Weird Problem with I9505 - Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello all, I need some help in regards to my Samsung GS4 I9505. Sorry for the long post!
I bought this phone off eBay about a month ago and only did a quick test to make sure it was working. It is a used phone but in excellent condition to replace my old 9505.
Now 2 days ago I had some free time and wanted to check the phone more thoroughly before I transfer my data from my iPhone to the new to me 9505.
The phone had the stock ROM from Hong Kong (TGY). I9505ZHUFNL1 I think if I’m not mistaken.
I realized a few weird things in this phone.
1. First it had the AT&T ringtones installed, and 2 AT&T bloatware apps installed. I thought maybe the seller put them their thinking that I had AT&T.
2. Second, in the ABOUT PHONE, Model # shows as I9505 but the build number shows as I337UCUFNB1
Now I wanted to install a new stock ROM and root, process has failed in ODIN. (PS) I have flashed and customized my old 9505 a lot and have some idea on what I'm doing. I am still a newb though!
Currently I can get into Recovery and Download Mode but my S4 does not boot up. It gets stuck on the logo “SAMSUNG GALAXY S4” As you can see from the pictures below it shows PRODUCT NAME as I337 in DOWNLOAD MODE and shows kot49h.i337ucufnb1 in Recovery.
I am trying to flash stock ROM but ODIN has failed. Tried TGY, DBT and even AT&T ROMs and nothing is working. Tried to use KIES and nothing, went into recovery and deleted everything. Still the phone is not working.
I also got this AT&T message about “System software not authorized by AT&T” but that message is gone now after I flashed AT&T I337 Stock Recovery.
I have searched all over the net and these forums to try to get the phone back up, so far nothing is working on my phone.
Attached are pictures showing model #s and an error I got while trying to flash stock ROM.
Any ideas or suggestions on what to do next? Thanks in advance

I think is a refurbished device. But try to download, unrar and flash this firmware via ODIN: HERE. This is the STOCK firmware for your i337 (in theory). Tell me how it went and good luck .

Thank you. Downloading it right now. Which Android version is this?

sbushnak said:
Thank you. Downloading it right now. Which Android version is this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's android 4.4.2. We gona confirm that you have a refurbished device or no. Tell me too what errors appears in ODIN in case you have them. Dial *#1234# when the process of installation finish and tell me if all go ok.

Thank you soo much!
Some good news. I flashed the file and now device is up and running with the AT&T ROM. No errors.
AP: I337UCUFNB1
CP: I337UCUFNB1
CSC: I337ATTFNB1
Even phone model shows as I337

sbushnak said:
Thank you soo much!
Some good news. I flashed the file and now device is up and running with the AT&T ROM. No errors.
AP: I337UCUFNB1
CP: I337UCUFNB1
CSC: I337ATTFNB1
Even phone model shows as I337
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be relaxed then. You own a SGH-i337, no a GT-i9505. The previous owner was flashing wrong firmware for sure. Enjoy your "machine" and Merry Xmas. :highfive:

Joku1981 said:
Be relaxed then. You own a SGH-i337, no a GT-i9505. The previous owner was flashing wrong firmware for sure. Enjoy your "machine" and Merry Xmas. :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mans for your help and Merry Christmas. Well I am not relaxed since I need a I9505 not AT&T. I'll be moving to the Middle East soon and so the AT&T will work there but I cannot use 4G LTE.
So he most likely even replaced the sticker under the battery to show I9505. I checked the IMEI under the cover and using *#06# and it matched. I checked IMEI online and it shows the model as I9505.
What the heck did the seller do to this phone? Salvaged some parts from AT&T model and installed it?
Just to do a small experiment, I'll get my friend's AT&T SIM card which have LTE and tested it on this phone to see if I get LTE or not.

sbushnak said:
Thanks mans for your help and Merry Christmas. Well I am not relaxed since I need a I9505 not AT&T. I'll be moving to the Middle East soon and so the AT&T will work there but I cannot use 4G LTE.
So he most likely even replaced the sticker under the battery to show I9505. I checked the IMEI under the cover and using *#06# and it matched. I checked IMEI online and it shows the model as I9505.
What the heck did the seller do to this phone? Salvaged some parts from AT&T model and installed it?
Just to do a small experiment, I'll get my friend's AT&T SIM card which have LTE and tested it on this phone to see if I get LTE or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I was telling you before is a refurbished device. They mix parts of differents models for create one new monster, like Frankestein .
2. I checked the original SGH-i337 and it has LTE. Take a look for yourself: HERE

Joku1981 said:
1. I was telling you before is a refurbished device. They mix parts of differents models for create one new monster, like Frankestein .
2. I checked the original SGH-i337 and it has LTE. Take a look for yourself:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm such an idiot! I missed the part about you saying it is a refurbished model. Well this is first for me knowing that they can build Frankenstein S4s! This particular phone is quite misleading.
Also yes you are right SGH-I337 has LTE but will not work in Middle East since we use different LTE frequencies there.
I'll get back to you after I do this small test just so I can feel a little better!

Joku1981,
I just used my friend's ATT SIM card and it connected to ATT's LTE network. Pic attached.
Thanks for your help. I'll contact the eBay seller and see what he can do. Worst case scenario I'll try to sell it on eBay.
and Merry Christmas!

How much did you purchase it for off eBay?

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
How much did you purchase it for off eBay?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought it for $250. came with 9505 box, original charger, usb cable(looks non-oem), manual and headphones. It is also unlocked. Tried a SIM from T-Mobile and it worked.

