Develop Bugs

Reasons to root?

I have never rooted a phone before(well technically I rooted an HTC Inspire, which I was asked to do, but I did nothing on it involving the Root). What are some reasons I should root, and can anything go wrong during the root process? Just putting this out there, I will not be flashing any ROMs, as I know there is a chance that the device can be bricked While flashing if something goes wrong, and I do not have a spare phone to go back to if something does go wrong.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

If your not going to use customs ROMs having root access will allow you to delete any app you desire including all the preloaded sprint ones. You will also be able to download and use any apps that require root for enhanced functionality. Beyond that, there's not a whole lot of difference you'll see.
In the early days, people would do root only to adjust memory values on phones like the g1 and hero. There were a lot of settings you could tweak on a stock phone to make it better with the addition of root. Now with today's technology and phones like the E4GT, alot of those tweaks are unnecessary. The ones that are helpful are lower level and best done by a ROM dev or someone who knows what they are changing. Custom ROMs will have these included usually.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

Removing bloatware that wastes ram and flash storage space, certain apps are smoother (tasker, some launchers, and custom lockscreens for example), ability to block ads, better backup capabilities, ability to underclock the cpu for those times you need to squeeze extra battery life out, and so on.
If none of this sounds important, then don't root. It can be a little bit of a puzzle getting back to stock sometimes, but it is extremely extremely hard to do something to your phone that is not reversible at this point. Note this statement is not true for all phones, especially newly released phones. But it is true for the epic touch.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

Yeah.. I second what the guy above said..lol.
Wasup King..

I third the guy above the guy above me and second the guy above him... My thoughts are if you have to make a thread asking others should I root when the basic community offers all the info on the profit or lost of rooting then I say leave your phone alone.
Do yourself a favor and get an extended battery and download foxfi and you will be just fine. Most of us... ok all of us in here are flash-a-holics and can't help ourselves that's why we do it... Do some reading in here take a look at rom pics and see if you really really really like something...
Good luck

playya said:
I third the guy above the guy above me and second the guy above him... My thoughts are if you have to make a thread asking others should I root when the basic community offers all the info on the profit or lost of rooting then I say leave your phone alone.
Do yourself a favor and get an extended battery and download foxfi and you will be just fine. Most of us... ok all of us in here are flash-a-holics and can't help ourselves that's why we do it... Do some reading in here take a look at rom pics and see if you really really really like something...
Good luck
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The truth can sometimes be cruel..lol. +1 to Playa..

The best thing about rooting for me is adblocking, I cant believe how many apps and things are bundled with intrusive ads.

Indrid Cole said:
The truth can sometimes be cruel..lol. +1 to Playa..
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Click to collapse
Just trying to keep it real up in herrrrre! Ya Ya!

someguyatx said:
The best thing about rooting for me is adblocking, I cant believe how many apps and things are bundled with intrusive ads.
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Click to collapse
Just another app that root brings to the table:
Roam control lets you force into roam when you are stuck with one bar on Sprint.
Godsend for me!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

playya said:
I third the guy above the guy above me and second the guy above him... My thoughts are if you have to make a thread asking others should I root when the basic community offers all the info on the profit or lost of rooting then I say leave your phone alone.
Do yourself a favor and get an extended battery and download foxfi and you will be just fine. Most of us... ok all of us in here are flash-a-holics and can't help ourselves that's why we do it... Do some reading in here take a look at rom pics and see if you really really really like something...
Good luck
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Click to collapse
I have seen several ROMs I love the look of, including AOKP, CM9, and Caulkin's ROMs. My only issue with ROMs is the fact that things can go wrong with flashing, and they can brick the device. And from what ive heard, there is an increased chance of bricking when flashing an ICS ROM while on GB. I have no backup device to go to if something like that does happen, so thats why Im staying away from flashing for now.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

EggosEvo said:
I have seen several ROMs I love the look of, including AOKP, CM9, and Caulkin's ROMs. My only issue with ROMs is the fact that things can go wrong with flashing, and they can brick the device. And from what ive heard, there is an increased chance of bricking when flashing an ICS ROM while on GB. I have no backup device to go to if something like that does happen, so thats why Im staying away from flashing for now.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The brick usually come from flashing to gb from ics using ics repacked kernels. There is always some risk/chance of brick from a bad flash, but El26 with cwm is fairly safe and the last kernel to have offical cwm. That is the only kernel i will use to flash anythin. I flash new roms every week. I have flashed to and from ics with no issues.
Sent on HyDrA using Tapatalk 2

