Well this took some figuring out, as many said it had to be rooted first
well NO it does not
Now this only work on the SM-900F with the bootloader unlocked basicallysold in the EU to any Network and branded
eg Vodafone.Orange,O2,Three(as long as there is no three Logo if so the bootloader is locked)
so here is what you need
the Latest version of Odin
The latest Version of kies as it is needed (Yes i said that )
Now Your countrys unbranded rom this can be tricky to find but for example the UK its BTU
they also can be found on here in the stock Firmware section ( i'm sure some one will post a link as they have got berried somewere)
But they can be found on sammobile.com
now download the rom
Now if you have never used odin before please read up on this first i'm not going to do a Noobs guide
Now do a Factory wipe and wipe the cache in recovery mode first
Open odin and pit the phone into recovery mode with out it rebooting
Flash the stock rom
Now long gone are the days of multiple csc so here is how to fix
Now before some one jumps in and says Oh XDA do a app to sort this (Only works on rooted phones)
Now after the rom has flashed let the phone Boot
Now Google apps may fall over here but the factory wipe sorts them out
Now nearly there, as we all no if you plug your phone into kies it does not like it
Well this time as long as you have got the right rom it will show a long line of rom info
Now for the fun bit open kies and connect your phone
then klick tools and pic firmware upgrade and initialisation Kies will come up with a warning screen
Just click next and watch the magic happen
Kies will see that you have a stock BTU rom on But the CSC is something else so
It re downloads the rom and clears the previous CSC out
I did use the xda phone info to check the CSC and on mine it should before Kies VOD/BTU
After Kies it showed BTU
Now kies says i Have a BTU phone and the firmware is upto date
I have done six differant phones now on verious networks and they work
the Three ones are hard but rolling the rom back to the first one cleared the Bootloader then i flashed the stock rom
There was no rooting or Knox tripping or custom roms used
Pure Samsung roms
This was only done to remove bloatware
A lot of the G900F branded ROMs (such as EE) are now BNL9, and there doesn't appear to be an unbranded BTU for BNL9 that I can find on SamMobile -- is it therefore not possible to change CSC without tripping Knox now?
arghness said:
A lot of the G900F branded ROMs (such as EE) are now BNL9, and there doesn't appear to be an unbranded BTU for BNL9 that I can find on SamMobile -- is it therefore not possible to change CSC without tripping Knox now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Knox will only trip if you use a Custom rom
if your on EE and on 4.4.2 install the first 5.0 rom from sammobile and follow the Kies above
if you have installed 5.0 from EE you can roll this back Using kies see bellow
Enter your phones model and serial number with out it plugged in it will then offer you what roms were installed pick the last 4.4.2 then follow the onscreen instructions
after its rolled back follow the above
I only no this works via 4.4.2 and going up to 5.0 that triggers kies to change the csc over
after you have done this putting the first 5.0 in Kies will even update the phone or you can via the wifi update
I have done six phones now and all is well and Samsung told me how to do this so no warranty other then the ee is void
make sure you use Sammobile only roms
"This was only done to remove bloatware"
nothing youve described removes bloatware, jus changes the bloatware on it, BTU still has chaton ant+ and loads of other crap, to debloat you do need root, but not to debrand, but then again we all knew that cause we read the firmware thread where this has been mentioned three times minimum
-PiLoT- said:
"This was only done to remove bloatware"
nothing youve described removes bloatware, jus changes the bloatware on it, BTU still has chaton ant+ and loads of other crap, to debloat you do need root, but not to debrand, but then again we all knew that cause we read the firmware thread where this has been mentioned three times minimum
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were not on about the Bloat manufactures put on, this is Debranding removing the pointless junk networks add that the user can not remove or dissable
most of what you have said can be disabled in Application manager
if the user chooses when there on BTU to root its alot safer on a BTU stock rom then a Network rom
eg on Vodafone if you remove the RCS program you will not be able to send a txt using the default messages apk as Vodafone has removed this
Rooting is not compulsary in debranding and if your simply doing this to sell on the phone then there is no need to, and should only be done if this is what you want to do
But my method is just the first step in getting a Clean phone ready to Root this prevents any issues in the rooting Proses
i have fixed many phone on Network roms that people have mad a mess off
Plus when it come to re selling a phone a unbranded fetches more money and if Knox has not been triggared then the warrenty still stands
Lte network selection
ok I have a question guys
I have a g900f but in the network selection there is no Lte or 4G selection, my phone was using Malaysian firmware ( I didn't check if it does have Lte network selection) and then I flashed XSG (united Arab Emirates) firmware, so If I flashed unbranded firmware like Poland or UK .......... can I get the Lte network selection or no ???!!!!
how I can get 4G with out root or custom rom
Northern.dj said:
Were not on about the Bloat manufactures put on, this is Debranding removing the pointless junk networks add that the user can not remove or dissable
most of what you have said can be disabled in Application manager
if the user chooses when there on BTU to root its alot safer on a BTU stock rom then a Network rom
eg on Vodafone if you remove the RCS program you will not be able to send a txt using the default messages apk as Vodafone has removed this
Rooting is not compulsary in debranding and if your simply doing this to sell on the phone then there is no need to, and should only be done if this is what you want to do
But my method is just the first step in getting a Clean phone ready to Root this prevents any issues in the rooting Proses
i have fixed many phone on Network roms that people have mad a mess off
Plus when it come to re selling a phone a unbranded fetches more money and if Knox has not been triggared then the warrenty still stands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TBH i never new rooting caused any issues, not for people of intelligance anyway. but anyway, in the EU knox doesnt void warranty
Not every one that come on here is flaunt with rooting, or knows how to
or even wants to
this is why they have there own section and stops the Noob bashing
after all we all started some were
My Method simply does what it says with our rooting :good:
It stops some apps that I use from running (banking, in particular). Other than that I'd definitely root for the better Tasker functionality it offers (my older phones used for various other things around the house are all rooted but I want banking on my primary device)
Rooting for some has its Good points
But its better on a vanilla rom which has all the nasty Network traps removed, so then its then only manufacture apps
Plus if there is any issues with a Root then the developer can take a look
also you get the firmware updates still, but you will need to do a Factory wipe to remove the root
For some just braking away from the chains of the Network is enough
in the UK Networks have no idea
arghness said:
It stops some apps that I use from running (banking, in particular). Other than that I'd definitely root for the better Tasker functionality it offers (my older phones used for various other things around the house are all rooted but I want banking on my primary device)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got banking app working on rooted phone with rootCloak exposed module[emoji6]
Talex416 said:
Got banking app working on rooted phone with rootCloak exposed module[emoji6]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RootCloak doesn't work for my bank. RootCloak Plus did for 1 version, but an update to the banking app broke it again and it was never fixed.
