H910 flash now or later - LG V20 Questions & Answers

I bought a AT&T spec phone from ebay but because I'm not in the USA nor on AT&T the device is stuck on H91010I from Dec 1, 2016.
From my little reading it appears this old version is possible to root using some of the documented methods but I wonder if it would make sense to wait?
If Oreo does come to the V20 would it be worthwhile to skip going through the song and dance of following the myriad of guides now and save that until some good Oreo roms are available for the device?
1) I despise the AT&T branding and bloatware, I have no idea how they get away with putting so much **** on the phone, I would say nearly half of the apps on the device I will never use or have any interest in using
2) I find the battery life really poor, dunno if it's the stock rom, AT&T bloatware or some combination of the two, my ancient Sony Z3 gets better battery life but it's old as the dinosaurs, how is my new V20 so poor?
3) The guides for rooting and updating to a custom rom for the V20 looks pretty gnarly, run script, install files, sacrifice chickens, dance in a circle with a kiwi on your foot. I understand DirtySanta seems to provide access that I need but man the guides look pretty daunting
What do you guys think?

pr0cs said:
I bought a AT&T spec phone from ebay but because I'm not in the USA nor on AT&T the device is stuck on H91010I from Dec 1, 2016.
From my little reading it appears this old version is possible to root using some of the documented methods but I wonder if it would make sense to wait?
If Oreo does come to the V20 would it be worthwhile to skip going through the song and dance of following the myriad of guides now and save that until some good Oreo roms are available for the device?
1) I despise the AT&T branding and bloatware, I have no idea how they get away with putting so much **** on the phone, I would say nearly half of the apps on the device I will never use or have any interest in using
2) I find the battery life really poor, dunno if it's the stock rom, AT&T bloatware or some combination of the two, my ancient Sony Z3 gets better battery life but it's old as the dinosaurs, how is my new V20 so poor?
3) The guides for rooting and updating to a custom rom for the V20 looks pretty gnarly, run script, install files, sacrifice chickens, dance in a circle with a kiwi on your foot. I understand DirtySanta seems to provide access that I need but man the guides look pretty daunting
What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to root I'd would do it now, no one knows right now if oreo will be rootable with the present methods. If you are weary using the dirty santa method I believe runningnaked has another root method here on the forum

If you want updates you will have to root. Att only pushes updates to devices with an active att sim. So your phone will stay on that old firmware indefinitely. The only root method for the device is dirtysanta. That's it. We have a fully locked bootloader with no fastboot so it is the only way to achieve root. Runninnak3ds guide is dirty santa so there is no difference between the two. Both use the dirtycow exploit to push a debug aboot to the phone. So either you root to stay up to date and debloat or you stay how you are. No other way around it

Clearly I have to bite the bullet and start doing some reading and see if I can follow one of the guides. Thanks for the info!

Followed @runningnak3d guide and it went pretty well. I wanted to try a debloated rom but I couldn't get it to work without seeing the crash screen. Stuck with the rom that was included with the guide and just debloated the installation with root as best I could. I have not tried tethering, which never worked with the legacy rom that came with the phone. Nonetheless, the process wasn't too difficult, the hardest part was downloading the kdz file from lg-firmwares.com which took well over a hour to download. I might try and rehost that file for other people stuck in the same situation.

Also when you root it wipes everything on your phone so might as well do it now instead of waiting for your phone to be full of important data.

Related

Unlock Bootloader?

