The CyanogenMod team released the official Stable CyanogenMod 12.1 ROM for various popular flagship devices and Verizon Galaxy S4 is one of those lucky devices that can be upgraded now to the CM12.1 custom firmware. This ROM is based on the latest AOSP Android 5.1.1 builds that bring amazing performance and smoothness. Although stock ROMs are good to use CyanogenMod ROMs are popular for stability, enhanced battery life, as well as tons of extra features, added.
Keep in mind that CM12.1 is a custom ROM which developed by the CyanogenMod team, not officially released by Samsung for Galaxy S4 devices, thus you’ll need to have a custom recovery already installed like CWM or TWRP in order to install the ROM and Google Apps .zip files on your Verizon Galaxy S4. If you want to get this Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Stable CyanogenMod 12.1 ROM on your S4 then go ahead and follow the given instructions.
Note:
This guide containing the stable CyanogenMod 12.1 firmware is only working with the Verizon Galaxy S4 (jfltevzw) models. Do not try to install this ROM on any other device or incorrect variant, as a result, the device might get bricked. You can check the model number of your phone by navigating to Settings > About phone > Model Number.
Warning:
AndroidBlog will not responsible for any kind of damage occurred to your Galaxy S4 during or after the installation process of CM12.1 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM. Proceed at your own risk.
Pre-Requirements:
- Create a proper backup of all your existing data and settings on the phone before proceeding to the installation guide using a recommended custom recovery.
- Download and install the Galaxy S4 USB Drivers on your PC.
- Enable USB Debugging Mode on the Galaxy S4 by navigating to Settings > Developer Options.
- The Verizon Galaxy S4 should be rooted with the latest version of a custom recovery like CWM or TWRP installed.
- Make sure that the battery level of the Galaxy S4 is at least above 80% before going ahead.
- The bootloader of your S4 must be unlocked.
Required Files:
- Download CM 12.1 Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
- Download Google Apps Package
Steps to Install Android 5.1.1 Lollipop Stable CyanogenMod 12.1 ROM on Verizon Galaxy S4:
Follow the given instructions to install CyanogenMod 12.1 custom ROM featuring Android 5.1.1 Lollipop on Galaxy S4:
1:- First of all download the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop CM12.1 ROM (cm-12.1-20150901-SNAPSHOT-YOG4PAO238-jfltevzw.zip), Google Apps on the desktop of your PC.
2:- Transfer the downloaded CM12.1 ROM .zip file (without extracting) to the root folder of your SD Card.
3:- Next, power OFF your Verizon Galaxy S4 to boot into Recovery Mode.
4:- Power ON the device while pressing and holding Power + Home + Volume Up keys at the same time to boot into recovery mode.
5:- While your Galaxy S4 is now in recovery mode, navigate to the recovery menu and select Backup.
5:- Swipe on the Swipe to Back Up option on the bottom of the screen on your phone.
6:- Perform Wipe of Data, Dalvik cache, Cache and System after the process is completed.
7:- Go back to the main menu of Recovery and select Install zip from SDcard > Choose Zip from sd card, then navigate to the root folder of your SD Card where you have saved the CM12.1 ROM, select the ROM and click on Swipe to Confirm Flash option. This process may take some time, so wait for the process to be finished successfully.
8:- Once done, perform Wipe Dalvik Cache again.
9:- Go to the recovery menu and select Reboot > System.
10:- Now, install the Google Apps package on your Galaxy S4 by repeating the above steps.
10:- Navigate to the main recovery menu once the Gapps package is installed and select Reboot > System.
Done! You’ve successfully installed Android 5.1.1 Lollipop on Verizon Galaxy S4 with CyanogenMod 12.1 ROM manually.
Let us know in the comments area below if you have any question or trouble while updating your Galaxy S4 to this CM12.1 custom firmware.
