Samsung - Galaxy Tab S5e (Wi-Fi) - gts4lvwifi - Documentation Suggestions

Thanks guys, :pray: :pray:

Well done ne20002 :clap:

I plan to install soon (only just received my s5e) but, very useful to have shared in the process of thinking it through and gathering the information to facilitate on a linux only environment :+1:

So pleased odin4 works for linux-only folk like ne20002, myself (and probably many others) this really makes /e/os so much more broadly accessible to those with relatively lay-levels of engineering skills.

It will be wonderful to see your experiences with odin4 translated into Piero’s comprehensive wiki documentation - maybe useful to many others in the future :crossed_fingers:

3) install the flashing tools

On your PC

see Samsung Brand Exception steps ( Odin Windows or Linux )

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windows Odin.3 steps ( written by @Anonyme )

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You don’t need more Tools if using SDcard method on Windows
You only need A.D.B. if you want to use the sideload method

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…to add another vote of confidence: I also today used the new odin4 to successfully flash vbmeta to AP then the dev ‘T’ 1.17 recovery also to AP - then subsequently used adb sideload to finish installing dev ‘T’ 1.17 on my new Tab S5e

Procedurally very similar to ne20002 above :slightly_smiling_face: :pray:

No need to do any ‘date fiddling’ mentioned early on in this topic thread… I assume that must have only been the case on earlier versions of stock roms(?)

Today starting from the latest stock ‘R’ all went well and without hiccup.

(Good to see that Piero has updated his how-to wiki :+1:)

Hi,
I’m considering buying this tablet specifically because it’s one of the few tablets supported by Murena/e/OS/. However, having read some threads here, I’m concerned that the process looks a lot more risky than other times I’ve flashed e/OS/. Are the instructions here https://doc.e.foundation/devices/gta4lwifi/install now up to date? They don’t seem to mention Odin 4 as referenced in this thread. Are there more accurate and comprehensive instructions to be found elsewhere?

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Merci beaucoup Piero!

I have installed /e/os many times for friends and family on their phones.
It’s really a very reliable distribution for mainstream. And it is a very good introduction to speak with non-techies relatives about privacy and FOSS philosophy.
Thanks a lot for this.

So I was confident about installing /e/os3 (android 15) on this tablet. I’ve planned 40 minutes of work (thinking it would probably only take 20 as always).
I’ve read users reports for bug before, and double check informations by also reading lineage install guide to compare.

It has been a real nightmare !
Link to download the Odin version in the e/OS guide is dead by the way.
So I’ve downloaded the version listed on the lineageos guide.
No problem to tar and flash the vbmeta file.
But it was impossible(!) to flash the recovery, as Odin always crashed when I started to push the file to the phone.
Every versions on Odin, same result : crash.
I tried on another PC. Same result.
I tried with other cables, different USB port. Same result.
I tried to compress into .tar by other way. Same result.
I tried with cli odin 4 on Linux (my main system). Error.
I tried with Heimdall. Error.
I tried anything I was capable of thinking of and two hours and a half passed.
At the end I was a bit disapointed.
Just in case, for my last chance, I tried to flash Lineage recovery (standard procedure with Odin 3.13.x).
And…it went so well smooth and easily. No crash this time. Just a reboot into the recovery, flash the ROM and less than 10 minutes after everything was working as it should.

So sorry e/os but you were impossible to install on my Samsung Tab S5Wifi device.
But for those who are looking for an Android tablet, it’s working very well on LineageOS22.2. System is very snappy of course. I mainly use it for cartography with OSMAND and it do the job (6GO RAM version).

Apart that this guide is not reliable because you (or just I?) can’t install the system at the end, I’ve spotted two problems/error :

  • link to download Odin version mentioned is dead ( searching for mirror → OOPS! no mirror found.)
  • There is a Tip in the guide :
    “If this device’s install instructions already had you download Odin/Enable OEM Unlocking earlier in the installation process, you can skip steps 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7 below.”
    But if you skip step 3, you will never convert the recovery into .tar.
    The step you want to skip is the 2nd one but not the third.

