Database Users

Verizon Moto X has been rooted!

http://rootzwiki.com/news/verizon-moto-x-gets-rooted/

Well root is not permanent yet, but it just means we have to wait a while longer for a rooting method/package to be released. Good news all around. Now to unlock that SOB of a bootloader....

rubiksmoose said:
Well root is not permanent yet, but it just means we have to wait a while longer for a rooting method/package to be released. Good news all around. Now to unlock that SOB of a bootloader....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but bootloader unlock doesn't seem likely....as of right now most Moto's don't take too kindly to touching partitions other than data, system, and cache....

Indirect said:
Sorry but bootloader unlock doesn't seem likely....as of right now most Moto's don't take too kindly to touching partitions other than data, system, and cache....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm aware. And Moto includes a mean bootloader on their hardware. Custom ROMers are likely to have to get going on 2nd Init if they want any chance of seeing something custom on this bad boy
BTW @Indirect Thanks for your work on getting root. Much appreciated.

Honestly I'm not so concerned with the bootloader. Root will be nice just to do some minor tweaks. But I (and maybe it's just me) have no interest in flashing custom software. It's already very stock-like, and I wouldn't want to lose the features the X brings with something like CM or AOKP.
A custom recovery would be nice for backup purposes, but we have an FXZ, do we not? I know the Droids do... If we have an FXZ, I'm not too worried about even having a custom recovery. In other words, I'd be perfectly happy with root access without the unlocked BL.

I'm thinking about selling my s4 for a vzw Moto x now that we can root it but I'm not sure that's enough for me if it can't be rom'd. I have cm10.2 on my s4 and love being able to have the newest version of android but more than that I like the customization cm brings, like swiping from the top right shows my quick toggles, and I have the toggles customized just how I like. I'm not sure I'm ready to lose features like that. But I like the size of the x so much better than the s4.

Even without an unlocked bootloader, it will still likely be able to be so custom roms. It'll probably just rely on something like safestrap or bootstrap which have been used on other Moto phones with locked bootloaders. We've got some awesome devs that can do some amazing things.
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk 2

This is great news. Unfortunately, the Verizon moto x only comes with 16gb and not 32gb. I'm going to have wait until att special is over to buy it right out.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app

evolishesh said:
This is great news. Unfortunately, the Verizon moto x only comes with 16gb and not 32gb. I'm going to have wait until att special is over to buy it right out.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do custom roms mean losing the touchless control (using dedicated core) and active display abilities? I didn't think about losing those features in a custom rom, I really love them. Are they possible to port over to a custom rom?

GHII said:
Do custom roms mean losing the touchless control (using dedicated core) and active display abilities? I didn't think about losing those features in a custom rom, I really love them. Are they possible to port over to a custom rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's a system app and it's in the app store as long as it's recognized as moto x it should be fine
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

GHII said:
Do custom roms mean losing the touchless control (using dedicated core) and active display abilities? I didn't think about losing those features in a custom rom, I really love them. Are they possible to port over to a custom rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Custom Roms built from a factory image(my favorite) will have all the moto x features unless the Dev intentionally breaks them. I plan to build using this method. I never released my ROM for the S3 since scrosler had such a great debloat ROM out.
Cole
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Looking forward to rooting my Moto X. Personally, I want to stick to the stock rom. It is nearly perfect. However, I do want to see the bootloader cracked because when 4.3 comes to our phone we are likely to lose root without a way of getting it back without a custom recovery.

Some of you may want to look at the Moto X development sub-forum: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=45545389

Confused

Im looking to leave Sprint for greener pastures. I'm on their Note 2 at the moment and figure I'll go with the Note 3 if/when I switch carriers. I was reading to make sure that the Verizon Note 3 would be rootable. As it stands, I'm very confused as to whether or not this device is able to be rooted. I'm an avid root user. I don't want to be stuck with a phone that I cannot root and control. I keep reading conflicting threads saying the phone can be rooted or can't be rooted. At this point, I would like to make the carrier switch within the next week, so I just need a definite "yes" or "no" as far as rooting.

hebejebe said:
Im looking to leave Sprint for greener pastures. I'm on their Note 2 at the moment and figure I'll go with the Note 3 if/when I switch carriers. I was reading to make sure that the Verizon Note 3 would be rootable. As it stands, I'm very confused as to whether or not this device is able to be rooted. I'm an avid root user. I don't want to be stuck with a phone that I cannot root and control. I keep reading conflicting threads saying the phone can be rooted or can't be rooted. At this point, I would like to make the carrier switch within the next week, so I just need a definite "yes" or "no" as far as rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it can be rooted, but does not have an unlocked bootloader.

njfoses said:
Yes it can be rooted, but does not have an unlocked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. Is the bootloader UNlockable? And how does that affect the phone when trying to flash new ROMs?

hebejebe said:
Thanks for the reply. Is the bootloader UNlockable? And how does that affect the phone when trying to flash new ROMs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well we have a recovery call SS aka SafeStrap. That allows us to flash custom roms. But we currently can't flash custom kernels nor AOSP roms for now.... ONLY CUSTOM TOUCHWIZ ROMS can be flashed in SafeStrap! Hope that clears everything out for you
?Note III?

krazy_smokezalot said:
Well we have a recovery call SS aka SafeStrap. That allows us to flash custom roms. But we currently can't flash custom kernels nor AOSP roms for now.... ONLY CUSTOM TOUCHWIZ ROMS can be flashed in SafeStrap! Hope that clears everything out for you
?Note III?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. that makes sense now. with sprint AOSP roms were horrible with data so I usually avoided them. although decks reloaded was awesome on the Evo 4G.
what are the chances that we'll be able to unlock the bootloader? Im hoping the switch to verizon will greatly improve my data quality then maybe an AOSP rom will be an option.

hebejebe said:
Ok. that makes sense now. with sprint AOSP roms were horrible with data so I usually avoided them. although decks reloaded was awesome on the Evo 4G.
what are the chances that we'll be able to unlock the bootloader? Im hoping the switch to verizon will greatly improve my data quality then maybe an AOSP rom will be an option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Slim to none on the bootloader being unlocked. I recently made the switch from Sprint to Vzw myself as i couldnt deal with Sprint's horrible service anymore. Best move i could have made.

njfoses said:
Slim to none on the bootloader being unlocked. I recently made the switch from Sprint to Vzw myself as i couldnt deal with Sprint's horrible service anymore. Best move i could have made.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just dont know if I can get past the locked bootloader. Id love to be running CM or any other AOSP roms on a device with a good data connection. Thanks for the clarification.

I was an avid rooter when i was with sprint a few months ago...my phones were always blazing fast but still slow as turtles when it came to data speeds.....switchet to vz unlimited data and now im on a stock non rooted n3...no need for it since my phone *always* works properly now....just my .02
Sent from my SM-N900V using xda app-developers app

art90262 said:
I was an avid rooter when i was with sprint a few months ago...my phones were always blazing fast but still slow as turtles when it came to data speeds.....switchet to vz unlimited data and now im on a stock non rooted n3...no need for it since my phone *always* works properly now....just my .02
Sent from my SM-N900V using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how'd you get an unlimited data plan?
I usually root so I can use the mobile hot spot. I also like to have full control. I would prefer to be able to root.

