yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
Interesting...

How high up was the rep exactly? I've heard many time from Verizon/Samsung customer support that they'll "pass on the information" and no one ever gets back to you after that.

Perhaps allowing you to void your warranty like HTC does?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] lolzadam:
Hmmm... Feasible, I guess. I would be happy with that.

Wouldn't it be funny if this one guy is reading this thread and watching everyone scratch their heads, and he's like "Hey guys.... did anyone call Verizon?" and he calls them and they put out an official method. lol does that guy get the bounty?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] dobo84:
Sounds like a pacifier....
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
Unfortunately not, if you read the last disclaimer:

Though I'm sure a few members might donate anyways just for the help ;)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] jorceshaman:
Lol, if they release it because a single person asked.... I think they should get the bounty just because of how funny it would be.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] lolzadam:
Oh, I know lol I was being funny. I'd give that guy $40 though haha.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
Same. On a personal note I'd gladly donate for the help. He would deserve it in my opinion. :)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] thedeveloper1:
I have no idea how far up she is but she said it might take some time for them to release it but she definitely was sure that she was forwarding this issue
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
Very interesting...

If you follow up on this and an unlock method is released, you may become a rich man even though the bounty becomes invalidated. ;)

Make sure to get the contact info of this person you spoke with so you can keep in contact on the status since she knows this case already.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] r_hippy:
I'm confused. You call vz and said what?

I can't load clockworksmod recovery to pull out all your B$ and flash a custom Rom?

Why would they release something like that then say here is how you bypass it..

[MENTION=4061822]OpenYourEyes[/MENTION].

I'm still waiting on my daughter to be home to

Test.. Will keep you posted.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Tool Belt:
"Forwarding this issue"

Gives me very little hope.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] mbeau88:
Updating + Keeping Root

So what is the best current way to accept the update while retaining root?

I have root, CWM recovery & stock touchWiz installed on my 32GB S4 and would like to be able to transfer apps to the SD card, but I am HORRIFIED of losing root&recovery..

Is there a way to keep my current setup and still update to VRUAME7?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Verdictator:
Count me in!

Hey guys,

Very appreciative of this thread, and the work of XDA. It really blows that VZW would block the rooting methods like this. I can't donate much, but to whom can develop a work-around, and get me rooted; I pledge 5USD!

Thank you, [MENTION=3313404]open1your1eyes0[/MENTION]

-Dr. Verdictator

[Benjamin Young]
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] hallstevenson:
You beat me to it... ;)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] r_hippy:
U have to revert back to 100 percent stock. Yes stock as it came in the box. Use open1your1eyes thread to root don't install recovery update per instructions in the op. Install Voodoo ota rootkeeper.

Do not take the desktop (ota only) update since it will wipe out the backed up su.

Restore root says it failed. Reboot and it's rooted.

No recovery. Tho

It's gone till a dev figures it out
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] SamuriHL:
Easiest way? Don't. What's the benefit of risking the update?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] hallstevenson:
Yeap, reps say a lot of things to make people happy, i.e. tell them what they want to hear. I hope no one thinks they can hold VZW to what this rep says either.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] r_hippy:
Rootappdelete free from the play store has this option so if that's all you need give it a shot..
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] jcase:
I highly doubt an official unlock would be released, but obviously why they patched it. It was a vulnerability that was being exploited
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
I'm with jcase on this one. Extreme doubt in an official unlock method. It will probably end up being escalated request to higher up folks in corporate and be instantly shot down. That is my strong educated guess on that scenario.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] lycwolf:
I like the "Warranty Void" idea. They patch the bootloader to keep "workaround" methods from unlocking the device, then release their own method that "voids" the phone, like the counter on the S3, etc.

All I want is the Google Edition on Verizon!!! come on samsung...
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
As this would likely be the idea if a method is officially released, I still have high doubts (unless Samsung wants to follow in HTC's shoes).
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] davehasninjas:
Looks like this thing just made it on Droid Life.

http://www.droid-life.com/2013/07/1...ck-bounty-now-sits-at-3000-after-just-8-days/
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] ProTekk:
Hmph.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
ProTekk long time no see. :)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] dadsterflip:
We got more exposure now. Should see a few well known devs. Maybe lol.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] JamesPumaEnjoi:
Its an "honor system" of sorts....if either of the bounties are met then the list will be up there with everyone who pledged and either the person will PM you for the $ via PayPal of they will post his and/or hers PayPal info so we can send the money that way....this is more than other bounties in the past because of it being quite a popular flagship on the nations biggest carrier...more and more people will contribute every day and hopefully someone will walk away with of a lot money while we get to have control over our phone like we should have in the first place
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] hallstevenson:
But that same exploit still exists on all other carriers who haven't had the similar "fix" applied, correct ?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] mbeau88:
Unfortunately, this app uses the stock app manager to move apps. Samsung disabled the APP2SD feature in the original S4 release, and added it back in this new update.

