Hello fellow XDA'ers,
I recently purchased the LG G2 and this is my first android phone. I'm coming from an iPhone 5 (for a multitude of reasons that are not applicable to this thread). I wanted to start this thread for people like myself who have no idea on how to install a ROM on an android device. There are various ROMs being released (verizon and ATT) and I would love a general walk through on how to install. Can anyone experienced point me in the right direction or offer any advice? Thanks in advance!
mjfan82 said:
Hello fellow XDA'ers,
I recently purchased the LG G2 and this is my first android phone. I'm coming from an iPhone 5 (for a multitude of reasons that are not applicable to this thread). I wanted to start this thread for people like myself who have no idea on how to install a ROM on an android device. There are various ROMs being released (verizon and ATT) and I would love a general walk through on how to install. Can anyone experienced point me in the right direction or offer any advice? Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There aren't really any custom ROMs out for the G2 yet, just a couple of debloated ROMs (stock, plus root and minus carrier bloatware). Better ROMs will come, but it will be a little while. The G2 is just too new right now to have much out for it.
For a beginner, a few things you should keep in mind before rooting or installing a custom ROM:
* Be absolutely sure that what you're doing will work on your device before you do it. For instance, don't install a recovery image for an AT&T phone on a Verizon phone, unless you want to turn it into a paperweight.
* Read instructions carefully before you do anything. You should at least have some idea of what you're doing, so that in case something goes wrong, you'll at least have a chance of recovering. Don't just blindly follow instructions and hope you don't brick your phone.
* This *will* void your phone's warranty. If your phone dies after doing this (whether it's related to this or not), and you try to do a warranty exchange, they'll respond with something that is the same in English, Italian, and Spanish -- "No." On a related note, you are taking some risk by doing this. You could possibly mess up your phone. You could do things right, and an over-the-air update could conflict with what you've done and then mess up your phone. This is a risk you assume, not the developers of whatever you're trying to do.
* These forums, as well as #lg-g2, are for help. If you're not sure about something, ask. It's better to ask than to lose $600 because you incorrectly assumed that something would work.
Overall, rooting and ROMming your phone does give you more control. Just know what you're getting into.
antinorm said:
* This *will* void your phone's warranty. If your phone dies after doing this (whether it's related to this or not), and you try to do a warranty exchange, they'll respond with something that is the same in English, Italian, and Spanish -- "No." On a related note, you are taking some risk by doing this. You could possibly mess up your phone. You could do things right, and an over-the-air update could conflict with what you've done and then mess up your phone. This is a risk you assume, not the developers of whatever you're trying to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is risk involved yes, but it doesn't just straight up void your warranty in every situation. Depending on the carrier you are with and their RMA process you can get a perfect replacement with no hassle every time, and the carriers that do give trouble still have a small chance of going ahead with a replacement anyway depending on the tech you get. Many times for certain hardware issues it wont matter if you are rooted or not and you can still get a replacement as well. But choosing to unlock your device and do custom software for it you do have to accept responsibility that you could do something to break you device and that is your fault, not the manufacturer.
(skips these couple sections of text for just custom recovery and ROM install)
As for specific instruction, I cant really help much there. The instructions didn't really work well for me in the TWRP thread on XDA for installing, as there is nothing available when using Goo Manager, despite what that retarded thread says. I found better info on Rootz Wiki through a Google search on what to do, and even that was a bit wrong and I had to use some common sense to do things the right way. That common sense only comes from knowing how to use the command line and knowing how ADB commands work though, someone new to the process wont know that for themselves.
Looking over this thread for the newest info it looks like pretty much everything in this video should be correct and the download link for installing root should have everything you need:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y45SXPRb31o&feature=player_embedded
http://downloads.codefi.re/thecubed/lg_g2/root/ioroot6.zip
That gets root access on your device. You may or may not even want to do that. That installs root into your ROM you are currently running (stock), but you want to install a custom ROM and your custom one probably already is rooted to begin with. What you most likely want to do is just go straight to installing the drivers to connect your phone properly and use ADB to send ("push") files to your phone, then use something called "Loki" to bypass the locked bootloader and flash a custom recover to your phone. From there you can install ROMs perfectly easily. You can follow this guide in the link, but it doesnt give you links to the phone and ADB drivers you will need:
http://rootzwiki.com/news/loki-bootloader-bypass-twrp-recovery-come-att-verizon-lg-g2/
Right now there is not really anything but Clean ROM available, which is the stock OS that has a bunch of the "bloated" and unnecessary LG and ATT system apps un-installed. It cleans things up a lot and gives you a much better experience. In the future hopefully we will see some AOSP based ROMs that have a lot of the good features like "knock on", and those ROMs will be best since they dont have any of the bloat that the LG ROM has, and the AOSP based stuff gets a lot better mods to them and offers far better customization and tweaking.
Thanks for the info! I did not know that a most ROMs come rooted. So basically, I would not need to root then install a ROM?
I have an AT&T G2 so I would be installing the Clean ROM posted in the developers section. I would love the opportunity to debloat the phone and it seems like this is the best option currently. Enigma, are you saying that the knock on and off feature does not work with this ROM?
Installing ROM
Hello everyone,
I have rooted and have TWRP with the verizon phone.
How do i move a ROM into a phone so i can install it?
I have already made a backup of the current phone with everyone and copied it to the computer.
Let me know,
Thank You
calirage2k said:
Hello everyone,
I have rooted and have TWRP with the verizon phone.
How do i move a ROM into a phone so i can install it?
I have already made a backup of the current phone with everyone and copied it to the computer.
Let me know,
Thank You
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Put your phone in USB debugging mode under developer tools...hook up the micro usb to your phone and move the zipped ROM to the root of your internal phone storage.
calirage2k said:
Hello everyone,
I have rooted and have TWRP with the verizon phone.
How do i move a ROM into a phone so i can install it?
I have already made a backup of the current phone with everyone and copied it to the computer.
Let me know,
Thank You
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or enable wireless storage via the notification drop down, you can now approach your device via Wi-Fi lan and upload whatever (it makes your device into a network drive)
Sent from my LG-F320L using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Related
Hello everybody,
I tried posting this same question on other various websites, but I have gotten no replies thus far. I am considering the idea of rooting my LG G2, (Sprint) but I am unsure if I want to. On one hand, the idea of not being able to get it serviced if any accidents were to happen frightens me a bit. The last thing I want to do is root it and totally regret it if I did something wrong. Also, I always hear about these (horror, I guess you could call them) stories of people have terrible luck with rooting even after doing everything properly as instructed. However, that being said, I am not a stupid user. I would not tinker with anything beyond my own capability and I would be very careful about it. If I were to root it, would it be stable? Is it safe? (I would most likely be using CyanogenMod as my custom ROM, just an F.Y.I.)
In conclusion, to root or not to root? Is it worthwhile? Is it something that the "pros" outweigh the cons?
Thank you all so much for your help. I am brand new to this site, so please forgive me if there were any formatting errors, etc.
I was in the same boat a few weeks ago and decided to take the plunge.
A few things to consider:
- Do you have the original stock rom that came with your phone?
- A you comfortable flashing this stock rom with LG Flashtool? (To get back to where you are now.)
- Have you backed up everything on your phone?
- Can you afford a new phone if things go very very wrong?
If the answer is yes to the above, go for it. :victory:
I'm sure a few of the more experienced people on here can give you more advice. I used ioroot and the process was quick and easy. :highfive:
Okay! I've been on this board for almost seven years, with phones ranging from a HTC TouchPro through to my current Samsung Galaxy S4 International GT-i9505. The ROM I'm on right now is (with thanks to AntaresOne) cm-12-20150315-OPTIMIZED-jflte, available from his thread, below...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4/i9505-orig-develop/rom-cyanogenmod-12-t2943934
Everything works well - it's fast, has great battery life, the images, screen, text, video all look great, the sound for a phone call is clear and loud, ringtones are loud, the Bluetooth works with my Fusion car stereo and I can play video from it to my Samsung LED TV via wi-fi.
The intention of this Helper Thread is to have somewhere just for Australian users with Galaxy i9505's or i9505T's (the Telstra model) ONLY. That way, the discussions and advice shared is much more 'region-specific'.
On that note, I'll share my experiences with how to get the best out of your phone. Firstly, may I just say please read through these instructions carefully before coming to me with questions. I have spent the best part of five years tinkering with an i9000, then a i9100T, now a i9505 International. Also, there's heaps more help and advice to be found here on XDA-Developers, sammobile and a number of other Android forums, so I've always found it best to research as much as possible to take the very best information that actually works. No question is too stupid, unless you ask one that's been answered a thousand times already, like...
What's the best ROM?, What's the best modem?, How do I root my phone?, and Will rooting void my warranty?
And so, we start afresh with a Galaxy i9505, also known as jfltexx. Back up all your photos and music to your PC, and you'll find any number of apps on Play Store to backup your text messages and call logs. Titanium Pro is the best. It does need root access, but fortunately there are a couple ('SMS Backup & Restore' is one) that you don't need root to use. Seeming though 99.99% of everything you can do to upgrade your phone is best off being done with a clean slate, trust me when I tell you - BACK YOUR STUFF UP AND FACTORY RESET THE DAMN THING!
The most important step - BACKUP YOUR DEVICE'S EFS FOLDER!!! This is a location where information pertaining to your device's IMEI number and Country Code etc. are stored, and this folder can sometimes be wiped when you flash a new ROM. From Lollipop onwards, the way that's done is a bit different, but again there's plenty of apps and methods out there that will do this backup for you. Thing is, most often you'll need to be rooted, so...
You'll find throughout XDA a number of device-specific threads and posts about how to gain root access on your device. The fastest and easiest way to perform this task is to go visit Chainfire...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2219803
The specific file you are looking for is called CF-Auto-Root-jflte-jfltexx-gti9505.zip. You use a nice little program called Odin - which just happens to be included in the package you've just grabbed - to 'flash' that into your phone. Yes yes yes, this voids your warranty and trips the Knox flag. Sadly, as much as you might find people who say that it can be reset, KNOX CANNOT BE CHANGED BACK ONCE IT'S 0x1!
