Database Develop

[Q] Rooting N900A to Lollipop while using T-mobile.

Ugh, I am having so many issues with this at the moment. One of those things being that I am using T-mobile as my carrier. I'm stuck on 4.4 at the moment, and need to update it. But, will that relock the phone? How do I re-unlock it if that happens? I've already read that I can't flash the phone to T-mobile ROM, but are there any custom ROMs that you would recommend [I do actually use the S-pen, not sure if any have been updated to where that can still be used.] Lastly, is there any way to get mobile hotspot and tethering to work now that I am using tmobile?

Spikemare said:
Ugh, I am having so many issues with this at the moment. One of those things being that I am using T-mobile as my carrier. I'm stuck on 4.4 at the moment, and need to update it. But, will that relock the phone? How do I re-unlock it if that happens? I've already read that I can't flash the phone to T-mobile ROM, but are there any custom ROMs that you would recommend [I do actually use the S-pen, not sure if any have been updated to where that can still be used.] Lastly, is there any way to get mobile hotspot and tethering to work now that I am using tmobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never tried this Rom.
T-Mobile Alliance Lollipop Rom on ATT Note 3
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-att/general/t-mobile-alliance-rom-att-note-3-t3065127 I don't think you would have to worry about any of this as you are using T-Mobile " After the phone came up, I went to settings..general..applications...running .... and found every Tmobile app and cleared cache and disabled them. The real important one here is the Visual Voicemail. Otherwise it will keep on trying to contact Tmobile and then you will get text messages saying there is an error. Thanks @sapps
Wifi Calling is throwing a sim card error (as you would expect). Only problem is it is shown in status bar and lockscreen. I'm sure there is a way to hide it or disable it. I just haven't had a chance to figure it out."

Rooted i747 said:
I never tried this Rom.
T-Mobile Alliance Lollipop Rom on ATT Note 3
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-att/general/t-mobile-alliance-rom-att-note-3-t3065127 I don't think you would have to worry about any of this as you are using T-Mobile " After the phone came up, I went to settings..general..applications...running .... and found every Tmobile app and cleared cache and disabled them. The real important one here is the Visual Voicemail. Otherwise it will keep on trying to contact Tmobile and then you will get text messages saying there is an error. Thanks @sapps
Wifi Calling is throwing a sim card error (as you would expect). Only problem is it is shown in status bar and lockscreen. I'm sure there is a way to hide it or disable it. I just haven't had a chance to figure it out."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it's the N900A, so it's the AT&T version. Won't that brick the phone if I put the tmobile ROM on it? That's what I've read in other threads on here anyway. [Honestly I shouldn't write when I'm tired, or I would have explained this better.]. Basically, I bought an unlocked AT&T phone. A Note 3 to be exact. It's stuck on 4.4 but can upgrade to lolipop. Nothing I try will let me upgrade the normal way. I'm not sure how to upgrade it without relocking the SIM card somehow. Or is the simcard already semi-locked and that's why it's giving me the error? I also can't even find a AT&T specific rooting guide for this phone. I saw every other carrier except AT&T, does that even make a difference? And are there any ROMs that can return S-pen programs after I install them, or should I just stop at rooting if I want that? If so, I just really want to upgrade to lollipop and root the phone. I would like my mobile hotspot and wifi calling to work, but I suppose I can make do with hangouts.

Spikemare said:
But it's the N900A, so it's the AT&T version. Won't that brick the phone if I put the tmobile ROM on it? That's what I've read in other threads on here anyway. [Honestly I shouldn't write when I'm tired, or I would have explained this better.]. Basically, I bought an unlocked AT&T phone. A Note 3 to be exact. It's stuck on 4.4 but can upgrade to lolipop. Nothing I try will let me upgrade the normal way. I'm not sure how to upgrade it without relocking the SIM card somehow. Or is the simcard already semi-locked and that's why it's giving me the error? I also can't even find a AT&T specific rooting guide for this phone. I saw every other carrier except AT&T, does that even make a difference? And are there any ROMs that can return S-pen programs after I install them, or should I just stop at rooting if I want that? If so, I just really want to upgrade to lollipop and root the phone. I would like my mobile hotspot and wifi calling to work, but I suppose I can make do with hangouts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't brick you phone. It's a T-Mobile Rom that's been ported for AT&T Note 3. After you flash the Rom, you have to Odin the N900A_OC1_ALL_Other_Stock_Partitions.tar.md5 using Odin's PDA slot. As far as rooting what you have now, just use Towel root https://towelroot.com/ (install on phone like any other app) and click "make it rain". Install Supersu, busybox and Safestrap. OR use Kingo Root http://www.kingoapp.com/ (Kingo Root will install supersu for you). The reason it won't upgrade to Lollipop is you have a T-Mobile sim card in it. It needs a AT&T sim card (I have AT&T and can't upgrade mine unless the sim card is in the phone). If you just want a rooted Lollipop Rom, but it's AT&T http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=59666958&postcount=2 You know since you're on T-Mobile you have to go into settings>more networks>mobile networks>access point names and change it to T-Mobile's APN. I would just root it and put the T-Mobile Alliance Lollipop Rom on ATT Note 3 on it. I gave it a try yesterday and it does have T-Mobile apps on it, just not for me. Just remember to change the APN to T-Mobile's ( just write down the one you using now).