I've been using FolderMount to move all my game data over, but it's more of a functionality issue. I hate being limited in any way ;)

Thanks though!:o
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] jcase:
To the best of my knowledge, I think all S4s have been patched against Motochopper (Verizon before release, reintroduced via downgrade) and Loki was only ever for DoCoMo, Verizon and AT&T and it has been patched at least on Verizon and AT&T (I dont know anyone with a docomo s4)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
Exactly as jcase said. Root exploit was blocked a little while back pretty much for all carriers and was only possible for us because we were able to flash a leaked pre-release kernel that was still vulnerable to the exploit. Loki was the only thing patched in the new bootloader as it was basically a hole left unplugged before (but without root useless anyways). The only thing that Verizon/AT&T did on top of all that was prevent us from downgrading anything I guess for security purposes. This is where the very source of the issue exists. Otherwise we would still be able to root and Loki as much as we want.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] arcaggelos:
The D-bag at the verizon store ran the me7 update when i bought the phone.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] lycwolf:
I feel that with the phone becoming more popular (e.g. Microcenter selling for $129 on plan now), combined with the almost instant 'update' that there will be a working unlock. I would hope that Samsung could follow HTC and not be the bad guy here. Maybe this weekend will have good news.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] jcase:
ummm, Samsung devices are less locked that HTC
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] gatesjunior:
Yes, indeed. Also, their objective, keep in mind, is that they do not want us to have control over our phone. Remember, as stated by someone important at Verizon, we could cause all kinds of ill effects for everyone else and their phone... What a bunch of ^&^^%.. What is also interesting to me is that it is still legal to root your phone, not unlock it though. So what do the carriers do, well, yes it is legal, but we are going to try and make it impossible for you to do it. Yeah, you can drive 70, but your car is governed to only go 55.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Ryno77:
I am assuming those working on this are getting help when needed? I'm on mdk rooted stock...anything I can do to help? I'm willing to update to rooted me7 if I can offer any assistance....little hesitant about going this far. This whole situation has me highly annoyed.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] AndyAyy:
Anyway to un-update to ME7?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] nnnnr14:
No, downgrading isn't possible.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
This bounty would not exist if there was. Just saying. ;)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] acheong87:
I'm in for $20.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] dobo84:
So I was working in adb pulling some stuff and my device was flicker pink on the screen like crazy. That a kernel panic?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] hallstevenson:
Ooops, sorry, I completely forgot the rooting process for the S4. My wife has one that I've been wanting to root, but alas, it's too late now.... Hence why I'm following this thread ;)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] feffrey:
The dev edition is still unaffected by all of this correct? I don't have an s4 yet, but I have to pay full price for a phone as I don't have any upgrades available. I was just going to get one from Amazon, but since this patch I'll just get one from Samsung if that one is still uncrackable and modifiable.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] SamuriHL:
Dev edition will always be unaffected by this since you can do a true unlock.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] feffrey:
Thanks, just wanted to make sure before buying one that it wasn't affected. I could see Verizon "accidentally" screwing over dev edition people.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] SamuriHL:
They can't. It's just like the consumer edition...meaning same software updates and all that, but, there's a true unlock which means you can flash anything. Once you flash custom recovery, it's a done deal.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] rdcamero:
What is built into it that allows it to remain unlocked during updates ? Seems like there should be some way to dig deep enough into it to transfer this over to the consumer version.I would think it would have to be at the software level and not the hardware level.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] SamuriHL:
I suggest reading up on how bootloaders work. They provide you with a key to unlock it. That doesn't exist for the consumer model. For the RAZR HD and M, Dan R figured out what happens during the official unlock process and then found a security hole in the trusted code to allow his code to perform the unlock without the code. Basically it blows a qFuse. But beyond all this, the IEMI is flagged as a developer version, so, they know which is which.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] rdcamero:
Still seems hard to believe that someone has not been able to find some way to fool it into believing it is receiving a valid code.People can crack codes for government computers,bank accounts,ps3 ,xbox's and more but can't crack a phone.I don't pretend to understand how it works, but I cant believe Samsung and Verizon are that good.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Phobophobia:
Not if the phone kept running. A kernel panic is a hard crash like a BSoD on Windows, you have to hard reboot the phone to recover, or it might reboot itself.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] SamuriHL:
They use insane encryption on the bootloaders. They're quite well protected.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] yofife2069:
The way I understand it is that there is a qfuse blown in ours that is not blown in a dev edition that prevents us from unlocking or bootloader. I also believe that I read that the bootloaders are not encrypted.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] rushless:
Correct to assume there is a potential root method, but still locked down beyond that?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] TechSavvy2:
Well, after working to lock them for years and years, and receiving 6 figures for security patches, I'm sure their employees get rather good at it. It took them this long to get a phone fully locked.....and the update has only been out for a week or so......so we'll see what time has to offer :cyclops:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] yofife2069:
There is still potential for root and recovery. And a distant potential for an unlocked bootloader.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] rdcamero:
There was talk that there is a method to root this update,but that if it were released Samsung and Verizon might patch it before recovery could be gained.The only way for them to patch it would be a new ota.If everyone had root they could block the next ota so that seems like it would eliminate the threat of it being patched.

