[Q] Water damage - S5 Active - Galaxy S 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Yesterday I took my Active to the pool. It was submerged for no more than 10 minutes in maybe 5 inches of water. Afterwards it was working normally but this morning, when I plugged it in to charge, the splash screen had a "Custom" message along with an image of an unlocked lock. I can only imagine this is referring to the bootloader, which I haven't even touched. This phone is non-rooted, an obviously stock ROM.
Now, it has the following messages on the screen:
_____________________________________
FACTORY MODE
PRODUCT NAME: SM-G870A
CURRENT BINARY: Samsung Official
SYSTEM STATUS: Custom
REACTIVATION LOCK(KK): OFF
KNOX WARRANTY VOID: 0x0
QUALCOMM SECURE BOOT: ENABLE (CSB)
AP SWREV: S1, T1, A1, A1, P1
SECURE DOWNLOAD: ENABLE
UDC START
[picture of android dude}
Downloading...
Do not turn off target!!
_____________________________________
My only theory is that the water damage somehow blew the fuse that gets triggered when the bootloader is unlocked. I could be wrong though.
Does anyone know what is going on?
Any help is appreciated.
----------
Edit: Managed to get it boot correctly, but the charging port is being wonky & the battery is drained right now. Plus I don't have an external battery charger.

KNOX is still 0x0 according to your info, so the eFUSE was not blown
I'd turn it off and dry it out for a day or two, could be the seals did not do their job and water got in
Downloading...
Do not turn off target!!
Means you are in download mode, which is volume down & home & power, maybe the water is shorting those buttons

husainbeg786786 said:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
???

*Detection* said:
KNOX is still 0x0 according to your info, so the eFUSE was not blown
I'd turn it off and dry it out for a day or two, could be the seals did not do their job and water got in
Downloading...
Do not turn off target!!
Means you are in download mode, which is volume down & home & power, maybe the water is shorting those buttons
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, thanks for your reply. I'm unfamiliar with the knox codes.
My main concern is this:
I'm going to return it to Samsung for a replacement because it did not work as advertised- there was a small gap in the rubber seal in the back that let water in. Good thing I hadn't tested it before. But will the "custom" message void the warranty? I'm concerned because I never actually unlocked it or anything. They already accepted the ticket though so this might be a moot question.
However, why is the unlocked icon present? It wasn't there yesterday morning, since I haven't unlocked it or rooted it.
Is there a way to get rid of it?

CyberpunkShadow said:
Great, thanks for your reply. I'm unfamiliar with the knox codes.
My main concern is this:
I'm going to return it to Samsung for a replacement because it did not work as advertised- there was a small gap in the rubber seal in the back that let water in. Good thing I hadn't tested it before. But will the "custom" message void the warranty? I'm concerned because I never actually unlocked it or anything. They already accepted the ticket though so this might be a moot question.
However, why is the unlocked icon present? It wasn't there yesterday morning, since I haven't unlocked it or rooted it.
Is there a way to get rid of it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KNOX 0x0 = Warranty is valid
KNOX 0x1 = Warranty is void
So you shouldn't have any warranty issues, the water caused the other message errors, so Samsung should be happy to repair or replace it for you
Basically the reason they will refuse warranty is if KNOX = 0x1, which means you flashed something not signed by Samsung, but as it is 0x0, even with the custom error, they will know that the fault is not down to you flashing custom ROMs or recoveries etc
The only thing I can think they might grumble about is whether or not you clicked the back cover on fully, allowing the water in to start with
But if there is a physical fault with the seal, hopefully they'll accept it was their fault, not yours
Good luck

