Install Official Android 6.0 CM 13 Nightly ROM on Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3

The Verizon Galaxy S3 owners have some good news that these handsets can be upgraded now to the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow firmware. CyanogenMod team has released the official Nightly CM13 ROM for Galaxy S3 which is based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow AOSP builds. You can read CyanogenMod’s team’s blog for the changelog if you want to learn more about these releases. Interested to taste Marshmallow on your S3? Go ahead and follow the given step-by-step guide.

Make sure that CM13 ROM is not officially released by Samsung, you’ll need a custom recovery pre-installed on your Galaxy S3 in order to flash the CM13 Nightly and Google Apps .zip files on your phone. All you need to have a custom recovery (CWM or TWRP Recovery) already installed on your phone, otherwise you will not be able to flash all the latest Android 6.0-based custom ROMs. Secondly, your smartphone has to be rooted to get this firmware update.

Note:

This guide containing the Android 6.0 CM13 custom ROM is compatible with Verizon variant of the Galaxy S3 codename “d2vzw”. Do not try to install this firmware on any other device or incorrect variant. Check the model number of your device first.

Warning:

AndroidBlog will not be held responsible for any kind of damage occurred to your Verizon Galaxy S3 during or after the installation of this CM13 Nightlies Android 6.0 custom ROM. Rooting or installing a custom ROM will void the warranty of your device. Proceed at your own risk.

Pre-Requirements:

• It is highly recommended to take a proper back up of your important data and settings on the phone using a custom recovery such as CWM or TWRP. In case anything goes wrong then you’ll be able to restore your data.
• Download and install proper USB Drivers for the Galaxy S3 on PC.
• Enable USB Debugging Mode on Galaxy S3 from Settings > Developer Options.
• The latest version of a custom recovery like TWRP should be installed on it.
• Make sure that the battery level of your Galaxy S3 is at least about 80% before proceeding to the installation guide.

Required Files:

• Download CM 13 Nightly Marshmallow ROM For Verizon Galaxy S3
• Download Marshmallow Gapps [Alternate Link]

Steps to Install CM 13 Android 6.0 Nightly Custom ROM on Verizon Galaxy S3:

1:- Download the Android 6.0 Marshmallow Nightly CM13 ROM (cm-13.0-20151211-NIGHTLY-d2vzw.zip) and Google Apps package from the above links on your PC (probably on the desktop).

2:- Now, connect the Verizon Galaxy S3 to the PC using its USB data cable.

3:- Move the CM13 ROM zipped file to the internal storage of your phone.

4:- Now, disconnect the device from the PC and turn it OFF in order to boot into Recovery Mode.

5:- Turn ON the Galaxy S3 while pressing and holding Volume Up + Home + Power buttons altogether for a while until the device enters into Recovery Mode.

6:- While your device is now in recovery mode, it is recommended to perform a nandroid backup and select all the partitions including System, Data, Boot, Recovery, EFS.

7:- Once the backup is completed, perform a full wipe.

8:- Go back to the main menu of TWRP recovery and tap the wipe button, select Advanced Wipe and after that select Dalvik Cache, System, Data, and Cache. Confirm to wipe.

9:- Navigate to the TWRP main menu and tap on the install option. Select the CM13 ROM that you have already transferred to the internal memory of your phone and select it.

10:- Proceed to the installation by swiping on the confirmation button.

10:- Repeat the above steps to install Google Apps package on Verizon Galaxy S3.

12:- After the successful installation of ROM and Google Apps, select “Reboot System” in the recovery.

Your Galaxy S3 might take about 4 to 5 minutes to boot for the first time after installation.

Done! You have successfully installed the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow with CyanogenMod 13 custom ROM on Verizon Galaxy S3.