Android 5.1 update is on the roll, and the latest device to receive the treatment is Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE, model no. GT-I9305 — mind the model no. please if you’re interested in this, or your could brick your android device.

Android 5.1 is the latest update, that surprisingly enough launched with Android One devices. The 5.1 update brings good bunch of nifty additions to the OS, including some of the best animations we’ve seen on mobiles screens. The tweaks to volume pop-up, plus the additions to priority mode, among other things, make 5.1 very appealing.

Samsung’s long stopped providing updates for Galaxy S3, you cannot look towards South Korea and hope an OTA to arrive on your phone. If you wanna test out the Android 5.1 update, custom ROMs are your friend. We’ve got OmniROM to share with you today, and we expect the CM12.1 to arrive soon, as it have already gifted Android 5.1 to many devices including the HTC Desire 816, Galaxy Note 3 and OnePlus One.

And btw, keep in mind that this is test build, not a daily driver by any means and thus you may encounter bugs many a times.

You need TWRP recovery for this, of course, because you cannot install a custom ROM’s .zip file without a custom recovery. Grab one from here, if you already know how to work with fastboot mode. There’s good instructions set there, too. For more help, Google is your friend.

DOWNLOADS

Grab the ROM file in .zip format of the OmniROM from the source development page here. And the Gapps (Google services) from here.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

WARNING: Warranty may be void of your device if you follow the procedures given on this page. You only are responsible for your device. We won’t be liable if any damage occurs to your device and/or its components.

>> Again, do not install this ROM on any other model of Galaxy S3 than only and only GT-I9305.

Important Note: Backup important files stored on your device before proceeding with the steps below, so that in case something goes wrong you’ll have backup of all your important files.

  1. Transfer the ROM file and Gapps package file to your device’s internal storage and remember the location where you save it.
  2. Install a custom recovery (TWRP, CWM, etc.) on your device. Either search our site or Google it! Btw, you can get the TWRP recovery from here. There’s good instructions set there, too. For more help, Google is your friend.
  3. Boot into Recovery mode via adb, hardware buttons or if your device is rooted use the QuickBoot app →
  4. Once in recovery mode, take a backup of your current ROM. On TWRP, select Backup, then do a “Swipe to Back Up” on the bottom of the screen.
  5. Once the backup is finished, select Wipe, then do a “Swipe to Factory Reset” on the bottom of the screen.
  6. Go back to the main menu of TWRP recovery and select Install.
  7. Navigate to the file where you saved your ROM’s zip file, select it and “Swipe to Confirm Flash” on the bottom of the screen. Now wait until the flashing process finishes.
  8. Once ROM is flashed, flash the Gapps package in a similar way like you flashed the ROM file.
  9. After flashing both the files. Go to back to recovery’s Main menu, select Reboot » select System.

Your device will now reboot with OmniROM, and Android 5.1. Be extremely excited for this!

In case you need any help over this, let us know.