Database Users

[Q] AT&T (G900A) - Did I screw up by buying this one?

I can't seem to find any legitimate way to root my G900A from AT&T.
I was with Sprint with my S4, and never had an issue. I made the switch to AT&T before buying the S5.. Was that mistake?
In all the threads I've combed through here there is one common, glaring, issue.. The G900A is not included in the supported devices.
Am I missing something obvious or am I screwed? Or am I just looking too soon?
Already gave the S4 to my daughter.
Thanks for any information or insight.

ACiD0N said:
I can't seem to find any legitimate way to root my G900A from AT&T.
I was with Sprint with my S4, and never had an issue. I made the switch to AT&T before buying the S5.. Was that mistake?
In all the threads I've combed through here there is one common, glaring, issue.. The G900A is not included in the supported devices.
Am I missing something obvious or am I screwed? Or am I just looking too soon?
Already gave the S4 to my daughter.
Thanks for any information or insight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is a universal root method.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2717061
Try to talk with a recovery developer to check your partition table.
(Other variant may have matching partition table with your variant)
I guess, @PlayfulGod can help you with it.

ACiD0N said:
I can't seem to find any legitimate way to root my G900A from AT&T.
I was with Sprint with my S4, and never had an issue. I made the switch to AT&T before buying the S5.. Was that mistake?
In all the threads I've combed through here there is one common, glaring, issue.. The G900A is not included in the supported devices.
Am I missing something obvious or am I screwed? Or am I just looking too soon?
Already gave the S4 to my daughter.
Thanks for any information or insight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SandeepEmekar said:
Here is a universal root method.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2717061
Try to talk with a recovery developer to check your partition table.
(Other variant may have matching partition table with your variant)
I guess, @PlayfulGod can help you with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure eventually a root method will come about for that model. Unfortunately tho, the vzw & att models have a locked bootloader and most likely locked down with knox as well and currently no way to boot custom recoveries or kernels.

PlayfulGod said:
I'm sure eventually a root method will come about for that model. Unfortunately tho, the vzw & att models have a locked bootloader and most likely locked down with knox as well and currently no way to boot custom recoveries or kernels.
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Click to collapse
@PlayfulGod is absolutely right. Even if an exploit is found for the AT&T or Verizon models, it is unlikely that you'll ever have full root access - thanks to the combination of locked bootloaders, KNOX, and SELinux.
Check your contract - most carriers have a 14-day "buyer's remorse" period in which you can return your handset. You might be faced with a $35-$50 "restocking fee", but depending on how desperate you are for custom ROMs and/or Recovery, it may be worth it to you. Please note that your carrier may try everything they can to stop you from leaving (in terms of talking you out of it). Your contact with AT&T should also have a "back-out" period of 30 days (unless that's changed recently).
Couple other notes:
1) That's the primary reason I switched from AT&T to TMO when I jumped from the S4 to the S5 - I was sick of locked bootloaders. Otherwise, I really just like TMO a lot more as a company, including some of their political standpoints.
2) I've heard of several people now buying TMO S5's and taking them over to AT&T. It's a lot of money up front, but might be worth it to you.
Good luck.

Thanks guys
Thank you for the informative replies. They confirmed what I had already gathered, piece by piece, in a decent comprehensive manner so I appreciate it.
Unfortunately, this time around we gamed the system a bit and went in on this as a 'group' for the services and phones. As far as I can tell, as an individual, I don't have any options of returning the unit in favor of moving to another provider.
Besides that, I finally have good service where I live. I am in the middle of a city but my actual home was in a crap spot with Sprint. After doing research we found that we'd all have great service with AT&T. If the trade-off is no root, so be it I suppose. (Though I have heard that T-Mo has the same service in the same areas due to using the same connectivity)
The knox deal doesn't concern me so much.. This may be a bit cocky (and a little stupid), but I have yet to have to replace a galaxy since they started putting them out *knock on wood*. But it sounds like that's only one issue in a sea of others.
Long-winded story short, Thanks guys. I am much more informed on my situation than before. :good:

