SM-G781U Snapdragon T-Mo Unlock, Root, Flash - Samsung Galaxy S20 FE Questions & Answers

I've searched the forums, and I apologize if I've missed someone clearly explaining some of this nuance. I'd like to get rid of the Samsung crap and run 3rd party ROMs on my phone. I've done this in the past, but I'm rusty since my last 2 phones were never able to get bootloader unlocked.
I know that I need to get my bootloader unlocked, and I'm planning on using https://www.sampwnd.com/. Reading their FAQ, it tells me: S20 FE 5G on Rev2 or Rev3 - Not Unlockable. I also realize that Samsung blocks my from using Odin to downgrade Android 11 to 10. I don't care about the Android version as much as the Rev#, so:
Question 1: Is the Rev # the same as the BIT (BINARY/U/SW REV.), because I can find an Android 11 file with that Rev as 1 here: https://samfw.com/firmware/SM-G781U/TMB/G781USQU1CTLC?
Question 2: If that's true, can I use Odin to downgrade to Rev1 so I can get my phone's bootloader unlocked?
Thanks!

I shouldn't think it'll flash for you, chances are that at the end Odin will say failed.
that said it's not gonna hurt to try if you don't have a data cap. download your current firmware too as a precaution.

Related

Trouble updating Galaxy Note 9

Hi i am new here and need help with updating my Samsung note 9 i still have a baseband N960USQS1ARI5 but will like to update to the latest firmware. i'm using an unlocked AT&T phone. can anyone guide me? I'm not sure if updating the firmware will lock the phone and the process to update, do I just update the firmware in stages as the updates were released till i get to the latest update or can i update straight up to the latest? I am thinking of using Odin, is that a safe way to do this? any help will be appreciated. Lastly, can I change from the AT&T firmware to lets say a none carrier based firmware so as to stop seeing the AT&T logo on boot up? Maybe switch to a firmware that supports global or international? Does anyone have links to an unlocked firmware update i can use, as well? Please help!
I must state that the phone never updates automatically as it always says the software is up to date.
mtrackerbeyond said:
Hi i am new here and need help with updating my Samsung note 9 i still have a baseband N960USQS1ARI5 but will like to update to the latest firmware. i'm using an unlocked AT&T phone. can anyone guide me? I'm not sure if updating the firmware will lock the phone and the process to update, do I just update the firmware in stages as the updates were released till i get to the latest update or can i update straight up to the latest? I am thinking of using Odin, is that a safe way to do this? any help will be appreciated. Lastly, can I change from the AT&T firmware to lets say a none carrier based firmware so as to stop seeing the AT&T logo on boot up? Maybe switch to a firmware that supports global or international? Does anyone have links to an unlocked firmware update i can use, as well? Please help!
I must state that the phone never updates automatically as it always says the software is up to date.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to your last point, at&t phones are notoriously bad at updating
factory unlocked phones will remain forever unlocked and phones unlocked that are bespoke to a specific carrier will also remain unlocked even with Odin flashes providing that the method employed to unlock it was legitimate. Some unlock methods employ root and only trick the phone into thinking its unlocked. Well, once you remove root, and thusly the trick, the unlock is gone. I have ran across rare examples where the person swore up and down that they unlocked their phone with a legit unlock code and that it relocked to a carrier once the sim was inserted and initial programming completed, but i dunno. Sounds weird to me, but every person who said this also said that the phone locked to a carrier other than the one it came from originally. Take that for what its worth, but i still mostly stand by the first couple lines of this section of my diatribe
If you want the at&t crap gone, get the N960U1 firmware and flash it in Odin. You will need the modified version of Odin to flash it so it can ignore the 255 errors the phone throws up from flashing firmware for a carrier (or, in this case, no carrier) on to a phone that it wasnt originally designated (not designed) for
go to sammobile.com/firmwares, get the info for the firmware you want to d/l, get the Frija tool or Samfirm and download the firmware thru one of those as theyre literally 5x faster and flash it
mtrackerbeyond said:
Hi i am new here and need help with updating my Samsung note 9 i still have a baseband N960USQS1ARI5 but will like to update to the latest firmware. i'm using an unlocked AT&T phone. can anyone guide me? I'm not sure if updating the firmware will lock the phone and the process to update, do I just update the firmware in stages as the updates were released till i get to the latest update or can i update straight up to the latest? I am thinking of using Odin, is that a safe way to do this? any help will be appreciated. Lastly, can I change from the AT&T firmware to lets say a none carrier based firmware so as to stop seeing the AT&T logo on boot up? Maybe switch to a firmware that supports global or international? Does anyone have links to an unlocked firmware update i can use, as well? Please help!
I must state that the phone never updates automatically as it always says the software is up to date.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, my phone is a Note 9 ATT factory unlocked.
Below is the link for my post
I've updated my phone using the link , and still unlocked and working Ok.
I hope it can help you .
https://www.google.com/amp/s/forum....note-9-att-rom-update-sept-2019-t3979303/amp/