I found it on craigslist look for someone that is selling their unlimited line then you have to just do an assumption of liability and ur set. I can even use hotspot wifi without root....for me this phone is such a beast along with the best network that i feel im in control and nothing else is needed
Sent from my SM-N900V using xda app-developers app

krazy_smokezalot said:
Well we have a recovery call SS aka SafeStrap. That allows us to flash custom roms. But we currently can't flash custom kernels nor AOSP roms for now.... ONLY CUSTOM TOUCHWIZ ROMS can be flashed in SafeStrap! Hope that clears everything out for you
?Note III?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man, glad to see were back on the same devices! I came from e4gt
Also as it stands now you can flash roms via safestrap and root but we won't have a custom kernel or any aosp roms until we have an unlocked bootloader (maybe never)
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

jlear3 said:
Hey man, glad to see were back on the same devices! I came from e4gt
Also as it stands now you can flash roms via safestrap and root but we won't have a custom kernel or any aosp roms until we have an unlocked bootloader (maybe never)
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol ohh snap i thought your username sounded familiar. im not going to lie even now i still roam around the e4gt forum it was the best community i have ever seen. nice to see you here so far it looks like the 2 of of from the e4gt unless i missed someone else! lol

Very confused about MF3

I just bought the HTC One for $200, but then I saw that Best Buy had the Samsung Galaxy s4 on sale for $50. I did not know which one I wanted and was truly torn between the two and ended up buying the HTC but if I can save $150 I will gladly get the s4. My only problem is that as I've been reading up on cs4 forums to make sure that I would be able to unlock root and flash custom roms I had came across what seems to be the problem with an AT&T firmware update known as mf3. If I cannot root and flash custom kernels and roms I do not think I will take advantage of the offer from Best Buy. My problem is that even after all the reading I cannot figure out whether it is possible to root and flash custom ROMs and kernels to the new version from AT&T, known as mf3, or if it is still not possible, or if it will be possible very soon so that I'm may use Android 4.4 Kit Kat on the phone or any custom Rom I wish. Can someone please clarify this for me as soon as possible because my time to return the HTC One to AT&T is coming close to its end?
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

You can root and flash some roms using safestrap. But it's very limited. Imo I'd stay away from the s4

It's there any progress toward cracking MF3? I've had a one x for pat year and kinda wanted a change and I love the screen on the s4. If you had to choose between the s4 and the HTC one taking into consideration the mf3 problem, which would you choose? And which would you choose if there was no mf3 problem?
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app

If you can find a S4 with MDL or earlier firmware it's a excellent phone. Personally if it has MF3 or later I wouldn't bother. But that's just my opinion.

You might as well get rid of the One as well. It's just as locked down.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Untrue, about HTCone being just as locked down. It can have it's boatload unlocked quiet easily and if you want to, although it's not necessary, you can even do s-off to get full unbridled access. I previously had a HTC one x and also from everything I've read it seems AT&T went out of there way to lock down s4 tight , just like they did to the one x but eventually the devs got it. I do want the s4 though,even though this phone is awesome(HTC One), and I can live with no custom Rom for a while but I can't go without root. So if I get a s4 with mf3 will it still be able to be rooted ? I've read up on it but don't understand what everyone is talking about when they say if the phone is encrypted or notand it seems to be random.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

So sick and tired of reading about MF3, or MK2 constantly on these forums. If you want to buy an S4 on AT&T look for an MDL one on eBay. It's not that hard, really.
Or buy the T-Mobile variant or International version.

Thanks for your kind response to my honest question mattmjb0188. I can't get a t mobile or international variant bc I'm on a budget. I will use my upgrade to get the phone at best buy for $50, and the condition of this price is that it must be a contract renewal/upgrade, which is another reason I can't get diff version of the phone. Did you even read the op? I would love to get one brand new out of the box with mdl but the odds of that are slim hence why I asked the question in the 1st place. So if you can't help or don't like the question then don't respond, but I do thank you for your info about the other variants that don't have issues, it just doesn't help me.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

