Root [Verizon] Rooting Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900V

[ironass]

All, I have the...
1. Manufacturer - Samsung
2. Model - (SM-G900V)
3. Software version - (5.0)
4. Specifics of the problem - rooting
5. Not rooted
6.Kernal Version: 3.4.0

I'm now in South Korea and on the olleh network which offers 4G LTE. I believe active agent is restricting my phone to 3G. I've tried other sim cards from samsung galaxy s5s that get the 4G LTE and still limited to 3G. I've confirmed it's a 4G sim card. I do get the warning that the SIM card is not from Verizon. I believe if I install a custom ROM I could eliminate whatever that dayum activation agent is hindering. Can anyone advise on the best course of action?

Hello and welcome to Android Forums whodatsay

Let me save you a lot of trouble. The minority carrier variant of the Samsung Galaxy S5 for Verizon, G900V, will never work on the 3 main South Korean networks on 4G/LTE, for hardware reasons. The South Korean 4G networks are totally different to Verizon's 4G and they have specialist, regional models for South Korea. See #1.5 of 40 Galaxy S5 models - Dummies Guide.

If further confirmation is needed...

Will My Phone Work?

 

[YamR1]

Hey guys, I've been reading till my eyes bled. Quick question (or two) to determine if I want to continue reading. I just received (from best buy) The S5 verizon, haven't even turned it on yet. I want root for the sole purpose of the wifi tether. I have unlimited data plan. Not sure what version of software is on it or if its gonna try to update after I activate. So.. do you have to downgrade to root and is that very slow or glitchy? What is the best and easiest way to get this done?

 

[AZgl1500]

You are going to have to use Odin to install the old version 4.4.2 software.

Once that is done, you can use TowelRoot to root it.
There is a good thread on it by IronAss in the Verizon forum.

there is this thread also.

* ROOT major good thread [Verizon] Rooting Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900V | Android Forums

 

[YamR1]

You are going to have to use Odin to install the old version 4.4.2 software.

Once that is done, you can use TowelRoot to root it.
There is a good thread on it by IronAss in the Verizon forum.

there is this thread also.

* ROOT major good thread [Verizon] Rooting Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900V | Android Forums

You just referred me to the same thread I posted in??

 

[YamR1]

In order for me or anyone to help you. You will need at the minimum to post the device build number.

Ok so I have android version 4.4.4 build number KTU84PG900VVRU1ANI2 please tell me what I need to do to root.. Thank you

 

[whodatsay]

Hello and welcome to Android Forums whodatsay

Let me save you a lot of trouble. The minority carrier variant of the Samsung Galaxy S5 for Verizon, G900V, will never work on the 3 main South Korean networks on 4G/LTE, for hardware reasons. The South Korean 4G networks are totally different to Verizon's 4G and they have specialist, regional models for South Korea. See #1.5 of 40 Galaxy S5 models - Dummies Guide.

If further confirmation is needed...

Will My Phone Work?

So even rooting the phone will not afford 4G?

 

[RA_BH]

Ok so I have android version 4.4.4 build number KTU84PG900VVRU1ANI2 please tell me what I need to do to root.. Thank you

The steps listed in this post work:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=59686270

in a nutshell, you have to downgrade the current Android version to 4.4.2 (from April 2014, aka NCG), in order to root. to do that, you need to use Odin. the post I refer to above includes links to the program (Odin) that runs on PC, as well as the app (Towelroot) that runs on the S5 to perform root; link to the NCG kernel is also listed.

for reference, the sammobile.com site lists these versions, all for the Verizon-US S5:

Date ------------Version-----PDA-----------------------CSC
4/8/2015------5------------G900VVRU1BOA8---- G900VVZW1BOA8
4/8/2015------5------------G900VVRU1BOC4---- G900VVZW1BOC4
2/4/2015------4.4.4-------G900VVRU1ANK2---- G900VVZW1ANK2
12/22/2014---4.4.4-------G900VVRU1ANI2----- G900VVZW1ANI2
10/1/2014-----4.4.4-------G900VVRU1ANHA--- G900VVZW1ANHA
9/16/2014-----4.4.2-------G900VVRU1ANE9---- G900VVZW1ANE9
4/15/2014-----4.4.2-------G900VVRU1ANCG--- G900VVZW1ANCG

 

[YamR1]

OK, I have root! went a different route before I seen this post. Couple questions tho, I didnt install busybox.. is that needed and why? Also the main reason I wanted root was for wifi tether . I transferred the one I was using on my htc rezound, wifi_tether_V3_1-beta1 but havent been able to get it working yet. I realize its a few years old. Is there a known working wifi tether for root that is simple like this one? Thanks for the help.

 

[RA_BH]

to the best of my knowledge, if you mean you want to use the S5 as a wifi hotspot, you didn't need root, it is now a free feature of Verizon 4G-LTE phones, as part of their purchase agreement for wireless spectrum a few years ago.

Settings > More networks > Mobile hotspot

also under More networks is USB and Bluetooth tethering

 

[YamR1]

I have the unlimited data plan. Verizon will not allow wifi for this...

