So you’ve rooted your Android device and have been hearing about the benefits of those awesome custom kernels, but are too afraid of manually flashing them yourself using command line tools? Or you flash different kernels often but would prefer to have a more convenient, GUI-based method of installing them right from your device? XDA Recognized Developer frapeti has developed Universal Kernel Flash to take care of all your kernel flashing needs. At the time of writing, Universal Kernel Flash has been confirmed working for the LG Nexus 4 (E960) and a few Samsung Galaxy series devices including the S4 (GT-I9500 & GT-I9595), S III (GT-I9300), Ace 2 (GT-I8160) and S Advance (GT-I9070 & GT-I9070P) running stock as well as custom ROMs based on various versions of Android from Gingerbread to Jelly Bean, and the developer is working on adding support for even more devices. Let’s find out more about this handy little app right after the jump...
Disclaimer: Use this app to flash custom kernels entirely at your own risk, and only flash a kernel that is compatible with your device, in a format that is compatible with this app as mentioned below. HRJ Tricks will not be responsible if your device gets damaged or bricked in the process.
Universal Kernel Flash is as minimal as it gets – there are no settings to configure, no different screens of the app to navigate; just select a kernel file, flash it and reboot the device. The app doesn’t even let your binary counter get changed, though the KNOX flag on the latest devices may get triggered.
Upon launch, Universal Kernel Flash shows you a Superuser prompt and when granted the required permissions, it takes you to its simple and minimal home screen. Info about your device such as its model name and the operating system it’s running is showed in the top section, below which is the button that lets you select the kernel file to flash. The app supports kernels in bin, md5 or img format.
After you choose a kernel using any of the supported installed apps, Universal Kernel Flash shows you information about the kernel, including its MD5 hash. If the kernel that you selected isn’t detected to be a known valid kernel for the device, you are also shown a toast message warning you to install it entirely at your own risk. Once you’re ready, hit the ‘Flash kernel image’ button, and the app will start flashing it to your device – it’s that simple. After flashing is done, you’ll need to reboot your device to boot with the new kernel that you just flashed.
The app is available as a fully functional free version but if you want to support the developer, there’s also a $0.99 donate variant available, which is totally worth purchasing considering the utility and simplicity of the app. To follow its development or contact the developer with your feedback and requests, head over to its XDA thread linked below.
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