Develop Bugs

Issues with Epic 4G Touch ICS

Okay so my sister updated her epic a few days ago, and has been having nonstop problems with the ICS build FF18 there are just so many bugs in this and wondering if there is anything she can do without wiping her data on the phone.

She has two options. After ROOTING and flashing a custom recovery, she can either:
1. Backup all the data she wants: apps, sms, system settings, home screen layout and call log.She can use ROM Toolbox, My Backup Root or Titanium Backup. Those are the best. I personally recommend ROM Toolbox, but My Backup Root can backup sms and call logs.
After that she can flash any ROM she wants and then restore the data of all the apps.
2. She can try to format system only and then flash any ROM she wants. This is the easiest way but it is very risky to do it.
The first method is the most recommended. It is always recommended to flash a clean install.
Hope this helps. You can find all the links you want for Rooting and Flashing in the Android Development section.
If you need anything else, let us know...

ahmadshawki said:
She has two options. After ROOTING and flashing a custom recovery, she can either:
1. Backup all the data she wants: apps, sms, system settings, home screen layout and call log.She can use ROM Toolbox, My Backup Root or Titanium Backup. Those are the best. I personally recommend ROM Toolbox, but My Backup Root can backup sms and call logs.
After that she can flash any ROM she wants and then restore the data of all the apps.
2. She can try to format system only and then flash any ROM she wants. This is the easiest way but it is very risky to do it.
The first method is the most recommended. It is always recommended to flash a clean install.
Hope this helps. You can find all the links you want for Rooting and Flashing in the Android Development section.
If you need anything else, let us know...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I mean she Didnt root at all or anything she doesn't do that stuff to her phone she hates ICS on her phone its all buggy and the battery life sucks from what she told me she wants to downgrade back to gingerbread because of all the issues shes having but I'm trying to help her before we do something like that so that's why I asked on here hoping anyone knows how to fix it or deal with the bugs without rooting and wiping all data unless he has to wipe it clean

humpty123 said:
No I mean she Didnt root at all or anything she doesn't do that stuff to her phone she hates ICS on her phone its all buggy and the battery life sucks from what she told me she wants to downgrade back to gingerbread because of all the issues shes having but I'm trying to help her before we do something like that so that's why I asked on here hoping anyone knows how to fix it or deal with the bugs without rooting and wiping all data unless he has to wipe it clean
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About the only option you would have then is using Kies to backup, wipe the phone with a factory reset and restore through Kies.
If you have been reading through the threads, then you should know that the brick bug is still a major concern with the latest ota.
But you really don't have any other option if you're not going to root.
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If shes on ff18 and wanna downgrade back to gingerbread u can just root the phone and then unroot with gingerbread el29 its easy i did it
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MoHoGalore said:
About the only option you would have then is using Kies to backup, wipe the phone with a factory reset and restore through Kies.
If you have been reading through the threads, then you should know that the brick bug is still a major concern with the latest ota.
But you really don't have any other option if you're not going to root.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I told her that and she doesn't want to do that either she just hates the phone all together now after the update

humpty123 said:
Yeah I told her that and she doesn't want to do that either she just hates the phone all together now after the update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't blame her. It's no longer a great or even good phone for the majority of people. Even with custom roms and customizations I get about half the performance. They should have never released this update to the masses.
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it's the first Ics update of course there gonna be bugs that's a must for any update all the kinks haven't been worked out yet and if she hates the phone so much now then why not save yourself another 200 and root downgrade unroot it and stop being stubborn and difficult it's not going to kill her
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It is the apps that are on there. She has to start from a clean slate. Get Go BackUp, backup just contacts, sms, mms, and call log. Factory Reset. Then reinstall the the apps she wants from the Play Store. This worked for me.

you need update the device to stock FH13.. maybe fixed your issue about battery drain...

Running FH13 with 2 hours on screen time and 60% battery left. I started at about 90% after flashing the update patch from FF18 to FH13.
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I saw huge battery improvements flashing fh13. that is if you flashed the kernel and everything.
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I dont understand what the issue is..
Solution seems clear...
Download EL26 one-click,
Apply EL26 one-click,
Disable OTA,
Unroot.
Never ever have ICS again,
Done.

[Q] Best way to seemlessly flash?

