Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Upgrading the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 N910F to a custom Marshmallow 6 0 1 build
Upgrading the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 N910F to a custom Marshmallow 6 0 1 build
For around a year the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has been my primary phone. While other devices have come and gone, my main SIM has always been in the Note 4. This is largely due to its flexibility (MicroSD card slot & removable battery), but also due to the great display & a screen size that I personally find about optimal.
Earlier in the week, Samsung released Android 6.0.1 for the Samsung Galaxy Note N910F, upgrading the device from 5.1.1 Lollipop.
My personal setup is quite complex on the Note 4, so I thought I would share with you how I performed the upgrade.
Firstly, I wanted to start from scratch - the device was quite full, with plenty of apps that I could cull - so I wanted to wipe the device and start again. The performance was also looking pretty tired, especially compared to my secondary device - the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro, which is undoubtedly the best �150ish phone on the market for my needs. I hoped Marshmallow would improve things in this area (and it sure did!).
My Lollipop install had these features, which I wanted to retain:
- Rooted
- A 480dpi setting (rather than 640)
- Xposed framework
- Xposed GEL settings to modify the homescreen grid
- Xposed App Settings to fix the camera, which doesnt like the DPI change
Luckily all the above are also available in Marshmallow, mainly due to work performed on other 6.0.1 Samsung devices.
It should be noted that flashing a custom firmware or TWRP will permanently trip the KNOX flag. I guess this could be an issue while the phone is still under warranty, but I tripped it within an hour of buying my Note 4.
If you just want to flash a stock build (Step 1 below) then KNOX will not be tripped.
Software Requirements
SM-N910F Generic UK Firmware from Sammobile
Samsung ODIN 3.11.1 from an XDA post (the latest version at the time of writing)
N910F TWRP from the official TWRP website
Alexndr DevBase v3.4 custom firmware (slimmed down stock firmware with Xposed)
On major Google Now launcher updates, the Xposed GEL Settings app may run slightly behind. It is worth checking the community to see whether the current version is supported and if not, download the last supported version.
Preparation
I wanted to ensure that I could recover in case of any issues (as I was factory resetting), so I did the following:
- Titanium Backup of all apps
- Full backup in TWRP
- Backup of the SD card and useful internal files onto my server
- An export from various apps that dont have cloud backup (Podcast, Xposed GEL settings etc)
Once I was happy I had everything, I did a factory reset.
Stage 1 - Flash the official UK stock firmware
1. Extract the downloaded firmware zip file to get a .tar.md5 file, suitable for ODIN
2. Run ODIN & connect the tar.md5 firmware file to the AP section
3. Turn the phone off
4. Boot the phone while holding Home + Power + Vol Down to get into download mode
5. Connect the phone to the PC via USB
6. Click on Start to start the firmware flash
Once complete, exit ODIN & let the phone install the new OS. I completed the phone setup procedure to make sure that the device was fully working before continuing.
Stage 2 - Flash TWRP
Flashing TWRP is pretty much the same as flashing the main firmware
1. Run ODIN & connect the twrp-3.0.2-0-trltexx.img.tar file to the AP section
2. Turn the phone off
3. Boot the phone while holding Home + Power + Vol Down to get into download mode
4. Connect the phone to the PC via USB
5. Click on Start to start the firmware flash
Stage 3 - Flash the Custom ROM
1. Rename the ROM to N910FXXU1DPE1_DevBase_v3.4_initd_xposed.zip (as we want initd and xposed support) & copy onto the phone
2. Boot to TWRP with Power + Home + Vol Up
3. Perform a Factory reset through TWRP
4. Flash the N910FXXU1DPE1_DevBase_v3.4_initd_xposed.zip inside TWRP
5. Reboot & set up the phone
Stage 4 - Settings
While this firmware comes with the May 2016 Security Policy, there is a potential bootloop issue with the latest policy upgrade. It seems a little odd, as May should be the latest, but I have disabled automatic updates for the time being:
Go into Settings / Security / Security policy updates and untick Automatic updates
At a later date we will need to install the App Settings Xposed module, so while we are here we may as well enable Unknown Sources
At a later date we will need to install the App Settings Xposed module, so while we are here we may as well enable Unknown Sources
Go into Settings / Security and tick Unknown Sources
Stage 5 - Dpi Customisation
While the default Samsung launcher isnt a fan of changing the dpi, I use the Google Now launcher and a lower dpi setting to enable more information to be shown on the Notes large 5.7" display.
While the default Samsung launcher isnt a fan of changing the dpi, I use the Google Now launcher and a lower dpi setting to enable more information to be shown on the Notes large 5.7" display.
1. Open the Play store
2. Install Google Now Launcher
2. Install Google Now Launcher
3. Install & run texdroider dpi
4. Change the dpi to 480
5. Reboot
6. On reboot chose the Google Now Launcher as the default launcher
6. On reboot chose the Google Now Launcher as the default launcher
Stage 6 - Set up Xposed
I install two Xposed modules:
App Settings allows per-app dpi settings, which can fix apps that do not like the dpi change.
Xposed GEL Settings allows us to customise the grid of the Google Now launcher, along with other features
I install two Xposed modules:
App Settings allows per-app dpi settings, which can fix apps that do not like the dpi change.
Xposed GEL Settings allows us to customise the grid of the Google Now launcher, along with other features
1. Run the Xposed Installer
2. Go to Download and search for App Settings
3. Install & open it
4. Find Camera & enable it for modification
5. Change the dpi to 640 & Save
6. Go to Modules & enable App Settings
7. Reboot
Stage 7 - Set up XGELS
There are a few settings I make inside the Xposed GEL Settings app:
General
Resize Widgets - On
Homescreen
Enable - On
Grid Size - 8x6
Icons Enable - On
Icon Size - 85
Icon Text Size - 80
There are plenty of others, but this is my basic setup.
Post Setup
After setting up the OS and UI as I like, I had to install a subset of my existing apps from Titanium. One real advantage to rooting is to be able to back up not only your apps, but also their associated data, making reinstallation a lot easier.
Marshmallow Analysis
After the upgrade I have been shocked at how much smoother and faster my Note 4 has become on Marshmallow. I suspect that at least some of this is due to a factory reset, but looking through XDA it seems that in-place upgrades have also seen an improvement.
Al in all, I am pretty happy - it takes quite a bit of effort to configure my setup, but once done it is good for months and works exactly as I like.
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