Firmware version blank/baseband blank/Imei null

I am lost. I have been reading through hours of material and am still not sure what to do. I purchased my att samsung galaxy note 3 n900a from a friend and it seems it use to be rooted. It has a custom recovery. I was able to verify the imei is good with att but had to use a program to locate it. My baseband is blank. It shows I have android 5.0 and that build is lrx21v. N900aucueoc2 4335446. But when I run a firmware test to see what I need to download (if that's even what I should be doing) it shows my phone is n900aucubmi9 android 4.3. My kernel shows 3.4.0-4335446. I'm not sure where to start for all the issues the phone has and I'm not sure I should download the 4.3 firmware when it's currently on 5.0. Please help.

hbaca25 said:
I am lost. I have been reading through hours of material and am still not sure what to do. I purchased my att samsung galaxy note 3 n900a from a friend and it seems it use to be rooted. It has a custom recovery. I was able to verify the imei is good with att but had to use a program to locate it. My baseband is blank. It shows I have android 5.0 and that build is lrx21v. N900aucueoc2 4335446. But when I run a firmware test to see what I need to download (if that's even what I should be doing) it shows my phone is n900aucubmi9 android 4.3. My kernel shows 3.4.0-4335446. I'm not sure where to start for all the issues the phone has and I'm not sure I should download the 4.3 firmware when it's currently on 5.0. Please help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what it takes to get someone to reply on this but ok..... i was able to get a sim card and put service on it and it has made the phone work every now and then. It keeps slipping back into no mobile network and stops working though. I have updated the apn settings to the correct options. Still when it turns the network off it goes back to no baseband showing, no imei, tells me to insert sim. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the custom recovery that I have on it. I'm honestly not sure CAUSE IM NOT ABLE TO GET ANY FEEDBACK.

hbaca25 said:
Not sure what it takes to get someone to reply on this but ok..... i was able to get a sim card and put service on it and it has made the phone work every now and then. It keeps slipping back into no mobile network and stops working though. I have updated the apn settings to the correct options. Still when it turns the network off it goes back to no baseband showing, no imei, tells me to insert sim. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the custom recovery that I have on it. I'm honestly not sure CAUSE IM NOT ABLE TO GET ANY FEEDBACK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am no expert on this, and cannot offer much advice for it may violate the terms of this site. BUT, it sounds like you have a corrupt EFS partition, which is where the IMEI is stored. It is possible to set it right, but for that, you have to do your own research. Searching these forums for threads related to fixing EFS should be a good place to start.
Please note that I do not know if this is the case with your device. Its just where I would start my search. Good luck!

AT&T Wifi Calling Port?

Hi everyone,
I heard that the AT&T Note5 got an update today to include WiFi calling and the works. I am on AT&T with an n920i model and was wondering if it's possible to rip the WiFi calling from the new AT&T rom and get it working on other variants. I only ask this because I've seen T-Mobile based roms that work on other variants but include T-Mobile's WiFi calling in them.
Just wondering if someone might know or be willing to take a crack at it

abde27 said:
Hi everyone,
I heard that the AT&T Note5 got an update today to include WiFi calling and the works. I am on AT&T with an n920i model and was wondering if it's possible to rip the WiFi calling from the new AT&T rom and get it working on other variants. I only ask this because I've seen T-Mobile based roms that work on other variants but include T-Mobile's WiFi calling in them.
Just wondering if someone might know or be willing to take a crack at it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am almost positive it would have to be a ATT based rom running on our device for it to work

I'm sorry to drag this back up but I found CSC files based for AT&T and used them to replace the CSC files on my N920I. I feel like it's a step in the right direction. Anybody have any ideas?

