[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] ronnie498:
[SIZE=+3]Frequently Asked Questions[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+2]AT&T, Canadian Bell, Rogers, Telus, Virgin Samsung Galaxy S 4 [/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 only post in this thread with feedback on how to improve this document. 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. Do not use this as a general help thread.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+1]Q1: what are most of the common words and phrases I will hear around XDA and what do they mean? Things like 'Kernel' and 'Clock Speed' and 'Governors'.[/SIZE]

See this thread for a very good explanations
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[SIZE=+1]Q2: What is the difference between the S4 Development Forum and the S4 Original Development Forum?[/SIZE]

The regular development forum is for ROMs based on Samsung's Touchwiz version of Android

The original development forum is for AOSP or other based non Touchwiz ROMs, recoveries, and such
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[SIZE=+1]Q3: What is the difference between the S4 Development Forum and the S4 Original Development Forum & Samsung Galaxy S 4 Unified Development ?[/SIZE]

The regular development forumThe regular development forum is for ROMs based on Samsung's Touchwiz version of Android

The original development forum is for AOSP or other based non Touchwiz ROMs, recoveries, and such

The Samsung Galaxy S 4 Unified Development forum is for unified AOSP type ROMs, kernels and mods., suitable for multiple S4 versions
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[SIZE=+1]Q4: What are download mode and recovery and how can I enter them?[/SIZE]

Make sure your phone is unplugged and powered off.

Download Mode: Hold Volume down, home, and power until you see the green dude.

Recovery: Hold Volume up, home, and power for about 5 seconds then release all buttons. This might take a couple of tries.
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[SIZE=+1]Q5: What is ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and what is it for?[/SIZE]

There is much to learn, please view everything in the threads OP, here is a very good guide [GUIDE] ADB Workshop and Guide for everyone
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[SIZE=+1]Q6: What is Odin & where can I find it?[/SIZE]

Odin is a program that lets you flash things to a Samsung mobile device from a PC. It's an invaluable part of modding Samsung devices.

You can find download links for the software there as well as a few other things.

[HOWTO][TAR][OUDHS] THE ODIN THREAD :: Return to stock, fix soft brick

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[SIZE=+1]Q7: How do I root my device?[/SIZE]

AT&T/I337 MDL:

[ROOT[RECOVERY] Loki + TWRP + Motochopper CASUAL-R527b release:27May13​

AT&T with MF3:

[RECOVERY LOCKED] Safestrap Recovery v3.71/v3.72 [2014-04-02 KK Beta]
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AT&T with MK2:

[RECOVERY LOCKED] Safestrap Recovery v3.71/v3.72 [2014-04-02 KK Beta]​

AT&T with NB1:

[RECOVERY LOCKED] Safestrap Recovery v3.71/v3.72 [2014-04-02 KK Beta]​

AT&T with NC1:

[RECOVERY LOCKED] Safestrap Recovery v3.71/v3.72 [2014-04-02 KK Beta]​

AT&T with NI1:

[RECOVERY LOCKED] Safestrap Recovery v3.71/v3.72 [2014-04-02 KK Beta]​

Canadian/I337M Users:

[TOOL](OneClick)UPDATED 7-8-13 CANADIAN I337m ROOT & RECOVERY​

I337 & I337M Users:	[Video Guide] How To Root Galaxy S4 I337 / I337m Easy & User Friendly​

[SIZE=+1]Q8: What are my choices on a custom recovery?[/SIZE]

AT&T ~ MDB, MDL

TWRP 2.8.0.1 touch recovery [2014-09-12] -[RECOVERY][jflteatt] TWRP 2.8.0.1 touch recovery [2014-06-05]

Jeboo Custom recovery - Jeboo Recovery v2.2

[CWM Advanced Edition] PhilZ Touch - PhilZ recovery has been updated to cover all s4 variants

OUDHS Touch CWM-based Recovery 1.0.3.5 by Shabbypenguin for your AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 -	[RECOVERY]SGH-I337 OUDHS Recovery - now with smart auto-loki
​

If you have any of the following from AT&T ~ MF3, MK2, NB1, NC1 OR NL1 the above custom recoveries will not work, since the bootloaders are locked you can only use the recovery that comes with SAFESTRAP​

[SIZE=+1]Q9: I am on MK2 & or NB1 and I think I have bricked my device what can I do?[/SIZE]

MK2 users:

★ MK2 ★ FULL ODIN TAR FILES ★ MK2 ★ | ★ UNBRICKED ★ Feb.06.2014 ★"

NB1 Users:

