Database Users

[Q] Should I buy an S4

Hi all
I currently own a galaxy note N700 and am a flashaholic, keep switching between CM & Touchwizz roms.
I have the chance to upgrade to an S4 from O2 (uk), now i have read a lot on this forum but still not sure wether to go for it.
My biggest concern is about rooting, that is all i am after, just want to remove bloat and keep the rest stock, as i rather like
touchwizz. On the N700 rooting was easy with philz kernel/recovery, how easy is it on the S4?
I dont know what firmware it will come with (probably not the latest), keep reading about this Knox thing and am a bit confused.
can anyone en-lighten me as to the easiest way to root and is it safe. We had the EMMC drama on the note originally
is there any problems like that here?
cheers

jock11 said:
Hi all
I currently own a galaxy note N700 and am a flashaholic, keep switching between CM & Touchwizz roms.
I have the chance to upgrade to an S4 from O2 (uk), now i have read a lot on this forum but still not sure wether to go for it.
My biggest concern is about rooting, that is all i am after, just want to remove bloat and keep the rest stock, as i rather like
touchwizz. On the N700 rooting was easy with philz kernel/recovery, how easy is it on the S4?
I dont know what firmware it will come with (probably not the latest), keep reading about this Knox thing and am a bit confused.
can anyone en-lighten me as to the easiest way to root and is it safe. We had the EMMC drama on the note originally
is there any problems like that here?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's my suggestion that, if you are a flashaholic who likes CM/AOSP, you get a Qualcomm based GT-I9505 since the 9500 is Exynos based and will cripple support for CM because Samsung doesn't provide proper userspace drivers. If you can flash the Samsug device you have, you'll be right at home going to the S4. The procedures are basically the same.

Just don't update when you first use it root straight away the efuse is triggered by the update. So you will be safe.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app

donalgodon said:
It's my suggestion that, if you are a flashaholic who likes CM/AOSP, you get a Qualcomm based GT-I9505 since the 9500 is Exynos based and will cripple support for CM because Samsung doesn't provide proper userspace drivers. If you can flash the Samsug device you have, you'll be right at home going to the S4. The procedures are basically the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm! thats a bit worrying, cos i can only get the I9500, seems the I9505 is always out of stock on O2.
TBH i'm quite happy sticking with touchwizz, as long as i can root and debloat. I assume its just as easy to root as N7000,
flash CF Root then flash a custom recovery as long as i dont update before?
Can someone confirm before i jump in and buy one? Cos i'm also tempted by GN2 and S3.
cheers

I own a i9500, did a a cf-root and flashed wanam, now it's better battery life and much more smoth with the touchwiz.
Overall, i have a very good experience with my octa.

jock11 said:
Hmmm! thats a bit worrying, cos i can only get the I9500, seems the I9505 is always out of stock on O2.
TBH i'm quite happy sticking with touchwizz, as long as i can root and debloat. I assume its just as easy to root as N7000,
flash CF Root then flash a custom recovery as long as i dont update before?
Can someone confirm before i jump in and buy one? Cos i'm also tempted by GN2 and S3.
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's easy.

S4 rocks man.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk 4

Worth rooting?

Hi all,
I am somewhat new to the note 3 scene.
On my previous devices (HTC one, one xl, s2, etc) I have been a flashoholic.
On this device there seems to only be the option for a stock ROM.
This is fine as a lot of the stock features are what makes the note. But are the perks you get from installing a modified stock ROM worth rooting for?
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app

wyd4 said:
Hi all,
I am somewhat new to the note 3 scene.
On my previous devices (HTC one, one xl, s2, etc) I have been a flashoholic.
On this device there seems to only be the option for a stock ROM.
This is fine as a lot of the stock features are what makes the note. But are the perks you get from installing a modified stock ROM worth rooting for?
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally QUESTIONS should go to the correct subforum.
That being said - rooting and custom ROMs are two different things - you can still run stock and want to have root (for instance for Titanium Backup, Greenify, Xposed).
IMHO a very simple option right now IF you have an older bootloader is to root with URDLV (keep knox 0x0) and then update with mobile odin pro so you can keep root (and knox 0x0). But priorities can change and in time other options will most likely appear.

Sadly, depending on the type of Note you have you will be limited to stock roms due to the locked bootloader.
I'm on ATT, so I feel this pain.
But still, despite the pain in the ass, rooting is still worth it.
Getting rid of the annoying bloatware was a pretty top priority. But also installing Xposed Framework gets you many of the features custom roms did without having the need to flash one.
Everything is a little harder to do on this phone without the ability to flash things in a recovery, but I still find it all worth it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app

To root or not to root the s5?

