Sometimes, even a factory reset fails to fix any error for you. Most of the time, the error is software-related. Sometimes, you can’t even turn on the phone but can access the recovery menu and download mode. It happens when your phone fails to load the firmware. When everything fails, the last and most reliable solution is flash stock firmware on Galaxy S6.
Samsung Galaxy S6 is one of the most adored Galaxy series smartphones. Many Samsung customers were disappointed by the Galaxy S5, but the S6 and S6 Edge made them forget all their disagreements with Samsung, apart from the incredible processing power of Exynos 7420. Galaxy S6 has a very stylish and graceful premium body. However, although its camera is praiseworthy, it lags a little because of its small battery.
How to Flash Stock Firmware on Galaxy S6
Flashing stock firmware is also called installing stock ROM. It can fix almost any issue that is related to software. It is the ultimate solution if nothing works to resolve any problem you face on your Galaxy S6. Although, people are reluctant to flash stock firmware on Galaxy S6. It is pretty easy, and the whole process takes a few minutes. The only downside of installing stock firmware is that it deletes all the data present inside the internal storage of your phone. Sadly, the Galaxy S6 does not have an SD card. You will have to move your data to a PC or cloud.
If you flash precisely the same firmware already running on your Galaxy S6, then even the data present in the internal storage of your S6 won’t be deleted. Installing factory image or stock firmware on your Galaxy S6 can also unroot your phone.
Checkout: A few tips to increase the performance of Galaxy S6
Now let’s move on to the guide on flash stock ROM on Galaxy S6.
Prerequisites:
- First of all, Download ODIN v3.10.7 from here.
- Then, download Stock Firmware for your Galaxy S6 according to its model number from SamMobile.
- Download Samsung Drivers for Windows. (The link to download the file is under the main heading). Although these drivers are to be installed on your PC, they are essential for your PC to recognize your device correctly.
- You will need a computer for this solution.
- Make a backup of your data using this guide (optional).
- Enable USB debugging on your phone; Settings-> Select About Phone -> Locate Build number and tap it seven times. Then, head to the settings page and locate Developers Options -> Enable USB debugging.
- Your phone should have at least 40% battery.
- Lastly, make sure KIES is off and not running in the background. (Uninstall it)
Finding the correct firmware is significant before flashing. You can install unbranded firmware from any country if your phone is not carrier-locked.
To check if your phone is branded or not, reboot your phone and see if some brand name or logo, like T-Mobile, etc., appears at startup. If it’s not impressive, you can flash any unbranded country’s firmware on your phone.
Step-to-step guide on how to flash stock firmware on Galaxy S6:
- First of all, Download ODIN on your PC.
- Now install Samsung USB drivers for Windows on your PC.
- Now turn off your Galaxy S6 and Get it into Download mode. Press the Volume Down, Power button, and Home Buttons simultaneously. Keep on holding till you see a warning.
- Once you see the warning, press the Volume up button to continue.
- Now connect your phone to your PC using a USB data cable
- Now open ODIN on your Windows PC. If the ID: COM section is turned blue, your phone is added.
- Click on AP or, in some ODIN versions, PDA.
- Select the stock ROM you downloaded.
- Lastly, ensure only Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time are checked in the options, like in the screenshot below.
- Click on Start and wait for a few minutes. While the firmware is flashing, don’t disconnect your phone from your PC.
That’s all on how to flash stock firmware on Galaxy S6 using ODIN. Suppose you are not comfortable with ODIN. Then, you can use the second method below, which uses a smartswitch for the same process.
Note: If the firmware you downloaded extracts multiple files, select the corresponding section according to file type. BL belongs to Bootloader, AP belongs to PDA, CP belongs to Phone(Modem), and select the CSC file in the CSC tab.
Method 2 on how to Install stock firmware on Galaxy S6 using SmartSwitch:
The new smartphones of Samsung support the Smart switch, an excellent software to backup all your data to your p,c or you,c and install official firmware on your Galaxy smartphones. Only a few latest ones, like the S6 Edge, Note 8, Galaxy S7, and S8.
The process is pretty easy; follow the steps below:
- First, download Smart Switch from its official website and install it on your PC. It works on Windows PCs as well as MAC.
- You were once Installed. If you use a data cable, please open it and connect your S6 to your PC.
- The Smart switch will recognize your phone.
- You can install stock firmware on your phone using Emergency Software Recovery and Initialisation.
- Now select Software Update and Initialisation.
- The smart switch will find the latest suitable firmware for your Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge and install it on your phone; follow the on-screen instructions.
- Once installed, your phone will reboot. Using this method will cause you to lose all your data on your phone. You can also back up all your data using the intelligent switch on your Windows PC. Once you install the firmware on your S6, you can use this software to restore all your data to your phone.
Note: Once you flash Stock firmware on Galaxy S6. It will remove the root access. It will also be removed if you install a custom ROM or kernel. So, Galaxy S6 will be new as you pull it out of the box.
That’s it. I hope this guide works out for you. Let us know if you have any queries regarding how to flash stock firmware on Galaxy S6. Let me know in the comments. Also, give us feedback if flashing stock firmware fixed your issue or didn’t.
