Before I Flash, I Just Have to Know - Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Will the i9505 stuff work on the SPH-L720T? It's the branded Sprint version of the i9505 and I don't want to brick the damn thing. If there is anything I need to know, now would be a good time to tell me. I will point out that I have the 4G version (I think that's the only version made for this model anyway) and it is unlocked to work on all networks. Will I loose that if I flash a custom ROM?
Secondly, I am looking for a ROM that is as close to the stock experience as possible but doesn't have all the issues of stock! But with fixed stagefright issues, the widget draw on Touchwiz UI, and better power saving features.
Thirdly, recovery: what is the best one to use? I was thinking TWRP since I already have experience with that. Do I also need to match up an Odin version for my device?
I think that's about it for now. Thank's for the help!

If the code was jfltexx, it's safe to flash. Just check the ROM's thread for any special guides if available.
For stock-based, no idea. I don't have an I9505.
Sent from my GT-I9500

Thanks. Where do I find the code to tell?

On any I9505 development thread with jfltexx on their supported device list.
Sent from my GT-I9500

It's a rebranded I9505. They have identical hardware.
Your phone has a tri-band something. I don't know what it does, but it seems to be carrier related. That's the only difference between the normal SPH-L720, I9505 and your model.

Related

S5 Lte-A UK Firmware Flash

Hi All
As the title says. Can I flash an LTE-A version with UK firmware?
Many thanks.
andybg40 said:
Hi All
As the title says. Can I flash an LTE-A version with UK firmware?
Many thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what do you mean by LTE-A?? do you mean the model SM-G900F ??
if yes well you can flash uk firmware.
hope that I helped
Galaxy_Guy said:
what do you mean by LTE-A?? do you mean the model SM-G900F ??
if yes well you can flash uk firmware.
hope that I helped
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the SM-G906K version of the prime device, is that still doable?
andybg40 said:
I have the SM-G906K version of the prime device, is that still doable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn`t risk flashing firmware that`s designed for a different device model, in this case the G900F firmware on a G906K.
andybg40 said:
Can I flash an LTE-A version with UK firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There isn't a lot of reliable information about your model so there is no authorative answer.
Most will say that it's risky and not recommended to flash a firmware from another variant. As well, you don't simply have a different variant of the 801 Snapdragon based S5. You have a derivative model, with a different processor (805), screen resolution, et cetera. Strongly arguing that it is highly unlikely to work and would likely brick your phone.
The best you might hope for is someone alleging that they were able to do so. And then you'd still need to estimate the credibility of such a report.
If you have root and a custom recovery installed, you could remove much of the risk by trying a 900F based custom ROM, e.g. the Phoenix ROM, rather than flash stock 900F firmware. All in all though, it's an improbable fit.
.
fffft said:
There isn't a lot of reliable information about your model so there is no authorative answer.
Most will say that it's risky and not recommended to flash a firmware from another variant. As well, you don't simply have a different variant of the 801 Snapdragon based S5. You have a derivative model, with a different processor (805), screen resolution, et cetera. Strongly arguing that it is highly unlikely to work and would likely brick your phone.
The best you might hope for is someone alleging that they were able to do so. And then you'd still need to estimate the credibility of such a report.
If you have root and a custom recovery installed, you could remove much of the risk by trying a 900F based custom ROM, e.g. the Phoenix ROM, rather than flash stock 900F firmware. All in all though, it's an improbable fit.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your help guys.
Yep, I imported this model for the specs. It's not a real drama on the stock firmware tbh. I just wanted to remove the splash screen and network installed apps from Korea.
I've hidden the apps, but there are still a couple of Korean bits and pieces I would like to get rid of. Maybe a firmware or suitable rom will become available soon.
No, u can't use the SM-G900F firmware on the SM-G906K

Quite confused for the consideration needed before flashing any Rom and Recovery!!

