I just ordered my Sprint Hero online and it should be here by Monday. I have read all the Tutorials on how to root and how to Flash the custom ROMs. But I have two questions which I may have missed in all that reading.
1) Is there a possibility where further down the road an official update will not allow anyone to root their phone?
2) Can I root and do a nandroid backup. And not install any ROM for a while?
My goal is to play with the Stock Sprint Hero for atleast a month or so before I feel the need to try Custom ROMs.
- DroidD
Answers below!
1) If you update via an RUU, there is always a chance that HTC will replace the SPL with something that is uncrackable (or at least currently uncrackable). This occurred with later RUUs, and this is why the Goldcard method is often needed in order to root the phone.
When I had my G1 and received push updates, you needed to effectively "switch off" the auto-update routines to avoid getting a stock update that could prevent rooting further down the line. Since Sprint seem to push OTA updates out to CDMA Hero's so it is always possible that this could cause an issue for rooted ROMs, but I'd have though most custom ROMs would've switched off OTA updates anyway.
2) Yes
Regards,
Dave
Thanks Dave.
Dave,
I rooted my Sprint Hero, not necessarily for speed, more so I dont have to look at those horrible apps that Sprint doesnt want to let anyone remove.
I successfully rooted, nandroid backed up and removed the Sprint ware and installed THIS OPTIMIZER FILE (love the lockscreen) but have not decided whether I'm going to take the plunge into custom ROM world. I am actually impressed with how this phone runs (for now) and dont yet need to free up internal drive space.
My question is this: Essentially having the stock rom, is the fact my phone is rooted likely to cause a problem with future Sprint updates?
If so, can you unroot and leave the Sprint-crap out or do you have to go back to 100% absolute stock?
Thanks
Intro: I'm on the official Jelly Bean update, and by updating lost the root I had on ICS. I was one of the unfortunate users that backed up with an older version of Voodoo OTA RootKeeper, before the program updated to account for the JB changes, so my root got wiped even though it was backed up. Well I'm tired of sitting around waiting for exploits, and I treat my tablet with care anyways, so I figure it's finally time to take the plunge and unlock so I can root the thing, right?
Plan: According to this thread, I should run the unlock tool and then flash TWRP, after that I'll be free to flash custom updates and/or replace the whole OS/ROM.
Question: Do I really need to change ROMs in order to root? I've read vague mentions of flashing a zip with the su executable and such, if that works for an unlocked TF201 with the stock JB ROM, that'd save me a lot of trouble of backing up my apps and all that jazz. Does anybody have any info on this?
EDIT: Okay, it seems I can't do it right now. I'm currently getting network access via bluetooth tethering (pdanet app), but the unlock tool seems to explicitly demand wifi, as it tells me there's no network connection available even when I can browse just fine in the browsers and such... so this will have to wait until I can access some wifi.
Hey all, I'm looking to eventually install CyanogenMod 10.1 on my verizon galaxy S4. However, being a complete novice on this type of thing makes me a bit nervous about bricking my expensive phone.
So, I thought it would be good to try and understand the process of rooting and installing the custom rom. Could you guys help me out? I'll list what I know.
First thing I want to do is backup the Android stock rom that came with the phone. I have read that rooting or installing a custom rom (like CM) will void my warranty, so that's not good. But re-flashing the stock android that came with the phone will remedy this. To do this, I found this guide on using Nandroid. I don't think the CWM way will work for Verizon galaxy S4 (read that somewhere, but correct me if that's wrong).
However, it says that I am required to have a rooted phone first before running Nandroid.
Because Verizon's Galaxy S4 comes with a locked bootloader, and an unrooted phone, I need a way to root my phone. I found this nifty all-in-one tool by bhp090808.
The way that tool works is it exploits something in verizon's pre-release kernel of the S4, so it flashes the phone with the pre-release kernel, gets root privileges, then reflashes the stock kernel. Once this is done, my phone will be rooted and I assume I can use Nandroid to backup the stock android on the phone.
This is where I'm stuck. I have a few questions regarding various parts from here on:
1) Since the phone is rooted and I run Nandroid to back up the stock android rom, wouldn't Nandroid back up the stock android rom with the root access? If I needed to return my phone to Verizon under warranty, re-flashing this stock rom would still void my warranty because it still has root access? Is there a way to completely revert to stock android with verizon's unrooted and locked bootloader status (and whatever else)?
2) Does the all-in-one tool unlock bootloader? I found a tool called loki which will unlock the bootloader so that I can install custom roms like CyanogenMod. I looked in the all-in-one tool's zip folder, and it contains a file called "loki_flash", but I am unsure if this is unlocking the bootloader or not.
3) Can I re-flash a stock android if I brick my phone? What exactly does 'bricking' the phone mean?
goodmedic said:
Hey all, I'm looking to eventually install CyanogenMod 10.1 on my verizon galaxy S4. However, being a complete novice on this type of thing makes me a bit nervous about bricking my expensive phone.
So, I thought it would be good to try and understand the process of rooting and installing the custom rom. Could you guys help me out? I'll list what I know.
First thing I want to do is backup the Android stock rom that came with the phone. I have read that rooting or installing a custom rom (like CM) will void my warranty, so that's not good. But re-flashing the stock android that came with the phone will remedy this. To do this, I found this guide on using Nandroid. I don't think the CWM way will work for Verizon galaxy S4 (read that somewhere, but correct me if that's wrong).
However, it says that I am required to have a rooted phone first before running Nandroid.
Because Verizon's Galaxy S4 comes with a locked bootloader, and an unrooted phone, I need a way to root my phone. I found this nifty all-in-one tool by bhp090808.
The way that tool works is it exploits something in verizon's pre-release kernel of the S4, so it flashes the phone with the pre-release kernel, gets root privileges, then reflashes the stock kernel. Once this is done, my phone will be rooted and I assume I can use Nandroid to backup the stock android on the phone.
This is where I'm stuck. I have a few questions regarding various parts from here on:
1) Since the phone is rooted and I run Nandroid to back up the stock android rom, wouldn't Nandroid back up the stock android rom with the root access? If I needed to return my phone to Verizon under warranty, re-flashing this stock rom would still void my warranty because it still has root access? Is there a way to completely revert to stock android with verizon's unrooted and locked bootloader status (and whatever else)?
2) Does the all-in-one tool unlock bootloader? I found a tool called loki which will unlock the bootloader so that I can install custom roms like CyanogenMod. I looked in the all-in-one tool's zip folder, and it contains a file called "loki_flash", but I am unsure if this is unlocking the bootloader or not.
3) Can I re-flash a stock android if I brick my phone? What exactly does 'bricking' the phone mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see its been a few days and no one has replied so I will do my best to share what knowledge I have. I've been heavily flashing custom ROMs on my ASUS tablet now for the better part of a year and just got my Verizon GS4, so I have alot of the same questions as you.
1) I'm going to answer this in two parts.
Nandroid, in my experience, refers to the type of backup, not necessarily the process by which to backup. Most common recoveries, including ClockworkMod and TWRP have a feature to create a 'nandroid backup'. This can take some time and files can be quite large, as they copy pretty much every single file on your device; almost like creating a snapshot of your device in that moment in time.
To answer the later part of this question, (typically speaking) once you unlock a bootloader you cannot re-lock it, but that could be different for phones (my knowledge in phones is limited). And yes, using a nandroid backup will back up your device with root access, but using a tool such as Rom Toolbox, you can easily un-root (the program features a 'permanent unroot option'). For one, I would imagine that flashing the stock kernel would overwrite the root, as like you said earlier in the post the current root exploit works by flashing a pre-release kernel, applying root to the device, then re-flashing the current stock kernel. Another way to lose root is to get an over-the-air (OTA) update. You will see programs like OTA Rootkeeper that work to circumvent this, but in your case that may be a valid way to cover your arse in case you need to return it under VZW warranty (it is for this reason that I always buy Best Buy protection plans, because they could care less about the software state about your device [Disclaimer: I worked for Geek Squad so I have /somewhat/ intimate knowledge in this matter])
2) I just rooted my GS4 a few days ago, and nothing I read indicated that the all-in-one tool would unlock the bootloader. If you read the documentation about Loki, he explains this fact. I just found a good video (although it uses TWRP and GooManager instead of ROMManager and CWM) explaining that there isn't a bootloader "unlock" just yet; rather its a workaround to the bootloader that allows us to get custom ROMs on our devices (video is here)
3) "Bricking" a device means rendering the device useless; it won't operate to any fashion that it is useful to you, so its no better than a brick or a paper weight, etc. I would imagine you can re-flash a stock verizon ROM/kernel to restore any screw-ups, but keep in mind this device was released less than three months ago and any development is relatively new. Yes, we have had other Galaxy S series phones, but the S4 has this whole KNOX nonsense that is specifically designed to prevent the kinds of activities we do here on this forum
I really hope that helps. If I said anything that is incorrect, please please feel free to correct it so that at least we can all learn the proper information.
Thanks,
Opethfan89
goodmedic said:
Hey all, I'm looking to eventually install CyanogenMod 10.1 on my verizon galaxy S4. However, being a complete novice on this type of thing makes me a bit nervous about bricking my expensive phone.
So, I thought it would be good to try and understand the process of rooting and installing the custom rom. Could you guys help me out? I'll list what I know.
