Last June the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition, a version of the famous smartphone from the South Korean company in which you can enjoy the experience of using a Android practically 'clean' and free of the usual customizations of the different manufacturers or operators. That option will most likely interest you but of course, you had previously bought the Samsung Galaxy S4, you are happy with it and you don't have much desire to undo you of your savings by buying the same device again, right? Well, today we offer you the possibility to customize your terminal to make it almost identical to a Google Edition, without the risks of rooting and the like.
Before getting into the subject, we want to make it clear that this is a mainly aesthetic customization and that you will not be able to enjoy a Google Edition Properly said. In the same way, this small guide is only intended to help those users who, either due to lack of knowledge or not wanting to risk taking actions that could put their smartphone at risk, prefer not to go into rooting, bootloader unlocking , recoverys and the like.
Let's do it
Our first step is optional and only aims to emulate as much as possible the slightly dim appearance of the IPS screen of a Nexus 4, for which we will begin by entering the menu and follow the route Settings / Screen / Screen Mode and select the option 'Natural' that will allow us reduce excess saturation and, by the way, save some battery. If you want to further adjust the color profile, check the Display options. Color balance or 'Adapt Display' and disable automatic highlighting.
For an added touch of visual consistency with stock Android, disable excessive animations in Settings/Accessibility or Developer Options (if you have them enabled) by lowering the window, transition, and animator animation scale to 0,5x. The result is a feeling of fluidity closer to pure Android.
Lockscreen and wallpapers
We now turn to our main task, which is none other than to get rid as much as possible of TouchWiz and give our Samsung Galaxy S4 the look of a Google Edition. To do this we will start by changing the unlock screen of the terminal, making us with the Android Jellybean lockscreen Holo. We will find it in Google Play in the form of an application called Holo Locker, with which we can select which applications we can open from the unlocking ring.
This step must be combined with the mandatory change of wallpaper. To do this, we will also download from the online store of Google the Android Stock Wallpapers application that, as you may have deduced, will provide us with a collection of wallpapers so that our smartphone can get one more step in emulating a Google Edition. In order for the similarity to be as similar as possible, we recommend that you select the option number five, within the wallpapers of the Nexus 4 – remember to change the lockscreen wallpaper too –. If the app isn't available, search for “Nexus stock funds” on Google Play or use the launcher’s wallpaper picker to choose geometric-style wallpapers and cool tones characteristic of pure Android.
Framing Tip: Stock Android wallpapers are typically designed for resolutions 1080 x 1920. Adjust the cropping to avoid excessive zoom and maintain the effect of parallax disabled for a faithful appearance.
Launcher and icons
We now turn to what is possibly the most important change in our operation: banishing the launcher from Samsung and get one as similar as possible to that of Android stock - if the changes do not convince you, remember that they can all be reversed and you can get your loved one back TouchWiz –.
We return to Google Play and we download Nova Launcher – another option is Apex Launcher – and when prompted, we will select it as the default launcher. Both options have multiple configuration possibilities to fine-tune and tweak their settings, maintaining at all times the original appearance and its surprising resemblance to the launcher. Android. As for the icons, we can get a pack with the appearance of Jelly Bean stock from the launcher menu itself.
To nail the look Google: set 5 × 4 grid, icon size at 115%, disable the scroll indicator, use the persistent search bar with Material style and a app drawer with a white background and vertical scrolling. Nova adds the "swipe up" gesture to open the drawer and "swipe down" for notifications, just like stock Android.
Google keyboard
The next step in our customization is to get the original keyboard of Google’s most emblematic landmarks, the Google Keyboard whose last update we informed you a few weeks ago. We download it from the Mountain View online store and install it by selecting it as the default keyboard. In this way, we will say goodbye to the keyboard of Samsung.
To get the most out of it, go to Keyboard Settings and activate gesture writing, voice dictation, row of numbers and add the languages you use with quick switching from the space bar. If you need emojis and GIFs, enable built-in search.
Get rid of some pre-installed apps
As a final culmination of our sheet metal and paint operation in our Samsung Galaxy S4, we will dedicate ourselves to getting rid of part of those applications installed by the South Korean company on our smartphone and that, not only have we not asked them, but most of the time we do not use them.
To get rid of this once and for all bloatware, we will access the system settings menu and, through the application manager, we will deactivate and uninstall each of the applications installed by Samsung and that are not in a stock version of Android – In some cases you may also need to uninstall updates for the application in question, and above all, do this with extreme care if you don't want to uninstall something you might regret later –. If your S4 includes the Samsung theme store, you can also download themes, icons and backgrounds without resorting to ad-supported apps, as some users recommend, thus avoiding slowdowns and intrusive ads.
Extra tweaks without root with System UI Tuner and Shizuku
If you want to go a step further without root, the app System UI Tuner allows to apply system tweaks using ADB permissions. The easiest way nowadays is to combine it with Shizuku to grant permissions with one tap. You'll need to enable USB Debugging and accept the initial permissions. Important: The developer warns that some settings may cause failures temporary (e.g., black screen). Use it wisely and know how to revert changes.
- Applications: enable resizable windows or change the installation location by default if you use microSD.
- Audio and sound: deactivate the high volume warning with headphones, remove the loading sound or customize system sounds with your own files.
- Developer: prevents ADB disconnects due to inactivity if you make adjustments frequently.
- Display: adjust the secure lock time after turning off the screen, configure rotation advanced or set the porcentaje which activates battery saving. Avoid touching the night mode if you don't know how to reverse it, because it can leave the screen black.
- Net: try to get around tethering restrictions of some operators (depending on the region) and defines exactly which radios the airplane mode (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, data).
- Interactions: decide what icons displayed in the status bar (seconds on clock, battery percentage) and add the Do not disturb button on the volume control.
- System: Set when you want Android to notify you about little space available.
- UI and gestures: active gestures To open the camera, hold the screen on when charging or adjust the animation scale global.
- Advanced: exposes system variables for expert users. You can force to see all tweaks hidden, although some they won't work in certain layers such as EMUI or ColorOS.
Remember that this adjustment layer does not replace the “Google Edition” look, but it does give you granular control over zooming. stock Android behaviors without modifying the system.
Optional for experts: Google Edition ROM for GT-I9505 (rooted)
The original Google Edition experience was based on a clean build of Android for the Galaxy S4If you are an advanced user, there is the possibility of installing a ROM Google Edition in the model GT-I9505. This process requires root, custom recovery, and it carries risks. We don't recommend it if your goal is to avoid complications; we include it for informational purposes in case you're looking for an even more faithful experience.
- Requirements and backups: Windows PC, reliable USB cable (rear ports are best), fully charged battery. Back up your data and EFS folder (contains the IMEI) with a rooted browser. Check your model in Settings > About phone: it should be GT-I9505.
- Root with Odin: Install drivers or Samsung Kies (close it after installing). Open Odin as administrator and brand only Auto Reboot y F. Reset Time. Go into Download Mode (Vol. down + Home + Power, then Vol. up). Connect the phone and flash the firmware package. C for your model in the PDA/AP field. If Odin fails (FAILED), change USB ports, reboot and try again.
- Install a custom recovery: flash via Odin a Clockwork Mod Recovery o Philz Touch in .tar format. When finished, reboot into Recovery Mode (Vol. up + Home + Power) to check that it charges.
- Nandroid Backup and Wipe: from the recovery perform a full backup of the system. Then, run Wipe data / factory reset, Wipe cache y Wipe Dalvik cache to avoid conflicts.
- Flashing Google Edition ROM: copy to the internal SD Google Edition ROM ZIP for I9505 and, if applicable, the package CleanUp.zip. In recovery, install the ROM first and then the CleanUp to remove traces from the previous installation. The first load may take longer than usual.
- Post-tweakment and solutions: If LTE doesn't work, use the app PhoneINFO to check bands. For gestures like Air Gesture, apps like Hovering Controls can help. If you notice consumption or lag, Greenify usually improves autonomy. For the launcher, Nova offers better compatibility than some alternatives in certain builds.
Important: Flashing custom ROMs can void warranties and carries a risk of soft-brick. Keep official tools handy in case you need to restore factory firmware with Odin.
We present it to you as a possibility, and it was already mentioned that Google Edition was sold through Google Play with the bootloader unlocked and no trace of TouchWiz, receiving faster updatesThe above guide reproduces, at a technical level, the steps the community shared at the time for the compatible model.
Your Galaxy S4 can look and behave much closer to a Google Edition without touching the system. And if you also try the advanced settings without root or, ultimately, with the ROM for the appropriate model, you'll be able to fine-tune every detail. The best part is that every change without root is reversible, so you can experiment until you find the perfect balance between stock aesthetics and performance.
