[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S III] flastnoles11:
[SIZE=+3]Frequently Asked Questions[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+2] Sprint Galaxy S3[/SIZE]​

[SIZE=+1]This a short list of frequently asked questions in this device forum and the answers often given as a response. It should serve as a starting point for gathering knowledge and finding solutions to many common problems. Please Do not post "Thank you" type responses. If you have additional questions or require more help, try to find an existing thread or create your own. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]Q1: How do I root the Sprint galaxy s3?[/SIZE]

All things root can be found in the link below, including all files (including the drivers) you will need and a step by step video! Make sure to visit the sticky in development and thank qbking77 for his root thread (this method works with 4.1.1 and 4.1.2)

ROOTING GUIDE WITH VIDEO
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[SIZE=+1]Q2: I have bricked my device/my phone won't boot, what is the best way to fix it? (Use the Odin method for bringing your phone back to unrooted stock to bring in for repair)[/SIZE]

First, if you can get into recovery or download mode, you are not bricked, just sponged! If you can get into recovery, download and transfer a rom to your sd card and flash in recovery. If You can get into download mode you will need a stock .tar and Odin to "unbrick". The easiest way is to follow the link below for qbking77 guide on how to unroot/unbrick. Again, make sure you go to development and thank qbking77

unroot/unbricking guide with files and how to video
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[SIZE=+1]Q3: What is a custom recovery?[/SIZE]

A custom recovery takes the place of Samsung's stock recovery once you root your phone. There are two custom recoveries (team win recovery project), The other is CWMR (ClockworkMod Recovery). When choosing which recovery to use, read the ROM/kernel op that you want to flash, most of the time they will tell you which recovery is sorted for their project. In most cases both recoveries work just fine, so ultimately the choice is up to you, but if you decide to go with a recovery that the developer did not recommend, you still not receive support within that developers thread!

Link to Both custom recoveries and stock recovery can be found here
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[SIZE=+1]Q4: What is the best/most stable Rom/Kernel

(question that should never be asked)

[/SIZE]

This is simple, there is no best/most stable Rom/Kernel for this device! They are all excellent and the devs have spent countless hours trying to perfect them all. The only way to decide what is best/most stable for you is to try them all out until you find one that suits your needs. In post #2 and 3 of this thread I have included links to all Roms and kernels on xda! Happy flashing!​

[SIZE=+1]Q5: Which Rom/Kernel will give me the best performance/battery life

(this is another question that should never EVER be asked)

?[/SIZE]

Please don't ever ask this in the forum, there is no best. Things like battery life and performance largely depend on the end users interaction with the phone. No two people use their phone in exactly the same way, so nobody can tell you which Rom/Kernel will work best for your needs. Many things affect battery life, including but not limited to, what and how often you sync things, signal, apps installed, widgets running, just to name a few. This is largely an opinion and for every 50 answers you receive you're likely to receive at least 30 different answers, so please, just don't ask it, it's a waste of everyone's time, including yours because you still never receive a straight answer​

[SIZE=+1]Q6: What is the proper way to install a Rom?[/SIZE]

In almost every case the proper instructions for flashing a custom Rom will be posted in the Rom threads 1st post. Some roms will say dirty flashing is fine, I avoid this to minimize problems. Download Rom, transfer to external storage (sd card). Boot into recovery, factory reset (which wipes data and cache) and wipe dalvik cache. Go to install, find the Rom you've downloaded and flash. Please remember that if you choose to format data (you'll see this option in twrp (completely unnecessary in most situations) ) will erase things on your internal memory, so make sure your music, photos, backups, and everything else important is on your external storage!

DO NOT POST BUG REPORTS IF YOU HAVE DONE A DIRTY FLASH

, start clean and if the bug persists after a clean flash then you may report the bug. Be prepared to provide a log cat and to be able to explain how to reproduce said bug if necessary (log cats explained later in this FAQ) just to clarify, factory reset and wrong dalvik cache is what's necessary for a clean install of a Rom!​

[SIZE=+1]Q7: What is ADB and how do I use it?[/SIZE]

Please see this thread for everything ADB

FULL ADB GUIDE
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[SIZE=+1]Q8: How to do a logcat from ADB and what the heck is a logcat?[/SIZE]

For setting up ADB see Q7!

logcat allows us to log what the OS is doing, and possibly delve information for when things are not working

its quite simple Reading it is another.

