Database Users

New Asurion TEP App look useful but......

I just read about this new TEP app for Sprint customers only that has some useful features, but the paranoid side of me wonders if this app reports back to Asurion as to weather or not your phone is rooted, and if so are there any negative consequences?
http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/0...ame-sprint-tep-subscribers-reap-the-benefits/
Search the Market for Total Equipment Protection to install.

Yeah i saw that article. You bring up a really valid question. Sounds like something they would do... sneaky sneaky.
I immediately thought to myself that they'll eventually force all TEP customers to have it installed on their phones. That'd not only help lost phones be recovered more often but also give them a way to deny claims over 'stolen' phones or even rooted phones.
I definitely smell something fishy....
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

YA, no way I'm installing that till a dev has a closer look at it.

One of the responses to the article makes a valid point-
"They won’t deny insurance claims for rooted phones. It would make no logical sense for them to cover me if I literally dropped my phone in a meat grinder and never retrieved it, but they would deny me if my phone is rooted. The permissions didn’t seem outlandish to me at all for what the app does. You can go to the market, hit the install button, and read the permissions without installing it if you’re curious, though."

mattallica76 said:
I just read about this new TEP app for Sprint customers only that has some useful features, but the paranoid side of me wonders if this app reports back to Asurion as to weather or not your phone is rooted, and if so are there any negative consequences?
http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/0...ame-sprint-tep-subscribers-reap-the-benefits/
Search the Market for Total Equipment Protection to install.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its good stuff I recommend it to all with tep. You can go to www.sprint.com/protection after 2-28 to dl.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Thanks for the info. I am going to assume nothing fishy in terms of Asurion or Sprint surreptitiously combing your phone to see if it's rooted. The author made no mention of such a thing and stated that he has been flashing roms like crazy lately. I would think he would have made some type warning about rooting/flashing if there was a need for concern.

sponge66 said:
Its good stuff I recommend it to all with tep. You can go to www.sprint.com/protection after 2-28 to dl.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's on the Android Market now.

I've heard that Asurion won't care if your phone is rooted, it's only an issue if it's the manufacturer's warranty.

I just got it from the.market and it says unsupported phone when it opens and then it closes
Sent from my Evo Killer!!!

musclehead84 said:
I just got it from the.market and it says unsupported phone when it opens and then it closes
Sent from my Evo Killer!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have TEP on your account?

Doesn't work on my phone and I have TEP. I'm rooted and modded six ways to Sunday....
If I get a TEP cancellation notice I will post back, but I highly doubt they would be that sneaky. I know a lot of sprint employees who would scream bloddy murder.
We need someone to flash stock, install the app, and then root it and report back. I'm guessing it has nothing to do with the root, but more to do with running a custom OS.
Sent from Bonsai v 5.0.3

Top Nurse said:
Doesn't work on my phone and I have TEP. I'm rooted and modded six ways to Sunday....
If I get a TEP cancellation notice I will post back, but I highly doubt they would be that sneaky. I know a lot of sprint employees who would scream bloddy murder.
We need someone to flash stock, install the app, and then root it and report back. I'm guessing it has nothing to do with the root, but more to do with running a custom OS.
Sent from Bonsai v 5.0.3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it probably reads the user keys in the build.prop.

Maybe there's an issue with a specific rom. The author said he's been flashing tons of roms and didn't report an issue with the install. Did you download through tnt market or sprint?

Market
Sent from Bonsai v 5.0.3

I tried both and I have tep
running_the_dream said:
Maybe there's an issue with a specific rom. The author said he's been flashing tons of roms and didn't report an issue with the install. Did you download through tnt market or sprint?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Evo Killer!!!

Yeah I'm the author. I have an evo, but can confirm it working on 3 htc sense based roms, cyanogenmod 6,cyanogenmod 7, and MIUI.
Thank you guys for reading, by the way. This community is amazing and I'm proud to be a member.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

You know it may be a firmware issue. When I went through the steps using the link from the article, eventually I get to a screen where I'm asked to choose my device. For the Epic, it has 2.1 under it; indicating that it is for Epics running Eclair. I'm on 2.2 and I got the same message you all received. Are y'all also on 2.2?

