Do you own a Samsung Galaxy S3? Maybe you're not a fan of Samsung's custom Android environment - TouchWiz - or maybe you would like to upgrade to a newer version of Android than Samsung have provided for the S3?
I have re-written and extended the XDA SGS3 FAQ to more comprehensively cover what you need to know and how to avoid or overcome the potential pitfalls relating to installing different versions of Android on the phone that made Samsung a major player in the smartphone wars.
I upgraded my S3 from TouchWiz Android 4.1 to CyanogenMod 11 (which is based upon Android 4.4.4) four months ago. Due to the process not being documented properly in one place I couldn't make calls for a week or two after upgrading but I'm glad I did as CyanogenMod is notably faster, more current and has less issues than TouchWiz. I also prefer to run open source operating systems such as CM as I can trust them more. Now I know that if my phone had been running TouchWiz Android 4.3 before upgrading it would've been a quick and painless process but I was caught out by a couple of obscure snags (relating to CSC and modem firmware) which I've now clearly documented in an easy to find place in an effort to spare other S3 owners days or weeks of research and experimentation should their upgrade not go smoothly first time.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/frequently-questions-t2148708
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Hi,
first of all i want to say that this thread is in no way meant to offend or me being impatient about anything. I am just asking the question to know the answer.
I noticed, that many dev´s for the SGS2 (such as codeworkx and others) have big/giant trouble to bring a new Version to our Phones.
The problems seem to be that big that they have to wait for a Kernel from Samsung to make it even work a bit.
From my other/previous Phone, the HTC Dream i know that there weren´t such big problems.
It got 4 perfectly stable main iterations (2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3) of Android after its updates were discontinued and it already has a 4.0 version that has only 2 issues left to fix. All that without a kernel beeing released from HTC for the specific OS version. (i remember that the Camera drivers for 2.x were completely created from scratch to make it work [or so] )
My question is:
Why is it so much easier/less complicated to make a total new version run on the HTC Dream than on the SGS2? without the help of the manufactor
I'm not sure but I think its because other phones get source code releases for all the hardware or at least most of it to make porting/dev easier. Whereas Samsung hasn't released source for all the hardware in the sgs2 because of contractual obligations/restrictions from other hardware vendors that provide some the chips inside...
I also believe Samsung has modified Android quite heavily and badly in their quest to have the touchwiz interface, which also makes things difficult to reverse engineer etc...
I don't its anything actually difficult about the actual hardware itself
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
so for several months now, my mother has been using the LG Vortex, a small Android phone with a 3.2 inch touchscreen. It originally ran Android 2.2, but I've since given it a good old custom ROM, Quattrimus ICS, bumping the OS to, you guessed it, ICS, specifically, CyanogenMod 9. She's used to the OS and the size, but as it is, there are few phones being made to accommodate those people, and as ICS is now legacy by Google, and the microphone appears to be choking on this device, we need a new one.
I have no problem modifying a device to run a newer version of Android if need be, but I'm looking for specific details.
It can not be anything above 4 inches.
It must work on Verizon or Page Plus, or can work with the bands and be flashed.
It must run Android 4.x, or be able to run such versions in a stable way through use of custom ROMs.
That's all that needs to be dealt with. If anyone can help in this case, I would love to see some.
I'm new to this and don't know the proper forum to ask about updates. Google seems to be releasing monthly software updates to address software vulnerabilities. (This is a GOOD thing.) They, of course, release only for Nexus devices.
With my Verizon Android phone, I understand (and am unhappy) that there are precious few updates, unless of course they in some way benefit Verizon. The phone remains on 4.4 a full year after Lollipop came out, and there are vulnerabilities over a year old that are not being fixed.
Frustrated that my Galaxy Tab 10.1 languished on Honeycomb, I rooted and installed the AOSP ROM by decatf. Except for the Amazon Kindle App and some video weirdness, all the apps I use seem happy. My question is, "is it correct to assume that the ONLY way my tablet will get security updates is if decatf decides to recompile his custom ROM and make it available?" (That seems unlikely, unless he personally owns and uses one of these old Galaxy Tabs.)
