possible. I would go for a german carrier or austrian. I know for a fact that vodafone developers in uk are not on their best game.

            Also, do you recommend wiping the cache partition as well?

            I want to get it right this time as it would be too much of a loss for me. I did a great deal of effort to get my hands on this technological jewelry and i would feel heartbroken, literally.

            Thank you for your help

          8. I’m honestly not familiar with a carrier version at all. If anything, I would opt for an international version if it would work on your model. This way there aren’t any carriers who are putting their hands on it.

            What’s the model number of the device you currently own?

            I can’t see how wiping the cache partition would help, but to be honest, it’s something that I do after a clean install anyways. Call it superstition or old habits but it’s just something I do when installing a ROM, installing a kernel, restoring from a backup, etc.

          9. N910FXXU1ANK4

            Wiped the cache and ran a benchmark test again with 40355 score. So the first flash was faulty, as you can see the difference is too big, considering the fact that i just wiped the cache partition.

          10. Update. Flashed with german vodafone carrier aaaaand 49000 score in antutu. Everything is running smoothly. Will keep you posted on any strange behaviours.

            Thank you so much for your help. Much appreciated.

          11. This is great news Alan! I have also had some bad flashes in the past. Did you redownload the firmware or just reflash the same one you had before?

          12. Flashed with german vodafone. Previously flashed with uk vodafone (where i got the phone from)

            You might want to edit something on your tutorial. Odin should run with administrator rights and a dalvik wipe should be perfomed as well with a cache partition wipe. It seems that if you dont grant administrator rights to odin, its very likely to not finish the flash properly.
            To see how important a cache wipe is, prior to the wipe (that being on the previous version of the os) i scored 26k in antutu benchmark, after 2 wipes within 10 minutes of each other, it peaked at 46k. Huge difference.

            Also is very important that you use the whole model number when searching for the firmware, eg: my N910FXXU1ANK4 does not have a firmware for uk vodafone. The first flash (the faulty one) was done using only the first 5 characters when searching for the firmware. I’m thinking that carriers usually go for a wider range of devices while its recommended to use one specifically coded for your phone. Just a thought.

          14. Whenever you feel to.

            I must thank you for your advices. I am quite new to the smartphone phenomena. I am used to computers, but i’m getting the hang of it. I don’t want to ruin something i put so much effort in to acquiring and if i can help others not to go through the misery of faulty flashes and stuff, its my pleasure to do it.

            Thank you so much for your help and i will keep you informed on whats going on, hopefully others will learn from my mistakes.

            All the best.

          15. Yeah, totally agree…

            Make sure you get the firmware numbers exactly right and there should be no probz..

            I have the same Version as you and thought Vodafone was the one to get…

            Turns out what we needed really was the Generic United Kingdom one (With code BTU) and after 3 bootloops after 3 unsuccesful flashings with ALL available voda including the 5.0.1 which was ironic, did this one (N910FXXU1ANK4_N910FBTU1ANK2_BTU) and Boom it’s perfect….

            Just don’t assume the carrier that you are with is the one to go for basically..

            Im glad the German one worked for you but was that intentional? If it wasn’t get the one I mentioned mate, that is the true one for our version…

          17. Required help from experts:
            I am using Note 4 SM-N910F and update on lollipop 5.0.1 manually (root) after few days when I was using torch application it goes restart automatically after boot again I start torch again and after few minutes it’s restart again. I remove the battery and fix again switch on than it goes auto restart problem it’s just display note 4 display and restart continuously on loop until unless battery didn’t remove. I visit to local market and software expert installed new software but problem still same and he advise it’s hardware problem. I show my to hardware repairing person after many attempts he says I can’t and it’s look like software issue. please advise what I do.
            my email is faisal_nafees@outlook.com and my whatsapp is +923212427764.
            Thanks

          18. But guys to me it doesn’t work at all. Ithink gives me error messages mine is SM-910F AND I AM STUFFING WITH a real software. please help as I am so desperate . Thanks

          20. AE , when I finish to do everything Odin3 gives me this error word saying All threads completed . ( succeed 0/ failed 0. It does that again and again . but I am really fed up with this lollipop , I do need your help for this . I don’t know Wether the software kit kat is the right one ? If it’s not the one , please can I have the links where to download it please ? ? Thanks guys

  55. I did this and it worked perfectly but it updated my phone back to lollipop overnight. How do you prevent this from happening?

    Reply

    1. Hi Jackson, some carriers do force those updates through sadly. The only way I know to prevent this is by rooting your Note 4(which would trip Knox and void the warranty) 🙁

      Reply

  56. i was forced to upgrade to LP with this att OTA. there has been a major issue with the gps signal. it never locks a signal. before this update my phone was working perfectly fine, I was KK. I m working on the downgrade right now and just hope it will work for me. I need the gps to work perferctly.

    Reply

    1. again everything went fine and smooth back to kk now.
      just hoping everything will be good from now on.

      Reply

  58. I once tried to downgrade my note 3 sm-n9005 from this to this and my phone didn’t want to boot properly and even if it booted it was too laggy. Will I have some problems if I downgrade it throu odin from lollipop 5.0 to the latest kitkat firmwere ?

    Reply

    2. I’m sorry for the delay in response. It can be hard to keep up with all of the comments sometimes.

      As long as you’re downloading the correct firmware for your device, then you should be okay. If there are two firmwares listed with the same version of Android, I would advise getting the one with the later date on it. This later date would imply that it had additional changes that might have better performance.

      You can downgrade from Lollipop to any of the KitKat versions that you see listed on SamMobile for your Galaxy Note 3. And vice versa too, you can go from KitKat to Lollipop if you choose. As long as you download the firmware from SamMobile then you are assured that it is official and you’re safe to install it

      Reply

      1. Is it 100 % sure that factory reset and cache wiping will fix the bootloop ? And if it fixes can you tell me if system boots properly or there will be some errors like not recognizig sim,big lag,etc.

        Reply

        1. Nothing is ever 100%, sadly. There’s always some risk of something not working properly. There’s just too many different kinds of computers, too many different kinds of cables, etc.

          Things like a factory reset and clearing the cache are reported by users who say it helps resolve issues if those issues do arise. Not everyone experiences those issues though. It’s just best to mention them for the few who do. I try to cover as many bases as possible so that these tutorials help as many people as possible.

          If something goes wrong, I would try to redownload the KitKat firmware you are trying to flash. There can sometimes be corruption or issues from a download so if something goes wrong then redownloading it and trying to flash the new one would be my next step. If there are still issues after that, then yes, I would download the Lollipop firmware and then flash that.

          From what I can gather, you should never check the re-partition option when you are flashing these types of firmware files. I think the re-partition option is for a different type of flash(PIT file maybe). I’m not sure

          Reply

          1. So, I just flash kitkat normally and take the battery out and through recovery menu wipe data and cache if phone gets stuck in a bootloop ? And are there are high chances that I will have no problems ?

          2. Does it really work because I don’t want to mess up my phone ?

          5. But if my bootloader is updated, would downgrading even if it succeded screw my phone some time after downgrading ? For example after 2 weeks.

          6. If your bootloader is updated how? As long as you’re downgrading to an official firmware, like a firmware linked in the tutorial, then it won’t screw your phone up. Warranty won’t be void, and you can continue to downgrade or upgrade in every traditional manner in the future

          7. Done, had to do factory reset 2 times and take the battery out but works dude 🙂 no more annoying crashes

          8. This is great news, Demiann! I’m happy to see that everything finally worked out for you and that you were able to downgrade the Galaxy Note 4 🙂

            Can I ask why you wanted to go back to KitKat instead of staying on Lollipop?

          9. Lollipop is too buggy and I was actually downgrading my note 3. I had battery drain issues,heat issues,crash issues. Thanks 🙂

          10. Ah, that makes sense. Had you tried to do a factory reset of the Note 3 before downgrading? Lots of times things like battery drain and heat/lag issues from an OTA update can be fixed with a factory reset

            And you’re very welcome. I’m glad to see that you were able to downgrade to a version of Android that you like

          11. Now everything iz good on kitkat just battery life is bad so I will flash jelly bean.

          12. Sorry because I am annoying but can I just flash proper jelly bean firmwere for my note 3 even if it wasn’t bought with 4.3. It was bought with 4.4.2. Or I will soft brick my phone.

          13. You’re definitely not annoying. It’s all a learning curve and the more questions you ask the more you learn 🙂

            The thing about that is, you need to flash an official firmware that was made specifically for the Note 3. Since it launched with KitKat, there’s no official Jelly Bean firmware for it.

            If you decided to root the Note 3 and install a custom ROM, then you miiiiiiiiiiiight be able to find a Jelly Bean ROM. Going this route, you would not soft brick the phone,but I’m not sure if there is one available

          14. Of course but there is firmwere 4.3 for my phone. It was launched with 4.3 but when I got it it was already 4.4.2. I will try to flash jelly bean which I found for my phone and carrier. If something goes wrong download mode should work. By doing this flash I would probably soft brick my phone.

          16. I tried to flash jelly bean, it failed 2 seconds after when it sayed APNHLOS something so I just flashed back lollipop and works fine even notifications come.

          18. I think it is a little bit too colorfull which I don’t like but it is very fast and battery life is much better than kitkat. If there was only an os with kitkat ui and lollipop battery life but isn’t a custom rom

          19. This is maybe too risky. I have read this article and I will better stay with lollipop or kitkat.

          21. Sorry if not the right theme but If I want to root note 3(currently I am on kitkat) and if I want to unroot it can I just flash lollipop or I must flash same firmwere which I was using.

          22. No need to be sorry 🙂

            You could just flash Lollipop using the same method mentioned here in this ‘Downgrade the Note 4 to KitKat’ guide. You’ll use the same version of Odin, follow the same steps, etc.

            Just make sure you that you download the Lollipop firmware for your specific model of the Galaxy Note 3(downloaded from the SamMobile firmware page that is linked in this tutorial).

          23. Now I upgraded to lollipop accidently on my galaxy tab 4 10.1 lte . Can I downgrade it to kitkat without voiding warranty ? I ask this because my tablet is international model Sm T535 but locked on Tmobile croatia

          24. Downgrading with Odin and an official firmware should not trip the Knox warranty at all. It shouldn’t matter if you flash any version of TouchWiz, as long as it’s an official one(which is downloaded from SamMobile)

  60. I had a problem while flashing. It failed and the phone said the volume size was too big. Phone didn’t start even in recovery. Then I flashed the TWRP recovery and KitKat started 😀 Hope everything is OK…

    Reply

    1. There has been others here who have had the same issue. They flashed a custom recovery like you and that was all they needed. Everything should be okay but please give me some feedback if you end up finding errors like force closes or performance issues later on

      Reply

      1. If it’s supposed to be OK, I’m OK too ^^
        I haven’t experienced any issue so far. Maybe it would be better to say to flash a custom recovery if a boot loop occurs. I did that to be able to flash something else. I wasn’t expecting it to resolve my problem directly 😉

        With that said, thanks for the help 🙂

        Reply

  61. Hey everyone, I am new to android and the Note 4 edge is the first android phone that I have owned. Just a few questions that I would like to ask. By doing this, would this void my warranty on the phone because I read somewhere on a different website that it would?

    Also, when I go to download the firmware for the note 4 edge, there is not a UK version available on the link provided in the article? How have the people from the UK downgraded their software? I really want to go back to kitkat as that was the main reason I had moved from iPhones to android, and I am not a big fan of Lollipop tbh.

    Any help is much appreciated guys 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Gaz93, as long as you are flashing the official firmware files which are downloaded directly from SamMobile(or another reliable source), then you will not void the warranty of your Galaxy Note Edge.

      What is the model number of your Galaxy Note Edge and which carrier are you on?

      Reply

  63. This update does not work on a mac and on the browser. Note 4 has given so much issues since ive updated it to lollipop. I’ve tried so many ways to downgrade it and its just not possible on the phone itself and on a macbook. Im a macbook user and samsung will just never allow me to do this on a macbook. Is there any other way except using the browser (as I’m updated to the latest version and it does not support my current mac update) and without using a windows computer? I just dont want to have to spend money on parallel just for a downgrade. Samsung also has the worst backup and restore system. Do you know any other programs that can backup the whole phone and its data including apps and apps data? like how an actual itunes works for an iphone sorta thing? Anything that is not kies cos it just never works. Please let me know how i can get this done

    Thanks

    Reply

    1. Hey Stanley, I’m sorry about the troubles you are having with Mac vs Windows. I’m just not familiar with Mac enough to know if there are ways to do it or if they are safe 🙁

      I wish I could help more but I simply don’t have any experience with it. If you figure out a way to do it without using parallels then please come back to let me know so I can pass along the information to other readers.

