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It appears that there is a guy who is interning at Motorola that wants to get ahold of some bigwigs and help voice our frustration. Here is a link if you have any ideas, please share them!
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/xty65/i_am_interning_at_a_major_fortune_500_company_who/
Why wouldn't they? They'll only lose the majority of the tech-geek community to other brands
DoubleYouPee said:
Why wouldn't they? They'll only lose the majority of the tech-geek community to other brands
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Some speculate that they hold a special contract with Verizon. This contract basically says: keep your bootloaders unlocked and you will be our flagship phone company. You will be in all our ads.
I just hope someone could post a convincing argument for that intern to use to further our cause.
jesusishere said:
Some speculate that they hold a special contract with Verizon. This contract basically says: keep your bootloaders unlocked and you will be our flagship phone company. You will be in all our ads.
I just hope someone could post a convincing argument for that intern to use to further our cause.
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Why would they need to have a locked bootloader to have that contract?
VZW always said it ws for the "health" of the network. That rooted devices would cause it harm.
Well, one, the Nexus is unlocked so where is the concern there? and 2. I haven't heard of any gnex causing harm to the network.
I'm guessing its because when we all found wifi tether on the OG, the network suffered. lol
Here is the reason boot loaders are locked...
...and are likely to remain locked. It's because they don't want you messing with it. Read throughout the various Android forums and you will find over and over again people talking about how they screwed up their phone and got the carrier to replace it for them. I've seen some practically bragging about how they've screwed Verizon and got them to replace the phone 3 and 4 and more times. As long as this keeps happening, they will resist allowing unlocked boot loaders.
About the only way it will ever happen is if they went to a scheme like Asus has with it's transformer series tablets. Basically they lock it. But they also provide an unlocking tool. This unlocking tool basically has warnings all over it that say that if you do it, your warranty and any claim to support are void...and we do not want to hear from you. But even then on the Transformer Prime forum on XDA you hear people complaining about problems with their unlocked device and seeking advice on how to re-lock it so they can screw the company into taking it back (Asus also made unlocking an irreversible process).
For the manufacturers and carriers there is just no incentive to unlock them. By locking them they cede the enthusiast market to a large extent but that market is a drop in the bucket compared to the market as a whole.
vbhokiefan said:
VZW always said it ws for the "health" of the network. That rooted devices would cause it harm.
Well, one, the Nexus is unlocked so where is the concern there? and 2. I haven't heard of any gnex causing harm to the network.
I'm guessing its because when we all found wifi tether on the OG, the network suffered. lol
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Well nowadays all data plans are being metered anyways. If I buy 2GB per month why does Verizon care if its used on my laptop instead of my phone for example. There was a recent FCC lawsuit against Verizon for separate tethering charges because it went against some agreement they had when they bought the 4G spectrum.
ratman6161 said:
...and are likely to remain locked. It's because they don't want you messing with it. Read throughout the various Android forums and you will find over and over again people talking about how they screwed up their phone and got the carrier to replace it for them. I've seen some practically bragging about how they've screwed Verizon and got them to replace the phone 3 and 4 and more times. As long as this keeps happening, they will resist allowing unlocked boot loaders.
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Simple, unlocking your bootloader voids the warranty and the user would agree to this before running the factory bootloader unlock program. There would also have to be an easy way to tell if the bootloader had been unlocked on a bricked phone.
spunker88 said:
Simple, unlocking your bootloader voids the warranty and the user would agree to this before running the factory bootloader unlock program. There would also have to be an easy way to tell if the bootloader had been unlocked on a bricked phone.
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From a Verizon point of view, this remains problematic. The issue is that a user with a hardware problem that lost warranty support is likely to still be angry at Verizon for not supporting the phone; even somebody with a software issue who gets no help could express anger at Verizon and decide to leave the network for another carrier (where the cycle start again, probably.) It's a matter of control - it's hard enough supporting a ton of phones, it makes it even harder when you cannot even predict what's on the phone. And from Verizon's point of view, their brand is strong enough that they feel that they can exert this control without angering enough users to matter.
(Still, the reasons I listed above are easily solved if the OEMs provide all of the tools required to bring a phone back to stock...)
doogald said:
From a Verizon point of view, this remains problematic. The issue is that a user with a hardware problem that lost warranty support is likely to still be angry at Verizon for not supporting the phone; even somebody with a software issue who gets no help could express anger at Verizon and decide to leave the network for another carrier (where the cycle start again, probably.) It's a matter of control - it's hard enough supporting a ton of phones, it makes it even harder when you cannot even predict what's on the phone. And from Verizon's point of view, their brand is strong enough that they feel that they can exert this control without angering enough users to matter.
(Still, the reasons I listed above are easily solved if the OEMs provide all of the tools required to bring a phone back to stock...)
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+1
ratman6161 said:
...and are likely to remain locked. It's because they don't want you messing with it. Read throughout the various Android forums and you will find over and over again people talking about how they screwed up their phone and got the carrier to replace it for them. I've seen some practically bragging about how they've screwed Verizon and got them to replace the phone 3 and 4 and more times. As long as this keeps happening, they will resist allowing unlocked boot loaders.
About the only way it will ever happen is if they went to a scheme like Asus has with it's transformer series tablets. Basically they lock it. But they also provide an unlocking tool. This unlocking tool basically has warnings all over it that say that if you do it, your warranty and any claim to support are void...and we do not want to hear from you. But even then on the Transformer Prime forum on XDA you hear people complaining about problems with their unlocked device and seeking advice on how to re-lock it so they can screw the company into taking it back (Asus also made unlocking an irreversible process).