EggosEvo said:
I have seen several ROMs I love the look of, including AOKP, CM9, and Caulkin's ROMs. My only issue with ROMs is the fact that things can go wrong with flashing, and they can brick the device. And from what ive heard, there is an increased chance of bricking when flashing an ICS ROM while on GB. I have no backup device to go to if something like that does happen, so thats why Im staying away from flashing for now.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
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Click to collapse
My friend you have been misinformed.... There is a risk in everything we do so like I said if worried don't do it. If you take some more time and read you will see that the tar files are pretty brick proof and problems have occurred when flashing roms on ICS and using an ICS recovery. Most developers have stopped using CWM in ICS roms.
Clearly you need to do a lil more reading if you want to root but like suggested just relax and wait for the OTA and you will be OK.... One more thing all instructions say to flashEL26 kernel which is GB to flash anything ICS..... so flashing ICS rom while on GB is wrong

EggosEvo said:
I have never rooted a phone before(well technically I rooted an HTC Inspire, which I was asked to do, but I did nothing on it involving the Root). What are some reasons I should root, and can anything go wrong during the root process? Just putting this out there, I will not be flashing any ROMs, as I know there is a chance that the device can be bricked While flashing if something goes wrong, and I do not have a spare phone to go back to if something does go wrong.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Titanium Backup: remove those pesky system apps that Sprint really thinks you need.
2. File explorers: Being able to modify system folders to change things like the boot animation, etc.
3. Ad blocking: The ability to block ads (moral issues notwithstanding... but some apps have no paid version to get rid of the ads.)
4. Once you've rooted, it's just the beginning. You may change your mind about flashing and rooting your phone is the first step in learning more about your phone and the AndroidOS in general.

I have not seem anyone mention that it's also about the about the damn principal of the matter... why shouldn't you have root access for a device you bought? Also if you ODIN back to EL26 to flash, carefully read all instructions posted with the rom, and wait a day or two after the release and check the comments to make sure there hasn't been some sort of inexplicable rash of bricks thanks to the rom you won't have any problems to speak of... other than not being able to fathom how much better something like AOKP is than stock touchwiz gingerbread

Thanks to everyone. I've decided that I will root when the official ICS launches for my phone.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

Personally, I root to follow fledging developers open their ROMs. It is exhilarating to see the new stuff that people come up with and the creativity that ensues because of it.
Also enhancing my phone experience with free hotspot access and customization doesn't help. However if none of these interesting you I wouldn't recommend it.

Reason to root
I root because it can be done. It's that simple. To me, it feels like regardless of the magnitude of what you can or cannot do while rooted, or how easy or difficult it may be to root your phone, a skilled user should have access to everthing your phone is capable of.
Plus, I feel like I'm "sticking it to the man", which is an added bonus!

My main reason for rooting was to remove the bundled software that comes with the phone. But I love that fact that I don't have any ads either! If u decide to root, download AdFree from the market & u'll realize just how many "free" apps use adware

APP EMMC chip check

This thread is to make everyone aware of the brick bug.
If you have upgraded to ICS do not do a factory reset.
This app by chainfire will check if your phone has a dangerous chip.
For more info go to chainfire's original thread and read all the other attached links in the OP
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=27014974

I think this should be stickied until everything is safe

mate most s2 users are safe as custom kernels come with wipe emmc set to 0..its jus that people dun knw abt it and the word brick is considered taboo as most are more scared of it more than voldemorts !

milan188 said:
This thread is to make everyone aware of the brick bug.
If you have upgraded to ICS do not do a factory reset.
This app by chainfire will check if your phone has a dangerous chip.
For more info go to chainfire's original thread and read all the other attached links in the OP
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=27014974
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Click to collapse
I think you need to be more specific in order to NOT PANIC all noobs on the site or who arent comfortable with flashing or upgrading.
This bug DOES NOT really affect SGS2 that much, chain himself admits sgs2 chips and kernels are fairly safe, its the note that suffered, witnessed it first hand with a whole host of bricked devices, i havent met anyone on the sgs2 yet that this has affected.
IF YOU ARE RUNNING GB OR ICS OFFICIAL OR INDEED A SAMSUNG LEAK THEN YOU ARE SAFE, NO NEED TO WORRY.
I imagine this info would be useful only to those whom are developing or indeed flashing customs, anyone unsure, follow post 1 links and read the attached links to chains post to decide for yourself, i must stress, this bug again only occured to those flashing custom roms and kernels on the note, it doesnt affect stock.

graemeg said:
I think you need to be more specific in order to NOT PANIC all noobs on the site or who arent comfortable with flashing or upgrading.
This bug DOES NOT really affect SGS2 that much, chain himself admits sgs2 chips and kernels are fairly safe, its the note that suffered, witnessed it first hand with a whole host of bricked devices, i havent met anyone on the sgs2 yet that this has affected.
IF YOU ARE RUNNING GB OR ICS OFFICIAL OR INDEED A SAMSUNG LEAK THEN YOU ARE SAFE, NO NEED TO WORRY.
I imagine this info would be useful only to those whom are developing or indeed flashing customs, anyone unsure, follow post 1 links and read the attached links to chains post to decide for yourself, i must stress, this bug again only occured to those flashing custom roms and kernels on the note, it doesnt affect stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I downloaded that apk and ran it on my galaxy s2. It says that I have the eMMC chip that is *known* to have the brick bug. I have recently flashed ParanoidAndroid ROM, and flashed the latest Siyah Kernel for SGS2, I didn't experience any lockups, which is understandable as Entropy has stated that it can happen on the third or fourth go, so it doesn't have a fixed pattern. In addition, there are several conditions that needs to be met simultaneously to be in true danger here, according to Entropy512.
From what I can see the most sensible thing to do for now is to stop any tinkering with the device until samsung has issued the fix. But yea as you said, it's mainly the notes suffering here... :-\

Obliterator said:
I downloaded that apk and ran it on my galaxy s2. It says that I have the eMMC chip that is *known* to have the brick bug. I have recently flashed ParanoidAndroid ROM, and flashed the latest Siyah Kernel for SGS2, I didn't experience any lockups, which is understandable as Entropy has stated that it can happen on the third or fourth go, so it doesn't have a fixed pattern.
So am I in danger with this? From what I can see the most sensible thing to do for now is to stop any tinkering with the device until samsung has issued the fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you actually read chainfires thread this only affects most generally the note... All ics roms official and leaks are safe to flash as they removed the ability, when formatting a partition, for it not to be erased.
So keep on tinkering.... if you wish to do so.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA

graemeg said:
I think you need to be more specific in order to NOT PANIC all noobs on the site or who arent comfortable with flashing or upgrading.
This bug DOES NOT really affect SGS2 that much, chain himself admits sgs2 chips and kernels are fairly safe, its the note that suffered, witnessed it first hand with a whole host of bricked devices, i havent met anyone on the sgs2 yet that this has affected.
IF YOU ARE RUNNING GB OR ICS OFFICIAL OR INDEED A SAMSUNG LEAK THEN YOU ARE SAFE, NO NEED TO WORRY.
I imagine this info would be useful only to those whom are developing or indeed flashing customs, anyone unsure, follow post 1 links and read the attached links to chains post to decide for yourself, i must stress, this bug again only occured to those flashing custom roms and kernels on the note, it doesnt affect stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
89 pages in the Epic 4G Touch SGS2.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1644364&page=1
Well you can tell that to my SGS2 that went back to Sprint for a replacement refurb because it's in the SGS2 as well. All I had to do was take a couple pictures and it was gone forever. Others are just plugging theirs in and gone. This doesn't even have to take place during a bad flash either, but devs are pretty much thinking it occurs after 3 or more wipe data/restore operations. There is an entire thread dedicated to EMMC deaths and It's not narrowed down to just Notes. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1712230
Plenty more to read on the SPH-D710 models also as mine is. I wouldn't suggest too many flashes which of course require a data wipe until this is resolved.
Thanks Milan for the link. I've been looking for Chainfires App...

possible emmc brick fix - Odin...

I was going through the Stuck at Data.img thread and came across the post below from Jaymoon and just thought others may want to take a look at it. It looks like you can bring your phone back to life.... Hope it helps a few of you
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=27852689&postcount=435
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=27888069&postcount=444

What I personally don't want is people going straight to that and then not taking it to Sprint if they can get replaced for free - so they should at least check out their options even after they get it running. But however they get back in the game is what matters in the end... Glad it worked for them.
Question though: If someone gets this running and then claims TEP or warranty repair/replace will it be honored? I'm not sure since I don't have available for me and it would seem that most techs are going to say it's not hardware if they can't see it for themselves. (Versus the bootloop with the unmodified .PIT file.)

garwynn said:
What I personally don't want is people going straight to that and then not taking it to Sprint if they can get replaced for free - so they should at least check out their options even after they get it running. But however they get back in the game is what matters in the end... Glad it worked for them.
Question though: If someone gets this running and then claims TEP or warranty repair/replace will it be honored? I'm not sure since I don't have available for me and it would seem that most techs are going to say it's not hardware if they can't see it for themselves. (Versus the bootloop with the unmodified .PIT file.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most people will probably be happy it booted up. After possible weeks or days at looking at the blue light or Samsung screen... LOL

playya said:
Most people will probably be happy it booted up. After possible weeks or days at looking at the blue light or Samsung screen... LOL
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If you can get into recovery or ODIN, your device is not bricked. At least not with this phone. Only true brick for the E4GT is the Blue-Light-Of-Death symptom.

akarol said:
If you can get into recovery or ODIN, your device is not bricked. At least not with this phone. Only true brick for the E4GT is the Blue-Light-Of-Death symptom.
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Click to collapse
I agree with this to the extent of the android definition of the word bricked. But that doesn't mean the phone is usable in its current state. The emmc bug cause a phone to not boot or accept a full Odin flash. So while it may get into recovery or download mode it is still pretty useless until the issue with emmc is resolved.
I also agree that people should explore their options before paying 8GB of internal memory to get their phone back up. If you can get a free replacement then that's how I would go about it.
Sent using an AOKP'd ET4G courtesy of Times_Infinity!

akarol said:
If you can get into recovery or ODIN, your device is not bricked. At least not with this phone. Only true brick for the E4GT is the Blue-Light-Of-Death symptom.
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Click to collapse
you obviously dont know about the emmc bug. unless the partition can be fixed and repaired now (which it may be now)...

scarmon25 said:
I agree with this to the extent of the android definition of the word bricked. But that doesn't mean the phone is usable in its current state. The emmc bug cause a phone to not boot or accept a full Odin flash. So while it may get into recovery or download mode it is still pretty useless until the issue with emmc is resolved.
I also agree that people should explore their options before paying 8GB of internal memory to get their phone back up. If you can get a free replacement then that's how I would go about it.
Sent using an AOKP'd ET4G courtesy of Times_Infinity!
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Click to collapse
One note from Drnull's test that does differ - the locations in memory are different for the GNote and the E4GT. His original tests noted you can bypass just the existing assignment for /data and begin reallocation from where the old one ended - resulting in only losing 2GB instead of 8GB. No one ever made a modified .PIT since most people were able to replace.
Let me see if I can track down the stock one and modify it based on those notes. I know I have it at home, just wondering if I have it here at the office...

Hey if this can help a few its better than having a paperweight sitting in your house. I agree like I said with most that exhaust all other options first. But if you have no other option and you have the same symptons as those listed to be repairable in the thread then I say go for it.

akarol said:
If you can get into recovery or ODIN, your device is not bricked. At least not with this phone. Only true brick for the E4GT is the Blue-Light-Of-Death symptom.
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Click to collapse
Yeah that's the same thing I said in the op of ''Stuck at Data Img'' thread.
Lol..... Kinda wish the thread would go away... brings back bad memories. ;-)
Glad tho it looks as if a resolution may have come.

Got mine working again hope it lasts
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

playya said:
I was going through the Stuck at Data.img thread and came across the post below from Jaymoon and just thought others may want to take a look at it. It looks like you can bring your phone back to life.... Hope it helps a few of you
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=27852689&postcount=435
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey maybe you can change the title of this to catch more brickers attention....it seems very useful and a great find. Like "possible emmc brick fix - Odin" or something.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

ive done 3 phones in a similar fashion.. but all with terminal commands.
where you can find the corrupted amount and skip it. and maybe not lose the whole 8gb. but, you have to realize, it makes things different in the future.
everytime you odin you will have to use a custom pit. you have to careful about a lot of different things going forward. one being that GB kernels will no longer recognize your partitions. (at least on hand created, converted partitions) TEP/Insurance is by far a better way to go..

dante32278 said:
Hey maybe you can change the title of this to catch more brickers attention....it seems very useful and a great find. Like "possible emmc brick fix - Odin" or something.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion. I edited the Stuck at Data Img op.

Thank you . My phone was soft bricked , this help me I lost 8 gb but I am back on .

dante32278 said:
Hey maybe you can change the title of this to catch more brickers attention....it seems very useful and a great find. Like "possible emmc brick fix - Odin" or something.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your wish is my command... done! Also I know some are saying the option of just using TEP and other means but lets remember some of us on here use different carriers with the ET4G and can't go back to Sprint or use TEP so this may be the only alternative for them...
I just want to bring attention to an alternative... Good Luck guys

bump for some more views

playya said:
bump for some more views
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mid morning bump

I'm going to contact hg42 on his thread and see if he'd be willing to create a .PIT and find out what he needs to do it - I'm guessing it would be a list of each partition, starting position in memory and size.
In the meantime those of you who can't get it fixed by warranty and are using this solution - keep an eye on the eMMC discussion thread as well for updates on efforts to get a true fix for the problem.

garwynn said:
I'm going to contact hg42 on his thread and see if he'd be willing to create a .PIT and find out what he needs to do it - I'm guessing it would be a list of each partition, starting position in memory and size.
In the meantime those of you who can't get it fixed by warranty and are using this solution - keep an eye on the eMMC discussion thread as well for updates on efforts to get a true fix for the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats what I am talking bout. I just bump this thread for views since I know some of the people who had issues may not check here everyday. Its getting about 200-300 views a day so at least is bringing awareness to a possible fix for some and a fix for quite a few

creating a pit is not hard i have the c source.. and anyone who has sucessfully repaired theirs can do it with heimdall..

[Q] What makes ICS worth the risk to you?

Hey guys. I'm just coming to the 4g touch after hard bricking my Fascinate. I'm a little hesitant to flash an ICS rom on this thing after the brick. From what I'm reading here it seems ICS roms on this phone are even less stable than they are on the Fascinate and causing a lot of hard bricks.
Really the only differences I noticed in ICS were the ability to pull down the notifications bar from the lock screen(which I absolutely loved) and the panorama camera option which can be had using Camera ICS. Is there something else I'm missing?
With better battery life, better performance and stability in GB, what brings you to ICS prior to source being released?

iztel said:
Hey guys. I'm just coming to the 4g touch after hard bricking my Fascinate. I'm a little hesitant to flash an ICS rom on this thing after the brick. From what I'm reading here it seems ICS roms on this phone are even less stable than they are on the Fascinate and causing a lot of hard bricks.
Really the only differences I noticed in ICS were the ability to pull down the notifications bar from the lock screen(which I absolutely loved) and the panorama camera option which can be had using Camera ICS. Is there something else I'm missing?
With better battery life, better performance and stability in GB, what brings you to ICS prior to source being released?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The risk of bricking has been minimized through the hard work of our Devs and programming community. If you thoroughly read and follow posted installation instructions you aren't likely to brick.
People mainly brick when they get in a rush, or try and take short cuts or simply disregard posted instructions.
There are plenty of enhancements in ICS over GB, I'd suggest people flash a ROM and explore them for yourself. Just read, read, read and ask questions before you ever take any step you are unsure of.

I'll agree with Esoteric68 here. She's spot on about the 'brick' issue. Do you research before you do anything!
As to the why of it? This is xda developers the people here tend to be into tweaking (in the non-meth sense) with technology and like to ride the bleeding edge of technology or squeeze out the most from the old stuff.
I've like the ICS builds for some of the items you've mentioned. Plus I get to stay ahead of the curve, as it where with my technology. Myself I've only had one application that won't support ICS and found another one to supplant it. I like the smoothness and tweaks I can do with ICS.
There are some really great developers here and some awesome ROMs to play with. Just, as already mentioned, read 1st and be careful.

I was scared to flash ICS for a couple months because it wasn't official but I've done my research like everyone says to do. I can't tell you how many times I've flashed ICS roms this past week, not one scare. Just read up and do as the devs say and you'll be good. If you're not sure, ask questions.

I've got the same question as the op roughly. I know that it isn't much of a risk flashing ICS nowadays, but am wondering what in ICS was worth it for people to make the change. I've looked around and don't see too many features really that I don't see in GB so i feel like i'm missing something.

I'm also one who appreciates all the work the devs do to put together these roms for all of us with all the tweaks they put in. Like I mentioned I'm just now waiting to get my 4g touch in the mail tomorrow after bricking my Fascinate. I had been running a number of ICS roms on my Fassy prior to the brick and while I loved playing with them it seemed like the tweaks the devs put into the roms were unrelated to the actual update of the OS. I had been flashing roms for that phone since the early Froyo days so I had thought I had a pretty good idea of what I was doing and always read the proper way to flash things but then one fateful day I tried to flash the latest MIUI coming from MIUI 1.2.9 and ended up with a bootloop, I think I forgot to wipe date/cache. No problem I thought, this has happened before, just ODIN stock and start over. But then something went terribly wrong in ODIN and now I'm left with a phone that won't turn on, won't charge and comes up as "unrecognized" on my pc. If I could just get it into download mode I could save it but I haven't been able to. Now it's got me a little more cautious of what I flash and how often I'll be flashing.
Maybe the devs can answer this since they know more about insides of the OS. Are there things you can modify in ICS that were not possible in GB?

There is a very long and technical thread about the ICS 'super bricking' issue here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1644364
Basically Sammy screwed the pooch with the way ICS kernels make(s) calls to wipe partitions, particularly the EMMC controller.
It's actually a 'hard coded' firmware thing. But since it is firmware, it should be fixable via a firmware flash. It's just we don't really have that code access from Sammy and they seem to be dragging their feet on this.
There are even OTA updates in Europe (France primarily) that are superbricking a load of Galaxy Notes!
sfhub, Entropy512, garwynn and others with way more skills than most are on it. Esoteric68, robertm2011 and a few others took the risk and spent the time to test the workarounds and fixes that were put together. And you'll see from all the activity here that if caution is used you can pretty safely flash away. Since I've had time this week I've actually flashed about 8 different ROMs and restored nandroids too.
Just keep in mind to read the OPs of any ROM and follow their flashing instructions, read the 'how not to brick' stickies etc.
sfhub, chris41g and Agat put together some great 'safe' kernels.
If you're truly worried you can always use sfhub's one-click to get you to a stock FF18 build - kernel, ROM and modem at one shot.
ICS builds are really quite different in the structure to GB. So yes, as a developer, there are a few more things you can do. It's just a matter of figuring out where things are.
Good luck and have fun!

my location services and gps were horrendous with the el29 update, on ICS its soooooo much better, that made it worth the risk to me

I read and read and read and read a little more until I no longer saw it as a risk. It became more of a "why not?" Now that I have experienced ICS I will never go back. I really like the streamlined multitasking. I think that is the prominent feature. :cyclops:

The old adage is: Don't fly higher than your willing to fall.
In this situation, practice techniques, development and ROMs on a device you're not afraid of bricking. Consider it a "tool of the trade". The OLED phones are starting to appear in pawn shops for little money.

I have asurion insurance and am trying to find a reason to use it so I didn't waste my money
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

By far my favorite feature is the swipe away notifications. The few times I have been back on GB that was the first thing that bothered me. I can never go back. Especially after tasting AOSP. TouchWiz is trash for me. I suggest you try CM9 or AOKP. Both excellent ROMs with great support right now. There are many more reasons why ICS is superior, depending on preference I suppose, but the bottom line is at this point, with safe recoveries being released, your chance of bricking are I'd say slim provided you follow instructions. I have flashed probably 40 Roms over the last few months. Only time I soft bricked was cause I tried to cowboy up and not follow directions...
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

I'm confused. Whats the risk?
ICS is dead simple to install if you know how to read.
(genuinely curious seeing as i've had ICS (in different forms) on my E4GT since it was possible. Currently on CM9.)

Yep I echo everyone's advice. Ask questions!
I got the phone a month ago and remember starting a thread asking a ton of questions and I got all the help I needed.
Flashing roms and the terminology (had never heard of Odin) was completely different from the last phone I had, so I am glad I did my homework before taking the plunge.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

There's no risk...
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

It is safe to flash ICS using ODIN and the newer recoveries. FF18 should be safe, I used it a few times, el26 is the recommend kernel/recovery to flash any cwm zip with as far as anything that includes wiping partitions.
Just remember ODIN ODIN ODIN!
Flash ICS based roms at your own risk, stay away from wipe data/factory reset on any ICS rom until it has been confirmed working on new roms. When using other ICS roms and you are not sure, DO NOT FACTORY RESET OR WIPE DATA. USE ODIN TO GET BACK TO A SAFE KERNEL.
Sent from my piece of crap Zio until i get a replacement E4GT using XDA Premium app

What risk? Read the how to's and no so how to's, and the risk gets eliminated.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

Watch this thread... Soon there should be no risk at all!!!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28400468
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

HELP
Can anyone tell me if it is safe to install a build version of ICS to my already flashed epic 4g touch? Any help its greatly appreciated!
Thanks

ICS isn't where you get in trouble. Its going back to gb or doing a factory reset wipe. Use calks wipe all instead of using wipes in an ICS recovery and you will be golden. Read the how not to brick my phone thread if you are really paranoid.
Blu Kuban
Its what all the cool kids are using.
Noob trolled the troll that tried to troll the Noob.
~~~coal686~~~

Strange amount of Bricked devices anyone else notice

I seen someone mention that
People have been labeling tw roms and aosp roms incorrectly,There have been an unusual amount of brick topics lately, anyone else wondering if we are dealing with standard "flashing" user error, or actual misleading info on certain roms . Many of the most novice to longtime xda members have even been bricking over the stupidist stuff.
This device t999 specifically

bricking this(any) phone by flashing an incorrect rom isnt that easy to be honest... plus the worst that can happen by flashing is usually a softbrick a.k.a bootloop. (unless your an idiot and you flash stuff from a different device)
i mean i may just be way too experienced after 8 years of hacking away at android, but its not simple to brick a phone. its usually caused by lack of attention. for example, most people dont even read the OP of roms threads the whole way. they just download and flash and come back and say "why doesnt this work?"
im also curious how many people actually tried to use ODIN to restore there phone before they proclaimed "hard brick"

ziggy46 said:
i mean i may just be way too experienced after 8 years of hacking away at android, but its not simple to brick a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have literally 4.5 months of experience with Android and I feel the way you do so I think it's largely lack of paying attention or not doing the research and reading first. I've tried multiple ROMs on my phone and I've helped friends learn how to root and understand the process of installing ROMs and no one has had a brick yet.
If you jump out of an airplane without learning how to use your parachute what do you expect ?
The S3 most likely has a high number of bricks because it has a huge user-base - thus even if the proportions are the same as other devices there are more people by number who are trying things without knowing what they're doing and those people are going to end up with bricks.
I've certainly seen times when the ROM was to blame, but it's almost always not a hard brick. That's the chance you take with installing a custom ROM - sometimes there are bugs and stuff happens. If you can't accept that possibility don't flash.

Pennycake said:
I have literally 4.5 months of experience with Android and I feel the way you do so I think it's largely lack of paying attention or not doing the research and reading first. I've tried multiple ROMs on my phone and I've helped friends learn how to root and understand the process of installing ROMs and no one has had a brick yet.
If you jump out of an airplane without learning how to use your parachute what do you expect ?
The S3 most likely has a high number of bricks because it has a huge user-base - thus even if the proportions are the same as other devices there are more people by number who are trying things without knowing what they're doing and those people are going to end up with bricks.
I've certainly seen times when the ROM was to blame, but it's almost always not a hard brick. That's the chance you take with installing a custom ROM - sometimes there are bugs and stuff happens. If you can't accept that possibility don't flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ahh the userbase! thats a good one thanks for pointing it out. i also believe that users from other variants end up here and flash the incorrect rom by google-ing "roms for s3" and going to the first xda link they see. which may lead to flashing improper roms resulting in the $400 paper weight

999 times out of 1000 it's user error.

DaMn NoObS
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

Yes user error is to blame nobody likes to search or even read for that matter

Reading fixes 99.999% of all common newb problems
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

If anyone hard bricks this device they deserve it. You literally almost have to intentionally try to brick in order to do so.
On another note... I haven't seen many brick threads with ppl that actually broke their devices
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

Most brick threads I've seen lately are either softbricks, boot loops or not bricked at all, just errors from dirty flashing.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

ziggy46 said:
ahh the userbase! thats a good one thanks for pointing it out. i also believe that users from other variants end up here and flash the incorrect rom by google-ing "roms for s3" and going to the first xda link they see. which may lead to flashing improper roms resulting in the $400 paper weight
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 i definitely agree with what you said. my friend searched on google "how to root galaxy s3" attempting to root her AT&T GS3, and almost ended up with a brick (she found an international s3 root method) had she not came and asked me first...phew that was close.

It's just called common sense, not many have it.

Most I have seen are soft breaks and user panics before either: clearing cachy and factory reset or Odin. They just jump straight to I have a break.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

Name of post should be "Strange amount of idiots bricking their phones"
Sent from Flip's S3

ziggy46 said:
bricking this(any) phone by flashing an incorrect rom isnt that easy to be honest... plus the worst that can happen by flashing is usually a softbrick a.k.a bootloop. (unless your an idiot and you flash stuff from a different device)
i mean i may just be way too experienced after 8 years of hacking away at android, but its not simple to brick a phone. its usually caused by lack of attention. for example, most people dont even read the OP of roms threads the whole way. they just download and flash and come back and say "why doesnt this work?"
im also curious how many people actually tried to use ODIN to restore there phone before they proclaimed "hard brick"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow bro 8 years of android hacking? Can I borrow your flux capacitor? First android phone released 10/2008

sbell7105 said:
Wow bro 8 years of android hacking? Can I borrow your flux capacitor? First android phone released 10/2008
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i over-exaggerated a little its actually only about 5 years... im 16 now and i started when i was 10-11ish

ziggy46 said:
i over-exaggerated a little its actually only about 5 years... im 16 now and i started when i was 10-11ish
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aww man 16? does that mean I wasted my flux capacitor reference? Just messing around I figured it was a typo or something I just couldn't resist :laugh:

NoOooOoOObs
ziggy46 said:
bricking this(any) phone by flashing an incorrect rom isnt that easy to be honest... plus the worst that can happen by flashing is usually a softbrick a.k.a bootloop. (unless your an idiot and you flash stuff from a different device).........
im also curious how many people actually tried to use ODIN to restore there phone before they proclaimed "hard brick"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm one. (lol)
Aerowinder said:
999 times out of 1000 it's user error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bfranklin1986 said:
DaMn NoObS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google and XDA Premium have been my friend throughout my past few years with T-Mobile... since the days of my Behold, Memoir, Samsung Galaxy S 4g, and now my SGS3... I've found a great piece of mind in knowing I'm not a complete idiot, nor am I the first to screw something up.
And while I have made a few devices "boot-loop" from time to time, rooting is easy as pie. And if you happen to research before you do any job, you might learn a thing or two. I specifically love the threads (on any forum, not just here) where someone posts "READ CAREFULLY" followed by "DOWNLOAD LINK" and just two or three replies later, there has to be that one r-tard that asks "What do I do? Where's the download link? I'm so confused!". I want to piss in their coffee and break their mug over their face. Literacy is depleting; and there's little we can do about it.
sbell7105 said:
Wow bro 8 years of android hacking? Can I borrow your flux capacitor? First android phone released 10/2008
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hilarious!

Things have gotten so much easier. My only brick was a g1 (HTC dream). Things were a lot trickier then. It had an IPL-initial program loader (bootloader) and an SPL-secondary program loader (radio). Some roms required the bootloader from the the HTC magic (mytouch3g). Not all dream radios were compatible with the magic bootloader. So you always flashed a magic compatible radio first then bootloader. One night when it was really late, I was repeating the flash I had already done I my own g1 but on my wife's g1 this time. I accidentally reversed the order and BOOM, hard brick. In that state, the ipl can't hand off to the spl. Only option was hardware jtag that hadn't been discovered yet.
She was pissed.
Sent from my SGH-T999

Remember when I rooted my first (lg optimus v) I thought with a recovery I could flash any Rom...thankfully I have learned otherwise and didn't have to learn by looking like an idiot.I came very close to flashing some random Rom probably from the evo4G
Fortunately laziness actually served me well lol
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium