Related
Surprised myself and after two weeks of ownership I am still on the I717 Note's stock ROM. This was after constantly ROM flashing on my prior Android Samsung Infuse and iPhone4 & 3G (Jailbreak of course).
Stock battery life is decent and launchers like GO, ADW, etc. give plenty of ability to change icons, UI behavior, etc.
So far I haven't found any annoying problems that would require me to fix via rooting.
I HAD to root my prior Samsung Infuse because it had software bugs that required root to fix BUT I am real PROUD of my Note's ability to run strong and solid as a stock ROM. I haven't been forced to reboot yet in 2 weeks of ownership! Yeha!
For myself the KEY is to make myself to NOT TO LOOK AT Applications:Running Services...it makes me sick to see all those unnecessary apps loaded up.
I simply wanted to see how the Note behaved out-of-the box...and so far real impressed.
Will I ever ROOT - Probably, just to get rid of bloatware AND I will need to tether occasionally once I start traveling again.
Will I ever replace the ROM? Not sure, depends on features but definitely not interested in ROMs that just change icons, startup screens and colors.
anyway, this is just post to say how satisfied, thus far, with the Note's performance...as is.
Anything I'm missing that needs root to fix?
andrawer said:
Surprised myself and after two weeks of ownership I am still on the I717 Note's stock ROM. This was after constantly ROM flashing on my prior Android Samsung Infuse and iPhone4 & 3G (Jailbreak of course).
Stock battery life is decent and launchers like GO, ADW, etc. give plenty of ability to change icons, UI behavior, etc.
So far I haven't found any annoying problems that would require me to fix via rooting.
I HAD to root my prior Samsung Infuse because it had software bugs that required root to fix BUT I am real PROUD of my Note's ability to run strong and solid as a stock ROM. I haven't been forced to reboot yet in 2 weeks of ownership! Yeha!
For myself the KEY is to make myself to NOT TO LOOK AT Applications:Running Services...it makes me sick to see all those unnecessary apps loaded up.
I simply wanted to see how the Note behaved out-of-the box...and so far real impressed.
Will I ever ROOT - Probably, just to get rid of bloatware AND I will need to tether occasionally once I start traveling again.
Will I ever replace the ROM? Not sure, depends on features but definitely not interested in ROMs that just change icons, startup screens and colors.
anyway, this is just post to say how satisfied, thus far, with the Note's performance...as is.
Anything I'm missing that needs root to fix?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can stop those with Autostarts (free in the market), and requires root. It prevents them from opening at all. If you end up checking it out, use the "after startup" disable option.
- Root required apps (there a lot of really good ones - this alone would be enough for me to root).
If you're not interested in theming, or a lot of modifications, then stock is cool. Features, changes, and modifications from custom roms can be patched to stock roms; the only advantage of using custom ones is that they're baked in for you.
I am sticking on stock rom for now, just going to root so I can restore a lot of my old apps, nothing more.
I've already flashed Da_G's root/over clock kernel, which got rid of the lag I was seeing. As soon as cwm comes out of beta I'm going to check out saurom. The Note's out of the box experience is one of the best I've seen, but there is just too much improvement to be had to stay stock, IMHO.
Synner12 said:
I've already flashed Da_G's root/over clock kernel, which got rid of the lag I was seeing. As soon as cwm comes out of beta I'm going to check out saurom. The Note's out of the box experience is one of the best I've seen, but there is just too much improvement to be had to stay stock, IMHO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CMW b3 seems to be flawless so far!
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA
I think it is a good idea to stay all stock until ics update comes out and we apply it. (I expect them to want us to be all stock when applying the ics update that is why)
Underground_XI said:
I think it is a good idea to stay all stock until ics update comes out and we apply it. (I expect them to want us to be all stock when applying the ics update that is why)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough but there will be several ICS Roms months before official AT&T. (I am typing from my ICS Captivate right now for example). Plus you can always flash back to stock.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA
I was stock from best buy to my house and that's it and I can't wait till I can get a sub 100mb ROM onto here. The bloat is sickening and even after removing down to mid 100 it's still not performing to it's non touchwiz potential.
Just to throw in my two-cents, I am fairly impressed as well with the Touchwiz 4.0 interface. Coming from an Atrix (blur) and Inspire (sense), touchwiz is a big step up imo. It feels like gingerbread done right to me. Although it isn't without a few issues, like the slight but noticable lag (to be fair all stock roms seem to stutter a bit occasionally), the no wallpaper scrolling and no landscape mode for the touchwiz launcher.
I think it will be interesting to see what devs or even Samsung/AT&T come up with to merge Touchwiz and ICS. It's gonna be a good year in the ROM community on this phone I can feel it.
