I was on stock android version 4.2.2 with stock recovery and unrooted when I received the 4.3 version notification after updating the boot animation remained stuck on the X logo for hours and clearing cache,data from stock recovery didn't help it boot. I flashed the factory 4.2.2 image and it finally booted but I had no phone signal only wifi was working. On inspection I discovered that the baseband was 'unknown' and IMEI number, IMEI SV reset to zero. Strangely the baseband was being detected while in bootloader mode. I have tried both custom recoveries, flashed various roms through custum recovery as well as stock factory images right uptil kitkat. These are my findings:
All Android 4.2.2(and 4.2.1) based roms boot but with baseband unknown and IMEI 0 rendering the phone unable to make calls and send/receive text messages.
All Android 4.3 roms don't boot are stuck at boot animation(flashing old radios like 0.48 and other older versions didn't help)
All Android 4.4 roms also behave the same way as 4.3 i.e stuck at boot animation.
Bottom line is I am stuck on Android 4.2x with a non working radio IMEI=0.... My device is now a mere tablet with inability to be updated. I have seen many people with similar problems but all such threads remain unresolved. I don't know what bug in 4.3 has done this to my phone I even tried the 99 percent working unbrick method but to no avail. I am considering selling this phone at a big loss(cant do much because I am in Pakistan) if any experienced developer is able to help me with fixing my phone(if that's even possible) then I shall be really grateful. Otherwise its bye bye Nexus 4.
liquidmetal88 said:
I was on stock android version 4.2.2 with stock recovery and unrooted when I received the 4.3 version notification after updating the boot animation remained stuck on the X logo for hours and clearing cache,data from stock recovery didn't help it boot. I flashed the factory 4.2.2 image and it finally booted but I had no phone signal only wifi was working. On inspection I discovered that the baseband was 'unknown' and IMEI number, IMEI SV reset to zero. Strangely the baseband was being detected while in bootloader mode. I have tried both custom recoveries, flashed various roms through custum recovery as well as stock factory images right uptil kitkat. These are my findings:
All Android 4.2.2(and 4.2.1) based roms boot but with baseband unknown and IMEI 0 rendering the phone unable to make calls and send/receive text messages.
All Android 4.3 roms don't boot are stuck at boot animation(flashing old radios like 0.48 and other older versions didn't help)
All Android 4.4 roms also behave the same way as 4.3 i.e stuck at boot animation.
Bottom line is I am stuck on Android 4.2x with a non working radio IMEI=0.... My device is now a mere tablet with inability to be updated. I have seen many people with similar problems but all such threads remain unresolved. I don't know what bug in 4.3 has done this to my phone I even tried the 99 percent working unbrick method but to no avail. I am considering selling this phone at a big loss(cant do much because I am in Pakistan) if any experienced developer is able to help me with fixing my phone(if that's even possible) then I shall be really grateful. Otherwise its bye bye Nexus 4.
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Click to collapse
try this for reference http://blog.falcondai.com/2013/10/fixing-galaxy-nexuss-imei-number.html
But this post specifically required the IMEI number to be exactly the SAME as mentioned otherwise it says the method wont work and it also seems to be T-Mobile blocked IMEI or something I don't think this fix is for my issue(correct me if I am wrong I am a noob lol)
My IMEI issue seems to linked to the Android 4.3 update which has broken something and this problem seems quite common on Nexus 4 as I came across many threads with people with exactly the same issue as mine. All the replies given usually say wipe cache and/or flash factory image sadly the problem remains.
I am really disappointed at my decision to buy the Nexus 4(my year long experience with the Galaxy Nexus was without issues) I never expected Google to release an update that breaks radios of many users(just google this problem many seem to have exactly the same symptoms as mine but the problem remained unresolved) and then remain silent despite many complaining on their product support forums.
Seems the device is beyond repair like most affected Nexus 4 phones(some have luckily got fixed by themselves it seems and IMEI appeared again)
Guess I will have to sell it at a very low price. I am skeptical about buying even the Nexus 5 now should I run into another dreaded unfixable IMEI issue caused by Google's own update(just paranoia I guess)
If only someone comes up with some fix I guess that will help plenty of disappointed Nexus 4 owners.
liquidmetal88 said:
But this post specifically required the IMEI number to be exactly the SAME as mentioned otherwise it says the method wont work and it also seems to be T-Mobile blocked IMEI or something I don't think this fix is for my issue(correct me if I am wrong I am a noob lol)
My IMEI issue seems to linked to the Android 4.3 update which has broken something and this problem seems quite common on Nexus 4 as I came across many threads with people with exactly the same issue as mine. All the replies given usually say wipe cache and/or flash factory image sadly the problem remains.