ACiD0N said:
I can't seem to find any legitimate way to root my G900A from AT&T.
I was with Sprint with my S4, and never had an issue. I made the switch to AT&T before buying the S5.. Was that mistake?
In all the threads I've combed through here there is one common, glaring, issue.. The G900A is not included in the supported devices.
Am I missing something obvious or am I screwed? Or am I just looking too soon?
Already gave the S4 to my daughter.
Thanks for any information or insight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I expressly bought a G900W8 model because of the locked bootloader issue with AT&T. I've come from Verizon on the S4, and I wasn't doing the whole locked thing again - it was annoying and I just wasn't going to have it. What I did was buy an S5 from AT&T on a $25/month installment plan, turn around and sold it on Swappa for full price, and bought an unlocked W8 model the same day. I payed virtually nothing except shipping, I get a nice unlocked phone ready for AOSP when it comes out, and I didn't have to pay the ridiculous $650 price for what would be essentially a developer unlocked phone.
If your phone is still new and you think you could sell it and get mint condition pricing on it, do your research on the G900T model. That's TMobile's phone, but it has an unlocked bootloader, can be rooted/flashed/whatever you like, and if I remember correctly (please someone correct me if I'm wrong), it works on all the bands that AT&T does and will be virtually the same as far as mobile data goes. If you already have your service activated on your current AT&T phone, you can literally just swap the SIM card out and you shouldn't have any issues after that. There might be a little caveat as far as having an AT&T SIM in a Tmo phone, but as far as I've read on the forum, this is very easy to get past; you may very well not have any problems whatsoever.
You could look for the W8 model, which wouldn't have any carrier branding on it, but those were hard to come by for me on Swappa, and the unlocked listing the main page gives you is for a phone that doesn't support 4G.
So like I said, if you think you could sell it, and you find a good listing on Swappa for an unlocked phone, I say go for it. Having an unlocked bootloader is going to put your device in a good place as far as updates go, and once developers start pushing out polished custom ROMs, you'll be happy to use your device for longer than the year's use that is generally expected.

Never buy a phone from AT&T or Verizon again if you root

I had an interesting conversion on AT&T's forum today. In short, I learned that both AT&T and Verizon had Samsung "hard code" their software to all their phones by altering the bootloader in version 5.1.1. This is nothing new to anyone who's tried to root their AT&T or Verizon Note Edge after the update. We know it as "branding", but in the past it was something we could usually bypass. No more. These "damaged" bootloaders will never allow these phones (and all future phones) to be rooted or upgraded EVER AGAIN. It's just not something a piece of software or an app can ever bypass. Even if you had AT&T unlock the SIM and you went to T-Mobile, you still have to live with AT&T's mountain of bloatware because the ROM can't be flashed. It like buying a PC and not being able to delete Windows Vista...ever. The horror.
What makes it worse is that doing a carrier unlock and jumping ship will get you no joy. I asked how someone gets OTA updates on a carrier unlocked phone and they said you can't. You can never update again. You'll need to go to Best Buy and have them flash updates for as long as you own the phone. How this doesn't violate the carrier unlock law is beyond me.
Google created an operating system that was supposed to be open source. We were happy to play the root game for years, but now AT&T and Verizon have changed the rules of the game and effectively put an end to the idea of open source. Now AT&T and Verizon androids are no better than iphones. If you ever want to root your Samsung devices in the future, DO NOT BUY YOUR PHONE FROM EITHER OF THESE CARRIERS!
This is a practice that they have already admitted will continue. #unlockourbootloaders
Sign the United States petition to stop this at once: http://wh.gov/iGwh4

Thankfully, the firmwares are available (usually) quite quickly, and the drivers and tutorials are easily found so you can flash your own update with ease!
I understand your frustration, but thanks to XDA Devs all of this is manageable.
I agree about the open-source comment, btw.

