Update Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE I9505 to Android 4.4.3 via CM 11 Nightly

The CyanogenMod team has implemented the Android 4.4.3 KitKat code in their latest CM11 Nightlies, and you can use this tutorial if you want to learn how to upgrade your Galaxy S4 LTE I9505 device.

If you want to learn more about the CM team and their work you should check their blog web page here.

Before starting the installation of CM 11 Nightly Android 4.4.3-based custom ROM on your Galaxy S4 LTE you should first take a look at the preparation guide below:

• use this post only with the Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE model number I9505.
  - do not try to update any other Galaxy S4 models if their versions does not match I9505 number.
• your Galaxy S4 LTE has to be rooted.
  - a custom Recovery also has to be installed on it in order to flash new custom ROMs like CM 11.
• enable USB Debugging from Developer Options.
  - this guide here will teach you how to do it -> that’s a guide for Galaxy S5, but it works with all Android devices.
• in the ‘how-to’ part of this post you will find two preparation steps: NANDROID full Backup for the installed ROM and the Factory reset.
  - do not skip either steps if you want for CM 11 Android 4.4.3 Nightly to boot with your Galaxy S4 LTE at the first attempt.
• if you want to backup some data from installed apps then you can use Helium for Android.
• sync your Contacts info with your default Gmail account.
• check your phone’s battery charge level and make sure that it is over 50%, this will prevent it from switching off in the middle of the updating process.
• use this tutorial only if you know what you’re doing.
• read the entire post and make sure not to skip any steps that I’ve listed below.
• do not blame us in case you brick the phone, nor in case you end up bricking your Galaxy S4.

Now that you’ve gone past all of the above you can continue to the next part and learn how to update your Galaxy S4 with a brand new custom ROM.

How to flash CM 11 Android 4.4.3 Nightly for Galaxy S4 I9505 LTE:

1. Download the latest CM 11 Nightly build from here.
   - save the file on your PC and make sure that it is the latest version.
2. Download Gapps for Android 4.4.x custom ROMs from here.
   - save the file on computer.
3. Connect the phone to your PC and move both zip files to its internal storage.
   - if you’ve downloaded the files directly to your phone, then you can disregard this step.
4. Switch off your Galaxy S4 I9505 LTE completely.
5. Next, boot it into Recovery Mode.
6. When you’re at the main CWM or TWRP Recovery menu you should apply first a NANDROID Backup for the already installed ROM:
   - CWM: select ‘backup and restore’. Confirm.
   - TWRP: press Backup, swipe to confirm process.
7. Now you need to Factory Reset the Galaxy S4 LTE:
   - CWM: select ‘wipe data/ factory reset’. Confirm.
   - TWRP: press Wipe, confirm.
8. Next, flash the CM 11 Nightly Android 4.4.3 ROM:
   - CWM: select ‘install zip from sdcard’, then select the ‘choose zip from sdcard’ option.
   - TWRP: press Install.
   - Find the CM 11 Nightly zip and confirm its installation.
9. When the custom Android 4.4.3 KitKat ROM is flashed with success you should install Gapps. Use the same actions as in step 8.
10. When all the files are installed successfully you can simply reboot the phone in normal mode.
    - note that the first reboot of your Galaxy S4 I9505 will take a while to complete, do not press any buttons.
11. Take control over Galaxy S4 LTE CM 11 home screen using your Google Account info.

These were all the instructions that you had to follow in order to complete the installation of CM 11 Android 4.4.3 KitKat ROM for your Galaxy S4 I9505.

If you can’t complete the guide at your first attempt, then you should try to repeat the entire tutorial more than once. All the instructions that you need are listed in this post, so you should eventually be able to complete the guide.

If you need any extra help, then you should ask for more help in comments.