Database Users

Advice on flashing to official (but non-telco) ROM

About to get a phone on contract with a major telco in Australia...
In theory, it's fine* to flash to another country/regional ROM that isn't telco_branded, so long as it's an official Samsung ROM, right?
Hoping to flash to an official Sammy ROM for a country/region that usually gets major Android updates far quicker than Australia or Australian telcos.
Thank-you.
*by "fine", I mean it won't trip Knox

Anyone? TY.

jalyst said:
Anyone? TY.
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Click to collapse
If you phone is not carrier branded(N910F or N910C) you are fine with flashing a ROM from Samsung...it won't trip KNOX.
Also, wrong section...

Ashatar said:
If you phone is not carrier branded(N910F or N910C) you are fine with flashing a ROM from Samsung...it won't trip KNOX.
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Click to collapse
Wait, but mine will be telco_branded (buying on contract), are you claiming it's absolutely not possible then?
Even if I'm flashing from an official Sammy ROM to another official Sammy ROM, how so?

jalyst said:
Wait, but mine will be telco_branded (buying on contract), are you claiming it's absolutely not possible then?
Even if I'm flashing from an official Sammy ROM to another official Sammy ROM, how so?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was on Telstra 4.4.4 then flashed to the Australian 5.0 on Sammy and knox tripped. There isn't Telstra 5.0 yet so I used the Australian one. I'm on N915G but the phone is a company phone so I'm not overly stressed on tripping knox. I think flashing a Telstra 5.0 on Sammy when available or OTA update you might be OK. Anyway went back to 4.4.4 I was missing Xposed to much among other things. Xposed for lollipop didn't play nice for me.
Sent from one of my Notes.

Damn it. Someone told me that; so long as you're flashing to an official Sammy ROM, it shouldn't trip.
What if I flashed to country/region other than Australia, & what if I went for a 4.x ROM instead of 5.x?
I don't care about root, xposed, & all that just yet, happy to be on a 4.x ROM...
Want to be on a stock one though not branded, & ideally one for a region/country that gets updates sooner & more regularly/reliably.

jalyst said:
Damn it. Someone told me that; so long as you're flashing to an official Sammy ROM, it shouldn't trip.
What if I flashed to country/region other than Australia, & what if I went for a 4.x ROM instead of 5.x?
I don't care about root, xposed, & all that just yet, happy to be on a 4.x ROM...
Want to be on a stock one though not branded, & ideally one for a region/country that gets updates sooner & more regularly/reliably.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't speak to that can only speak to my experience sorry. But l suspect anything outside Telstra will trip knox. They have really locked these suckers down. I think some Devs have gotten around it but not for my devise N915G......yet.
Sent from one of my Notes.

Can anyone else help/advise on this? Thank-you.

jalyst said:
Can anyone else help/advise on this? Thank-you.
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Click to collapse
Not sure how the other poster had that happen (on their Note Edge I assume?) but anyway, you can't flash another region's Note 4 firmware like the good old days.
Samsung, for whatever reason, has made 20i-sh variants of the Note 4 and Australia has the N910G model. This G model is also used by India, Sri Lanka and Singapore (but Singapore has a different boot setup or kernel for some reason).
Your best bet is to flash XSA firmware which is Australian unbranded firmware, this will get updates quickest and it will remove any carrier bloat. Flashing this in Odin will not trip Knox, I've flashed it several times and even loaded the Indian firmware once and there were no issues but I've gone back o XSA. As soon as unbranded units start receiving the Lollipop OTA (reckon maybe another 6 monts? Sigh) you'll get it too instead of waiting for Telstra to delay it another 2-3 months.
Here's the link to it on Sammobile: http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/download/39199/N910GDTU1ANK3_N910GXSA1ANK3_XSA/

Thanks mate,
So you reckon none of the countries in our pool*, will get it substantially -or even mildly- sooner than Oz?
If yes, what do you base that on?
Thanks again!
*You sure it's just India/SL/Sg?

jalyst said:
Thanks mate,
So you reckon none of the countries in our pool*, will get it substantially -or even mildly- sooner than Oz?
If yes, what do you base that on?
Thanks again!
*You sure it's just India/SL/Sg?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doubt it! There's only been one real update in nearly 6 months and that was just after release date...i think India got it slightly earlier? Can't really recall! If you check sammobile.com and look at firmware for N910G you can see that these are the only countries. Any updates after November 2014 are carrier specific ones, but nothing for the unbranded models so it's hard to work out a trend of which country gets the updates earliest.
Don't even bother with Singapore because of the difference in their hardware, it's either India or Australia you have to pick from. And if you flash the Indian firmware you'll get charged for a stupid international Sms message to India when you first boot that it doesn't warn you about.