Related

[Q] Just bought i9505 from China with i337 bootloader

Hi community I got my SGs4 from China and it is i9505 but came with i337 bootloader and Baseband,TW 4.3MK2
I got this from the phoen info app:
GENERAL INFO
Phone model:GT-i9505
Device type:jflteatt
Product Name:jflteuc
FIRMWARE INFO
Bootloader version: I337UCUEMK2
Baseban version: I337UCUEMK2
PDA version: I9505ZHUEMK2/i337UCUEMJ6
CSC version: i9500ZSUEMJ6
OS INFO
Build number: JSS15J.I9505ZHUEMK2(I337UCUEMJ6)
I want to know what firmware can I flash( because I want to update to 4.4.2 but dont know the right firmware),is my bootloader locked,can TWRP be install or do i need SS? and anything you can add will be appreciated
Well I think this info is important if you need more just ask me,if you need my build.prop I´ll upload ,looks like a hybrid firmware between I9505&i337
This seems like a definite Frankenstein. AT&T bootloader and device type, I9505 PDA and phone model, and I9500 CSC.
Your first task will be to download the AT&T firmware and install it. Then you need to borrow a friend's AT&T SIM and test to see if you're getting LTE. If you get LTE, then you have an AT&T phone, regardless of what anything else says. Unfortunately, that will mean you have to use Safestrap.
How much did you spend on the phone?
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
This seems like a definite Frankenstein. AT&T bootloader and device type, I9505 PDA and phone model, and I9500 CSC.
Your first task will be to download the AT&T firmware and install it. Then you need to borrow a friend's AT&T SIM and test to see if you're getting LTE. If you get LTE, then you have an AT&T phone, regardless of what anything else says. Unfortunately, that will mean you have to use Safestrap.
How much did you spend on the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right Now I'm on mexico with Telcel, my friends are on USA T-mobile,Verizon, Try to use Telcel LTE data and it connect to 4G, LTE logo dont appears.
I went to sammobile and download the 4.4.2 from hong kong, I'll flash trough odin to see what happens
I Got it on ebay for 255 dlls when it arrive home the phone was sealed
The fact it was sealed doesn't mean much. You're the second or third person I've seen on the forum asking about this, and in the case of the first user he was able to get his device working perfectly using the AT&T firmware. Regardless, the fact you weren't able to pick up LTE is a clue. It leads me to believe that in this case the phone may be correct but the firmware wrong. Here's why.
If you had an AT&T phone, as I suspected, your phone should have picked up LTE if it was unlocked for use on any carrier, as both Telcel and Nextel use band 4, while Movistar supposedly uses band 2, bands which an AT&T phone supports (bands 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 17). Check Telcel's coverage map to be certain you have LTE coverage in your area.
Neither an I9500 nor an I9505 would pick up those LTE bands. The I9500 doesn't have LTE at all, and the I9505 has LTE bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 20. Neither phone will get LTE in North America (including Mexico). The best those phones will do is HSPA+, which on the AT&T firmware would be labeled as 4G.
Try the firmware you downloaded, but I suspect you're going to want to return the phone if you want LTE service.
this phone.....
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Neither an I9500 nor an I9505 would pick up those LTE bands. The I9500 doesn't have LTE at all, and the I9505 has LTE bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 20. Neither phone will get LTE in North America (including Mexico). The best those phones will do is HSPA+, which on the AT&T firmware would be labeled as 4G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the scenario with my *chinese* version of the i9505.
I downloaded CPU-Z and it shows hardware: i9505, however, kernel build is a AT&T one.
I am REALLY SKEPTICAL to flash CM11 on it because I am very afraid to brick this phone. paid 300$ for it.
The funny thing is, I have the EXACT same phone as OP.
Anything I could try? please note AT&T doesn't work in Canada, nor I can borrow someone's AT&T sim card.
HOWEVER, I do have experience with a previous confirmed i337, and with bell it picked up LTE waves.
However this one doesn't.
Probably safe to flash?
I think my pat response to anyone purchasing these phones from now on will be to return them and purchase one through a Samsung-authorized retailer if Swappa isn't an option. For example, as of the time and date I write this, on Swappa there are currently 32 of the AT&T Galaxy S4 available, with prices ranging from $184 to $500US. The T-Mobile version, which doesn't have the locked bootloader of the AT&T model, has 8 devices available with prices ranging from $255-$310US. That doesn't include the Active variants or the MVNO-branded phones.
Purchasing a cell phone through eBay is, to be blunt, dangerous. You have no guarantee that the phone will be clean for activation, no guarantee that you won't have to do additional work to get the phone working, and no guarantee that the phone is even legitimate. Couple that with the buyers not doing their homework before purchasing and you get a clusterf**k of major proportions.
So, return the phone. If the seller doesn't accept returns, do a chargeback on your credit card. Or else put it up for sale as a parts phone.
Albie_Stark said:
Right Now I'm on mexico with Telcel, my friends are on USA T-mobile,Verizon, Try to use Telcel LTE data and it connect to 4G, LTE logo dont appears.
I went to sammobile and download the 4.4.2 from hong kong, I'll flash trough odin to see what happens
I Got it on ebay for 255 dlls when it arrive home the phone was sealed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Albie, can you please let me know when you get home if the phone picks up AT&T LTE waves? I am convinced this is the i9505 due to the baseband and specific board details (which correspond to the i9505 model rather than the i337, but not GPE)
VladimirMan93 said:
Albie, can you please let me know when you get home if the phone picks up AT&T LTE waves? I am convinced this is the i9505 due to the baseband and specific board details (which correspond to the i9505 model rather than the i337, but not GPE)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not a AT&T user my apologies, I used to be Cleartalk wireless user(took my verizon SGS4-i545 and flashed with them) but I drop the contract sell my phone to buy this SGS4-i9505, I'll be hard to get a AT&T sim, I download from Sammobile the i9505 4.4.2-NK2 firmware from hongkong and then try to flash through Odin,because 4.3 has a poor battery life in my case,but before I flash it I'm making a Flashable Zip for safestrap to extrac the "build.prop" and see what is in there, because may be this update fix some problems :fingers-crossed:
Albie_Stark said:
Right Now I'm on mexico with Telcel, my friends are on USA T-mobile,Verizon, Try to use Telcel LTE data and it connect to 4G, LTE logo dont appears.
I went to sammobile and download the 4.4.2 from hong kong, I'll flash trough odin to see what happens
I Got it on ebay for 255 dlls when it arrive home the phone was sealed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Albie_Stark said:
I'm not a AT&T user my apologies, I used to be Cleartalk wireless user(took my verizon SGS4-i545 and flashed with them) but I drop the contract sell my phone to buy this SGS4-i9505, I'll be hard to get a AT&T sim, I download from Sammobile the i9505 4.4.2-NK2 firmware from hongkong and then try to flash through Odin,because 4.3 has a poor battery life in my case,but before I flash it I'm making a Flashable Zip for safestrap to extrac the "build.prop" and see what is in there, because may be this update fix some problems :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did some more snooping around desperately trying to find out more information about this phone and the last thing I remember reading about before going to bed was:
No matter what we try, this phone is with a locked bootloader after the knox 4.3 update.
Unofficial firmware can and will brick this phone resulting either in a soft-brick OR, for the more unlucky ones, even a hard brick.
