Hello!
I bought my mom an inexpensive S4 and it came with Orange wireless service provider and it's in French out for the box.
It's having some problem suck as MMS issues and all that, not to mention it's just being a pain in the butt to work with.
I want to flash the stock AT&T ROM to it ASAP so she will stop yelling at me about it, but I can't seem to find a copy around here. Maybe I'm just looking in the wrong areas, but I would appreciate some help locating it, thanks!
Also, it's been a while since I have done any ROM changes, so maybe showing me how they do it now would be helpful as well, thanks.
-Dave M.
AT&T ROMs cannot be installed on your phone. Odin will reject it at best, and you could hard brick the S4.
Unlock the phone by using the service menu exploit, RegionLock Away, or by purchasing an unlock code. Once the S4 is unlocked, you can install an unbranded firmware in place of the Orange-branded firmware. Keep in mind that this phone will never get LTE in the states as the frequencies are different.
Yes, I was made aware of the no 4G, no LTE issue with using a European phone by the guy who didn't know what he was doing when he programmed in the wrong APN settings at the AT&T corporate store...
Supposedly, the company I bought it off said this phone was unlocked already, so what then? It's been about 2 years since I did anything with ROMs, so I might be a little out of the know about the new stuff, thanks.
If it's already unlocked, then you can install any I9505 stock ROM you want. Download this ROM from Sammobile and follow the instructions on that page to install it. It's UK firmware so at the language prompt it will default to English. Be aware that you may have to flash the ROM twice before the S4's wireless radios function properly.
If everything goes as expected the APN should be automatically set. If not there are tutorials all over the place on adding an APN.
EDIT: Download the drivers from Samsung's website if not included in the Odin download on Sammobile. You'll need to have them installed for Odin to function.
Thanks. Now, how can I check to make sure this one is unlocked? Service mode is weird, because I had to do the Q followed by 0000 in key input to get it to give me the menu...
Put your Mom's AT&T SIM into the phone. If it asks for an unlock code then the S4 is still carrier locked.
Oh, okay. It's been working for like 2 months like this, lol.
Aren't there still a few carriers that aren't blocked for other regions? I just want to be sure, absolutely. I just want to know if there's another way to check.
Since it was Orange by origin (and those guys tend to lock stuff) I would say you would NOT be able to run AT&T on it as well (Orange ONLY lock - not really region lock)
When you say AT&T works I would assume previous owner already did what was needed and unlocked this device.
Sounds solid, thanks a bunch, fellas.
I just really wish there were a touchwiz ROM from AT&T for this particular model...
No, no you don't. If anything, you have it far easier by not having AT&T firmware. Unless of course you happen to LIKE encrypted (i.e. locked) bootloaders. AT&T and Verizon lock their bootloaders, which makes the simple things like rooting, bloatware removal, and custom ROMs far more difficult, and in some cases bordering on the impossible.
Your Mom may not give a damn, but by not having to deal with the headache of a locked bootloader you've made your life easier.
I've dealt with several so-called finished custom roms, such as the likes of such as Cyanogenmod and others, and lets just say they aren't quite as solid as the stuff that the phone comes with.
There's always something that doesn't work like it's supposed to or some important app that won't work somehow. Last time, I went with a stock rom, custom recovery (I like TWRP) and rooted the device and it ran just like I wanted. SO yeah, I'd like to use a stock touchwiz rom for the US if it's available somewhere.
I understand not wanting to toss a custom ROM on the phone, but that wasn't the point of my post. The ROM I prompted you to download several posts upthread is a stock Touchwiz ROM. In fact, up until this morning it was the same ROM I was using on my O2 I9505 that I'm using here in the US. As the I9505 is not available and never will be available from a carrier in the United States, there will never be a US ROM available for this phone. The ROM I had you download, unlike the AT&T ROM, has no carrier branding of any kind, no carrier bloatware, and no locked bootloader. As a result, you don't have the carrier meddling around with the ROM and making the experience worse by having crud added.
My point is, bluntly, that you're far better off now than you would be with an AT&T device. So, hopefully, now that you got everything sorted out your Mom can enjoy the phone.
Related
I'm unfamiliar with Samsung phones (never had one), and I'm looking at getting a used/mint Galaxy S 4 for my wife. Here are the requirements:
1. SIM unlocked. I need to be able to use it on AT&T and T-Mobile networks in the US, and also other international carriers as need be when traveling, without a problem.