Rad ryan said:
Thanks for your kind response to my honest question mattmjb0188. I can't get a t mobile or international variant bc I'm on a budget. I will use my upgrade to get the phone at best buy for $50, and the condition of this price is that it must be a contract renewal/upgrade, which is another reason I can't get diff version of the phone. Did you even read the op? I would love to get one brand new out of the box with mdl but the odds of that are slim hence why I asked the question in the 1st place. So if you can't help or don't like the question then don't respond, but I do thank you for your info about the other variants that don't have issues, it just doesn't help me.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone new on these forums just asks over and over about MF3 and the Android 4.3 update. Basically, if you get an S4 with Mf3 or later firmware, you are pretty much stuck on stock. Then we have noobs who don't read and attempt to root their MF3 phones and brick them.
On pure stock, the S4 is a bad phone. The software is very laggy and needs a lot of improvement. I was one of the early adapters when it first came out. The phone was a nightmare with MDB and MDL firmware. Mf3 made slight improvements, but not enough.
I would not even invest in buying this phone right now. Most development for it has died down because of the restrictions. Developers are moving on. Those of us with MDL firmware (like myself) won't see much continued support for Loki nowadays anyway. If the bootloader could be unlocked, I believe it would have been unlocked by now. All these workarounds are very limited, and dangerous.
Personally, I wouldn't even buy the phone at this point. Scrape the funds together for either the T-Mobile S4 or Note 3.

Get the nexus 5, you'll be very happy

Thank you very much for that answer, that was an excellent answer. Although I'm not a noob bc I've been doing this stuff for years and been a member for years.I did the trading but I am not familiar with Samsung at all bc the last Samsung I had was a captivate. It's there a lot of active development for the t mobile variant? I'm guessing it's probably around $600, right? Lastly do you think that there will be a solution to the lock down of mf3 and later in the next few months?
Again thanks for your very helpful answer.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk

Rad ryan said:
Thank you very much for that answer, that was an excellent answer. Although I'm not a noob bc I've been doing this stuff for years and been a member for years.I did the trading but I am not familiar with Samsung at all bc the last Samsung I had was a captivate. It's there a lot of active development for the t mobile variant? I'm guessing it's probably around $600, right? Lastly do you think that there will be a solution to the lock down of mf3 and later in the next few months?
Again thanks for your very helpful answer.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The development for the AT&T S4 has died down. In my opinion, no one will ever unlock the bootloader for it. Maybe someday with some future device, but not this device. The closest we got was with the loki method, which was great. But that's long gone now.
Look on negri for the T-Mobile variant. I think its M919. I'm not sure. T-Mobile developers have been able to make great roms for the device, instead of wasting so much time to find a workaround. Maybe even try T-Mobile out and see if they've improved in your area. They got a lot better in my area, but still a lot of EDGE.
If I were you, I'd go for the Nexus 5.