*Detection* said:
KNOX 0x0 = Warranty is valid
KNOX 0x1 = Warranty is void
So you shouldn't have any warranty issues, the water caused the other message errors, so Samsung should be happy to repair or replace it for you
Basically the reason they will refuse warranty is if KNOX = 0x1, which means you flashed something not signed by Samsung, but as it is 0x0, even with the custom error, they will know that the fault is not down to you flashing custom ROMs or recoveries etc
The only thing I can think they might grumble about is whether or not you clicked the back cover on fully, allowing the water in to start with
But if there is a physical fault with the seal, hopefully they'll accept it was their fault, not yours
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, thanks so much!
I remember I OTA'd my second Atrix 4G two years ago while it was rooted and of course I bricked it. Splash screen gave the unlocked bootloader away too. But Moto replaced it for a new one (not even refurbished) for free, no questions asked. Probably because the felt guilty about conning all the Atrix owners out of ICS. Anyway, I wasn't going to try my luck twice. Thanks for your help!
For those that might be on the same boat, it does look like the S5 Active's are somewhat defective, the rubber seal in the back is unreliable at best, and the front buttons often fail due to water damage. Samsung is owning up to it though, thankfully. Just please accept it if you didn't correctly close the back & be honest.
And I usually don't root/unlock until I can upgrade, can't risk it, but that info will hopefully help others as well.
Cheers!

Related

Finding knox?

So I was in download mode updating my phone and there's nothing that mentions knox at all. Like the lines that mention knox in this picture are not there.
http://www.kingoapp.com/image/0-0.png
I think as long as it says official somewhere on there youre ok. Also theres an app in the playstore called samsung phone info that displays all of your phones info including knox.
I'm not so much worried about finding it as I think it's odd that it's not there.
It's there, see where it says Knox Warranty Void 0x0, that means you are good. If it says 0x1 that means it's been tripped and no warranty in the US.
Edit: Reread your post and you are saying that picture is not your phone, your download screen doesn't mention Knox at all, I think you are ok. If it's tripped, they will tell you if you are in a country that it matters like the US. If you are in a country where lawyers don't own the government, then you are ok.

Tripping knox?

What is the disadvantage of this? Can i still use all the function of note3? Only problem is that warranty is void right?
Correct. It is used for better encryption for say business users, etc... however if you ask me - you would probably use something else and not talk about sensitive data, etc over the phone.
Everything else will work just as it should - do not worry about it.
cyberboob said:
Correct. It is used for better encryption for say business users, etc... however if you ask me - you would probably use something else and not talk about sensitive data, etc over the phone.
Everything else will work just as it should - do not worry about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Knox is Samsung's attempt to get into the business market. Knox is a secure 'container' into which company IT guys can install the company apps and data. Should the phone get lost or stolen they can nuke it from the server.
Why Samsung would piss off all their normal users when the company could as easily do the same thing just like you and I can (from website or using something like Avast) is anyone's guess. Also note that it doesn't necessarily void your warranty - that's a Samsung con game. It voids your KNOX warranty - in other words they will not be liable if your company loses apps/data on a Knox-broken phone.
But many Samsung service agents will void your phone warranty, knowing most people will not go legal over the issue.
ikong7 said:
What is the disadvantage of this? Can i still use all the function of note3? Only problem is that warranty is void right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KNOX is twofold.
- First is the KNOX E-Fuse modifying security. This is the digital version of the old 'If seal is broken, warranty is void' labels. If tripped, it displays 0x1.
If you trip it, the level of warranty you still get depends on where you are.
If you're in the EU, it makes no difference. 2 years factory warranty is mandatory, regardless of software modifications. Note that if your modifications cause damage (i.e. By overclocking), it isn't covered by the warranty. It only applies to regular defects.
If you're outside the EU, it depends on your local laws.
- Second is the KNOX security container. This is a secure environment inside the OS where a user can keep its secure files and apps. It's basically a separate virtual partition (for lack of a better definition) of the OS that you need a password to access.
Tripping the E-Fuse causes the container ro selfdestruct, rendering it inaccessible. Any files that were inside the KNOX container when the fuse was tripped will be permanently lost.
For users who don't require the secure container, KNOX is nerely another entry in the long history of failed DRM's that cause more harm for paying users than it does for those that would bypass it. Companies never learn.
Sent From My Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N9005 Using Tapatalk

Inquiries about warranty issues on rooting.