Seems like a lot of people would be very happy to just have root to install their apps that require it.Unless we want stay on a old build forever this situation will just keep repeating itself every time a new build comes out.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] SamuriHL:
That's very possible. I've not looked into the S4 bootloader situation. Other than to know my GPE coming on Monday will be fully unlocked.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] milenkosmagic:
I pledge $10 for root and boot loader unlock.

Thanks to all the developers that make Android a great living ecosystem. I pay VZW a great deal of money and it's a shame we have to go to these lengths to have proper administrative control over our devices. I pledge $10 for root and boot loader unlock.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Dubbsy:
Wow. That's a bunch of money if the bootloader gets blown open. :good:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Delakit:
Right??

Really wish I knew how to do so =P
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Dubbsy:
Yeah, I've never focused on root exploits. Just on performance tweaking and rom building. Too much to learn, not enough life to do it in. :good:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] bajasur:
This is fantastic. I love seeing the developer community beat Verizon at their own game. Although I understand the frustration many of you are facing with this cat and mouse game..

I applaud any and all developers/hackers who take a crack at this...because it is what makes the root community so great. Without all of you many of us root users would have never been able to enjoy customization on our favorite phones.

That being said.. I up my ante to $100 for a full unlock in the name of innovation and the sky being the limit.

Good luck!
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] mikekid7:
I'm in for $20.00 for just Root W/Loki. If indeed you fully hack it, Root, w/full UNLOCKED ability, I will go to $100.00 !!!

Please PM me for payment if it is achieved...
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] iwearthebelt:
I haven't updated yet, but you can count me in for $20. Any developer that can crack this should be compensated for their time and effort!
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] mikeyinid:
Agreed.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] open1your1eyes0:
Hey jcase,

Please note if you look carefully at the exceptions the only difference are prices depending on if is just root with loki or full unlock. Much simpler than it seems. :)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] dstreng:
I'll do $10 for full unlock and root exploit. sorry I can't throw in more :/
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Schoat333:
Why have so many of these Android developers become such cynics? Is Hacking/cracking Android phones no longer fun for you all? I just don't get it.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Rebel908:
It's getting harder and more time consuming. The biggest problem is we don't have the signing keys to stop the authentication issues.

You basically release an exploit knowing it can be patched. It's fighting on an uneven battlefield because the most important info is privately held by Samsung.

That's probably why Dan posted what he did.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] dobo84:
Maybe people have just stripped the joy out of it for them, by expecting this. All I know is if someone was offering up a 1000$ I'd give it a go

if I had the knowledge too.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] bfmetcalf:
Lets get somebody to hack into samsung and get us all their source code. That would be quite the help :)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Schoat333:
Yes, that is understandable. Dan made it clear last time that he wasn't going to do this anymore, and that's respectable.

My question is more about the negativity. Why bash a thread that is all about giving money to the person that puts in the time? Why attempt to discourage others?

