Related
LG says no plans for G4 Android 5.1.1 update at the moment
Are we going directly to Android M? When I had my G3 we had the same issue, no 5.1.1
Given all of the issues with Lollipop, this may be a blessing in disguise but
the negative publicity from this may further impact the already poor sales.
Actually
I am eager to buy a new phone. I do have the cash. I do not like Touchwiz, and no SD Card is a no go. So no S6.
The Nexus 6 is way to big and no SD Card. HTC M9... oh well.
So, the LG G4 is the only option. Why am I not holding this phone in my hands?
It is available for nearly a month now (give or take depending where you live) and no root method available, without LGs unlock code. ....No bootloader unlock. No XPOSED because of that, and no CM Mod or anything even possible because of that.
Coming from a Nexus which I love (despite the camera, the battery, the missing SD Card and the terrible GPS) I am not willing to buy a piece of expensive phone which is not mine.
So maybe, just maybe that is a reason why sales are not that great...
There are other reasons I am fully aware, but this is the deal breaker for me...
By the way: I visit here daily. I can not really tell where we are in terms of a unlocked bootloader and easy root method? Anyone here that could sum it up?
fpsq said:
I am eager to buy a new phone. I do have the cash. I do not like Touchwiz, and no SD Card is a no go. So no S6.
The Nexus 6 is way to big and no SD Card. HTC M9... oh well.
So, the LG G4 is the only option. Why am I not holding this phone in my hands?
It is available for nearly a month now (give or take depending where you live) and no root method available, without LGs unlock code. ....No bootloader unlock. No XPOSED because of that, and no CM Mod or anything even possible because of that.
Coming from a Nexus which I love (despite the camera, the battery, the missing SD Card and the terrible GPS) I am not willing to buy a piece of expensive phone which is not mine.
So maybe, just maybe that is a reason why sales are not that great...
There are other reasons I am fully aware, but this is the deal breaker for me...
By the way: I visit here daily. I can not really tell where we are in terms of a unlocked bootloader and easy root method? Anyone here that could sum it up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We are no where unless someone's keeping it hush hush. I check daily too.
The xda and tweak people are just s handfull of users ... Most buyers are regular and they don't even know xda .... If you want a phone that get every update then buy a Google phone, or a iphone. If you want a unlocked bootloader now then buy a Samsung. If you don't want those phones , then stop whining and buy a G4 or any other phone with Android on it instead of complaining. Sales are not depending on if a bootloader is unlocked or not !
Verstuurd vanaf mijn LG-H815 met Tapatalk
fpsq said:
I am eager to buy a new phone. I do have the cash. I do not like Touchwiz, and no SD Card is a no go. So no S6.
The Nexus 6 is way to big and no SD Card. HTC M9... oh well.
So, the LG G4 is the only option. Why am I not holding this phone in my hands?
It is available for nearly a month now (give or take depending where you live) and no root method available, without LGs unlock code. ....No bootloader unlock. No XPOSED because of that, and no CM Mod or anything even possible because of that.
Coming from a Nexus which I love (despite the camera, the battery, the missing SD Card and the terrible GPS) I am not willing to buy a piece of expensive phone which is not mine.
So maybe, just maybe that is a reason why sales are not that great...
There are other reasons I am fully aware, but this is the deal breaker for me...
By the way: I visit here daily. I can not really tell where we are in terms of a unlocked bootloader and easy root method? Anyone here that could sum it up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is it essential for you to have an unlocked bootloader and root? I don't understand why its a dealbreaker - obviously you buy a phone based on its spec and features and no phone comes with 'unlocked bootloader' and 'root' as features.
XPosed is a heaving pile of **** which is buggy and unstable even at the best of times and if you start installing custom ROM's you start losing features.
I and plenty others bought this phone as it meets what we were looking at at the time. Root would be a bonus, but even then two weeks in I still can't think of anything I need root or a custom ROM for...
dontpannic said:
... but even then two weeks in I still can't think of anything I need root or a custom ROM for...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? [emoji58]
Sent from my G4 whilst wishing for root
dontpannic said:
but even then two weeks in I still can't think of anything I need root or a custom ROM for...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ads. Mothereffin' ads everywhere. In apps, in web pages, on YouTube. Blocking ads alone is worth gold.
Alright, ads is a good one. Not a lot else though to be fair!
dontpannic said:
Alright, ads is a good one. Not a lot else though to be fair!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really?
GravityBox is a HUGE one. It controls the look and behavior of everything on your phone.
Downloads2SD for remapping hardcoded folders like Downloads from internal storage to the SD card.
DisableFlagSecure for taking screenshots in apps that forbid it.
XHangouts for configuring image quality and other things in Hangouts.
NotifyClean for suppressing annoying system notifications that cannot normally be disabled.
The list can go on, I'm sure others use a lot more than this.
I am also missing a few features that I can only use with root. AdAway, AirAudio to stream my sound to other devices, etc...
siraltus said:
Really?
GravityBox is a HUGE one. It controls the look and behavior of everything on your phone.
Downloads2SD for remapping hardcoded folders like Downloads from internal storage to the SD card.
DisableFlagSecure for taking screenshots in apps that forbid it.
XHangouts for configuring image quality and other things in Hangouts.
NotifyClean for suppressing annoying system notifications that cannot normally be disabled.
The list can go on, I'm sure others use a lot more than this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everyones usage is different remember - I just want to use a phone and from previous experience with my S4 introducing xposed to it turned it into a buggy mess, I don't want that happening to this phone.
dontpannic said:
Why is it essential for you to have an unlocked bootloader and root? I don't understand why its a dealbreaker - obviously you buy a phone based on its spec and features and no phone comes with 'unlocked bootloader' and 'root' as features.