BUT, I also found other contradictory posts claiming that regardless the presence of the knox update, the bootloader IS infact unlocked.
It's hard to take a side due to the lack of tools to verify if the bootloader is in fact locked.
Could you please do me a HUGE favor?
if yes:
Go to your download mode and if possibly post a snapshot of the screen. I've included mine.
For some stupid reason, even though it's a i9505, it is recognized as AT&Ts SGH-I337.
Since I don't have my camera lying around, I'll write word for word what's on my screen:
ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME: SGH-I337
CURRENT BINARY: Samsung Official
System Status: Official
Knox Level Lock: 0x0
Knox Warranty Void: 0x0
CSB-Config-LSB: 0x30
Write Protection Enable
eMMC Brust Mode: Enabled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If this flash works for you, please let me know.
If the BL is unlocked in the Firmware you're trying to flash to it, Please let me know.
I want to go out of this nightmare and continue with my work.
and if you could share links in a PM to me or here, that would be simply perfect.
Cheers and thanks for everything
We have the same download mode screen -_- u.u ,I try to flash the NK2 and it fail than t means we have a locked bootloader :'( ,couple of minutes ago I dowload the mk2 & NB2 for i9505 from Hongkong I would flash them at 10 pm pacific time I will keep you updated my last resource will be to flash mk2 for the AT&T variant in my case I can live with that if root is available ooo! just found a threat to get 4.4.2 NB1 but it is for the i337 anyway Let me see what happens with the 2 Downloaded firmwares
Ps:I don't really care about the warranty so if there is a good dev reading this helpme.to install the i9505 official firmware from any country,
Albie_Stark said:
We have the same download mode screen -_- u.u ,I try to flash the NK2 and it fail than t means we have a locked bootloader :'( ,couple of minutes ago I dowload the mk2 & NB2 for i9505 from Hongkong I would flash them at 10 pm pacific time I will keep you updated my last resource will be to flash mk2 for the AT&T variant in my case I can live with that if root is available ooo! just found a threat to get 4.4.2 NB1 but it is for the i337 anyway Let me see what happens with the 2 Downloaded firmwares
Ps:I don't really care about the warranty so if there is a good dev reading this helpme.to install the i9505 official firmware from any country,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anxiously waiting your progress!
It's simple.
You got an SGH-I337.
You probably got a rom installed that is ported from I9505 and they didn't edit the build.prop.
I'd crack open the phone and look for the model number on the motherboard. That would eliminate any and all confusion.
MK2 & NB2 for i9505 HKong version give "secure check Fail:system" cant find answer for that......with the 4.42 firmware it gave me "secure check fail:aboot"
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
I'd crack open the phone and look for the model number on the motherboard. That would eliminate any and all confusion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
man ,following your advice,flashin mk2 for i337 I done with this, Should hear you since the begining now odin is flashing
"Damn you 15's :Joey Tribbiani Quotes"
Hope this help you
@VladimirMan93 Sorry man I fail on my quest our hope is flash mk2 for i337 and if You want to update to 4.4.2 or 4.4.4
follow this threat is very usefull you will find MK2 ,the updates,rooting& safestrap
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/general/guide-odin-to-stock-updating-rooting-t2926642 :good:
Do not do anything stupid my friend!!
Albie_Stark said:
@VladimirMan93 Sorry man I fail on my quest our hope is flash mk2 for i337 and if You want to update to 4.4.2 or 4.4.4
follow this threat is very usefull you will find MK2 ,the updates,rooting& safestrap
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/general/guide-odin-to-stock-updating-rooting-t2926642 :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ALBIE!
DO NOT DO ANYTHING STUPID!!!
I just rooted my phone with success man!
Here is the link. literally took me 5 minutes. just be sure to:
1) no a-v on the phone!!! <- Very important!!!
2) use high quality USB cable
3) be patient.
4) have a VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY big nerdgasm like I did when my 4.3 pos was rooted!
Code:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2565758
here is the link my friend enjoy your rooted HongKong version of the i9505
PS: Are you willing to experiment a little more with it? Let me know I have something in mind.
VladimirMan93 said:
ALBIE!
DO NOT DO ANYTHING STUPID!!!
I just rooted my phone with success man!
Here is the link. literally took me 5 minutes. just be sure to:
1) no a-v on the phone!!! <- Very important!!!
2) use high quality USB cable
3) be patient.
4) have a VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY big nerdgasm like I did when my 4.3 pos was rooted!
Code:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2565758
here is the link my friend enjoy your rooted HongKong version of the i9505
PS: Are you willing to experiment a little more with it? Let me know I have something in mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man ,but I follow that threat the first day my phone arrive with success, install "Samsung phone info" to look deeper,that was the moment when I realize that my phone was a mess. tried to install the custom recovery,when I went to download mode I saw the screen you posted before, try to flash official firmware from samsun gi9505 -odin giveme the "aboot fail" wich means lock bootloader so I start this threat. the rest is history.... this afternoon I check the hardware and surprise!!! "I337" was all over the phone except for the sticker in the battery slot......
Flash 4.3MK2 for i33 via Odin,it intalled super fast with no problems then follow the threat I recommend you to take the update to 4.4.4NJ4 root,intall safestrap I´m so happy with my new improve battery life and maybe tomorrow I flash wanamlite,If I was able to flash it before on mi SGS4 from verizon I guess I can flash on my new phone wich has the same hardware that i9505,becsuse I read this on te forum:
"I337,i9505 & M919 have the same hardware except for the bootloader. any way I keep looking and experiment until I can install i9505 firmware through Odin
Albie_Stark said:
Thanks man ,but I follow that threat the first day my phone arrive with success, install "Samsung phone info" to look deeper,that was the moment when I realize that my phone was a mess. tried to install the custom recovery,when I went to download mode I saw the screen you posted before, try to flash official firmware from samsun gi9505 -odin giveme the "aboot fail" wich means lock bootloader so I start this threat. the rest is history.... this afternoon I check the hardware and surprise!!! "I337" was all over the phone except for the sticker in the battery slot......
Flash 4.3MK2 for i33 via Odin,it intalled super fast with no problems then follow the threat I recommend you to take the update to 4.4.4NJ4 root,intall safestrap I´m so happy with my new improve battery life and maybe tomorrow I flash wanamlite,If I was able to flash it before on mi SGS4 from verizon I guess I can flash on my new phone wich has the same hardware that i9505,becsuse I read this on te forum:
"I337,i9505 & M919 have the same hardware except for the bootloader. any way I keep looking and experiment until I can install i9505 firmware through Odin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only reason I buy the S4 is because Cyanogen mod 12. I am so excited to figure out how to put it on this phone. And they have compatible ROM!!! :C
Which is how this is so much more intense.
I WANT IT, I WANT IT! I paid 400$ for my freedom, I want it!! D:
VladimirMan93 said:
The only reason I buy the S4 is because Cyanogen mod 12. I am so excited to figure out how to put it on this phone. And they have compatible ROM!!! :C
Which is how this is so much more intense.
I WANT IT, I WANT IT! I paid 400$ for my freedom, I want it!! D:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG I paid 255$ !!! I belive Isaw you in other forum asking right??
Hope they find how to unlock the BL or AT&T give us Unlock BL with the Lolipop update

