[Q] Downgrading OTA 4.3 to 4.1.2?

Tormund Giantsbane · Mar 20, 2014

Hello all,
I've been going down rabbit holes looking for a definitive solution or answer to the issue of downgrading my 4.3 i535 on Verizon back down to 4.1.2. I don't particularly care about actually rooting the phone (would be nice but not necessary). I'm having no end of Bluetooth and audio-when-docked issues with my phone that were never there on 4.1.2 and would desperately like to (a) revert back and (b) somehow tell the phone to never do an OTA software upgrade again.

I am not really all that technically adept, although I can follow instructions fairly well--provided they're valid for my device at the current time. I have never attempted any sort procedure like this and I'm usually quite content to be a good little sheep and do what I'm told by Verizon/Sammy. But when I can no longer reliably pair my device with my Alpine aftermarket car audio system, nor have it properly play back audio directions when using navigation software like Waze or Google Maps through the BT-attached speakers, then I need to do whatever it takes to re-enable this lost functionality.

Any directions or comments greatly accepted. Again, please, I respectfully ask that if there's anything that can be done, that a kind soul here would post directions for a complete n00b, not an experienced phone expert. Frankly, if there were shops near me that I could bring it to to have done, I'd have done so already <grin>. Many thanks in advance.

Device name: SCH-i535
Android Version: 4.3 (received OTA, directly from 4.1.2)
Baseband version: i535VRUMCL 1
Lernel version: 3.0.31
Hardware version i535.10

Thanks in advance.

BadUsername · Mar 20, 2014

Tormund Giantsbane said:
Hello all,
I've been going down rabbit holes looking for a definitive solution or answer to the issue of downgrading my 4.3 i535 on Verizon back down to 4.1.2. I don't particularly care about actually rooting the phone (would be nice but not necessary). I'm having no end of Bluetooth and audio-when-docked issues with my phone that were never there on 4.1.2 and would desperately like to (a) revert back and (b) somehow tell the phone to never do an OTA software upgrade again.

I am not really all that technically adept, although I can follow instructions fairly well--provided they're valid for my device at the current time. I have never attempted any sort procedure like this and I'm usually quite content to be a good little sheep and do what I'm told by Verizon/Sammy. But when I can no longer reliably pair my device with my Alpine aftermarket car audio system, nor have it properly play back audio directions when using navigation software like Waze or Google Maps through the BT-attached speakers, then I need to do whatever it takes to re-enable this lost functionality.

Any directions or comments greatly accepted. Again, please, I respectfully ask that if there's anything that can be done, that a kind soul here would post directions for a complete n00b, not an experienced phone expert. Frankly, if there were shops near me that I could bring it to to have done, I'd have done so already <grin>. Many thanks in advance.

Device name: SCH-i535
Android Version: 4.3 (received OTA, directly from 4.1.2)
Baseband version: i535VRUMCL 1
Lernel version: 3.0.31
Hardware version i535.10

Thanks in advance.

A. You can't revert back. You're stuck with 4.3 now.

B. You can stop future Ota updates with root access by freezing sdm1.0.apk and fwupdater.apk with titanium backup.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Tormund Giantsbane · Mar 20, 2014

BadUsername said:
A. You can't revert back. You're stuck with 4.3 now.

B. You can stop future Ota updates with root access by freezing sdm1.0.apk and fwupdater.apk with titanium backup.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

If I'm stuck with 4.3 then I think rooting is probably a case of closing the barn door after the horses are gone. The phone is basically useless to me when driving--i.e. when I actually need a mobile phone--since it won't reliably work with my truck radio, and the manufacturer has indicated that the VZW 4.3 update has caused them nothing but headaches and it's not their equipment that's too blame.

I've been solidly behind Android since my first Droid, then X, then HTC Incredible, then Razr and now the S3, but I'm seriously having to reconsider doing the unthinkable and switching platforms unless I can find another high-performance Android-based pone that allows tethering (so long HTC) and that will play nicely with the radio. Any suggestions? As for "freezing sdm1.0.apk" etc, that is far beyond my knowledge at this time, I'm sad to say. I'm just a J-random-user who needs -- and is willing to pay whatever it takes -- to own a phone that plays as close to 100% reliably with my truck radio as possible.

