Help Note 3, want to try alternate OS, like Lineage

[John Jason]

I have a Galaxy Note 3 SM-900T that I bought used about 5-7 years ago (I forget exactly when) and I am interested in replacing the Google Android with something else. It currently has Android 4.4.2, kernel version3.4.0-660648, Build Number KOT49H.N900T_4.4.2_0055. The phone is rooted and has a replacement motherboard that I believe is not from the US. That happened because the seller (local) lied to me and suddenly T-Mobile one day shut it down. I sent it to a fellow across the country who replaced the motherboard and rooted it for me. I am currently using it with MetroPCS. (Not because of anger at T-Mobile; I switched just for the lower price - it is, after all part of T-Mobile.)

My motivation is that the phone is a bit messed up because of things that I did to the OS. A couple years ago I started getting Google popups - "Did you know that you can buy ..." I can't stand things like that so I poked around and finally managed to shut down my Google account. That solved the problem, but a few days later the icon for the Play Store disappeared. And I also removed the texting capability because I hate texts and the only texts I ever got were from T-Mobile explaining what a clever fellow I was to be T-Mobile customer. Hey, I'm an old man; I'm entitled to be an out of date curmudgeon.

Of course, now I can't install new apps or even update existing ones. Recently my bank came out with a new app and the old one now says that I must upgrade the OS, and then shuts down. Ditto for the app for Kaiser Permanente (Health Maintenance Organization).

I have spent several hours on my real computer searching for OS options for the Note 3, but I'm not coming up with much. Does anyone have any suggestions? Oh, and I've installed Linux many times on computers, but I've never tried installing an OS on a phone. Do I assume correctly that whatever OS I download will come with detailed 'for dummies' instructions?

 

[lunatic59]

LineageOS is a good place to start. They've got pretty good installation instructions, too. Looks like you can take it up to Nougat, but that's as far as it will go. Mind you, that with any custom ROM on a Note, you will lose the s-pen.

First question, since it's rooted, do you have a custom recovery installed already?

 

[John Jason]

LineageOS is a good place to start. They've got pretty good installation instructions, too. Looks like you can take it up to Nougat, but that's as far as it will go. Mind you, that with any custom ROM on a Note, you will lose the s-pen.
First question, since it's rooted, do you have a custom recovery installed already?

Thanks for the reply.

No, I don't have a custom recovery installed, at least, I am not sure what that is, so chances are excellent that the answer is no.

But there is a killer here - I use the S-pen a LOT. I make very few phone calls and receive even fewer, but the S-pen used several times a week. I think that I had better forget about a replacement OS.

Thanks for letting me know. You've saved me a lot of grief.

 

[GameTheory]

I'll also drop this link here as it contains everything root related for that phone, but lunatic59s suggestion is the way to go.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-tmobile/development?nocache=1&z=3225667083170265

 

[John Jason]

OK, LineageOS is not a go for me because it will kill the s-pen. And lunatic59 said that all alternatives will do the same. So is it possible to upgrade my phone from 4.4.2 to an Android a little closer to the present time?

 

[lunatic59]

Here's the deal. The firmware for the SM-N900T stopped at 5.0 which is available for download from sammobile.com, but it is the T-Mobile variant. It shouldn't lock you back to T-Mobile, but I'm not sure how T-Mobile did things when this phone was current. You could also try one fo the other variants for the SM-N900 series, but Samsung is notorious for releasing a plethora of similar models with minor hardware differences under the same name. It could render part of your phone inoperable, or have the incorrect band support.

If it were me, I'd try the T-Mobile 5.0 firmware first.

 

[John Jason]

Well, the fellow I bought it from needed cash, but also needed a phone. So we traded - I gave him $300 plus my phone and he gave me the Note 3. Then, sitting in his living room, we called T-Mobile and swapped the phone records. (And T-Mobile told me his Note 3 was paid for, which was a lie.) We parted company, each with a working phone. A couple years later, after the motherboard swap, I stopped at a MetroPCS store and signed up with them. The fellow behind the counter took my Note 3, fiddled with things, and a few minutes handed it back. "There you go, welcome to MetroPCS." I think I paid a small amount, but that was all it took.

So I'm thinking that if I install the T-Mobile variant, and it doesn't work, all I'll have to do is go to the MetroPCS store and let them fiddle with it again.

On the other hand, 5.0 doesn't get me very far. Maybe I'd be better off just getting a new phone and immediately put LineageOS on it. But that won't work because I insist on a phone with a stylus, and I guess LineageOS will kill the stylus on any phone that I install it on. So then I'm back to a phone with all of Google and the other things that I don't want. (Sigh.)

This is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.

 

[GameTheory]

One thing to note (pun intended). The s-pen will work, just not the s-pen features. On my note edge I have Lineage OS 15.1 which is android 8.1 and the pen works, but not its features like the button on the pen.