      Samsung Kies is just about the best you can get when it comes as an automated system. If you are looking to back up application data though, you can look at Helium(in the Google Play Store). If you have root access then you can use Titanium backup

      Reply

  64. Hi! This process was perfectly fine. It was a success -I had my old OS (Kitkat 4.4.4) back in my phone. I decided to downgrade because of several issues I encountered with Lollipop: battery (charging), bootloops, etc. One thing however, after restoring the 4.4.4 Kitkat, my note 4 still auto reboots. I don’t know how to fix this problem. Appreciate any help from you. Thank you! 🙂

    Reply

    1. By the way, I also wiped cache partition and data/factory reset. Let me know if you have suggestions. I use N910C from Globe Philippines. Thanks!

      Reply

  65. Can you please reply to the comment I posted here a day ago? it is important to me

    Reply

      1. The error gives good I have installed hidden the note 4 n910f please as I can get right this

        Reply

          1. well ok when I get home I’m working on the command when you arrive and thank you very much for seeing me

  68. Thanks for this tutorial, i just have 2 questions:

    1) Does this trip knox and make my waranty unusable? (don’t know the right word for it, im dutch)

    and question 2) does it also work if you have usb 3.0 on your computer? I have a bad experience with usb 3.0..

    Reply

    1. As long as you are flashing an official firmware(downloaded from SamMobile or another trusted source) and you’re flashing it with Odin, then this tutorial will not trip knox and your warranty will not be void. Warranty is still valid if you downgrade using the method mentioned here.

      I can’t say 100% about the USB 3.0 thing. I only have USB 2.0 ports so those are the ones that I have experience with. Technically it should work. There hasn’t been any user feedback here that says otherwise. Please let me know if you end up having issues with it

      Reply

  69. If we downgrade back to KitKat, won’t it just automatically update us back to lollipop?

    Reply

  70. Btw anyway looking to disable that stupid 5.0.1 Update Notification, just ‘Freeze’ (Using Titanium Backup) the ‘Software Update’ 3.19.14… etc & the other one 3.140… etc

    Now Gone 😀

    Reply

  71. Thanks for the tutorial, it worked perfectly.

    I’m writing this for anyone who might have the annoying issue with OTA automatically downloading Lollipop and having permanent update reminder in the notifications area.

    When I first boot up the phone after installing Kit Kat, the automatic OTA bloatware just started to download the Lollipop update, as soon as I had a data / wireless connection. I did not find any way to get rid of this (un-checking the “Auto update” option in Settings > About Device > Software Updates seems to have no effect). I tried multiple combinations (and hard-resets) of disabling the data connections and unchecking Auto Update.

    Using the solution with Titanium to freeze the Software Updater app did not work either, since I don’t have root on this device (and I just didn’t want to have to root it).

    But i finally found a solution, here it goes:

    1. Download and install the Debloater app (http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software/debloater-remove-carrier-bloat-t2998294)
    2. Using Debloater, find and disable the following APK: SyncmlDM.apk ( package: com.wssyncmldm).

    Additionally, when I found this solution I just hard-reset the phone again from the service menu (to get rid of the downloaded Lollipop package ~1gb) – wipe data & cache.
    When the phone booted, I did not activate data or wireless connection until I disabled the above service.

    Now I have Kit Kat and NO annoying permanent update reminder in the notification area.

    Hope this helps.

    Reply

    1. My biggest worry…SOLVED! Now I can start with the process of downgrading. Quick (and probably dumb) question though…could I use the Debloater *before* downgrading?

      Reply

      1. You should be able tu use it on lollipop to disable certain services.

        HOWEVER, as far as i know, everything is reset when hard resetting or downgrading, and this include the state of the packages.

        Basically, any changes that you do with the debloater in lollipop will be lost when downgrading, and you’ll have to redo them.

        But as i mentioned, in order to be sure that the ota is not activated before you block it, just don’t turn on data connection or wireless until after you use Denloater.

        Reply

    2. My Verizon Note 4 connected to Debloater but it do not have SyncmlDM.apk on my list.. Any help? I’d love to turn this notification off.

      Reply

      1. you can try to search and disable the following

        com.policydm

        com.samsung.sdm

        Let me know if this works.

        Reply

  72. Great article and help! Worked for me! The tip regarding disabling the OTA update also led me to find all kinds of other bloat to remove! Thanks again!

    Reply

  73. Maybe some help to whoever has the same problem:

    I did everything, but on the last step : ” Click the Install Button” I did not find an Install button, just a “Start”-button. I pressed it, but it said “Succeed 0/failed 0”

    But i already had the phone connected to my pc when i loaded the md5 file. And the ID:com box was not blue, so i disconnected the phone, restarted odin and loaded the file.

    And when it loaded i reconnected the phone to the pc and it said it was installing the USB drivers and then the box was coloured blue and then in the message box was: Added!!, then i pressed “start” and it worked! thanks!

    Reply

  75. Hey, thanks a lot. It failed the first time. It was showing “firmware upgrade encountered an issue”. I googled it, and found a solution though. But it worked in the second try! Also I saw your other articles, and I think they are very detailed and nice. And its appreciable how you try to reply to comments. Keep up the good work!

    P.s – Any one wondering if it works for the Indian version, yes it does.

    Reply

  76. my n915p didn’t flash the 4.4.4 and fail the writing i tried for couple times but no succes

    Reply

  77. By following these steps can I downgrade my at&t gs4 i337 from 5.0.1 to 4.4.2 using odin I’ve already downloaded the necessary files nb1 4.4.2 which I used to manually upgrade to 5.0.1 but I cant used xposed modules so can I use this same file and flash in odin to downgrade?

    Reply

    1. I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re asking 🙁

      You said you already downgraded to 4.4.2. . .but can’t use xposed modules

      I’m not sure what ‘same file’ you’re asking that is okay to flash in odin

      Reply

  78. Everything works 100 %. COOL!, finally again Kitkat . If at the end Odin occur several restarts , you must now apply Wipe Data and Cache and ready !!!!. Thanks for the post .

    Reply

  79. I am at the download mode in Odin 3. I followed until the AP button section. In the messages of Odin3 its statedLeave CS.. What is that?

    Reply

  80. i ran into an issue when trying to send the tar.md5 file thru odin. it says md5 binary is invalid. i downloaded the correct file. anyone know what might be the issue?