I asked the same question over at Sammobile and indications are that it won't trip Knox by flashing the Indian variant on an Australian phone. I haven't tried it myself though. But quite close to taking the plunge

tryfound said:
Samsung, for whatever reason, has made 20i-sh variants of the Note 4 and Australia has the N910G model. This G model is also used by India, Sri Lanka and Singapore (but Singapore has a different boot setup or kernel for some reason). Your best bet is to flash XSA firmware which is Australian unbranded firmware, this will get updates quickest and it will remove any carrier bloat. Flashing this in Odin will not trip Knox, I've flashed it several times and even loaded the Indian firmware once and there were no issues but I've gone back o XSA. As soon as unbranded units start receiving the Lollipop OTA (reckon maybe another 6 monts? Sigh) you'll get it too instead of waiting for Telstra to delay it another 2-3 months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it looks like the LP OTA came out much sooner that you were lamenting!?!
Just in time for me, as I only got my Note4 last Wednesday evening
Still debating though, whether or not to go for one of the other variants listed here:
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SM-N910G/
Love to know if any of them have a track-record of getting it several wks (or more) sooner than Oz.*
Finally....
What do I need to proceed, just Odin & then away we go? Is it available for OSX , or is it Windows only?
I have access to a Windows env, so no "biggy" either way...
*I don't care about a 1 off international SMS charge, I'll also steer clear of Singapore ofc

I've since determined that yes, Odin is all I need, I think, & it's def. Windows-only, I think.
Main thing holding me up now, is this...
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2382726&p=40#r786
Several more posts back n forth after that one.
After all that's done, I'll be good to go with installing Odin & Kies in my Win10 VM, & then proceeding with the flashing.
But only after I've decided that I def. want to go for the Aussie ROM, or one of the others (excluding Singapore).

jalyst said:
So it looks like the LP OTA came out much sooner that you were lamenting!?!
Just in time for me, as I only got my Note4 last Wednesday evening
Still debating though, whether or not to go for one of the other variants listed here:
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SM-N910G/
Love to know if any of them have a track-record of getting it several wks (or more) sooner than Oz.*
Finally....
What do I need to proceed, just Odin & then away we go? Is it available for OSX , or is it Windows only?
I have access to a Windows env, so no "biggy" either way...
*I don't care about a 1 off international SMS charge, I'll also steer clear of Singapore ofc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was still about a month earlier! But not as bad as I was predicting You'll need Windows, I've never had luck on my macbook using variants of Odin designed for Mac, it's just too much hassle IMO.
You don't have many variants to pick from, India got the only two main updates that have been released for the 910G model 2 out of 2 times quicker than AU or Singapore so if you want the quickest updates and also want your gallery pics to auto-rotate along with being able to share to an email client from an image in the gallery then you'll be happy with the Indian ROM.
Just need to download the firmware, run Odin, turn off phone then hold Vol Down + Power until it loads 'Download Mode'. Press Vol Up to continue, plug your phone into PC, Odin will detect the phone (which you can tell if you see a port number appear) then click on the 'AP' button and locate the unzipped firmware file and flash. Takes a few minutes.

What about Sri-lanka, or that "Unknown" variant?
Hmm that last paragraph, little too vague for my liking, you aware for any detailed step-by-step tutes?
Thank-you!
Other notes:
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/whim/?action=read&m=4421880

jalyst said:
What about Sri-lanka, or that "Unknown" variant?
Hmm that last paragraph, little too vague for my liking, you aware for any detailed step-by-step tutes?
Thank-you!
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Click to collapse
Wouldn't bother with them! Actually, the steps are better explained on Sammobile under the download link. So this would be your preferred firmware along with better instructions.
They're not really detailed because it's a lot easier than it sounds, but if you're worried might be better to watch a youtube video first to get a visual i.e, https://youtu.be/Ulz-1UYzHBA
That vid shows it being done for the S4 but Odin is for most samsung phones so the steps are the same.

Lol mate I live in australia and you can flash any rom from any country as long as its samsung offical. I have got samsungs from all carriers and I flash tje australian open to all carriers immediately. You will be fine as long as its OFFICAL SAMSUNG FIRMWARE
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Free mobile app

shotgun1976 said:
Lol mate I live in australia and you can flash any rom from any country as long as its samsung offical. I have got samsungs from all carriers and I flash tje australian open to all carriers immediately. You will be fine as long as its OFFICAL SAMSUNG FIRMWARE
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think tryfound has a pretty good idea of what he's talking about, no need to "LOL".
He's from Oz too, a regular at WP (Whirlpool) no less...
Read all the posts again. You've missed one of the main points being made;
Hint: it's nothing to do with not being able to flash some CV's that are official Samsung fw.

Flashing BTU CSC results in XEU

Hi all,
I have today received my S8 from EE and flashed the latest stock BTU firmware with Odin.
My phone is reporting that I have an XEU CSC. Is there any way without root to get the BTU CSC to register correctly?
Cheers
Edit: It also says that it's manually applying EVR if I boot into recovery. Odd..

