Database Users

[Q] Sould I use reactivation lock after rooting?

Hi everyone.
I wanted to root my device and it didn't work, allways got Auth fail recovery on odin and device, until I unchecked the reactivation lock, then it rooted flawlessly.
(I know my google account and password)
I was curious is it safe to stay with reactivation lock checked in case this happens:
Lets say the soft bricks into a boot loop who knows why but recovery still works.. so if I want to factory reset from custom recovery(philz recovery, with Nandroid and efs backed up), I think it is the best to unroot before factory reset(hope I'm wrong), witch will be imposible if the root didn't worked because of the reactivation lock, the unroot won't work too?
I gues before trying any flashing etc is good to uncheck reactivation lock, but I can allways make a mistake and forget it on.
So let me make that short, is it safe to activate ractivation lock when rooted in case something bad happens with the boot start?
I want to activate it for safety but this safety could block me too?
Do you guys keep it on after rooting?
I hope the readers will understand my question and don't get any headakes, sometimes I gould it hard to express myself in english, sorry about that.

alexpu1u said:
So let me make that short, is it safe to activate ractivation lock when rooted in case something bad happens with the boot start?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well reactivation lock is an anti-theft feature. Theft deterrents are good although they only have significant value when they are well implemented. Which is arguable in this case. It's hardly undefeatable. 2 strikes. And can be as annoying as hell in not liking your custom kernel. Strike thr ...
Bottom line, if you are good at making backups and believe in theft deterrents, then enable it. It makes it slightly more likely that a lost phone would make it back to you. Or at least ruin the thief's day. There should always be a way to restore your device if you have a backup and your credentials.
However if you are forgetful, bad with backups or simply have no patience for having to search XDA threads or enter something on a command line to disable reactivation lock and recover from a bootloop, etc.. then obviously don't use it. It could cause you some exasperation if you are in an unbootable state and it is interferring with an Odin flash.
Pick one. And either way try not to lose your phone.
.

That's what I wanted to hear, so it's safe to keep it on if I'm backedup and pacient in case of a problem.
Thank you for your time. I activated it .

alexpu1u said:
That's what I wanted to hear, so it's safe to keep it on if I'm backedup and pacient in case of a problem.
Thank you for your time. I activated it .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I'm not concerned with being locked out of my phone permanently. Nor convinced that RA would really stop a stolen phone from being reactivated. But it's plausible that it would delay some thieves from using Odin to obliterate your tracking software.
So a longer window in which it might be possible to pin down your phone's location. Or perhaps spur someone to return your phone in the case of a lost, rather than stolen phone.
Whether to use RA depends mostly on your willingness to put up with some temporary frustration should your phone somehow end up unbootable and you have to jump through a few hoops to disable the reactivation lock.
.

alexpu1u said:
Hi everyone.
I wanted to root my device and it didn't work, allways got Auth fail recovery on odin and device, until I unchecked the reactivation lock, then it rooted flawlessly...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But you can't enable this option after root, it does not work!

knox 0x1 (2)
jgfernog said:
But you can't enable this option after root, it does not work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
interesting finding from me:
even if you are not root, with samsung knox 0x1 (2) the option is automatically enabled but you won't see it ticked. You can factory reset your phone when you have knox 0x1 (2) and see it will ask for reactivation account in order to by pass the phone. There is no solution. Samsung knox is funny.

MaXi32 said:
interesting finding from me:
even if you are not root, with samsung knox 0x1 (2) the option is automatically enabled but you won't see it ticked. You can factory reset your phone when you have knox 0x1 (2) and see it will ask for reactivation account in order to by pass the phone. There is no solution. Samsung knox is funny.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah! There are some problems with it. I saw people saying that their devices had KNOX enabled even with the option unchecked in settings.

I wouldn't bother with reactivation lock for any scenario
1. Easy to bypass
2. Only causes problems for yourself if you forget to disable it before flashing
3. Anyone who knows how to flash a new ROM, which is what it's designed to prevent, can bypass it flashing a KitKat ROM anyway
4. You've lost your phone anyway, they're not gonna give it back because they can't use it

How to trace your note 4 after rooting?

Hi all, im thinking about rooting my phone and i dont mind tripping the knox counter.
I wondered if the tracing still works using the find my mobile site from samsung?
Knox is really succesful because if you enable it they cant hard reset your phone or root it do remove the tracing, right?
So is there any possibility to have the same functionality after rooting?

Wally93 said:
Hi all, im thinking about rooting my phone and i dont mind tripping the knox counter.
I wondered if the tracing still works using the find my mobile site from samsung?
Knox is really succesful because if you enable it they cant hard reset your phone or root it do remove the tracing, right?
So is there any possibility to have the same functionality after rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still trace it after root via Samsung. Idk about the reactivation lock tough becouse u need to disable that before rooting

Racinghart91 said:
You can still trace it after root via Samsung. Idk about the reactivation lock tough becouse u need to disable that before rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to know the same thing, when rooted and on stock recovery: reactivation lock enabled;
Will it still ask for Samsung credentials if reset from system?
Will it still ask for Samsung credentials if reset by bootloader?
Will it still ask for Samsung credentials if flashed via PC?
Kind regards, Stefan.

I tried the tracker at the Samsung site yesterday. It didn't find my rooted phone, didn't make the phone ring etc,
I was just relying on cellular data for the connection (no WiFi or GPS).
Maybe it was a one off.

Help with root - without custom recovery

Long story short, the re-activation lock on my partners S5 (g900i) came on, and when deactivated it didn't go away like it should have.
I can use the phone completely normal except i cant login to a samsung account (it says network error or doesn't do anything) - and i'm locked out of ODIN so i cant flash a stock ROM, or custom recovery.
All i'd like to do to make it properly usable again, is root the damn thing but i'm not aware of any root methods for lollipop that don't use a custom recovery.
Anyone know of a root method i can use from within the phone itself, or over USB from the PC or something?

Reactivation lock should still allow you to flash a KK ROM, log into the Samsung account and disable the lock
That's how most people fix Lollipop with the same problem
AFAIK, there are no alternative root methods for Lollipop that don't require ODIN, (CF Auto Root works)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2696537

*Detection* said:
Reactivation lock should still allow you to flash a KK ROM, log into the Samsung account and disable the lock
That's how most people fix Lollipop with the same problem
AFAIK, there are no alternative root methods for Lollipop that don't require ODIN, (CF Auto Root works)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2696537
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately kitkat is not recognising the account, where lollipop kinda does but then glitches out.
is it possible to ODIN flash a rooted stock ROM?

Mussels84 said:
unfortunately kitkat is not recognising the account, where lollipop kinda does but then glitches out.
is it possible to ODIN flash a rooted stock ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, you should be able to ODIN flash your phone in any state, so long as it boots into download mode
But the only way I've seen to disable a stuck reactivation lock is to downgrade to KK and log in / disable it from there, then upgrade back to LP
Are you sure the credentials for the samsung account are correct? - Maybe try resetting the password on a PC first so you are 100% sure

*Detection* said:
Yea, you should be able to ODIN flash your phone in any state, so long as it boots into download mode
But the only way I've seen to disable a stuck reactivation lock is to downgrade to KK and log in / disable it from there, then upgrade back to LP
Are you sure the credentials for the samsung account are correct? - Maybe try resetting the password on a PC first so you are 100% sure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On KK, the samsung account isnt accepted. on lollipop i can get in, but its like it partially unlocks only - i can use the phone but cant untick the activation lock button, and i cant login to a samsung account (it shows none as active)
I figured root would let me force-clear the data on the samsung apps and possibly resolve the issue.

Mussels84 said:
On KK, the samsung account isnt accepted. on lollipop i can get in, but its like it partially unlocks only - i can use the phone but cant untick the activation lock button, and i cant login to a samsung account (it shows none as active)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive just remembered, there is a video on how to bypass the lock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E41tLyi59II
Another possible method
http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f77...ck-solution-galaxy-s5-no-root-needed-1865438/

*Detection* said:
Ive just remembered, there is a video on how to bypass the lock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E41tLyi59II
Another possible method
http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f77...ck-solution-galaxy-s5-no-root-needed-1865438/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
those methods have been fixed because there is no blue email link to click, even on KK firmwares.
as for the lollipop videos, they show you being able to sign into any app that uses samsung accounts and that one doesnt work for me either - they popup and disappear. maybe i need an older lollipop build...
anyone got a mega link for one of the first G900i 5.0 firmwares?

i waited for sammobiles slow ass downloads and flashed the initial 5.0 release for the S5 and got an even weirder result - it asked if i wanted to activate the lock.
it allowed me to say no... but same damn bug! once i'm into the phone, the tickbox turns itself back on automatically! arrrgghh

husainbeg786786 said:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
uh, thanks?

