Database Users

Looking for answers (SPH-L720T)

I have a few questions that I can't seem to find on Google that may seem silly, however I like to know as much as possible before I jump in. I haven't kept up to date with the android scene so there is a lot going on that I don't know about and at time, just plain stumps me.
Questions:
1. I am currently running Android version 5.0.1 on my S4. Will I be able to flash to a custom ROM running an older version or will I have to find one running Lollipop?
2. What is currently deemed the best ROM for my phone, as in which one will extend battery life and boost performance?
3. Will that ROM interfere with Spark?

you can flash to older roms. just curious. me and my girl both got 720ts a year ago at the exact same time. while ago on a drunken rampage i smashed her phone. went to sprint and replaced it. they gave her a newer version. 720t v3 i believe. it has a much worse screen which is less responsive and it was a b i t c h to get a recovery on it....what revision do you have? (located under battery) XDA rules state you cant have best rom discussions as it is all opinion and leads to heated arguments and flame wars.. as far as spark goes. some roms work, some dont. but ofcourse you need spark in your area/city (so if u live in one of 4 cities out of millions lucky you). even if a rom dont mention it it still make work. signal checker app can tell you.. the boot animation for spark loading or not loading means nothing...check your radios

Will Non-Verizon Firmware Work?

Hey everyone -
Apologies if this has been asked before, but a simple search didn't turn up results. Verizon (surprise surprise) is already lagging behind on firmware updates. For those of us who are S-Off, unlocked, and on custom ROMs, is it possible to flash an updated firmware (such as 1.80.617.1) and still use our phones? Or are we stuck on Verizon's release cycle for firmware updates?
EDIT - I meant to post this in the Questions & Answers section, my apologies. If any mods want to move it, please feel free.

btonetbone said:
Hey everyone -
Apologies if this has been asked before, but a simple search didn't turn up results. Verizon (surprise surprise) is already lagging behind on firmware updates. For those of us who are S-Off, unlocked, and on custom ROMs, is it possible to flash an updated firmware (such as 1.80.617.1) and still use our phones? Or are we stuck on Verizon's release cycle for firmware updates?
EDIT - I meant to post this in the Questions & Answers section, my apologies. If any mods want to move it, please feel free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
we're stuck on verizon's firmware. i use viper and the software is updated to the latest release, just not using the eu/intl firmware.

btonetbone said:
Hey everyone -
Apologies if this has been asked before, but a simple search didn't turn up results. Verizon (surprise surprise) is already lagging behind on firmware updates. For those of us who are S-Off, unlocked, and on custom ROMs, is it possible to flash an updated firmware (such as 1.80.617.1) and still use our phones? Or are we stuck on Verizon's release cycle for firmware updates?
EDIT - I meant to post this in the Questions & Answers section, my apologies. If any mods want to move it, please feel free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are on Verizon you should be using Verizon firmware. Just because a version number is different doesn't mean it's ahead. They are different forks tested and tweaked for entirely different networks.
Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Tapatalk

dottat said:
If you are on Verizon you should be using Verizon firmware. Just because a version number is different doesn't mean it's ahead. They are different forks tested and tweaked for entirely different networks.
Sent from my HTC6545LVW using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
But does that hold true when flashing the Verizon radio behind the other firmware?(not challenging your statement here, just asking a variation of the OP question)
I think that is the main thing people want to know when this topic comes up. I've seen the question and information on it scattered in pieces across multiple threads, but never fully answered by being backed with a report by someone who did it.
So you don't think I am one of those that just sits back to let someone else do the work - I am willing to try such a thing by flashing the US unlocked or Europe FW followed by the VZW radio you pulled, but would need a little guidance in terms of how to provide feedback. Test signal before/after? I know from Viper thread loss of camera is something to watch out for. Any other specific items/parameters to check before/after? Since Viper just did a re-base, I have been searching and debating between those two FW anyway. First the Euro to match the ROM, then the US because they have the ROM flashing on all FW out at the moment.