Is it even remotely possible to unlock the bootloader? I would love to install a custom recovery and a custom ROM.
Thanks.
Not possible currently, probably never will.
Until someone at Samsung decides to give the keys to the bootloader, it will remain locked.
(Pssst, hey Samsung Developer, there is a fame and fortune for your leak. :angel: )
I vouch 400$ for unlocked bootloader and emotion/lineage os
If S6 is anything to judge by, the chances for an unlocked bootloader are slim at best.
The only reason I would love an unlocked bootloader is to be able to root the stock OS and not have to use an engineering kernel. Otherwise, I tend to run rooted stock on my devices until they get too out of date.
Unfortunately, that means when this S7 Edge becomes obsolete, that will be the end of the line.
No one is even attempting it. With most phones now root / unlocked bootloader is a thing of the past. If you want those feature it'd be best to get a Pixel or a 1+. The rest of the phone will kill all of that in the next year.
The last good for rooting phone from Samsung was the Note 4 and even that was only the Tmobile variant. As Samsung and Android pay roll out internationally it will get killed off over seas too.
Unless a new crop of Android hackers pop-up to replace all the devs who used to roit/unlock the phones rooting and flashing is dying
ShrekOpher said:
No one is even attempting it. With most phones now root / unlocked bootloader is a thing of the past. If you want those feature it'd be best to get a Pixel or a 1+. The rest of the phone will kill all of that in the next year.
The last good for rooting phone from Samsung was the Note 4 and even that was only the Tmobile variant. As Samsung and Android pay roll out internationally it will get killed off over seas too.
Unless a new crop of Android hackers pop-up to replace all the devs who used to roit/unlock the phones rooting and flashing is dying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure I would go that far. Sure, Samsung has locked their phones down like nuts, but there are still plenty of developments on other devices. The Sunshine team has managed to S-off every HTC flagship from the M8 on, along with a reasonably sold list of Moto devices. If you aren't on Verizon/AT&T you can skip the hack by going to HTCDev. Too bad HTC has gone absolutely bonkers on their own devices...
The LG V20 folks got "lucky" with Dirty Santa (though I wouldn't touch that mess with a 10 foot pole since your warranty is going to be void at the same time LG is getting sued over boot looping phones). Still, if you manage to get lucky, you can load custom ROMs on that device, and it's a true flagship.
Other devices seem to either have unlockable (through a web-site) bootloaders or have proven relatively easy to mod/root.
One day root may be a thing of the past unless you can find a dev phone, but I don't think we are quite there yet. That, and there will always likely be leaked dev kernels.
Few things:
-Is there any work still being done to get the bootloader unlocked? This dev thread no longer seems to be only devs, rather a bunch of "+1s", "thanks", and "tweet posts". All great posts, but not dev related.
- All devs on this thread are without a doubt better than I regarding android roms, unlocking, etc, but thought id throw a few ideas it here. (Im new to this type of dev). Maybe i can provide new hope? I just recently got the s7 and found out the hard way the current status woth no way to get custom roms. I know the chain of trust, verity, etc are a major buzzkill, but parts have all been hacked before so we can't Judy throw in the towel, can we?!
- http://newandroidbook.com this has a lot of good material, this guy is a genius, too bag he isn't working on this! (Download the book there & supplements).
Couple of actual ideas:
-He mentions in the book, with root you should be able to modify parts of partitions. Add long as you don't modify the entire partition it wont check for integrity on startup. Now that root exists, is Amy of this possible, to modify three partitions and unlock the bootloader?
- He also talks about how the chain of trust works using signed keys, and where to find these keys in the actual image file; since we know exactly where the keys are, and what's expected, can't we fake it with a custom image using a binary editor? He (in that link) also refers to his free tools to inspect, etc.
Remember when wet push via odin the phone isn't online so had no way to verify via internet if something is in fact legit. Hacks happen all the time with fake digital signatures and keys, certs, etc.
- In other words, now that root exists in the engineering kernel, Im thinking new doors have opened.
Thoughts? Hope?!
It's not happening.
diligent7771 said:
Few things:
-Is there any work still being done to get the bootloader unlocked? This dev thread no longer seems to be only devs, rather a bunch of "+1s", "thanks", and "tweet posts". All great posts, but not dev related.
- All devs on this thread are without a doubt better than I regarding android roms, unlocking, etc, but thought id throw a few ideas it here. (Im new to this type of dev). Maybe i can provide new hope? I just recently got the s7 and found out the hard way the current status woth no way to get custom roms. I know the chain of trust, verity, etc are a major buzzkill, but parts have all been hacked before so we can't Judy throw in the towel, can we?!
- http://newandroidbook.com this has a lot of good material, this guy is a genius, too bag he isn't working on this! (Download the book there & supplements).
Couple of actual ideas:
-He mentions in the book, with root you should be able to modify parts of partitions. Add long as you don't modify the entire partition it wont check for integrity on startup. Now that root exists, is Amy of this possible, to modify three partitions and unlock the bootloader?
- He also talks about how the chain of trust works using signed keys, and where to find these keys in the actual image file; since we know exactly where the keys are, and what's expected, can't we fake it with a custom image using a binary editor? He (in that link) also refers to his free tools to inspect, etc.
Remember when wet push via odin the phone isn't online so had no way to verify via internet if something is in fact legit. Hacks happen all the time with fake digital signatures and keys, certs, etc.
- In other words, now that root exists in the engineering kernel, Im thinking new doors have opened.
Thoughts? Hope?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree with Kcodya. With the S8 coming out very soon, I am sure the Devs are not really that concerned with the S7 and unlocking the bootloader. I have read a lot of posts about the very issue and anyone and everyone that has been working on this has dropped it or no longer working on it. Look at the S6. It is still without an unlocked bootloader.
I agree with you about the EngImg and I guess at the present time, that is about all we have to work with. I have settled with it and am happy at least to have root privileges.
But we can still hope...
If Samsung ever gets off their hindquarters and updates the unlocked version of the S7/S7 Edge to Nougat, rooted stock will probably be optimal anyway. I know this is XDA, and people love to mod with whole ROMs, but OEM ROMs have improved dramatically over the years. This isn't the era of requiring CM (or LineageOS now) just to have a functional device like it was during the Gingerbread era.
Unfortunately, Samsung isn't likely to ever sell developer friendly phones again, so if you are a developer or like beta testing ROMs, this isn't your device. There are too many options that are trivial to unlock and develop on for anyone to spend too much effort bucking Samsung on their lockdown strategy.
diligent7771 said:
Few things:
-Is there any work still being done to get the bootloader unlocked? This dev thread no longer seems to be only devs, rather a bunch of "+1s", "thanks", and "tweet posts". All great posts, but not dev related.
- All devs on this thread are without a doubt better than I regarding android roms, unlocking, etc, but thought id throw a few ideas it here. (Im new to this type of dev). Maybe i can provide new hope? I just recently got the s7 and found out the hard way the current status woth no way to get custom roms. I know the chain of trust, verity, etc are a major buzzkill, but parts have all been hacked before so we can't Judy throw in the towel, can we?!
