Database Develop

New to the Dream, questions! (and yes i searched for these first!)

what up yall! My ATT tilt died a few weeks ago (flex cable went bad, decided it was time to move on) so i got a G1 from my buddy that had a broken digitizer and LCD. ordered the parts online and got it put back together today. few questions though.... it seems that about the bottom 1/4 inch of my touch screen dosent respond....its brand new and the rest of it works fin...just the small strip that seems to not work. any ideas? also t mobile are assholes...i cant get them to unlock it but i will work on that one...im quite sure that answer is on here. Also...do i really need to get a data package or can i choose to keep my phone from constantly connecting and updating my gmail and other apps? thats the reason i continue to get HTC is because i think data plans are silly when everywhere in america has WiFI....i think thats all for now...and ive been a member on here for quite sometime but this android mess is totally different. lol. thank yall!

That 1/4" at the bottoms sounds like a bad digitizer. =/ *Most* likely not software. But you can check by flashing a new ROM and if its a software problem, the new ROM will override whatever was causing it not to work before.
You can get it unlocked for $20 from one of many unlocking websites, just google it. You can't get it free anywhere other than T-Mobile sorry to say.
You don't *need* a data package, I don't have one. There are applications that can disable your data connection except for when you need it (i.e. MMS). Or its a built-in widget with the Hero ROMs.
Unless you have a rooted ROM, you will be required to use your data to even use your phone for the first time as it requires you to sign in to your Google account, but doesn't give you the option to use WiFi. But honestly, I think this phone is crippled without a data connection even if you don't use it all the time, I'm currently waiting for my current plan to end to sign another 2-year contract with data. But its up to you, its certainly still usable with enough WiFi connection points.

darn....its not very fun to take apart...plus i have to wait even longer...im currently using an old school , non color green screen nokia probably digitizer and not some random flex cable along the lines? maybe the black one? i guess there wouldnt be any way to check without replacing. and im not real addicted to any apps or anything, just mainly want it as phone/organizer. im a studennt and have wi fi at the house and at school, and every bar i go to has wi fi so i think im covered =) just making sure i could regulate it so it dosent pull and jack my bill up. if i were to flash a new rom, wouldnt that unlock it....and can you still downgrade it to rc29 when you dont have a t mobile sim card....or rather is there any other way besides adp or should i just go ahead and learn how to use it...seems a bit intimidating to anything ive done on a WMo phone.

you can use apndroid to block data from being used accidentally
flashing a rom will not unlock the phone.
Yes you can downgrade to RC29 without a tmo card

mmmk. so rooting and flashing a HTC rom wouldnt do it? if im correct i either have to go through t-mobile or i have to pay like 20 bucks so i can use it with ATT?

ztch10 said:
mmmk. so rooting and flashing a HTC rom wouldnt do it? if im correct i either have to go through t-mobile or i have to pay like 20 bucks so i can use it with ATT?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct.

h.nocturna said:
Unless you have a rooted ROM, you will be required to use your data to even use your phone for the first time as it requires you to sign in to your Google account, but doesn't give you the option to use WiFi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried it myself, but this thread tells you how to get around that.

note how that thread tells you to obtain root...

B-man007 said:
note how that thread tells you to obtain root...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant get around not having a Data connection. Rooting is obviously not optional.

Chahk said:
I meant get around not having a Data connection. Rooting is obviously not optional.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ah ok i figured he already found that or would.
sorry

You can root without data. Just activate wifi at RC29 when trying to sign in

Chahk said:
I meant get around not having a Data connection. Rooting is obviously not optional.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooted ROMs usually have an option to just skip signing into Google don't they? I know they have that for Hero for sure, but I was pretty sure they implemented that to all the cupcake/Donut ROMs too no?
Basically, you'll only need to use that with RC29. And if you do need to sign in and don't wanna use the work around, I would just go ahead and use the data, its only a few KB of info I think (I've never actually measured it, but I very small amounts on my bill even if I do use it to sign in, also using ATT btw).

h.nocturna said:
Rooted ROMs usually have an option to just skip signing into Google don't they? I know they have that for Hero for sure, but I was pretty sure they implemented that to all the cupcake/Donut ROMs too no?
Basically, you'll only need to use that with RC29. And if you do need to sign in and don't wanna use the work around, I would just go ahead and use the data, its only a few KB of info I think (I've never actually measured it, but I very small amounts on my bill even if I do use it to sign in, also using ATT btw).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all ROM's based on adp (and most modded tmo) have the option to skip (at least im pretty sure)
He just wants to activate his phone without data, which would require him to get down to a root level rom (RC29)
after he logs in, he has the option to root or wait for the OTA update if he wants to stay stock
if he wants to try to use his data, he can try but it doesnt always work (it did for me at first, but not the next few times)

ok so update... believe it was a bad digitizer...sending it back monday for a replacement so a few more days without the new toy) I got it registered to my Gmail and everything, and im currently waiting on my unlock code, so that is squared away. now...new questions.....
1. can i not just uncheck the auto sync and all the other data options or do i have to run adp? to make sure it dosent stay connecting and updating my mail and apps?
2. what positives do i have with rooting/flashing? obviously most of you probably have gone that route, and i really enjoyed flashing with my Tilt and having the newest WinMo, but it was always at the cost of it either being buggy or somethings not working. i know this can be searched but i want the simple answer if yall dont mind
3. i also noticed that the only thing so far that dosent work, is the camera/camcorder. keep in mind i got this phone with a broken lcd/digi. so there may have been other problems but i couldnt tell untill the screen was replaced. could it be i put it back together and missed a cable/contact for the camera, or could it just be software related?
...for now i think thats all the problems i have stumbled across... Thanks you all you are making this very easy for a Android Newbie!

ztch10 said:
ok so update... believe it was a bad digitizer...sending it back monday for a replacement so a few more days without the new toy) I got it registered to my Gmail and everything, and im currently waiting on my unlock code, so that is squared away. now...new questions.....
1. can i not just uncheck the auto sync and all the other data options or do i have to run adp? to make sure it dosent stay connecting and updating my mail and apps?
2. what positives do i have with rooting/flashing? obviously most of you probably have gone that route, and i really enjoyed flashing with my Tilt and having the newest WinMo, but it was always at the cost of it either being buggy or somethings not working. i know this can be searched but i want the simple answer if yall dont mind
3. i also noticed that the only thing so far that dosent work, is the camera/camcorder. keep in mind i got this phone with a broken lcd/digi. so there may have been other problems but i couldnt tell untill the screen was replaced. could it be i put it back together and missed a cable/contact for the camera, or could it just be software related?
...for now i think thats all the problems i have stumbled across... Thanks you all you are making this very easy for a Android Newbie!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. That would stop just contacts, calendar, and gmail not all of the other apps that come with the phone
2. Rooting is definitely worth it, loving my hero rom
3. If your on RC29 there is no camcorder, but if not then it's definitely a hardware issue, when I was on stock everything worked fine

Just FYI: the unlock code is phone specific, so if your getting a replacement, the unlock code wont work on that one if the code you got was for the other.
1) If you want to disable data, download and run APNDroid. You can turn off autosync if you want but data will still be used.
2) Rooting has lots of advantages. Themes, faster updates (i.e youll get the latest android before its released OTA) more modifications, use of certain apps such as Ad-Free, etc. cooked android roms are more stable than winmo cooked roms, and you have the option between stable/experimental
3) if it was stock, its probably a hardware error

so could i potenitally not have any apps and not have a data pull problem? or it seems as though just rooting and flashing to hero (would you all go hero, or newer 1.6 stock rom, or custom 1.6?) and ill be taking it back apart to send the bad digitzer back, so ill check the ol camera out. still is stock T-mobile 1.5....no rc29 or anything....yet...

