One Galaxy Note 5 owner appears to have gotten a Marshmallow update a little bit early

In an interesting turn, after we reported on the leak of Samsung’s Marshmallow update roadmap, one – yes, just one – T-Mobile user in the USA by the name “Danon” has received an Android 6.0 Marshmallow update on his device.

Exactly how he came to receive this update seems a little strange. Following complaints of “IMEI issues” (his phone was previously rooted), Danon says he turned to ODIN (Samsung’s own restore tool) in an effort to get the device back to the stock firmware. In theory the build that the user received should have been N920TUVU2COJ5 but after restoring, then checking system update he was actually on N920TUVU2DOK5 which is Android 6.0 Marshmallow. How this has occurred is unknown at the moment, perhaps a fluke of timing or accidentally released update. It’s thought that the lack of IMEI might have something to do with it.

Danon posted about his update on an XDA forum thread, which became a bit of a Q&A around performance, stability and what exactly has changed. He’s also released a few screenshots of the updated Android OS running on his Galaxy Note 5. Spoiler: It still looks like Samsung’s standard software build, but a few differences are apparent.

The existence of the update is a very good sign for Note 5 users that their official update is fast approaching – rumoured to be beginning next month. We’ll keep our eyes and ears to the ground as this develops and keep you informed.

If you’re really keen to get some Marshmallow action on your Galaxy Note 5 there is a pathway you can follow now – Danon’s thread has since been updated with TWRP images and Nandroid backups. It’s a bit risky going down this path if you’re not experienced in flashing phones, but the risk is certainly yours to take. There’s plenty of help available at XDA’s forums as always, but make sure you do the reading first so that you understand the process and the risks.

Will you wait patiently for an official image to appear, or will you be heading to XDA to flash one of the images from there? Tell us in the comments!