Next, go and check out flatzki's thread at...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4/general/i9505xxuhoa7-odin-files-100-t3043983
He's just got his hands on the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop Stock ROM for the International Galaxy S4 LTE, jfltexx. Thank him while you're there, and grab the ZIP file I9505XXUHOA7_OXAHOA7.zip. Create a New folder on your Desktop, then (using WinRAR or 7ZIP) extract the contents of the ZIP you downloaded into that folder.
Once you've done that, you'll be looking for a way to get rid of the 'dreaded' Yellow Triangle. Go check out...
chainfire's TriangleAway Thread
and follow the instructions from the Master himself. Grab the TriangleAway-v3.26.apk from the link at the bottom of that post, and throw the man a Donation - the guy reigns supreme with these devices and deserves every bit of credit for the support he gives us all.
Next, go and find yourself a ROM. AOSP (Android Open Source Project) ones are the best. The origins of AOSP ROMs are Google's original Android source code, so you're getting the base code of the OS exactly as the Original Programmer intended. Samsung (and other OEM's) then get their grubby little hands on that code, then go to town making it control their hardware in the manner they want.
Now, there's two lists of Custom ROMs for the i9505 that are shared here on XDA:
For tweaked and altered versions of original stock AOSP ROMs, visit the Galaxy S4 i9505 Android Development section.
For custom ROMs that are pretty much 'outside the box', and built from scratch by individual developers or groups using Android source code, visit the Galaxy S 4 i9505 Original Android Development section.
No matter what you decide to 'flash' in, if you have questions about the ROM itself, how to flash it, or anything else about that particular release, ask them of the ROM Chef in the thread where you got it from. They're the ones who cooked it, so they've already gone through the trials and errors and successes of getting their ROM working on an i9505, making them the best guys and gals to ask if you have dramas with the ROM. 99.9% of the time the ROM Chef's thread will have in the first couple of posts Instructions on How To Flash, FAQ's, known issues, etc.
The advice I give everyone regardless of what device you have is, Back the damn thing up first - it's called a nandroid backup, Google it - and make sure you clean all traces of the old firmware out of your phone thoroughly. More often than not, the dramas people have when they get up and running on a newly flashed ROM (or, issues in restarting the device after a flash) can be directly attributed to remnants of the old ROM interfering with the new. This is especially so for flashing via Recovery. If you use Odin to flash a Stock firmware, it pretty much smashes its way over the top of whatever you've got installed, and gives you a fresh palate to work with.
Now, if you're having issues with carrier network connectivity, call quality, mobile internet etc., it could be either your network APN (Access Point Name) settings or your ROM's 'modem' package. APN settings are within the phone's Network setup menu. The best list of Australian carrier APN's I've found is at Ausdroid Forums. Modems are a sort of 'try them until you get one you're happy with' kind of thing, and if you're still in the dark, go and read Formhault's post about the subject at...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=50787570&postcount=2549
My advice when it comes to modems is, grab a couple of CWM-flashable modems and take at least two days of testing each until you get one that gives you enwhitenment.
Hope that gets your device running smikko, and if you're that stuck you need a bit of special attention, PM me. Lastly, make sure to click on the Thanks button if you got help from this tutorial...
I have a few questions for anyone familiar with the Samsung Galaxy J series, specifically the J3. I have virgin mobile, and after a long time suffering with their HTC Desire 510, I want to upgrade, and not wanting to spend $400 on a galaxy S5 , the J3 seems the next best phone to get. However, as I've grown used to having a rooted phone and customizing my phone as much as I want, etc, I want to make sure my next phone can be rooted, and has support for custom ROM's, etc.
The main thing that could help me with my decision would be some guidance as to whether other versions, the J2, J5, J7, etc, that are present here would be potentially compatible with the J3, or if I'm out of luck and should consider other options if rooting is a necessity for me.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Anyone?
I'm sure you can root it.
I'm using j5 and it took me like 15 minutes of reading and about an hour /including downloading and setting up all the things /for the root.
I just want to say that you would need to be prepared to wait until someone make a custom Rom for it.
GL
nov01 said:
I'm sure you can root it.
I'm using j5 and it took me like 15 minutes of reading and about an hour /including downloading and setting up all the things /for the root.
I just want to say that you would need to be prepared to wait until someone make a custom Rom for it.
GL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats what I was thinking. I figure that rooting it (hopefully) is similar to the other J series. As long as its rooted, wouldn't I be able to (even w/o custom rom) debloat/customize/etc it with various root tools, apps2sd, etc? Or are those dependent on having a custom rom? On the only phone I've rooted so far (htc desire 510) I didn't really spend any time with stock rom when I rooted, instead immediately flashing Nonsense rom, so I'm not sure what limitations keeping stock rom comes with when rooted.
Thank you for the reply! It gives me a bit of hope at least.
