One major drawback of the Samsung Gear S is that it runs on Tizen, an operating system sitting at odds with Android. Tizen doesn’t have the optimization benefits of Android to run applications like Whatsapp, Facebook, and Twitter.
So if you’re asking how to install Android 5.1.1 on Samsung Gear S, you need to take advantage of custom ROM installation Via third-party apps.
Download a custom ROM for Samsung Gear S and use flash to overwrite the stock Tizen OS with an Android OS. It is recommended you keep a backup of your data.
Samsung is widely regarded as one of the best tech manufacturers in the world. They make all sorts of gadgets, like smartphones, televisions, and smartwatches.
The Samsung Gear S is one of the smartwatches released by Samsung in mid-2014. This smartwatch was one of a kind for its time. It could pick up calls and receive texts and notifications with ease.
Necessary Steps To Take To Install Android 5.1.1 On Samsung Gear S
You cannot upgrade the Tizen OS to Android officially, unfortunately. You need to have access to a computer and manually overwrite your OS on Samsung Gear S to Android 5.1.1 if you want to switch.
It would be best if you were cautious about the steps you take, though. If you erase your OS, your Samsung Gear S might get bricked. Bricked means the watch is not able to start permanently.
Step 01: Reboot Your Gear S
The first thing you need to do is to perform a quick reboot. To do that, you need to shut your Gear S down first. Then it would be best if you started it. As soon as the reboot logo shows up, it would help if you double-click the home button quickly. This will turn the Gear S into recovery mode.
Recovery mode is necessary to install a third-party OS via your Computer. Once recovery mode is on, you need to click the download button from the menu. This will allow your Gear S to download files manually from your Computer to your Samsung Gear S.
Step 02: Download The Custom ROM From Your Computer
To manually install Android 5.1.1 in your Samsung Gear S, you need to overwrite the stock Tizen OS with an Android OS that you need to download from the internet. Once you have downloaded the OS, you must connect your Computer to your Samsung Gear S in recovery mode.
You can use a USB cable to perform this. Once you have connected the drive, you should be able to download the OS from your Computer directly to your watch.
Step 03: Installing The Custom OS
This is an essential part of the overwriting process. You must follow specific steps to complete the process without bricking your device.
To start, you need an application on your Computer that can manually install custom ROMs. One such application is Odin. Once you have clicked download on your reboot menu, you need to start Odin on your Computer.
Once you start Odin, select the ROM files and press start. Once the process begins, your Samsung Gear S should perform a reboot. When it finishes rebooting, you need to click the home button one more time immediately for 8 seconds.
Then it will start to continue the installation process. After you click the home button for 8 seconds, the recovery window will close and directly let you install from the script.
It would be best to write a command prompt on your installation application. This will then finish the installation process.
Step 04: Finishing The Installation
You must remember to keep a backup of all your data and important contacts before attempting to change your OS to Android. Once you have moved to Android, there is a high chance that your data and information might be lost.
But once you have upgraded to Android, you will notice massive changes. More and more people were eager to shift from Tizen once they saw its drawbacks regarding optimization and flexibility.
If you follow the process above, your Samsung Gear S should start rebooting again. This time the original Tizen logo will disappear, and you will be able to notice the Android logo. The main interface will also change while maintaining a classic look. Shifting to Android will give you more optimization regarding some of the most common apps like Whatsapp, Facebook, and Twitter.
Why Shift To Android 5.1.1 On Samsung Gear S?
It is true that installing a custom ROM and forgoing the stock Tizen OS can be a little too technical and scary for some. But the risk is well worth it to take.
The Tizen OS has some key glaring weaknesses regarding the customer interface. The calls and text messages are pretty well organized. The real issue is when you try to use some of the most popular third-party apps.
Apps like Whatsapp and Facebook tend to notify you of their updates quickly. But the notifications on Tizen OS are barely a list of unorganized texts. This makes little sense when the call and text messages are well-developed.
One more massive downfall is Tizen doesn’t support Google services. Shifting to Android will give you the leeway to use all of the Google software services for most third-party apps supported by Google Play. Applications like Whatsapp, Facebook, and Twitter are also much more well-organized.
Conclusion
Concluding the topic on how to install Android 5.1.1 on Samsung Gear S, the whole process might seem a little dizzying. But if you stick to mostly the basics, you can quickly shift from Tizen to Android. The added benefits you can get from converting to Android are well worth the trouble. You will experience a completely different, much smoother, well-polished UI for your smartwatch.
This smartwatch by Samsung has immense potential as an alternative to your smartphone. Switching to Android will make it much more solid because of the swifter optimization and the whole experience in general. Cheers!
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