camparks said:
But does that hold true when flashing the Verizon radio behind the other firmware?(not challenging your statement here, just asking a variation of the OP question)
I think that is the main thing people want to know when this topic comes up. I've seen the question and information on it scattered in pieces across multiple threads, but never fully answered by being backed with a report by someone who did it.
So you don't think I am one of those that just sits back to let someone else do the work - I am willing to try such a thing by flashing the US unlocked or Europe FW followed by the VZW radio you pulled, but would need a little guidance in terms of how to provide feedback. Test signal before/after? I know from Viper thread loss of camera is something to watch out for. Any other specific items/parameters to check before/after? Since Viper just did a re-base, I have been searching and debating between those two FW anyway. First the Euro to match the ROM, then the US because they have the ROM flashing on all FW out at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So here's the thing... you will see unlocked users who simply flashed the radio complain they often get stuck on 3g/1x. You will see the posts about the camera loss. You will see things about loss of volte. The firmware is always optimized for the rom/carrier for which it was written. They won't include vzw fixes in unlocked firmware since that phone isn't targeted for use on the vzw network.
Between the rom and the firmware it's really just a different fork altogether. They aren't mean to be used without each other as a dependency.
Euro firmware will likely have some odd wifi side effects for some folks as they use different bands over there.

dottat said:
So here's the thing... you will see unlocked users who simply flashed the radio complain they often get stuck on 3g/1x. You will see the posts about the camera loss. You will see things about loss of volte. The firmware is always optimized for the rom/carrier for which it was written. They won't include vzw fixes in unlocked firmware since that phone isn't targeted for use on the vzw network.
Between the rom and the firmware it's really just a different fork altogether. They aren't mean to be used without each other as a dependency.
Euro firmware will likely have some odd wifi side effects for some folks as they use different bands over there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So can we back up just a bit to where I believe this all stems from - Is the HTC 10 truly a single-hardware phone? Therein, making all "variants" manifested only by which firmware is flashed? Is that true globally? If not, is that true for all in a particular "zone"(Europe, Asia, US, etc.)?
Ok, with the Euro FW the issues are apparent, given different standards not only for cellular, but also the camera and wi-fi vary from those here in the US. Even if one were to flash a US carrier radio, the camera and wi-fi issues could still pop up. Moving on from that consideration.
For US unlocked, there should be no standards issue, correct? Assuming hardware is the same for atleast all US carriers, what besides the radios would differ between carriers when not running stock ROMs?
Obviously there would be issues when on stock ROMs due to custom apps, features, etc. that would break not only when running different non-stock FW, but also when running one carrier's stock ROM on another carrier's network. All that is ill-advised and goes back to you only recommending stock FW.
Thanks for discussing this. I do not question your advise at all, I just want to explore the what and why of it all to put it all in one place. Thanks for humoring me and my questions!

camparks said:
So can we back up just a bit to where I believe this all stems from - Is the HTC 10 truly a single-hardware phone? Therein, making all "variants" manifested only by which firmware is flashed? Is that true globally? If not, is that true for all in a particular "zone"(Europe, Asia, US, etc.)?
Ok, with the Euro FW the issues are apparent, given different standards not only for cellular, but also the camera and wi-fi vary from those here in the US. Even if one were to flash a US carrier radio, the camera and wi-fi issues could still pop up. Moving on from that consideration.
For US unlocked, there should be no standards issue, correct? Assuming hardware is the same for atleast all US carriers, what besides the radios would differ between carriers when not running stock ROMs?
Obviously there would be issues when on stock ROMs due to custom apps, features, etc. that would break not only when running different non-stock FW, but also when running one carrier's stock ROM on another carrier's network. All that is ill-advised and goes back to you only recommending stock FW.
Thanks for discussing this. I do not question your advise at all, I just want to explore the what and why of it all to put it all in one place. Thanks for humoring me and my questions!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hardware wise most are the same. And you are right about me recommending firmware that matches your carrier. That aside, my experience has been like this....
I have been asked a couple times to try to fully convert a phone from one carrier to another. On the 10, we know that unlocked<->verizon works and we thought it would since HTC gave them the same MID (different CIDs though). On the m9, I have attempted to fully convert a verizon m9 to an ATT model. The RUU flashes everything BUT tp and one or two other ones. It boots up fine (att death star and all)... but it will never boot to recovery and never load TWRP when flashed. There's something about the overall partition structure that makes it different.
On the rom/firmware front.... Verizon and HTC do very specific testing for firmware/OS releases. They do this not only to ensure optimal performance for the user, but also to make sure that the phone itself doesn't cause issues on the network itself. As the manager of an engineering team for a huge US based ISP, I can tell you that firmware of devices CAN and DOES impact the network stability from time to time. I'm not talking about capacity issues, I'm talking about your phone making a phone call and causing a network card back at the CO/Tower/ETC reset. It does happen.
Lastly, I measure things by what you gain. What would gain by flashing unlocked or EU firmware images onto a phone on the verizon network? An increase in number version? As much as I see people who change their aboot do so to avoid red text, it always surprised me to see a VZW phone with a third X.X.401.X number on their bootloader indicating non-vzw firmware. There's a new piece of fun around since the m9 and present on the 10. If you manage to get an aboot on your phone doesnt match your firmware and you reboot the phone you will be stuck in bootloader with no access to download/recovery and often OS. The only fix is to manually flash each firmware image / partition file by name manually and it must match the aboot for it to work. So that's another reason to not go and mix and match because to be honest... most people don't make it beyond the panic moment of that. That phone gets returned and added to the reasons verizon makes it more difficult going forward.
\
There's my 2 cents

935F vs 935W8 roms

Hello all I've been out of the phone modding game for about 4 years and just picked up a w8 model and like the phone though sad to see no cm.
I've been browsing the site and had a few questions about modding my phone.. Several roms specifically say it supports w8 while others just say 935F.. is there really additional code to support the w8 or the rom just hasn't been verified by the developer?
Also several roms say to install the latest bootloader and modem but the link only takes you to the 935F versions.. I already have the latest update from Wind in Canada which ends in API1 is this good enough or do I need to flash a different downloaded version and if so can someone point me in the right direction for the Wind files..
One last thing.. I see a lot of people discussing flashing a csc.. but not sure what that is. I assume it's local carrier settings or something but how often is it needed? And does it only need to be done with certain roms or if there are certain issues.
I've only really used HTC and Nexus phones previously so don't wanna brick this pretty new toy as I bought it second hand and don't have warranty.
Also.. probably not the place to ask but what roms do you guys prefer that supports w8? I'm looking for something fast debloated and lots of customization.. haven't really seen the N7 so not sure about new UX.. I've usually gone cm all the way so used to default android..
Thanks for any info/advice/recommendations

I can't believe this question isn't answered. All samsung line with a pile of unecessary variations is confusing. I just picked up the phone and have no idea, while it should be same cpu=same rom

fota.sysoper and/or adups.fota malware backdoor allegedly on stock roms

Probably this has been addressed before but cannot find it easily.
On the Elephone forum , it has been stated that this malware is present on stock rom on the P9000. Can it be removed, stopped or is it advisable simply to install a different rom to avoid it? If another rom is the way to go, which is the most stable?
Thanks in advance

I tested CM13 final build 3 and is working fine for me. I only use the phone for gaming and internet browsing. I think is the best ROM, you can customize it a lot.

MihaiSG said:
I tested CM13 final build 3 and is working fine for me. I only use the phone for gaming and internet browsing. I think is the best ROM, you can customize it a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you want your personal data transferred elsewhere on a regular basis I would agree that it's essential to ditch the stock ROM. For me the fact it has this backdoor is a major deal-breaker. Plus, the fact that the fingerprint sensor is useless in the stock ROM is also a deal-breaker for me.
I have not tried CM13 Final Build 3, but I did flash Final build 4 and found it was a *dramatic* improvement over the stock (once the audio fix was applied) until I found that Bluetooth Audio did not work. I then tried Final Build 5 which although BT Audio worked, regular audio didn't :crying:. I am now beginning to think perhaps I can live without Bluetooth Audio for a while
The fingerprint sensor in CM13 FB4/5 was dramatically improved (for me at least) and probably 80% reliable (up from about 20%)

stevespalding said:
Unless you want your personal data transferred elsewhere on a regular basis I would agree that it's essential to ditch the stock ROM. For me the fact it has this backdoor is a major deal-breaker. Plus, the fact that the fingerprint sensor is useless in the stock ROM is also a deal-breaker for me.
I have not tried CM13 Final Build 3, but I did flash Final build 4 and found it was a *dramatic* improvement over the stock (once the audio fix was applied) until I found that Bluetooth Audio did not work. I then tried Final Build 5 which although BT Audio worked, regular audio didn't :crying:. I am now beginning to think perhaps I can live without Bluetooth Audio for a while
The fingerprint sensor in CM13 FB4/5 was dramatically improved (for me at least) and probably 80% reliable (up from about 20%)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
install fb3 its the best build for now