Rad ryan said:
Thanks for your kind response to my honest question mattmjb0188. I can't get a t mobile or international variant bc I'm on a budget. I will use my upgrade to get the phone at best buy for $50, and the condition of this price is that it must be a contract renewal/upgrade, which is another reason I can't get diff version of the phone. Did you even read the op? I would love to get one brand new out of the box with mdl but the odds of that are slim hence why I asked the question in the 1st place. So if you can't help or don't like the question then don't respond, but I do thank you for your info about the other variants that don't have issues, it just doesn't help me.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heres my suggestion, if you want the s4, get it from best buy than sell it unopened for as much as you can and than with the money you get buy a tmobile or i9505 international variant...(not i9500 or the verizon or sprint one)
The tmobile variant is probably your best bet, the tmobile variant supports all of ATT service bands so youll have no issues with reception or internet. The tmobile variant can flash roms from any of the other s4 variants (verizon sprint att i9505...just not any roms from the i9500)
So in other words if you get the tmobile variant you dont have to worry about a dead dev scene as you can always flash roms from a differnt carrier...only thing is you will probably have to set up your apns for att rom flashes
Hope that helps you
And on another note if you decide to stick with the ATT s4, every firmware can be rooted
Mdb has real recoveries, so you can flash anything as long as you "loki" the kernel - Unfortunately I do not think there are any stores that are selling phones with this firmware
Mdl has real recoveries, so you can flash anything as long as you "loki" the kernel...Unfortunately it is pretty much impossible to find a phone with this firmware in any store now
Mf3 has safestrap which is kinda like a recovery, with it you can flash any touchwiz based 4.2.2 rom (stock roms) or any 4.2.2 Google Phone Edition (aka GPE, which is an aosp experience S4, no bloatware no samsung features, its like having a nexus in the body of an s4) rom...NO CUSTOM KERNELS, NO AOSP ROMS (no cyanogenmod) - this is the firmware most phones come with
Mk2 (latest firmware) recently got a beta safestrap...as of now you can flash some 4.3 touchwiz stock based roms, alot dont boot yet, and the GPE 4.3 rom doesn't boot with it either. As it becomes stable it should work identical to the one for mf3 - phones will probably start coming with this one soon
In other words, safestrap allows you to run roms that are built off the same firmware version as your stock rom, safestrap flashes no kernel, so whatever rom you flash has to be compatible with the stock kernel of your current firmware
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 08:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 PM ----------
Rad ryan said:
Thank you very much for that answer, that was an excellent answer. Although I'm not a noob bc I've been doing this stuff for years and been a member for years.I did the trading but I am not familiar with Samsung at all bc the last Samsung I had was a captivate. It's there a lot of active development for the t mobile variant? I'm guessing it's probably around $600, right? Lastly do you think that there will be a solution to the lock down of mf3 and later in the next few months?
Again thanks for your very helpful answer.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They actually seem to be getting close to another work around which will allow you to flash any rom or kernel using safestrap...turns out theres a feature in the 4.3 mk2 kernel which allows unsigned drivers to run, in theory they can compile a kexec driver for the kernel which would allow you to use any kernel thus allowing the flash of any rom...theres a how-to thread in the original development section with more info, however...its not a guarentee we will see this anytime soon, as you never know what issues they may run into...but something to look into if your interested
EDIT: actually heres a post from the thread i mentioned which pretty much sums up how we hope this "exploit" will work as far as kernel flashing goes http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=48703510&postcount=10
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

With all that said; how come I have the MF3 baseband my s4 (jflteatt), and I still have a custom recovery with the ability to flash different roms and kernels? Is it because I installed the custom recovery on an earlier baseband and then it got updated to a newer baseband but still kept recovery?
I only found out I had MF3 on my phone now because I couldn't flash a different recovery anymore.

Yes
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

noel_leon said:
With all that said; how come I have the MF3 baseband my s4 (jflteatt), and I still have a custom recovery with the ability to flash different roms and kernels? Is it because I installed the custom recovery on an earlier baseband and then it got updated to a newer baseband but still kept recovery?
I only found out I had MF3 on my phone now because I couldn't flash a different recovery anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is literally impossible to have officially updated through OTA while on a custom Recovery. What I suspect has been done is the same as my phone. I got an MDL device and quickly installed TWRP and a custom ROM. As new updates came out, I flashed just the baseband. So now, I have a 4.4 ROM with the MK2 baseband and am able to install anything I like.
If I were to have ever done an OTA, I would no longer be able to have a custom recovery because of a blown Qfuse.
Please don't try to say that what you have is the only phone with OTA MF3 and custom recovery.
The only way to have anything like that is through SS and that is not a true recovery. If you do have that, you can only install certain ROMs not including AOSP, AOKP, MIUI, or CM.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

When did I ever say I was the only one? I asked a simple question that I mostly had the answer to already; which in turn was answered by a simple "Yes" from HiTideBlastoise.
And I never said anything about OTA either. I said I had installed custom recovery on an earlier baseband and then my baseband was updated but recovery was still intact.