I am really disappointed at my decision to buy the Nexus 4(my year long experience with the Galaxy Nexus was without issues) I never expected Google to release an update that breaks radios of many users(just google this problem many seem to have exactly the same symptoms as mine but the problem remained unresolved) and then remain silent despite many complaining on their product support forums.
Seems the device is beyond repair like most affected Nexus 4 phones(some have luckily got fixed by themselves it seems and IMEI appeared again)
Guess I will have to sell it at a very low price. I am skeptical about buying even the Nexus 5 now should I run into another dreaded unfixable IMEI issue caused by Google's own update(just paranoia I guess)
If only someone comes up with some fix I guess that will help plenty of disappointed Nexus 4 owners.
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Click to collapse
Your IMEI information should be on your box if you still have it. Now there has to be a tutorial out there somewhere to enter IMEI info for your phone. I know I found some stuff when trying to this to a Galaxy S3.... I would keep looking or contact Google for a RMA
Still no luck. Now flashing the just released Kitkat image, who knows it may work.
Edit: Still the same result.
Wonder why only 4.2.2 based roms boot but 4.3x and 4.4 based ones do not. I also don't get why baseband is detected in the bootloader mode but not within the OS.
And what is the process of this RMA thingy? Is it applicable for countries outside US? I am from Pakistan btw and got it from a local shop. Nexus 4 can't be bought from Play Store in my country
Any Luck yet?
liquidmetal88 said:
Still no luck. Now flashing the just released Kitkat image, who knows it may work.
Edit: Still the same result.
Wonder why only 4.2.2 based roms boot but 4.3x and 4.4 based ones do not. I also don't get why baseband is detected in the bootloader mode but not within the OS.
And what is the process of this RMA thingy? Is it applicable for countries outside US? I am from Pakistan btw and got it from a local shop. Nexus 4 can't be bought from Play Store in my country
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Click to collapse
Hi @[liquidmetal88] did you get any solution, exactly the same issue as yours. Please share if you have solved it, would be of great help
sambitshankar said:
Hi @[liquidmetal88] did you get any solution, exactly the same issue as yours. Please share if you have solved it, would be of great help
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Click to collapse
Am also facing this issue...only the 4.2.2 boots with no basebanc versiono no IMEI no. and doesn't detects any Sim card
Unlike Samsung phones, the imei cannot be re-injected into the phone's file system. People have had to return the phone to Google to have it fixed.
If you try to install a stock 4.3 or 4.4 ROM, the phone will not even boot to the desktop.
Hi. Been waiting a while to post this, and playing around based on what I see, but I the last change I made to my phone hasn't worked out too well and I don't think I have enough of a grip on the process. I am an ex-computer 3rd level tech support so I have reasonable skills around computers etc.
I bought an Axon 7 (A2017G) in Germany but it got flooded one day when it went down the toilet pan, literally. So I replaced it with a 128 Gb model from China, not really thinking about the software versions. Of course it came with A2017, and more importantly, no ability got OTA upgrades from Android 6.
So recently I've been having some battery life issues so I've changed the battery.
Following guides here, I've managed to get it onto a newer A2017 version and it has taken an OTA upgrade to Android 7. The build number is B13. The boot loader is still unlocked. But it's not very stable and Google Play service has now stopped, and I can't be doing with the unreliability. And tbh although it worked, I can't remember exactly which guide or what steps I followed to do it.
So I want to put it onto a stock G version, which I think seems to be possible, based on stuff I've read here. I don't think I need root going forwards (once this is done) and I'm looking for the simplest method. Unfortunately, due to the length of time it's been live, this forum really is information-overload and I've been reading for two days now and made loads of notes but I'm not really very clear about what I need to do.
I'm quite happy to find and read the right guides but would be really grateful if someone could take a few minutes to just tell me exactly which bits are essential to be upgraded and what steps I do need to follow. If I am confused I can come back with any queries.