I've been playing around trying to change csc on my 920i as well.
1. What rom are you on. I'm using Dr. Ketan's nougat rom version n8.
2. Where did you get your At&t CSC files.
I got them off this thread :
https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-7/development/utility-flashable-csc-selection-v1-0-t3450911
3. Can you post the CSC AT&T FILES that you are using.
The one's I got work but is buggy! Not sure if it's something I did or that the files are from the At&t note7.
TIA

LouK said:
I've been playing around trying to change csc on my 920i as well.
1. What rom are you on. I'm using Dr. Ketan's nougat rom version n8.
2. Where did you get your At&t CSC files.
I got them off this thread :
https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-7/development/utility-flashable-csc-selection-v1-0-t3450911
3. Can you post the CSC AT&T FILES that you are using.
The one's I got work but is buggy! Not sure if it's something I did or that the files are from the At&t note7.
TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I performed all my csc file changes on stock Marshmallow firmware, originally XSA I believe. I used files from this dev's tool: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/development/utility-flashable-csc-selection-30-t3392949
The actual tool will not work on the Note5. It performs a device check and fails to proceed after identifying the model we're using. I ripped the actual CSC files out (Marshmallow ones, not Nougat) and manually replaced them using the TWRP file manager on my device.
My device booted up, and identifies as an N920I with an AT&T CSC. I even have the option to enable Enhanced LTE services, but selecting the option doesn't actually activate it. (I also have an S8+ that is the AT&T variant so I do have WiFi calling and HD Voice activated on my account) I think it's because of the actual ROM, but I'm not sure. I'll have more time to test things out now that I'm done with exams.

abde27 said:
I performed all my csc file changes on stock Marshmallow firmware, originally XSA I believe. I used files from this dev's tool: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/development/utility-flashable-csc-selection-30-t3392949
The actual tool will not work on the Note5. It performs a device check and fails to proceed after identifying the model we're using. I ripped the actual CSC files out (Marshmallow ones, not Nougat) and manually replaced them using the TWRP file manager on my device.
My device booted up, and identifies as an N920I with an AT&T CSC. I even have the option to enable Enhanced LTE services, but selecting the option doesn't actually activate it. (I also have an S8+ that is the AT&T variant so I do have WiFi calling and HD Voice activated on my account) I think it's because of the actual ROM, but I'm not sure. I'll have more time to test things out now that I'm done with exams.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for reply.
Did same - ripped - files from devs files.
Though the files I got are from a nougat Rom and I'm using on nougat Rom.
Experience is mostly same as you somethings work some don't.
If you have the At&t S8+ can you roo the csc files from there?

LouK said:
Thanks for reply.
Did same - ripped - files from devs files.
Though the files I got are from a nougat Rom and I'm using on nougat Rom.
Experience is mostly same as you somethings work some don't.
If you have the At&t S8+ can you roo the csc files from there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid I can't do any modifications to my S8+ because of a legal obligation to Samsung's Insights program, but I can trying finding the firmware itself online and attempt to rip CSC files from that.
On the other hand, it may not be worth the hassle. Reading up on the S8 forums, it seems how the handle CSC for the S8 devices is different, adding a new partition called userdata which holds the files for the carriers (not sure if I understood that right though). If I had more technical know-how, I would try to port a full AT&T rom that can be flashed through TWRP and try that on my device, but I have no real idea how to approach that.

abde27 said:
I'm afraid I can't do any modifications to my S8+ because of a legal obligation to Samsung's Insights program, but I can trying finding the firmware itself online and attempt to rip CSC files from that.
On the other hand, it may not be worth the hassle. Reading up on the S8 forums, it seems how the handle CSC for the S8 devices is different, adding a new partition called userdata which holds the files for the carriers (not sure if I understood that right though). If I had more technical know-how, I would try to port a full AT&T rom that can be flashed through TWRP and try that on my device, but I have no real idea how to approach that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear you ...
Still It was an idea......

