Getting Galaxy S4 Running on Sprint SERO/Legacy Working Off of HTC TP2 & Epic 4 G

**scuba1999** · 10-08-2014, 10:01 AM

Moritzio, Thanks for the great idea. I was considering freedom pop, and will try this.
Question: Besides activating an S3 on freedom pop, and then removing its SIM card and inserting into a sprint S3 activated on SERO, is there any software or configuration that needs to be done, either:
1) initially, or
2) ongoing?

Or is it seamless? Is root needed? This will be for my parents, and I need to make it very simple.

Bibbin, thanks-- good to know. If I flash I will use that ROM, but for now trying to find a non-root solution, because it's for my mom and dad's phones, and I won't be around to support issues, etc.

All, (You all may know this, but this was interesting and new info to me): I confirmed that SERO does not include phone-as-a-modem, even for 3G-only (#2 is correct in my post above). Because of the similarities between SERO and the legacy F&C plans, plus the fact SERO includes everything and the kitchen sink, I assumed that the accesses and technical side of things were the same. They are not. For those of you with legacy F&C plans, it's something to consider. (even though there are great solutions mentioned by the guys above)

**AlpineMan** · 10-08-2014, 10:23 AM

The Sprint S3 doesn't a removable SIM card unlike the S4 and up. Instead the SIM is embedded on a daughter board that is removable, but you have to take the phone apart in order to do so... And it can only be attached to another Sprint S3.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

**Moritzio** · 10-08-2014, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by scuba1999

Moritzio, Thanks for the great idea. I was considering freedom pop, and will try this.
Question: Besides activating an S3 on freedom pop, and then removing its SIM card and inserting into a sprint S3 activated on SERO, is there any software or configuration that needs to be done, either:
1) initially, or
2) ongoing?

I cannot say about S3. It does have an embedded sim, so no swapping. One possibility is to activate it with original MEID on FreedomPop and then change MEID etc and flash to the SERO plan using donor info.

With the S4 I did nothing extra, just moved the SIM from the FreedomPop S4 to the S4 that was flashed to my SERO $30 plan.

You can bring your own device to FreedomPop. I recommend that over buying their FPop branded devices. I have S3s and S4s on accounts with them. Note the S4 must be an SPH-L720, not the latest Tri-band L720T.

**phonehog** · 12-09-2014, 11:41 AM

Has anyone programmed their S4 back to stock and made sure it works properly, including 3g & 4g? I'm trying to sell my S4 and the only info I can find does not include the S4 AAA password, or NV 1192. I think I can get it working without that by doing a ##786# after I put in the original info on the back of the phone, but just checking if anyone had done this and everything worked.

On the other hand, if anyone is interested in a black S4 & TP2 for SERO, let me know.

**scuba1999** · 12-12-2014, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by phonehog

Has anyone programmed their S4 back to stock and made sure it works properly, including 3g & 4g? I'm trying to sell my S4 and the only info I can find does not include the S4 AAA password, or NV 1192. I think I can get it working without that by doing a ##786# after I put in the original info on the back of the phone, but just checking if anyone had done this and everything worked.

On the other hand, if anyone is interested in a black S4 & TP2 for SERO, let me know.

phonehog,
As far as I know, you may be hosed w/o the AAA password to have stock data again. ... Just judging from how careful people say to be with the original when you modify it. Does the S4 have a removeable SIM card? If so I may be interested in it for trying the freedompop / SERO thing. (I just have GSiii's). Let me know, and can follow-up on PM.

**AlpineMan** · 12-12-2014, 04:14 PM

First... Put a stock Sprint S4 ROM. Then flash the original MEID back. Reboot the phone. Then do ##786#.

If your buyer will activate on a Sprint LTE account, Hands Free Activation should work. If buyer is looking to reflash to Boost or legacy Sprint account, you will need to apply my HFA/Update Profile fix found in XDA.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

**oZo** · 12-18-2014, 09:14 AM

Just had to say, it's awesome to see HoFo ingenuity at work. Well done, people!

**AnalogRF** · 12-30-2014, 09:44 PM

OK Guys, Nice thread here, on exactly (almost) what I am trying to accomplish. I have a legacy (Family Free and Clear) plan on Sprint, along with the "Data Plus Pack" which provides unlimited EVDO Rev A (3G) as well as 1X (Slow) data. My donor phone is a HTC TP2. The GS4 is a model SPH-L720T. I have gotten as far as activating the phone for talk and text as well as 1X data. I also resolved the HFA loop problem somehow. The only thing is I can not get the 3G to work. 1X is useless! Has anyone here including the author of this thread gotten 3G to work? Someone told me it may have worked if I had the older version of the GS4 (SPH-L520) without the T. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and Happy New Year!

**garbb** · 01-20-2015, 12:57 AM

I haven't flashed that particular phone, but with other phones when I've gotten only 1x data it was because I hadn't flashed one of the following nv items correctly: 465, 466, 1192, 1194, OR because I hadn't input the AAA password for my account into the DATA (##3282# or *#*#3282#*#*) menu.
Another thing that messed me up once is that I discovered that with some phones there are TWO modem chips that you can connect to with cdma workshop/qpst/qxdm, etc that will show up as two different com ports in windows device manager. I had to flash everything to both chips. I'm not sure if I needed to flash everything to both or only one but thats what I ended up doing and it worked.

**Moritzio** · 05-01-2015, 01:25 AM

Originally Posted by jimmyjohn

Here's the process I've gone through, so far:

First, AlpineMan's very helpful thread on flashing the Galaxy Note 2 is where almost all of the useful information is:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...php?p=35753067

That XDA thread has been closed. We have lost the process described in the first post there.

**spycake** · 05-01-2015, 08:49 AM

Originally Posted by Moritzio

That XDA thread has been closed. We have lost the process described in the first post there.

Here is an archived copy of the first page of that thread:

http://web.archive.org/web/201411260....php?t=2060085

**AlpineMan** · 05-24-2015, 02:37 PM

Just to update on a couple of progress I've made. Verizon Galaxy Note 3 and S5 work fine flashed to SERO even with cert fail. Both phones just won't be able to connect to GSM networks unless you put the original MEID back. Everything appears to work. Voice, text, mms, and 3G. I haven't had the chance to test 3G on the S5. But to get it working on the Note 3 with lollipop, had to use an inactive Lycamobile sim card. I suspect have to do the same on the S5.

[UPDATE]
3G working on the S5. Using a T-Mobile inactive SIM card.

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

**AboveTheBULL** · 06-01-2015, 05:19 PM

Awesome! So, how did you accomplish this? And does this work on the Sprint variant of the S5?

**AlpineMan** · 06-01-2015, 06:29 PM

This only works on the Verizon variant phones. The steps are exactly as outlined in post #4 on xda in the flashing thread linked above.

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk