Are steps necessary before installing /e/ in order to be able to revert back to Android?

Hello

I have never owned a smartphone before, but I’ve just bought a refurbished Samsung Galaxy S9, so that I can use easy-installer with it to install the / e / OS.

I use Linux Mint on my PC, onto which I have already installed the easy-installer, and I did sample that with my new phone yesterday, and it appeared to work, before I aborted (just after I pressed something I didn’t even see and the phone installed/updated Android 10 without my asking it to. I think this happens when using the easy-installer?).

I have a few questions, if anyone would be so kind as to reply:

  1. I believe the phone I bought is the correct one for easy-installer, but if it is not, will the easy-installer just tell me that, and the process cease to continue, without harming the phone or taking off Android?

  2. The company I bought the phone from includes a 12 month warranty, but not if I change the software on it. I have read a few posts here and it seems that I could revert to Android if needs be, although it sounds a bit treacherous to carry out (for someone as clueless as I am anyway). But if I did want to change it back to Android, then do I need to do anything BEFORE I install the / e / OS? This is something I am not clear about when I reading posts here on this subject. The instructions appear to be for saving personal data only before installation of / e /, but I don’t see any mention of there being a need to do anything otherwise beforehand, unless I have misunderstood something – which is very possible! (I don’t have any personal data on my phone yet, as I’ve only just received it).

Thank you very much!

Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/ the unGoogled mobile OS and online servicesphone

Hi @buzzears this is the info page for Samsung Galaxy S9 https://doc.e.foundation/devices/starlte, the supported models are listed at the foot of the page. To avoid surprises you can boot the phone into Recovery mode [1], and you should also see the devicecode starlte in fairly small writing.

As you may not be certain of the device history you could boot the phone into Download mode [1], take a photo of the screen and post it here, we can tell you if it gives any negative clues!

The Easy Installer should leave the phone untouched if it were “wrong” in some way, but best to read, ask and prepare!

With the thought of an escape route to regular OEM Android, you can search for a Factory ROM [1], and read about how to flash the device back to that. Be aware that if you do flash a Custom ROM, then revert it to “Original” Samsung, a trace will remain on the phone, arguably spoiling your chance to return it according to those terms!

[1] Know your hardware - Samsung

You will find Easy Installer installs Andoid 8 Oreo on an S9… [LIST] Devices working with the Easy Installer

Good luck

Getting Started on /e/OS

Hello aibd

Thanks for your reply. I can see starlte mentioned in Recovery Mode, yes: Samsung/starltexx/starlte

I’ve attached my download screen

Thank you for looking at this for me.

Good to know about the trace. At least I didn’t pay lots for this phone, so I can take the risk.

If I do revert back to android after trying out /e/, then does it stay at android 8, and not go back to 10?

As a smartphone newbie, I wonder how to discern between what is the actual handset, and what is the OS? All these vibrating buttons, for one example? I wonder if /e/ OS is lighter on the battery? Please only respond to these questions if you wish to - the main purpose here is for me to know about preparing for /e/ OS and reverting to android.

Thank you very much.

That looks all good
SM-G960F
Current Binary: Samsung Official
KG State: Checking - that is ok.
FRP: OFF
OEM LOCK: ON
Warranty Void = 0 (it has not had a Custom ROM in the past)
I see no negatives there.

With a Factory ROM you cannot downgrade, Easy Installer does have that job to do. It is a leap of faith that it will work

If you really want to install a Factory ROM afterwards you would probably choose Android 10. That should “just work”.

Once /e/ is installed hopefully you will find a lot of things intuitive. /e/ OS will probably be lighter on the battery as it does not keep phoning home! All of the Samsung hardware support will still exist in the lower (unseen) “hardware layer”. The /e/ Android Open Source Project based system will occupy all the space previously used by the Samsung/Android system which is fully deleted.

Thank you, aibd.

“It is a leap of faith that it will work”, is making me hesitate a bit. Could I sneak in another question here, and ask if it is possible to buy one of these phones on ebay that are going cheap because the user cannot access his phone, for example, when he has forgotten his log-on details?

And what about those phones that are locked to a particular network? Can all of these sorts of things be cleared via the Recovery mode or by just going straight into downloading the /e/ OS?

Even if I do try installing /e/ on this phone I already have, it would be useful to know about using a cheap, locked phone as I could give that to my clumsy dad after installing /e/ on that too.

Also - just noticed that where all the phones that are supported on the /e/foundation website, my phone is listed as dual sim, but the phone I have is single sim. Does this have any bearing?

Thank you so much.

I am probably being over cautious! hope someone will jump in and contradict me, or say “it worked for me”

When you read all the posts in [LIST] Devices working with the Easy Installer, linked above you will have the same amount of insight as me!

If you were thinking of just using your valuable S9 for a couple of weeks, you could look for a “junk shop phone”. Doing a manual install on that will put you in a much stronger position ( if I have read your intent correctly). Locked phones can sometimes be permanent. If you identified a generally low value supported device, you could probably fairly reliably work out its pitfalls. Sometimes a cracked screen runs fine but lowers value.

Passing on an /e/ phone to your Dad sounds an excellent idea!

I think the designation for dual sim on that device is SM-G960F/DS.

Do please read through the manual install instructions for yourself. Lots of warnings and prerequisites, but once you deal with those in your mind, the process is not too bad, imho - and you will have Android 10. If you tire of /e/ stable, Oreo, Android 8, it is more of a lark to upgrade than just going for the dev " q" version 10 first off.

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OK, great. I have some reading to do and some decisions to make. Very many thanks for your help, aibd. I’ll let you know how I get on!

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