Picking up the VZ S4 in the next day or two and want to root, so my questions....

[o2bnclemson]

I'm picking up the VZ S4 in the next day or two and want to root, so my questions are this:

If I'm getting a new S4 from VZ then it will have the VRUAME7 build, correct? And is this the best/easiest root method - [GUIDE] Root for Verizon Galaxy S4 ***VRUAME7 Build Only!*** - xda-developers I've rooted my last two phones with no problem, but just to be safe I want to make sure I have the simplest, most reliable method. I'm not planning on putting on a custom ROM or anything - just to enable wireless tether, freeze unwanted apps, and do screen shots easily. Also want the root method to be as simple as possible because my phone is my internet, so without a phone and a wireless tether for my laptop I have to go somewhere to use their WiFi and don't want to be there all day.

Looks like I'll need a new SD card, too, correct, to make sure its formatted correctly? Or will the card that came with my old Thunderbolt already be formatted that way? Any way for me to tell? I'd like to keep my old SD card if I can since there's a lot of data on it.

Thanks!

 

[Erievon]

With any luck it will still be in the box with MEK. To get to ME7 you have to take the OTA upgrade. Since you're on XDA I assume you know once you take ME7, you'll not be able to install a custom recovery and roms (You say you dont....but being familiar with XDA...are ya sure?)

Picking mine up in the next day or two online, hoping it comes with MEK. I'll be exploiting/root/recovery and blocking the ME7 update before it ever sees a wifi or cell signal.

 

[blade22222]

Mine came with the mdk baseband so I rooted and romed it before even inserting the sim card. No chance of getting the ota that way.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[o2bnclemson]

I'm pretty confident I won't be putting a custom ROM or anything on - my main reason for rooting is the wireless hotspot and to freeze the bloatware. The ROM could come later down the line, but it's definitely not a primary reason, or even secondary for rooting. And I'm not really that familiar with XDA, I just found the link elsewhere. I guess you could say I'm a "casual techie" - I don't go nuts with it, but I do the basics that I need and am confident with being able to do that. But you both brought up a couple questions:

Obviously, I need the correct root method for the correct build, but other than that, given my reasons for rooting, does it really matter which build I have? Normally, I'd want to have the latest build to make sure everything is the "latest & greatest," which, for a still relatively new phone, I would expect there to be some useful improvements coming that way. Also, once rooted, how will I get the upgrades, since VZ or Samsung appears to be always trying to shut down those of us who root.

 

[project.in.process]

I'm pretty confident I won't be putting a custom ROM or anything on - my main reason for rooting is the wireless hotspot and to freeze the bloatware. The ROM could come later down the line, but it's definitely not a primary reason, or even secondary for rooting. And I'm not really that familiar with XDA, I just found the link elsewhere. I guess you could say I'm a "casual techie" - I don't go nuts with it, but I do the basics that I need and am confident with being able to do that. But you both brought up a couple questions:

Obviously, I need the correct root method for the correct build, but other than that, given my reasons for rooting, does it really matter which build I have? Normally, I'd want to have the latest build to make sure everything is the "latest & greatest," which, for a still relatively new phone, I would expect there to be some useful improvements coming that way. Also, once rooted, how will I get the upgrades, since VZ or Samsung appears to be always trying to shut down those of us who root.

yes, the build # that your phone shows will dictate which root method you need to use to root the phone.

build=ME
rootkit= [TOOL](ROOT)(RECOVERY) i545 all-in-one root + recovery installer Updated 7-8-13 - xda-developers

build=ME7
rootkit= [GUIDE] Root for Verizon Galaxy S4 ***VRUAME7 Build Only!*** - xda-developers

I used the first rootkit & it literally took me 5 minutes to root. not as nice of an interface as WuggsRootkit for the GNEX (previous phone), but definitely easy to use.

once you root, you will still receive OTA notifications from VZW - there are several ways of stopping this, but most common is that you flash a custom ROM. I'm on a ROM called 'JellyBeans', which is just a debloated TouchWhiz ROM. i've found myself liking the TW camera & calendar too much, and at the moment don't want to lose some of the other features of TW for stock AOSP. -i'm just debating whether or not i want to flash the Google Play Edition 4.3 ROM ported from the GPE S4 to get the 4.3.

 

[Raptor007]

Verizon really does their best to protect us from ourselves, LOL.