- http://newandroidbook.com this has a lot of good material, this guy is a genius, too bag he isn't working on this! (Download the book there & supplements).
Couple of actual ideas:
-He mentions in the book, with root you should be able to modify parts of partitions. Add long as you don't modify the entire partition it wont check for integrity on startup. Now that root exists, is Amy of this possible, to modify three partitions and unlock the bootloader?
- He also talks about how the chain of trust works using signed keys, and where to find these keys in the actual image file; since we know exactly where the keys are, and what's expected, can't we fake it with a custom image using a binary editor? He (in that link) also refers to his free tools to inspect, etc.
Remember when wet push via odin the phone isn't online so had no way to verify via internet if something is in fact legit. Hacks happen all the time with fake digital signatures and keys, certs, etc.
- In other words, now that root exists in the engineering kernel, Im thinking new doors have opened.
Thoughts? Hope?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WTF? Did you literally copy and paste my post from another thread?! https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=71604183 lol I know your intentions are great, but you should probably indicate this is a quote from the original author (me), otherwise it appears you were the one that wrote this post. Carry on...
locked bootloader
jshamlet said:
The only reason I would love an unlocked bootloader is to be able to root the stock OS and not have to use an engineering kernel. Otherwise, I tend to run rooted stock on my devices until they get too out of date.
Unfortunately, that means when this S7 Edge becomes obsolete, that will be the end of the line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man,i saw you online and i need help with something.
Is locked bootloader affects radio gsm,on unlocked phone by at&t if i upgraded fw and changed version of bootloader from v2 to v4?
Thank you in advance!
Man, this stinks
TomatoesOnBluRay said:
Is it even remotely possible to unlock the bootloader? I would love to install a custom recovery and a custom ROM.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's strange that this device never got a stable root. The type of root I was looking for 7 months ago is never going to exist. Development on the root of this phone was forgotten when the S8 came out. I wish I could say the opposite, but unfortunately we couldn't develop a proper root fast enough for the inevitable growth of interest in the newest device.
TomatoesOnBluRay said:
It's strange that this device never got a stable root. The type of root I was looking for 7 months ago is never going to exist. Development on the root of this phone was forgotten when the S8 came out. I wish I could say the opposite, but unfortunately we couldn't develop a proper root fast enough for the inevitable growth of interest in the newest device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not just that, Samsung also offers some fairly nice bonuses for not rooting and root just isn't what it used to be. The days of "this phone is completely unusable without root to fix all the broken crap" are gone.
I found that simply switching to the unlocked firmware solved 90% of the things I wanted root for in the first place, and probably another 8% were solved by judicious use of ADB and NetGuard. What little was left just wasn't enticing enough to put up with the irritations and work-arounds required for the eng-boot root. I already run Nova launcher exclusively, but even at that, the stock launcher isn't total crap anymore. On the plus side, the eng-boot root doesn't trip Knox, so you can always go back if you want.
Yeah, it's going to suck when updates for the S7 stop due to age, and it would be nice if Samsung would offer a bootloader unlock when that happens, but I suspect it will live the rest of its life with nothing more than the engineering root method.
jshamlet said:
It's not just that, Samsung also offers some fairly nice bonuses for not rooting and root just isn't what it used to be. The days of "this phone is completely unusable without root to fix all the broken crap" are gone.
I found that simply switching to the unlocked firmware solved 90% of the things I wanted root for in the first place, and probably another 8% were solved by judicious use of ADB and NetGuard. What little was left just wasn't enticing enough to put up with the irritations and work-arounds required for the eng-boot root. I already run Nova launcher exclusively, but even at that, the stock launcher isn't total crap anymore. On the plus side, the eng-boot root doesn't trip Knox, so you can always go back if you want.
Yeah, it's going to suck when updates for the S7 stop due to age, and it would be nice if Samsung would offer a bootloader unlock when that happens, but I suspect it will live the rest of its life with nothing more than the engineering root method.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I entirely agree with you. I haven't rooted my S7 since I tried the engineer boot, and it has been completely and totally usable. I also agree with you about installing the unlocked firmware as it removes most of the bloat that comes with the stock firmware. Root is nice, but not entirely necessary on this device.
TomatoesOnBluRay said:
I entirely agree with you. I haven't rooted my S7 since I tried the engineer boot, and it has been completely and totally usable. I also agree with you about installing the unlocked firmware as it removes most of the bloat that comes with the stock firmware. Root is nice, but not entirely necessary on this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, where might one obtain an unlocked firmware for a G930A? I've searched high and low and have found several different f/w but they all seem to be for other versions of the G930, not the A. Tried to flash mine with one of those and got caught in an endless boot cycle, so had to go back to stock - still locked - and AT&T says the IMEI doesn't belong to them even though it plays their little tune and shows their logo and flashes their name on startup. Pretty useless to me without being able to unlock it. Thoughts or ideas?
Many thanks in advance.
Havdaddy said:
So, where might one obtain an unlocked firmware for a G930A? I've searched high and low and have found several different f/w but they all seem to be for other versions of the G930, not the A. Tried to flash mine with one of those and got caught in an endless boot cycle, so had to go back to stock - still locked - and AT&T says the IMEI doesn't belong to them even though it plays their little tune and shows their logo and flashes their name on startup. Pretty useless to me without being able to unlock it. Thoughts or ideas?
Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All US/Snapdragon S7s and S7 Edges are hardware identical. You can run any of the 5 variants on them with zero issue (even going between V/S and A/T). This means you can run the unbranded/unlocked firmware on any US/Snapdragon based device as long as the model number matches.
Now, SIM locks are a separate issue. You still have to go to the carrier that locked it (or one of the paid services) to get the unlock code even if you are running the U firmware because the modem firmware is entirely separate.
Havdaddy said:
So, where might one obtain an unlocked firmware for a G930A? I've searched high and low and have found several different f/w but they all seem to be for other versions of the G930, not the A. Tried to flash mine with one of those and got caught in an endless boot cycle, so had to go back to stock - still locked - and AT&T says the IMEI doesn't belong to them even though it plays their little tune and shows their logo and flashes their name on startup. Pretty useless to me without being able to unlock it. Thoughts or ideas?
Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The firmware for all G930 and G935 variants are interchangeable. When I refer to the unlocked firmware, I'm referring to G930U and G935U. This version can be found on the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge forums on this site. When you install the unlocked firmware, you are not unlocking the device, just the firmware associated with the unlocked version of the phone. This means less bloatware, faster speeds, and no AT&T boot logo. Sorry for the confusion my previous comment may have caused!