2. I need to have root access. Some apps that need to be installed on this phone requires root. It's not necessary to have the capability to flash custom ROM, etc. so stock ROM (or any ROM, for that matter, as long as it's stable) is fine. I just need root.
3. It has to have at least 4.3, or if possible 4.4.2. OTA capability for further update (if there will be any) is a good bonus but not required.
I likely won't be modifying this phone (flashing ROM/mods/etc.) after I set it up the first time. I'll set it up, give it to her, and forget about it.
So, which version of GS4 should I look for in ebay/swappa (and if there are any firmware requirements for easy rooting)? I'm going to be using it almost solely on a GSM-based network (currently a T-Mobile MVNO, but may switch to an AT&T MVNO soon) so AT&T version seems like an obvious choice, but I've heard that this model is a pain to SIM unlock (is it true?), while Verizon version is factory unlocked completely out of the box, and will work without a problem on AT&T or T-Mobile (and obviously overseas as well).
Can anyone give me any suggestion?
Newcron said:
I'm unfamiliar with Samsung phones (never had one), and I'm looking at getting a used/mint Galaxy S 4 for my wife. Here are the requirements:
1. SIM unlocked. I need to be able to use it on AT&T and T-Mobile networks in the US, and also other international carriers as need be when traveling, without a problem.
2. I need to have root access. Some apps that need to be installed on this phone requires root. It's not necessary to have the capability to flash custom ROM, etc. so stock ROM (or any ROM, for that matter, as long as it's stable) is fine. I just need root.
3. It has to have at least 4.3, or if possible 4.4.2. OTA capability for further update (if there will be any) is a good bonus but not required.
I likely won't be modifying this phone (flashing ROM/mods/etc.) after I set it up the first time. I'll set it up, give it to her, and forget about it.
So, which version of GS4 should I look for in ebay/swappa (and if there are any firmware requirements for easy rooting)? I'm going to be using it almost solely on a GSM-based network (currently a T-Mobile MVNO, but may switch to an AT&T MVNO soon) so AT&T version seems like an obvious choice, but I've heard that this model is a pain to SIM unlock (is it true?), while Verizon version is factory unlocked completely out of the box, and will work without a problem on AT&T or T-Mobile (and obviously overseas as well).
Can anyone give me any suggestion?
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Check About Phone
Androiders96 said:
Check About Phone
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This is basically the point of this thread. I need suggestions on what to check for
Newcron said:
This is basically the point of this thread. I need suggestions on what to check for
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I9505
Androiders96 said:
I9505
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:laugh:
Yeah I deserve that. I basically set myself up to get this answer. This is what I get for not being clear enough from the get go. Doh.
Obviously the international unlocked version is the most ideal, because there's no potential for headaches as I explained above. I of course knew this.
And yes, there are several of them available at Swappa, but they are all (understandably) much more expensive (some more than 150%) compared to the local version.
So, I guess my real question is whether I should get AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon version for my purposes above.
I also just examined the title of this subforum and realized that I may not be asking this on the right place. So, sorry about that. I'll switch over to the correct forum and ask this again. Thanks for answering!
I don't always ask for help online because I believe that whatever problem I have, someone out there already has it, so I just need to look better. Not this time though. I'm literally dying.
I've installed Custom ROMs before and reverted them back to stock before but it was on a Galaxy NEXUS. It was seamless.
I have a n900W8 Note 3, this is the canadian variant. After a long day, I managed to root it and install CWM recovery, but didn't install a custom ROM. The next day (today), I installed an AOSP ROM and it worked fine but I wanted a TouchWiz ROM. After trying out 2 and getting stuck in a bootloop, I went back to the AOSP ROM. I then tried one last one, X-NOTE. Apparently it wiped my internal storage. You should see what happened to me when I realized that.
So I now just want to go back to the stock firmware but that's not easy, because I live in Jordan, which is in the middle east, but my phone is a canadian variant. But, The CSC Code for it was TTT, which is for Trinidad and Tobago. Wait, there's more. When Installing X-Note, it asked me which CSC code do I want to install. it had 5 options I think and TTT wasn't one of them. I chose BTU which is for UK.
So now I want a firmware that isn't carrier locked so I can use whatever SIM Card I put in it.
There's this article, and it says :
"You might find 2 types of firmwares even within a particular model number. Such firmwares are generally known as Branded and Unbranded ones. If your device is locked to a network provider/carrier, it’s a branded device. Therefore you must install a firmware that is meant for your carrier. Similarly, if you are able to use any SIM card on your phone, it’s unbranded, and so you can install any firmware on it that is for unbranded Note 3.", well, how the hell do I know which one is branded and which one isn't :crying:.
