Root Samsung Tab 2 10.1" GT-P5110 Android 4.2.2

Recently I managed to root my Samsung Tab 10.1" using the instructions from xda-developers CF-Auto Root thread and this blogger. Unfortunately I had to use Windows as Odin is not available for Linux.

1. I installed Odin from the CF-Auto Root thread and Samsung USB drivers from the Samsung website.

2. Enable USB Debugging in Settings > Developer options

Here you may notice that there is no "Developer options" in Settings. This option has become hidden in Android 4.2. In order to make it visible, do the following:

i. Got to Settings > About device

ii. Tap on the Build number multiple times until you see a message that you are now a developer or something like that. (I can't remember the exact words)

3. Download CF-Auto Root from the XDA forum thread (CF-Auto-Root-espresso10wifi-espresso10wifixx-gtp5110.zip) and unzip the file.

4. Run Odin as administrator.

5. Switch off the Galaxy Tab and boot into Download Mode. Now, this is where the instructions did not work for me. Almost all the websites I've searched for instructed to press "Volume Down and Power" to boot into Download Mode. It didn't work for me and it took me ages to realise a very simple thing. On my device:

To boot into Download Mode: Press VOLUME UP and Power. And I see this:

Then I press Volume down as per the instruction to Continue and I see this:

To boot into Recovery Mode: Press VOLUME DOWN and Power and I get this:

I hope that clears up the matter for anyone who is having problems booting into Download Mode. Back to the rooting instructions:

6.  Connect the tab to the computer and in my case the ID:COM box turned yellow.

7. Click on PDA and select the CF-Auto-Root-espresso10wifi-espresso10wifixx-gtp5110.tar.md5 file.

8. Make sure that Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time is checked and Re-Partition is NOT checked.

9. Click Start. Once the installation is finished, the device will restart and we're done. :)

Whatsapp on Tab 2 7.0 Wifi (Helium method)

The previous method which I posted last year regarding the installation of Whatsapp is no longer working. There is another method which works using the app Helium. I do not take credit for the instructions. Someone smart on the net discovered it and all credit goes to him or her. I first saw the instructions on the xda-developers forum and this is the link.

I used this method to install Whatsapp on the tablet which is linked to a different telephone number from my smartphone.

1. Install Whatsapp on smartphone through Play Store. SMS verification does not work here as I keyed in a different number (the one that I want to use on the tablet) from the one on my smartphone. Instead I needed to do a call verification. So they rang me up on the other phone and gave me the verification code.

2. Once Whatsapp is up and running, backup the app with Helium (previously known as Carbon). Once the backup is completed, there should be a folder on the smartphone called carbon/com.whatsapp

3. Install Helium on the tablet. Backup up any app on the tablet. This is so that the carbon folder will be created on the tablet.

4. Download Whatsapp from the original website (NOT Play Store) and install it on the tablet. Do not open Whatsapp first.

5. Copy the com.whatsapp folder from the smartphone to the carbon folder on the tablet.

6. Open Helium on the tablet. Restore Whatsapp on the tablet and there you go - Whatsapp is up and running.

Note:
1. Version of Whatsapp installed is 2.10.772
2. This method does work on unrooted phones or tablets. The only difference between rooted and unrooted is that you have to install Helium on your PC as well if your device is not rooted. Follow the instructions on the Helium webiste.

Update 08 Sept 2013
Updated Whatsapp to version 2.11.59. Still working.

Whatsapp on Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Wifi Only (Appguard method - now defunct)

Update 16 July 2013

This method does not work anymore. Here's the link to another method to install the app. 

I managed to install Whatsapp on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Wi-fi only using instructions from this page. One or two things from the instructions didn't work for me. So, the following was what I did:

1. Install SRT AppGuard. This is a German app, but for those who do not read German, do not worry. The app itself, other than the license agreement, is in English.

2. Download Whatsapp.apk (2.8.7286) file from Whatsapp official site. The instruction from the Nexus tablet forum advised to have the file downloaded from Play Store using Chrome extension APK Downloader. However the extension did not work for me. Therefore I just downloaded and installed the apk from the official site.

3. Run SRT AppGuard after installation of Whatsapp to secure the app.

4. Change Whatsapp permission through AppGuard by unticking "Phone calls - read phone status and identity".

5. Run Whatsapp. Here I failed to get verification by both the SMS and voice call methods. The workaround was to install Bluestacks on a PC, and then install Whatsapp on the PC through Bluestacks. So, I got the verification code through the Whatsapp on PC and keyed the code into the tab.

6. Back to the Whatsapp on the tab. After the error message regarding failed voice validation pops up, tap on the last icon at the bottom of the screen that looks like three vertical dots/lines. (The red arrow in the picture below) That will bring up the window to enter the verification code. After that, you're good to go. :)

NB: It rankles me that in the end I still needed a Windows PC to get Whatsapp working because Bluestacks is not availabe for Linux!

EDIT:

1. Added the version of Whatsapp which I initially installed.

2. Added a picture of where to find the three vertical dots which you have to tap to bring up the window to enter the verification code.

3. Latest update - 03 February 2013 - I received a message from Whatsapp service to inform me that my current version has expired and I needed to install the latest version. Downloading from Google Play did not work of course. What I did:

a. Uninstall current version from the tab.
b. Downloaded the latest apk (2.9.1587) from Whatsapp website.
c. Installed it as normal.
d. This time I didn't need a 6 digit activation code. I only needed to enter my phone number (which has already been registered during the first time installation) and it was working again.

Galaxy S2 ICS USSD Codes

Some codes which I found useful:

1. *#1234* : View firmware version

2.  *#*#4636#*#* : Shows phone and battery information, usage statistic and Wi-Fi information

3. *#7353# : Quick test

4. *#0228# : Battery status

The code  *#7284# which I mentioned in the previous post no longer works after the upgrade to ICS.

Upgrade Galaxy S2 to ICS

Today I finally upgraded my Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100G from Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich platform. The first thing that rankles me is the fact that I had to use MS Windows to upgrade the firmware due to the fact that Kies cannot be run under Linux! Anyway, here are a few issues that I encountered during the upgrade:

1. Kies could not recognise the phone. This was solved by keying in the dialer *#7284# > USB > select PDA. (If PDA has already been selected, then select MODEM and then PDA again.)

2. During the installation of the firmware, progress bar suddenly became 0%, Kies complained that the phone is disconnected. However there was the warning message "Do not disconnect target" displayed on the phone. All was well again after rebooting the phone and rerunning the firmware upgrade. Weird.

But it was an interesting process. I learned a few dialer codes and some shortcut buttons which I will detail in the next post.