I'd be happy to root the phone if it's felt that is a really useful thing but I'm not really a "power user" and I'm OK with standard.
Also I'm assuming any upgrade would receive any future Android releases OTA (if there are any for this phone), but if not that's not too vital.
Thanks in advance...
Geoff
But regarding your situation: You have an A2017 with A2017G firmware, right? Can you tell us your firmware version?
Would you be fine with Chinese firmware (MiFavor 5.2, B17) or prefer stock+ (G B01/B02, U B12)?
Thanks for the quick response, really appreciated.
The firmware is still A2017 version AFAIK, but I don't know where to check. If I go to the boot loader screen it says ZTE/P996A03_N/ailsa_ii and on the next line 7.1.1/NMF26V/20170912.013327
I'm thinking I'd do the change from A2017 to A2017G to get round the annoying junk which came with the Chinese version, and also avoid the Google Play Services problem I came across. It may not be do-able but I thought I'd read it was.
I guess in addition to telling me the steps, telling me exactly which file versions to use would help a lot. I promise to keep notes!
I don't mind which firmware, so long as it works reliably and so long as I can preferably put a G version on it.
of course it's doable, the thing is that you'll need to unlock the bootloader in order to.
If you had trouble with Play Services then it's most probably on chinese firmware, finding out would be as easy as going to Settings, then About phone
The boot loader is still unlocked from when I managed to do the previous upgrade. That took me quite some hours, and it was more by luck than judgement that I got a result. This time I want to better understand what I'm doing.
Not sure what I'm looking at for the firmware, isn't it the versions I quoted above? But the menus (mostly) are in Chinese at start up, and I had to load Google Play and Play Services from the ZTEYR store so I'm pretty sure it is on Chinese firmware.
So if it is, do I just need to upgrade the firmware then the ROM (is that the terminology?). If so which versions would I use?
Ta
Geoff
EDIT I missed the kernel version - which is 3.18.31
OK so I've spent more time reading. I'm coming to the conclusion that I don't need TWRP and I don't need to update my Chinese bootloader, does that sound about right?
Is it right that all I need to do is
- find a G firmware zip file <<< may have incorrect terminology here, would appreciate a pointer to a valid download as I have many but not sure they are the right type of file
- put it on an SD card named as update.zip
- boot into recovery mode
- choose "apply update from SD card"
And, assuming I have used a stock version, will it then update to the latest version (hopefully Oreo) once it's started?
Do I need to do any formats or wipes anywhere in the process? I already have a backup of my stuff, done with AXON7Toolkit.
And can you recommend a version of firmware to go to, or does it not really matter as it'll update itself anyway?
UPDATE: MiFavor UI is v5.0
OK, so there is no real short easy answer to this.
I've used the updates from ZTE since I've had the phone until I soft bricked it.
Zte offer updates similar to this.
Eg: B06 to B08 or B08 to B09 and B09 to B12
The update has to be done in stages.
Some updates you can copy to the internal SD card then go settings > system > update, your phone should detect the updates and tap install.
Some Zip files can be done the same way after changing the file name to update.zip or Ota.zip depending on the instructions.
Some zip files have the update within the Zip so it needs to be extracted.
Make sure you have the correct version software and correct version for your phone.
After the update is done all the data etc will be still in place unless you reset your phone.
All I can say is research, research, research.
Btw if your bootloader is unlocked some updates will fail.
I hope this helps
PS: you can use the method you described as well, just follow the instructions carefully.
In most cases there is no need to wipe or format unless you are using a custom ROM etc.
Excellent, thanks.
Going back a post or two - I re-installed Google Play services but still have problems. Before a reboot it appears in the list of apps, and Play opens, but the sidebar comes straight in and behind there is a message "Error while retrieving information from server [RH-01]" . After a reboot it is no longer in the list of Apps (even when expanded to include System apps), and Play just opens and closes real quick.
So I found a thread which led me look in Settings in Play Store at the Play Protect Certification, which says the device is not certified. So I downloaded the related app and ran it, which gave me a code which I put in web page then entered the stuff into my phone but still no joy. I suspect this is causing the Play problem and I think it'd be due to trying to use Google product on a Chinese firmware (again I'm not sure my terminology is right - I mean whatever the software is which throws up the initial boot screen).
