Lately, I wanted to root my GS4 (it surely wasn't an AT&T one, bought it in Russia, there is no AT&T). So, motochopper fails, CF-Auto-Root fails, everything fails! I am stuck at 4.4.2 and there is no OTA upgrade. Download mode says "MODEL NUMBER: SGH-I337", but in the "About phone" menu it is clearly stated that model number is "GT-I9500" and build number is "KOT49H.I9500XXUFNB7". Even the baseband version starts with "I9500". All the hacks I am seeing on the Internet (such as Loki) for unlocking bootloader fail, saying that my phone model is not supported. Heimdall and Odin fail to flash anything and the red text appears in the download mode: "SECURE MAGICODE CHECK FAIL". What my model is and what do I DO? I want to root it and install some decent recovery and CWM ROM.
Please, ask any questions you like and help me)
The model number in download mode is the right one. Once the bootloader on the i337 is locked, it cannot be unlocked.
A locked bootloader means cwm and twrp cannot be installed.
audit13 said:
The model number in download mode is the right one. Once the bootloader on the i337 is locked, it cannot be unlocked.
A locked bootloader means cwm and twrp cannot be installed.
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Click to collapse
Why can't it be unlocked? I've seen so many guides and tools to do it. The problem is that they don't work and I don't even know my true build version to figure smth out. Why doesn't it even root like normal I337 should do? Also it doensn't upgrade to lollipop like normal I337 should.
The bootloader is locked on the i337, just like it is on other at&t phones, with no way to unlock it. An s4 bounty on XDA for finding an unlock method remains unclaimed: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2257620
The phone is an i337 and can only run stock i337 roms or customs based off a stock rom.
Safe strap is the only custom recovery available for a locked bootloader.
audit13 said:
The bootloader is locked on the i337, just like it is on other at&t phones, with no way to unlock it. An s4 bounty on XDA for finding an unlock method remains unclaimed: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2257620
The phone is an i337 and can only run stock i337 roms or customs based off a stock rom.
Safe strap is the only custom recovery available for a locked bootloader.
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Click to collapse
So, ok. We managed to confirm it is a SGH-I337. But what about Loki tool? It can install CWM recovery, but does not work on my device? Also, I ask one more time, how can I know what the real build number is? And how to root? All SGH-I337 should root with motochopper but mine doesn't. What can I do about this?
Cwm and twrp cannot work on the phone. I have never seen a post where someone has ever had it work with a locked bootloader.
I'm not sure but motochopper may not work with every bootloader and every rom. Reading through this forum, I don't think I remember seeing motochopper mentioned.
You'll have to confirm the bootloader and rom in the phone and search through the various rooting threads. I don't have access to the i337, only the i337m as I am in Canada.
Related
i have galaxy s4 i9505 and i want to know if i need to unlock the bootloader in order to instal custom rom(cyanogen).the phone is in stock condition(not rooted no roms or anything)ive checked the first 10 pages of google results and some guides say i if i dont unlock the bootloader i will brick the phone and some say i dont need to unlock it.i searched this forum aswell but i just end up with 100 tabs open and still cant find my answer.
The only thing you need to do is this. Install TWRP using Odin, then flash your ROM using TWRP. The only mention of locked bootloaders comes if you own an AT&T or Verizon Galaxy S4. Those two models have a locked bootloader that cannot be unlocked, and attempts to change the bootloader on those devices have led to soft bricks which can be resolved by flashing the correct bootloader in the BL slot in Odin.
I hit on UPDATE on the phone for an OTA update but it only says UNABLE TO CONNECT AT&T SERVER. When I bought it, it had 5.0.1 (I337UCUGOC3) out of the box. Searching on internet says that is bootloader locked (so I cant do anything).
- Can I Update to I337UCUGOK2 and bootloader will be unlocked (I mean, will I be able to do it)?
- Does anyone know where can I grab I337UCUGOK2 for offline install and is it ODIN safe to update it (remember I have I337UCUGOC3 bootloader locked)?
please help
Once the bootloader is locked, it will always be locked until someone finds a way to unlock it. Updating the bootloader will not allow it to be unlocked.
cybercuate said:
I hit on UPDATE on the phone for an OTA update but it only says UNABLE TO CONNECT AT&T SERVER. When I bought it, it had 5.0.1 (I337UCUGOC3) out of the box. Searching on internet says that is bootloader locked (so I cant do anything).
- Can I Update to I337UCUGOK2 and bootloader will be unlocked (I mean, will I be able to do it)?
- Does anyone know where can I grab I337UCUGOK2 for offline install and is it ODIN safe to update it (remember I have I337UCUGOC3 bootloader locked)?
please help
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Click to collapse
Unlocking/exploiting the bootloader for the AT&T is still in process, I think.