★ NB1 ★ UNBRICKED ★ METHOD ★ NB1 ★ | ★ ATT ★ 4.4 KITKAT ★ UPDATE ★ Feb.27.2014 ★
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[SIZE=+1]Q10: Can I downgrade after the OTA update from MK2 to NB1?[/SIZE]

Follow the link to find out more: ★NB1►UNBRICKED★DOWNGRADE★METHOD◄ MK2★ | ★AT&T★KITKAT★UPDATE★ | ★Mar.04.2014★ |
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[SIZE=+1]Q11: I have seen Loki Doki patch mentioned throughout the threads what is it?[/SIZE]

refers to the exploit that allows us to run custom recoveries as well as custom roms. You only need to have a loki'd rom if you have a model with a locked bootloader (AT&T). Thankfully, you can install a custom recovery that will auto-Loki any rom you flash so that you can install almost any rom built for our model phone (see below). I strongly recommend flashing an auto loki recovery if you have a phone with locked bootloader.Here is the link for Loki Doki:

*If you are on MF3 or any of the others than MDL "Loki Doki" will not work for you.
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[SIZE=+1]Q12: Am I required to backup my ROM before flashing anything else?[/SIZE]

No you're not, but it is definitely a good idea because if you don't do a backup and then something goes wrong, it means that you'll lose all your apps, data etc. It just saves a lot of hassle.​

[SIZE=+1]Q13: How to enable "developer options" on my device?[/SIZE]

Goto->Setting->About Phone->Click 7 times on Build number

After this you will see a pop up message saying that you are now developer.​

[SIZE=+1]Q14: How do I unroot & return my device to stock?[/SIZE]

Here is a very good guide to return your phone back to stock condition

Here is a link for unrooting and returning your S4 to stock

As with any procedure please read the instructions several times before attempting.​

[SIZE=+1]Q15: How to get a logcat if I'm asked for it?[/SIZE]

Here is a link for learning how to make a Logcat	[UNIVERSAL][LOGCAT]How to get & read a logcat/ Troubleshoot your own issues!
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[SIZE=+1]Q16: What does MD5 checksum mean??[/SIZE]

MD5 digests have been widely used in the software world to provide some assurance that a transferred file has arrived intact. For example, file servers often provide a pre-computed MD5 (known as Md5sum) checksum for the files, so that a user can compare the checksum of the downloaded file to it. A simple HOW TO is located Here​

[SIZE=+1]Q17: Can I flash other carriers roms on my device?[/SIZE]

Here is a very good guide on this topic [GUIDE][ROMS]RUN OTHER CARRIER ROMs on AT&T/TMO/Canadian S4 devices. Here's how!​

[SIZE=+1]Q18: What is the best ROM/kernel/modem??[/SIZE]

Honestly, there is no "best". It's all based on personal choice. For example; I may like heavily customizing my ROMs whereas you may like it to look at basic as possible. The best thing you can do is to just test out different ROMs/kernels/modems and see which you prefer.​

[SIZE=+1]Q19: I have an AT&T S4 & what are my choices for modems?[/SIZE]

Here is a very good thread to seek any answers about modems you may have I337 ATT MODEMS NB1 FMLD MK2 MJ9 MJ6 MF3 MDL MDB ModemS

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[SIZE=+1]Q20: I have AT&T what is the Access Point Name (APN) I need?[/SIZE]

Name: ATT Phone (Some my have PTA in place of Phone)

APN: phone

Proxy: Not set

Port : Not set

User name: Not set

Password: Not set

Server: Not set

MMSC: http://mmsc.mobile.att.net

MMS proxy: proxy.mobile.att.net

MMS port: 80

MCC: 310

MNC: 410

Authentication type: None

APN type: default,mms,supl,hipri

APN protocol: IPv4

APN roaming protocol: IPv4

Enable/disable APN: APN enabled

Bearer: Unspecified​

[SIZE=+1]Q21: How do I restore a Nandroid Backup?[/SIZE]

Enter recovery mode again and look for the ‘backup and restore’. Select restore and everything should go back to normal in a few minutes.

If you choose the ‘Advanced Restore’ option, you can select which component of the backup to restore – like the boot, system, data or cache.

Reboot system. Your system is now restored and is exactly same as the time when the backup was made.​

[SIZE=+1]Q22: How come my 16GB phone says I have only 5GB available even though I just flashed a fresh ROM?[/SIZE]

First off, you never had 16GB free. That's the total memory on the device. That includes the space for the ROM, recovery, bootloader, system files, data, and then what's left over is your user partition which is about 11GB for you to put photos and music on.​

[SIZE=+1]Q23: I still have some questions.Where can I post them ?.[/SIZE]

Questions can still be posted in the Stupid Questions Thread - No question too stupid!
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A special thanks to everyone who contributed to the production of this FAQ​