    Reply

    1. Hi Felipe, there might have been some issue with the download itself. Like maybe the file became corrupt or something while you were downloading it. I would delete that firmware file and then try again.

      Please let me know what happens after you redownload the file

      Reply

  82. I’m just stopping by to say thanks and that my downgrade worked flawlessly the first try. My SM-N910C came new with the United Arab Emirates 5.0.1 ROM that only showed the 4G logo. I installed the Trinidad and Tobago 4.4.4 ROM and I now see the LTE logo. This model isn’t supposed to be LTE capable here in the United States but mine is. I’m running this phone on the Cricket (AT&T) GSM network. $35 flat per month with unlimited everything and best of all no slave contract. Thanks again for the downgrade guide!

    Reply

      1. No problem. It’s now easy to switch to and from any of the official Samsung releases no matter which country they’re for. I was reading somewhere that it’s impossible to downgrade but found out it’s actually a piece of cake to do. 🙂

        Reply

  84. Thanks for the tutorial. Im having a problem with the battery life after upgrading Lollipop. Downgrade to KitKat will it gets better.

    Reply

  85. I was stuck in a boot loop after the downgrade and had to do the factory reset to fix it. Once I did that though, everything is back to Kitkat 🙂 Thanks so much for this!

    Reply

  88. Can anyone please tell me how to stop my Verizon Note 4 from updating to this crap Lollipop? APK: SyncmlDM.apk ( package: com.wssyncmldm). is not found or anything close! PLEASE HELP!

    Reply

  89. Thanks for the tutorial, my phone did got stuck in a bootloop but THANKFULLY a clean factory reset solved the problem an now im back to kitkat !! And thank you so much for giving a solution for the bootloop at the end of the tutorial !!

    Reply

  90. didn’t thought it would be so easy 😀 could it be any more easier? 😉 thanks a lot man

    Reply

    1. You’re welcome Amyn. I try to write my tutorials as clear and simple as possible so that there is no room for error. I truly appreciate the compliment and I’m glad to see that it worked for you

      Reply

  91. Hi dear, I have a question to ask, can I try the similar steps on my Galaxy Tab A ? Would it work the same way as on Galaxy Note 4, Thanks !!

    Reply

    1. Hi Yong. Yes, the downgrade process is exactly the same for the Galaxy Tab A as it is for the Galaxy Note 4. The only difference would be that you need to download a firmware for the Galaxy Tab A, instead of the Galaxy Note 4.

      If you head to the SamMobile firmware page then you can type in the model number for the Galaxy Tab A that you own and then you’ll see a list of firmware files that are for your device. Just download the firmware for the region that your device and/or wireless carrier was purchased in and it should install perfectly fine.

      Let me know if you have any questions or run into any issues

      Reply

      1. It’s not working on mine either. I keep getting a succes 0/fail 0 in odin. Please help.

        Reply

  94. I have the Galaxy Note 4 Edge, I don’t find a firmware for it on the list provided. Please Help!

    Reply

  97. Hey there, When I download the Odin installer Norton goes nuts and removes it. When I make an exception for this and then start the install Norton says that an attempt to install a Trojan Horse is being made. This is from http://www.samsungodindownload.com/.
    When I used the source in the link above my default search engine in IE was hijacked.
    What gives? Is there an alternative to Odin? Does someone have a “clean” installer? Am I too cautious?

    Reply

    1. You definitely should not use the one you just linked. . .I am going to remove that so no one else downloads from it and gets infected.

      I just downloaded and scanned the Odin linked in the tutorial above(with Malwarebytes) and it didn’t detect anything. It seems like Norton is catching it as a false positive or something.

      However, if you still don’t trust it then you can try downloading this one

      https://mega.co.nz/#!epshkJAa!y7pFS5-9RVhp4vDxTRAQARAwkjyQAB_9mDZWfXkLqko

      This is the Odin file that is linked to from SamMobile’s site so it is definitely clean. Again, if your Norton says that it is infected as well then it has to be a false positive. Norton isn’t as good as Malwarebytes in my opinion

      Reply

    1. Hi Mel. Yes, these instructions will work for the Galaxy Note Edge. BUT, you need to download the proper firmware for the Galaxy Note Edge. The same SamMobile firmware page should list your Galaxy Note Edge and a KitKat firmware should be available

      Reply

  99. I had to wipe the cache and then factory reset to get it to boot up. After that it worked perfect. The embedded virus in Lollipop is GONE!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Aditya. Yes, this will work on the retail Verizon variant of the Galaxy Note 4. You just need to make sure you download the firmware that matches the model number of your device

      Reply

  101. 6/5/15

    Followed this with my Verizon Note 4… I used note4root website instead of Sammobile for the firmware because the security code wouldn’t load on my computer. I also ran into the bootloop after installing on the phone…cleared cache still had the loop then a factory reset did the trick. 4.4.4 Kitkat is way smoother than lollipop…I experienced a drop from 4g to 3g because of lollipop; crashing apps and less battery. This downgrade has solved ALL of those problems. Huge thumbs up.

    Reply

    1. Hi Evan,

      I’m sorry to hear that you ran into issues with Lollipop. Thankfully Android is versatile enough that we have the option to downgrade like this 🙂

      Thank you for the feedback and I’m glad that the tutorial worked out for you

      Reply

  102. Hi thanks for sharing. After the downgrade, my Note 4 still encounters bootloops from time to time. I did erase cache and put it back in factory setting but to no avail. Bootloop happens usually when the phone is getting hot and when the battery is below 50%. Please help.

    Reply

    1. Hi Angelica,

      It sounds like something may have went wrong with the firmware you downloaded. I would delete the one you have on your computer, download a fresh copy from SamMobile and then try the whole process again

      Let me know how thus works out for you

      Reply

  103. Please why is it that i cant downgrade my SM-N910P N910PVPU2BOE1 ,Have tried so many times with no success.
    i have attached picture of the error am gettin g.

    Reply

    1. That’s a strange stage to error at. When researching a solution to this, I was unable to find someone experiencing this error right on the rpm.mbn part. It typically happens right after on the aboot.mbn

      This leads me to believe that it might be from a bad download or extraction of the firmware. Please delete the firmware you have on file and download another from SamMobile and then tell me if that helps you

      Reply

      1. Based on my own research,i think its because of my firmware version which is OE1.
        I have seen only one person with the same issue on xda developers forum,but no solution yet.
        the user posted his own 5days ego,so i think its a new update or something.
        hopefully we will find a way around this.

