Samsung Galaxy S7

[wseed]

Cheers Order66 would that mean I'd have to unlock/root my phone to run that? I'll have to have a search later but don't want to make my phone unable to run my banking apps.

[Order66]

wseed said:

Cheers Order66 would that mean I'd have to unlock/root my phone to run that? I'll have to have a search later but don't want to make my phone unable to run my banking apps.

Nope, nothing to do with rooting. You're just going to a different "flavour" of the ROM. As samsung release the base ROM, each carrier then modifies for various reasons (some technical to support network features like wifi calling, some to load steware) and then sells the phone with their own flavour of ROM. As Samsung update the versions there is a delay while the carrier responsible for your particular flavour of ROM updates their own verision then releases it to their customers. Each of these variations of the ROM is a software "branch". You are just moving between branches. I did this with my S7 edge - it originally came with a "vanilla" rom, but I flashed the vodafone one on because it was the only way to enable their wifi calling.

[wseed]

Great, thanks again.

[Andehh]

wseed said:

I had facebook and a number of other apps I didn't want installed on mine when I got it SIM free. the best you can do it disable them as they're in the base ROM I'd much sooner have a vanilla OS and the option to install the junk I want not what's being forced on me but this is the way it is.

Still no Nougat on my dual sim version. Have tried using a VPN to fake being in areas that have a dual SIM ROM but no joy and I can't find any reports of people getting OTA updates of it yet.

This is what I don't understand. I didn't have facebook installed on it before, installed the update over night and now have Facebook sat there.

[james_tigerwoods]

I just tweeted O2 - The update will be available "in the coming weeks" - So, September then...

[Order66]

james_tigerwoods said:

I just tweeted O2 - The update will be available "in the coming weeks" - So, September then...

Must have the Haymarket "technical team" working on it with estimates like those...

[Crafty_]

james_tigerwoods said:

I just tweeted O2 - The update will be available "in the coming weeks" - So, September then...

Vodafone go one better, they refuse to give any date or even any vague indication of when updates may be released. fking giffgaff got the update a few days ago, most of Europe (including vodafone handsets) have it, its a piss poor show, they hardly add anything to the OS anyway. I have this vision of one poor bd sat in a basement somewhere in Newbury having to do all the updates for all phones, thats about as much as they care about it.

I get a 20% discount with them, but seriously considering buying something outright next time, the service (imho) is not good enough.

[Andehh]

Crafty_ said:

Vodafone ....

I get a 20% discount with them, but seriously considering buying something outright next time, the service (imho) is not good enough.

You and me both! I am increasingly fed up of them & their lousy service.

[Order66]

Andehh said:

You and me both! I am increasingly fed up of them & their lousy service.

I've said this before, customer service in the mobile phone industry is universally horiffic and the regulator is impotent. I go with the provider who I get best coverage with in the places I commonly use my phone. Moving between operators to try and get better service is like jumping from frying pan straight into the frying pan next door.

[Crafty_]

Order66 said:

I've said this before, customer service in the mobile phone industry is universally horiffic and the regulator is impotent. I go with the provider who I get best coverage with in the places I commonly use my phone. Moving between operators to try and get better service is like jumping from frying pan straight into the frying pan next door.

Agreed and one of the reasons I've never bothered to change.

However, the contempt that Vodafone have toward their customers is not on. Especially when you consider that they create the problem in the first place - they insist on making a firmware that adds nothing to the customer experience (as they claim) and then get a sulk on when people ask whats taking so long when they don't put updates out. They also refuse to make any statements over updates, let alone an ETA.

All they add is a "My Vodafone" app that they could easily put in the play store and just nobble it so it doesn't run on handsets not attached to their network.

They don't fk about with Apple firmware and somehow their customers survive, so why should Android be any different ? Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

[Order66]

Crafty_ said:

However, the contempt that Vodafone have toward their customers is not on. Especially when you consider that they create the problem in the first place - they insist on making a firmware that adds nothing to the customer experience (as they claim) and then get a sulk on when people ask whats taking so long when they don't put updates out. They also refuse to make any statements over updates, let alone an ETA.

Do any of the UK carriers provide an ETA on Nougat? None of them have released it. If it bothers you why not just flash to the BTU (generic UK) release - that way you'll get the updates quickly and no carrier specific nonsense. Admittedly Vodafone have a particularly offensive way of telling you they will release the firmware in their own sweet time, but I don't believe they are necessarily slower than any of the other carriers.

[Crafty_]

According to this thread both giffgaff and three and already released it.

[Order66]

Crafty_ said:

According to this thread both giffgaff and three and already released it.

I don't believe either have a "custom" ROM (not accoring to samfirmware anyway). They will possibly both be using the generic UK version. To be fair to vodafone they support wifi-calling natively which will take a bit of work (alongside all the bloatware)

[DuraAce]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

Been waiting months for the 7.0 update to arrive on my Dutch S7.

Finally given in tonight and used ODIN to switch over to the generic UK BTU 7.0 Fw.

Why did I wait so long?!

Totally painless and it didnt even format my personal data. Fantastic!

Have you got a link to that? Interested in doing but wouldn't know where to start. Doesn't need root does it?

[Trustmeimadoctor]

Any use on seeing if mine on 3 is stock or not

[AndStilliRise]

Wife wants an S7, tell her not to bother then?

[Order66]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

Any use on seeing if mine on 3 is stock or not

yep, standard unbranded version

[Order66]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

I kind of just followed my nose.

Download ODIN (google)
Download the SM-G930F 7.0 UK BTU ROM from sammobile.com
Download KIES or SmartSwitch from Samsung for the drivers (and backup software).

Follow the online guides to put the phone in Fw mode, and then how to install the ROM (its basically just drag and drop in ODIN).

The most difficult part is waiting for the ROM to download on the 15kb/s download speed for 'free' members on sammobile.

After that its a piece of cake *(unless you are computer illiterate) and probably takes about 15mins all in.

First download the samsung drivers - I would avoid kies as odin doesn't play nice with it. You can get the usb driver direct from samsung:
http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.com/downloadfile...

And I got odin here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/how-to/of...

Get the firmware here - look for the United Kindgom (BTU) version:
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/

Then watch this guide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFV9WkZ9FfY

Play close attention to using the HOME_CSC file and not the other one, as that keeps all your apps/settings etc (although you should still backup first).

[bimjim]

Order66 said:

First download the samsung drivers - I would avoid kies as odin doesn't play nice with it. You can get the usb driver direct from samsung:
http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.com/downloadfile...

And I got odin here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/how-to/of...

Get the firmware here - look for the United Kindgom (BTU) version:
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/

Then watch this guide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFV9WkZ9FfY

Play close attention to using the HOME_CSC file and not the other one, as that keeps all your apps/settings etc (although you should still backup first).

Would doing this to an EE sourced S7 kill Wi-fi calling do you know?

[Order66]

bimjim said:

Would doing this to an EE sourced S7 kill Wi-fi calling do you know?

Strong possibility it would - thats one of the reasons the carriers have custom roms