I have the H1512 model which is not locked to any carriers and I'm fond of tinkering my smartphones I had have. But with all the ruckus about the n6p issues, keeping the warranty intact would be a good idea. I even had an extended warranty for any physical damage that may take place (like warping, screen damage, etc). The thing is I want to root this device not to play with custom roms, bootloader, etc (well, not until the warranty is expired) but to get some apps that needs a rooted device.
This would be my questions before rooting:
1. Does this have a knox counter and will it be voided?
2. Can you unroot this device and lock the bootloader again?
3. Do technicians have anyway to trace if the above item has been made?
4. What is the qFuse that I read somewhere?
5. What other things about rooting that may be a problem to its warranty.
1. No.
2. Yes.
3. Probably, but it doesn't matter because unlocking, rooting, flashing ROMs doesn't void the warranty.
4. It's a feature that the technicians trip before the device leaves the factory, it converts certain things to read-only so the user can't mess with them.
5. None.
To sum it up, you have nothing to worry about. You can tinker with this phone as much as you like without affecting the warranty. The only time it would be an issue is if you manage to brick the phone, which is almost impossible on a Nexus. I have a detailed guide here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6p/general/guides-how-to-guides-beginners-t3206928
Thanks for the quick reply man. I think I'm just overthing. But now, I could release the full potential of this beast.
milinile said:
Thanks for the quick reply man. I think I'm just overthing. But now, I could release the full potential of this beast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, that's what they're made for, tinkering. Have fun.
milinile said:
I have the H1512 model which is not locked to any carriers and I'm fond of tinkering my smartphones I had have. But with all the ruckus about the n6p issues, keeping the warranty intact would be a good idea. I even had an extended warranty for any physical damage that may take place (like warping, screen damage, etc). The thing is I want to root this device not to play with custom roms, bootloader, etc (well, not until the warranty is expired) but to get some apps that needs a rooted device.
This would be my questions before rooting:
1. Does this have a knox counter and will it be voided?
2. Can you unroot this device and lock the bootloader again?
3. Do technicians have anyway to trace if the above item has been made?
4. What is the qFuse that I read somewhere?
5. What other things about rooting that may be a problem to its warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is something that I read a few months ago, before buying my 6P. Saved it for reference.
Qfuses are one-time-programmable (OTP) elements that are used to enable and disable security and debug features of the MSM7xxx device. The Qfuses are implemented as anarray of one-bit fuse blocks. The Qfuse banks are used for two purposes — providing non-volatile, immutable storage of data, and configuration of hardware features. For immutabledata storage, the Qfuses are read via a shadow register which contains the actual valuestored and includes error correction.For configuration, each Qfuse is associated with a one-time write register. The value of each Qfuse is sensed at powerup and stored in a register. Blowing Qfuses is done byplacing a value to a register and applying current to the fuse. The fuse registers areaccessible through JTAG and software readable address locations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Root dilema

Hello there. Today, I bought my new s7 Edge and I want to root it. But I am worried about the warranty. That is why I want to ask u guys.
for example, if I break screen on my phone (while rooted), will they repair it, or will they say, warranty void, your problem?
Thanks for your answers and help.
No one will repair Your phones screen (glass) for free. If You will get pink dots or lines on screen then sure , probably even with knox 0x1. But a broken screen from a drop Nope. I've got my phone fixed before with knox 0x1 and no one said anything. As long as You will reflash stock rom with odin they most probably won't even check if it was rooted before or not.
Warranty repair only works when the phone has a hardware issue caused by a faulty manufacturing and every issue or damage caused by the user isn't covered by warranty.
Example:
Your phone won't turn on for no reason = free replacement.
Your phones display shows lines or flickers = free repair.
You drop Your phone and break the display = Your fault, You pay the full price for the repair, even with warranty.
What I would do?
Root it Flash custom roms, enjoy Your phone.
Kubas_inko_CZ said:
Hello there. Today, I bought my new s7 Edge and I want to root it. But I am worried about the warranty. That is why I want to ask u guys.
for example, if I break screen on my phone (while rooted), will they repair it, or will they say, warranty void, your problem?
Thanks for your answers and help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Europe it is usual no problem. Outside Europe it can bea problem.
But your example isn't a warranty covered one.
Sent from my SM-G935F using XDA-Developers mobile app
If your insurance pays for physical damage, that had nothing to do with root. If your phone dies, or is in a bootloop, restarts all the time, or freez, that could be a problem if your knox is tripped.
Edit : what do you expect from a root. For my opinion the phone is well working with stock Rom. For me there is no reason for a root.
So. Root, that trips knox to 0x1 will void warranty to software (that u can repair super easly with odin ) but it does not void warranty for physical things (display stops working like the "pink dots" and other accepted stuff)
BTW thanks guys
Kubas_inko_CZ said:
So. Root, that trips knox to 0x1 will void warranty to software (that u can repair super easly with odin ) but it does not void warranty for physical things (display stops working like the "pink dots" and other accepted stuff)
BTW thanks guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Exactly. As long as Your phone breaks itself by itself then You're all good. And fixing any Samsung device with odin is really easy. There's literally no way to hard brick it to death. Unless You play with Odins "t.flash, nand erase, repartition" whenever You use odin just select a file (AP) and then tap on start button, that's it. As safe as possible.
But, just in case You hard brick it to death then just go to samsung or Your carrier and tell them that it stopped working by itself, and since they won't be able to power it on, they will just replace it
thanks guys. Idk how to close thread so admin please close it XDDD