Locked phone using Android Device Manager. Forgot password without a way to unlock.

Device is a SM-N916S from Samsung (Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE Exynos 5433 ver.) for anyone that's wondering. It's current state : Completely stock with no root. USB debugging disabled. No Samsung Account linked to device. Can't change password through ADM. No more guesses left for the password anymore, any more will reset the phone.
So yeah. For the past few days I've been trying to bypass Android Device Manager's remote "Lock" feature that's meant to keep your data safe from thieves. As for why? Long story short : I tried to pull a prank on my brother by remotely locking his device through ADM. I have since forgotten the password (it was a random combination of letters and numbers that I thought I could remember, but obviously not.) and trying to set a new password through Android Device Manager just gives me the infamous "Since Google has verified that a screen lock is already set, the password you entered won't be needed." error message.
Now, if this was a phone that belonged to me, I would just install a custom recovery and remove the password with a password disable zip, but unfortunately, that is not an option here. I probably forgot to mention that I CANNOT void the warranty (as in trip the KNOX counter) under ANY circumstances and would very much like to avoid a factory reset. Am I out of luck here? Or is anyone here aware of a method that can be used to bypass the ADM lock / or a way to backup data with usb debugging disabled. Thanks.

use smart switch to go back to stock firmware

SrikarPrayaga said:
use smart switch to go back to stock firmware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, could you explain what you mean by this? Does smart switch work even when the phone is locked? And what would going back to stock firmware do? Thanks.

Decrypting loop after OTA update

Hello fellow people of XDA!
Today I got an OTA update for my S7 edge (SM-G935F). The update has installed fairly fast (after the first reboot). But then, it got stuck on a decrypting loop. I have enabled prior the full phone encryption, and set it to ask for a password at each start. I entered the password correctly, as it said Starting Android... after, and since then, only the rotating padlock is showing. Every like 5 minutes the soft buttons are lighting up for a second, but then nothing is happening. After a while it even gets hot, but still nothing. I had this issue at the previous update too, but it started after like 30-40 minutes. Now 90 minutes have passed and still nothing.
I can reboot to the recovery and bootloader screens, and everything is fine. Knox not tripped, not rooted, everything official. In the recovery screen it says that my CSC is ECT (but according to sammobile it should be CNX).
Some additional info: samsung/hero2ltexx/hero2lte
7.0/NRD90M/G935FXXU2DRAG
I will try to flash a stock rom (PDA: G935FXXS2DRAA, CSC: G935FROM1DQJ3). If that doesn't work, I'll flash today's rom (PDA: same, CSC: G935FVFG1DQI1).
Any tips/help would be greately appreciated! Would not want to fall to the wipe data method, because I don't want to lose everything... But then again, I guess that would remove the boot password...
Thanks!
Update: After waiting for like 10+ hours, nothing has changed. Maybe I shouldn't have forced a reboot after an hour of the ota update? Going to try flashing the firmware now.
Update 2: I flashed the firmware, now the buttons seem to light up less often. But after an hour of decrypting, I guess the ultimate soultion would be to do a factory reset, since no one is helping...

jaszfalvi.tamas said:
Hello fellow people of XDA!
Today I got an OTA update for my S7 edge (SM-G935F). The update has installed fairly fast (after the first reboot). But then, it got stuck on a decrypting loop. I have enabled prior the full phone encryption, and set it to ask for a password at each start. I entered the password correctly, as it said Starting Android... after, and since then, only the rotating padlock is showing. Every like 5 minutes the soft buttons are lighting up for a second, but then nothing is happening. After a while it even gets hot, but still nothing. I had this issue at the previous update too, but it started after like 30-40 minutes. Now 90 minutes have passed and still nothing.
I can reboot to the recovery and bootloader screens, and everything is fine. Knox not tripped, not rooted, everything official. In the recovery screen it says that my CSC is ECT (but according to sammobile it should be CNX).
Some additional info: samsung/hero2ltexx/hero2lte
7.0/NRD90M/G935FXXU2DRAG
I will try to flash a stock rom (PDA: G935FXXS2DRAA, CSC: G935FROM1DQJ3). If that doesn't work, I'll flash today's rom (PDA: same, CSC: G935FVFG1DQI1).
Any tips/help would be greately appreciated! Would not want to fall to the wipe data method, because I don't want to lose everything... But then again, I guess that would remove the boot password...
Thanks!
Update: After waiting for like 10+ hours, nothing has changed. Maybe I shouldn't have forced a reboot after an hour of the ota update? Going to try flashing the firmware now.
Update 2: I flashed the firmware, now the buttons seem to light up less often. But after an hour of decrypting, I guess the ultimate soultion would be to do a factory reset, since no one is helping...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait, i dont get it, it is prompting you for a password even you didnt set it?
Sent from my S7 Edge using XDA Labs

shah22 said:
Wait, i dont get it, it is prompting you for a password even you didnt set it?
Sent from my S7 Edge using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I set a password when I enabled Secure Startup.

