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Root [Boost] Recently acquired S4

I've read it already. I couldn't find cf auto root to my firmware version which is ending at ol1. it's date of compiling as far as I understand. I've seen Screenshot of rooting by supersu, it seems like it makes a copy of boot partition, changes it and flash back so both methods are the same they just flash modificated boot partition. Now I wonder whether to flash custom recovery and use supersu or try different cf autoroot which doesn't match my firmware version.
 
I have the boost mobile version, and for me it was simply a matter of flashing twrp via Odin and then supersu.zip, but I thought I had read somewhere that root was required to flash recovery on the international models. (Which is different from any Samsung device I've owned)

If you can flash recovery without root, then you can simply make a backup before installing supersu.
 
Hey. I came up with a few questions I can't seem to find any solid answers to. I figured I would post them all here since this is the phone I'm dealing with, and they basicly are questions directed at this phone in general.

1) There are some things I've been wanting to do, (like installing/using the app called [Root] X Privacy), but they require me to install the Xposed Framework on this phone. But everywhere I read about it, it seems to be an issue installing it on this phone. Has anyone successfully installed the Xposed Framework on to this phone, the SPH-L720L ?

2) From what I understand, when you update the system apps installed on your phone that are already installed, such as gmail, youtube, and all the others that the store shows you as updates, (no matter what apps they are, not just google type apps), those installed apk's dont get written over or deleted, but the updated files are downloaded and installed, and those older apps actually stay on the system partition just taking up room in the end. I've seen a bunch of apps that help with this issue, I think Titanium Backup pro might be one of them, but my question is, would it be better to just uninstall all of those system apps, and then just reinstall them individually right from the play store? -That way, you would have the most recent version installed and you wouldnt be wasting any space anymore by having those old versions just sitting around taking up space. Is this the better thing to do?

3) This is a 2 part question:
1- What is the best type of wallpaper file to use? .png .jpg .bmp ?
2- What is the best way to setup a user-system folder-structure for Lollipop, such as, making a folder called "media" and putting other folders inside it like "audio", "photo" etc., so I can put in my own files, and on bootup the system will scan and add them in. Also, where is the best place to put that folder, on internal or external SD, or does it not matter?

4) My final question is about apps I've seen like, TWRP Manager, Flashify, and other/any apps like that. I got some money to spend and want to buy some new apps. Just wondering if anyone uses them and which one do you like the best if any.

Sorry to bombard you with my 4 questions,
but ... thanks.
 
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x432hz said:
Hey. I came up with a few questions I can't seem to find any solid answers to. I figured I would post them all here since this is the phone I'm dealing with, and they basicly are questions directed at this phone in general.

1) There are some things I've been wanting to do, (like installing/using the app called [Root] X Privacy), but they require me to install the Xposed Framework on this phone. But everywhere I read about it, it seems to be an issue installing it on this phone. Has anyone successfully installed the Xposed Framework on to this phone, the SPH-L720L ?

you can use xposed, but only if your rom is deodexed.

2) From what I understand, when you update the system apps installed on your phone that are already installed, such as gmail, youtube, and all the others that the store shows you as updates, (no matter what apps they are, not just google type apps), those installed apk's dont get written over or deleted, but the updated files are downloaded and installed, and those older apps actually stay on the system partition just taking up room in the end. I've seen a bunch of apps that help with this issue, I think Titanium Backup pro might be one of them, but my question is, would it be better to just uninstall all of those system apps, and then just reinstall them individually right from the play store? -That way, you would have the most recent version installed and you wouldnt be wasting any space anymore by having those old versions just sitting around taking up space. Is this the better thing to do?

three best way to free up space is to "integrate" them into the system. If you remove them from /system and leave them in /data they take up precious space for other apps. When you integrate an app, you basically copy the new app to the system partition overwriting the old one. I use titanium backup for this. The free version doesn't allow this.

3) This is a 2 part question:
1- What is the best type of wallpaper file to use? .png .jpg .bmp ?
2- What is the best way to setup a user-system folder-structure for Lollipop, such as, making a folder called "media" and putting other folders inside it like "audio", "photo" etc., so I can put in my own files, and on bootup the system will scan and add them in. Also, where is the best place to put that folder, on internal or external SD, or does it not matter?

wallpaper = whatever looks the best quality to your eye.
File structure=external because it leaves room on the internal for other stuff

4) My final question is about apps I've seen like, TWRP Manager, Flashify, and other/any apps like that. I got some money to spend and want to buy some new apps. Just wondering if anyone uses them and which one do you like the best if any.

I don't use any of them, but I have access to a pc regularly and don't need them. Ymmv.


Sorry to bombard you with my 4 questions,
but ... thanks.[/Color]
Click to expand...