I am beginner in this rooting field.. And with less knowledge I now am attracted towards flashing different rom on my phone since I am influenced by others discussion in #XDA. But when I came to meet some people in social chats, when I asked them for the, what are the requisites to be fulfilled while flashing #safe_rom without any brick.. Some says search rom on Google of your phone model i·e (gt-I9505) when I searched it there again appeared the case of #baseband version,there "google" when I got the other rom of my phone below it was written only for baseband "XXUHOJ2" and it didn't matched with mine.. In some post rom for jflte, jfltexx, sprint, .... And m confused all... And my question is.. Should all of those match to flash custom rom?? Isn't gt-I9505 all same??? Why should we consider #baseband for flashing rom or latest firmware?? Why?? Why?? Plz help me!!
-Thank you!
No baseband update
Hello and thank you for using Q/A,
you don't need to update or flash a baseband, if you want to install a custom ROM or stock ROM.
Kind regards
Trafalgar Square
And what about jfltexx,jflte, sprint.. Some post says rom for jfltexx, some says for this baseband only,, what to do in this situtation??? Is there any #compulshory to match baseband in order to flash custom rom??
Hi,
I've an I9500 who has Indonesian base, and I've flashed many ROMs designed for my device and I never had any problem. Baseband doesn't matter, however, an EFS backup should be made to be safe, so you can restore it later if you miss your IMEI after doing flash a certain ROM.
Because you've an I9505, any jfltexx ROMs should fit on your phone. You'll have no problems as long as you follow instructions provided by the developer.
I9505 doesn't stand itself. Some variants are released by certain operators in certain regions, like SPH-L720, SGH-I337, SGH-I337m, SCH-R970, etc. All variants who are on I9505 family are able to install jfltexx ROMs, but with some notes that might be available for certain devices.
Sent from my GT-I9500
You should only care about the baseband if you have a phone from Verizon or T-Mobile, as they generally have locked bootloaders.
Basebands are updated almost monthly. There is no way to have them matched.
You only need to care about your phone model.
krasCGQ said:
Hi,
I've an I9500 who has Indonesian base, and I've flashed many ROMs designed for my device and I never had any problem. Baseband doesn't matter, however, an EFS backup should be made to be safe, so you can restore it later if you miss your IMEI after doing flash a certain ROM.
Because you've an I9505, any jfltexx ROMs should fit on your phone. You'll have no problems as long as you follow instructions provided by the developer.
I9505 doesn't stand itself. Some variants are released by certain operators in certain regions, like SPH-L720, SGH-I337, SGH-I337m, SCH-R970, etc. All variants who are on I9505 family are able to install jfltexx ROMs, but with some notes that might be available for certain devices.
Sent from my GT-I9500
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for info.. ??. I appreciate you!! Thanks
GDReaper said:
You should only care about the baseband if you have a phone from Verizon or T-Mobile, as they generally have locked bootloaders.
Basebands are updated almost monthly. There is no way to have them matched.
You only need to care about your phone model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you' phone model mean: only (gt-I9505) (gt-I9500) ya??
Athakuri700 said:
Thank you' phone model mean: only (gt-I9505) (gt-I9500) ya??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, mostly.

Got A S4 AT&T model for cheap. questions a plenty!

Since I just got A S4 I have some questions. I mainly am used to nexus/moto devices in terms of roms/etc, and I know the process is entirely different with the S4.
The model is a AT&T S4. Updated to 5.0.1
I know I won't be able to unlock the bootloader, which is okay as long as I CAN have some hopes of running another firmware on it.
All I require is Root/Xposed, and maybe CM13..or any other android 6.0 based ROM. How feasible are my options? I won't know until I physically have it, but what should I look out for in terms of firmware/bootloader codes?
You cannot run any custom ROM unless the rom is based on a Samsung kernel which means no cm or aosp ROMs.
audit13 said:
You cannot run any custom ROM unless the rom is based on a Samsung kernel which means no cm or aosp ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that sucks. Guess I will sell it for a bit higher than I bought it and grab something else. Thank you.
I have an s4 (Canadian version, i337m) which doesn't have a locked bootloader and I find the phone okay with stock unrooted LP. I used to based my phone decisions on whether there was an XDA forum but my flashaholic days are behind me

Bootloader unlocked, can I use any rom?