So I think I need to get off the Chinese firmware at the same time as going to a G version, and I'm even less clear on how to replace the firmware than the rest of the process - what files and how it's done.
Going back to the more recent post (Syberclone), as I have already wiped my phone I'm not concerned about keeping data. I understand about doing this is steps - I hadn't thought of doing it that way but it seems very sensible.
I found a post by Raystef66 with loads of links to software - including A2017X_B15_Universal_Bootloader.zip. Does this replace the Chinese firmware and would it work with all zipfiles? How would I apply it? (I was using Axon7ToolKit the other day and that looks quite impressive).
I am still confused over the different types of files and the naming conventions but it's slowly making more sense. Appreciate all advice.
Thanks
Geoff
Personally I use Edl packages much easier imo.
I use Miflash or Edl tool by @djkuz
I have a bad flash help page that explains the process.
The bootstacks etc are mainly for custom ROMs, if you are just looking a factory firmware, Edl's are much easier to install without worrying about bootstacks, twrp etc.
My last Edl update was from Nougat (Chinese Rom)
To Oreo A2017G I had to factory reset after the install though.
Thatnks. Today I've done a fwe more hours reading, literally. This is taking all my time!!
Anyway I decided to follow your advice and found a full EDL of Oreo, which I applied. (ZTE_A2017V3.0.0B17) and the phone is still working, and I've not lost my apps.
However I still have the problem that Play Services won't run. I've upgraded it, followed a few troubleshooting guides, used different versions ( - should I be using the 64 bit one??) but still no joy. If I could only get that going I'd stick with the Chinese firmware. It is looking to me like it can't sync, though whether that's a cause or an outcome I'm not sure. Not unexpectedly, a number of apps will not run as a result.
I haven't done a factory reset yet, I thought I'd ask here first to see if that is likely to fix it or whether anyone has any better ideas.
Despite the time this is taking I'm enjoying learning and am grateful to you all for the responses.
The play store link "device not certified" will happen when you change a ROM from its original.
So I have an A2017G, when I run any other ROM it will show "device not certified" because the link between the phone and the software isnt in sync.
When I was running the beta Oreo from the Chinese my device always had this issue and NFC does not either usually.
There is a play store app version which will work as it should however the certified is still a problem without a work around.
When I installed the G version Oreo to my device the certification is back.
I'm miss some of the Chinese ROM animations tho.
Anyway I hope this helps
I am using an A2017 ROM on an A2017. I've not changed anything else. Maybe I need to update the boot stuff (firmware?).
What I'm seeing is that Play Services always needs to be manually enabled, and seems to drop out and require re-installation sometimes. So I have an apk on my internal memory for quick access.
I'm not sure that the "device not certified" is a cause or effect really.
So I have an apk on my internal memory for quick access. It's the latest non-beta 64bit version for Android 8 - should I try a specific one, e.g. is there likely to be a specific one which matches the ROM? (An older non 64 bit one seemed to give much the same problem)
I'd put up with the problem except I can't run some Google stuff at all (Play Store for instance), and some other stuff is compromised (e.g. I can't get into Waze on my usual ID, I'm guessing Play Services plays a part in authorizing). And I can't install some stuff I'd like.
And I'd still be interested to know which bits require upgrade to go to a G version, if it is do-able and would run trouble free.
There was a play store app that worked on most ROMs.
You are on Oreo now yes?
There was a link on one of the Android pie ROMs that I used, it worked fine.
If you are still having issues you can use an app called Yalp that works like the play store.
I've used it on custom ROMs when the play store app refuses to work.
Yes, Oreo now.
I've put YALP on and that looks pretty good. I now seem to have most things working, and those that aren't I can probably live without.
I use a network tool called FING which reports my phone details, and I think it's incorrect but it's saying in one place it's a A2017U which I don't think is right. But now I am more comfortable with EDL and stuff I'm going to continue to fix this properly but the urgency is now not there. I was thinking if I couldn't fix this I might have to buy a new phone on black Friday!! So thanks for your help.
I'm still not really quite sure why I get Chinese characters at start up and what files I need to change to out a G firmware on, if that is what is wrong, and if it's do-able. I think if I knew how to do that then I could put on a G firmware and matching ROM and I'd be in business!!
The same page offered me F-DROID which seems to offer a whole load of different free apps. Maybe they don't have ads? Anyway I'll have a look.
