Database Develop

[Q] have unlock/unfreeze code, now what?

Quick question about unlocking a phone. I used the sgs unlock tool and successfully retrieved the unlock/unfreeze codes (and have them saved on my computer) but not sure what to do now. Going to be flashing a new rom on this phone for the first time and I'm not sure if is should grab a t mobile sim card now and try to unlock it. Or will flashing a new rom mess up the unlock so I should use a t mobile sim after the new flash. And if so, will the unlock reset every time I one-click back to stock and flash a new rom? or is the unlock deeper than the roms and will save itself?
Also do I need to backup the NV_data files. I have read a lot and this still seems pretty confusing for me.
BTW this is a friends captivate, I've been flashing mine for months and I need to go through that whole huge process to repair my NV_data stuff to get my codes again. Which is another question I'll have work on later.
Thanks..
Shane

slmhofy said:
Quick question about unlocking a phone. I used the sgs unlock tool and successfully retrieved the unlock/unfreeze codes (and have them saved on my computer) but not sure what to do now. Going to be flashing a new rom on this phone for the first time and I'm not sure if is should grab a t mobile sim card now and try to unlock it. Or will flashing a new rom mess up the unlock so I should use a t mobile sim after the new flash. And if so, will the unlock reset every time I one-click back to stock and flash a new rom? or is the unlock deeper than the roms and will save itself?
Also do I need to backup the NV_data files. I have read a lot and this still seems pretty confusing for me.
BTW this is a friends captivate, I've been flashing mine for months and I need to go through that whole huge process to repair my NV_data stuff to get my codes again. Which is another question I'll have work on later.
Thanks..
Shane
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Put in your tmo sim card and it will ask you for the unlock code. Enter it and your phone should be unlocked. And once you unlock it it should stay that way.

will give it a shot. thanks.

[Q] SIM card not found after unrooting - what to do?

My friend has Samsung S3 Galaxy (i9305). He tried to root (don't know which ROM he chose or which guide he used to perform the task). Something went wrong and he unrooted. But now the SIM is not found anymore. The phone boots anyway. Network is also not found and no emergency calls can be made. The phone also locks up every now and then.
What should he do to restore the phone to it's original state? Which guide should he follow?
I can provide more info if needed.

He has flash the phone with the original Samsung firmware for his one's model. Simple factory reset won't work. He has bricked the phone.
Check Sam's mobile for the firmware and simple Google will explain the steps. It's basically same has flashing any custom rom after rooting a phone
Cheers

muhib.al.karim said:
He has flash the phone with the original Samsung firmware for his one's model. Simple factory reset won't work. He has bricked the phone.
Check Sam's mobile for the firmware and simple Google will explain the steps. It's basically same has flashing any custom rom after rooting a phone
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a simple guide he could follow which shows what to do and which ROM to choose?

Paapaa125 said:
Is there a simple guide he could follow which shows what to do and which ROM to choose?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go mate : http://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...arning-guide-backup-restore-imei-nv-t1946915

Thx! So should he now do the "Recovering IMEI And Data Connection After Flashing WRONG Root Package Intended For I9300" part?

Any sim card not found related points are covered there... Just follow that..

[Q] Help! Device Locked Due to Abnormal Factory Reset

Hi all,
I am in desperate need of help with this AT&T Samsung Galaxy S5 that I found in abroad. Before I get chewed out with accusations of theft, I found the phone in a restaurant and gave to the staff who returned it to me after 3 days an no one had come to claim it.
Anyway, I have been trying to unlock it for use in Canada. I'm a bit of a noob, so please be patient Started with a commercial unlock code to SIM unlock. I received a "successful" message, so I assume it worked. However, I was told that AT&T locks other SIM cards from working on their firmware, so I began to try to flash and install a custom rom. I went to geohot's towelroot page and clicked the lambda. I think it did something. For some reason, I decided it would be a good idea to do factory data wipe from the volume down+power+home recovery screen. Now, I can't get past the initial setup which is asking for my original Samsung login ID, which I obviously don't have. In addition, I can't flash the rom with Odin or install off of external SD card.
Please help!!!
Thanks!
AK

Hi,
I have the same problem, anyone that can help?
Thanks

02wrx said:
Hi all,
I am in desperate need of help with this AT&T Samsung Galaxy S5 that I found in abroad. Before I get chewed out with accusations of theft, I found the phone in a restaurant and gave to the staff who returned it to me after 3 days an no one had come to claim it.
Anyway, I have been trying to unlock it for use in Canada. I'm a bit of a noob, so please be patient Started with a commercial unlock code to SIM unlock. I received a "successful" message, so I assume it worked. However, I was told that AT&T locks other SIM cards from working on their firmware, so I began to try to flash and install a custom rom. I went to geohot's towelroot page and clicked the lambda. I think it did something. For some reason, I decided it would be a good idea to do factory data wipe from the volume down+power+home recovery screen. Now, I can't get past the initial setup which is asking for my original Samsung login ID, which I obviously don't have. In addition, I can't flash the rom with Odin or install off of external SD card.
Please help!!!
Thanks!
AK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried this thread yet? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=53454972&postcount=1 it should help you flash in Odin.

Mixed Results when ROOTING

Hi Gents,
ok so we all know by now that waiting 7 days unlocks the OEM option for the N8 950F, i want to root, my concern is that i have been reading and see that results are mixed, i have seen that flashing a custom FW has soft bricked some phones and you will have to flash back to official FW and wait yet again for 7 days for OEM to show up in dev options....
what i want to know is whats the sure fire way to get it to work (ROOTand CFW) because i dont wanna end up losing the OEM option and then have to restore OFW?
please let me know your thoughts and what you did to have a successful first time flash, my note model is N950F/DS.

mafioso345 said:
Hi Gents,
ok so we all know by now that waiting 7 days unlocks the OEM option for the N8 950F, i want to root, my concern is that i have been reading and see that results are mixed, i have seen that flashing a custom FW has soft bricked some phones and you will have to flash back to official FW and wait yet again for 7 days for OEM to show up in dev options....
what i want to know is whats the sure fire way to get it to work (ROOTand CFW) because i dont wanna end up losing the OEM option and then have to restore OFW?
please let me know your thoughts and what you did to have a successful first time flash, my note model is N950F/DS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't gain anything anymore from rooting that you used to. The phones are already lightning fast.
- R. Kruse Ludington:
Galaxy Note 8<-5<-3<-S3<-Nexus; Droid X; HTC HD2<-Touch Pro 2<-Tilt<-8525; O2 XDA II<-XDA

mafioso345 said:
Hi Gents,
ok so we all know by now that waiting 7 days unlocks the OEM option for the N8 950F, i want to root, my concern is that i have been reading and see that results are mixed, i have seen that flashing a custom FW has soft bricked some phones and you will have to flash back to official FW and wait yet again for 7 days for OEM to show up in dev options....
what i want to know is whats the sure fire way to get it to work (ROOTand CFW) because i dont wanna end up losing the OEM option and then have to restore OFW?
please let me know your thoughts and what you did to have a successful first time flash, my note model is N950F/DS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's cause no one knows exactly why it disappears yet or has a valid fix for it. So far it seems like people are having luck with krabman's method.
KruseLudsMobile said:
You don't gain anything anymore from rooting that you used to. The phones are already lightning fast.
- R. Kruse Ludington:
Galaxy Note 8<-5<-3<-S3<-Nexus; Droid X; HTC HD2<-Touch Pro 2<-Tilt<-8525; O2 XDA II<-XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the past, people mainly rooted for speed tweaks & themeing but those aren't the only reason for root. Speed tweaks & themeing were never the main reasons why I rooted.

Like many I spent time in jail waiting for my OEM unlock. How I spent that time was trying to work around not having root and it was a miserable failure. When talking about the need for root I think it's best that the conversation first be understood to be subjective. A person that doesn't do anything that requires root will feel that it is unnecessary, those that do will consider it vital as a means to get where they're going.
There are many, many, people who said "you don't need to do that" in regards to getting root on these devices who went down in flames. No timer on OEM unlock and not a big deal, you try again until you get it right. We get one try and getting it wrong means you have reset your timer and you're waiting a week. Wait that week and you get one try, failure means another week. A person can repeat that cycle as many times as they want, I'd suggest going all in the first time because no one knows exactly which steps are not needed yet although we have ruled a few out. One thing that is apparent is once you have the first rom install in the rest can be done following normal rom installation procedure so long as they're clean flashes. I haven't tried any dirty flashes but for the same rom I'm thinking it will work, of course when the time comes I might be proven wrong. I'm hoping someone else will get there first and I can take advantage of their experience.
That being said in general the process begins by flashing TWRP in odin. You must leave odin and go directly to TWRP, failure to stop the boot at recovery means a certain binaries error and a week wait. Once you are in recovery you must stay there until you have finished installing a rom that has been de-knoxed. Pay attention to holding the buttons on the phone while you start the TWRP flash as described in the TWRP thread. If you untick reboot in odin then the only way out is to hold volume down/ power which will tell the phone to reboot into system. You must then quickly switch to volume up/bix/power during a small window in order to get the phone to go to recovery. If you miss it nothing can stop the phone from continuing to boot and you have just got a week wait before your next try. If you don't untick restart you can try the same thing when odin automatically reboots the phone after the flash. If you miss it you will get the binaries error and be waiting a week. People have missed it both ways. There is a reason that the TWRP instructions specifically state to prepare odin, hold the vol up/bix/power buttons and continue holding them while you press the button in odin and keep right on holding those buttons all the way through until the phone boots into TWRP. This makes it a sure thing, the other way you may or may not succeed. Lastly we've proven you don't need to remove your SIMs on subsequent rom installs but it remains a question with the first install as there are conflicting reports. If it were me I'd pull them and not put them back until I was fully up and running on the other side. You will need to pull at least Sim 2 in order to put in the micro SD with your rom, verity, and root firmware for use in TWRP no matter what. Feeling frisky and you want to leave Sim 1 in then please report your results in the OEM unlock thread.
So... To install a rom you will begin by following the TWRP instructions to the letter including the format all the way through the process until the end. Some will say you don't need to flash the no-verity, ordinarily I'd agree with them as it is flashed as a part of both the SU and magisk flash but in this case we know that following those instructions in exacting detail works as a first step but not doing so has been a failure for many. Because few have followed the same steps plus or minus a detail from the known working method we don't know exactly which things are unneeded so if it's me I would just follow the known working method. As always those wanting to advance our knowledge by trying something else should report their results in the OEM unlock thread. When you reach the end of the TWRP installation instructions you will remain in recovery and flash your rom and then factory reset. Then flash either magisk or SU again depending on which rom and which root method you're using. Once root has been reflashed you can go ahead and boot to system. Finish the setup before you put the sims back in the phone.
There is a longer throw the kitchen sink method in the OEM unlock thread for those that wish to search, that is what I would do if I wanted absolutely no risk as it seems to work without fail. I've done what I describe here a good ten or more times now as I was the first reported rom install here using the first method and I've been flashing away since then and dropping some of those original steps as I went. I'm thinking it should work for others too but I cant prove it until someone does it. It may be you need the kitchen sink for the first flash, I simply cant say because I would have to go stock to try and I'm not harboring much of a hankering to do that. This being XDA and we being adults please understand that I'm sharing the information based on actual practice on my own phone but there is no guarantee. You make your choices and what happens, happens.

Samsung: worst ever for a power user!

Today I got up real pissed with Samsung for being so restrictive around ROM flashing, rooting, flashing custom firmware or even stock firmware, so wanted to create this post to help anybody considering to get a Samsung phone to stay away from it.
This post is not intended to recommend any specific brand or model of android phone, but to recommend the exact opposite, which brand and model NOT TO EVEN THINK of purchasing.
This post relates to Samsung Galaxy S9 G9600 model which is Snapdragon architecture, but since Samsung is coming up with a bunch of "security features" I tend to think this may be the case for other models as well. I browsed all around XDA and other sources for guides on how to root and install custom roms, and it turns out Samsung manages to have limitations for EVERY step of the way.
Getting a few facts straight
Reference post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga.../rom-lineageos-17-1-s9-s9-snapdragon-t4093301
Ok, so there is a solid thread about a custom firmware and looks like several users got hands on it, but they might have been able to get passed though all Samsung security crap before it came out or before it got so tightened up. I'll list below every limitation I found:
OEM Unlock
There is a step where we need to tick OEM Unlock from the phone developer settings, it turns out Samsung has put a 7-day timer for this option to even appear listed to enable. If you do factory reset of the phone, the 7-day timer restarts. There are a few posts around on how to get passed this timer, but to me they were all crap, none of them worked. STRIKE ONE!
Bootloader unlock
After 7-days, we get the OEM Unlock option to appear, at this point you may think: Hurray!! .... WRONG! Now next step is to unlock the bootloader using an utility called CROM Services... And as you may have already guessed, did not work! I'm able to install the apk, but on launch it complains about wrong android version. (Tried with Android 8 and 10) STRIKE TWO!
There are some posts and guides claiming to be able to unlock bootloader by using fastboot utility, I can't reach to understand how, since fastboot commands rely on the bootloader to be previously unlocked (?). I least that is my understanding, correct me if wrong. Needless to say fastboot did not work for me. ADB lists my device but fastboot doesn't. There are a few troubleshoot guides around to try selecting proper USB driver from windows device manager, tried all that, tried a couple of ADB installations, fastboot didn't work.
Knox and RMM state
After some lookup in the web, Samsung incorporates some security features trying to prevent device theft and such things. For us power users this is in reality just a whole load of crap preventing us to get all the juice out of our phones.
Reference: https://www.goandroid.co.in/unlock-bootloader-of-galaxy-s9-plus-snapdragon/84688/
TWRP Recovery
Next step would be to flash a custom recovery such as TWRP with Odin or adb/fastboot, but since we are not able to unlock the bootloader in previous step, this is not doable at all. STRIKE THREE! OUT!
Fastboot utility doesn't recognize the device in download mode, so we can't send any commands to the phone.
Odin complains it is only able to flash signed stock roms, so since TWRP is not, we cannot flash it.
Rooting
Needless to say that if we don't have TWRP, we cannot flash the corresponding packages to root. Although this step may not be needed to install custom firmware, rooting has not been possible.
Stock ROM Flashing
Ok, so let's stay out of custom firmware - let's play around with stock firmwares. At this point, since flashing stock firmwares is kind of allowed by Samsung I was able to try out a couple from android 8 to 10 with Odin
Stock ROM Source: https://www.sammobile.com/samsung/galaxy-s9/firmware/#SM-G9600
But watch out! Once you get to install a specific build version, you cannot go back or downgrade to ROMS with previous Android build version. So now that I got Android 10 cannot go back to 8 or 9, this is probably because locked bootloader and unable to unlock. Here, Odin complains with FAIL! (AUTH) message.
STRIKE FOUR! EVEN OUTTER!
SIM Unlock
Ok, let's stay out of Samsung S9 G9600 model, let's crash it to the wall and throw it away to the garbage! Ok no, let's have it carrier unlocked and sell. Unlockbase is a well known and trusted sim unlock provider, I purchased a license to unlock by USB cable, but... GUESS WHAT! G9600 is not supported for unlocking operator network with this software... what a surprise!! I was able to apply for a refund and got my money back, so no worries here.
Note that flashing carrier free ROM does not unlock sim to use with any network operator.
I'll be trying to unlocking by code soon, as this is based on IMEI number, I may think this is independent to the phone model and edition, so I hope I have more luck with this option.
Conclusion
G9600 is a really crappy phone to mess around with. I may have ran low on luck with this specific Samsung Galaxy model since I got it as a gift, which is the latinamerican crappy edition. I wonder if other S9 editions and other Samsung models run with better luck than mine on this scenery... But as a lesson to myself, I will stay away of any Samsung smartphone in the foreseeable future.

OEM Unlock
The 7-day lock prevents stolen phones from being factory reset, leaving the thief with a phone permanently protected by your account. While a minor inconvenience, it's actually effective and not the worst compared to other manufacturers.
Bootloader Unlock
After OEM Unlocking, flashing TWRP through ODIN is effectively unlocking the bootloader. This is possible on both exynos and snap.
Knox and RMM
While this is an inconvenience, from Samsung's point of view, it's worth it. It makes the phone look more secure in the eyes of potential customers. If you really wish for NFC payments, I'm still able to use GPay with Magisk on a custom ROM.
TWRP Recovery
TWRP is flashed through ODIN, not fastboot. Look up an actual guide before complaining.
Root
Yes you can
Stock ROM Flashing
The one thing I could agree on with you is Samsung disabling OTA updates when OEM unlocking. I don't see the point really, but you're free to flash whatever you want through ODIN. Downgrading shouldn't be an issue. Not sure what's up with that.
Before buying a phone, how about you do some research before crying on forums. As a power user coming from the Oneplus One, I don't regret going for Samsung in the least.

Thanks for your reply, I had dropped all hope after several attempts over last few weeks. Found this option and I was able to get past my blocking issue with TWRP and moved on.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...er-development/g9650zhu6dta7-android-t4051751

I have G960F and have to admit I totally disagree with your original post. I've been using custom ROMs on nearly every phone I ever had and don't think S9 (G960F) is bad in terms of unlocking. Just did an OEM unlock, waited a week, flashed TWRP through Odin, booted straight to TWRP and immediately flashed a custom ROM from it (because a boot to the stock ROM would replace TWRP back with the stock recovery IIRC). In the end I got sick of all the problems with Magisk and non-working google pay that I went back to the stock ROM - making S9 the first phone I use with a stock ROM even though it can be flashed. I think it's a great phone for power users.
And as far as SIM unlock goes - Samsung is not to blame, the carrier the phone was made for (and purchased from) is. Phones that Samsung itself sells are unlocked. I wonder why there's still some countries where SIM locking remains legal.

This thread is a prime example of how people end up with bricked devices. So much misinformation in one page LOL

I had the 9650 and most of what I'm doing here is user error. This was one of the best devices I've ever owned. I mention of fast boot and such you obviously just do not know samsung devices. You can't blame samsung on your own ignorance