Both my notes are on stock. I have no need for a rom.
Sarius24 said:
Both my notes are on stock. I have no need for a rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but... stock IS a ROM, too.
I think it is a great thing that this phone is so good that we can use it stock. Haven't got mine yet but I only plan to Root it and use stock for a few weeks, at least.
So far yes
Right now there really aren't that many roms for the galaxy note lte so I'm going to wait until ICS comes out play with that for a while then I'll be flashing away!
I think people obsess over nothing rather than actually use their devices. That said, I'm not bothering to flash anyone's cooked ROM until there's an ICS update from Samsung.
burhanistan said:
I think people obsess over nothing rather than actually use their devices. That said, I'm not bothering to flash anyone's cooked ROM until there's an ICS update from Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^That, less the o/c kernel. The performance boost isn't exacted necessary, but you WILL notice it.
I was going to try and stick with the stock ROM as long as possible. However, my addiction got the best of me, and im now laying in bed at the end of my first full day with my Note, and I'm running TPC2 with Da_G's OC kernel. Go figure. Haha.
Not that I was having troubles with the stock ROM, as it was actually really smooth and lag free for the most part. On the other hand, now my Note is an absolute beast. The Note is definitely the first Android I've been happy with out of the box, but I would still rather be running a custom ROM, if not just so I can tell people it's running custom software when I show them my phone.
Samsung really hit it out of the park with this phone. I will never look at a smaller phone the same way again. Forever ruined! And I find the SPen to be really comfy for just navigating my phone and precision of selection. Swyping is fun with it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
I think it's not necessary for me to do anything yet. But don't get me wrong, I will root the phone eventually. I have a real problem with ATT telling me that I "have" to suffer software I don't want on MY phone. That in its self encourages me to root. But, I am waiting to see if ICS is really going to be available soon.
I wonder though if Rooting would affect the upgrade process--perhaps someone could answer this for me. If not, I would be tempted to root my Note after the thirty days (window of time for return) is up.
I flashed roms daily on my Inspire, but I am stock now and planning on staying that way forever or at least until If leaks. the only thing I've done is root to disable ads and remove bloatware.
I'm still stock. I've rooted and jailbrake-ed other phones. I really like this one the way it is. The bloatware etc don't bother me much. I may root after ICS. For now, my Note rocks pretty hard just the way it is.
Roger_15 said:
But, I am waiting to see if ICS is really going to be available soon.
I wonder though if Rooting would effect the upgrade process--perhaps someone could answer this for me. If not, I would be tempted to root my Note after the thirty days is up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you asking if root will affect upgrading to ICS? The answer to that is no. If you flash a custom ROM then that answer is yes. You would need to go back to stock ROM for the ICS update from ATT. However, there will be ICS ROMs here well before ATT releases it.
What's the 30 days thing? Not getting that part. What happens in 30 days? Maybe you mean the window to return your Note. I agree you might want to wait for that to expire before root. But you can also un-root if you want.
I'm on stock rom and don't plan to root anytime soon for both of my devices the note and gnex!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Bought my S4 with ME7 from a N2 before I knew what was good for me. As a recovering flash-a-holic, ME7 has helped me appreciate the functionality and stability of a factory ROM. In the past, factory ROMs never really did it for me - mainly because I've owned devices where factory overlay versus hardware were never really equal.
Obviously AOSP was the way to go - stable builds of Cyanogenmod to be specific (nightlies and insert developernamehere ROMs always had insertquirkhere that inevitably revealed itself - being a perfectionist who loves minimalism, I had limited options. My ROM choice was always stable AOSP-built or TouchWiz with very light modifications (I looked for debloated, odexed ROMs with no mods, maybe volume key to change track).
Back to the topic name, has anyone grown content with their ME7 stock device? Obviously I'm anticipating Safestrap (I went from a Fascinate to a Bionic, then to GNex, GS3, GN2, GS4 for those wondering), but if it never reaches fruition, I could be content with this device for a little while. Opinions?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
zerofighter1 said:
Bought my S4 with ME7 from a N2 before I knew what was good for me. As a recovering flash-a-holic, ME7 has helped me appreciate the functionality and stability of a factory ROM. In the past, factory ROMs never really did it for me - mainly because I've owned devices where factory overlay versus hardware were never really equal.
Obviously AOSP was the way to go - stable builds of Cyanogenmod to be specific (nightlies and insert developernamehere ROMs always had insertquirkhere that inevitably revealed itself - being a perfectionist who loves minimalism, I had limited options. My ROM choice was always stable AOSP-built or TouchWiz with very light modifications (I looked for debloated, odexed ROMs with no mods, maybe volume key to change track).