[Q] I can't root my [S4 GT I9505 , Hong kong v with I337 Bootloader]

Hi
I hope all of you are well.
I have a galaxy s4 GT I9505 with I337 bootloeader , running android 4.3 , (please see pics on attachement)
I have trouble instaling supersu on my device , I rooted my phone once using "Towelroot.apk" ,but after I reset my phone I tried the same application but it does'nt work this time
I tried hard to root the phone following the steps on this link [ http://forum.xda-developers.com
/showthread.php?t=2565758 ] , but still not rooted , I got Supersu installed but not working! .
I tried "Iroot.exe" , I got an application similar to supersu ( a chinese one ) but it doesn't function as supersu
I want to root my phone and install supersu and clockwork mode or update it through odin
Please help me on this , I am ready to provide any other details regarding the phone
Thank you in advance
Enter download mode. The model number listed there is the model number of your device. That will help us help you, but I suspect you have a frankenstein phone.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Enter download mode. The model number listed there is the model number of your device. That will help us help you, but I suspect you have a frankenstein phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First I would like to thank you for you reply
I don't have a good cam to take pic ,but here is what is wretten there.
------------------------------------------
ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME: SGH-I337
CURRENT BINARY: Samsung official
SYSTEM STATUS: Custom
KNOX CARNEL LOCK: 0x0
KNOX WARRANTY VOID: 0x0
CSB-CONFIG-LSB: 0x30
WRITE PROTECTION: Enabled
eMMC BURST MODE enabled
--------------------------------------------
I tried to root with "Odin.exe" it says " fail " :/
I hope there is a solution for this phone
thank you .
kamel-kgb said:
First I would like to thank you for you reply
I don't have a good cam to take pic ,but here is what is wretten there.
------------------------------------------
ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME: SGH-I337
CURRENT BINARY: Samsung official
SYSTEM STATUS: Custom
KNOX CARNEL LOCK: 0x0
KNOX WARRANTY VOID: 0x0
CSB-CONFIG-LSB: 0x30
WRITE PROTECTION: Enabled
eMMC BURST MODE enabled
--------------------------------------------
I tried to root with "Odin.exe" it says " fail " :/
I hope there is a solution for this phone
thank you .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install this APP and add some screenshots.
As suspected, this phone is a Frankenstein, meaning in your case an international ROM on an AT&T S4. Proper rooting procedures and other material for your device are here. Please note that your device is a US model and comes from a carrier that locks (i.e. encrypts) the bootloader on its devices. As a result there will be limits on what you can do with the device.
I'm tempted to trade devices as I have an I9505 here in the States, but I don't want the locked bootloader.
Joku1981 said:
Install this APK and add some screenshots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Joko,
I hope you are well.
I uploaded the screenshots as you ordered ,
I uploaded screenshots for "Odin" too
I am waiting for your support please
Thank you.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
As suspected, this phone is a Frankenstein, meaning in your case an international ROM on an AT&T S4. Proper rooting procedures and other material for your device are here. Please note that your device is a US model and comes from a carrier that locks (i.e. encrypts) the bootloader on its devices. As a result there will be limits on what you can do with the device.
I'm tempted to trade devices as I have an I9505 here in the States, but I don't want the locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First: I understand from your reply that the possibility of installing Cyanogenmod or official Rom on my device is 0% :crying:
the link you sent me is about the AT&T S4 .
What if I try an AT&T Rom on my device, does that break it ? ,
second: The phone is made in Vietnam and whenever I reset it it starts with Chinese language thats why I thought it's chinese
Please see the other screenshots I attached you may find something
Thank you.
Your device IS an AT&T S4, so installing an AT&T ROM on the phone isn't going to break it. The link I provided is so that if you do wish to work with this beast you have the proper tools to do so, since none of the tools in this forum will be of any aid. However, I'm going to tell you to run, not walk, to the place you got this phone from and return it, because you will not have a good experience. The bootloader is encrypted, which makes rooting nearly impossible. If you live in a country with LTE, you may have reduced or non-existent LTE connectivity due to the LTE bands on the AT&T model S4 being different from those for the I9505.
Country of manufacture doesn't mean a thing. My I9505 was sold in England by O2, yet its country of manufacture is also Vietnam. As to the Chinese language being default, that's ridiculously simple to change in the firmware, so that doesn't mean much either. Your screenshots however, conclusively prove that I was totally correct, and this is an AT&T S4. An I9505 would have "jfltexx" as the device type, not "jflteatt".
kamel-kgb said:
Hello Joko,
I hope you are well.
I uploaded the screenshots as you ordered ,
I uploaded screenshots for "Odin" too
I am waiting for your support please
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. IMEI is clean of one GT-I9505.
2. The device type is of one SGH-I337.
3. The Samsung Serial Number is CLEAN too.
4. You own a Franki. But looks more a GT-i9505 that one SGH-i337 (Take a look: HERE for remove carrier label).
5. COUNCIL: I will try to flash via ODIN this firmware for GT-i9505 if I was you. Do it by your own responsibility.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Your device IS an AT&T S4, so installing an AT&T ROM on the phone isn't going to break it. The link I provided is so that if you do wish to work with this beast you have the proper tools to do so, since none of the tools in this forum will be of any aid. However, I'm going to tell you to run, not walk, to the place you got this phone from and return it, because you will not have a good experience. The bootloader is encrypted, which makes rooting nearly impossible. If you live in a country with LTE, you may have reduced or non-existent LTE connectivity due to the LTE bands on the AT&T model S4 being different from those for the I9505.