XPosed is a heaving pile of **** which is buggy and unstable even at the best of times and if you start installing custom ROM's you start losing features.
I and plenty others bought this phone as it meets what we were looking at at the time. Root would be a bonus, but even then two weeks in I still can't think of anything I need root or a custom ROM for...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
99% agree with you there. I got this device for the ability it has without any root/unlock. Fully agree that Xposed has never done anything good for me in my experiences...usually end up having bugs and ending up factory resetting rom I'm on.
Also confused as to why people expect that the G4 would already be unlocked or rooted. This device has been out for just over 3 weeks, fellas. Sure, there are other manufacturers (HTC which I LOVE save for their inability to understand that a good camera is a requirement in 2015) that are able to be unlocked like 30 seconds after you open the box. LG is NOT that way. The G3 was a pain in the butt last year for this from what I understand and this device is running a newer processor and supposedly more secure version of android.
In the end, I would like to have root, so I can get rid of the T-Mobile stuff...and yeah, while I can DISABLE it, that doesn't get rid of it, it's just lying dormant...I still have a disabled app taking up space on my device.
siraltus said:
Ads. Mothereffin' ads everywhere. In apps, in web pages, on YouTube. Blocking ads alone is worth gold.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this times 1000. Plus getting rid of bloat (although the LG does not have nearly as much as my Samsung devices had) plus I really want to be able to use Titanium Backup again.
Also...Not sure why everyone is so set on being on the latest version of Android at all times. I learned my lesson on that the hard way. Last device I was on was the Note 4. We were extremely irritated that we were getting Lollipop so late compared to all the other Sammy devices. Boy was I wrong to wish for it. It came with more bugs than new features, most of which made the device nearly unusable to me, resulting in my spending $280 to get the device half paid off so I could JUMP to the G4.
Rather than rolling out a new version of Android, I'm sure many users would prefer that LG work on the number of bugs that some users have experienced thusfar. That being said, 5.1 seems to be doing me pretty well for this device for me
A free wifi tethering method would be nice to have again.
I don't see the link between 5.1.1 and bad sales. If someone refused to get G4 because they won't update it to 5.1.1, I find this hilarious. 5.1.1 is a maintenance update, nothing major as I am aware, so LG can include the most important fixes from the latest available android version through OTA update, and there is no need to show you the latest android build number. 5.1 can include everything 5.1.1 got.
dontpannic said:
Why is it essential for you to have an unlocked bootloader and root? I don't understand why its a dealbreaker - obviously you buy a phone based on its spec and features and no phone comes with 'unlocked bootloader' and 'root' as features.
XPosed is a heaving pile of **** which is buggy and unstable even at the best of times and if you start installing custom ROM's you start losing features.
I and plenty others bought this phone as it meets what we were looking at at the time. Root would be a bonus, but even then two weeks in I still can't think of anything I need root or a custom ROM for...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you even used Xposed recently? Root itself is fantastic, and does not harm usability. You can use apps like Greenify and Titanium Backup to remove apps and improve battery life, modify the tethering provisioning check to use the hotspot, etc. I also use Xposed on 5.1.1 and on 5.0, 4.4, etc., and I don't have any issues at all. the 10+ modules I use never have problems.
I'm keeping my rooted G3 until we can root the G4, as I need root in some form or another.
dontpannic said:
Alright, ads is a good one. Not a lot else though to be fair!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is is great all on its own but I am looking forward to no ads and a tweaked Rom to hopefully get rid of the awful lagging and missed touch issues
Give the devs time. There's a lot of money pledged in the bounty board which should attract some top devs, so short of JesusFreke coming out of retirement I doubt it'll be in the next month.
Actually revisited
fpsq said:
By the way: I visit here daily. I can not really tell where we are in terms of a unlocked bootloader and easy root method? Anyone here that could sum it up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you purchase the open EUR H815 handset, you can officially unlock the bootloader through LG's Dev website, and from there install TWPR and flash SuperSU for root.
This method is not (yet?) available to other models, however.
You're correct that there are currently no unofficial methods to unlock the bootloader or root the device, yet.
Good Hello Everyone,
so I just got my S7 edge today aaand the first thing I do after getting home is obviously visit the S7 edge section on xda! but oh boy... what's this what I'm seeing! or should I say not seeing? basically no roms and not a single custom kernel!!! I'm deceased:crying:.
WHY? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??? :crying:
Development on the S6 was simply great. Switching to a Note 5 well not so great but had some gems. But now "upgrading" to a S7 edge and being faced with this tragedy? Oh man I hope this changes in the near future.
I wouldn't expect any change to the U.S. version. If rooting is really important to you, return the phone while you can.
I have to ask, though: Why didn't you look at XDA before deciding what phone to buy?
meyerweb said:
I wouldn't expect any change to the U.S. version. If rooting is really important to you, return the phone while you can.
I have to ask, though: Why didn't you look at XDA before deciding what phone to buy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was wondering the same thing.....
Because 2016. Flagships dont really need any development now. The purpose of custom roms was better battery, faster speeds, less lag, etc. But today's flagships already have all of those things. There are no improvements you can make. I have stopped rooting/ROMing my phones since last year because i just dont feel the need anymore. You will probably get a few roms in the future anyway , but I dont think the community will be anywhere near as active as before in the development section.
I'm happy with this phone the way it is actually! So far not missing root for a month now. I shudder to think all the time I spent the past six years rooting, flashing, fixing, etc.
Besides that's what a Nexus is for!
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
I wouldn't go that far as saying the development has stopped. There are coming custom Rom. Tho, not as many as before, I'll agree with that.
