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T-Mobile US OTA update?

Why isn't there more angst about T-Mobile US releasing our version of the Sensation update?
Forums for other phones I've had would be exploding long before now that TMO is awful in all sorts of ways.
Has everyone just given up? Any idea of our prospects? Or have I missed something obvious?

samnada said:
Why isn't there more angst about T-Mobile US releasing our version of the Sensation update?
Forums for other phones I've had would be exploding long before now that TMO is awful in all sorts of ways.
Has everyone just given up? Any idea of our prospects? Or have I missed something obvious?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I don't want to see ANY TMOUS OTA. I doubt it would give us S-OFF which is want I want to see first. I think most of us are waiting on developer S-OFF and then developer ROMs/kernels/radios and could care less about carrier OTA.

digiholic said:
Personally I don't want to see ANY TMOUS OTA. I doubt it would give us S-OFF which is want I want to see first. I think most of us are waiting on developer S-OFF and then developer ROMs/kernels/radios and could care less about carrier OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
an OTA could ruin your chances at using a developer S-off method

I think it's awesome that there aren't seeing more threads about "when are we gonna get our update in the us....waaaahhhh"
It does nothing for us actually getting one, and as the above posters stated, it would probably leave us worse off. Although, those threads we aren't seeing, have pretty much been replaced by "s-off threads" so there's really been npthing gained

digiholic said:
Personally I don't want to see ANY TMOUS OTA. I doubt it would give us S-OFF which is want I want to see first. I think most of us are waiting on developer S-OFF and then developer ROMs/kernels/radios and could care less about carrier OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm not in that group. I don't need another hobby. Besides, HTC is unlocking the phone soon. But I get your point, which I'd overlooked, that most here are only waiting on the devs, not HTC or TMO. Thanks.

I agree... I just want S-off .... no tmobile ota is needed for me.

swellthekitty said:
I think it's awesome that there aren't seeing more threads about "when are we gonna get our update in the us....waaaahhhh"
It does nothing for us actually getting one, and as the above posters stated, it would probably leave us worse off. Although, those threads we aren't seeing, have pretty much been replaced by "s-off threads" so there's really been npthing gained
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the "outrage" did prompt TMO to push out a Vibrant Froyo update sooner, and they said they would do better. So I think posting can have an impact, but I see why it's not a high priority around here at this point.

swellthekitty said:
I think it's awesome that there aren't seeing more threads about "when are we gonna get our update in the us....waaaahhhh"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. And us veterans know we wouldn't take the update anyway.

I'll take an update for bug fixes and speed improvements in a heartbeat. I don't know what you guys are smoking, but I don't want any of it. If we had root and s-off then my song would be a little different, but the sad truth is that we don't. Plus, as I've said before this device is pretty awesome for a non-rooted device. Just make sense run a little snappier like the evo3d and I'm a happy panda.

Paging Dr B said:
I'll take an update for bug fixes and speed improvements in a heartbeat. I don't know what you guys are smoking, but I don't want any of it. If we had root and s-off then my song would be a little different, but the sad truth is that we don't. Plus, as I've said before this device is pretty awesome for a non-rooted device. Just make sense run a little snappier like the evo3d and I'm a happy panda.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not that we wouldn't want bug fixes, it's that there have been a number of other devices that lost their root and s-off exploits from OTAs. For me, it's just not worth the risk when those bug fixes will be available later via custom ROMs.

in my past experience t-mobile is notoriously bad with ota's ( my previouly phones were the g1 and the mytouch 3g and, had a vibrant for like a month then solid it. ) so i pretty much given up ota with tmobile

Because not everyone likes to whine, and almost everyone doesn't like seeing other people whine.

I'm hoping if there is an OTA, it will enable video-chat on gtalk, the nexus S has this and I thought all gingerbread devices should be able to.

Ndokami said:
in my past experience t-mobile is notoriously bad with ota's ( my previouly phones were the g1 and the mytouch 3g and, had a vibrant for like a month then solid it. ) so i pretty much given up ota with tmobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might be true. I'm new to tmo, but from what I've read and seen, they're not half as bad as att. They sucked when it change to updates, which weren't even ota, had to dl a program and update via home pc.

I couldn't care less. Don't need an OTA. Phone is solid stock. I just want S-Off.

Solid stock? Only of you dont have touchscreen issues. And i cant believe all of you guys dont have it... My 5th sensation will be here tomorrow, 1st 4 had the touchscreen issue. An OTA for touchscreen issues is very very very important. This phone has a ton of bugs.. my experience is the dev community doesn't normally fix the type of issues the sensation has. Who the ef cares if they have an s-off phone if you have to press 14 times for a 7 digit number.. Or cant scroll contacts or home screens with out opening whatever you touch 1st during the swipe. Completely unacceptable. I guess thats why they dont mind replacing my phone every week.... Since thats how long it normally takes for the touchscreen to ef up. I didnt pay etf at sprint to leave the evo for a supposedly way better phone that is slower than the evo once the touchscreen takes a poop. S-off is coming, we know this, HTC says so. Bug fixes are more important to me, we need an OTA like last month!

I'm waiting on an XDA OTA update to really fix this bad boy

Damonkashu said:
I'm hoping if there is an OTA, it will enable video-chat on gtalk, the nexus S has this and I thought all gingerbread devices should be able to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck with that LOL the new MyTouch 4G Slide has 2.3.4 and still isn't compatible with gtalk video... so blah

nugzo said:
Solid stock? Only of you dont have touchscreen issues. And i cant believe all of you guys dont have it... My 5th sensation will be here tomorrow, 1st 4 had the touchscreen issue. An OTA for touchscreen issues is very very very important. This phone has a ton of bugs.. my experience is the dev community doesn't normally fix the type of issues the sensation has. Who the ef cares if they have an s-off phone if you have to press 14 times for a 7 digit number.. Or cant scroll contacts or home screens with out opening whatever you touch 1st during the swipe. Completely unacceptable. I guess thats why they dont mind replacing my phone every week.... Since thats how long it normally takes for the touchscreen to ef up. I didnt pay etf at sprint to leave the evo for a supposedly way better phone that is slower than the evo once the touchscreen takes a poop. S-off is coming, we know this, HTC says so. Bug fixes are more important to me, we need an OTA like last month!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still don't understand these touchscreen issues. I've had mine since 2 days after launch and zero problems. I wish I could see it first hand.

Sdobron said:
Still don't understand these touchscreen issues. I've had mine since 2 days after launch and zero problems. I wish I could see it first hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also had mine since launch with no touchscreen issues.

Downsides to the Skyrocket/AT&T LTE?

Coming from a Nexus One, I just got a Skyrocket yesterday.
While having a dual core and LTE speed is indeed nice, the phone is a f****** brick in comparison to the Nexus One, so I am somewhat regretting my decision and might return it ...
It's easy to see the upsides of the phone (speed, large screen, better built quality than the N1), I also want to know what the downsides are, so I can make an informed decision.
As far as I can tell, I already see these - which I mostly pulled together based on my own experiences and what I read on this forum:
1. Throttling of LTE unlimited data plans (I never had that problem on my N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming))
2. Uncertain CM7/CM9 support - as far as I can tell there are some unofficial ports under way, but no dev from CM has joined the effort and non of the current devs have officially joined the CM team?
3. F'ing AT&T blocking websites (e.g. justin.tv (not that I ever want to go to this site but I am pissed about being blocked))
4. CIQ BS on the stock software (ok, can be fixed by using a custom ROM but still ...)
5. AT&T might watch LTE usage more closely for tethering? I frequently tethered and never had any issues with the N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming)
6. Reception issues on the stock software (I am in LA with little LTE, yet the phone ALWAYS connects to LTE and NEVER falls back to 3G giving me really sh** reception)
7. Size: it's a brick, not a phone.
8. Unlocking - my N1 was obviously unlocked and at&t never gave me any problems unlocking before, though I heard they might not unlock the Skyrocket PERIOD.
9. Uncertainty about specs (and whether it supports intl. 3G/UMTS2100)?
I am happy to have people convince me otherwise, but at the moment some of these con's outweigh the pro's (the size con even in a literal sense, hahaha)
Also let me know if you know of any other good (normal sized) phones (ideally with the same specs otherwise) that might come to AT&T (or might be available unlocked). I would probably love this phone if it had a 3.7" screen in the same form factor as the N1.

