Samsuing Galaxy S4 Google Edition - How to return to stock to get OTA updates working?

[Mark Cookson]

After suffering through the issue with the 4.3 update that caused Podcast Addict to not be able to store files to the SD card, I applied the rooting instructions listed here:

Root Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition I9505G on Android 4.3 [GUIDE] - IBTimes UK

so that I could connect as root and update the platform.xml file as listed here:

Android 4.3 update for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play edition breaks SD card writing, but there is a workaround | Android Central

That worked and I could once again download podcast episodes to the SD card in my Google Edition Galaxy S4. Since then, Podcast Addict has added the necessary permissions and I no longer need hack to keep things working, so I would like to undo it and get back to 100% stock.

Also, the phone keeps nagging me that there is an update because I'm still on JWR66V.S014.130801, but the OTA update fails every time I install it. I've uninstalled the root software, but whatever ODIN did doesn't seem to be easy to remove. Can anyone help me return the phone to a completely stock GPE S4 by pointing me to some instructions?

Thanks!

 

[Mark Cookson]

I found this set of instructions:

[FIX]GT-I9505G Restoration from Soft Brick - xda-developers

which returns the phone to factory fresh 4.2.2 and that allowed me to upgrade to 4.4. However, 4.4 appears to break SD card access for Podcast Addict so I'm right back to needing to root the phone. :-(

 

[Beachbum37]

Did you try to remove the line of code from the XML file that you added to give you SD card write access? I am having the same problem. I was going to root again, remove the line from the XML file and then unroot and try to apply the update to see if that would work.

 

[Beachbum37]

I re-rooted and edited the XML file to remove the group permission for SD card write access and then did full un-root with SuperSu and re-started the phone. I then tried the update and no luck, I still receive an error. Also tried side loading and no luck.

 

[JoeMcJoe]

I think we need to totally put the phone back to stock. I have previously called Google about the SD card debacle, they are clueless.

I tried the same as you, get three lines of errors, failed to verify signature.
I uses to SuperSU to perform an un-root.

I originally rooted via this easy method here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=45560682&postcount=26

 

[Mark Cookson]

Did you try to remove the line of code from the XML file that you added to give you SD card write access? I am having the same problem. I was going to root again, remove the line from the XML file and then unroot and try to apply the update to see if that would work.

I tried to root using [ODIN][TAR] 4.4 I9505GUEUBMKG Full Rooted Restore - xda-developers but that died at the modem.bin upload and then that bricked the phone, so I did the restore from soft brick steps again, but that left me at 4.2.2 and now upgrades to 4.3 and 4.4 fail so I'm stuck at 4.2.2. But hey, at least the SD card works. :-/ I'm wondering if I can't pay Samsung some money to set this whole thing back to stock and then I'll just save downloads to the internal storage and leave the SD card to things I download in iTunes and move over manually.

 

[JoeMcJoe]

I tried to root using [ODIN][TAR] 4.4 I9505GUEUBMKG Full Rooted Restore - xda-developers but that died at the modem.bin upload and then that bricked the phone, so I did the restore from soft brick steps again, but that left me at 4.2.2 and now upgrades to 4.3 and 4.4 fail so I'm stuck at 4.2.2. But hey, at least the SD card works. :-/ I'm wondering if I can't pay Samsung some money to set this whole thing back to stock and then I'll just save downloads to the internal storage and leave the SD card to things I download in iTunes and move over manually.

Can we install a ROM to turn this into a none-GPe version, to a Samsung bloated software version?
A ROM that will accept the upgrades OTA, one that will be able to write to the SD card?

 

[Cameron Juarez]

I tried the steps Mark mentioned for returning to 4.2.2 but am now having the same problem as JoeMcJoe, some failed to verify signature error and cannot update to 4.3 or 4.4.

Edit: was able to flash 4.4 per the post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2544056

 

[Mark Cookson]

I used these instructions to get to 4.4:

[TUTORIAL] Flashing 4.4 with Heimdall - xda-developers

which wipes the phone (since I was running 4.2.2 I wiped the phone, just to be sure). And then these to unlock the boot loader:

[HOWTO] Unlocking i9505G bootloader - xda-developers

which wipes the phone for a second time, so don't bother to download apps before this. Then at this point I went into adb shell and became root (su) and then remount /system read/write (mount -o remount,rw /system) so that I can edit (I used vi) /etc/permissions/platform.xml to add:

<group gid="media_rw" />

in the android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE section.

I didn't need to install a custom recovery image, just root (which the 4.4 image already had installed) and unlock the boot loader to be able to edit the platform.xml file.

I'm now at 4.4, so I don't know about OTA updates working or not (I'm assuming not since I modified platform.xml), but I have working SD card access, so that's all I care about!

 

[JoeMcJoe]

I tried the steps Mark mentioned for returning to 4.2.2 but am now having the same problem as JoeMcJoe, some failed to verify signature error and cannot update to 4.3 or 4.4.

Edit: was able to flash 4.4 per the post [ODIN][TAR] 4.4 I9505GUEUBMKG Full Rooted Restore - xda-developers

Thanks, finally got the phone back to almost 'normal' using the ODIN method.

One step I didn't know until know was how to put the phone into download mode. How to enter Samsung Galaxy S4 Download Mode

I now notice that the external SD card can't be even read from never mind written to with ES File Explorer.
The SD can be read with the photo gallery app, no problem.

The front facing camera's resolution is now VGA. The way that Samsung/Google treat this phone, it seems hardly anyone could've bought it.

What is the official way to contact Google and tell them these problems?

 

[Gregor Smith]

What is the official way to contact Google and tell them these problems?

Sadly nether of them want to accept responsibility for this phone. Samsung will barely honour its hardware warranty and look at you with an expression of disbelief if you have software issues, Google also play dumb on software side. I'm starting to wish I never got this phone, it seemed like a dream come true at the time, but every update release removes something that I actually bought it for

 

[Gregor Smith]

Case in point...

https://twitter.com/SamsungSupport/status/407576621135437824

Because this is a Google Play edition, the OS comes straight from Google w/o any Samsung software. ^L