Samsung Galaxy S7 Upgrading from Android 8 Oreo to 10 Q

I would like to upgrade my Samsung Galaxy S7 SM-G930F from /e/OS Oreo to /e/OS Q. I’m wondering what the best way is to do this. I’m fine with wiping my phone and having a fresh install.

Should I just do the same thing that I did to install /e/ to begin with, namely go into TWRP, (Advanced) Wipe, and then adb sideload?

Should I try to update my phone’s firmware first? The baseband version I have is G930FXXS8ETC4.

Hello
You can see here : /e/OS Version Upgrade

With an “older model” like this there would be no necessity to do this if you knew that the manufacture’s ROM from which you originally started has not been upgraded by the manufacturer.

On the other hand if you have been experiencing any type of fundamental errors this might be a good opportunity to be sure of your reliable foundation.

In a quick check the last firmware offered here https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/ in the UK was Build Date Mon, 25 Jul 2022 08:43:02 +0000. It is probably worth reassuring yourself that you were and are up to date by at least confirming this.

Thanks @claudiousse. On the page you linked it says

Some devices may need a revert to stock ROM prior to upgrade

which is what made me wonder about the correct order of operations.

@aibd, is SamMobile affiliated with Samsung, or is it a third party website? I’d seen that site but was nervous about the integrity of the ROMs.

Thanks!

Hello @deepee
For my part, with my S7 SM-G930F, when I switched to the Q stable version I did it without going through the stock ROM again. This information is really not precise and I can’t tell you more. On my phone TWRP was already installed, I downloaded the Q stable V1.0, be careful you have to go through the 1.0 otherwise it falls in error. Because of this I was a little confused because I tried to install the 1.2 directly and I did not understand why it crashed.
I followed the information in this link: [HOWTO] Installer /e/ sur un smartphone Samsung avec Windows facilement and went directly to paragraph 8.
For information, before doing all these manipulations, I deactivate the lock of my screen and my sim card.
I reactivate them when e is installed and working.

Once installed, the next update melts without problem. Currently I am in 1.3-q stable.
Good luck

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Samsung do not publish their firmware openly (they seem to expect all Sumsung users to keep updated OTA). With an older device you need a source which keeps an archive.

On this link are 4 such sources. What is a stock ROM and how do I get one?

They have their ups and down for speed, ease of navigation and premium service. I think one of those is the best you can do.

Thanks @aibd. Is it possible to install the stock ROM using TWRP as with /e/OS, or do you need another tool such as Odin?

Thanks @claudiousse!

That is to say when you did you initial install, you were working on a fully updated device. If Oreo has worked fine for quite a time no Stock ROM should be required.

If you had good reason to believe that you want to refresh the foundation to the full Stock ROM then Odin is good. Heimdall is often found difficult if you have not fully seen what has to happen before you start.

In the Upgrade link provided by @claudiousse there is no mention of returning to Stock ROM.

EDIT I am sorry @deepee, I have to say I have no certainty about this because I would be surprised if Samsung were adding to the vendor parts of the firmware files so long after the device was designed and built. (In a quick check I could not find a reliable source for the date vendor patches stopped.) Updates however will have been released to apply the latest Android security patch.

An interesting cross-check on you current Oreo build would be to look in Settings > About phone > Android version > Vendor security patch level. I guess you still would not know for sure unless you did the Odin firmware flash followed by /e/ Q and see if the Vendor security patch level did update. Or unless you posted your current patch level here and someone with the device reported having an update on that.

G930FxxxxEUE1 is newer than your’s, i don’t know if it is available for your CSC

.

Thanks @aibd and @piero. That makes sense that the later Stock ROM updates would reflect only Android patches and not firmware patches. My “Vendor security patch level” is February 1, 2019. Does anyone have a more recent patch date?

I’m not sure I’m up for upgrading with Odin anyway, since I don’t own a Windows machine. /e/OS with Oreo works well enough to be usable. There are minor bugs, but it’s not clear to me that any of these have to do with the firmware.