Who cares lol you came to the wrong placce to complain about the skyrocket. If u dont like it take it back. This thread is useless, and should be closed

silver03wrx said:
Who cares lol you came to the wrong placce to complain about the skyrocket. If u dont like it take it back. This thread is useless, and should be closed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your comment is useless. Thank you.

Its not really. We are here because we love the phone and for once its a group that sees a few short comings and we are working as a group to fix them.
You knew the dimensions of the phone when you bought it. For that statement alone...take it back.
Nearly every other complaint you have mentioned has been corrected with development by some very dedicated dev work new and experienced.
In the end only you can make the choice...but when you ask for an opinion be prepared for what you are going to receive good and bad
andTab said:
Your comment is useless. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA App

andTab said:
Coming from a Nexus One, I just got a Skyrocket yesterday.
While having a dual core and LTE speed is indeed nice, the phone is a f****** brick in comparison to the Nexus One, so I am somewhat regretting my decision and might return it ...
It's easy to see the upsides of the phone (speed, large screen, better built quality than the N1), I also want to know what the downsides are, so I can make an informed decision.
As far as I can tell, I already see these - which I mostly pulled together based on my own experiences and what I read on this forum:
1. Throttling of LTE unlimited data plans (I never had that problem on my N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming))
Some have the issue some dont, dont abuse it and probably wont be throttled.2. Uncertain CM7/CM9 support - as far as I can tell there are some unofficial ports under way, but no dev from CM has joined the effort and non of the current devs have officially joined the CM team?
I think it will be ported, maybe not cm9 but we have started a thread over there and asked them to, but we will see. its just a ROM - if thats your looking for pick something else. 3. F'ing AT&T blocking websites (e.g. justin.tv (not that I ever want to go to this site but I am pissed about being blocked))
4. CIQ BS on the stock software (ok, can be fixed by using a custom ROM but still ...)
i think this was fixed with they dropped 2.3.6 - i have never tried nor found a site that i couldnt get to. if the fix is a Custom Rom and your answer is BUT STILL....then why are you on these forums. Roms are like clothes change them ****s and move on.
5. AT&T might watch LTE usage more closely for tethering? I frequently tethered and never had any issues with the N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming)
if you dont video stream, i DOUBT you will ever get throttled or sent the little AT&T teathering email.
6. Reception issues on the stock software (I am in LA with little LTE, yet the phone ALWAYS connects to LTE and NEVER falls back to 3G giving me really sh** reception)
i dont have an answer for this, im in a LTE area with NO PROBLEMS
7. Size: it's a brick, not a phone.
u know what they say about little hands
8. Unlocking - my N1 was obviously unlocked and at&t never gave me any problems unlocking before, though I heard they might not unlock the Skyrocket PERIOD.
9. Uncertainty about specs (and whether it supports intl. 3G/UMTS2100)?
I am happy to have people convince me otherwise, but at the moment some of these con's outweigh the pro's (the size con even in a literal sense, hahaha)
Also let me know if you know of any other good (normal sized) phones (ideally with the same specs otherwise) that might come to AT&T (or might be available unlocked). I would probably love this phone if it had a 3.7" screen in the same form factor as the N1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
those are the only ones i know of....
Good Luck

If you have questions about the device, it's no problem to ask them here. Although, there is a right way to do it. If you have searched and cannot find the answer, then ask. When you do ask, don't come of as a troll like you're bashing the phone and provoking users into defending it. You should know how that is going to end up. Lets keep this thread in the right direction......

andTab said:
Coming from a Nexus One, I just got a Skyrocket yesterday.
While having a dual core and LTE speed is indeed nice, the phone is a f****** brick in comparison to the Nexus One, so I am somewhat regretting my decision and might return it ...
It's easy to see the upsides of the phone (speed, large screen, better built quality than the N1), I also want to know what the downsides are, so I can make an informed decision.
As far as I can tell, I already see these - which I mostly pulled together based on my own experiences and what I read on this forum:
1. Throttling of LTE unlimited data plans (I never had that problem on my N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming))
2. Uncertain CM7/CM9 support - as far as I can tell there are some unofficial ports under way, but no dev from CM has joined the effort and non of the current devs have officially joined the CM team?
3. F'ing AT&T blocking websites (e.g. justin.tv (not that I ever want to go to this site but I am pissed about being blocked))
4. CIQ BS on the stock software (ok, can be fixed by using a custom ROM but still ...)
5. AT&T might watch LTE usage more closely for tethering? I frequently tethered and never had any issues with the N1 - though I did not really use that much data (no video streaming)
6. Reception issues on the stock software (I am in LA with little LTE, yet the phone ALWAYS connects to LTE and NEVER falls back to 3G giving me really sh** reception)
7. Size: it's a brick, not a phone.
8. Unlocking - my N1 was obviously unlocked and at&t never gave me any problems unlocking before, though I heard they might not unlock the Skyrocket PERIOD.
9. Uncertainty about specs (and whether it supports intl. 3G/UMTS2100)?
I am happy to have people convince me otherwise, but at the moment some of these con's outweigh the pro's (the size con even in a literal sense, hahaha)
Also let me know if you know of any other good (normal sized) phones (ideally with the same specs otherwise) that might come to AT&T (or might be available unlocked). I would probably love this phone if it had a 3.7" screen in the same form factor as the N1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds to us like you've already made your mind up. And the poeple above are right. This IS the skyrocket forum on xda. Were only going to tell you that we love our skyrocket. Which we do. There's not a single phone out there that does not have problems. My biggest problem with every other phone out there is a locked bootloader. Which means it will be even harder for any dev to fix any of the problems you have with any phone you choose. Good luck!
Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using xda premium

the2rrell said:
those are the only ones i know of....
Good Luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! That was very helpful.
There are lots of good things about this phone (eg call quality is a hundred times better than on the Nexus One which always sounded like a string/tin-can phone).
I want to know about all the bad things, and what is being done to address them.
Does anyone know whether any current CM devs are considering the phone?
Or whether any current Skyrocket devs might join CM/bring official CM support for this phone?
Not getting CM9 would be a dealbreaker for me.
I only found threads about at&t blocking websites on the new LTE APN - I did not find anything about other ROMs or the new stock software update fixing it. Can you point me to the thread?
Reception issues: do custom ROMs/radios fix this problem for anyone that has experienced this?
Does anyone know whether at&t will unlock the phone (or whether we are stuck having to pay these third party sites to unlock)
European 3G - lot's of sites claim that the phone should work with 3G internationally (2100 UMTS) but has anyone tried (even just roaming on at&t)?
Manufacturers and providers have lied before about phone specs ... need to get this confirmed.

andTab said:
Thank you! That was very helpful.
There are lots of good things about this phone (eg call quality is a hundred times better than on the Nexus One which always sounded like a string/tin-can phone).
I want to know about all the bad things, and what is being done to address them.
Does anyone know whether any current CM devs are considering the phone?
Or whether any current Skyrocket devs might join CM/bring official CM support for this phone?
Not getting CM9 would be a dealbreaker for me.
I only found threads about at&t blocking websites on the new LTE APN - I did not find anything about other ROMs or the new stock software update fixing it. Can you point me to the thread?
Reception issues: do custom ROMs/radios fix this problem for anyone that has experienced this?
Does anyone know whether at&t will unlock the phone (or whether we are stuck having to pay these third party sites to unlock)
European 3G - lot's of sites claim that the phone should work with 3G internationally (2100 UMTS) but has anyone tried (even just roaming on at&t)?
Manufacturers and providers have lied before about phone specs ... need to get this confirmed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple, google the Qualcomm radio this phone has, then look up the specs on Qualcomm's website.

