Download and Install Official LineageOS 16 [nightly] for Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung Galaxy S4, which was released on April 2013 has now officially got the support of the LineageOS 16 [nightly build]. This year we have seen the list of supported devices of the LineageOS to grow and another smartphone from way back 2013, has been added to the official support list. Moreover, we have seen this month, quite a few Samsung smartphones getting official LineageOS 16 support been extended to the Samsung Galaxy A5, and the A7 then the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 as well. Finally, this past week, Samsung Galaxy S4 and S4 Active were also added to the list of supported devices of the LineageOS 16. However, in this post, we will guide you on how to download and install official LineageOS 16 [nightly] for Samsung Galaxy S4.

The LineageOS is one of the best and most popular custom ROMs available to install for a huge range of devices. And, this official nightly port is courtesy of the XDA developers arco, side, and npjohnson. The latest LineageOS 16 is now updated with more features and bug fixes. The official version of the LineageOS 16 [nightly] carries the version 16.0-20190812-nightly-jfltexx-signed. However, you need to have an unlocked bootloader in order to install the LineageOS 16 for the Samsung Galaxy S4. So, without any further ado, let us get straight into how to download and install official LineageOS 16 [nightly] for Samsung Galaxy S4;

[su_note note_color=”#D7E3F4″ text_color=”#728095″ radius=”3″ class=”” id=””]Note that this is an in-depth and detailed guide on the installation of the official LineageOS 16 on the Samsung Galaxy S4. We would recommend you to at least go through each section once to avoid any issues and problems.[/su_note]

What is LineageOS?

LineageOS is one of the most popular Custom ROMs that are downloaded and installed by the users on their smartphones. For those who do not know, it is based on the Android Open Source Project and get a contribution from various contributors in the Android community. You get a brilliant and my favorite stock Android experience with some extra features that enhances the productivity of your smartphones. Moreover, it is a highly recommended Custom ROM for any device by most of the Android community.

[su_note note_color=”#D7E3F4″ text_color=”#728095″ radius=”3″ class=”” id=””]

As explained in Wikipedia;

LineageOS is a free and open-source operating system for set-top boxes, smartphones and tablet computers, based on the Android mobile platform. It is the successor to the custom ROM CyanogenMod, from which it was forked in December 2016 when Cyanogen Inc. announced it was discontinuing development and shut down the infrastructure behind the project. Since Cyanogen Inc. retained the rights to the Cyanogen name, the project rebranded its fork as LineageOS.

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Advantages of Custom ROM

Custom ROMs are built to perform faster than stock ROM.
They are more stylish and eye-catching in terms of interface/UI.
You will get some extra features in custom ROMs.
Moreover, after installing a custom ROM, you will also notice a slight increase in the performance of your device.
The Custom ROM installation also comes very handy when your device is operating or running on an older Android version. Custom ROMs like LineageOS can get you the taste of the latest Android version.

Disadvantages of Custom ROM

For installing custom ROMs you need to have unlocked the bootloader.
You need to have a custom recovery like TWRP, installed and also root access on your device.
If anything goes wrong with the custom ROM installation process, you can cause permanent damage or might brick your device.
Moreover, if you install a non-optimized custom ROM on your device then, your device will become laggier.
The final but most important disadvantage is that your device warranty will be voided and you will not be able to receive official OTA updates on your device.

Download and Install Official LineageOS 16 [nightly] for Samsung Galaxy S4

Pre-requisites

This guide is only for Samsung Galaxy S4 users. We would advise you not to follow this guide if you are not the users of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S4 Active.
This method requires you to have a PC/Laptop.
Make sure to charge your device up to at least 70%.
You need to download the correct USB drivers for your device first.
Download all the files from the download section.
Enable USB debugging on your device.
- To do this, go to Settings>>About Phone>> tap on Build Number 7 times till you see a toast message “You are now a developer“.
- Now again go to Settings>>Developer Options>>enable USB Debugging

Download Links

Samsung Galaxy S4 Official LineageOS 16[button anchor=”Official LineageOS 16″ url=”https://mirrorbits.lineageos.org/full/jfltexx/20190812/lineage-16.0-20190812-nightly-jfltexx-signed.zip” size=”lg” style=”metro” color=”juicy-orange” block=”yes”]
Heimdall Suite[button anchor=”Heimdall Suite” url=”https://glassechidna.com.au/heimdall/#downloads” size=”lg” style=”metro” color=”juicy-orange” block=”yes”]
ADB and Fastboot Tools[button anchor=”ADB and Fastboot Tools” url=”https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-uWQn-oHu_ROuDVCzIyrExoRbsSBYTtU/view” size=”lg” style=”metro” color=”juicy-orange” block=”yes”]
TWRP Recovery[button anchor=”TWRP Recovery” url=”https://dl.twrp.me/jfltexx” size=”lg” style=”metro” color=”juicy-orange” block=”yes”]
GApps [button anchor=”GApps (arm architecture)” url=”https://wiki.lineageos.org/gapps.html” size=”lg” style=”metro” color=”juicy-orange” block=”yes”]

