[Samsung Galaxy Tab A series Guides, News, & Discus] Hausemaster:
Just before we get started, I would like to say that you will not brick your device if you follow the steps as is without any, and I mean any deviations.

Read what works and what doesn't first!

Okay, enough preface, let's jump right in!

Firstly, pre-requisites(hardware):-

1.A micro SD card

2. A windows PC, windows 7 or later (32 or 64 bit)

3. A USB Type-C cable

4. A galaxy tab A7 running the latest one ui 4.x build

Pre-requisites (software on PC), you'll need:

1.Stock firmware:

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 (LTE) Firmware Download SM-T505 Free Download

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 (LTE) Firmware Download SM-T505 Free Download ⭐ Official and fast update ⭐ Max speed and free download ⭐ Best Samsung Galaxy website

samfw.com

Download the latest firmware from here

1.1 After downloading it, extract it on the PC and copy the AP file to your micro SD card, as we need it on the tab later

2. Samsung USB drivers

download them from here and install them on your pc, it'll take a while but it's essential for this process

https://developer.samsung.com/android-usb-driver

2.1 Reboot your PC after installing the drivers

3 Download the twrp.img from below

https://xdaforums.com/t/updated-rec...axy-tab-a7-10-4-sm-t500.4358595/post-87038713

(Yes, correct, download the .img as we won't be using Odin to flash custom recovery)

Copy this to your SD card as well

4. Download Canary apk of magisk delta from link below

https://huskydg.github.io/magisk-files/

Copy the apk to your microSD which has the previously extracted AP file

5. Download dynapatch from the file attached below credits to @redymedan for developing this!

Then move it to your micro SD card

6. Download the GSI image of your choice, and (make sure that it doesn't exceed 3.3GB after extraction) extract it from .img.xz format to .img format and then copy it to the micro SD card

(also, if it exceeds 3.3 GB, don't worry,follow the steps in important notes on how to expand your system partition to accommodate larger GSIs...)

7. If your gsi doesn't have gapps or you want to flash a system mod then download a vndklite variant of your gsi, as system is mounted as RW in vndklite gsi, where's system is mounted as read only in normal gsi images

8. Download Odin and extract it

https://samsungodin.com/

9. Download SmartPack kernel manager apk and copy it to the sdcard too

https://github.com/SmartPack/SmartPack-Kernel-Manager/releases

(We will be using this to flash twrp in a later step)

10. Download the brightness and watchdog fix module from below

Copy it to SD card

(Optional) 11. If you don't want your install storage encrypted, download the following two zips and move them to SD card,

[Pie/10/11] [System-as-root] Multidisabler: disables encryption, Vaultkeeper, auto-flash of stock recovery, proca, wsm, cass, etc.

The multi-disabler started life on the Exynos S10 range, the first Samsung devices to launch with Android 9 (Pie). Since then, it has grown to support a great many Samsung devices running either Android 9, 10 or 11, and with either an Exynos or a...

xdaforums.com

https://zackptg5.com/downloads/archive/Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt_11.02.2020.zip

Process to flash GSI:

1) Unlock the bootloader

To unlock the bootloader, follow the steps from here...

https://xdaforums.com/t/guide-sm-t5...4-unlock-bootloader-root-with-magisk.4185993/

2) After that patch the AP image we copied to the micro SD card earlier and then copy the patched ap to the micro sd card and then to the pc. Steps of patching can be found here

https://xdaforums.com/t/guide-sm-t5...4-unlock-bootloader-root-with-magisk.4185993/

3) After patching the AP image, copy the patched image from downloads folder to your micro sd card

4. After that turn your device off

5. After the device is fully powered off, hold both volume up and volume down buttons simultaneously and connect it to your pc, then click volume up button once during the prompt to enter download mode

6) After entering download mode, select the BL, CP, and CSC (do not choose HOME_CSC!) files from the extracted firmware, after doing that, for AP, select the patched AP file we copied earlier and then click start on Odin.

