How to block a number on the Galaxy S4

It's something that happens to all of us from time to time. It might be a pushy salesperson, or it could be a misdialled call that just keeps coming through to your mobile – we all get calls we want to avoid. There's no need to ignore the calls, and no need to send it straight to voice mail; you can easily block calls from a specific number on your Samsung Galaxy S4. Once blocked you'll never be pestered with unwanted calls from that number again, and you'll not even be told that the person tried to call – sweet silence!

Plagued with unwanted calls? You can have your phone automatically reject them. / © AndroEssentials

The ability to block calls from a specific number is something that is available on your Galaxy S4 without the need for any software – it is built in by default. There are two different ways to block numbers, the first of which is to make use of call logs.

How to transform your Galaxy S4 into an S5

It didn't take long, but all the tools you need to transform your Galaxy S4 into an S5 are already available. In this tutorial we'll show you how to get the Quick Settings, notifications shade, settings menu (in both round icon and list view), wallpapers, icons and the new Galaxy S5 apps. You'll even get access to the impressive new Download Booster option.

With a little bit of work you can set your S4 up like an S5. / © AndroidPIT

What you need

You'll need a rooted S4 running on Android 4.4.2 and a few file downloads we'll move onto in a minute. You'll also need a root explorer like ES File Explorer or Total Commander.

ES File Explorer File ManagerINSTALL

Total Commander - file managerINSTALL

Samsung Galaxy S4 update to Android 4.4.2 littered with bugs

The Samsung Galaxy S4 update has been rolled out recently to carriers in the United States and to international models of the phone as well. The firmware update of the phone is supposed to bring in enhancements to the performance of the phone but apparently it is actually doing the opposite. Reports seems to indicate that the update is littered with several bugs that seem quite serious.

Samsung Galaxy S4 update littered with bugs / © Android Essentials

The most noticeable effect of Android 4.4.2 on the Samsung Galaxy S4 has been the effect on the battery life of the phone. Users have reported a drastic decrease in the battery life of the device since updating to the latest software. Apparently for one user, the battery dropped to 30% after installing the update from 100% and this was after about 20 minutes of browsing and 2 hours and 40 minutes of idleness. This means that battery was depleted by 70% by almost three hours of no work.

Others are complaining that the update results in a complete mess when it comes to the performance of the phone. Reports claim that the phone now lags when switching apps and going back to the home screen takes longer than before. Also using the home screen button also sometimes brings up the menu of apps that are currently running. Below is a video which shows some of the issues in action.

The last problem that has gotten a lot of attention since the update is the black lock screen. Basically, the bug causes the color of the lock screen to a plain black color. Users can unlock the phone using the black screen but that also depends on the amount of familiarity that the user has with his or her phone since that requires a little bit of experience. There hasn’t been any official word from Samsung on whether there is going to be a bug fix update. Apparently going to the settings > lockscreen > lock screen widgets > clock or personal message > clock will get rid of the black screen permanently.

Have you experienced any issues with the Samsung Galaxy S4 updates so far if you have gotten it? If so please leave us your comments on how the update has worked for you and if you have experienced some of the problems detailed below.

Install official Kitkat 4.4.2 Build on Galaxy S4

Samsung has recently released Android 4.4.2 Kitkat for the Samsung Galaxy S4. If for some reason you have not managed to get the update over the air, then you may want to manually install the update and we will show you how you can do that here.

Install Kitkat 4.4.2 manually on your phone / © Android Essentials

As always, you have to proceed with caution as Android Essentials doesn’t assume any responsibility for any damage done due to the firmware installation.

Before you get started, please make sure your GS4 is the GT-I9500 version.

After you have made sure of this, you should back up your data and also make sure to charge your phone to at least 80% or have it charging while doing the installation.

Finally, you must enable USB debugging mode and you do this by going to settings and then on to developer options.

Manually Installing Android 4.4.2

1) Download the Firmware package and Odin v.3.07

2) You must then put your GS4 in download mode by holding down the volume down, home and power buttons. When a warning appears, you must press the volume up button.

3) You should then unzip Odin v.3.07. run the .exe file and then run it as an administrator.

4) Using your USB cable, you should connect your Galaxy S4 to your PC. One of the ID:COM fields should turn blue in Odin. If this doesn’t happen then you should reinstall the relevant drivers for your phone.

5) Within the Odin program, you should perform the following operations.