When it comes to custom kernel, you can have a look at this tread
Apparently Samsung priorities security because of Samsung pay.
When it comes to what @mahdibassam says, I disagree. A good example was the S6, who had major bugs from Samsung side. The the first to fix it was this community with the custom roms.
There is always room for improvements.
Neemac said:
I wouldn't go that far as saying the development has stopped. There are coming custom Rom. Tho, not as many as before, I'll agree with that.
When it comes to custom kernel, you can have a look at this tread
Apparently Samsung priorities security because of Samsung pay.
When it comes to what @mahdibassam says, I disagree. A good example was the S6, who had major bugs from Samsung side. The the first to fix it was this community with the custom roms.
There is always room for improvements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, if a phone is buggy, then that warrants the need for a custom rom. E.g. the LG G4 was in dire need of improvement. But can you give me one area where the S7 edge is lacking and would need a custom rom to fix? I really cant think of any.
mahdibassam said:
Well, if a phone is buggy, then that warrants the need for a custom rom. E.g. the LG G4 was in dire need of improvement. But can you give me one area where the S7 edge is lacking and would need a custom rom to fix? I really cant think of any.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're happy with the S7 as it is, then that's good. But for me, and many others, the phone ain't complete "mine" until root is there, and maybe some custom roms, where they are already debloated and deodexd.
It's all about custom preference
Especially the kernel part is important for me, as that's the real thing when it comes too set the phone free, and really get the use of all the power the phone holds.
chieco said:
Good Hello Everyone,
so I just got my S7 edge today aaand the first thing I do after getting home is obviously visit the S7 edge section on xda! but oh boy... what's this what I'm seeing! or should I say not seeing? basically no roms and not a single custom kernel!!! I'm deceased:crying:.
WHY? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??? :crying:
Development on the S6 was simply great. Switching to a Note 5 well not so great but had some gems. But now "upgrading" to a S7 edge and being faced with this tragedy? Oh man I hope this changes in the near future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Development will begin, it is still a new phone. The software on S7 is less intrusive but I fully understand you would like a customized device experience and being a flagship device you assumed this one will be well supported by the developers(which it will, just a matter of time).
S7 edge exynos has some kicking roms. Loving it
Sent from my Pebble Time
Neemac said:
I wouldn't go that far as saying the development has stopped. There are coming custom Rom. Tho, not as many as before, I'll agree with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not for the North American version with it's locked bootloader.
Is not been released more than a month. We already have root and a handful of Roms.
Not sure why you think development is dead. Just at the moment is not really required as the phones are smooth as it is.
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers mobile app
mahdibassam said:
Because 2016. Flagships dont really need any development now. The purpose of custom roms was better battery, faster speeds, less lag, etc. But today's flagships already have all of those things. There are no improvements you can make. I have stopped rooting/ROMing my phones since last year because i just dont feel the need anymore. You will probably get a few roms in the future anyway , but I dont think the community will be anywhere near as active as before in the development section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously?
-Viper4Android
-Xposed (and therefore essential modules like Xprivacy, Xtouchwiz, MinMinGuard, YouTube AdAway and App Settings)
-Adblock (non-root ad blocking solutions are mediocre at best)
-AFWall+
-Titanium Backup
-Greenify (will work without root but hibernation of apps needs to be manual)
The list goes on. You can choose not to root, but you can't say improvements can't be made to stock by doing so. That will never be the case in my view.
mahdibassam said:
Because 2016. Flagships dont really need any development now. The purpose of custom roms was better battery, faster speeds, less lag, etc. But today's flagships already have all of those things. There are no improvements you can make. I have stopped rooting/ROMing my phones since last year because i just dont feel the need anymore. You will probably get a few roms in the future anyway , but I dont think the community will be anywhere near as active as before in the development section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course there are improvements to make. There always is. Stock is never heavily debloated or as efficient as custom, as stock should be over stable.. So customer's don't complain about problems.
If the battery and speed are good stock, you can just make it even better custom. Like change alarms and wakelocks on thing you personally don't need. Debloat things running in the background, hibernate them, set cpu work queues, change network when screen of and so on.
Beefheart said:
Seriously?
-Viper4Android
-Xposed (and therefore essential modules like Xprivacy, Xtouchwiz, MinMinGuard, YouTube AdAway and App Settings)
-Adblock (non-root ad blocking solutions are mediocre at best)
-AFWall+
-Titanium Backup
-Greenify (will work without root but hibernation of apps needs to be manual)
The list goes on. You can choose not to root, but you can't say improvements can't be made to stock by doing so. That will never be the case in my view.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Faspaiso said:
Of course there are improvements to make. There always is. Stock is never heavily debloated or as efficient as custom, as stock should be over stable.. So customer's don't complain about problems.
If the battery and speed are good stock, you can just make it even better custom. Like change alarms and wakelocks on thing you personally don't need. Debloat things running in the background, hibernate them, set cpu work queues, change network when screen of and so on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally get what you saying guys, I am just giving my own opinion, as you are. Each to their own i guess. I just dont see the need to put myself through the hassle of root and recovery and the manually flashing every update through recovery, and then a clean install with every new base and etc. The phone is just good enough as it is out of the box, FOR ME. I would love to have Greenify again, but frankly the battery life is just really good and I dont feel the need to go through the trouble to get it , and I have never used Xposed anyway.