Bradart said:
Yeah I'm the author. I have an evo, but can confirm it working on 3 htc sense based roms, cyanogenmod 6,cyanogenmod 7, and MIUI.
Thank you guys for reading, by the way. This community is amazing and I'm proud to be a member.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So perhaps it is a DK28 issue. Who has it running on the epic? Need to know which OS and Rom to figure this out.
Sent from Bonsai v 5.0.3

The app will not even install if you not using a stock Rom. It sees it as an unsupported device. Right from the faq on the site
Why is the Protection Application not working on my phone, even when I have a compatible device?
We do our best to stay up to date with the latest Sprint certified releases, but it’s possible we have not yet certified the Protection application for the latest update to your handset's operating system. Please check back again for a future update. Thank you for your interest in the Protection Application and we apologize for the inconvenience.
Please note: We do not support rooted Android devices. The Protection Application is only compatible with operating systems that are Sprint certified and unmodified for your device.

If that were true how did the author get it to work on a rommed evo? I still think it is from the OS we are using.
Sent from Bonsai v 5.0.3

New software sprint has

Sprint had a software that send them your baseband version. So if you calling in for troubleshooting on your device be careful. If the rep knows what there doing and what to look for they can mark your device damaged beyond repair
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Sounds like ciq.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App

Overstew said:
Sounds like ciq.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup.
But who cares about the baseband? It's just the modem version.

Most likely what send the info. But I tested it on my phone ko and I had the no ciq roms and it still read them.... So idk I'm one of the techs that knows what he is doing there lol
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

fury15 said:
Most likely what send the info. But I tested it on my phone ko and I had the no ciq roms and it still read them.... So idk I'm one of the techs that knows what he is doing there lol
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More information would be appreciated. Name of the software, how it's connecting, etc.

Only thing I know is the tool I use to check it... Its the thing that auto activates you're device so I don't know much
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Whoa sprint gonna start crackin down on the roots? J/k just kuz I highly doubt they really care all that much...
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

*cue dramatic chord* wow actually.
considering what sprints up to with their base stations, customer service improvements, and the fact that even when i worked for em 3-4 years ago, they were always updating their rms/rms+/fast/snap/fdt systems, i can't say i'm too surprised.
the leg up they go for on the other companies afterall is trying to be the first to the gate with tech.
anything our system info can tell, i'm sure they can see. kernel/rom/etc. i doubt they'd act on it unless its a store visit though. or i'd hope not anyways. it'd be strange and surprising to see the company thats the easiest on the rom community(they're the only ones who kept their mouth shut about wireless tether so far, and the easiest with 3rd party apps from the beginning) to turn on them.

pixlz said:
*cue dramatic chord* wow actually.
considering what sprints up to with their base stations, customer service improvements, and the fact that even when i worked for em 3-4 years ago, they were always updating their rms/rms+/fast/snap/fdt systems, i can't say i'm too surprised.
the leg up they go for on the other companies afterall is trying to be the first to the gate with tech.
anything our system info can tell, i'm sure they can see. kernel/rom/etc. i doubt they'd act on it unless its a store visit though. or i'd hope not anyways. it'd be strange and surprising to see the company thats the easiest on the rom community(they're the only ones who kept their mouth shut about wireless tether so far, and the easiest with 3rd party apps from the beginning) to turn on them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They knew on my wifes Intercept two weeks ago and the tech support just asked if rom I was using was better than stock. I said yes, and he said that it s the only way to get that phone to function properly. He then took care of my issue as if it was a "non-rooted" phone.

I had my external speaker go out and took it up to the Sprint store to get the speaker replaced. The tech asked me if I rooted it, but he didn't have a problem with that.
The problem I had was that replacing the speaker screwed up the phone somehow so I had to re-flash. Meaning it wouldn't boot properly. But that is another story.

bender_123 said:
They knew on my wifes Intercept two weeks ago and the tech support just asked if rom I was using was better than stock. I said yes, and he said that it s the only way to get that phone to function properly. He then took care of my issue as if it was a "non-rooted" phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So they knew just from you calling on that rooted phone that you had a custom ROM on there? Wow, not too bad.