(Just hasn’t tried the TWRP method by the way)

Hi , Just flashed my first S5e , This tablet is pure magic :slight_smile:

I use ony heimdall on linux :

  • Update samsung OS to Android 11
  • Enable WIFI , dev opts / oem unlock toggle
  • Poweroff the tablet
  • Push VOL+ and VOL- and plug USB
  • LONG press VOL+ and then push VOL+ to unlock bootloader
  • Let samsung OS reboots ← (Is this necessary ?)
  • Check Oem unlock still OK
  • Boot in download mode either via adb or cold start
  • heimdall flash --VBMETA vbmeta.img --no-reboot
  • Reboot to download mode directly VOL- POWER for 7sec then VOL+ VOL- PWR ( ← necessary ? )
  • heimdall flash --RECOVERY recovery.img --no-reboot
  • Reboot to recovery : VOL- POWER for 7sec then VOL+ PWR
  • Wipe data and adb side e.zip
  • Reboot :slight_smile:

So I’m sure we could even do shorter by removing some reboots ?

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For sure you can flash vbmeta and recovery in one shot

I ll give it a try but last time , it failed to reboot properly to recovery and I had to reflash samsung rom to get out of the situation

What about the OS boot to “ oem check” after the oem unlock ? could we just shutdown at the welcome screen and boot to download mode directly ?

Yes if you use buttons to reach the “download mode” and don’t use “adb reboot bootloader” or “adb reboot download

Yes ! Just did it on gta4l and will confirm on S5e , this will save me 15 min / tablet :slight_smile:

  • Update samsung OS to latest Android
  • Enable WIFI , dev opts / oem unlock toggle
  • Poweroff the tablet

Unlocking BootLoader

  • Push VOL+ and VOL- and plug USB

  • LONG press VOL+ and then push VOL+ to unlock bootloader

  • Let Samsung wipe until welcome screen : shutdown

Flashing VBMETA

  • Push VOL+ and VOL- and plug USB
  • heimdall flash --VBMETA vbmeta.img --no-reboot
  • Reboot to download mode directly VOL- POWER for 7sec then VOL+ VOL- PWR ( it fails if you flash again )

Flashing recovery

  • heimdall flash --RECOVERY recovery.img --no-reboot
  • Reboot to recovery : VOL- POWER for 7sec then VOL+ PWR

Flashing ROM

  • Wipe data and adb side e.zip
  • Reboot :slight_smile: eOS installed

So the last step that could be avoided is that the device refuse communication to flash the recovery after vbmeta :

ERROR: Failed to send handshake!
ERROR: Protocol initialisation failed!

We really need to update LOS and eOS docs …

What about

heimdall flash --VBMETA vbmeta.img --RECOVERY recovery.img --no-reboot

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After running a command ending by --no-reboot, the following command have to include --resume

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Great I forgot that ! I m sure I used it last year when I was selling a lot of samsung , I have to say that other brands are so much easier to flash …. especially when you have a dozen to do every day …

Well First fail on S5e :

  • After oem unlock, Let Samsung wipe until welcome screen and shutdown directly
  • Start download mode and try to flash vbmeta : “only official binaries are allowed to be flashed”

oem unlock was OFF , but Qualcomm secure boot was enabled , not sure it was on previous tries

OK better now :

  • restarted and fully booted the Samsung rom and checked the oem unlock
  • Then flash VBmeta and recovery in one Pass and could boot the eOS recovery fine

So I’m still not sure why on S5e I had to boot Samsung Rom after oem unlock and not on Tab A7 which seems to be the same bootloader

OK the problem was KG status : Prenormal ( other binaries rejected )

that goes to KG status : checking → OK

Still not sure how this triggered ? Wifi connection ?