Anyway, again - thanks!!
Geoff
Geoff I'm glad I could help
I was running the Chinese Oreo on my phone and after selecting English in setting some parts of the ROM were still in Chinese, even some notifications.
I converted to the A2017G Oreo update when it was released.
I miss some of the features in the Chinese ROM tho.
So... without wishing to prolong this... your phone was Chinese (as mine was) and you are now running a Global version and all you upgraded was the ROM? And are you able to use the Play Store and you don't have any issues running apps I - and can you run, say, Google Maps?). Is your bootloader still unlocked and if so is the menu at boot time still in Chinese?
Or have you upgraded something other than the ROM?
I actually have an Axon 7 A2017G here in Australia.
I soft bricked it when I accidentally made a mistake flashing a ROM.
I searched for a suitable stock firmware but I could only flash the Chinese Oreo Beta. It had to be modified to run on my device until the Oreo package for my A2017G had been uploaded.
I've now running the proper software for this phone.
Thanks.
Another couple of hours and I have made a Major breakthrough! I went back over all my notes and checked what i'd done and one thing I hadn't remembered doing was setting the Pay Store to Autorun. So using the Mi-Assistant I have done this, and most of the stuff which wasn't working now is. I am still working on why OK Google won't work, but the list of things I might have to live without is now quite short!! The one major benefit is that my battery life seems to be greatly increased. Boot time is also much quicker which is a bonus but not critical.
Nice, yes battery life is improved, actually the Chinese Oreo Beta has a better battery life than my current Oreo.
I could get up to 4 days out of the Chinese ROM, my current ROM can manage just over 3 days at best.
I have battery saver mode on but not ultra battery saver.
I hope this has been a good learning experience for you?
"I hope this has been a good learning experience for you?"
For sure it has. Back in the days when I was 3rd level computer techie, the best learning came from other experts and from being thrown in the deep end, rather than what they taught you in the classroom!
Hi guys. Hoping for some direction here. Can't be sure on region flashed with. Purchased in U.S. on ebay. I attached an image with what i thought would help some.
Says "T580NZKXMAR" at time of purchase on the image attached below... And i guess this is just a model number, not a actual build. So really no hope here for me. believe I flashed with a ROM from the UK afterwards sometime last year.... or so "I think" it was as I was struggling to find roms for the U.S.A......
So getting to the problem. I followed tech alpha's youtube video for rooting. My goal was to get oreo 8.1.
After a couple of days on root, I was in settings looking at things, and then the display kept flickering with red blocks all over the screen. So my dumb ignorant self, disabled developer options just for sake, and the problem disappeared.
Then it became a little sluggish and then I decided to restart my tablet. Bam! Soon earned myself an FRP right after a restart of tablet .
Not sure where to begin or how to approach resolution of problem. Pretty sure tablet is just a stock build from uk using latest method for root with magisk and twrp on 7.0. I believe it came with marshmellow at time of purchase. I Have a couple of backups from smart switch that state its currently 7.0 through navigation of files.
Think my main problem right now is I'm unable to get Odin to recognize my tablet and all the videos I've watched seem to direct me on this route.. Not sure if this is because I recently formatted my computer or not and that it hasn't been initialized yet?? So hoping for a lot of love and some direction here and a place to at least start this. Afraid i'm going to do something wreck-less if i act too hasty. So wanted to be sure before i made any more mistakes. A big thank you to those wanting to help!
kcaJoC said:
Hi guys. Hoping for some direction here. Can't be sure on region flashed with. Purchased in U.S. on ebay. I attached an image with what i thought would help some.
Says "T580NZKXMAR" at time of purchase on the image attached below... And i guess this is just a model number, not a actual build. So really no hope here for me. believe I flashed with a ROM from the UK afterwards sometime last year.... or so "I think" it was as I was struggling to find roms for the U.S.A......
So getting to the problem. I followed tech alpha's youtube video for rooting. My goal was to get oreo 8.1.
After a couple of days on root, I was in settings looking at things, and then the display kept flickering with red blocks all over the screen. So my dumb ignorant self, disabled developer options just for sake, and the problem disappeared.
Then it became a little sluggish and then I decided to restart my tablet. Bam! Soon earned myself an FRP right after a restart of tablet .