XEU and BTU are the same. Also, all unlocked variants of the S8/S8+ in Europe share a common "merged" CSC, OXM, which will activate the proper CSC based on the first SIM card inserted (hence why it's important to insert a SIM before first boot). XEU is the new BTU, so just live with it.
The device also has its stock CSC code burned into it, so even though you can flash another CSC, it will always know what the original CSC was.

fonix232 said:
XEU and BTU are the same. Also, all unlocked variants of the S8/S8+ in Europe share a common "merged" CSC, OXM, which will activate the proper CSC based on the first SIM card inserted (hence why it's important to insert a SIM before first boot). XEU is the new BTU, so just live with it.
The device also has its stock CSC code burned into it, so even though you can flash another CSC, it will always know what the original CSC was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent - Thank you for clearing that up.
Looks like they've been busy making some changes since the S7

Which files did you flash I've got ee and thought about doing this will we still receive ota updates

dalelindley76 said:
Which files did you flash I've got ee and thought about doing this will we still receive ota updates
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Click to collapse
Latest BTU SM-G950F firmware from http://fw.updato.com
Updates should be fine and also released a lot sooner as there's no waiting for EE to release them. Wi-Fi calling is fine too.

mmotti said:
Latest BTU SM-G950F firmware from http://fw.updato.com
Updates should be fine and also released a lot sooner as there's no waiting for EE to release them. Wi-Fi calling is fine too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you flash the home csc

dalelindley76 said:
Did you flash the home csc
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Click to collapse
No. Standard CSC file with a factory reset/cache clear.

I went the other way. Unlocked BTU to EE EVR to get Volte.
Considering going back to get timely updates. EE suck at updating.

mgbosshogg said:
I went the other way. Unlocked BTU to EE EVR to get Volte.
Considering going back to get timely updates. EE suck at updating.
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Click to collapse
They do. I don't make use of Volte personally. I'd sooner have updated software so long as my Wi-Fi calling works

mmotti said:
They do. I don't make use of Volte personally. I'd sooner have updated software so long as my Wi-Fi calling works
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Click to collapse
Yeah, there are quite a few places on my daily travels that would not have any signal without Volte unfortunately. I am one of those in the minority that use their phone for calling
If I didn't I would have left it on BTU for sure. Unfortunately, county wide, EE seem to have the best coverage and speed.

mgbosshogg said:
Yeah, there are quite a few places on my daily travels that would not have any signal without Volte unfortunately. I am one of those in the minority that use their phone for calling
If I didn't I would have left it on BTU for sure. Unfortunately, county wide, EE seem to have the best coverage and speed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Calling? What's calling? Haha.
What a pain that the necessary files aren't included with XEU EE are already an update behind at the moment.

I'm on vod thinking of flashing XEU as I don't like Vodafone adding and tinkering with touch wiz etc does secure folder still work etc.

mimo2008 said:
I'm on vod thinking of flashing XEU as I don't like Vodafone adding and tinkering with touch wiz etc does secure folder still work etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah secure folder is fine and I believe remains so, so long as you are flashing stock firmware correctly and don't do anything to trip Knox

Ok thankyou also did you have de bugging ticked and oem unlocked ticked in development options

mimo2008 said:
Ok thankyou also did you have de bugging ticked and oem unlocked ticked in development options
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Click to collapse
No I flashed everything even before the first boot. I had everything ready before the phone arrived.
Might want to remove your Google and samsung account prior to flashing though.

mmotti said:
No I flashed everything even before the first boot. I had everything ready before the phone arrived.
Might want to remove your Google and samsung account prior to flashing though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankyou for info.
I decided to flash latest xeu and not sure about you but since i did the flash my touch wiz feels a lot smoother and faster than it did with Vodafone software on there.
Think i made the right choice.

mimo2008 said:
Thankyou for info.
I decided to flash latest xeu and not sure about you but since i did the flash my touch wiz feels a lot smoother and faster than it did with Vodafone software on there.
Think i made the right choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could well be! I didn't boot up before flashing lol

S8 security was changed so that CSC can only be changed with a supporting SIM card installed if you are not rooted.

mgbosshogg said:
I went the other way. Unlocked BTU to EE EVR to get Volte.
Considering going back to get timely updates. EE suck at updating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where are you located and who is your provider? I'm on BTU in the US with T-Mobile and would like to get VoLTE...