OK - it makes sense that a tech/repair guy at the local Sprint store might be able to tell if you've "rooted" your phone ( by the way - didn't you all Odin back to stock ? ) ; but are you saying that Sprint HQ can tell if I'm rooted/ROMed just by me calling them from my Epic ? ....... Big Brother 4 Sure ( and they prolly reading this post , too )

fury15 said:
Sprint had a software that send them your baseband version. So if you calling in for troubleshooting on your device be careful. If the rep knows what there doing and what to look for they can mark your device damaged beyond repair
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you left out a lot of information:
1. How do you know this? Is this something that happened to you or is this heresay / speculation?
2. Was this done on Stock phone or one with SRF/Bonsai (with no ciq?)?

TexasEpic4GUser said:
OK - it makes sense that a tech/repair guy at the local Sprint store might be able to tell if you've "rooted" your phone ( by the way - didn't you all Odin back to stock ? ) ; but are you saying that Sprint HQ can tell if I'm rooted/ROMed just by me calling them from my Epic ? ....... Big Brother 4 Sure ( and they prolly reading this post , too )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could care less about the Intercept...that damn thing can burn in a pit...which may actually help it function better than it currently does.
Not sure if they have a system or not, but I laughed that the dude knew the only way it works is with a custom ROM. I have Ubentdroid on it and at least the capacitive buttons work now.
If you can't tell, I would not recommend the Intercept. It sucks more than the suckiest suck that ever sucked.

This all goes back to the basic common sense I have followed from day 1 with my Android phone
make sure it is 100% stock before going to Spring for any troubleshooting assistance.
I don't understand why anyone would call sprint for help, BEFORE they had done this anyways.

DCRocks said:
This all goes back to the basic common sense I have followed from day 1 with my Android phone
make sure it is 100% stock before going to Spring for any troubleshooting assistance.
I don't understand why anyone would call sprint for help, BEFORE they had done this anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 on this

DCRocks said:
This all goes back to the basic common sense I have followed from day 1 with my Android phone
make sure it is 100% stock before going to Spring for any troubleshooting assistance.
I don't understand why anyone would call sprint for help, BEFORE they had done this anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes its an issue that isnt a biggie, so unroot is a waste of time. With my wifes, it was that her phone stopped being recognized on Sprint service. It ended up being an account screw up.

Well this is simple, we can just create a flashable zip to simply change the baseband to display the stock one.
(Haven't done any rom developement, so I don't know where that file lies.)

DCRocks said:
This all goes back to the basic common sense I have followed from day 1 with my Android phone
make sure it is 100% stock before going to Spring for any troubleshooting assistance.
I don't understand why anyone would call sprint for help, BEFORE they had done this anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EXACTLY! why take a chance? especially if you have lost/stolen protection, you don't want to give them a reason to screw you over. good to know they can figure it out over the phone as well tho. hopefully they stay content letting people root away w/ no consequence except for a voided warranty, considering all the reasons they give customers for rooting (CIQ, DRM, ect...)

Overstew said:
Well this is simple, we can just create a flashable zip to simply change the baseband to display the stock one.
(Haven't done any rom developement, so I don't know where that file lies.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Baseband is your modem version...
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

For those returning rooted phones...

I have given Sprint my phone to repair a blown speaker, and also gave Best Buy my phone for a couple days.
Both times phone was rooted, to Sprint it had a stock looking rom with superusers though etc, they didn't say anything.
Gave phone to Best Buy, with a Sense 3.0 rom on it, she even mentioned "This looks like my Evo3d" and i told her I was rooted and was running a sense3.0 rom etc etc and she was all "cool."
however i got my phone back from both places and they were refurbs and i obviously lost my roots.
Most recently I got my refurb phone with the 2.3 OTA so no root anymores.
I guess it depends on who you return it to, but on both of my occasions, both for the same reason, even at about the same time span...they didn't say anything negative or 'sorry we can't help you' etc.
Just bored on xda..no root is driving me nuts.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=15508256&postcount=104

mattykinsx said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=15508256&postcount=104
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow, with all the QQ from them posting in that....you'd think 3/4 of their customers walk in with rooted phones...
i have the feeling a VAST MAJORITY of Sprint phone owners are not rooted...am i wrong?

