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Root Replacement Phone and OTAs

Droidula

Droidula

Android Enthusiast
Virgin is sending me a replacement phone, because this current replacement phone is having problems with the GPS.

Blame my short-term memory, but all the reading I'd done regarding this recent OTA and the steps that will work and won't work has gotten all jumbled in my head.

I assume the phone will come without the OTAs having been applied. I still want root and s-off, so should I unlock bootloader, S-off, then take the updates, and then flash SuperSU and a recovery?

Also, I have the original ControlBear file for S-off, but does anyone have the original instructions to follow, or know where it's posted in a thread maybe? It looks different on the unlimited.io site now because of their change of platform support.
 
My guide is essentially the ControlBear instructions in simplified form. It also contains the files necessary for using it on Windows. You can get S-OFF on 1.57.0000 or 1.58.0000 - it doesn't matter if you take the OTAs first or not.
 
I saw you posted a guide (thank you for taking the time to do that!), but it looked like it was more than I wanted to do with my phone. I want to use TWRP 2, and want to stay on stock, not Harmonia. I just reread your guide, and I think I could just follow the parts to unlock the bootloader, and then do S-off.

Is the first part of the guide necessary, to change the registry and install the driver? I'm using the administrator account on my PC, and don't remember having to do those steps in the past.

So if I follow parts of your guide, would I be correct to state that I can:

1) Take the phone out of the box and take the OTAs.
2) Follow your instructions to unlock the bootloader.
3) In "Step One - number 6" replace the recovery img with one from TWRP, or flash the PG86IMG.zip later.
4) Move on to running ControlBear to achieve S-off.
5) Skip "Step two - Fix Everything," and just flash the 1.50 hboot then or later if I need it.
6) Skip "Step Three" and flash SuperSU.
 
Droidula said:
I saw you posted a guide (thank you for taking the time to do that!), but it looked like it was more than I wanted to do with my phone. I want to use TWRP 2, and want to stay on stock, not Harmonia. I just reread your guide, and I think I could just follow the parts to unlock the bootloader, and then do S-off.

Is the first part of the guide necessary, to change the registry and install the driver? I'm using the administrator account on my PC, and don't remember having to do those steps in the past.

So if I follow parts of your guide, would I be correct to state that I can:

1) Take the phone out of the box and take the OTAs.
2) Follow your instructions to unlock the bootloader.
3) In "Step One - number 6" replace the recovery img with one from TWRP, or flash the PG86IMG.zip later.
4) Move on to running ControlBear to achieve S-off.
5) Skip "Step two - Fix Everything," and just flash the 1.50 hboot then or later if I need it.
6) Skip "Step Three" and flash SuperSU.
Click to expand...
You've got it for the most part. Replacing 4EXT with TWRP is fine - your choice, no worries.

There's no need to skip step two - it will simply re-flash the firmware you get from taking the OTAs, and won't undo any of it. It will also give you the 1.50.5050 HBOOT - but, if you plan on keeping it stock and flashing SuperSu, yes, stop after step one, because the stock ROM will not boot on 1.50.5050.

So, essentially...
1) Unbox phone & take OTAs
2) Follow step one, replacing 4EXT with TWRP
3) Flash supersu
 
I didn't pay for insurance, I think my warranty was just up, and I still didn't pay anything. I called and complained a few times, they created tickets, and finally I spoke to someone who placed a replacement order for me.

OAN, the GPS still has problems, but not as bad as the last phone. I'm trying to flash different radios to see if that changes anything. (I tried the newest one, 0706, and 0530 so far.) I kinda wish I'd never sent back the first phone, because that one located me almost instantly. I still have no idea whether it's a hardware issue, or software. The replacement they sent me has the Sprint logo, so it's one of the original phones.
 
Assurion charges $5 a month plus a $100 deductible for insurance claims, as for Droidula receiving a Sprint branded phone, except for the silk screen branding the phones are identical, has no bearing on your gps issue.
OB
 
You may try this app to help resolve your GPS issues. If it works well enough for you, the paid [$0.99] version allows you to attach A-GPS to your launchers -- for example, when I launch Maps, A-GPS does its thing, then MAPS loads seamlessly. Pretty cool program that lets me get GPS fixes inside of brick buildings. One thing to keep in mind is that accuracy is reduced in situations like that (inside of buildings), but that GPS is sometimes only accurate to several dozen meters anyway.
 
OverByter said:
as for Droidula receiving a Sprint branded phone, except for the silk screen branding the phones are identical, has no bearing on your gps issue.
OB
Click to expand...
I didn't really think so, I was just grasping at straws and trying to blame something. :p

remanifest said:
You may try this app to help resolve your GPS issues. If it works well enough for you, the paid [$0.99] version allows you to attach A-GPS to your launchers -- for example, when I launch Maps, A-GPS does its thing, then MAPS loads seamlessly. Pretty cool program that lets me get GPS fixes inside of brick buildings. One thing to keep in mind is that accuracy is reduced in situations like that (inside of buildings), but that GPS is sometimes only accurate to several dozen meters anyway.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I had already tried that app, as well as this one. I don't think it worked, maybe I'll try it again later. But in the meantime, the old .0808 radio I flashed seems like a big improvement. I'll reflash the newest radio again later to see if it really is the radio that is affecting my GPS, or other variables.
 
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