Develop Bugs

[Q] Went back to stock, unrooted, can't update ROM

Like the title says, I went back to stock and unrooted my phone. I got a message from Tmo today that an update for my phone was available, but on trying to update, the phone just sits at the "checking for software updates" screen and nothing happens. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

JazzMac251 said:
Like the title says, I went back to stock and unrooted my phone. I got a message from Tmo today that an update for my phone was available, but on trying to update, the phone just sits at the "checking for software updates" screen and nothing happens. Any suggestions on how to fix this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kies.

Yep use Kies to update. Worked perfectly and then just reroot.

Have your tried going into stock recovery (after unrooting) and doing a factory restore? If the option is present, you may alsi want to wipe your cache. Hope that helps.

I am having the same issue as OP. Was rooted by CF auto root plus triangle away (deleted after use). Always stock ROM/recovery. Got OTA update notice so delayed it so I could unroot first. Checked temporary unroot option in SuperSU, no luck. Chose permanent unroot, no luck. Deleted SuperSU, no luck. Ti Backup confirms not rooted. Kies doesn't show update available and selecting upgrade through Kies tools menu fails as well. Do I need to clear my cache (which I have never done). Don't want to wipe and start over. Need to learn how to do this for future updates. I thought my basic root method would allow updates with little effort. Am I missing something? Thanks in advance.

I wiped cache and still no luck. It tells me update available and when I say install it just sits on checking for updates...
Hey OP, did Kies work for you? I installed the most recent Kies and it wont even finish connecting with my phone. God I hate being a noob at this stuff. I don't have a clue why this update wont happen or Kies wont connect. Im using the OEM USB cable. Everything says official and nothing custom. Somehow, T-mobile update knows I was once rooted or something. WTF
I should of tried OTA rootkeeper but too late now.
Any advice??

Kies finally worked. No idea what was different from previous 10 attempts...

Any suggestions how to go from TWRP back to stock recovery and keep root? I can't use the Toolkit since it's missing the stock recovery Tar file...

How to update from stock root 4.1.1 to current?

I'm sure this has been addressed but I can't seem to find a definitive answer. I am bone stock (stock recovery and no custom rom) with just root on AT&T.
There are no missing deleted apps, as I replaced them previously but I still have never been able to do any of the OTA updates. It's starts and then fails.
Is there a way to unroot and the do an OTA update? I am trying to avoid Odin so I dont have to wipe everything and then have to start all over and adjust settings to my liking an also reinstall all of my apps.
I seen there is an option in the Super User app to "completely unroot and uninstall". Will choosing this option allow me to finally do OTA?
I've never installed a custom recovery or a custom rom so I don't know why OTA's always fail. At this point, I dont really care about having root since the only reason I previously wanted it was to remove at&t bloatware but I'd rather have OTA's at this point.
Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated! Please speak slowly and in layman's terms as I am an old fart that is still a bit of a n00b, lol.
Thanks!!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using XDA Free mobile app

n01un0 said:
I'm sure this has been addressed but I can't seem to find a definitive answer. I am bone stock (stock recovery and no custom rom) with just root on AT&T.
There are no missing deleted apps, as I replaced them previously but I still have never been able to do any of the OTA updates. It's starts and then fails.
Is there a way to unroot and the do an OTA update? I am trying to avoid Odin so I dont have to wipe everything and then have to start all over and adjust settings to my liking an also reinstall all of my apps.
I seen there is an option in the Super User app to "completely unroot and uninstall". Will choosing this option allow me to finally do OTA?
I've never installed a custom recovery or a custom rom so I don't know why OTA's always fail. At this point, I dont really care about having root since the only reason I previously wanted it was to remove at&t bloatware but I'd rather have OTA's at this point.
Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated! Please speak slowly and in layman's terms as I am an old fart that is still a bit of a n00b, lol.
Thanks!!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are on stock and have a valid AT&T SIM card in the device with full access to Wi-Fi and the AT&T network, you should be able to get an OTA update. Root could, however, indeed prevent an OTA update so your best bet may be to unroot. You could unroot and uninstall SuperSU from the SuperSU app just as you suggested. This should do it. However, if it doesn't and you would really want to avoid Odin and custom recovery, then you could do a 2-step manual update to 4.3 via stock recovery - first to 4.1.2 and then to 4.3. This will naturally update your phone to (full) stock 4.3 and we can then see if the phone will take the Kit-Kat OTA update from there.
You can see the instructions for the 2-step update via stock recovery in the thread below ...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2387423
1) Download the 2 zip files under update412.zip and update43.zip respectively to your computer
2) Copy the zip files to a good quality (micro) SD card
3) Place the card in your phone and boot to recovery mode by simultaneously holding down the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons
4) Hold the buttons until you see a blue message flash across the screen. Then release the Power button but continue to hold the Volume Up and Home button until you see the Android image appear. Then release the buttons
5) Use the volume up/down key to scroll to <mount from external storage> and the power button to select
6) Navigate to the first zip file (update412.zip) and install. Wait for installation to finish and your phone to reboot.
7) Complete set up. Check your phone settings. Then power off and reboot to recovery again.
8) Repeat the process for the second update file.