        Reply

  105. This worked like a charm. I did experience the same issue (bootloop) that Evan Fafard had but I was able to resolve it with a reset. I do have one question though with the following sequence . . .

    6. Open Up the Developer Options and Enable USB Debugging

    7. Power Down the Galaxy Note 4

    8. Boot the Galaxy Note 4 into Recovery Mode

    9. Perform a Factory Reset on the Galaxy Note 4

    If I do step 9 in this sequence, em I not negating or undoing step 6?

    Reply

    1. Yea, that’s odd. The factory reset should be done before step 5 since any changes you make should be restored to default by the factory reset. Looks like 7, 8 & 9 should be moved up above step 5.

      Reply

    2. You should actually get better performance, since Lollipop 5.0x versions are buggy and slow.

      Reply

    1. Nop, no root needed. I was worried about needing to root. I asked the same question so it’s been answered in the thread as well 🙂

      Reply

    2. You don’t need root and you won’t trip Knox as long as you flash official firmware.

      Reply

  108. hello , can somebody help me

    i bought aSAMSUNG note 4 N910v verizon from ebay, im from dominicn republic

    when insert i GSM sim card it ways no sim car from verizon , doesnt catch network signal and when try to search it manually it says ERROR WHILE SEARCHING FOR NETWORK

    please help, attached a picture

    jenssymichael19@gmail.com

    Reply

    1. Jenssy,

      It sounds like the phone you bought is still SIM locked. When you get a phone from a carrier it will be locked to only use a SIM from that carrier. So a Verizon phone will only work with a Verizon SIM.

      Verizon is also CDMA, and I’m not sure if the Verizon Note 4 also has a GSM radio. I did a quick Google search and found conflicting info.

      Reply

  109. Thanks for this article. Lollipop 5.01 was crap. Ruined my battery life and stability. Back to KitKat with no problems by following this article.

    Reply

    1. Yea, I had some random resets, GPS issues, and worst of all was the battery life. So much for Lollipop. Can’t imagine what M is going to look like or do to our phones. I’m learning to sit back and relax on these updates. KitKat simply works you know! I do miss having the phone shortcut on the lock screen, that was helpful, actually used speed dial a few times.

      Reply

      1. Supposedly the 5.1.1 version is a lot better, but who knows when Samsung will release that for the N4. Until then I’m happy with KitKat.

        Reply

  110. Worked Perfectly. Thank You!!
    Didn’t even have any bootloops or issues.
    Galaxy Note 4 Verizon SM-N910V

    Reply

  111. If a person can upgrade to lollipop thru Odin flash, could we just downgrade using Odin to flash the kitkat version without factory reset?

    Really don’t want to reinstall everything again plus trying to crack my brain to remember some of the password for the apps.

    Reply

    1. Sadly, flashing anything with Odin will wipe all of your personal data off your phone. It will be as if you had pulled the phone out of a box(with no data and requiring that you activate Android).

      You can use software like Samsung Kies to backup some of your important data though. Then you can restore from this backup after you downgrade or factory reset

      Reply

  113. It didnt work for me. I have the verizon version. After 1 second of clicking start it says fail. PLEASE HELP

    Reply

    1. I am having the same problem, ODIN states “FAIL! (AUTH)” and it does not complete. Any insight to what may be causing this?

      Reply

        1. Just tried with all of the above. Getting the “Fused 2 > Binary 1” error on the phone. From what I understand the firmware on the phone is preventing a new firmware install? Could this be a new patch they have done OTA to keep us from downgrading? Please advise, very frustrating.

          Reply

          2. I did this two ways: First, I tried flashing with just the 4.4.4 firmware, and I got a “Complete(Write) operation failed.” and then I tried flashing the same firmware with the right PIT file like they suggested in one of the posts, but it still didn’t work for me. I get the same error, and they both look something like this:

            Added!!
            Odin engine v(ID:3.1005)..
            File analysis..
            SetupConnection..
            Complete(Write) operation failed.
            All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

            I have a retail Verizon Note 4. Thanks in advance for any feedback!

          3. Did you ever get this resolved?
            I’m running into same issue.

  117. so can verizon note 4 be downgraded from 5.0.1 to 4.4.4 i tried and i got the same thing the one guy got below “auth fail” not to mention i had to contact my wireless carrier whom im with now to add my device back to their network bah….. im not scared to downgrade i just want to know that it works before i continue to do it for a second time any suggestions?

    Reply

  118. I believe I followed all the instructions carefully, but when I hit “start” on Odin3 v3.09, I get this message:

    Complete(Write) operation failed.
    All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

    I’m using a Galaxy Note 4 (US Verizon). The version I downloaded from SamMobile is: N910VVR71ANJ5_N910VVZW1ANJ5_N910VVRU1ANJ5_home.TAR.MD5

    Any ideas?
    Thanks in advance for any help!

    Reply

      1. Thanks for the response. I’ll check it out. Based on other reading I’ve done, I think my problem is that my phone took the OTA Lollipop upgrade. I keep seeing that if you have Verizon and took the OTA upgrade, you can’t ever root or downgrade. If you have a view on how to get around that, I’d love to hear it. Either way – thanks for the helpful link!

        Reply

        1. OTA updates should never prevent a user from downgrading. Ever. Samsung and carriers do this downgrading process when repairing phones so I don’t think they would ever limit this functionality

          Reply

  119. Hi, I tried to flash kitkat on my vzw note 4 but I get a FAIL all six times I tried to do this. After spending several hours to download the firmware from sammobile, I am a tad irritated. I followed the directions to a T- but I get a fail each and every time. Why? Please help. I can’t stand Lollipop.

    I bought my note 4 in april 2015, and it came with Lollipop already. Is there a lock on the phone? I did not trip Knox so it’s thankfully ok,

    Reply

    1. Hi Sherry. I’m sorry that you’re running into error messages. I’ll need to know the exact error message (letter for letter) so that I can help research a solution for you

      Reply

  120. Followed all the steps, and I get a big red box in ODIN that says, “FAIL!” ??? Im a noob, I admit it and apologize in advance. Any help is appreciated. I have the Verizon Note 4 and am among a few whose Lollipop update has been horrendous. (Battery issues, Multiple Force closes, etc)

    Reply

  122. Okay. I have done the wipe cache part as well but I am still stuck on the Samsung Screen on the Note 4 (N910G). PLEASE HELP!!!!