Hi Folks,
Newbie question here. I had installed the wonderful I317_Repack_T889_N7105ZHALJ4 ROM when it was first introduced in November. Not too bad, but kind of a pain. Last weekend I tried to install the Lidroid ROM, twice actually, and then I had to back it out because the phone went dead twice.
So my question is there an easier way to seemlessly install the ROM like the carriers tend to?
My process was something along these lines:
Take a TIBU off everything
do a Nandroid backup
Follow the flash process, I use CWM
Restore the apps, with app data using TIBU
Triangle away
Rebuild the APN
Setup all the screen layouts, widgets
Setup all the system default settings
Generally, the ROM builders recommend to not restore the app data. Boy it is a BIG time consumer if one has to go back and setup all app passwords and setting. Lots of apps I guess.
Even if I restore the app data, one still has to go through and setup all the phone defaults, home screens again, and general settings. Ends up taking me hours.
So is there some secret method to do this quicker, and easier? Is there something besides Titanium Backup that can save all this stuff, like system settings, home screen layout, app data and settings when going to a higher level of Android? Something that makes the process easier but is reliable?
Thanks in advance.

Well if you are talking about going back to stock, I have a topic for that in general.
If you are talking about flashibg roms...
I would make a nandroid backup of a stock rooted firmware the way you want it, then restore it when you want to flash a rom.
Your steps should now be this
Back up stock rooted firmware (once)
Then when flashing...
1. Restore backup of stock rooted firmware.
2. Flash Rom.
Then when you want a new Rom follow the same steps.
Why do triangle away over and over. If you want to revert to stock unrooted then do that.
I never use tibu anymore.... too lazy.
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Android The Greek said:
Well if you are talking about going back to stock, I have a topic for that in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was looking for an easier way for the non-stock new wonder ROMs.

Flame Red said:
I was looking for an easier way for the non-stock new wonder ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ultimately the easiest way is to follow the directions in the op cuz beach developer has the best instructions for getting their specific ROM up and running.
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personally i flash over roms, I will only revert to stock if flashing over another rom causes problems.

I haven't been to stock on my note 1 since.... 5 minutes after I got it home..... in April
Just wipe and flash new rom.
Pretty much Any issue with a Rom installing( even say a boot loop) can be fixed with a simple redownload of the rom then moving it over to phone in recovery, wiping and flashing again. Or... restoring a backup of you are the type to make backups.
I pretty much treat going to stock add just for returning a phone for warranty due to legitimate hardware defects nowadays.

[Q] looking to switch roms? currently running jellybomb

Im new all this rooting and rom stuff and yesterday morning i successfully rooted and inststalled the jellybomb 14.0.0 jelly bean rom thanks to qbking77's on point videos. so the question is... how can i switch which rom im running? i like the jellybeen roms and im looking to explore more to see which better suits my needs. ive heard of doing clean/dirtry instals or something of the sort but i want the best and safest way possible so i dont run into any bricking trouble. please help?

Ok, read up on how to flash a recovery
Download the rom of your choice and place it.on your sdcard. Once you do that you can install roms by booting into recovery and finding the zip for the rom you want to flash and selecting it through the "install zip from sdcard" option
Now a clean install is whenyou wipe all partitions, aka blocks of your phones memory, (details farther down) and then install the rom zip. This method minimizes the chances for problems to occur after installing
A clean flash involves:
Formatting system
Formatting / Clearing data (also known as a factory reset)
Wiping cache
Wiping / Clearing dalvik cache
Now a dirty flash is when you just flash the new rom zip over whatever you're currently rumning, without clearing anything. This method is only recommended when flashing an updated version of the same rom, and even then, the nature of some updates can require you to do a clean flash.
One more thing, DO NOT flash any roms, mods, or zips for the international version. That usa surefire way to brick your debice because the partitions are completely different.
To learn more about how android and this.stuff works, I would suggest heading over to xda,university.com

Thanks for the info. What is the best way to back everything up? I backed everything up wen I installed th jb. Rom and went to restore and couldnt find anythingband had to start from scratch.
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Roni P. said:
Thanks for the info. What is the best way to back everything up? I backed everything up wen I installed th jb. Rom and went to restore and couldnt find anythingband had to start from scratch.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Backup via CWM (RECOVERY) is mainly for restoring the same rom or going back to the rom you were running if experimenting, Now, can use apps such as Titanium backup to save all the other settings, apps and things. Once you flash your new rom, download it, open program and can restore your stuff that way. Personally, I'll wipe, start from scratch, sometimes i'll download an app i never use, and it just allows me to clear out the useless ones.. Happy flashing!

