The Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ has caused a fair deal of problems. Samsung didn't waste much time in rolling out the official update to beta testers after the beta program concluded, and there was unsurprisingly a mad rush from Galaxy S8 owners who weren't getting the update to grab official Oreo firmware and flash it on their device. Only Samsung had a surprise in store: The Android 8.0 Oreo firmware uses a new compression algorithm that the existing Odin tool – which is used to flash firmware on Samsung devices – couldn't read.
A few workarounds were posted on the internet, mainly employing a modified version of Odin, but here at SamMobile, we decided to wait for a proper solution. Samsung also pulled the plug on the Oreo update a few days later to fix a critical reboot issue, ultimately releasing a newer build that is now available over the air in many regions. Well, we are happy to report that we also finally have the proper solution for flashing Oreo firmware on the Galaxy S8 and S8+.
Galaxy S8 Oreo firmware can now be flashed without issues
A new version of Odin is now available from our database; you can download it here or from the individual pages for each firmware file for the S8 and S8+ or any other recent device. You have to use this new version of Odin to be able to flash Oreo firmware on the Galaxy S8 and S8+, and it will also be required for future releases of Oreo for other devices. If you have been holding out on upgrading to Oreo because of the reported problems with its firmware, well, you can finally make the jump to the latest and greatest version of the OS.
Of course, if Oreo isn't available for your country yet, we would recommend waiting until Samsung officially releases the update. If Oreo firmware is available for your country, the latest build of Oreo is G950FXXU1CRB7 and G955FXXU1CRB7 for the S8 and S8+ respectively. You could also flash the first release – build number XXU1CRAP – but since Samsung didn't deem it to be stable enough, we'd caution against doing so.
Download Android 8.0 Oreo firmware for the Galaxy S8 here and the Galaxy S8+ here. For a rundown on all that's new with Oreo, check out our coverage and also Samsung's official infographic detailing the new version of the Samsung Experience UX.