jaszfalvi.tamas said:
I set a password when I enabled Secure Startup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then use that same password, i think there is confusion, there is a password when you enable fingerprint and then a password when you enable secure startup. Be sure not to confuse them. If it still happens, then I guess there's got something wrong with the update, and only way is a factory reset. Btw, i also updated and i normally entered secure boot password and it started okay. Don't know what caused this for you.
Sent from my S7 Edge using XDA Labs

shah22 said:
Then use that same password, i think there is confusion, there is a password when you enable fingerprint and then a password when you enable secure startup. Be sure not to remember them. If it still happens, then I guess there got something wrong with the update, and only way is a factory reset. Btw, i also updated and i normally entered secure boot password and it started okay. Don't know what caused this for you.
Sent from my S7 Edge using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I entered the password correctly, as it stated "Starting Android..." then the rotating padlock took forever. More than 10 hours even. But in the end, a factory reset helped me. But rip my photos and memories...

Don't use device encryption anymore and leave OEM unlocking enabled in developer options.
Those two settings cause more hassle if you want to keep data, and make backups from time to time using Samsung Smart switch on computer. Use a microSD card to store and take all your photos from camera.

benjamen50 said:
Don't use device encryption anymore and leave OEM unlocking enabled in developer options.
Those two settings cause more hassle if you want to keep data, and make backups from time to time using Samsung Smart switch on computer. Use a microSD card to store and take all your photos from camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, but i use encryption and i could update without any problem, don't know what caused this issue with him. But one should backup all data BEFORE updating, as i did to save yourself from such hassle.
Sent from my S7 Edge using XDA Labs

benjamen50 said:
Don't use device encryption anymore and leave OEM unlocking enabled in developer options.
Those two settings cause more hassle if you want to keep data, and make backups from time to time using Samsung Smart switch on computer. Use a microSD card to store and take all your photos from camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's a sure thing I won't turn on Secure Stratup anymore. I don't know what OEM unlock does or does not, but right now, I don't have dev options enabled. If I had a microSD then I couldn't care less about resetting my phone, but since I don't have, because I have two SIM cards and a memory card has no place left, I feel bad.
Still, I don't know caused this issue. I had OTA updates before with full device encryption enabled and I had no issues before. I kinda used the same disk space at every OTA, so it should have took the same time... And I have to mention, that I did not tamper with the software. No root, no custom rom, and software only from the play store.

To enable developer options you click Build number 7 times which is located in the Software information tab in settings.
OEM unlock allows you to flash and boot the phone with custom binaries (Custom Recovery, Kernels, Roms). You can leave OEM unlock disabled if you don't want people that may steal your phone and use it for themselves.
With OEM unlock disabled and a google account signed in, it will block anyone from using the phone after a factory reset on stock Samsung firmware as it will prompt the user to enter the google account that was associated with that device.
Unfortunately there are rare cases that a OTA update may fail. Reflashing correct stock firmware usually fixes it but in worse case scenarios a factory reset will be required.

benjamen50 said:
To enable developer options you click Build number 7 times which is located in the Software information tab in settings.
OEM unlock allows you to flash and boot the phone with custom binaries (Custom Recovery, Kernels, Roms). You can leave OEM unlock disabled if you don't want people that may steal your phone and use it for themselves.
With OEM unlock disabled and a google account signed in, it will block anyone from using the phone after a factory reset on stock Samsung firmware as it will prompt the user to enter the google account that was associated with that device.
Unfortunately there are rare cases that a OTA update may fail. Reflashing correct stock firmware usually fixes it but in worse case scenarios a factory reset will be required.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never had OEM unlock enabled, because I didn't know what is does, so thanks for the info. I reflashed the correct stock firmware, but that didn't help either, so I had to resort to wiping the data... Regarding this, do you know by any chance a good software for recovering data without root?

I don't know of any unfortunately, if anyone has any good paid ones that actually work please post here.