For the manufacturers and carriers there is just no incentive to unlock them. By locking them they cede the enthusiast market to a large extent but that market is a drop in the bucket compared to the market as a whole.
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I don't really like this argument though, because most of those bricks are CAUSED by the locked bootloaders and other "security" put into place. These phones are just computers with radios inside. I've never bricked my (desktop or laptop) computer, and neither have most people, because computers have been designed such that the process that brings the computer up (the BIOS) is simple, reliable, and will load anything you tell it to, negating the need to mess with it.
The OG Droid was borderline software unbrickable, because you could leave the stock bootloader in place, and the stock bootloader was able to get you back home (SBF) by itself. If all phones were built like this today, and manufacturer's had a utility to restore the phone back to stock available on their website, the people returning devices due to softbricking would probably go way down, because a softbrick would be no big deal.
I might be speaking out of an uninformed thought here, but I'm concerned about our root status.
With the bounty being as high as it is, and me not being able to find anywhere that the Devs are collaborating, what are the odds it is taking so long (or even might NOT happen) because there is no developer collaboration for the insanely high bounty? I could be wrong, but I'm starting to wonder if that's the right way to go about it.
Then there's the concern that if we do achieve root, it'll be so late in the game that no one will be developing for our S5 at that point and will have moved on to another device.
Thoughts?
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we NEED the bootloader unlocked in order to achieve root it just makes it a hell of a lot easier. I believe the Note 3 on certain carriers still has the bootloader locked but someone was able to find a vulnerability and used that to get root. But I do share your concern as many carriers are offering upgrades after a year and most developers and obviously users get new devices with their upgrade.
Correct, we don't need an unlock bootloader to have root, but, Kitkat update has patch all the vulnerabilities that were use in previous devices like the S4 and Note 3, currently all Note3 shipped with KitKat are stock with no root because of that. I personally think that root will not be achieved on the S5 (Verizon and AT&T), the Note 3 has been on the market way longer than the S5 and the bootloader still locked and root is thing of the past if the Device was shipped with KK from factory.
Besides most of the Devs are researchers and get better recognition/$$$ by giving the exploits to manufactures instead of making it public. Other Devs just like to make it for Fun, but with the locked bootloader there is not much fun but a lot of work instead, and since no everybody that pledges actually pays is not worth it for them to actually work on getting root for a device you can get unlocked on other networks (ex. T-Mo). If all S5 were to be shipped with a locked bootloader, you would had root by now.
Colerunn said:
I might be speaking out of an uninformed thought here, but I'm concerned about our root status.
With the bounty being as high as it is, and me not being able to find anywhere that the Devs are collaborating, what are the odds it is taking so long (or even might NOT happen) because there is no developer collaboration for the insanely high bounty? I could be wrong, but I'm starting to wonder if that's the right way to go about it.
Then there's the concern that if we do achieve root, it'll be so late in the game that no one will be developing for our S5 at that point and will have moved on to another device.
Thoughts?
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These are legitimate concerns that should have you reevaluating your next purchase based on carrier and manufacturer. The goal is to make AT&T and Verizon phones secure enough for the military and business accounts. That is where the big bucks lie for those carriers. Sprint and T-mobile are more geared towards the average pedestrian with their lower price plans and limited coverage, therefore do not worry about locked bootloaders and super secure phones. Other manufacturers such as HTC provide unlock to those seeking it and root has been very easy.
As for developer discussions regarding root...you have seen what the bounty threads turn into...with all that bickering and name calling it is not conducive to a development environment, so those people actually hampered progress. I am sure discussions are going on in private in some IRC channel without the needless interruptions and constant requests for ETA and "Are we there yet." And as mentioned there is a lot more $$$ in the private sectors rather than claim a half bounty and have a free root available.
I'm really regretting my purchase of the S5 without having root, and to hear that it may never come is really concerning.
Welp, sounds like it's time for me to bite the bullet then. I'm thinking I'll post my phone to Craigslist as looking to sell or trade for a T-mobile version. Worse-comes-to-worst, I'll ebay the phone for what I can get, and pay out of pocket the difference for a new one.
Raises a new question: international version or just a different U.S. carrier's?
The carriers are getting work and ideas from us, then adding those features to the phones. Then locking them up (Bootloaders, No Root) because - Like Kenny says, they want to be more secure for corporations. Some people use root for bad things like (Not paying for apps and Xposed modules blocking ads, and other things that they don't want us doing) I use root for LONG LASTING BATTERY LIFE and getting rid of bloatware apps running in the background I dont even use. Yes, it sucks we can't do the things we use to but, they have made it so we can Turn Off apps, Long Lasting battery with the Ultra Power Save feature, etc......(Things we did with root are now coming on the phone >Stole those ideas from us<
EDIT: LETS GO KINGO, YOU CAN DO IT !!!!!! Maybe soon Kingo can produce a root option. That would be awesome. I'm not leaving At&t, been there for 18 years. Great coverage and customer service has been awesome to me !!!
Don't need root for getting apps for free. Ever heard of Aptoide?
Sent from my stock, untouched Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 on the xda-developers app
LoopingCreeper said:
Don't need root for getting apps for free. Ever heard of Aptoide?
Sent from my stock, untouched Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 on the xda-developers app
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Well, you know what I mean. They don't want us to have Root Access. You can do a lot of things with root man.
LuckyColdJohnson said:
Well, you know what I mean. They don't want us to have Root Access. You can do a lot of things with root man.
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I know what your mean. Freedom can be used to get in app purchaces for free. That is kinda getting apps for free and it requires root.