I'm not really familiar with the device. As I said before I have a j5. According to the applications that you mentioned I think that it would be possible to get and install them. But rooting isn't quantum mechanics. There are some apps that you could easily install on almost any device and get the root privileges. For example kingroot I am sure you can find others. I usually root my devices trough pc.I recommend you to take some time before jumping on the first option that comes up as a possible solution.
According to changing the stock Rom. I don't known how developed is that treat so.. Again read here and there about it.
GL!
Let me know if I helped by hitting the thumb up
I dont think permanent root is going to be possible until a working twrp is made so that you can flash supersu. I know that sux, I wanted to get one for my wife because she broke the screen on her vm s3. But without root and the ability to get unlimited hotspot... nope. I asked a dev ( lrs121) if he would port twrp to it. He said he would try if I had the phone and could get him the necessary files from it. Look in the sprint s3 section under twrp for virgin and boost s3. He is a great dev.
Actually far as I can say there are 2 twrp options. you just have to read more
nov01 said:
Actually far as I can say there are 2 twrp options. you just have to read more
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read where? Could you be a little more vague?
I am by no means a noob, and when I answer someone, I generally throw in a link.
But thanks for letting me know it exists.
Is it another phones twrp that works? Any hints at all?
madbat99 said:
Read where? Could you be a little more vague?
I am by no means a noob, and when I answer someone, I generally throw in a link.
But thanks for letting me know it exists.
Is it another phones twrp that works? Any hints at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry i was on the phone while traveling. I`ve mistaken that it was about the j5 ( like mine device) and for that especially i had tried 2 working options up to now for twrp. but i`m pretty sure you can find tutorials or you can even simply DL the twrp /for example/ 3 install it as an apk and than you if it stuck just would need to DL odin for your PC and than strictly follow the steps / install /unzip odin, connect device , go into DL mode and flash it with the stock ROM which you can find in sammobile /.com i guess/ ?
GL and hit thanks if i helped!
I have yet another variant the J320w8, canadian GSM variant presumably. Which recovery will work with this guy?? I've tried the j3lte TWRP with no luck booting it. Then J320H which was a fail. now i've to find firmware to recover from the hanging up on logo on boot...i welcome suggestions guys
ryn.ste said:
I have yet another variant the J320w8, canadian GSM variant presumably. Which recovery will work with this guy?? I've tried the j3lte TWRP with no luck booting it. Then J320H which was a fail. now i've to find firmware to recover from the hanging up on logo on boot...i welcome suggestions guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
still need firmware? http://rapidgator.net/file/916b933a305b3ba597862c145dca4cad confirmed working.
i need root tho, or an older firmware. any help is appreciated.
darknaio said:
I have a few questions for anyone familiar with the Samsung Galaxy J series, specifically the J3. I have virgin mobile, and after a long time suffering with their HTC Desire 510, I want to upgrade, and not wanting to spend $400 on a galaxy S5 , the J3 seems the next best phone to get. However, as I've grown used to having a rooted phone and customizing my phone as much as I want, etc, I want to make sure my next phone can be rooted, and has support for custom ROM's, etc.
The main thing that could help me with my decision would be some guidance as to whether other versions, the J2, J5, J7, etc, that are present here would be potentially compatible with the J3, or if I'm out of luck and should consider other options if rooting is a necessity for me.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am working on a unofficial build of of lineage OS for this device. You can see it here. https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/general/lineage-os-samsung-galaxy-j3-t3553175
Is it even remotely possible to unlock the bootloader? I would love to install a custom recovery and a custom ROM.
Thanks.
Not possible currently, probably never will.
Until someone at Samsung decides to give the keys to the bootloader, it will remain locked.
(Pssst, hey Samsung Developer, there is a fame and fortune for your leak. :angel: )
I vouch 400$ for unlocked bootloader and emotion/lineage os
If S6 is anything to judge by, the chances for an unlocked bootloader are slim at best.
The only reason I would love an unlocked bootloader is to be able to root the stock OS and not have to use an engineering kernel. Otherwise, I tend to run rooted stock on my devices until they get too out of date.
Unfortunately, that means when this S7 Edge becomes obsolete, that will be the end of the line.
No one is even attempting it. With most phones now root / unlocked bootloader is a thing of the past. If you want those feature it'd be best to get a Pixel or a 1+. The rest of the phone will kill all of that in the next year.
The last good for rooting phone from Samsung was the Note 4 and even that was only the Tmobile variant. As Samsung and Android pay roll out internationally it will get killed off over seas too.
Unless a new crop of Android hackers pop-up to replace all the devs who used to roit/unlock the phones rooting and flashing is dying
ShrekOpher said:
No one is even attempting it. With most phones now root / unlocked bootloader is a thing of the past. If you want those feature it'd be best to get a Pixel or a 1+. The rest of the phone will kill all of that in the next year.
The last good for rooting phone from Samsung was the Note 4 and even that was only the Tmobile variant. As Samsung and Android pay roll out internationally it will get killed off over seas too.