Can someone help me? I have G950FD which Firmware should I flash for my phone? I am using this model in the US

Questions about official firmware flashing

Hi all, not had a Samsung phone since the first Note so cant remember a thing about flashing/de-branding on these aside from Odin and I know things might be different now with Knox.
So I've just ordered a Vodafone S8 in the UK and I'm considering switching firmware when it comes to an unbranded one but was hoping someone could point me to a good guide of where to get the firmwares (and which one to use) for the latest updates etc.
Is this still a fairly easy job and doable without unlocking and rooting/tripping knox? Do you lose access to wifi calling on unbranded phones on Vodafone?
Thanks

Go to updato.com and search firmwares for the G950U1 (If those are the snapdragon variant). I always use the XAA as it's not specific to any carrier.
It's still the same method but I'd use the modded Odin which has been posted around here, rename each file and remove .md5 from the end of them. From there it all matches up. BL, AP, Etc. When flashing the csc file, HOME CSC will NOT wipe your device after flash, CSC WILL wipe it. You'll want to wipe initially anyway.
It doesn't trip Knox and you'll lose wifi calling and volte

joe3681 said:
Go to updato.com and search firmwares for the G950U1 (If those are the snapdragon variant). I always use the XAA as it's not specific to any carrier.
It's still the same method but I'd use the modded Odin which has been posted around here, rename each file and remove .md5 from the end of them. From there it all matches up. BL, AP, Etc. When flashing the csc file, HOME CSC will NOT wipe your device after flash, CSC WILL wipe it. You'll want to wipe initially anyway.
It doesn't trip Knox and you'll lose wifi calling and volte
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's got a g950f which is the European model(exynos)

Thanks for the info, i did a little more research myself and looking at my software version it says SAOMC_SM-G950F_OXM_BTU_0062
My CSC's are listed as BTU/BTU/BTU which as far as im aware means its already the unlocked version correct? There was no vodafone junk preinstalled but wifi calling shows up as working. So im a little lost now, I dont think i need to do anything and I have wifi calling so all seems ok.

Oblox said:
Thanks for the info, i did a little more research myself and looking at my software version it says SAOMC_SM-G950F_OXM_BTU_0062
My CSC's are listed as BTU/BTU/BTU which as far as im aware means its already the unlocked version correct? There was no vodafone junk preinstalled but wifi calling shows up as working. So im a little lost now, I dont think i need to do anything and I have wifi calling so all seems ok.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you get your S8 from, direct from Vodafone? I've had mine for about 6 weeks now and got mine from Vodafone direct and my CSC is VOD, my current firmware is:
G950FXXU1AQH3
I was just looking into flashing mine with the BTU firmware so I can get the Oreo beta.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

I got mine from www.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk they told me it wasn't unlocked so I assumed that meant it came from Vodafone. Not tried any other SIM in it yet to test that side.
Wifi calling definitely works, there's no vodafone crap installed no branding anywhere.
According to
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-s8/SM-G950F/VOD/
there is G950FXXU1AQI7 for the Vodafone branded CSC im on G950FXXU1AQH3 for BTU.

Oblox said:
I got mine from www.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk they told me it wasn't unlocked so I assumed that meant it came from Vodafone. Not tried any other SIM in it yet to test that side.
Wifi calling definitely works, there's no vodafone crap installed no branding anywhere.
According to
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-s8/SM-G950F/VOD/
there is G950FXXU1AQI7 for the Vodafone branded CSC im on G950FXXU1AQH3 for BTU.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I see so yours is definitely unlocked then as I've purchased from them before, same as CPW.
Yes I've checked samfirmware too, I will need to flash the older BTU firmware then by looks of it, however I need to look into it a bit more as I've read somewhere that flashing the S8 is a bit different.

Have a SM-G930V. Want to flash but have no idea what to do.

Hey there, hope y'all are doing well.
I recently purchased a Samsung Galaxy S7 SM-G930V, Nougat 7.0 (note: I live in europe, and it's an unlocked phone). I want to get rid of Verizon logo while booting and all the unnecessary apps connected with Verizon. Plus, as you know Verizon locks some functions like the device maintenance, turning off the backlight of the capacitive buttons, etc, etc.
So, I'd like to have a clean/untouched samsung firmware without any useless apps.
Is androidfilehost.com trustworthy? what about updato.com? (the latter had slow dl speed, and I stumbled upon the first alternative)
PS. by the way, mine reads G930VVRS4BQI1, so one thing that confused me was while loking up for files to download; should I get the G930VVRS4BQI1 which may be the only compatible file for my phone, or do I already have G930VVRS4BQI1, so downloading it would be useless?
Since I wouldn't like to tinker often with the phone system, what do you suggest, flashing or rooting?
Is there any guide for my case for flashing?
I noticed these two on the front page:
---[Rom] [Ufirm_QD2_Hybrid_Nougat_Rom_FlashFire_Install][Status Official For VZW S7FLAT]Last edited by CVertigo1; 25th September 2017
---[Rom] [Verizon_TMO_Hybrid_Nougat_Rom_FlashFire_Install][Status Official] [S7flat]Last edited by CVertigo1; 26th May 2017 at 03:13 PM.
which should I pick?
and since the posts were last edited in may and september, where can I find the latest firmware?
and after doing all this, will everything work well, will I get OTA updates?
I would really appreciate someone helping me out, whenever you're free.
Thanks in advance

You can actually cross flash any Qualcomm s7 firmware between all carrier handsets. With your case being in Europe I would recommend the sm-G930U firmware. Which is the carrier unlocked variant of the S7 stateside that has all bands unlocked that the modem is capable of. You will recieve OTA's. It's Odin files are on Updato and SamMobile. AndroidHost is trustworthy.
In your case of not wanting to tinker or have a "need to have" rooted feature on the new device, I would flash the the 930U firmware and enjoy your new non branded system.