Well I tried the unroot feature in SuperSU and then uninstalled it.
I then tried the OTA update again and as usual, it failed about 30-40% in.
Ive never installed a custom recovery or a ROM so I don't get it. All I did was use Mr.Robinsons thread/directions on "how to root without tripping...." just for root only in the sticky.
I give up.:banghead:
Thank you though for responding. I may try the alternative way you suggested when I get time tomorrow and see what happens. Either that or screw it, im stuck with 4.1.1 and now I don't even have root. :banghead:
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using XDA Free mobile app

n01un0 said:
Well I tried the unroot feature in SuperSU and then uninstalled it.
I then tried the OTA update again and as usual, it failed about 30-40% in.
Ive never installed a custom recovery or a ROM so I don't get it. All I did was use Mr.Robinsons thread/directions on "how to root without tripping...." just for root only in the sticky.
I give up.:banghead:
Thank you though for responding. I may try the alternative way you suggested when I get time tomorrow and see what happens. Either that or screw it, im stuck with 4.1.1 and now I don't even have root. :banghead:
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There have been several reports of failed OTA update so you may not be alone here. The process I advised is sure to take you to 4.3 JB without hassle. There is, of course, a manual update process from 4.3JB to 4.4.2 Kit-Kat (the latest OS). You will, however, require custom recovery for this ...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2788357

Larry2999 said:
There have been several reports of failed OTA update so you may not be alone here. The process I advised is sure to take you to 4.3 JB without hassle. There is, of course, a manual update process from 4.3JB to 4.4.2 Kit-Kat (the latest OS). You will, however, require custom recovery for this ...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2788357
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I finally was able to update via OTA. I had to actually use Kies and reinstall firmware and then go through all the updates, starting from scratch and took forever. What an absolute pain in the ass. Plus, after all this work to go from 4.1 to 4.4..........I can't see where it was worth it. I am now going through the tedious task of setting up all the settings and widgets and everything else the way it was or the way I like. So much for Kies actually backing up and "restoring" anything.
I have a couple of questions though....
1. Now that I am on 4.4..........how do I root this version (that works). I was reading the thread saying to use towelroot but it's not confirmed if this is still working after I guess you do the OTA after a certain date and it's now patched. I DO NOT want to install custom roms or anything else. All I want is root so that I can remove the AT&T crapware that is now even worse with this phone on 4.4.
2. I have a battery percentage that is in the LEFT upper corner that I can not figure out what program or app it is associated with and I can not get rid of it. This is not the % indicator that is part of Android and next to the battery icon on the right which is on and is okay, this is one the left.
3. I hate the new PIN lockscreen because the keypad/numbers are so small compared to old version. Any way to fix this?