Hey guys I'm pondering whether or not to root my s5 and I have yet to find THE reason. I'd appreciate it if you took a second to write down if you rooted or not. The pros and cons pertaining the the s5. So far there's only a handfull of roms available, a far cry from the previous, galaxy s forums.
IMO Xposed framework would be the only valid reason but then again is it worth tripping the knox counter and voiding our warranty?
What do you think?

I'm curious to know this also, unless some way is ever discovered to root without tripping Knox, or somehow reset Knox.
The one thing I'd love to do is enable more apps in multi-window. Does anyone know an easy way to do that without root?
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

Hi,
I had my device rooted a couple days ago and I could'n be happier. I flashed a custom light ROM and IO have an amazing battery life now. I could last up to 24 hours with 7 hours screen on.
On more thing, you could experience more Android OS when you have your device rooted.
So what is the reason for not rooting your device?

Void warranty, that's really all.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

I'm still unsure if knox is tripped on rooting or if it's when a kernel/rom is flashed. I'd be happy to run a rooted stock rom for adblock and a few other apps that need root.
Very hesitant to lose the warranty on this even though I've beta tested and flashed hundreds of times in the past with other phones and never really worried about warranty as they were pretty much all used handsets.
sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5

Prof Peach said:
I'm still unsure if knox is tripped on rooting or if it's when a kernel/rom is flashed. I'd be happy to run a rooted stock rom for adblock and a few other apps that need root.
Very hesitant to lose the warranty on this even though I've beta tested and flashed hundreds of times in the past with other phones and never really worried about warranty as they were pretty much all used handsets.
sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know that's a good question because I remember being asked a question when I rooted my first s5 about knox. Maybe someone else could answer that one.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

mrnovanova said:
You know that's a good question because I remember being asked a question when I rooted my first s5 about knox. Maybe someone else could answer that one.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best way to root, is to remove knox completely if possible, its a stupid POS spyware app, that eats battery and has no purpose for the end user on the Galaxy S5. There is an app called Triangle away or something of the similar sort that can "trick" the phone into appearing that it has not been tampered with if you need to do a warranty.
I am not sure about your specific model, but if the bootloader is unlocked, why dont you flash AllianceROM, or one of the others which by default has knox removed, and root.

solrazr said:
The best way to root, is to remove knox completely if possible, its a stupid POS spyware app, that eats battery and has no purpose for the end user on the Galaxy S5. There is an app called Triangle away or something of the similar sort that can "trick" the phone into appearing that it has not been tampered with if you need to do a warranty.
I am not sure about your specific model, but if the bootloader is unlocked, why dont you flash AllianceROM, or one of the others which by default has knox removed, and root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, good point. Triangle away doesn't reset the knox counter not yet anyway. The thing is I have nothing against knox I appreciate the extra level of security I like the private mode and I like the fact that I can stop the phone from being rooted or reset should it fall into the wrong hands. That's a plus in my book. Furthermore none of the ROMs out that this moment make me wanna root I find that samsung has come a long way since my s2 customization wise. The phone is awesome out of the box IMHO.
Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

mrnovanova said:
Hey guys I'm pondering whether or not to root my s5 and I have yet to find THE reason. I'd appreciate it if you took a second to write down if you rooted or not. The pros and cons pertaining the the s5. So far there's only a handfull of roms available, a far cry from the previous, galaxy s forums.
IMO Xposed framework would be the only valid reason but then again is it worth tripping the knox counter and voiding our warranty?
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! Some other opinions can be found in his thread (also my answer): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2724257
Cheers!
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

zeldavn said:
Hi,
I had my device rooted a couple days ago and I could'n be happier. I flashed a custom light ROM and IO have an amazing battery life now. I could last up to 24 hours with 7 hours screen on.
On more thing, you could experience more Android OS when you have your device rooted.
So what is the reason for not rooting your device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting the device might prevent some native apps from functioning such as allshare, screen cast etc...

Root is so good! believe me.:laugh:

hfs1314 said:
Root is so good! believe me.:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol. I know. I'm actually convinced now. Screw the warranty LOL...:silly:

As long as you know what you're doing and you're voiding the phone's 1 year waranty with it. Think before you do it because it could never be undone (KNOX 0x1).
I'm leaving my S5 unrooted.