7. After the flash is successfully finished, reboot your device and set it up, after setup install the magisk Canary apk from the micro SD card

8. After installing the apk, open it, and click 'OK' on additional setup prompt and the device will reboot after a few seconds

9. After the reboot completes, install the smart pack kernel manager apk we put in the SD card earlier, then open it, then, navigate to

Tools>Backup>(swipe to the right where it says "boot partition")> it changes to recovery partition> click on the plus symbol> two options show up, select the flash recovery option> select the twrp image from SD card (file manager opens automatically)> click on "select" and then flash it...

10. Then open magisk delta app, and reboot to recovery

11. After rebooting to recovery, flash dynapatch

12. Then reboot to recovery (very important)

(Optional)12.1 Flash multidisabler we downloaded earlier, along with disable dm Verity to disable FBE on integral storage. Also, if you intend to disable encryption, do flash both the zips not one.

13. Then select install>Micro SD Card>install image> select GSI image you downloaded> select System Image > swipe to flash, then factory reset and wipe data from within twrp (thank you @shorty9210 for the factory reset part!)

14. Here, hectic nature of you must be used...

15. Boot to your GSI, and set it up as fast as possible as a watchdog crash is triggered every 30-50 seconds which causes a reboot

16. Install magisk apk and reboot for additional setup

17. After reboot, open magisk and install the brightness and watchdog fix module

18. Reboot the device after installing module

19. At this point you won't get random reboots

20. Now you can enjoy your GSI...

Now, onto what works and what doesn't...

Working:

Boot

Touchscreen

Sound

WiFi

Bluetooth

Mobile data

Camera

Microphone

Doze

OTG

Power buttons

Volume buttons

Charging

Rotation

Gyroscope

Calling(works with VoIP)

USB tethering

MTP

Auto brightness

Not working:

VoLTE

In call audio (in case of Sims)

Offline charging

Cast

Untested:

-

Tested roms:

1. Trebledroid GSIs (don't use, as magisk doesn't work and gapps can't be properly installed for some reason)

2. Pixel experience ( magisk works and it's stable after running the watchdog command)

3. Google GSI (vanilla and Gapps, not recommended, due to it being extremely barebones and not having fixes for DT2W, and headsets)

4. Project Elixir (needs watchdog module, but mostly stable)

5. A14 Pixel OS (doesn't need watchdog and brightness fix module)

Now credits!

To team XDA for keeping this forum alive and well,

@phhusson for developing GSI images that actually made this possible

@topjohnwu for creating magisk

@agreenbhm for the TWRP image and for helping me,

@duyfken for correcting the firmware links, and also, for informing me to add the type of GSI for this device!

@shorty9210 for a correction

@huskydg for magisk delta development

And finally all other members of XDA for taking interest in the modding scene,

Thank you!

I've been thinking of building overlays for this device, along with some way to have VoLTE running using frameworks from the stock firmware.

Important notes:

1. If your GSI has phh settings, do the following...

1.1 Enable double tap to wake

Settings>Phh Treble settings>Samsung features >Tick "Enable difficult tap to wake"

1.2 For making headphones work,

Settings>Phh Treble settings>Misc features>Tick "Use alternate way to detect headsets"

Also, Enable developer options>Enable "Disable Bluetooth A2DP hardware offload" and restart when prompted

2. If the gsi ROM you're trying to flash doesn't fit on current system partition, then,

*This process will wipe your system partition and will reset your recovery, so, keep the dynapatch zip and gsi image on hand, you will need it!*

Download latest platform tools from AOSP site, link below

https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools

https://xdaforums.com/t/recovery-un...xy-tab-a7-10-4-sm-t500.4371123/#post-86050459

a) download the product.img from above link

b)Reboot to recovery from magisk app, then, in twrp, click on 'Reboot' button

c) click 'fastboot'

d) the device will now reboot and then after a few seconds, a twrp ui will appear with the text 'fastboot'

e) connect your device to a pc with the latest version of platform tools and drivers installed

f) run these commands in order

fastboot flash product product.img

fastboot erase system

fastboot resize-logical-partition system 3940000000

fastboot reboot recovery

g) after doing so, again reboot to recovery, flash dynapatch zip first

h) again reboot to recovery and flash your gsi image

i) this time images up to 3.9GB will be flashable

j) no need to format data if you're flashing same rom

And that's it you'll be able to enjoy bigger ROMs on your Galaxy Tab A7!