n01un0 said:
Well I finally was able to update via OTA. I had to actually use Kies and reinstall firmware and then go through all the updates, starting from scratch and took forever. What an absolute pain in the ass. Plus, after all this work to go from 4.1 to 4.4..........I can't see where it was worth it. I am now going through the tedious task of setting up all the settings and widgets and everything else the way it was or the way I like. So much for Kies actually backing up and "restoring" anything.
I have a couple of questions though....
1. Now that I am on 4.4..........how do I root this version (that works). I was reading the thread saying to use towelroot but it's not confirmed if this is still working after I guess you do the OTA after a certain date and it's now patched. I DO NOT want to install custom roms or anything else. All I want is root so that I can remove the AT&T crapware that is now even worse with this phone on 4.4.
2. I have a battery percentage that is in the LEFT upper corner that I can not figure out what program or app it is associated with and I can not get rid of it. This is not the % indicator that is part of Android and next to the battery icon on the right which is on and is okay, this is one the left.
3. I hate the new PIN lockscreen because the keypad/numbers are so small compared to old version. Any way to fix this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to know you were finally able to update. To try to answer your questions ....
1. Towelroot indeed comes well recommended for rooting on Kit Kat. You could, however, first try CF Auto Root which is one of the simplest approaches to rooting. If this doesn't work, you could try Option 2 in the thread below ... The thread also contains instructions to CF Auto Root.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2538991
2. I'm not sure what that battery indicator is. I run 4.4.2 also on my S3 but I cant see this. Can you try a reset to see if it would go away?
3. You can try removing this from settings.

Im glad you asked this...
I too noticed Im on 4.1.1 stock but rooted. I wondered if you could go to 4.4.2 as my phone tried to OTA update on its own last week and failed. I did not know if it was worth it to try or not another way. About the only thing I see that would want me to try is Google Wallet now working with S3 on 4.4.2 without having to jump through all kinds of hoops, mine used to work fine, but now GW will not open up all the way. Im not sure its worth doing if I have to re setup all my crap as I will be upgrading my phone whenever I want, just holding out to see if the Nexus 6 will be out end of the year and on AT&T..Im not liking that all the new phones are getting so freakin big, the S3 is just right and I dont want to have to end up with a damn Note sized phone but that is a whole other discussion

If you're still on 4.1.1, BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE, UNLOCK YOUR PHONE IF HASN'T ALREADY
otherwise you'll regret it
then the rest, tbh, you don't need to unroot at all to upgrade, just flash the firmware in ODIN or recovery..
edit: nvm it seems like you've already upgrade yours to KitKat

How to restore device status to "official" Android 4.3

WARNING! THIS WILL ERASE EVERYTHING ON YOUR PHONE!
You also must NOT have any custom recovery or kernel installed as this method requires stock recovery. All bloatware removed prior to unrooting will still be removed! You will have to reinstall the bloatware that was removed and be 100% bone stock in order to get any OTA updates!
I am not liable if you do something wrong and you brick, nor will I be held accountable for any damage done, warranty being voided, ninja zombie aliens taking over, bigfoot, your neighbors lawn catching fire, etc.
Hi everyone, last week I got a brand new At&t Galaxy S3 sgh-i747. I rooted it using towel root and did not do anything else except remove some Google app bloatware (play magazines and play books).
My device status was changed from "official" to "custom" meaning no OTA updates. Here is how I fixed that:
If you installed SuperSU from play store, open it and select the "full unroot" option from the settings menu. It might hang, if so reboot and try again. It should complete the unroot after rebooting.
Next power off and boot into stock recovery (Google can help you with getting into recovery if you don't know how). Once you boot into recovery, select wipe cache, then select factory data reset. Recovery may give an error upon exiting with Andy the Android slumped over on his back, this is okay. Reboot and the phone will hang at the AT&T logo for a few minutes. Once booted up, your device status should say official and be unrooted back to 100% stock. You can now get OTA updates!
No ODIN needed! I just happen to try this and it worked. Not sure if it works on 4.4 or not, but it should. It should also work on the Galaxy S4, but has not been tested or confirmed.

How do you boot into Stock Recovery on a SGH-I747M ?

Nick9drs said:
How do you boot into Stock Recovery on a SGH-I747M ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S_III/SGH-I747#Recovery_Mode

[Q] Download Lollipop but don't want to install it.

Hi. I downloaded Lollipop but have not installed it yet and don't want to. I didn't know it was Lollipop I was downloading. How do I get rid of the possibility of it installing? I keep having to delay it for 24 hours. Do I have to do a factory data reset?

What version of anroud are you on and are you rooted? If so you can simply go to the /cache folder and delete the .cfg file file.
If you reboot before doing that the update will be installed.

I'm on 4.4.2 and not rooted. If I do a factory data reset before I install Lollipop would that get rid of the download ?