I never said you did say that. It was preemptive. Secondly, you make it out to seem like you did nothing to update your baseband. You are making it seem like it just happened. Well, that can't happen without either updating the entire phone or flashing it yourself. The funny thing is the baseband means nothing when it comes to recoveries and flashing ROMs. It can only be used as a possible sign on a stock device as to what version one is running. On a modified device, like yours, it is worthless information on the version of Android. Like I said before, I have 4.4 with MK2 as my baseband. How can I install ROMs. Not because it updated my baseband after I already have a custom recovery... But because I never took an OTA and made it do the stuff I wanted.
Basically what I am saying is that you need to be clear with what you say. Everything you said makes it sound like your phone did it all by itself without you or someone else making it the way it is. There is no other option. You have to have done something to have a custom recovery and an MF3 baseband with pre MF3 bootloaders.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I agree with graydiggy that the only way to still have a custom recovery and mf3 baseband is that you either flashed an mf3 tw rom with a modem or a a standalone modem to your mdl software. If you took the "OTA" successfully, you will definitely have a locked down bootloader now.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app

Recovery

Any working TWRP or CWM recovery for KK?

Nope might not be for awhile
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

Luvsa Dawagiv said:
Any working TWRP or CWM recovery for KK?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can flash one of the stock rooted Kk custom roms with the patched kernel that keeps recovery, but you can't root or install recovery over already installed Kk. Kk? :laugh:

Wonder how long it will be.

thackoon said:
Wonder how long it will be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Long time. Possibly never for custom recoveries. LG is supposedly using the same security as Samsung now to block the Loki exploit. They barely have Safestrap and still no ability to flash custom AOSP ROMs 6 months later. The only way will more than likely be the workaround we have now.

Are you serious Knox you've got to be kidding me why is this a popular thing with android phone manufacturers its sad android is becoming as locked down as iOS I get the feeling that soon very few phones will be Rootable except for very few devices they really are using Knox or some variant or something similar
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

spinninbsod said:
Are you serious Knox you've got to be kidding me why is this a popular thing with android phone manufacturers its sad android is becoming as locked down as iOS I get the feeling that soon very few phones will be Rootable except for very few devices they really are using Knox or some variant or something similar
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure exactly what it is. Not Knox but maybe something similar. I read that somewhere anyway. I agree that soon there's going to be very few phones that can be rooted. Nexus devices and that's it I think. People these days want their devices secure. Root is essentially a flaw in the devices security. A backdoor if you will. I guess the thought process is that if there's a vulnerability, it'll be easier for hackers to get ahold of your vital information. Companies don't want the bad press of their devices being easily hacked into via a fake hot spot at Starbucks or whatever. So they lock them down. Try to patch up every possible security vulnerability there is. Sucks for power users like us, who want root, custom recoveries and all. In the end, sadly we're in the minority. We're gonna be forced to buy Google Play Edition or Nexus devices within the next few years. That's my take on it anyway.

Couldn't agree more
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

If that is the case, then the Android adventure is over for me. At least theres usually a jailbreak for every iOS version and there is only one security system to attack there as opposed to Samsungs, LGs, HTCs etc. security system on Android.
Sad.

@spinninbsod I'm hoping that since VZW now sells the N7 in store, maybe we'll have a chance at getting the next Nexus phone as well. If we do, its going to be an instabuy for me. All this locked down stuff is too much. We're just lucky we can downgrade and get back to the JB aboot, so we can still have custom recovery. Samsung won't allow downgrades, so that option is out the window for them. I'm glad LG didn't do that to us at least.

I know how the Samsung users feel I had an s4 before my g2 I hated it great hardware but to locked down I refuse to buy any Samsung or non developer friendly product hopefully the next nexus device will have better battery life
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

spinninbsod said:
I know how the Samsung users feel I had an s4 before my g2 I hated it great hardware but to locked down I refuse to buy any Samsung or non developer friendly product hopefully the next nexus device will have better battery life
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see how Knox would in any way keep you from flashing a custom recovery + rom on the S4? Plenty of AOSP roms available.