Sent from my stock, untouched Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 on the xda-developers app
For me, ans more of a power user, the Root abilities were to get a smooother better battery life custom solution. I used Adaway and some apps for better performance. Other than that, root didnt mean much to me. I do miss the rebel aspect of it and that alone rather makes me wish I had bought the HTC M8 instead of the S5 last week.
Best of luck to the Devs that find us a root or AT&T to provide unlocking.
I'm with you guys. I'm just out to up my battery life, remove ads (admittedly. Can you blame me?), and have a few hardware changes, like reassigning buttons, switching music with my volume keys and such.
Biggest want? Titanium backup. I relied on that app more than I'd like to admit, as well as TWRP or ClockWork (depending on the phone/ROM I was using at the time).
It's just nice to be free with something I bought full price, SO I COULD HAVE THE FREEDOM TO DO WHAT I WANTED WITH IT.
Either way, We'll see what happens. All I want is root permissions.
Here's a curious thought, though. The AT&T S4 isn't rooted, but they have a workaround (loki mod). Anyone know if something like that is in the works for us?
I agree. Hopefully we will get an Root option (Maybe Kingo will come through again like with the Note 3) but their saying nobody has a root option for 4.4 on At&t phones. Don't see much talk about almost getting there as well. Chainfire was also saying that new Android firmware is about to start breaking root apps. 4.4.3 and on could be the start to the end of custom roms and root for Samsung devices (At&t). I too thought about going with an HTC device, I just love the S5's camera. I don't know what to think about these new phones man. It was so much fun installing and customizing our phones how we wanted to. Its sad and depressing watching these loved things go away. I'm not on my phone as much anymore.
I'm personally getting ready to purchase another device, I love my GS5 even tho it isn't rooted but I'm just not liking the size of it. I got it for $10 with my team member discount but I think I'm going to either get a T-Mobile one or European S5. Idk I want to stay with Samsung but this whole locked phone thing is discouraging.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Premium HD app
LuckyColdJohnson said:
I agree. Hopefully we will get an Root option (Maybe Kingo will come through again like with the Note 3) but their saying nobody has a root option for 4.4 on At&t phones. Don't see much talk about almost getting there as well. Chainfire was also saying that new Android firmware is about to start breaking root apps. 4.4.3 and on could be the start to the end of custom roms and root for Samsung devices (At&t). I too thought about going with an HTC device, I just love the S5's camera. I don't know what to think about these new phones man. It was so much fun installing and customizing our phones how we wanted to. Its sad and depressing watching these loved things go away. I'm not on my phone as much anymore.
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That's the only reason I kept and probably will keep my Nexus 5...
Colerunn said:
I might be speaking out of an uninformed thought here, but I'm concerned about our root status.
With the bounty being as high as it is, and me not being able to find anywhere that the Devs are collaborating, what are the odds it is taking so long (or even might NOT happen) because there is no developer collaboration for the insanely high bounty? I could be wrong, but I'm starting to wonder if that's the right way to go about it.
Then there's the concern that if we do achieve root, it'll be so late in the game that no one will be developing for our S5 at that point and will have moved on to another device.
Thoughts?
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I've seen maybe one or two times since I've been a member of XDA where a bounty worked achieve root or an unlocked bootloader. Honestly, I doubt many of the devs who work on that type of stuff bought an AT&T S5. If it was me, I would have gone T-Mobile or International, as I'm sure most have.
Also, as someone said above, not everyone pays their pledges. The longer a bounty lasts, the bigger chance people who have pledged early have moved on or are not following anymore. I'm willing to bet that if a bounty was close to 2K, the most a dev could hope for is maybe $500, if their lucky. That's still quite a bit of money, but no where near what was pledged. Past experiences dictate present actions.
Sent from my VK810 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
---------- Post added at 04:12 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:05 AM ----------
KennyG123 said:
These are legitimate concerns that should have you reevaluating your next purchase based on carrier and manufacturer. The goal is to make AT&T and Verizon phones secure enough for the military and business accounts. That is where the big bucks lie for those carriers. Sprint and T-mobile are more geared towards the average pedestrian with their lower price plans and limited coverage, therefore do not worry about locked bootloaders and super secure phones. Other manufacturers such as HTC provide unlock to those seeking it and root has been very easy.
As for developer discussions regarding root...you have seen what the bounty threads turn into...with all that bickering and name calling it is not conducive to a development environment, so those people actually hampered progress. I am sure discussions are going on in private in some IRC channel without the needless interruptions and constant requests for ETA and "Are we there yet." And as mentioned there is a lot more $$$ in the private sectors rather than claim a half bounty and have a free root available.
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The carriers should make separate phones for consumers and businesses. That would be great.
Sent from my VK810 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Skizzy034 said:
The carriers should make separate phones for consumers and businesses. That would be great.
Sent from my VK810 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Some do...sort of...they are called developer's editions and you usually have to wait a few months for their release.
KennyG123 said:
Some do...sort of...they are called developer's editions and you usually have to wait a few months for their release.
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Hey KennyG, I just got the s5 Active, will y'all be opening up a thread for that soon? Thanks
Colerunn said:
Welp, sounds like it's time for me to bite the bullet then. I'm thinking I'll post my phone to Craigslist as looking to sell or trade for a T-mobile version. Worse-comes-to-worst, I'll ebay the phone for what I can get, and pay out of pocket the difference for a new one.
Raises a new question: international version or just a different U.S. carrier's?
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MetroPCS S5 for $649+ $30 unlock code from cellunlocker-dot-net and you have a wide open west device ready for custom recovery/roms, the works. Also will be carrier unlocked and completely unbranded. Radio has all the LTE bands for TMO and ATT, LTE works. Was using Alliance Rom at the time.
