Database Users

[Q] Any way to enhance experience for now?

Received my Galaxy S4 early today and i must say I'm extremely frustrated. I'm so used to the incredibly efficient CM10 on my old S3 that i'm finding this phone nearly impossible to tolerate. I'd like to play with it but every time i pick it up all the cluttering and bloatware drives me insane.
Is there anyway to at least remove the ATT and Samsung stuff before we have roots and roms?

Thrashavich said:
Received my Galaxy S4 early today and i must say I'm extremely frustrated. I'm so used to the incredibly efficient CM10 on my old S3 that i'm finding this phone nearly impossible to tolerate. I'd like to play with it but every time i pick it up all the cluttering and bloatware drives me insane.
Is there anyway to at least remove the ATT and Samsung stuff before we have roots and roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can't you just disable them in the settings>apps menu area? I don't have an S4 but i remember with the S3 u can do that

For now, i think you should root it to get rid of the bloatware, and try a custom launcher such as the nova launcher

JaeKay said:
For now, i think you should root it to get rid of the bloatware, and try a custom launcher such as the nova launcher
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think there is a working root yet. I could be wrong.

jem417 said:
I don't think there is a working root yet. I could be wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im sure there is one, look in the development subthread. but no bootloader unlocking yet.

Thrashavich said:
Received my Galaxy S4 early today and i must say I'm extremely frustrated. I'm so used to the incredibly efficient CM10 on my old S3 that i'm finding this phone nearly impossible to tolerate. I'd like to play with it but every time i pick it up all the cluttering and bloatware drives me insane.
Is there anyway to at least remove the ATT and Samsung stuff before we have roots and roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotta agree, the amount of bloatware on this phone is absolutely astounding.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

And this is why I hate AT&T. Went with the US unlocked version of the HTC One. No AT&T crap = win. Too bad Samsung isn't offering unlocked / developer versions here in the States like HTC is.

gtg465x said:
And this is why I hate AT&T. Went with the US unlocked version of the HTC One. No AT&T crap = win. Too bad Samsung isn't offering unlocked / developer versions here in the States like HTC is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With your One you could also just flash a custom ROM. Hopefully that will be an option for GS4 users soon too.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

phositadc said:
With your One you could also just flash a custom ROM. Hopefully that will be an option for GS4 users soon too.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't even have to because I got the unlocked version though :laugh:. People with the AT&T version are unlocking and flashing to the firmware that came on mine. And they payed more for theirs if they didn't have an upgrade available :silly:. Haha

Some one tell me what I am getting and point to the links for it

Ok guys, I have decided I want the Galaxy S 4 and ordered it but its on back order from AT&T but I want to know all there is about it before I get it. Coming from a HTC One X and very new to Samsung I need direction to the links of what to do with it. I know its new and little info about it, but I need to learn the GS4 before its in hands. I have read about all I can find but its mostly a hit and miss with the reviews so far.
After I get used to it and see the installed software I want to unlock it, and flash away with the customs like the HTC I have but I don't know where to start.
I need to know what or where to look for the ATT version of the GS4, is it a I9505 or a I9500 or what? From the order at ATT all I get is Samsung 1337, so what is it?

If you want to flash roms I'd wait for now the bootloader on the at&t version is locked. I'd say wait and look up and learn about the device. Then if/when the bootloader is unlocked you will know what you are doing. The i9505 is the international snapdragon and LTE version of the phone. The i9500 is the international no LTE octa core version. The at&t one is snapdragon and has LTE bands for AT&T.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

ste1164 said:
If you want to flash roms I'd wait for now the bootloader on the at&t version is locked. I'd say wait and look up and learn about the device. Then if/when the bootloader is unlocked you will know what you are doing. The i9505 is the international snapdragon and LTE version of the phone. The i9500 is the international no LTE octa core version. The at&t one is snapdragon and has LTE bands for AT&T.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is exactly right. I am waiting myself for the fine people of XDA to unlock the bootloader
OP, the AT&T model is not 1337 it is SGH-i337. All you can do when you get it is freeze all AT&T software except Contacts - do not freeze Contacts as that will disable your dialer/phone.

kreoXDA said:
this is exactly right. I am waiting myself for the fine people of XDA to unlock the bootloader
OP, the AT&T model is not 1337 it is SGH-i337. All you can do when you get it is freeze all AT&T software except Contacts - do not freeze Contacts as that will disable your dialer/phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I was just going off the order on the ATT site, all it gave for information was Samsung Galaxy 1337, I didn't know which is which for the model or ?. Is there a specific forum for the the ATT ? When I search my model I keep coming back to this forum. Are they all combined or separate like the HTC forums? I agre with the posts and all I have found so far is rooting the phone and no actual custom roms. I have been messing with the HTC One X and got it down pat , like you say, I need to learn all there is to know but don't know where to look.

leesumm said:
Ok, I was just going off the order on the ATT site, all it gave for information was Samsung Galaxy 1337, I didn't know which is which for the model or ?. Is there a specific forum for the the ATT ? When I search my model I keep coming back to this forum. Are they all combined or separate like the HTC forums? I agre with the posts and all I have found so far is rooting the phone and no actual custom roms. I have been messing with the HTC One X and got it down pat , like you say, I need to learn all there is to know but don't know where to look.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an AT&T forum http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2257 here. There are no custom roms for this device because of the bootloader. You cant add a custom kernel/recovery/rom. You can root the device though. I'd look at the guides on this and the AT&T forum.

ste1164 said:
There is an AT&T forum http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2257 here. There are no custom roms for this device because of the bootloader. You cant add a custom kernel/recovery/rom. You can root the device though. I'd look at the guides on this and the AT&T forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, been reading all I can find and went for it. Ordered the GS4 on Monday and to be delivered today Wednesday , going to be out of town for 3 days but it should be here when I get back if my wife don't open it up and steal it from me. I hope the devs come up with something for this phone and make it easy to root and I get to learn Samsung like the HTC One X my wife gets now .

leesumm said:
Ok, been reading all I can find and went for it. Ordered the GS4 on Monday and to be delivered today Wednesday , going to be out of town for 3 days but it should be here when I get back if my wife don't open it up and steal it from me. I hope the devs come up with something for this phone and make it easy to root and I get to learn Samsung like the HTC One X my wife gets now .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its already rooted, but you wont be running custom roms for a while. As your bootloader is locked. This stops you from installing any.

[Q] Sprint - Model Help??

Hi XDA Forums!
I'm a bit new to the Android community (and to XDA forums!) I wanted to try and install the Google Edition ROM for my device, but I'm a bit confused on the model number.
I went online and searched for about 20-25 minutes. I went to settings > About device > Model number. It says "SPH-L720". I know that is Sprint's model number, but is that any different than the i9505 or the i9500?
I even went on Wikipedia and compared the models (XDA won't let me post links, but I'm sure you can find it!)
I saw that my device met the requirements of the i9505, but I wanted to post here just to be safe.
Thanks a lot!
- Samsung Galaxy S4 (Sprint)
- Stock (Rooted - 4.2.2)

Salil999 said:
Hi XDA Forums!
I'm a bit new to the Android community (and to XDA forums!) I wanted to try and install the Google Edition ROM for my device, but I'm a bit confused on the model number.
I went online and searched for about 20-25 minutes. I went to settings > About device > Model number. It says "SPH-L720". I know that is Sprint's model number, but is that any different than the i9505 or the i9500?
I even went on Wikipedia and compared the models (XDA won't let me post links, but I'm sure you can find it!)
I saw that my device met the requirements of the i9505, but I wanted to post here just to be safe.
Thanks a lot!
- Samsung Galaxy S4 (Sprint)
- Stock (Rooted - 4.2.2)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Different. Because of the carrier (Sprint) there will be some differences between model numbers such as CDMA vs. GSM, radios, etc. Some of the roms for international version might flash and work fine however you may risk losing things like signal, wifi, etc. If you want to try one check the thread to see if anyone else with a Sprint version has had success and above all else make a full backup before flashing just in case. If you don't want to meddle and be on the safe side then just stick with roms listed in the Sprint S4 dev sections.

Is this what you want? It is a little unstable right now just a warning. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=43120823
Sent from my Sprint Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

GiantJay said:
Is this what you want? It is a little unstable right now just a warning. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=43120823
Sent from my Sprint Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was looking at this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2341162

Salil999 said:
I was looking at this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2341162
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do not flash that. There's always a risk for bricking your phone. Flash the ROM that jay linked too.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

daniel4653 said:
Do not flash that. There's always a risk for bricking your phone. Flash the ROM that jay linked too.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but I still don't know the difference between i9505 and SPH-L720.

Radios are different

lafester said:
Radios are different
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that the only difference? Nothing different in flashing roms or what not?

If you're new to android and xda, you shouldn't be haphazardly flashing testing builds. Take more time to learn and read a lot. You're going into that thin ice territory of stuff that isn't stable and made specifically for your model phone. You're going to end up bricking your phone or getting yourself into a jam that you don't know how to get out of.

oscarthegrouch said:
If you're new to android and xda, you shouldn't be haphazardly flashing testing builds. Take more time to learn and read a lot. You're going into that thin ice territory of stuff that isn't stable and made specifically for your model phone. You're going to end up bricking your phone or getting yourself into a jam that you don't know how to get out of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but there's no way I'm flashing into a new ROM without knowing all the details. I'm not going to dive in there, Haha. I've been reading the forums a lot for the past few days. I won't flash until I know the room works 100%! And yeah, I've been reading a lot. Looks like there's a lot of back up stuff to do!
But I just wanted to clear up the difference between i9505 and SPH-L720: The ROMs meant for i9505 won't work on SPH-L720?

Salil999 said:
Is that the only difference? Nothing different in flashing roms or what not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Different processors. Quad Core Qualcomm is in the U.S. models and the international models have the Octacore Exynos chip.
Sent from my Sprint Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

It is safest to stick with roms that were designed for the 720. I don't know the model you're speaking of, I'm assuming it's a gsm based phone. IMO, they are for different networks and different technologies. These people who are trying to shoehorn gsm, Verizon or international roms, are trying to port stuff over and fix, or try to, issues. Yes, since might get them to work but they won't work 100% flawless. I'm not saying they aren't smart, I'm saying that the stuff they are working on is very experimental and should not be deemed safe and reliable as a daily driver rom.

oscarthegrouch said:
It is safest to stick with roms that were designed for the 720. I don't know the model you're speaking of, I'm assuming it's a gsm based phone. IMO, they are for different networks and different technologies. These people who are trying to shoehorn gsm, Verizon or international roms, are trying to port stuff over and fix, or try to, issues. Yes, since might get them to work but they won't work 100% flawless. I'm not saying they aren't smart, I'm saying that the stuff they are working on is very experimental and should not be deemed safe and reliable as a daily driver rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its the international version of the S4 with the Exynos chip.
Sent from my Sprint Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 02:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:29 AM ----------
I don't know about this phone but on the S3 flashing any international ROM was a instant brick and many many people did it. So I highly suggest not flashing anything that is not clearly approved by the developer.
Sent from my Sprint Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 2

New to the S4

So i just got an S4 comming from a HTC one, and was wondering whats the current best rom for this phone? Is 4.4 available yet?

SuperMiguel said:
So i just got an S4 comming from a HTC one, and was wondering whats the current best rom for this phone? Is 4.4 available yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you are new to the Galaxy S4 ZI would highly recommend you read the post at the link below. Depending on what release your phone is on, there are some unfortunate consequences to having an S4 at the moment.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2428254
If you are not on the OTA MF3 or MJ9 you are very fortunate and should start by reading this post.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2297900
Your most immediate focus should be on getting root so you can freeze the AT&T software update app as well as the FWUpgrade and I believe LocalFOTA apps so your phone is not FORCED to update to the latest AT&T releases which have a locked bootloader.
I hope this helps and good luck,

drichter12 said:
Since you are new to the Galaxy S4 ZI would highly recommend you read the post at the link below. Depending on what release your phone is on, there are some unfortunate consequences to having an S4 at the moment.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2428254
If you are not on the OTA MF3 or MJ9 you are very fortunate and should start by reading this post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now since i just ordered the phone from ATT how do i check if im not on the OTA MF3?