Back to the topic name, has anyone grown content with their ME7 stock device? Obviously I'm anticipating Safestrap (I went from a Fascinate to a Bionic, then to GNex, GS3, GN2, GS4 for those wondering), but if it never reaches fruition, I could be content with this device for a little while. Opinions?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
root alone is fine for me, tbh, even though i run a custom rom. Just the ability to get rid of bloatware is fine with stuff like nova launcher.
zerofighter1 said:
Bought my S4 with ME7 from a N2 before I knew what was good for me. As a recovering flash-a-holic, ME7 has helped me appreciate the functionality and stability of a factory ROM. In the past, factory ROMs never really did it for me - mainly because I've owned devices where factory overlay versus hardware were never really equal.
Obviously AOSP was the way to go - stable builds of Cyanogenmod to be specific (nightlies and insert developernamehere ROMs always had insertquirkhere that inevitably revealed itself - being a perfectionist who loves minimalism, I had limited options. My ROM choice was always stable AOSP-built or TouchWiz with very light modifications (I looked for debloated, odexed ROMs with no mods, maybe volume key to change track).
Back to the topic name, has anyone grown content with their ME7 stock device? Obviously I'm anticipating Safestrap (I went from a Fascinate to a Bionic, then to GNex, GS3, GN2, GS4 for those wondering), but if it never reaches fruition, I could be content with this device for a little while. Opinions?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have ran basically every custom TW rom but now im on an me7 stock rom (can go back to mdk) and im content with it. Im running the xposed framework so I can do some basic customization. Getting some awesome battery life too, day and a half with 6 hours screen on time.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
Rooted, debloated with TBU, tweaked a bit with Tweakbox and Wanam via Xposed and using Nova, stock ME7 is fairly dynamic. Will I try a custom via SS, and/or via a custom recovery.....you bet. Am I OK with the GS4 as is? Yep. Best phone I have ever had by a long shot.
I used a 16gb S4 for couple days and then returned it and ordered the 32gb version online. I knew I had found my new phone because the only thing that bugged me was the bloat and that will go once rooted. Came from GNex, which I hated stock. Before that, the Incredible-hated Sense. So I was really thrilled with the S4 in all respects.
Question: When my new S4 arrives in the next day or two, what's the way to keep it from downloading the update before I can get it rooted? (I realize it may come already updated, in which case I'll just root, period )
GNex Toro
Pull sim and root or just put it in airplane mode then root. If it can't communicate to wonderful world of VZW, it can't pull down the update
Eric214 said:
Pull sim and root or just put it in airplane mode then root. If it can't communicate to wonderful world of VZW, it can't pull down the update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The above would be the absolute 1st step/s. 2nd step is to freeze/uninstall SDM 1.0. and go to system root/data/fota/ and delete the ota file/s.
Getting rid of the bloat ware did it for me. My battery life is much better now than when I first got it. I still wish I could flash some different ROMs. I've never had a phone I couldn't do that on so this will be a first.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Actually, I'm ok with rooted ME7 for now. It's only been, maybe 10 hours, and most of that time has been spent searching and reading, but after removing all the bloat mentioned here and downloading blacked out apps from TBO Blackout Updater, I think it should be just fine. Especially coming from the ol' Fascinate.
My first Droid was a HTC Incredible. I went through tons of ROM"s on that. Everything from an ODex'd stock rom to MIUI. I ultimately ran MIUI with tons of customizations flashed via recovery.
With the S4 Im content with root and just getting rid of the bloat. I like TouchWiz more than I liked HTC Sense.
Just rooting alone and removing the bloat I can go 27 hours with 55% screen time and 8% GPS usage. I went with the 32Gb version and a 16Gb Microsd card with tons of wallpapers, notification sounds, etc.
Very content.
I used to be a flash-a-holic, but in the last year, I have had a child and gone back to school. I have found very little time or motivation to mess around with ROMs I don't like, have strange glitches, or are just plain unreliable. I know there are many good ROMs usually available for well supported devices, but the time spent trying one after another has worn on me. My Nexus 7 has been running the same fully functional ROM for a long time, and I feel no need to "update" to the latest version of the ROM just for the sake of having the "latest" when this is running rock solid.
Stuck on stock... hehe... has been good for me actually. Very stable, functional. reliable. After rooting, removing all the bloat (still just frozen until thouroughly proven to be safe for me), and installling HOLO Launcher HD, I am very happy. I am findng tweaks to polish the user experience more and more every day, and my battery life is much better than I thought it would be with this huge and gorgeous screen. I have had no issues with the heat or battery drain I read about and feared before diving in and buying this phone, and whether or not it is because the first thing I did was root and debloat, doesn't matter to me.