Downgrading to Android 8 without compromising Knox/ Samsung Pay?

Hi all,
My Note 8 is currently running Android 9 (official), with baseband N950FXXU6DSD3. Given the phone is turning sluggish day by I thought it would be a good idea to downgrade to Android 8. Well, I downloaded Odion and the official firmware for N950F but Odin gave me an error. Googled and found it is probably because the baseband / bootloader is l6 and the firmware I was installing was l5. However, I couldnt find any official android 8 version with bootloader l6.
Just wondering if there is an alternate was of downgrading without tripping Knox/ Samsung Pay?
Thanks!
kamer4u said:
Hi all,
My Note 8 is currently running Android 9 (official), with baseband N950FXXU6DSD3. Given the phone is turning sluggish day by I thought it would be a good idea to downgrade to Android 8. Well, I downloaded Odion and the official firmware for N950F but Odin gave me an error. Googled and found it is probably because the baseband / bootloader is l6 and the firmware I was installing was l5. However, I couldnt find any official android 8 version with bootloader l6.
Just wondering if there is an alternate was of downgrading without tripping Knox/ Samsung Pay?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope not possible you're stuck on bootloader version 6 and there's no going backwards now!
There is no Android 8 rom with v6 bootloader? Also, if I choose OEM unlock will it still trip my Knox even if I install official firmware?
kamer4u said:
There is no Android 8 rom with v6 bootloader? Also, if I choose OEM unlock will it still trip my Knox even if I install official firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No OEM unlocking will not trip your Knox flag. However, if you install twrp and root the phone that's when you'll trip knox. If you're thinking that toggling the OEM button will allow you to downgrade backwards it's not going to happen! I personally don't know of any Android 8 on bootloader version 6. This is why we preach not to accept updates or buy a phone that's already been updated because there's just no going back once you update! We haven't found a way to do that and I don't think anyone is actually spending their time to try to figure that out either.
Ah ok. Thanks. Guess I am stuck on a laggy OS.

SM-G973U Remove Branding

I apologize for the noob questions, so many thanks for your patience and time. I've searched through many of the S10 related forums, but I just wanted to confirm a few thoughts before I attempt a firmware change.
1) Bootloaders are not reverse upgradeable, so you cannot load an older bootloader, once you've installed a newer bootloader. In other words, once you upgrade to android 10, there is no going back to android 9. Correct?
2) I'd like to remove the current AT&T branding for my unlocked phone. I would do this by flashing the XAA firmware for a G973U1. Correct? Of course, per Q1, this would require the firmware to be at least as old as the firmware on the device currently.
3) If I'm successful with step 2 above, I would then get security updates from Samsung when they are released via Wifi or OTA, without requiring ODIN again. Correct?
4) I can do all this without tripping Knox or performing root, correct?
SM-G973U
G973USQS2ASI6
Android 9
Last security update:
Product code: CHA

