Root and Tethering Question - Verizon Galaxy S 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm about to make the move to the S5 from my HTC One (M7). Before I make that investment, I want to make sure I'm not going to be screwed out of tethering. I have an unlimited data plan with Verizon, and live in a rural area, so my phone is my home ISP.
Since I would be buying a phone from an eBay vendor, I have no control over which firmware version would come installed. So here's my questions.
1. Are there any firmware versions for which root is not available? I've looked through various threads, and haven't found a concrete answer on this.
2. If there are firmware versions for which root is unavailable, and I'm unfortunate enough to purchase a phone which comes with that firmware version, does the latest version of FoxFi support the latest OTA firmware?
Thanks!

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3147034
I think you'll be okay.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Evidently there is at least one firmware version that makes it impossible, for the time being, to downgrade from. http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/help/downgrade-oe1-t3149085
This brings me back to my second question. Can anyone confirm if FoxFi works on the OE1 firmware?

I was looking for this same info and couldn't find it. Now I figured I'd post the answer.
I still have Verizon Unlimited Data.
I received a brand new S5 today. It came with OG5. I have not attempted to root it. I installed FoxFi and WiFI tethering/mobile hotspot works just fine. I have not enabled "HD Voice", either, and I just tested and verified that I can have a voice phone call going and my hotspot still works. It gave me 44Mbps down/12 up on my connected tablet, while I had a voice call connected.
As an aside, I don't get what the deal is with Verizon pushing HD Voice as a way to have simultaneous voice and data. Simultaneous voice and data (while on 4G LTE) worked on my S4, which didn't even support HD Voice, apparently, and works on the S5 with HD Voice not turned on.

You're good as far as rooting is concerned.
KitKat, and Lollipop up to version BOD5 can be downgraded. Root method here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/ver...w-to-update-to-g900voe1-5-0-keeproot-t3149784
BOE1, BOG5, and BOK3 are the latest Lollipop, and the bootloader cannot be downgraded. A root method for these was finally released a couple weeks ago: http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370

pastorbennett said:
I'm about to make the move to the S5 from my HTC One (M7). Before I make that investment, I want to make sure I'm not going to be screwed out of tethering. I have an unlimited data plan with Verizon, and live in a rural area, so my phone is my home ISP.
Since I would be buying a phone from an eBay vendor, I have no control over which firmware version would come installed. So here's my questions.
1. Are there any firmware versions for which root is not available? I've looked through various threads, and haven't found a concrete answer on this.
2. If there are firmware versions for which root is unavailable, and I'm unfortunate enough to purchase a phone which comes with that firmware version, does the latest version of FoxFi support the latest OTA firmware?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you're all good the latest versions of lollipop are rootable.. and yes if you root it you can fix the tethering. Or even flash a custom ROM I don't think Verizon selling any of the KitKat versions of s5 I think they're all on lollipop. Hope that helps

Related

Which G930U firmware for Sprint phone on Verizon network?

Hi all.
I have a G930P just unlocked (USB/hardware method via GSMZambia). Currently has older OTA-restricted ROM to allow the unlock.
I'd like to update to the newest G930U firmware to get rid of all the Sprint stuff.
We are Verizon (USA) customers, and will uset he phone on the VZW network. I have already confirmed this works after the unlock (using the SIM from my own VZW S7).
Question is:
Which G930U firmware do I use? on the download pages they are specified for Sprint, Veriozn, AT&T etc.
Do I use the G930U for VZW because that will be the carrier? What is teh difference between these, I assume it is the splash screen and which radios are set as the default?
Thanks
Wanted to follow up on this.
After some careful comparison I realized that ALL the "u" firmware files listed - for each of the different carriers - are in fact all the same file. Which make sense b/c it's intended for a phone that starts off life w/ possibility to go to any network.
So after putting the "u" firmware on my formerly Sprint phone, it works flawlessly on Verizon. As far as I can tell all the relative radio bands are working equally well as my other G930V (native Verizon) phone.
Hopefully this will be helpful to somebody else in the future....
who did you get lte and voice to work. for some reason i can only get one or the other to work. not both
DHG4DRAGON8 said:
who did you get lte and voice to work. for some reason i can only get one or the other to work. not both
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't do anything special at all.
I literally installed the reference ROM, and it worked. It has since auto-updated itself several times, and works flawlessly.
It's my wife's phone, I have a G930V w/ Verizon firmware etc (never done anything special w/ it) and the function the same. Just a few skin differences where Verizon has added extra stuff to mine AFAIK.