[emoji4]
 
sorry, i posted here earlier but was mixed up in my question. I thought i figured it out. I had to edit my post. I got mixed up about the proper one to download, going by the Region listed, but I'm still not sure I understand it. They both look the same other than the Region listed differently. I'll post these links so you can see what I'm asking:

Boost mobile / Sprint Samsung Galaxy S4 - SPH-L720T | Firmwares:

L720TVPUCOK3

Region: SPR (usa-sprint) Build Date: Nov.18.2015
https://samsung-firmware.org/download/GALAXY S4/40py/SPR/L720TVPUCOK3/L720TSPTCOK3/

Region: XAS (usa-sprint) Build Date: Nov.18.2015
https://samsung-firmware.org/download/GALAXY S4/9O82/XAS/L720TVPUCOK3/L720TSPTCOK3/

Full-List
https://samsung-firmware.org/model/SPH-L720T/


Now that's how it's listed on that site above, but below is a different site, and it has a drop down box to pick from 3 locations (country), but the build date does not get listed as the same above, and the date above on that site is the same that is actually on my phone too. So I'm confused about this and how they are listing these, and which one of them, out of all of them is the proper one, if you compare the upper links to this one below.:

http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SPH-L720T/

Select country (drop down list)
Spint (cdma) (SPR)
Unknown (XAS)
Unknown (BST)


I figured the "Spint (cdma) (SPR)" would kind of explain itself on that one, but going by the above, even with the CSC versions, they don't match. Like I said, the dates of the builds don't add up like they do from the above site.
On top of all that, some of the dates on the sammobile.com site have updated roms from just a few months ago, which does not add up.
......... confusing.....
 
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The ones on sammobile with the SPR are all for sprint they are just different releases. OK3 (the last 3 digits) is the newest version (they go alphabetically). I'm familiar with sammobile and trust their firmware completely.

Edit - the bst one is probably the one you want. The custom Sprint roms all need a data fix on boost.

Sorry, I have a black themed tapatalk and didn't see ANY of your black text until I looked at it via mobile browser
 
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Hey Dudes, I am having a problem here. I have the S4 with COH1 software version. I keep getting a fail when I try the odin method to install twrp. Is it the software version that is borking it?
 
x432hz said:
Ok, Thanks Lord, got it.

kdraw44 - can you be more specific about the "fail" issue
that is showing up?
Click to expand...
I got it, I had the activation lock on, turned it off and it went well. Although when the backup was running and device went to sleep it would not respond to touch. I finished backup and pulled battery. Then I extracted recovery .img from .tar and reflashed with flashify. all is good
 
I am at a complete loss....I restored a backup I made and it just force closes everything. Never gets into GUI. I did what Lordvincent said about his backup file and it restored from it and got the same thing...all fclosing. Would somebody please tell me there is a solution to this?
 
My backup that I posted doesn't include /cache or /data. It just has /system and /boot. So restoring it won't overwrite the existing user data. When the data is mismatched, you get lots of errors. That's probably what you were experiencing :)
 
Hey. My question relates directly to this phone so im asking this here. What is the benefit of making any app a system app?. All these google pre installs that come with the Boost L720T, like Google Chrome, Gmail, Google play music etc, all of them are pre-installed and are all system apps.

But why? What would be the difference?
If i used Titanium backup pro and Uninstalled them, and then reinstalled them via play store, or even side loaded them, they get installed as regular apps. So why are those apps, evem Google Maps, and the stuff mentioned above, why were they installed as system apps?

So whats the difference, on the system, and in all aspects of installing any app as a user or system app?
 
x432hz said:
Hey. My question relates directly to this phone so im asking this here. What is the benefit of making any app a system app?. All these google pre installs that come with the Boost L720T, like Google Chrome, Gmail, Google play music etc, all of them are pre-installed and are all system apps.

But why? What would be the difference?
If i used Titanium backup pro and Uninstalled them, and then reinstalled them via play store, or even side loaded them, they get installed as regular apps. So why are those apps, evem Google Maps, and the stuff mentioned above, why were they installed as system apps?

So whats the difference, on the system, and in all aspects of installing any app as a user or system app?
Click to expand...

The reason for system apps is so that they will survive and factory reset and still be installed, and in some cases to make it so you are unable to delete those apps. Think carrier bloatware like Sprint Zone, Flipboard, etc. You're right though, there is technically no reason for it. Once you update the system app the update takes up regular app space, thus the system app is wasting space on the system partition for no reason. This is why many custom rom developers will delete these system apps to free up space.
 
Hey mydian, thanks for the reply, I must have forgot that I posted that question back then and lost track, just seeing it now actually.

Hey ALL, just wondering if anyone has been getting a System Update notice
as of today/yesterday. It showed up on my phone this morning, I didnt bother to install
it yet or anything, just wondering if anyone went ahead and installed the update, whats
new with it or whatever.

thanks.
 
I'm racking my brain trying to figure this out, It's been so long since I did this stuff I forget it all.
If I want to install a new system OTA auto downloaded update, I know I need to do a restore back to stock, which will get rid of Root, but do I need to uninstall TWRP as well and get the original stock recovery installed back on the phone too? -- if so, I dont know how to do that. Cant find the answer -exactly- with searches.
 
OTA updates are installed through recovery so you would need to be completely stock to install the update.
You could download the latest released version from Sammobile and flash with Odin.
 
I have my backup that I made the first day I bought the phone, but that goes back to the very first page of this topic on page 1. Its an untouched backup, direct-stock as the phone was, but it was made after and with TWRP was installed via Odin. So i am guessing that the stock-original-recovery-screen is not part of that? It's been such a long time I forget.
 
Yep, TWRP took the place of stock recovery.
What Android version are you on?
Other than security updates, the S4 stopped at 5.0.1
 
Version: 5.0.1
Sec/Patch: 2015-11-01
Baseband: L720TVPUCOK3
Build: LRX22C.L720TVPUCOK3
Kernel: 3.4.0-4745659
Hardware: L720T.03
Software: L720TVPUCOK3

This is the first time since I bought the phone I ever got an ota update. I'm surprised no one else chimed in saying they got it too.
 
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