mattykinsx said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=15508256&postcount=104
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow, that is quite the discovery... i have returned a rooted samsung moment to sprint before, and it was really messed up, stripped down custom rom and all, and they didnt ask questions. very very interesting...

mattykinsx said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=15508256&postcount=104
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried opening the link inside the file, but it would not load for me.
What does it say in 20 words or less?

mattchew86 said:
I tried opening the link inside the file, but it would not load for me.
What does it say in 20 words or less?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooted phone are covered under warranty and 100% OK by Sprint.

So, I wasted my time getting it back to stock to take it in for a blown speaker.
Awesome.
Thanks for the reply.

Sir Tony said:
Rooted phone are covered under warranty and 100% OK by Sprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Proof?
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

LexLuger82 said:
Proof?
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
....the link to the document posted?

My friends phone was rooted and sprint forced an upgrage. He has the Sprint Evo 4G. It was rooted with Evervolv v1.1.0b3 (2.3.4). the HTC white screen kept repeating itself. I used my SD card to try to get the upgrade to complete but when it got to the system upgrade the second part progress bar was in red. It would never upgrade. Has anyone else experienced this problem. I saw your OTA upgrage prevents you rooting and I found it on my EVO. I liked rooting but is it now impossible to do. Any information that will help would be highly appreciated.

Nrre said:
I have given Sprint my phone to repair a blown speaker, and also gave Best Buy my phone for a couple days.
Both times phone was rooted, to Sprint it had a stock looking rom with superusers though etc, they didn't say anything.
Gave phone to Best Buy, with a Sense 3.0 rom on it, she even mentioned "This looks like my Evo3d" and i told her I was rooted and was running a sense3.0 rom etc etc and she was all "cool."
however i got my phone back from both places and they were refurbs and i obviously lost my roots.
Most recently I got my refurb phone with the 2.3 OTA so no root anymores.
I guess it depends on who you return it to, but on both of my occasions, both for the same reason, even at about the same time span...they didn't say anything negative or 'sorry we can't help you' etc.
Just bored on xda..no root is driving me nuts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They swapped your phone for a blown speaker? They obviously didn't know what they were doing if that's all that was wrong with it. I'd suggest finding another service center.

So why us Sprint detecting I'm in mikfroyo 4.62

Anyone know why when I tried to open a network support ticket they are detecting I'm on a mikfroyo rom. I changed Roms so many times the past 6months.. so what the hell is up with that:
They even said you have to be on a official Rom.. man how they detect this info is pretty funny. And how wrong it is.
But any way to fix that issue
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Why do you think they would give you support when you voided your warranty by rooting and installing another ROM?
I mean seriously...

I don't need support. I do wish to inform them of their network problem here... If so I have 8 other people with Sprint who are official.. who can report the network problem aswell ... Why would I need support if my phone is perfectly fine. And besides the fact I'm not running the Rom they are indicating I am...
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Again... think about it for a little bit. They don't know if you have 8 other people who are experiencing they same problem you are.
They're not going to waste their time with a problem that could be the result of a modded phone.

nemoid said:
Why do you think they would give you support when you voided your warranty by rooting and installing another ROM?
I mean seriously...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You only voided your warranty with HTC, not sprint. I've taken my rooted/S-OFF device many times and have talked to the store reps and they have no policy against rooted devices. There is stores that will give you a hassle just to be lazy, meanwhile other stores will ask you to simply flash back to stock to help narrow down issues caused by software or hardware.

