[Q] Why doesn't exist any upgrade to android 6 or 7 for s4 active i537?

[m44nu33l]

Hello community, recently I did the procedure to get the lollipop version in my S4 active i537 keeping root, but after many searches I can't find how to upgrade to marshmallow or nougat version and I wondering why.

I think it have to be because at this moment doesn't exist any way to intall a custom recovery as TWRP or CWM, if this is true, why nobody found the way to unlock the bootloader yet? in order to manage the custom recovery.

And why is so difficult to unlock it?

Which are the differences between this s4 version with the others? And how can I help to unlock the bootloader, thanks in advance.

 

[Devo7v]

I'm going to try to answer your questions one at a time:

Hello community, recently I did the procedure to get the lollipop version in my S4 active i537 keeping root, but after many searches I can't find how to upgrade to marshmallow or nougat version and I wondering why.

There is not and never will be marshmallow or nougat for the i537. This is because it is outside the "2-year" update cycle of Samsung/AT&T. If you look at other phones from Samsung and AT&T, there are very rarely updates to phones 2 years after the initial release of the phone. There's not really a good reason for this other than Samsung and AT&T want you to buy a new phone to get the latest updates. In the past you would need to get a new phone in order to have new hardware that is able to run the latest version of Android. But we're now at a point that nearly any phone released in the last 2-3 years can run nougat with minor lag. Manufacturers and carriers are holding on to the 2-year upgrade cycle and forcing you to buy new phones in order to get updates.

I think it have to be because at this moment doesn't exist any way to intall a custom recovery as TWRP or CWM, if this is true, why nobody found the way to unlock the bootloader yet? in order to manage the custom recovery.

The i537 has a locked bootloader while the i9295 does not have a locked bootloader. Nobody has figured out how to unlock the bootloader on any variant of the S4.

And why is so difficult to unlock it?

It's a very long read, but this thread explains exactly why it is so hard to unlock the bootloader. (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2500826)

Which are the differences between this s4 version with the others?

As I stated above the only difference between the two versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active (i537 vs i9295) is that the i537 has a locked bootloader and the i9295 does not. The i537 was sold exclusively through AT&T (US), Telcel (Mexico), and Claro (Uruguay), while the i9295 was sold internationally. Neither device will get official versions of marshmallow or nougat, but since the i9295 has an unlocked bootloader you can flash marshmallow and soon nougat custom ROMs. Other than the bootloader, the i537 and i9295 have identical hardware.

And how can I help to unlock the bootloader, thanks in advance.

Honestly, unless you have a deep understanding of kernels, Linux, and cryptology, I'm not sure there's much help you can provide. The link I provided above explains all the effort that has been put into unlocking the bootloader. If you truly want to help I would read through that thread and see if there's anything meaningful you can provide.

Finally, if you don't ever want to have this problem again, always do your research and but a phone that has an unlockable bootloader. I purchased the i537 when it first came out only to find that the bootloader was locked and because of that I will never buy another phone with a locked bootloader again. Good luck.

 

[m44nu33l]

I'm going to try to answer your questions one at a time:

There is not and never will be marshmallow or nougat for the i537. This is because it is outside the "2-year" update cycle of Samsung/AT&T. If you look at other phones from Samsung and AT&T, there are very rarely updates to phones 2 years after the initial release of the phone. There's not really a good reason for this other than Samsung and AT&T want you to buy a new phone to get the latest updates. In the past you would need to get a new phone in order to have new hardware that is able to run the latest version of Android. But we're now at a point that nearly any phone released in the last 2-3 years can run nougat with minor lag. Manufacturers and carriers are holding on to the 2-year upgrade cycle and forcing you to buy new phones in order to get updates.


The i537 has a locked bootloader while the i9295 does not have a locked bootloader. Nobody has figured out how to unlock the bootloader on any variant of the S4.


It's a very long read, but this thread explains exactly why it is so hard to unlock the bootloader. (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2500826)


As I stated above the only difference between the two versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active (i537 vs i9295) is that the i537 has a locked bootloader and the i9295 does not. The i537 was sold exclusively through AT&T (US), Telcel (Mexico), and Claro (Uruguay), while the i9295 was sold internationally. Neither device will get official versions of marshmallow or nougat, but since the i9295 has an unlocked bootloader you can flash marshmallow and soon nougat custom ROMs. Other than the bootloader, the i537 and i9295 have identical hardware.


Honestly, unless you have a deep understanding of kernels, Linux, and cryptology, I'm not sure there's much help you can provide. The link I provided above explains all the effort that has been put into unlocking the bootloader. If you truly want to help I would read through that thread and see if there's anything meaningful you can provide.

Finally, if you don't ever want to have this problem again, always do your research and but a phone that has an unlockable bootloader. I purchased the i537 when it first came out only to find that the bootloader was locked and because of that I will never buy another phone with a locked bootloader again. Good luck.

Thanks for the explanation, what I will do is change my S4 for the international version in order to get the nougat custom rom.

 

[ovo dc]

Thanks for the explanation, what I will do is change my S4 for the international version in order to get the nougat custom rom.

well my questions has really been answered , i guess we are never going to get an update , best option is to get a new phone