I love this phone, my first Sammy.
Tool Belt said:
Rooted, debloated with TBU, tweaked a bit with Tweakbox and Wanam via Xposed and using Nova, stock ME7 is fairly dynamic. Will I try a custom via SS, and/or via a custom recovery.....you bet. Am I OK with the GS4 as is? Yep. Best phone I have ever had by a long shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wanam Xposed is so awesome, finally able to customized the device how I like
IamPro said:
Wanam Xposed is so awesome, finally able to customized the device how I like
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just installed Viper4Android.......WOW!!
Stupid question I'm sure, but how do I "debloat"? Is there an app, or is this simply manually deleting unwanted apps? FYI, I have Verizon ME7 rooted.
TMack1962 said:
Stupid question I'm sure, but how do I "debloat"? Is there an app, or is this simply manually deleting unwanted apps? FYI, I have Verizon ME7 rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Debloating is basically removing all the apps that come pre installed that you have no use/need for. There is a 1 click debloater posted in the dev section but I prefer to do it manually.
Hit thanks if I helped you out. Doing a little bit of reading goes a long way. Sent via tapatalk.
Is it possible to update to CM11 nightly (or any other 4.4 roms... I'm not familiar with the scene) from 4.3 stock?
I did install KNOX, and then removed it. And then the Samsung service reflashed the rom again. So I don't know about it anymore. Didn't install it since then.
My story:
As many of you already did, I also installed the new update. Read below if you are interested (but you probably know all this anyway.)
So. A few days ago Google+ started to eat up my battery. I disabled it in the Application Manager and did not have the updates installed either. But it just started. My usual battery life dropped to only a couple of hours at max.
So I fired up Google and it said I have to install the updates. So I did.
Nothing changed. Then I went into Google+, signed in, and then signed out.
Nothing changed.
So all in all, I have a piece of crappy brick that I can't use anymore.
Bit of a rant: You gotta love this. You buy an overpriced product and they f... you over a thousand times. App makers, Samsung (4.3 crapdate), and EVEN Google. Then why the hell would I even want Android ever again? Seriously. If I would have to buy a phone now, I would pick an iPhone, no matter how much it costs more. This is just unjustifiable. "Hey customer, thanks for buying our product. Now let us make it all crap." ... WHY?
So yeah. Now I have no choice but to lose warranty (which I already used a few times because this is REALLY a crap quality phone). Not that HTC One X was any better, it had a faulty GPU/motherboard like 4 times. (Thanks Nvidia!) ... Sorry guys, I'm just infuriated.
Wish I could just change the phone down. I was thinking about Sony, but if Google can buttrape you anytime, why bother? No guarantee I can just fix it on Sony either.
CM10 is also fine
As I read the nightly can disable all GSM related operations (call/sms), so CM10 is also fine.
I just want to fix my battery life and have a stable phone again.
h8Aramex said:
As I read the nightly can disable all GSM related operations (call/sms), so CM10 is also fine.
I just want to fix my battery life and have a stable phone again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you should download your firmware from here
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/1/?model=GT-I9305&pcode=0#firmware
wipe everything then go into download mode
Use Odin http://www.android.gs/download-odin-3-07/
and after you flash this, do a factory reset within the phone or through its recovery
I just did this with my wife's 9305 and its running like a champ
jetbruceli said:
you should download your firmware from here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply.
As I said my phone runs the 4.3 firmware now without any issue.
Except the 4.3 slow encryption and the huge battery drain. The phone got reset like 3-5 times in the past few weeks too.
So now I wonder if I can just install CM10 from 4.3.
But I need some confirmation as I know you cannot downgrade 4.3 for example. (Due to KNOX or whatever.)
Yeah should be no problem. My wife's battery drain happened too. I found the problem was with the SD card. I formatted it with the phone and it seems to be as good as it was on 4.12
sent from my iPhone 6s 64gb 5.7inch Super Oled screen and spen
jetbruceli said:
Yeah should be no problem. My wife's battery drain happened too. I found the problem was with the SD card. I formatted it with the phone and it seems to be as good as it was on 4.12
sent from my iPhone 6s 64gb 5.7inch Super Oled screen and spen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got no SD card.
Thanks for the replies too, but I still want a 100% CONFIRMATION that I can downgrade.
Having a brick is still worse than having like a few hours long battery life.
h8Aramex said:
I've got no SD card.
Thanks for the replies too, but I still want a 100% CONFIRMATION that I can downgrade.