Oh so a version from stock that just has apps removed that ate considered bloated. So that can be a phone error. Dude I've flashed many roms kernels and radios and its the network. I'm not after phone support. I don't need a warranty on my Damn phone but I pay them for service via their towers if they have issues with it then they should fix their network problems. I will pay insurion if I have phone issues its why I have them.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

The guy just said to install a stock Rom and give him info. The guy was like okay 3rd party. You need to install stock . But he did agree there is probably a problem in the area.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

ANyways the guy said I should keep stock until testing is done well. Im on a modified stock rom etc (testing this rom out). Anyways is there a way to show them my software/build number as stock or whatever to fool them when i re provision it to update their system?

nemoid said:
Again... think about it for a little bit. They don't know if you have 8 other people who are experiencing they same problem you are.
They're not going to waste their time with a problem that could be the result of a modded phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no they are not wasting their time providing CUSTOMER support to a paying CUSTOMER

How can Sprint finds out if your rooted with a custom Rom? Even they never saw the phone?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

culua said:
How can Sprint finds out if your rooted with a custom Rom? Even they never saw the phone?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to Run Mikfroyo but the thing is I don't know how they know I was on a custom rom. Maybe when provision your phone it sends that data. Now I'm On a different rom but i was unaware how he knew. The guy *PinkElmo* basically just said to go back to stock ROM for the duration of the testing (sounds like he not only not has a problem with it but sounds like he uses custom as wellXD).
I'm still puzzled as to how they found out...

I also currently using mikfroyo 4.61. But I didn't start rooting after a month signing up.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

culua said:
I also currently using mikfroyo 4.61. But I didn't start rooting after a month signing up.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to provision a few months back though... But It Got me wondering. I have been downloading a stock rom at 199mb it should take roughly 2-8 hours on the Sprints NOW DialUp Network

Sprint has a program called OMA-DM. This program has all the information from the status section of your device. When I worked for sprint we would have customers update their data profile, this would send the information to the tool. The rep can then see what rom you are on. However this did not work on AOSP roms since they do not update the profile.
If you want to fool sprint update your profile under a stock unmodified rom, then flash to AOSP, the info for the sense rom would be still in the system.
Furthermore they can see if you have updated the profile, so if you tell them that you did they will be able to see if you actually did or not.. They are also able to view all the transactions with dates and times between your phone and the tool.
My advise to you is to suck it up and run the official rom until the testing is over, usually about a week.
Also sprint has no control over a custom rom, so they automatically have you update profile and firmware to the current version to ensure that the phone is working to their standards and things that they have control over.
TL;DR - Quit complaining and use a stock rom so sprint can do their testing.

The complaining in this thread has me puzzled. Run a stock Tom for them to test, reinstall favorite Tom when done...

Pao23 said:
The complaining in this thread has me puzzled. Run a stock Tom for them to test, reinstall favorite Tom when done...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is your favorite "Tom" a "Tom Collins"? hahaha, sorry. i had to.

Thanks and for data profile. Just the one under updates? If so it would have shown mikg if clean rom I got a download of stock and was going to flash it when i can before Tuesday since Monday is a holiday...
Thanks for informing me how they detect what Rom your on.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I imagine sprint can know quite a bit about your phone. When I had my diamond, (or maybe it was my Evo, I forget) something wasn't working right. I got on the phone with a tech, and he proceeded to to operate my phone while I was holding my phone. I could see the screen clicks, and him going from one menu to another, operating my phone remotely. Blew me away.
As for the monitoring SW mentioned earlier in this thread, does it read build prop values? Cuz I'm guessing that's how they get your device info.
Lastly, post 2 and 3 about not expecting sprint to work on/assess your rooted phone. BS. Sprint has given mixed signals about this. I know there have been internal memos released stating they now will honor rooted phones. I think lazyness is the culprit when a comes to CSRs or techs rejecting for root. I've always taken in my rooted phone and put a stockish rom on it first, when I have a hardware problem (blown speaker, broken screen, etc.)
sent from xda app on drews ics