Unless a new crop of Android hackers pop-up to replace all the devs who used to roit/unlock the phones rooting and flashing is dying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure I would go that far. Sure, Samsung has locked their phones down like nuts, but there are still plenty of developments on other devices. The Sunshine team has managed to S-off every HTC flagship from the M8 on, along with a reasonably sold list of Moto devices. If you aren't on Verizon/AT&T you can skip the hack by going to HTCDev. Too bad HTC has gone absolutely bonkers on their own devices...
The LG V20 folks got "lucky" with Dirty Santa (though I wouldn't touch that mess with a 10 foot pole since your warranty is going to be void at the same time LG is getting sued over boot looping phones). Still, if you manage to get lucky, you can load custom ROMs on that device, and it's a true flagship.
Other devices seem to either have unlockable (through a web-site) bootloaders or have proven relatively easy to mod/root.
One day root may be a thing of the past unless you can find a dev phone, but I don't think we are quite there yet. That, and there will always likely be leaked dev kernels.
Few things:
-Is there any work still being done to get the bootloader unlocked? This dev thread no longer seems to be only devs, rather a bunch of "+1s", "thanks", and "tweet posts". All great posts, but not dev related.
- All devs on this thread are without a doubt better than I regarding android roms, unlocking, etc, but thought id throw a few ideas it here. (Im new to this type of dev). Maybe i can provide new hope? I just recently got the s7 and found out the hard way the current status woth no way to get custom roms. I know the chain of trust, verity, etc are a major buzzkill, but parts have all been hacked before so we can't Judy throw in the towel, can we?!
- http://newandroidbook.com this has a lot of good material, this guy is a genius, too bag he isn't working on this! (Download the book there & supplements).
Couple of actual ideas:
-He mentions in the book, with root you should be able to modify parts of partitions. Add long as you don't modify the entire partition it wont check for integrity on startup. Now that root exists, is Amy of this possible, to modify three partitions and unlock the bootloader?
- He also talks about how the chain of trust works using signed keys, and where to find these keys in the actual image file; since we know exactly where the keys are, and what's expected, can't we fake it with a custom image using a binary editor? He (in that link) also refers to his free tools to inspect, etc.
Remember when wet push via odin the phone isn't online so had no way to verify via internet if something is in fact legit. Hacks happen all the time with fake digital signatures and keys, certs, etc.
- In other words, now that root exists in the engineering kernel, Im thinking new doors have opened.
Thoughts? Hope?!
It's not happening.
diligent7771 said:
Few things:
-Is there any work still being done to get the bootloader unlocked? This dev thread no longer seems to be only devs, rather a bunch of "+1s", "thanks", and "tweet posts". All great posts, but not dev related.
- All devs on this thread are without a doubt better than I regarding android roms, unlocking, etc, but thought id throw a few ideas it here. (Im new to this type of dev). Maybe i can provide new hope? I just recently got the s7 and found out the hard way the current status woth no way to get custom roms. I know the chain of trust, verity, etc are a major buzzkill, but parts have all been hacked before so we can't Judy throw in the towel, can we?!
- http://newandroidbook.com this has a lot of good material, this guy is a genius, too bag he isn't working on this! (Download the book there & supplements).
Couple of actual ideas:
-He mentions in the book, with root you should be able to modify parts of partitions. Add long as you don't modify the entire partition it wont check for integrity on startup. Now that root exists, is Amy of this possible, to modify three partitions and unlock the bootloader?
- He also talks about how the chain of trust works using signed keys, and where to find these keys in the actual image file; since we know exactly where the keys are, and what's expected, can't we fake it with a custom image using a binary editor? He (in that link) also refers to his free tools to inspect, etc.
Remember when wet push via odin the phone isn't online so had no way to verify via internet if something is in fact legit. Hacks happen all the time with fake digital signatures and keys, certs, etc.
- In other words, now that root exists in the engineering kernel, Im thinking new doors have opened.
Thoughts? Hope?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree with Kcodya. With the S8 coming out very soon, I am sure the Devs are not really that concerned with the S7 and unlocking the bootloader. I have read a lot of posts about the very issue and anyone and everyone that has been working on this has dropped it or no longer working on it. Look at the S6. It is still without an unlocked bootloader.
I agree with you about the EngImg and I guess at the present time, that is about all we have to work with. I have settled with it and am happy at least to have root privileges.
But we can still hope...
If Samsung ever gets off their hindquarters and updates the unlocked version of the S7/S7 Edge to Nougat, rooted stock will probably be optimal anyway. I know this is XDA, and people love to mod with whole ROMs, but OEM ROMs have improved dramatically over the years. This isn't the era of requiring CM (or LineageOS now) just to have a functional device like it was during the Gingerbread era.
Unfortunately, Samsung isn't likely to ever sell developer friendly phones again, so if you are a developer or like beta testing ROMs, this isn't your device. There are too many options that are trivial to unlock and develop on for anyone to spend too much effort bucking Samsung on their lockdown strategy.
diligent7771 said:
Few things:
-Is there any work still being done to get the bootloader unlocked? This dev thread no longer seems to be only devs, rather a bunch of "+1s", "thanks", and "tweet posts". All great posts, but not dev related.