Not sure where to begin or how to approach resolution of problem. Pretty sure tablet is a rooted 7.0 currently. I believe it came with marshmellow at time of purchase. I Have a couple of backups from Samsung that state its currently 7.0 through navigation of files.
Think my main problem right now is I'm unable to get Odin to recognize my tablet and all the videos I've watched seem to direct me on this route.. Not sure if this is because I recently formatted my computer or not and that it hasn't been initialized yet?? So hoping for a lot of love and some direction here and a place to at least start this. Afraid i'm going to do something wreck-less if i act too hasty. So wanted to be sure before i made any more mistakes. A big thank you to those wanting to help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For odin to recognise your device you need the Samsung USB drivers installed first.
Sorry, Should've mentioned. This was done very early after install of Smart Switch. Thx. Please advise on a next step, Sir. Thank you.
My wife's camera stopped working on her phone. I read flashing back to a previous firmware might fix the issue. I thought it was worth a try (and easier) before physically cracking the phone open and examining the hardware. But boy was I sure wrong about that!
I've read so much crap about this within the past few hours my head could explode. But I think the problem is trying to source the correct firmware.
This is a SM-G935V with a snapdragon processor in it according to spec websites.
The baseband version is: G935VVRSBCTC1
I haven't figured out how to find the current PDA version on the phone yet, but when I was trying to flash it with random firmware with Odin, the phone screen gave me error message: Fused 11 > Binary 4
From what I read, I understand that to mean I'm trying to flash binary 4 over 11 and that won't work. The flash only works if the number is greater....or I'm hoping maybe it will work if the number is the same. I would be happy just to flash Android 8.0 at this point in any form just to see if the camera starts working again. I've already tried a factory reset, clearing camera app data and cache, booting into safe mode, and resetting phone settings to fix the camera - nothing worked.
Could anybody please help me figure out my current PDA version on the phone? Or help me source the correct firmware? I'm starting to think it might be easier just to root the phone and install that ONE UI with android 9 or the Lineage OS with Android 10. But I've never rooted a phone before, this is my first attempt at any of this and to be honest this phone is not giving me the confidence I need to attempt the root and new OS. I can't even get the current firmware to reinstall.
Any help would be very appreciated. Like I said, I've stayed up all night and I'm so freaking tired at this point. But I feel like I'm soooooo close.
I have an SD card with Magisk, no-verity-opt-encrypt, and twrp ready to go. I have Odin ready and installed Samsung USB. Do you guys think I should just try another firmware and root the phone? Any links to firmware that don't take 12 hours to download would be appreciated.
UPDATE!
I found the PDA version with that handy "Phone Info *Samsung*" app in the play store.
The PDA version is G935VVRSBCTC1 5TH DIGIT FROM THE RIGHT GIVES US THE FUSED BINARY "B". I guess when they got past the number 9 the switched to Alpha characters. I found some "A" firmwares on Updato.com. But I didn't see any with a "B". So there's a good chance the one's I'm trying to download over 12 hours right now won't work.
I also scrolled over to the "Hardware" section in the phone and it asked for access to the Camera. I gave it access. But now the field is blank/empty. I didn't populate any info on the Camera. I don't know if that means anything just wanted to point that out. Could still be firmware or hardware as far as I know.
Thanks, Derek
MajinMight said:
My wife's camera stopped working on her phone. I read flashing back to a previous firmware might fix the issue. I thought it was worth a try (and easier) before physically cracking the phone open and examining the hardware. But boy was I sure wrong about that!
I've read so much crap about this within the past few hours my head could explode. But I think the problem is trying to source the correct firmware.
This is a SM-G935V with a snapdragon processor in it according to spec websites.
The baseband version is: G935VVRSBCTC1
I haven't figured out how to find the current PDA version on the phone yet, but when I was trying to flash it with random firmware with Odin, the phone screen gave me error message: Fused 11 > Binary 4
From what I read, I understand that to mean I'm trying to flash binary 4 over 11 and that won't work. The flash only works if the number is greater....or I'm hoping maybe it will work if the number is the same. I would be happy just to flash Android 8.0 at this point in any form just to see if the camera starts working again. I've already tried a factory reset, clearing camera app data and cache, booting into safe mode, and resetting phone settings to fix the camera - nothing worked.