Roni P. said:
Thanks for the info. What is the best way to back everything up? I backed everything up wen I installed th jb. Rom and went to restore and couldnt find anythingband had to start from scratch.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes as said above, a backup through recovery (also called a "nandroid" ) stores an EXACT image of the current state of your device. Meaning all data, all system files, all apps, radios, etc. Backing up through an app, like Titanium Backup, only backs up certain things like apps and app data
Basically, if you're trying any experimental stuff that may break your system (for example, flashing a new modem or testing to see if a certain kernel works), then a nandroid is the way to go because you can restore to an exact image of a state when everything was working

Yea I did that the 1st time and couldnt recover anything. Is there a certain way I should recover or maybe I did something wrong? Im not sure. Sorry if im sounding stupid but I cant return my phone if I screw it up so im tryin to be as safe as possible. Hopefully thats understandable
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Press volume up home button and then power button don't let go till Samsung screen comes up bought 10 ish sec. Once let go phone should go into cwm, clock work mod recovery. See if you have that first
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Roni P. said:
Yea I did that the 1st time and couldnt recover anything. Is there a certain way I should recover or maybe I did something wrong? Im not sure. Sorry if im sounding stupid but I cant return my phone if I screw it up so im tryin to be as safe as possible. Hopefully thats understandable
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No no, its recovery
The recovery is basically something that allows you to install zips, it doesnt actually have much to do with recovering anything lol
But first do what was suggested right above me to check to see if you have a recovery installed
To get a more detailed description of what a recovery is and what it does, you can get over to xda-university and read through the "as user" section on recoveries

Think cwm has saved a few phones on here. Me I don't use a pc. Easy just with phone. If he's deleted his folder should he recoveR then it would bring that folder bk?
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Well yea I kno I have a recovery I use cwm... I jus need to kno how I can actually save my phones content... I dont wanna start fresh everytime I decide to flash a new rom
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OK titanium bkup. But don't restore all things if your backing up at lot as will save 4.1.2 4.2.1 and 4.2 2 and so on. Don't want to mix as fc will happen
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[Q] Upgrading data from 4.2 to 4.3

Using custom ROMs, CWM & TWIP, backup apps like Titanium and Reware MyBackup, etc. are not new to me. I've done my share of ROMs on various phones & tablets.
It's really easy to say wipe data for best results when upgrading to a new Android version or ROM. That's typically what I've done as recommended.
But, when a carrier like T-Mo finally pushes out their update, for example the MK2 to move to 4.3, the data gets upgraded automatically and reliably. Obviously no wiping of data.
I don't want the locked MK2 bootloader and KNOX. Other than that, I'm OK with mostly stock.
If I flash one of the MK2 modified stock ROMs on top of stock 4.2 (maybe just rooted), will it upgrade the data just as it would when you do a carrier upgrade? If necessary, I would also flash the latest KT kernel & modem, so Wi-Fi calling would work and the latest baseband would match. Again, as close as stock for now w/o locked bootloader & KNOX.
This would save me a lot of headache and hassles with having to use Titanium for apps & data. I can always also do a Nandroid to back up before an after this entire process.
Has anyone tried to upgrade to the latest modified stock MK2 ROM on top of a stock MDL ROM and keep their data?

If you flash the rom you have to use titanium but believe me it's 10 times better than doing the ota.. It's worth extra step.sit down watch TV and let titanium do its thing.
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egren58 said:
If you flash the rom you have to use titanium but believe me it's 10 times better than doing the ota.. It's worth extra step.sit down watch TV and let titanium do its thing.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
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A little background... I've been a SW developer for 20 years. I want to understand how stuff works. I have no problem screwing around with my phone, Nandroid, wipe data, etc. and have already done so. My wife just wants a working phone and could care less. I want to upgrade her phone w/o locking her bootloader and w/o KNOX in case I want to use her phone later. She wants all here system and app data to remain identical, otherwise, I'll have to hear her *****ing & moaning until I fix it.
Technically, is there any difference between flashing a the modified 4.3 stock ROM w/o wiping data and doing a traditional carrier upgrade in how it handles the upgrade for any data partition? (ignoring bootloader & modem upgrades). Does the carrier upgrade do anything different after it formats and installs onto the system partition? I wouldn't think so. Please correct me if I'm wrong here.
Also, I think it can be sketchy restoring TB System Data from older OSes (4.2) onto newer OSes (4.3). I'm particularly referring to stuff like SMS/MMS/Call Logs/etc. Maybe I'm wrong here and a newer OS is always expected to be able to upgrade order system data if restored?
So, in order to retain all that stuff (for her phone), it would seem that simply flashing the modified 4.3. ROM onto a dirty 4.2 data partition would be exactly what the carriers do when they push the update form 4.2 to 4.3?