I did sell mine and picked up an M8. Just prefer the feel in hand, 32GB (what was SEC thinking 16GB on a top tier device!) and of course the IPS LCD just looks better to my old, tired eyes than the SuperAMOLED+. Of course everyone's preferences are different.
If you're a night owl and prefer full darkness viewing the AMOLED displays can't be beat. Using LUX I was able to turn down the brightness to just about nothing and the contrast is still outstanding. LCDs (of course) wash out since they do have finite limits of contrast at low levels...
But in normal environments, wow, the IPS display looks spectacular...
In any case, expecting root on an ATT device these days is probably going to lead to major disappointment. Personally, I'd rather use an iOS device than a locked bootloader device (S4/S5).
When you're used to having the freedom of root and can no longer do the things you get used to it's like a punishment, having virtual shackles around your feet and expected to run a 10K on a day with 80 degree dewpoints. Oh yes and with a family of hungry black bears right behind you...
LuckyColdJohnson said:
Hey KennyG, I just got the s5 Active, will y'all be opening up a thread for that soon? Thanks
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Not really needed if it is just as locked down and basically same hardware will see how it goes.
And I've spent the past 1-2 hours reading around 50-ish threads and several hundred posts, and while I'm sure I already know the answer to this question I'm still going to ask it outright.
The specifics:
AT&T XT1058 pure stock Moto X running Android KitKat 4.4.4 as up to date as possible.
Is it rooted? NO
Is the bootloader unlocked? NO
Now, based on those two facts, and after reading all about SunShine (which is pretty awesome so thanks for that one, jcase and the crew that developed it), it seems if I want root then my only potential option at this point in time is "The Chinese Guy" if he's still in business to get a proper bootloader unlock which of course opens this device up entirely to whatever I might care to do.
Honestly the only reasons I care about root access would be for Titanium Backup (since I did purchase that in the past so it's like if I can't make full use of the app itself (because it requires root access to really do everything it's capable of doing) the money was more or less just given away for nothing, and a few other apps that require root level privilege (ES File Explorer root access, a few Wi-Fi tools, that's about it).
Of course, having the fully unlocked bootloader would let me play around with ROMs, kernels, and whatever I damned well please.
So the actual question I hinted at with the beginning of this post is:
For the moment, am I correct in the belief that my only option at all at this time meaning today and into the immediate foreseeable future to do anything with this device is "The Chinese Guy" ... if I want to be able to do more things with the device?
This is my second Moto X, the first one was the trial offer I took advantage of for a penny and I did enjoy the device while I had it, so when I got the chance to get one for free earlier today (traded a laptop for it that was also given to me) I jumped at it.
I understand that with 4.4.4 on it I can't roll back to any previous version, sadly, and that since SunShine requires root to even test the device (the temp root thing, ain't happening) that's a dead end leaving "The Chinese Guy" again as the only potential.
Just looking for a confirmation, that's all.
Thanks...
Yes, on the XT1058 from ATT with 4.4.4 on it, that is the latest rom/update, you can't downgrade (without risk of bricking the phone) and the China Middleman is the only hope of unlocking your bootloader and/or rooting. (to be clear, I mean the China Middleman doesn't actually root your phone, but once bootloader unlocked you will be able to root)
And yes, having an unlocked bootloader is the only way to flash any rom that isn't the stock Moto rom for the ATT XT1058.
And yes, Sunshine wont work since you can't even temp root 4.4.4.
I am not aware of any new root processes for 4.4.4 with locked bootloader coming, or ways to make Sunshine work on 4.4.4. If something newer is coming, it either wasn't announced yet, or I missed the announcement.
That being said, since it sounds like you got this phone used, rather than new.. who knows what the original owner did to it.. If it was someone who followed these boards, there is a SLIGHT chance they were trying to be tricky, and upgraded only parts of your phone to 4.4.4. Boot into FastbootAp/Bootloader mode, and check the version (second line from the top). If it is 30.B7, you're fully on 4.4.4 and you are stuck. If your bootloader is not 30.B7, then you might have a chance to downgrade your rom safely, and then use sunshine (post the version if its not 30.B7)
Thanks for the info, and yes the bootloader is 30.B7 (2014-06-23). Oh well... it is most definitely used but still in excellent condition (just some cosmetic scrapes and scuffs on the rubberized corners of the back cover). It's a good phone, a solid one, so I'll hang on to it for the time being, just need to get the carrier unlocked for use with T-Mobile but that'll be after the first of November.
It's a Moto X for free, I suppose I really shouldn't complain.
Just hit up jcase on IRC, who makes Sunshine. He's currently working on supporting XT1058 with 4.4.4 -- I have the same one, with the same bootloader. Wait a bit. Looks like he usually publishes stuff every few months. I think we may have an early Christmas gift. Well, it will cost us $25, though.
If he's able to do it then I'll look into it at that time, I may just offload this for a profit, not really sure at the moment. The camera is really depressing, was just outside taking some images here in downtown Las Vegas because we have this huge music festival this weekend (www.lifeisbeautiful.com) and the picture quality is just utterly abysmal - I tried the latest updated Motorola Camera app, Focal, Google Camera, and several others and they all just can't make the actual physical camera do anything decent. Exposures are always wrong, focus is seemingly permanently soft, there's no sharpness at all to most anything regardless of the lighting conditions, etc.
I could ramble on forever but, again it was free so I guess I'll shut up.
I had no idea that I posted something illegal my bad
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk
I used the Chinese guy to unlock, and haven't looked back. I still run Stock w/ Root, and was worth the $45 to not worry about it anymore. If your gonna keep it, get the unlock code.
