AndroidGood and EVOHacks

How to get Google Wallet up and running on your rooted HTC EVO 4G LTE (maybe)

google wallet logo1 - for some reason we don't have an alt tag here

If you’re like me, and you’ve been having trouble getting Google Wallet working properly on your HTC EVO 4G LTE, it seems that some individuals have discovered a possible workaround. This method does require root and a willingness to edit a system file, but some people are having success.

Basically, this method involves tricking Google Wallet into thinking that your device is a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, since Google has apparently shut off all Google Wallet activations on the EVO 4G LTE until further notice. (I’m still not sure why Google is doing this, since Google Wallet worked perfectly on my EVO 4G LTE review unit.)

Here are the steps you’ll need to take:

  1. Reset Google Wallet: first, select Reset Google Wallet in the Google Wallet settings. Then, go to your Android app settings (Settings > Apps > All > Wallet), and clear the cache and data.
  2. Using your favorite file explorer (i.e. Root Explorer or ES File Explorer), navigate to /system and select the build.prop file. Note: Before proceeding, don’t forget to either make a nandroid backup, or at the very least save a backup of your unedited build.prop file!
  3. Find these lines:
    ro.product.model=
    ro.product.device=
    And change the values in each to: GT-I9300
  4. Reboot your phone and try to activate Google Wallet again, including the Google prepaid card.

If you have followed these steps and are still having trouble, try uninstalling all Google Wallet updates, and then reinstall Google Wallet through Google Play. Of course, this is definitely a case of YMMV. Some people are reporting issues with initializing Google Wallet after taking these steps, and others are reporting no change at all. Still more are reporting that this has worked for them.

Even though I’m rooted, I personally don’t want to risk doing anything that might break the secure element in my phone, so I’m waiting for Google’s official fix to come, hopefully sometime soon. But if you’re brave enough to give this a try, let us know how it works for you!

[xda-developers]
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John F

John was the editor-in-chief at Pocketables. His articles generally focus on all things Google, including Chrome and Android, although his love of new gadgets and technology doesn't stop there. His current arsenal includes the Nexus 6 by Motorola, the 2013 Nexus 7 by ASUS, the Nexus 9 by HTC, the LG G Watch, and the Chromebook Pixel, among others.

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