Reviving my "old" tablet was easier this time

A few days ago, I got tired of waiting for my tablet. I've had it for several years, and it was starting to show: apps took a while to open, and sometimes even Netflix or Twitch took ages to start playing. I was still blaming my internet connection. When a stream won't start, that's the obvious suspect.

Before replacing it, I wanted to see whether I could get a little more life out of it. It's a Galaxy Tab S7 FE, and it still seemed capable enough for what I use it for. In theory, anyway. In practice, it required patience.

I'd already tried installing a different ROM once. That time, I did everything manually: finding files, reading instructions, trying things, searching again with different keywords. A vbmeta error stopped me from booting into recovery. After several hours of getting nowhere, I reinstalled the stock firmware and left it at that.

This time, I felt like trying again, with something else available: a ChatGPT Work agent that could research the process and run commands on my computer. I handed that part over. If it worked, great. If it didn't, I'd go back to the stock firmware, just like last time.

The agent tracked down and downloaded what we needed: Odin, an unofficial LineageOS build for my tablet model, drivers, ADB, and the Google packages. I stepped in whenever we reached something it couldn't do on its own yet.

Once everything was ready, I connected the tablet to the PC, opened Odin, and loaded the file it pointed me to. I applied the settings it asked for and clicked Start. The recovery flashed, and then I used the button combination to reboot and try to enter it.

There was the vbmeta error again.

The very same one that had made me give up the first time. For a moment, it looked like we'd just found a faster way to get stuck in exactly the same place.

I sent the agent a photo of the screen. It went back to researching and, a few minutes later, wrote and ran a Python script. According to its explanation, the issue involved the signature of the recovery's vbmeta image. It used the stock firmware and a Magisk-related extraction and repacking method to prepare another file for us to try.

That was the part that surprised me most. On my first attempt, I'd spent hours searching for a way past this error and hadn't found that approach. Now I was watching it prepare the file while I waited to flash it again.

I repeated the Odin step, rebooted the tablet, and this time the LineageOS recovery screen appeared.

Finally.

I told the agent we were in, and it started running the ADB commands to install LineageOS and GApps, the packages for Google's apps and services. Once it finished, it rebooted the tablet and reported that the installation was complete.

I still wanted to see it boot. The LineageOS animation appeared, followed by Android's welcome screen. I could sign in to my Google account and start setting everything up.

After installing my usual apps and trying a few things, the difference was immediately noticeable. The tablet felt like it did when I first bought it, maybe better, and it was now running Android 16. I didn't time anything or run benchmarks. Opening an app simply stopped feeling like I was asking it for a favor.

I also started plugging things in. Bluetooth worked with my FiiO BTR7, automatic brightness responded, and the S Pen detected the tip hovering above the screen. I connected a USB drive, then a hub with a monitor and keyboard. All of that worked. The S Pen's side button remained an open question: I wasn't sure whether the system or the app I was testing was responsible for it not responding.

A couple of things were missing. Some streaming apps had installation or playback issues that seemed related to DRM checks; Netflix did play video. This is an unofficial port, so I don't expect every app to behave exactly as it did on Samsung's software. I haven't confirmed the precise cause of each rejection.

Some One UI features were gone too, including Second screen, which let me use the tablet as an extra display in Windows. When I remembered it, my reaction was basically: oh, right, it had that too. I'd only used it a couple of times, so it wasn't a huge loss.

In the end, I had surprisingly little to do considering everything involved. Connect the cable, use Odin, press buttons, send a photo when something failed, and set up Android afterward. The agent handled the research, downloads, script, and commands along the way.

I just wanted to see whether I could keep my tablet going before buying another one. Now I have a tablet that feels new again, and that purchase can wait.