Longcat14 said:
Simple, google the Qualcomm radio this phone has, then look up the specs on Qualcomm's website.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is no answer, since the carrier might have disabled the radio, eg the T-Mobile G2x has quad-band 3G but they disabled the ATT 3G radio when the phone was released.
Someone with the phone needs to test it - since the phone has been out for a while now, I would hope that someone has done so.
Otherwise, we will not know based on some BS specs on some BS website.

only thing I'm worried about is not getting ICS OTA update till late next year and thats really only because I 2nd guess myself over just about everything technology which is halting me from rooting

GeezyF.Ladies said:
only thing I'm worried about is not getting ICS OTA update till late next year and thats really only because I 2nd guess myself over just about everything technology which is halting me from rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as far as rooting Just DO IT!!
and as far as ICS, OTA or not....we WILL have ICS on the this phone due to the devs porting it over. im thinking by maybe Feb we will have something for our phone. or im hoping anyway.

I bet we get ICS even sooner. Also what's this about ATT blocking justin.tv? Plays fine over ATT LTE for me...

Yeah. this phone really sucks. Lets see..
I get 28+hours on my battery..
Large screen with beautiful display
LTE with 40down speeds my comcast cable has 18 down
Good Dev support so far..
I am so sick and tired of hearing this phone is " sub par" etc..
I think I will treat myself to a new Samsung led 1080p hdtv this week...lol
---------- Post added at 05:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:05 PM ----------
geezyf.ladies said:
only thing i'm worried about is not getting ics ota update till late next year and thats really only because i 2nd guess myself over just about everything technology which is halting me from rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:d

you might wanna try the regular galaxy s2. pretty much clears up most of the problems... still pretty big but not as big

TouchWiz 4.3 update - WHY

Okay, we got the 4.3 update we all been waiting for. Now comes the magic question - WHY.
I'm not trying to troll here, I think I have a valid question. It's got features taken out, a lot of stuff is different now, some things work, some things don't. It looks different, but - is it better? I am yet to find what is it that it does better than original 4.1 firmware.
I guess what I'm trying to ask is : "give me a reason not to revert back to where it was"

galets said:
Okay, we got the 4.3 update we all been waiting for. Now comes the magic question - WHY.
I'm not trying to troll here, I think I have a valid question. It's got features taken out, a lot of stuff is different now, some things work, some things don't. It looks different, but - is it better? I am yet to find what is it that it does better than original 4.1 firmware.
I guess what I'm trying to ask is : "give me a reason not to revert back to where it was"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because you can't. Once you take the 4.3 OTA, you're stuck with it.

McDastardly said:
Because you can't. Once you take the 4.3 OTA, you're stuck with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to say, it was incredibly disappointing that Samsung decided to sneak device lock-down disguised as a software update. Very lame. I was under impression that Samsung does value community building mods for its overpriced phones, understands the value of such community. Apparently, they don't. I agree with someone who said it will be the last Samsung device he purchased, I think it's time for me to join the boycott.
But coming back to the issue at hand: lets imagine I was lucky enough not to trust Samsung to deliver me an update and instead took a hacked one. Is there any reason whatsoever to stay on 4.3? And by that I mean:
- does 4.3 solve some problem in original firmware, that anyone should care about?
- does 4.3 implement some new feature, which was not in original 4.1 firmware that I should be excited about?

galets said:
Okay, we got the 4.3 update we all been waiting for. Now comes the magic question - WHY.
I'm not trying to troll here, I think I have a valid question. It's got features taken out, a lot of stuff is different now, some things work, some things don't. It looks different, but - is it better? I am yet to find what is it that it does better than original 4.1 firmware.
I guess what I'm trying to ask is : "give me a reason not to revert back to where it was"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What features were taken out? Anything that can be replaced with better apps on the market shouldnt count. In my opinion the new stock task manager makes it worth it.
---------- Post added at 01:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:11 PM ----------
Well if I could go back in time I would have just waited for a custom 4.3 tw rom. But at least I don't feel the need to flash a new rom every day now.

ThePagel said:
What features were taken out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this time, my biggest issue is that codes do not work, and i cannot get into hidden menu, so no QPST. I'm on PagePlus, so updating PRL is a manual process, and without putting phone into modem mode I cannot do that.
There are a few other annoying things, such as: can't turn off warning against increasing volume on headphones (i think there's some add-ons which let you do it though)

galets said:
At this time, my biggest issue is that codes do not work, and i cannot get into hidden menu, so no QPST. I'm on PagePlus, so updating PRL is a manual process, and without putting phone into modem mode I cannot do that.
There are a few other annoying things, such as: can't turn off warning against increasing volume on headphones (i think there's some add-ons which let you do it though)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can understand your annoyance with the hidden menu being gone. But that wasn't a "feature" it was a "hidden menu" after all and with root there are ways to get rid of the volume warning. That bugs the crap out of me as well but not to the point to change it yet.... YET!

galets said:
I have to say, it was incredibly disappointing that Samsung decided to sneak device lock-down disguised as a software update. Very lame. I was under impression that Samsung does value community building mods for its overpriced phones, understands the value of such community. Apparently, they don't. I agree with someone who said it will be the last Samsung device he purchased, I think it's time for me to join the boycott.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, Samsung hasn't been overwhelmingly developer friendly for awhile. There's a bit of dislike for them due to Exynos processors.

Additionally, it wasn't that sneaky. The phone was intended to have a locked bootloader from the beginning. It was expected that the update would patch the loophole we found from the leaked aboot step. That's why it was mentioned multiple times to not accept the 4.3 update in case it locked the bootloader.
Samsung hasn't been developer friendly for a long time. Anytime you take an OTA update you can expect it to prevent the use of custom firmware unless a trusted source says it doesn't.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

BadUsername said:
Additionally, it wasn't that sneaky. The phone was intended to have a locked bootloader from the beginning. It was expected that the update would patch the loophole we found from the leaked aboot step.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still maintain it's been sneaky. The boot loader was not patched for a long time, you even get an icon which indicates custom firmware. Many folks understood it as if Samsung quietly endorses modding. The S3 has had a reputation of phone friendly for modders. Many purchased this very model specifically because they intended to mod it. Also don't forget, people look up to tinkerers, so a lot of sales were made because "this guy who knows the phones has samsung"

galets said:
I still maintain it's been sneaky. The boot loader was not patched for a long time, you even get an icon which indicates custom firmware. Many folks understood it as if Samsung quietly endorses modding. The S3 has had a reputation of phone friendly for modders. Many purchased this very model specifically because they intended to mod it. Also don't forget, people look up to tinkerers, so a lot of sales were made because "this guy who knows the phones has samsung"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung isn't as nice as you think. HTC will often allow you to unlock the phone by signing an agreement that you are voiding the warranty. Verizon has had a history of locking bootloaders that other carriers wouldn't.
This bootloader lock is mostly Verizon's implementation anyway. They're the ones who changed the bootloader and patched our loophole. Other devices on the 4.3 OTA update (sprint and T-Mobile) still have unlocked bootloaders.
The custom icon was only stating we had a custom recovery installed. Didn't have anything to do with firmware checking.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

It's hard to call it sneaky if you look back at the thread that was all about waiting for the update it was repeated daily, if not a couple of times a day that if the OTA hits your phone not to take it because it would lock your bootloader. Taking my early upgrade from the Bionic this didn't really surprise me lol. It just clinched it that, I'll maintain my unlocked bootloader and rom away until its time for my next phone, which will be a nexus or amazingly enough a moto if i can let go of my bionic anger lol....

If you purchase a phone to be modded, after you mod it, why would you ever take a manufacturer OTA?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

galets said:
I have to say, it was incredibly disappointing that Samsung decided to sneak device lock-down disguised as a software update. Very lame. I was under impression that Samsung does value community building mods for its overpriced phones, understands the value of such community. Apparently, they don't. I agree with someone who said it will be the last Samsung device he purchased, I think it's time for me to join the boycott.
But coming back to the issue at hand: lets imagine I was lucky enough not to trust Samsung to deliver me an update and instead took a hacked one. Is there any reason whatsoever to stay on 4.3? And by that I mean:
- does 4.3 solve some problem in original firmware, that anyone should care about?
- does 4.3 implement some new feature, which was not in original 4.1 firmware that I should be excited about?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung probably does value it, however we need to keep in mind it doesn't HAVE to be their fault.
Android is released from Google, then Samsung gets a hold of it, adds their own skin/features/framework, then hands it off to Verizon, where Verizon locks everything down and adds crap things to it. Verizon is EXTREMELY against community mods and such.
We need to figure out if other carriers are having issues with the 4.3 rollout (if it exists) then we might be able to decide who dropped the ball
SGS3 running Android 4.4 KitKang

XdrummerXboy said:
Samsung probably does value it, however we need to keep in mind it doesn't HAVE to be their fault.
Android is released from Google, then Samsung gets a hold of it, adds their own skin/features/framework, then hands it off to Verizon, where Verizon locks everything down and adds crap things to it. Verizon is EXTREMELY against community mods and such.
We need to figure out if other carriers are having issues with the 4.3 rollout (if it exists) then we might be able to decide who dropped the ball
SGS3 running Android 4.4 KitKang
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its samsung. Every version of the s3 is locked on 4.3 the only difference is nobody is complaining about it on the other forums. samsung wants to be able to have there phones used in government agencies and the like so they locked the phone down. I accidentally upgraded and haven't complained once because its not that big of a deal. I am just not buying from samsung from now on (unless they make the tablet that folds into a phone). Someone can correct me if I am wrong but everything I have read says every s3 on 4.3 has been locked down. If you do say I am wrong please give me a link so I can educate myself.

XdrummerXboy said:
Samsung probably does value it, however we need to keep in mind it doesn't HAVE to be their fault.
Android is released from Google, then Samsung gets a hold of it, adds their own skin/features/framework, then hands it off to Verizon, where Verizon locks everything down and adds crap things to it. Verizon is EXTREMELY against community mods and such.
We need to figure out if other carriers are having issues with the 4.3 rollout (if it exists) then we might be able to decide who dropped the ball
SGS3 running Android 4.4 KitKang
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Click to collapse
Ahhh I forgot about the Knox or whatever they call it. I thought you were able to switch between using it and not though.
But I guess maybe they have to make sure EVERYTHING is secure, then build the "non" secure stuff on top of that framework.
SGS3 running Android 4.4 KitKang

XdrummerXboy said:
Ahhh I forgot about the Knox or whatever they call it. I thought you were able to switch between using it and not though.
But I guess maybe they have to make sure EVERYTHING is secure, then build the "non" secure stuff on top of that framework.
SGS3 running Android 4.4 KitKang
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still root the OTA by using saferoot. Once rooted, superSU will ask if you want to disable knox. You can then load safestrap which will allow you to load other 4.3 roms and multi-boot your phone etc. Read ALL the threads on saferoot and safestrap before you install them.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

galets said:
Okay, we got the 4.3 update we all been waiting for. Now comes the magic question - WHY.
I'm not trying to troll here, I think I have a valid question. It's got features taken out, a lot of stuff is different now, some things work, some things don't. It looks different, but - is it better? I am yet to find what is it that it does better than original 4.1 firmware.
I guess what I'm trying to ask is : "give me a reason not to revert back to where it was"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
App access to notifications. That is my killer app for 4.3

S7 bootloader unlock petition

Anybody interested in the bootloader and unlocking it I encourage you to sign this petition. These phones are ours to use how we see fit and the more noise we make the better our chances are. I bought this phone under the assumption that nothing had changed and for Samsung to change their policies without notice isn't acceptable for me and hopefully you as well. Thank you
Petition

Dude, there's honestly no point. Ive been on xda for about 10 years and ive always need to root every single android phone ive owned. Until recently, Samsung started making pretty good android phones starting with the s6 and up. I had no reason to root my s6, note 5, and now no reason to root my s7 edge. Im not saying you should have no need to root yours, i just feel like Samsung and android have come a long way and nowadays rooting serves no purpose;for me at least. Is rooting worth losing Samsung pay or any other security features we need to protect us? Not really. Also, Samsung can change their policies as they please, you still bought their phone. Rooting died a couple years ago, move on. Best of luck with your petition.

No point is simply just not true. I haven't even looked at a Samsung until the S6 last year and I got the M9 instead. Now with HTC dumping boomsound on the M10 I switched after 8 HTC phones. While I agree Samsung has come a long way not only in hardware but software and you can do more things now without root I still miss it a lot. Have this phone a week now, not having root sucks. It's just not the same. While yes you can do quite a bit without it, there is still plenty missing. People saying that root is dead or they don't need it is just denial for the fact that things have got so locked down it's not worth justifying the hassle which might just be true.
Let's say knox was never developed, triangle away still worked so you could also go back to stock and you could flash away with an unlocked bootloader everyone would be singing a totally different tune and you guys would be rooted. Now that Samsung has total control, we have to justify it to ourselves on why it makes sense not to root which frankly right now I think is the case.

kennypow3rs said:
Dude, there's honestly no point. Ive been on xda for about 10 years and ive always need to root every single android phone ive owned. Until recently, Samsung started making pretty good android phones starting with the s6 and up. I had no reason to root my s6, note 5, and now no reason to root my s7 edge. Im not saying you should have no need to root yours, i just feel like Samsung and android have come a long way and nowadays rooting serves no purpose;for me at least. Is rooting worth losing Samsung pay or any other security features we need to protect us? Not really. Also, Samsung can change their policies as they please, you still bought their phone. Rooting died a couple years ago, move on. Best of luck with your petition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its all good if you have no interest then that's fine but I for one do. I hate touchjiz and the bloatware that is just the tip of the iceberg. Rooting will never die maybe some people don't but most that have rooted will always want it. Thanks for your input though. Without root we really don't have any need for a development section so this forum will likely die. I'm jumping ship to the lg g5 until samsung does something if they ever do.

brendan802 said:
Its all good if you have no interest then that's fine but I for one do. I hate touchjiz and the bloatware that is just the tip of the iceberg. Rooting will never die maybe some people don't but most that have rooted will always want it. Thanks for your input though. Without root we really don't have any need for a development section so this forum will likely die. I'm jumping ship to the lg g5 until samsung does something if they ever do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally have no problem with Samsung locking things down. In fact for the general pop it will be great, but since we live in the free world it Samsung should still allow the option of choice. As long as they have the proper disclaimer in place that warns of consequences the one can make the decision. I think the big reason for the locked bootloader has to do with carriers leasing the phones. Since rooting breaks the pay app and can't reversed. Just imagine if you got a previous leased phone and the pay app doesn't work. What samsung should do is allow for a complete reset factory action including knox. Maybe not have it available to the general public but maybe the carriers or somewhere higher up. This would give the best of both worlds.

kennypow3rs said:
Dude, there's honestly no point. Ive been on xda for about 10 years and ive always need to root every single android phone ive owned. Until recently, Samsung started making pretty good android phones starting with the s6 and up. I had no reason to root my s6, note 5, and now no reason to root my s7 edge. Im not saying you should have no need to root yours, i just feel like Samsung and android have come a long way and nowadays rooting serves no purpose;for me at least. Is rooting worth losing Samsung pay or any other security features we need to protect us? Not really. Also, Samsung can change their policies as they please, you still bought their phone. Rooting died a couple years ago, move on. Best of luck with your petition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude you've been here 5 years. I've been here 7. Neither of which matters. Rooting didn't die any more than rock and roll did when disco came along.
I drive a semi and without root I can't get the headphone, or bluetooth, volumes high enough when running through the trucks stereo. And before you start talking about headphones, those that cover both ears are illegal and i don't like listening through only one ear. So I want root. If you don't that's wonderful for you, but please don't step onto a developers board, claim seniority you just don't have, and try to tell people the board has become meaningless.

DreamingWolf said:
Dude you've been here 5 years. I've been here 7. Neither of which matters. Rooting didn't die any more than rock and roll did when disco came along.
I drive a semi and without root I can't get the headphone, or bluetooth, volumes high enough when running through the trucks stereo. And before you start talking about headphones, those that cover both ears are illegal and i don't like listening through only one ear. So I want root. If you don't that's wonderful for you, but please don't step onto a developers board, claim seniority you just don't have, and try to tell people the board has become meaningless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my second account ive definitely been here since the palm and original HTC touch days with Windows pocket lol. But to the point, rooting is dead per se, but there's definitely less of a reason to do so these days. Touch wiz is damn near perfect. Even for those thay dont like it can slap a launcher on it. I see no purpose to root, i can block ads with ad guard. Also stock android doesnt have all the bells and whistles either so id rsther stay stock. Again, i know others may need it, but i was simply saying its pointless thess days. I still come here for many other things, just not to root.
Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

kennypow3rs said:
This is my second account ive definitely been here since the palm and original HTC touch days with Windows pocket lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I stand corrected.
kennypow3rs said:
Again, i know others may need it, but i was simply saying its pointless these days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are not 'needed' and 'pointless' antonyms? You just refuted your own statement.
And I don't use stock android. I use rooted and modded versions of Sprint's base ROM. The only stock versions I have truly liked and used are by Temesek, and those tend to be few and far between on Sprint variants.
I also never use Touchwiz. It's been NovaLauncher for years now for me. And I just prefer all the little conveniences and tweaks that you can make with root. Like an extended power menu without having to add more apps from Google Play. And several diagnostic tools I use to troubleshoot when I have a weak or slow signal where I shouldn't.
So I'm really happy that your content to live with what Samsung and Sprint deign to allow you, I'm not. And since these boards seem to be doing just fine, I would guess that there are enough people who agree with me to make your opinion not nearly as wide spread as you believe it to be.
And one final question, if you believe rooting is pointless and dead, why are you still on these boards?

DreamingWolf said:
I stand corrected.
Are not 'needed' and 'pointless' antonyms? You just refuted your own statement.
And I don't use stock android. I use rooted and modded versions of Sprint's base ROM. The only stock versions I have truly liked and used are by Temesek, and those tend to be few and far between on Sprint variants.
I also never use Touchwiz. It's been NovaLauncher for years now for me. And I just prefer all the little conveniences and tweaks that you can make with root. Like an extended power menu without having to add more apps from Google Play. And several diagnostic tools I use to troubleshoot when I have a weak or slow signal where I shouldn't.
So I'm really happy that your content to live with what Samsung and Sprint deign to allow you, I'm not. And since these boards seem to be doing just fine, I would guess that there are enough people who agree with me to make your opinion not nearly as wide spread as you believe it to be.
And one final question, if you believe rooting is pointless and dead, why are you still on these boards?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still come here for other things, like questions i may have, apps, reviews, and ive been here for so long i still help others when i can. Its still a community i am apart of regardless if i root or not.
Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

Root or not to root is a matter of opinion, I think it is far from dead or useless imo.
I have rooted every phone I have ever had that it was capable on within 24 hours of getting the phone just because I want to put on the phone what I want not what Samsung thinks I want.
I don't fit well with the masses and rooting let's me be that way with my phone....
That said this has been seen before on other devices and has been worked around by the amazing devs on this sight.
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

Rooting will never die unless the manufacturers kill it. It has too much of a following with people that love to root and need to root. So yes no root is a huge deal for me I'm coming from a Nexus 6 where I had multirom and weekly updates. The phone never gets boring when it is unleashed and rootable. I have had the Edge for about a week and I'm already bored/frustrated with it. I'm going to the Sprint store today to try and return it. My Nexus 6 flies compared to the S7 Edge even though its specs are way better. Hardware can only get you so far the software is what makes the phone fly. The stock S7 Edge has so much BS bloatware and unneeded stuff that slows it down significantly. Give me the international one and maybe I would keep it. Also, the Samsung pay is a joke for me because it doesn't support any of my banks or cards. I will be preordering the LG G5 or waiting for the next Nexus.

We should have the option.
I don't really need to root today, because I primarily use the phone for business and I don't want to have it down because I change my mind on which ROM to pick every 6 hours.
But I want the option to get rid of the ****, yes, ****, they put on this phone. Why they load junk I can't get rid of is beyond me.
If we can't control the phone, I'll have to jump off the Samsung bandwagon next year...no matter how good they make it.
Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

brendan802 said:
Anybody interested in the bootloader and unlocking it I encourage you to sign this petition. These phones are ours to use how we see fit and the more noise we make the better our chances are. I bought this phone under the assumption that nothing had changed and for Samsung to change their policies without notice isn't acceptable for me and hopefully you as well. Thank you
Petition
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there one for Sprint? This petition does not go to them at all.
Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

So I've had this thought about this locked bootloader problem. I am not sure if this is a viable solution or whether it would even work. I was thinking that our European brethren has an unlocked bootloader. Would there be a way to Odin their bootloader on our devicesor would the fact that they have a different processor be a problem. Because in theory if we had a Samsung sign Odin file of with an unlocked bootloader we should be able to Odin and have a unlocked bootloader, no? Or is there more to it than that?