cmsjr123 said:
Thanks and for data profile. Just the one under updates? If so it would have shown mikg if clean rom I got a download of stock and was going to flash it when i can before Tuesday since Monday is a holiday...
Thanks for informing me how they detect what Rom your on.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the one under the updates.
scottspa74 said:
I imagine sprint can know quite a bit about your phone. When I had my diamond, (or maybe it was my Evo, I forget) something wasn't working right. I got on the phone with a tech, and he proceeded to to operate my phone while I was holding my phone. I could see the screen clicks, and him going from one menu to another, operating my phone remotely. Blew me away.
As for the monitoring SW mentioned earlier in this thread, does it read build prop values? Cuz I'm guessing that's how they get your device info.
Lastly, post 2 and 3 about not expecting sprint to work on/assess your rooted phone. BS. Sprint has given mixed signals about this. I know there have been internal memos released stating they now will honor rooted phones. I think lazyness is the culprit when a comes to CSRs or techs rejecting for root. I've always taken in my rooted phone and put a stockish rom on it first, when I have a hardware problem (blown speaker, broken screen, etc.)
sent from xda app on drews ics
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They used an application call LogMeIn Rescue. It gives them the ability to remotely view/control a pc, windows or blackberry phone. Its actually a lot easier to do it for a customer more often then trying to walk them through it.
Yes the information displayed in the about phone section is stored in the build.prop.
As for the software; software plays a factor in how the device operates and communicates with the network. Sprint has designed the stock software on their devices to their standards. They know their software and how it works. Now take a custom rom, one that has be frankenstined together. How do you expect a company to properly troubleshoot and diagnose a problem that could very well be related to the customer software?
I totally agree with the laziness part on the Tech Reps, after working with the company for several years, Id have to say most of the reps were less educated or technically minded about the device that they were working with. I could not tell you how many times I would hear customers complain about the Tech Reps.
Going to a hardware issue, Custom software would not break the screen, blow a speaker, or otherwise cause physical damage to the device (with the exception of a battery). So these should have no effect on hardware warranty's or exchanges.

New S4

I was going to upgrade tomorrow. The guy at the store said they got a shipment of S4s two days ago. Does anyone know if the devices are shipping with MF3 yet? Anyone who got a new one recently have any info?
Also, if it doesn't have MF3, do I have to do anything to keep it from installing? I saw some people saying not to use the phone til I'm home and can root it and freeze the update app. They claim the upgrade will automatically happen without my consent. Other people claim the upgrade requires user approval.
Thanks guys, I really want root so this is a deal breaker for me The guy at the store assured me all phones get updates when I asked if they were up to date. I didn't want to elaborate I didn't want that though haha.

blastagator said:
I was going to upgrade tomorrow. The guy at the store said they got a shipment of S4s two days ago. Does anyone know if the devices are shipping with MF3 yet? Anyone who got a new one recently have any info?
Also, if it doesn't have MF3, do I have to do anything to keep it from installing? I saw some people saying not to use the phone til I'm home and can root it and freeze the update app. They claim the upgrade will automatically happen without my consent. Other people claim the upgrade requires user approval.
Thanks guys, I really want root so this is a deal breaker for me The guy at the store assured me all phones get updates when I asked if they were up to date. I didn't want to elaborate I didn't want that though haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are fortunate enough to get an S4 with AMDL firmware, then I'd root it and freeze the AT&T updater with Titanium Backup. Keep in mind, you'll probably want to flash a custom rom because the stock AT&T software is so laggy it almost makes the device unusable.

MattMJB0188 said:
If you are fortunate enough to get an S4 with AMDL firmware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't plan on buying it if it doesn't. I just want to make sure it stays that way. I don't want to drive home, pull it out of my pocket, and discovered it auto-updated or some other horrible thing.

blastagator said:
I don't plan on buying it if it doesn't. I just want to make sure it stays that way. I don't want to drive home, pull it out of my pocket, and discovered it auto-updated or some other horrible thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it can automatically update unless you agree to it. But be careful with the very clueless at&t reps, because they might actually update your phone for you.

Check the box. It will show the firmware revision number right on it. I recently got my replacement through Asurion, and it was MDL.
And yeah, like the others said, don't let him/her update the phone. They may wish to place test calls, but as soon as you have it in-hand, just turn off Mobile Data and the WiFi. You don't need those to place test calls.