AT&T and Verizon will never allow their branded phones to be upgraded again

I had an interesting conversion on AT&T's forum today. In short, I learned that both AT&T and Verizon had Samsung "hard code" their software to all their phones by altering the bootloader in version 5.1.1. This is nothing new to anyone who's tried to root their AT&T or Verizon Note Edge after the update. We know it as "branding", but in the past it was something we could usually bypass. No more. These "damaged" bootloaders will never allow these phones (and all future phones) to be rooted or upgraded EVER AGAIN. It's just not something a piece of software or an app can ever bypass. Even if you had AT&T unlock the SIM and you went to T-Mobile, you still have to live with AT&T's mountain of bloatware because the ROM can't be flashed. It like buying a PC and not being able to delete Windows Vista...ever. The horror.
What makes it worse is that doing a carrier unlock and jumping ship will get you no joy. I asked how someone gets OTA updates on a carrier unlocked phone and they said you can't. You can never update again. You'll need to go to Best Buy and have them flash updates for as long as you own the phone. How this doesn't violate the carrier unlock law is beyond me.
Google created an operating system that was supposed to be open source. We were happy to play the root game for years, but now AT&T and Verizon have changed the rules of the game and effectively put an end to the idea of open source. Now AT&T and Verizon androids are no better than iphones. If you ever want to root your Samsung devices in the future, DO NOT BUY YOUR PHONE FROM EITHER OF THESE CARRIERS!
This is a practice that they have already admitted will continue.

S7 or something else?

Sad story finding out that the S7 is locked down harder than anything before. I'm still running a Note 3 that I purchased on release day, so needless to say, I've been holding out for the S7 since the S6 series didn't have SD card support.
Having had quite a few Samsung flagships over the years, I've really liked them, their speed and battery life, but having no root is a dealbreaker for me.
Things like TWRP (or MultiSystem), Cerberus, Greenify, TiBu and Xposed are essential to me. Seriously, without the ability to simply back up your current ROM or even just your apps and their data, what does everyone do when they get a new phone or some stupid update ruins what they had??
So that being said, I'm asking here if any of you are waiting it out for root before getting an S7 or if you're considering moving to another phone?
If you are thinking or have already moved to another phone, what's the best rootable phone of 2016 that has an SD card slot that is comparable to the S7?
I'm not hard to please, I just require root and an SD card slot - well, and a community of devs!

I heard there is an unlocked variant with CDMA, if not that then maybe wait it out until a root method is found.
Other options are the 5X, maybe the new G5 or the V10 if you want just root.

cadcamaro said:
I heard there is an unlocked variant with CDMA, if not that then maybe wait it out until a root method is found.
Other options are the 5X, maybe the new G5 or the V10 if you want just root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocked variant with CDMA? Where did you hear this? This also doesn't guarantee Verizon will allow it on their network.

JAYNO20 said:
Unlocked variant with CDMA? Where did you hear this? This also doesn't guarantee Verizon will allow it on their network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read it here
http://www.droid-life.com/2016/03/18/unlocked-lg-g5-gsm-cdma/

cadcamaro said:
I read it here
http://www.droid-life.com/2016/03/18/unlocked-lg-g5-gsm-cdma/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That link is all about the G5....

JAYNO20 said:
That link is all about the G5....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for some reason I thought that was the one you were interested in.

JAYNO20 said:
Unlocked variant with CDMA? Where did you hear this? This also doesn't guarantee Verizon will allow it on their network.
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Click to collapse
I'm so tired of people making this comment... The law passed last year clearly stated that no phone can be block from any U.S. Network if it's not stolen, not on an agreement, and has the proper radios to support the network... That's why they can't stop nexus devices, unlocked Motorola etc. Your phone will simply show up on Verizon site as "non Verizon device" and your stupid voicemail won't work. That's what google voice is for. That's why as soon as you pay for your phone, carriers have to unlock it if you request them to do so

2swizzle said:
I'm so tired of people making this comment... The law passed last year clearly stated that no phone can be block from any U.S. Network if it's not stolen, not on an agreement, and has the proper radios to support the network... That's why they can't stop nexus devices, unlocked Motorola etc. Your phone will simply show up on Verizon site as "non Verizon device" and your stupid voicemail won't work. That's what google voice is for. That's why as soon as you pay for your phone, carriers have to unlock it if you request them to do so
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you are saying a Sprint phone will work on Verizon's network then? I think not.

JAYNO20 said:
So you are saying a Sprint phone will work on Verizon's network then? I think not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you miss the piece where I said the phone has to have the proper radios? Most sprint phones do not have the appropriate radios which support Verizon CDMA channels, therefore the phone wouldn't work. Phones like Nexus, Motorola, and other unlocked phones typically have the hardware to support all U.S carriers.

2swizzle said:
Did you miss the piece where I said the phone has to have the proper radios? Most sprint phones do not have the appropriate radios which support Verizon CDMA channels, therefore the phone wouldn't work. Phones like Nexus, Motorola, and other unlocked phones typically have the hardware to support all U.S carriers.
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Click to collapse
Ok so this post is completely useless in this section then. There isn't an unlocked variant of the s7 that will work with Verizon nor has there ever been a galaxy phone from another carrier that would work. So stop being a know it all and take you condescending attitude somewhere else. What is your deal?

JAYNO20 said:
Ok so this post is completely useless in this section then. There isn't an unlocked variant of the s7 that will work with Verizon nor has there ever been a galaxy phone from another carrier that would work. So stop being a know it all and take you condescending attitude somewhere else. What is your deal?
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Once again you are diverting from my original comment, which verizon has nothing to do with if a phone can be used on verzion, or "white listed" as you put it. For your information there's been Samsung models that would work on Verizon from Sprint but they wouldn't get the correct lte signals...

2swizzle said:
Once again you are diverting from my original comment, which verizon has nothing to do with if a phone can be used on verzion, or "white listed" as you put it. For your information there's been Samsung models that would work on Verizon from Sprint but they wouldn't get the correct lte signals...
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Click to collapse
First: I never used the words "white listed" anywhere in my posts.
Second: if they don't get the correct LTE signals then they basically don't work, lets not beat around the bush with here. Ultimately, I get what you are saying but it doesn't really matter. Other than to create an argument where there definitely doesn't need to be one your response really has no meaning in this particular thread. There are NO unlocked CDMA versions of this phone that will work on ANY other carrier and Verizon at the same time. /thread.

Can anyone tell me what an equivalent HTC, Motorola or LG phone would be that is rootable?
*Must be rootable
*Must have an SD card slot
*Hopefully has dev support for custom ROMs but isn't totally necessary since with root I can use Xposed to make it look like I want
I mean seriously, Samsung isn't the only top-tier manufacturer, why are we all addicted to this anyway? It's a great phone, I'm sure - but isn't there ANY good alternative in you guy's opinion?
I might just bite the bullet and get the S7 and hope for root, but the loss of Viper4Android would be a killer.

As a former flashaholic I have decided as long as I am on Verizon I will have to live without root especially when I got my sony z3v. I am glad I did. Flashing and setting everything up took up so much time atleast once a day at most once a week. And heaven forbid there was an issue and I would have to restore or start over. I then got a Verizon z2 tablet again without root on lollipop. This is a great phone and a worthy upgrade from my z3v. I think the line between needing and wanting features or gimmicks is getting blured.

JediDru said:
As a former flashaholic I have decided as long as I am on Verizon I will have to live without root especially when I got my sony z3v. I am glad I did. Flashing and setting everything up took up so much time atleast once a day at most once a week. And heaven forbid there was an issue and I would have to restore or start over. I then got a Verizon z2 tablet again without root on lollipop. This is a great phone and a worthy upgrade from my z3v. I think the line between needing and wanting features or gimmicks is getting blured.
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Damnit, you're right and I know it, I'm just fighting it.
As a complete crackflasher since 2004, I've been around the block a few times - I suppose it's just habit to "require" root.
I think the hardest things about moving to a phone that has no root is no TiBU and no Viper. Seriously, how to people back up their data without TiBU? Of course I could manually back up all my apk's that didn't come from the Google Play Store, and I could manually back up all their \Android\Data folders, but that sucks. How is it in 2016 we have apps that require root and fewer and fewer phones that allow it?
Anyway, thank you for your perspective. I think I'll end up getting an S7 anyway and if it gains root someday it's a bonus!

Bootloader status

Hopefully someone can confirm the bootloader status of the Ultra for unlocked US or carrier phones. Since the S10 5G on Sprint was bootloader unlockable, this gives us a bit of hope for the S20 series. It doesn't appear any YouTube videos mention it. Why even invite these people when all of them report the exact same information. We need someone from XDA who cares about development to report on things we care about!

Which models are bootloader unlocked? It's sad i have to support my own phone to make it last more than the software upgrade limitation that samsung has no incentive if doing and every reason to buy a new one. Software company needs to be separated from each other.

@freeza you know Team Dart's got your back on this one

I will be getting a Galaxy s 20 ultra from Sprint on the 4th and I will confirm for you if you'd like to remind me then

Wow, the Sprint version was bl unlockable? That's crazy. Must have been a mistake, no?

Only I don't even see the option in mine

@freeza want to sell me your Mate 20 X Al00?

How did one go about unlocking the Sprint s10?
And Hello @freeza, been a long time since I have been on the same phone as you. I think the S3 was the last phone we worked on.

Scott said:
How did one go about unlocking the Sprint s10?
And Hello @freeza, been a long time since I have been on the same phone as you. I think the S3 was the last phone we worked on.
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Long time no see bro!

@freeza i got one today lol
---------- Post added at 01:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 AM ----------
@freeza i got one today lol

The OEM Unlock switch? If so it doesn't have it on ATT....

sml20044 said:
The OEM Unlock switch? If so it doesn't have it on ATT....
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Click to collapse
ATT is Bootloader Locked - unfortunately. So is Verizon and chances are TMobile Too. I read here that Sprint is unlocked, but I don't know if that is true or not - It sure would be nice if all Snapdragon devices had unlockable bootloaders - but I kind of doubt that will ever happen.

Geekser said:
ATT is Bootloader Locked - unfortunately. So is Verizon and chances are TMobile Too. I read here that Sprint is unlocked, but I don't know if that is true or not - It sure would be nice if all Snapdragon devices had unlockable bootloaders - but I kind of doubt that will ever happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint here
Locked

ricohz said:
Sprint here
Locked
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My phone is 988U (Verizon) and LOCKED bootloader.. i was able to flash my device 988U1 and debloat Verizon software but unable to unlock bootloader.. i dont know if anyone will be able to unlock bootloader in future..

eczanet said:
My phone is 988U (Verizon) and LOCKED bootloader.. i was able to flash my device 988U1 and debloat Verizon software but unable to unlock bootloader.. i dont know if anyone will be able to unlock bootloader in future..
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can you please provide the reference material on how to flash and remove bloatware ?? i have at&t ultra but its unlocked running t mobile i would prefer to run there official software. thanks for any help

Scott said:
How did one go about unlocking the Sprint s10?
And Hello @freeza, been a long time since I have been on the same phone as you. I think the S3 was the last phone we worked on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sprint s10 5g aka g977p is bl unlockable

No we wont unlock the bootloader of the US s20 variants because we are lazy and we hate samsung

ylujan003 said:
No we wont unlock the bootloader of the US s20 variants because we are lazy and we hate samsung
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Click to collapse
yea, ok.. u cant even do it cuz ur lazy lmao

Unlocking a galaxy s20 ultras bootloader
I was just curious if their was any success reguarding unlocking a at&t galaxy s20 ultra bootload ... id love to root this device but it seems AT&T doesn't agree and people iv talked to in the past wernt sure if their would ever be a way

Sick.Sipher said:
I was just curious if their was any success reguarding unlocking a at&t galaxy s20 ultra bootload ... id love to root this device but it seems AT&T doesn't agree and people iv talked to in the past wernt sure if their would ever be a way
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