Samsung Galaxy S8 is one of the most good-looking smartphones of 2017. Galaxy S8 is the first smartphone introduced with an almost bezel-less screen. The overall appearance of the S8 is iconic. Samsung has worked a lot on its software as well. They have introduced some new features like the iris scanner and Bixby. The developers of Samsung have also worked hard on tweaking the Camera app, and now it gives excellent-quality pictures. The battery life of the S8 is optimal for daily use; it gives you an entire day without any issues. The display screen of the S8 is just amazing; it offers the sharpest and clearest screen among all the other smartphones. In this guide, we will mainly talk about software issues and how to install stock firmware on Galaxy S8.
We are talking about the hardware. The American and Chinese versions of S8 run on Snapdragon 835, whereas the international version runs on Samsung’s own Exynos 8895 Octa-core. There is also 4 GB of RAM to assist with the processing.
Why do you need to Install Stock Firmware on Galaxy S8?
There can be several answers to this question; if you want to unroot your phone and return to stock firmware from some custom ROM, you will have to flash stock firmware on your Samsung Galaxy S8. Some issues are not resolved by clearing the cache or a factory reset. If your phone is not behaving orthodoxly, you have random boots. You can also use this guide to return to stock firmware and recovery.
There are two options to install stock firmware on Galaxy S8 or S8+. You can either use ODIN or a smart switch. It clarifies if the issue you are having on your Galaxy S8 is because of firmware/software/operating system or if it is a hardware issue, so you must take it to some repair shop to fix it. If it is a software issue, flashing stock firmware will completely solve it.
How to Install Stock firmware on Galaxy S8 or S8+ using ODIN:
ODIN is the official tool by Samsung and the most commonly used software for installing firmware on Samsung smartphones, and it works fine. However, if you are not that good with technology, you should move on to the second method, which uses the intelligent switch to install stock firmware on S8. Although you can also try out the following procedure, it is not that complex, and I will explain it in simple words for you guys, so it is understandable for non-tech people as well.
So, moving on to the guide. First, you need to consider some prerequisites, and you will have to download some files on your laptop or PC. ODIN does not work on MACs or computers running the OSX operating system. If you have a MAC, jump to the second procedure.
Note: If you use a Samsung Galaxy S8 on Verizon, you can use this guide to install stock firmware.
Prerequisites and files to be downloaded:
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- Download Samsung Drivers for Windows. (The link to download the file is under the main heading)
- Download Odin for Windows.
- Download the Official Stock firmware for Samsung Galaxy S8 from Sammobile. (Enter your Model number and look for the stock firmware of your S8)
- It would be best if you charged your phone>40%.
- While you use ODIN, make sure KIES or smartswitch is off and not running in the background. (Uninstall it)
- Turn on USB Debugging:
- Go to Settings -> About device -> Tap on Build number 7 times.
- Now Go back to Settings -> Developer Options -> Turn on USB debugging.
First, download and install Samsung USB drivers on your Windows PC. These drivers are already on your Windows PC if you have been using a data cable to connect your phone to a PC or have a smart switch. These drivers are required for your PC to recognize your phone over a data cable connection.
Furthermore, download the official stock firmware for Samsung Galaxy S8. Make sure you select the suitable model of your phone. If you don’t have any idea about your phone CSC and build number, go to About phone in settings and see the details. If your phone is stuck in a boot loop, download the firmware concerning your carrier and country.
Make sure that you don’t install unbranded firmware on a branded phone. If your phone is carrier-free and not impressed, you can install any unbranded firmware of any country. Although it is recommended to get the exact match of your phone’s already existing firmware, in this way, you will not lose any data present in your phone. Branded phones are the ones that show the logo of any carrier company at startup (e.g., Verizon, T-Mobile, Telenor, Docomo).
Once you have downloaded your phone’s stock firmware, proceed forward.
Follow the steps below to install stock firmware on Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8+ using ODIN:
Now, moving on to the guide, follow the steps below as they are. These are pretty simple. You don’t need to worry, even if it is your first time. If you are confused or have questions regarding any step mentioned in this guide, please ask me in the comments.
- First of all, install Samsung USB drivers on your PC or laptop.
- Now, you have to install ODIN on your laptop.
- Now, turn off your Galaxy S8 or S8+.
- Get your Samsung Galaxy S8 in Download Mode:
- Once your phone is completely shut down.
- Press and hold the Bixby and Volume down buttons, then press the Power button.
- When you see a warning, release the button and press the Volume up button to continue.
- Now, on your PC, open ODIN.
- Connect your phone to your PC using the USB cable. ( Make sure you are using the original data cable).
- Once your phone is connected, you will notice on ODIN that the ID: COM will change its colour to blue. ( If the colour didn’t vary, the PC failed to recognize your phone. Make sure you have installed the correct drivers and the drivers were installed successfully. Sometimes, the fault lies in the USB cable).
- After your phone is connected. Click on PDA or some Odin versions; it is AP.
- Now select the .tar or .tar.md5 file from the files in the extracted firmware.
Ensure only Auto Reboot and F.Reset Time are checked in the options tab of Odin. - Now, if everything is ready. Press on Start.
- It will take around 10 minutes to install stock firmware on the Galaxy S8. Suppose the flashing is unsuccessful due to some reason. Then try with some other version of Odin.
- Finally, if the flashing is successful, your phone will reboot and have Samsung’s official stock firmware.
Important Note:Â
If the firmware you downloaded and extracted has more than one file, select the corresponding file in its specific tab in Odin. Then, identify the files from their extension type. typeBL belongs to Bootloader; AP belongs to PDA; select CP in the Phone(Modem) tab, and select CSC file in the CSC tab.
How to Install Stock Firmware on Galaxy S8 using Smartswitch:
Samsung’s new smartphones support Smart Switch. It is excellent software to back up all your data to your PC, or you can install official firmware on your Galaxy smartphones. Only a few of the latest ones, like 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 S8 to your PC.
- The intelligent 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 intelligent switch will find the latest suitable firmware for your Galaxy S8 and install it on your phone. Just follow the on-screen instructions.
- Once installed, your phone will reboot. By using this method, you will 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 S8, you can use this software to restore all your data to your phone.
Note: Install stock firmware on your Samsung Galaxy phone via Device initialization instead of the Emergency Software Recovery option. You will need your Galaxy S8’s model number, which can be SM-GN50N, SM-GN508, or any other. You can find it on the back of your phone or the box of your phone. You will also need your device’s serial number, which can be found in your phone box.
That is all from my side. I hope this guide helped you and you were able to install stock firmware on Galaxy S8. This guide can also be used to unroot your Galaxy phone or fix it if it is stuck at startup in a bootloop. All the software issues can be dealt with in this guide. If you have any queries or questions, feel free to ask me in the comments or reach us using the Contact Us button or on social networks.