The only way I got my banking app running on my S3 and S5 was using this method by HiddenRambler...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=49296437&postcount=8
May be of some help to someone who hasn't come across it or tried it yet.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
Related
Hello So I have a brand new, unlocked, Samsung Note 3 (SN-900A - AT&T variety) that I bought from Best Buy. In the next few days I'll be switching to T-Mobile (no comments on carrier switch please), but since the GSM phone is unlocked I can use it on T-Mobile's network
Here is the current status of my phone:
Used Odin to flash back to stock AT&T 4.4.2 ROM from installed NL1 4.4.4
Rooted device on 4.4.2 and then upgraded to rooted/stock AT&T ROM 4.4.4 using SuperSU, BusyBox, and SafeStrap as explained here, here, and here (did not update to Lollipop)
Used Root App VIP to manually disable AT&T bloatware now that I have the phone rooted on 4.4.4
So in its current form my phone is rooted on 4.4.4 and working pretty well. I'm happy thus far and don't want to get too greedy since it works.
However I have a few questions about how to backup my current ROM and about geeting some better understanding about the root and ROM process. I would be quite appreciative if someone could assist me with the answers please!
It appears the original Dev of Safestrap (the core app at the heart of rooting and upgrading the Note 3 in my process) has moved onto greener pastures. Since SafeStrap does not work on 4.4.4 (can't boot into recovery or do backups), what is the replacement tool/utility? Should I use Odin for everything? OdinMobile? CWM? TWRP? FlashFire? I've read a bunch of threads on the differences and I'm having a hard time making heads or tails of it all. The main thing I want to be able to do now is backup my current ROM like you could previously with Safestrap, and update to a new ROM if I so choose.
I never wanted the bloatware - do you think I flashed the wrong ROM? Should I have used a stock ASOP ROM if I didn't want bloatware or is this not possible on the 900A?
Ironically if I had to have bloatware I would have preferred to have T-Mobile's since I will be on their network. Could I have put a T-Mobile ROM image on an AT&T variant of the phone? (just curious)
I used a AT&T stock ROM apparently from those links I posted which propogated the bloatware to 4.4.4, however at least I'm rooted. I believe this was all done to not disturb the KNOX flag. I have a warranty from BestBuy I would like to keep (1 year), but I can't go to AT&T for warranty service (they are not my carrier) and I didn't buy the phone from T-mobile either, so is the warranty worth anything anyway?
I keep reading that the AT&T variant of Note 3 has a 'locked bootloader' and that's what's with going to all the trouble with SafeStarp was about. Essentially it loads an alternate image/ROM not disturbing the stock one so that the KNOX flag is never triggered. Is there a way to unlock the bootloader on this phone or should I even care?
I'm early enough in this process that if I went down the wrong path I could do something different. Any or all help/assistance is greatly appreciated!
atconway said:
Hello So I have a brand new, unlocked, Samsung Note 3 (SN-900A - AT&T variety) that I bought from Best Buy. In the next few days I'll be switching to T-Mobile (no comments on carrier switch please), but since the GSM phone is unlocked I can use it on T-Mobile's network
Here is the current status of my phone:
Used Odin to flash back to stock AT&T 4.4.2 ROM from installed NL1 4.4.4
Rooted device on 4.4.2 and then upgraded to rooted/stock AT&T ROM 4.4.4 using SuperSU, BusyBox, and SafeStrap as explained here, here, and here (did not update to Lollipop)
Used Root App VIP to manually disable AT&T bloatware now that I have the phone rooted on 4.4.4
So in its current form my phone is rooted on 4.4.4 and working pretty well. I'm happy thus far and don't want to get too greedy since it works.
However I have a few questions about how to backup my current ROM and about geeting some better understanding about the root and ROM process. I would be quite appreciative if someone could assist me with the answers please!
It appears the original Dev of Safestrap (the core app at the heart of rooting and upgrading the Note 3 in my process) has moved onto greener pastures. Since SafeStrap does not work on 4.4.4 (can't boot into recovery or do backups), what is the replacement tool/utility? Should I use Odin for everything? OdinMobile? CWM? TWRP? FlashFire? I've read a bunch of threads on the differences and I'm having a hard time making heads or tails of it all. The main thing I want to be able to do now is backup my current ROM like you could previously with Safestrap, and update to a new ROM if I so choose.
I never wanted the bloatware - do you think I flashed the wrong ROM? Should I have used a stock ASOP ROM if I didn't want bloatware or is this not possible on the 900A?
Ironically if I had to have bloatware I would have preferred to have T-Mobile's since I will be on their network. Could I have put a T-Mobile ROM image on an AT&T variant of the phone? (just curious)
I used a AT&T stock ROM apparently from those links I posted which propogated the bloatware to 4.4.4, however at least I'm rooted. I believe this was all done to not disturb the KNOX flag. I have a warranty from BestBuy I would like to keep (1 year), but I can't go to AT&T for warranty service (they are not my carrier) and I didn't buy the phone from T-mobile either, so is the warranty worth anything anyway?
I keep reading that the AT&T variant of Note 3 has a 'locked bootloader' and that's what's with going to all the trouble with SafeStarp was about. Essentially it loads an alternate image/ROM not disturbing the stock one so that the KNOX flag is never triggered. Is there a way to unlock the bootloader on this phone or should I even care?
I'm early enough in this process that if I went down the wrong path I could do something different. Any or all help/assistance is greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I'm on a 4.4.4 Rom, I use AT&T OC1,NL1,NJ5 SafeStrap Work Around http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-att/general/att-nj5-safestrap-t2957471 install the Kernel Flasher http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-att/development/nc2-flasher-app-unsafe-t2989141/ grant it Supersu and tap to reboot, it will boot to Safestrap and do your backup or whatever you are doing. Once done you MUST flash the kernel may it be the NL1 or OC1, but you must flash it with Safestrap. The NL1 kernel (SM-N900A_NL1_KERNEL_RecoveryFlashable.zip) is for NL1 and NJ5 Roms and the OC1 kernel (SM-N900A_N900AUCUEOC1_KERNEL_Recovery-Flashable.zip) is only for OC1 Roms. I don't use Mobile Odin or FlashFire. Even though you are on T-Mobile the phone is AT&T which has a locked boot loader, so you can not use CWM or TWRP and you are stuck using only AT&T Roms. You can use Titanium Backup to remove any bloatware (Backup first saves on headache, case something goes wrong or you can freeze it). This is a T-Moible Rom that is ported for AT&T; T-Mobile Alliance Lollipop Rom on ATT Note 3 http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-att/general/t-mobile-alliance-rom-att-note-3-t3065127 and since you are on T-Mobile, you wouldn't have to "After the phone came up, I went to settings..general..applications...running .... and found every Tmobile app and cleared cache and disabled them. The real important one here is the Visual Voicemail. Otherwise it will keep on trying to contact Tmobile and then you will get text messages saying there is an error." It is a OC1 Rom (Lollipop) so you would need the SM-N900A_N900AUCUEOC1_KERNEL_Recovery-Flashable.zip because you would flash this in Safestrap once you have used the Kernel Flasher to access Safestrap. [How-To] Update to N900A_NL1 - 4.4.4 and Keep Root (12-24-2014) http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-att/general/how-to-root-n900aucudnl1-4-4-4-12-24-t2983357 is just the plain AT&T Rom that's been rooted, that's why you got all that bloatware. I go right here for any Rom I wish to install, Android development for the AT&T Galaxy Note 3 http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-att/development Forgot to say, write down your APN settings, so you can still get data. T-Mobile Network: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (N900) https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-11447 in case.
Rooted i747 said:
This is a T-Moible Rom that is ported for AT&T; T-Mobile Alliance Lollipop Rom on ATT Note 3 http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-att/general/t-mobile-alliance-rom-att-note-3-t3065127 and since you are on T-Mobile...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This had all been really helpful, thank you. I've read the post a bunch and followed all the steps. The NC2 flasher is awesome and works great!
However, I'm trying to make heads or tails though of the T-Mobile Alliance ROM version to use (reminder I want a T-Mobile ROM on my AT&T Note 3 since I'm on T-Mobile's network). The underlying link that has the T-Mobile Alliance ROM to actually download states that KNOX is removed and activated (0x1). However the link provided by you to the T-Mobile Alliance flashing instructions page has multiple replies saying KNOX remains undisturbed and is at 0x0 after completion. I'm probably asking the wrong questions, but is the process of using Safestrap regardless of the ROM I'm using prevent KNOX from being tripped? Or is it that the newest version of the Alliance ROM is what would trip KNOX (i.e. should I use an older version of the ROM that doesn't remove KNOX)?
I have everything backed up, downloaded and ready to flash and install. I just want to flash this T-Mobile Alliance ROM but not trip KNOX. Once I can get a clear understanding this I'm ready to move forward and complete it.
atconway said:
This had all been really helpful, thank you. I've read the post a bunch and followed all the steps. The NC2 flasher is awesome and works great!
However, I'm trying to make heads or tails though of the T-Mobile Alliance ROM version to use (reminder I want a T-Mobile ROM on my AT&T Note 3 since I'm on T-Mobile's network). The underlying link that has the T-Mobile Alliance ROM to actually download states that KNOX is removed and activated (0x1). However the link provided by you to the T-Mobile Alliance flashing instructions page has multiple replies saying KNOX remains undisturbed and is at 0x0 after completion. I'm probably asking the wrong questions, but is the process of using Safestrap regardless of the ROM I'm using prevent KNOX from being tripped? Or is it that the newest version of the Alliance ROM is what would trip KNOX (i.e. should I use an older version of the ROM that doesn't remove KNOX)?
I have everything backed up, downloaded and ready to flash and install. I just want to flash this T-Mobile Alliance ROM but not trip KNOX. Once I can get a clear understanding this I'm ready to move forward and complete it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Safestrap will not stop Knox from tripping. If you are not sure, if you Knox will trip or not then I say don't flash it. I never flashed that Rom, so I can't say. The Roms I have used and my Knox still 0X0. Currently on FireKat Deodex NC2 KK V19N3/V19N4 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2786666 AllianceROM Lollipop v9.1 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2778933 Note 4 Port Evolution 3.0 http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-att/development/rom-note-4-port-evolution-1-0-t2982296 Note 4 Port Evolution 3.0 you will have to flash extra things in Safestrap to make it work right.
atconway said:
This had all been really helpful, thank you. I've read the post a bunch and followed all the steps. The NC2 flasher is awesome and works great!
However, I'm trying to make heads or tails though of the T-Mobile Alliance ROM version to use (reminder I want a T-Mobile ROM on my AT&T Note 3 since I'm on T-Mobile's network). The underlying link that has the T-Mobile Alliance ROM to actually download states that KNOX is removed and activated (0x1). However the link provided by you to the T-Mobile Alliance flashing instructions page has multiple replies saying KNOX remains undisturbed and is at 0x0 after completion. I'm probably asking the wrong questions, but is the process of using Safestrap regardless of the ROM I'm using prevent KNOX from being tripped? Or is it that the newest version of the Alliance ROM is what would trip KNOX (i.e. should I use an older version of the ROM that doesn't remove KNOX)?
I have everything backed up, downloaded and ready to flash and install. I just want to flash this T-Mobile Alliance ROM but not trip KNOX. Once I can get a clear understanding this I'm ready to move forward and complete it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got bored so I tried it. Did not trip Knox and I really didn't see a different from AllianceROM Lollipop v9.1 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2778933 Well, I don't care for it, so back to FireKat! :silly:
Thanks for trying it out and your assistance I did the same on my phone immediately after you did and got the same results. It works great and should be a viable option for those like me that have an AT&T phone, but want to load a T-Mobile based ROM.
I'll be curious if that Alliance ROM though stays up to date with the newer versions of Android (i.e. 5.0.2, etc.) It appears to be based on 5.0.0 from what I can tell. Only reason I ask is because my experience with 5.0 on my old S4 has been awful. Fells like I'm back on Android Gingerbread with 500mb of ROM. :S There are so many memory leaks on my S4 now it stinks. 4.4.4 was way better.
Good news is I haven't seen that same issue thus far with the Alliance ROM, so hopefully is worked out whatever shortcomings the OS had.
Hi all I am currently thinking of importing the N950N 256gb Note 8 to here in the UK and have a few questions about the firmware. Sorry if its been answered elsewhere but there are a lot of threads asking slightly different things.
1) What differences are there between the N950N and the N950F versions of the software at the base level – ignoring things like Korean bloatware etc – I read somewhere the camera has a compulsory noise that can’t be turned off? (which is really annoying) Just wondering whether to stick with stock N. I presume all the stuff like 4G/LTE works with an O2 sim as the hardware is covering this.
2) From all the threads I have read you can’t put the N950F firmware on without using TWRP? (TWRP via ODIN then Firmware via TWRP)
3) What does TWRP do to the phone? Does it trip Knox? I presume this affects Samsung Pay which I am not bothered about but does this affect anything else? Android Pay for example? What about banking apps (ie Halifax, HSBC, Co-op, Natwest etc all have their own apps)?
4) Once I have the N905F firmware would I get OTA updates as normal?
Just curious, why do you want to use F firmware on the N?
Yes, you can not flash stock F firmware on a N, Odin won't allow you to do it but you can use TWRP. You would have to convert the F firmware to a Zip to flash it or flash one of the custom F roms.
Installing custom recovery like TWRP will trip Knox, you will never be able to use Samsung Pay. Secure Folder won't work either. It will also break Samsung Health but that can be fixed. Android Pay & banking apps should work fine with root hide. OTA updates will no longer work.
shouren04 said:
Just curious, why do you want to use F firmware on the N?
Yes, you can not flash stock F firmware on a N, Odin won't allow you to do it but you can use TWRP. You would have to convert the F firmware to a Zip to flash it or flash one of the custom F roms.
Installing custom recovery like TWRP will trip Knox, you will never be able to use Samsung Pay. Secure Folder won't work either. It will also break Samsung Health but that can be fixed. Android Pay & banking apps should work fine with root hide. OTA updates will no longer work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for reply
Basically I prefer having a silent shutter for taking quick and discrete street photography and the last thing I want is big sound every time I take a shot. From what I read that basically means the N firmware is a no no due to Korea having some ruling about it. In the UK this is as easy as having the phone in silent mode - I am currently using a Galaxy S6 with 128gb of memory and really like the idea of having a idea of large onboard storage with little hassle over memory cards hence looking at the Note 8 from Korea which not only has the bigger memory also is cheaper than the 64gb version here in the UK.