I have yet to find a simple guide on "How to load a custom ROM on your AT&T S7 Edge"

I have yet to find a simple guide on "How to load a custom ROM on your AT&T S7 Edge"
I've traveled all over the interwebs, including this website and many others but have not found a simple guide for noobs. I read about CWM, TWRP, Odin, rooting, zip files, tar files, nandroid, backup ROM, root with app, root via computer, blah, blah, blah, blah....
All I know is that before I do anything I want to backup the stock ROM but before that I'm thrown all kinds of different tools and processes that one could use. For the noob it should be as simple as:
Step 1: backup your stock ROM and to do this download/install this tool then follow these instructions.
Step 2: root your S7 Edge and to do this download/install this tool then follow these instructions.
Step 3: find a custom ROM you want to install and to do this go here, here or here for you model and download it to your PC.
Step 4: flash your custom ROM and to do this down/install this tool and follow these instructions.
Maybe I haven't done a good job of searching so shame on me but I don't feel like given the effort I've expended thus far has yielded a straight and easy answer when it probably should be. I seem to run across a lot of promising reads/threads about this only to find that there seems to be so much more knowledge and experience with the SM-935F and not so much with the SM-935A variant. On top of it, it would seem that I'm told that rooting will or will not break Samsung Pay and other apps/features or that the flag will or will not permanently trip that shows the device has been modified. Very confusing.
When I'm presented with a tar/zip download I'm not sure to where I'm supposed to be downloading. To my PC then used Odin s/w on the PC to install via USB cable to the handset?
Can someone please point me to the simple guide to get this going...or am I gonna have to write it myself? TIA.
BTW, I should note that I'm coming from a S3 on Virgin Mobile to a S7 Edge SM-G935A to be used on Cricket Wireless (AT&T). Since I'll be on Cricket and not directly a AT&T customer per se I'd like to get rid of all the bloatware that AT&T was so kind to load up on the handset. Right now it has Nougat 7.0 installed: samsung/hero2qlteuc/hero2qlteatt:7.0/NRD90M/G935AUCU4BQA6
I am not sure if you have a US version the S7 (Qualcomm G935A) or the S7 non US version. But if you have the US version, we are out of luck. Our bootloader is completely locked and all those steps you pointed out are not available.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
freeop said:
I am not sure if you have a US version the S7 (Qualcomm G935A) or the S7 non US version. But if you have the US version, we are out of luck. Our bootloader is completely locked and all those steps you pointed out are not available.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
So it seems that with all USA Qualcomm versions regardless of GSM carrier you have confirmed we pretty much cannot do much other than load some other versions of firmware such the U version ROM? From what I read HERE this is the Marshmallow 6.0 o/s. I currently have the stock Nougat 7.0 firmware from AT&T on my S7 Edge. Is there a debloated 7.0 version of the U ROM available?
UPDATE: Never mind...I came across THIS THREAD regarding an unbloated 7.0 U-version. I see you were active in that thread so now I need to read the entire thing before I have more questions and if so I'll ask them there. Thanks!
SyberTiger said:
So it seems that with all USA Qualcomm versions regardless of GSM carrier you have confirmed we pretty much cannot do much other than load some other versions of firmware such the U version ROM? From what I read HERE this is the Marshmallow 6.0 o/s. I currently have the stock Nougat 7.0 firmware from AT&T on my S7 Edge. Is there a debloated 7.0 version of the U ROM available?
UPDATE: Never mind...I came across THIS THREAD regarding an unbloated 7.0 U-version. I see you were active in that thread so now I need to read the entire thing before I have more questions and if so I'll ask them there. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you still want to root your phone, you can follow this link and will let you get rid of all the bloat and root your phone, install xposed and all the mods for xposed. I have used the ENG.IMG version of root for the G935A over 6 months ago and it works great, given the choices we have.
Here's the link: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tm...eres-how-rooted-nougat-s7-edge-g935t-t3567502
I know the thread is in the T-Mobile section but if you read the first line, it says it works for T-Mobile, ATT, Sprint, Verizon, etc. It is a very long thread but if you read mostly the later posts from @Craz Basics and you will be able to see that it works really nice.
Good luck
freeop said:
If you still want to root your phone, you can follow this link and will let you get rid of all the bloat and root your phone, install xposed and all the mods for xposed. I have used the ENG.IMG version of root for the G935A over 6 months ago and it works great, given the choices we have.
Here's the link: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tm...eres-how-rooted-nougat-s7-edge-g935t-t3567502
I know the thread is in the T-Mobile section but if you read the first line, it says it works for T-Mobile, ATT, Sprint, Verizon, etc. It is a very long thread but if you read mostly the later posts from @Craz Basics and you will be able to see that it works really nice.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey thanks....but I have another question now that I'm given choices.
Which ROM is better, the U 7.0 ROM or the T-Mobile ROM you just linked? And, why is it better than the other?
SyberTiger said:
Hey thanks....but I have another question now that I'm given choices.
Which ROM is better, the U 7.0 ROM or the T-Mobile ROM you just linked? And, why is it better than the other?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok the U 7.0 ROM is still un-rooted and bootloader locked. If you go that way, you get the U ROM with-out all the Bloat. But nothing more.
And the link is not really for the T-Mobile phone only. The ENG.IMG is for all makes of the Qualcomm chip. You install that and you are still with ATT. Still have all the things ATT provides like WiFi-Calling and other ATT things. And you can get rid of the Bloatware from the ATT ROM using different apps, like Titanium Backup. With the ENG.IMG you can root your phone and use all the apps that are available for Rooted Phones. One of the best is Titanium Backup. You can only use that one Rooted phones. If you have the U 7.0 ROM, you will have to use the same ENG.IMG to Root the U 7.0 ROM to get that OS rooted. And as I mentioned before you can use Xposed with the rooted phone.
If you are just looking to get rid of Bloatware on the ATT, there is an app for that also. Check out BK Disabler in the playstore. You can get rid of all the bloatware without rooting your phone.
Anyway, hope this make some kind of sense...
freeop said:
Ok the U 7.0 ROM is still un-rooted and bootloader locked. If you go that way, you get the U ROM with-out all the Bloat. But nothing more.
And the link is not really for the T-Mobile phone only. The ENG.IMG is for all makes of the Qualcomm chip. You install that and you are still with ATT. Still have all the things ATT provides like WiFi-Calling and other ATT things. And you can get rid of the Bloatware from the ATT ROM using different apps, like Titanium Backup. With the ENG.IMG you can root your phone and use all the apps that are available for Rooted Phones. One of the best is Titanium Backup. You can only use that one Rooted phones. If you have the U 7.0 ROM, you will have to use the same ENG.IMG to Root the U 7.0 ROM to get that OS rooted. And as I mentioned before you can use Xposed with the rooted phone.