Verizon or US Unlocked?

I have a Verizon HTC 10, which I have converted to US Unlocked and run LeeDroid, which mostly works, but it requires me to dial *#*#4636#*#* to select radio after every reboot.
I plan to stay on LeeDroid ROM, so don't need or want to take OTAs. I just want everything to work, including Samsung gear for my watch, advanced calling (HD calling mainly), visual voice mail and Android pay might be nice.
Now that Verizon firmware for nougat is available and I could convert back, dues it make sense? Is there any advantage to running US Unlocked or Verizon version? LeeDroid ROM provides everything for Verizon to fully work (or will very soon), so is it just fine to install the latest Verizon firmware and radios onto the US Unlocked version?
If you're just gonna use the phone on VZW, common wisdom states you should stick with VZW software, especially if/when Nougat is now available.
JustinChase said:
I have a Verizon HTC 10, which I have converted to US Unlocked and run LeeDroid, which mostly works, but it requires me to dial *#*#4636#*#* to select radio after every reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not required...LeeDroid has always run perfectly well on Verizon firmware and not needed any dialed codes like that.
JustinChase said:
I plan to stay on LeeDroid ROM, so don't need or want to take OTAs. I just want everything to work, including Samsung gear for my watch, advanced calling (HD calling mainly), visual voice mail and Android pay might be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The latest version of LeeDroid has Advanced Calling working for most Verizon users. For some reason, it's not working on mine, but there are reports of it working perfectly for a handful of other folks.
JustinChase said:
Now that Verizon firmware for nougat is available and I could convert back, dues it make sense? Is there any advantage to running US Unlocked or Verizon version? LeeDroid ROM provides everything for Verizon to fully work (or will very soon), so is it just fine to install the latest Verizon firmware and radios onto the US Unlocked version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's been discussed on here before (can't remember which thread, sorry) that it's always better to use Verizon firmware + radio when on the Verizon network. It's tweaked to work the best with Verizon's towers and signal.
It might be overkill, but since you are coming from US Unlocked firmware, I'd recommend using the full Verizon RUU and starting from scratch. That way, when you flash LeeDroid, you don't have any funky remnants of the old setup.
Tarima said:
If you're just gonna use the phone on VZW, common wisdom states you should stick with VZW software, especially if/when Nougat is now available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but it wouldn't be 'sticking with' VZW software, it would be re-converting back to VZW software, which isn't so cut and dried.
Posted from my phone, forgive any spelling errors.
btonetbone said:
That's not required...LeeDroid has always run perfectly well on Verizon firmware and not needed any dialed codes like that.
The latest version of LeeDroid has Advanced Calling working for most Verizon users. For some reason, it's not working on mine, but there are reports of it working perfectly for a handful of other folks.
It's been discussed on here before (can't remember which thread, sorry) that it's always better to use Verizon firmware + radio when on the Verizon network. It's tweaked to work the best with Verizon's towers and signal.
It might be overkill, but since you are coming from US Unlocked firmware, I'd recommend using the full Verizon RUU and starting from scratch. That way, when you flash LeeDroid, you don't have any funky remnants of the old setup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, no, it doesn't work perfectly well on Verizon if your using nougat firmware, the codes are required.
However, it does seem it is all working great now that we have VZW firmware for nougat, so I will probably convert back now.
I just wanted to see if there was any other reason to stay on US Unlocked, but it seems there isn't.
Off to find the no wipe firmware now.
Thanks for all the feedback.
Posted from my phone, forgive any spelling errors.

Installing AT&T firmware on unlocked Verizon S7 Edge SM-G935V

I've purchased an unlocked Verizon S7 Edge, model SM-G935V, but haven't received it yet. I'm an AT&T customer. The phone should work on AT&T's network since it's unlocked, but I just realized it'll probably still have Verizon-ified firmware, and might not work with certain AT&T-specific features like HD voice, video calling, or voicemail. How will the Verizon firmware behave when it's on the AT&T network? Can I install the latest AT&T firmware on this phone instead, using a similar method to what people are doing for the 935U firmware? I prefer a stock AT&T firmware rather than a beta or rooting. Thanks in advance!
There's another thread in this forum "Stock Firmware for SM-935A (AT&T)". Should I just flash that to my unlocked SM-935V, and essentially turn it into a 935A? I believe the hardware of all S7 Edge models is identical, so I'm hoping that will work.
I did this and applied the 7.0 update - and now I can't seem to revert to any other software. If I were you, I'd flash the U update and forget about carrier-specific garbage.
raduque said:
I did this and applied the 7.0 update - and now I can't seem to revert to any other software. If I were you, I'd flash the U update and forget about carrier-specific garbage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Did you have any problems getting LTE data to work with your 935V once it was on the AT&T network? I saw a few mentions from people saying they could only get slower data connections, until they called AT&T to "provision LTE for their SIM" or something. I get the impression it's not enough just to have an AT&T SIM card - like the AT&T network has a registry of phone IDs, and non-AT&T branded phones won't be in it, and so won't get LTE data.
From browsing the 935U thread, it sounds like that firmware is receiving updates much more slowly than the carrier-specific firmwares. The U firmware also wouldn't provide the missing AT&T-specific features I was looking for, like HD voice or WiFi calling, so I'm not convinced it would really be an improvement over just keeping the Verizon fw. But maybe I'll feel differently once I actually get my hands on the phone and play with it - all I'm doing now is reading forum threads and checking my mailbox.
Honestly couldn't tell you. I'm on Verizon with my main device (S7e on U FW). I only flashed the AT&T FW (PK1) so I could flash the unreleased Nougat files.
Now, I can't seem to flash anything but an AT&T rom.
Also FWIW, the U firmware is getting updates slower than carrier roms, but it's still the better rom - untouched by the carrier's bumbling idiot of a dev team, no pre-loaded carrier junk you can't get rid of (only disable), better battery life and better performance.
More FWIW, I don't care about HD Voice or Wifi calling - both those are irrelevant to me.
At&t release today on 2/17/17 official update to Nougat 7.0 build BQA6 with February security.
Clicking from Edge of Galaxy.
I want to do the opposite - flash G935V onto G935A, with the intention of eventually being able to flash back G935A. Not sure if I could do this, though.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
I've got my phone working now. The short answer is yes, as far as I've found, you can flash any carrier's firmware to your S7 Edge. There may be some limitations if the bootloader version on your phone is different from the new firmware's bootloader version, but fortunately I didn't run into that. I went from the Verizon firmware to the AT&T firmware and then to the unbranded 935U firmware.
But for best results, a branded S7 Edge should be used with the same branded firmware, and on the same network. Otherwise you may run into some problems, or certain carrier-specific features won't work. In my case, my Verizon-branded S7 Edge is unable to get Wifi calling and HD Voice (aka VoLTE) on the AT&T network with an AT&T SIM card, no matter what firmware version I use.
s.chamberlin said:
I've got my phone working now. The short answer is yes, as far as I've found, you can flash any carrier's firmware to your S7 Edge. There may be some limitations if the bootloader version on your phone is different from the new firmware's bootloader version, but fortunately I didn't run into that. I went from the Verizon firmware to the AT&T firmware and then to the unbranded 935U firmware.
But for best results, a branded S7 Edge should be used with the same branded firmware, and on the same network. Otherwise you may run into some problems, or certain carrier-specific features won't work. In my case, my Verizon-branded S7 Edge is unable to get Wifi calling and HD Voice (aka VoLTE) on the AT&T network with an AT&T SIM card, no matter what firmware version I use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? That's strange. I successfully flashed V firmware on my A and HD voice & WiFi Capping are active
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
So you did the opposite direction of what I did? I've read that AT&T is more restrictive about these features than some other carriers, which is maybe why it didn't work for me. I can't find it now, but there was an AT&T community forums thread in which a rep straight-out said that those features won't work on a non-AT&T-branded phone or other unlocked "bring your own device" phone.
To be fair, I'm not certain HD Voice isn't working, since there doesn't seem be a definitive way to test for it. With the AT&T firmware, attempting to turn on wifi calling would give me an error saying it couldn't be activated on my device. With the unbranded 935U firmware and an AT&T SIM card installed, I don't even see an option for turning on wifi calling.

A Few Questions about "Unlocked Firmware"

I've debloated my Sprint S7 via package disabler pro...however, some Samsung and Sprint services use up quite a bit of ram. A few searches on Google lead me to flashing an "unlocked firmware", which is fully Sprint free (in terms of useless apps and services) and pretty light on Samsung bloat.
My 2 questions are:
If I flash this firmware, will I still be able to do traditional software updates via the phone, or by Odin?
&
Can anyone point me to this firmware (ones I saw are for the Edge variant and ATT, TMobile, etc).
Sorry if these are simple questions, I've never owned a Samsung device before, although I do have experience of HTC and Google devices.
Thanks
You will always be able to flash back or update with odin. The bloat free firmware your looking for is for the G930U, it isn't carrier specific or loaded with any carrier services. With this said you probably will not receive OTA updates from Sprint (or any carrier you use) since youll be on a non carrier loaded ROM.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
Ah ok thanks. I guess I'll stick with stock Sprint for now.
I flashed 930u on my Sprint phone probably about a year ago and I get all OTA updates no problem. Nougat was sent out a few weeks ago. I would never go back to stock sprint firmware, but its nice to know that I can if I ever needed. I would flash 930u asap IMHO.
Edit: and yes I have Sprint. Maybe Samsung releases the firmware OTA for 930u, not sure but I know for a fact that they are OTA.
srohang1 said:
I flashed 930u on my Sprint phone probably about a year ago and I get all OTA updates no problem. Nougat was sent out a few weeks ago. I would never go back to stock sprint firmware, but its nice to know that I can if I ever needed. I would flash 930u asap IMHO.
Edit: and yes I have Sprint. Maybe Samsung releases the firmware OTA for 930u, not sure but I know for a fact that they are OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got the update 4BQE2 firmware update last night. I got the nougat upgrade about a month ago im I'm on the 930U. Both from OTA on my wifi
Flashed! But have a few more questions
Last night I flashed the US G930U firmware. Its quick and faster than sprint.
However, I don't have HD Calling anymore nor Wifi Calling. Is there a fix?
The HD call is kinda a bummer
EDIT: enabled wifi calling in phone app, but no HD calling yet? fix?

Latest firmware/ROM to use for Verizon on Tmobile S7E (root preferred)

I have an old Tmobile S7E on old ass firmware (Android 7.0 BQE1) and it's already rooted. I just went through Tmobiles Device Unlock process and I believe the phone was unlocked successfully. I'm looking to upgrade to the latest firmware that still allows rooting. I've looked through the Custom Roms threads and can't tell which one is the latest. I am also wondering if I need to use Verizon firmware or stay on Tmobile firmware.
For instance, this thread here: by jrkruse, he mentions to another user in the comments "This one or verizon one? This one just has the Tmobile csc stuff added and a build.prop for gsm carriers thats it" so it made me wonder if I'm using Verizon service but it's a Tmobile phone if this would work. I know Verizon is CDMA so him saying gsm carriers made me think it may not work.
I know this device is old and this thread doesn't get browsed as much anymore so hopefully I can get some answers. If I can't get this working I guess I'll just be getting a new 2020 model phone :highfive:
Thanks guys!

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