    Reply

  123. Hey Android Explained!

    Your tutorial is too informative and easy to follow.

    I tried updating my SM-N9005 (XSI) version to Lollipop over OTA but I don’t know why it was failing every time. Anyhow, I updated by downloading firmware from sammobiles. After installing, my phone started behaving strangely.
    1. process.android.com stopped n-number of times.
    2. When I plug-in earphones jack, ‘recommended apps’ stopped.
    3. When ever there is a network drop, ‘process.android.com’ stopped message keeps on coming.
    4. I use Aviate launcher. When ever I restart my device, shortcut to ‘contacts’ app on the home screen is duplicated.

    If you could help me, I will be highly thankful as I do not want to downgrade to KitKat.

    Reply

  124. Thx for the tutorial. I’m cursed with a Verizon Note 4 that I’m trying to activate on Straight Talk. I’m not able to find any networks (signal bars greyed out). My sim is good/active, I’ve checked with Vzw and my phone isn’t stolen nor is there a balance owed.

    I followed this guide to the letter and successfully completed downgrade and still same problem. No access to dialer service menu either.

    Now after about a million hours in the phone with Samsung, Vzw, Straight Talk plus a visit to Vzw store they all say that my phone is supposedly unlocked and have no idea why not working or even how to fix!

    i really want to love this phone. I guess I’m just not asking the right questions. Any ideas? Thanks again.

    Reply

  125. Hello

    I’m in need of help, i’m trying to follow the above list but it’s not working for me,

    1 Download, Extract, and Install the Samsung USB Drivers(then reboot) – i download and extract to my phone and is says no app able to install.. so i’m stuck there.
    i restart my phone and now its gone.
    are all the above to be installed to phone or desktop.

    i have the samsung galaxy note 4
    SM-N910F
    any other things i try to download tells me i need to join the download site? is that right?
    is there a simple stupid guide?

    Reply

    1. I’m not familiar with the tools for doing this on a Mac. I would try a Google search for ‘android Samsung kies on Mac’ and see if there is an alternative or a ported version or something

      Reply

  127. Hi. I’m trying to downgrade my note 4 to kitkat. I installed the samsung driver and got the correct firmware for my phone. The problem is when I use odin and choose the correct ap, all I get is a message that says All threads completed. (succeed 0/failed 0). Please help!

    Reply

    1. I got past this problem, but now I get a FAIL in the first box! I’m using a sprint note 4.

      Reply

  128. all I need is the recovery.tar.md5 file from the firmware because apparently my comp wont dl the whole 1.96 gb of the file and keeps stopping can anyone send this file to me so I can get back to kitkat on note 4 please

    Reply

  129. mine just keeps failing i keep trying and it doesnt work i dont think i did anything wrong it might just be at&t i think theirs is supposed to be weird i dont know

    Reply

  130. Thank you so much for this tutorial!
    Perfectly explained, works perfectly if people do the self-guided steps carefully, and much support in the comments.
    Cheers!

    Reply

  131. Okay, just to confirm what I’ve read elsewhere, but this process no longer worked with Verizon? I get to the Odin start step and get a SW REV error immediately. Apparently Verizon changed something in a recent update that makes going back to KK impossible?

    Reply

  132. Doing this will root the device? or change the status of know to 0×1? OOr change the device status from official to custom????

    Reply

  133. Doing this will root the device? or change the status of knox to 0×1? Or change the device status from official to custom????

    Reply

  134. 1.Is it ok to downgrade to kitkat 4.4.4 from 5.1.1? Like downgrading 2 versions at once?
    2.Later on after another android version like M comes out will i be able to update to it without no issues?(Do i have to upgrade it somewhat like the way i downgrade it?)

    Reply

  135. Works perfectly. Thanks for the clear instructions… Android 5 is a battery eating monster.

    Reply

  136. hello, i was having serious problems with my phone after the lollipop update so i decided to downgrade since it seemed to work well before. i followed these instructions to the letter, but after i click start to begin downloading kikat to my phone the odin program just displays this message ” All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 0)” then nothing happens. could someone please help me out here because i really don’t want to go back to lollipop. thank you

    Reply

  137. I followed your steps exactly but mine failed in Odin. Could you please help?! Here is the log:

    Added!!

    Enter CS for MD5..

    Binary Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..

    Please wait..

    Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..

    Leave CS..

    Odin engine v(ID:3.1100)..

    File analysis..

    SetupConnection..

    Complete(Write) operation failed.

    All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

    Reply

  138. I went into bootloop doing this, clearing partition did not help. Factory reset did work. Thanks!

    Reply

  139. Hello, I just want to say that I have followed this guide to downgrade Note Edge to 4.4.4 KitKat and it was a piece of cake. Thanks a lot!

    Reply

  140. Every time i try to downgrade it keeps giving me fail (auth) in odin and sw rev check fail on note 4

    Reply

  142. Note 4 has major issues with signal and calling after upgrade, replaced by verizon and Samsung flashed but no success. Finally switched to att and can make calls but signal strength is still not what it was before upgráde.

    Reply

  143. Made an account to say I’ve been trying to find a way to do this exact thing without having to mess with the phone too much, and although technology never really works the way I want it to, this worked incredibly well. Thank you for making my phone significantly nicer, once again.

    Reply

  144. I have SAMSUNG SM-N910A Note 4 from AT&T Android Version 5.0.1 Build LRX22C.N910AUCU2COC6.

    i did the steps over and over exactly the way you instructed. i have a samsung USB that came with the cable and i keep getting the same exact result over and over. i have the proper firmware, and Odin3 v3.09. here are the results from Odin3.

    Enter CS for MD5..
    Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
    Please wait..
    ALL_ATT_N910AUCU1ANIE_N910AATT1ANIE_CL2774708_QB2373670_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT.tar.md5 is valid.
    Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
    Leave CS..
    Added!!
    Odin v.3 engine (ID:6)..
    File analysis..
    SetupConnection..
    Initialzation..
    Set PIT file..
    DO NOT TURN OFF TARGET!!
    Get PIT for mapping..
    Firmware update start..
    SingleDownload.
    aboot.mbn
    NAND Write Start!!
    sbl1.mbn
    rpm.mbn
    FAIL! (Auth)

    Complete(Write) operation failed.
    All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

    Reply

  146. i did that but not working. this is comes in log screen “can’t open the serial(COM) port”
    What should i do ?