Bootloader locked means you can not install custom recovery like TWRP, CWM or custom kernel. You can still root, you can still use odin and you can still install custom rom using either safestrp or flashfire.
Here is the thread explaining how to upgrade stock or rooted stock roms.
The explanation starts from installation of NB1 firmware so that you can easily root the phone by using twolroot.
If you do not care for the root you can start reading from the step 2 "Flash update in stock recovery"
Since you are on OC3, you need OC3 to OC4 and OC4 to OK2 files to get OK2.
help... I want to RMA it
sway8966 said:
Unlocking/exploiting the bootloader for the AT&T is still in process, I think.
Bootloader locked means you can not install custom recovery like TWRP, CWM or custom kernel. You can still root, you can still use odin and you can still install custom rom using either safestrp or flashfire.
Here is the thread explaining how to upgrade stock or rooted stock roms.
The explanation starts from installation of NB1 firmware so that you can easily root the phone by using twolroot.
If you do not care for the root you can start reading from the step 2 "Flash update in stock recovery"
Since you are on OC3, you need OC3 to OC4 and OC4 to OK2 files to get OK2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everywhere says I need a kitkat rom as base.
My s4 came with 5.0.1 with OC3 and bootloader locked out of the box. I tried some post where says I can flash TWRP and CWM but my phone stucked on bootloops. Then I managed to get back to stock rom and now when I want to turn it on it says " SAMSUNG (and lower on the screen) Custom"
Camera began to fail and I want to return it as RMA but I was looking to reset the flash counter but every post I read is that OC3 bootloader locked users are just doomed.
Do you know a method that I can do for reset that counter?
Camera dont focus anymore and I tried all the posts about safemode, etc.
cybercuate said:
Everywhere says I need a kitkat rom as base.
My s4 came with 5.0.1 with OC3 and bootloader locked out of the box. I tried some post where says I can flash TWRP and CWM but my phone stucked on bootloops. Then I managed to get back to stock rom and now when I want to turn it on it says " SAMSUNG (and lower on the screen) Custom"
Camera began to fail and I want to return it as RMA but I was looking to reset the flash counter but every post I read is that OC3 bootloader locked users are just doomed.
Do you know a method that I can do for reset that counter?
Camera dont focus anymore and I tried all the posts about safemode, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing TWRP and CWM is for the AT&T S4 with older bootloader (MDL, MDB). After that two firmware versions the bootloader is locked.
For AT&T S4 the last full firmware released is NB1. After that they released incremental updates via OTA. That is why you need kitkat (NB1) as base.
For NB1, Muniz uploaded two firmwares. One is the stock and the other is rootable stock. Try the stock one and see you still have the custom symbol.
To reset the counter, there is an app calls Triangle away by Chainfire. However, it does not work on AT&T S4 with locked bootloader.
Trying Odin-Stock NB1
sway8966 said:
Unlocking/exploiting the bootloader for the AT&T is still in process, I think.
Bootloader locked means you can not install custom recovery like TWRP, CWM or custom kernel. You can still root, you can still use odin and you can still install custom rom using either safestrp or flashfire.
Here is the thread explaining how to upgrade stock or rooted stock roms.
The explanation starts from installation of NB1 firmware so that you can easily root the phone by using twolroot.
If you do not care for the root you can start reading from the step 2 "Flash update in stock recovery"
Since you are on OC3, you need OC3 to OC4 and OC4 to OK2 files to get OK2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sway8966 said:
Flashing TWRP and CWM is for the AT&T S4 with older bootloader (MDL, MDB). After that two firmware versions the bootloader is locked.
For AT&T S4 the last full firmware released is NB1. After that they released incremental updates via OTA. That is why you need kitkat (NB1) as base.
For NB1, Muniz uploaded two firmwares. One is the stock and the other is rootable stock. Try the stock one and see you still have the custom symbol.
To reset the counter, there is an app calls Triangle away by Chainfire. However, it does not work on AT&T S4 with locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'll try Odin it with the stock rom from your link. I'll post news here when it finish flashing
1st part - Success
I'm on 4.4.2 NB1, flash counter back to normal but still bootloader locked
Now I have to go back to OC3 to RMA it.
OTA does nothing, smartswitch shows no updates neither kies.
I'll have to Odin it back to OC3
Can I have some help?
And Success. I'm back on stock OC3 no root.
time to RMA
- camera still doesn't focus
- boot screen is back to normal but when in odin mode the counter shows 0x1
- sometimes shows "sim card could not be detected" or similar messages and force me to restart the phone (just happend 2 times until now, never happend before)
I followed this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/general/guide-odin-to-stock-updating-rooting-t2926642
Post 2
Thanks to sway8966
Yet another post... So, I have been trying to install TWRP and CWM but every time I boot into recovery with those installed I get: "System Software not Authorized" error. Is there anyway to bypass this? I think I Soft Bricked it, but I fixed it with Odin and a stock recovery file. I just want to get a custom recovery... Any help is appreciated.