But all in all, what puts me off from going the custom rom way these days is 1) The phone is just perfect as it is (again, for me) 2) I cant be bothered to flash every update through recovery and etc and do a clean flash with every new base and all the other stuff that comes with custom roms
But hey, this is the beauty of android isnt it, it caters to everyone, including me and you
chieco said:
Good Hello Everyone,
so I just got my S7 edge today aaand the first thing I do after getting home is obviously visit the S7 edge section on xda! but oh boy... what's this what I'm seeing! or should I say not seeing? basically no roms and not a single custom kernel!!! I'm deceased:crying:.
WHY? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??? :crying:
Development on the S6 was simply great. Switching to a Note 5 well not so great but had some gems. But now "upgrading" to a S7 edge and being faced with this tragedy? Oh man I hope this changes in the near future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the stock firmware is good enough so no development is needed.
You already have great battery life, theme support, ad blocking support, many other customization options.
mahdibassam said:
I totally get what you saying guys, I am just giving my own opinion, as you are. Each to their own i guess. I just dont see the need to put myself through the hassle of root and recovery and the manually flashing every update through recovery, and then a clean install with every new base and etc. The phone is just good enough as it is out of the box, FOR ME. I would love to have Greenify again, but frankly the battery life is just really good and I dont feel the need to go through the trouble to get it , and I have never used Xposed anyway.
But all in all, what puts me off from going the custom rom way these days is 1) The phone is just perfect as it is (again, for me) 2) I cant be bothered to flash every update through recovery and etc and do a clean flash with every new base and all the other stuff that comes with custom roms
But hey, this is the beauty of android isnt it, it caters to everyone, including me and you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great, and in a way I'm envious. But there are simply too many applications I can't do without that require root.
Cst79 said:
Because the stock firmware is good enough so no development is needed.
You already have great battery life, theme support, ad blocking support, many other customization options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ad blocking on non-root is via VPN. It's ropey and unreliable at best. Certainly it doesn't hold a candle to what can be achieved with root and proper hosts editing. Also, Xprivacy for me is essential, I'd go so far as calling it my most important application. Combine it with a firewall like AFWall+ and, in terms of privacy, my phone is locked down. Non-root firewalls, like non-root ad blockers, work on VPN, and are again unreliable in comparison. Plus you can't protect against data leaks on boot. But I guess it comes down to what we want from our phones.
LOL. Does this question really need to be asked? If you look around in the forums you'll see that the dev community for this phone is almost non-existent because of its locked bootloader.
HesThatGuy said:
LOL. Does this question really need to be asked? If you look around in the forums you'll see that the dev community for this phone is almost non-existent because of its locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"It" doesn't have a locked bootloader. The US Snapdragon variant does.
HesThatGuy said:
LOL. Does this question really need to be asked? If you look around in the forums you'll see that the dev community for this phone is almost non-existent because of its locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Such confidence, 'LOL' ing people, yet you are wrong and spreading false information. The Exynos variant already has a few ROMS. The bootloader is unlocked. Only the Snapdragon is locked.
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers mobile app
Hi Friends,
Hope you're all having a great new year. So last time I was lurking the S7E forums, we had a leaked Engineering Bootloader that was used to acquire root on all US Snapdragon models, albeit, with a lot performance issues and etc.
I came here to glance as well as all other variant forums for the SD model and now we have Root for every model, with even ROMs being baked like the Echo ROM for Verizon, Sprint, AT&T models, usually the toughest to achieve these things on. I'm trying to read through the forums, but I fear I'm missing the details, that will help me pull the trigger for getting the device or not.
Can one of you very experienced, knowledgeable, and kind members educate me on the latest?
1. Do we have unlocked Bootloader and Root for all US carrier S7Es? How is it done? I use people using Flashfire. So no TWRP?
2. Does this process still trip Knox and render Samsung Pay to never be used again on the device?
3. If I bought the Verizon variant, for example, can I root, unlock Bootloader, and etc, and then return to stock, to return to the store in case I don't like the phone?
4. Xposed Framework working for all models?
Much appreciate your responses, any and all of them in advance! Thanks!
ProFragger said:
Hi Friends,
Hope you're all having a great new year. So last time I was lurking the S7E forums, we had a leaked Engineering Bootloader that was used to acquire root on all US Snapdragon models, albeit, with a lot performance issues and etc.
I came here to glance as well as all other variant forums for the SD model and now we have Root for every model, with even ROMs being baked like the Echo ROM for Verizon, Sprint, AT&T models, usually the toughest to achieve these things on. I'm trying to read through the forums, but I fear I'm missing the details, that will help me pull the trigger for getting the device or not.
Can one of you very experienced, knowledgeable, and kind members educate me on the latest?
1. Do we have unlocked Bootloader and Root for all US carrier S7Es? How is it done? I use people using Flashfire. So no TWRP?
2. Does this process still trip Knox and render Samsung Pay to never be used again on the device?
3. If I bought the Verizon variant, for example, can I root, unlock Bootloader, and etc, and then return to stock, to return to the store in case I don't like the phone?
4. Xposed Framework working for all models?
Much appreciate your responses, any and all of them in advance! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely nothing has changed on root (only possible due to ENG kernel) and bootloader unlock (which is not yet possible).
1. No
2. No
3. No
4. No idea about all models. For the t-mobile one, please check: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/how-to/guide-installing-xposed-framework-t3414718
You can use the search feature in xda for finding out
CravingMender9 said:
Absolutely nothing has changed on root (only possible due to ENG kernel) and bootloader unlock (which is not yet possible).
1. No
2. No
3. No
4. No idea about all models. For the t-mobile one, please check: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-s7-edge/how-to/guide-installing-xposed-framework-t3414718
You can use the search feature in xda for finding out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey bud, thanks for getting the ball rolling on these questions. If you could add some more information, I'd appreciate it :
If we still don't have a way to Root or Unlock bootloader, how are these ROMs (Echo, Tek, and other stock ROMs) available with root? And how are these flashed? Are we somehow bypassing the BL by using FlashFire?
Can you also educate me on the U Firmware and why people install it and is it reverseable?
Lastly, if I got a T-Mobile variant for example, installed these ROMs Tek, Echo, etc, can I return to Stock completely and return to T-Mobile, by any chance for them to take it back? Thank you again!
for the t mobile variant, I was able to flash the U firmware and flash back to stock t mobile. NOTE: I did not flash the U bootloader. I kept the T mobile bootloader just be sure I could flash back to stock t mobile(APK1). I'm sure this method would work with other carriers as well. so what ever variant you have, make sure you stay on that BL and only flash the U firmware CSC and AP. As for the CP(modem) I would flash your carriers latest CP file. That's what worked best for me with the U firmware. Currently I'm using the latest nougat BETA
Thank you very much for your response, bud. One last follow up question: Since all the US variants are rooting based on the ENG Kernel, is there really a benefit of getting one variant over another, for rooting or etc purposes?
P. S. May I ask why you flashed the U Firmware? What are the advantages of it? ?
ProFragger said:
Thank you very much for your response, bud. One last follow up question: Since all the US variants are rooting based on the ENG Kernel, is there really a benefit of getting one variant over another, for rooting or etc purposes?
P. S. May I ask why you flashed the U Firmware? What are the advantages of it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The u firmware basically does not include all of the software that is usually included with the phone. For example.. Tmobile with their software on it, Verizon att etc... Makes the phone a bit snappier especially if you were to root. Even tho I hope for a more stable root still. I am rooted at the moment. Wish they didn't recall the note 7 because the root on that was better
ProFragger said:
Hi Friends,
Hope you're all having a great new year. So last time I was lurking the S7E forums, we had a leaked Engineering Bootloader that was used to acquire root on all US Snapdragon models, albeit, with a lot performance issues and etc.
I came here to glance as well as all other variant forums for the SD model and now we have Root for every model, with even ROMs being baked like the Echo ROM for Verizon, Sprint, AT&T models, usually the toughest to achieve these things on. I'm trying to read through the forums, but I fear I'm missing the details, that will help me pull the trigger for getting the device or not.
Can one of you very experienced, knowledgeable, and kind members educate me on the latest?
1. Do we have unlocked Bootloader and Root for all US carrier S7Es? How is it done? I use people using Flashfire. So no TWRP?
2. Does this process still trip Knox and render Samsung Pay to never be used again on the device?
3. If I bought the Verizon variant, for example, can I root, unlock Bootloader, and etc, and then return to stock, to return to the store in case I don't like the phone?
4. Xposed Framework working for all models?
Much appreciate your responses, any and all of them in advance! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're confused. At least, you were.
We do not have an "unlocked Bootloader" and we never did. We had an engineering kernel. That engineering kernel allows certain commands that enabled us to acquire root access. But without that kernel, the system (with the original kernel or boot partition) checks for any changes in the /system partition. If any are found it triggers a bootloop. So basically, if you want root we MUST have the engineering kernel. Unless someone else finds another way that's just the way that it is.
Personally, I unrooted and went back to stock. Root was okay at first but with the lack of development, Samsung Pay and the fact that Android 7+ will probably not be seeing root... well... time to accept the fact that Samsung owns the phone even though we bought it. What else can we do?
nitroevo said:
The u firmware basically does not include all of the software that is usually included with the phone. For example.. Tmobile with their software on it, Verizon att etc... Makes the phone a bit snappier especially if you were to root. Even tho I hope for a more stable root still. I am rooted at the moment. Wish they didn't recall the note 7 because the root on that was better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Binary100100 said:
You're confused. At least, you were.
We do not have an "unlocked Bootloader" and we never did. We had an engineering kernel. That engineering kernel allows certain commands that enabled us to acquire root access. But without that kernel, the system (with the original kernel or boot partition) checks for any changes in the /system partition. If any are found it triggers a bootloop. So basically, if you want root we MUST have the engineering kernel. Unless someone else finds another way that's just the way that it is.
Personally, I unrooted and went back to stock. Root was okay at first but with the lack of development, Samsung Pay and the fact that Android 7+ will probably not be seeing root... well... time to accept the fact that Samsung owns the phone even though we bought it. What else can we do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your helpful responses fellas. I understand root is not perfect, but for some folks like me, Xposed seems to be worth the trouble. For Samsung Pay, I intend to use the Gear S3 one day ?.
Final question, since all US Snapdragon models are using the engineering kernel to root and etc... Is there a benefit of getting one carrier variant, over another? For example, Verizon is usually the cheapest. Is it wise to get that, with the U Firmware, to use on AT&T? Thanks!
ProFragger said:
For Samsung Pay, I intend to use the Gear S3 one day .
Final question, since all US Snapdragon models are using the engineering kernel to root and etc... Is there a benefit of getting one carrier variant, over another? For example, Verizon is usually the cheapest. Is it wise to get that, with the U Firmware, to use on AT&T? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know if that works out for you then.
I just purchased the S2 Classic (on T-Mobile) and use Samsung Pay quite a bit. But I can tell you that it does open Samsung Pay on the phone and if you are rooted, Samsung Pay will not work at all. So I'm not sure if it will work at all for you even with the S3.
In regards to your other inquiry, I haven't tried the U firmware. I read something about data issues, no wifi calling (which is pretty important to me), no hotspot (which is also really important to me) but I heard that it is really fast. Not sure how much of that is still a problem but you should probably read up on it before doing anything first. But the rooting method is all the same between carriers I believe. All require the engineering kernel and breaks Samsung Pay along with a couple of other apps.
Just make back ups, have a stock firmware available to flash with ODIN just in case and remember that it's almost impossible to brick this device (because we don't have an unlocked bootloader.)
Binary100100 said:
Let me know if that works out for you then.
I just purchased the S2 Classic (on T-Mobile) and use Samsung Pay quite a bit. But I can tell you that it does open Samsung Pay on the phone and if you are rooted, Samsung Pay will not work at all. So I'm not sure if it will work at all for you even with the S3.
In regards to your other inquiry, I haven't tried the U firmware. I read something about data issues, no wifi calling (which is pretty important to me), no hotspot (which is also really important to me) but I heard that it is really fast. Not sure how much of that is still a problem but you should probably read up on it before doing anything first. But the rooting method is all the same between carriers I believe. All require the engineering kernel and breaks Samsung Pay along with a couple of other apps.
Just make back ups, have a stock firmware available to flash with ODIN just in case and remember that it's almost impossible to brick this device (because we don't have an unlocked bootloader.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you again for a helpful post. So the S3 has a dedicated MST/NFC chip in it, that allows for Samsung Pay to work from the watch, it's done through the Gear app. That's what I have read.
About the rest of it, again, curious to see if there is one US variant, superior to another in terms of Root capabilities or bands and radios available and etc? Can anyone confirm this for me?
Thanks!
ProFragger said:
Thank you again for a helpful post. So the S3 has a dedicated MST/NFC chip in it, that allows for Samsung Pay to work from the watch, it's done through the Gear app. That's what I have read.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does the S2.
When I was setting up the Samsung Pay on my watch it said that it had to download an update.
Then I went through the setup process through my phone which was from the Samsung Pay app.
You go to "Add card" on your watch and it opens Samsung Pay on your phone.
You click "Next" and it displays your Samsung account information.
Then it takes you to a screen that says "Setup complete" telling you that you're ready to use it and at the bottom says "Add card"
You do that all from the Samsung Pay app on your phone which leads me to suspect that if you root your phone, you won't be able to use Samsung Pay on your watch.
People on this thread that you have to set it all up first, remove the Samsung Pay app on the phone but leave it on the watch. If it's all done correctly then it should work. Just make sure you get it all set up first.
Next thing that I'm going to try is using my watch in "Standalone" with my phone out of bluetooth or wifi range. See if that still works.
ProFragger said:
About the rest of it, again, curious to see if there is one US variant, superior to another in terms of Root capabilities or bands and radios available and etc? Can anyone confirm this for me?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, the U firmware permits use of some other bands that aren't normally used. Not sure which ones though.
Binary100100 said:
So does the S2.
When I was setting up the Samsung Pay on my watch it said that it had to download an update.
Then I went through the setup process through my phone which was from the Samsung Pay app.
You go to "Add card" on your watch and it opens Samsung Pay on your phone.
You click "Next" and it displays your Samsung account information.
Then it takes you to a screen that says "Setup complete" telling you that you're ready to use it and at the bottom says "Add card"
You do that all from the Samsung Pay app on your phone which leads me to suspect that if you root your phone, you won't be able to use Samsung Pay on your watch.
People on this thread that you have to set it all up first, remove the Samsung Pay app on the phone but leave it on the watch. If it's all done correctly then it should work. Just make sure you get it all set up first.
Next thing that I'm going to try is using my watch in "Standalone" with my phone out of bluetooth or wifi range. See if that still works.
As far as I know, the U firmware permits use of some other bands that aren't normally used. Not sure which ones though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the correction/education on the S2, bud, much appreciated. I wonder if the rooted phone works with the S3, because Samsung has allowed many other non Samsung phones to know work with the S3? But I could be wrong, I thought it was open like that with the S2 as well, no? Looking forward to your testing, hope there is a breakthrough in there! ?
if you want root and customizability and roms, just don't get this phone. you will be very disappointed with the performance once you root and it gets so much worse with Xposed. not worth it at all, you will have better performance and speed from a 4 year old phone that has an unlocked bootloader and strong development. I mean my Nexus 5 (from 2012) had better performance than my rooted S7. it sounds like you do want roms, and if you want roms then AOSP/Cyanogenmod is the way to go. there will probably never be any AOSP or CM ROM on the QC S7/E so you're better off getting an older galaxy model that does have a great development community and unlocked bootloader. or just get a OnePlus or Nexus or something.
xVermicide said:
if you want root and customizability and roms, just don't get this phone. you will be very disappointed with the performance once you root and it gets so much worse with Xposed. not worth it at all, you will have better performance and speed from a 4 year old phone that has an unlocked bootloader and strong development. I mean my Nexus 5 (from 2012) had better performance than my rooted S7. it sounds like you do want roms, and if you want roms then AOSP/Cyanogenmod is the way to go. there will probably never be any AOSP or CM ROM on the QC S7/E so you're better off getting an older galaxy model that does have a great development community and unlocked bootloader. or just get a OnePlus or Nexus or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or a Exynos S7.
Binary100100 said:
Or a Exynos S7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly this. except for some reason I thought exynos variants are lacking certain bands/features on American networks. could be wrong.
xVermicide said:
if you want root and customizability and roms, just don't get this phone. you will be very disappointed with the performance once you root and it gets so much worse with Xposed. not worth it at all, you will have better performance and speed from a 4 year old phone that has an unlocked bootloader and strong development. I mean my Nexus 5 (from 2012) had better performance than my rooted S7. it sounds like you do want roms, and if you want roms then AOSP/Cyanogenmod is the way to go. there will probably never be any AOSP or CM ROM on the QC S7/E so you're better off getting an older galaxy model that does have a great development community and unlocked bootloader. or just get a OnePlus or Nexus or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Binary100100 said:
Or a Exynos S7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
xVermicide said:
exactly this. except for some reason I thought exynos variants are lacking certain bands/features on American networks. could be wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very helpful inputs guys, thank you! If I were to be honest with myself, I don't want AOSP/CM/Lineage, especially on a Samsung phone, so unlocked bootloader is not a deal breaker for me. However, I think root is cool for me for doing some SystemUI tweaks, Xposed and etc. Exynos was an option I was exploring, but lack of warranty, no Samsung Pay, and the price are enough to keep me at bay. I think I just need to put my big boy pants on and try to use a phone without rooting it. Something I have yet to do in EVER using an Android phone since about 10 years ago, and I have never ever used or bought an iCrap... I mean... an iPhone !
ProFragger said:
Very helpful inputs guys, thank you! If I were to be honest with myself, I don't want AOSP/CM/Lineage, especially on a Samsung phone, so unlocked bootloader is not a deal breaker for me. However, I think root is cool for me for doing some SystemUI tweaks, Xposed and etc. Exynos was an option I was exploring, but lack of warranty, no Samsung Pay, and the price are enough to keep me at bay. I think I just need to put my big boy pants on and try to use a phone without rooting it. Something I have yet to do in EVER using an Android phone since about 10 years ago, and I have never ever used or bought an iCrap... I mean... an iPhone !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get a One+ 3T good development and really nice phone if you want root. Root is dead on Samsung phones and so are ROMs.
So by reading thru this thread, I assume having a T-mobile S7E (G935T) rooting is pointless and really not available the way I'm used to it coming from a Note 4. That's kind of a bummer... I've been using Android and have always had ROOT and all the goodies that come with it. And I recently starting really enjoying my Note 4 with all the cool development in Note 7 ported roms oh well... I wonder if the S7E is enough of an upgrade to keep my interest as stock?
I see there is a G935U firmware, but that seems a bit hit and miss? But I'm just starting to read up on all this... :good:
ShrekOpher said:
Get a One+ 3T good development and really nice phone if you want root. Root is dead on Samsung phones and so are ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe me bud, if Oneplus 5 or even 3T had an SD Card, I'd already have that phone, but thanks for your wisdom !
Araltd said:
So by reading thru this thread, I assume having a T-mobile S7E (G935T) rooting is pointless and really not available the way I'm used to it coming from a Note 4. That's kind of a bummer... I've been using Android and have always had ROOT and all the goodies that come with it. And I recently starting really enjoying my Note 4 with all the cool development in Note 7 ported roms oh well... I wonder if the S7E is enough of an upgrade to keep my interest as stock?
I see there is a G935U firmware, but that seems a bit hit and miss? But I'm just starting to read up on all this... :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You and I both man... The last few years, I have lived off the mercy of T-Mobile and their BLs being unlocked. But Samsung sure done them all in ! Even the International unlocked ones disable Samsung Pay (forever, mind you!) if Knox is tripped, which I believe it is, when rooted and TWRP'd.
As I understand it,
Android pay / Samsung pay is why they frown on rooting now. I can understand it, though I don't agree with it.
The first time someone's financial information is compromised, and they've ever used one of the "pay" methods, on a rooted device the pr nightmare that would ensue would make the note 7 fiasco look like child's play.
"Samsung unsecured device compromises persons credit card information today, while Apple is still secure" I can see the headline.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7E
Hi,
My questions are:
1 - Does any variant of the phone have NFC?
2 - I read that some people have issues with their GPS? Is that a manufacturing defect and only present in random units?
3 - Does anybody know how to reflash stock ROM for harpia? Because somebody might want to reflash stock ROM for some reason (not restore from TWRP backup), but wouldn't know how. I don't own the phone yet, but I am planning on buying it, so a guide would be useful to be made if somebody knows how to do it and is willing to make one as a seperate thread
Thanks in advance!
if you looking to buy, please wait for g5 play.
lazydesi said:
if you looking to buy, please wait for g5 play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why though? I think the G4 play is a great phone, not gonna use it for things like heavy gaming after all.
lazydesi said:
if you looking to buy, please wait for g5 play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why? What differences will there be?
proudlytm said:
Why though? I think the G4 play is a great phone, not gonna use it for things like heavy gaming after all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
screen will be 1080p
sd 430 chip
releases with nougat ( may get android O support)
will come with updated gps
I can quick whip up a guide soon on how to restore to the stock rom, I've done it several times before. Also, one perk to potentially waiting for the G5 to be released is it might drop the price of the G4 Play a small bit making it a better deal. Also most light casual gaming is very smooth, things such as Alto's Adventure, Dots, etc. I personally recommend it, mainly due to seeing how development is starting to pick up nicely (big thanks to all the debs too). Heck, the 2013 Falcon model of the Moto G is still getting a decent bit of Nougat roms, and it launched with Jellybean on it when I owned one
fireball0093 said:
I can quick whip up a guide soon on how to restore to the stock rom, I've done it several times before. Also, one perk to potentially waiting for the G5 to be released is it might drop the price of the G4 Play a small bit making it a better deal. Also most light casual gaming is very smooth, things such as Alto's Adventure, Dots, etc. I personally recommend it, mainly due to seeing how development is starting to pick up nicely (big thanks to all the debs too). Heck, the 2013 Falcon model of the Moto G is still getting a decent bit of Nougat roms, and it launched with Jellybean on it when I owned one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great! :good:
About the price dropping of G4, that doesn't really bother me, because I just want to buy the phone ASAP to stop using my old replacement phone! I also like the fact that the phone has official Lineage ROM status
I've watched some videos of gaming on the phone and the frame rates look high enough! :good:
Do you have any information about the GPS problem some people are complaining about? Do you have any personal experience with it?
