<s>
Odin	B-Application
is	O
a	O
utility	O
software	O
program	O
developed	O
and	O
used	O
by	O
Samsung	B-Application
internally	O
which	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
Samsung	B-Application
devices	O
in	O
Odin	B-Application
mode	I-Application
(	O
also	O
called	O
download	B-Application
mode	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
flash	O
a	O
custom	O
recovery	O
firmware	O
image	O
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
the	O
stock	O
recovery	O
firmware	O
image	O
)	O
to	O
a	O
Samsung	B-Application
Android	B-Application
device	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Odin	B-Application
is	O
also	O
used	O
for	O
unbricking	O
certain	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Odin	B-Application
is	O
the	O
Samsung	B-Application
proprietary	O
alternative	O
to	O
Fastboot	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
no	O
account	O
of	O
Samsung	B-Application
ever	O
having	O
officially	O
openly	O
released	O
Odin	B-Application
,	O
though	O
it	O
is	O
mentioned	O
in	O
the	O
developer	O
documents	O
for	O
Samsung	B-Application
Knox	I-Application
SDK	B-Application
and	O
some	O
documents	O
even	O
instruct	O
users	O
to	O
use	O
Odin	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
other	O
docs	O
on	O
Knox	O
SDK	B-Application
reference	O
"	O
engineering	O
firmware	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
presumably	O
can	O
be	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Knox	O
SDK	B-Application
along	O
with	O
Odin	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
tool	O
is	O
not	O
intended	O
for	O
consumers	O
,	O
but	O
for	O
Samsung	B-Application
's	O
own	O
personnel	O
and	O
approved	O
repair	O
centers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
none	O
of	O
the	O
publicly	O
available	O
downloads	O
are	O
authorized	O
by	O
Samsung	B-Application
itself	O
,	O
XDA-Developers	B-Application
consider	O
the	O
files	O
offered	O
on	O
their	O
Forum	O
(	O
)	O
the	O
safest	O
option	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
usage	O
of	O
Odin	B-Application
,	O
the	O
phone	O
needs	O
to	O
be	O
in	O
Download	B-Application
mode	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heimdall	B-Application
is	O
a	O
free/libre/open	B-License
-source	I-License
,	O
cross-platform	B-Operating_System
replacement	O
for	O
Odin	B-Application
which	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
libusb	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
Heimdall	B-Application
,	O
like	O
Odin	B-Application
,	O
is	O
an	O
allusion	O
to	O
Norse	O
mythology	O
;	O
both	O
Odin	B-Application
and	O
Heimdall	B-Application
are	O
among	O
the	O
deities	O
of	O
the	O
Norse	O
pantheon	O
.	O
</s>