So Ive had this Verizon Note 3 since day one. Finally unlocked my bootloader... What are the rules on what I can and can't do now. Can I install any Android rom? Can I only install note 3 roms from any carrier... Can I install only Verizon note 3 roms? Or is it a hybrid... I can install any rom if I replace the firmware and or modem.
I really want something on 7.1 but I'd rather take 6 and have something custom... Fast and responsive.
Thanks community.
You are in luck. :crying:
There's hardly anything to choose from; maybe 3 or 4 ROMs and about the same number of kernels.
AFAIK, there are no Nougat ROMs and only one Marshmallow ROM (AryaMod6.6).
Normally, when a dev ships a "ROM", there are two important pieces: the /system image (what some folks call "the ROM"), and the boot image. The boot image is what some folks erroneously call "the kernel"; but it is really a combination of kernel + ramdisk. The ramdisk has all the scripts in it that the "init" process reads to start up all the low-level daemons and services... as well as the Android UI as well.
The kernel is very tightly tied to the specific hardware in a given handset - both the processor/gpu and all the sensors/leds/peripherals.
So that's the reason you can't just flash any old ROM. In the least bad case, your device wouldn't boot; in the worst bad case the kernel would boot up far enough go off in the weeds and possibly damage some of your hardware.
You might be tempted to think "we'll, what if I find a boot image for the "hltevzw" SM-N900V device... can I flash that after I have flashed 'any old Android ROM'? Won't that take care of things?"
Well, not really. The system library binaries in /system are possibly compiled with instruction-set optimumization tweaks that are only supported by specific CPU and GPU hardware chips. Moreover, other peripheral chips such as GPS have unique "downloadable" vendor firmware in the system image... so again, there's the issue of hardware dependencies of the /system image.
Beyond that, there's carrier-specific "setup and activation" software that differs between ROMs, so even using ROMs that are from a different carrier's version of the exact same handset hardware might not work fully - specifically in the telephony function areas. Everything else might work fine though. For instance if you wanted to use the device as a WiFi-only unit for kid's games etc.
Note BTW that the "International" Note 3 GSM phones are not the same hardware - they use an Exynos processor.
good luck in your quest
Thanks
That was very helpful... Looks like Araya is my best bet. I'll leave jasmine rom to try it.
I was hoping that I could get another note 3 rom on this forum and flash the CDMA modem for networking... But doesn't seem like that's an option.
If I'm still stuck to Verizon Note 3 rom... What is the purpose or benefit of unlocking the bootloader... Was that really just to avoid Odin so I can flash my couple rom choices easier?
I appreciate your time!
cyberoptics said:
That was very helpful... Looks like Araya is my best bet. I'll leave jasmine rom to try it.
I was hoping that I could get another note 3 rom on this forum and flash the CDMA modem for networking... But doesn't seem like that's an option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might have very slightly overstated the case for pessimism. There is a "consolidated" Verizon Note 3 Forum which is meant for devs to provide development tools and even ROMs that could potentially be used on devices from more than one carrier. But the world being organized the way it is, that means that you are more likely to find multi-carrier GSM ROMs over there than multi-carrier ROMS which support GSM and oh by the way CDMA and LTE as well.
If you want to fool around over there, I recommend that you proceed with great caution to make sure that the ROMs you choose specifically target Qualcomm MSM8974AB Note 3 handsets, and you should read the developer notes very carefully to see whether you need to flash an "hltevzw" kernel separately. If the dev does not mention "supports hltevzw" or "supports N900V" (for example here) you might be taking chances with your hardware.
I suppose it is possible that the radios are 100% "software defined" in the sense of which bands they can support. Maybe you can get what you want by simply flashing the desired carrier's "modem" firmware, but I have never done that so I can't say for certain whether that works or you are risking a brick (or hardware damage) by doing that. I simply don't know (e.g.) if the chips and antennas in a T-mo version of the Note 3 are identical or different from a Verizon Note 3's hardware
cyberoptics said:
If I'm still stuck to Verizon Note 3 rom... What is the purpose or benefit of unlocking the bootloader... Was that really just to avoid Odin so I can flash my couple rom choices easier?