    Reply

  147. This worked perfectly. I did however reset my phone back to 5.0.1. I followed your instructions… Good job guys!!!

    Reply

  148. can you use this on the note 5? I am well aware that this these are two different phones and two different roms or firmware on them. Thanks so much for answering my question. I just want to know if I can.

    Reply

  150. somehow got (un)lucky enough to get the latest lollipoop update before I found this. 5.1.1 I believe it is. This method ALMOST works… but fails (says so on odin and phone both) but phone will reboot fine. ATT version Galaxy note 4. I used debloater to take up some of the system slack… but I’d REALLY like to go to the ‘stock’ rom for the device which even according to ATT is 4.4.4…

    Reply

  153. No longer allows a downgrade thanks to Verizon’s OTA update. Guess this is my first and last Android device. Not dealing with this again.

    Reply

  154. See? Everything goes as planned except it fails. The device says
    SW REV CHECK FAIL : [aboot]Fused 2 > Binary 1
    [1]eMMC write fail: ABOOT

    Reply

      1. download restore version of kitkat and first flash cp and bl files then flash ap file kitkat will install and bootloader willl also be unlocked

        Reply

        1. The Kit Kat Restore md5 file contains the following:
          boot.img
          cache.img.ext4
          modem.bin
          NON-HLOS.bin
          recovery.img
          system.img.ext4

          Modern 4 File system typically has:
          CP = modem.bin
          BL = cm.bin, param.bin, sboot.bin
          AP = boot.img, recovery.img, system.img, userdata.img
          CSC = cache.img, and the .pit file

          What are you talking about when you say
          “Download restore version of kitkat and first flash cp and bl files then flash ap file…. kitkat will install”

          So do we separate the “Restore.MD5” ?? If so how do the component files combine into a modern AP, CP, BL, and CSC file?
          Thanks.

          Reply

  155. Why I have no command logo? And why I dont have blue word recovering bluetick? Please help..

    Reply

  157. i have tried everything. but my note 4 refuses to downgrade with odin. everytime i run odin, it keeps saying FAILED. I am from nigeria. can i use the firmware from another country? what is the issue
    .

    Reply

  158. I have a note 4 from verizon running on lollipop 5.0.1, It doesn’t work. I don’t know why. The only thing i haven’t done is factory reset. Help!

    Reply

  160. I bought my SM-N910C just a month ago and it was on lolipop 5.0.1 by default but i tried to downgrade to kitkat and i faced to an eroor that i forget right now but it was like that bootloder was preventing downgrade

    Reply

    2. i have the same error…but my downgrade is from 5.1.1 to 4.4.4 on n910c, and the error is:

      Added!!

      Enter CS for MD5..

      Binary Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..

      Please wait..

      Checking MD5 finished successfully..

      Leave CS..

      When I click the start button then it’s show

      Odin engine v(ID:3.1100)..

      File analysis..

      SetupConnection..

      Inatialzation..

      Get PIT for mapping..

      Firmware update start..

      SingleDownload.

      sboot.bin

      NAND Write Start!!

      Fail!

      Complete(Write) operation failed.

      All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)
      if you have a solution write me plsssssss

      Reply

  161. Admin i recently updated my galaxy note 4 sm-n910c to the latest 5.1.1 N910CXXU1COJ5 but it hanged most of the time so that i want to back into the previous version like 4.4.4 via odin but i can’t do that as well as ever before each and every time odin show it’s failed so how can i downgrade my device please suggest me the right soluation

    Reply

        1. i have the same error…but my downgrade is from 5.1.1 to 4.4.4 on n910c, and the error is:

          Added!!

          Enter CS for MD5..

          Binary Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..

          Please wait..

          Checking MD5 finished successfully..

          Leave CS..

          When I click the start button then it’s show

          Odin engine v(ID:3.1100)..

          File analysis..

          SetupConnection..

          Inatialzation..

          Get PIT for mapping..

          Firmware update start..

          SingleDownload.

          sboot.bin

          NAND Write Start!!

          Fail!

          Complete(Write) operation failed.

          All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

          Reply

      2. When I connect my device first it show that

        Added!!

        Enter CS for MD5..

        Binary Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..

        Please wait..

        Checking MD5 finished successfully..

        Leave CS..

        When I click the start button then it’s show

        Odin engine v(ID:3.1100)..

        File analysis..

        SetupConnection..

        Inatialzation..

        Get PIT for mapping..

        Firmware update start..

        SingleDownload.

        sboot.bin

        NAND Write Start!!

        Fail!

        Complete(Write) operation failed.

        All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

        Reply

    1. I don’t see why not. I don’t have a Verizon model to test though, and some have said they experience an error during the process. I haven’t seen a definitive ‘Verizon phones can’t be downgraded’ though, so as long as you have everything set up properly then it should be good to go

      Reply

  163. I am having trouble with Odin.. I have done everything in the tutorial (loaded up as Admin and as not Admin) but when I press AP, and find the KitKat software, an error pops up in Korean… I looked up a fix where you delete the .md5 from the file name but it says “FAILED!” after I press start. re-partition is unchecked. Please help! Have the verizon version.

    Reply

  164. hi i have to prblms regarding downgrading to kitkat .. after point 8 when it say installing sys update after a while it says no coomand ,,,,, 2ndly in odin it says fails some sort of com port error … help me

    Reply

  165. Mine failed and now it’s stuck on the firmware upgrade encountered a issue screen, cannot get my phone to work anymore, not even through kies. I’m f***ing p***ed off.

    Reply

  166. Hello every one can u tell me i have sm910c i have 5.1.1 when my battrey charge 80 % after along time go 1 percent up . Some one explain me this essue .2 time i buy new battrey but agian this essue . I am so worry of this essue . Plz some body help me.

    Reply

  169. please help me out i have samsung e7 sm700h i have a problem i am downgrading it to kitkat again it went to lollipop … i am having a problem when everythng is done and i have to press start, i press start nothing happens jjust a blink n dats it ….. i am applying everythng with the help of odin then firmware but no affect m worried help me plz

    Reply

  170. Does anyone know if it’s safe to go back to kitkat from lollipop if the Knox counter is tripped, can this cause a problem? My signal was stronger and my battery latest 2 hours longer with kitkat. I really think that the update was designed to make our phones feel dated faster. I’m a power user and besides the camera I would have no reason for a new phone even after the 2 year cycle.