Not rooted yet, used Debloater
First time here. Thanks for your posts.
I have the same problem with my brand-new P9000. Still unrooted. Anyway, after googling around I found a short guide on wonderhowto.com. It looks legit and I used Debloater (by Gatesjunior) to block com.adups.fota, com.adups.fota.sysoper.
Also blocked com.elephone.elephoneuserfeedbackv1, after reading an old but ominous post on xda-developers (adware in an official OTA update for the p7000).
Hope this helps.

MihaiSG said:
I tested CM13 final build 3 and is working fine for me. I only use the phone for gaming and internet browsing. I think is the best ROM, you can customize it a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a cm 13 build for p9000 lite?

Had the same experience with this company. Obviously are also "official supported" Roms infected, as the Aerom, because it based on the stock rom. As far i know only eragon and CM have this trojan not in their distribution.
Of course there are ways to temporarily stop this Backdoor Services. Debloater is one of them. But they was many postings on reddit about this tool, and it seems that the Service renew and restart as soon the Device is rebooted.
But to say it frankly. A Company who sell me a device with some trojan rootkit, which will spy my passwords, personal data and who knows what else, has lose all my trust.
For this and for some other reasons (payment software, fingerprint) i dumped this phone after nearly 2 months. Thanks god Amazon customer service worked flawless like usual. Elephone never again. Bought instead a nice oneplus 3T which is from other dimension compared to the elephone p9000.
Would be interesting to know how many other chinese phone manufacturers do the same thing. I doubt big players like xiaomi and huawei would risc their reputation with such a moronic move.

Just read this on the Elephone forum regarding FOTA (Firmware over the air) Software by ADUPS -
¨ From version 5.5 and up this capability was removed. ¨ LINK see post #9 for more info and how to check your phone. I assume this is fact.

mentalasanything said:
Just read this on the Elephone forum regarding FOTA (Firmware over the air) Software by ADUPS -
¨ From version 5.5 and up this capability was removed. ¨ see post #9 for more info and how to check your phone. I assume this is fact.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i should have posted the same info here on XDA developers, but as for now i'm not yet allowed to post url links

Best stable ROM for T-Mobile?

I'm on the October 2017 update for TMO with my Nexus 6. Having issues with camera slowness and some all-round sluggishness. Did the full factory reset thing about 3 months ago but it didn't really help much. So I'm wondering if flashing a DEV ROM will help. And which ROM? I need VOLTE / USA TMO support. Stability and usability are more important than raw speed or latest & greatest. Reading through the threads, there's clearly a LOT to choose from. Am I right that none of the PIE ROMs do VOLTE for TMO correctly? Anyways, long live Shamu.
Recommendations?

This is the ROM I recommend; https://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/development/aosip-8-1-official-t3801408.
If you want to stay on 7.1, I would use this; https://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/development/rom-5-1lightromstock-lmy47e-03-19-2015-t3059493.
I would remind you that the battery in your N6 is about 4-5 years old so replacing it would be in order.

Guapo613 said:
This is the ROM I recommend; https://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/development/aosip-8-1-official-t3801408.
I would remind you that the battery in your N6 is about 4-5 years old so replacing it would be in order.
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Click to collapse
Sounds good. So it fully supports TMO VOLTE? I went to the ROM thread and didn't see it specifically mentioned. I know you're right about the battery. I need to find someone to do that. Any recommendations? I've had mixed success opening cameras, phones & tablets up to do ****. I've gone from hero to goat.

https://www.newpower99.com/Google_Nexus_6_Battery_Replacement_Kit_p/google nexus 6.htm
here is a link and a how-to for the battery.