Country of manufacture doesn't mean a thing. My I9505 was sold in England by O2, yet its country of manufacture is also Vietnam. As to the Chinese language being default, that's ridiculously simple to change in the firmware, so that doesn't mean much either. Your screenshots however, conclusively prove that I was totally correct, and this is an AT&T S4. An I9505 would have "jfltexx" as the device type, not "jflteatt".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you Strephon for your support
I can't return the phone back because I bought it 5 months ago :/ and from far place . and for the 4G we don't have this service ,so i can't confirm.
by the way , I rooted the device today with iroot and Replaced the Chinese iRoot superuser with SuperSu successfully (I found a tutori on youtube) ,but still I can't install clockworkmod , I will keep trying I may found a solution for that , if no I'll get rid of this phone -_- I may sell it to my brother since he doesn't care about the warranty or rooting stuff
anyway, for the mean time I will try the Rom sent to me by "Joku1981" and see .
Thanx again
Joku1981 said:
1. IMEI is clean of one GT-I9505.
2. The device type is of one SGH-I337.
3. The Samsung Serial Number is CLEAN too.
4. You own a Franki. But looks more a GT-i9505 that one SGH-i337 (Take a look: HERE for remove carrier label).
5. COUNCIL: I will try to flash via ODIN this firmware for GT-i9505 if I was you. Do it by your own responsibility.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Juko,
Ok I will proceed with the firmware you've sent me . at my own risk of course
I removed the carrier label successfully ,and I am downloading the firmware now ,
Thank you.
Joku1981 said:
1. IMEI is clean of one GT-I9505.
2. The device type is of one SGH-I337.
3. The Samsung Serial Number is CLEAN too.
4. You own a Franki. But looks more a GT-i9505 that one SGH-i337 (Take a look: HERE for remove carrier label).
5. COUNCIL: I will try to flash via ODIN this firmware for GT-i9505 if I was you. Do it by your own responsibility.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Joku
I tried with the firmware you sent me yesterday , can't be flashed . odin give me the same error
I tried with "mobile odin pro.apk" than after reboot a yellow triangle with exclamation mark appeared , see attached pic ,
can I reset the phone or it just gone no way to fix that ?
It's too far for that. You need to install AT&T firmware via Odin for the S4 to function at all, thanks to the bootloader. Hopefully the device was carrier unlocked before you bought it, otherwise you'll not be able to use the S4 without purchasing an unlock code.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
It's too far for that. You need to install AT&T firmware via Odin for the S4 to function at all, thanks to the bootloader. Hopefully the device was carrier unlocked before you bought it, otherwise you'll not be able to use the S4 without purchasing an unlock code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Strephon
I got rid of the yellow triangle by following this guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUbciGy7kHc and now the phone stuck on "samsung custom"
after that I tried instaling the AT&T rom you sent me , and I got red writting I saw only when trying to instal AT&T firmware ( sv rev check fail : fused : 5, binary 1 ) , I think this is not the right ROM , I even tried the other rom for AT&T I found along with the ROM you sent me in "Sammobile.com"
I have friend who has a Box , we tried installing the rom with it , but still we can't
I think i have to find a ROM with (pda I9505ZHUEMK2 CSC I9500ZSUEMJ6) I tried few roms from here; ( http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/GT-I9505/TGY/ ),but none of them worked ,
Q 1, How/where can I find rom with (pda I9505ZHUEMK2 CSC I9500ZSUEMJ6) ? Is it possible ?
Q 2 ,since I can access system recovery does that mean the original ROM still not wiped ?
Q 3 , what can I benefit from the the system recovery ?
see pics please
Thanks you.
You can't find a ROM with that PDA and CSC combination, as that combination is for two completely different devices, neither of which is your device. The only stock ROM that will install to an AT&T S4 is an AT&T ROM. No other ROM will work, and your attempts to install an incompatible ROM have, to the best of my knowledge, resulted in that indicator in your third picture.
Your ONLY means of restoring this phone to any kind of operating condition is to head over to the AT&T S4 forums and start reading. I will give you a hand though, and tell you that to eliminate the custom indicator in your third pic, you need to read through this thread on the AT&T S4 forums.
The amount of help any of us here can give you from this point on is going to be VERY limited, so head over to the AT&T S4 forums to ask your questions. The device owners in that section are far more familiar with the quirks of the AT&T S4 and will be more able to help you restore this device than we will.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
You can't find a ROM with that PDA and CSC combination, as that combination is for two completely different devices, neither of which is your device. The only stock ROM that will install to an AT&T S4 is an AT&T ROM. No other ROM will work, and your attempts to install an incompatible ROM have, to the best of my knowledge, resulted in that indicator in your third picture.
Your ONLY means of restoring this phone to any kind of operating condition is to head over to the AT&T S4 forums and start reading. I will give you a hand though, and tell you that to eliminate the custom indicator in your third pic, you need to read through this thread on the AT&T S4 forums.
The amount of help any of us here can give you from this point on is going to be VERY limited, so head over to the AT&T S4 forums to ask your questions. The device owners in that section are far more familiar with the quirks of the AT&T S4 and will be more able to help you restore this device than we will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you Strephon for assisting me through all that.
I will see with the thread you sent me .
Take care