           A) Press PDA and select the file that has .tar.md5 in the file path.

           B) Press Phone and select the file with Modem in the file path.

           C) Press CSC and select the file with CSC in the file path.

           D) Press PIT and select the file with .pit in the file path.

6) Make sure “re-partition” is NOT selected. After this, check auto reboot and F. Reset Time.

7) Press the start button and the installation process should commence. Leave it alone until it is done.

8) Once your Galaxy S4 phone had rebooted, you will be running Android 4.4.2 Kitkat.

Have you used this method to update your phone? How did you find it? Please leave us a comment below and we will get back to you.

Root Galaxy S4 I9500/I9505 on Android 4.3 [GUIDE]

WARNING: Do this at your own risk. This process is recommended ONLY for the given model(s).

Pre-requisites

1) Install USB Driver for Samsung Galaxy S4 to transfer files between the Android device and the computer.

2) Enable USB Debugging Mode on phone to connect it with computer and use Android SDK with it. [Press Menu>> Settings>> Applications. From there navigate and click on Developmentoption and check USB Debugging Mode.]  

3) As the tutorial might wipe out all data of the phone, create a backup. If the device is having any custom recoveries such as ClockworkMod/TWRP already installed, backup data using the recovery.

4) The Galaxy S4 should have above 80% battery charge.

5) The phone should be factory unlocked and not locked to any particular carrier.

6) The device will lose manufacturer's warranty once it is rooted. However, users can reclaim the warranty back by unrooting the handset later.

7) The CF-Auto-Root files work only on Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 and GT-I9505. As applying these to any incorrect variant might brick the device, verify the model number of Galaxy S4 by navigating to Settings>> About phone>> Model number and install the root package accordingly. 

Steps to root Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500/I9505 on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean

Step-1: Download CF-Auto-Root file for Galaxy S4 to computer

Download links

For GT-I9500- CF-Auto-Root-ja3g-ja3gxx-gti9500.zip   

For GT-I9505- CF-Auto-Root-jflte-jfltexx-gti9505.zip

Step-2: Extract the downloaded root zip using Winzip, 7zip, winrar or any other extracting tool to get a file with .tar.md5 extension  

CF-Auto-Root-ja3g-ja3gxx-gti9500.tar.md5    

CF-Auto-Root-jflte-jfltexx-gti9505.tar.md5  

Step-3: Download Odin3_v3.07. Extract the Odin zip to get Odin3 v3.07.exe file

Step-4: Switch off Galaxy S4 and wait for five to six seconds for vibration to confirm complete power off

Step-5: Place the phone in Download Mode by pressing and holding Volume Down, Home andPower buttons together until the construction Android robot icon with a warning triangle appears on the phone's screen. Then press the Volume Up button to enter Download Mode

Step-6: Run Odin3 v3.07.exe as Administrator   

Step-7: Connect the phone to the computer using USB cable while it is in Download Mode. Wait for some time until Odin detects the device. When the phone is connected successfully, anAdded message will appear under Odin message box. Additionally, the ID: COM box in Odin will turn blue with the COM port number indicating successful connection  

Note: If the Added message does not appear, then try another USB port, try the one located at the back side of the computer. In case Odin still fails to recognise the device then reinstall USB driver.   

Step-8: In Odin, click the PDA button and select CF-Auto-Root-ja3g-ja3gxx-gti9500.tar.md5 orCF-Auto-Root-jflte-jfltexx-gti9505.tar.md5 file according to the variants

Step-9: Ensure Auto-Reboot and F.Reset Time checkboxes are selected in Odin

Step-10: Click the Start button in Odin. The installation process should begin now and would take few minutes to complete

Step-11: When the installation process is completed, the phone will restart and soon a PASS message with a green background in the extreme left box at the very top of Odin. Once the home screen appears, unplug the USB cable from the phone to disconnect it from computer

Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500/I9505 running Android 4.3 should now be rooted successfully. You can now install any app that requires root permission. To verify the root method is installed and working properly, install Root Checker app from Google Play Sore.   

Troubleshoot issues

Sometimes the device does not boot into Recovery Mode and root the device. If this happens, then perform the entire procedure again. If it still does not install root, ensure Auto Reboot checkbox in Odin is not checked. Then after flashing the root package, pull out the battery and boot the phone into Recovery mode by selecting Volume Up, Home andPower buttons together. This will start the install process.