    Reply

  171. This has not worked for me. I have tried everything I can think of. I have the correct drivers.. As odin sees them. However kies does not. Next I do not have access to the phones settings. The phone doesn’t not turn on more than either into download mode or recovery mode. If I flash the stock rom I’ll get a pit partition error showing in Odin and a error pit Binary on the phone. The only thing that has not failed using odin was cf-auto root. However once done the phone doesn’t go into recovery.. It goes into a boot loop. I need help

    Reply

  172. Hello Android Explained,

    I hope your doing well.

    ***********MY PHONE IS NOT ROOTED***********DO I NEED TO ROOT MY PHONE FOR DOWNGRADE OF FIRMWARE FROM SAMMOBILE?*************

    I need your help in deciding should downgrade to Kitkat Official through Sammobile or install this ROM ([ROM][SM-N900][RC][CM12/12.1]

    [UNOFFICIAL] CyanogenMod 12.1 [2015/12/26]) or MIUI ROM for note 3 (n900)? May i know how is the battery life on this CyanogenMod 12.1 ROM and MIUI?

    The reason is on Kitkat I used to get SOT (4.5hrs+) after updating to OTA official lollipop I am getting (2hrs Max). Lollipop has messed up my phone.

    I will be attaching the details of my phone, which is on lollipop currently.

    So may i know what do you suggest go with Cyanogen MOD, MIUI or back to Kitkat?

    I have attached the screenshot of KitKat version (on sammobile) which i am thinking of installing for you reference, please do let me know if that is the correct version for my phone (i purchased from Saudi). And on Sammobile i found 4 different options for Saudi Arabia (WTL / ARC / KSA STC ). Please suggest which one should i select for my phone. Currently I have selected KSA and selected the oldest firmware (2014-04-16) {i am thinking this might have the best battery life – screenshot attached}

    My current criteria is I should get good battery life, so if you have any other suggestion on other ROMs please let me know.

    All the screenshots are available at the link below:
    https://goo.gl/photos/ot5zZcRJ3XGDYkfb7

    Please do let me know if you need any further information.

    Eagerly awaiting for your response and thanks for your time
    Icecube

    Reply

    1. You don’t need to root in order to downgrade to a firmware from SamMobile

      If you want to flash CM12.1(aka CyanogenMod), then yes, you will need root and you’ll need to install a custom recovery (like TWRP) on the phone to install it

      Reply

      1. Hello Android Explained, could u plz confirm if I have downloaded the correct firmware for my device?

        Reply

          2. If your country/carrier is in Saudi Arabia, then that is the firmware for you.

            You see four different 4.4.2 firmwares there as they are different updates. The one you’ve highlighted is the first 4.4.2 update available (so it’ll be the oldest).

            Unless you have issues with the newer 4.4.2 KitKat updates, it’s probably best for you to grab any of the other 3 (with the december 2015 one being the newest). But that’s entirely up to you. The one you’ve highlighted should install and downgrade you just fine

          3. First of all thanks for ur replies so far appreciate them…. Another question buddy I think my phone had jelly bean 4.3… So can I downgrade from lollipop to jellybean directly?…. Cuz i bought my phone in Feb 2014 and kitkat came after that for Saudi Arabia

          4. If the firmware is available on SamMobile, you should be able to downgrade/upgrade to any of them as long as it’s specifically listed for your device.

  175. Hi,

    first off, thnx for the tutorial and the working links. Second, I so happened to be a owner of not one, but two galaxy note 4’s down in the Netherlands and experienced a problem with one off them. Thanks to this tutorial I have solved a problem with the update to Lollipop. Here it is:

    Both my phones have the same make and model (sm-N910F), but with different providers. One is Vodafone (dutch) and the other is with Telfort (dutch). The Vodafone was the one with the problems, half-sided freese-frame, bad connections on talking, etc…. After numereous resets and upgrades using Samsung software and hard resets (which did nothing), I have discovered that there is a generic update for this model, without the bugs. If you compare the buildnumbers from Vodafone to the generic you can see that Vodafone is using version number **dpk2 and the generic is using **dpk5. Version **dpk5 is working just fine on my good phone and **dpk2 is just sheer hell.

    My suggestion: disguard the providers version, it also saves a lot on unwanted software!! I am going to flash the bad phone to the generic version and expect it to work fine again. I’ll keep you informed.

    Another question though. Where can I find a custom fix for my slow galaxy SM_T110?

    Reply

    1. Thank you for the feedback. I’m glad to see this tutorial still works, and that it was able to solve some trouble you were having. There are so many things that can cause a device to be slow though, so I’m not sure what type of custom fix there would be

      Reply

  176. Hi,

    I have got the problem that on my galaxy note 4 (sm-n910f), half off my screen sort of freezes. It is not the screen itself (it works perfectly), but it has something to do with the underlying software to the actual hardware (video). I know this to be an issue specific to the European model, but do you have an answer on where to look inside the innerhalfs of the damn thing?

    I have already tried several things, like down- and upgrading, but then it works fine for about an hour or so, but then when google kicks in with all of its unwanted stuff, it goes straight into half-screen mode. And even after shutting down all of googles modules I could, the problem keeps popping up.

    There seems to a problem in the cache dumping of the video processor. In a search on the web, I found that it is a worldwide problem with the European versions. One moment it works just fine and the next, without warning, there it is again. I know it isn’t a faulty screen or a bad connection inside, since it works just fine sometimes.

    Reply

  178. I follow every step and it keeps giving me the same error message over and over no matter what I try Downloaded different firmware, Uninstalled and reinstalled all software, Disabled Firewall/Antivirus, Factory wiped my phone (Galaxy Note 4 running 6.0.1) twice.

    I’m trying to get back to 4.4.4 because my phone is dying at 30% and crashing like crazy,

    I’m using a HP Laptop running windows 10 and using…

    Odin3 V1.85

    downloaded Firmware N910T T-mobile 4.4.4

    Currently running 6.0.1

    Error message ——

    Rpm.mbn

    complete (write) operation failed.

    All threads completed. (succeed 0 / Failed 1)

    Reply

  179. I see this is an old post, but I tried it, and it failed, and now I can’t get into my phone because of the factory reset part. It keeps asking for my samsung id, and says processing failed when I enter my account..
    Any help?

    Reply
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