Seriously guys, I'm desperate for help. The phone actually isn't mine, that's why I'm freaking out. I still have my Galaxy Nexus and I love it. Even after 3 years, it is still working perfectly. The developer support for it is absolutely amazing.
Hey everyone, I been looking around the forums here and other sites and have learned a lot of info in pieces but I really need help with a particular issue. A friend of mine gave me a Sprint Galaxy SM-G900P (Galaxy S5) which is (of course) CDMA with GSM compatibility. Im unsure at the moment what service he was wanting to use but I know it is a GSM carrier (US) because he has a SIM he wanted to use. I owe him a favor so I told him I would try. Besides going the route of purchasing a unlock box and unlocking the phone with that, I discovered the SSU apk which SIM-Unlocks the phone. I downgraded the phone from Lollipop 5.0 stock to Android 4.4.2 KitKat (G900PVPU1ANE5) with ODIN. (FYI, i was stuck in download mode with no recovery mode for a week before finally getting one to work, and so happen to be that version that went through)..... I downloaded SSU and it unlocked the phone and I switched mobile network mode from CDMA to GSM Units. (NOTE: it says 4.4.2 and up will not work with USA carrier SIM cards without downgrading the Modem but I have not tried just yet) Im about to Root the phone but here is where my question comes in. I have read of people flashing roms to get their phones to work with certain carriers and other functions. Will rooting help me out at all? I guess IM asking if there is a ROM that I can flash onto the phone to enable the use of whatever carrier he is wanting to use with it. I know thats most likely useful in the situation, but Im awaiting that answer as we type. ANY help would be greatly appreciated ))) Thank you all.
Anyone? :/
Hi everyone. I am attempting to download the stock firmware for my Edge but can't find it. My phone has SM-G935A printed on the back. It is AT&T. The search feature on SAMMOBILE does not have that model. Is it ok to use a different firmware? It won't be AT&T anymore if I do, right?
The back of my phone gets really hot at times, especially right while booting. I wanted to try to root and put one of the custom ROMS on there but I am not doing anything till I find the correct Stock Firmware.
scm37390 said:
Hi everyone. I am attempting to download the stock firmware for my Edge but can't find it. My phone has SM-G935A printed on the back. It is AT&T. The search feature on SAMMOBILE does not have that model. Is it ok to use a different firmware? It won't be AT&T anymore if I do, right?
The back of my phone gets really hot at times, especially right while booting. I wanted to try to root and put one of the custom ROMS on there but I am not doing anything till I find the correct Stock Firmware.
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Check out this forum, https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-s7-edge/how-to/updated-935u-935a-live-links-pi3-t3501686. I'm running my AT&T S7 Edge on this firmware, WWWWAAAAAAYYYYYY better than stock AT&T. It has NO AT&T bloatware and it has the Mobile Data On/Off toggle listed in the quick toggles bar. Before you flash this on your phone check what build you're on in the "about phone" in settings. Here is the link with the latest stock AT&T Firmware, https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-s7-edge/how-to/firmware-pi2-s7-edge-sm-g935a-10-03-16-t3477246. Download to your pc in case you want to flash back to stock. Don't root, not really stable if you do and you can't install any other firmware / ROM unless you flash 935U Firmware. You can brick your phone or even trip Knox counter and that will void your warranty if you needed to return to AT&T or Samsung.
ytaida said:
Check out this forum, https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-s7-edge/how-to/updated-935u-935a-live-links-pi3-t3501686. I'm running my AT&T S7 Edge on this firmware, WWWWAAAAAAYYYYYY better than stock AT&T. It has NO AT&T bloatware and it has the Mobile Data On/Off toggle listed in the quick toggles bar. Before you flash this on your phone check what build you're on in the "about phone" in settings. Here is the link with the latest stock AT&T Firmware, https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-s7-edge/how-to/firmware-pi2-s7-edge-sm-g935a-10-03-16-t3477246. Download to your pc in case you want to flash back to stock. Don't root, not really stable if you do and you can't install any other firmware / ROM unless you flash 935U Firmware. You can brick your phone or even trip Knox counter and that will void your warranty if you needed to return to AT&T or Samsung.
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Hi and thanks. I don't care about warranty. I am thankful you explained that "ROOT" makes it unstable. How is it possible to flash custom ROMS without ROOT? Why is it so hard to find the dang firmware? I went back on that dang Sammobil to look for the stock firmware for a friends Verizon S7 Edge and I can't find THAT but NOW THE AT&T is there!!!!
It sounds to me like you are coming from an older phone that had an unlocked bootloader? Back in the day when flashing a new rom like paranoid or slimrom was the fun and cool way to differentiate your device from your friends. That was also a time when android was about as locked down as ios is now, and ios was still locking users into their own keyboard, and Samsung was scrapping with apple at every turn for the top seat in the mobile phone market. My how things have changed.
Android is much more open in some ways, there are far fewer things that most people need that require root access, and the device manufacturers have also begun locking down the devices much more. At least in the Samsung line, I don't know when the last US variant flagship bootloader was freely unlocked? The s3? I know I had a Verizon s6 that I could not even achieve root on following a certain point in the release cycle. Now we have all of these fun new terms like systemless root, magisk and engineering bootloader. It really comes down with what is your desired outcome from rooting. You can actually get a long way towards what you could do back then with a Samsung theme and the right apps.
I believe what ytaida is referring to is the ability to flash other s7 roms onto your phone. So while we may not be able to flash custom roms, anything with the correct bootloader can still be flashed. Typically with a phone that is only going to be in the same model, but Samsung kind of threw a curveball and created an incestual path for the s7. With their U firmware, (the 930U and 935U firmware shipped on the devices sold directly from Samsung as was mentioned above) you could flash an official version of that onto the tmobile, Verizon, att and a few other carriers hardware, and essentially change the model of the phone. From there changing it back was equally as easy, except changing it back could be changing a Verizon model into an att model. The radios were all the same. In this process a root exploit was achieved and some very smart (I am humbled by their knowledge and determination on these sites every day) folks started hacking together roms. So you will see some neat stuff done where you are never truly running as root, but there were modifications done as root somewhere along the line. Long story only mildly shorter. Be careful how far down the rabbithole you take this.
The next thing you know it could be 6am and you realize you've been downloading and archiving your own copies of stock Samsung firmware for the last 20 hours, for devices you don't even have lol..
Sure there are still custom roms out there, but as a US customer, if that is what you're looking for you are best off with a nexus device or One Plus.
scm37390 said:
Hi and thanks. I don't care about warranty. I am thankful you explained that "ROOT" makes it unstable. How is it possible to flash custom ROMS without ROOT? Why is it so hard to find the dang firmware? I went back on that dang Sammobil to look for the stock firmware for a friends Verizon S7 Edge and I can't find THAT but NOW THE AT&T is there!!!!
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Is not hard, just need to look in correct forum. BTW what firmware you want. You can find any firmware you want for both models. Just look harder.
On Edge of Galaxy
A few things:
1) There doesn't appear to be any physical difference between the 935A, 935T, and 935U. You can, as long as you mind the bootloader version, freely switch between the three versions. I'm not sure about the Verizon and Spring versions.
2) The 935A FW link is around here. I've used it, and it worked fine, but you will be on tap for a few OTA updates.
3) The 935T FW link is actually available in several places, but there is a direct link over in the T-Mobile S7E forum. I'm not really sure what it gets you that the 935U doesn't, though. It has less bloat than AT&T, about the same amount of branding, and AT&T still refuses to let you have access to the more advanced call features. It does appear to be a lot less laggy than the 935A, though - AT&T really screwed up the Nougat upgrade compared to everyone else. It will likely get updates faster as well, and T-mobile doesn't have provisioning checks for tethering.
4) The 935U FW link is also "stock" for this phone, and works much better in many respects (it's certainly faster and less laggy) The difference between the 935A/935T and 935U firmware is that the former two have all the software needed for AT&T/T-mobile specific features, like WiFi calling, VoLTE, Visual Voicemail, etc. The latter has none of those things, but it does give you back BT tethering, disables the checks for WiFi and USB tethering, along with a few other features that were disabled.
Thus, you need to decide what is more important. Carrier specific calling features or more tethering options and overall better performance and battery life.
Please check the ORIGINAL post date!!!
I got the help I needed MONTHS ago. For those of you actually attempting to help,
"THANKS".
NORBARB, as a "SENIOR MEMBER" I would have expected much more than that and again, please look at the date I posted that question. Of course the firmware has shown up now. I don't even own that phone anymore.
How do you determine bootloader version?
jshamlet said:
A few things:
1) There doesn't appear to be any physical difference between the 935A, 935T, and 935U. You can, as long as you mind the bootloader version, freely switch between the three versions. I'm not sure about the Verizon and Spring versions.
