Looking to root my S7 Edge that is running on Total Wireless. The phone was a VZW phone. How much trouble is it root and what is the best non bloated rom to run on it.
Thanks in advance.
1fb17 said:
Looking to root my S7 Edge that is running on Total Wireless. The phone was a VZW phone. How much trouble is it root and what is the best non bloated rom to run on it.
Thanks in advance.
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The rooting is not very difficult if you're comfortable with using Odin or have used another image flasher before. The thing that sucks about it is that the current root is somewhat of a work around and has a huge performance and battery life issues. That being said, there are many "fixes" for this floating around. I say this in quotes because there seems to be a lot of mixed reports on these fixes working. Some have gotten their phones to be better than stock, others have close to stock performance/battery life but are left off a tad worse, others have phones that are left essentially unusable because of how slow the phone is and have to go back to stock. The silver lining is that I haven't seen anyone mention issues of bricking.
So while the root itself is fairly easy, it could be considered hard/annoying if you factor in all the CPU behavior tweaking you will have to perform afterwards to get the device to be usable again. Unfortunately this is all tied to the kernel so as far as I'm aware no change in ROM will help with these issues other than a tad of relief from the slowness if you use a debloated and optimzied ROM. So they don't directly fix the issue is what I'm saying.
I actually just made a post inquiring as to why this is, but otherwise if you just look at the "Verizon Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion" section of the forums you will quickly get a good idea of the situation.
Can the Verizon S7 Edge with U firm be rooted successfully with the 8 in this build number?
Related
So, I currently own an S6 on Verizon that I've left on whatever the most recent rootable firmware is. It has frustrated me to the point where I am about done with it.
I am looking into the S7 (or the edge, but we'll limit this discussion to the regular and assume that the discussions will translate to the edge), either the 930V or the 930U on Verizon. The cost is secondary to performance, features, and the ability to root the device and keep it rooted. Mainly I just need advice on the root front. I have skimmed the root threads enough to see that non-knox-tripping rooting is possible. I can deal with the lack of custom ROMs given the ability to install XPOSED and other general root stuff. However, I'd rather not end up with the same problem I've had on the Verizon S6, wherein I haven't been able to update past 5.02 in order to keep my root. What is the outlook for these devices in terms of root? Does it look like they will be able to take updates from Samsung or Verizon while maintaining root access (or reacquire root after updates)?
Secondly, given the desire to do whatever work is needed, is one or the other objectively better in terms of root ability, or in terms of features? I've read that some of the Verizon special network features aren't available on the U/V with U firmware, but that they might can be restored, however, this isn't a complete dealbreaker either way.
tl;dr: Given that staying on VZW is mandatory, and my concerns are: ability to root and also still take updates > performance and features > pretty much anything else, is either the 930U or the 930V the phone for me?
dustfinger314 said:
So, I currently own an S6 on Verizon that I've left on whatever the most recent rootable firmware is. It has frustrated me to the point where I am about done with it.
I am looking into the S7 (or the edge, but we'll limit this discussion to the regular and assume that the discussions will translate to the edge), either the 930V or the 930U on Verizon. The cost is secondary to performance, features, and the ability to root the device and keep it rooted. Mainly I just need advice on the root front. I have skimmed the root threads enough to see that non-knox-tripping rooting is possible. I can deal with the lack of custom ROMs given the ability to install XPOSED and other general root stuff. However, I'd rather not end up with the same problem I've had on the Verizon S6, wherein I haven't been able to update past 5.02 in order to keep my root. What is the outlook for these devices in terms of root? Does it look like they will be able to take updates from Samsung or Verizon while maintaining root access (or reacquire root after updates)?
Secondly, given the desire to do whatever work is needed, is one or the other objectively better in terms of root ability, or in terms of features? I've read that some of the Verizon special network features aren't available on the U/V with U firmware, but that they might can be restored, however, this isn't a complete dealbreaker either way.
tl;dr: Given that staying on VZW is mandatory, and my concerns are: ability to root and also still take updates > performance and features > pretty much anything else, is either the 930U or the 930V the phone for me?