Could anybody please help me figure out my current PDA version on the phone? Or help me source the correct firmware? I'm starting to think it might be easier just to root the phone and install that ONE UI with android 9 or the Lineage OS with Android 10. But I've never rooted a phone before, this is my first attempt at any of this and to be honest this phone is not giving me the confidence I need to attempt the root and new OS. I can't even get the current firmware to reinstall.
Any help would be very appreciated. Like I said, I've stayed up all night and I'm so freaking tired at this point. But I feel like I'm soooooo close.
I have an SD card with Magisk, no-verity-opt-encrypt, and twrp ready to go. I have Odin ready and installed Samsung USB. Do you guys think I should just try another firmware and root the phone? Any links to firmware that don't take 12 hours to download would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UPDATE #2
As you can tell I haven't given up yet. I found my current firmware version for download on a different website:
https://samfrew.com/download/Galaxy__S7__edge__/b3kj/VZW/G935VVRSBCTC1/G935VVZWBCTC1/"]https://samfrew.com/download/Galaxy__S7__edge__/b3kj/VZW/G935VVRSBCTC1/G935VVZWBCTC1/
It's another slow download option which really sucks. But I'll be able to test If I can flash the same firmware to the phone (not technically a downgrade and carries the same fused binary). So we shall see. If this doesn't work I'll be looking into the other android 9 or 10 roms and rooting the phone.
Thanks, Derek
MajinMight said:
I found the PDA version with that handy "Phone Info *Samsung*" app in the play store.
The PDA version is G935VVRSBCTC1 5TH DIGIT FROM THE RIGHT GIVES US THE FUSED BINARY "B". I guess when they got past the number 9 the switched to Alpha characters. I found some "A" firmwares on Updato.com. But I didn't see any with a "B". So there's a good chance the one's I'm trying to download over 12 hours right now won't work.
I also scrolled over to the "Hardware" section in the phone and it asked for access to the Camera. I gave it access. But now the field is blank/empty. I didn't populate any info on the Camera. I don't know if that means anything just wanted to point that out. Could still be firmware or hardware as far as I know.
Thanks, Derek
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TL/DR your full posts but I will cut to the chase on some points. If your phone is SM-G935V (US-Verizon) then you:
1) can NOT root binary B firmware. Binary A (10) yes, B (11) no, at least not until the ENG file becomes available- IF it ever comes. Official S7 support is next to dead.
2) even if you were lucky flashing binary A firmware and successfully rooted, you still would NOT be able to flash ANY custom ROM's such as Lineage. Also, Magisk is useless and will not work on our phones either.
US-spec Snapdragon phones are bootloader locked. There is no workaround. Locked bootloaders prevent flashing custom ROM's, kernels, etc. We are lucky we have root access and it took years just to get that. Bootloader unlocking will never happen for US-spec S7. Much as I love my S7e, if I ever have to replace it I will never get another US "Crapdragon" that you can't do anything with.
I do not know what the issue is with your camera. Maybe other forum members will have ideas. I do wish you luck getting everything back to normal.
Dang! Well thanks for the info! I guess all the videos I've seen with S7's and custom roms have not been done on the US-Verizon phone. What a bummer. Well this was a major learning experience at least.
My only idea now is to crack her open and make sure the camera didn't come unplugged from a drop. I also seen camera replacements were really cheap online. I don't know if it's worth my time....we are due for a phone upgrade anyway.
SkylineDriver said:
TL/DR your full posts but I will cut to the chase on some points. If your phone is SM-G935V (US-Verizon) then you:
1) can NOT root binary B firmware. Binary A (10) yes, B (11) no, at least not until the ENG file becomes available- IF it ever comes. Official S7 support is next to dead.
2) even if you were lucky flashing binary A firmware and successfully rooted, you still would NOT be able to flash ANY custom ROM's such as Lineage. Also, Magisk is useless and will not work on our phones either.
US-spec Snapdragon phones are bootloader locked. There is no workaround. Locked bootloaders prevent flashing custom ROM's, kernels, etc. We are lucky we have root access and it took years just to get that. Bootloader unlocking will never happen for US-spec S7. Much as I love my S7e, if I ever have to replace it I will never get another US "Crapdragon" that you can't do anything with.
I do not know what the issue is with your camera. Maybe other forum members will have ideas. I do wish you luck getting everything back to normal.
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