- All devs on this thread are without a doubt better than I regarding android roms, unlocking, etc, but thought id throw a few ideas it here. (Im new to this type of dev). Maybe i can provide new hope? I just recently got the s7 and found out the hard way the current status woth no way to get custom roms. I know the chain of trust, verity, etc are a major buzzkill, but parts have all been hacked before so we can't Judy throw in the towel, can we?!
- http://newandroidbook.com this has a lot of good material, this guy is a genius, too bag he isn't working on this! (Download the book there & supplements).
Couple of actual ideas:
-He mentions in the book, with root you should be able to modify parts of partitions. Add long as you don't modify the entire partition it wont check for integrity on startup. Now that root exists, is Amy of this possible, to modify three partitions and unlock the bootloader?
- He also talks about how the chain of trust works using signed keys, and where to find these keys in the actual image file; since we know exactly where the keys are, and what's expected, can't we fake it with a custom image using a binary editor? He (in that link) also refers to his free tools to inspect, etc.
Remember when wet push via odin the phone isn't online so had no way to verify via internet if something is in fact legit. Hacks happen all the time with fake digital signatures and keys, certs, etc.
- In other words, now that root exists in the engineering kernel, Im thinking new doors have opened.
Thoughts? Hope?!
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Click to collapse
WTF? Did you literally copy and paste my post from another thread?! https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=71604183 lol I know your intentions are great, but you should probably indicate this is a quote from the original author (me), otherwise it appears you were the one that wrote this post. Carry on...
locked bootloader
jshamlet said:
The only reason I would love an unlocked bootloader is to be able to root the stock OS and not have to use an engineering kernel. Otherwise, I tend to run rooted stock on my devices until they get too out of date.
Unfortunately, that means when this S7 Edge becomes obsolete, that will be the end of the line.
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Hey man,i saw you online and i need help with something.
Is locked bootloader affects radio gsm,on unlocked phone by at&t if i upgraded fw and changed version of bootloader from v2 to v4?
Thank you in advance!
Man, this stinks
TomatoesOnBluRay said:
Is it even remotely possible to unlock the bootloader? I would love to install a custom recovery and a custom ROM.
Thanks.
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It's strange that this device never got a stable root. The type of root I was looking for 7 months ago is never going to exist. Development on the root of this phone was forgotten when the S8 came out. I wish I could say the opposite, but unfortunately we couldn't develop a proper root fast enough for the inevitable growth of interest in the newest device.
TomatoesOnBluRay said:
It's strange that this device never got a stable root. The type of root I was looking for 7 months ago is never going to exist. Development on the root of this phone was forgotten when the S8 came out. I wish I could say the opposite, but unfortunately we couldn't develop a proper root fast enough for the inevitable growth of interest in the newest device.
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It's not just that, Samsung also offers some fairly nice bonuses for not rooting and root just isn't what it used to be. The days of "this phone is completely unusable without root to fix all the broken crap" are gone.
I found that simply switching to the unlocked firmware solved 90% of the things I wanted root for in the first place, and probably another 8% were solved by judicious use of ADB and NetGuard. What little was left just wasn't enticing enough to put up with the irritations and work-arounds required for the eng-boot root. I already run Nova launcher exclusively, but even at that, the stock launcher isn't total crap anymore. On the plus side, the eng-boot root doesn't trip Knox, so you can always go back if you want.
Yeah, it's going to suck when updates for the S7 stop due to age, and it would be nice if Samsung would offer a bootloader unlock when that happens, but I suspect it will live the rest of its life with nothing more than the engineering root method.
jshamlet said:
It's not just that, Samsung also offers some fairly nice bonuses for not rooting and root just isn't what it used to be. The days of "this phone is completely unusable without root to fix all the broken crap" are gone.
I found that simply switching to the unlocked firmware solved 90% of the things I wanted root for in the first place, and probably another 8% were solved by judicious use of ADB and NetGuard. What little was left just wasn't enticing enough to put up with the irritations and work-arounds required for the eng-boot root. I already run Nova launcher exclusively, but even at that, the stock launcher isn't total crap anymore. On the plus side, the eng-boot root doesn't trip Knox, so you can always go back if you want.
Yeah, it's going to suck when updates for the S7 stop due to age, and it would be nice if Samsung would offer a bootloader unlock when that happens, but I suspect it will live the rest of its life with nothing more than the engineering root method.
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I entirely agree with you. I haven't rooted my S7 since I tried the engineer boot, and it has been completely and totally usable. I also agree with you about installing the unlocked firmware as it removes most of the bloat that comes with the stock firmware. Root is nice, but not entirely necessary on this device.
TomatoesOnBluRay said:
I entirely agree with you. I haven't rooted my S7 since I tried the engineer boot, and it has been completely and totally usable. I also agree with you about installing the unlocked firmware as it removes most of the bloat that comes with the stock firmware. Root is nice, but not entirely necessary on this device.