Device: Samsung Galaxy S4 I337 (AT&T) (Rooted)
Can't install cwm or twrp on an s4 with a locked bootloader.
Hmm that is strange.
audit13 said:
Can't install cwm or twrp on an s4 with a locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How would I go about unlocking it? I remember before the s4 got the 5.0.1 update and I had cwm.
The att s4 bootloader can't be unlocked once it has been upgraded to a locked bootloader.
That sucks. Is there another phone that can unlock it's boot loader? I head something about asking the company to unlock it for you. Is that possible?
Quick little update:
I have found some options that might work. Option 1: Someone said that you could downgrade to 4.2.2 because that has an unlocked boot loader. Or option 2, which is go to Best Buy and tell the Samsung Support Center dude to unlock it for you. I really would rather go with option one, because what if the dude denies it. Unless, because I already got the locked one on my device, there is no way to downgrade it...
There is no way to downgrade the bootloader to 4.2.2 or to unlock the bootloader.
Right, well I installed Safestrap and updated to 5.0.1 with keep root method. Something I just realized is that we have a s2 laying around somewhere. I guess I can mess with that. And as for a new phone, I guess I will save up to buy a Nexus 6 from the Google site.
The phone's bootloader is probably locked. It has never been unlocked, and I believe model SM-G900M was sold with the bootloader locked. (I tried to check if the bootloader is indeed locked, but fastboot did not detect the phone.)
I understand that in this scenario there is currently no way to root an S5, right?
It appears that the only way to go is to perform an Android downgrade. I would have to use Odin to flash a stock 4.4 ROM (is this correct?), then I would be able to root the phone with towelroot, unlock the bootloader and install flashfire on my device. Does this sound like a doable approach?
Suggestions/advice very much appreciated.
Thanks!
Attempting to flash TWRP using Odin, only Odin keeps getting stuck at "File analysis." Please help!
TWRP can't be flashed to an AT&T s4 with a locked bootloader.
What is the exact model # of the s4? The model # can be found in download mode.
audit13 said:
TWRP can't be flashed to an AT&T s4 with a locked bootloader. What is the exact model # of the s4? The model # can be found in download mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had 3.0.2-0 TWRP on my i337 (jflteatt) for a good while now. Then yesterday I flashed the latest 3.1.0-0 and it broke my recovery (stupid me, I keep forgeting that I should not "fix it if it ain't broken"!). Whoever posted the 3.1.0-0 version "forgot" to mention that it was not lokied! Now I am trying to recover my recovery, as it were: Someone posted a .tar of a lokied 3.1.0-0 TWRP, but it looks to me that the file is bad. Can you provide a working (i.e. lokied) .tar of an earlier TWRP version please?
Does your i337 have a locked bootloader?
audit13 said:
Does your i337 have a locked bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All ATT i337 (jflteatt) have locked bootloaders. That is why "they" came up with the loki-doki exploit.
The i337 bootloader was locked with the 4.3 or newer ROM. With a locked bootloader, no exploit will allow the installation of twrp, philz, or cwm which is why safestrap must be used with a locked bootloader. Same applies to the att note 3.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2785166
What is the bootloader version on the i337?
audit13 said:
The i337 bootloader was locked with the 4.3 or newer ROM. With a locked bootloader, no exploit will allow the installation of twrp, philz, or cwm which is why safestrap must be used with a locked bootloader. ... What is the bootloader version on the i337?
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the replies. As I said in my earlier post, I used to run TWRP 3.0.2-0 on my jflteatt, and that should tell you everything you need to know. (I am currently running LinOS 14.1 on the phone.) Only yesterday, after "upgrading" my recovery to 3.1.0-0 the trouble started. As for the bootloader version, how do you tell what that is?
Since the phone is running twrp, this tells me that the bootloader is older than 4.3 and the bootloader is not locked.
Are there any references to Knox in download mode? If not, the bootloader is not locked and the bootloader is 4.1 or 4.2.
audit13 said:
Since the phone is running twrp, this tells me that the bootloader is older than 4.3 and the bootloader is not locked. ... If not, the bootloader is not locked and the bootloader is 4.1 or 4.2.
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Click to collapse
Again, all i337 bootloaders are locked. The first generations of locked bootloaders were vulnerable to the loki exploit. Newer generations of bootloaders are not so vulnerable.
And just to answer my initial question, TWRP cannot be flashed w/Odin on i337 (jflteatt), regardless of the bootloader version, as the bootloader is locked. I had to flash TWRP from within the OS after rooting. Problem solved.