Develop Bugs

[Q] Safestrap on rooted Sprint Galaxy S3 OTA 4.3 MK3

I've been using a factory ROM Sprint Samsung Galaxy SPH-L710 happily for quite a while. Outside of custom launchers and Widget Locker type stuff I've been trying hard to live [happily] within the factory constraints. Then I discovered Tasker, Daily Roads Voyager, and a bunch of other really fun stuff. And down the rabbit hole I went.
So thus far I've rooted using the excellent Saferoot found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=50744761
Now I want to be able to do nandroid backups so I can capture snapshot-in-time backups of my device. I keep seeing reference for using Snapshot on the Sprint S3 but the only sources I've seen for downloading Safestrap do not specifically reference the Sprint Galaxy S3 so I'm unsure if it's supported or not.
Safestrap site: http://blog.hash-of-codes.com/downloads/safestrap/
XDA thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2605648
Does anyone know?
Thganks.

purchafed fractobi
gastric123 said:
I've been using a factory ROM Sprint Samsung Galaxy SPH-L710 happily for quite a while. Outside of custom launchers and Widget Locker type stuff I've been trying hard to live [happily] within the factory constraints. Then I discovered Tasker, Daily Roads Voyager, and a bunch of other really fun stuff. And down the rabbit hole I went.
So thus far I've rooted using the excellent Saferoot found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=50744761
Now I want to be able to do nandroid backups so I can capture snapshot-in-time backups of my device. I keep seeing reference for using Snapshot on the Sprint S3 but the only sources I've seen for downloading Safestrap do not specifically reference the Sprint Galaxy S3 so I'm unsure if it's supported or not.
Safestrap site: http://blog.hash-of-codes.com/downloads/safestrap/
XDA thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2605648
Does anyone know?
Thganks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You dont need safestrap on the sprint version of s3 since we dont have locked bootloaders. Its mainly for the variants with locked bootloaders. You can ODIN either TWRP, CWM or Philz.

It was my understanding that the latest OTA 4.3 release specifically locked the bootloader and installed Knox. Which is why I went with Saferoot to begin with.

The firmware only installed KNOX apps and bootloader. SO, you can remove KNOX from the phone but not the bootloader. NEVER try to downgrade the bootloader as you will brick. You are stuck on that bootloader until someone figures something out.
Edit: The bootloader is not locked.

flynhawn2002 said:
The firmware only installed KNOX apps and bootloader. SO, you can remove KNOX from the phone but not the bootloader. NEVER try to downgrade the bootloader as you will brick. You are stuck on that bootloader until someone figures something out.
Edit: The bootloader is not locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, the conclusion is there's no work around or tool to allow nandriod backups even after rooting the OTA 4.3 update. No Safestrap viable for this particular device and factory ROM?

You can create backups from CWM, TWRP or Philz at anytime even on 4.3 MK3 without any issues. There is no safestrap for the sprint variant only ATT and Verizon (to my knowledge).

For clarification then the Sprint variant can use odin safely? Are there specific ROMs that are we are limited to? I went the SafeRoot route myself but have been petrified to try anything else because it seems every post I read contradicts the one before it. I downloaded the Online Nandroid Backup app and it seems to be working. I landed here trying to educate myself on SafeStrap. All I want is 4.1.2 back on my phone. This OTA has totally made my once silky smooth handset a laggy battery sucking pos!
JD

I have used ODIN numerous times and have had no issues! You can flash any ROM you wish just dont downgrade the bootloader or you will brick. BTW, 4.3 is silky smooth for me! I have my S3 running at least 24hrs and around 2.5 to 3hrs screen time (moderate to heavy use) per charge.

flynhawn2002 said:
I have used ODIN numerous times and have had no issues! You can flash any ROM you wish just dont downgrade the bootloader or you will brick. BTW, 4.3 is silky smooth for me! I have my S3 running at least 24hrs and around 2.5 to 3hrs screen time (moderate to heavy use) per charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. My stock device started freezing up intermittently and randomly locking up and rebooting. Typing is a joke because it will freeze mid sentence and then all the sudden crap out all the keystrokes like it had to stop and think about what it was doing. Also the Google Maps change and YouTube change annoy the hell out of me. Maps will not lock in on GPS unless i pull down the info bar from the top of the screen and toggle the GPS button off and on. Just a major frustration. This is the only phone I've had to date that I had absolutely no complaints about until 4.3. Sorry for the rant but thanks for the info.
JD

jdougs said:
Thanks. My stock device started freezing up intermittently and randomly locking up and rebooting. Typing is a joke because it will freeze mid sentence and then all the sudden crap out all the keystrokes like it had to stop and think about what it was doing. Also the Google Maps change and YouTube change annoy the hell out of me. Maps will not lock in on GPS unless i pull down the info bar from the top of the screen and toggle the GPS button off and on. Just a major frustration. This is the only phone I've had to date that I had absolutely no complaints about until 4.3. Sorry for the rant but thanks for the info.
JD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW....sorry to hear that. Go ahead and try some of the 4.3 custom roms as they are very fast, stable and smooth. Good luck!

jdougs said:
My stock device started freezing up intermittently and randomly locking up and rebooting. Typing is a joke because it will freeze mid sentence and then all the sudden crap out all the keystrokes like it had to stop and think about what it was doing. Also the Google Maps change and YouTube change annoy the hell out of me. Maps will not lock in on GPS unless i pull down the info bar from the top of the screen and toggle the GPS button off and on. Just a major frustration. This is the only phone I've had to date that I had absolutely no complaints about until 4.3. Sorry for the rant but thanks for the info.
JD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been perfectly happy with 4.3 and have had no issues, in fact it's made my S3 the first Android phone I haven't specifically hated after using an iPhone for almost 2 years. Everything works great, and it's fast, and I've loaded all sorts of custom launchers and lock screens and now have it rooted and running various Tasker automation. Great stuff. I'm finally sold on Android.
Regarding your random reboots/locks I had a Galaxy S2 with a dying power button switch that used to do that for months before I finally attributed it to the power switch specifically (when it finally died completely I finally realized it was the switch all along). That doesn't explain any other issues you're having, but it's something to consider. If you're rooted you can probably disable the power switch and assign some other hard button to work as the power button for a couple days as a test.
Good luck.

Thanks for the insight. I don't think it's hardware related since it was never an issue before the OTA but I am willing to try anything and will try it if I ever get the SuperSU to keep from randomly stopping.
JD

flynhawn2002 said:
The firmware only installed KNOX apps and bootloader. SO, you can remove KNOX from the phone but not the bootloader. NEVER try to downgrade the bootloader as you will brick. You are stuck on that bootloader until someone figures something out.
Edit: The bootloader is not locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really need some help here. I'm looking to switch to the s3 but all this talk of knox and stuff is really turning me away from it because rooting and using custom roms are a big thing to me, i just need a device that can support it well. So what exactly do you mean when you say downgrade the bootloader? and would i be able to flash roms that run kitkat? or would i have to update my device to kitkat and root while running 4.4?

tsmith1223 said:
I really need some help here. I'm looking to switch to the s3 but all this talk of knox and stuff is really turning me away from it because rooting and using custom roms are a big thing to me, i just need a device that can support it well. So what exactly do you mean when you say downgrade the bootloader? and would i be able to flash roms that run kitkat? or would i have to update my device to kitkat and root while running 4.4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I would do if you dont have 4.4:
1 Odin the official stock ND8
2 Flash TWRP 2.6.3.0
3 Go to the dev thread and folow the direction in OP and flash Wicked X 7.3 (custom 4.4) & thank bilgerryan
If you have 4.4 then proceed with 2 & 3!
You will then have a custom 4.4 rom on your S3!

flynhawn2002 said:
This is what I would do if you dont have 4.4:
1 Odin the official stock ND8
2 Flash TWRP 2.6.3.0
3 Go to the dev thread and folow the direction in OP and flash Wicked X 7.3 (custom 4.4) & thank bilgerryan
If you have 4.4 then proceed with 2 & 3!
You will then have a custom 4.4 rom on your S3!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. flash Philz recovery cause that one supposedly works best with ND8

Upgrading Modem?

Hello all. I recently spent 5+ hours rooting and turning my VZW Note 4 into a "developer" phone. I've rooted a lot of phones, but this particular process had me pretty frustrated. I had several problems with the software versions I was using. Anyway, I'm curious if I should upgrade just my modem firmware to the latest included in VZW's 6.0.1 release. On my old Android devices, I used to do this with great success. Signal strenght would increase (or worsen), GPS signal would be better, etc. Is this included in ROMS and/or is it safe to do this?

Oh man,lol don't tell me that. I just bought a note 4 off swappa and it'll be here wendsday probably. I have been wanting a note 4 for along time. Only reason why I never got it was because of root and BL being locked down. Now that there is custom roms & kernels I bought it and can't wait to get it. Is it really that bad to Root and BL unlock? If it took you that long it'll take me days because I work 12hr job 7 days a week. I'm just trying to find all the necessary files I need to download now that way that will be done with.
Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

av00va said:
Hello all. I recently spent 5+ hours rooting and turning my VZW Note 4 into a "developer" phone. I've rooted a lot of phones, but this particular process had me pretty frustrated. I had several problems with the software versions I was using. Anyway, I'm curious if I should upgrade just my modem firmware to the latest included in VZW's 6.0.1 release. On my old Android devices, I used to do this with great success. Signal strenght would increase (or worsen), GPS signal would be better, etc. Is this included in ROMS and/or is it safe to do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look in @hsbadr's Jasmine ROM thread. There's a partial firmware to flash that will update both the bootloader and the modem to PF3, which is the latest and greatest. It's required if you want to use Jasmine 7.0 or @chevyrhoad's Grace 7 ROMs.

mwebb34 said:
Oh man,lol don't tell me that. I just bought a note 4 off swappa and it'll be here wendsday probably. I have been wanting a note 4 for along time. Only reason why I never got it was because of root and BL being locked down. Now that there is custom roms & kernels I bought it and can't wait to get it. Is it really that bad to Root and BL unlock? If it took you that long it'll take me days because I work 12hr job 7 days a week. I'm just trying to find all the necessary files I need to download now that way that will be done with.
Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a matter of being familiar with the tools. The process is pretty rudimentary. If you have a knowledge of linux and/or abd you'll be fine. I had trouble when my phone decided to start boot looping. Turns out it skipped my mind to wipe the cache/data clean after a stock odin flash. After all is said and done, the process is fairly simple. Also, King Root is a big issue. If you dump a fresh ROM from odin onto your device, install King Root, and attempt to root it it will root successfully everytime, the first time. On some other ROMs it can give you a considerable amount of trouble. I recommend resetting your lollipop to defaults, rooting it, flashing to the 5.1.1/6.0.1 hybrid, rooting again, and then continue about your business. There's a certain set of steps that makes this process painless which you can only ascertain if you have done it.

douger1957 said:
Look in @hsbadr's Jasmine ROM thread. There's a partial firmware to flash that will update both the bootloader and the modem to PF3, which is the latest and greatest. It's required if you want to use Jasmine 7.0 or @chevyrhoad's Grace 7 ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I flash "N910VVRU2CPF3_PartialFirmware_PatechedKernel.tar.md5" from his thread overtop of my TRWM and CM 13 ROM? I have both installed, and I'm wondering if I can just boot into the bootloader and odin this to the phone. CM 13 supports it, so why not? I'm just worried about it a kernel malfunction.

av00va said:
It's a matter of being familiar with the tools. The process is pretty rudimentary. If you have a knowledge of linux and/or abd you'll be fine. I had trouble when my phone decided to start boot looping. Turns out it skipped my mind to wipe the cache/data clean after a stock odin flash. After all is said and done, the process is fairly simple. Also, King Root is a big issue. If you dump a fresh ROM from odin onto your device, install King Root, and attempt to root it it will root successfully everytime, the first time. On some other ROMs it can give you a considerable amount of trouble. I recommend resetting your lollipop to defaults, rooting it, flashing to the 5.1.1/6.0.1 hybrid, rooting again, and then continue about your business. There's a certain set of steps that makes this process painless which you can only ascertain if you have done it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will absolutely take you're advice on this and apply it as soon as I get my note 4. Should be receiving it in about 3 or 4 days.
Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

av00va said:
Can I flash "N910VVRU2CPF3_PartialFirmware_PatechedKernel.tar.md5" from his thread overtop of my TRWM and CM 13 ROM? I have both installed, and I'm wondering if I can just boot into the bootloader and odin this to the phone. CM 13 supports it, so why not? I'm just worried about it a kernel malfunction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To the best of my knowledge, it does nothing to the kernel. All it does is upgrade the modem.

Stock experience?

What is currently the best rom to flash for the pure stock experience that will work on Verizon? I am about to exchange my phone and wanted to flash this to try out before I get my replacement.
Is there a universal version yet?

The bootloader is locked, so flashing a custom ROM is not possible. I assume that is what you are talking about. There is a thread on rooting that you may want to take a look at. Haven't done it yet, but will after I get my replacement.

redsman5501 said:
The bootloader is locked, so flashing a custom ROM is not possible. I assume that is what you are talking about. There is a thread on rooting that you may want to take a look at. Haven't done it yet, but will after I get my replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I was actually talking about flashing a stock carrier rom. Who has the least bloat and changes? I flashed AT&T and it was OK but the voice didn't work right so I had to flash back.

ikarma said:
No I was actually talking about flashing a stock carrier rom. Who has the least bloat and changes? I flashed AT&T and it was OK but the voice didn't work right so I had to flash back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The canadian rom is 100% stock. I can't get it to work on Verizon though

You think Samsung would supply a vanilla non bloat version we could flash. Would be a nice option. Honestly I don't think Samsung knows how terrible touch wiz runs on the snapdragon here in the states with all the bloat.

If you use the root method posted by OvrDriVE here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3461232
You will have stock Verizon with Sprint recovery. After you're rooted, you can remove all the bloat you want or just disable it.

Do not take APH1 Update!

After taking the APH1 update on my phone, I can no longer downgrade to PG5, and I also can't flash the PG9 U firmware. I don't know what Samsung/Verizon did, but it's ridiculous.
I'm now stuck on the APH1 firmware and can't get on the U firmware at all.
I haven't tried rooting, but there is no Odin firmware for APH1 yet, so I'm not going to try until there is, so that if I mess up my phone I can fix it.

FoxyDrew said:
After taking the APH1 update on my phone, I can no longer downgrade to PG5, and I also can't flash the PG9 U firmware. I don't know what Samsung/Verizon did, but it's ridiculous.
I'm now stuck on the APH1 firmware and can't get on the U firmware at all.
I haven't tried rooting, but there is no Odin firmware for APH1 yet, so I'm not going to try until there is, so that if I mess up my phone I can fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It probably incremented the bootloader. I upgraded to it because I am just losing interest in root all together. Somebody will chime in with a more technical explanation.

DarkMidnight said:
It probably incremented the bootloader. I upgraded to it because I am just losing interest in root all together. Somebody will chime in with a more technical explanation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. For some reason I just don't really care about rooting the S7. Maybe I've just rooted too many phones and lost interest.

nynativ said:
Agreed. For some reason I just don't really care about rooting the S7. Maybe I've just rooted too many phones and lost interest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me a lot of it is this is not the most conventional root, not very stable for me and battery life suffered a lot compared to stock, and flashing U firmware has not been very cooperative for me.

So thoughts.... I am on the latest U firmware on my 930V. Should I consider flashing back to the stock Verizon rom? Everything is working great. I do plan on jumping ship from Verizon in the next year or so. I am blown away at how well this phone runs stock and only flashed the U in preparation to take it to another carrier afterwards. Is this a bad idea?

Tried to live with root, but the battery and stability was horrible. Now, I am using the engboot to do any data back up or restore tasks in TiBU then flashing the AP again to unroot. Data is maintained, but now I have to live with ads. I use adguard, by it feel like it hurts battery life. Will try and quantify that soon.
Being able to count on my phone to make a call and hold a charge is too important to me. Rooting the phone to set it up after a reset saves me time. Unfortunately, rooting with our current method is too prohibitive for daily use.

nynativ said:
Agreed. For some reason I just don't really care about rooting the S7. Maybe I've just rooted too many phones and lost interest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here.

I have a 930U that I use on Verizon. I use the 930V firmware because I like having visual Voicemail. I have rooted 3 different times and gone back to stock everytime. I suppose it because of the engineering kernel but root with the S7 is just not stable. The battery life sucks and you have to do so many things to fix the lag it has just become not worth it. Also the 2 latest updates from Verizon have been good on battery. I do like not having Verizon logos all over my phone.

nrage23 said:
I have a 930U that I use on Verizon. I use the 930V firmware because I like having visual Voicemail. I have rooted 3 different times and gone back to stock everytime. I suppose it because of the engineering kernel but root with the S7 is just not stable. The battery life sucks and you have to do so many things to fix the lag it has just become not worth it. Also the 2 latest updates from Verizon have been good on battery. I do like not having Verizon logos all over my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Give stang5liter rom a whirl. Been on it since it was released and have no issues besides nearby devices not working for me.

craazy82013 said:
Give stang5liter rom a whirl. Been on it since it was released and have no issues besides nearby devices not working for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been using the same ROM for almost a week with xposed and everything is fine. I feel great without seeing the ads again. haha! BTW, I didn't try the nearby devices so no comment on that.

I have the G930V and am running APH1 with root no problems. The lag was horrendous but after changing the CPU governor to "interactive" on BOTH CPU's (little and BIG) it's been running smooth. I'll run like this for a bit... but stang5liter looks like it will be my next move.

Has anyone with ph1 tried flashing another rom such as stang5litre?

dBunny said:
I have the G930V and am running APH1 with root no problems. The lag was horrendous but after changing the CPU governor to "interactive" on BOTH CPU's (little and BIG) it's been running smooth. I'll run like this for a bit... but stang5liter looks like it will be my next move.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So how did you root if you can't downgrade like the OP stated?

craazy82013 said:
Has anyone with ph1 tried flashing another rom such as stang5litre?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it works just fine.
bart77 said:
So how did you root if you can't downgrade like the OP stated?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PH1 doesn't break root. You just can't downgrade to older firmware's or flash any U firmware's. PH1 is still completely rootable.

So you can't Odin flash back to a stock image if you get in trouble or want to unroot. I guess I'll stay on PG5 for now.
I'm not rooted now, but was able to disable system update notifications using
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hecorat.packagedisabler
By disabling:
System updates (com.samsung.sdm)
System updates (com.samsung.sdmviewer)
and securitylogagent

FoxyDrew said:
PH1 doesn't break root. You just can't downgrade to older firmware's or flash any U firmware's. PH1 is still completely rootable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks @FoxyDrew for clarifying that... and I agree.
I used the following GUIDE to root APH1 on my S7 Flat: http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-s7-edge/how-to/verizon-root-knox-t3410624

Im somewhat confused. Your saying you cant downgrade from ph1. Are you talking only with odin? Reason i ask is stang5litre rom is APE1. And as was stated a few posts up, this rom can be flashed on rooted APH1. Which would take you back to APE1. Therefor downgradable? Any help is appreciated.

craazy82013 said:
Im somewhat confused. Your saying you cant downgrade from ph1. Are you talking only with odin? Reason i ask is stang5litre rom is APE1. And as was stated a few posts up, this rom can be flashed on rooted APH1. Which would take you back to APE1. Therefor downgradable? Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ph1 upgrades the boot image therefore you cannot Odin flash back to stock pe1 which is the older boot image.
You can still root and flash stang5litre which is the pe1 rom, but you still have the ph1 boot image.
Sent from my VS987 using XDA-Developers mobile app

bart77 said:
Ph1 upgrades the boot image therefore you cannot Odin flash back to stock pe1 which is the older boot image.
You can still root and flash stang5litre which is the pe1 rom, but you still have the ph1 boot image. So if something goes wrong, you have no means of recovery back to stock since there is no ph1 stock Odin image.
Sent from my VS987 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ph1 image is available at this link (http://updato.com/firmware-archive-select-model?record=78F84FCD811E11E69B2DFA163EE8F90B). I have flashed with these files and they work perfect.

Seems bootloader was uograded to version 3. So may be possible to flash between tmo and vzw and vice versa. Both now have v3 bootloader.

Downgrading 6.0.1 to 5.1.1

Hi if anyone can help- I'm on the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 4 after 2 Note 7's and a Note 3 before that on Biggin's so I've sorta been out of the root game. I want to downgrade from 6.0.1 to 5.1.1. I am downloading the full firmware for the Note 4 from further back in this thread (N910VVRU2CPA1) and am currently on (N910VVRU2CPG2).
From what I understand, I need to do a factory reset, then go to Odin and flash the firmware. I have Odin 3.10.7 and am downloading the N910VVRU2CPA1 as we speak. I see 'hsbadr' firmwares in his thread and the PIT file TRLTE_USA_VZW.pit which I'm not sure is compatable pit file for the specific 5.1.1 firmware or the necessary pit file is included in the full firmware and can anyone tell me if these are the right steps?are these the right steps Any information would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks

@tjmethod by chance how did you process go, did you manage to root and unlock bootloader?

djisback said:
@tjmethod by chance how did you process go, did you manage to root and unlock bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the phone already with 6.0.1 on it and read that you cannot unlock/ root it with mm on it and can only be done after downgrading to 5.1.1 so I haven't done anything yet

I'm in the same boat...Coming from a n7. Bought a n4 on eBay...It's got 601. Want to root...Guess we need to downgrade....Is it possible?

tjmethod said:
Hi if anyone can help- I'm on the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 4 after 2 Note 7's and a Note 3 before that on Biggin's so I've sorta been out of the root game. I want to downgrade from 6.0.1 to 5.1.1. I am downloading the full firmware for the Note 4 from further back in this thread (N910VVRU2CPA1) and am currently on (N910VVRU2CPG2).
From what I understand, I need to do a factory reset, then go to Odin and flash the firmware. I have Odin 3.10.7 and am downloading the N910VVRU2CPA1 as we speak. I see 'hsbadr' firmwares in his thread and the PIT file TRLTE_USA_VZW.pit which I'm not sure is compatable pit file for the specific 5.1.1 firmware or the necessary pit file is included in the full firmware and can anyone tell me if these are the right steps?are these the right steps Any information would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sudermatt said:
I'm in the same boat...Coming from a n7. Bought a n4 on eBay...It's got 601. Want to root...Guess we need to downgrade....Is it possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before you can start rooting, you'll need to be on 5.1.1 BPA1. If you're currently on 6.0.1, just download the BPA1 firmware from Sammobile, factory reset on 6.0.1, then flash BPA1 stock via Odin.

quinciebee said:
Before you can start rooting, you'll need to be on 5.1.1 BPA1. If you're currently on 6.0.1, just download the BPA1 firmware from Sammobile, factory reset on 6.0.1, then flash BPA1 stock via Odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thanks, I had called Samsung and talked to top tier tech support and was told that once the phone has been upgraded to 6.0.1., it cannot be downgraded. and that i need to search the rooting sites and try to find where someone has found a breach or workaround for unlocking the bootloader which will usually have a bounty but I dont know. top tier tech support has always been good. Do you think thats false it cannot be downgraded?

tjmethod said:
Hi thanks, I had called Samsung and talked to top tier tech support and was told that once the phone has been upgraded to 6.0.1., it cannot be downgraded. and that i need to search the rooting sites and try to find where someone has found a breach or workaround for unlocking the bootloader which will usually have a bounty but I dont know. top tier tech support has always been good. Do you think thats false it cannot be downgraded?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's definitely false, when I rooted my phone, I downgraded from 6.0.1 to 5.1.1 without any issues.

quinciebee said:
It's definitely false, when I rooted my phone, I downgraded from 6.0.1 to 5.1.1 without any issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will definately give it a go when I have the time, have you flashed a rom and if so which one, there must be some or some tweaks to get rid of the lag?

tjmethod said:
I will definately give it a go when I have the time, have you flashed a rom and if so which one, there must be some or some tweaks to get rid of the lag?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm currently using CM13 because of Xposed and overall stability, but there are newer roms out there.

quinciebee said:
I'm currently using CM13 because of Xposed and overall stability, but there are newer roms out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a little confused as to whether I've found the right firmwares but I've found the firmwares here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/no...mware-firmware-kernel-modem-recovery-t2942937
If I am downgrading to 5.1.1. which this phone was obviously on before, I don't know what this phone was on since it currently is on the PL1 build which are not one of the two 6.0.1. builds on this page. I don't even know if that matters.. Anyway, the two 5.1.1. builds are PA1 and OK3. Do you know where any other firmwares out there that might show my current one and the previous build that it came from?
Thanks-

tjmethod said:
I am a little confused as to whether I've found the right firmwares but I've found the firmwares here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/no...mware-firmware-kernel-modem-recovery-t2942937
If I am downgrading to 5.1.1. which this phone was obviously on before, I don't know what this phone was on since it currently is on the PL1 build which are not one of the two 6.0.1. builds on this page. I don't even know if that matters.. Anyway, the two 5.1.1. builds are PA1 and OK3. Do you know where any other firmwares out there that might show my current one and the previous build that it came from?
Thanks-
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You want the PA1. It's really easy. Just sounds more complicated then it is. I am using the PaulPizz rom. It is very stable, good battery life, and spen and sview work. If you need any help, let me know.

ziggy71 said:
You want the PA1. It's really easy. Just sounds more complicated then it is. I am using the PaulPizz rom. It is very stable, good battery life, and spen and sview work. If you need any help, let me know.
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Thanks bro I don't if I'll have time til this weekend to do this- Does this rom have tweaks to fix the aggravating galaxy lag? With a non rooted phone there's goin into recovery and deleting cache, DU speed and phone booster, cleaned but it's like they all have it- thanks again- lookin forward to rooting this damn thing

tjmethod said:
I am a little confused as to whether I've found the right firmwares but I've found the firmwares here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/no...mware-firmware-kernel-modem-recovery-t2942937
If I am downgrading to 5.1.1. which this phone was obviously on before, I don't know what this phone was on since it currently is on the PL1 build which are not one of the two 6.0.1. builds on this page. I don't even know if that matters.. Anyway, the two 5.1.1. builds are PA1 and OK3. Do you know where any other firmwares out there that might show my current one and the previous build that it came from?
Thanks-
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah they're out there but that thread hasn't been updated recently. Basically the order after pf3 is pg2, pj2, and then cpl1. The one you want, if your planning on rooting, is bpa1. Also, as far as your question in the op about the pit file, it should really only be used if absolutely necessary. It's in case your partitions have been corrupted for some reason and you need to repartition your device.
Edit- I was going to link to those other firmwares but they are buried in the thread that your already looking in. Either way they aren't necessary for you to unlock your bootloader, you can go straight from cpl1 to bpa1.

kevintm78 said:
Yeah they're out there but that thread hasn't been updated recently. Basically the order after pf3 is pg2, pj2, and then cpl1. The one you want, if your planning on rooting, is bpa1. Also, as far as your question in the op about the pit file, it should really only be used if absolutely necessary. It's in case your partitions have been corrupted for some reason and you need to repartition your device.
Edit- I was going to link to those other firmwares but they are buried in the thread that your already looking in. Either way they aren't necessary for you to unlock your bootloader, you can go straight from cpl1 to bpa1.
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Hey thanks for confirming all this. So all I need to download and install is the bpa1 firmware via Oden with the AP button I think- I've got a few different versions of Oden on my pc. It's been a while since I've flashed firmware on a phone but I remember it was easy. So just save my pictures, any files, etc. on the sd card, remove it, then do a factory reset or when I put the setting into usb download mode, and flash the firmware this will automatically factory reset the phone? Also earlier today Verizon has been trying to push an software upgrade. After I unlock the bootloader and install twrp then flash a rom, do I need to somehow disable the update notice. I remember having to do that once with another phone.
What rom are you on? Thanks again for the Info-
TJ

tjmethod said:
Hey thanks for confirming all this. So all I need to download and install is the bpa1 firmware via Oden with the AP button I think- I've got a few different versions of Oden on my pc. It's been a while since I've flashed firmware on a phone but I remember it was easy. So just save my pictures, any files, etc. on the sd card, remove it, then do a factory reset or when I put the setting into usb download mode, and flash the firmware this will automatically factory reset the phone? Also earlier today Verizon has been trying to push an software upgrade. After I unlock the bootloader and install twrp then flash a rom, do I need to somehow disable the update notice. I remember having to do that once with another phone.
What rom are you on? Thanks again for the Info-
TJ
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Yeah that all sounds spot on. I would definitely do the factory reset before you start, but other than that your good. To block the updates, you can uninstall the SDM apps. There are 2 of those and you'll need root to remove them, but you can disable them without root with that debloater tool. The rom I'm currently using is kind of work in progress. I have a couple stock based roms in the dev section, one is stock_plus that has a stock feel with some mods added and the other is Modest Rom that is got some grace apps added and system ui mods. You can find them here and here if you want to check them out.

kevintm78 said:
Yeah that all sounds spot on. I would definitely do the factory reset before you start, but other than that your good. To block the updates, you can uninstall the SDM apps. There are 2 of those and you'll need root to remove them, but you can disable them without root with that debloater tool. The rom I'm currently using is kind of work in progress. I have a couple stock based roms in the dev section, one is stock_plus that has a stock feel with some mods added and the other is Modest Rom that is got some grace apps added and system ui mods. You can find them here and here if you want to check them out.
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Awesome, I'm going to check those out but I forgot the biggest question of all... how to get rid of the Galaxy lag- is there a rom or tweak where this can be fixed since recovery cache delete and cleaning tools dont really do much?
Thanks again-

tjmethod said:
Awesome, I'm going to check those out but I forgot the biggest question of all... how to get rid of the Galaxy lag- is there a rom or tweak where this can be fixed since recovery cache delete and cleaning tools dont really do much?
Thanks again-
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Click to collapse
Custom kernels help a lot. The problem is it's kind of slim pickings for our specific model, but some of the international kernels work well too. Oscar kernel is made for the 910v so that's probably the most reliable but if your like me, I like to use a permissive kernel and Ram kernel is not a bad choice for that though it's not as feature rich.

kevintm78 said:
Custom kernels help a lot. The problem is it's kind of slim pickings for our specific model, but some of the international kernels work well too. Oscar kernel is made for the 910v so that's probably the most reliable but if your like me, I like to use a permissive kernel and Ram kernel is not a bad choice for that though it's not as feature rich.
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Click to collapse
I really dont know the difference... from what I remember a kernel is the layer between the software and the hardware- a key component of the os. I'm guessing the permissive ones can be used for different roms or firmware? You can probably tell I really don't that much about the root game. The last time I flashed a firmware was on my note 3 after I bricked it. Then rerooted and got on to biggins rom which was great ut I never understood or learned how to use xposed. Anyway, I downloaded Modest Rom, PJ2 _STOCK .tar and am downloading cpl1_tar but I know that once I flash bpa1 firmware which puts the phone back on 5.1.1. I see your roms are 6.0.1 roms, after I flash the bpa1, will the bootloader be unlocked? If so can I then just flash the cpla1_tar or is that not a full firmware? or use one of the two 6.0.1 firmwares from where I found the cpa1? Are the kernels different from 6.0.1 and 5.1.1 and where to find the downloads?? I appreciate the tips especially coming from a develpoer and i'm happy to make a donation- I'm not sure how?
Thanks again!

tjmethod said:
I really dont know the difference... from what I remember a kernel is the layer between the software and the hardware- a key component of the os. I'm guessing the permissive ones can be used for different roms or firmware? You can probably tell I really don't that much about the root game. The last time I flashed a firmware was on my note 3 after I bricked it. Then rerooted and got on to biggins rom which was great ut I never understood or learned how to use xposed. Anyway, I downloaded Modest Rom, PJ2 _STOCK .tar and am downloading cpl1_tar but I know that once I flash bpa1 firmware which puts the phone back on 5.1.1. I see your roms are 6.0.1 roms, after I flash the bpa1, will the bootloader be unlocked? If so can I then just flash the cpla1_tar or is that not a full firmware? or use one of the two 6.0.1 firmwares from where I found the cpa1? Are the kernels different from 6.0.1 and 5.1.1 and where to find the downloads?? I appreciate the tips especially coming from a develpoer and i'm happy to make a donation- I'm not sure how?
Thanks again!
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Click to collapse
Hey buddy, did you get it figured out? I broke my arm at work on Sunday and of course it's my right arm so I'm having some issues responding back on my note with one hand. I bet I've dropped this thing 20 times already.

kevintm78 said:
Hey buddy, did you get it figured out? I broke my arm at work on Sunday and of course it's my right arm so I'm having some issues responding back on my note with one hand. I bet I've dropped this thing 20 times already.
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Oh man that sucks- hopefully they gave you some good pain meds. Anyway, I havent taken th plunge yet- once I get on to 5.1.1 then twrp, I want to go on to 6.0.1 but am unsure as to what point the bootloader is unlocked or exactly what to do to upgrade to 6.0.1 once I crack the bl. I just dont want to go through the dreaded set up everything twice.