El.Dante565 said:
So I've had this thought about this locked bootloader problem. I am not sure if this is a viable solution or whether it would even work. I was thinking that our European brethren has an unlocked bootloader. Would there be a way to Odin their bootloader on our devicesor would the fact that they have a different processor be a problem. Because in theory if we had a Samsung sign Odin file of with an unlocked bootloader we should be able to Odin and have a unlocked bootloader, no? Or is there more to it than that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good question. But no, it would not work. Not even because it's a different processor, which that is part. But say if T Mobile got an unlocked bootloader, it would not work for Sprint. Nor would it necessarily help to know how it happened and use it as a road map to unlock another carrier's bl.
Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

not so fast
mkeller96 said:
Rooting will never die unless the manufacturers kill it. It has too much of a following with people that love to root and need to root. So yes no root is a huge deal for me I'm coming from a Nexus 6 where I had multirom and weekly updates. The phone never gets boring when it is unleashed and rootable. I have had the Edge for about a week and I'm already bored/frustrated with it. I'm going to the Sprint store today to try and return it. My Nexus 6 flies compared to the S7 Edge even though its specs are way better. Hardware can only get you so far the software is what makes the phone fly. The stock S7 Edge has so much BS bloatware and unneeded stuff that slows it down significantly. Give me the international one and maybe I would keep it. Also, the Samsung pay is a joke for me because it doesn't support any of my banks or cards. I will be preordering the LG G5 or waiting for the next Nexus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would suggest waiting to see if the bootloader is locked down on the lg g5 before ordering. I was not planning to root my s7e, but I must say I was curious to see what this powerhouse was capable of if unleashed from touchwiz,sadly I will never know.:crying:

Anyone else receive an OTA update this morning from Sprint? Took about 15 minutes to download and install.
I'm now showing software version G935PVPU2APC5.

runner77 said:
Anyone else receive an OTA update this morning from Sprint? Took about 15 minutes to download and install.
I'm now showing software version G935PVPU2APC5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have Ota's stopped, but i haveapb5.
Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

Root
I have a sneaky suspicion that the Sprint S7 & S7 Edge will end up just like the
ATT Note 5 and S6 Edge/Edge+ phones and will NEVER have root. LOL
I would strongly advice & suggest NOT to get rid of your current rooted phones at least not yet!!!
(unless you buy a different brand which can be rooted)
Have a great day!

El.Dante565 said:
So I've had this thought about this locked bootloader problem. I am not sure if this is a viable solution or whether it would even work. I was thinking that our European brethren has an unlocked bootloader. Would there be a way to Odin their bootloader on our devicesor would the fact that they have a different processor be a problem. Because in theory if we had a Samsung sign Odin file of with an unlocked bootloader we should be able to Odin and have a unlocked bootloader, no? Or is there more to it than that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the firmware for the Chinese model s7 edge it is the closest match to ours and the firmware will not load in odin. It checks against the model and csc codes so we couldn't even cross flash with t-mobiles firmware. I have the bootloader posted over in t-mobile forums and a few people are poking around to see what can be done. Unfortunately bootloader and hardware hacks are nothing I have ever done before.

General Questions about Mate 7

Hey all,
I'm thinking of buying a Mate 7 and switching over from my Moto X Pure. Mainly for the size, metal body, and the battery. Right now I can get it for ~$330 on Amazon. The only thing that's held me back is the software. I've read the stock software is very annoying with constant notifications about apps using up too much RAM/battery. But all these reviews were from the phone's release, I haven't been able to find much information since it's been updated to Marshmallow. I typically like very light ROMs like CM but I see there hasn't been a whole lot of development for this phone other than the KangVIP ROM which seems to have a lot of issues. So I guess my question is how do you all like the stock Marshmallow ROM and is it still good on battery life?
Also I've seen a lot of threads about how to downgrade the software to earlier versions of Android, is this just to install an earlier version of Cyanogenmod? I've not been able to find a "why" in all the threads I've seen on the subject. I've found plenty of Chinese phones that are ~6" with a big battery and metal body but LTE bands are always an issue. This is the only phone I've come across that seems to have everything, other than my concerns about the software. I'm also thinking of holding out and seeing if the Asus Zenfone 3 and the LeTV Max Pro end up having U.S. LTE bands.
Anyway, any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

It's getting old now, still a really nice phone but I'd be looking at newer devices at this point. People regress to earlier versions of Android as the MM beta releases often dissapoint. I stuck with the latest release of Lollipop as I have some limited functionality with Xposed, got ViPER4Android working etc, it's smooth and stable. Battery is great. It's hard to describe just how much freedom that allows you compared to other devices. My Oppo Find 7 is a nice phone too, but it just doesn't last long enough and being used to the Mate 7, that annoys me greatly. I do find that the oppo at 5.5" is better to handle and fits a pocket easier. That extra half inch really is noticeable on the Mate. It is one device that does feel a little special though. Once it's optimised and personalised, it's gorgeous.
As for ROMs, not going to happen any time soon. I'm happy with stock, rooted and modded. Doesn't worry me apart from limiting lifespan, but if development did take off, I would be happy.
Huawei just don't understand the international market yet and if they did, and fostered good relations and supported development, they would be able to become #1 I think, but at this point their thinking is still very Chinese.

RobboW said:
It's getting old now, still a really nice phone but I'd be looking at newer devices at this point. People regress to earlier versions of Android as the MM beta releases often dissapoint. I stuck with the latest release of Lollipop as I have some limited functionality with Xposed, got ViPER4Android working etc, it's smooth and stable. Battery is great. It's hard to describe just how much freedom that allows you compared to other devices. My Oppo Find 7 is a nice phone too, but it just doesn't last long enough and being used to the Mate 7, that annoys me greatly. I do find that the oppo at 5.5" is better to handle and fits a pocket easier. That extra half inch really is noticeable on the Mate. It is one device that does feel a little special though. Once it's optimised and personalised, it's gorgeous.
As for ROMs, not going to happen any time soon. I'm happy with stock, rooted and modded. Doesn't worry me apart from limiting lifespan, but if development did take off, I would be happy.
Huawei just don't understand the international market yet and if they did, and fostered good relations and supported development, they would be able to become #1 I think, but at this point their thinking is still very Chinese.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply RobboW! I've always had phones that had a lot of development so I've kind of taken it for granted. A couple years ago I wouldn't have even considered a phone without a lot of development but my ROM addiction has really subsided and I only recently put a custom ROM on my Moto X. Honestly I don't do much customization anymore, the thing that made me apprehensive about the Mate 7 was all the "battery saving" shenanigans. If there's some way to disable those while still keeping good battery life (which definitely should be possibly with the 4100 mAh battery) then I'll be happy with the ROM, provided there's no lag. I don't do any kind of gaming or anything, just browsing the web, videos, texts, and emails, but I can't stand any kind of lag.
Thanks again for your help, it's been a grueling process trying to find a phone that meets all my criteria for a reasonable price. The Mate 7's hardware hits it perfectly, so if I can live with the software I still think it's a good deal.

It sounds like your user case is much like mine then. The Mate 7 (get 32Gb version and insert a 128Gb uSD) should serve you well. Update it from kitkat to lollipop for UI smoothness, unlock bootloader, install TWRP recovery, root and do a little debloat, although there's really not much bloat, install Viper if sound is your thing. You will need a different launcher and icon pack to get away from Huawei launcher which is terrible.
For the notifications, it has a notification manager so you can customise that to your liking. Mine doesn't bombard me with warnings. The battery is awesome, just go to power saving settings, ignore the savings and set it to normal. It still easily goes a day with heavy use.
My son liked mine and wanted to update his galaxy S4 so got a Mate 7 32Gb and I did all these things to his. He has wifi and BT on all day, facebook messenger always on etc and it never has a battery problem. He is still gobsmacked by it. Says it's better in every way to the S4 other than maybe the lack of ir blaster (which he doesn't care about) and amoled screen in the S4 but the Mate 7 screen is really nice anyway. I actually like the IPS panel better than amoled as I think amoled is gharish, too colourful, just not realistic and the IPS seems much nicer, more realistic for photos and video. It's actually a warmish tint, unlike my oppo which has a very stark, cold tint and is harder on my eyes.
You can adjust the screen and I set it to it's coldest but it's still warmer than the oppo.
I've been toying with the idea to go back to using the Mate 7 as my daily phone instead of the oppo. I was going to use the Mate 7 as a tool, like a small tablet because it will be the database and interface (BT) between an electrical test tag machine and a label printer. The camera is really good at macro focus and reads barcodes very well.
I didn't want to talk it up to someone expecting a 6P and lot's of custom roms, but for the price they can be bought for now, and your user case, it will make a great daily driver. Just be very sure it works on the correct bands you need there in the US. It works great here in Australia.
Edit: I'm having an issue with my Oppo where sometimes I can't view an email when others work ok. The Mate 7 doesn't have the issue and I've been going through settings looking for differences as the two phones are set up almost the same. Cannot find the problem so I have my SIM in the Mate again (Titanium Backup is so handy for transfering sms and call data) and will try to get a custom ROM in the Oppo.
The Mate works great. No desire for a ROM in that unless I update to MM when/if I can get a stable final release that is originally OTA.