Personally I think you gain more from having android 7 and a half working pen, than android 4 and a fully working pen.

 

[John Jason]

One thing to note (pun intended). The s-pen will work, just not the s-pen features. On my note edge I have Lineage OS 15.1 which is android 8.1 and the pen works, but not its features like the button on the pen.
Personally I think you gain more from having android 7 and a half working pen, than android 4 and a fully working pen.

So you mean I can use the pen to write and draw, but when I want to save/delete/etc I have to use my finger? 'Cause that wouldn't be so bad.

 

[GameTheory]

You will not be able to use any of the s-pen exclusive apps like s-note nor air command. It'll just be a pen like a simple stylus for navigating around android, writing, drawing, and typing on your keyboard.

I can't really say much more to it than that. I've had a couple phones with pens and aside from the first week of the phone purchase, I never use the pen again. And why I don't buy note phones anymore.

Here is a bunch of videos demonstrating Lineage OS on the note 3. Perhaps they'll show how the s-pen works...
https://www.google.com/search?q=lin...pcngAhWEPN8KHU1yDbwQ_AUIDigB&biw=1360&bih=644

 

[lunatic59]

On the other hand, 5.0 doesn't get me very far. Maybe I'd be better off just getting a new phone and immediately put LineageOS on it. But that won't work because I insist on a phone with a stylus,

If you are looking to move to something more recent, but don't need bleeding edge, you can pick up some pretty good deals on Swappa. You can pick up a Note 4 for ~$100. A Note 5 for a little more or a Note 8 for less than $300, depending on how much you can spend vs. how current you need to be. The 4 will get you up tot Marshmallow (6.0), the Note 5 will give you Nougat (7.0) and the 8, I believe can be upgraded to Pie (9.0).

 

[bcrichster]

Anything Samsung (GalaxyS & Note models, as I understand) need be International version (Exynos chip) as the USA versions have locked bootloaders. FYI: Locked Bootloader = No TWRP recoveries or Custom ROMs

 

[John Jason]

Still dithering over what to do. It would help if I knew how to install LineageOS, its requirements and the results. My whole motivation is to get something that I can run new versions of apps on and upgrade to new Android versions for lots of years, plus I want to be able to disable or remove texting, and at least be able to shut up Google, if not log out of my Google account, yet still be able to access the Play Store.

With respect to Lunatic59's post above, I went out and looked at Note 5s, and then at Note 8s. It would be awesome if I could find one that was already rooted, but that doesn't appear to be available on Swappa or eBay. And from bchrister's comment, it needs to be the international version, which I can't find anywhere. It would help if I knew the model numbers for the international versions, but I can't find those either. Maybe I could find someone who would create a brand new phone for me to my specifications, but I can't find that either. I have more money than knowledge or motivation to do all this myself.

Oh well. My current Note 3 still works, so there is no big rush. I'll keep poking at the problem.

 

[Milo Willamson]

thanks for making this thread, I am consdering on getting the Samsung tabelet pretty soon too, I keep wondering if anything good about it though, been reading the manual online for the past few days.

 

[Albert2908]

I have a Galaxy Note 3 SM-900T that I bought used about 5-7 years ago (I forget exactly when) and I am interested in replacing the Google Android with something else. It currently has Android 4.4.2, kernel version3.4.0-660648, Build Number KOT49H.N900T_4.4.2_0055. The phone is rooted and has a replacement motherboard that I believe is not from the US. That happened because the seller (local) lied to me and suddenly T-Mobile one day shut it down. I sent it to a fellow across the country who replaced the motherboard and rooted it for me. I am currently using it with MetroPCS. (Not because of anger at T-Mobile; I switched just for the lower price - it is, after all part of T-Mobile.)

My motivation is that the phone is a bit messed up because of things that I did to the OS. A couple years ago I started getting Google popups - "Did you know that you can buy ..." I can't stand things like that so I poked around and finally managed to shut down my Google account. That solved the problem, but a few days later the icon for the Play Store disappeared. And I also removed the texting capability because I hate texts and the only texts I ever got were from T-Mobile explaining what a clever fellow I was to be T-Mobile customer. Hey, I'm an old man; I'm entitled to be an out of date curmudgeon.

Of course, now I can't install new apps or even update existing ones. Recently my bank came out with a new app and the old one now says that I must upgrade the OS, and then shuts down. Ditto for the app for Kaiser Permanente (Health Maintenance Organization).

I have spent several hours on my real computer searching for OS options for the Note 3, but I'm not coming up with much. Does anyone have any suggestions? Oh, and I've installed Linux many times on computers, but I've never tried installing an OS on a phone. Do I assume correctly that whatever OS I download will come with detailed 'for dummies' instructions?

You Can try the dot os and viper os