Thanks. I have 14 days to bring it back even if things go horribly wrong. However, I am trading in my Infuse which I won't be able to get back. So I'm not sure what I'd do if I had to go down that road.
Aou said:
Check the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
I'll report back tomorrow. To confirm: MDL and MDB are both good, MF3 is bad?

Aou said:
Check the box. It will show the firmware revision number right on it. I recently got my replacement through Asurion, and it was MDL.
And yeah, like the others said, don't let him/her update the phone. They may wish to place test calls, but as soon as you have it in-hand, just turn off Mobile Data and the WiFi. You don't need those to place test calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is correct. Says it right under SGH-i337. Mine says: SW-VER: i337UCUAMDL

I am using hox and i will change it to the s4 cuz i would like to change my battery.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 4 Beta

blastagator said:
Thanks. I have 14 days to bring it back even if things go horribly wrong. However, I am trading in my Infuse which I won't be able to get back. So I'm not sure what I'd do if I had to go down that road.
Thanks!
I'll report back tomorrow. To confirm: MDL and MDB are both good, MF3 is bad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. MDL and MDB are fine, but if your on MDB I am not sure if the update for MDL will come through. MDB was absolutely horrible, beyond horrible actually. Everything lagged, everything was choppy, and the modem sucked. MDL was an improvement, but nothing drastic. I hear MF3 is really good, it just kills root and loki.

MattMJB0188 said:
Correct. MDL and MDB are fine, but if your on MDB I am not sure if the update for MDL will come through. MDB was absolutely horrible, beyond horrible actually. Everything lagged, everything was choppy, and the modem sucked. MDL was an improvement, but nothing drastic. I hear MF3 is really good, it just kills root and loki.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is possible to manually use Odin to get up to MDL version. Let it be known that the MF3 patch will check to be sure you are on MDL at least, so I can't see that they would pull that OTA any time soon.
As a last resort, I have a copy of the MDL update that you could theoretically just flash with a custom recovery.

ROM Suggestions? I'm prepping for tomorrow's surgery. Speed would be number one priority. Also I like lockscreen clock and % battery in the top bar. Other than that, I'm not picky.
I eyeballed goldeneye but it doesn't seem to have % battery, and it retains TW, which most people seem to dislike?

Be wary of speed. It's the enemy and number one culprit of many problems here on xda. If you're device is running MDL, simply make sure it is charged and pull the sim. Then begin your rooting, etc. Check out the I337 guide in my signature. All steps are important.
Touchwiz roms are in Android development, aosp roms are in original Android development. Cheers

xBeerdroiDx said:
Be wary of speed. It's the enemy and number one culprit of many problems here on xda. If you're device is running MDL, simply make sure it is charged and pull the sim. Then begin your rooting, etc. Check out the I337 guide in my signature. All steps are important.
Touchwiz roms are in Android development, aosp roms are in original Android development. Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah sorry, speed of the ROM and thus my phone. I'm not trying to rush through the steps and brick my phone ; )

I got my s4 today via best buy and no mf3
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

I updated mine and am pretty content with it. It is much smoother than the original software and the phone overall works great. I guess if you want an unlocked s4 you need to buy the Google one or a Canada one if possible.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

Please read forum rules before posting
Questions and Help issues go in Q&A and Help section
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kennyglass123 said:
Please read forum rules before posting
Questions and Help issues go in Q&A and Help section
Thread moved
Thank you for your cooperation
Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoops, sorry!
In case anyone is curious, the ATT store told me they got this batch in a couple days ago, and they were all MDL.

blastagator said:
Whoops, sorry!
In case anyone is curious, the ATT store told me they got this batch in a couple days ago, and they were all MDL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats!!! Root it before you put your sim card.
Check this root method out:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2297033

MattMJB0188 said:
Congrats!!! Root it before you put your sim card.
Check this root method out:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2297033
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2314494
Super noob friendly : )

blastagator said:
I used : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2314494
Super noob friendly : )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That'll work. Try out the rom GoldenEye