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So, where might one obtain an unlocked firmware for a G930A? I've searched high and low and have found several different f/w but they all seem to be for other versions of the G930, not the A. Tried to flash mine with one of those and got caught in an endless boot cycle, so had to go back to stock - still locked - and AT&T says the IMEI doesn't belong to them even though it plays their little tune and shows their logo and flashes their name on startup. Pretty useless to me without being able to unlock it. Thoughts or ideas?
Many thanks in advance.
Havdaddy said:
So, where might one obtain an unlocked firmware for a G930A? I've searched high and low and have found several different f/w but they all seem to be for other versions of the G930, not the A. Tried to flash mine with one of those and got caught in an endless boot cycle, so had to go back to stock - still locked - and AT&T says the IMEI doesn't belong to them even though it plays their little tune and shows their logo and flashes their name on startup. Pretty useless to me without being able to unlock it. Thoughts or ideas?
Many thanks in advance.
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All US/Snapdragon S7s and S7 Edges are hardware identical. You can run any of the 5 variants on them with zero issue (even going between V/S and A/T). This means you can run the unbranded/unlocked firmware on any US/Snapdragon based device as long as the model number matches.
Now, SIM locks are a separate issue. You still have to go to the carrier that locked it (or one of the paid services) to get the unlock code even if you are running the U firmware because the modem firmware is entirely separate.
Havdaddy said:
So, where might one obtain an unlocked firmware for a G930A? I've searched high and low and have found several different f/w but they all seem to be for other versions of the G930, not the A. Tried to flash mine with one of those and got caught in an endless boot cycle, so had to go back to stock - still locked - and AT&T says the IMEI doesn't belong to them even though it plays their little tune and shows their logo and flashes their name on startup. Pretty useless to me without being able to unlock it. Thoughts or ideas?
Many thanks in advance.
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The firmware for all G930 and G935 variants are interchangeable. When I refer to the unlocked firmware, I'm referring to G930U and G935U. This version can be found on the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge forums on this site. When you install the unlocked firmware, you are not unlocking the device, just the firmware associated with the unlocked version of the phone. This means less bloatware, faster speeds, and no AT&T boot logo. Sorry for the confusion my previous comment may have caused!
Just picked up a carrier unlocked Verizon Galaxy S7 Edge model SM-G935V.
Now that I finally have a model which seems like it should be relatively easy to root, I would prefer to learn to do it using a PC ie flashing ROM, but I have no PC*access*right now.
My main question is:
After rooting my phone using a 1-click root method, will it be relatively easy for me to un-install ALL bloatware & eventually end up with a phone that's running just as efficiently as it would if I had picked out and flashed a good stripped down ROM using a PC instead of some 1-click method?
I'm also considering purchase and use of Super-sume Pro (if the job is done with Kingroot).
Any advice AT ALL regarding what I hope to do would be greatly appreciated... and jic it helps here s a little of my background:
I have NO successful experiences using TWRP or the like w other phones.. although I believe I came close!!... my last few phone picks turned out to be models which were pretty much impossible to root (locked bootloader was the common culprit best I could understand).... Otherwise I think I'd have been able to do at least 1 previous model the flash-rom way.
I DO have A lot of general experience w PCs and have successfully rooted a few phones using 1 click Android software such as Kingroot, but at that time I did not fully understand or hope to remove bloatware to cool battery or otherwise dial in best performance.
It's been at least 3 years since I last performed a 1 click root on any phone.
Thanks in advance for any advice or assistance... I really appreciate everyone & everything at XDA.
Best advice, get/borrow a laptop and follow the instructions in this thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-s7-edge/how-to/root-s7-s7edge-oreo-nougat-t3819616 to see about rooting your S7e. All those "1-click" options never worked for me. With the method in the above link, I can root my S7e in under 15min.
1) First and foremost, what is the current software version your S7e is running? example= G935VVRS4CRI1. IF the 5th digit from the RIGHT is the letter "B" stop! You can't root. If it is the letter "A," or a number, you are good to go.
2) even with root, there is no flashing of ANY custom ROM's. Yes, you can debloat and make some changes, but with the godd**mn locked bootloader the options are limited. Rooting does not unlock the bootloader, therefore there is no TWRP, Magisk, etc.
Others with experience regarding those 1-click methods may chime in with their advice/experience. But none of those instant methods ever worked for me.
Good luck.
SkylineDriver said:
Best advice, get/borrow a laptop and follow the instructions in this thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-s7-edge/how-to/root-s7-s7edge-oreo-nougat-t3819616 to see about rooting your S7e. All those "1-click" options never worked for me. With the method in the above link, I can root my S7e in under 15min.
1) First and foremost, what is the current software version your S7e is running? example= G935VVRS4CRI1. IF the 5th digit from the RIGHT is the letter "B" stop! You can't root. If it is the letter "A," or a number, you are good to go.
2) even with root, there is no flashing of ANY custom ROM's. Yes, you can debloat and make some changes, but with the godd**mn locked bootloader the options are limited. Rooting does not unlock the bootloader, therefore there is no TWRP, Magisk, etc.