Having a brick is still worse than having like a few hours long battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look you can go from any version of cm back to stock. CM doesn't change your boot loader or your modem. The only time your stuck on a version of android is when it comes to stock. Like as a note 3 users we are stuck on KitKat because they updated our bootlaoder. Cm based Roms it doesn't matter.
And you should get an SD card to hold your back ups just in case.
Also if someone helps you on xda it's kind of nice to hit the thanks button. It allow others to see that their comment was useful.
Good luck.
BTW if your new to rooted and ROM installing I suggest reading through the Dev section for the i9305.
Also google your issue word for word and there are tons of android forums out there which may help you.
A lot of times if you open a thread that has been answered a lot they will ignore it or throw words you won't like your way.
So good luck
sent from my iPhone 6s 64gb 5.7inch Super Oled screen and spen
jetbruceli said:
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know you cannot downgrade from 4.3, nor use Triangle Away (due to KNOX).
Does this affect the move to CM? Or not?
h8Aramex said:
I know you cannot downgrade from 4.3, nor use Triangle Away (due to KNOX).
Does this affect the move to CM? Or not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
has nothing to do with cm and triangle away will restore your binary count not warranty bit but I am not sure how knox effects the s3 as it does with the note 3
either way it never hurts to try things
jetbruceli said:
has nothing to do with cm and triangle away will restore your binary count not warranty bit but I am not sure how knox effects the s3 as it does with the note 3
either way it never hurts to try things
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah if I'm not going to get an answer in a few hours I'll give it a go. It's a brick anyway, heh.
Just did my wife's i9305 today. Moving to cm/omni shouldn't be an issue, however be warned you lose a lot of features like HDMI out and the camera doesn't work as well. I just put the galaxy project ROM on there as the i9305 has the extra GB of ram which keeps stock nice and smooth, also you can debloat if the need be. And if you run into camera issues like I did simply flash stock kernel then reflash rom. Honestly unless you prefer KitKat its a waste of the extra ram your device has as most of it simply will never get used.
Also with wanam xposed you can customize everything! Can't do that with an iPhone. Sorry to hear you have had a bad run but while Samsung's software isn't exactly great the hardware is beast and once you learn how to configure it and unlock its full potential you will see you made the right choice.
i9300 | temasek 4.4.2 | boeffla kernel
Thanks for your reply!
- How worse will the camera get?
- What other important features you know? (HDMI does not really matter to me.)
I do use it a lot, so I don't want to lose everything. (Only use simple picture/HDR modes tho.)
Tried again every kind of combination with Google+ and it's still eating my battery like crazy.
I mean... what the hell is the "Disable" for then? It "almost disables" the app or what? lol.
shoalinagent said:
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgot to quote, sorry. (just quoting you now so you will get a notification, hopefully.)
Thanks for your reply!
- How worse will the camera get?
- What other important features you know? (HDMI does not really matter to me.)
I do use it a lot, so I don't want to lose everything. (Only use simple picture/HDR modes tho.)
Tried again every kind of combination with Google+ and it's still eating my battery like crazy.
I mean... what the hell is the "Disable" for then? It "almost disables" the app or what? lol.
h8Aramex said:
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Topic solved!
Installed CM without any problem. Everything worked flawless.
Now I have a fast (MUCH faster) phone. And all those god-tier features. Holy sh*t I love my phone now.
(I hate you Samsung.)
Hi all!
I've been an S3 user for a little over 1.5 years; been a native of the Sprint forums (although my Sprint S3 is flashed to Page Plus).
Now that VZW has made their prepaid plan a lot more competitive and included LTE, I'm planning on making the jump, and picking up an S4 in the process. The $ cost to me will end up being negligible, as I'm able to sell my S3 and mostly make up for the expense of the S4.
I've loved my S3 - I run a rooted stock 4.4.2 rom, debloated all the samsung & sprint crap via titanium, and a ktoonsez kernel that's been tweaked to work well with my phone - and it functions perfectly - still fast, great battery life for a ~2 year old phone, etc. Been around android for some time now (first phone was the OG incredible), so am perfectly comfortable tweaking and such, however I don't want to spend too much time doing so.
I'm reading about the S4 and curious if it's worth the upgrade. I've heard several people online complain about the verizon 4.4.2 update causing overheating and issues with the phone. If I root, debloat, and run a quality custom kernel, am I likely to have issues?
I only use my phone for web browsing, calendaring email, texting, and talking - no gaming. I'm mainly looking forward to having the nicer screen and camera, and the likely possibility of a few more Android updates (which the S3 is unlikely to get). Honestly I'd love to have the next Nexus or something that runs closer to stock, but don't have the luxury to wait around for that phone (and I want to stay on vzw's network).