Well that Chinese middleman isn't responding to contacts by anyone at the moment so that's a dead end and this one was built on 11-11-2013 so he'd probably not be able to get me one anyway. I just got the carrier unlock code last night and used it without issues. I put it on craigslist along with the Motorola Skip I had and never used, maybe someone will want it. It's still a great phone, but for me, the lack of being able to root it or most anything else makes it basically not something I really need these days. I have a "dumbphone" that works fine and has done so for many years.
Thanks for the info and suggestions, peeps...
I live in the US and the phone works - but it's a Snapdragon, not an Exynos ( so ... better?) and I'm not really sure what to think now that I see the hardware model of it.
The only noticeable differences I could find are that handwriting defaulted to Chinese and the Chinese calendar seems burned into the Samsung Calendar app.
Anything I should look out for? Should I pursue a return through Amazon?
Samsung pay?
Try hard reset then immediately sideloading Samsung Pay 2.7.03 (apk from apkmirror) and Framework 2.7.51 see if spay will work.
If you have problems with language options in general, you can factory reset and set up your languages defaults from the very beginning (on the very first page, you will have a language selector, possibly showing Korean as a default choice, type the Korean writing and choose your favorite localization; this happens on any model by Samsung). This is highly recommended if you do not trust the vendor.
As far as I can tell, the main limitation of N9500 is localization of hardware-secured features: if you plan to use the (awesome) Samsung Pay, apparently you can do so only in Hong Kong so far (with N9500). As I understand, Samsung uses/experiments a more advanced system in Hong Kong, which you will not be able to use elsewhere. I have a N9500 and I want to try to spoof the model number in build.prop to see if one can cheat the phone to have Samsung Pay work everywhere.
Snapdragon vs Exynos is a mixed bag, depending on your workload. Exynos performs slightly better, Snapdragon will offer a faster web experience. In my opinion, no noticeable difference at all. However if you:
-Have a 64GB model
-Have a write heavy workload (quite rare, for instance you do some video-editing on phone or backup GB of data TO the phone every day)
exynos will perform noticeably better in these tasks since Samsung uses different NAND on the two models. For reading workload, again the difference is not noticeable.
Also, my guess is that you got N9500 for a better price: these are usually imported models from Hong Kong or UAE, with no official support. Importers likely got a much better price than the local Samsung offer, or maybe they avoided some import taxes via shady practices. If you paid the same as the official listing in your country, you may want to ask for a replacement regardless of the hardware.
---------- Post added at 09:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:23 AM ----------
Just to clear out, in the message before I meant that both the conditions (64GB AND write heavy) need to be satisfied to have an Exynos preference.
I haven't run into any actual problems yet (4 hours of use?) and I'm trying to avoid any modifications while I decide how to handle this... The whole thing seems shady, there's a promotional coupon stuck over the model number on the box. I feel like it was done intentionally for some reason.
delugeofspam said:
I haven't run into any actual problems yet (4 hours of use?) and I'm trying to avoid any modifications while I decide how to handle this... The whole thing seems shady, there's a promotional coupon stuck over the model number on the box. I feel like it was done intentionally for some reason.
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Well if you were sold a model different than the listing description and you are worried/not happy about it, get your money back and make sure you don't lose even a penny (teaching seller a lesson in the process since a lot of this purposeful shadiness seems to be happening even when seller knows).
Don't be upset. You might have gotten the only Snapdragon variant with an unlockable bootloader out the box. If you don't mind double checking this, go to developer options and see if there's an OEM unlocking toggle. Then download Crom and run it, it should unlock your bootloader.
Paradoxumical said:
Don't be upset. You might have gotten the only Snapdragon variant with an unlockable bootloader out the box. If you don't mind double checking this, go to developer options and see if there's an OEM unlocking toggle. Then download Crom and run it, it should unlock your bootloader.
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Unfortunately, no such luck.
delugeofspam said:
Unfortunately, no such luck.
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Really? Damn, Samsung is seriously tightening things up, the HK and CN variants used to the only Snadragon models that came with an official bootloader unlock tool/method.
Paradoxumical said:
Really? Damn, Samsung is really tightening things up, the HK and CN variants used to the only Samsung models that came with an official bootloader unlock tool/method.
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Didn't people have to wait exactly a week after activation for that option to show up or something like that?
evangelionpunk said:
Didn't people have to wait exactly a week after activation for that option to show up or something like that?
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I don’t recall anything of the sort, but don’t hold that against me. My last Samsung device prior to the Note 8 was the S6 (which I despised). The S5 was Samsung’s last great and true user/developer/mod friendly device. Even though the design got a lot of hate, I quite liked it. It went to eight different countries with me, and never gave me grief even though I used it as an underwater camera countless times.
Paradoxumical said:
I don’t recall anything of the sort, but don’t hold that against me. My last Samsung device prior to the Note 8 was the S6 (which I despised). The S5 was Samsung’s last great and true user/developer/mod friendly device. Even though the design got a lot of hate, I quite liked it. It went to eight different countries with me, and never gave me grief even though I used it as an underwater camera countless times.
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Yep double checked and there is a 1 week wait post activation for OEM UNLOCK option to appear.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...-8-exynos-n950f-fd-oem-unlock-t3673140/page64
Not sure if applies to qualcomm variants too. Doesnt HK/CN by law require OEM UNLOCK? Read something along this line somewhere here.
evangelionpunk said:
Yep double checked and there is a 1 week wait post activation for OEM UNLOCK option to appear.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...-8-exynos-n950f-fd-oem-unlock-t3673140/page64
Not sure if applies to qualcomm variants too. Doesnt HK/CN by law require OEM UNLOCK? Read something along this line somewhere here.