Everything on this site gets a lot of negativity lately, and its coming from the people that used to be respected.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] jcase:
If you look at it, its saying contact each member directly. Minor differences in each request. You really need one clear concise goal. With unclear goals, some donators will nitpick and not pay out (happens).

Some users are asking for it to be loki'd again, which really just isn't going to happen. Its not possible, the original loki vuln is gone (not saying a different vuln couldn't come up).

Some are asking for full unlock, which is something I personally (and others) believe won't happen (im saying saying unlocking the current bootloader wont likely happen, not that a work around wont happen, someone prove me wrong plz).

Best most likely goal would be root, with a potential work around that has similar results to bliss's loki. Expecting loki to work again, or a full unlock is reaching.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] garwynn:
One other question. How did you guys test loki?

Did someone re-compile to utilize the new aboot?

Just wondering if a kibosh has been put on Bliss' method a little too early...

(Edit: Just read jcase's post so guess it has been.)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] yofife2069:
Wanna trade phones?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] SamuriHL:
hellllllllllllllllllll no :)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Cruiserdude:
C'mon T-Mobile, step up your coverage so we can all kick Verizon to the curb.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] yofife2069:
Worth a shot.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] SamuriHL:
No kidding. Then I can drop AT&T and switch to T-Mobile unlimited. :D But for now I'm dropping VZW and switching to AT&T. They got LTE hooked up all around me so I'm good.

---------- Post added at 12:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:09 AM ----------

HAHAHA. I just spent 650 bucks on it. No way I'm giving it up any time soon. Besides, 4.3 stock Android is already leaked for it and will drop officially on Tuesday when Google has their announcement. I can't ask for more.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] theresin:
+100000

Don't forget guys ... HTC was the one who promised to make their new devices more friendly to development, and then promptly followed that promise up with a bunch of "cease and desist" letters to hackers/modders/etc. HTC is in so much trouble financially that they'll do whatever the carriers want them to do in order to feature their devices.

You guys are very quick to put the flame to Verizon, but it makes sense why they do this stuff and they are FAR from the only ones that do it. Don't get me wrong, I hate having things locked down like this personally ... but from a business standpoint, they're just doing their job. Their business/corporate-orientated segment is extremely valuable and what sets them apart from the rest... and in order to be the best in that field, they need to demonstrate that their devices, and network, are secure. That means fixing vulnerabilities.

It sucks, but it is what it is. Get used to it.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] brycekerr:
I'll just put this here. Probably not the spot but I dont think it really deserves its own thread.

http://m.androidcentral.com/newer-android-43-build-leaks-google-play-galaxy-s4

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] Tsukasa Buddha:
Mis-post.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] :
Count me with $20.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] lmalinofsky:
Problem Solved (got rid of device)

It seems clear to me given that when bootloaders are locked very well, they cannot be unlocked by mortals. I saw one phone a couple of years ago that had remained unconquered for over a year. It may never have been beaten.

I think Samsung and Verizon have learned by now what works if they REALLY WANT to lock you out. Therefore, I have concluded the S4 with the OTA update will **never be unlocked**, nor can it be re-rooted. There is a pre-blown QFUSE after all.

Since I'd had my phone less than two weeks, I simply returned it. Guy asked me why I didn't like it and I told him "didn't have the software flexibility I had come to expect in my phones". He didn't pick up on that so I added "the over the air update last week that locked the bootloader didn't help either", whereupon he did a real quick double-take at me, but said nothing. Who knows what he thought-- and who cares, I got all my money back, I got my unlimited data plan back, and today at Best Buy I'm picking up a cheap tablet that I can tether to my phone (unlimited data, remember)? for all the on-the-road and GPS directions I need. Seven inch screen, too.

Does this information help you? See if you can sell your updated S4 for a buck fifty or so and use the money for an android tablet. Tether, with your old phone making a mobile hotspot in your briefcase (and if you want, with a mother big motorcycle or lawn mower battery you wire in). Problem solved, as far as I can see.

Hang on to your unlimited data plans if you can.

Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I'm free at last.

lwm:victory:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4] hondaboi20002:
Would factory resetting, put me back to this pre update? Or I may just take it back and get another and root it immediately because when I bought this 2 days ago, it didn't have the update until after I setup the phone with the verizon rep...when he got it set up, he then had me do the update which then I didn't know would screw me! So either getting another brand new phone or factory resetting get rid of this update?