First thing I want to do is backup the Android stock rom that came with the phone. I have read that rooting or installing a custom rom (like CM) will void my warranty, so that's not good. But re-flashing the stock android that came with the phone will remedy this. To do this, I found this guide on using Nandroid. I don't think the CWM way will work for Verizon galaxy S4 (read that somewhere, but correct me if that's wrong).
However, it says that I am required to have a rooted phone first before running Nandroid.
Because Verizon's Galaxy S4 comes with a locked bootloader, and an unrooted phone, I need a way to root my phone. I found this nifty all-in-one tool by bhp090808.
The way that tool works is it exploits something in verizon's pre-release kernel of the S4, so it flashes the phone with the pre-release kernel, gets root privileges, then reflashes the stock kernel. Once this is done, my phone will be rooted and I assume I can use Nandroid to backup the stock android on the phone.
This is where I'm stuck. I have a few questions regarding various parts from here on:
1) Since the phone is rooted and I run Nandroid to back up the stock android rom, wouldn't Nandroid back up the stock android rom with the root access? If I needed to return my phone to Verizon under warranty, re-flashing this stock rom would still void my warranty because it still has root access? Is there a way to completely revert to stock android with verizon's unrooted and locked bootloader status (and whatever else)?
2) Does the all-in-one tool unlock bootloader? I found a tool called loki which will unlock the bootloader so that I can install custom roms like CyanogenMod. I looked in the all-in-one tool's zip folder, and it contains a file called "loki_flash", but I am unsure if this is unlocking the bootloader or not.
3) Can I re-flash a stock android if I brick my phone? What exactly does 'bricking' the phone mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S4 link in my signature has a few stock images to pick from. It will restore it to the original stock Verizon software that came with your phone.
DarkMenace said:
The S4 link in my signature has a few stock images to pick from. It will restore it to the original stock Verizon software that came with your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the 'Ad-Free' APK I see available on that website work better than jRummy's AdBlocker? I installed it and it detects ads (like in ASTRO, Zedge, and a few others) but doesn't block them even though I have all the settings turned ON and have rebooted when requested.
That said, thanks for the link. I've bookmarked it for future reference and its good to know there are backups available in case anything goes bad.
Are you able to elaborate on how these are flashed? Via ODIN, or can you flash it via CWM/TWRP?
Thanks,
Opethfan89
opethfan89 said:
Does the 'Ad-Free' APK I see available on that website work better than jRummy's AdBlocker? I installed it and it detects ads (like in ASTRO, Zedge, and a few others) but doesn't block them even though I have all the settings turned ON and have rebooted when requested.
That said, thanks for the link. I've bookmarked it for future reference and its good to know there are backups available in case anything goes bad.
Are you able to elaborate on how these are flashed? Via ODIN, or can you flash it via CWM/TWRP?
Thanks,
Opethfan89
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not n sure. It's the only one I ever used for banner blocking. You use the files with Odin as well after they are extracted.
Sent from my Rooted Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 using xda premium
So, Google will be pushing out monthly OTA updates and sicnce i have rooted my Nexus 5 (using Android 5.1.1) i'm wondering if there's any way i can install OTA-s (when i get notification in the status bar) without doing a full wipe on my phone (i was using Nexus Root Toolkit for this, but it wipes everything). Obviously, i don't wanna be doing that every month, since it takes time to install all the programs back on the phone and copy everything (pictures, music, ....) back on the phone.
Is there any way i can maybe unroot the device, install OTA and root it again? Without losing any data? Or even better, install OTA and keep root? Or is it possible to flash a .zip file that will do that (update Android to the latest one without wiping everything)?
What is the best way and easiest to update my phone every month? Obviously i want to have Root.
Interesting question. Would like to know too.
I have two Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 phones, SM-N900V. One has Android version 5.0 and I haven't been able to root that one. The other one has Android version 4.3, and I was able to root it from Windows using mobilego_setup_full818.exe.
Now that the second phone is rooted, I get daily unidentified popups, presumably from Verizon, asking me to let it update the phone. It doesn't say what it's going to update; I guess it's the Android version. My only choices are to let it happen, or postpone it; no option to refuse it permanently.
So question: If I let it update, will it undo my root? I'm worried that if it updates Android and I lose the rooting, I won't be able to root it again, like with the other phone.
On one hand I'd like to update the Android system because the current older one is preventing me from installing some apps, like Wells Fargo Banking, and Pokemon Go. On the other hand, I really want to keep the root, because I rely on it for using my phone as a wifi spot for my laptop, blocking ads, using Titanium Backup, etc.
Advice?
You can unlock the bootloader now, so updating, installing custom recoveries and root are no longer an issue:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/ver...l/official-note-3-verizon-bootloader-t3359370
Don't update over the air though. Update via Odin, then unlock bootloader, install TWRP, and flash SuperSU zip. Make sure to back everything up to a safe place.
Thanks; I'll check this stuff out.