Samsung Galaxy S4 thread - See Mod Warning in Post #1

themacdaddy

waynegalway wrote: »

You can get rid of "bloatware" if it's rooted (not just disable it, but really get rid of it). Some apps that come pre-loaded by Samsung can't really be turned off unless it's rooted.

Thanks mate. I mananged to install the official stock rom to get rid of all my vodafone bloatware. But by doing that is it rooted? or Did I root it and then get rid of the root by installing the official stock rom? Apologies for these noob questions. I was good at iphone Jailbreak but totally confused by android rooting and modding.

PrzemoF wrote: »

I used motochopper to root and yes it is worth to do it. AdAway, FasterGPS and many more apps won't work without rooting

Thanks Przemo, will have a look into it. Did you software/firmware status remain offical when you did that or did it change to custom?

evolutionqy7

Question

When I got the phone I somehow set up a setting where it would let me edit a screenshot right after taking it. It's starting to annoy me, but can't find where the settings for this are located.

PrzemoF

themacdaddy wrote: »

Thanks mate. I mananged to install the official stock rom to get rid of all my vodafone bloatware. But by doing that is it rooted? or Did I root it and then get rid of the root by installing the official stock rom? Apologies for these noob questions. I was good at iphone Jailbreak but totally confused by android rooting and modding.

Thanks Przemo, will have a look into it. Did you software/firmware status remain offical when you did that or did it change to custom?

"Rooting" vs. "jailbreaking"

I have no idea, I did few things in a short period of time - rooting by flashing with heimdall, installing cwm (the same method), rooting with motochopper (the first try with heimdal gave me weird results, su was present, but some apps didn't see it), flashing cyanogenmod (failed, had to revert to original samsung firmware).
Where I can check it?

themacdaddy

PrzemoF wrote: »

"Rooting" vs. "jailbreaking"

Where I can check it?

Cool thanks, you can check it in Setting - More - About device - status - device status will either say official or custom

PrzemoF

themacdaddy wrote: »

Cool thanks, you can check it in Setting - More - About device - status - device status will either say official or custom

Device status: Custom

waynegalway

themacdaddy wrote: »

Thanks mate. I mananged to install the official stock rom to get rid of all my vodafone bloatware. But by doing that is it rooted?

AFAIK when you flash an official samsung firmware onto the phone, it is not rooted. You're simply replacing one "factory OS" with another.

If you use a "leaked" version of android rather than an official one (even if it is samsung branded) then you may increase your binary counter and the phone will say it has a "custom" rom instead of "official" rom. Effectively it IS a custom rom, but not in the sense that putting something completely different, like CyanogenMod, would be. It's still Samsung, just not an official samsung firmware.

There's a good chance that the firmware you're using has the VF bloatware missing but it still has the Samsung bloatware (like Chaton for example). The only way to get rid of the Samsung bloat is to go the whole way to a custom rom, or root the device and use an app called Titanium Backup to "freeze" unwanted apps.

coldfire1x

Since the rooting is being discussed here, a quick question.

Say if I root my phone, will I still get the OTA updates or do I need to put the latest firmware manually every time there's an update?

waynegalway

coldfire1x wrote: »

Since the rooting is being discussed here, a quick question.

Say if I root my phone, will I still get the OTA updates or do I need to put the latest firmware manually every time there's an update?

Depends on the version of the ROM that you use. On some of them, you will only get updates if you go back onto the likes of XDA and seek out the new versions and flash them yourself. On the other hand, I've had official roms that have updated through the Kies software when connected to the PC. I've never been able to get an OTA update, even with the software that was on the phone when I bought it.

So in my case, I had to use the computer to update it, either through Kies or through finding a ROM and using the Odin software. TBH, Odin is far simpler and arguably more reliable to use than Kies. Kies makes iTunes look good.

evolutionqy7

coldfire1x wrote: »

Since the rooting is being discussed here, a quick question.

Say if I root my phone, will I still get the OTA updates or do I need to put the latest firmware manually every time there's an update?

You lose OTA functionality. I still think you can use kies though

themacdaddy

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

You lose OTA functionality. I still think you can use kies though

I may be wrong (as I am new to all this stuff) but according to this method you do not lose OTA functionality.

evolutionqy7

themacdaddy wrote: »

I may be wrong (as I am new to all this stuff) but according to this method you do not lose OTA functionality.

Haven't looked at that one yet. Might be

I know when I go to check for any updates it says my phone is custom and therefore I won't receive OTA'S

MarkR

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

Haven't looked at that one yet. Might be

I know when I go to check for any updates it says my phone is custom and therefore I won't receive OTA'S

That's what I did, and I still seem to have OTA updates.

themacdaddy

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

Haven't looked at that one yet. Might be

I know when I go to check for any updates it says my phone is custom and therefore I won't receive OTA'S

Ye, to be honest I am new to all this so am wary about doing it without a totally idiot step by step guide. Some of the threads on XDA are great but for Android beginners like me I have to become familiar with the basics before I attempt it.

evolutionqy7

themacdaddy wrote: »

Ye, to be honest I am new to all this so am wary about doing it without a totally idiot step by step guide. Some of the threads on XDA are great but for Android beginners like me I have to become familiar with the basics before I attempt it.

You just need to do a good bit of reading and watch a couple of YouTube videos.

It's dead easy once you get your head around it.

You put your phone into download mode.
Open odin
Select the md5 root file on pda section of odin
Select start

Let the magic happen.

Only takes 2 mins if you have all the files in front of you

themacdaddy

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

You just need to do a good bit of reading and watch a couple of YouTube videos.

It's dead easy once you get your head around it.

You put your phone into download mode.
Open odin
Select the md5 root file on pda section of odin
Select start

Let the magic happen.

Only takes 2 mins if you have all the files in front of you

Thanks, yes I did something very similar to that when I installed in official unbranded firmware last week.

Clareman

Doesn't rooting void the warranty with Samsung?

themacdaddy

Clareman wrote: »

Doesn't rooting void the warranty with Samsung?

Yes, I think it does, but you can just flash the offical firmware back on the phone before you return it to Samsung.

ED E

Clareman wrote: »

Doesn't rooting void the warranty with Samsung?

themacdaddy wrote: »

Yes, I think it does, but you can just flash the offical firmware back on the phone before you return it to Samsung.

Missed a step, you need to reset the counter to be totally safe.

evolutionqy7

Clareman wrote: »

Doesn't rooting void the warranty with Samsung?

They don't mind it as long as you make it look like it was stock before sending it back.

markc1184

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

Question

When I got the phone I somehow set up a setting where it would let me edit a screenshot right after taking it. It's starting to annoy me, but can't find where the settings for this are located.

Its in the display settings page, near the end.

evolutionqy7

markc1184 wrote: »

Its in the display settings page, near the end.

Cheers!!

_____________________

This is what I'm going to do to my S4 next week when I get the battery !

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=41671920&postcount=10

Cherry_Cola

Does anyone know if it's possible to remove the cartoon image that's present for contacts? I find it a bit annoying in texts but can't find an option to disable it.

IncognitoMan

Can this still be bought in carphone warehouse for three network? On the site it has said out of stock for the last few weeks

evolutionqy7

Cherry_Cola wrote: »

Does anyone know if it's possible to remove the cartoon image that's present for contacts? I find it a bit annoying in texts but can't find an option to disable it.

I don't think it is, I just sat down one evening and give everyone a face Make the contacts so much nicer to look at as well

IncognitoMan wrote: »

Can this still be bought in carphone warehouse for three network? On the site it has said out of stock for the last few weeks

Yes, got one last Friday

balkieb2002

Cherry_Cola wrote: »

Does anyone know if it's possible to remove the cartoon image that's present for contacts? I find it a bit annoying in texts but can't find an option to disable it.

As far as I can tell you can't unfortunately. I had no idea what you were talking about initially as I've synced mine with gmail, facebook etc so I've not got that image left for too many contacts.

May do as evolutionqy7 said and give the rest some sort of nice image

evolutionqy7

Got my Anker extended battery. Have to say even though the hump is thicker than the phone itself, it's more comfortable to hold the phone. Got a nice big area to rest my right hand thumb on the side now, ads a bit of weight to the phone, but won't cry over it as it will save me of carrying around a charger with me







Uploaded with ImageShack.us

ED E

Trying to work out what exactly your notes underneath are about :pac:

Quazzie

That battery ruins a nice phone if yo ask me

balkieb2002

Quazzie wrote: »

That battery ruins a nice phone if yo ask me

I agree, I like my phone due to its thinness and weight (i don't even have a cover on mine) but I'm tempted to get one of those for a trip etc. Couldn't see my self using it on a day to day basis though.

How much did it cost you and what type of battery life improvements are you seeing?

Cossax

Anyone get WatchOn working? I've picked Ireland but it just stays stuck at 'Please wait...'.

pah

Quazzie wrote: »

That battery ruins a nice phone if yo ask me

agreed, this is the nicest phone I've used, aesthetically speaking since the iPhone 4. Beautiful to look at and to hold and use.

I'm finding the Battery to be good. Not like my note 2 but not far off it either.

evolutionqy7

ED E wrote: »

Trying to work out what exactly your notes underneath are about :pac:

Accounting stuff on evaluating what's a company worth

Clareman

I find the battery to be fine, but I'm coming from an iPhone 3GS where I'd be lucky to get a full day out of the battery (replaced the battery a couple of times as well). I am a bit of a scrooge with the battery life though, I use the tabs in the notification panel to turn things off when I don't need them (like Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth, NPC), it's not that much hassle to turn them back on when I need them

Clareman

Oops, should have added, I often go to bed with the battery at over 60%, that'd be after an hour (at least) talk time, email, facebook, linkedin, viber and whatsapp running, although I've notifications and sync turned off for those apps.

markc1184

Cossax wrote: »

Anyone get WatchOn working? I've picked Ireland but it just stays stuck at 'Please wait...'.

I've got the remote control part working but if I choose a programme and select watch now, nothing happens.

evolutionqy7

markc1184 wrote: »

I've got the remote control part working but if I choose a programme and select watch now, nothing happens.

Mine didn't really work either :-(

Clareman

markc1184 wrote: »

I've got the remote control part working but if I choose a programme and select watch now, nothing happens.

My set-top box isn't listed so I can't program that I have gotten my TV to work, but that's a Samsung so if it didn't I'd be worried

balkieb2002

Yeah I'm having issues with WatchOn too.

I select Ireland and it gives me the option of Sky or UPC which is correct but when I select UPC it mentions that UPC Broadband Holding BV has multiple channel lineup in the 1234 postal code and to answer a question to determine which is my one i.e. do I get channel 102 or 103. Depending on which one I pick I'm getting TV listings/guide for Holland or Germany etc. I have no idea whats going on. If I pick Sky it seems to give the correct english listings!

I have the LG TV working fine but I'd rather the UPC box was working!

DARK-KNIGHT

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

Got my Anker extended battery. Have to say even though the hump is thicker than the phone itself, it's more comfortable to hold the phone. Got a nice big area to rest my right hand thumb on the side now, ads a bit of weight to the phone, but won't cry over it as it will save me of carrying around a charger with me







Uploaded with ImageShack.us

jesus no offense meant but my god that battery makes that phone ugly. Would you not just buy a spare battery?

evolutionqy7

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

jesus no offense meant but my god that battery makes that phone ugly. Would you not just buy a spare battery?

Ah wait till I join it together with an otter box :-) barely even notice it then :-)

It a nuisance having to swap batteries, especially daily, as I said it actually makes the phone grip better with one hand

RQ2013

Hi Lads
Did a quick search but couldn't see anything about this - I'm having a problem with my new S4 - short story is I can't get my charger to fit into the charger slot. I've tried a few different chargers from lads in work etc but it won't fit in so its obviously not a charger problem.

It's like there is something stuck in charging slot but I can't see anything.

One day it was working fine and the next day the charger won't fit.
Nothing happened the phone as I've been taking good care of it since I got it (@ 3 weeks)
Anyone encounter this problem or have any ideas?
Thanks

ED E

Get yourself a bright light and look into it. Chances are there's something in there.


You sure you're using a Micro cable and not a mini, they look similar enough.

RQ2013

ED E wrote: »

Get yourself a bright light and look into it. Chances are there's something in there.


You sure you're using a Micro cable and not a mini, they look similar enough.

I'm just using the standard charger that came in the box with it...

Shined a torch into it but couldn't see anything....very annoying because can't charge battery

I'm off back to shop with it at lunchtime :mad:

llandai

Got an S4 on Monday and having an issue with the keyboard since this morning. Not sure how it changed from the qwerty keyboard to the handwriting keypad but it did this morning and I can't for the life of me work out how to change it back!! Am I missing something really obvious? Any help appreciated, cheers.

Clareman

llandai wrote: »

Got an S4 on Monday and having an issue with the keyboard since this morning. Not sure how it changed from the qwerty keyboard to the handwriting keypad but it did this morning and I can't for the life of me work out how to change it back!! Am I missing something really obvious? Any help appreciated, cheers.

Click on some box where you can type text (e.g. SMS), you'll see a keyboard in the top left hand corner, pull down the notification window, then Select input method, go from there

llandai

Clareman wrote: »

Click on some box where you can type text (e.g. SMS), you'll see a keyboard in the top left hand corner, pull down the notification window, then Select input method, go from there

I've tried that already, it gives me the option of Google voice typing or Samsung keyboard. Obviously if I select Google voice typing I can only input using voice, if I select Samsung keyboard I can go into the settings but there doesn't seem to be an option to turn off the handwriting keypad, as soon as I go back to text message window it's still on handwriting keypad. I have Portrait keyboard types selected as qwerty. I have clicked on reset settings but still stuck on handwriting. It's driving me mad as its impossible to use!!

Squaredude

When in handwriting mode long hold the button that's 2 to the left of the spacebar and pick the keyboard symbol,that should change it back for you.

llandai

Squaredude wrote: »

When in handwriting mode long hold the button that's 2 to the left of the spacebar and pick the keyboard symbol,that should change it back for you.

Cheers Squaredude, that's done it, nice one.

Knine

Am having trouble keeping connected to wifi at home. Anyone else having this problem?

Sephiroth_dude

Knine wrote: »

Am having trouble keeping connected to wifi at home. Anyone else having this problem?

Ya it'll disconnect for maybe 2 seconds and then reconnect,similar issue for you?