3. follow steps from here to get 4-speaker audio!

Post in thread '[ROM][SM-T500] Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) - LineageOS 19.1 (and TWRP 3.6.1)'

https://xdaforums.com/t/rom-sm-t500...eos-19-1-and-twrp-3-6-1.4421365/post-86917225

4. Previously, we had to use either some magisk modules or SmartPack kernel manager to enable swap so that the device won't crash under load, but, now, 2GB of swap is allocated by default, which is plenty sufficient for daily usage, so, i recommend you not to use any modules or services that enable swap....

5. Note that this step is not needed for Android 14 gsis

If zygisk is enabled after module is installed, some users reported that it breaks brightness fix, to remedy that, try flashing permissiver_v5 from below in twrp

Permissiver_v5.zip | by erfanoabdi for Generic Device/Other

Download GApps, Roms, Kernels, Themes, Firmware, and more. Free file hosting for all Android developers.

androidfilehost.com

6. Also, please do not rely on extra dim if brightness fix module won't work, try above step , i did this previously and the edges of my screen got ruined(ghost imaging) due to the heat...

7. Please refrain from using any modules that spoof the device identity as it causes the phh Treble app to not display "Samsung features" at which point you can't use DT2W, so beware...

8. Recommended settings in magisk delta

a)magisk delta>settings>hide magisk app, you will be prompted to allow magisk delta to install apps, allow it and start the hiding> now, the magisk app will be under an alias you chose

b)magisk delta>settings>Zygisk(enable)

c)magisk delta>settings>Bootloop Protection (enable)

d)magisk delta>settings>Magisk Hide

9. Want to pass play integrity? Please search for it, it's a huge mess at the moment

10. Just a heads up, be sure to only download GSIs from the list in @phhusson GitHub, i.e, link below,

https://github.com/phhusson/treble_experimentations/wiki/Generic-System-Image-(GSI)-list

And, do not spend money on people that claim to give the "best GSIs" or whatever gibberish they use, only spend money as a donation to a developer, if you really enjoy their work, and would like to support them to keep up thier interest!

I had to mention this to put you on the cautious side of things!

11. This is fixed in most A14 GSIs

Taskbar height is incorrect on some roms, and the magisk module from below link fixes it, credits to @wEER1234 for mentioning this, and to @Coxxs for delaying developing it!

Releases · Coxxs/hide-tablet-taskbar

A Magisk module to hide tablet gesture bar and more [Android 12.1+] - Coxxs/hide-tablet-taskbar

github.com

12. This is for improving the longevity of your device

12.1 To prolong the lifespan of your battery, install the "acc" magisk module, reboof, open a root terminal and run the following commands

acc -s mcc=200

acc -s mcc=3900

The first command limits the charging current to 200 mA and charges the battery at a power of 1.8W which greatly reduces the strain and heat evolved by the battery, and the second command only allows your battery to charge up to 3.9v (52%), as according to battery University, maximum cycles can be achieved by maintaining the voltage battery 3.9 and 3.7

12.2 This is to reduce the Power and heat evolved by the processor

Install smart pack kernel manager, grant root access, go to cpu section, and do the following

Big cpu cores:

Maximum frequency:1056Hz

Minimum frequency:902Hz

Little cpu cores:

Maximum frequency: 1017Hz

Minimum frequency:864Hz

At these frequencies the device stays stable and relatively less hot than at higher clocks...

13. Be sure to expand the system partition using step 2, and also avoid flashing vndklite GSIs. Normal gsi images have the highest chance of booting.