samsung saying ive rooted my phone..bloody liars !

ok - ive got a s8, having some hardware issues with it....the phone has never been modded or rooted..but samsung say because my sytem status shows "custom"..its been moddified or rooted...ive argued with them that i havnt, i wouldnt know how to..to proove my point to them the knoxx counter on my s8 reads 0 ..if it had been rooted it would have tripped to show 1 , and from what i ve been reading on the internet..once the knoxx counter is tripped and cannot be reset...prior to my hardware problems , my phone has been back to samsung twice, once for a faulty sim tray that was stuck inside and the secind time the phone wouldnt recongnise any micro sd card inserted into the phone..this is the 3rd time im sending the phone....why are samsung calling me liar ?..perhaps the engineers or tech screwed up my phone previously..
goofy gorilla said:
ok - ive got a s8, having some hardware issues with it....the phone has never been modded or rooted..but samsung say because my sytem status shows "custom"..its been moddified or rooted...ive argued with them that i havnt, i wouldnt know how to..to proove my point to them the knoxx counter on my s8 reads 0 ..if it had been rooted it would have tripped to show 1 , and from what i ve been reading on the internet..once the knoxx counter is tripped and cannot be reset...prior to my hardware problems , my phone has been back to samsung twice, once for a faulty sim tray that was stuck inside and the secind time the phone wouldnt recongnise any micro sd card inserted into the phone..this is the 3rd time im sending the phone....why are samsung calling me liar ?..perhaps the engineers or tech screwed up my phone previously..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're being mind my language, dicks to you, your Knox counter is 0 and you have a hardware not software related issue, so really don't know why they're being like that with you, they should honour the warranty, if keep pressing the matter if I were you
i intend to keep pressuring them, i paid £600 for the phone in june 2017 and had it fixed twice already, now the sim tray is very hard to come out and doesnt seat properly when pushed back in, the wifi and bluetooth toggle cant be selected , they are both greyed out...hence ive got no wifi connection..
Mistake
goofy gorilla said:
i intend to keep pressuring them, i paid £600 for the phone in june 2017 and had it fixed twice already, now the sim tray is very hard to come out and doesnt seat properly when pushed back in, the wifi and bluetooth toggle cant be selected , they are both greyed out...hence ive got no wifi connection..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed your paid in Pounds. If you are located and purchased the S8 in a EU country suggest you show this to the service center:
https://www.piana.eu/root/
Hi yes, I'm in Birmingham, UK. Unfortunately there is no Samsung service center in Birmingham..rather surprised at that, closest is in Leicester, 40 miles away..I'm not driving all the way there..
goofy gorilla said:
ok - ive got a s8, having some hardware issues with it....the phone has never been modded or rooted..but samsung say because my sytem status shows "custom"..its been moddified or rooted...ive argued with them that i havnt, i wouldnt know how to..to proove my point to them the knoxx counter on my s8 reads 0 ..if it had been rooted it would have tripped to show 1 , and from what i ve been reading on the internet..once the knoxx counter is tripped and cannot be reset...prior to my hardware problems , my phone has been back to samsung twice, once for a faulty sim tray that was stuck inside and the secind time the phone wouldnt recongnise any micro sd card inserted into the phone..this is the 3rd time im sending the phone....why are samsung calling me liar ?..perhaps the engineers or tech screwed up my phone previously..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it would not, not necessarily, and you aren't helping your case any by arguing this. Knox (the part in question here anyway) has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not you have root acces to your device. The only thing that will cause 0x1 is flashing a boot image or some other part of the bootloader. Every single rooted snapdragon s8, s8+, and n8 is so with counters at 0x0. It's not possible increment a custom flash counter if there device won't allow you too flash custom software in the first place.
What will help you is pointing out that its almost certainly where you live it where the transaction took place illegal to refuse a warranty for modifying a device you own. It's definitely illegal in the UK, and definitely illegal in the USA.
sofir786 said:
They're being mind my language, dicks to you, your Knox counter is 0 and you have a hardware not software related issue, so really don't know why they're being like that with you, they should honour the warranty, if keep pressing the matter if I were you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See my statement above. It would be really great if we could stop perpetuating this myth
Norup58 said:
I noticed your paid in Pounds. If you are located and purchased the S8 in a EU country suggest you show this to the service center:
https://www.piana.eu/root/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very interesting, perhaps the link should be a sticky in every android forum.
goofy gorilla said:
Hi yes, I'm in Birmingham, UK. Unfortunately there is no Samsung service center in Birmingham..rather surprised at that, closest is in Leicester, 40 miles away..I'm not driving all the way there..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in Denmark and if I had the problems you are experiencing I would just keep returning it to the store/shop I bought it at.
As a consumer in Denmark I dont have to tackle Samsung, that would be the store/shop's problem and the store/shop would be obliged to service/repair/replace my product.
And most importantly, if the store/shop cannot repair/fix the problem(s) within reasonable time/ tries (in Denmark that is 3 tries) I can demand my money back.
As UK's divorce papers have not yet been ratified I would assume same consumer law/regulation applies in the UK.
DaiC1 said:
Very interesting, perhaps the link should be a sticky in every android forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes that is an interestimg read, i want samsung to prove that i have modded or rooted the phone. The securtiy measures that samsung have installed ie, the knox counter is such a measure that shows if the phone has been rooted, clearly not as the counter is 0. The phone was previously taken back to the o2 store twice and twice they said to send it to samsung which i did. i will refer the link to to samsung customer support if they dont fix the phone. I have booked a repair on tuesday , UPS are going to pick up the phone..i wait and see what happens..i have also reset tothe phone to factory settings and updated to the very latest stock firmware via samsang smart switch...the problems still remain...unfortunately..
Think I found problem with my s8. It's the the sim tray it doesn't seat properly and is very hard to open with the sim tray removal tool..I'm not surprised as this has been repaired before for SD card and sim tray issues..with an SD card inserted the phone status changes to official and when removed it goes back to custom...so go figure that out. I've taken pics and made a small video to show Samsung if they refuse to fix my phone.in fact I'm gonna ask for a new s8.
Hi
Like the a previous poster from Denmark said, your contract is with O2, they are obliged to fix or repair it, if it needs to go back to Samsung, that is for them to arrange, too often they tell the customer you must return the phone to the manufacture, hoping you are not that clued up on your legal rights.
I appreciate you have arranged to have it collected and repaired, but we all need to remember, the shop takes your money and its the shop that should make sure the goods are fit for purpose
Trev
i got my samsung s8 back a few days ago, they didnt send me a new phone because it comes under warranty repair. Anyway third time lucky, they have fixed the issues with the phone, the sim tray is still a little hard to push out with the sim removal tool but open enough to pull out with my finger nails. The phone status is now official. They did lock my phone back to carrier lock , ie O2....i had to unlock it again..but all seems to be working fine so far..
If you in the UK you should have an F model yes? If yes just root it and flash a stockish rom that appears normal to common people. Use some sort of kernel or whichever permits official and Knox 0x0 for your warranty issues. I've had ALOT of Sammy phones, all rooted and I took all in for warrenty at least once except for my g955F as I'm in the states. With Knox tripped and still got the replacement or a new,phone. Even told em its rooted and still got the warranty.

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