Well I went ahead and bit the bullet and I'm going for it. I'll probably need to be pointed in the right direction once it arrives as far as which ROM to install and how I go about downgrading it if I need to. Thanks again for your help! I'm excited to check it out.

@RobboW has said pretty much all there is that's worth mentioning about the device. If you're after stellar battery life and a solid daily driver you can't go wrong, but don't expect the flexibility of devices that are more open to customization.
I've updated to the official MM release and have yet to encounter any of the issues people complained about in the beta releases. While the LP release is fantastic (and Viper actually works on it, which I miss), the MM build offers even better responsiveness and an overall better-rounded software experience, although that's not saying I wouldn't flash something entirely different in a heartbeat (if only I could....).
The camera is also not very great. On paper it's decent, but photos almost always come out blurry (as there's no OIS) and washed out. A but of tinkering on Snapseed can make a big difference though, but don't expect anything too great.
If you already bought it I'd suggest that you immediately install a 3rd party launcher of your choice to avoid the stock launcher (which really is horrendous), and then root if that's your sort of thing.
Enjoy!

Scruffykid said:
The camera is also not very great. On paper it's decent, but photos almost always come out blurry (as there's no OIS) and washed out. A but of tinkering on Snapseed can make a big difference though, but don't expect anything too great.
Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Scruffy, set the saturation in the camera app settings a notch higher. You can also set the brightness down a little if needed. I actually find the camera pretty good. It's not a flagship camera but it's also not a cheap one.
I've got my SIM back in my Oppo today, got OmniROM set up pretty nice now. So much better than ColorOS from Oppo. The B331 LP Mate 7 ROM is quite nice for a stock ROM IMO and I'm still happy to keep it. If the Oppo is stable on OmniROM, maybe I'll look at updating the Mate 7 to MM, but not if I can't have Xposed and ViPER4Android......
I'm on Marshmallow on the Oppo now and it's a PIA with some things. File explorers have issues with access, notifications are more intrusive, but it is a nice OS other than that. I actually found Lollipop easier to use.
---------- Post added at 10:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:47 AM ----------
Prozart said:
Well I went ahead and bit the bullet and I'm going for it. I'll probably need to be pointed in the right direction once it arrives as far as which ROM to install and how I go about downgrading it if I need to. Thanks again for your help! I'm excited to check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will ship with Kitkat so you boot and see which firmware version it's on and what OTA update it wants to install when it goes online, but don't install it straight away, come back to the forum with the information and then the correct update tree can be looked at.
Don't leave it on Kitkat, IMO, you either use B331 Lollipop or a Marshmallow ROM. Nothing earlier. Some of the MM ROMS do need an earlier Lollipop version to update from, but sometimes you can flash the ROM anyway, as long as the phone is compatible with it.

RobboW said:
Scruffy, set the saturation in the camera app settings a notch higher. You can also set the brightness down a little if needed. I actually find the camera pretty good. It's not a flagship camera but it's also not a cheap one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't seem to find the settings you're mentioning in my camera settings. Perhaps it was removed on the MM builds? Anyway I think simply installing 3rd party camera software should make a big difference. As you and I both said, most of what's wrong with the camera is software.

Haven't tried MM on my Mate 7 so couldn't speculate, but from Google Play, give Open Camera a try, it's free. See if pics match the viewing angle you expected.
For a paid app, Camera FV-5 is very good. It's supposed to mimmick a DSLR.
Edit:
Just installed Open Camera (by Mark Harmon) on both phones. Works well. Two things I like are the availability of grid lines and a level indicator. Makes quite a difference when doing landscape photography. I live in a seaside town and getting horizon level is so important with shots including ocean. If it had panorama mode I'd be a happy chappy!
I haven't been bothered with camera apps on my Mate 7 as it has a good camera on KK and LP and I had no need to look for better. The Oppo Find 7 is another matter. Oppo camera was good with ColorOS, but now on OmniROM, I needed to look at camera apps, but had already found the others with my previous phone as it was a THL W200 and stock software was pretty crap.

RobboW said:
It will ship with Kitkat so you boot and see which firmware version it's on and what OTA update it wants to install when it goes online, but don't install it straight away, come back to the forum with the information and then the correct update tree can be looked at.
Don't leave it on Kitkat, IMO, you either use B331 Lollipop or a Marshmallow ROM. Nothing earlier. Some of the MM ROMS do need an earlier Lollipop version to update from, but sometimes you can flash the ROM anyway, as long as the phone is compatible with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright so it arrived today with KK 4.4.2 build number 120SP04. I went to the updater and it said no updates are available. I don't have a SIM card in it so I don't know if that makes a difference. I didn't realize it didn't have a nano sim slot so I'll have to go to my carrier to get a micro. In the mean time, what are my upgrade paths to a good Lollipop or Marshmallow? I'm in North America and on the main page I only saw update packages for India, Europe, and China I believe. Would I just go with the European ones?

Prozart said:
Alright so it arrived today with KK 4.4.2 build number 120SP04. I went to the updater and it said no updates are available. I don't have a SIM card in it so I don't know if that makes a difference. I didn't realize it didn't have a nano sim slot so I'll have to go to my carrier to get a micro. In the mean time, what are my upgrade paths to a good Lollipop or Marshmallow? I'm in North America and on the main page I only saw update packages for India, Europe, and China I believe. Would I just go with the European ones?
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Click to collapse
Will you be using an SD card? Slot 2 takes either an SD or a nano SIM, not both at once though.
That's the same ROM my phone came on. It's the standard international ROM for a non carrier locked TL10 goldie.
It will update to B130 OTA
From B130 I flashed mine to B331 Lollipop (newest lollipop). Just a download of ROM and place in dload folder and point the updater to it, then it does it from within the OS. It won't go past B130 on an OTA.
If you want MM, that needs to be loked at as there are stacks of vesions. I'm inclined to think if it can be flashed up to MM from B331 it's reasonably new. That's my aim. I won't go to an older LP to get up to a buggy old beta MM.
Here's the download link where I got my stable Lollipop.
http://www.carbontesla.com/2016/01/download-ascend-mate-7-full-b331-lollipop-firmware-europe/
It seems to me that Huawei are still slowly releasing updates so I would rather sit on a stable LP and wait for the last MM rather than join the unhappy bunch of early flashers who have bugs or bricks.
B331 LP works well and can get some limited use of Xposed and full use of Viper4android.
You need to keep stock recovery to flash an update but unlocked bootloader is fine, so I'd look to unlock the bootloader after it gets B130 update.
It will have a choppy UI on KitKat, it's normal. Lollipop fixes that.
I reckon you'll last maybe 5 minutes trying to use the Huawei launcher. Don't fight that, just install another, lol. Have to go into settings and choose default launcher in the app management section.