Root! No root, no fun!
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I think as of right now there is no good reason to root the S5....none of the current ROMs are worth breaking the warranty for and we aren't lagging behind the android OS versions that we want urgently catch up to. My advice would be to wait until more advanced rooting methods come around that bypass the knox tripping or until CM, AOKP, AOSP etc ROMS start rolling out or if we get a couple of Android OS versions behind, whichever comes first

mrnovanova said:
Hey guys I'm pondering whether or not to root my s5 and I have yet to find THE reason. I'd appreciate it if you took a second to write down if you rooted or not. The pros and cons pertaining the the s5. So far there's only a handfull of roms available, a far cry from the previous, galaxy s forums.
IMO Xposed framework would be the only valid reason but then again is it worth tripping the knox counter and voiding our warranty?
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
today i ended up rooting because i was going criminally insane not having root, but i ran into a problem where the play store got deleted so i had to go a bit further and flash a new rom. ive had root on every android i have had besides the htc my touch. the features you get with root are so wonderful apps like adaway (most useful app in the history of apps), xposed installer, root browser, and many more that i cant think of yet are so useful that i couldnt live without them any longer. plus you can flash different roms if you love the s5 but hate touchwiz there is a rom for that. you have cm11 aokp crdroid paranoid and aosp to give you a stock experience. true at the moment you can not reset knox and if that is an issue for you then dont root. or.... dunk your phone in water without the cover on lol just kidding i do not recommend doing that. the choice is yours though i know others and i love having root and cant live without it. but there are just as many people who love root but dont want to trip knox. for me i ended up rooting because i found out my carrier does not check if the device is modified or not when you trade in so i just said screw it.take all counts into consideration is root something you need or do you not need some of the features you get with root. simple question is are you a hardcore user or basic user?

IMO, if not rooted, ROMed etc, why come to XDA Developers website, you know what I mean?
I do it first day on all devices, have'nt bricked one yet :silly: not!
I love to tweak the hell out of the device, rid it of bloat, block adds, not to mention the advantages of more regular updates and fixes.
Also if using custom ROM you're getting a ROM that has had many man/team hours spent on it rather than a ROM developed for a commercial mass production, theres a comment above that states "no ROM is worthy of flashing on S5 yet" well I'd like to ask you, how the hell do you know if you have'nt flashed anything yet?

I root my S5 first day and I didn't face any problem with Knox Can someone explain to me why Knox is problem ?
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app

Mohannad-K said:
I root my S5 first day and I didn't face any problem with Knox Can someone explain to me why Knox is problem ?
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Triggering knox will void your warranty without possibility to undo it.
Skickat från min SM-G900F via Tapatalk

There are also certain features that may not function after tripping Knox. Additionally most companies won't let you BYOD after Knox trips. Unless they "forget" to check
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[Q] AT&T S5 ROMS that don't use Touchwiz?

So I just switched from T-Mobile to AT&T and I'm thinking about getting a Galaxy S5. I plan on rooting it, and installing safestrap, but I can't *stand* TouchWiz - are there any ROM's that don't have TouchWiz as the base and are based on something else? It seems a bit confusing - I know that there are no AOSP/CM based ROM's for the S5 (AT&T Version), and yes, I know I can install Nova Launcher or something, but all the ROM's I see seem to just look like TouchWiz but maybe de-bloated. Thanks in advance....

No, locked bootloader prevents it, touchwiz base only.
Sent from my SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Rakuu said:
No, locked bootloader prevents it, touchwiz base only.
Sent from my SM-G900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK thanks Rakuu.

Just got an AT&T Android 5.0 warranty replacement for my rooted 4.4.2; options?

So I just got a 5.0 Lollipop SM-G900A, Baseband G900AUCU4B0F3 warranty replacement for my old rooted 4.4.2 SM-G900A AT&T S5.
I want to get root back. I don't care about warranty since I'm technically out of warranty now and they replaced my phone past warranty (I was really nice to the friendly female CSR I got on the phone). I believe my options are:
Live without root
downgrade to 4.4.2 and root with towelroot without tripping knox
root 5.0 but trip knox
I'd like to do number 3, but I don't know what the best method is at this point. I haven't kept up on any developments in root area since I rooted my 4.4.2 and was supremely happy with it ever since. I know that flashing an already rooted ROM is one of the options but honestly I've gone down the custom ROMs road before on previous phones and I know if I start that again I'll be going through tons of ROMs looking for the one I like best and I've been so happy with rooted vanilla stock that I don't want to take the time to go down that path right now if I can help it. Is there a way to root 5.0 directly if you don't care about Knox/warranty?
I fully realize that I could RTFF and figure out what my answer is but I'm hoping someone who is current will take pity on me and point me in the right direction and cut my RTFF down from hours to minutes. TIA for any help.

https://twitter.com/srsroot/status/634952981960597504
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using XDA Free mobile app

I don't believe it's possible to root 0F3 at this time. Sorry bro...
If root is achieved once again, I would highly recommend sticking to Muniz_ri's rooted stock roms which can be found in the "General" section of each carrier-specific S5 Thread, then running his debloat script (and installing google now launcher) to have a very clean android.

Has there been any updates on this? the "SRSroot" site seems sketchy. Google is not showing me results that I want to hear.

Frankbot said:
Has there been any updates on this? the "SRSroot" site seems sketchy. Google is not showing me results that I want to hear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No update, still unrootable.
Sent from my Galaxy S5 using XDA Labs