I appreciate your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, for one - having a custom recovery allows you to make backups - even if you never change ROMs
People don't think of backups as being "sexy", but they allow you something which is really valuable: freedom to mess around and experiment with the knowledge that "if something goes wrong, I'll just restore the backup".
And with Odin, you only had the choice of Stock Roms. Now you have a few more.
cheers
Yes you can install Any rom for note3
Here is my experience with installing roms on note 3 after unlock bootloader
you should Flash twrp-2.8.7.0-hlte-4.4.img by ODIN for the hlte roms or twrp-2.8.7.0-hltevzw-4.4.img if you looking to flash verizon roms ,
im on Phronesis Rom N7 now and i tryed many roms
AryaMod N7 & S7 Edge
MagMa-NX from NXT TEAM
Resurrection Remix Nougat 7.1.1
CM 13 ROM 6.0.1 for Trader418
Purify CM13 6.0.1 ( the best CM13 till now )
and more ...
i have only one problem that i cant get LTE in mobile network always on H+
i tryed to add screenshot but i couldn't its my firist reply :laugh:
@ALPHA85
Pretty informative first post - thanks, and welcome aboard!
Are you on a Verizon SIM? If not, have you been flashing modems from other Note3 devices?
Just curious; I don't have much experience with radio issues or carrier activation issues. Trying to port a carrier-specific ROM elsewhere (esp starting from a VZW ROM) looks like a massive pile of interlocking software dependencies, though. My respect to anyone who can succeed at it.
Feel free to write a brief summary about what's broken in each - any of them have NFC working? I was on CM13 (trader418) for a long time and would have been happy to stay there were it not for all the GPS issues.
Thank you ,:angel:
i dont use Verizon SIM becouse im from egypt, i bought my verizon note 3 by wrong , when i bought it i saw N9005 under the battery and in the boot screen also inside the rom ,it was lollipop 5.0 ,but sinse i did factory rest i surprised it change to N900V even the imei changed , till now i cant understand how they flashed N9005 rom for N900V device with locked bootloader
i'm on OF1 bootloader unlocked and i flashed PL1 Modem i thought maybe it help me to get LTE but still the same H+
about NFC i really didn't try it at all , i always disable it by titanium pro
ALPHA85 said:
when i bought it i saw N9005 under the battery and in the boot screen also inside the rom ,it was lollipop 5.0 ,but sinse i did factory rest i surprised it change to N900V even the imei changed , till now i cant understand how they flashed N9005 rom for N900V device with locked bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you first got it, did it appear to have a Verizon ROM on it? (For instance, the Verizon splash screen?) Or some other carrier's logo?
Actually, that cleared something up for me. Well, except for the part about the IMEI changing
Apparently there were both LTE and GSM models of the "Note 3" that were sold in international markets. I understand the LTE version was originally sold in China, but the GSM model is more common?
The SM-N9005 is an LTE phone (I don't know about CDMA) with the Qualcomm MSM8974 processor
and the N9000 is the GSM model with an Exynos 5420 processor
So that probably explains the binary compatibility of the SM-N900V and the SM-N9005 - same processor, and both phones were designed for LTE service.
But your report should give @cyberoptics a little less pessimistic view of things; thank you for that.
But I wouldn't go so far as to say you can flash ANY Note 3 ROM. Even though both the Exynos and Qualcomm processors use ARM cores, they are fairly different - the Exynos has 8 cores, half of which are Cortex-A15, and the MSM8974 has only four cores which are Krait- something or other. I think they are not quite compatible. Note that in theory, ARM code that was compiled to earlier standards (e.g. thumb, armv5) would certainly work on both devices - but if they compiled ALL the code in ROM libraries that way they would be giving up a lot of performance on either device. So.... to the extent that they target processor specifics for either Cortex-A15 or Krait, they will be incompatible.
cheers.
bftb0 said:
You are in luck. :crying:
There's hardly anything to choose from; maybe 3 or 4 ROMs and about the same number of kernels.
AFAIK, there are no Nougat ROMs and only one Marshmallow ROM (AryaMod6.6).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bftb0 I just wanted to thank you once again for your consistently helpful, verbose posts about the N900V. I've been using CM13 thinking it was the best thing going, when, as nice as it was at the time, it doesn't hold water compared to AyraMod, which I switched to yesterday after reading this thread.
Now my GPS won't take me sailing past Easter Island when en route to a noon meeting downtown. Maybe Google Cardboard will even work, now that NFC appears to.
Thanks again, and please don't ever bore of being a great and helpful resource, we need you!