RobboW said:
Will you be using an SD card? Slot 2 takes either an SD or a nano SIM, not both at once though.
That's the same ROM my phone came on. It's the standard international ROM for a non carrier locked TL10 goldie.
It will update to B130 OTA
From B130 I flashed mine to B331 Lollipop (newest lollipop). Just a download of ROM and place in dload folder and point the updater to it, then it does it from within the OS. It won't go past B130 on an OTA.
If you want MM, that needs to be loked at as there are stacks of vesions. I'm inclined to think if it can be flashed up to MM from B331 it's reasonably new. That's my aim. I won't go to an older LP to get up to a buggy old beta MM.
Here's the download link where I got my stable Lollipop.
http://www.carbontesla.com/2016/01/download-ascend-mate-7-full-b331-lollipop-firmware-europe/
It seems to me that Huawei are still slowly releasing updates so I would rather sit on a stable LP and wait for the last MM rather than join the unhappy bunch of early flashers who have bugs or bricks.
B331 LP works well and can get some limited use of Xposed and full use of Viper4android.
You need to keep stock recovery to flash an update but unlocked bootloader is fine, so I'd look to unlock the bootloader after it gets B130 update.
It will have a choppy UI on KitKat, it's normal. Lollipop fixes that.
I reckon you'll last maybe 5 minutes trying to use the Huawei launcher. Don't fight that, just install another, lol. Have to go into settings and choose default launcher in the app management section.
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Click to collapse
Awesome, thanks for your help! Since its saying "no updates available" should I manually update it to B130 and then to the link you provided for B331?
And yeah I've already got a launcher I've been using and like, I'm already sick of the stock launcher, lol. Also, strangely, the play store force closes after a few seconds of opening. I'm not too worried about it as I'll very soon be flashing different firmware, but still strange. Also, this is the MT7 L09 version, should I still update B130>B331?
And as far as Marshmallow is concerned I'm inclined to take your path with a stable Lollipop until they get MM all worked out.

Prozart said:
Awesome, thanks for your help! Since its saying "no updates available" should I manually update it to B130 and then to the link you provided for B331?
And yeah I've already got a launcher I've been using and like, I'm already sick of the stock launcher, lol. Also, strangely, the play store force closes after a few seconds of opening. I'm not too worried about it as I'll very soon be flashing different firmware, but still strange. Also, this is the MT7 L09 version, should I still update B130>B331?
And as far as Marshmallow is concerned I'm inclined to take your path with a stable Lollipop until they get MM all worked out.
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Click to collapse
L09, well that changes everything. You can go to B522 MM on that already. Update to B331, see how you like it. You can update to B522 from there anyway.
Google Play FC will be it trying to update itself whilst you're using it.
Check your ROM matches the number of the update. There are update notes included with it. If it doesn't match, it will fail to flash once most of the way through it. This is the CUST folder and is ROM specific for different areas of the world. It's where most naive users brick their phone.
For instance, mine is C900B331 and the original would have been C900B120SP04
That C900 is most important.
What many don't realise is that the number of the ROM doesn't always mean newer. It could be for a different region and that region has a different sequence of ROM designations.

RobboW said:
L09, well that changes everything. You can go to B522 MM on that already. Update to B331, see how you like it. You can update to B522 from there anyway.
Google Play FC will be it trying to update itself whilst you're using it.
Check your ROM matches the number of the update. There are update notes included with it. If it doesn't match, it will fail to flash once most of the way through it. This is the CUST folder and is ROM specific for different areas of the world. It's where most naive users brick their phone.
For instance, mine is C900B331 and the original would have been C900B120SP04
That C900 is most important.
What many don't realise is that the number of the ROM doesn't always mean newer. It could be for a different region and that region has a different sequence of ROM designations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to you I successfully updated to B331. I got my launcher installed and now I just need to change the DPI as everything is huge, lol. So now I need to unlock bootloader and root it. But so far everything is smooth, no problems yet.
Edit: Quick question. I went into the APN settings and accidentally clicked on preferred network type. Before I went in there it was set to LTE (and I was successfully connected to LTE) but that wasn't an option to click on when I went into the settings. It's only showing me these three and so I'm not getting LTE anymore. Any ideas?

Check dual card settings for default 4G slot.
Edit: Why am I suggesting that for an L09, lol.
Have you done anything to upset the settings for APN?
Have a look in power saving settings to see if anything there cuts it back to 3G to save juice.
4G really sucks battery compared to 3G.

RobboW said:
Check dual card settings for default 4G slot.
Edit: Why am I suggesting that for an L09, lol.
Have you done anything to upset the settings for APN?
Have a look in power saving settings to see if anything there cuts it back to 3G to save juice.
4G really sucks battery compared to 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't find anything i n the power settings regarding network modes, I believe the only thing I've changed is putting the power plan on Normal and turning off Power-intensive prompt.
Also on the keyboard, the keys aren't vibrating. I went into the keyboard settings and made sure it was turned on. Also tried toggling it off and on with no success. Are there any other vibration settings hidden somewhere that I'm missing?

I wonder if a factory reset is in order. Just to count out any leftovers. I do wonder though, if there is something funny about the bands the carriers allow to work in the US. I often see comments from US XDA members about bands. Like the US is really different than the rest of the world or something.

RobboW said:
I wonder if a factory reset is in order. Just to count out any leftovers. I do wonder though, if there is something funny about the bands the carriers allow to work in the US. I often see comments from US XDA members about bands. Like the US is really different than the rest of the world or something.
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Click to collapse
Yeah I may try that when I get home tonight. I need to unlock bootloader and root anyway so that'll wipe it. It's just so weird cause I had LTE up until the point when I went into settings and clicked on WDCMA or whatever and now there's no option to get back to LTE. It's also not connecting via bluetooth to my car. It had no problems connecting to my Moto 360, I don't know what would be different about my car. But it's not detecting it at all. Perhaps a factory reset would help solve that.
I spent about an hour last night reading up on unlocking the bootloader. I tried emailing Huawei and they directed me to log in to my Huawei account and I'd be able to get the code after 14 days. Is there any other way to do this? I mean I can survive a couple weeks without root, but it's not optimal, lol.

Don't root it yet and don't flash recovery.
Unlock the bootloader first. Read the following thread where I show the trick for getting your code easy and free.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-7/general/bootloader-unlock-longer-anymore-t3296725
I've put mine back to stock B331 as much as possible tonight and flashed stock recovery then dirty flashed B331 back over it. About to factory reset it then attempt flashing Marshmallow.
Edit:
Reset went ok.
Edit:
Started the update, got to 96% and failed (CUST FAIL) and rebooted, sat on the start screen for quite a while and then booted. It's on C900B522 Marshmallow but I'm not sure what impact the cust fail has, but it seems to run fine. The dual card management settings are there so it is running as the TL10 that it is, although in settings it's calling itself a JAZZ.

RobboW said:
Don't root it yet and don't flash recovery.
Unlock the bootloader first. Read the following thread where I show the trick for getting your code easy and free.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-7/general/bootloader-unlock-longer-anymore-t3296725
I've put mine back to stock B331 as much as possible tonight and flashed stock recovery then dirty flashed B331 back over it. About to factory reset it then attempt flashing Marshmallow.
Edit:
Reset went ok.
Edit:
Started the update, got to 96% and failed (CUST FAIL) and rebooted, sat on the start screen for quite a while and then booted. It's on C900B522 Marshmallow but I'm not sure what impact the cust fail has, but it seems to run fine. The dual card management settings are there so it is running as the TL10 that it is, although in settings it's calling itself a JAZZ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I upgraded to 522 and so far it seems to be working well. Having some problems with Google Play Services (says it needs to update but the option isn't available in the play store) but otherwise seems great. Got LTE back and I've connected via Bluetooth to my car. I'm thinking about upgrading to 560 tonight. So I'm trying to follow your instructions on unlocking the bootloader but I don't understand where I need to go to type in the IMEI. I went to the website and logged in but then it takes me to this page (which doesn't seem to have an English version) and I have no idea where to go from there.