JediDru said:
You can actually cross flash any Qualcomm s7 firmware between all carrier handsets. With your case being in Europe I would recommend the sm-G930U firmware. Which is the carrier unlocked variant of the S7 stateside that has all bands unlocked that the modem is capable of. You will recieve OTA's. It's Odin files are on Updato and SamMobile. AndroidHost is trustworthy.
In your case of not wanting to tinker or have a "need to have" rooted feature on the new device, I would flash the the 930U firmware and enjoy your new non branded system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey JediDru,
I also just bought the S7 Verizon variant, and am planning on using it on MetroPCS. Would you recommend the 930U firmware for me as well? I wouldn't mind getting rid of the Verizon bloat before I hand it over to my wife...

jbjcurly said:
Hey JediDru,
I also just bought the S7 Verizon variant, and am planning on using it on MetroPCS. Would you recommend the 930U firmware for me as well? I wouldn't mind getting rid of the Verizon bloat before I hand it over to my wife...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You very well could. I think there is a thread around here specifically about metropcs setup somewhere between the verizon s7 and tmobile s7 forums. I use my 930v flashed to 930U on tmobile.

JediDru said:
You can actually cross flash any Qualcomm s7 firmware between all carrier handsets. With your case being in Europe I would recommend the sm-G930U firmware. Which is the carrier unlocked variant of the S7 stateside that has all bands unlocked that the modem is capable of. You will recieve OTA's. It's Odin files are on Updato and SamMobile. AndroidHost is trustworthy.
In your case of not wanting to tinker or have a "need to have" rooted feature on the new device, I would flash the the 930U firmware and enjoy your new non branded system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey there, thanks for your advice! I downloaded the latest file from here. sammobile"dot"com/firmwares/galaxy-s7/SM-G930U/VZW/
In a moment I was clueless at the "pick country" since there were more than one USA options. so I went with verizon, since my phone comes from verizon.
In the link I mentioned above it reads this This is for SM-G930U from USA (Verizon) which makes no sense to me, how it can be both "U"-unlocked and verizon at the same time... but, oh well, I flashed it 4 days ago and I've encountered no problem, which is all that matters! Hope I made no mistake at picking that file.

Recently purchased galaxy S7 SMG-930V (Best buy version) from a private owner.
I am on cricket and on APN setup LTE and MMS works without issues. Only issue is that upon dialing USSD code i get 'Connection problem or Invalid MMI code' . I tried all options available mentioned in this forum still doesn't work. Which version of SM-G930U should i flash? Main reason i purchased the phone is for Samusing Pay. Don't want to brick or lose Samusing Pay option after flash.
Inputs are appreciated.

thricegreat said:
hey there, thanks for your advice! I downloaded the latest file from here. sammobile"dot"com/firmwares/galaxy-s7/SM-G930U/VZW/
In a moment I was clueless at the "pick country" since there were more than one USA options. so I went with verizon, since my phone comes from verizon.
In the link I mentioned above it reads this This is for SM-G930U from USA (Verizon) which makes no sense to me, how it can be both "U"-unlocked and verizon at the same time... but, oh well, I flashed it 4 days ago and I've encountered no problem, which is all that matters! Hope I made no mistake at picking that file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did it remove all the bloatware from Verizon?
Does Samsung pay works?

matrixddl said:
Did it remove all the bloatware from Verizon?
Does Samsung pay works?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes Flashing the G930U firmware removes all carrier bloat.
Samsung pay comes with the U firmware.
The last time I was on the U I had bad standby drain. I read somewhere else it has to do with the U not dozing correctly. They may very well have fixed it now, I'm on the latest tmobile 4BRA firmware and it sleeps like a baby right now.