If you are just looking to get rid of Bloatware on the ATT, there is an app for that also. Check out BK Disabler in the playstore. You can get rid of all the bloatware without rooting your phone.
Anyway, hope this make some kind of sense...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, appreciate it.
I'm really not planning on spending a lot of time making changes or tweaking the handset. I'm on Cricket Wireless therefore I don't see any value in the AT&T bloatware which is why I wanted it removed. My interest is primarily having the latest/greatest android version I can have without all the stuff junking it up. I'd like it to be as fast as is reasonably possibly but at the same time have reasonably good battery life. I'm coming from a Galaxy S3 on Virgin Mobile so the change to the S7E is a huge upgrade. I haven't figured out yet if there are any apps (that require rooting) that are so slick I can't live without them.
I installed the U 7.0 and as I recall I got about 5 or 6 OTA updates which in encouraging. I think the AT&T ROM never received any of the 3 or 4 most current security updates. Anyhow, U 7.0 is up and running with no AT&T bloatware.
SyberTiger said:
Thanks, appreciate it.
I'm really not planning on spending a lot of time making changes or tweaking the handset. I'm on Cricket Wireless therefore I don't see any value in the AT&T bloatware which is why I wanted it removed. My interest is primarily having the latest/greatest android version I can have without all the stuff junking it up. I'd like it to be as fast as is reasonably possibly but at the same time have reasonably good battery life. I'm coming from a Galaxy S3 on Virgin Mobile so the change to the S7E is a huge upgrade. I haven't figured out yet if there are any apps (that require rooting) that are so slick I can't live without them.
I installed the U 7.0 and as I recall I got about 5 or 6 OTA updates which in encouraging. I think the AT&T ROM never received any of the 3 or 4 most current security updates. Anyhow, U 7.0 is up and running with no AT&T bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T's software updater only works if you have an AT&T SIM card. This is why the first thing you should do if you buy an AT&T (or other carrier) device that you don't plan to use on that network is to convert it to the unlocked version. That, and AT&T (in particular) loads the crap out of their devices with bloatware to the point that switching to U feels like an early upgrade to the next generation device.
jshamlet said:
AT&T's software updater only works if you have an AT&T SIM card. This is why the first thing you should do if you buy an AT&T (or other carrier) device that you don't plan to use on that network is to convert it to the unlocked version. That, and AT&T (in particular) loads the crap out of their devices with bloatware to the point that switching to U feels like an early upgrade to the next generation device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I have a Cricket SIM which explains why this unlocked handset is stuck on 7.0 G935AUCU4BQA6 which is the February 1, 2017 update. Interestingly enough, the Network Signal Info app shows the SIM Operator as AT&T and Network Operator as Cricket/AT&T.
Going to the U got rid of all the bloatware and the handset immediately started receiving 5 or 6 OTA updates. I'll probably stick with the U version unless it becomes apparent there's a significantly better ROM available that increases performance, battery life or really adds some whizbangs that make the S7E experience a lot better.
forgive me for butting in -- I have a SM-G935A (stock) on Cricket as well.
Updates to the ROM and while keeping Samsung Pay are important to me.
In the past, I have d/led ATT updates and installed them using Odin, but that wipes my phone's apps/settings each time. Recently, I purchased an ATT sim & put the minimum $$$ on it with the intention of popping it in for OTA's. I've received BQK2, Nov 1 2017. It's a crappy work around, but the easiest I know of without having to rebuild my phone each Odin'ed update.
Would installing U or TMO firmware on the 935A remove the ability to use Samsung Pay? Would either of them be updated for frequently/easier than the 935A?
The U firmware supports Samsung pay and gets updates directly. The only downsides are no carrier features like wifi calling, etc., and if gets updates later than the carrier versions. I have run it on AT&T since I got the phone and it has worked fine.
jshamlet said:
The U firmware supports Samsung pay and gets updates directly. The only downsides are no carrier features like wifi calling, etc., and if gets updates later than the carrier versions. I have run it on AT&T since I got the phone and it has worked fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, jshamlet.
This is my first phone I haven't rooted & I feel a bit powerless without Xposed and Titanium Backup. I find myself using Samsung Pay so often, that I don't want to lose it & was concerned that installing the U (or TMO) firmware on the ATT version would trip Knox, too.
William Thornton said:
forgive me for butting in -- I have a SM-G935A (stock) on Cricket as well.
Updates to the ROM and while keeping Samsung Pay are important to me.
In the past, I have d/led ATT updates and installed them using Odin, but that wipes my phone's apps/settings each time. Recently, I purchased an ATT sim & put the minimum $$$ on it with the intention of popping it in for OTA's. I've received BQK2, Nov 1 2017. It's a crappy work around, but the easiest I know of without having to rebuild my phone each Odin'ed update.
Would installing U or TMO firmware on the 935A remove the ability to use Samsung Pay? Would either of them be updated for frequently/easier than the 935A?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, doesn't Samsung Smart Switch back up everything?
SyberTiger said:
Hmm, doesn't Samsung Smart Switch back up everything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never gotten it working 100%.
William Thornton said:
I've never gotten it working 100%.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be talking about the PC version not the phone-to-phone setup. Back up to PC then from PC to your phone. Worked great for me.
SyberTiger said:
Hmm, doesn't Samsung Smart Switch back up everything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um, no. No it doesn't. Helium (or if you are feeling oldster, ADB) does a vastly better job of backing up apps than Smart Switch. Smart Switch does a reasonably good job of putting your phone's settings back, but it doesn't appear to back up most app data.
I learned this the hard way.
---------- Post added at 01:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:47 AM ----------
William Thornton said:
Thanks, jshamlet.
This is my first phone I haven't rooted & I feel a bit powerless without Xposed and Titanium Backup. I find myself using Samsung Pay so often, that I don't want to lose it & was concerned that installing the U (or TMO) firmware on the ATT version would trip Knox, too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung Pay, with the MST technology, is one of those weirdly underrated features that continually amaze people. It works nearly anywhere you can physically see the mag stripe reader, which instantly makes it vastly more useful than either Apple Pay or Android Pay. I have had more than a few people say "We don't take Apple Pay", and then drop their jaw when the transaction goes through.
The fact that Samsung doesn't make a bigger deal about it is strange, because it really is one of those technologies that sets them apart from the other two.

