Cyanogenmod community have come a long way with enhancing the Android experience, and it shows here in this nightly build. When it comes to added features, they have packed pretty much everything you need. Some newly added features from Cyanogenmod are live display, LCD density, notification manager, lock screen visualizer, ambient display and gestures. Along with that you’ll also experience a refurnished Google home with new launcher, new phone dialer app, screen recording, core system processes trimmed, full screen immersive mode, seamless change in resolution during media playback, new gallery and redesigned quick office app with it.
Despite this, it should be noted that this unofficial Cyanogenmod 12.1 nightly build is currently in working stage, which means there are still bugs that are yet to be fixed. But no worries as with the upcoming nightly updates, all those bugs and issues will get cleared up. If you’re still interested in installing the latest Cyanogenmod 12.1 running on the newly launched Android 5.1.1 Lollipop version on your Galaxy A5 then proceed to the guide given below.
Neither I nor the developers of this CM 12.1 ROM will be held liable in case if you brick your phone by performing the steps mentioned below. So implement everything at your own risk. Although I assure you that no such thing will happen unless and until you implement every step correctly without a single mistake. This guide is only for Samsung Galaxy A5 smartphone having model number A500F, A500FU, A500G, A500H. Do not flash this ROM on any other device or variant. If tried your phone may turn into semi bricked / non functioning state.
Pre-Requisites:
- Ensure that the battery of your Galaxy A5 is charged at least up to 60% so as to minimize the risk of interruption during the installation process.
- You must backup all your important data including your contacts, apps, SMS/MMS, call logs, memos and APN settings etc. You may use any backup app or simple copy everything on your PC for more safety. This is essential as everything gets wiped in the last step of this process.
- Your Samsung Galaxy A5 must be Rooted. Also a custom recovery like Clockworkmod (CWM) or TWRP must be installed in order to flash any custom ROM. Refer our guide to do the same:
- Ensure that your PC has mobile specific drivers installed in it. This is important so to recognize your Galaxy A5 when connected via USB data cable. You can install them by installing Samsung Kies or manually install them from the link given below:
- A folder called EFS present in your phones system directory contains all your phones specific information such as the IMEI, wireless devices MAC addresses, product code, and much more. If by mistake this folder gets wiped out then your device will be completely useless & will no longer be recognized by your carrier. Refer our article to backup and restore EFS/IMEI data:
Procedure to install Android 5.1.1 Lollipop CM12.1 on Galaxy A5:
Procedure:
Step 1: Depending upon your device model download the zip package files on your PC. Do not extract them.
Step 2: Then using USB data cable connect your Galaxy A5 to PC, enable mass storage mode and transfer the zip files on your phones internal/external storage.
Note: If your PC doesn’t recognize your Galaxy A5, make sure device specific drivers are properly installed or you may change USB cable or port.
Step 3: Safely disconnect your device from PC & switch it off completely until it vibrates. Now you need to boot your Galaxy A5 into TWRP recovery mode. The same can be done by pressing & holding Volume up + Home button (middle button) + Power button together till you land into TWRP recovery.
Firstly you need to take nandroid backup of your current ROM. This nandroid backup is the backup of your entire operating system & is always helpful in case of failure while flashing process. If any thing goes wrong, you can restore your previous saved ROM.
Refer our detailed article for taking Nandroid backup:
Step 4: For taking nandroid backup, click on the Backup option present on the main menu of recovery. On the next screen select the options you want to take backup of and just Swipe to start the backup process.
Step 5: Next you need to wipe the data/cache present on your device. So press back button to return to main menu of TWRP recovery and select the Wipe option. On the next screen select the dalvik cache, system, data, cache and swipe to start the wiping process.
Note: This step will clear all the data & caches from your phones memory. Hence a backup of entire data must be done before implementing this step.
Let’s flash the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop based CM 12.1 ROM now.
Step 6: Press back button to return to main menu and select the Install option. This will show you all the files present on your phones memory.
Step 7: Just navigate to the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop based Cyanogenmod 12.1 custom ROM and select it. On the next screen just swipe to start the actual flashing process. Be patient and wait for the process to complete.
After completion, you’ll see a message saying successful on the screen.
Step 8: Similarly flash the Google Apps (containing Google Play Store, Maps, Gmail, GTalk etc.) and the SuperSU zip files as you’ve flashed this Cyanogenmod 12.1 custom ROM. Do not wipe anything after flashing it.
Step 10: Everything completes here, just restart your Galaxy A5 by selecting the Reboot option present on the TWRP recovery mode itself. This first boot will take more time to start than usual.
Note: If you want to restore back your previous Rom, then you can do that by going back to the TWRP recovery and selecting Restore option. Then select the saved ROM you want to restore.
Also Read: How to update Galaxy A5 to Android 4.4.4 KitKat Official XXU1AOE2 firmware.
Voila! Your Samsung galaxy A5 has been successfully updated to the latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop based Cyanogenmod 12.1 custom ROM. You can confirm the same from Menu->Settings->About Phone. Some breath taking and mouth watering features of Android Lollipop are waiting for you. Go enjoy them. Do tell us your views and experience after using it. If you face any difficulty just comment me and I’ll provide an exact solution. Till then Enjoy!