JediDru said:
Yes Flashing the G930U firmware removes all carrier bloat.
Samsung pay comes with the U firmware.
The last time I was on the U I had bad standby drain. I read somewhere else it has to do with the U not dozing correctly. They may very well have fixed it now, I'm on the latest tmobile 4BRA firmware and it sleeps like a baby right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashed the verizon U firmware and it did remove all the bloatware. Still need to check on battery drain with Samsung Pay. All other apps are in "Always Sleeping Apps" for better battery performance.
For future reference make sure before flashing new firmware google accounts and lock screen securities are removed/disabled.
Is there a way to back up apps with user data and home screen and reuse instead of installing all over again when a new firmaware is flashed. Spoiled by the root and titanium full back. That was so easy.

matrixddl said:
Flashed the verizon U firmware and it did remove all the bloatware. Still need to check on battery drain with Samsung Pay. All other apps are in "Always Sleeping Apps" for better battery performance.
For future reference make sure before flashing new firmware google accounts and lock screen securities are removed/disabled.
Is there a way to back up apps with user data and home screen and reuse instead of installing all over again when a new firmaware is flashed. Spoiled by the root and titanium full back. That was so easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, no. It's not so bad. I had gotten into the habit of taking screen shots of my app drawer and redownloading. To think now I can just redownload the configuration of apps I had before is as good as it gets. I still just redownload. I like to re-set everything back up just so I know its done.

I haven't tried this method but to backup and restore all installed apps check this Link.

matrixddl said:
I haven't tried this method but to backup and restore all installed apps check this Link.
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Click to collapse
Actually, if all you want to do is switch carriers (same GMail address), then a firmware swap will work.
I have an ex-Verizon (blacklisted IMEI - previous owner)S7 that I was moving to Tracfone (which uses both VZW and T-Mobile towers) - naturally, VZW was a non-starter; however, the UnCarrier was fine, so I used a T-Mobile nanoSIM (Tracfone triple-punch SIM kit includes SIMs from all except Sprint) and replaced the VZW firmware with T-M firmware (Prince Comsy ODIN does the track rather neatly). As long as your IMEI is not blacklisted from the TARGET, such a swap will always work.

Flashing unlocked Samsung S10+ to T-Mobile Firmware

Hey guys, first time on this forum and I am trying to figure things out. I never flashed a firmware so im a noob to this, but I can definitely follow along. Here is my main concern:
Seems like you need a T-Mobile device to get access to features like advanced messaging, visual voicemail, wifi calling, etc. Things I use all the time, but I never knew it would be taken away if I purchased an unlocked S10 plus.
My main goal is to get these features back, which from what I understand requires flashing the firmware? If there is any other way I am more than open to listen to it!
I have Odin and downloaded the "userdata" linked into this post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s10/how-to/g975u-g975u1-firmware-links-t3905897 specifically USERDATA_TMB_G975USQU1ASAT_CL15296297_QB21819666_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT.zip
I figure I unzip to get the tar file, select Odin use data and only flash this file? Kinda clueless about all this.
In addition, if I were to flash I hope that Samsung Pay, Knox, finance apps will still work; also the warranty is still good. I know that rooting the device will/may make these unusable, but I just want to confirm.
Any guidance is greatly appreciated, thanks!

mdiddyshow said:
Hey guys, first time on this forum and I am trying to figure things out. I never flashed a firmware so im a noob to this, but I can definitely follow along. Here is my main concern:
Seems like you need a T-Mobile device to get access to features like advanced messaging, visual voicemail, wifi calling, etc. Things I use all the time, but I never knew it would be taken away if I purchased an unlocked S10 plus.
My main goal is to get these features back, which from what I understand requires flashing the firmware? If there is any other way I am more than open to listen to it!
I have Odin and downloaded the "userdata" linked into this post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s10/how-to/g975u-g975u1-firmware-links-t3905897 specifically USERDATA_TMB_G975USQU1ASAT_CL15296297_QB21819666_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT.zip
I figure I unzip to get the tar file, select Odin use data and only flash this file? Kinda clueless about all this.
In addition, if I were to flash I hope that Samsung Pay, Knox, finance apps will still work; also the warranty is still good. I know that rooting the device will/may make these unusable, but I just want to confirm.
Any guidance is greatly appreciated, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WiFi Calling, VoLTE are working just fine, but I get what you mean... I mostly flashed 4 firmware files: BL, AP, CL and CSC and couple of times did flash USERDATA too. As userdata file was not required to be flashed unless you want all bloatware from the carrier. Don't know if S10 needs this "userdata" file. You would want to flash I mentioned and specifically flash CSC file and not the HOME CSC(as it usually retains user data on your phone) and in your case you want odin to wipe the device. I want to flash too, but waiting for firmware to become available on sammobile website

Charkatak said:
WiFi Calling, VoLTE are working just fine, but I get what you mean... I mostly flashed 4 firmware files: BL, AP, CL and CSC and couple of times did flash USERDATA too. As userdata file was not required to be flashed unless you want all bloatware from the carrier. Don't know if S10 needs this "userdata" file. You would want to flash I mentioned and specifically flash CSC file and not the HOME CSC(as it usually retains user data on your phone) and in your case you want odin to wipe the device. I want to flash too, but waiting for firmware to become available on sammobile website
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically I should wait for Sammobile to upload those 4 firmware files (BL,AP,CL,CSC) and then use Odin to flash the firmware. Seems the instructions for that are really easy.
As far as the Samsung pay / finance apps, would it mess those up like rooting the device?

mdiddyshow said:
Basically I should wait for Sammobile to upload those 4 firmware files (BL,AP,CL,CSC) and then use Odin to flash the firmware. Seems the instructions for that are really easy.
As far as the Samsung pay / finance apps, would it mess those up like rooting the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There should be no issue with Samsung Pay and other apps, as you would be flashing official Samsung firmware. Wait for firmware files to be available and then you would be able to see which files will be included and go from there. On my unlocked S8, I didn't flash userdata file and still had all T-Mobile features you were mentioning. If with S10 we will have the same, then skipping userdata is better as the device is pretty much clean without unneeded apps

I installed T-Mobile's Visual Voicemail app from Play Store, and it works just fine. (Unlocked S10)

I did the same. Figured if I was paying outright might as well get an unlocked device. But the Samsung's from tmobile have the multi line function and I'm trying to get rid of my iPhone. But I use that number alot as well. So that multi line function built in for DIGITS worked for me. If you flash it let me know if it has it built in
Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

bradbutter said:
I did the same. Figured if I was paying outright might as well get an unlocked device. But the Samsung's from tmobile have the multi line function and I'm trying to get rid of my iPhone. But I use that number alot as well. So that multi line function built in for DIGITS worked for me. If you flash it let me know if it has it built in
Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait. How did you get the multi line functioning on the s10? I have been scouring the internet for a solution

Curious, are there any features/capabilities that the unlocked version has, but the TMobile version does not? I ordered an unlocked S10+ (haven't received it yet) and TMobile is my carrier.
From what I've read so far, built-in caller ID, and the ability to turn mobile data off, are not on the TMobile variant, but I can't confirm that.

mosi76 said:
Wait. How did you get the multi line functioning on the s10? I have been scouring the internet for a solution
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't. I have the unlocked version. But I have tmobile. Didn't think about it until I received my device. So If flashing the tmobile software will give it to me i will flash it.
Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the info too! I am also quite curious about this as I have an unlocked S10+ still pre-ordered. Unfortunately, it's too late for me to cancel it and re-ordering it on T-Mobile before April comes around as I would like to use the phone on my travels by then (still hanging on to my S5 at the moment... lol).
From what I've read, the two major features lost on unlocked phones are EVS and RCS messaging. While RCS messaging is something I can live without, I would really like to keep the EVS (Enhanced Voice Service) feature usable on the phone when it arrives.
One other question, are you able to get the updates via T-Mobile on the flashed firmware or does it have to be flashed again for future updates?

KunoMochi said:
Thanks for the info too! I am also quite curious about this as I have an unlocked S10+ still pre-ordered. Unfortunately, it's too late for me to cancel it and re-ordering it on T-Mobile before April comes around as I would like to use the phone on my travels by then (still hanging on to my S5 at the moment... lol).
From what I've read, the two major features lost on unlocked phones are EVS and RCS messaging. While RCS messaging is something I can live without, I would really like to keep the EVS (Enhanced Voice Service) feature usable on the phone when it arrives.
One other question, are you able to get the updates via T-Mobile on the flashed firmware or does it have to be flashed again for future updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is EVS? Is that just another term for VoLTE?
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

Kjn246 said:
What is EVS? Is that just another term for VoLTE?
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VoLTE and EVS are different. EVS is an evolution of the AMR-WB speech codec (aka HD Voice) whereas VoLTE uses said speech codecs to work. VoLTE is currently recommended to use at least AMR-WB for good voice quality. As EVS is the newer speech codec that uses similar concepts to that of AMR-WB, it is backwards compatible with technologies already using AMR-WB, which includes VoLTE.
That is what I can gather, feel free to correct me if I am wrong in any of the details.

Thanks to all for their insight. Just an update:
I flashed the T-Mo firmware on my unlocked S10+. It worked - RCS and video calling are back! However I noticed 3 things: 1st I used the CSC, but it did not delete all my apps. 2nd when the device rebooted after flashing it went into recovery mode (is this normal?), but i re-rebooted it and it went right into my phone.
3rd while RCS is working on the phone and between my Android 8.0 Note8 Tmo phone, the Note8 cannot send pictures/files to my S10+. The S10+ can send anything to me, but not the other way around. Read, Delivered, typing indicators work. I am not too concerned about this as I am getting an S10+ myself next week so this will not be an issue.
Any thoughts about that?
Other than the RCS thing, the S10+ device is working completely normally. I heard you have to change the CSC on the device but I did not do that (echo, adb, and all that jazz) - is that necessary as well?
Lots of random thoughts over here!