G900F Rom Recommendation

Hi,
I have a G900F I got in the UK and I've just moved to Canada with. Problem is it doesn't support some of the bands here so I find I often have a poor signal. I'm happy with the stock ROM but I believe if I am to open it up for all bands I need a custom ROM.
I don't need anything too flashy, but I'd like everything to work and be responsive.
In terms of the most complete ROMs it seems LineageOS Official and Resurrection Remixed are the most popular. Can anyone comment? How about Android 6 vs 7?
Thanks
Used to use resurrection but now that I've moved to lineage os I can say that its better and getting improved every update it gets
Beaksterboy said:
Hi,
I have a G900F I got in the UK and I've just moved to Canada with. Problem is it doesn't support some of the bands here so I find I often have a poor signal. I'm happy with the stock ROM but I believe if I am to open it up for all bands I need a custom ROM.
I don't need anything too flashy, but I'd like everything to work and be responsive.
In terms of the most complete ROMs it seems LineageOS Official and Resurrection Remixed are the most popular. Can anyone comment? How about Android 6 vs 7?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
g900f is almost identical if not the exact same as the canadian s5 g900w8.
you would need to use correct freq for your carrier, search will provide a howto. worse case scenario is to flash a canadian 6.0.1 modem from any canadian 6.0.1 stock fw
if trying to figure out connectivity, stay w/stock first as modems are from stock fw.
imo try superlite 6.0.1, it stock based and only takes a few minutes to install that way you can test out your carrier connectivity issues
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...-superlite-mini-mm-v1-0-361mb-g900w8-t3497158
So I can keep my stock firmware and just replace the G900F baseband (G900FXXS1CQAV) with the Bell Canada SM-G900W8 Modem and everything will be the same except the phone will work on the Bell Canada frequencies?
I had been planning to follow this guide: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/general/how-to-add-rf-lte-frequency-bands-to-t2886059 to enable the 1700MHz band which is disabled on the G900F, but if flashing a Canadian modem will enable this band that sounds easiest.
Do I need to download the full 1.5GB firmware and extract the modem from it?
Thanks
Beaksterboy said:
So I can keep my stock firmware and just replace the G900F baseband (G900FXXS1CQAV) with the Bell Canada SM-G900W8 Modem and everything will be the same except the phone will work on the Bell Canada frequencies?
I had been planning to follow this guide: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/general/how-to-add-rf-lte-frequency-bands-to-t2886059 to enable the 1700MHz band which is disabled on the G900F, but if flashing a Canadian modem will enable this band that sounds easiest.
Do I need to download the full 1.5GB firmware and extract the modem from it?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ive never tried flashing a mdm from another model as ive never needed to for the s5.
ive not read enough to know if its possible or if it has any neg consequences.
easiest would be to change freq w/current mdm, search for samsung secret service codes to view and maybe change current freq
good place to start is here https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2729694
I've done a lot of research on this forum. Most people say that installing G900W8 firmware on G900F isn't possible. Also it seems that it is the NVRAM which stores what bands are allowed on what model, so simply flashing a different modem won't make a difference.
Some people are saying that the hardware is different and this is what limits the bands, but I don't believe so, the radio/modem chip is the same version between models.
Trying to follow the link I posted earlier to change the NVRAM values after installing a custom ROM appears to be the only way. Some people say it works, and others say it only appears to work. The original thread was closed years ago so I guess I'll just need to try it and see.
Alternatively I could buy 2 phones, one W8 to use in Canada and a F to use in Europe, this seems silly though.

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