I've got an unrooted xz1c that came with some sort of non-US stock firmware - which I know, because the fingerprint reader works. It's been nagging me to update it to Pie since I bought it, and I'm thinking I'd like to do it via the "official" (OTA) route, since it claims to be able to do it in-place, without having to reinstall apps, restore data, etc. What I want to avoid, though, is ending up with a US update, losing my fingerprint reader, and having to jump through hoops to get it back.
The build number in About Phone says 47.1.A.12.270. Is there some way of determining the current region, and confirming what region the update plans to install (without starting the update) - and/or forcing the region to match what I currently have? My google accounts, phone #, etc. are all US-based, if that makes any difference in terms of the update deciding what region is appropriate.
I was looking at a guide for installing specific region firmware via xperifirm/newflasher, but it indicated that the result would be a wiped phone, and I don't have time to deal with re-configuring everything from scratch right now.
Firmware customization does not change by applying OTA update. It will install the update of the same region that is already installed.
meeotch1 said:
I don't have time to deal with re-configuring everything from scratch right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the past the OTA updates have famously locked thier owners out of thier phones by not regonising the unlock code that has been set, so make sure you disable it before you start.
Also, updating from 8 to 9 leaves some apps glitchy and there have been several reports of phone problems that can only be resolved by a full factory reset.
If you want the best experiance from your phone, wiping it would be the best option when upgrading.
Use Xperia transfer to back up apps/call history/contacts/text history. Then restore once you've wiped your phone.
@meeotch1 If you are happy with Oreo and without the latest security patches and updates, just let the phone OTA update it to the final Oreo version 47.1.A.16.20 and leave it there.
You can force close the Software update app from app settings to make it stop nagging about the update. And with adb you can even disable it permanently (and enable later if you wish to go for Pie).
Thanks for the advice. Good to know that the nag is disableable. So I take it that OTA upgrades *within* major versions (so Oreo 47.1.A.12.270 to 47.1.A.16.20) do not suffer the glitches mentioned by the first reply above?
Also, when I eventually go Pie, what's the least painful / most reliable restore method after wiping the phone? Is the built-in Xperia backup/restore available in Settings good enough? I'd prefer not to upload all my data to Google, unless there's some guarantee that it's encrypted. Don't need the NSA digging through my messages to radical terrorists and international drug lords.
To find out the customization, go to the service menu and select "Software Info".
You'll see an entry named "Customization Version" with a number like "1310-4371_R6C".
You can then look in XperiFirm at the column named "CDA".
On the example I gave, "1310-4371" corresponds in XperiFirm to "Customized US".
You can also look further down in the software info at "Current Modem Config" where the format will be something like:
/system/etc/customization/modem/amss_fsg_lilac_tmobile_us_ims_tar.mbn"
That tells me that my SIM card matched a mobile operator that is recognized as having a valid modem configuration file for my customization's region and, as such, loaded the correct modem file for that operator.
It also shows that I'm using T-Mobile US as my operator (tmobile_us) and I have some kind of VoLTE available (ims).
Related
Hi
I have a Galaxy Note bought from Handtec in the UK. They shipped me a Polish device. This Polish device has a CSC set to 'KOR'. The device is being used in the UK. The device is stuck on XXKJ4 2.3.5. I have no interest in either rooting the device, or trying out custom firmwares, but I do wish it to receive the official updates via either OTA or Kies.
From reading these forums, 'KOR' is not a valid CSC. So I use the *#272*Device IMEI# method to change the CSC. I select XEU as the new CSC which I believe to be for the UK where the phone is used.
I now get an OTA update which I download, but the phone refuses to flash it (tried several times). I try via Kies (downloaded from Samsung UK), it says "your device does not support software upgrading via Kies".
I wish to end up with a bog standard UK note at the end of the process, or at least something that will find/get the ICS update when it turns up.
Last time I order anything from Handtec. Updating a phone should not consume this much time, it never did on my iPhone. I love the Note, but need it to 'just work' due to a lack of time to muck about with it.
Can anyone offer a solution that does not involve ODIN, rooting, custom roms or any other non-Samsung provided solutions?
Kind Regards
Nigel (rather peeved with his Note!)
Just tried XEO (polish) CSC, and tried to update the phone again. Failed in the same way. Looks like I am going to have to send the pile of dung to Samsung and have them fix it up with a UK (English) ROM/CSC on my behalf. Kies still reports that it cant upgrade it either.
