CyanogenMod 12 nightly builds based on the latest version of Android are getting rolled out to a handful of devices. Initially released for only 31 devices, CyanogenMod 12 Lollipop has now expanded to other devices like the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and now Samsung’s best device yet, the Galaxy Note 4.
The Note 4 wasn’t included in the first batch of devices that received CM12 nightly builds but fortunately, developers were nice enough to add support for the device later on. Now, you can easily install official CyanogenMod 12 nightly build on your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and then install TWRP custom recovery.
Also Read: How To Reduce Galaxy Note 4 RAM Usage & Make It Faster
Before we continue with the installation process of the ROM and then recovery, let’s quickly explain what CyanogenMod 12 is. CyanogenMod 12 is an aftermarket firmware or software developed by the CyanogenMod team. It is based on AOSP code which means that it is based on the latest version of Android, in this case, Lollipop.
As the original Lollipop firmware, CM12 nightly builds include all the new features like Material Design, noticeably faster performance thanks to improvements that Google has done and a new battery saving mode for increased battery life.
Contents
Preparations & Downloads
- Download CM12 ROM here and move it to your phone.
- Make sure that your phone is rooted. Follow this guide to learn how to root your phone.
- CyanogenMod 12 ROM – Download
- Lollipop Gapps: Link
- Odin3: Link
- TWRP Recovery – Download
- Enable USB debugging – Tutorial
- Galaxy Note 4 USB drivers – Download
Install CyanogenMod 12 ROM on Galaxy Note 4
- If you have downloaded the ROM on your computer, make sure to move it to the phone using a USB cable.
- Once you’ve made sure that the file is on your phone, you can turn it off. To do so, press the power button and select Power off.
- Now that the phone is completely off, press and hold the volume up, home and power buttons at the same time to boot to recovery.
- In recovery, wipe data and perform a full factory reset. This will prevent any problems that might occur in the future.
- Now, go to “Install zip file” and choose the ROM file.
- Press Install.
- Now do the same thing with the Gapps file. Install Gapps and reboot your phone.
That is it. Now your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is running on CyanogenMod 12 ROM but it still has the old CWM recovery. We recommend you to install TWRP over CWM as it is a better recovery overall. There are more options and more customization possibilities.
Installing TWRP recovery
- Download the Odin zip file and extract it. Launch the Odin tool.
- Turn off your phone and go to download mode. You can easily do so by pressing and holding at the same time the volume down, power and home buttons at the same time. Once the download menu shows up, press the volume up button one more time.
- If you have successfully installed USB drivers, the ID:COM box will turn blue. This means that the computer and Odin tool recognize the phone.
- Click the PDA button and select the TWRP recovery.
- Click install and wait.
That is it. You have successfully flashed the official CyanogenMod 12 nightly build on your Samsung Galaxy Note 4 as well as custom TWRP recovery.