Google recently launched its latest Android OS — the Android 12 — with the release of its premium flagship Pixel 6 series. Since the release of the new Android OS version, the update has been rolling out to many other devices that are supported by the respective OEMs.
We recently reported that Samsung also rolled out the Android 12 update to its latest Galaxy S21 series devices. While the update is currently being pushed to only new and supported devices, an interesting news has revealed that a years-old Samsung device has successfully run Android 12 — thanks to a developer.
A developer named html6405 has managed to boot Android 12 on the legendary Samsung Galaxy S III. To those unaware, the Galaxy S III is a Samsung flagship from 2012 and it has successfully booted Android 12-based LineageOS custom ROM. With this, the Galaxy S III becomes the oldest smartphone to run Android 12. It’s worth noting that Samsung declared the end of upgrade support for this model a long time ago but the modding community does not seem to have forgotten it at all.
Developer Manages to Boot Android 12 on Galaxy S III
As aforementioned, the developer booted an unofficial Android 12-based LineageOS 19.0 custom ROM on a Galaxy S III device. The Exynos 4412-powered Samsung handset successfully ran the Android 12 software and most things like camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular radio, and software/hardware-accelerated video playback reportedly worked fine. However, several LineageOS-specific features were missing in the ROM. But considering this is still in the early days of development, it’s alright as many things may be fixed on the source side over time.
However, as anticipated, there are a few bugs present in the said LineageOS 19.0 custom build. As of now, the SIM PIN unlock is reported to be broken. So if you’re also thinking of trying out the Android 12 made ROM on your old Galaxy S III device, you need to disable SIM PIN using a different phone first. Further, formatting a microSD card as the adoptable storage reportedly results in a boot loop. Also, the NFC module of the handset isn’t functional under this ROM.
