I have recently purchased a used Nexus 6 and I have just noticed that my phone may be compromised. It took a while to set up the phone as i wasn't getting the original account info to complete the setup, but now that I have run the setup, and set up a 'group' on the home screen that I labelled 'Entertainment' which holds a couple games. I see now, that the label has been changed to 'D's Sacs Was DQ'. Why would this happen and or what can be done to secure my phone? Please help!
Thank you
FK
fkoulbot said:
I have recently purchased a used Nexus 6 and I have just noticed that my phone may be compromised. It took a while to set up the phone as i wasn't getting the original account info to complete the setup, but now that I have run the setup, and set up a 'group' on the home screen that I labelled 'Entertainment' which holds a couple games. I see now, that the label has been changed to 'D's Sacs Was DQ'. Why would this happen and or what can be done to secure my phone? Please help!
Thank you
FK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LMAO! Really?! Did you factory wipe it? Is it stock or boot loader unlocked? Is it rooted?
fkoulbot said:
I have recently purchased a used Nexus 6 and I have just noticed that my phone may be compromised. It took a while to set up the phone as i wasn't getting the original account info to complete the setup, but now that I have run the setup, and set up a 'group' on the home screen that I labelled 'Entertainment' which holds a couple games. I see now, that the label has been changed to 'D's Sacs Was DQ'. Why would this happen and or what can be done to secure my phone? Please help!
Thank you
FK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash userdata.img and erase and flash cache.img in fastboot (if you have a unlocked bootloader) and after that data factory reset in recovery and reboot. That all you can you do.
Flashing it to ensure it was wiped of anything on it prior to use, since it was used, should have been the first thing done to it (ensuring ti wasn't locked to an account or you would have issues afterwards).
gee2012 said:
Flash userdata.img and erase and flash cache.img in fastboot (if you have a unlocked bootloader) and after that data factory reset in recovery and reboot. That all you can you do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do i know if I have an unlocked bootloader? I'm worried if i do a factory reset I'd be locked out if their account is still considered the original.
fkoulbot said:
How do i know if I have an unlocked bootloader? I'm worried if i do a factory reset I'd be locked out if their account is still considered the original.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To get in booltoader/fastboot mode:
1. with adb, type in cmd: adb reboot bootloader
2. Manualy: power down the phone and press both volume up and down + power.
RW-1 said:
Flashing it to ensure it was wiped of anything on it prior to use, since it was used, should have been the first thing done to it (ensuring ti wasn't locked to an account or you would have issues afterwards).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was an issue when I began. I needed their account info to log in during setup but then was able to add my info.
fkoulbot said:
That was an issue when I began. I needed their account info to log in during setup but then was able to add my info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try logging in and boot the phone with the original account, delete the account and then perform a data factory reset in recovery. Then boot up with your account and that should do it usualy.
fkoulbot said:
How do i know if I have an unlocked bootloader? I'm worried if i do a factory reset I'd be locked out if their account is still considered the original.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or even easier... do you see a little icon of an unlocked lock at the bottom of the screen when you boot your phone?
Or, something much less nefarious...
I would think that it could be possible you may have placed the phone in a pocket with the home screen showing (or some similar action) and the folder got renamed with random presses that also triggered random words through autocomplete. Been there, done that.
It was me.. I hacked you.. But once I was in, I couldn't think of anything to do, so I renamed a folder. Was gonna key log your bank details but this was way better
I hack phones and change events in the calendar app. Because I like confusion and making people late.
Using Odin files to update a Samsung AT&T model will almost always result in a factory reset being performed, and I've also seen the same thing happen when trying to update via OTA zip in Recovery. I'm providing this package for anyone still using the S5, to be able to update software without needing to do a factory reset. I have personally verified that these files will perform the update without wiping any data. These files will update you to the Build/Baseband ending in QD1, Android 6.0.
My zips are compressed extra small for space and bandwidth savings. The default Windows extractor can't handle it, so you'll need a 3rd party tool like 7zip, WinRAR, etc.
Happy flashing!
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=1899786940962576350
Worked great..Thanks! But....
You are theman for this! I have a 900A AT&T and have struggled for days to get it unlocked, upgraded and working without tripping the secure software alert. I started with a 4.X maintenance OS, then rooted, SafeStrapped then pushed this update via ODIN and it worked. Now, the only issue i am having is apps crashing continuously. Started with google play and play services now spreading. I ASSUME this is due to apps not getting updated in the update to 6.X. Correct me if I am wrong. I have updated those via APKs along with others to new versions yet it still happens. Now its also Chrome, File manager etc. Is this maybe a code bug, or am I missing something here? Thanks again
3rdRockfromSun said:
You are theman for this! I have a 900A AT&T and have struggled for days to get it unlocked, upgraded and working without tripping the secure software alert. I started with a 4.X maintenance OS, then rooted, SafeStrapped then pushed this update via ODIN and it worked. Now, the only issue i am having is apps crashing continuously. Started with google play and play services now spreading. I ASSUME this is due to apps not getting updated in the update to 6.X. Correct me if I am wrong. I have updated those via APKs along with others to new versions yet it still happens. Now its also Chrome, File manager etc. Is this maybe a code bug, or am I missing something here? Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea. Can't really diagnose app crashes - too many possibilities.
Also: hopefully you're now aware that you're not rooted any longer and (probably) can't ever root it again
iBowToAndroid said:
No idea. Can't really diagnose app crashes - too many possibilities.
Also: hopefully you're now aware that you're not rooted any longer and (probably) can't ever root it again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I saw that, but thats ok. My biggest objective is to get it unlocked from AT&T so I can use it (this whole venture has just turned into a learning/fun toy to play with now) on my carrier. That is yet TBD. Any thoughts on that?
3rdRockfromSun said:
Yeah I saw that, but thats ok. My biggest objective is to get it unlocked from AT&T so I can use it (this whole venture has just turned into a learning/fun toy to play with now) on my carrier. That is yet TBD. Any thoughts on that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/
Thanks in advance for any help, short version at top, details below.
-- Short version:
Please help me recover my data, and phone if possible.
I need the data, esp texts and notes, for both personal (some family members have passed on) and business.
I have a new Galaxy S21 and / or PC Smart Switch ready to receive data backup if we can evacuate it from the S5.
ODIN flash seems to pass but has 'Resizing Data' fail, and phone still won't boot past AT&T logo screen.
All web searches seem to say Factory Reset is my last option, but I don't want to lose the data.
Please share ANY advice on how I can recover the data.
-- More details:
Phone = SM-G900A Samsung Galaxy S5 AT&T
Use = pristine, never rooted, modded, or unfortunately backed up
Status = will not boot, passes screen 1 'Galaxy S5', screen 2 'Samsung script', then stops on screen 3 'AT&T globe logo'
More details = Used clean for ~7 years, then on day x, saw phone automatically complete a system update (green screen, sprockets, "your phone is updating"), which was surprising as it's years after it is no longer supported by AT&T. After that update, I continued to use the phone that day, but it then rebooted automatically and stuck on the AT&T globe logo.
Attempts to fix = soft reset, battery pull, can't get into SAFE MODE, can get into and out of recovery mode, found this firmware (THANKS @iBowToAndroid), used multiple ODIN (Odin3 v3.13.3_3B_PatcheD, Odin3 v3.14.1_3B_PatcheD) to flash it (my first Android flashing experience). On flashing process, ODIN on PC shows 'PASS' and log shows "<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 1 / failed 0)", but phone shows 'Resizing Data' failed:
"
Supported API: 3
-- Installing package...
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
Verifying update package...
Installing update...
Successfully installed package.
-- Resizing Data...
Can't open dir '/data/user/0/com.sec.knox.bluetooth' (Permission denied)
E:failed the resizing-data
"
PFA screen shots
Martin2019 said:
Thanks in advance for any help, short version at top, details below.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trying the "wipe cache partition" is the only thing I can think of
iBowToAndroid said:
Trying the "wipe cache partition" is the only thing I can think of
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Short version:
THANKS for the quick reply, very much appreciate your help.
Am I really left with only a Factory Reset and then trying to use Data Recovery software to get ‘some’ data back?
I really don't want to give up on the data, so I'm still trying anything I can think of in research and repeated attempts.
More details:
I have tried the recovery mode 'Wipe cache partition' option before and after using ODIN.
I've tried doing it 'twice' per recommendation of some of the web advice I've read in trying to research this.
I've noticed that sometimes the colored highlight of the 'Reboot to bootloader' option then turns background green instead of usual blue, but I don't know why, or if that matters.
Still, the ODIN flash effort always returns the permission error, and the boot always sticks on the AT&T logo.
The string seems to indicate a 'user data' permission error?
Is there any way to debug the logic of the firmware or slog through the 'Recovery Logs' to determine and resolve the cause of the permission error?
When the problem began, I had an SD card and SIM card loaded.
I've since removed both in trying to address this, also per 'web advice'.
Any chance putting them back in helps somehow?
Any other options available via apply update from SD card or ADB?
Any way to setup the Android OS as a secondary drive to another machine to pull data out that way?
I've done similar things with Windows OS in PC environment, but I'm not seeing anyone trying that with Android.
If I am really stuck with factory reset, are there any data recovery programs I could try afterward that work with the G900A?
So far I've looked at Dr Fone, Tenorshare, EaseUS, FonePaw, and D-Back, and none seem to work with the AT&T model variant.
Maybe that's just because they don't have access to AT&T firmware available to install, but if I clear the stuck boot via FR, they then might be able to get some of my data back via drive scan - whatever data is not truly overwritten by the FR?
Martin2019 said:
Short version:
THANKS for the quick reply, very much appreciate your help.
Am I really left with only a Factory Reset and then trying to use Data Recovery software to get ‘some’ data back?
I really don't want to give up on the data, so I'm still trying anything I can think of in research and repeated attempts.
More details:
I have tried the recovery mode 'Wipe cache partition' option before and after using ODIN.
I've tried doing it 'twice' per recommendation of some of the web advice I've read in trying to research this.
I've noticed that sometimes the colored highlight of the 'Reboot to bootloader' option then turns background green instead of usual blue, but I don't know why, or if that matters.
Still, the ODIN flash effort always returns the permission error, and the boot always sticks on the AT&T logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own and run a business that performs SIM unlocking and other software-related services for mobile devices, so we see situations like yours quite a bit. And I don't know of anything else that you can do. From reports, we've heard that none of those "recovery services" actually work to recover any data, after a reset
iBowToAndroid said:
I own and run a business that performs SIM unlocking and other software-related services for mobile devices, so we see situations like yours quite a bit. And I don't know of anything else that you can do. From reports, we've heard that none of those "recovery services" actually work to recover any data, after a reset
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disappointing to hear bad news, but appreciate your effort and insight in providing it, thanks.
I've learned alot in researching it.
I just wish I'd known it before the problem, which I'm sure you also hear quite a bit.
Please let me know if you think of anything else I can try.
Martin2019 said:
Disappointing to hear bad news, but appreciate your effort and insight in providing it, thanks.
I've learned alot in researching it.
I just wish I'd known it before the problem, which I'm sure you also hear quite a bit.
Please let me know if you think of anything else I can try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can never trust a mobile device 100%, especially not one that's 7 years old. That's why anything that's that important needs to be backed up at all times
iBowToAndroid said:
You can never trust a mobile device 100%, especially not one that's 7 years old. That's why anything that's that important needs to be backed up at all times
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree, and totally on me for not having a backup.
I was just foolish enough to not know yet how easy it is to back up.
Give me 10 minutes of life again now in this phone, I use Smart Switch to backup, and I'm off to a new phone, or even FR on this one and reload.
Now where did I put my Delorean...
iBowToAndroid said:
You can never trust a mobile device 100%, especially not one that's 7 years old. That's why anything that's that important needs to be backed up at all times
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you ever tried a 'combination key' approach to get data access?
As in...
Smart Switch on PC won't connect, but ODIN does show 'Added'.
I don't understand the granular details, but hoping you might...
Could we use both Smart Switch and ODIN in some combination sequence that would allow Smart Switch to pull the data off to a Smart Switch PC backup that I could then throw onto a new phone?
When it's in Downloading (firmware flashing) mode, a modem port is used. The modem port is also there when the device is booted up in Normal mode, but that's not useful for extracting any data off of it. I don't know what Smart Switch uses, but I would assume File Transfer (MTP) and/or ADB. And those aren't fully functional until the device fully boots up.
Do you have a screen lock on the device?
iBowToAndroid said:
When it's in Downloading (firmware flashing) mode, a modem port is used. The modem port is also there when the device is booted up in Normal mode, but that's not useful for extracting any data off of it. I don't know what Smart Switch uses, but I would assume File Transfer (MTP) and/or ADB. And those aren't fully functional until the device fully boots up.
Do you have a screen lock on the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No lock on device, just swipe to go from 'lock screen' to home screen, prior to this boot problem obv.
One of the data recovery sw that I tried (EaseUS I think) did reach a screen asking me to enable USB debugging to continue, but I don't think I can do that without booting up.
I 'think' I remember that screen saying something like 'MTP device' connected, when it asked me to do that.
Any way to sneak into MTP mode from that?
Martin2019 said:
No lock on device, just swipe to go from 'lock screen' to home screen, prior to this boot problem obv.
One of the data recovery sw that I tried (EaseUS I think) did reach a screen asking me to enable USB debugging to continue, but I don't think I can do that without booting up.
I 'think' I remember that screen saying something like 'MTP device' connected, when it asked me to do that.
Any way to sneak into MTP mode from that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any 3rd party software will require ADB to be enabled. Smart Switch is the only one that *might* work just over MTP, but I'm pretty sure MTP doesn't fully load until the device is booted. Even if it did, you would likely need to allow on the popup message. Does the phone show up as a device/drive when it's plugged in while sitting on the AT&T logo?
I think you're asking "does the phone show up as a device/drive" in something like a windows file explorer, and the answer is unfortunately no, or at least not that I've found yet - I've tried several times now, and I'm still trying any combinations I can.
For now...
I can get EaseUS to show 'MTP USB device' per the pic attached in my last, but can't really get it to connect past that point, as it asks for USB Debugging, which it appears I can't do due to stuck in boot loop.
Smart Switch seems to try to connect for awhile, then says it failed to connect, so I think I'm then left with 'Samsung Smart Switch Emergency Software Recovery' (PFA).
Do you have experience using it?
Do you know if it could work to reload the firmware / OS without wiping the data?
AT&T Advanced Technical Support guy says it gives you an option to choose whether or not using it resets the phone (wipes your data), so he thinks (hopes) that would work, but he didn't sound certain at all.
I understand your point on the pop up message user prompt for File Transfer Mode. I used that mode many times in the past, so I'm hoping it might default on the phone so we wouldn't need to answer the pop up prompt to reach that status , but I'm obv not sure about that.
Per the speculation in my last, do you know of any combination approach we might use to get the desired result, like maybe... use ADB somehow to change 1 parm value to reach MTP mode, then use that progress step to enable Smart Switch to connect so we could offload the data?
Thanks again for your help
1. MTP is the same as File Transfer. So when the phone is turning on, it starts loading that connection. You might see "MTP USB Device" or something similar in your Windows Device Manager
2. But if the phone never shows up as a device/drive (would show up under "Portable Devices" in Windows Dev Man), then it's not loading fully - and it normally doesn't do that until it boots past the carrier splash screen.
3. Even if it did boot fully and showed up as a device/drive, the MTP pop-up prompt shows up every single time you connect the device. There's no way around that. So the device would show as empty, with no files or folders, until you tapped "Allow" on the popup.
4. No, there's nothing else you can do to turn on any other connection modes
iBowToAndroid said:
1. MTP is the same as File Transfer. So when the phone is turning on, it starts loading that connection. You might see "MTP USB Device" or something similar in your Windows Device Manager
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Device Manager does show an entry for the phone connected via USB cable:
Under 'Disk Drives' as
SAMSUNG MZMTE256HMHP-000MV
Under 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers' as
SAMSUNG Mobile USB Composite Device
Please tell me that helps us somehow?
Hi.
Updated my Pixel5a to latest android 13.
After unlocking bootloader and rooting the the phone with magisk the phone worked ok for a few days.
When suddenly after reboot it got to fastboot mode with failed to load/verify boot images error.
Tried to flash new image but every command I try now I get the "FAILED (remote: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready')" error
To make things worse i cannot switch the phone to recovery or rescue mode it always reboots to fastboot.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Please help
Nobody encountered something similar?
First time since for me since I use smartphones(10+ years), a phone gets bricked so easily without a chance to revive it.
Here is your answer brother
Sorry I missed this.
Unfortunately, it looks like your bootloader is corrupted or malfunctioning, and the only way to fix this is by replacing the mainboard. There are special software tools that can perform a low level reflash, but they are not publicly available.
I have the same issue. After a broken screen replacement, my 5a would often freeze and turn off when these two conditions were met: Not connected to power + screen turned on.
I'm not 100% sure if it was connected to the screen replacement, given the problems only started occurring ~2 weeks later.
The phone would only turn on again when connected to power, even when the battery was already at 100%.
Unfortunately, I thought it was a software issue and didn't get it fixed immediately, so after one of the crashes I was greeted by the fastboot screen from the original poster above. Mine looks exactly the same (except for serial numbers etc.).
Current status:
Locked, unrooted, vanilla Android 13. Assume it's the January OTA, but could be December.
Recovery/Rescue modes don't work, I can only get into Fastboot. Selecting recovery will reboot into Fastboot.
Questions:
Is there a way to restore Android and how? Would it require a mainboard replacement like @V0latyle suggested?
Is the user data on the phone lost, or could it be saved in the process (no recent backups)?
What's the best way to back up an unrooted+locked+vanilla Pixel phone (without Google Cloud backup, given that's not E2E encrypted, afaik)?
Thank you!
niscy said:
I have the same issue. After a broken screen replacement, my 5a would often freeze and turn off when these two conditions were met: Not connected to power + screen turned on.
I'm not 100% sure if it was connected to the screen replacement, given the problems only started occurring ~2 weeks later.
The phone would only turn on again when connected to power, even when the battery was already at 100%.
Unfortunately, I thought it was a software issue and didn't get it fixed immediately, so after one of the crashes I was greeted by the fastboot screen from the original poster above. Mine looks exactly the same (except for serial numbers etc.).
Current status:
Locked, unrooted, vanilla Android 13. Assume it's the January OTA, but could be December.
Recovery/Rescue modes don't work, I can only get into Fastboot. Selecting recovery will reboot into Fastboot.
Questions:
Is there a way to restore Android and how? Would it require a mainboard replacement like @V0latyle suggested?
Is the user data on the phone lost, or could it be saved in the process (no recent backups)?
What's the best way to back up an unrooted+locked+vanilla Pixel phone (without Google Cloud backup, given that's not E2E encrypted, afaik)?
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. If I was current when the OP happened, I would've suggested powering on with the button combo to try and get into recovery -- Hold the Power and Volume Down; make sure to try and hold it down for as long as more than a minute. If that doesn't work, I might try Android Flash Tool as Noexcusses once suggested, but that usually requires an unlocked bootloader. Still...since it's officially from Google (the phone's maker), it might have some special "magic" that it can pull of, but don't get your hopes up on that...
3. The currently accepted best method is the Swift Backup app, My Backup Pro is an old and good staple, but without root, there's not much it will be able to save. I believe Swift (can) locks it to your Google account and/or you can password protect the backups, but I'm not totally sure if they encrypt it as well as locking it in such manner; I don't believe My Backup Pro does anything like this. There's always adb commands that might be able to save a little bit more, but again, not by much without root access. And I don't think any unrooted backup method bothers to back up the non-system internal storage.
Sorry for your troubles and hopefully you get it all back up and running! And not to be to "scoldy", but it's always a good idea to back things up (I usually do when I manually update the firmware & security updates each month); I know it's a bit harder to remember when it's an update OTA because it's a lot less involved, but it can be a good trigger to remind to...
simplepinoi177 said:
And not to be to "scoldy", but it's always a good idea to back things up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree... I had it on my todo list forever, but I just couldn't find a good way to back it up without root. And I didn't want root, because in the past that has prevented certain apps from working (e.g., some banking apps would see it as a security issue and refuse to start) and it has created trouble with OTAs.
Will look into this "Swift" app then. It's a shame, this is so trivial with iPhones (fully encrypted iTunes backups).
simplepinoi177 said:
Hold the Power and Volume Down
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That combo takes me to Fastboot, but when I select "Recovery" from there, the phone just reboots into Fastboot again with the same errors. I can see the phone in "fastboot devices", though.
simplepinoi177 said:
Android Flash Tool as Noexcusses once suggested
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android Flash Tool = the thing that you run in the browser, by clicking the "Flash" link on the Google website? Is that better than adb/fastboot?
Also, do you mean for side-loading the OTA (see https://developers.google.com/android/ota)? I thought that required access to recovery?
Or are you talking about flashing the factory image (https://developers.google.com/android/images#barbet)? I haven't tried that, yet, but I assumed it would wipe my user data?
EDIT: I see the device in the Android Flash Tool, says "connected". It's in Fastboot mode and showing OP's screen. Let's see what I can do from here.
EDIT2: OUCH.
niscy said:
I have the same issue. After a broken screen replacement, my 5a would often freeze and turn off when these two conditions were met: Not connected to power + screen turned on.
I'm not 100% sure if it was connected to the screen replacement, given the problems only started occurring ~2 weeks later.
The phone would only turn on again when connected to power, even when the battery was already at 100%.
Unfortunately, I thought it was a software issue and didn't get it fixed immediately, so after one of the crashes I was greeted by the fastboot screen from the original poster above. Mine looks exactly the same (except for serial numbers etc.).
Current status:
Locked, unrooted, vanilla Android 13. Assume it's the January OTA, but could be December.
Recovery/Rescue modes don't work, I can only get into Fastboot. Selecting recovery will reboot into Fastboot.
Questions:
Is there a way to restore Android and how? Would it require a mainboard replacement like @V0latyle suggested?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With a locked bootloader, the only thing you can try to do is sideload an OTA, but if you can't get into recovery mode, I'm not sure there's anything you can do - a locked bootloader will reject commands such as boot, which would be useful in this case to live boot a good image...but if the bootloader was unlocked, you'd just be able to reflash /boot anyway
niscy said:
Is the user data on the phone lost, or could it be saved in the process (no recent backups)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I believe nothing can be done to save it or back it up. If you could get into recovery and sideload an OTA, user data would be preserved, but since you can't get into recovery, that point is moot, because it looks like your only option to get the device working again is to have it repaired, which would most likely involve mainboard replacement and complete loss of all user data (except what was already backed up into the Google cloud)
niscy said:
What's the best way to back up an unrooted+locked+vanilla Pixel phone (without Google Cloud backup, given that's not E2E encrypted, afaik)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is none. Google cloud backup is the best way, but even this can't back up app data, and there is no way to back up app data without root, because of Scoped Storage - no app can access any other app's "private" data without root permissions.
simplepinoi177 said:
1. If I was current when the OP happened, I would've suggested powering on with the button combo to try and get into recovery -- Hold the Power and Volume Down; make sure to try and hold it down for as long as more than a minute. If that doesn't work, I might try Android Flash Tool as Noexcusses once suggested, but that usually requires an unlocked bootloader. Still...since it's officially from Google (the phone's maker), it might have some special "magic" that it can pull of, but don't get your hopes up on that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the only thing that is required is that OEM Unlocking be enabled in developer options. If it is not, the Flash Tool won't work.
simplepinoi177 said:
3. The currently accepted best method is the Swift Backup app, My Backup Pro is an old and good staple, but without root, there's not much it will be able to save. I believe Swift (can) locks it to your Google account and/or you can password protect the backups, but I'm not totally sure if they encrypt it as well as locking it in such manner; I don't believe My Backup Pro does anything like this. There's always adb commands that might be able to save a little bit more, but again, not by much without root access. And I don't think any unrooted backup method bothers to back up the non-system internal storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, due to scoped storage, root permissions would be required to access any other app's private data to effect a "full" backup.
niscy said:
Will look into this "Swift" app then. It's a shame, this is so trivial with iPhones (fully encrypted iTunes backups).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can boot into system, you'd be better off using Google Cloud Storage because at least that would back up device settings. Swift Backup won't do this, and is otherwise only able to access "generic" data - phone logs, texts, external storage, etc.
niscy said:
That combo takes me to Fastboot, but when I select "Recovery" from there, the phone just reboots into Fastboot again with the same errors. I can see the phone in "fastboot devices", though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're toast, bud.
niscy said:
Android Flash Tool = the thing that you run in the browser, by clicking the "Flash" link on the Google website? Is that better than adb/fastboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's just a GUI alternative that only flashes official images. As I mentioned above this only works if OEM unlocking is enabled, or the bootloader is unlocked. A locked bootloader rejects commands like flash, boot, and update, so the flash tool unlocks the bootloader first (if not already unlocked) before proceeding with the flash.
niscy said:
Also, do you mean for side-loading the OTA (see https://developers.google.com/android/ota)? I thought that required access to recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it does.
niscy said:
Or are you talking about flashing the factory image (https://developers.google.com/android/images#barbet)? I haven't tried that, yet, but I assumed it would wipe my user data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can only do this with an unlocked bootloader. Even though it's the factory image, as I mentioned a couple times already, the commands necessary to flash the image are rejected by a locked bootloader.
As for wiping data, this only happens if you use the included script without editing out the -w. Some people with unlocked bootloaders prefer to update using the script, they just change it so it doesn't wipe data. I personally prefer updating using the factory image but I do everything manually through fastboot and ADB because I'm stubbornly old fashioned.
niscy said:
I agree... I had it on my todo list forever, but I just couldn't find a good way to back it up without root. And I didn't want root, because in the past that has prevented certain apps from working (e.g., some banking apps would see it as a security issue and refuse to start) and it has created trouble with OTAs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just so you know, there are ways & methods to keep apps from detecting root; I would say (as far as Pixel 2XL, Pixel 5, and Pixel 7's are concerned) about 95% of apps could be made to hide root from; I get Wallet, 3 banking apps, Netflix, Xfinity apps, & certain games which all shouldn't work with a rooted device to work. And, usually, if for some reason hidden detection stops working, it usually is worked on and works again within a short amount of time.
niscy said:
Android Flash Tool = the thing that you run in the browser, by clicking the "Flash" link on the Google website? Is that better than adb/fastboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Surprisingly, it is a thing you run from the browser...! It surprised the heck out of me too! I would've thought it was a tool you actually download and run... Be aware you most likely need like 3-4GB+ free on your system (usually C drive...
niscy said:
Also, do you mean for side-loading the OTA (see https://developers.google.com/android/ota)? I thought that required access to recovery?
Or are you talking about flashing the factory image (https://developers.google.com/android/images#barbet)? I haven't tried that, yet, but I assumed it would wipe my user data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am talking about neither of those as they require you to have access to recovery mode and/or require an unlocked bootloader...
niscy said:
EDIT: I see the device in the Android Flash Tool, says "connected". It's in Fastboot mode and showing OP's screen. Let's see what I can do from here.
EDIT2: OUCH.
View attachment 5813733
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Click to collapse
Hey! At least that's something! And hopefully, at least it's not a total loss...could be worse; you might've/could've had to wait while a repair shop completely replaced the motherboard.
If you end up having to wipe the device to recover, consider the worst case scenario where they replace the motherboard...it would mean a wiped device anyway....
Okay guys, thank you for the help so far @V0latyle @simplepinoi177
This is where I'm now:
It only gives me the "wipe" warning when I select the "Lock Bootloader" box, otherwise it directly proceeds to download the image without giving the warning.
How come I'm getting this far while I'm in Fastboot? Am I on the right path?
The image download failed a few times due to supposedly insufficient disk space (a lie). Turns out the problem was Incognito mode, seems that has restrictions that break the flash tool.
But now I'm getting the below instead after the image downloaded. Does that mean that the tool won't work, because my device is locked?
Flash Failed
Fastboot command (flash:bootloader_b) failed: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready'
niscy said:
Okay guys, thank you for the help so far @V0latyle @simplepinoi177
This is where I'm now:
View attachment 5813743
It only gives me the "wipe" warning when I select the "Lock Bootloader" box, otherwise it directly proceeds to download the image without giving the warning.
How come I'm getting this far while I'm in Fastboot? Am I on the right path?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See if you can get away with not checking "wipe device" or "lock[ing] bootloader"...
It automatically downloads the factory image -- that's why I said you have to have 3-4GB free on your hard drive...
You get that far because the AFT works in fastboot, and you luckily are still able to see fastboot in your device manager & be in fastboot mode...
I'd say you are on the right path....at least a lot more hopeful than replacing your mobo. But if all doesn't work, you may be required to wipe the device and/or lock the bootloader as well...
Seems the next thing I would have to try is re-running the Flash Tool with the "Wipe device" and "Lock bootloader" boxes checked?
Just to confirm, would the motherboard replacement require a user data wipe? If yes, then I guess I have nothing to lose at this point.
niscy said:
The image download failed a few times due to supposedly insufficient disk space (a lie). Turns out the problem was Incognito mode, seems that has restrictions that break the flash tool.
But now I'm getting the below instead after the image downloaded. Does that mean that the tool won't work, because my device is locked?
Flash Failed
Fastboot command (flash:bootloader_b) failed: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready'
View attachment 5813745
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, unfortunately this is bad news...
Most likely, I imagine and maybe @V0latyle can concur and/or elaborate, but it is most likely due to you not having OEM unlock ticked in the Developer Mode and an unlocked bootloader -- I stated before, but wasn't exactly sure as I've never tried it not on an unlocked bootloader, but that tool most likely doesn't work without having an unlocked bootloader (& thus also having OEM unlocked ticked as well)...I was just holding out hope that, since it was an official Google tool, it might've been able to do something for you (especially considering you could still see it as a fastboot device in your device manager)....
niscy said:
Seems the next thing I would have to try is re-running the Flash Tool with the "Wipe device" and "Lock bootloader" boxes checked?
Just to confirm, would the motherboard replacement require a user data wipe? If yes, then I guess I have nothing to lose at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, motherboard replacement requires a user data wipe. I'm unsure if the technician either does this just as policy/practice, or if after installing the new mobo, the Android OS requires it...but I imagine it is the latter...
It might be worth a try to check those boxes, but most likely will not work. Your bootloader is already locked, so "lock[ing] bootloader" is kinda redundant and wouldn't be necessary for it to work...
Okay guys, I think I'm officially ****ed. No matter what boxes I check, I get the error mentioned above ("Fastboot command (flash:bootloader_b) failed: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready'").
But even worse, I checked with some repair shop and they told me they won't even do motherboard replacements for out-of-warranty devices (because thieves would often use this service to "refurbish" stolen phones).
So I can't even get the motherboard replaced, unless I do it myself? **** my life.
niscy said:
Okay guys, I think I'm officially ****ed. No matter what boxes I check, I get the error mentioned above ("Fastboot command (flash:bootloader_b) failed: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready'").
But even worse, I checked with some repair shop and they told me they won't even do motherboard replacements for out-of-warranty devices (because thieves would often use this service to "refurbish" stolen phones).
So I can't even get the motherboard replaced, unless I do it myself? **** my life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear that it didn't work out...was a long shot...
Is there a uBreakiFix anywhere near you (they are the official repair company for Google)? If not, would it be possible to ship them the unit? Talk to Google versus talking to "some repair shop" (unless that repair shop you talked to was uBreakiFix, then that might be the policy; but I doubt it. Doesn't sound reasonable. I might try another store; even if you have to ship it to a distant one)...
Or course this all means you will have to spend $$$ to get it repaired, so be prepared for that...
niscy said:
Seems the next thing I would have to try is re-running the Flash Tool with the "Wipe device" and "Lock bootloader" boxes checked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would have no effect on whether the tool works
niscy said:
Just to confirm, would the motherboard replacement require a user data wipe? If yes, then I guess I have nothing to lose at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the storage lives in the flash devices, which live on the mainboard. A new mainboard would be preloaded with firmware, and would have to be programmed with your IMEI, but it would be like getting a brand new phone - no user data whatsoever.
simplepinoi177 said:
Yes, unfortunately this is bad news...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, hold on. We've got a lot of people all responding at once. @niscy if you could, hold off for a bit until we can get to the bottom of what your device state is and what you can and can't do.
simplepinoi177 said:
Most likely, I imagine and maybe @V0latyle can concur and/or elaborate, but it is most likely due to you not having OEM unlock ticked in the Developer Mode and an unlocked bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, one of these is required to use the Android Flash Tool (although if the bootloader is unlocked, OEM Unlocking is default "on"
simplepinoi177 said:
-- I stated before, but wasn't exactly sure as I've never tried it not on an unlocked bootloader, but that tool most likely doesn't work without having an unlocked bootloader (& thus also having OEM unlocked ticked as well)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bootloader doesn't have to start unlocked; as long as OEM Unlocking is enabled, the Flash Tool will automatically unlock the bootloader and perform the flash. I'm pretty sure this results in a data wipe.
simplepinoi177 said:
I was just holding out hope that, since it was an official Google tool, it might've been able to do something for you (especially considering you could still see it as a fastboot device in your device manager)....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Negative, the Flash Tool is simply a GUI interface for ADB Platform Tools and uses the same commands. Since, as I have explained multiple times, a locked bootloader rejects several commands required to flash the device, OEM Unlocking would have to be enabled at the very least to use the tool, which would then unlock the bootloader so that the commands will work.
The only "Google approved" way to update ALL devices regardless of OEM lock or bootloader lock is via OTA, because either update_engine in Android system, or the recovery kernel, is able to verify the update package. The bootloader is not capable of verifying packages applied externally; it can only compare certain partitions (such as /boot) against reference hashes (vbmeta images), which is why it's designed to reject all flashing and booting commands while locked
To be able to perform a complete factory reflash on a locked bootloader, the bootloader would have to have the ability to analyze and verify the entire update package, and it simply does not have the resources to do this. Bootloader only has three jobs:
Verify boot images
Load boot images
Provide USB interface (and must be unlocked to flash anything)
simplepinoi177 said:
Yes, motherboard replacement requires a user data wipe. I'm unsure if the technician either does this just as policy/practice, or if after installing the new mobo, the Android OS requires it...but I imagine it is the latter...
It might be worth a try to check those boxes, but most likely will not work. Your bootloader is already locked, so "lock[ing] bootloader" is kinda redundant and wouldn't be necessary for it to work...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I explained, it's because you'd essentially be getting a brand new phone that has never had user data on it. Wiping data on the old mainboard is unnecessary, but most repair centers don't have a way to transfer user data.
@niscy Before you go any further, let's establish where exactly "Square One" is. Please answer these questions:
Are you able to boot into Android system? Is recovery the only thing not working?
What have you tried to get into recovery mode?
When you attempt to boot into recovery, do you see an error message at the bottom of the bootloader screen?
Do you have any particular issue with backing up your data to Google Cloud if that option is possible?
V0latyle said:
1) Are you able to boot into Android system? Is recovery the only thing not working?
2) What have you tried to get into recovery mode?
3) When you attempt to boot into recovery, do you see an error message at the bottom of the bootloader screen?
4) Do you have any particular issue with backing up your data to Google Cloud if that option is possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Can't get into Android system, just Fastboot.
2) Select recovery from Fastboot mode with the volume keys. I also tried "fastboot reboot recovery" (doesn't seem to work on the 5a). It doesn't make a difference how I get into fastboot (just turning it on vs. voldown + power key combo).
3) Screen just goes black and stays black for 30-60 seconds or so. Then it goes back to the fastboot screen.
4) While setting it up, the explanations in Android suggested that it was not fully end-to-end encrypted. However, I found some articles online that say the opposite. So maybe I just got confused by ambiguous language.
EDIT: flashing without the Android Flash Tool fails too, obviously...
barbet-tq1a.230105.001 % ./flash-all.sh
Sending 'bootloader_b' (8762 KB) OKAY [ 0.350s]
Writing 'bootloader_b' FAILED (remote: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready')
fastboot: error: Command failed
Rebooting into bootloader OKAY [ 0.080s]
Finished. Total time: 0.080s
EDIT2: Seems there's enough E2E encryption in Google backups ... see https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/01/...n-apple-icloud-google-and-microsoft-accounts/
V0latyle said:
As I explained, it's because you'd essentially be getting a brand new phone that has never had user data on it. Wiping data on the old mainboard is unnecessary, but most repair centers don't have a way to transfer user data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting...I am aware that, for computers, replacing the motherboard doesn't necessarily touch data because that's usually stored on the hard drive. I figure the internal storage on a smartphone might be set up similarly and have it separated in something the same way (i.e. I imagine it's something similar to a microsd internal circuitry), and thus might not be touched simply by replacing the mobo. I wasn't insinuating that the repair centers would wipe old data that they were going to toss anyway; thought it was separate from the mobo and could possibly survive the exchange.
Thanks for clarifying! Also, I posted this here instead of PMing it because it is somewhat useful information that might help someone else understand things better (like me)...but I do apologize for the off-topic...
I just went back and read your first post. Failure to load/verify boot images means there's a dm-verity issue - as I mentioned previously, the bootloader verifies the integrity of the boot image as it's loaded; this prevents things like persistent rootkits. In this case, it's coming up against an error - the hash of the boot image does not match the verification hash in /vbmeta, probably because it somehow got corrupted during the update. With an unlocked bootloader this would be a fairly simple fix - just reflash /boot - but with a locked bootloader, this is pretty much impossible to fix.
niscy said:
1) Can't get into Android system, just Fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, because as described above, the boot image is corrupted, and unfortunately, the boot image also contains recovery.
niscy said:
2) Select recovery from Fastboot mode with the volume keys. I also tried "fastboot reboot recovery" (doesn't seem to work on the 5a). It doesn't make a difference how I get into fastboot (just turning it on vs. voldown + power key combo).
3) Screen just goes black and stays black for 30-60 seconds or so. Then it goes back to the fastboot screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why the screen goes black for a while, it should just recycle back to the bootloader screen immediately
niscy said:
4) While setting it up, the explanations in Android suggested that it was not fully end-to-end encrypted. However, I found some articles online that say the opposite. So maybe I just got confused by ambiguous language.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. I won't be one of those people who advocates for using a product you don't believe in, but you also have to consider benefit vs risk - in this case, you really don't want to use your data, but you didn't implement an alternative for backups.
niscy said:
EDIT: flashing without the Android Flash Tool fails too, obviously...
barbet-tq1a.230105.001 % ./flash-all.sh
Sending 'bootloader_b' (8762 KB) OKAY [ 0.350s]
Writing 'bootloader_b' FAILED (remote: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready')
fastboot: error: Command failed
Rebooting into bootloader OKAY [ 0.080s]
Finished. Total time: 0.080s
EDIT2: Seems there's enough E2E encryption in Google backups ... see https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/01/...n-apple-icloud-google-and-microsoft-accounts/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. At this point, I think you're pretty much limited to two options:
Pay for a repair (expensive)
Buy a new device (even more expensive)
I'm sorry there's no better answer. If OEMs like Google (or in this case, Foxconn as the manufacturer) made a point of providing low level flash tools and training to repair stations, then it might be possible to reflash the boot image. But, they don't do this for a litany of reasons, ranging from "it's cheaper to replace than to fix" to "tools like this could be used for major exploits in the wrong hands".
simplepinoi177 said:
Interesting...I am aware that, for computers, replacing the motherboard doesn't necessarily touch data because that's usually stored on the hard drive. I figure the internal storage on a smartphone might be set up similarly and have it separated in something the same way (i.e. I imagine it's something similar to a microsd internal circuitry), and thus might not be touched simply by replacing the mobo. I wasn't insinuating that the repair centers would wipe old data that they were going to toss anyway; thought it was separate from the mobo and could possibly survive the exchange.
Thanks for clarifying! Also, I posted this here instead of PMing it because it is somewhat useful information that might help someone else understand things better (like me)...but I do apologize for the off-topic...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, mobile mainboards are generally "all in one", with the SoC, modem, and storage all located on the same board. There are sometimes small daughterboards for things like camera modules and microSD/SIM card slots but for the most part everything is on the same board. All flashable storage is located on the same memory devices - this includes the most basic things such as the bootloader itself and the baseband image, as well as the system partitions, and of course the "userspace" data. Imagine if your hard drive was built into your motherboard, and also hosted your BIOS/UEFI.
There is only one more thing I can advise trying, and it will most likely not work: Try to switch back to the A slot. You can do this through fastboot: fastboot --set-active=a
Again, this is not likely to work because I believe the bootloader will reject this command as well.
An interesting note that isn't of much help right now: The whole point of A/B slots (and seamless system updates) is not just being able to update "on the fly" without booting into recovery and waiting 5-10 minutes for an update to finish, but also a "fail safe" so that if an update fails for whatever reason, the system should recycle back to the last working configuration.
Spoiler: It works like this:
Let's assume for the sake of argument you're on slot A, running the January update.
When the February update becomes available, update_engine downloads the update package, extracts it, and writes it to the inactive slot - in this case, slot B.
The bootloader is then commanded to boot slot B on the next reboot
When user reboots device, bootloader marks slot B as active and attempts to boot from that slot. There are a couple of markers here - a slot can be marked active, bootable, and successful.
Once boot proceeds past a certain point, the slot is now marked bootable. Once loaded into Android system, the boot is marked successful.
If for any reason slot B fails to boot, or crashes at a certain point, the device should automatically reboot back to slot A, and upon successful boot of Android, notify the user that the update failed.
I don't know why it failed to do that in this case. Apparently it thought slot B was both bootable and successful, and the failure didn't occur early enough to recycle back to slot A.