To be fair I don't use Samsung Pay as the UK support is currently not here with limited banks supporting it (or vendors accepting it) nor do I need Secure Folder so thats fine really. Samsung Health I used a bit on the S6 but not essential. If hiding root works for Android Pay and Banking Apps then it might not all that bad to be honest to have to trip the Knox (Obviously the warranty will go with it)
The OTA updates would have been nice to have as it would save me having to mess with manually updating over each time a new firmware update came out.- If I was to install F over the N could I then use ODIN afterward or would I be stuck using TWRP due to it detecting the Hardware?
Also I presume you can't add the F software onto the N9500 variant via Odin?
vizardo said:
Thanks for reply
Basically I prefer having a silent shutter for taking quick and discrete street photography and the last thing I want is big sound every time I take a shot. From what I read that basically means the N firmware is a no no due to Korea having some ruling about it. In the UK this is as easy as having the phone in silent mode - I am currently using a Galaxy S6 with 128gb of memory and really like the idea of having a idea of large onboard storage with little hassle over memory cards hence looking at the Note 8 from Korea which not only has the bigger memory also is cheaper than the 64gb version here in the UK.
To be fair I don't use Samsung Pay as the UK support is currently not here with limited banks supporting it (or vendors accepting it) nor do I need Secure Folder so thats fine really. Samsung Health I used a bit on the S6 but not essential. If hiding root works for Android Pay and Banking Apps then it might not all that bad to be honest to have to trip the Knox (Obviously the warranty will go with it)
The OTA updates would have been nice to have as it would save me having to mess with manually updating over each time a new firmware update came out.- If I was to install F over the N could I then use ODIN afterward or would I be stuck using TWRP due to it detecting the Hardware?
Also I presume you can't add the F software onto the N9500 variant via Odin?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I see, in that case you really don't need to switch to the F firmware. I have a F from the UK & stock it did not have the toggle to turn off the camera shutter like my US Tmobile Note 5 did stock. Not sure if muting sound entirely muted the camera shutter as well but I do not like that method & have heard that does not work on some variants like you mentioned.
I purchased the F/Exynos mainly for the ability to install custom recovery & root. With root I simply deleted the shutter.ogg sound file (well I actually renamed it to shutter.bak), that took care of the shutter sound. Later on when I installed a mod to give me tmobile carrier features, that then added the camera shutter toggle.
I don't care for Samsung Pay either, not even Android Pay. I do miss Private Mode on my Note 5 which was replaced by Secure Folder but I can live without. Getting Samsung Health to work just requires a simple change in the build.prop. I forgot that root will also break Secret Mode in the Samsung browser but you can still use that in Chrome. Not a big deal, just mentioning it while I'm at it. I'm not sure if root hide will allow Secret Tab to function but I don't think it will get Secure Folder working. I haven't tried root hide yet.
Once you install TWRP OTA updates won't work. So installing a F firmware with TWRP won't change anything. And Odin won't let you flash firmware that is not for the phone. It does not matter if a different firmware is already on the phone. For some reason if you ever wanted, you can however flash your original firmware to get back to stock & OTA will work again but once you have tripped Knox by installing TWRP that is permanent.
shouren04 said:
Ah, I see, in that case you really don't need to switch to the F firmware. I have a F from the UK & stock it did not have the toggle to turn off the camera shutter like my US Tmobile Note 5 did stock. Not sure if muting sound entirely muted the camera shutter as well but I do not like that method & have heard that does not work on some variants like you mentioned.
I purchased the F/Exynos mainly for the ability to install custom recovery & root. With root I simply deleted the shutter.ogg sound file (well I actually renamed it to shutter.bak), that took care of the shutter sound. Later on when I installed a mod to give me tmobile carrier features, that then added the camera shutter toggle.
I don't care for Samsung Pay either, not even Android Pay. I do miss Private Mode on my Note 5 which was replaced by Secure Folder but I can live without. Getting Samsung Health to work just requires a simple change in the build.prop. I forgot that root will also break Secret Mode in the Samsung browser but you can still use that in Chrome. Not a big deal, just mentioning it while I'm at it. I'm not sure if root hide will allow Secret Tab to function but I don't think it will get Secure Folder working. I haven't tried root hide yet.
Once you install TWRP OTA updates won't work. So installing a F firmware with TWRP won't change anything. And Odin won't let you flash firmware that is not for the phone. It does not matter if a different firmware is already on the phone. For some reason if you ever wanted, you can however flash your original firmware to get back to stock & OTA will work again but once you have tripped Knox by installing TWRP that is permanent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks, I generally use Chrome or Firefox so I am not too fussed with the default browser
There are 2 variants on the Wonda Mobile website that seem like a good deal both 256gb with one the HK/China version Dual SIm (with the non rootable Snapdragon I believe) and the Single sim Korean Exynos version that I have been querying about. Its a shame either road root or just installing TWRP seems to break something!
One more thing - do all the usual Samsung account settings still work??
vizardo said:
Many thanks, I generally use Chrome or Firefox so I am not too fussed with the default browser
There are 2 variants on the Wonda Mobile website that seem like a good deal both 256gb with one the HK/China version Dual SIm (with the non rootable Snapdragon I believe) and the Single sim Korean Exynos version that I have been querying about. Its a shame either road root or just installing TWRP seems to break something!
One more thing - do all the usual Samsung account settings still work??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you need the dual sim N would be the better choice IMO. With HK/China Snapdragon variants, they usually can be bootloader unlocked unlike the Snapdragons in the rest of the world. But development on them is usually slower. There was recently a post about getting root & TWRP installed on the 9500. Said to be working but others are questioning the process to do it. I haven't paid much attention to it though. Generally anything available for the F will usually work fine on the N so in the future if you want to install custom roms or mods you would be ok.
Yeah blame Samsung for making it harder for us to get what we want. But at least we still can, that may not be the case in the future. For instance, this is the first time I have had to purchase an international phone because Samsung US variants are locked down. All of my past Android phones have had custom recovery & root.
As far as Samsung accounts, yes it works fine. Able to log in, use Samsung's app store, Samsung themes. Not sure about Samsung Cloud, I don't use any cloud services. But I have tried Samsung Link Sharing (large file sharing) & it seems to be a type of cloud service. However my Smart View (screen mirroring) is not working, I'm not sure if that is a result of root though. I never tested it when I was stock. I have read complaints about others having the same issue stock. My Note 5 is rooted & it works just fine. I never use screen mirroring so I don't really care but it would be nice to figure out how to get it working.
vizardo said:
Hi all I am currently thinking of importing the N950N 256gb Note 8 to here in the UK and have a few questions about the firmware. Sorry if its been answered elsewhere but there are a lot of threads asking slightly different things.
1) What differences are there between the N950N and the N950F versions of the software at the base level – ignoring things like Korean bloatware etc – I read somewhere the camera has a compulsory noise that can’t be turned off? (which is really annoying) Just wondering whether to stick with stock N. I presume all the stuff like 4G/LTE works with an O2 sim as the hardware is covering this.
2) From all the threads I have read you can’t put the N950F firmware on without using TWRP? (TWRP via ODIN then Firmware via TWRP)
3) What does TWRP do to the phone? Does it trip Knox? I presume this affects Samsung Pay which I am not bothered about but does this affect anything else? Android Pay for example? What about banking apps (ie Halifax, HSBC, Co-op, Natwest etc all have their own apps)?
4) Once I have the N905F firmware would I get OTA updates as normal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 - not much difference, but the F software comes with dual-SIM capability which the N software lacks. As the hardware is actually identical (as I confirmed by mistakenly tearing my N950N apart when I thought that I had an antenna issue), you could actually buy the N, buy a dual-SIM tray on eBay and in theory convert the phone into a true dual-SIM model with a 950F-based ROM although I do not know how to 'add' or double up the IMEI for the second SIM as my understanding (again I may be wrong here) is that phones sold as dual-SIM models have two IMEI numbers, one for each SIM slot. Your camera shutter sound rumor is correct - the Korean CSC's don't enable the menu to turn that sound off, though it can be deleted without changing CSCs. I would check with your specific carrier's model in your country and see if they enable it. If so, you could always flash their CSC to the Korean phone which would give you the menu. This would be especially fine if you live in the UK since the 950F is hardware identical to the 950N so there wouldn't be the weird issue I've been running into with my 950U USA T-Mobile CSC patch that I have a hunch is related to the way the CSC is sending instructions to the modem.
2 - Odin will not flash firmware between variants. TWRP is definitely the only way to do this right now, though there's no real drawback if you're using an imported phone and didn't expect to have warranty support in-country to begin with.
3 - TWRP is a replacement recovery firmware which is used to quickly and easily backup/restore any partitions on the phone (boot loader, modem, data, system, cache, EFS, etc), as well as flashing custom ROMs, kernels, mods, root apps, pretty much anything you can think of.
4 - OTA updates only work on essentially unmodified stock everything. If the phone says that it's software status is "custom", OTA updates will not function. However, there are 2 main considerations here. On the one hand, if you are running another variant's firmware you are going to be flashing ROMs for that variant anyway, and you can always manually update your boot loader and modem with Odin since Samsung firmware downloads come in separate files right from Sammy these days. Super easy to flash only the BL and CP (bootloader and modem respectively), then just reflash TWRP if it was overwritten.
Many thanks both - definitely things to consider here. Not done any flashing or rooting since I put Cyanogenmod on an old Note 10 tablet and before then a Note 3 and the old Desire series for Cyanogenmod again (I recall Clockworkmod was involved as well). But its good to know I can update parts with Odin or TWRP as required.
I am hoping tripping Knox won't affect Android pay or banking apps much (as I don't actually keep them in the Knox folder or anything like that - just use them normally) but as stated I could use the root hide to cover this.
I suppose OTA is a luxury as the Samsung ones on my S6 were slow enough but at least convenient due to its autonomy. I am usually of the mind if it don't break then don't fix it but don't mind delving into things if necessary so I reckon I won't touch the update stuff too much unless I have issues - though will get everything as up to date as possible from day 1 and when Oreo drops.
Really appreciate all the responses here - really helpful!
vizardo said:
Thanks for reply
Basically I prefer having a silent shutter for taking quick and discrete street photography and the last thing I want is big sound every time I take a shot. From what I read that basically means the N firmware is a no no due to Korea having some ruling about it. In the UK this is as easy as having the phone in silent mode - I am currently using a Galaxy S6 with 128gb of memory and really like the idea of having a idea of large onboard storage with little hassle over memory cards hence looking at the Note 8 from Korea which not only has the bigger memory also is cheaper than the 64gb version here in the UK.
To be fair I don't use Samsung Pay as the UK support is currently not here with limited banks supporting it (or vendors accepting it) nor do I need Secure Folder so thats fine really. Samsung Health I used a bit on the S6 but not essential. If hiding root works for Android Pay and Banking Apps then it might not all that bad to be honest to have to trip the Knox (Obviously the warranty will go with it)
The OTA updates would have been nice to have as it would save me having to mess with manually updating over each time a new firmware update came out.- If I was to install F over the N could I then use ODIN afterward or would I be stuck using TWRP due to it detecting the Hardware?
Also I presume you can't add the F software onto the N9500 variant via Odin?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just turn off the shutter sound in settings. You don't need to do anything else!
- R. Kruse Ludington:
Galaxy Note 8<-5<-3<-S3<-Nexus; Droid X; HTC HD2<-Touch Pro 2<-Tilt<-8525; O2 XDA II<-XDA
KruseLudsMobile said:
Just turn off the shutter sound in settings. You don't need to do anything else!
- 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
Can't do that if you don't have the option to. Not all Note 8s have the ability to do that (as well as other features) & it's not just the Note 8, many Galaxy phones in the past as well. It depends on the carrier variant & the region the phone originates. I some countries itxs illegal to turn off the shutter sound. If it were that easy, there wouldn't be so many threads about it. If you search for shutter sound either here on XDA or Google, you'll find many threads for different phones.
I have the phone now and downloaded the F firmware for the UK - however TWRP doesnt seem to want to flash the zip and keeps coming up with zip invalid format?
I grabbed the firmware using Samfirm so it should be fine? Am I missing a step??
vizardo said:
I have the phone now and downloaded the F firmware for the UK - however TWRP doesnt seem to want to flash the zip and keeps coming up with zip invalid format?
I grabbed the firmware using Samfirm so it should be fine? Am I missing a step??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that zip contains several .tar.md5 files that is the stock firmware for use in Odin. TWRP can't flash that.
You need to download a custom zip. Any of the ROMs in this section will work as they are made from F firmware as the base.
I figured out this best way to sort the shutter sound was to simply root with Magisk and use Root Explorer to rename the shutter sound as per Shouren04's solution. Not the most elegant method but works fine - not sure what file the fast multi image shutter speed is though as that still sounds.
Magisk seems to not break Android Pay so can confirm this works and I paid for something today.
OTA no longer works but will simply flash the normal N rom once the next update comes out with ODIN and then reinstall TWRP, Magisk and resort - Samsung updates are slow enough to not warrant being a pain
Oddly enough there are fewer camera modes on the new Note vs my older S6 - I quite liked the video collage it made without resorting to another app!
Thanks for all the help
vizardo said:
I figured out this best way to sort the shutter sound was to simply root with Magisk and use Root Explorer to rename the shutter sound as per Shouren04's solution. Not the most elegant method but works fine - not sure what file the fast multi image shutter speed is though as that still sounds.
Magisk seems to not break Android Pay so can confirm this works and I paid for something today.
OTA no longer works but will simply flash the normal N rom once the next update comes out with ODIN and then reinstall TWRP, Magisk and resort - Samsung updates are slow enough to not warrant being a pain
Oddly enough there are fewer camera modes on the new Note vs my older S6 - I quite liked the video collage it made without resorting to another app!
Thanks for all the help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Burst shots sound should be shutter_multiple.ogg & video sounds should either be cam_start.ogg & cam_stop.ogg or camcorder_start & camcorder_stop.ogg.
Best way & is the method I'm using is to add this csc string to get the shutter sound toggle which turns off all those sounds for me.
<CscFeature_Camera_ShutterSoundMenu>true</CscFeature_Camera_ShutterSoundMenu>
But if you are using a fully stock rom, your cscfeatures.xml file might be encrypted as was mine. I'm using tmobile csc so I am no longer using the stock encrypted cscfeatures.xml.
Of if you flash a custom rom you should be able to add the csc string without any problem.
Ok... So where to begin...
I've searched the threads for a few days now and tried several flashing methods and tools, but I'm having no luck. So please bare with me, and I will get into it...
I recently purchased a new Note 9 international unlocked model. I was super excited and ready to get it running. Except, I started it up and then no Bixby Voice. Unlike most, I prefer to use it and find it helpful to me regularly, so I'd like to keep it. Anyway, when pressing the button I received the much noted "Bixby Voice is not available in your country" message. Well, I found from Samsung support live chat, that this is because of two reasons. One, I currently live in Japan. Two, the phone is a Singapore model phone. My immediate thought was "Oh, ok well, I'll just flash it with another country's firmware then". Seemed easy enough. I flashed it with firmware baring an OXM csc, and after booting up I noticed the the VoLTE feature that was not select-able before was now able to turned on. "Ooow, extra win!" I thought, but of course same issue with bixby. So I searched and found a csc for a location that has bixby is available and is also a carrier unlocked Exynos chipset firmware (XEU). I flashed this, but guess what... still no Bixby Voice. Frustrated, I began looking into changing the Sales code. Using the *#272*IMEI# code and found that MM1 was the sales code for some reason. I changed this to XEU and the phone rebooted. I restored and then tried Bixby Voice again... same. Except, I noticed I also lost the VoLTE option completely. It doesn't even show in the menu bar anymore. I tried the code again to change the sales code back, but now I get error "Connection problem or invalid MMI code." So now, I lost that too. "To hell with it", I thought. I'll flash it back to the old firmware... nope. Now I get:
SW REV. CHECK FAIL. DEVICE: 2, BINARY: 1
This will sometimes change slightly if I try to flash a single part of the new firmware, BL, AP, CSC, etc...
I have done some research and found via the serial number that the firmware I should have installed is: N960FXXU1ARH5_N960FOXM1ARGD_N960FXXU1ARGC_N960FXXU 1ARH5_XSP (according to the Chimera Mobile tool)
I've obtained this, but I still get the same Revision error. I found that the one last one I successfully flashed is a newer version than the others. So now what can I do? Is it possible I can just manually manipulate the CSC details? I rooted the phone and got ES Explorer going, set all the access rights to R/W but I cant find the /System/CSC folder that people keep going on about. Did they do away with that on the Note 9?
It looks like I also have some regional troubles with the Play store too.
WTH... I'm really not sure what to do here. Can anyone please help? I'll be satisfied if I can just get it back to the stock firmware...
Decoding SW REV. CHECK FAIL. DEVICE: 2, BINARY: 1 come out to: Software Revision check fail, you have 2 and it's expecting 1.
That does indeed sound like you've installed a newer version and it's not letting you roll back the device. You may now need to wait for Singapore's stock firmware to be updated to the same or newer and get a copy of that.
who uses bixby use google assistant for peats sake!!!"!!!!
willhemmens said:
Decoding SW REV. CHECK FAIL. DEVICE: 2, BINARY: 1 come out to: Software Revision check fail, you have 2 and it's expecting 1.
That does indeed sound like you've installed a newer version and it's not letting you roll back the device. You may now need to wait for Singapore's stock firmware to be updated to the same or newer and get a copy of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi willhemmens! Thanks for replying back.
I was also speculating the same thing about having to wait for the revision, but I know the people here are significantly more knowledgeable, so I thought I'd try to pick some brains. My first though was that there must be something in one of the package files that identify to the phone what "version" it is, and then perhaps that can be modified and then re-packaged. But if that were the case, this would be the best place on the planet to verify that. I have tools to un-package and repackage, maybe I'll make a duplicate copy and tinker around in it.
It looks like everyone is complaining about it. It's been a while since I rooted a device (7 years maybe?), so I hadn't realized Samsung took a dump in the downgrade pool. I also found some other new 'glorious' features they've graced us with-after the fact of course. Now, when I un-root... it's still flagged as modified! Woohoo. ....Fricken' KNOX. Now all of the nifty Samsung apps are blocked. Is it just me, or has Samsung turned a little extra Ass-hat recently?
Anyway, I guess I'll have to deal with this lame iOS quality version of Oreo until then... By the way, off the top of your head do you know where I can go to keep an eye out for that update to happen? All I know is SamMobile.com
Thanks again.
mikey_sk said:
who uses bixby use google assistant for peats sake!!!"!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Mikey! Yeah, I suppose your right. I've just been using it a lot and have gotten accustomed to it. Plus I enjoy creating my own custom Bixby voices, attitudes, and responses. Bixby on my Note 8 has split personality.
Luckily she doesn't randomly laugh in the dark like Alexa. If she did she'd fly out the window like a Note 7.
csc was omc and now odm.
bober10113 said:
csc was omc and now odm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI Bober10113! Thanks for your reply. I was able to find my way there, but It seems the csc feature files are encrypted now. I'm still looking through the threads for something about how to decrypt/encrypt them, but I haven't found anything yet.
VetteMike69 said:
HI Bober10113! Thanks for your reply. I was able to find my way there, but It seems the csc feature files are encrypted now. I'm still looking through the threads for something about how to decrypt/encrypt them, but I haven't found anything yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I just found a video on YouTube where Yakapa40 is able to unpack the xml files using some "cscfeature" executable.
@yakapa40
Is there any chance you might be willing to share your "cscfeature.exe" file for unpacking the feature XML files in the CSC?
VetteMike69 said:
Actually, I just found a video on YouTube where Yakapa40 is able to unpack the xml files using some "cscfeature" executable.
@yakapa40
Is there any chance you might be willing to share your "cscfeature.exe" file for unpacking the feature XML files in the CSC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah sorry, nevermind... I was able to make a ps1 for it instead. I'm good one decoding and encoding the XMLs now.
@VetteMike69
if you need it , you have an automatic encode/decode feature here in post 5 : https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/how-to/n960f-n960n-n960u-n960u1-n960w-n9600-t3833721
regards
edit : sorry no licence , but you can make your own patch file
yakapa40 said:
@VetteMike69
if you need it , you have an automatic encode/decode feature here in post 5 : https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/how-to/n960f-n960n-n960u-n960u1-n960w-n9600-t3833721
regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you made the exe with freeware(advance bat to exe converter)that only works on your PC. read the software policy.. its clearly written that what you compile only works on 1 computer.
anyways for everyone else, here is a proper tool:
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhXVLDDj8g3Agdl8B0jk3H1dqccrXw
bober10113 said:
you made the exe with freeware(advance bat to exe converter)that only works on your PC. read the software policy.. its clearly written that what you compile only works on 1 computer.
anyways for everyone else, here is a proper tool:
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhXVLDDj8g3Agdl8B0jk3H1dqccrXw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi bober, don't know where else to post this, so posting it here...I have seen a bunch of your posts and it seems you've figured out a way to use Canadian CSC on the 960 F/DS...i have a few questions:
1- First step is install TWRP?
2- then root?
3- do I have to change the actual firmware of the device? Mine is a singapore unit
4- Once I change CSC, how are updates handled after that if I want to keep using stock firmware?
5- If I can't do OTA, then how will I update to the latest version and security patches? Do I download these for the Canada version? or the Singapore version?
Any help would be highly appreciated!!
hkalltheway said:
Hi bober, don't know where else to post this, so posting it here...I have seen a bunch of your posts and it seems you've figured out a way to use Canadian CSC on the 960 F/DS...i have a few questions:
1- First step is install TWRP?
2- then root?
3- do I have to change the actual firmware of the device? Mine is a singapore unit
4- Once I change CSC, how are updates handled after that if I want to keep using stock firmware?
5- If I can't do OTA, then how will I update to the latest version and security patches? Do I download these for the Canada version? or the Singapore version?
Any help would be highly appreciated!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think you should weigh in what you want to achieve by changing csc and if it really is worth rooting for.
i rooted for custom roms, sound mods and just sheer control over my device.
but this comes with a price:
no samsung pay ( yet)( can always unroot)
tripped knox fuse, so probably no warranty. depends.(once tripped, this cannot be reverted)
misc apps detect root and might no longer root.(can always unroot)
so you should read up and get informed on what you need and if you need root/twrp.
concerning updates once rooted:
either use custom roms. BL and CP can be manually updated via stock firmware while custom rom keeps the system up to date.
or flash full stock firmware each time then re-root.
in both cases above, firmware files to be used are for exynos F devices. forget the canadian firmware, you cant flash that since it's for snapdragon devices.
yakapa40 said:
@VetteMike69
if you need it , you have an automatic encode/decode feature here in post 5 : https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/how-to/n960f-n960n-n960u-n960u1-n960w-n9600-t3833721
regards
edit : sorry no licence , but you can make your own patch file
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi @yakapa40!
Thank you, this looks like it'll be a bit more convenient than the one I made previously. I'll put it on record for next time. Luckily I was able to find what prevented me from flashing the older revision CSC and modify that. So now I was able to use Odin to drop down my PDA and CSC while keeping the newer Bootloader and Baseband. I guess it's a bit of a Frankin'-Firm now. Whats weird though, is that now my knox sometimes shows tripped and sometimes doesn't; sometimes root checker fails and sometimes it passes.
I wonder if I grazed on something that's related to the knox handler... Nagh... probably just wishful thinking. Still weird though.
bober10113 said:
i think you should weigh in what you want to achieve by changing csc and if it really is worth rooting for.
i rooted for custom roms, sound mods and just sheer control over my device.
but this comes with a price:
no samsung pay ( yet)( can always unroot)
tripped knox fuse, so probably no warranty. depends.(once tripped, this cannot be reverted)
misc apps detect root and might no longer root.(can always unroot)
so you should read up and get informed on what you need and if you need root/twrp.
concerning updates once rooted:
either use custom roms. BL and CP can be manually updated via stock firmware while custom rom keeps the system up to date.
or flash full stock firmware each time then re-root.
in both cases above, firmware files to be used are for exynos F devices. forget the canadian firmware, you cant flash that since it's for snapdragon devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi @hkalltheway!
Bober10113 is absolutely right on this. Really, you need to know what exactly you are rooting the device for. If you don't have a set reason, it may be better not to root it. You can flash stock firmware and CSC all day long without needing a root. But if you want to customize the features (there's not really a lot right now by the way) and setup custom menus, layouts, or run CFW... Then you'll have to go the way of rooting. But again, there is currently no definitive way to "untrip" your knox. As he said, you can "unroot" but you cannot "technically" regain your unmodified status; even though you can revert back to a stock rom. By loosing this status you loose access to Pay, Secure Folder, and a few other things. I think there is a mod out there to get Samsung Health working again, but as far as I'm currently aware, that's the only one you can re-gain. Most of them validate against your knox value.
Regarding your questions.
YES! You should always install TWRP first before doing any 'messin'. This is your ultimate line of recovery and the best mulligan your gonna get from your device. Always follow the two step wonder on this:
1. Install TWRP
2. Boot into TWRP and create a full backup of your partitions (Before anything else). I do this to the SD card in the tray. That way it's always handy.
After this, feel free to play around, but keep in mind what versions/revisions your flashing. If you jump to a new one, it's not easy to downgrade -it'll take hours to download and rewrite the firmware you need and trick the phone into thinking it's flashing the latest update.
Regarding a changed CSC and the updates... You should have no problem getting updates. But Samsung sends out updates to devices based on the CSC. So, if you flash the CSC, the updates you get will come at the same time interval of the country and location of the CSC that you flashed. For example, you have a Sin model with Sin CSC just like me, but if you flash to a UK CSC, then you will get your updates at the same time that the UK get their updates. Etc, Etc...
For the OTA Updates, if your on a stock firmware you should get these fine. If they do not automatically update you can just tap the update button manually in settings to check for new updates and then download them. Some have said you need to turn off automatic updates, and some say you do not. This, I'm not 100% sure on this one. Also, you can manually update by flashing the newest version through Odin as the come in. Usually SamMobile.com is good about keeping up to date firmware that you can download with all 4 packs, nicely labeled for you.
Hopefully that helps you out a bit.
VetteMike69 said:
Hi @hkalltheway!
Bober10113 is absolutely right on this. Really, you need to know what exactly you are rooting the device for. If you don't have a set reason, it may be better not to root it. You can flash stock firmware and CSC all day long without needing a root. But if you want to customize the features (there's not really a lot right now by the way) and setup custom menus, layouts, or run CFW... Then you'll have to go the way of rooting. But again, there is currently no definitive way to "untrip" your knox. As he said, you can "unroot" but you cannot "technically" regain your unmodified status; even though you can revert back to a stock rom. By loosing this status you loose access to Pay, Secure Folder, and a few other things. I think there is a mod out there to get Samsung Health working again, but as far as I'm currently aware, that's the only one you can re-gain. Most of them validate against your knox value.
Regarding your questions.
YES! You should always install TWRP first before doing any 'messin'. This is your ultimate line of recovery and the best mulligan your gonna get from your device. Always follow the two step wonder on this:
1. Install TWRP
2. Boot into TWRP and create a full backup of your partitions (Before anything else). I do this to the SD card in the tray. That way it's always handy.
After this, feel free to play around, but keep in mind what versions/revisions your flashing. If you jump to a new one, it's not easy to downgrade -it'll take hours to download and rewrite the firmware you need and trick the phone into thinking it's flashing the latest update.
Regarding a changed CSC and the updates... You should have no problem getting updates. But Samsung sends out updates to devices based on the CSC. So, if you flash the CSC, the updates you get will come at the same time interval of the country and location of the CSC that you flashed. For example, you have a Sin model with Sin CSC just like me, but if you flash to a UK CSC, then you will get your updates at the same time that the UK get their updates. Etc, Etc...
For the OTA Updates, if your on a stock firmware you should get these fine. If they do not automatically update you can just tap the update button manually in settings to check for new updates and then download them. Some have said you need to turn off automatic updates, and some say you do not. This, I'm not 100% sure on this one. Also, you can manually update by flashing the newest version through Odin as the come in. Usually SamMobile.com is good about keeping up to date firmware that you can download with all 4 packs, nicely labeled for you.
Hopefully that helps you out a bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
phone info tool and other root detect apps are notorious for reporting wrong Knox status.....
he wants a csc from a snapdragon to a exynos. so flashing csc from SD in odin is ill advised. so it will require root and files be either manualy modded or i have updated tkkg1994 csc pack to work on note 9. ive only added canadian region.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AhXVLDDj8g3AgdkwkPIxwDu5ZFASuQ
in twrp backup:
EFS
carrier files
then flash zip.
i wont be held responsible for anything. Ive tested on my N960N.
should work on any F or FD/DS too.
all credits to tkkg1994.
bober10113 said:
phone info tool and other root detect apps are notorious for reporting wrong Knox status.....
he wants a csc from a snapdragon to a exynos. so flashing csc from SD in odin is ill advised. so it will require root and files be either manualy modded or i have updated tkkg1994 csc pack to work on note 9. ive only added canadian region.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AhXVLDDj8g3AgdkwkPIxwDu5ZFASuQ
in twrp backup:
EFS
carrier files
then flash zip.
i wont be held responsible for anything. Ive tested on my N960N.
should work on any F or FD/DS too.
all credits to tkkg1994.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the help guys! The only reason I wanted root was for having VoLTE and Wifi calling working in Canada. One more reason is titanium backup so I can back up the device completely so it's easy to restore. Finally, I was curious how the scene is now and what else I can play with in magisk, as I've never used it. Thanks!
hkalltheway said:
Thanks for the help guys! The only reason I wanted root was for having VoLTE and Wifi calling working in Canada. One more reason is titanium backup so I can back up the device completely so it's easy to restore. Finally, I was curious how the scene is now and what else I can play with in magisk, as I've never used it. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well then root might be food for you.
have a read at Dr Ketan roms thread for the root procedure and details of what it involves.
hkalltheway said:
Thanks for the help guys! The only reason I wanted root was for having VoLTE and Wifi calling working in Canada. One more reason is titanium backup so I can back up the device completely so it's easy to restore. Finally, I was curious how the scene is now and what else I can play with in magisk, as I've never used it. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is your carrier?
because Rogers blacklists non carrier phones. i believe bell might also do that too. So even if all is there and options appear, your phones imei code will be blocked from enrolling for wifi calling.
bober10113 said:
what is your carrier?
because Rogers blacklists non carrier phones. i believe bell might also do that too. So even if all is there and options appear, your phones imei code will be blocked from enrolling for wifi calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm currently with fido but thinking of switching to freedom mobile. Still too worried about all this rooting stuff that it seems the best thing to do is stay away from now and choose from one of the 2:
1- use wifi calling / VoLTE by getting the rogers/fido phone directly; that phone will not have dual sim capability
2- forget wifi calling / VoLTE and use this dual sim version, which has a lot of advantages while traveling
Seems like I'll stick to the 2nd option for now. Thanks for the help!
I just purchased a Galaxy Tab S8 (SM-X700 WiFi) in China and I want to replace the chinese firmware with US one. Are there any special considerations I need to know or can I just follow the rooting guide in the current post? Thanks!
PMB2714 said:
I just purchased a Galaxy Tab S8 (SM-X700 WiFi) in China and I want to replace the chinese firmware with US one. Are there any special considerations I need to know or can I just follow the rooting guide in the current post? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need to root to change firmware. Just re-flash your device with US firmware and if you want you can change code as well so it keeps getting US firmware updates instead of Chinese ones.
Rooting it will void warranty all together since rooting needs bootloader unlock and that trigers KNOX permanent and apps like samsung pass, secret folder will stop working permanently as well. Since they need KNOX to work, but since KNOX is broken/permanently disabled, then they won't work.
Thanks for the advice and information! I was hoping there was an option to update the region without rooting, but I wasn't sure. Cheers!
PMB2714 said:
Thanks for the advice and information! I was hoping there was an option to update the region without rooting, but I wasn't sure. Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, reason why you can flash other region is because those firmware are counted as stock. Only difference in them would be some apps that are preinstalled and such.
So as long it's stock firmware you don't need to touch the bootloader.
Might not be necessary to even flash a new firmware and loose data.
Use this tool: https://samfw.com/blog/samfw-frp-tool-1-0-remove-samsung-frp-one-click
Under adb commends get a list of CSCs, see if the one you want is there. Then you can go back to the tool's main screen and change your CSC. Takes 10 seconds + a reboot, no data loss.
Worked for me both on my Tab S8+ and S22+.
It comes with a pre-configured Knox profile and I was wondering if I can get rid of it through rooting. It basically has a customized start and shut down screen, and persistent notification telling you how generous the government is and such. I could factory reset it but sadly it doesn't do anything. Note that this should be a South East Asian/Asia model, if that matters.
Let's just hope its not a Walmart Xcover situation. Would be nice if someone could help me out, thanks. I don't mind if I can only use the stock A8 roms from Samsung, I just want the government spying out of my device.
You could try to manually flash stock ROM made for other region
nisfta said:
You could try to manually flash stock ROM made for other region
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just hope it doesn't trip knox and brick it though, iirc this is a similar system in a telco payment locked phone right?
After doing some reading I've found some tutorial on flashing a stock Samsung rom through recovery via Odin but I don't know if the pre-configured profile would go away or not though
Alright so i tried to Odin reflash it, didn't work. I think the only way is through bootloader unlock root, but I'm afraid that Knox would get in the way and brick my phone though. Anyone else can confirm? Thanks.
nisfta said:
You could try to manually flash stock ROM made for other region
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tried again with a stock rom outside of knox supported region, didn't work either.
So yeah unlocking the bootloader seems to be the only way now. Again, i'm still worried about Knox interfering with the rooting process and brick the phone
coomlord said:
Just tried again with a stock rom outside of knox supported region, didn't work either.
So yeah unlocking the bootloader seems to be the only way now. Again, i'm still worried about Knox interfering with the rooting process and brick the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it would brick the device but I don't think it will work either. Knox doesn't get erased by anything the user can do AFAIK. That's why it's called "Knox Secured". It would be useless if you could get rid of it simply by unlocking the bootloader.