Flashing firmware from a different region

Hi all, I'm new to modding in general so there's many things I don't quite understand, hoping somebody can help.
I bought an S10 from a site which was supposed to just send me a refurbed (italian) S10, instead they sent me the US version, (G973U) and I believe it is carrier locked since it's stuck with Android 9 and doesn't find any update.
I have tried searching to no avail what I should flash to simply unbrand it, and allow it to receive OTA updates without tripping Knox.
The build version is the following: PPR1.180610.011.G973USQU2ASGC and the CRC is XAA/XAA/ATT
Thanks in advance.
You shall call them.
Who and what for? I'm past the point of dealing with those sellers, I just want to flash the phone.
CSC (not CRC).
XAA is a multi-region USA ROM, so I don't think it will change over properly for you in Italy. There are threads here for how you reflash a different ROM. The one I used for my S10+ was this one: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...e-links-and-flashing-discussion-here.3905897/ but I am sure there is one like that for your S10 non-plus... find it, follow the instructions, and you should be all set.
Thanks! I'm a newbie, what does it mean it wouldn't change properly? No OTAs? Tripping KNOX?
I have found this which seems to be the equivalent of the link you posted.
So, I should flash the U1 version right? However I see only a file "SAU - 1 - ....", and my build number doesn't end in that, furthermore I don't know which bootloader version I'm at.
lrzfc said:
Who and what for? I'm past the point of dealing with those sellers, I just want to flash the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh ok. I couldn't understand first.
For that, You'll flash in EDL mode. But the problem is if your device is powered by a snapdragon chip, it'll not working seamlessly.
FardinIslam said:
Oh ok. I couldn't understand first.
For that, You'll flash in EDL mode. But the problem is if your device is powered by a snapdragon chip, it'll not working seamlessly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. I'm aware of the mode I have to enter to flash, as above I'm trying to figure out which stock rom I should flash to avoid tripping knox, and to receive OTAs. What won't work seamlessly?
Well, mods can close the thread, found the way to do it. Leaving it in case somebody ever needs it.
First, found & checked the bootloader version (5th number from the right in the build version) since you can only flash older bootloader versions apparently.
Then downloaded through Frija the rom for the unlocked phone variant (SM-G973U1) and the unbranded CSC (XAA)
Then using odin 3.13.3b flashed the rom
Watch this video
lrzfc said:
Well, mods can close the thread, found the way to do it. Leaving it in case somebody ever needs it.
First, found & checked the bootloader version (5th number from the right in the build version) since you can only flash older bootloader versions apparently.
Then downloaded through Frija the rom for the unlocked phone variant (SM-G973U1) and the unbranded CSC (XAA)
Then using odin 3.13.3b flashed the rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, I'm in more or less same situation. When you flashed, which files did you use? All of them or just the AP_*** file?
Never mind. Flashed it anyway, now I don't see the AT&T startup screen anymore which is promising. Firmware version is now Android 11 (SM-G973U1 and not SM-G973U) on XAA CSC. Will see if I get any firmware updates later.

Downgrade S10 from one UI 3.1 to one UI 2.5

Hello guys, I've decided to downgrade my s10 from Android 11 to Android 10, I've tried downloading a version of one UI 2.5 from Sam mobile but gave an error saying the binary code wasn't the same. So I wanted to ask if someone can link the correct version to downgrade to. I'll attach a screenshot of my software info.
Binary code difference means that your BL (bootloader) is newer than the one in your flash file. Samsung doesn't allow you to downgrade the BL version, hence the error.
In most cases, OneUI updates come with new BLs, so you may be stuck at your OneUI version. Generally, the BL version is the 5th character from the right... "C" in your case. At least that's how it works for Snapdragon devices... yours seems to be Exynos so it may be different... but I'm guessing it's not.
What are you trying to flash? Check the 5th character from the right, it's probably "B" or older, I'm guessing?
T
schwinn8 said:
Binary code difference means that your BL (bootloader) is newer than the one in your flash file. Samsung doesn't allow you to downgrade the BL version, hence the error.
In most cases, OneUI updates come with new BLs, so you may be stuck at your OneUI version. Generally, the BL version is the 5th character from the right... "C" in your case. At least that's how it works for Snapdragon devices... yours seems to be Exynos so it may be different... but I'm guessing it's not.
What are you trying to flash? Check the 5th character from the right, it's probably "B" or older, I'm guessing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply, yeah now that you mention it the one that I'm trying to flash has 9 as the 5th character, so i assume i'm stuck with c(12 in hexadecimal i assume). And yes it's an exynos.
So there's no way to downgrade? That would very sad, since now i have a phone that fully charged lasts only 8 hours(with power saving mode).
I don't know Exynos well enough, but this is my understanding. However, being Exynos, you may have the ability that Snapdragon doesn't - Exynos can be rooted, and if you can do that, you may be able to go back. On Snapdragon, this is not possible (for the most part). So, check out the Exynos threads and see what they mention for flashing other ROMs, and if the BL issue applies there, too... again, it may not.
So root my phone and install TWRP and flash the rom from there? My only issue is that some banking apps will stop working with a rooted device, it's happened in the past, but I'll do some research and see if I find anything
Same, I want to downdrade from android 11 to android 10 but no success, if found any solution please post here.

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