Steps to Install Official LineageOS 16 [nightly] on Samsung Galaxy S4

In this guide we will share with you two methods to install the official LineageOS 16 on the Samsung Galaxy S4 device. First we will look at how to install the LineageOS via the Heimdall Suite for Samsung and then we will look at how to install the LineageOS 16 via the Custom Recovery i.e. TWRP. Let us take a look at both the methods and you can choose whichever options works best for you;

Method 1: Installation Using Heimdall Suite

Preparing for Installation

Samsung devices like other devices come with a mode which is called the Download Mode. You need to access the download mode in order to interact with the Samsung device. Moreover, the Download Mode is similar to what we find on other phones, the Fastboot Mode. In this method, we will make use of the Heimdall Suite, which is a cross-platform and open-source tool that allows us to access the Download mode on Samsung Galaxy devices. Besides, this method does not require you to root the stock firmware.

Firstly, download the Heimdall suite from the above download section based on the OS that you are running on your PC.
Now follow the below instructions to install the Heimdall Suite on your compatible OS (Windows, Mac or Linux)
- Windows: Download and extract the Heimdall suite and note the location of the directory containing heimdall.exe. You can check whether Heimdall is working or not, by opening a command prompt in the same folder where you have extracted the Heimdall suite and typing heimdall version. If you receive an error, make sure you install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable Package (x86) installed on your computer.
- Linux: Download the Linux compatible Heimdall suite. Check whether the Heimdall is installed by running heimdall version in the terminal.
- macOS: Install the dmg package. After installation, Heimdall should be available from the terminal. Type heimdall version to double-check.
Then, turn OFF your device.
Boot into the Download Mode by pressing Volume Down + Home + Power buttons, together.
Accept the disclaimer and connect your Samsung Galaxy S4 to the PC via a USB cable.
Below are the instructions for Windows PC only;
- Install all the drivers in the Heimdall download file.
- Run the zadiag.exe from the Drivers folder of the Heimdall suite.
- Now, choose Options>>List all devices from the menu.
- Select the Samsung USB composite device or Device Name from the drop-down menu.
- Click on Replace Driver.
- Then, you need to select Install this driver anyway. Just complete the installation by selecting the options that allows you to carry on the installation.
- Now, in your PC, open a command prompt and type;
  heimdall print-pit
- If your device reboots, then the Heimdall suite is installed successfully.

Install a Custom Recovery Using Heimdall Suite

Download any custom recovery like TWRP.
Now, turn OFF your smartphone.
You need to boot into the Download Mode. To do this press the Volume Down + Home + Power button together.
Accept the disclaimer and connect your smartphone to the PC using a USB cable.
Open the command prompt on the same folder where the recovery image is located and type the below;
heimdall flash --RECOVERY twrp-x.x.x-x-jfltexx.img --no-reboot
(Note that you need to change the “twrp-x.x.x-x-jfltexx.img” file name to the name of the image file you have downloaded.)
You will see a blue loading bar on your device’s screen confirming the transfer of the file.
Unplug the USB cable from your device.
Now, you need to reboot your device to recovery mode quickly once you have installed the custom recovery to avoid issues, by pressing the Volume UP + Home + Power buttons together.
That’s It.

Method 2: Installation Using TWRP Custom Recovery

Download the LineageOS 16 from the above download section.
You can also optionally download the Google Apps (arm64) for your Samsung Galaxy S4.
Boot into the recovery mode by pressing Volume Up + Home + Power buttons together.
Now, return back to the Main Menu and then type Wipe.
To format the data, tap on the Format Data button, to begin the formatting process.
Now, return to the previous menu and tap on the Advanced Wipe.
You now need to clear the Cache and System partitions. Swipe to Wipe.
Now, sideload the LineageOS.zip package:
- On the device, select “Advanced“, “ADB Sideload“, then Swipe to begin the sideload process.
- On the host machine, sideload the package using:adb sideload filename.zip
Once the installation is finished run the below command:adb reboot
That’s it! You have successfully installed the official LineageOS 16 for the Samsung Galaxy S4 device.

Where to Download Google Camera for Galaxy S4 LineageOS 16?

GCam version 6.x and 7.0 such as: GCam 6.2.030 or Gcam 6.1.021 and some or all GCam 7.0 are compatible with any Android Pie ROM in general.
In case you won’t get your device in the above lists, you can always look into the big list of Google Camera for Android Pie page that contains a huge list of GCam for all available devices.

Conclusion

So, there you have it from my side in this article. Hope you guys liked this post and have successfully installed the official LineageOS 16 [nightly] on your Samsung Galaxy S4. Please do let us know in the comments section on whether you have installed the LineageOS 16 on your device and also do let us know all the new features that it has. Moreover, do let us know any issues faced by you while the installation of LineageOS 16 on your device. Note that this is an official LineageOS 16 for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and all the bugs and issues have been fixed with the latest update. Until the next post…Cheers!