From the hospital: SIM not working. Also, it it really i9500?

Hi
Background: I am usually very thorough when buying a new phone. This time I Wasn't well for many days and in the hospital. Urgently needed a new phone and ordered 1 online from a used shop. I specially wanted i9500.. no other variant..
I got one, it said i9500 on the back cover (echted in the plastics and well as the paper... which said made in india.. also the paper/sticker wasn't samsung quality but maybe since it was used, and indian made, i thought ok..
Now I inserted my sim and turned it on... Some chinese s***t! then samsung logo then the TouchWiz.. But there were many chinese apps as well. AND IT DID NOT DETECT MY SIM. Settings say its an i9500.. it felt like a samsung but something was off... In camera, as soon as I took a pic, phone got shut off! Had to take out battery... (btw, it says android 4.42 and when I go to Update.. .Samsung says it cant as device has been modified)
reformatted phone... more chinese sh*t, then Android loads up and there is no play store!
So I downoad a Darky ROM for i9500 and try flashing.. viola!! success.. Android 5.0.1
It said Sim not registered... then that message dissappears and now it shows me FULL SIGNALS but when I try to dial anything, it says Not registered on network! - WHen I went to settings... in device it is now saying:SM-903F (is that a ROM thing or is that the real phone model I have..?)
Can someone please help me.. the phone is very important here in my hosp.. cant type/read a lot of my laptop, it is very energy comsuming
Regards
P.S My location is Pakistan
See if you can enter download mode (Volume down and Power). If you can get into download mode, read off the model number displayed on screen. If you can't, the S4 is counterfeit.
The phone could also be a combination of various parts from different hardware versions of the s4.
Also, check to see if the imei is okay.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
See if you can enter download mode (Volume down and Power). If you can get into download mode, read off the model number displayed on screen. If you can't, the S4 is counterfeit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download mode says GT-I9500CHN
hmm
audit13 said:
The phone could also be a combination of various parts from different hardware versions of the s4.
Also, check to see if the imei is okay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes bro, I can see the IMEI..
I tried flashing another ROM (TouchWiz) - Still sim is not recognized (but signal bars goes to full.. even if I take out the SIM.. guess thats a ROM issue)
Anyways, still stuck.. Which modem should I try flashing... :|
I was going to suggest a stock 9500 rom from sammobile.com but there are only ROMs for the 9500, not 9500chn.
Googling the model 9500chn links to other people that have the same problem when trying to flash another rom.
audit13 said:
I was going to suggest a stock 9500 rom from sammobile.com but there are only ROMs for the 9500, not 9500chn.
Googling the model 9500chn links to other people that have the same problem when trying to flash another rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone model become GT-I9500CHN because of Chinese bootloader that unfortunately very hard to get rid of this stuff.
______
Your phone might be trying to connect to China Mobile or China Unicom that uses TD-SCDMA instead of WCDMA for most regions.
Also, after you install DarkLord S6 port on your device, you'll get phone model on About device as SM-G903F (Galaxy S5 Neo) instead of the normal one for more compatibility (according to the developer).
I would try to check the IMEI online to see if this is original or not (ilegally tampered from other device).
Sent from my GT-I9500
krasCGQ said:
The phone model become GT-I9500CHN because of Chinese bootloader that unfortunately very hard to get rid of this stuff.
______
Your phone might be trying to connect to China Mobile or China Unicom that uses TD-SCDMA instead of WCDMA for most regions.
Also, after you install DarkLord S6 port on your device, you'll get phone model on About device as SM-G903F (Galaxy S5 Neo) instead of the normal one for more compatibility (according to the developer).
I would try to check the IMEI online to see if this is original or not (ilegally tampered from other device).
Sent from my GT-I9500
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What to do then? I tried installing Omega ROM v 28... after installtion, screen goes blank... tried it twice!
Any solution
hdaackda said:
What to do then? I tried installing Omega ROM v 28... after installtion, screen goes blank... tried it twice!
Any solution
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheap chinese fake replicas. All ib one line.
Do nothing about it. Ordering online was the worst decision.
Now there are threads here on how to manage these clones. Read one of them
DeepankarS said:
Cheap chinese fake replicas. All ib one line.
Do nothing about it. Ordering online was the worst decision.
Now there are threads here on how to manage these clones. Read one of them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate chinese like u do... but this is not cheap
and it is actually a REAL Samsung Galaxy
problem is its GT-i9500CHN - aargghhhhhh - pain doubling... due to me being in hospital. cant go outside to kill someone
If you flashed custom ROMs and them boot, it's not a clone. I9500 performs an Exynos CPU, Chinese clones a Mediatek one, so just for this ROMs couldn't even boot.
All you can do is try to flash a stock firmware from SamMobile, an I9500 firmware coming from China, and see what happens.
By the way, I think this guy bought a Chinese (Genuine) I9500, then rooted it for install Google Apps, that would probably be the reason of the GApps disappearing after formatting (as far as I know, Chinese phones have a backup partition where an emergency copy of the stock firmware is located, I don't know if Samsung does this as well).
For the SIM problem, it's probably simlock, and it probably works only with a determined Chinese operator (or, again, it probably doesn't supports Pakistan's signal bands).
All you can do is check your IMEI on some dedicated site and see if it's simlock, then if it's not, check if the bands that your phone supports are compatible with Pakistan ones.
Sorry for my bad english.
Nexus⁴ on Tapatalk.
Again, China's bands are TD-SCDMA, not WCDMA as we use mostly over the world.
Sent from my GT-I9500
in and out of hospital. operation botched. going again. thanks for all your help guys, 1 last issue
baseband changed. signals working!! finally
one problem, as soon as I take picture, phone shuts down instantaneouly. have to take out battery and restart. ANY english i9500chn ROM pls??
hdaackda said:
in and out of hospital. operation botched. going again. thanks for all your help guys, 1 last issue
baseband changed. signals working!! finally
one problem, as soon as I take picture, phone shuts down instantaneouly. have to take out battery and restart. ANY english i9500chn ROM pls??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once again, GT-I9500CHN is just from the bootloader. Installing any GT-I9500 firmware should work.
Sent from my GT-I9500

Purchased a S5, can you please identify the Model number?

I am very confused, Item is a refurb, has been rooted and therefore i want to put a clean stock rom on it, however i am getting mixed signals. phone is labelled g900f on the sticker and about phone, however i think this is fake, so the seller could sell it as a British model, I went in to recovery, the boot-loader stated it was a g900t. Also in the settings / about / there is a section referring to The united Emirates, which i have not ever seen before. I do believe it is a real s5 though as it has a snapdragon processor. Also the Imei number and serial number match the sticker, however i have a feeling this was somehow done by the seller, or who ever is supplying the seller who sold it to me. Other than that phone is working fine, but does not receive OTA updates. Also for some reason in the Ringtone section there are some built in AT&T ones.
can someone try to make sense of this, and tell me which exact Official ROM i would need to use.
Thanks.
G900T is American T-Mobile version
tigger69 said:
G900T is American T-Mobile version
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does anyone know why there is a UAE section if this is supposed to be a American phone? also is this a At&t or tmobile original?
Whichever model is says in download mode is the correct model
A lot of models are modded to look like G900Fs as they are one of the most popular models, firmware, stickers etc etc can all be changed, Download mode can't be changed
thanks for the reply. if i reflash to a clean g900t marshmallow, what is the likelyhood it will corrupt the imei , network unlock status or anything like that, also will a g900t rom work fine in the Uk, i read on xda the g900t rom contains alot of branding and junk, can anyone confirm this?
thankyou
kuljit55 said:
thanks for the reply. if i reflash to a clean g900t marshmallow, what is the likelyhood it will corrupt the imei , network unlock status or anything like that, also will a g900t rom work fine in the Uk, i read on xda the g900t rom contains alot of branding and junk, can anyone confirm this?
thankyou
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try it, as it seems to be a 900T, i would have to assume it will be ok.

Was I scammed or is this a "real" phone?

Context: Bought a an s8 for cheap, model number comes up as g950fd, went about installing stuff then went to get a sim card the next day.
Aaaannddd I can't connect to my network, and upon checking i have no imei number, and my baseband is uknown. Only thing I have is a serial # that comes up "clean" upon checking on sndeep.info
I casually browse/lurk this forum so I'm not gonna ask for IMEI advice. Rather I'd like to know if I should be going after this dude (who has about 2 days head start I guess), or I can take this somewhere to have it "fixed"?
p.s. I'm in the philipines so IMEI services aren't illegal (I think?)
Thanks!
Best thing to do is to reinstall firmware with smart switch software. If after that it still says no imei and no baseband then whoever you bought the phone off, they messed up the efs possibly.
panicMode said:
Context: Bought a an s8 for cheap, model number comes up as g950fd, went about installing stuff then went to get a sim card the next day.
Aaaannddd I can't connect to my network, and upon checking i have no imei number, and my baseband is uknown. Only thing I have is a serial # that comes up "clean" upon checking on sndeep.info
I casually browse/lurk this forum so I'm not gonna ask for IMEI advice. Rather I'd like to know if I should be going after this dude (who has about 2 days head start I guess), or I can take this somewhere to have it "fixed"?
p.s. I'm in the philipines so IMEI services aren't illegal (I think?)
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
=======================================================================================
The only thing i would say about that, is this phone was locked to a network, and someone used a software to unlock it. But the issue with unlocked phone from their network, is that you might lose the IMEI, and i you lose that, you might not be able to use the phone properly. My only suggestion is to go to sammobile.com and download one of the ROMs from there, yet you need to know which network it was in before the happen to it. I think you need to speak with the buyer and ask about the name of the network.
You're basically scammed.
because the previous owner did rootings and stuffs i guess, (check if warranty is 0x0 instead of 0x1.)
If you've rooted and played around system files, wipes etc. You will probably lose your imei @ 10% chance possibility?
Unless you have a EFS Partition backed up before hand from this phone from TWRP. You're basically screwed?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/help/lost-imei-efs-folder-messed-t3614320
And yeah try reflashing firmware from your country etc.
panicMode said:
Context: Bought a an s8 for cheap, model number comes up as g950fd, went about installing stuff then went to get a sim card the next day.
Aaaannddd I can't connect to my network, and upon checking i have no imei number, and my baseband is uknown. Only thing I have is a serial # that comes up "clean" upon checking on sndeep.info
I casually browse/lurk this forum so I'm not gonna ask for IMEI advice. Rather I'd like to know if I should be going after this dude (who has about 2 days head start I guess), or I can take this somewhere to have it "fixed"?
p.s. I'm in the philipines so IMEI services aren't illegal (I think?)
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sofir786 said:
Best thing to do is to reinstall firmware with smart switch software. If after that it still says no imei and no baseband then whoever you bought the phone off, they messed up the efs possibly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would follow this advice.This is about the same options i would do my self.Sometimes IEMIs can get messed up with basebands and such so no harm in trying stock restores but most def contact seller and return it if possible
Thanks for all the feedback guys. I'll try and get my money back but if this was done with prior knowledge that the phone was wonky my bet is he's gone.
As for the technical advice, will definitely look into it as I'm a complete novice. Will update when something comes up.
Thanks all.
panicMode said:
Thanks for all the feedback guys. I'll try and get my money back but if this was done with prior knowledge that the phone was wonky my bet is he's gone.
As for the technical advice, will definitely look into it as I'm a complete novice. Will update when something comes up.
Thanks all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reflashing of the firmware is quite easy,I hate it for ya buddy if he is gone....It's sad to see people scam others hard earned money....
Not a scam!
panicMode said:
Context: Bought a an s8 for cheap, model number comes up as g950fd, went about installing stuff then went to get a sim card the next day.
Aaaannddd I can't connect to my network, and upon checking i have no imei number, and my baseband is uknown. Only thing I have is a serial # that comes up "clean" upon checking on sndeep.info
I casually browse/lurk this forum so I'm not gonna ask for IMEI advice. Rather I'd like to know if I should be going after this dude (who has about 2 days head start I guess), or I can take this somewhere to have it "fixed"?
p.s. I'm in the philipines so IMEI services aren't illegal (I think?)
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't panic just yet! I'm actually super new back into the android game, ditched iphone a few weeks ago and got myself an s8. I started looking into rooting my phone since the last time I rooted an android phone was back when T-mobile had their G1's. So, I thought I had to really re-educate myself upon what android now has to offer. Well, going through different sites, and the different models, versions, variants, etc about the s8, I did come across the G950FD. It's a legit phone. I believe (and feel free to correct me if i'm wrong) they were only sold in India, unlocked, and dual sim! The sim tray in the phone can either hold 2 sim cards, (1 nano sim, 1 micro sim) or if you preferred to extend the capacity instead, the slot for the micro sim, can hold a micro SD card instead, since they're the same size, give or take. The reason it doesn't have an IMEI nor baseband is because the dual-sim capability, thus why the serial number comes back clean. You weren't scammed, you're actually quite lucky since those versions of the s8 were sold in India, and you managed to come into possession of one, for cheap, yet alone a phone everyone here thought was a scam as well. I wish I could have one! But unfortunately, here in the states, I have a CDMA carrier and dual-sim phones don't support it. But heres a link to the source of your awesome new phone! Now you can relax! You not only got an s8, you have a rare one! Enjoy it!
EDIT: I tried to link you to the source, but being a new member I couldn't. However, if you search for Samsung g950fd, it should link you to the Samsung website, where your phone is it. Hope this has helped you feel more at ease with your phone!
G950fd is an international version. I believe the FD has an unlockable bootloader, which makes it sought after. Somebody probably wiped efs In Recovery by accident.
BBREEDMEE said:
Don't panic just yet! I'm actually super new back into the android game, ditched iphone a few weeks ago and got myself an s8. I started looking into rooting my phone since the last time I rooted an android phone was back when T-mobile had their G1's. So, I thought I had to really re-educate myself upon what android now has to offer. Well, going through different sites, and the different models, versions, variants, etc about the s8, I did come across the G950FD. It's a legit phone. I believe (and feel free to correct me if i'm wrong) they were only sold in India, unlocked, and dual sim! The sim tray in the phone can either hold 2 sim cards, (1 nano sim, 1 micro sim) or if you preferred to extend the capacity instead, the slot for the micro sim, can hold a micro SD card instead, since they're the same size, give or take. The reason it doesn't have an IMEI nor baseband is because the dual-sim capability, thus why the serial number comes back clean. You weren't scammed, you're actually quite lucky since those versions of the s8 were sold in India, and you managed to come into possession of one, for cheap, yet alone a phone everyone here thought was a scam as well. I wish I could have one! But unfortunately, here in the states, I have a CDMA carrier and dual-sim phones don't support it. But heres a link to the source of your awesome new phone! Now you can relax! You not only got an s8, you have a rare one! Enjoy it!