"Luke" don't fight it, grab the lollipop and feel the Force.
The force never tasted better.
Pp.

What is your reason for not wanting to update? Anything particular?

Rhino_7 said:
I'm on 4.4.2 and not rooted. If I do a factory data reset before I install Lollipop would that get rid of the download ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I know , when you try a factory reset it will reboot your phone to recovery and perform the reset there. It may successfully do so, or it may immediately install the update in recovery. I can't say for sure.
If it is absolutely necessary for you to avoid this update, backup your files, download a firmware from Sammobile that matches your current 4.4.2, very carefully reset to download mode (you will only have one shot at this) and Odin that old firmware into your system. Hopefully that will overwrite all your files and remove the update. On the first boot enter recovery and do a reset. That is the most likely solution I can think of which may have a remote chance of working.
Another possibility is that if your firmware has a date before Jun 5 2014, you can run towel root version 3 to root it (doesn't require a reboot) then go to the cache directory and delete the update file. Of course all of this should be done before rebooting. This should work but you will end up with a rooted system.
Finally if your were forced to take the update you can almost downgrade it back to 4.4.2.

Thanks. I just did a factory data reset and it worked fine.
The reason is I like the phone now just as it is. No WiFi issues,great battery life,ect. From what i have read even though Lollipop is a big update there is nothing new that makes me want to have it.
Anyone want to try and convince me?
Android updates seem to always be buggy. I "might" try it later.

I went straight up Kies update and the phone never ran smoother.
Running stock /rooted / debloated and everything works the way it's supposed to.
No bells, no whistles, no exposed, just straight up touchwiz.
Knox shmox, never gave it a second thought after the warranty ran out.
Pp.

Sprint Galaxy Note 4 Android 6.0.1 problems

I'll try this again (this website crashed when first posting this)
Leased phone (January 2017) use for my business. Has had (3) OTA updates since April. Started having issues after 3rd update mid-June (freezes / reboots). Most times have to pull the battery to get it to boot. Have wiped & restore several times, from Settings and Recovery boot menu. Cleared App cache and partition cache. Had the local Sprint Store 'supposedly' flash the OS from a PC but nothing improved. Described these issues below but was only met with a blank stare and an offer to open my wallet to replace with a refurbished phone without knowing what is causing the issue.
On some occasions when the device is not responding it heats up. Messages of Apps that stop responding include System UI, Package Access Helper, Touchwiz and Gmail, among others.
When going to Boot recovery menu to try clearing the partition cache the Android Icon shows up with the message 'Installing system update', which it's clearly not doing. Sometimes that's followed by the icon laying down and the message 'No command'. Does this mean the update didn't properly install? Another message I've noticed once the menu comes up is 'dm-verity verification failed . . . '
Further trying to diagnose, Sprint Zone / Device Diagnostics / Flagged / System Updates - always states 'Update now', but Settings / System Update / Software update message reads 'The latest updates have already been installed (N910PVPS4DPE2 / N910PSPT4DPE2 / N910PVPS4DPE2).
Investigated alternatives with Samsung (they replied the same day, Sprint Community message July 20th still hasn't replied) I can take it to a service center to have the hardware checked for a fee but it is not nearby and I'd like to first understand what the issue is.
From what I've described does anyone know what could be causing these issues? I have read where some updates were causing problems but I've tried most of those remedies and nothing has helped yet. Perhaps the Sprint Store, in an effort to extract more money (this is how it seemed) did not or was not able to flash the OS?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

best thing to do is odin back to an older version and retake the update if you wanna go thru that again
but id recommend reverting back to OG5 and then flashing a rom you will have less reboots....as least on my end i did

