Downgrade of Amazon Fire 5th Tablet from 5.1.3 to 5.1.2 using ADB sideload from Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

Hey! How it’s going? Hope Great!
I just performed downgrade of my german Amazon Fire 5th from 5.1.3 to 5.1.2. This thing is really cheap and this why allows you to play around. But the thing is that to try other Android ROM’s you should be rooted and at the moment it is no way to do this for versions 5.1.3 and 5.1.4. And unfortunatly mine arrived in 5.1.3 firmware version.

To check firmware version hit Settings -> Device options ->System Updates

I did everything from Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and maybe someone will find my adb sideloading experience helpfull cause I wasn’t able to google any other experience on adb Fire OS sideloading from Ubuntu.

You should start with adb installation:

sudo apt-get install android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot

Then create list of udev rule for most common devices. Amazon Fire already included. ToDo this type in the terminal:

sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules

and copy paste the following:

# udev rule to detect android devices
# Acer
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0502", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Archos
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0e79", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Asus
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0b05", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Azpen Onda
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”1f3a”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# BQ
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2a47", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Dell
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”413c”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Fairphone
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2ae5", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Foxconn
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0489", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Fujitsu Toshiba 
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”04c5", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Garmin-Asus
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”091e”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Google
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”18d1", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Haier
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”201e”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Hisense
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”109b”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# HTC, Wiko
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0bb4", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Huawei
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”12d1", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Intel
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”8087", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# K-Touch
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”24e3", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# KT Tech
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2116", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Kyocera
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0482", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Lab126
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”1949", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Lenovo
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”17ef”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# LG
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”1004", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Meizu
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2a45", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Micromax
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”1ebf”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Motorola
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”22b8", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# MTK
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0e8d”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# NEC
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0409", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Nook
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2080", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Nvidia
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0955", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# OnePlus Two (unknown vendor’s name)
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2a70", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Oppo
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”22d9", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# OTGV
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2257", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Pantech
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”10a9", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Pegatron
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”1d4d”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Philips
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0471", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# PMC-Sierra
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”04da”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Qualcomm
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”05c6", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Rockcwell Electronics
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2207", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# SK Telesys
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”1f53", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Samsung
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”04e8", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Sharp
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”04dd”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Sony
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”054c”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Sony Ericsson
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0fce”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Spreadtrum
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”1782", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# T & A Mobile Phones
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”1bbb”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Teleepoch
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2340", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Texas Instruments UsbBoot
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0451", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Toshiba
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”0930", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Wearners
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”05c6", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Wileyfox
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2970", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# XiaoMi
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2717", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# YU
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”1ebf”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Zebra
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”05e0", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# ZTE
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”19d2", MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# ZUK
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”2b4c”, MODE=”0666", GROUP=”plugdev”
# Amazon Fire 5th
SUBSYSTEM==”usb”, ATTR{idVendor}==”1949", MODE=”0660", GROUP=”plugdev”

Ctrl+o and Ctrl+x to save dev rule and exit nano.

Then you should restart adb by following command:

sudo adb kill-server
sudo adb start-server

And finally check:

adb devices

It should show your Amazon Fire 5th gen. tablet and it would be already authorized.

NOTE: could be written something like “device”, but the main thing if it is not displaying “unauthorized” then it means that everything works fine for you.

All the rest as RootJunky perfectly and clear described in his video:

“How to Firmware Restore or Unbrick your Amazon Fire 5th gen Tablet”

1. Download 5.1.2 firmware from here
2. Perform root boot by continuous pressing power and lower volume buttons
3. Using volume buttons select “apply update from ADB” and hit power button
4. Then type following in the terminal of your linux machine:

adb sideload <path to 5.1.2.bin>

5. Wait till process of sideloading will be finished

6. Reboot and boot regularly. With first boot Fire OS could tell you that it will do some sort of firmware update, but no worries in your case it will be downgrading.

7. Done!

Now you are ready to perform SuperTool to install Play Store, turn off ads from locksreen, shutdown amazon updates and root your device if necessary.

Tschüss!

V

UPDATE: Today perfrom all this on my laptop running Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and found that android-tools-adb repository for 14.04 got adb version 1.0.31, but to perform downgrade you will need newer 1.0.32 version. So hit this in terminal:

adb version
#Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.31
wget -O —https://skia.googlesource.com/skia/+archive/cd048d18e0b81338c1a04b9749a00444597df394/platform_tools/android/bin/linux.tar.gz | tar -zxvf — adb
sudo mv adb /usr/bin/adb
sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/adb
adb version
#Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.32

All the rest remain the same.

V