I am thrilled to have new life in my old Tab, and happy decatf is so generous with his time and effort. In addition, a case can be made that my Tab on this 5.1.1 ROM is more up to date (and secure) than more modern tablets which are not being updated by their manufacturers. In other words, buying a new Android tablet may be less secure than this one where the ROM was built from 5.1.1 in Nov of 2015.
Do I understand the situation correctly?
UncleDick said:
I am thrilled to have new life in my old Tab, and happy decatf is so generous with his time and effort. In addition, a case can be made that my Tab on this 5.1.1 ROM is more up to date (and secure) than more modern tablets which are not being updated by their manufacturers. In other words, buying a new Android tablet may be less secure than this one where the ROM was built from 5.1.1 in Nov of 2015.
Do I understand the situation correctly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me it seems so as well.
My wife got from our internet phone carrier last year (thankfully with no cost) a LG Homeboy tablet (LG-V507L) that is stuck with android 4.2.2.
Thanks to decatf, our old Galaxy tab 10.1 (a korean tablet converted to the international model) has seen new life since christmas '2015, even with AOSP 6. So, really, buying a new tablet today is out of question for us.
Greetings,
I'm posting this on the General as the forum associated with this mobile device is pretty much dead ATM. It falls very much more in the category of "I need help figuring out how to do this Android Global thing" rather then a very specific issue with a device.
The long and the short of it is the Samsung Galaxy On5 SM-G550T/1 was a fairly short lived phone in the US. It's a barebones phone that has a lot of features of design choices of the Galaxy S5 and S6 while having very minimal accessory hardware (which as an altimeter and advanced GPS systems).
This phone, however, has seen *A LOT* of popularity in Easter EU, Middle Eastern or Indian markets and thus there is a TON of Rom development still active for this phone.
The SM-G550FY has significant differences with the Sound Drivers, Camera Drivers, Bluetooth Drivers and Modem Drivers that makes the ROMs, in general, compatible enough to be installed, but not compatible enough to have the Sound or Camera work and has varying levels of Modem and Bluetooth viability; more often then not, they work though.
Someone finally dropped a hint that most these drivers are in the /system/lib folder requiring CHMOD of 740 to work; but no one to the best of my knowledge has actually gotten this "workaround" to work. This was something that was completely foreign (no pun intended) to many of us who have posted in that forum. I've had zero success with this, but it seems to have gotten me looking in new directions for fixes.
So my questions are a few fold that I hope the XDA greater community can help with:
#1.) Is there a way to import the correct drivers that are verified working in the same version of Android from another rom?
#2.) Are drivers for different versions of Android the same (IE 6.0 and 7.0 since those are the ROMs being regularly released) or are we reliant on Samsung to release a properly working set of 7.0 drivers to get Android 7.0 working on the US/CA variants of the phone?
#3.) I'm looking for good resources to learn how to build an installer for a ROM to try to build and release a patcher to make SM-G550FY roms compatible with SM-G550T/1 Roms. What resources could you suggest to get myself better up to speed to doing this.
#4.) I'm also looking for good resources to learn how to build ROMs perhaps based on Lineage for my model of the phone. Where would I go to learn more about that?
Thanks for any help you guys can provide.
Years ago I rooted a phone I had to the latest Android, only to find that the hardware wasn't up to running a more complicated OS, even the Cyanogen version that was equivalent to the original Android version didn't exactly breath much life into the old dog.
Given how shockingly poor the experience on my T820 can be on the stock ROM, I find myself once again tempted to give a custom one a go, but was wondering if the newer ROMs place significant additional load on the hardware? Is it worth the effort? Does it make them responsive?
