[Q] How to root a fake Samsung Galaxy S4 - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey guys, I got a Samsung Galaxy S4 for my birthday but unfortunately I found out it was a clone.
It has all these Chinese apps installed and I want to get rid of them to make space since it is using all my 18GB and only
leaving me with 2GB. I was told I had to root it but I have no idea how to do it.
Any advice?

There are dozens of S4 clones. You have to find out some more info before you try and root it. It's also a really good idea to download the stock firmware if we can determine what it is, so if something doesn't go right, you can recover. Only thing worse than apps you don't want is a phone that doesn't work.
Go to your Settings > About Phone section and screenshot everything about the android version, baseband version, build version, kernel version etc.
Sometimes they get really clever and fake that stuff too, but since there are already Chinese apps installed, doesn't seem like they went all in like that.

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[Q] Eliminating chinesses app from a STAR A3 (beginner level)

Hello all,
let me present my self as a beginner in the world of Android.
It has come an Star A3 to my hands, with Android 4.0 and among all great things of IceCream, few Chinese apps I want to get rid of
the phone is rooted (well, one headache less)
I have flash the recovery 592zn.com_recovery_Star_A3_MT6573.img with Mobileuncle tools (included in the mobile originally) and done a Boot/System/Data/Cache Nandroid backup
Apps I want to eliminate :
Baidu input (and add the standard input keyboard)
own Chinese launcher (I have already install LauncherPro, but I would love to get rid of the Chinese one completely)
UC xxxxx (some Chinese browser)
Root Explorer (Chinese version, to be able to install the English one)
ICS 4.0 (also Chinese version)
a Chinese flash-light
a Chinese dark/light switch screen
a Chinese version of the configuration menu
so, basically to keep a clean Android
so, where I have to look for help on how to do that ??
what short of help / tutorial am I looking for ?
I have installed:
http://www.ltr-data.se/opencode.html/#ImDisk
to be able to mount the nandroid img files in windows7-x64
but I can't see anything, it ask me to format the unit (?)
similar with Daemon Tools .
any help will be greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance.
InTheater
My advice since you're rooted is install Titanium Backup and use it to uninstall everything you don't want. It's a root app that can get rid of virtually anything.
Seeing as you have a nandroid backup, in the unlikely case that the device won't boot at all without one or more of those apps, you can just restore the backup you have.
SifJar said:
My advice since you're rooted is install Titanium Backup and use it to uninstall everything you don't want. It's a root app that can get rid of virtually anything.
Seeing as you have a nandroid backup, in the unlikely case that the device won't boot at all without one or more of those apps, you can just restore the backup you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Beautiful, it works like a charm !!
I have been able to get rid off all Chinese stuff
thanks
Star A3 for dummies
Hello
Ok I have searched for hours (as the video asked) and I cannot find an "android for dummies" guide. I dont know what a "root" is or what "titanium" is... so I may have found the correct forum - but I just don't understand it.
So the problem is this:
I bought a touch screen DualSim Android 2.3 GPS 3G MTK6573 Phone Star A3.
It arrived today BUT it has some chinese programmes on it (that I would like to clear) and I cannot seem to download any additional apps for it.
google.play wont work (apparently it doesnt support the device)
It has a few basic apps - but nothing wild or that I guess can't be re-downloaded again.
What would you recommend I do - do I wipe it and install something new or what. and if so please can someone explain it to me in small "for dummy" steps
I am not sure what else I need to tell you to give you abetter pic, but ideally I'd like this phone to work on the google apps system (or can you point me to where I can get similar apps)
On the "about phone" the
android version is 2.3.5
Kernel version is 2.6.35.7
I would really appreciate any help you can give me
Thanks
My first advice would be to try and achieve root on the phone. This should be relatively easy on a Chinese phone, most don't have great security.
Basically, "root" means to get increased permissions on the phone. There are certain files and actions on the phone that normally you can't do. With root, you can. Think of it as somewhat like logging into a computer as an Administrator rather than a standard user.
"getting root" basically means installing a hack to let apps on your phone do more than they could otherwise e.g. uninstall preinstalled apps.
To "root" your phone, you can use a tool like SuperOneClick or UnlockRoot. For both, you follow a few instructions, plug in your phone and click "Root" in the program, it'll work out the best way to do it for your phone and do it.
Once that is all done, there is a guide here for getting Google Apps (e.g. Play Store) working on unsupported devices: https://senk9.wordpress.com/2010/12...ogle-apps-gapps-on-your-android-device-phone/
Once you get Play Store working, Titanium Backup is an app you can install from there. Using root, it can uninstall any app you want.
Be careful with all this, if you're not you could break your phone.
educated dummy
Thank you so much! - and such a fast reply too!!!
I really apprecate your patience in explaining this all to me.
It sounds relatively straight forward - I will have a look at those progs and link you suggest tomorrow.
Obviously I dont want to break the phone either, then it would be more useless then it is already
Fingers crossed - will let you know how I get on.
Hi all,
Watched the video so I thought I would tag onto this thread instead of starting a new one.
Just bought a cheap star a3 dual sim android phone. This my foray into android phones and I am having some weird issues. Just a first note I have just rooted the phone but these issues where here before and after rooting. The A3 is a htc sensation clone i believe when my other half who has a htc desire tries to call the phone the phone goes straight into answer phone and rejects the call, she is on giff gaff in the uk and i have tried both a 3 network and orange sim and it happens on both. There is some weird chinese security software that I trying get remove but its seems very stubbon. Anyone any ideas. Ps battery life is awfull i only seem to get 6 hours from full to dead without hardly any use. Maybe I have loads running but unsure what I need to keep running.
Please help.
I have the star a3
Google play works perfectly. If you PM me, I am happy to send you the apk file for google play.
since you are rooted, I strongly suggest you get root explorer installed so you can go through and remove all the chinese apps.
Make sure you remove "himarket" its a big battery hog.
To the person who says their calls go straight to voicemail, remember this is a dual sim dual *standby* if you are using 2g or 3g cell data on one sim then the other sim cannot make or receive calls.
Also, there is no ICS for the Star A3, its just a skin on top of Gingerbread to make it look like ICS, if you go to settings, about phone and look, the version number will be 2.3.4 or 2.3.5 which means its gingerbread (if you really do have 4.0.1 ICS I would love to get a copy of the ROM for it!)

[Q] Can't find my notes after rooting

Hello all,
After rooting my Samsung Galaxy SII (Resurection remix) there was no notes-app on my phone anymore. Also all my notes disappeared when I checked the files using PC/ File explorer. I couldn't find the location of them in my mapstructure. Does anyone know a way to recover/ find these notes since there are some very important ones I really need.
I saw a post like this last year but no one seemed to know the answer...
Thnx!
I'm struggling to read between the lines here, but have you come from a stock Samsung ROM to an AOSP ROM in the process of "rooting"? If so, you won't have Samsung's Memo app anymore which would have stored its data in /dada/data/com.sec.android.app.memo/databases/Memo.db
It would be contained within any nandroid backup.
About the ROM-thing: Yes, that is correct. It's now an AOSP ROM. I'm pretty noob, as you can see, so don't do these things very often
Also the map you described is not on my phone anymore. The app I used is:
"app backup & restore". For some reason the note files are the only ones which are gone.

ZTE 967S - Phone B0rked. Need some help

Hi,
I have a ZTE 967S. Had it for a few years, it came rooted with a standard Chinese ROM. I'd like to install a new rom but I'm useless at this, however I can say that the recovery mode is in Chinese which certainly doesn't help!
My problem is I was having a lot of problems coping with only 4GB ROM, although I think the partitions must be wrong because I could barely install more than two applications like facebook.
Anyway I downloaded a program to free up space, deleted some unimportant core apps like hangouts etc but now I'm unable to install any new applications on the handset.
I just wondered what you think may be the best solution to this? I've looked about installing a new rom but would this require me to install Mobile Tools on the phone? which is obviously a little difficult now. Is there another way?
modaco.com/topic/366106-zte-v967s-impressions-root-recovery-rom/

HELP!!! Samsung Galaxy Tab A with S Pen Root help.

I was wondering if anyone has rooted this device? I've tried kingroot and kingoroot and nothing works. I want to root it to get rid some of the apps that came with the device. I have like no space left. Out of 16gb, 6gb something is apps that I downloaded, 1gb free, the rest is what came with the device and the os. I attached screenshots with specs. If someone could help me, that'd be great. Also maybe tell me which system apps I need, or point me to a place to look that up. Thanks.

Malware filled phone?

Hey guys, how are y'all doing?
Here's a little background on my problem:
A year ago bought a cheap-ass smartphone for my mom, from a big supermarket chain in my country that was selling french phones cheaply, it was only 60€ and my mom needed a phone, so there it is!
Anyway cut to the present, the phone is riddled of what I suspect is malware that installs itself as soon as I remove it such as Free Games, com.google.toolkit, MiniChrome, N62Androidpt, System Component, adservice, and a couple others.
It also keeps switching wi-fi off, and turning on that option that allows apps to be installed from unknown sources, and worst of all it keeps opening the phone in built browser with adds, and even porn sites on occasion, which is really not desirable as my very young aged nieces love stealing the phone and try to use it.
I installed malwarebytes, also did a factory reset to no avail it fixed nothing.
So I decided to flash a stock rom to see if I could get rid of it, searched around and found a repository of stock roms or firmwares or whatever it's called (I'm not too familiar with this side of smartphones), which I'd love to post, but apparently can't because I've last than 10 posts: doc-doapi.com/EM/selecline/smartphone/
It has a lot of roms for different models of my brand.
Used the UpgradeDownload - R2.9.2015 tool that was in that folder and flashed it successfully.
After I turned on the device it opened the new phone setup process, logged in to my google account, and restores my stuff like contacts, and a few trusted google apps from before the flash, but it soon started again to install those malware apps I stated up there on it's own, and it was soon in the same state as before...
Anyway here's some info about my phone that probably should've gone to the top.
It's a Selecline phone
Model S4S5in3g
Android version: 5.1
Kernel version: 3.10.65
Compilation number: S3S5in3g.V1.2_20160307
At the back it has a sticker and another model number 870712 which I used to find the folder on that repository of stock roms.
And that's all in a big nutshell, anyone has any tips?
Thanks.
lil' bump
Do you have login credentials for this Auchan website where you found the ROMs? It is asking for a login ID and password. I need ROM for Model S6S5IN3G.
Quick tip for getting rid of Malware even before they start. Go to Settings and check Data Usage. See which apps are using lots of data (downloading junk into your device). Note if there are any strange sounding apps that are downloading a lot of data, especially if it is not an app that you yourself were directly using.
Next, flash the stock ROM again. Once you flash the new ROM, you have to find a way to root the device. Try KingRoot. Then after the phone is rooted, go to Playstore and download SD Maid. Run SD Maid and give it root access. In the settings for AppControl of SD Maid, allow it to show system apps. Then run app control and freeze any strange-looking user apps (or anyone that was downloading a lot of data) and system app that are not required.
Please, let me know about the website and how to access the ROMs.
As mentioned before, install a clean room again. Copy virustotal app from the attachment of these post (https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77053739&postcount=11) to SD-card and install it. Turn wifi on and let it run. Control every app and the system-apps. Post a screenshot of the findings. If there are findings, then the room is infected. The only way to deal with this, is to root it, install rootexplorer an kill the infected app. This can be dangerous, if for example, the lauchner is infected, an alternative launcher must first be installed and set as default, before you can kill the infected one (otherwise you will own a useless phone until you flash it again ;o).
Hey guys, thanks for trying to help.
I tried literally everything before, I've even somehow got a kitchen up and running and I removed everything that looked suspicious and all those bran add-ons from the rom, but even then I'd still get infected.
I didn't really try the antivirus route though and to be honest I already shelved that phone, but I'm kinda bored, so I'll try y'all suggestions, an extra working phone can always come in handy.
CVAngelo said:
Do you have login credentials for this Auchan website where you found the ROMs? It is asking for a login ID and password. I need ROM for Model S6S5IN3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love to help you mate, I found that repository in a forum maybe forum.gsmhosting, and I've tried to access it earlier, and I'm also denied access.

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