Stable Root for SM-G935P?

HI. I have a question regarding my s7 edge on sprint (SM-G935P) and to whether or not anyone has found a stable rooting method for it. Im somewhat experienced in this kind of topic as i have rooted my phone multiple times and have found success but all methods resulted in a very laggy phone. So im not new to this but could use a little more knowledge. From what i know, the root methods used to root the snapdragon models of the s7 and s7 edge are using ENG Boot and in result, that's why devices are not as stable as they are on stock firmware. Because of locked bootloaders and from my understanding, there is no way to root without a laggy phone. Unless you were to unlock your phone, there's no way of rooting without lag? Also, from what i gathered up is that you can convert a SM-G935P model phone to a SM-G935U. G935U is the unlocked firmware? If so, if i try to root will i keep the sprint service? I may sound silly right now but im posting this to better understand if any one of you have found a rooting method which eliminates all lag or as much lag as possible. If there's is nothing i will probably be better off sticking to my stock s7 edge like i have been for awhile now. I have found this though and im curious to know if this has anything to do with my post?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/sprint-s7-edge/how-to/successful-root-g935u-g935uueu4bqd2-t3598647
izzy6 said:
HI. I have a question regarding my s7 edge on sprint (SM-G935P) and to whether or not anyone has found a stable rooting method for it. Im somewhat experienced in this kind of topic as i have rooted my phone multiple times and have found success but all methods resulted in a very laggy phone. So im not new to this but could use a little more knowledge. From what i know, the root methods used to root the snapdragon models of the s7 and s7 edge are using ENG Boot and in result, that's why devices are not as stable as they are on stock firmware. Because of locked bootloaders and from my understanding, there is no way to root without a laggy phone. Unless you were to unlock your phone, there's no way of rooting without lag? Also, from what i gathered up is that you can convert a SM-G935P model phone to a SM-G935U. G935U is the unlocked firmware? If so, if i try to root will i keep the sprint service? I may sound silly right now but im posting this to better understand if any one of you have found a rooting method which eliminates all lag or as much lag as possible. If there's is nothing i will probably be better off sticking to my stock s7 edge like i have been for awhile now. I have found this though and im curious to know if this has anything to do with my post?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/sprint-s7-edge/how-to/successful-root-g935u-g935uueu4bqd2-t3598647
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what version you are using at this time. That U root only works if your sprint phone has a binary version of 4, sprint updated the binary in December. That makes all sprint S7E phones that received that December update unable to root as they were updated to binary 5. To find out what what binary version you have, go to setting and about phone. Look for the updated version (it should start with G935P), The 5th to the last number will have either a 4 or 5 on it. If it has a 4, you can root it, if it has a 5, you cannot root it. The U root will work on all American phones as it is programed for GSM and CDMA phones. You may lose all those "awesome" sprint apps when you use the U root flash.
I am very curious on this issue also. I just moved from Colorado to Wyoming and Sprint does not offer unlimited data roaming, so I want to unlock and maybe transfer services to another company, AT&T and Verizon are the two that seem to provide direct service here. But the rooting issue would be a possible huge advantage, maybe....
Sm-g35p, smg935pvpu6RB2
Hi there any to root this phone with magisk?
mikeb143777 said:
Ok, ive scoured the internet and got conflicting results. However, Im not a pro, and it appears you have the low down on the current root status. So here is my question for anybody that can help. I have the Sprint S7 edge (SM-G935P), and Im pretty sure Im on the number 5 bianary, so it appears that Im stuck. But please clarify, does this mean that there is no way to root my phone period? What if I dont go to the "U" firmware? Or better yet, isnt it possible to rollback to a different firmware, to marshmallow or something, and then go from there? I heard you can roll back if you have a "pit" file or something? Can anybody offer me any way to get rooted? Im sure I can follow the instructions if I can find any, Ive rooted plenty, but so far I havent found any options. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I didn't get back sooner, I don't go to the sprint part of the forums as much anymore.
At the time, the U Firmware was the only way you could get root. The root method has changed but it still requires the same or lower binary version than the rooted rom. If you are binary 5 and the other ones are 4 you will not be able to root. From what I've seen so far, verizon and the U firmware is still binary 4. What makes this worse, is once you are on a higher binary version, you can no longer downgrade (I've tried during bricking). I have tried a pit file with a non sprint phone and could not get the phone to downgrade either.
Right now you can either wait and see if they upgrade to binary 5 and root then, or you can get an unlocked verizon s7 edge and get root. Both are not the greatest of options
It gets worse... Getting root on a newer phone is not like the older days. I am rooted and all I can use is an altered stock rom. Because the bootloader is locked you cannot use custom recovery and roms like lineage and crDroid. So even if you get root, depending on what you want to do, you will still be limited.
5th number from the right on mine is a 6.
Pyr0TeK said:
5th number from the right on mine is a 6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. I'm fed up with not having root. I not having a easy tether for wireless (BT is too limited) I has cost me on several occasions. I am actively looking for a new phone.
This entire phone is a step backward coming from the Note 4. I lost battery changing on the fly, reliable root / roms, and hotspot, and etc.
Sprint logo change
Hi
I have sm-g935p , s7 edge sprint
I want to remove sprint logo
How to do it
Mine shows up in stock recovery as g935PVPS5BQK1 . anyone know exactly which custom recovery and root method for this is? If I'm in right area then that's fine for me I'll continue as is but just wanted to make absolutely sure before I carry on.
Sprint
I removed the logo but I had to unlock the cell phone

