How to Install Google Wallet on ANY Rooted Android Smartphone or Tablet!

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For those of you with one of the latest Android smartphones/tablets that have NFC but cannot use Google Wallet (such as any AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon phones), here’s how to install Google Wallet.

Why do you need Google Wallet?

Google Wallet is an NFC-enabled credit card payment system for those of you who don’t know.  Many credit card systems around the world now support NFC-enabled credit cards and Google Wallet, meaning you don’t have to carry your credit cards anymore, just your smartphone.  It’s a great way to pay for things, and much faster than swiping your credit card.

Before we begin, you will need the following things:

1. A smartphone or tablet with NFC. (Such as Galaxy S3, Note 2, Note 10.1, One X, etc…etc…)
2. Rooted with an AOSP custom ROM installed such as CM10, CM10.1, AOKP, LiquidSmooth ROM, etc…etc… Will not work on TouchWiz, Sense, non-AOSP ROMs (without additional hack but that’s outside scope of this tutorial).
3. Make sure you’ve signed into Google Wallet at least once either on your phone or computer. (If you are outside the U.S., you might have to use VPN on your computer and signed into Google Wallet at least once.) If you’ve never signed into Google Wallet, it might give you “hanging” problems while setting it up. Sign up at http://www.google.com/wallet/

If you have a rooted Android or tablet with an AOSP ROM installed, you are ready to begin!

Step 1. If you are outside the U.S., you will first have to enable U.S. Play Store.  If you are in the U.S., skip this step.

Step 2. Next, we will need to “trick” the Play Store into thinking we have a Nexus device such as Galaxy Nexus, which Google Wallet works on.

Before we do anything, let’s make a backup of our build.prop file, so you can restore your original build.prop file later if needed.

Also, MAKE A BACKUP ROM before preceding as this can potentially put you in soft-brick so you can easily recover your phone.

Download ES File Explorer app from the Play Store.

Step 2. Enable “Root Explorer”, “Up to Root”, and “Mount File System” in ES File Explorer settings.

Step 3. Go to /system directory, copy the build.prop file.

Step 4. Paste it somewhere safe such as your sdcard directory in /sdcard.  If you ever need to switch your device back from Galaxy Nexus, you can copy this backup file back into /system directory.

Step 5. Install Build Prop Editor app from the Play Store.

Step 6. Open Build Prop Editor app then set ro.product.device to “maguro”.

Step 7. Next set ro.product.model to “Galaxy Nexus”.

Step 8. Next, set ro.product.name to “yakju”.

Step 9. Next, download and install Market Access apk file.  Then open the app, set Custom SIM numeric to “310120”, which is the SIM numeric for Sprint.  Since Sprint Android devices support Google Wallet out of the box, we will be able to download Google Wallet and also enable it on our Android device.

Step 10. If you are outside the U.S., make sure to turn your VPN or SSH Tunnel at this point.  If you are in the U.S. you can skip this step.

Step 11. Next we will need to reset Play Store so it will reset and recognize our phone as a Sprint Galaxy Nexus.  Go to Settings->Apps or Settings->Application Manager, then “Clear data” and “Force stop”.

Step 12. Open Google Play Store and you should see a pop-up window welcoming you.

Step 13. You should now be able to see Google Wallet, congratulations!  Install it and enjoy!

Now, every time you reboot, you will need to make sure Market Access app is turned on to Sprint. (or you can set it on boot, set “Emulate on boot” checked ON in Market Access app to do this automatically)

This tutorial should work on 99% of Android smartphones or tablets out there.  There’s also easier ways to enable Google Wallet but I made this tutorial so you can apply it to any Android device universally.  I hope this has helped you get Google Wallet and enjoy the future.

Don’t forget to share this with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

Q&A
Q: My camera/video playback is broken!
A: This is caused by changing the build.prop values, just restore your original build.prop back. Whenever you need to use Google Wallet, you just need to switch your build.prop to Galaxy Nexus. Unfortunately, this is a hassle but you can still get Wallet to work.

Q: Can I copy build.prop back and will Google Wallet still work?
A: It may work for a bit but will not work for the long run.

My Tested Phones:

Galaxy S3 – Works perfect, no need to restore original Build.prop back.

Galaxy Note 2 – Works well but you need to restore Build.prop back to use Camera, video playback.

Testing more…

Have a question?

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Max Lee

Max Lee is the founder of HighOnAndroid.com. Max makes Android tutorials and review videos for people who want to get high on Android over at his YouTube channel and Korean YouTube channel.