EDIT: I tried to link you to the source, but being a new member I couldn't. However, if you search for Samsung g950fd, it should link you to the Samsung website, where your phone is it. Hope this has helped you feel more at ease with your phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude I have the FD version and I have 2 IMEI's. Also, it's not just in India as it's also popular in UAE. Please do your research before replying.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 09:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 AM ----------
bushako said:
Dude I have the FD version and I have 2 IMEI's. Also, it's not just in India as it's also popular in UAE. Please do your research before replying.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pic
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Vinnvin said:
You're basically scammed.
because the previous owner did rootings and stuffs i guess, (check if warranty is 0x0 instead of 0x1.)
If you've rooted and played around system files, wipes etc. You will probably lose your imei @ 10% chance possibility?
Unless you have a EFS Partition backed up before hand from this phone from TWRP. You're basically screwed?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/help/lost-imei-efs-folder-messed-t3614320
And yeah try reflashing firmware from your country etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can we tone the FUD down a bit? "Rootings and stuffs" does not equate a 10% chance of losing your imei. There is a 0% chance of that happening. There is a 100% chance of that happening if you mess up and explicitly do it yourself, but even that is pretty hard to accomplish.
There are more than enough legitimate cautionary tales and lessons to be learned from this to spread around. Let's not ad not only unnecessary (and incorrect) information needlessly
So spent the last couple of days on a wild goose chase. Long story short, guy's gone.
So, novive me is gonna follow the guides on here. I've skimmed a through a few and would like some clarification before i end up messing this phone up even more.
What "stock rom" should i be looking for?
And for what model in the sense that the phone's model number is G950fd, but the Google play store tags it as g950f. Is that one letter difference important? Did this guy change the model name? Is there a way to double check?
Sorry if I'm coming off as paranoid. I've never done a flash before, nor have i ever been in this kind of situation.
Thanks!
Well, there's still hope. The seller had to possibly tampered with the firmware before giving it away towards you. Advice given before hand about re-flashing the firmware is strongly recommended to double check if everything is correct. You can either use sammobile.com or updato.com whichever you would prefer. since you have the SM-G950FD version, put that model number in the search bar and get the most up-to-date fw you can get. Use ODIN to re-flash the firmware back onto your phone and wait a couple of minutes to see if everything is back to normal. If the baseband and IMEI is still unknown, then we'll have to see another method to get it back to normal. But for now, re-flash the stock firmware.
Edit: Tell me what carrier you're using and i'll supply you with a link to the firmware you need, for now, download ODIN from here if you don't have it yet: https://samsungodin.com/
DaNamesFrank said:
Well, there's still hope. The seller had to possibly tampered with the firmware before giving it away towards you. Advice given before hand about re-flashing the firmware is strongly recommended to double check if everything is correct. You can either use sammobile.com or updato.com whichever you would prefer. since you have the SM-G950FD version, put that model number in the search bar and get the most up-to-date fw you can get. Use ODIN to re-flash the firmware back onto your phone and wait a couple of minutes to see if everything is back to normal. If the baseband and IMEI is still unknown, then we'll have to see another method to get it back to normal. But for now, re-flash the stock firmware.
Edit: Tell me what carrier you're using and i'll supply you with a link to the firmware you need, for now, download ODIN from here if you don't have it yet: https://samsungodin.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so I'm going through the available firmwares in the Philippines and they have ones available for the g950fd. They do not have any available for the g950f.
Now, I'm scared bec the Google play store says my phone is NOT a g950fd, and is in fact a g950f. I also don't have a sim2 label on my sim card tray.
Is there a way to double check what model i actually have?
panicMode said:
Ok so I'm going through the available firmwares in the Philippines and they have ones available for the g950fd. They do not have any available for the g950f.
Now, I'm scared bec the Google play store says my phone is NOT a g950fd, and is in fact a g950f. I also don't have a sim2 label on my sim card tray.
Is there a way to double check what model i actually have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Settings, about phone, model number should be under device name
panicMode said:
So spent the last couple of days on a wild goose chase. Long story short, guy's gone.
So, novive me is gonna follow the guides on here. I've skimmed a through a few and would like some clarification before i end up messing this phone up even more.
What "stock rom" should i be looking for?
And for what model in the sense that the phone's model number is G950fd, but the Google play store tags it as g950f. Is that one letter difference important? Did this guy change the model name? Is there a way to double check?
Sorry if I'm coming off as paranoid. I've never done a flash before, nor have i ever been in this kind of situation.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way to find out for sure what phone model you have is to put your phone in download mode. There you'll see your phone number. That's the only accurate way. Anything else it's useless. What Google play store show, what phone number is shown on settings it's irrelevant. The phone model listed by Google play store or on your phone settings can be changed very easy but editing a simple line on build.prop.
Now about your phone. From what you described it's obvious that you have your EFS partition corrupted. Without a backup of your EFS partition you're screwed. You can download and flash whatever firmware you want. It's just a waste of time. Flashing another firmware will not going to fix it. You have a backup of EFS partition? If yes, then it's great. Search for a guide for restoring EFS partition. If not, stop wasting your time. The result can be only one: a very expensive paperweight.
Ah thanks, so according to download mode I indeed have a g950f and not aG950fd - efs professional also shows the same thing
How screwed am I now that:
a. i'm apparently running on firmware that tags the unit as G950fd
b. sammobile doesn't show any G950f firmware for the philippines
c. i have no idea where this phone has been prior to my purchasing it
thanks
panicMode said:
Ah thanks, so according to download mode I indeed have a g950f and not aG950fd - efs professional also shows the same thing
How screwed am I now that:
a. i'm apparently running on firmware that tags the unit as G950fd
b. sammobile doesn't show any G950f firmware for the philippines
c. i have no idea where this phone has been prior to my purchasing it
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doing some research, there isn't any philippine fw for the g950f, hence the firmware being g950fd. I'll try to edit more with more info to find.
I am disappointed by all the FUD and paranoid advice in this thread so far.
@panicMode
Install the following app from playstore - Samsung Phone Info
And then post screenshot of each tab. MAKE SURE to hide IMEI and Serial number if visible in any screenshot.
If you are not sure how to do that, then you can PM me the screenshots or your telegram handle to take this conversation private.
There is no need to panic when there are ways to ascertain.
madnav said:
I am disappointed by all the FUD and paranoid advice in this thread so far.
@panicMode
Install the following app from playstore - Samsung Phone Info
And then post screenshot of each tab. MAKE SURE to hide IMEI and Serial number if visible in any screenshot.
If you are not sure how to do that, then you can PM me the screenshots or your telegram handle to take this conversation private.
There is no need to panic when there are ways to ascertain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I buy a device I expect it to have A IEMI also I dont expect to have to fix it myself....
Please next time take this into consideration with your disappointment As Most of the advice in this thread is legitimately correct AS no one should have to Fix it contacting the orig seller and then reflash correct firmware is proper steps.Just because you do not feel it is Does not make it "disappointing"

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