To use logcat

adb shell
logcat

To logcat to a certain file do

adb shell
logcat -d > /sdcard/whatevertextfileyoulike.txt

Obviously using the name of a text file of your choice, not "whatever text file you like"

For further explanation follow the link in Q6​

[SIZE=+1]Q9: Is there an app that will help me pull a logcat from the phone?[/SIZE]

Actually, yes, there is... but it does have its limitations, if you're stuck in a bootloop, the app will do you no good, you will have to use ADB for this, but if you're data is not connecting on a certain Rom, or something similar within the already booted OS this app can be rather handy and simpler for those who don't understand ADB. Link for app below

ALOGCAT APP
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[SIZE=+1]Q10: Can I flash any modem on any ROM or do the versions have to match?[/SIZE]

Modems/basebands are completely independent of the roms, so you can run any modem on any ROM! (They do have to be for the device you are using though)​

[SIZE=+1]Q11: Method to update prl without flashing back to a TOUCHWIZ ROM. Also how to enable baseband diagnostic mode. How to acquire MSL. (Not yet working on 3.4 kernels, which includes most updated aosp roms) [/SIZE]

Despite the common misconception that you have all probably heard, you have to be on a TOUCHWIZ ROM to update your prl, that is actually not true. The thread linked below will explain how and will also show you how to aquire your MSL and how to enable baseband diagnostics mode

See this thread for everything above​

[SIZE=+1]Q12: How do I backup my IMEI and do I have to do it?[/SIZE]

The thread linked below will explain everything IMEI, along with how and why you should do it!

click here for all the needed info
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[SIZE=+1]Q13: I have seen better battery stats (BBS for short) mentioned everywhere, what is this and why do I need it?[/SIZE]

BBS is an app made by an awesome XDA member that will help you identify what is keeping your phone from entering deep sleep (or wakelocks, which are explained below)

Thread for BBS​

[SIZE=+1]Q14: What is a wakelock and how do I get rid of them?[/SIZE]

This is the most involved and comprehensive guide I have ever seen on XDA involving wakelocks, if you're having problems with wakelocks, please go here and read posts 1-3 it will help you tremendously! Make sure you thank this guy as he obviously spent tons of time on this guide

T.J. BENDERS FULL GUIDE TO WAKELOCKS
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[SIZE=+1]Q15:I'm sure I'm following all the guides correctly, why does Odin still fail on me?[/SIZE]

The most common explanation for this is your data cable! Always, I repeat ALWAYS use a heavy duty data cable when Odin is at use. BlackBerry cables seen to be the most popular to use among Odin users and are very cheap online, save yourself some headaches and frustration in the future and pick one up!​

[SIZE=+1]Q16: I am rooted and just received an OTA update message, should I accept it and if I do will I lose root?[/SIZE]

Cnexus has wrote a great FAQ for all things OTA please read his FAQ for everything you need to know Cnexus OTA FAQ To kill the update notification for good you can also refer to this thread how to stop the update notification by Galaxys3man30
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[SIZE=+1]Q17:Is there a reference somewhere to explain all the different kernel governors and I/O schedulers?[/SIZE]

why, yes, yes there is! This is the best reference that I have found on xda Governors, I/O Schedulers and more reference​

[SIZE=+1]Q18:??????..............................................[/SIZE]

Replace this block of text with a short answer for the above question. If the answer is complicated or otherwise lengthy, avoid the temptation to provide a full answer here. If the answer is truly that involved, this should be answered in another thread outside of this document. The answer then should provide a brief summary or overview and direct the reader to the document providing a full coverage of the topic​

*​

Special thanks to these guys for helping through the process of creating this thread! If not for them this would be half of what it is, go find a post of theirs and hit that thanks button please!

Tazfanatic

Mw86

Rompnit

CNexus

Kennyglass123 (big thanks, you know why;) )

GalaxyS3Man30

Swiggs98

Adamdelozier

Edfunkycold

Orlzzt

And last but certainly not least, every Rom and kernel developer, including the awesome members who made all of these mods available to us!

Forum Rules | New Users Guide | XDA Tour | Report Posts​