I live on the road; I need BT pairing, BT music from my SD card and GPS directions to be heard over the engine/road-noise. At this point I'm in tech support hell between Alpine and Verizon, each blaming the other--and meanwhile all the guys in my company who use "that other platform" haven't had a single issue. This one has me completely dead in the water. I don't want to go back to AM/FM on long hauls, not when I have 30+ GB of music on my device...and not to mention my GPS that can't be heard. I'm not ready to jump ship, nor do I want to, but....help??

Thanks in advance, guys. Color me frustrated....

BadUsername · Mar 20, 2014

Tormund Giantsbane said:
If I'm stuck with 4.3 then I think rooting is probably a case of closing the barn door after the horses are gone. The phone is basically useless to me when driving--i.e. when I actually need a mobile phone--since it won't reliably work with my truck radio, and the manufacturer has indicated that the VZW 4.3 update has caused them nothing but headaches and it's not their equipment that's too blame.

I've been solidly behind Android since my first Droid, then X, then HTC Incredible, then Razr and now the S3, but I'm seriously having to reconsider doing the unthinkable and switching platforms unless I can find another high-performance Android-based pone that allows tethering (so long HTC) and that will play nicely with the radio. Any suggestions? As for "freezing sdm1.0.apk" etc, that is far beyond my knowledge at this time, I'm sad to say. I'm just a J-random-user who needs -- and is willing to pay whatever it takes -- to own a phone that plays as close to 100% reliably with my truck radio as possible.

I live on the road; I need BT pairing, BT music from my SD card and GPS directions to be heard over the engine/road-noise. At this point I'm in tech support hell between Alpine and Verizon, each blaming the other--and meanwhile all the guys in my company who use "that other platform" haven't had a single issue. This one has me completely dead in the water. I don't want to go back to AM/FM on long hauls, not when I have 30+ GB of music on my device...and not to mention my GPS that can't be heard. I'm not ready to jump ship, nor do I want to, but....help??

Thanks in advance, guys. Color me frustrated....

Hmm

I'm still on 4.1.2, so I can't really comment on the bluetooth quality. I do know it's a common 4.3 problem.

There may be some fixes out there somewhere, or there might be xposed modules that will improve bluetooth related signals. Either way you're going to need to do a little research on it, I can't specifically think of anything I've seen or read.

Freezing is super easy, titanium backup makes it very simple. Another update could lock the phone down even further and preventing it could pay off. Rooting on 4.3 is also very simple. It's not a complete loss being stuck on 4.3.

Also you can install custom 4.3 TouchWiz roms with safestrap, bluetooth might work better for you on one of those roms.

Those would be my suggestions.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Tormund Giantsbane · Mar 20, 2014

BadUsername said:
Hmm

I'm still on 4.1.2, so I can't really comment on the bluetooth quality. I do know it's a common 4.3 problem.

There may be some fixes out there somewhere, or there might be xposed modules that will improve bluetooth related signals. Either way you're going to need to do a little research on it, I can't specifically think of anything I've seen or read.

Freezing is super easy, titanium backup makes it very simple. Another update could lock the phone down even further and preventing it could pay off. Rooting on 4.3 is also very simple. It's not a complete loss being stuck on 4.3.

Also you can install custom 4.3 TouchWiz roms with safestrap, bluetooth might work better for you on one of those roms.

Those would be my suggestions.

Wow. OK. Hmmm.
So what is the process to do this, where does one find the images, support files, and so on? I've managed to find Odin 3.09 and the USB drivers are loaded in my laptop and Developer Mode is active, but I don't know what to do beyond that.

Again, I'm absolutely green at this and deathly afraid of bricking it. I'm dead in the water without a phone, even one that's barely functional, so any instructions will need to be clear and unambiguous.

Failing that, is there such a thing as an S3 or S4 that can be purchased clean with ICS on it, rooted and protected from OTA upgrades easily, and that will work on VZW?

BadUsername · Mar 20, 2014

OK.

Well Rooting 4.3 is extremely safe, I'd say pretty near 100% success rate with nearly no chance for a brick.

Even with a brick in nearly every scenario, it is always possible to fix it as long as you have access to Odin.

Regardless, you'll want to start here:
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2639337

That has everything laid out for you, access to the rooting methods, using safestrap as a recovery, and download list for everything you can use on the phone. Also has recovery methods for bricked scenarios, but if you follow those threads you shouldn't brick.

As far as buying a phone goes, you may be able to find a 4.1.2 galaxy s3 on swappa or somewhere. But it's going to be hard finding one.

All s4's are in the same boat as the s3, all are on 4.3 with locked bootloaders.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

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[Q] Downgrading OTA 4.3 to 4.1.2?

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