Here, go to this thread follow the directions in the OP carefully and your wife will be on the latest boot loader Knox free MK2. Once you've finished that then you can flash any type of 4.3 ROM or 4.4 and not have datadrops or any problems. Pretty much doing the 4.3 ota for the bootloader but Knox free.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2544612
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Thank you for the response, but it doesn't address the specific question. Additionally, I don't want the latest bootloader because its locked
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If you upgrade that way I suggested it gives you an unlocked updated boot loader
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CalPolyRock said:
A little background... I've been a SW developer for 20 years. I want to understand how stuff works. I have no problem screwing around with my phone, Nandroid, wipe data, etc. and have already done so. My wife just wants a working phone and could care less. I want to upgrade her phone w/o locking her bootloader and w/o KNOX in case I want to use her phone later. She wants all here system and app data to remain identical, otherwise, I'll have to hear her *****ing & moaning until I fix it.
Technically, is there any difference between flashing a the modified 4.3 stock ROM w/o wiping data and doing a traditional carrier upgrade in how it handles the upgrade for any data partition? (ignoring bootloader & modem upgrades). Does the carrier upgrade do anything different after it formats and installs onto the system partition? I wouldn't think so. Please correct me if I'm wrong here.
Also, I think it can be sketchy restoring TB System Data from older OSes (4.2) onto newer OSes (4.3). I'm particularly referring to stuff like SMS/MMS/Call Logs/etc. Maybe I'm wrong here and a newer OS is always expected to be able to upgrade order system data if restored?
So, in order to retain all that stuff (for her phone), it would seem that simply flashing the modified 4.3. ROM onto a dirty 4.2 data partition would be exactly what the carriers do when they push the update form 4.2 to 4.3?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing roms without wiping is not always a great idea. If you do... atleast clear cache and dalvik cache. You won't lose your data but you may or may not have issues. YMMV. As far as transferring system data from different Android versions, that is a no no. Just backup your sms and what not using the various programs on the Play store, most of them do a good job. What I REALLY recommend is for you to make a Nandroid backup using Nandroid manager or through your recovery such as CWM or PhilZ. Once you have this backup safely stored on an EXTERNAL SD card or on your computer, you can experiment and flash away. I doubt you'll have problems since the upgrade is minor but just have your backup handy... it is critical in case you have problems after doing the dirty upgrade and to avoid getting your butt whooped by the wifey
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Phone is rooted now I need help with installing cyanogen mod.

Good day everyone.
I have successfully rooted my S3 1747.
I have done a backup after installing Rom manager. I also have a nandroid and titanium backup completed.
I would like to install cyanogen mod but its very important that I am able to get my contacts back.
I plan to install through the so called easy method in rom manager.
Am I able to get my stuff back after the install?
Thanks in advance

Most system app data will not be compatible. I don't know about CM, but in TW there's an option to export contacts to SD. It'll save them in a .CSV file. Maybe you can import them to CM contacts like this. Might want to confirm that first though.
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Thanks for the reply. I'm going to do this later. Does cyanogen live up to the hype?

Everyone has their own preference. I personally like touchwiz better. There are plenty who would agree and disagree.
If you've got a nandroid backup of your current set up, its pretty easy to flash a bunch of different ones to see what you like, and then go back if none keep your interest.
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Thanks again for the response and sorry for my late thanks. I was busy at work and overlooked the post.
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You can use google to back up all contacts and restore them on any android with your google account on it....as for the install I believe our s3 is compatible with the cm installer

crazymonkey05 said:
You can use google to back up all contacts and restore them on any android with your google account on it....as for the install I believe our s3 is compatible with the cm installer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say cm installer. I assumes you are talking about the app and pc program that does everything automatically. It says my phone is compatible however wouldn't work originally. I had to root and use twrp. Can I use that to update from now on or should I continue to use twrp?
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Edit - double post

Well for me cwm is the easiest to use as you just wipe and flash.....its purely up to you, if your gunna use twrp just download the zip boot recovery wipe system, cache, dalvik cache, data (factory reset), and hit install zip and bam you got cyanogen

I wouldn't wipe /system before a flash. If the rom fails to flash youll have no OS to boot into, and it can be a huge pain to get it back. If the rom does flash, its first step will be to format /system, so it gets done anyway.
I think this may be one of those things people used to have to do on some older devices, and was carried on to newer ones. I just think its an unneeded extra step, and more than a few times ended up taking a day or two to help people get their device working right again.
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DocHoliday77 said:
I wouldn't wipe /system before a flash. If the rom fails to flash youll have no OS to boot into, and it can be a huge pain to get it back. If the rom does flash, its first step will be to format /system, so it gets done anyway.
I think this may be one of those things people used to have to do on some older devices, and was carried on to newer ones. I just think its an unneeded extra step, and more than a few times ended up taking a day or two to help people get their device working right again.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's good advice that would have helped me a lot. All the instructions I followed online said to wipe/format everytime.
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Yeah, its extremely common advice. I see it all the time. There are rare times when it is necessary to format system, but I dont feel a rom flash is one of them.
Its still possible to end up with no OS after a failed flash, but the chances are greatly decreased by eliminating that one step!
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