if you still have 1.5, you can use the 1 click root
im using hero right now, but i switch between hero and cyan using the switchrom script
the g1 on stock android will still use data even if you have everything disabled. the only way to completely disable it is by changing the apns, or by disabling mobile data on a hero rom
what was wrong with the camera? give a little more detail so we know if it really is a hardware or software problem

Quiccest way to get unlock code..just tellem you are goin to the uk or sum and you are in need of unlocking since u will be on there network for a while.. Usually that works!

first time flasher of energy photon standard

everything seems to be working really well, aside from the fact i cant get the gps to work. I can't get the internet working for any programs is there a setting i'm missing or should I just do a hard reset? what will happen when I do a hard reset? will I have to reflash or anything like that? oh yeah, i also use at&t as a carrier. don't know if i need to know to do anything special because of that.

Why dont you ask in the ROM thread? You might get some response there.

damn bro, you gonna get some heat for lack of forum ettiquette
you really ought to have searched that particular thread first, and then maybe post in there seeking help. never ever create a whole thread just for a question....imagine if this whole place was full of little threads like this...i bet you wouldn't be happy
you're also being too vague, but when you flash, always do a hard reset after you're done flashing. in general, hard resets will kill all the data on the phone and gives you a fresh start as if you had just bought the phone. internet settings for AT&T, i don't know, but look up the data settings or something with the SEARCH button

sorry i rode the little bus growing up. how do i delete this thread?

sublimeax said:
sorry i rode the little bus growing up. how do i delete this thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't stress. one of the mods will close it eventually....

sublimeax said:
everything seems to be working really well, aside from the fact i cant get the gps to work. I can't get the internet working for any programs is there a setting i'm missing or should I just do a hard reset? what will happen when I do a hard reset? will I have to reflash or anything like that? oh yeah, i also use at&t as a carrier. don't know if i need to know to do anything special because of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS - Read the FAQ
Internet Sharing takes a while to connect with your PC, but it works.
Hard Reset restores your phone back to the original custom ROM state...it's basically like re-flashing the same ROM version.

Just got a Rogers Captivate (i896) - New to Android & Rooting, Couple questions

Hey everyone, I just recently got a Samsung Captivate with Rogers, which is the i896.
I've been hearing a lot about rooting lately and i'm starting to understand a little more about what it is exactly. I'm interested in the idea that it can help speed up the phone and allow for more apps, but I have a few questions.
1) Where can I find the most recent way to root a ROGERS Captivate? I was reading around and read that the "One click fix" does not work anymore
2) Will rooting my phone change the interface of the phone?
3) If something goes wrong and my phone doesn't root, can I go back to the default settings easily?
I might have more questions later on but thats it for now. I'd just also like to hear your opinions on rooting and what exactly YOU have been able to do with your phone by rooting.
Thanks!

welcome ill answer your qs first then ill give you some links to help you out
A)rooting and flashing roms (2 diff things) are easiest done from STOCK 2.1 (which you should have) if you plan on flashing custom roms DONT do the rogers/samsung keis firmware update. it changes the recovery to 3e. (ink below if needed)
B) rooting does not change the interface. ROMS DO
C) if you cant successfully root, nothing has changed. you should be able to tho. and you can UNROOT, and wipe to factory too. for warranty repairs and they will never know.
OPPINION:
custom roms are the way to go, more current, full featured complete and on time, cutomizable, fun, and brain-power using than stock roms.
MY ADVICE: DO IT but TAKE YOUR TIME AND READ. I READ FOR 3 or 4 days before i touched a thing!! and still had very minor issues and things that had to be ironed out. dont let that scare you. its a learning experience. hopefully with the links i give you you will have less SEARCHING TO DO. but you my freind, are in the right fourm and right section, too! i have a good feeling about you already!
YOU CAN DO IT WATERBOY!!!
LINKS!!!!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=858765 start here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-I896 i896 specific crap but see i897 page too, same phone same guts (see rooting, hell read the whole thing)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-I897 i897 wiki
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872455
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=905042
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=909213 (3e recovery if you run into that)
oh and it took me forever to learn that there is an ODIN one-click, and an Odin3 1.7, both flashing programs but DIFFERENT, we can use ODIN one-click but not recomended it flashes AT&T stock back. ALSO not to be confused with one-click ROOT,,,

Typically its best to read around but you can use the following for rooting and unrooting
It doesn't change the interface
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682
I used it, no issues and now with a new ROM as well - you will stumble on many thing but this site has everything but u need to read a bit

Hey there, the rogers captivate is the same as the at&t captivate. I found a rogers phone in the snow, wiped, rooted and unlocked it. Installed at&t firmware and then flashed serendipity. I'm using it on telus no problem. Everything in this captivate forum will work great.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

First of all, thank you guys so much for giving me real replies instead of a bunch of "Go read for yourself" or "try the search button" lol... I've been doing some reading but I needed to ask a few direct questions.
@Trusselo, i'm not too ignorant to computers. I know my way around a computer and used to do some web design and basic coding so i'm somewhat okay.
My only concern is that once i've rooted my phone, I have to use some sort of unix/linux commands to work around my phone and do things? Is this true? Also, I read that the rooted version has a different keyboard? I still have a hard time getting used to this touchscreen board.
SIDE QUESTION ABOUT CAPTIVATE AND WIFI: This is my biggest problem right now, its actually a small problem but it gets annoying. Basically, my WiFi stays connected when i'm at home but sometimes it seems like it slows done or the connection lags or even stops working. I can usually tell if this is happening because pages don't load fast enough in the browser or don't load at all. While this is happening, my wifi connection still says "Connected" though. I always have to go back, disconnect, re-type my password, connect again. Then I go back and it works fine. Is there any way to fix this?

gs1003 said:
First of all, thank you guys so much for giving me real replies instead of a bunch of "Go read for yourself" or "try the search button" lol... I've been doing some reading but I needed to ask a few direct questions.
@Trusselo, i'm not too ignorant to computers. I know my way around a computer and used to do some web design and basic coding so i'm somewhat okay.
My only concern is that once i've rooted my phone, I have to use some sort of unix/linux commands to work around my phone and do things? Is this true? Also, I read that the rooted version has a different keyboard? I still have a hard time getting used to this touchscreen board.
SIDE QUESTION ABOUT CAPTIVATE AND WIFI: This is my biggest problem right now, its actually a small problem but it gets annoying. Basically, my WiFi stays connected when i'm at home but sometimes it seems like it slows done or the connection lags or even stops working. I can usually tell if this is happening because pages don't load fast enough in the browser or don't load at all. While this is happening, my wifi connection still says "Connected" though. I always have to go back, disconnect, re-type my password, connect again. Then I go back and it works fine. Is there any way to fix this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just rooting the phone does not change the interface at all. Rooting just allows you access to the locked system files so you can change them.
Also you won't have to use terminal commands to do hardly anything, but it would be a good practice to learn how to use it.
From there you can change your keyboard if you like. There are a few keyboards out there that are better than the stock keyboard is, as far a functionality.
Be warned once you get onto flashing and modding your phone, its like an addiction, and you probably wont be able to stop.

thatguysteve said:
Hey there, the rogers captivate is the same as the at&t captivate. I found a rogers phone in the snow, wiped, rooted and unlocked it. Installed at&t firmware and then flashed serendipity. I'm using it on telus no problem. Everything in this captivate forum will work great.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try and find the actual owner first?

Keithyv` said:
Did you try and find the actual owner first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya, but no one called the phone. The screen was locked and I couldn't get into the phone. I think it was outside for a while, reported lost and deactivated.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

gs1003 said:
@Trusselo, i'm not too ignorant to computers. I know my way around a computer and used to do some web design and basic coding so i'm somewhat okay.
My only concern is that once i've rooted my phone, I have to use some sort of unix/linux commands to work around my phone and do things? Is this true? Also, I read that the rooted version has a different keyboard? I still have a hard time getting used to this touchscreen board.
SIDE QUESTION ABOUT CAPTIVATE AND WIFI: This is my biggest problem right now, its actually a small problem but it gets annoying. Basically, my WiFi stays connected when i'm at home but sometimes it seems like it slows done or the connection lags or even stops working. I can usually tell if this is happening because pages don't load fast enough in the browser or don't load at all. While this is happening, my wifi connection still says "Connected" though. I always have to go back, disconnect, re-type my password, connect again. Then I go back and it works fine. Is there any way to fix this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i really hope that you didnt think i was accusing you of not being good with computers or being patronizing, i was just trying to provide you (or anyone else that reads this) with as much info as i could, while not doing the work for you.
terminal commands: ive never had to use them, no adb shell, no terminal emulator on phone, although it wouldnt be outside of my skill, i just prefer to do it without learning something i dont need to. (yet.. still thinking about learning some apping)
keyboard: rooting does not change any part of the UI at all, all rooting does is allow you to access (read / write / copy /delete) protected system files. And you can only do those scary things with use of other root apps after rooting your phone.
wifi: this is why some people flash new modems, if you still have issues and really want to send it back for warranty, dont worry, you can have it back good as new in no time!

Not too sure what you mean by flash new modems... ? And I wasn't accusing you of anything lol. Just letting you know that i'm not 100% dumb when it comes to computer but even then I don't know if I would be ready to use typed commands and stuff to use my phone.

gs1003 said:
Not too sure what you mean by flash new modems... ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The modem is simply what the phone uses for connectivity. It is a separate piece of the firmware that can be flashed on its own. It is a topic that is a little beyond the scope of this post. However, there is a stickied thread in the Captivate development forum called 'the modem thread' that outlines a lot of the information. The main reason many people do this change is that some experience better connectivity, lower battery consumption, and some other benefits. Again modems are beyond the scope of this post, so I encourage you to read that sticky, as there can be some pitfalls to changing modems. Best of luck and enjoy the great phone!

Oh okay thank you. I thought you meant I would have to take my phone back and get a new one. The WiFi works fine, its just that I have to disconnect, enter my wifi password, then reconnect sometimes for it to work properly.
Do you mean that the WiFi is something that can be changed after the phone is rooted to work better?

Can't say for sure, but it's always worth rooting anyway.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Remove Knox or Root without debug options

Hi all. I'm new to the site, so if I'm posting in the wrong forum, please let me know. I hope someone can help.
When I left my last company, they allowed me to take my Note 9 because it was paid in full. New management came in and set up Knox MDM. Because my device was paid for by them, they added my device to Knox and put it in Kiosk mode. I can no longer do anything on it but send/receive calls. I contacted Verizon, and they said even though i pay for the service, the device is technically still owned by the company and couldn't help me. So, i'm left with either buying a new phone or asking new management to remove me from knox. They will not, so I was hoping someone knew how to remove knox, possibly through rooting the phone. However, I can't enable developer mode. When I click on the build number, i get a message saying the feature is disabled by knox.

this is just a suggestion, I'm not saying to follow it. wait for someone else to confirm it's an OK idea or a terrible one.
using a PC or even another rooted phone you could run ADB and remove Knox packages. pretty sure you can do this successfully on newer phones but with Knox ''activated'' and doing stuff I'm not sure.

3mel said:
this is just a suggestion, I'm not saying to follow it. wait for someone else to confirm it's an OK idea or a terrible one.
using a PC or even another rooted phone you could run ADB and remove Knox packages. pretty sure you can do this successfully on newer phones but with Knox ''activated'' and doing stuff I'm not sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice. I'm good with that route, and I'm good with wiping the phone to root it. I installed ADB on my laptop and connected the phone, but it when I run adb devices, nothing is returned. I assumed it was because the phone wasn't in developer or usb debugging mode. So, I was hoping there was a way to do it without needed access to settings.

oh crap yeah, I forgot you did say that. curious do you still work for this company ?
either try doing ADB thru the recovery (never tried it, know nothing about it but it's a thing) or give a factory reset a try. the reset should at the very least kill off the companies settings though I'm not sure how much use that'll be.
flashing appropriate firmware with Odin should work for you too.

3mel said:
oh crap yeah, I forgot you did say that. curious do you still work for this company ?
either try doing ADB thru the recovery (never tried it, know nothing about it but it's a thing) or give a factory reset a try. the reset should at the very least kill off the companies settings though I'm not sure how much use that'll be.
flashing appropriate firmware with Odin should work for you too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks 3mel. I'll give those things a whirl. I'm not employed with them anymore, which is why going to new management isn't an option. A friend of mine still works there and they told me that management asked verizon for the device id's for the last 5 years and just put them all on knox. For them, $1/mo for a devices no longer in use by them outweighed the potential of missing devices in the wild.

rainana said:
Thanks 3mel. I'll give those things a whirl. I'm not employed with them anymore, which is why going to new management isn't an option. A friend of mine still works there and they told me that management asked verizon for the device id's for the last 5 years and just put them all on knox. For them, $1/mo for a devices no longer in use by them outweighed the potential of missing devices in the wild.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello dear friend, I have the same problem, did you find any solve for this issue? I will be happy if u will share the method)

Hello,
I have a similar case.
without debug mode, adb devices doesn't list any devices.
there is really no way to flash a custom ROM on this phone, without log into the old google account?

Question How to recover accidentally erased Camera folder from Samsung S21 Ultra - Data Recovery Android 12 / Root?

Problem:
My mum has an Android-based Samsung phone and unfortunately, when the main folder with photos ("Camera") was moved from the Phone to PC via USB cable, it was made using Cut and Paste. By accident the files were pasted into Recycle Bin and we received warning "Files will be permanently deleted. Do you wish to proceed?". We pressed "No" to abandon this process and undo the mistake. Nevertheless, the entire folder "Camera" has already disappeared from the window of DCIM folder on the phone (as viewed from PC). Similarly, the folder appears to have been deleted when viewed from within the phone. (also the phone now has 150 Gb free, while before the process it had 110 Gb free, so it appears 40 Gb of photos have been deleted....
Attempts to fix:
Standard photo / data recovery services failed to bring results (searching hidden folders using Windows Explorer, Total Commander and Ultdata Android).
We then tried two professional software solutions (Cellebrite UFED and Oxygen Forensic Device Extractor -- Android Agent), which also did not manage to locate photos on the device.
It appears as if they were completely deleted.
The same person who used the two prof software solutions above has access to PC-3000, but he claims it's not suitable for Android data recovery (?)
We have already spent 2 days and hundreds of dollars on consultations, which unfortunately still have not brought any results, while the emotional weight of deleted memories is haunting us. Thus, we appeal to help of this forum.
Current thoughts:
#1 All other methods suggested require rooting the phone, which apparently will wipe the whole and make recovery of that specific folder even less likely (correct me if I'm wrong).
#2 All suggestions to make back-up of the phone / clone the entire memory are not relevant, as the only files that are of importance here are the files in the deleted folder, and those files are not hidden and therefore will not copy into this back-up anyway (correct me if I'm wrong).
#3 One person told us to ask Samsung customer service, but their response was that they don't do data recovery and that they only can restore if there was Samsung cloud backup activated.
Questions:
Q1: What is our best course of action? It seems, rooting is one way or another, inevitable. What rooting method would be best to use here, given the situation and my phone specifications? I understand that there is no 100% guarantee to recover the erased photos, but we would like to at least give it a try with maximum chances of success.
Q2: Given that the files we want to back-up are already deleted and not visible, is it even worth it to try to make any back-ups? or will it be in vain, and should we just proceed to rooting and further recovery attempts?
Q3: IF, we successfully root, what is the best way to access the hidden data? Do we need help of this expert who has PC-3000 and specialized software, or is it going to be accessible using our own PC+USB cable + extra downloaded software?
Phone:
Samsung S21 Ultra (G998B). Android 12. No cloud, no backup. Phone not used for now. New data is not copied onto the phone. Phone not rooted.
Thank you for all your help. I do hope to find some solution. We are down hundreds of dollars, many hours of talking to consultants, many of whom appear to just google potential solutions and offer us some basic things, while the pain of cherished memories potentially lost forever is the worst, much worse than money lost. Any help or constructive feedback would be appreciated!

BTW if someone offers a working solution, I can offer consultancy fee for time and success fee in case of recovery.

Root probably won't be possible without unlocking the bootloader, and unlocking the bootloader factory resets the phone, which formats the internal storage and permanently deletes everything. I've used root apps to recover deleted photos and videos before but that only works if the phone was already rooted, or if there's a way to do it without wiping the phone. When I joined XDA almost a decade ago it was relatively common to see root methods that used exploits, and didn't require you to wipe the phone but that's not really a thing today. All this is to say that root is almost certainly not a viable option.

Have you checked for professional forensics services that can disassemble the phone and connect wires directly to the storage chips?
I've seen Youtube videos like this, where they get into the guts of the electronics and use solder and wiring. Sorry I don't know more specifics, but perhaps you can find them online and mail your phone for professional forensics recovery.

Maybe you can download a folder files of camera for the S21 Ultra :U

KingFatty said:
Have you checked for professional forensics services that can disassemble the phone and connect wires directly to the storage chips?
I've seen Youtube videos like this, where they get into the guts of the electronics and use solder and wiring. Sorry I don't know more specifics, but perhaps you can find them online and mail your phone for professional forensics recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^this^ Your best shot. With this you may only get one shot especially if you cause more damage by misadventure...
Others here have gone this route and gotten good results. $400-800 for non rush service is in the ballpark.

KingFatty said:
Have you checked for professional forensics services that can disassemble the phone and connect wires directly to the storage chips?
I've seen Youtube videos like this, where they get into the guts of the electronics and use solder and wiring. Sorry I don't know more specifics, but perhaps you can find them online and mail your phone for professional forensics recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
blackhawk said:
^this^ Your best shot. With this you may only get one shot especially if you cause more damage by misadventure...
Others here have gone this route and gotten good results. $400-800 for non rush service is in the ballpark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I have come across some websites mentioning this, but could not find any agency of repute in my region offering such a solution. And especially if I can only get one shot with this, I definitely want to pick the best agency to try it out. The photos inside are worth it for me to shell out hundreds of dollars if necessary...
I wonder also, if we can reasonably expect technical progress to be able to solve this situation. I don't mean some stuff like quantum computing, but for instance I'm aware that PS3 has recently been cracked , a few years after it came out. Can I reasonably expect something similar to happen to Android 12 that what's not breakable/crackable today, may become so in 1-2 or maybe 3-4 years? While I'd hate to have to wait for 2-3 years, there's nothing time-sensitive in those photos; just family moments that I would like to be able to revisit 10 years later, so if I only will be able to access them later on, that's fine, I can just put my phone in a drawer for a few years and wait. As long as this wait is not in vain. Definitely don't need false hope.
Thanks for your feedback!

samsungs21 said:
Thank you. I have come across some websites mentioning this, but could not find any agency of repute in my region offering such a solution. And especially if I can only get one shot with this, I definitely want to pick the best agency to try it out. The photos inside are worth it for me to shell out hundreds of dollars if necessary...
I wonder also, if we can reasonably expect technical progress to be able to solve this situation. I don't mean some stuff like quantum computing, but for instance I'm aware that PS3 has recently been cracked , a few years after it came out. Can I reasonably expect something similar to happen to Android 12 that what's not breakable/crackable today, may become so in 1-2 or maybe 3-4 years? While I'd hate to have to wait for 2-3 years, there's nothing time-sensitive in those photos; just family moments that I would like to be able to revisit 10 years later, so if I only will be able to access them later on, that's fine, I can just put my phone in a drawer for a few years and wait. As long as this wait is not in vain. Definitely don't need false hope.
Thanks for your feedback!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a thread here I posted on going 4-8 months. He had hid data recovered from a Samsung for $1200 rush job vs the usual $800 charge). I've tried to find it, but you see my post count. Usually that works in my favor but not always He shipped it to them if I recall correctly.
Try these guys. That may be the company he used. Been too long and it was of passing interest to me. If you do recover the data please report back. Many posters here have asked for this.
Due to the way those files were lost they may not be recoverable. Personally I would've written them off. However only a recovery specialist can say for sure.

blackhawk said:
There's a thread here I posted on going 4-8 months. He had hid data recovered from a Samsung for $1200 rush job vs the usual $800 charge). I've tried to find it, but you see my post count. Usually that works in my favor but not always He shipped it to them if I recall correctly.
Try these guys. That may be the company he used. Been too long and it was of passing interest to me. If you do recover the data please report back. Many posters here have asked for this.
Due to the way those files were lost they may not be recoverable. Personally I would've written them off. However only a recovery specialist can say for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
reached out to the guys you recommended, though their website / social media have not been updated since 2020... Will report back on the progress.

samsungs21 said:
reached out to the guys you recommended, though their website / social media have not been updated since 2020... Will report back on the progress.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure that's who he used and I know only what I read on their site. Just saying...

Can't you just plug the phone to a PC and use a recovery tool like DiskDrill, or something?

Flash the original firmware

Samarimama said:
Flash the original firmware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would do nothing except complicate the issue.

RSGI said:
Can't you just plug the phone to a PC and use a recovery tool like DiskDrill, or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tried that. The phone is not considered a hard drive, hence neither appears on the list of hard drives on Disk Drill, nor can be selected as folder/destination to run it on...

samsungs21 said:
tried that. The phone is not considered a hard drive, hence neither appears on the list of hard drives on Disk Drill, nor can be selected as folder/destination to run it on...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should mention that even if the jpegs can be recovered their exif data is not able to be associated with the jpeg. The folder structure is lost as well. A sea of jpegs with no time stamp or original image name. A daunting task in itself to sort these out.

Make a factory reset

Samarimama said:
Make a factory reset
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would overwrite the lost data potentially making it impossible to recover as if it's not already bad enough.
It was a simple data transfer that went bad (this can happen), nothing indicates the user partition or rom are corrupted... throwing rocks at it doesn't help.

samsungs21 said:
tried that. The phone is not considered a hard drive, hence neither appears on the list of hard drives on Disk Drill, nor can be selected as folder/destination to run it on...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try an app called "Disk Digger". Its on the playstore. It might belp.

RSGI said:
Try an app called "Disk Digger". Its on the playstore. It might belp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're not going to use a professional recovery service, go for it.
Otherwise using the device risks overwriting the now unallocated data... once overwritten recovery is completely impossible on a flash drive.

blackhawk said:
That would overwrite the lost data potentially making it impossible to recover as if it's not already bad enough.
It was a simple data transfer that went bad (this can happen), nothing indicates the user partition or rom are corrupted... throwing rocks at it doesn't he
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samarimama said:
Make a factory reset
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would definitely ruin his chances of any recovery... just avoid making any writing on the storage, cause if the data you want to recover is overwrite, it's definitely gone... at least intact...