I've been doing some reading around your forum and am just curious as to your thoughts on the jump S3 -> vzw S4! Pros & cons?
Thanks much,
-Dirk
VZW has it locked down. You can root & perhaps a custom rom using Safestrap. But only TW based roms & some Xposed framework customization. Just about 0 choice on kernels. (unless you can get hold of one with MDK bootloader, - - then you are golden.)
wtherrell said:
VZW has it locked down. You can root & perhaps a custom rom using Safestrap. But only TW based roms & some Xposed framework customization. Just about 0 choice on kernels. (unless you can get hold of one with MDK bootloader, - - then you are golden.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh. I was planning on picking up one of the manufacturer refurb ones ($200) thru vzw's site. I'm assuming those will all be on whatever the newest bootloader version is ... this is disappointing (don't really mind running stock, just need to be rooted).
But really no kernels work on the newest OTA?
EDIT: Wow, just read the "Customizing your vzw S4" post ...
If the bootloader isn't "I545VRUAMDK" you have a locked bootloader and can only use Safestrap to install custom ROMs. Custom recovery is not possible. Attempts to install custom recovery will soft-brick your phone and require you to re-flash a stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is very unfortunate. Hmm, now I'm not so sure about this purchase. Assuming the S4 gets Android "L", do you think the device will be locked down again and root will be removed permanently?
dirkdigles said:
Huh. I was planning on picking up one of the manufacturer refurb ones ($200) thru vzw's site. I'm asking those will all be on whatever the newest bootloader version is ... this is disappointing (don't really mind running stock, just need to be rooted).
But really no kernels work on the newest OTA?
EDIT: Wow, just read the "Customizing your vzw S4" post ...
That is very unfortunate. Hmm, now I'm not so sure about this purchase. Assuming the S4 gets Android "L", do you think the device will be locked down again and root will be removed permanently?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a lot of great roms you can run and yes you can obtain root with the newest version nc5. Easy as pie with towelroot. Don't even need a pc. Safestrap 3.72 is what you will need if you get the latest version. You could check out swappa if you want a MK2 or maybe even a MDK. Safestrap has its own recovery and works just fine. Most of the people on here use Safestrap. You would be happier if you found one running 4.3 as opposed to 4.4.2 because of better battery life but NC5 (4.4.2) works fine and is a lttle faster probably.
dirkdigles said:
That is very unfortunate. Hmm, now I'm not so sure about this purchase. Assuming the S4 gets Android "L", do you think the device will be locked down again and root will be removed permanently?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the bad part about safestrap vs. a custom recovery? I still see CM11 for the S4. Is it a lack of backups or something?
Flowah said:
What's the bad part about safestrap vs. a custom recovery? I still see CM11 for the S4. Is it a lack of backups or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Safestrap enables you to flash roms on a locked bootloader which is pretty cool. Unfortunately the big limitation is basically that you can't touch the kernel on a locked bootloader without kexec support ( which will probably never happen) so the only roms you can flash have to be based on the same firmware that your phone has stock. No AOSP roms at all or TW roms that are newer than an OTA and no custom kernels.
All the AOSP roms you see are for MDK and Dev edition phones.
Flowah said:
What's the bad part about safestrap vs. a custom recovery? I still see CM11 for the S4. Is it a lack of backups or something?
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If u don't have mdk firmware safestrap only option and no cm or asop roms.
sent by safestrap powered echo v26
I'm pretty happy with my phone. It's not a huge jump from the s3. I am rooted on 4.4.2 and flash roms with SS. You can flash aosp look alike roms. Also, my battery life is just fine!
s4 upgrade not worth it
dirkdigles said:
Hi all!
I've been an S3 user for a little over 1.5 years; been a native of the Sprint forums (although my Sprint S3 is flashed to Page Plus).
Now that VZW has made their prepaid plan a lot more competitive and included LTE, I'm planning on making the jump, and picking up an S4 in the process. The $ cost to me will end up being negligible, as I'm able to sell my S3 and mostly make up for the expense of the S4.
I've loved my S3 - I run a rooted stock 4.4.2 rom, debloated all the samsung & sprint crap via titanium, and a ktoonsez kernel that's been tweaked to work well with my phone - and it functions perfectly - still fast, great battery life for a ~2 year old phone, etc. Been around android for some time now (first phone was the OG incredible), so am perfectly comfortable tweaking and such, however I don't want to spend too much time doing so.
I'm reading about the S4 and curious if it's worth the upgrade. I've heard several people online complain about the verizon 4.4.2 update causing overheating and issues with the phone. If I root, debloat, and run a quality custom kernel, am I likely to have issues?