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Hey! That’s amazing news for OP. I believe HK/CN does require that by law. I remember when the S7 was released there, it looked so sleek without the Samsung logos.
Paradoxumical said:
Hey! That’s amazing news for OP. I believe HK/CN does require that by law. I remember when the S7 was released there, it looked so sleek without the Samsung logos.
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Yep it would be if it applies to Qualcomm variants and if it does it may only apply to HK/CN variants.
Maybe someone that has already had this model for 7+ days can confirm it for him.
The company I purchased it from refuses to advance-replace this with the phone I ordered and seems to expect me to pay to ship it back to them. This is probably going to turn into a dispute with Amazon, so I'm out another $900+ as I have to get into a new phone ASAP, and leave this one with zero wear.
I'm pretty convinced that I want the N950FD/S Aus, Europe & Lat edition of this phone despite living in the U.S. I don't want to suffer heavily locked bootloaders even for a Snapdragon and it seems there is more development for Exynos.
Please, though, tell me I'm wrong and that I should keep this phone that I dumped hours into configuring before catching on to the damn Chinese calendar embedded in the Samsung Calendar app :|
Damn yeah I would return it and get the exynos model you want oem unlock for sure ! I love my deep sea blue 256gb N950N its a work horse things were a pain at first but most the issues have been sorted out and its the best 1200$ i spent.
delugeofspam said:
The company I purchased it from refuses to advance-replace this with the phone I ordered and seems to expect me to pay to ship it back to them. This is probably going to turn into a dispute with Amazon, so I'm out another $900+ as I have to get into a new phone ASAP, and leave this one with zero wear.
I'm pretty convinced that I want the N950FD/S Aus, Europe & Lat edition of this phone despite living in the U.S. I don't want to suffer heavily locked bootloaders even for a Snapdragon and it seems there is more development for Exynos.
Please, though, tell me I'm wrong and that I should keep this phone that I dumped hours into configuring before catching on to the damn Chinese calendar embedded in the Samsung Calendar app :|
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If I were you, I would keep it. I’m 92% sure TWRP will pop-up for your device in the upcoming weeks. I don’t know if Samsung has released the kernel source yet, but once they do, I’ll be more than happy to compile it for you. I remember the same thing happened with the HK/CN variant of the S7. Holding out a week to see if OEM Unlocking shows up will be worth if it does.
Dont want to start a new thread so hopefully someone can help on here.
I ordered a N950fd but have received a N9500. It's currently sat in dubai waiting for a friend to bring back to UK.
Should i stick with it or get the N950FD instead? I would like to use Samsung pay but it's not a deal breaker as dont use it that much now anyway. Is there anything else i should be worried about?
thanks
So you ordered the Big Mac and got a Cheeseburger...
If you were at Macca's would you complain and want the right order? I know I would...
ultramag69 said:
So you ordered the Big Mac and got a Cheeseburger...
If you were at Macca's would you complain and want the right order? I know I would...
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Lol do you really think there's that much difference?
imy300 said:
Lol do you really think there's that much difference?
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Yes.....
Not only is there a difference, but I want what I ordered...
I've read about SmartSwitch and Kies 3. I currently use Kies 3. I don't care how user-friendly, clever, or fast it is. Anything better than Kies 3 to be able to restore single apps and pull out previous APKs? We learned the hard way that we need to turn off Google automatic updates from the play store. They arbitrarily roll out new policies that cripple businesses and cost them many thousands of dollars.
Thanks!
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=79320380&postcount=14
TWiiTCH said:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=79320380&postcount=14Do not downgrade if a current bootloader is newer than old one. You can't revert bootloaders but you can up or downgrade if same version or new one that's higher.
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I have never been so frustrated with a phone purchase. I probably have 40 hours in this and it looks like it isn't over yet. First people say once it's upgraded to Pie there is no going back. Next they say it's no problem. Next they say you cannot go back to Oreo and I have a phone on order that is about to get re-listed if I cannot revert it. Now I'm rooting for Hawwaie, a new operating system, and for them to be a US carrier. These guys are criminal.
IT_Architect said:
I have never been so frustrated with a phone purchase. I probably have 40 hours in this and it looks like it isn't over yet. First people say once it's upgraded to Pie there is no going back. Next they say it's no problem. Next they say you cannot go back to Oreo and I have a phone on order that is about to get re-listed if I cannot revert it. Now I'm rooting for Hawwaie, a new operating system, and for them to be a US carrier. These guys are criminal.
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I feel your frustration. I bought this phone because I wanted a hi end hi performance phone & I thought I'd stay on Oreo until there was a root method for my Snapdragon model only to find out that after hitting no to the update request about 20 times it still forced me to upgrade. Why the heck do they ask if you want to upgrade or not if they're just going to force you to upgrade anyway. As for the bootloader thing if you are on version 1 it doesn't matter what release firmware you put on it just as long as it is bootloader version 1 or higher. Once you go to a firmware that has bootloader version 2 or higher you are unable to go back 2 a firmware that is lower then the one you're currently on. It is stupid but I don't know what to say because I am in your position, stuck with a phone I cannot root and paid big money for. If you have any questions on how to do things just PM me and we can chat I am fairly knowledgeable when it comes to Samsung devices and the note 9 as I've had mine since it was released. Do you have the exynos or snapdragon model? Mine is snapdragon so that is the one I am most familiar with. If I don't know something that you ask me I will not lie and pretend like I do know and feed you information that could lead you down a bad Road. I will give you answers if I do have the correct ones and I am sure of that.