Verizon Galaxy S7 Edge: Removing bloatware after 1-Clk-Root

Just picked up a carrier unlocked Verizon Galaxy S7 Edge model SM-G935V.
Now that I finally have a model which seems like it should be relatively easy to root, I would prefer to learn to do it using a PC ie flashing ROM, but I have no PC*access*right now.
My main question is:
After rooting my phone using a 1-click root method, will it be relatively easy for me to un-install ALL bloatware & eventually end up with a phone that's running just as efficiently as it would if I had picked out and flashed a good stripped down ROM using a PC instead of some 1-click method?
I'm also considering purchase and use of Super-sume Pro (if the job is done with Kingroot).
Any advice AT ALL regarding what I hope to do would be greatly appreciated... and jic it helps here s a little of my background:
I have NO successful experiences using TWRP or the like w other phones.. although I believe I came close!!... my last few phone picks turned out to be models which were pretty much impossible to root (locked bootloader was the common culprit best I could understand).... Otherwise I think I'd have been able to do at least 1 previous model the flash-rom way.
I DO have A lot of general experience w PCs and have successfully rooted a few phones using 1 click Android software such as Kingroot, but at that time I did not fully understand or hope to remove bloatware to cool battery or otherwise dial in best performance.
It's been at least 3 years since I last performed a 1 click root on any phone.
Thanks in advance for any advice or assistance... I really appreciate everyone & everything at XDA.
Best advice, get/borrow a laptop and follow the instructions in this thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-s7-edge/how-to/root-s7-s7edge-oreo-nougat-t3819616 to see about rooting your S7e. All those "1-click" options never worked for me. With the method in the above link, I can root my S7e in under 15min.
1) First and foremost, what is the current software version your S7e is running? example= G935VVRS4CRI1. IF the 5th digit from the RIGHT is the letter "B" stop! You can't root. If it is the letter "A," or a number, you are good to go.
2) even with root, there is no flashing of ANY custom ROM's. Yes, you can debloat and make some changes, but with the godd**mn locked bootloader the options are limited. Rooting does not unlock the bootloader, therefore there is no TWRP, Magisk, etc.
Others with experience regarding those 1-click methods may chime in with their advice/experience. But none of those instant methods ever worked for me.
Good luck.
SkylineDriver said:
Best advice, get/borrow a laptop and follow the instructions in this thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-s7-edge/how-to/root-s7-s7edge-oreo-nougat-t3819616 to see about rooting your S7e. All those "1-click" options never worked for me. With the method in the above link, I can root my S7e in under 15min.
1) First and foremost, what is the current software version your S7e is running? example= G935VVRS4CRI1. IF the 5th digit from the RIGHT is the letter "B" stop! You can't root. If it is the letter "A," or a number, you are good to go.
2) even with root, there is no flashing of ANY custom ROM's. Yes, you can debloat and make some changes, but with the godd**mn locked bootloader the options are limited. Rooting does not unlock the bootloader, therefore there is no TWRP, Magisk, etc.
Others with experience regarding those 1-click methods may chime in with their advice/experience. But none of those instant methods ever worked for me.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Skyline,
Thank you for taking the time. Much appreciated. Luckily I already found out about the software version issue and I'm looking at the number 4, so that potential roadblock isn't one
Let me try to understand exactly what you said towards the end of your reply, though.
Are you saying that even if I use a PC and avoid any 1 click method that I will not have any option to flash a custom ROM? I could have sworn I saw a thread a few nights ago somewhere here at XDA which required use of a PC, specifically for my phone model and it described the altered OS or ROM as being as simplified as it gets, devoid of all Verizon bloatware. Maybe I am referring to it in correctly when I say custom ROM, I'll look for said post to see what I may be remembering incorrectly.
I have personally had great experience w 1-click methods in the past, @ least 4 different phones (older Samsung, LG).. but I have NEVER tried 1-click w a phone thats truly important... as in important enough to seriously worry about stolen IMEI, keylogger or other malware, etc..
I want a perfectly clean, safe "out of the gates" root on this phone, so I'm willing to wait to make sure it's done the proper/best way on my FIRST attempt.
Looks like the thread is already talking me out of using 1-click (might have known deep down that needed to happen lol).
Anyway thanks again for your advice.
When I finally do get to rooting it, I'll post the details and overall experience info here.
Whatever you do, DO NOT UPDATE to the latest software version.
With root, you can debloat all you want. I have next to nothing running on my phone (goodbye Google "services"). You just can not flash any custom (non-official Samsung) ROM's such as LineageOS, Calvioppe, etc... thanks to that damn locked Crapdragon. Much as I love my S7e, when it dies, it will be my last Samsung for that reason alone.
If you follow the steps outlined in the above linked thread, you should be able to root 1-2-3. I have been rooted since it became available and have had zero issues. It will require a PC/ laptop but it is reliable and verified working.
Good luck with your project.
Canthigaster said:
Skyline,
Thank you for taking the time. Much appreciated. Luckily I already found out about the software version issue and I'm looking at the number 4, so that potential roadblock isn't one
Let me try to understand exactly what you said towards the end of your reply, though.
Are you saying that even if I use a PC and avoid any 1 click method that I will not have any option to flash a custom ROM? I could have sworn I saw a thread a few nights ago somewhere here at XDA which required use of a PC, specifically for my phone model and it described the altered OS or ROM as being as simplified as it gets, devoid of all Verizon bloatware. Maybe I am referring to it in correctly when I say custom ROM, I'll look for said post to see what I may be remembering incorrectly.
I have personally had great experience w 1-click methods in the past, @ least 4 different phones (older Samsung, LG).. but I have NEVER tried 1-click w a phone thats truly important... as in important enough to seriously worry about stolen IMEI, keylogger or other malware, etc..
I want a perfectly clean, safe "out of the gates" root on this phone, so I'm willing to wait to make sure it's done the proper/best way on my FIRST attempt.
Looks like the thread is already talking me out of using 1-click (might have known deep down that needed to happen lol).
Anyway thanks again for your advice.
When I finally do get to rooting it, I'll post the details and overall experience info here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SkylineDriver said:
Whatever you do, DO NOT UPDATE to the latest software version.
With root, you can debloat all you want. I have next to nothing running on my phone (goodbye Google "services"). You just can not flash any custom (non-official Samsung) ROM's such as LineageOS, Calvioppe, etc... thanks to that damn locked Crapdragon. Much as I love my S7e, when it dies, it will be my last Samsung for that reason alone.
If you follow the steps outlined in the above linked thread, you should be able to root 1-2-3. I have been rooted since it became available and have had zero issues. It will require a PC/ laptop but it is reliable and verified working.
Good luck with your project.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again for the warning about no updating... I am WELL aware of this, my friend.
Take a look at this thread... it really looks to me as if this person is talking about flashing a ROM on the S7 Edge, no?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7...a-evolution-x-samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-t4058837
That's only 1 of at least 2 or 3 similar threads that I've been having a look at lately...
If you look closely, that is for the Exynos version of the S7e. Verizon uses the Snapdragon (ie. Crapdragon) processor which has a locked bootloader for US models.
Ok I get it completely... one last teeny tiny bit of hope- I purchased mine Unlocked by manufacturer. Could that possibly extend beyond carrier unlock and (maybe maybe please just possibly) mean my bootloader is unlocked?
Went out of my way to make sure it was unlocked by MANUFACTURER, not SELLER for obvious reasons. Had no knowledge about chipset... dammit there's always something to miss no matter how much prep one tries to do!
Unlocked just means that the phone is able to be activated on any carrier ie. not specifically locked to only Verizon.
Only the Exynos and Chinese Snapdragon can be bootloader unlocked. As mentioned, I love my S7e, and will use it until it dies, but I seriously doubt I will get another Snapdragon Samsung that is locked down tighter than Ft. Knox.
Good luck...