JLFitzpatrick said:
...When going to Boot recovery menu to try clearing the partition cache the Android Icon shows up with the message 'Installing system update', which it's clearly not doing. Sometimes that's followed by the icon laying down and the message 'No command'. Does this mean the update didn't properly install? Another message I've noticed once the menu comes up is 'dm-verity verification failed . . . '...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock recovery you describe, it's normal for the Android guy to fall down and display the red x or whatever you saw when there's no update to apply but the dm-verity failure isn't normal. It could indicate bad repair or maybe it was rooted at some point? Wiping and Odin flash doesn't always rid the phone of that but Knox trip remains always until Samsung repairs a rooted phone. Dunno the cause of your dm-verity failure but maybe, if it was stock un-rooted all along, it may a read only partition failed or corrupted?
As suggested above, you may fix the dm-verity by taking a couple of OTA updates after Odin flashing an older one. Don't go back any older than OG5 though.
I think the problem may also stem from old data from Lollipop not getting wiped. I'd recommend disabling the reactivation lock on Settings/Security, remove your accounts from phone, a factory reset within Settings, boot to recovery and factory reset and wipe dalvik and cache in stock recovery and power off. Reboot to download mode and flash an older stock tar and let it OTA a couple of times.
That may solve some issues but it could be hardware failure or a corrupt partition. If the dm-verity goes away, see if your problems are resolved. If you didn't root and have a warranty, make whoever warrants it replace it; the failure is legit.
Sprint Zone and ItsOn is garbage IMO. Bloat that kills the experience that Samsung intended. Albeit, Samsung isn't so innocent with bloat ruining the experience either. Just my opinion on the bloat. By the time users add their own bloat, there's but enough RAM and with all the services running, battery takes a hit and phone lags. Run package disabler (search in Google Play) or root to manage it is what I'd suggest. FWIW, I have no random reboots or phone heating up while in standby running Marshmallow. My phone sleeps like a baby.
If no warranty applies and root is an option, you could try rooting with Chainfire Auto Root for Note 4 and then full un-root. The developer removes the dm-verity flag if it's there for modified read only partition reasons. But of coarse that also trips Knox warranty bit, so be aware. Dm-verity can prevent OTA's from updating but that's an alternative with root and Knox trip risks. No warranty should mean less risk unless the phone belongs to your employer.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

Thank you for your replies.
I had pointed out the 'dm-verity verification failure' text to the goof-offs at the Sprint Store, you'd think I was speaking in a foreign tongue. Phone is leased on our personal family plan and used for my business. I've never rooted it myself, not sure what the Sprint people did at the store but that text was there before they supposedly flashed the OS.
I apologize but am in over my head with the suggested repairs. Although having upgraded PC's am familiar with the process; revert to previous clean OS and upgrade over that. I'll take your suggestions and just have to study a little more to understand the correct procedure.
Yesterday afternoon I tried the folks at Samsung again since their support team had replied the same day before (still waiting for a support response from Sprint since July 20th) and went to a live support chat. The woman was very helpful but unfortunately, I had to jump off for a meeting. Before I jumped off she had me put the phone into Safe Mode. I had tried to get there before but the instructions I was given were incorrect (not found in recovery boot). It has since been in that mode and has been much more stable, still freezes occasionally but doesn't reboot itself and runs zippy as hell except for momentary freezes. I have the Chat ID # and will try again today to see what they can do before trying other suggestions. I gave them the HEX DEC numbers and it sounded like they could access the phone with those, this morning their Chat was full so I'll have to try later.
samep, if you don't mind can you give me some clarification on your suggestion:
"I think the problem may also stem from old data from Lollipop not getting wiped. I'd recommend disabling the reactivation lock on Settings/Security, remove your accounts from phone, a factory reset within Settings, boot to recovery and factory reset and wipe dalvik and cache in stock recovery and power off. Reboot to download mode and flash an older stock tar and let it OTA a couple of times."​
My interpretation:
Settings / Security / disable reactivation lock
Remove accounts (first back up phone log & sms to samsung account, back up wifi passwords to google account)
Settings / Backup and reset / Factory data reset
Boot to recovery menu / factory reset again (partition and dalvik cache evidently get cleared through reset)
Boot to recovery menu / 'flash an older tar' ? (Is this 'Apply update from ADB (Odin)' or SD card? This is where things get fuzzy. Can I load the stock tar (OS?) to a formatted sd card and apply the update from there or do I have to install Odin on a PC? Where is the best place to get a 'stock tar' (or Odin) from and which version(s) should I use for a Note 4, or is that explained on a particular website. There are many sources of information on Odin and firmware but I'm not sure which to trust if I need to do this would prefer to do this just once.)
Thank you again for your help, and I apologize for my ignorance on this subject.
But the best thing about ignorance is that it can be overcome with a little effort and knowledge.