What is it you wish to do or have done with your phone? If it is rooting/jailbreak and you have the exynos model you have an 80% chance that you can succeed in doing so. If you have the Snapdragon model like me we probably will not see a jailbreak or root anytime soon, if at all. There are ways and tricks to get around a lot of problems but they involve work and knowledge and time and usually they are a lengthy process to complete a simple task if it doesn't come out of the box already doing what you wish.
I'd love to trade mine if I could find somebody with a phone that is rootable and it's in the same quality and performs close to the way this one does. I'm going to hold off though because I have downgraded to Oreo and everything I need is functioning at the moment. My only wish 4 root is because I'd like to run Viper4android to be able to get the best sound quality out of the phone possible. For me there is not enough Bass and the volume level is too low, and when you turn the bass or treble up using the EQ provided by Samsung the music goes quieter just so the bass and treble sound louder by comparison. This phone has a very low end audio quality in my opinion. I hate the earbud headphones they come with, AKG I believe. They keep falling out of my oddly shaped ear canal and don't provide me with anything I'd consider special sounding. They rate the headphones as high end $100 value but to me I've bought better for $29.99. Some may disagree but with hiphop/rap I need, well like heavy bass & sharp snappy treble without loss of mid range vocals. I'm getting married in 3/4 of a year, maybe I'll ask for a wedding gift (doing a money tree) and get me some $400 beats over ear headphones by Dr Dre. This phone without viper4android may not push them tho so I'll get a Bluetooth model which provides its own amp power supply.
Like I said if you have questions I'll tell you what I know, what I've actually done myself, and what I'm unsure of. I feel for you so least I can do is offer. Don't give up just yet. Day 2 on Oreo 8.1.0 and still nothing about updates has come up. It's two simple adb commands that stops the forced updates and it affects nothing on the phone. No prompts or error messages & EVERYTHING else works fine. It's easy to undo also and does not void warranty.
Cheers mate, take a deep breath & we can look at each issue 1 by 1. Hopefully their easy to correct.
I'm Ryan by the way. Ttyl ?.
:laugh:
TWiiTCH said:
I'd love to trade mine if I could find somebody with a phone that is rootable and it's in the same quality and performs close to the way this one does.
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There is, the Pixel 2XL. The Pixel 3XL came with Pie. There isn't much difference between the two. The reason I didn't is I will be living in a South America most of the time and I want Samsung Pay otherwise the Pixel 2XL almost had
me giving up the stylus.
TWiiTCH said:
Like I said if you have questions I'll tell you what I know, what I've actually done myself, and what I'm unsure of. I feel for you so least I can do is offer. Don't give up just yet.
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If it doesn't come with the right boot loader I'll list it back on eBay and get one that does.
I don't buy phones often because it takes me 80 hours to get one the way I need it. Once I was able to get a phone with a stylus, and I could run line-of-business software, the Touch Pro2, it would be hard for me to give up the stylus. The Touch Pro2 was simply a Pocket PC and you could wipe it and install any operating that had drivers on it, including Android. It could emulate anything, including an iPhone. I'd still have a Windows phone if they made one but Balmer trashed it and started putting Zune on phones with Windows Phone and then it lost it's entire software base, including the Word, Excel, and Outlook that was baked in, and took Nokia down with it. That is what brought Android out of obscurity. I didn't move to Android until the Note 3 because it was the first point in time that Android had enough competent software for line-of-business apps, and the reason I didn't go IOS is because the same apps in the iPhone didn't work right, and I couldn't get where I needed to go, with call recording being one. It was also the latest I could get root. With root we can do site surveys, see what the bands are in a certain area, troubleshoot networks, etc., so we will keep the Verizon Note 3s for that purpose as they have no resale since they cannot be added to the Verizon network after the first of the year because they don't have LTE-A like the Note 4. The Note 8 and the Note 9 are the only ones with the bands needed to be able to work on a variety of networks around the world, that has a stylus, can still record calls if running Oreo, and has Samsung Pay. There is no advantage for me to buy a Samsung without a stylus. The problem with the Note 8 is battery life and it would probably come with an older battery. For those reasons the Note 9 is the only duck in my pond. I couldn't use a Note 10 if someone gave it to me.
TWiiTCH said:
Day 2 on Oreo 8.1.0 and still nothing about updates has come up. It's two simple adb commands that stops the forced updates and it affects nothing on the phone. No prompts or error messages & EVERYTHING else works fine. It's easy to undo also and does not void warranty.
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ADB access for most is about over, and Verizon is the name of a new virus that works around your OTA protections. I'm going to go with what Jammol stated on this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...9-snapdragon-oreo-verizon-wont-t3939073/page2 plus this video for phone settings: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...9-snapdragon-oreo-verizon-wont-t3939073/page2 plus install Package Disabler Pro+.
TWiiTCH said:
Cheers mate, take a deep breath & we can look at each issue 1 by 1. Hopefully their easy to correct. I'm Ryan by the way. Ttyl .
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I have a Note 9 on the way, setting up my plan, and ordering and downloading. The phone is my mini business laptop. It has my mail, schedule, software to support people remotely, tracks my time, takes notes for my calls, etc. I don't use it for movies, games, or music. What turns my ears red is when they make changes that cost me thousands of dollars in lost history and change things to where I lose business functionality. If I find the guy who did Pie and took away my call recording, I'm going to revoke his social media accounts, take the transmission out of his car to keep him safe and from breaking the law with any inadvertent traffic violations, and board up all of the windows on his house to protect his privacy. I know what's best for his life. BTW, I'm Jack
IT_Architect said:
:laugh:There is, the Pixel 2XL. The Pixel 3XL came with Pie. There isn't much difference between the two. The reason I didn't is I will be living in a South America most of the time and I want Samsung Pay otherwise the Pixel 2XL almost had
me giving up the stylus.
