Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are among the most loved smartphones of the Galaxy series. Although, there are not many changes in it compared to its predecessor. The most apparent differences are thinner bezels and a better camera. If you use a Samsung Galaxy S9 and have encountered a problem like a boot loop or corrupted firmware, you want to return to stock after some custom ROM. You can use this guide to install stock firmware on Galaxy S9.
The latest Galaxy S9 and S9+ come in four colours. I like Midnight black among all the others. S9+ has a 6.2″ Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display screen, whereas Galaxy S9 has a 5.8″ screen. I love the size of the S9 more. Using a Galaxy S9 with one hand is more convenient than using a S9+. Both phones have exceptional cameras, and they produce terrific pictures.
The American and Chinese versions of Galaxy S9 run Snapdragon 435. At the same time, the international version is running on Samsung’s Exynos processor. Galaxy S9 supports a battery of 3000 mAh power, and Galaxy S9+ has a bigger battery of 3500 mAh. In addition, both phones support an extendable storage slot.
Reasons to Install Stock Firmware on Galaxy S9 or S9+:
You might have to install stock firmware on Galaxy S9 manually for several reasons. The most common sense for flashing stock firmware is to unroot your device to return to the factory settings to receive OTA updates. Or, if you install a custom ROM that is not up to your expectations, you want to return to stock firmware on S9. You can use this guide for that as well.
If your phone is not working orthodoxly, it has random reboots, lags while performing, or any other unexpected issue. You have tried clearing the cache and factory resetting. Nothing seems to work out; the last option is installing stock firmware on Galaxy S9. Your phone will be new as you pick it out of its box. Flashing firmware also works as a seal for software issues. If you have installed stock firmware on Galaxy S9 and still some feature is broken or not working correctly, it is a hardware issue. You need to get it to a repair shop to get it fixed or look into hardware components to find the fix for your problem.
One of the most common issues in the Galaxy series is the phone getting stuck at the Samsung logo, which cannot load the operating system. Installing a stock firmware is a known solution for that problem as well.
Guide to Install Stock firmware on Galaxy S9 or S9+ using ODIN:
Suppose your phone is rooted and is not getting the firmware update via OTA. This guide will also allow you to get future updates on your phone via OTA. You can also use the below methods to unroot your phone. In addition, you can fix all the operating system and software issues by flashing the stock firmware. In this guide, two methods can be used to install Galaxy S9 or S9+ stock firmware.
The first method will use ODIN, an official tool to flash files, recoveries, and firmware on Samsung smartphones. If you are not used to ODIN or are uncomfortable using this tool, you can jump to the second method, which uses Samsung’s Smart switch to install the firmware. However, installing stock firmware on Galaxy S9 using ODIN is not that hard, even if it is your first time. You have to follow the steps mentioned in this guide.
Now, let’s move on to the guide; you need to be done with some prerequisites. First, you will need a computer running on the Windows operating system to execute this guide, as ODIN is not present for Linux or MAC.
Prerequisites:
- Download Samsung Drivers for Windows. (The link to download the file is under the main heading)
- Download Odinfor Windows.
- Download the Official Stock ROM for Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9+ from Sammobile. (Enter your Model number and look for the latest stock firmware Android Oreo)
- It would be best if you charged your phone>40%.
- While using ODIN, ensure KIES is off and not running in the background.
- Turn on USB Debugging on your Galaxy S9:
- Go toSettings -> About device-> Tap onBuild number7 times.
- Now Go back toSettings -> Developer Options -> Turn onUSB debugging.
First of all, download and install Samsung USB drivers on your PC. If you have been using your phone with your PC and accessing its data, you will probably have these drivers on your PC.
Next, download the correct firmware from the link above to flash on your phone. If your phone is carrier-free and not branded, download and flash an unbranded firmware of your country. If your phone is branded and supports a carrier, install the same page and country’s firmware your phone already has. For example, it is OK to download and flash an unbranded firmware on an unbranded Galaxy S9. If you install precisely the same firmware of the same country on your Galaxy S9, you won’t lose the data present even after installing stock firmware.
How to install stock firmware on Galaxy S9 or S9+:
In the guide below, make sure you follow the steps as they are in the guide below to avoid any problems while trying to install stock firmware on Galaxy S9.
Assuming you already have Samsung USB drivers for PC and ODIN installed on your PC.
- First, turn off your Galaxy S9 and connect it to your PC using a data cable.
- Now, put your phone into download mode by pressing and holding the Bixby, Power, and Volume down buttons; when you see a warning on your phone’s screen, release the buttons.
- Press the Volume Up button to proceed to Download Mode.
- Now open ODIN on your PC and connect your phone to your PC using the original data cable.
- You will see your phone has a connection with your PC. The ID: COM on ODIN will change to blue. (If the colour doesn’t vary, the PC has failed to recognize your phone. Ensure you have installed the correct drivers and that the drivers were installed successfully. Sometimes, the fault lies in the USB cable)
- After connecting your phone, 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 RebootandF.Reset Time are checked in Odin’s options tab.
- Now, if everything is ready. Press on Start.
- Installing stock firmware on the Galaxy S9 will take around 10 minutes. If the flashing is unsuccessful, try with a different version of Odin.
- Finally, if the flashing is successful, your phone will reboot and have the official stock firmware of Samsung.
Important Note:
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 to PDA, select CP in the Phone(Modem) tab and select CSC file in the CSC tab. For example, click onBL and select the file that starts with BL in the folder where you extracted the firmware. Finally, click on AP, select the file that begins with AP,and dothe same with the CP.
Method 2 to Install stock firmware on Galaxy S9 using SmartSwitch:
Samsung’s new smartphones support the Smart Switch, which is excellent software to back up all your data to your PC, or you can also use it to install official firmware on your Galaxy S9+ or S9. Unfortunately, only a few latest ones are supported, like Note 8, Galaxy S7, S8, S8+, S9, and S9+.
The process is pretty easy; follow the steps below:
- First, download Smart Switch from the official website and install it on your Windows, Linux, or MAC.
- Once Installed. If you use a data cable, please open it and connect your S9 to your PC.
- The smart switch will recognize your phone.
- Now, you can install stock firmware on your phone using Emergency Software Recovery and Initialisation.
- Now selectSoftware Update and Initialisation.
- The smart switch will find the latest suitable firmware for your Galaxy S9 and install it on your phone; follow the on-screen instructions.
- Once installed, your phone will reboot. Using this method will lose all your data on your phone. You can also back up all your data using the smart switch on your Windows PC. Once you install the firmware on your S9, you can use this software to restore all your data to your phone.
Important Note for Smart Switch:
Emergency Software Recovery might ask for a recovery code if you can not find it. You can install stock firmware on your Samsung Galaxy S9 via Device initialization instead of the Emergency Software Recovery option. It would require your Samsung Galaxy’s model number, which can be SM-G960, SM-G965, or any other. You can find it on your phone’s back or in your phone’s box. You will also need your device’s serial number, which you can find in your phone box.
That’s all on how to install stock firmware on Galaxy S9 or S9+. Suppose you have any confusion or questions regarding the guide above. Feel free to contact me using the comments below. Do drop feedback if this guide worked for you and solved issues in your Galaxy S9.