mdiddyshow said:
Thanks to all for their insight. Just an update:
I flashed the T-Mo firmware on my unlocked S10+. It worked - RCS and video calling are back! However I noticed 3 things: 1st I used the CSC, but it did not delete all my apps. 2nd when the device rebooted after flashing it went into recovery mode (is this normal?), but i re-rebooted it and it went right into my phone.
3rd while RCS is working on the phone and between my Android 8.0 Note8 Tmo phone, the Note8 cannot send pictures/files to my S10+. The S10+ can send anything to me, but not the other way around. Read, Delivered, typing indicators work. I am not too concerned about this as I am getting an S10+ myself next week so this will not be an issue.
Any thoughts about that?
Other than the RCS thing, the S10+ device is working completely normally. I heard you have to change the CSC on the device but I did not do that (echo, adb, and all that jazz) - is that necessary as well?
Lots of random thoughts over here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you be able to help walk me through the process to do this. I used to root and flash custom roms to phones but the carrier specific and Samsung stuff is new to me. I'm interested in getting on the TMO firmware possibly for RCS but I don't know if it's worth the hassle for it yet

mdiddyshow said:
Thanks to all for their insight. Just an update:
I flashed the T-Mo firmware on my unlocked S10+. It worked - RCS and video calling are back! However I noticed 3 things: 1st I used the CSC, but it did not delete all my apps. 2nd when the device rebooted after flashing it went into recovery mode (is this normal?), but i re-rebooted it and it went right into my phone.
3rd while RCS is working on the phone and between my Android 8.0 Note8 Tmo phone, the Note8 cannot send pictures/files to my S10+. The S10+ can send anything to me, but not the other way around. Read, Delivered, typing indicators work. I am not too concerned about this as I am getting an S10+ myself next week so this will not be an issue.
Any thoughts about that?
Other than the RCS thing, the S10+ device is working completely normally. I heard you have to change the CSC on the device but I did not do that (echo, adb, and all that jazz) - is that necessary as well?
Lots of random thoughts over here!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that update.
By any chance, could you let us know if the built in VVM is working? (accessed from the dialer by tapping the 3-dot menu button ((from within Dialer)). You should see Visual Voicemail as an option, not just Voicemail.
I flashed the TMo firmware as well, but used Home_CSC. That didn't seem to matter, since Userdata wipes the phone anyways, but I'm curious as to whether that is why I am not seeing Visual Voicemail.
As for the booting into recovery, did you have the reboot option checked in Odin when you started the flash? Mine has booted to recovery before, but it has always been because I forgot to check that box.

jordanyork said:
Thanks for that update.
By any chance, could you let us know if the built in VVM is working? (accessed from the dialer by tapping the 3-dot menu button ((from within Dialer)). You should see Visual Voicemail as an option, not just Voicemail.
I flashed the TMo firmware as well, but used Home_CSC. That didn't seem to matter, since Userdata wipes the phone anyways, but I'm curious as to whether that is why I am not seeing Visual Voicemail.
As for the booting into recovery, did you have the reboot option checked in Odin when you started the flash? Mine has booted to recovery before, but it has always been because I forgot to check that box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I have another update about this. When I included the userdata in Odin it reset my device. The visual voicemail is not working still, and i can't confirm (or i dont know how to confirm) if wifi calling or VoLTE is working as there isn't any real indication on the device. But all my RCS problems have been fixed!
...Except that all my MMS contains the "Subject: No Subject" header on every single MMS. Every. Single. One. I had to change my default messages app because this was just too damn annoying.
and yeah, i did check the box.

mdiddyshow said:
So I have another update about this. When I included the userdata in Odin it reset my device. The visual voicemail is not working still, and i can't confirm (or i dont know how to confirm) if wifi calling or VoLTE is working as there isn't any real indication on the device. But all my RCS problems have been fixed!
...Except that all my MMS contains the "Subject: No Subject" header on every single MMS. Every. Single. One. I had to change my default messages app because this was just too damn annoying.
and yeah, i did check the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a voicemail icon in the dialer after flashing? Or it's still not there?
---------- Post added at 03:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:47 PM ----------
WiFi calling option is within the phone app settings itself, and it would word even without flashing tmo

Anyone know if flashing tmobiles firmware onto the unlocked s10 will void warranty? if so id rather just get the locked tmobile version.

Low_Key_Slaps said:
Anyone know if flashing tmobiles firmware onto the unlocked s10 will void warranty? if so id rather just get the locked tmobile version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. This does not trip knox, nor will it void your warranty. Tampering such as flashing unofficial software will incr the Knox counter. This matters because technicians inspect the software state (among other things during checkups).
Assuming they actually verify it, the device will fail this step (not the case when using signed packages from Samsung for conversion!). .

Ace42 said:
No. This does not trip knox, nor will it void your warranty. Tampering such as flashing unofficial software will incr the Knox counter. This matters because technicians inspect the software state (among other things during checkups).
Assuming they actually verify it, the device will fail this step (not the case when using signed packages from Samsung for conversion!). .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I spoke with a Samsung care rep on their website, who told me it will void the warranty. But then again, most customer care reps dont actually know what their talking about beyond the basic questions...