If it doesn't come with the right boot loader I'll list it back on eBay and get one that does.
I don't buy phones often because it takes me 80 hours to get one the way I need it. Once I was able to get a phone with a stylus, and I could run line-of-business software, the Touch Pro2, it would be hard for me to give up the stylus. The Touch Pro2 was simply a Pocket PC and you could wipe it and install any operating that had drivers on it, including Android. It could emulate anything, including an iPhone. I'd still have a Windows phone if they made one but Balmer trashed it and started putting Zune on phones with Windows Phone and then it lost it's entire software base, including the Word, Excel, and Outlook that was baked in, and took Nokia down with it. That is what brought Android out of obscurity. I didn't move to Android until the Note 3 because it was the first point in time that Android had enough competent software for line-of-business apps, and the reason I didn't go IOS is because the same apps in the iPhone didn't work right, and I couldn't get where I needed to go, with call recording being one. It was also the latest I could get root. With root we can do site surveys, see what the bands are in a certain area, troubleshoot networks, etc., so we will keep the Verizon Note 3s for that purpose as they have no resale since they cannot be added to the Verizon network after the first of the year because they don't have LTE-A like the Note 4. The Note 8 and the Note 9 are the only ones with the bands needed to be able to work on a variety of networks around the world, that has a stylus, can still record calls if running Oreo, and has Samsung Pay. There is no advantage for me to buy a Samsung without a stylus. The problem with the Note 8 is battery life and it would probably come with an older battery. For those reasons the Note 9 is the only duck in my pond. I couldn't use a Note 10 if someone gave it to me.
ADB access for most is about over, and Verizon is the name of a new virus that works around your OTA protections. I'm going to go with what Jammol stated on this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...9-snapdragon-oreo-verizon-wont-t3939073/page2 plus this video for phone settings: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...9-snapdragon-oreo-verizon-wont-t3939073/page2 plus install Package Disabler Pro+.
I have a Note 9 on the way, setting up my plan, and ordering and downloading. The phone is my mini business laptop. It has my mail, schedule, software to support people remotely, tracks my time, takes notes for my calls, etc. I don't use it for movies, games, or music. What turns my ears red is when they make changes that cost me thousands of dollars in lost history and change things to where I lose business functionality. If I find the guy who did Pie and took away my call recording, I'm going to revoke his social media accounts, take the transmission out of his car to keep him safe and from breaking the law with any inadvertent traffic violations, and board up all of the windows on his house to protect his privacy. I know what's best for his life. BTW, I'm Jack
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I looked around and even found a great condition pixel 2 XL that somebody was willing to trade for my Samsung Galaxy S8 but I was nervous about a used phone, and luckily once I called my carrier to check if the pixel would run on their Network they told me it didn't. I am with Eastlink Mobility in Eastern Canada and their firmware customer code or abbreviation is esk. They stated that they sell only the phones that work on their Networks (many) and phones purchased elsewhere would not work on there modem bands and would only be able to purchase second hand phone that they carry in store so that I would be okay and I would be able to connect to their towers. To me this sounds like a bunch of bul****, there are many many bands and Eastlink Mobility doesn't even own any Towers. The service they provide is through rented Towers from Bell Canada and Telus Canada and Rogers Canada. This being the case I would assume any phone that runs on any of these Networks should be able to be hooked up and used with my current provider without me having to purchase a brand new phone. I think it is a money grab and also all the phones that they do sell currently are not able to be rooted. Very small selection. Only newest Note 9+ Galaxy S10, iPhone X, and some cheapos that liik ancient.
FOR $150 a month I get...
Unlimited nationwide long distance calling. Unlimited local calling 24/7. I have insurance that covers everything even if I dropped it on concrete face down and stepped on it getting out of the car to pick it up and shattered the screen rendering the phone useless (whick I did a week after buying the note 9) God that sucked/was dumb. This insurance does not expire ever as long as I keep it on my plan. It doesn't matter the reason the phone is damaged so it's a pretty good insurance plan. I also get 7gb of mobile data each month and unlimited sms/mms but I'm still wondering if WiFi calling will be activated. I see through package Disabler there is a WiFi calling apk. why it'd be there if there was no intention on using it 1 day, but I'm sure Eastlink will be last to get it available. Google pay & Samsung pay are not compatible with my bank/country/provider so their just wasting space. I have bixby turned off atm. Single press - settings, double press - game launcher, & long hold press is screenshot. Quite handy, I used button remapper & setup on pc was a breeze. Wish me luck finding a "looked after" (female owner sosted prob never rooted) pixl 2.
I'm thinking I'll keep this note & use very lightly with my screen cover & Otterbox & sell before I'll lose out on resale when it becomes too low, meaning I'll sell if a good option appears & I can profit off mine still due to keeping EVERYTHING it came with. & in mint shape. Carrier unlocked but I think they have to unlock if requested now due to a law passe. The must provide you with free code. I have my Box, manual/warrenty, no scratches, all oem parts which most are still unopened or have never been used even, and in mint condition. Never been messed with or buggy issues. I'll keep my eyes open for pixel 2 but I'm pretty sure I'll run into the previous issue I mentioned. Denial by carrier.
TWiiTCH said:
If you have any questions on how to do things just PM me and we can chat.
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I took you up on that because I didn't want to reduce the usefulness of this thread to others by thread drift into chat over other topics and strategies, which I started doing already.