Others with experience regarding those 1-click methods may chime in with their advice/experience. But none of those instant methods ever worked for me.
Good luck.
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Skyline,
Thank you for taking the time. Much appreciated. Luckily I already found out about the software version issue and I'm looking at the number 4, so that potential roadblock isn't one
Let me try to understand exactly what you said towards the end of your reply, though.
Are you saying that even if I use a PC and avoid any 1 click method that I will not have any option to flash a custom ROM? I could have sworn I saw a thread a few nights ago somewhere here at XDA which required use of a PC, specifically for my phone model and it described the altered OS or ROM as being as simplified as it gets, devoid of all Verizon bloatware. Maybe I am referring to it in correctly when I say custom ROM, I'll look for said post to see what I may be remembering incorrectly.
I have personally had great experience w 1-click methods in the past, @ least 4 different phones (older Samsung, LG).. but I have NEVER tried 1-click w a phone thats truly important... as in important enough to seriously worry about stolen IMEI, keylogger or other malware, etc..
I want a perfectly clean, safe "out of the gates" root on this phone, so I'm willing to wait to make sure it's done the proper/best way on my FIRST attempt.
Looks like the thread is already talking me out of using 1-click (might have known deep down that needed to happen lol).
Anyway thanks again for your advice.
When I finally do get to rooting it, I'll post the details and overall experience info here.
Whatever you do, DO NOT UPDATE to the latest software version.
With root, you can debloat all you want. I have next to nothing running on my phone (goodbye Google "services"). You just can not flash any custom (non-official Samsung) ROM's such as LineageOS, Calvioppe, etc... thanks to that damn locked Crapdragon. Much as I love my S7e, when it dies, it will be my last Samsung for that reason alone.
If you follow the steps outlined in the above linked thread, you should be able to root 1-2-3. I have been rooted since it became available and have had zero issues. It will require a PC/ laptop but it is reliable and verified working.
Good luck with your project.
Canthigaster said:
Skyline,
Thank you for taking the time. Much appreciated. Luckily I already found out about the software version issue and I'm looking at the number 4, so that potential roadblock isn't one
Let me try to understand exactly what you said towards the end of your reply, though.
Are you saying that even if I use a PC and avoid any 1 click method that I will not have any option to flash a custom ROM? I could have sworn I saw a thread a few nights ago somewhere here at XDA which required use of a PC, specifically for my phone model and it described the altered OS or ROM as being as simplified as it gets, devoid of all Verizon bloatware. Maybe I am referring to it in correctly when I say custom ROM, I'll look for said post to see what I may be remembering incorrectly.
I have personally had great experience w 1-click methods in the past, @ least 4 different phones (older Samsung, LG).. but I have NEVER tried 1-click w a phone thats truly important... as in important enough to seriously worry about stolen IMEI, keylogger or other malware, etc..
I want a perfectly clean, safe "out of the gates" root on this phone, so I'm willing to wait to make sure it's done the proper/best way on my FIRST attempt.
Looks like the thread is already talking me out of using 1-click (might have known deep down that needed to happen lol).
Anyway thanks again for your advice.
When I finally do get to rooting it, I'll post the details and overall experience info here.
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SkylineDriver said:
Whatever you do, DO NOT UPDATE to the latest software version.
With root, you can debloat all you want. I have next to nothing running on my phone (goodbye Google "services"). You just can not flash any custom (non-official Samsung) ROM's such as LineageOS, Calvioppe, etc... thanks to that damn locked Crapdragon. Much as I love my S7e, when it dies, it will be my last Samsung for that reason alone.
If you follow the steps outlined in the above linked thread, you should be able to root 1-2-3. I have been rooted since it became available and have had zero issues. It will require a PC/ laptop but it is reliable and verified working.
Good luck with your project.
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Thanks again for the warning about no updating... I am WELL aware of this, my friend.
Take a look at this thread... it really looks to me as if this person is talking about flashing a ROM on the S7 Edge, no?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7...a-evolution-x-samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-t4058837
That's only 1 of at least 2 or 3 similar threads that I've been having a look at lately...
If you look closely, that is for the Exynos version of the S7e. Verizon uses the Snapdragon (ie. Crapdragon) processor which has a locked bootloader for US models.
Ok I get it completely... one last teeny tiny bit of hope- I purchased mine Unlocked by manufacturer. Could that possibly extend beyond carrier unlock and (maybe maybe please just possibly) mean my bootloader is unlocked?
Went out of my way to make sure it was unlocked by MANUFACTURER, not SELLER for obvious reasons. Had no knowledge about chipset... dammit there's always something to miss no matter how much prep one tries to do!
Unlocked just means that the phone is able to be activated on any carrier ie. not specifically locked to only Verizon.
Only the Exynos and Chinese Snapdragon can be bootloader unlocked. As mentioned, I love my S7e, and will use it until it dies, but I seriously doubt I will get another Snapdragon Samsung that is locked down tighter than Ft. Knox.
Good luck...