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Flash Android LineageOS on S10E

Recommandations/troubleshooting

Work in a virtual machine

I've been into several troubles to make Odin recognize my device in Samsung's Download mode (aka "Odin mode"), until I worked in a clean Windows install in a VM (VMware Workstation Pro). As soon as you want to "play" with Android ROMs, you will need to install and try softwares and drivers from different sources.

If not for security, just keep your (host) system clean from them and work with a fresh Windows setup in a sandbox VM. This will eventually save you from fighting hours into painful drivers problems. Just do a VM snapshot before installing anything, then roll back when you are done with the phone.

Cables and USB ports

Using third-party USB cables can keep your device unrecognized from your desktop. If you can't get the phone to communicate (file transfert) with Windows, you may want to try another USB ports, then try another cables. Usually the stock one will work great.

Backup

Backup all your files, photos, videos, contacts, apps, conversations, etc before doing anything on your phone.

Do not forget that Samsung SmartSwitch backups are encrypted and cannot be read by another OS than Samsung's Android OneUI !

If you are installing a custom OS from stock, I strongly recommand to manually backup things and export contacts in a .vcf file.

Step 1 - Prerequisites

• Bootloader unlocked
• USB Debugging enabled

Download tools, drivers, ROM :

• Install adb drivers
• Unzip abd tools somewhere : https://dl.google.com/android/repository/platform-tools-latest-windows.zip
• Install Samsung USB driver for Windows : https://developer.samsung.com/android-usb-driver
• Install Odin Samsung ROM flashing utility for Windows : https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/patched-odin-3-13-1.3762572/
• Install 7zip https://www.7-zip.org
• Download latest Lineage OS ROM (.zip file) and recovery image (.img file) Vanilla https://download.lineageos.org/beyond0lte or with pre-patched microG https://download.lineage.microg.org/beyond0lte

Step 2 - Flashing Recovery with Odin

• Rename the recovery img to recovery.img.
• With 7zip, add recovery.img to a .tar archive (no compression) and name it recovery.tar.
• Shut down the phone then start it in Download mode (press Volume down + Bixby, then connect usb).
• Start Odin.
• Click "AP" button and select recovery.tar.
• Click Start (flash the LineageOS Recovery) and then immediately, as soon as the screen turns black, run the Recovery mode by pressing Volume Up + Bixby + Power.

If you fail to be quick enough, the stock OS will automaticaly overwrite the Lineage Recovery with its own/default Recovery. In this case, just restart to Download mode again, then retry.

Step 3 - Flashing Lineage OS

You are in Lineage Recovery menu.

The following steps are identical to the official Lineage OS wiki.

• Tap Factory Reset
• Tap Format data / factory reset and format
• Go back to the main menu
• Tap Apply Update
• Tap Apply from ADB
• On the host/PC side, run powershell or cmd.exe, and sideload the ROM (.zip file) from abd

PS C:\Users\User\Desktop\adb-fastboot> .\adb sideload .\lineage-18.1-20220116-microG-beyond0lte.zip
* daemon not running; starting now at tcp:5037
* daemon started successfully
serving: '.\lineage-18.1-20220116-microG-beyond0lte.zip'  (~47%)    adb: failed to read command: No error

As said in the official setup instructions, adb will normaly report Total xfer: 1.00x, but in some cases, even if the process succeeds the output will stop at 47% and report adb: failed to read command: Success. In some cases it will report adb: failed to read command: No error (I got this one, see above powershell output) which is also fine.

• Reboot to Lineage OS

Location with microG

If you installed the microG pre-patched version of LineageOS, see further steps in microG documentation in order to make Location work.