To answer the question, boot into download mode from powered down state by holding volume down, menu and power. Yes, you use Odin installed on PC for that. But first you need the Samsung USB driver and Odin installed, plus the stock tar.
This thread will get you going with resources and brief instructions.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63868221&postcount=1
I'd suggest PC1 stock tar, then let it OTA.
(Your interpretation was mostly right up to the question about how to flash the tar after the factory reset and power down.)
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

Thank you samep,
Understanding the tar file versions are listed alpha-numeric the oldest version is PD1 so I will start with that version.
Have downloaded Odin and all three tar files (in case of any issues with PD1). Samsung Chat referred me to bring the phone in, after reviewing information on using Odin will try your suggested method first and then check for dm-verity failure.
Another tar file resource found is updato-dot-com (as a newbie unable to post link):

JLFitzpatrick said:
Thank you samep,
Understanding the tar file versions are listed alpha-numeric the oldest version is PD1 so I will start with that version.
Have downloaded Odin and all three tar files (in case of any issues with PD1). Samsung Chat referred me to bring the phone in, after reviewing information on using Odin will try your suggested method first and then check for dm-verity failure.
Another tar file resource found is updato-dot-com (as a newbie unable to post link):
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're feeling overwhelmed, you could bring it in. There's a chance it is hardware and the steps may prove redundant.
Up to you. At least you have something to point to as an issue.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

So I've gone through all the steps, phone is wiped, reinstalled Samsung USB Driver, have Odin open as Administrator and the phone in 'Android Recovery', Phone does not show up in Odin.
Have seen a couple versions of setting a connection (Odin open first, phone connected first); tried all of those and tried Odin open not as administrator. There is no connection. Tried other instructions to put into Developer Mode and enable USB bugging. Nothing, disabled USB bugging and booted back to recovery. Still nothing.
In Recovery mode it does not state 'Odin mode'. Tried the Recovery menu option 'Apply update from ADB' message reads 'Update from external storage diabled'. Tried 'Reboot to bootloader' (WTH), that does show Odin Mode at top of screen but phone still does not show up in Odin on PC. Then have to pull battery to reboot to Recovery mode. What steps am I missing here?
When phone is booted up normally it connects to PC without issue.

Finally got Odin to recognize the phone. Through a few searches I tried one remedy that suggested manually updating the samsung usb drivers in device manager which did the trick. Realized earlier that from recovery mode you do need to select boot to bootloader to get into Odin mode (listed on top).
Installed 6.0.1 - PD1 currently phone is installing OTA updates, hopefully this does the trick. Thanks again for your help.

On Tuesday the phone updated OTA from PD1 (April 27, 2016) installed via Odin to PE1 (June 1, 2016) then PE2 (June 29, 2016). Recovery Mode screen no longer shows dm-verity failure message so that's fixed. Phone is mostly stable, however still not as stable as it was on PE1 from what I recall by the release dates. Phone still freezes although it usually does not crash if I leave it alone but still does crash at least once a day. Safe Mode does not help, as the worst culprits are system Apps (Gmail, Drive are the worst).
It seldom overheats now but did yesterday. 3rd Party CPU cooler found Package Access Helper, Context Service and System UI as causing an issue. Cleared App Cache for all three but problems persist. Clearing App Cache in Settings / Storage takes at least three tries to clear all but 4.00 KB. I have been clearing Partition Cache every morning just to get through most of the day otherwise it will freeze when I first start to use it. Battery is also draining faster than before.
Any suggestions? OTA updates were at work on a stable WiFi signal. I'm thinking of Odin flashing back to PE1 (or PD1) and stopping further OTA updates. Anybody tried this? Will be traveling for a couple of weeks and need a stable phone, like I used to have. Thank you.

Samsung has been having memory management issues. IMO, this is the reason they keep increasing RAM in recent phones and getting help from Google. But 3 gigs of RAM should be sufficient.
A custom ROM may resolve that but you could try a package disabler from Google Play to freeze some unneeded bloat.
I couldn't say which stock version is best because I've ran all of them without random reboots and lag is minimum. The custom ROMs have been daily driver stable for me. I use them when traveling too.
Sending PM to OP as well with additional info.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk