Samsung Firmware Downloader ( SamloaderKotlin ): There are numerous reasons to manually download firmware for your device. Perhaps you’re trying to root it and need to alter the firmware before flashing. Or perhaps you simply want to get updates early on in software. Unfortunately, many companies don’t provide a way of downloading firmware so installation can proceed as scheduled.
The issue was with the downloading of Samsung firmware.
Samsung makes downloading software updates from their devices a chore, since Fastboot mode is unavailable. To work around this limitation, users should switch to Download Mode and then use Odin’s proprietary flashing software; after doing so, they must then download the firmware file they desire; direct downloads from Samsung will likely result in security breaches.
Unfortunately, encryption is not always reliable; thus the process of downloading firmware and decrypting it directly through Samsung has been replicated multiple times. One such example can be seen in SamFirm software for Windows; unfortunately, SamFirm no longer functions, however there are alternative programs like Frija that remain functional.
The major disadvantage to most programs for downloading firmware for Samsung devices is that they’re all designed for Windows users. But what if you want to download updates for your Galaxy device from a Mac or Linux PC instead? Fortunately, there are numerous firmware downloader websites available which offer encrypted Samsung firmware which is downloaded for almost every Samsung device. Here you can search by model number or region, as well as check historical firmware versions.
Storing all these files can be expensive. To keep them maintained, many downloader sites restrict the speed of downloads until you sign up for an account. With Samsung’s firmware bundles being large (recent devices are up to 7GiB), downloading on an overloaded connection can be frustratingly slow. There is always the option of paying for unlimited speeds; however, this may not always be practical.
My solution: Samsung Firmware Downloader
Once again, we find ourselves back where we started: how can I get firmware downloads directly from Samsung without a Windows PC? Samloader, an application available on any device with Python 3 installed, is your answer. With Samloader, you can locate and download the most up-to-date firmware on your gadget, unlock it so you know its correct model, region and firmware string – all without ever touching a computer!
Samloader is an ideal solution for downloading Samsung firmware across different platforms, though not everyone enjoys working with commands. Installing Python on macOS may prove challenging; keeping up with all necessary controls may prove a chore.
So I created a GUI. The rather unimaginatively named Samsung Firmware Downloader is an open-source, cross-platform graphical firmware downloader designed for Samsung. In essence, it’s simply Samloader with all logic written in Kotlin. There are other capabilities as well.
Samsung Firmware Downloader Features
There was a lot of anticipation leading up to this, but hopefully it was at least helpful. Let’s talk about Samsung Firmware Downloader; starting with its title.
Naming
SamloaderKotlin, the name for my Samsung Firmware Downloader program, is an awful choice. It’s too generic and too long. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate them…
Platform Support
Samsung Firmware Downloader (SamloaderKotlin) is designed to be cross-platform, meaning it works on Windows, Linux, macOS as well as Android. To achieve this I’m using Kotlin Multiplatform + Android’s Jetpack Compose + JetBrains Compose running on Desktop – these two components are still in early design stages but provide enough of a basic GUI experience for desktop use.
At present, JetBrains Compose can only create executables compatible with the platform they were designed on. Unfortunately, I can’t present any macOS builds since I don’t own a Mac. If anyone has access to a Mac and would like to contribute, please let me know. Ideally, JetBrains Compose should allow me to create on Mac using my Windows machine; unfortunately this won’t be possible anytime soon.
Source Code
If you followed one of the links listed above, then you likely noticed that Samsung Firmware Downloader is an open-source program licensed by MIT and free to modify and use.
Features
What can Samsung Firmware Downloader accomplish? We’ve discussed it before, so here are more specifics.
Check for Updates
Enter your model and region into the appropriate fields on Downloader ( SamloaderKotlin ) then select “Check for Updates.” The app will connect to Samsung’s server and show the most up-to-date firmware version and Android version it runs on.
Updates for download software
Once you’ve checked for updates in the Viewer view, click the Download button to begin downloading SamloaderKotlin firmware. Select a location and the application will download and decrypt that firmware automatically.
If you already have the firmware, simply check “Manual” and enter it, along with the model and region. Clicking Download will take care of everything else – simply click to confirm and the app will take care of the rest.
It is essential to remember that once decrypted, the encrypted firmware will not be automatically removed; you must delete it manually.
Samsung Firmware Downloader allows users to customize the names of firmware files by including information such as model, version, firmware version and region represented in the file name. How ever you are free to change this information at will.
Finally, the Samsung Firmware downloader can begin again downloading. If your device crashes or the application was closed, just type in all of your information again and click “Download,” choosing an identical directory (confirming any possible replacement prompts), and click “Download.” Your download will resume exactly where it left off before.
Decrypt
If your firmware file has been encrypted, Samsung Firmware Downloader ( SamloaderKotlin ) can decrypt it for you. Simply enter the model, region and firmware version associated with the encrypted file, select it to decode, hit “Decrypt,” and the app will take care of the rest.
History
This experimental feature was later removed. The History view displays all firmware versions available for a given model and region, then provides you with access to them.
If you want to download a firmware file from this list, hit “Download.” You’ll be taken directly to the Download view with all pertinent information already filled in; just hit “Download.”
If you need to decrypt a file, locate its corresponding firmware in this list and hit “Decrypt.” You’ll then be taken to the Decrypt view where you must select the correct file and hit “Decrypt.”
Downloads
Name: Samsung Firmware Downloader.zip
Size: 49MB
Link: Github
So how do you get Samsung Firmware Downloader ( SamloaderKotlin ) ? Visit the release page in the GitHub repository. Each release includes resources for Android, Windows, and Linux (and in the future, macOS).
For Android, you can download it. Android, download the APK to install and then run it. Windows, Download the ZIP file, extract it, and then run the EXE. Linux, you need to install and unzip the ZIP file, enter the bin directory, launch the terminal, and start ./SamsungFirmware Downloader.
Hopefully, Samsung Firmware Downloader makes your experience downloading software updates even more accessible. I’m always looking for suggestions for new features (within reason), so be sure to head over to the issues page and request a part or report a bug if you don’t see it there already.
Readme:
