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T-Mo galaxy s3 LTE (sgh-t999L) root questions

Hey guys, before I begin, I've attempted to search the forums & I've been unable to find an adequate answer, so if there is an answer out there to my question & I missed it, my bad.
My question is thus. I have a Galaxy S3 LTE, model sgh-t99L T-Mobile branded & I'm considering rooting & installing a custom rom. I have done this previously with a HTC Sensation 4g successfully & I'm comfortable with the procedure. However, I've been unable to find any information on if it is possible to root the T-Mo S3 LTE model, if there is a way to restore the device to stock after rooting it, and the necessary tools to do so.
I'm happy with my device as is, but I like to tweak things, so I'd like to at least know if its possible to root my device & if anyone would be able to point me in the right direction.
*Note at the time of posting this, the search feature was "unavailable"*
Thank you guys for your assistance
Sean

Ok, first thing you need to know is this is a question, and as such should be asked in Q&A. Also if you were to look in Q&A you would find a dedicated thread for the T999L that is almost always on the first page. And if you read the stickies you would find a link to it in the roll-up thread.
Not lecturing, just helping so you know for the future. Also, when xda search is down, you can Google "xda T999L info" or similar and it should show up.
Your questions are already answered in that thread btw. Link is also in my Sig.
Sent from my SGH-T999V using Tapatalk 4

Thank you for the insight & pointing me in the right direction.

[Q&A] [Q] Tmo Note II Advice - Unlock/Root/ROM ?

Q&A for [Q] Tmo Note II Advice - Unlock/Root/ROM ?
Some developers prefer that questions remain separate from their main development thread to help keep things organized. Placing your question within this thread will increase its chances of being answered by a member of the community or by the developer.
Before posting, please use the forum search and read through the discussion thread for [Q] Tmo Note II Advice - Unlock/Root/ROM ?. If you can't find an answer, post it here, being sure to give as much information as possible (firmware version, steps to reproduce, logcat if available) so that you can get help.
Thanks for understanding and for helping to keep XDA neat and tidy!

cef1000 said:
I originally posted this under General, which is probably the wrong place to post this question; re-posting here:
I have a pristine looking insurance replaced Note II that I'd like to Root and Rom with a stable Rom that retains T-Mobil's WiFi Calling feature.
Also, I'm getting the unlock code for the device sent to me by T-Mobile; which I'd like to do as well. I do have a T-Mobile SIM for it and can get at an AT&T SIM to unlock it if necessary.
As far as Root/Rom goes; I'm fairly certain this limits me to Android 4.3 and below; since T-Mo hung Note II users out to dry for a factory 4.4.x update; and I need the WiFi calling feature to work properly.
This specific device showed up with the following on it and is currently locked.
Firmware: 4.1.2
Baseband: T889UVBMD1
Kernel 3.0.31-935627
Build No: JZ05K.T889UVBMD1 (probably redundant info)
I have 2 Questions to start:
1. Should I unlock this before or after flashing root/ROM?
2. What Root/Rom(s) is (are) stable and let's the T-Mobile WiFi calling feature working properly. (I've seen Info on Jedi Rom, not sure which of them would be best or if there are others that keep WiFi Calling)
Some advice on this would be sincerely appreciated; since I have no experience with unlocking and/or root/ROMs; though I've been reading and really can't find info on my first question.
TIA to anyone that can point me in the right direction.
cef1000
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the thing... if your Note 2 is still bone stock, in which I mean that it is still on the firmware that it is shipped with, you may try to unlock it for free by going into the phone's hidden menu, no need to wait for T-Mobile, but from what I see, you need to downgrade back to T889UVALJ1, Android 4.1.1... follow the steps on the site below to unlock:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2176721
As far as custom roms go, it you want Wi-Fi calling, your only choices are the Jedi Roms that are basically modified Touchwiz roms, I believe nothing else works. If you want root, use CF-Auto-Root, unzip the zip file and flash via Odin, see instruction on the site below:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1960784
Hope this helps...

Broken carrier, which ROM?

This is pretty basic, but I can't find a answer anywhere, I'm sure I'm just not searching it right, but anyway I bought a rooted SGH-I317 with t-mobile as my carrier, with Android 4.1.2, on Clean ROM 3.3. I've done a cwm back up, but when I pick a new ROM will I choose a t-mobile version ROM since I'm on their network or a SGH-I317 ROM? And thnx in advance for any help you can give

XDA Visitor said:
This is pretty basic, but I can't find a answer anywhere, I'm sure I'm just not searching it right, but anyway I bought a rooted SGH-I317 with t-mobile as my carrier, with Android 4.1.2, on Clean ROM 3.3. I've done a cwm back up, but when I pick a new ROM will I choose a t-mobile version ROM since I'm on their network or a SGH-I317 ROM? And thnx in advance for any help you can give
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, and welcome to XDA!
Please wait while I connect your question to this forum (where your device experts can be found):
> AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II > AT&T Galaxy Note II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting
Note that to respond to replies, you will need to create an XDA account.
Also, I am confident that flashing a T-Mobile ROM on an AT&T device (since the model numbers are quite different) will have dire consequences.
Hope this helps, and good luck!

Hello I sent that question last night before I made a account here so I'm putting a name with this question so if you can help, and maybe even offer up some suggestions of which ROMS run cross platforms it would be greatly appreciated. Thnx again

You can use ROMs for T889 (T-Mobile), I317 (ATT), or N7105 (international?) do NOT flash a ROM if it has a modem with it that isn't what your specific device is (I317). Majority of the ROMs already have the modems stripped out so they can be universal for the three devices just read the details of the thread by the poster of the ROM.

Thnx for your help! I read in another post that if you install a new ROM with a updated boot loader you can't revert back, that won't affect me re-installing my cwm back up if I were to flash either dn4, cyanide, resurrection remix and something went wrong? I currently have I317ucalJ2 boot loader. Once again thnx for anyone's help they can offer me.

Carrier locked questions? Get in here!

I'll start. I always read through threads and usually find my answer, thus I can't post in developer threads yet.
Is Mike's ARHD 43.0 compatible with Sprint? I got through 63 pages before giving up.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that unless you found it within the Sprint M8 development section, it isn't compatible. If you have the Sprint variant then it's best if you remain within the Sprint M8 device section.
PS. I've moved your thread to the Q&A section, that's where questions go.

criswellc90 said:
I'll start. I always read through threads and usually find my answer, thus I can't post in developer threads yet.
Is Mike's ARHD 43.0 compatible with Sprint? I got through 63 pages before giving up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found this on that thread .. how can you missed it ?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=62162382&postcount=26934

Unless the ROM explicitly states it supports Sprint, it will not be compatible.
You may be able to replace the kernel and mess with some other things, to get it to work on the Sprint M8. But I agree, it won't be compatible without some tinkering.
BTW, the title of this thread makes it sound like its about carrier SIM lock, SIM unlocking, etc.

[Help] new to s4

Well lets get this off by saying im not a noob at rooting or flashing.
but with the differences between how the s3 acted and the s4 id like to ask for basic help which includes:
1.) Which roms work with the tmo version of the phone. (this includes the unified section) i know the d2tmo worked with the d2att amazingly is this still true?
2.) Kernels which is best for the tmo version (what works with tmo with little worries of breaking device
3.) any other help on the matter of flashing roms or other stuff what works with jfltetmo version. (sorry if the acronym is wrong please correct me)
4.) this post isnt just for me but for everyone who recently changed to this device. (remember most may be noobs. so go noob friendly when replying with answers thanks.)
reason for making this thread is simply for fast help. not to be thrown to the "wolfs" (.zip) and left to fend for our selfs. thanks again for reading and thanks for replying will love to see other "basic stuff to know" posted here.

I see the s4 community is of no help to anyone .
Sad. . . I could get more help from a dead fourm but not here

Probably the reason nobody answered is that we saw you have something like 400 posts, and more than 100 thanks, so by now you should know that most of your questions are easily answered by perusing the Tmo S4 General forum (for basic info on flashing ROMs and such, locations of recovery downloads etc.). "Which is the best" (ROM, Kernel etc.) discussions aren't appropriate, because we all know that situations differ and best for you may be different than best for me. It's best we avoid the religious wars that can start up.
As for which ROMs work, go to the Tmo S4 Android Development and Original Android Development forums. They all work, some better than others, with plenty of info in the threads devoted to each one. And, the "best kernel" will to some extent depend on the ROM you pick.
Nobody threw you to the wolves, but based on your post/thanks count you should have been able to better position your questions. Maybe show having done the minimum of research first (well, you did reference jfltetmo which is why I bothered to respond).
If you're interested, my M919 is updated to the OH3 firmware via the stock firmware (from Sammobile), plus TWRP 2.8.7.0 (got it from thread in the General forum) and the GPE 5.1 ROM posted by Danvdh (from the Android Development forum). Not sure if it's "the best" but it has been very stable for me for the last few weeks and I'm quite happy with it. It runs whatever kernel it came with.

Thanks for the reply. An no I'm not a pro I just find helping people better then being quite.
With the new phone I have no clue as I have came from s3 and before that was the sidekick 4g so I know the big differences and I know to be careful. The sidekick 4g I have bricked a few times with a experimental update to 2.3(sad that the development is dead now)
And also the s3 worked with atnt almost 90% of the time. Which is why I must ask for help here. As no other thread seems to recognize which ROMs (variants) worked with the phone and it seems like there is no kernel for the phone 5.1.1

I see some post about i9505 working for m919 is this true..? Prefer not to lose anything right now

There has been no official T-Mo release of Lollipop (either 5.0 or 5.1x) for it. There is a thread about using the i9505 firmware in the M919 but I haven't tried it.
Most people just flash one of the more popular Dev-created ROMs such as the Google Play Edition (GPE) 5.1 ROM that Danvdh posted... there's probably half a dozen or more very popular ones that work well and include a working kernel as part of the ROM that gets flashed. Plus lots more less popular ones.
I'm with AT&T also... the GPE ROM came with an ATT APN that automagically got selected the first time I booted the phone after flashing, and I had no problem using ATT using this phone/ROM/firmware [OH3] version.
Best of luck to you. I'll be departing the S4 sub-forums pretty soon. Just a little while ago I killed my S4 phone. it slipped from my hand, hit the floor hard on the corner, and cracked the screen. It still works but I'm going to buy something a year newer. Sigh.
Marc

Thanks for the reply it just seems like s4 tmo is dead.
Also I ask about a separate kernel because its been one of the things I don't trust just the ROM itself to do as right now the ROM dies faster then the charge is (just typing this.)