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Buy a nexus. If you want to ensure root for a long time a nexus is your best bet.
Sent from my SM-G930V using XDA-Developers mobile app
That's definitely a possibility, but if the risk of losing root is moderate to low, I'd be willing to take the risk for the power and features that you get from a flagship. I have really liked the features my galaxies have had (quality of hardware like screen, camera, fingerprint sensor; hardware/ capacitive keys; even some of Touchwiz, such as the quick toggle format), and am hesitant to go backwards in those terms.
I just got a upgrade from the S6 to the S7 and the s7 is a much better phone. Battery life is much improved among things.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
wwonka69 said:
I just got a upgrade from the S6 to the S7 and the s7 is a much better phone. Battery life is much improved among things.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
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Unlesd you really need to root, I would avoid it. The battery life is still suspect. Look at the U firmware if you are interested.
Sent from my SM-G930U using Tapatalk
This may not be a good phone for your priorities (meaning any US S7): The s7 root relies on a bootloader exploit. We don't yet know if that exploit will carry over to/be renewed for Android 7. If not, then you may be stuck on Android 6 for S7 root. We don't yet know if future US builds will support the engineering boot-loader or the exploit as Samsung hasn't released a new US S7 carrier build since. We should expect all the new security features of the Note 7 to pass on to the S7.
dustfinger314 said:
So, I currently own an S6 on Verizon that I've left on whatever the most recent rootable firmware is. It has frustrated me to the point where I am about done with it.
I am looking into the S7 (or the edge, but we'll limit this discussion to the regular and assume that the discussions will translate to the edge), either the 930V or the 930U on Verizon. The cost is secondary to performance, features, and the ability to root the device and keep it rooted. Mainly I just need advice on the root front. I have skimmed the root threads enough to see that non-knox-tripping rooting is possible. I can deal with the lack of custom ROMs given the ability to install XPOSED and other general root stuff. However, I'd rather not end up with the same problem I've had on the Verizon S6, wherein I haven't been able to update past 5.02 in order to keep my root. What is the outlook for these devices in terms of root? Does it look like they will be able to take updates from Samsung or Verizon while maintaining root access (or reacquire root after updates)?
Secondly, given the desire to do whatever work is needed, is one or the other objectively better in terms of root ability, or in terms of features? I've read that some of the Verizon special network features aren't available on the U/V with U firmware, but that they might can be restored, however, this isn't a complete dealbreaker either way.
tl;dr: Given that staying on VZW is mandatory, and my concerns are: ability to root and also still take updates > performance and features > pretty much anything else, is either the 930U or the 930V the phone for me?
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I am in your boat. I have a rooted S6 running great on CleanROM/OE2 base. Phone has been rock solid for over a year - longest I've ever kept one phone and never been tempted to upgrade. It started to stutter and lag, so I did a data reset and its again running phenomenal with very few performance/battery tweaks.
I thought I'd pick up an S7, for the larger battery capacity more than anything, and also just thinking that a battery with a year less of use would be an improvement. So far I am not impressed with the S7. I followed all the guides (root, debloat, tuning) but have been getting pretty bad battery life.
I just reset back to stock last night and followed a different guide to de-bloat the phone on un-rooted firmware. We will see how it goes. If it doesn't work out great, I think I am selling the S7 and going back to the S6. I may experiment with the G930U firmware, but I appreciate HD calling.
I am going to try to do a somewhat comparative battery test using each phone for a day with similar use, and see what one performs better. Not sure the S7 will win, let alone justify a $150 price difference.
My CleanROM S6 is the best phone I have ever had so far. I was hoping the S7 would expand on that with better battery life.
I haven't been active (posting or lurking) since the S4 days, so I'm a little out of touch. I've been scouring the forum (this one and others) all night, and given the KNOX changes, locked boot-loader, non-removable battery, etc., made to the Galaxy S Series, I'm a little uncertain about the current state of affairs.
Long story short, I dropped my phone today and shattered the display. Phone still works and all, but it's hard to see anything. I, like everyone pretty much I guess, am eligible for a free upgrade. (I already paid for my current [broken] phone, so no issues there. I already called and asked.) April, or longer given the confirmed delay, is a long way off to wait for the S8 (though I probably will), but if I were to get my S7 tonight, here's my question:
If I'm not interested in new ROMs or anything and just want to root my phone so I can have full control (mainly just to delete bloat, but also to edit some various system cfg files... it's okay--I'm a professional ), is that still doable on the the S7 without much hassle?
~Zach~ said:
I haven't been active (posting or lurking) since the S4 days, so I'm a little out of touch. I've been scouring the forum (this one and others) all night, and given the KNOX changes, locked boot-loader, non-removable battery, etc., made to the Galaxy S Series, I'm a little uncertain about the current state of affairs.
Long story short, I dropped my phone today and shattered the display. Phone still works and all, but it's hard to see anything. I, like everyone pretty much I guess, am eligible for a free upgrade. (I already paid for my current [broken] phone, so no issues there. I already called and asked.) April, or longer given the confirmed delay, is a long way off to wait for the S8 (though I probably will), but if I were to get my S7 tonight, here's my question:
If I'm not interested in new ROMs or anything and just want to root my phone so I can have full control (mainly just to delete bloat, but also to edit some various system cfg files... it's okay--I'm a professional ), is that still doable on the the S7 without much hassle?
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You can root, but it's more difficult on Bootloader 4 to root and keeo activation. It's all luck of the draw on whether the phone you get will come with a firmware on a earlier firmware. If you're on the APH firmware or below I believe, you can downgrade to APE1 and root pretty easily while keeping activation. I'd personally recommend it only if you want to root and are fairly experienced. Glad the first device I rooted was an S3 and not this.
YMNDLZ said:
You can root, but it's more difficult on Bootloader 4 to root and keeo activation. It's all luck of the draw on whether the phone you get will come with a firmware on a earlier firmware. If you're on the APH firmware or below I believe, you can downgrade to APE1 and root pretty easily while keeping activation. I'd personally recommend it only if you want to root and are fairly experienced. Glad the first device I rooted was an S3 and not this.
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Yeah, I got my start on the S3, too. S4 was easy, too, thanks to all the hard work to some very proficient devs here, at least until that update Samsung pushed to tighten KNOX and whatnot.
Anyway, about the S7, I've seen a couple of guides here and there about rooting the S7, but more prevalent are the "OMG... I've lost all my services!" or "OMG! My phone deactivated!" follow-up replies, and then those followed up by "hacks" to maybe get things working again. All in all, though, there really isn't much internet chatter (messages, videos, guides, etc.) about rooting the S7 compared to the S3 and S4, hence why I get the feeling it's not really recommended until you are extremely determined.
~Zach~ said:
Yeah, I got my start on the S3, too. S4 was easy, too, thanks to all the hard work to some very proficient devs here, at least until that update Samsung pushed to tighten KNOX and whatnot.
Anyway, about the S7, I've seen a couple of guides here and there about rooting the S7, but more prevalent are the "OMG... I've lost all my services!" or "OMG! My phone deactivated!" follow-up replies, and then those followed up by "hacks" to maybe get things working again. All in all, though, there really isn't much internet chatter (messages, videos, guides, etc.) about rooting the S7 compared to the S3 and S4, hence why I get the feeling it's not really recommended until you are extremely determined.
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If you're fairly experienced with android rooting, go ahead and try it. I'd recommend backing up your pit file before you try anything though. Rooting and getting activation back on bootloader 3 is quite easy, but with the new FW's it's slightly more difficult. An XDA user has rooted the latest U firmware from sprint and has everything working from voice to data to all else. I'd recommend PMing @vegoja for help with bootloader 4 rooting, but anything with bootloader 3 rooting I can help you with. Good Luck!
Hello fellow s7 users..... i was wondering if i could possible get some help on this hellish root process that ive been waiting to gain. I have successfully rooted my device via pc, odin and that other stuff. However, my root access failed to keep activation as quick as it was to gain root. I was in the middle of disabling all the unwanted bloat ware and out of no where, my phone kicked itself into a reboot and fell victim to a bootloop. I managed my way out of it and was able to boot all the way through only to find out that a majority of the stock apps would "suddenly stop" itself. Took me a min to sort out that dilemma but after doing so, i realized that i no longer had root access but my device was still rooted...?? Ive done the uninstall, reinstall and clear data steps but still haven't been able to successfully grant superuser permissions. So maybe, i missed a step or misunderstood a thread but i cant seem to work my way around this predicament....... could someone please help me??
I apologize if I'm not on the right thread to ask for help.... worth trying at least.
Thank you
Hello,
I'm considering picking up a used Verizon GS7 (or GS7 Edge) until the Pixel 2 comes out. I absolutely need root (I use WiFi Hotspot Tethering, Xposed, AdAway, Titanium Backup, and several other root-required apps heavily.)
I have not been keeping up with the Verizon Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge rooting threads recently, but I just looked through the OP in this thread --- rooting, flashing the optimizations / fixes, and flashing Xposed all look quite simple compared to some of the other phones I've experienced.
Questions:
1) Is the method in the thread linked (above) still the process to root and optimize the Verizon variant, or are there preferable ways that will get the phone working better?
2) How much does the performance and battery life to stock after rooting, flashing the fixes and Xposed? (Please try to be as objective as possible - I know owning a you naturally are inclined to oversell it, but I need to know how much my performance and battery life will suffer from rooting, etc, because I use my phone almost constantly.
3) Besides Samsung Pay / Android Pay, does rooting break or negatively affect anything material? (Bluetooth, wifi, radios, sms, mms, calling/dialer, camera, sensors, software functionality, fast charge, fingerprint reader, or anything else?)
I figured you guys are probably the most knowledgeable about this subject, so I wanted to ask as many questions as I could before picking up a used Verizon S7 / S7 Edge.
Thanks!
I just bought an S7 for my mom, but she needs tethering also, so I am still reading and trying to figure out if I made a mistake buying it. So I feel ya man. Like to know also.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
IMHO, performance and battery life on the S7 with root are abysmal. I've been rooting my phones since 09 and I can't believe I actually use stock, unrooted Android on my S7. Root is that bad. The fixes made it slightly better, but it was still awful.
Buy an unlocked version or pass on this phone. I can speak for others but the lag and quirks on this phone after root suck.
The hybrid rom unrooted provides tethering and a clean rom base without a lot of bloat. You are SOL if you're wanting to run xposed and such unless you try to take all the steps from the tips and tricks to make a rooted s7 usable.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s7/development/rom-t3576124
Hello everyone,
I just bought an unlocked G935A (AT&T) s7e this morning, to use on Tmo. Not a fan of the bloatware, so I tried rooting it. Didn't work out, and I ended up flashing back to ATTs firmware circa September 2016 (goo.gl/ZwXTwX) (Baseband version: G935AUCS4API2, Build number: MMB29M.G935AUCS4API2)
My question is, where should I go from here? Is there a benefit to trying to flash to the unlocked or tmo variant? Is it worth it to update to Nougat, I've heard mixed reviews about the camera and battery life. Is there a way to get this horrible bloatware off, without ending up in a bootloop like I was stuck in before... I don't think I want to root the phone anymore, considering the solutions have a unstable disclaimer (https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s7/how-to/root-s7-att-g930a-g935a-t3410538). Overall phone stability, battery life, and camera consistency is super important to me, I'm going to be travelling all summer without access to a computer, and with limited electricity.
Also, I just gotta say I hate that Samsung doesn't host official firmware anywhere. I feel dirty having a random install on my phone now, and I didn't even get rid of the bloatware.
Anyway, thanks for the help!
Looks like you have an S7 edge, you might want to navigate over to the edge forum. This is the s7 regular forum.
dirtydodge said:
Looks like you have an S7 edge, you might want to navigate over to the edge forum. This is the s7 regular forum.
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Sorry, thank you!
Hey all,
First off let me just say great work to everyone involved with rooting this now "ancient" phone, especially klabit87 and jrkruse. Additionally, I do not mean to be ungrateful with this post, nor suggest that rooting a phone is easy, especially one with a locked bootloader, or that the users here are entitled to such a feature.
With that out of the way....
I haven't looked into rooting this phone EVER until now. Haven't even peaked at XDA or Googled anything, I didn't even know it was possible until yesterday. I've re-ROMed all my previous phones but was actually satisfied with the stock S7 experience other than a Launcher swap and dealing with the always laggy Google maps. Well recently I got a new car and got fed up with the obnoxious list/action limit that Android Auto has as the voice search can be quite unreliable, the letter search is somewhat bugged on the media player I use, and in the end all it does is encourage people to just use their phone to change songs/settings and send messages, thereby completely failing at its goal of being safer. So, I really wanted to get Xposed installed to use the module that makes AA a lot more usable; however, now that I've looked back into the scene a bit, I'm not so sure I want to move forward.
To preface my question: Every Android device I've had before was essentially either rootable or not and ultimately banked on a security exploit that was eventually found. There were never really any concerns about major issues unless you were changing ROMs, kernels, or testing major CPU behavior changes. Just rooting itself was almost always issue free other than a small bug or two or the need to reapply at reboot.
From what I gather, it seems to me that they only way currently to gain root privileges on this device is to install this ENG kernel that's talked about in a lot of more recent posts. Is it truly the case that someone had to write a kernel from scratch that was pre-rooted and as of right now there is no way to root the device as it is stock? Is it that the only known exploit is how to flash another kernel, and the stock kernel is still locked up tight? It sucks that the current root seems so unstable/slow. I know there are a plethora of fixes but there really is no one major fix (other than potentially reflashing the stock bootloader that for some reason seems to work), and its a matter of installing a boat load of CPU and resource management tweaks and even then the performance/battery life isn't quite stock. Additionally it seems like its definitely a YMMV kind of thing as some users seem to still have significant battery drain or slowness/heat even after trying tons of fixes.
Since I am just now getting familiar with the "homebrew" the phone I've had for 3+ years and know nothing about the work that's been done, I genuinely just want to know the technical implications that got in the way of a cleaner root and why the current root method is stuck as sort of a work-around so to speak. The people that manage these breakthroughs rarely post about the process they went through unless its pertinent to a guide on how to root, so I was just curious why the root for this device is in the current state it is.
I would really like to root my Edge so I can be done with the AA nonsense but after just getting a new battery put in I really don't want to go through ****ty battery life again haha.
Thanks to all who weigh in.
Verizon requires most if not all manufacturers to lock the bootloaders. This is also Samsung choice as well. The T-mobile S7/edge and newer have locked bootloaders as well. Difference is T-mobile leaves it up to the OEMs whether they want to lock it or not. With some U.S. businesses and enterprises using Samsung Galaxy devices. They focus on being "enterprise ready" which makes sense from a business standpoint.
Believe it or not, Samsung used to be developer friendly when the S II came out. They even gave away Galaxy S2 devices to some XDA devs.
So, if you want a Samsung device with an unlock able bootloader. Get one that has an Exynos SoC or the Chinese Snapdragon variant.