Google Android 9 Rom to ATT Android 10 Stock Rom

So back when I got my phone in Feb 2020, I did what most people do when they have a new device, update it. After some googling, I found plenty of threads about how great the google version of Android 9 is for the v35. Removing the ATT bloatware was my main reason for flashing to it.
I've read on a few different websites that if you flashed to the stock google android 9 rom, that there is no way to flash back to the ATT roms, or upgrade to the current android 10 att rom. My phone is unlocked and is of course, the ATT version.
Model: LM-V350AWM (doesn't show that it's google I guess)
Hardware: Rev 1.0
I have not bought an ATT sim card or gotten there service to upgrade because of what I read. Is it possible to flash back to stock ATT ROMs or to OTA with an ATT sim if I flashed to the google version? Anyway to go back (stock 8.0 even)? I really don't want to switch to a new phone since I got this baby for 190$ and finding something equally good or better in this price range is not happening. I'd appreciate any information you guys have on this.
Thanks!
It isn't clear from your note what you want to do. If your objective is to get to A10, I highly recommend following cloud's guide to localize the Korean A10 rom. That would require unlocking the bootloader. Everything on that rom works at least for me and my use cases. Browse around here in the v35 forums and you'll find the threads you need.
If your aim is simply stock A10 with ATT, there is one option. Someone posted a partition dump. You could try writing partitions one-by-one usind qfil. I haven't seem any reports of anyone doing that....
Okay. So is it confirmed that if you flashed the stock Google Fi Android 9 onto your att phone that you can't flash back to atts? Different partition sizes end up bricking the phone? I can't find any att kdz anyway. Not even the older android 8. I know att $oesnt release theirs but plenty of folks normally upload their stock kdz for the community.
Really confused with how dead the LG V30/35 community has been since day 1. I remember when I was learning how to root my viewsonic g tablet and galaxy 3 (2011-12) the forums were bursting with people and stock kdz loaded everywhere. And 30 different roms were being worked on for one device. I think the galaxy S5 community is still more active than this one. Smh
Thank you for the reply. I'll look for the post you mentioned. I haven't worked or played around with modifying android in 10 years. Only thing I've done is a quick flash of googlefi kdz back in 2020 which was brainless. Just looking at the tutorials to root this phone seems daunting now lol.
Jebsauce said:
Okay. So is it confirmed that if you flashed the stock Google Fi Android 9 onto your att phone that you can't flash back to atts? Different partition sizes end up bricking the phone? I can't find any att kdz anyway. Not even the older android 8. I know att $oesnt release theirs but plenty of folks normally upload their stock kdz for the community.
Really confused with how dead the LG V30/35 community has been since day 1. I remember when I was learning how to root my viewsonic g tablet and galaxy 3 (2011-12) the forums were bursting with people and stock kdz loaded everywhere. And 30 different roms were being worked on for one device. I think the galaxy S5 community is still more active than this one. Smh
Thank you for the reply. I'll look for the post you mentioned. I haven't worked or played around with modifying android in 10 years. Only thing I've done is a quick flash of googlefi kdz back in 2020 which was brainless. Just looking at the tutorials to root this phone seems daunting now lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T does not release kdz. Don't know why you think that needs to be confirmed. Partitions for AT&T A10 have been dumped. You can write them one by one by qfil.
As to why V30/V35 development is dead, a huge factor is that lg exited the mobile phone market. LG, despite making good hardware, was also not developer friendly. The V35 is 4 years old.
As for rooting a V35, just follow the instructions if that's what you want or move to newer models with 5G, more memory, and greater battery capacity.
I am still rocking my V35 Fi phone happily.
cmrntnnr said:
AT&T does not release kdz. Don't know why you think that needs to be confirmed. Partitions for AT&T A10 have been dumped. You can write them one by one by qfil.
As to why V30/V35 development is dead, a huge factor is that lg exited the mobile phone market. LG, despite making good hardware, was also not developer friendly. The V35 is 4 years old.
As for rooting a V35, just follow the instructions if that's what you want or move to newer models with 5G, more memory, and greater battery capacity.
I am still rocking my V35 Fi phone happily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought people who were more tech savvy than me could pull a stock KDZ off their own ATT phone. That's what people did in the past anyway (I believe).
The phone is still great and I'm glad you are happy with it. I just wanted android 10 on my phone. Stock. English. I might try the Korean route since I'm less likely to brick my phone. Who knows, we'll find out. Thanks for the replys.
The localized A10 Korean rom has been fantastic for me. Everything works.
Make sure you backup ftm and efs partitions before starting. You will lose the S/N but it is easily restored. If you are in US, I suggest you flash the localized OP partition. Links are in the localization thread started by cloud.

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