I don't use the tablet for anything heavy-duty; mainly what I want is responsive browsing, Skype and some basic apps...
imacleod said:
Years ago I rooted a phone I had to the latest Android, only to find that the hardware wasn't up to running a more complicated OS, even the Cyanogen version that was equivalent to the original Android version didn't exactly breath much life into the old dog.
Given how shockingly poor the experience on my T820 can be on the stock ROM, I find myself once again tempted to give a custom one a go, but was wondering if the newer ROMs place significant additional load on the hardware? Is it worth the effort? Does it make them responsive?
I don't use the tablet for anything heavy-duty; mainly what I want is responsive browsing, Skype and some basic apps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@imacleod,
Based on the views and comments I see for custom ROMs for your tablet, this ROM:
[ROM] SM-T820 TWEAKED....................[rom] sm-t820 tweaked
SM-T820 TWEAKED 5.1 ***** PIE ***** 20JUN2020 T820_CTD5_TWEAKED_5.1_DB4_by_rorymc928.zip Based on latest stock CTD5 firmware Tweaked, stable, zip aligned. SU/D Forced encryption disabled Deknoxed Debloated (GPU driver updated to latest...
forum.xda-developers.com
appears to be the best choice for improving your tablet's performance. If you are serious about installing it, check out the most recent posts in the thread. You will find a very useful post that goes into great details about how to install the ROM properly.
I feel you regarding sluggish performance on a stock Samsung tablet. I had a Samsung tablet a long time ago and it felt like watching paint dry when I tried to simply play a video. Also, what is it with the HUGE bezel size on Samsung tablets ? I recently bought a Lenovo Tablet and it has a very thin bezel.
In any event, good luck with your tablet !!
Thanks. I was hoping for some feedback from people that had applied a ROM to the S3, whether they found it transformational - or perhaps not - and whether the best idea is to go for the latest and greatest, or stick at the lowest level that's got general support.
I'm not one who's installed a custom firmware, but I see you've not got much response. This device was very expensive at launch, so was a hard reach for many people. Fewer people means fewer developers.
The custom firmware available for this device is quite sparse. In addition, there seems to be troubles getting all of the hardware to work correctly. They're not placing any load on the device as its the same kernel version as stock.
That being said, I do believe the S3 is past its support period, so will not be getting new firmware from Samsung.
Reading the fora for the custom firmware show that the device can be more responsive than stock (as long as you don't need the hardware that isn't working).
Additionally, rooting and debloating the stock firmware has shown increased performance for those who have done it (including myself). I'd recommend this route prior to attempting a custom firmware unless your primary goal is to ditch samsung and google.
undrwater said:
I'm not one who's installed a custom firmware, but I see you've not got much response. This device was very expensive at launch, so was a hard reach for many people. Fewer people means fewer developers.
The custom firmware available for this device is quite sparse. In addition, there seems to be troubles getting all of the hardware to work correctly. They're not placing any load on the device as its the same kernel version as stock.
That being said, I do believe the S3 is past its support period, so will not be getting new firmware from Samsung.
Reading the fora for the custom firmware show that the device can be more responsive than stock (as long as you don't need the hardware that isn't working).
Additionally, rooting and debloating the stock firmware has shown increased performance for those who have done it (including myself). I'd recommend this route prior to attempting a custom firmware unless your primary goal is to ditch samsung and google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I did actually take the plunge through the week and installed rorymc928's rom. So far, I'd say that it's more usable than stock - e.g. it's not so slow that entering a PIN after a restart hits the screen lockout out before I'm done - but not overly stunning when browsing (perhaps my expectations are too high). It has made me a lot less inclined to reach for a hammer/put it on eBay, and it may be the best balance between what's available and losing functions/features. If I feel brave I may try a more advanced tinker at some later point in time...
If you want to get an idea what Samsung thought was important for this tablet, watch some HDR content from youtube. Gorgeous!
But... Not really useful. Android tablets are a teeny niche, but someone should be able to produce something for the market!