 

[AZgl1500]

FoxFi should work, I tried it on my S5 a bit over a year ago and it worked okay then and that was before Verizon gave us the Hotspot Mobile as a part of our Family Share Plan. I used to have Unlimited also, but when my daughter and wife also wanted smartphones, I had to give it up because of $$$

* FoxFi (WiFi Tether w/o Root) - Android Apps on Google Play

 

[Rcjh1125]

Is their a list somewhere for SM-G900V compatible custom roms? After suffering through the 5.0 bugs I downgraded back to 4.4.4 via odin. It was a month of bliss but now the 5.0 OTA pop-up is back to haunt me. I realize I'll need to follow the same procedure to get to the earlier 4.4.2 before using towelroot.

Thank you in advance for any help. I'm a newbie and understand my question may have already been answered multiple times in other forums...

 

[RA_BH]

FWUpgrade app and SDM 1.0 app 'control' the PITA OTA upgrades; since I did my root, on 4.4.2 as you said, I froze them with Titanium Back Up + ((TiBU+) that's the paid version) and do not get any update notifications. If you don't have TiBU+, I've read that you can just rename them (after you have root).

I haven't seen a list of custom ROMs for the SM-G900V, but haven't been looking all that hard...

 

[Mitch Kist]

Hey guys I have a Samsung galaxy gs5 smg900v with the OG5 update and kernel build July 31st 2015, dudes on XDA developers said that it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to downgrade and/or root all together, is this true?

 

[RA_BH]

that's my understanding, from various posts there…

 

[AZgl1500]

Hey guys I have a Samsung galaxy gs5 smg900v with the OG5 update and kernel build July 31st 2015, dudes on XDA developers said that it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to downgrade and/or root all together, is this true?

the last two upgrades that VZW released has locked the loader down so tight, no one has been able to make Odin work anymore. If you can somehow, get 4.4.2 back on the phone, you can root it pretty easy that way.

I have wondered if Kies would overwrite the current version if we had kept a copy of the old software.

 

[Mitch Kist]

the last two upgrades that VZW released has locked the loader down so tight, no one has been able to make Odin work anymore. If you can somehow, get 4.4.2 back on the phone, you can root it pretty easy that way.

I have wondered if Kies would overwrite the current version if we had kept a copy of the old software.

Well I have been researching quite a bit and I was wondering if there is a way around it, isn't there an another upgrade like OA8 or something? Like maybe if there was a code to upgrade to the OA8 kernel or build or whatever you could root it at the same time, Idk I'm a noob at modding phones haha, I was also reading on XDA that some guy put a thread about going from the 5.0 lollipop to the 4.4.2 with the OE1 or OA4, but there wasn't a whole lot of details about it....like I said I'm a noob

 

[ironass]

Forget it Mitch Kist, it's never going to happen!

Verizon made their firmware's un-rootable a year ago with the release of Android 4.4.4. Hence the reason that users had to downgrade to 4.4.2 to root. Now they have even closed off that possibility with the release of the OE1 firmware and mega locked down bootloader that does not allow downgrading and prevents the last rooting exploit left open. Even if by some miracle, a new way of rooting the Verizon firmware was discovered, they would simply close off the exploit in a future update. In short, the S5, S6 Edge and certain other manufacturers phones have been rendered un-rootable by Verizon. AT&T are also using this mega locked down bootloader as well.

See post #62, here, onwards for more information.

 

[Mitch Kist]

Forget it Mitch Kist, it's never going to happen!

Verizon made their firmware's un-rootable a year ago with the release of Android 4.4.4. Hence the reason that users had to downgrade to 4.4.2 to root. Now they have even closed off that possibility with the release of the OE1 firmware and mega locked down bootloader that does not allow downgrading and prevents the last rooting exploit left open. Even if by some miracle, a new way of rooting the Verizon firmware was discovered, they would simply close off the exploit in a future update. In short, the S5, S6 Edge and certain other manufacturers phones have been rendered un-rootable by Verizon. AT&T are also using this mega locked down bootloader as well.

See post #62, here, onwards for more information.

Oh I see, so the OE1 firmware and above are non rootable? Like it says in the link you gave me the OE1 is non rootable so the OG5 would be unrootable also?

 

[ironass]

Oh I see, so the OE1 firmware and above are non rootable? Like it says in the link you gave me the OE1 is non rootable so the OG5 would be unrootable also?

Correct. OE1 and above are unrootable. The rooting ship for Verizon has well and truly, sailed!

 

[greanfz]

I just rooted my S5 with 1-click root. This pretty simple and effective.

 

[ironass]

I just rooted my S5 with 1-click root

1. Which model of Galaxy S5, as per #1.2 of 41 Galaxy S5 models - Dummies Guide, have you rooted?

2. Are you on KitKat or Lollipop firmware?

 

[ironass]

The Verizon, G900V, Lollipop firmware is unrootable. See post #61, here.

See, also, #1.6 of 41 Galaxy S5 models - Dummies Guide

The Verizon model you have is a CDMA phone and is only compatible, hardware wise, with 3G on the South Korean network, Olleh. See Will My Phone Work?

 

[ironass]

I just rooted my S5 with 1-click root. This pretty simple and effective.

You obviously do not have the Verizon, G900V, model on Lollipop then?

 

[sean19661]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3290370