SuperMiguel said:
Now since i just ordered the phone from ATT how do i check if im not on the OTA MF3?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, if you just ordered a new s4 from AT&T you will most likely be on MF3 (I337UCUAMF3 is the baseband version) since it has been out for a while. You could luck out and get one that has been sitting on a shelf for a while and still has an older rom on it but unfortunately you will not know until you get it in your hands and look in the "About Device" tab. If you do happen to luck out, keep WiFi off until you can get rooted to try and keep the phone from force updating (which appears to have happened to many users even after they declined the update) before you have a chance to freeze the update apps.
Let us know how it goes,

drichter12 said:
Well, if you just ordered a new s4 from AT&T you will most likely be on MF3 (I337UCUAMF3 is the baseband version) since it has been out for a while. You could luck out and get one that has been sitting on a shelf for a while and still has an older rom on it but unfortunately you will not know until you get it in your hands and look in the "About Device" tab. If you do happen to luck out, keep WiFi off until you can get rooted to try and keep the phone from force updating (which appears to have happened to many users even after they declined the update) before you have a chance to freeze the update apps.
Let us know how it goes,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ummmmm so if it is MF3, im out of luck? no fix for it... Does the box show the baseband version? I rather sell it unopened and get a Nexus 5 or something

SuperMiguel said:
Ummmmm so if it is MF3, im out of luck? no fix for it... Does the box show the baseband version? I rather sell it unopened and get a Nexus 5 or something
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are no indicators outside the phone..... If you are on MF3, there is a proven root method that will at least give you root, just not the ability to install a custom recovery. The first link in my original message explains the work-around so you can at least get some custom roms (currently only TW based roms) to work on an MF3 phone but until the dev community can unlock the bootloader that is the best option there is.

drichter12 said:
There are no indicators outside the phone..... If you are on MF3, there is a proven root method that will at least give you root, just not the ability to install a custom recovery. The first link in my original message explains the work-around so you can at least get some custom roms (currently only TW based roms) to work on an MF3 phone but until the dev community can unlock the bootloader that is the best option there is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha, so one of the main reasons i wanted to get this phone was to "start" doing custom rooms, etc, etc i guess i didnt pick a right platform? ill be a bit pissed if i cant load my own room

if you're wanting to do custom roms, return the phone before opening it and get your cash back. Though there's a lot of great development on the MDL basebands and the phone is a great phone, the MF3 and new one (MJ9?) have locked bootloaders that haven't been broken yet. I personally wouldn't take the risk of being stuck on a later baseband and i'd get a different phone like the HTC one max or the N5

I just really want to know why the S4 I bought last night won't update to 4.3 OTA...

Ya at the moment i have the HTC one (regular one) and screen cracked so needed a replacement.. Also i got the 32GB sam S4 for $150 so i think im better off selling it and getting a N5... not sure yet..

SuperMiguel said:
Ya at the moment i have the HTC one (regular one) and screen cracked so needed a replacement.. Also i got the 32GB sam S4 for $150 so i think im better off selling it and getting a N5... not sure yet..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can stomach the wait buy from google, if you can't there's swappa and craigslist. I'm planning on selling my S4, going back to my i717 (OG note) and ordering the N5 from google. I like my i717 better than the S4 anyway.

Theoriginalgiga said:
If you can stomach the wait buy from google, if you can't there's swappa and craigslist. I'm planning on selling my S4, going back to my i717 (OG note) and ordering the N5 from google. I like my i717 better than the S4 anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the 32GB says shipping dec 4th so not that long wait..

SuperMiguel said:
Ummmmm so if it is MF3, im out of luck? no fix for it... Does the box show the baseband version? I rather sell it unopened and get a Nexus 5 or something
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
drichter12 said:
There are no indicators outside the phone.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the outside of the box.

drichter12 said:
There are no indicators outside the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incorrect. The firmware version is included in the label on the outside of the box. No need to open the box to check it.
Edit: See photo in above post. Looks like we were typing at the same time.

SuperMiguel said:
So i just got an S4 comming from a HTC one, and was wondering whats the current best rom for this phone? Is 4.4 available yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you now have some guidance from users, and we typically do not allow "best rom discussion" as they turn into arguments. I suggest all users read and learn the pros and cons of what the latest issues are with the official OTA's....
Thread is closed.

T-Mobile firmware to an Official Samsung

Hey Guys.
So I'm about to get a new S7 Edge from T-mobile tonight.
I understand there are several roms out there for different versions of the device, am I right?
Is there anyway I could get rid of the official T-mobile rom and install instead the official/international Samsung one, something without all the garbage of the carrier and that will be future update directly by Samsung?
Will appreciate any lead
Thanks Guys!

No root. No firmware. No fun for anyone. This is the new korean samsung. All that's missing is a high Hitler, and your set

I'm coming from the Nexus world, so I'm sorry in case I'm mixing between the definitions here.
I case I'm not looking to root, just load another system img on the device, instead of the crappy t-mobile one.
No way to do it right now?
Thanks again man.

sonkameja said:
No root. No firmware. No fun for anyone. This is the new korean samsung. All that's missing is a high Hitler, and your set
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's one of the dumbest analogies I've ever seen.
itamarbh said:
I'm coming from the Nexus world, so I'm sorry in case I'm mixing between the definitions here.
I case I'm not looking to root, just load another system img on the device, instead of the crappy t-mobile one.
No way to do it right now?
Thanks again man.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Even with root, Samsung was never one to allow other firmwares on different models. If they existed, they were outliers and not the norm.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/how-to/best-to-root-how-to-screw-stock-s-t3394517
This is a very good guide to getting a more unbranded feel.
I would add that you can change your screen dpi through ADB (though the stock camera won't be full screen afterwards).
The US S7s are a special breed of S7s relative to the rest of the world, using Qualcomm rather than in-house chips and not having a bootloader unlock solution.
It might be possible to do more debranding (in the sprint S7E forum, they found a debrand function that may or may not work on t-mobile S7s to take off carrier customizations) but, assuming you are using t-mobile, you're better off using the package disabler than risk losing volte/video calls/wifi calling (the only reason to bother with a t-mobile S7 over international).

itamarbh said:
I'm coming from the Nexus world, so I'm sorry in case I'm mixing between the definitions here.
I case I'm not looking to root, just load another system img on the device, instead of the crappy t-mobile one.
No way to do it right now?
Thanks again man.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sonkameja said:
No root. No firmware. No fun for anyone. This is the new korean samsung. All that's missing is a high Hitler, and your set
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is Hitler getting high?
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

itamarbh said:
Hey Guys.
So I'm about to get a new S7 Edge from T-mobile tonight.
I understand there are several roms out there for different versions of the device, am I right?
Is there anyway I could get rid of the official T-mobile rom and install instead the official/international Samsung one, something without all the garbage of the carrier and that will be future update directly by Samsung?
Will appreciate any lead
Thanks Guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are ODIN'ing different versions of the 935F firmware internationally to get Samsung Pay and other apps, but they have a different processor - so you would brick your device if you tried. You might be able to use US AT&T formware, but cannot see any reason to try.
There are also custom ROMs out for the 935F - but you have to be rooted to flash them, which is not possible hereon the 935T yet and my never be the way things are (not) going.

Got you all, thank you guys for the response!
For now, I disabled all Samsung and Tmo useless apps, and installed Google Now Launcher instead of Touch Wize.
Hopefully these steps will do the job for now.
Thanks again!

Nowadays phones don't need root they work very well out of the box. I understand the need for it (custom roms, etc...) but I haven't rooted a personal phone of mine in a while. Just disable what you don't wanna use and enjoy the phone.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

I have a 935FD running on TMo and I sorely miss WiFi calling and VoLTE options
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk