Database Develop

[Q] Updating AT&T S4 Active to Android 4.3+

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.

MY tab s2 T817A not upgrading to android 7

I am having issues with my tab s2 which is not updating to android 7 for some reasons.
I have tried the manually updating but it just says your device is up to date even it has an android 7 update available
also i have tried samsung smart switch but that also seems to give a similar result
I am only asking some things like
1- Is or Was there never any android 7 update for it and the internet is lying to me
2- Or is it any region problem because I dont live in the US this tablet was bought in the US but i live in pakistan maybe that is the issue or not ?
3- Tell me what can be the problem
Your help is kindly Appreciated
Sorry if my English is Bad

Tech core said:
I am having issues with my tab s2 which is not updating to android 7 for some reasons.
I have tried the manually updating but it just says your device is up to date even it has an android 7 update available
also i have tried samsung smart switch but that also seems to give a similar result
I am only asking some things like
1- Is or Was there never any android 7 update for it and the internet is lying to me
2- Or is it any region problem because I dont live in the US this tablet was bought in the US but i live in pakistan maybe that is the issue or not ?
3- Tell me what can be the problem
Your help is kindly Appreciated
Sorry if my English is Bad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you need an ATT sim card inserted.

ashyx said:
I think you need an ATT sim card inserted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may ask you how inserting my AT&T sim would allow it to continue updating

Tech core said:
I may ask you how inserting my AT&T sim would allow it to continue updating
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because ATT devices update from ATT not Samsung. Without the ATT sim your device won't be recognised as an ATT device.
This is how it's worked for other devices on ATT.

ashyx said:
Because ATT devices update from ATT not Samsung. Without the ATT sim your device won't be recognised as an ATT device.
This is how it's worked for other devices on ATT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok I will try thanks for the tip

I have the same problem...
Is it possible to download this firmware manually and install it from odin / Kies ?
Better than that... How do I know if I can Debrand this device and get rid of att firmware ?

brtracker said:
I have the same problem...
Is it possible to download this firmware manually and install it from odin / Kies ?
Better than that... How do I know if I can Debrand this device and get rid of att firmware ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i Just upgraded the tablet to android 7 using its firmware i did not have its original at&t sim card lying around so i had to manually update the device you can manually update it
and no even if you try to debrand this tablet out of the at&t firmware there might be some chances that certain functions like wifi and bluetooth might not work due to the modem that at&t devices use i don,t know about this theory either and i can only assume that this might happen to your device it happened to me on my lg g2 where i installed the wrong firmware
Hopes this helps
sorry for my bad english

Where Did you get your update From? i Have an AT&T t-818a and on the att website there have been 2 other additional update but i guess without the AT&T sim it just wont work? Is this true, can anyone confirm this? I dont see why you would need the AT&t sim if the build/firmware number is specific to AT&T. Another reason to hate AT&T i guess!

T817AUCU2CQE3 here:
http://combinefile.com/home/browse/category/id/9448/T817AUCU2CQE3

Yeah I did T 18178 ever since I've had it it won't update already had to go twice to get new SIM cards from AT&T I've never not had an AT&T SIM card but it still does it regardless I noticed now it's been another year I haven't got another update and multiple behind it just happens. Did you know for the longest time and then I had to start going there and telling them just to do it right away and then you try to say I will do all this stuff and not think that would even help until doing all of it and then finally after continually telling them refusing that wouldn't do anything but it's but it happened the last time. Ridiculous provider websites pretty much unusable because it takes ridiculous times to get to information that's useless anyways, every time you want to go to a new page it's trying to make you log in security again

There is a version 7. And honestly I worked on my for a looong time and could never get it to update so I Just took it to the Samsung guys at best buy they did it no problem. being you are not in the US I'm not sure what to recommend.

Changing CSC to enable VoLTE and VoWIFI

Hi there,
I'm about to order a Galaxy S10 directly from Samsung since they are way cheaper than what my carrier sell them. But, when I do my carrier tells me that VoLTE and VoWIFI will not work on Android phone bought from other than the one they sell...
I've read a little bit and it seems that I'd have to change the CSC of the phone, I've chatted with samkey about the particular model and it's not supported, because of bit 4 or something like that. Anyways, I've downloaded samfirm and found the firmware for my provider "VTR" but it seems that all firmwares from any provider in Canada share the same thing because what is getting downloaded is a "VLS" and the CSC one is "OYV"
=>> BL_G973WVLS4DTF6_CL18725736_QB32639380_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT.tar.md5
=>> AP_G973WVLS4DTF6_CL18725736_QB32639380_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT_meta_OS10.tar.md5
=>> CP_G973WVLS4DTF6_CP16240011_CL18725736_QB32639380_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT.tar.md5
=>> HOME_CSC_OMC_OYV_G973WOYV4DTF6_CL18725736_QB32639380_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT.tar.md5
=>> CSC_OMC_OYV_G973WOYV4DTF6_CL18725736_QB32639380_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT.tar.md5
I need advise to modify the firmware or options in my new phone to make it look like it's coming from my provider (Videotron) and when I insert the SIM (with NFC+VoLTE) in it I have a chance that the option will be available.
I'm an IT Specialist, I've flashed my old S7 with those files before with no luck. It's the same story with the S7, bought from Samsung, initialized with an other provider SIM though. Then flashed the phone with my provider CSC got a proper SIM card and I had them enable VoLTE on my line, but the option never showed up. I'd like to be able to enable it on my new phone, that's why I'm doing research before getting my hands on it.

Can't you just download the video tron firmware and flash it to the phone with Odin?

StoneyJSG said:
Can't you just download the video tron firmware and flash it to the phone with Odin?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sure can, just wondering if it's gonna work since last time I did that on my S7 it didn't work.
I downloaded the firmware using SamFirm v0.5.0 for 2 providers, VTR (Videotron) and RWC (Rogers) two very different providers and I compared the two CSC files using sha256 and they are both identical (I didn't test the big 5G files though, but they have the same exact file size). So I'm wondering if I'm even downloading the right thing now. It's probably multi CSC. Then does the stock Canadian Samsung firmware the same as the one I'm downloading?

It should tell you on sam firm what firmware you need to download or if you're running the current stock firmware, then just look in settings to see what base band you're on and go from there. I wouldn't flash rogers if you have another carrier, that may cause some issues.

StoneyJSG said:
It should tell you on sam firm what firmware you need to download or if you're running the current stock firmware, then just look in settings to see what base band you're on and go from there. I wouldn't flash rogers if you have another carrier, that may cause some issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I'll look into it a little more when I actually receive the new phone from Samsung. I wasn't going to flash a Rogers firmware, I downloaded it to do a compare and check to see if they actually are identical to VTR ones and they seem to be identical, at least the CSC files are.

many folks have found that buying direct from samsung doesn't guarantee the phone will work.
several on xfinity mobile found out the hard way.

How To Guide [GUIDE] How To Flash Official Samsung Unlocked BloatFree Firmware

Did you just get your shiny new S21 Ultra? And the first thing you noticed is tons of preloaded carrier apps that can't be deleted? This is how to fix that.
Convert your phone into the one that would come from Samsung directly with a simple firmware flash!
BACK UP YOUR PHONE! ALL DATA WILL LIKELY BE WIPED!
You will need an SM-G998U/U1/W
Computer running Windows
USB-C Cable for your PC to Phone
This is only for SM-G998U/U1/W
Step 1:
Download the ROM of your choice. The firmware number does NOT need to match your phone, as long as you have an SM-G998U/U1/W
From each link, click the latest firmware in the list (what ever the top one is) and on the page that loads, click the blue button that says "Download from website"
(You can only download one in a 24 hour period so choose U1 or W wisely)
SM-G998U1 (U1 is unlocked, no carrier bloat, US radio bands)
SM-G998W (W is unlocked, no carrier bloat, Canadian radio bands)
The only main difference between the two is the Canadian W Firmware supports all radio bands aside from (n260, n261), the file size is a little bigger and will take up a fractionally larger amount of space on your phone as a result of also including all CSC's, but will allow your device to connect to any tower frequency with the correct SIM.
The U1 Firmware supports all US bands and works across all Canadian carriers, but does not have any Carrier CSC's as a result of the smaller file size.
Thanks to @milan03 for the info
Best measure is to use the W Firmware as it will be supported, but if you are positive of your carrier will work and bands are the same as US carriers, use the U1 to save some space.
Step 2:
Download Odin 3.14.4 and Samsung USB Drivers
Step 3:
Extract all of the .zip files that you have downloaded, and install the Samsung USB Driver
Step 4:
On your S21 Ultra, enter download mode by turning the phone completely off.
Once the phone is off, hold the volume up AND down at the same time, and without letting go of those buttons, plug a USB cable in from the computer to the phone
Do not let go of the volume buttons until the Download Mode screen is displayed.
Step 5:
Open Odin and make sure the S21 Ultra comes up as one of the COM ports
If it doesn't try rebooting your computer, and then connect your phone again
Step 6:
Click the BL Button, and select the BL file you extracted from the Firmware .zip
Click the AP Button, and select the AP file (This will take awhile, do not touch anything, don't even click your mouse or try to do anything else on your computer, it can crash, just wait, make a coffee or something, because depending on your computer specs, it can take up to 5 minutes to load that file
Click CP and add the CP file
Now this last part here, you have a choice, however I strongly recommend you do not choose the second option at this time, however you CAN, but you might face stability issues.
When clicking CSC, you can EITHER add the CSC file, which is what I recommend, OR you can add the HOME_CSC file.
The differences between these files is that the CSC file will wipe your phone, but this is recommended, because when you are switching firmware's from a different carrier build, which we are right now, you want to delete anything left over that could conflict with the new firmware being flashed, however, you CAN flash HOME_CSC which will keep all of your user data on the phone, but this could leave old firmware files behind that could cause stability issues with your phone, crashes, force close apps, or even boot loops.
It's recommended to ONLY use HOME_CSC when you are UPGRADING on the same build (eg, if you are on SM-G998W and UPGRADING to another SM-G998W firmware)
So if you are going from U/U1 to W, it's recommended to use CSC, if you are going from W to W, Home_CSC should be fine, if you are going from W to U1, you should use CSC.
Step 7:
Once you have made your choice of either CSC or HOME_CSC, you can now click Start and it will start flashing the new firmware.
This process will take a fair amount of time, go relax and enjoy that coffee you made while the AP file was loading.
Once the flash is done, it will say Pass in green, and your phone will reboot automatically into your new official carrier bloat free firmware.
If you picked CSC, you can now setup your phone just like a new phone and restore your backup, if you picked HOME_CSC, you should be at your lock screen, and the phone is ready to use.
Congratulation, you are now on the Official Samsung Firmware with no carrier bloat as if you bought the phone directly from Samsung.
Troubleshooting:
If you used CSC and the phone did not pass and says FAIL, try the flash again with HOME_CSC, once the flash passes, you should be back at the lock screen, go to settings, search for reset, and do a factory reset, wipe all data because something did not flash correctly the first time so you need to wipe the phone after the successful flash to guarantee no stability issues.
If you used HOME_CSC and the phone did not pass, use CSC and the phone will be wiped when it flashes, and you need to set up your phone like new and restore your backup during the setup screen.
If it still fails to flash both CSC and HOME_CSC, Download Mode probably timed out from your computer taking too long, at which point, you can try doing Step 6 BEFORE Step 5.
Turn your phone off completely, load all of the files into Odin, THEN enter Download Mode and immediately click Start to start the flash. This will give you a little more time for your computer to make the flash and hopefully download mode will not timeout, if it still fails, try a faster computer or a different/shorter USB cable.
If you are with Bell in Canada and you did not get the pre-order bundle promo E-voucher prompt from Samsung Members App, flashing the SM-G998W firmware linked above will fix this and you can redeem your e-voucher and get your headphones and smart tag.
This is a video I made on the S20 Ultra for flashing One UI 3.0 Beta/Stable, however the process is identical, just use the files from here instead of the ones linked in the video description
I will be replacing this video with a dedicated S21 tutorial once I have have finishing editing the new video, but for now this will give you an idea of how it works until 5:30 in the video, after that it's mostly related to One UI 3.0 Beta/Stable for the S20 so there's no need to watch further than that as the S21 would be done by that point in the video.

Thank you sir.

So will this trip KNOX? My phone should get here next week (AT&T), and one of the first things I always want to do is get rid of the bloat.

JimmytheGeek said:
So will this trip KNOX? My phone should get here next week (AT&T), and one of the first things I always want to do is get rid of the bloat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem with KNOX.
But majority of bloatwares are issued of CSC carrier brand and it is impossible to change csc without root or using samkey...
So this firmware will be like other versions with same samsung apps unless I'm wrong.

Thanks for the guide.
If I may, I'd like to post a correction on the state of the supported frequency bands on Canadian and the US firmware:
- The U1 firmware doesn't only support T-Mobile bands, it also fully supports AT&T and Verizon frequency bands, which includes their unique LTE carrier aggregation combinations as well as the 5G non-standalone combinations with n5 and mmWave. That's in addition to T-Mobile's combos with n71 and n41, in both non-standalone and standalone environment.
- At the same time the Canadian W firmware doesn't support all 5G bands, it completely disables mmWave (n260, n261), which means the US devices with this firmware won't be able to access this super-fast flavor of 5G on any US network. It also doesn't fully support all US 5G non-standalone combinations in FR1 (Sub-6 GHz) range.
Thanks again.

Chcolat-tiède said:
it is impossible to change csc without root or using samkey...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're running a multi csc firmware (the one's linked above) you can change your csc by opening the phone app and dialing *#272*YOUR IMEI NUMBER# and from there you can pick the firmware CSC and carrier CSC to be whatever preinstalled apps you want. The W firmware has all of the preinstalled which is why the file size is larger.
As for the Samsung bloat, they all come with it, but a lot of these should be able to be removed using ADB without root.
There are some ADB scripts around that some skilled people wrote for removing bloat apps in bulk through ADB without root.

bANONYMOUS said:
If you're running a multi csc firmware (the one's linked above) you can change your csc by opening the phone app and dialing *#272*YOUR IMEI NUMBER# and from there you can pick the firmware CSC and carrier CSC to be whatever preinstalled apps you want. The W firmware has all of the preinstalled which is why the file size is larger.
As for the Samsung bloat, they all come with it, but a lot of these should be able to be removed using ADB without root.
There are some ADB scripts around that some skilled people wrote for removing bloat apps in bulk through ADB without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info I will check.
I have a B/DS version, this manipulation unfortunately does not work on mine

Hello!
Thank for you posting this @bANONYMOUS. Question if I buy the the U1 model can I flash the W firmware? My father is in Canada and I'm getting an early Bday present for him. Making sure when he gets it, that it will have the correct bands for Rogers!

Is there any qualcomm firmware that has an FM radio app?

I purchased from the US and flashed the XAC firmware. The final result was XAC/XAC/XAA is that correct? I thought all blocs would be XAC.
Also, I wasn't sure if repartition should be checked or not so I unchecked it.
No VOLTE or WIFI calling on koodo.

I bricked my device today so I'm trying to flash stock OS.
I started flashing it in odin, but it seems it gets stuck on "<ID:0/010> vbmeta.img" for few minutes.
Not sure what is causing it, does anyone have any ideas?

Just tried this with u1. Failed each time

I'm trying to flash u1 onto TMB device. Keep getting failing with sha256 is invalid. Is there a modified odin 3.14.4 yet?

phucnukem said:
I'm trying to flash u1 onto TMB device. Keep getting failing with sha256 is invalid. Is there a modified odin 3.14.4 yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get this as well

phucnukem said:
I'm trying to flash u1 onto TMB device. Keep getting failing with sha256 is invalid. Is there a modified odin 3.14.4 yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am trying the patched 3.14.1 3b from here now
Download Latest Samsung Odin Tool v3.14.4 for Windows (2023)
Download the PatcheD and latest Samsung Odin v3.14.4 flash tool to install Samsung firmware binaries (AP, BL, CP, CSC files) on Windows PC.
technastic.com
Specifically I used Odin3 3.14.1 3B PatcheD.zip

tjsooley said:
I am trying the patched 3.14.1 3b from here now
Download Latest Samsung Odin Tool v3.14.4 for Windows (2023)
Download the PatcheD and latest Samsung Odin v3.14.4 flash tool to install Samsung firmware binaries (AP, BL, CP, CSC files) on Windows PC.
technastic.com
Specifically I used Odin3 3.14.1 3B PatcheD.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update
I used home csc and went from Verizon FW to U1 (Newest firmware) all is good.

tjsooley said:
Update
I used home csc and went from Verizon FW to U1 (Newest firmware) all is good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a VZW S21 ultra and was thinking of doing this. Do all of the Verizon features work, like wifi calling, hd voice, rcs? and unlocked features like caller id, samsung cloud, call and text on other devices?

krylon27 said:
I got a VZW S21 ultra and was thinking of doing this. Do all of the Verizon features work, like wifi calling, hd voice, rcs? and unlocked features like caller id, samsung cloud, call and text on other devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wi-Fi calling in volte work. Samsung caller id it there and I was able to configure it. Cloud was as well. Call and text is and I configured it but my tablet does not support it yet.

tjsooley said:
Wi-Fi calling in volte work. Don't know how to test the other stuff
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, based on what my unlocked note 9 has:
Under the phone app settings there should be a setting for caller id and spam protection
Under system settings in the accounts and backup section there is should be samsung cloud,
Under system settings in the connections section there should be call and messages continuity.
These are all options I have on my unlocked note 9, but not on VZW FW S21 Ultra

krylon27 said:
Well, based on what my unlocked note 9 has:
Under the phone app settings there should be a setting for caller id and spam protection
Under system settings in the accounts and backup section there is should be samsung cloud,
Under system settings in the connections section there should be call and messages continuity.
These are all options I have on my unlocked note 9, but not on VZW FW S21 Ultra
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wi-Fi calling in volte work. Samsung caller id it there and I was able to configure it. Cloud was as well. Call and text is and I configured it but my tablet does not support it yet.

Can't get security update after flashing samsung stock firmware to verizon s10

I just swapped carriers to Mint Mobile from Verizon. I noticed my Google and Samsung cloud backups were not working and found out it was because Verizon blocks them, so you have to buy their cloud service. I decided to flash the Samsung stock unlocked firmware (G973U1) to my Verizon firmware S10 (G973U). That fixed that problem, but when I check for software updates, it says the security update from January 1st 2022 is the newest update, but I know I got a security update around April 4th when I had the Verizon firmware. None of the firmware on sammobile for the G973U1 says it is newer than this. All the carriers listed here are the same. I don't know why you need different carriers selected here because it should be the same Samsung firmware right? I flashed the T-Mobile one because Mint Mobile uses T-Mobile network and Mint Mobile wasn't listed. Should I flash another carriers version of the locked (G973U) firmware and see if that works? Or should I just flash the Verizon firmware back on it? I also called Mint Mobile tech support and asked them if there was a way for them to push the update to my phone, or if that hadn't released that update on their netork yet, but they said that they don't do anything with the software updates and those come from Samsung.

U1 is an "unlocked" phone that can change carriers via CSC changes. In theory, just swapping SIMs should have switched you over to the new carrier (sometimes this doesn't work).
Flashing the U-version means it may not be the universal version that U! is... so it may not switch over properly. That's the first issue. But now that you've done that, it's kinda moot.
I'm not sure why you put a Verizon FW onto a Mint/TMO carrier at all? I would suggest a U1 TMO or Mint firmware to start with, and see if the CSC updates properly. When that happens, and if it switches properly, then the updates should work normally.
But, even beyond that, you could have just flashed an upgraded version of your ROM to get the update, saving yourself from all of this hassle anyway. Sure, it's not "coming from" the carrier (it never does - it's coming from Samsung usually, as Mint noted)... so you'd just bypass their issues.
Lastly, I will warn you about getting the latest (March) update, as this is Android 12. Many people have had issues with A12 on their phones due to incompatibilities, battery drain, etc. Personally, I'd hold off updating to A12 as long as possible (my and my-wife's phones are both still on A11 for this reason... January update). I just posted on a thread where a user lost GearVR compatibility on A12, and was asking how to downgrade... there are lots of such posts here...

schwinn8 said:
U1 is an "unlocked" phone that can change carriers via CSC changes. In theory, just swapping SIMs should have switched you over to the new carrier (sometimes this doesn't work).
Flashing the U-version means it may not be the universal version that U! is... so it may not switch over properly. That's the first issue. But now that you've done that, it's kinda moot.
I'm not sure why you put a Verizon FW onto a Mint/TMO carrier at all? I would suggest a U1 TMO or Mint firmware to start with, and see if the CSC updates properly. When that happens, and if it switches properly, then the updates should work normally.
But, even beyond that, you could have just flashed an upgraded version of your ROM to get the update, saving yourself from all of this hassle anyway. Sure, it's not "coming from" the carrier (it never does - it's coming from Samsung usually, as Mint noted)... so you'd just bypass their issues.
Lastly, I will warn you about getting the latest (March) update, as this is Android 12. Many people have had issues with A12 on their phones due to incompatibilities, battery drain, etc. Personally, I'd hold off updating to A12 as long as possible (my and my-wife's phones are both still on A11 for this reason... January update). I just posted on a thread where a user lost GearVR compatibility on A12, and was asking how to downgrade... there are lots of such posts here...
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I didn't flash the verizon U version firmware that was what came on my phone when I bought it. I flashed the T-mobile U1 firmware and it still didn't work. There is no Mint Mobile firmware. Where would I get the upgraded version of the rom? Most people I saw were recomending sammobile.com and the newest U1 firmware only had the January 1 security update. I had android 12 on my S10 before I flashed any firmware, and I didn't have any issues so don't mind running it.

You can get ODIN ROMs from many places. Sammobile is one, Samfw is another. To get latest firmwares, Frija or other such tools are faster because they can download directly from Samsung servers. The limitation is that those can only get the latest versions, not past ones.
Correct, there is no Mint firmware that I am aware of. Yes you should be able to get the TMO firmware, which is actually a TMB CSC. You can see that here: https://samfw.com/firmware/SM-G973U1/TMB/G973U1UEU6HVB2
With that in mind, you'll also see that the CSC version shows "OYM" which is actually a multi-CSC USA firmware. Again, these firmwares should change CSC based on the one shown by your SIM. For example, mine is an OYM ROM, which shows a CSC of TFN/TFN/SPR (first is what carrier the phone is on (Tracfone in my case... I'm using Total Wireless), second is what the SIM is, and last is what the phone was "born" with... that cannot be changed).
If you're running an OYM now (likely you are) then check the CSC... see if it's switch to TMB/TMB/xxx. If that hasn't happened, then that could be part of the reason you're not getting updates. Sometimes phones don't change (one of the 2 phones I got originally would not change, so I had to return it and get another... no idea why).
Note, to change CSC, you need to flash the "CSC" ODIN file, and not the Home_CSC file, as the latter will keep the existing setup of your phone. You can see more info on the difference here: https://www.getdroidtips.com/know-about-csc-home_csc/#CSC-vs-Home-CSC-the-difference
Bottom line, start by checking your current CSC... it should be TMB. If not, you can ODIN flash, with CSC (not HOME_CSC) and that hopefully will get you on the correct CSC. Note that this will erase the phone.
Alternatively, as I mentioned, you can download the latest FW, and just HOME_CSC flash that with ODIN to get you on the latest without waiting for the carrier to push it.