I only use my phone for web browsing, calendaring email, texting, and talking - no gaming. I'm mainly looking forward to having the nicer screen and camera, and the likely possibility of a few more Android updates (which the S3 is unlikely to get). Honestly I'd love to have the next Nexus or something that runs closer to stock, but don't have the luxury to wait around for that phone (and I want to stay on vzw's network).
I've been doing some reading around your forum and am just curious as to your thoughts on the jump S3 -> vzw S4! Pros & cons?
Thanks much,
-Dirk
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I have the samsung galaxy s4 on verizon and i wouldnt say the upgrade is really worth it from the s3. If you want to stay with samsung go with the s5 with all the newest specs. Then once you get it, if you dont like the soft ware then just flash a stock s3 rom to it and it wil be like your s3 just work a lot more efficient. In short, it is not worth the upgrade from GS3 to GS4.
joshm.1219 said:
Safestrap enables you to flash roms on a locked bootloader which is pretty cool. Unfortunately the big limitation is basically that you can't touch the kernel on a locked bootloader without kexec support ( which will probably never happen) so the only roms you can flash have to be based on the same firmware that your phone has stock. No AOSP roms at all or TW roms that are newer than an OTA and no custom kernels.
All the AOSP roms you see are for MDK and Dev edition phones.
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Click to collapse
Just an fyi for people, this isn't totally true. In the general section there is a thread about running a 4.4.4 GPE rom. I've been on the 4.4.3 version for a few days and it's great. With gravity box I can get it set up almost like a custom rom. There are a few bugs but nothing that is a deal breaker (for me)
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
rrrrrrredbelly said:
Just an fyi for people, this isn't totally true. In the general section there is a thread about running a 4.4.4 GPE rom. I've been on the 4.4.3 version for a few days and it's great. With gravity box I can get it set up almost like a custom rom. There are a few bugs but nothing that is a deal breaker (for me)
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Yes that's true, seems like only a few of you really have it working flawlessly though.
joshm.1219 said:
Yes that's true, seems like only a few of you really have it working flawlessly though.
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Click to collapse
I haven't been following the thread that closely, didn't realize. There are definitely issues (no usb connection is a big one) but after losing my mdk phone 2 months ago on a warranty issue, i love this rom.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Ok so I'm fairly new to the whole rooting thing but I have been studying up quite abit. Lots of really good videos on youtube!! So I'm just looking for some direction on what kind of things I can/should do now that I have rooted my phone. Here is the break down so far:
Rooted - Towelroot
Root Browser Installed
BusyBox Installed
Safestrap Installed and backup saved
Titanium Back Up Installed. Most Bloatware has been safely removed with no issues thus far
SuperSu Installed
Terminal Emulator Installed
CPU Tuner installed but have absolutely no clue what I am doing - still researching this
I think that is about it. So any tipps on next direction would greatly be appreciated!!
Thanks in advance
BowHunter2400 said:
Ok so I'm fairly new to the whole rooting thing but I have been studying up quite abit. Lots of really good videos on youtube!! So I'm just looking for some direction on what kind of things I can/should do now that I have rooted my phone. Here is the break down so far:
Rooted - Towelroot
Root Browser Installed
BusyBox Installed
Safestrap Installed and backup saved
Titanium Back Up Installed. Most Bloatware has been safely removed with no issues thus far
SuperSu Installed
Terminal Emulator Installed
CPU Tuner installed but have absolutely no clue what I am doing - still researching this
I think that is about it. So any tipps on next direction would greatly be appreciated!!
Thanks in advance
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O yes my S4 is NC5 and stock rom
Make phone calls... or browse the internet.
Mine does facebook good.
All the root, customization , ect. is just to make it do what YOU want it to do. If there isn't something your trying to get it to do that it doesn't... There isn't really a what next, be happy.
If there IS something your trying to get it to do that it doesn't... that next.
edit: though if your not using a custom rom you should probably freeze the program that controls OTA updates. Hopefully someone can chime in with what its called... Been awhile and I forget, and just flashed a rom instead of worrying about it last time I updated my phone.
Like you, I've frozen/killed/uninstalled all the crapware I could. Beyond that, all I've done is installed the Google Launcher. My phone is well behaved and pretty responsive, with minimal lag.
All I would really want at this point is an unlocked bootloader so I could install a straight Google ROM.
jwhistler said:
Like you, I've frozen/killed/uninstalled all the crapware I could. Beyond that, all I've done is installed the Google Launcher. My phone is well behaved and pretty responsive, with minimal lag.
All I would really want at this point is an unlocked bootloader so I could install a straight Google ROM.