Just FYI carrier wifi calling has never ever been successfully (or even remotely working that I've ever seen or recall) ported to another device (same device or not) or firmware. It's been attempted since day one of tmo releasing their wifi calling. So can tell you CSC edits are a waste of time along with ripping all the WiFi calling bits from att firmware and throwing it in yours. Pretty sure even the CM guys tried porting it to tmo devices running cm and got no where with it way back in the day.
Trying to flash an att firmware (minus the Crap that'll fail, bootloader,etc) *might* work as long as you have an att sim but it might even rely on modem.bins too which would most likely fail to flash since you couldn't do it in the past via odin either. Not sure on that one because I use to always have tmo devices and service so never had to bother with that.

ShinySide said:
Just FYI carrier wifi calling has never ever been successfully (or even remotely working that I've ever seen or recall) ported to another device (same device or not) or firmware. It's been attempted since day one of tmo releasing their wifi calling. So can tell you CSC edits are a waste of time along with ripping all the WiFi calling bits from att firmware and throwing it in yours. Pretty sure even the CM guys tried porting it to tmo devices running cm and got no where with it way back in the day.
Trying to flash an att firmware (minus the Crap that'll fail, bootloader,etc) *might* work as long as you have an att sim but it might even rely on modem.bins too which would most likely fail to flash since you couldn't do it in the past via odin either. Not sure on that one because I use to always have tmo devices and service so never had to bother with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I've seen some users on the s7 forums saying they actually got it working. Maybe it was T-Mobile though...
Regardless, you've given me an idea regarding the CSC. The files I used were from the s7, but they were the qualcomm variant. The Note5 is all exynos variants, so using qualcomm files may cause incompatibility.
But if I pull CSC files from the AT&T Note5 rom, then it might work.
Everything is a long shot. The Note5 isn't my primary device anymore which is why I feel alright taking risks and flashing different things. It's like how that saying goes, you'll miss all the shots you never take.

LOST IMEI - Please Help

I did something really stupid and ended up with a bad flash on my NOTE 9 - the result is that I no onger have an IMEI number on my phone - no data at all - no mobile data.
I know what my IMEI Number is from my GOOGLE account - but I don't know how I can fix my phone to get the IMEI number back into the phone.
Any suggestions are grealy appreciated.
I did a google search which had a few suggested ways using the dialer - but when I attempt to do that, nothing happens - I don't get any result from the dialer codes online.
Your help is greatly appreciated

Find the latest software for your phone and install it with Odin. Or emergency software recovery with Smart Switch.

Geekser said:
I did something really stupid and ended up with a bad flash on my NOTE 9 - the result is that I no onger have an IMEI number on my phone - no data at all - no mobile data.
I know what my IMEI Number is from my GOOGLE account - but I don't know how I can fix my phone to get the IMEI number back into the phone.
Any suggestions are grealy appreciated.
I did a google search which had a few suggested ways using the dialer - but when I attempt to do that, nothing happens - I don't get any result from the dialer codes online.
Your help is greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the benefit of others (to hopefully not make a similar misstep) what did you do to create this issue? Flash a ROM from another region, carrier, etc.? I understand if you prefer not to share... thanks for the consideration.

d.cortez said:
For the benefit of others (to hopefully not make a similar misstep) what did you do to create this issue? Flash a ROM from another region, carrier, etc.? I understand if you prefer not to share... thanks for the consideration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was a rom in the Custom Roms section that looked like it was meant for our phones - I think it was the WETA ROM - I didn't read the oP very carefully - totally my fault - it was not intended for the N960F - (but that was not really that clear when I first read the OP - or at least I lverlooked it. i will be much more careful next time. - it damn near bricked my phone.
I tried flashing full firmware in ODIN to fix it -no good - the flashes failed. - I tried restoring Nandroids - they restored fine but IMEI was still missing.
The fix I found eventually was to flash the DEV BASE Firmware that was recently added to the Roms section - flashing that fixed my issues and I am now back and working properly. I tried more fixes than I can count - and all of them failed - I was close to thinking I might have to buy a new phone. Dr Ketan suggested I flash the Dev Base sortware and he was absolultely correct. It worked.

michelino159 said:
Find the latest software for your phone and install it with Odin. Or emergency software recovery with Smart Switch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Neither Option worked for me - ODIN Flashes got stuck halfway thru the flash - and Smart Switch just didn't work

Geekser said:
There was a rom in the Custom Roms section that looked like it was meant for our phones - I think it was the WETA ROM - I didn't read the oP very carefully - totally my fault - it was not intended for the N960F - (but that was not really that clear when I first read the OP - or at least I lverlooked it. i will be much more careful next time. - it damn near bricked my phone.
I tried flashing full firmware in ODIN to fix it -no good - the flashes failed. - I tried restoring Nandroids - they restored fine but IMEI was still missing.
The fix I found eventually was to flash the DEV BASE Firmware that was recently added to the Roms section - flashing that fixed my issues and I am now back and working properly. I tried more fixes than I can count - and all of them failed - I was close to thinking I might have to buy a new phone. Dr Ketan suggested I flash the Dev Base sortware and he was absolultely correct. It worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to know you're good to go... i just received my Dual Sim Note 9 today and got it setup to work with ATT using an ATT CSC and used it for 20 minutes. Popped my T-Mobile SIM in the phone and blam! got an invalid SIM card message followed by a SIM network PIN blocked. Enter SIM network PUK message. Got PUK unlock codes from ATT and T-Mobile and they did not work. off to do more research....

d.cortez said:
Glad to know you're good to go... i just received my Dual Sim Note 9 today and got it setup to work with ATT using an ATT CSC and used it for 20 minutes. Popped my T-Mobile SIM in the phone and blam! got an invalid SIM card message followed by a SIM network PIN blocked. Enter SIM network PUK message. Got PUK unlock codes from ATT and T-Mobile and they did not work. off to do more research....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that an international varient? Would love to hear if you get ATT CSC working. I am on ATT too in the US but right now using BTU CSC -

Geekser said:
Is that an international varient? Would love to hear if you get ATT CSC working. I am on ATT too in the US but right now using BTU CSC -
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to get around the PUK code through a master reset. Go figure.
There's a thread in the forums that talks about copying your carrier's CSC to your phone and then making the necessary changes to four files in the /efs/imei folder. It's not hard, but you got to be very careful. Instructions are in the thread mentioned above. I have LTE/HD Voice access during phone calls, but I have not been able to get Wi-Fi calling to work because the IMS service FC's when launching.
I suspect it may have something to do with using a dual-sim phone. I have both my AT&T and T-Mobile SIM in the phone, and I'm loving using one phone for business and personal calls. I also have Google Voice and I can use that for Wifi calling if necessary. As a final note, to get access to AT&T enhanced services on a non AT&T phone, you have to use an IMEI number from an AT&T phone that supports its enhanced services. In my case I've been using the IMEI number from my three-year-old Samsung S6 active. I called support told rep that I was using my S6 active while waiting on a new phone and they associated the IMEI number with my cell number.

d.cortez said:
I was able to get around the PUK code through a master reset. Go figure.
There's a thread in the forums that talks about copying your carrier's CSC to your phone and then making the necessary changes to four files in the /efs/imei folder. It's not hard, but you got to be very careful. Instructions are in the thread mentioned above. I have LTE/HD Voice access during phone calls, but I have not been able to get Wi-Fi calling to work because the IMS service FC's when launching.
I suspect it may have something to do with using a dual-sim phone. I have both my AT&T and T-Mobile SIM in the phone, and I'm loving using one phone for business and personal calls. I also have Google Voice and I can use that for Wifi calling if necessary. As a final note, to get access to AT&T enhanced services on a non AT&T phone, you have to use an IMEI number from an AT&T phone that supports its enhanced services. In my case I've been using the IMEI number from my three-year-old Samsung S6 active. I called support told rep that I was using my S6 active while waiting on a new phone and they associated the IMEI number with my cell number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an IMEI number from a Note 9 that was an aTT Phone - I had purchased the snapdragon varient at Best buy and then returned it when I got the N960F . I copied the IMEI number before I turned it in - I suppose I could use that. Can you offer a link to the thread you are referring to?
thanks for the tip my friend.

Geekser said:
There was a rom in the Custom Roms section that looked like it was meant for our phones - I think it was the WETA ROM - I didn't read the oP very carefully - totally my fault - it was not intended for the N960F - (but that was not really that clear when I first read the OP - or at least I lverlooked it. i will be much more careful next time. - it damn near bricked my phone.
I tried flashing full firmware in ODIN to fix it -no good - the flashes failed. - I tried restoring Nandroids - they restored fine but IMEI was still missing.
The fix I found eventually was to flash the DEV BASE Firmware that was recently added to the Roms section - flashing that fixed my issues and I am now back and working properly. I tried more fixes than I can count - and all of them failed - I was close to thinking I might have to buy a new phone. Dr Ketan suggested I flash the Dev Base sortware and he was absolultely correct. It worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you please provide a link to this dev base firmware? Did you need to have twrp and root before installing the dev base?

brusyev2 said:
Could you please provide a link to this dev base firmware? Did you need to have twrp and root before installing the dev base?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dev base is Alexander rom in the development section.

brusyev2 said:
Could you please provide a link to this dev base firmware? Did you need to have twrp and root before installing the dev base?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I am not mistaken, it was something like this https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/development/test-s2arh6-devbase-v5-9-encryption-t3847061
you do need to have TWRP installed in order to flash
hope that helps

still need help
brusyev2 said:
Could you please provide a link to this dev base firmware? Did you need to have twrp and root before installing the dev base?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you still need help here is the link to the firmware that I used to flash stock ROM make sure you read what and how it is to be done the first time i flashed it i got stuck in bootloop and then i read it again and got it right now my phone works and is fine hope you have your phone working https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/how-to/u1-note-9-official-firmware-guide-to-t3927478

Desperately Need Help - Samsung SM-N960F/DS + T-mobile PUK and other issues.....

Hi. I am a complete noob when it comes to rooting Android.
**************************UPDATE************************************************
THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN SOLVED. PLEASE SCROLL TO POST #89 ON PAGE 9 TO SEE THE SOLUTION.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77950935&postcount=89
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I bought an *unlocked* Samsung Note 9 N960F/DS (Exynos 9810) international phone from a seller on ebay brand new and sealed. Received the phone yesterday (10/19/2018) and popped my working existing sim card from my iphone 6 with T-mobile into the new phone and it *worked*.........except no wifi calling.
Since my house has terrible reception I really do need wifi calling in order to receive calls (I use Skype for outbound). I decided to root and install Detonator (tekhd) even though I've never done this before. Somewhere along the line I messed up and installed the latest LUX ROM because I misred Tekhd's guide on Detonator (my fault).
Here's where I stand now: I found a stock ROM for this model (N960F/DS) and reinstalled it using Odin3 v3.13.1.
After a successful flash when I insert my working T-mobile sim I get "SIM network PIN blocked. Enter SIM network PUK."
Here the Service Provider SW shows XEU/XEU,XEU/MYM
I get the *same* message when I insert a spare T-mobile sim I happened to have that was confirmed as available with T-mobile customer service. If I take the working sim out and put it back into the other phone it works without a problem. I think that rules out the sim cards having issues.
Earlier when I had the phone rooted and Detonator installed (and working), I got a different message when I inserted the SIM:
Network Lock: This device can be remotely unlocked if eligible.
Please use the "Device Unlock" application to unlock the device.
Make sure the device has an internet connectivity to use the "Device Unlock application".​
Here the Service Provider SW showed TMB/TMB/MYM.
I tried looking for a T-mobile Unlock App apk to download but could not find a recent one. I would get a "Device not supported" error. It seems T-mobile has taken it off the Playstore.
Now, I can't install a stock USA ROM from T-mobile because those ROMS are only for the Snapdragon versions and I have the Exynos chip. I was given two unlock codes over the phone with T-mobile customer service to try and unlock the Pin lock but they both did not work.
Do you think an unlock service will be able to provide me with a valid "Sim Network PUK" code? I'm happy to pay for the service if I can just get the damn phone working. I've spent almost $770 on this phone and in hindsight should just have gotten the T-mobile branded phone for $100 more. I'm really at a loss as to what I can do to rectify this situation.
Also in hindsight I should have done more research before purchasing the phone and also should have backed up my partition in TWRP........You live and you learn.
The irony here is that I had an unlocked phone.....and now it has somehow gotten locked.........by the carrier whose SIM card is working perfectly fine......in a different phone. The device was paid in full btw.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

orsonwells456 said:
Hi. I am a complete noob when it comes to rooting Android.
I bought an *unlocked* Samsung Note 9 N960F/DS (Exynos 9810) international phone from a seller on ebay brand new and sealed. Received the phone yesterday (10/19/2018) and popped my working existing sim card from my iphone 6 with T-mobile into the new phone and it *worked*.........except no wifi calling.
Since my house has terrible reception I really do need wifi calling in order to receive calls (I use Skype for outbound). I decided to root and install Detonator (tekhd) even though I've never done this before. Somewhere along the line I messed up and installed the latest LUX ROM because I misred Tekhd's guide on Detonator (my fault).
Here's where I stand now: I found a stock ROM for this model (N960F/DS) and reinstalled it using Odin3 v3.13.1.
After a successful flash when I insert my working T-mobile sim I get "SIM network PIN blocked. Enter SIM network PUK."
Here the Service Provider SW shows XEU/XEU,XEU/MYM
I get the *same* message when I insert a spare T-mobile sim I happened to have that was confirmed as available with T-mobile customer service. If I take the working sim out and put it back into the other phone it works without a problem. I think that rules out the sim cards having issues.
Earlier when I had the phone rooted and Detonator installed (and working), I got a different message when I inserted the SIM:
Network Lock: This device can be remotely unlocked if eligible.
Please use the "Device Unlock" application to unlock the device.
Make sure the device has an internet connectivity to use the "Device Unlock application".
Here the Service Provider SW showed TMB/TMB/MYM.
I tried looking for a T-mobile Unlock App apk to download but could not find a recent one. I would get a "Device not supported" error. It seems T-mobile has taken it off the Playstore.
Now, I can't install a stock USA ROM from T-mobile because those ROMS are only for the Snapdragon versions and I have the Exynos chip. I was given two unlock codes over the phone with T-mobile customer service to try and unlock the Pin lock but they both did not work.
Do you think an unlock service will be able to provide me with a valid "Sim Network PUK" code? I'm happy to pay for the service if I can just get the damn phone working. I've spent almost $770 on this phone and in hindsight should just have gotten the T-mobile branded phone for $100 more. I'm really at a loss as to what I can do to rectify this situation.
Also in hindsight I should have done more research before purchasing the phone and also should have backed up my partition in TWRP........You live and you learn.
The irony here is that I had an unlocked phone.....and now it has somehow gotten locked.........by the carrier whose SIM card is working perfectly fine......in a different phone. The device was paid in full btw.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is a first. I always though once the region lock was lifted it couldn't be relocked( to me it seems to be a region lock issue, which if it is you need to make a 5 min call on region soil... good luck)
anyways check on your box there is a sticker with model and serial . find what carrier or region its from and grab that firmware and flash it. might want to factory wipe everything (including cache) in the recovery before booting it up indownlaod mode to do Odin flash.
also remove sim before wiping/ flashing, let it boot and do the initial setup then insert sim.

bober10113 said:
this is a first. I always though once the region lock was lifted it couldn't be relocked( to me it seems to be a region lock issue, which if it is you need to make a 5 min call on region soil... good luck)
anyways check on your box there is a sticker with model and serial . find what carrier or region its from and grab that firmware and flash it. might want to factory wipe everything (including cache) in the recovery before booting it up indownlaod mode to do Odin flash.
also remove sim before wiping/ flashing, let it boot and do the initial setup then insert sim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did wipe and reinstall the stock rom with the sim removed. The strange thing is..........I get the same message if I insert an old, blank, unused t-mobile sim into the device. Plus the working sim works fine in my old phone. So how could it be that the sim is locked?
There is nothing on the box that says anything about a carrier. This was advertised and sold as a factory unlocked phone which by all indications it does seem to be. The only thing on the box that says anything about country is that it was manufactured in vietnam.

orsonwells456 said:
I did wipe and reinstall the stock rom with the sim removed. The strange thing is..........I get the same message if I insert an old, blank, unused t-mobile sim into the device. Plus the working sim works fine in my old phone. So how could it be that the sim is locked?
There is nothing on the box that says anything about a carrier. This was advertised and sold as a factory unlocked phone which by all indications it does seem to be. The only thing on the box that says anything about country is that it was manufactured in vietnam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no sticker with device model or anything? not even in the back of the phone when it was new? a white sticker

bober10113 said:
no sticker with device model or anything? not even in the back of the phone when it was new? a white sticker
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes there are stickers. But it is not associated with a carrier, specific region, or country. I just see IMEI info on the sticker on the back of the phone and S/N.

orsonwells456 said:
Yes there are stickers. But it is not associated with a carrier, specific region, or country. I just see IMEI info on the sticker on the back of the phone and S/N.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nothing like
SM-N960FOYAU1MYM or something?

bober10113 said:
nothing like
SM-N960FOYAMYM or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ok. SM-N960FZBDMYM

bober10113 said:
nothing like
SM-N960FOYAU1MYM or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
btw I think detonator zip backup efs partition. did your issues arise before it after flashing it? if after try to find the backup and refresh it

bober10113 said:
btw I think detonator zip backup efs partition. did your issues arise before it after flashing it? if after try to find the backup and refresh it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was a dumbass and did not backup. I had zero issues other than no wifi-calling before trying to root and flash detonator...... Thank you for your help.

I went to a site with all "official" downloads and I don't see anything for ZBDMYM........

orsonwells456 said:
I was a dumbass and did not backup. I had zero issues other than no wifi-calling before trying to root and flash detonator...... Thank you for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://samsung-firmware.org/model/SM-N960F/region/MYM/
did you flash one of these?
these should be the original firmware U1 and the lates U2 which if you flash wint be able to downgrade bootloader but shouldn't be causing rhe sim lock issue.
flash U1 first and see if it fixes your issue. then try the October U2 just for fun
you can also download it using samfirm tool
enter 960F and MYM in settings it should also be a faster download then the web links

bober10113 said:
https://samsung-firmware.org/model/SM-N960F/region/MYM/
did you flash one of these?
these should be the original firmware U1 and the lates U2 which if you flash wint be able to downgrade bootloader but shouldn't be causing rhe sim lock issue.
flash U1 first and see if it fixes your issue. then try the October U2 just for fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My baseband version currently shows N960FXXU2ARH7 and Service Provider SW Ver. shows XEU/XEU, XEU/MYM. I will try loading U1 first and see what happens.

orsonwells456 said:
My baseband version currently shows N960FXXU2ARH7 and Service Provider SW Ver. shows XEU/XEU, XEU/MYM. I will try loading U1 first and see what happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok so it's too late for U1 . ure phone is already on U2 latest bootloader. so flash the October build
but be sure to wipe all with no sim before flashing
and in Odin fill in all slots and for csc use CSC but not HOME csc file.
good luck

bober10113 said:
ok so it's too late for U1 . ure phone is already on U2 latest bootloader. so flash the October build
but be sure to wipe all with no sim before flashing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should I take out sim, use TWRP to wipe, then go into download mode, Odin3=> flash rom? Thanks.

orsonwells456 said:
Should I take out sim, use TWRP to wipe, then go into download mode, Odin3=> flash rom? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah might as well use tarp. and erase all. but before, did you sift through internal s or ext s for an efs backup that detonator might have made automatically?
check for a folder called .backup and or for a file like:
efs_backup.img.gz
efs_backup.img
or anything similar

bober10113 said:
yeah might as well use tarp. and erase all. but before, did you sift through internal s or ext s for an efs backup that detonator might have made automatically?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, but I did download Dr. Ketan's tool to make an efs backup. But that was way later in the process....so it wasn't the original efs directory......It was after I flashed my current "stock" rom. I'm going to try and find another site to download since that one will take 2 days on slow speed......
Btw what does the ZBD mean? MYM I figured is Myanmar......

orsonwells456 said:
No, but I did download Dr. Ketan's tool to make an efs backup. But that was way later in the process....so it wasn't the original efs directory......It was after I flashed my current "stock" rom. I'm going to try and find another site to download since that one will take 2 days on slow speed......
Btw what does the ZBD mean? MYM I figured is Myanmar......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably a date code of some sort. Samsung mashes a bunch if letters to come up with country,date code. just Google it.
but try samfirm 3.6 tool to dl
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhXVLDDj8g3AgdJZClzJmsN17YL2CQ

I am using Samfirm and found this;
Model: N960F
Region: MYM
File: N960FXXU2ARJ1/N960FOXM2ARJ1/N960FXXU2ARJ1/N960FXXU2ARJ1
Verions: N960F_1_20181001162540_w0h1lv73k8_fac.zip.enc4

If Install this ROM, does this mean my phone will be region locked to MYM again? I'm definitely confused on this......

orsonwells456 said:
I am using Samfirm and found this;
Model: N960F
Region: MYM
File: N960FXXU2ARJ1/N960FOXM2ARJ1/N960FXXU2ARJ1/N960FXXU2ARJ1
Verions: N960F_1_20181001162540_w0h1lv73k8_fac.zip.enc4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah looks good. its October 1st build
---------- Post added at 07:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:44 PM ----------
orsonwells456 said:
If Install this ROM, does this mean my phone will be region locked to MYM again? I'm definitely confused on this......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well ure screwed either way. the goal is to restore everything back to stock and see if you can get a line working
btw was there a seal on the box that you had to break in order to open the box when you first got it?