The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is one of the largest smartphones that Samsung has ever made. Many people love its large screen and prefer it over the smaller Samsung Galaxy S5. The Galaxy Note 3 is also one of the best-selling devices in the history of Samsung’s smartphone flagship lineup, which is why there are so many users with this device today. But as great as it still is, the Galaxy Note 3 has its fair share of problems and limitations from when it first launched back in September 2014. This is especially true if you take into account the fact that this phone came preinstalled with Android 4.4 KitKat instead of 5.0 Lollipop or 6.0 Marshmallow like most new phones do today. Fortunately, upgrading to a newer Android version isn’t something that’s impossible for older devices such as the Galaxy Note 3 especially since Google has released so many new versions since its initial launch almost three years ago now.
How To Upgrade Galaxy Note 3 Android Version
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Download the Android
At first, you need to download the Android version that you want to install. This is the easiest way to upgrade a Galaxy Note 3’s software version. The only requirements are that you must have a computer with a working internet connection, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in question. If you don’t have one of these, you can ask your friend or family member who owns one of these devices to help you out. If you don’t have access to someone else’s device, then there are other methods available for downloading the Android version that will help you get started. You can also go online and download the file from Google directly if it is available online or from another source.
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Install the Android
Once the Android file has been downloaded, it needs to be installed on your Galaxy Note 3 in order for it to run properly on your device. There are many ways to install an Android file on a computer or smartphone but we recommend using an installer application such as Odin or Easy OTA Updater since they are very simple and fast at installing new versions of Android on any device. The best part about them is that they will let you know when your phone has been successfully updated with a new operating system so all there is left for you is to wait until your phone reboots after it has been updated successfully by itself.
3. Enable Sideloading
After the phone has been updated, you will need to enable the installation of apps from unknown sources in order for your device to be able to run these new applications. To do this, go to Settings > Security > Enable Unknown Sources.
4. Install a New ROM
After you have enabled the installation of apps from unknown sources and after the phone has rebooted, you can go ahead and install a new ROM like Cyanogenmod or AOKP on your Galaxy Note 3.
5. Install Google Apps
To install Google Apps, you will need to download them from the Play Store app first. Then, open Play Store (on your phone) and tap on Install > Next > Next > Next > Finish.
6. Set Up Google Play Services
If you want your device to use Google Play services, then you will need to grant the permissions for them in order for them to be able to be used. It is important that you grant these permissions before installing any other application since if you don’t grant these permissions, then your devices will not be able to access the services that are provided by Google. To do this, go to Settings > Apps > All > Google Play Services and click on Grant.
Why Should You Upgrade Your Galaxy Note 3?
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New Features
Upgrading your Galaxy Note 3 to a new version of Android will allow you to be able to get new features that were not available in the previous version. For example, some of the new features that have been introduced in Android 4.4 KitKat include enhanced notifications, better performance and battery life, and better security for your device.
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More Customization Options
One of the best things about upgrading your Galaxy Note 3 to a different version of Android is that you will be able to customize it more than before. For example, customizing your notification bar is now possible in many different ways such as by changing its color or size, adding widgets and so on which gives you more options when it comes to personalizing your phone.
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Better Performance
Another thing that many people love about upgrading their Galaxy Note 3 is how much better performance they get with each new version of Android which helps them run various applications faster and smoother than before. This means that there will be fewer lags when playing games or using other applications which is great news for everyone who uses their Galaxy Note 3 for gaming.
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Better Security
Another reason why many people upgrade their Galaxy Note 3 is that it comes with a lot of new security features which make it more secure than the previous versions so there is no need to worry about your phone being hacked since it has already been upgraded to a more secure version of Android.
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Better Battery Life
Many people upgrade their Galaxy Note 3 because they want it to have better battery life. This is because they find that the battery life of their previous version is not good enough and they want to be able to use their phone longer before having to recharge it. The battery life of your Galaxy Note 3 will be improved by upgrading it to a new version of Android which makes it last longer than before.
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Better Functionality
Another reason why many people upgrade their Galaxy Note 3 is that it comes with a lot of new functionality which was not available in the previous version and this means that you will be able to do more things with your phone than before. For example, you can now take pictures from different angles, edit videos and so on which makes your device more versatile than ever before.
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Better Applications
One of the best things about upgrading your Galaxy Note 3 is that you will be able to get better applications for it such as games that are much better than those that were available in the previous versions and this means that you can get much better gameplay when playing them on your device as opposed to before when you had problems running them due to some technical issues with the phone itself.
How To Check If Your Samsung Is Updated
- Go to Settings
- Then select About Phone
- The “Software information” section will show the system version which should be Android 4.4.2 KitKat
- If your phone has been updated, you will see that it is now running Android 5.0 Lollipop
- To check if your phone is running the latest version of Android, you can go to Settings > About Phone > Software Information > System Version > Android Version.
- If the version of your phone is lower than 5.0 Lollipop, then you should consider updating it to the latest version of Android as soon as possible to make sure that your phone works perfectly always and you have all the new features that have been added to it since it was first released.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was one of Samsung’s best-selling handsets and many people are still using it to this day. Unfortunately, this phone was released with Android 4.4 KitKat and a lot of users were never able to get the latest versions of Android. Fortunately, it’s still possible to manually update your device to the latest version of Android or even install a different operating system entirely.