That is for mdk firmware before Knox the only custom ROM available for mj7/mk2 builds with knox, firmwares is hyperdrive ROM a stock based touchwhiz ROMs trust me I know this there is no recovery other than safestrap
Sent from my LG-VS980 using Tapatalk

[Q] Developer Edition Tar 4.4.4 NE9

I may have messed up, but I am not 100%, not use to Samsung Devices.
I have a developers edition S5.
I tried to run updates but it would not take any update OTA even though there were two, NCG was the current room.
I flashed the ni2 via odin.
Now on the screen, instead of Mode: Developer, it says Qualcomm Secureboot.
I am not sure if I relocked the bootloader, if it can be unlocked,
Or this just the need to go into a recovery and flash a different rom.
Did I relock the bootloader?

hill180 said:
I may have messed up, but I am not 100%, not use to Samsung Devices.
I have a developers edition S5.
I tried to run updates but it would not take any update OTA even though there were two, NCG was the current room.
I flashed the ni2 via odin.
Now on the screen, instead of Mode: Developer, it says Qualcomm Secureboot.
I am not sure if I relocked the bootloader, if it can be unlocked,
Or this just the need to go into a recovery and flash a different rom.
Did I relock the bootloader?
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Click to collapse
I believe you have. But first I need to ask you 1) were you rooted and 2) did you have a custom recovery (TWRP) on your phone before you ODIN'd NI2? If you had TWRP on your phone before ODIN can you get into TWRP recovery now? Just an FYI, Samsung does not send out, in any form (OTA or otherwise) updates to the Developer Edition phones. The explanation for why they don't is long and no one except for Samsung knows for sure and they are not commenting on the issue. Dev owners keep their phones up to date by flashing custom ROMs released by our Dev community for retail and dev edition phones.

hill180 said:
Did I relock the bootloader?
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When you flashed the stock tar you locked the bootloader and unfortunately you will need to contact Samsung and explain what you did. Most likely you will need to send the phone in so they can unlock it again. Contact them first.

Misterxtc said:
When you flashed the stock tar you locked the bootloader and unfortunately you will need to contact Samsung and explain what you did. Most likely you will need to send the phone in so they can unlock it again. Contact them first.
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I think you're right Misterxtc, unfortunately all Samsung is going to do is return him a retail version of the S5. According to 3 other Dev owners that locked their bootloaders all Samsung would do is return their phones to working order, but no unlocked bootloader.

jpcalhoun said:
I think you're right Misterxtc, unfortunately all Samsung is going to do is return him a retail version of the S5. According to 3 other Dev owners that locked their bootloaders all Samsung would do is return their phones to working order, but no unlocked bootloader.
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That doesn't sound too promising. They really need to change their policy on that.

im not sure why you would have flashed a ne9 tar when instructions clearly say NOT to flash odin tars on a dev edition s5 because it will lock the bootloader
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Free mobile app

Thank you all.
Yes the phone has been locked. Obviously I blame myself for not researching and just assuming.
If there is a silver lining, it appears my phone has a bad microphone, when I called, Samsung wanted to do an warranty exchange. I told them it was a new item less than 5 days, so I am just going to return.
Still debating if I should wait a few month and get the S5 locked from VZW as I am not seeing a lot of dev (although it makes it easier to root), or if I should get another model of phone all together, or reorder the S5 Dev Edition.

hill180 said:
Thank you all.
Yes the phone has been locked. Obviously I blame myself for not researching and just assuming.
If there is a silver lining, it appears my phone has a bad microphone, when I called, Samsung wanted to do an warranty exchange. I told them it was a new item less than 5 days, so I am just going to return.
Still debating if I should wait a few month and get the S5 locked from VZW as I am not seeing a lot of dev (although it makes it easier to root), or if I should get another model of phone all together, or reorder the S5 Dev Edition.
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I hope Samsung does right by you. Just my opinion, but I think the Developer Edition S5 is the best phone on the market right now. The only other phone, that I know of, that allows the user the flexibility and performance of a unlocked bootloader phone is the HTC M8. The M8 is a good phone no doubt, but I like the S5 better. True, there aren't that many ROMs rilght now, but more and more get added as time goes by. The ROMs that are available are good, staple ROMs and range anywhere from super customization available to the user to lean, debloated super fast with great battery life...and a couple in between. Your choice, but if Samsung will replace your Dev Edition with a new Dev Edition...I think that is your best bet right now. But that is just my opinion. Good luck.