Waste of time
Rooting and flashing the latest stock ROM on my Handtec Note was rather simple and pain free. In the time you've already spent, you probably could've done it several times now with a time allotment added in for flashing ICS when it's released. LA4 was even a non-wipe ROM, so I didn't have to re-do all of my apps and settings.
And there are so many benefits to rooting, I don't see why anyone would go without. Full usage of Titanium Backup is in and of itself enough reason, let alone Ad-free Android, LBE Privacy Control, and several other great root only apps.
Well, I finally got it to flash by setting the CSC to DEU. It still would not update OTA, but at least Kies would finally see that it was an updatable device.
I used to spend many-a-happy hour fidding with my many WinMo phones and trying out various roms. These days I just need it to work (like my iPhone4 did!). That includes seamless major revision updates that see all my apps/config automagically put back on the phone after the update! It should not really be necessary to root a phone just so that you can do a full backup (incl settings) of it.
I love the note, its far more practical/versatile than my iPhone ever was, and the screen is superb.
Risk of a bricked device, too many custom firmwares, and custom firmwares that change every few days etc are the reasons I have not rooted/flashed with ODIN. I also do not know where to find a stock UK LA4 rom to flash to the device.
Due to the CSC being KOR, and having to change this, The phone wiped its self, that would have been the deal with or without root afaik.
The only stock UK rom listed on the sticky here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1424997 is UK carphone warehouse. Which I imagine means I would get all of their crud on the phone too.
Nigel
thanks
Hello,
in my company we are developing an android app. The lowest android version this app supports is android 4.3.
The company bought several testing devices including a AT&T branded Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. With Android 4.2.2 (Buid Number: JDQ39.I9295UCUAMF3)
I tried it for a while now, but I can't get the OTA Update to work. It says "Software update interrupted. Try again in 24 hours".
I can bypass the 24h lock by changing the date of the phone. But even after ~30 tries the phone is not updating.
There is no SIM Card in the phone. Is a AT&T SIM Card needed to update the device? I am not able to get one, because I am located in Germany.
Can I update the phone manually with Kies or something?
I don't have admin right on my machine so I need to know what to do, before I contact the admin to install a required software.
Could a blocked port be an issue? I do have access to the internet, but if Samsung (or AT&T) uses some non standard port, my company could be blocking it.
(Root is not an option.)
Kind regards
Cliff
Cliff666 said:
Hello,
in my company we are developing an android app. The lowest android version this app supports is android 4.3.
The company bought several testing devices including a AT&T branded Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. With Android 4.2.2 (Buid Number: JDQ39.I9295UCUAMF3)
I tried it for a while now, but I can't get the OTA Update to work. It says "Software update interrupted. Try again in 24 hours".
I can bypass the 24h lock by changing the date of the phone. But even after ~30 tries the phone is not updating.
There is no SIM Card in the phone. Is a AT&T SIM Card needed to update the device? I am not able to get one, because I am located in Germany.
Can I update the phone manually with Kies or something?
I don't have admin right on my machine so I need to know what to do, before I contact the admin to install a required software.
Could a blocked port be an issue? I do have access to the internet, but if Samsung (or AT&T) uses some non standard port, my company could be blocking it.
(Root is not an option.)
Kind regards
Cliff
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Cliff. I can't say for sure, but my guess is you can't access the OTA because you're not in the right region (someone correct me if I'm wrong). As far as I know, you shouldn't need a SIM to update, again could be wrong. More importantly, there are other ways to update. You could probably try Kies, but I wouldn't recommend it, it seems like users always have issues with Kies. I would strongly recommend you try updating the phone with Odin, a tool by Samsung that let's you change around your phone's firmware (among other things) when the phone is in download mode.
There is an exhaustive guide linked to here that thoroughly explains how to go from any version of android (official, for this phone) to any other version. In simpler terms, that link shows you how to manually update, which is what I think you're looking for. Also the files you'll need to download are located here. Hope I've helped, and good luck updating! :good:
Oh, just re-read your caveats: you almost certainly don't need a SIM for Odin to work, and you definitely don't need root either.
thisisapoorusernamechoice said:
Hi Cliff. I can't say for sure, but my guess is you can't access the OTA because you're not in the right region (someone correct me if I'm wrong). As far as I know, you shouldn't need a SIM to update, again could be wrong. More importantly, there are other ways to update. You could probably try Kies, but I wouldn't recommend it, it seems like users always have issues with Kies. I would strongly recommend you try updating the phone with Odin, a tool by Samsung that let's you change around your phone's firmware (among other things) when the phone is in download mode.
There is an exhaustive guide linked to here that thoroughly explains how to go from any version of android (official, for this phone) to any other version. In simpler terms, that link shows you how to manually update, which is what I think you're looking for. Also the files you'll need to download are located here. Hope I've helped, and good luck updating! :good:
Oh, just re-read your caveats: you almost certainly don't need a SIM for Odin to work, and you definitely don't need root either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your answer. Yes, maybe AT&T does region lock the update -.-
I've used Odin on my old Galaxy S2 some years ago.
I'll have a look into it and decide if this is the way to go.
Odin will do it as long as there are full install files for you to use.
Cliff666 said:
Thank you for your answer. Yes, maybe AT&T does region lock the update -.-
I've used Odin on my old Galaxy S2 some years ago.
I'll have a look into it and decide if this is the way to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need an AT&T SIM card in the phone in order to install AT&T OTA updates. You can't use Kies to update because AT&T won't let Samsung post AT&T firmware on Kies. So your only option is to use Odin and the guide posted above.
I did not try to unlock my bootloader. I only tried by getting the unlocking code from the Sony site but I did not continue.
My concern is, it is already been a month passed since the last OTA has been released and still I am not receiving notification automatically and manually.
One way to guess would be to first know what version of rom you have. For example .417 ending. So I went to xperifirm, checked for all the region updates. And only few of them had .417 as latest (5). so from there i had to guess which one was mine. Of course i had one other thing to help me which was, when i got the phone and started it first up, it showed language for the region that it originated from. I know it's not the proper way of knowing but it worked for me. You can also compare build.prop contents with your original rom and one downloaded from xperifirm, but for that you need to backup your own stock rom (downloaded from xperia companion, there are some guides)
Got it. Mine's from Hong Kong and I confirm there's still no official OTA for us
Settings > Support > search for Customization Numbers
Like 1234-3214-5368
And search for the same customization number in XperiFirm.exe.
There will be a matched one. This is your xperia phone's region.
Why is it that HK Xperias always gets the update last?
I just got brand new Xperia X Performance that came with 6.0.1, and I'm trying to figure out why I can update it. It's unlocked but not rooted, basically right from the factory as far as I know.
When I go into Software Update in the phone's settings, it says "Your device already has the latest available system updates."
When I use the Sony app on my PC it says my system software is up to date.
I actually can't find anything about this issue, anybody here have any ideas?
Thanks!
try downloading and running xperifirm, find out if your region has the update at all, you should be able to update atleast to 7 anyway
There are a few variants that are considered as internal units or something like that and they don't get OTA updates, also HK units were stuck on 7 for some reason last time I checked. Mine is a french model, and yesterday I received the april security patches while the global variant got it two months ago
st3ch said:
try downloading and running xperifirm, find out if your region has the update at all, you should be able to update atleast to 7 anyway
There are a few variants that are considered as internal units or something like that and they don't get OTA updates, also HK units were stuck on 7 for some reason last time I checked. Mine is a french model, and yesterday I received the april security patches while the global variant got it two months ago
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply.
Here's a screenshot of Xperiafirm. https://ibb.co/dUCN3T
I'm in Canada, though I'm on Freedom Mobile, not Rogers or Bell. I don't think my carrier ever sold this phone, and I'm not sure what would happen if I flashed 8.0 made for Bell or Rogers phones.
Ideally I'd like 7.1.1 Canadian generic for Xperia X Performance, but I can't seem to find that anywhere.
I've also never done this so I don't really know what I'm doing, and don't want to void my warranty!
Thanks for you help!!
Good the ROMs that you see for Canada are all latest 8.0 with May security patches and maybe your phone is one of these and the updates just got stucked for some reason.
First you have to check what kind of model you have to check this, to do so you should open the dialler and type
*#*#7378423#*#*
From the service menu you should select -> Service Info -> Software Info and look for Customization Version:
As I said mine is a french model so it states 1302-9342_R2E your should be something different but only the first 8 numbers matter
then look this number in Xperifirm if yours is everything different from Internal Unit (second column from the screenshot) then there is a easy way to try and update without loosing your warranty
First there is always a risk! But I have done this a few times for my Xperia U and Xperia M5 and had no problems at all.
Do a backup - contacts...everything you need as it will delete them
charge the phone to at least 80%
then you should go to the Xperia Companion and do a software repair, not update but repair
It should install the latest version for your phone but it shows the version it installed only when it's finished...
Even if it has not installed the latest update then just connect the phone to your wifi/LTE and try the OTA updates again (could take up to an hour)
This is the safest way that will not void your warranty in any way but will delete your info (contacts, pics..etc. ) so do a backup prior
And if possible use a laptop with a working battery as even a 1 second glitch in the grid could cause the phone to get bricked
And if your phone is imported from China and the customization number is considered as an Internal Unit the only way you could get 7.0 or 8.0 is by flashing and another ftf file as the ones for Bell Canada or Rogers, there are actually some ROMs uploaded in XperiaBlog
there could be some in XDA but I have not search for any
st3ch said:
Good the ROMs that you see for Canada are all latest 8.0 with May security patches and maybe your phone is one of these and the updates just got stucked for some reason.
First you have to check what kind of model you have to check this, to do so you should open the dialler and type
*#*#7378423#*#*
From the service menu you should select -> Service Info -> Software Info and look for Customization Version:
As I said mine is a french model so it states 1302-9342_R2E your should be something different but only the first 8 numbers matter
then look this number in Xperifirm if yours is everything different from Internal Unit (second column from the screenshot) then there is a easy way to try and update without loosing your warranty
First there is always a risk! But I have done this a few times for my Xperia U and Xperia M5 and had no problems at all.
Do a backup - contacts...everything you need as it will delete them
charge the phone to at least 80%
then you should go to the Xperia Companion and do a software repair, not update but repair
It should install the latest version for your phone but it shows the version it installed only when it's finished...
Even if it has not installed the latest update then just connect the phone to your wifi/LTE and try the OTA updates again (could take up to an hour)
This is the safest way that will not void your warranty in any way but will delete your info (contacts, pics..etc. ) so do a backup prior
And if possible use a laptop with a working battery as even a 1 second glitch in the grid could cause the phone to get bricked
And if your phone is imported from China and the customization number is considered as an Internal Unit the only way you could get 7.0 or 8.0 is by flashing and another ftf file as the ones for Bell Canada or Rogers, there are actually some ROMs uploaded in XperiaBlog
there could be some in XDA but I have not search for any
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for the reply...I discovered the version of Android installed on my phone is a version meant for Journalists/Reviewers/Commercial use, and can not be updated. I just got a refund for the 3-year warranty portion of my purchase after pointing this out to them. So after the 90 day warranty that came with it runs out, I'll be able to do anything I feel like with this device.
I'll be looking for a safe way to install 7.1.1 hopefully, and if not then 8.0. There seem to be less issues with 7.1.1, but there's really only one way to find out: when I start using it.
I'll definitely need a point in the right direction when it comes to that though. I understand Sony has an official flashing tool, and you have to unlock the bootloader (which is supported on my phone even with this version). But I haven't done it before and don't know how.
I was wondering what you guys use for getting notified when a firmware update arrives? As I'm rooted, I won't receive official OTA notifications. I can check Frija manually or any other firmware website, but is there a neat app that does the trick on the smartphone itself? Something like Oxygen Updater on OnePlus devices?
Ive never seen an app for this. As you alluded to yourself, the issue here is for it to notify you on your phone. It is very simple to write a script on a computer to look for a version change on the website and notify you. You can run most desktop scripts in Termux but there's no way to schedule it so its still a manual process. You need an app that can scrape websites for version info but I have zero experience in that area to even know where to start.
I have now found multiple ways of checking for an update in case anyone is wondering:
CheckFirm: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.illusion.checkfirm
You can try to scan for a new firmware. It uses other users to find a new firmware but according to the dev, it might be able to scan automatically in the future (though no ETA)
Use Samsung's own version.xml: https://fota-cloud-dn.ospserver.net/firmware/DBT/SM-G998B/version.xml
This is an example (replace DBT with the CSC code and SM-G998B with your model version. It will list all firmwares with the newest firmware number at the top.
Use Samsung's changelog: https://doc.samsungmobile.com/sm-g998b/dbt/doc.html
This is an example (replace DBT with the CSC code and SM-G998B with your model version.
There are plenty of services online that check for any changes on a public website. Most of them are restricted to a certain number of websites or only check every 24 hours. But checking those two official websites from Samsung would make it possible to get a firmware update notification.
Since you can't update the firmware on the device itself while being rooted, a notification is enough for me. I still have to use ODIN on a Windows PC anyway
Thanks was looking for this