proudlytm said:
That's great! :good:
About the price dropping of G4, that doesn't really bother me, because I just want to buy the phone ASAP to stop using my old replacement phone! I also like the fact that the phone has official Lineage ROM status
I've watched some videos of gaming on the phone and the frame rates look high enough! :good:
Do you have any information about the GPS problem some people are complaining about? Do you have any personal experience with it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got the guide completed, here's the link for anyone who wants it. Make sure you don't get the Amazon or Verizon variant because currently I don't think there are any methods of unlocking the bootloader right now. I don't have an problems with my GPS signal, it seems there must just be the occasional bad unit.
proudlytm said:
Do you have any information about the GPS problem some people are complaining about? Do you have any personal experience with it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lot of phones are shipping with GLONASS disabled on the GPS chip. That's why the GPS sucks outright. This is Lenovo's problem and they themselves have no idea how to fix it. So far, I've only heard of a Moto G5 and G5 Plus (no play edition), but if Lenovo makes the same mistake, they'll run the entire product line into the ground.
mkollersms said:
A lot of phones are shipping with GLONASS disabled on the GPS chip. That's why the GPS sucks outright. This is Lenovo's problem and they themselves have no idea how to fix it. So far, I've only heard of a Moto G5 and G5 Plus (no play edition), but if Lenovo makes the same mistake, they'll run the entire product line into the ground.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see.. Well, hope I don't happen on such unit..
fireball0093 said:
Just got the guide completed, here's the link for anyone who wants it. Make sure you don't get the Amazon or Verizon variant because currently I don't think there are any methods of unlocking the bootloader right now. I don't have an problems with my GPS signal, it seems there must just be the occasional bad unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for this. I really haven't been hesitant in the past but with this phone I'm a bit worried to dive right in.. This should definitely help out.
fireball0093 said:
Just got the guide completed, here's the link for anyone who wants it. Make sure you don't get the Amazon or Verizon variant because currently I don't think there are any methods of unlocking the bootloader right now. I don't have an problems with my GPS signal, it seems there must just be the occasional bad unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes now I think I have got a bad unit. 15 days are over and now I know Amazon will refuse to replace. Though I would go for replacement of the gps device. I am facing some serious problems with it.
In case you guys haven't figured it out yet, development, Imo, is dead. There isn't stable root, no rom development outside of slightly modded stuff to change your status bar and the most recent breakthrough was substratum... Which wasn't even meant for this phone but rather the s8 but it still works. Now I use and love substratum but I really want an aosp/pixel rom and stable root and Xposed but I don't think that any of this is coming ever. I could be wrong. But I'm tired of buying locked down Samsung devices because of this. This seems more like a rant but it's more of a psa to developers who wanna help the hopeless. Ya know?
RileyIssKing said:
In case you guys haven't figured it out yet, development, Imo, is dead. There isn't stable root, no rom development outside of slightly modded stuff to change your status bar and the most recent breakthrough was substratum... Which wasn't even meant for this phone but rather the s8 but it still works. Now I use and love substratum but I really want an aosp/pixel rom and stable root and Xposed but I don't think that any of this is coming ever. I could be wrong. But I'm tired of buying locked down Samsung devices because of this. This seems more like a rant but it's more of a psa to developers who wanna help the hopeless. Ya know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I purchased this phone coming from an Iphone 6Plus, thinking I could definitely obtain root on the most sold android phone still in use. Nope. Pretty disappointing as I think it may be the best phone ever made.
RileyIssKing said:
In case you guys haven't figured it out yet, development, Imo, is dead. There isn't stable root, no rom development outside of slightly modded stuff to change your status bar and the most recent breakthrough was substratum... Which wasn't even meant for this phone but rather the s8 but it still works. Now I use and love substratum but I really want an aosp/pixel rom and stable root and Xposed but I don't think that any of this is coming ever. I could be wrong. But I'm tired of buying locked down Samsung devices because of this. This seems more like a rant but it's more of a psa to developers who wanna help the hopeless. Ya know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't do enough research before buying S7. Coming from Nexus 6p this is really foreign to me. I saw s7 had root but didn't look into the 2 different processors, all the different carriers (it doesn't matter on Nexus devices.)
Far as Development goes...its probably not going to happen unless someone finds a way to unlock the bootloader. Next best thing might be Safe Strap but afaik there's nothing in the works.
For now I'm making the best of it. I'm having a decent experience with the Eng kernel. Currently looking into the nonrooted Rom. My hope is I'll be able to make some changes (like installing viper) then switching to the stock boot.img and trying to make those changes stick. Supposedly it's possible but I'm still trying to get some guidance. Experimenting with this phone sucks because the process for root is pretty long then setting everything up THEN it might not work so back to square one.
Especially once done with purchase plan or contract (should you have one) and out of warranty. After that point, it's mine to do with as I please! (I know, should be able to do it whenever, but I'm playing by their rules for a minute.) So it's already BS for those who bought first few months and have paid off.
Personally, what is driving me crazy is battery drain. I'm running about 144k on AnTuTu, so no major complaints with performance, but plugging it in more than once a day sucks. Power drain when I'm not doing anything: sucks. I know it's all this useless crapware running in the background, even tho I killed some with Package Disabler Pro. Just addressing that would improve my mood. If AT&T is trying to ensure we'll all look very carefully at unlocked phones next time, they are doing a bang-up job.