2) The 935A FW link is around here. I've used it, and it worked fine, but you will be on tap for a few OTA updates.
3) The 935T FW link is actually available in several places, but there is a direct link over in the T-Mobile S7E forum. I'm not really sure what it gets you that the 935U doesn't, though. It has less bloat than AT&T, about the same amount of branding, and AT&T still refuses to let you have access to the more advanced call features. It does appear to be a lot less laggy than the 935A, though - AT&T really screwed up the Nougat upgrade compared to everyone else. It will likely get updates faster as well, and T-mobile doesn't have provisioning checks for tethering.
4) The 935U FW link is also "stock" for this phone, and works much better in many respects (it's certainly faster and less laggy) The difference between the 935A/935T and 935U firmware is that the former two have all the software needed for AT&T/T-mobile specific features, like WiFi calling, VoLTE, Visual Voicemail, etc. The latter has none of those things, but it does give you back BT tethering, disables the checks for WiFi and USB tethering, along with a few other features that were disabled.
Thus, you need to decide what is more important. Carrier specific calling features or more tethering options and overall better performance and battery life.
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I'm interested in switching my unlocked Tmobile G935T to ATT G935A to take advantage of Wi-fi Calling. I'm not sure how to make sure I select the AT&T firmware that has the same bootloader as mentioned above.
Hello guys, I'm posting this for first time.
My girlfriend is having a Samsung S5 from AT&T and I want to root it as she told me system apps from AT&T are taking too much space on her phone and so I was thinking can I flash any custom rom on it?
As I see the AT&T thread separate, I want to ask some things
Does Network provider has to do something with it ?
I can flash custom rom on her phone or not?
And same odin thing works ? Like unlocking bootloader and fishing custom recovery
I have never rooted any Samsung phone ever
I'm having a oneplus and HTC.
If anyone can tell me what all do I need to do, I would appreciate it a lot .
Att version has locked bootloader .... Root is possible and there a few roms but they are all based off the stock rom just tweaked a bit ...
cpt.macp said:
Hello guys, I'm posting this for first time.
My girlfriend is having a Samsung S5 from AT&T and I want to root it as she told me system apps from AT&T are taking too much space on her phone and so I was thinking can I flash any custom rom on it?
As I see the AT&T thread separate, I want to ask some things
Does Network provider has to do something with it ?
I can flash custom rom on her phone or not?
And same odin thing works ? Like unlocking bootloader and fishing custom recovery
I have never rooted any Samsung phone ever
I'm having a oneplus and HTC.
If anyone can tell me what all do I need to do, I would appreciate it a lot .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should consider two things:
1. ATT phone may be sim-locked (locked to their network), but it has nothing to do with custom firmware. This problem may be solved more or less easily.
2. ATT phone (SM-G900A) does have a locked bootloader. This is a real problem.
That's why you're limited to touchwiz-based ROMs and stock kernels.
This means, in it's turn, that you cannot have root on 6.0 and above, you cannot have custom recovery, LOS, etc.
If it was my device and I was going to use it as a smartphone (to communicate with others) on a GSM network, I'd install this ROM in unrooted variant and the latest firmware (boot, modem, kernel).
bbsc said:
You should consider two things:
1. ATT phone may be sim-locked (locked to their network), but it has nothing to do with custom firmware. This problem may be solved more or less easily.
2. ATT phone (SM-G900A) does have a locked bootloader. This is a real problem.
That's why you're limited to touchwiz-based ROMs and stock kernels.
This means, in it's turn, that you cannot have root on 6.0 and above, you cannot have custom recovery, LOS, etc.
If it was my device and I was going to use it as a smartphone (to communicate with others) on a GSM network, I'd install this ROM in unrooted variant and the latest firmware (boot, modem, kernel).
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It's been over 2 years for her phone, unlocking bootloader won't be an issue ( we can unlock it right?) . And she will be using AT&T only because she is using family plan.
If you dare saying the real problem is locked bootloader then we can just unlock it , or I understood it wrong
cpt.macp said:
It's been over 2 years for her phone, unlocking bootloader won't be an issue ( we can unlock it right?) . And she will be using AT&T only because she is using family plan. If you dare saying the real problem is locked bootloader then we can just unlock it , or I understood it wrong
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I believe that the following thread may help you out with this. It's S5 AT&T device specific.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3516196
Good Luck!
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