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Click to collapse
I'm on NC5 and have been happily running GPE ROM for quite awhile now. Only problem is the Kernel difference so there's no USB transfer.
Thanks for the reply's. Yeah I don't really game or anything. Heck I don't even Facebook lol but I would like to Play around with getting better battery life and maybe a little speed. Not that I really need too, the response is very good and the lag is only noticeable at times. I want to play around with the CPU tuner but I'm nervous about messing something up and I have not installed a new Kernel yet and from what I have read that is a must.
BowHunter2400 said:
Thanks for the reply's. Yeah I don't really game or anything. Heck I don't even Facebook lol but I would like to Play around with getting better battery life and maybe a little speed. Not that I really need too, the response is very good and the lag is only noticeable at times. I want to play around with the CPU tuner but I'm nervous about messing something up and I have not installed a new Kernel yet and from what I have read that is a must.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO! Installing a new kernel on SafeStrap NC5 is not a must! It will brick your phone! You can use TW based ROMS and one or two very special AOSP Roms, no new kernels though!
BowHunter2400 said:
Thanks for the reply's. Yeah I don't really game or anything. Heck I don't even Facebook lol but I would like to Play around with getting better battery life and maybe a little speed. Not that I really need too, the response is very good and the lag is only noticeable at times. I want to play around with the CPU tuner but I'm nervous about messing something up and I have not installed a new Kernel yet and from what I have read that is a must.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use android tuner for my tuning needs. Really expansive options and a really great app. If you want a really light ROM fort SS GPE ROMs are about 400-500MB. Gets rid of clunky touchwiz and solely runs on Google Now Launcher. Only bummer is the loss of the Touchwiz camera app.
scryan said:
Make phone calls... or browse the internet.
Mine does facebook good.
All the root, customization , ect. is just to make it do what YOU want it to do. If there isn't something your trying to get it to do that it doesn't... There isn't really a what next, be happy.
If there IS something your trying to get it to do that it doesn't... that next.
edit: though if your not using a custom rom you should probably freeze the program that controls OTA updates. Hopefully someone can chime in with what its called... Been awhile and I forget, and just flashed a rom instead of worrying about it last time I updated my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FWupgrade.apk and SDM.apk spdclient.apk is for security notifications.
Sent from my Verizon Galaxy S4 BlackBox using XDA Free Mobile App
npjohnson said:
NO! Installing a new kernel on SafeStrap NC5 is not a must! It will brick your phone! You can use TW based ROMS and one or two very special AOSP Roms, no new kernels though!
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Click to collapse
Well now, learn something new every day here! So any good sugestions??
BowHunter2400 said:
Well now, learn something new every day here! So any good sugestions??
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Click to collapse
HyperDrive is solid and a good ROM for those newer to 'all this' IMO. I am on BlackBox which is stupid fast and has great battery life but is a little buggy. I've had it on my phone for over a week now and have no plans of taking it off anytime soon. But it's up to you now. Just make sure you wipe everything before you flash, always make a backup beforehand and only flash ROM's that are proven on your device and your bootloader and you will be money. Also, read read read the threads before flashing.
Sent from my Verizon Galaxy S4 BlackBox using XDA Free Mobile App
npjohnson said:
NO! Installing a new kernel on SafeStrap NC5 is not a must! It will brick your phone! You can use TW based ROMS and one or two very special AOSP Roms, no new kernels though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
liljoe727 said:
HyperDrive is solid and a good ROM for those newer to 'all this' IMO. I am on BlackBox which is stupid fast and has great battery life but is a little buggy. I've had it on my phone for over a week now and have no plans of taking it off anytime soon. But it's up to you now. Just make sure you wipe everything before you flash, always make a backup beforehand and only flash ROM's that are proven on your device and your bootloader and you will be money. Also, read read read the threads before flashing.
Sent from my Verizon Galaxy S4 BlackBox using XDA Free Mobile App
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Click to collapse
Appreciate that Liljoe!!
scryan said:
Make phone calls... or browse the internet.
Mine does facebook good.
All the root, customization , ect. is just to make it do what YOU want it to do. If there isn't something your trying to get it to do that it doesn't... There isn't really a what next, be happy.
If there IS something your trying to get it to do that it doesn't... that next.
edit: though if your not using a custom rom you should probably freeze the program that controls OTA updates. Hopefully someone can chime in with what its called... Been awhile and I forget, and just flashed a rom instead of worrying about it last time I updated my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's called SDM in the system portion... and I would get lucky patcher and black mart alpha installed to. these give you access to everything and all the paid apps too.
Add a tethering/hotspot app.