View Full Version : Tweaking my Galaxy S5?
I know some of you are pretty tech savvy. Maybe one of you could help me out.
Trying to hack the software in my Samsung Galaxy S5 to enable hotspot or tethering functionality. My wife is going to need a little bit of Internet service for her iPad at an upcoming event and I was hoping to just route it through my phone. Turns out it's not that simple.
Thanks.
blacklabel
02-19-2016, 23:21
You'd need to root and I've heard that it's pretty sketchy with the new Samsung phones. Have you talked to your carrier to find out what the cost would be to add that functionality?
Root it but you could brick it
Who is your carrier
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Already rooted the phone. Just can't figure out where to go from there.
My carrier (Sprint) would be happy to charge me for the service I'm sure. It just goes against my principles to pay twice for the same data. I mean they let me use the data directly from the phone but god forbid I hook up another device through the phone to use the same data I'm paying for anyways.
Aloha_Shooter
02-19-2016, 23:31
? My GS5 Active (on AT&T) had hotspot/USB tethering enabled natively, no rooting required. What model number are you using? If you pull down your configuration "gear" icon and scroll all the way down to the "About Device" icon, you should be able to see the model number as "SAMSUNG-SM-XXXXX".
You DID click on the gear and scroll down to the "Network Connections", right? There should be an icon labeled "Tethering and Mobile Hotspot". If you can see that, open it and you should have two options. Touch Mobile Hotspot and there's a slider to move from Off to On. You'll have to set it up with a Hotspot name and you probably want to enable a key so only you can use the bandwidth.
blacklabel
02-19-2016, 23:33
Already rooted the phone. Just can't figure out where to go from there.
My carrier (Sprint) would be happy to charge me for the service I'm sure. It just goes against my principles to pay twice for the same data. I mean they let me use the data directly from the phone but god forbid I hook up another device through the phone to use the same data I'm paying for anyways.
Install Cyanogenmod (a lot more benefits than just hotspot) and you're good to go.
Install Cyanogenmod (a lot more benefits than just hotspot) and you're good to go.
Can a monkey with downsyndrome figure that out? That's about what I feel like trying to do anything software related.
blacklabel
02-19-2016, 23:39
Install a custom recovery and it's really simple.
? My GS5 Active (on AT&T) had hotspot/USB tethering enabled natively, no rooting required. What model number are you using? If you pull down your configuration "gear" icon and scroll all the way down to the "About Device" icon, you should be able to see the model number as "SAMSUNG-SM-XXXXX".
You DID click on the gear and scroll down to the "Network Connections", right? There should be an icon labeled "Tethering and Mobile Hotspot". If you can see that, open it and you should have two options. Touch Mobile Hotspot and there's a slider to move from Off to On. You'll have to set it up with a Hotspot name and you probably want to enable a key so only you can use the bandwidth.
The features are there. Unfortunately, my carrier has seen fit to disable them. When you turn them on it disables the data functions of the phone and gives you a message saying you need to pay extra for using the function.
It's a Sprint carrier "feature". My Samsungs on Verizon allow the hot spot feature natively.
There was a tethering app that allowed you to connect your PC, but it also entailed installing the Samsung drivers on your tethered PC. I recall that it was called EasyTether and I had the paid "Pro" version. I saved a few bucks at the time buying it through Amazon's app store. It was clunky, but at least you didn't have to pay Sprint's extra charges.
No rooting of the phone required.
Install a custom recovery and it's really simple.
It may be rooted but unlikely it's got an unlocked bootloader. That's going to prevent a custom rom load.
At least on current Verizon Samsung phones, I don't believe there's currently a way to get past knox security to unlock them. However, it's been quite a while since I did my GS4. I didn't decide to root until AFTER it already had a firmware version that can't be unlocked. Doh!
Fortunately, it is tether enabled regardless and it does everything I need it to do without a custom rom.
Aloha_Shooter
02-20-2016, 11:07
The features are there. Unfortunately, my carrier has seen fit to disable them. When you turn them on it disables the data functions of the phone and gives you a message saying you need to pay extra for using the function.
Ah, yes, T-Mobile did that when I migrated from my unlimited data "Android Web" plan to one of their newer plans when I activated a GS4. What they are doing is detecting how the data is being requested and when the headers don't conform to the built-in browser or apps, they assume the data request is coming from off the phone and therefore gets blocked. I believe some of the wizards at XDA have built some apps for rooted phones that will disguise the packet traffic to look like the built-in browser but I haven't looked into that since about 2012 so not current -- and you NEED to be current in that arms race. I have to check my Ting GS4 -- it rides on Sprint but is a backup phone so I don't know if the hotspot feature is disabled or not.
cfortune
02-20-2016, 13:22
I've had Verizon for a while but I used to have Sprint. IIRC correctly, I had to download a 3rd party tool for WiFi tethering in order to get it working once I root'd the phone.
enthusiast
02-20-2016, 14:45
Looks like your same model.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p643h9cfWlw.
Looks like your same model.
Thanks. I saw that one the other day. It makes me a little nervous though. It's the same model as mine but there are some production numbers that differ on mine from what all of the ones I could fine were written for. Part of me wants to try it and see what happens but part of me doesn't want to be without a working phone. Lol.
Aloha_Shooter
02-20-2016, 15:54
Okay, I checked my Ting phone and it does allow me to create a mobile hotspot -- no additional charges beyond the bandwidth itself despite the fact it rides over the Sprint network.
This article https://help.ting.com/hc/en-us/articles/205422078-Wireless-Tethering-or-Hotspotting confirms that Ting seems to have their agreements with Sprint set up to not require additional charges in order to tether or create a mobile hotspot.
You can check to see if your phone will work with Ting (not all Sprint phones are transportable ... Sprint seems to block Ting from using the newest equipment) by entering the MEID or IMEI at https://ting.com/byod
Looks like you can now root your S5 and get custom ROM if you want.
http://galaxys5root.com/galaxy-s5-root/how-to-root-galaxy-s5/
Use at your own risk.
Looks like you can now root your S5 and get custom ROM if you want.
http://galaxys5root.com/galaxy-s5-root/how-to-root-galaxy-s5/
Use at your own risk.
Found a much better root guide for (Verizon) S5 already on Lollipop 5.0 http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370
It's a tough follow if you're not familiar with all the concepts as the author and many other posters make too many assumptions about people's skills and some steps are vague.
However, I was able to get my new S5 rooted last week without bricking it, and I just finished phase 2 to install a DEODEXED stock ROM so I can get Xposed Framework working again for some apps and features I needed.
It may have helped that I already had some full version apps like Ti backup that can freeze knox, etc. I did not use the guide's knox remover the first time, but the ROM I just installed was knox free so it's gone for now. I did pay for the SuperSU Me app that removes the Kingroot bloatware, but probably could have killed him with a Ti freeze or killed kingroot with one of my other apps. I'm willing to pay for convenience and stability.
I decided to finally replace my aging and cracked (rooted) S4 only to discover my maintenance plan had a $99 deductible (fukn corporate comms guy fucked me over on that) VZW had a special $0 upgrade to S5 I was eligible for and since my requirements include a removable battery and microsd slot, that was the only logical choice. Knowing with 99% certainty I could root it, I pulled the trigger. Happy so far.
Took me a bit but I did get my S5 rooted and then wiped the whole thing and put the cyanogen mod stuff on there. Performance and battery life jumped way up and all of the Sprint crap that I couldn't get rid of before is gone.
The only issue I can't seem to figure out is that if I get out of LTE coverage and then get back into it the phone doesn't go back onto the network on its own. When I notice I have no data connection I have to open the network settings and switch it back to LTE. Pretty annoying.
Think I'll probably just go get a new phone this weekend and call it good.
Think I'll probably just go get a new phone this weekend and call it good.
Maybe with a carrier that doesn't charge extra for the built-in hotspot functionality?
I had "unlimited" data with Sprint for years. I never got the full use of my phone's capabilities until I moved to Verizon. I get more usable bandwidth for less money than I ever could on Sprint's network. Pisses me off that I held onto my 'limited by Sprint's network- unlimited plan' waiting for them to upgrade the Denver metro for several years. Your phone is only as good as the network.
Found a much better root guide for (Verizon) S5 already on Lollipop 5.0 http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370
It's a tough follow if you're not familiar with all the concepts as the author and many other posters make too many assumptions about people's skills and some steps are vague.
However, I was able to get my new S5 rooted last week without bricking it, and I just finished phase 2 to install a DEODEXED stock ROM so I can get Xposed Framework working again for some apps and features I needed.
It may have helped that I already had some full version apps like Ti backup that can freeze knox, etc. I did not use the guide's knox remover the first time, but the ROM I just installed was knox free so it's gone for now. I did pay for the SuperSU Me app that removes the Kingroot bloatware, but probably could have killed him with a Ti freeze or killed kingroot with one of my other apps. I'm willing to pay for convenience and stability.
I decided to finally replace my aging and cracked (rooted) S4 only to discover my maintenance plan had a $99 deductible (fukn corporate comms guy fucked me over on that) VZW had a special $0 upgrade to S5 I was eligible for and since my requirements include a removable battery and microsd slot, that was the only logical choice. Knowing with 99% certainty I could root it, I pulled the trigger. Happy so far.
Well crap. I just soft bricked my phone trying to get Xposed installed.
Then come to find out, there's a version that reportedly works with the stock (rooted) ROM.
I think my trouble started after I installed the deodexed ROM, I lost safestrap and after I re-installed it, things went sideways. I made a backup of course before installing the ROM - in both safestrap and in TiBu, so the plan now is to reflash a stock ROM, re-root, and try again paying a little more attention to what's going on with safestrap. Oddly, my TiBu update.zip file doesn't appear on the sd card in recovery mode. Hrmmm...
While typing this, the factory image finished installing and it's booting again now, so at least it's not hard bricked.
Maybe with a carrier that doesn't charge extra for the built-in hotspot functionality?
I had "unlimited" data with Sprint for years. I never got the full use of my phone's capabilities until I moved to Verizon. I get more usable bandwidth for less money than I ever could on Sprint's network. Pisses me off that I held onto my 'limited by Sprint's network- unlimited plan' waiting for them to upgrade the Denver metro for several years. Your phone is only as good as the network.
Excellent advice for sure. If I was single it wouldn't be difficult. Unfortunately, I'd have to coordinate the move to a different carrier with three other people who are on my plan. Also, the reason I switched to Sprint years ago was that I was tired of getting $450 phone bills from Verizon.
Well crap. I just soft bricked my phone trying to get Xposed installed.
Then come to find out, there's a version that reportedly works with the stock (rooted) ROM.
I think my trouble started after I installed the deodexed ROM, I lost safestrap and after I re-installed it, things went sideways. I made a backup of course before installing the ROM - in both safestrap and in TiBu, so the plan now is to reflash a stock ROM, re-root, and try again paying a little more attention to what's going on with safestrap. Oddly, my TiBu update.zip file doesn't appear on the sd card in recovery mode. Hrmmm...
While typing this, the factory image finished installing and it's booting again now, so at least it's not hard bricked.
Back in action PLUS.
AAR: I think I may have done this to myself by installing the wrong file from safestrap recovery. [facepalm]I may have actually installed a script that erases the ROM. Doh!
TOO tired to have been jacking with it.
All is good now, found an Xposed version that doesn't need a deodexed ROM (that rom was getting reports of wifi issues anyway) and got all my modules back in and working. [Ban1]
Well crap. I just soft bricked my phone trying to get Xposed installed.
Then come to find out, there's a version that reportedly works with the stock (rooted) ROM.
I think my trouble started after I installed the deodexed ROM, I lost safestrap and after I re-installed it, things went sideways. I made a backup of course before installing the ROM - in both safestrap and in TiBu, so the plan now is to reflash a stock ROM, re-root, and try again paying a little more attention to what's going on with safestrap. Oddly, my TiBu update.zip file doesn't appear on the sd card in recovery mode. Hrmmm...
While typing this, the factory image finished installing and it's booting again now, so at least it's not hard bricked.
Back in action PLUS.
AAR: I think I may have done this to myself by installing the wrong file from safestrap recovery. I may have actually installed a script that erases the ROM. Doh!
TOO tired to have been jacking with it.
All is good now, found an Xposed version that doesn't need a deodexed ROM (that rom was getting reports of wifi issues anyway) and got all my modules back in and working.
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