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Upgrading Galaxy Tab E SM-560NU (gtelwifiue) to LineageOS 19.1
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README.md

The Galaxy Tab E is an unsupported and somewhat dated device now, but there are a lot of them in the world and they have a nice screen that's comfortable for reading or watching shows. Here is how to keep one alive, if you have it, by updating its OS to 2025. Credit for the build goes to @retiredtab (https://sourceforge.net/projects/retiredtab/). Google(?) is no longer doing firmware security updates, and so @retiredtab has decided this is the last build they are going to make, so there will be no more updates unless someone else picks maintenance up. Do not put any sensitive data on this device, but it makes a good e-book reader or youtube/Netflix viewer.

This guide assumes you have a desktop machine with Linux and ~1GB of free space.

Verify model

Look at Tablet > Settings > About Tablet > model. Verify it says SM-T560NU.

Or: install F-Droid, then Termux, open it and make sure hostname says gtelwifiue which is the internal codename for the SM-T560.

🛑 ⚠️ 🛑 ⚠️ 🛑 THIS WILL NOT WORK on other Galaxy Tablets. The SM-T560 is a different device. You risk BRICKING your device if you try to follow these instructions for that. This is ONLY FOR the SM-T560NU. 🛑⚠️🛑⚠️🛑

Tools

Install adb and heimdall (the open-source version of Odin which is Samsung's in-house version of fastboot):

For me, that was:

sudo pacman -S android-tools heimdall

For most people that will be:

sudo apt install adb heimdall

Unlocking Bootloader

(TBH I did this a long time ago and I don't remember if there was anything special about it, but I think the process is:)

  1. Settings > About Tablet > Tap Build number 7 to 10 times
  2. Settings > Developer settings > enable "Allow OEM unlock"
  3. [Vol+] + [Vol-] to reboot to Download mode
  4. Long press [Vol+] to unlock bootloader

Recovery

Download TWRP_3.5.2_9_SM-T560NU_20211015_Unofficial.img from https://sourceforge.net/projects/retiredtab/files/SM-T560NU/TWRP/.

adb reboot bootloader
heimdall flash --no-reboot --RECOVERY TWRP_3.5.2_9_SM-T560NU_20211015_Unofficial.img

Note: I'm not sure but it might be important to boot into TWRP before rebooting to the OS, lest the stock OS detect the change and restore the original recovery. If that's not true, then you can leave off the --no-reboot flag.

Note: there's a copy of the LineageOS recovery at https://sourceforge.net/projects/retiredtab/files/SM-T560NU/LineageOS-recovery/; that should also work, though the flashing process will be very slightly different and I haven't tried it to confirm.

Flashing

Download lineage-19.1-20250409-UNOFFICIAL-gtelwifiue.zip and lineage-19.1-20250409-UNOFFICIAL-gtelwifiue.zip.sha256sum from https://sourceforge.net/projects/retiredtab/files/SM-T560NU/19.1/

Verify the download wasn't corrupted:

sha256sum *.sha256sum

Hold [Power]+[Vol-] to reboot into TWRP.

  1. Wipe > Factory Reset
  2. Wipe > Format Data
  3. Advanced > Sideload
  4. adb -d sideload lineage-19.1-20250409-UNOFFICIAL-gtelwifiue.zip

GApps (Optional)

I didn't try GApps, but if you want to use apps like Netflix that demand Google Play Services, you must googlify your device now before booting into the OS for the first time; if you skip this and change your mind later, you will have to do a factory reset before installing them or else things get crashy.

  1. Download MindTheGApps from https://mindthegapps.com/
  • there are 4 other competitors, like https://opengapps.org/ and .. I forget .. but they're all doing the same thing basically and the actual contents are just generated by google.
  1. adb reboot recovery
  2. Wipe > Factory Reset
  3. Advanced > Sideload
  4. adb -d sideload mindthegapps-<version>.zip

Setup

  1. Reboot out of recovery.
  2. Follow the initial LineageOS setup wizard.
  3. Open the browser, go to https://f-droid.org/, download and install it.
  4. F-Droid > install Aurora Store

Rooting (optional)

We will root with Magisk, as AddonSu has been removed from LineageOS, and SuperSU is unmaintained, and I don't know how to use KernelSU.

  1. Extract boot.img from lineage-19.1-20250409-UNOFFICIAL-gtelwifiue.zip; it's in the root of the file.
  2. adb push boot.img /sdcard
  3. On the tablet, Install Magisk from F-Droid
  4. On the tablet open Magisk; confirm it reports "Installed: No" and "Ramdisk: Yes".
  5. On the tablet, Magisk > Install > Select and Patch a File > Select boot.img > Let's Go
    • take note of the output file name; it will be magisk_patched-[random_string].img
  6. adb pull /sdcard/Download/magisk_patched-[random_string].img
  7. adb reboot bootloader
  8. When the tablet is showing "Download Mode": heimdall flash --BOOT magisk_patched_[random_string].img
  9. The tablet should reboot
  10. Tablet > Magisk > confirm it reports "Installed: [version number]"

Note: LineageOS allows root via adb: enable Developer Settings then access System > Developer Settings > ADB > Allow Rooted ADB, and run adb root; adb shell to become root. so if you don't need your apps to have root regularly, like the F-Droid privileged extension or AdAway, you can skip Magisk.

Customization

  1. Explore F-Droid for open source apps
  2. Explore alternate F-Droid repos for a wider (but messier) variety of apps: https://forum.f-droid.org/t/known-repositories/721
  3. IzzyOnDroid is particularly good; it's like Obtanium, but within F-Droid: it pulls in apps daily from GitHub releases and automatically updates them.
  4. Explore Aurora Store for closed source apps.

References

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