jpcalhoun said:
I hope Samsung does right by you. Just my opinion, but I think the Developer Edition S5 is the best phone on the market right now. The only other phone, that I know of, that allows the user the flexibility and performance of a unlocked bootloader phone is the HTC M8. The M8 is a good phone no doubt, but I like the S5 better. True, there aren't that many ROMs rilght now, but more and more get added as time goes by. The ROMs that are available are good, staple ROMs and range anywhere from super customization available to the user to lean, debloated super fast with great battery life...and a couple in between. Your choice, but if Samsung will replace your Dev Edition with a new Dev Edition...I think that is your best bet right now. But that is just my opinion. Good luck.
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Thanks, Samsung is def returning the Dev phone without a 15% restock (have rma). Not because of the locking, but because of the mic. I think you are correct.
I had to go to my standby which is the dev Moto X. Love this phone, but the photos are bad, and it is slow. When I confirm the credit has been giving for the Dev phone, I will reorder the Dev edition. This time I will have to figure out a way to make a backup for resell, and flash only using TWRP.

hill180 said:
Thanks, Samsung is def returning the Dev phone without a 15% restock (have rma). Not because of the locking, but because of the mic. I think you are correct.
I had to go to my standby which is the dev Moto X. Love this phone, but the photos are bad, and it is slow. When I confirm the credit has been giving for the Dev phone, I will reorder the Dev edition. This time I will have to figure out a way to make a backup for resell, and flash only using TWRP.
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I've always been a Moto fan myself, but although they still make good phones, they're not great phones (camera, display etc). I just post a "Do's and Don'ts" for Dev owners. Give it a read and let me know if I should add something to the thread. I've seen six users brick their Dev S5s in the past couple of weeks, hopefully the thread will help the next guy from making a mistake: http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/developer-edition-s5-dos-donts-t2895563

jpcalhoun said:
I've always been a Moto fan myself, but although they still make good phones, they're not great phones (camera, display etc). I just post a "Do's and Don'ts" for Dev owners. Give it a read and let me know if I should add something to the thread. I've seen six users brick their Dev S5s in the past couple of weeks, hopefully the thread will help the next guy from making a mistake: http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/developer-edition-s5-dos-donts-t2895563
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great read. (I my case I would have still been returning my phone, but the next S5 will be safe )
The only add, if even possible. It is possible to backup the stock recovery before installing TWRP. So when it is time to sell, you can return the TWRP original backup and flash the original stock recovery?

hill180 said:
great read. (I my case I would have still been returning my phone, but the next S5 will be safe )
The only add, if even possible. It is possible to backup the stock recovery before installing TWRP. So when it is time to sell, you can return the TWRP original backup and flash the original stock recovery?
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That's a great question and one that I have been trying to figure how to do. I am not sure about this, but in order to backup a stock recovery you would have to use ADB and do a total backup of the phone that way. I have never tried that and I don't know for sure if it will even work using ADB. Here is how I look at it...who would want to pay $550 (or less) for a Developer Edition phone and never replace the stock recovery with a custom recovery? It doesn't make sense. In fact, the only way you can tell that a Developer Edition phone has not been inadvertently "locked" (not trying to stick a finger in your eye here) is to ask/see if a custom recovery is installed. If not, then there is no guarantee to the buyer that the bootloader is truly unlocked. SafeStrap does not count!