While the international Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has received its official KitKat update in certain regions of the world, Samsung continues to work in bringing the new OS on its other devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S4. How do we know this? Well, it's not only logical, but an official Android 4.4.2 firmware for the S4 LTE I9505 has been recently leaked. This means that the update is on its way, and it also gives S4 owners an opportunity to take Android 4.4.2 for a ride ahead of time.

This is a guide that will allow you to install the latest leaked KitKat firmware on the Galaxy S4 model number I9505. In order to achieve this, you will need the Odin tool, and a handful of other prerequisites.

IMPORTANT – READ BEFORE PROCEEDING:

• This leaked build works only for the Galaxy S4 LTE I9505. Don't attempt to flash this OS on any other device or Galaxy S4 variant. To ensure that you have the right model, go to "Settings" > "About phone"
• In case your device runs on a custom ROM, then you need to factory reset your device in order to apply the leaked XXUFNA5 firmware. Create backups if necessary, and sync your contacts with your Google account
• You may need to download and install the latest Samsung USB drivers before proceeding
• You will be required to connect your smartphone to your computer. Make sure that Samsung KIES is disabled before doing so
• Disable all antivirus / antimalware programs running on your computer, as they can give false positives and interfere with the installation process
• Enable USB Debugging before connecting your handset to your PC. To do so, go to "Settings" > "About Device" and then tap "Build Number" until the following message appears on-screen: "Developer mode has been enabled". Go back to "Settings", tap "Developer options" and enable "USB Debugging"
• Make sure that your smartphone has enough battery to remain powered on during the installation process
• Don't skip any steps and read the guide carefully. This guide is aimed at advanced android users. If you brick your device or lose important data, you cannot hold anyone responsible

Entering "Download Mode" on the Samsung Galaxy S4:

IMPORTANT: The following steps allow you to reboot your handset in "download mode", but you should not follow this guide at this very moment. You will need to refer to this guide later on during the installation process.

1. Turn off your SGS4 and remove its battery
2. After roughly 10 seconds, refit the battery in its place
3. Press and hold the "Volume Down", "Power" and "Home" buttons at the same time
4. When the "Warning" message pops-up, release the buttons
5. Use the "Volume up" button to confirm the "Download Mode" selection
6. When the "Downloading… Do not turn off target" message appears, you can connect your SGS4 to your PC, after you've launched Odin

Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE (I9505): Install Leaked Android 4.4.2 Firmware (XXUFNA5):

1. On your computer, visit this link to download the required "I9505XXUFNA5" leaked KitKat build (zip)
2. Extract the contents of the zip on your computer. This should result in four different files that have the ".tar.md5" extension
3. Visit this link and download Odin3 v3.09
4. Now, turn off your smartphone and reboot it in "Download Mode" (refer to the guide above in order to do so)
5. Open Odin on your computer
6. Connect your smartphone to your computer using the USB cable. Odin should detect your device. If this fails, then you might need to install the proper USB drivers (see bullet points above). If the phone is detected, proceed further:
7. In Odin, you will now start loading the firmware files. Click the "AP" button and load the "AP_I9505XXUFNA5_373648_REV06_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT.tar.md5" file
8. Click the "BL" button and load "BL_I9505XXUFNA5_373648_REV06_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT.tar.md5"
9. Click the "CP" button in Odin and load "CP_I9505XXUFNA5_373648_REV06_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT.tar.md5"
10. Lastly, click "CSC" and load "CSC_OXA_I9505OXAFNA5_373648_REV06_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT.tar.md5"
11. After loading the above-mentioned files, disable the "Re-Partition" option in Odin. Leave the rest of the settings to their default values
12. Now, click the "START" button in Odin, to commence the installation process of the leaked Android 4.4.2 firmware
13. Once the installation is complete, Odin should show the "PASS" message, and your device should reboot in normal mode. NOTE: Keep in mind that this first reboot will take several minutes to complete, as the process needs to load the new files
14. When the Galaxy S4 logo appears on-screen, you can disconnect your smartphone from your computer

TROUBLESHOOTING:

• In certain situations, Odin might fail to install the ROM and it could freeze. If this happens, the you may want to try redoing the entire guide from the beginning, while making sure that you haven't skipped any steps and bullet points
• In case Odin gives you the "PASS" message but the Galaxy S4 is still not able to boot in normal mode, then you will need to apply a full factory reset and redo the guide from the top. Remember that factory resetting your smartphone will result in data loss from your handset's system partition. To apply a factory reset:

1. Turn off your smartphone
2. Reboot it in stock recovery mode by pressing and holding the "Volume Up", "Home" and "Power" buttons simultaneously
3. When the recovery screen appears, release the buttons
4. Choose to factory reset your device from the recovery screen
5. Once the handset has been wiped clean, reboot it in normal mode