To start you need to root your Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and install a custom recovery. I’ve written about this here.
- This tutorial is only for installing CyanogenMod Android 6.0.1 on Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9190. It will not work on any other Galaxy S4 Mini variants
- Your phone should be rooted and have ClockworkMod Recovery installed
- This tutorial will wipe all your data. Make sure you have a backup. Proceed at your own risk.
Please Note
- Make sure you backup all your data before proceeding. You can do this using a tool like Titanium Backup, use this after rooting as it needs root access to function
- Samsung KIES will NOT detect your phone after installing this ROM because it is a custom firmware.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Download the latest CyanogenMod Release for Galaxy S4 Mini (3G) – serrano3gxx (this link should start the download of the latest release) and Google Apps (Use micro, nano or pico package) to your computer [Make sure the following are selected ARM, 6.0 and Micro]
- Connect and mount your Galaxy S4 Mini USB memory on your computer using the USB cable
- Copy the downloaded 2 zip files downloaded above to your SD card root (not in any folder)
- Once the files have copied disconnect from the USB cable. and then Power Off your phone
- Pressing and hold the Volume Up+Home+Power buttons together until your phone vibrates and you see Recovery Booting at the top of your screen
- Once you are in ClockworkMod Recovery, select “wipe data/factory reset”. [Volume button moves selector up and down, power button selects]
- Then select “wipe cache partition”
- Optional – go to “advanced” and then select “wipe dalvik cache”
- Go back to the main recovery screen by pressing the “back capacitive button” and select “install zip” then “choose zip from /sdcard or choose zip from /storage/sdcard1” depending on where you saved the files [/sdcard is your phones internal memory and /sdcard1 is your microSD]
- Find the to the cm-13.0-20160418-SNAPSHOT-ZNH0EAO2NK-serrano3gxx.zip file (your version may be newer) that you copied to your SD card and select it using the Power button. Confirm the installation on the next screen and the installation procedure should start now
- Repeat 9&10 for the Google Apps zip file as well and install it
- After the installation completes, reboot the phone by selecting “reboot system now”
Your Galaxy S4 Mini I9190 will boot now. It will take about 5-10 minutes to boot the first time.
If you run into any problems, feel free to me a comment.