After a long wait and many beta releases, Samsung has finally released its official Android Oreo update for the Exynos Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+. This is the first stable release of Android 8.0 for any Samsung devices, and it brings a plethora of new features and improvements. On top of all the new features that come with Android Oreo such as picture-in-picture mode, notification channels, background app optimizations, notification snoozing, and more, there are also plenty of Samsung-specific changes with Samsung Experience 9.0.
For instance, there is the new keyboard with stickers and GIFs built in, the App Pair feature from the Samsung Galaxy Note8 (which has yet to receive its own official Oreo release), and many more. The build comes with the latest February security patches so you can be rest assured that your phone is patched against all of the known major security vulnerabilities including BlueBorne, KRACK, and Spectre/Meltdown. Finally, for members of our forums, you should also know that the update includes native support for OMS, the theme engine behind Substratum. Previously, you would have to use the Sungstratum plugin to apply beautiful themes, but with OMS theme support should be much more stable than before.
All of that sound good? Want to install the update on your Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ Exynos models right now? If so, then you’re in luck. Some members in our forums were able to pull the update which allows you to install it via the stock recovery. Below are instructions and links on how to install the official Android Oreo update for your Exynos Galaxy S8/S8+! If you are worried about security and if this build is legitimate, then don’t worry, because the stock recovery is not able to install unofficial OTA updates so that guarantees these builds are the real thing!
This update is probably going to roll out within the next couple of days or even weeks, so following this tutorial will ensure that you can upgrade your device to the latest Android 8.0 Oreo build right now. This tutorial will work on almost all Exynos Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ devices except for Korean and Duos Exynos users.
A word of warning: if your phone is currently running Android Nougat, then this should go smoothly. However, if your phone is running one of the Android Oreo betas, then following this method will require a factory reset/data wipe. We recommend backing up important data regardless.
How to Install Android Oreo on the Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ (Exynos)
1. Check your phone’s model number to see if its G950F (Galaxy S8 Exynos) or G955F (Galaxy S8+ Exynos). These models are the only ones which can flash the Oreo builds that are available now. If you do not have either of these models, do not proceed.
2. If you have a G950F then download these files: AQL5 Odin and AQL5 to CRAP. If you have a G955F model then download these files: AQL5 Odin, AQL5 to ZRA5, and ZRA5 to CRAP. (No, that’s not a typo, the build number of the official Oreo update really is “CRAP!”)
3. Copy the OTA file onto the SD Card on your phone. If you don’t have an SD Card, don’t worry as you can skip this step but you will still need the OTA file on your computer.
4. Extract the Odin firmware linked earlier. It will be in a zip format.
5. Reboot your device into download mode by powering off your device then holding the Bixby button + Volume down + power.
6. Download the Odin tool and plug in your phone to your computer. Odin is an official tool from Samsung that can flash official Samsung firmware onto Samsung Galaxy devices. In Odin on the right side, you will see 5 sections, but only 4 of those will be used.
7. Click the BL button and navigate to your Odin firmware folder where you extracted your files, and then click the file starting with BL. Do the same for AP, CP, and HOME_CSC
8. Click start at the bottom of Odin.
9. Wait for your device to flash and then reboot. As soon as it reboots, power off your phone again. Then, boot into recovery once more by holding down the Bixby button + Volume up + power.
The next steps will differ depending on what model you have. Please proceed to the right set of instructions for your particular model.
Samsung Galaxy S8 (G950F)
10. If you have an SD card, select “apply update from SD card.” You can select this by using your volume rockers to navigate and the power button to select. After selecting that option, find the file called “G950F AQL5 to CRAP.zip” and select it with the power button.
11. If you don’t have an SD card, select “apply update from ADB” and then on your computer open a command prompt by pressing Windows key + R and typing “cmd.” Once this command prompt open up, then type adb sideload <path to file G950F AQL5 to CRAP.zip> and hitting enter. If you don’t already have ADB set up, then you can follow these quick set of instructions to get up to speed.
Side-loading official Android Oreo update on the Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung Galaxy S8+ (G955F)
With SD Card
10. Select “apply update from SD card.” You can select this by using your volume rockers to navigate and the power button to select. After selecting that option, find the file called “G955F AQL5 to ZRA5.zip” and select it with the power button.
11. Wait for your phone to reboot then it will be running Android Oreo beta 6. Now to get to the official Android Oreo release, power off your phone again and reboot into recovery by holding the Bixby button + Volume up + Power and selecting “Apply update from SD card” then select the file “G955F ZRA5 to CRAP.zip”. This will install on your phone and you will be running official Android Oreo!
Without SD Card
10. If you don’t have an SD card, select “Apply update from ADB” and on your computer open a command prompt by pressing the Windows key + R and typing “cmd.” Then, enter adb sideload <path to file G955F AQL5 to ZRA5.zip> in the command prompt.
11. If you don’t have an SD card, wait for your phone to reboot and then it will be running Android Oreo beta 6. To get to the official 8.0 Oreo release, power off your phone and then reboot into recovery again by holding Bixby button + Volume up + Power. Then select “Apply update from ADB.” Finally, in the command prompt type adb sideload <path to file G955F ZRA5 to CRAP.zip>
Side-loading official Android 8.0 Oreo on the Samsung Galaxy S8+
And that’s it! Now your Exynos Galaxy S8/S8+ models should be running the official release of Android Oreo! You didn’t even have to wait! Your device will be able to accept official OTA updates in the future, and KNOX will be intact too. Enjoy!
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