Flashing LineageOS onto the Samsung Galaxy A52S 5G

Part of me hesitates to post this as the device is already obsolete, but the trend of flashing custom ROMs is of a piece with the trend of extending the lifetime of products enshittified by various forms of planned obsolescence.

The step-by-step instructions for this device from LineageOS are correct, but in my opinion, not complete. Here is a prequel to that set of instructions, that I think might make the process go more smoothly.

1. Make sure the A52S your are considering buying is at least one of

   1. Exynos (as opposed to Snapdragon) processor, or
   2. Intended for a market other than the United States.

2. Also make sure that the more specific model number is one of

   1. SM-A528B
   2. SM-A528N
   3. SM-A528B/DS

   This post is based on experience with an SM-A528B/DS, with Snapdragon processor, intended for sale in Poland.

3. Make sure the One UI version is below 8.0. Upgrading to 8.0 or higher will permanently remove the option of unlocking the bootloader.
4. Borrow a Windows PC if you don’t have one of your own. There are recipes for flashing Samsung devices without windows, but I haven’t succeeded at either of the two that I’ve found. For your information those two are
   • LineageOS install on A52S 5G using Debian and Heimdall, without Windows
   • Install LineageOS on Samsung Without PC | Custom ROM 2026 Guide
5. The first time you power up the phone, do not connect to Wi-Fi. Skip the Wi-Fi connection step in the initial setup.
6. Go into settings and turn off automatic updates, so that your OneUI version will remain below 8.0.
7. Familiarize yourself with the power button and the volume rocker. Spend enough time exploring the phone’s features offline to develop some muscle memory for these buttons. If necessary (if like me, you’re more used to a Pixel, for example) keep reminding yourself that on this Samsung the power button is BELOW the volume rocker, not above.
8. Then connect to Wi-Fi. For some reason connecting to a network is a prerequisite for unlocking the bootloader. But so is not upgrading One UI to 8.0+. An interesting catch 22, as I see it. Please don’t learn this the hard way.
9. For your own sanity, switch the default action of the power button to functioning as a power button instead of the default function of invoking Samsung’s particular “AI” assistant. I don’t remember where in the settings menu tree that was, but using “power” as a search term in search settings will find it for you.
10. Download
    1. vbmeta.img
    2. recovery.img
    3. lineage-23.2-20260422-nightly-a52sxq-signed.zip
    4. MindTheGapps-16.0.0-arm64-20260409_073023.zip, if you want to include GApps (Google Apps)
11. Download and install (on Windows)
    1. SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones_v1.9.0.0.exe
    2. Odin_3.13.1.zip

At this point, you should be ready to follow the step-by-step instructions provided by LineageOS. I think some of the steps should be given with a little more detail than found in the LineageOS Wiki.

Step 5 of screen 4 of 9.

In general, when you reach a step that involves booting to either of download mode or (later) recovery mode, SLOW DOWN, re-read the instructions, FEEL your way to the combination of buttons called for, and then press those buttons, probably while also connecting the phone to your Windows PC.

Download mode and recovery mode each have a menu system that is navigated with the three buttons. Use volume up and down to move between options, and the power button to select an option. Again, especially if you have muscle memory for a different arrangement of those buttons, slow down, feel it out, and then press whatever button fits where you are in the process.

Step 17 of screen 4 of 9.

Following the factory reset, include same things in changes to settings as at the outset of the present guide, that is, switch power button from AI assistant to power button, and turn off automatic software updates before turning on Wi-Fi.

Step 13 of screen 6 of 9.

Note that booting into recovery mode is Volume Up+Power, not Volume Down+Volume Up as in the earlier step that involved entering download mode. This is particularly important at this stage. If you press down instead of up, your phone will reinstall the Android recovery partition, undoing the work you did installing the LineageOS one, and you will have to go back to step 4 on screen 6 of 9.

Step 5 of screen 7 of 9.

If the file does not install, most likely the phone reverted to the Android recovery partition. Back to step 4 on screen 6 of 9.

Screen 8 of 9

If you want GApps (Google Apps), this is your window of opportunity. Another way to access Play Store apps is microG, which is more palatable to me because the interface with the Google Play API is reverse engineered rather than licensed, which to me is more in the spirit of hacker ethics, the DIY spirit, etc. Putting the adversarial in adversarial interoperability, if you will.

Good luck, and happy flashing!