Help bypassing lockscreen; unfamiliar with device - Sprint Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Questions & Answers

Hello,
I am trying to work around/bypass the password lockscreen for a friend that accidentally set it (I think her kid did) and doesn't know what the actual password is. I've already tried ADM and Samsung's "Find My Mobile" service but neither were helpful.
So I'm pretty sure my only two options now are to backup the existing data to my PC (though I'm not sure how given that I don't have access to important functions like ADB, custom recovery, etc.) and then factory reset the phone, OR just deal with the KNOX/warranty flag being tripped and delete the necessary files from /data/system using a custom recovery. If there's another alternative I'm missing, I would love to hear it.
Excuse me for already jumping ahead, but assuming I go the latter route, what would be the easiest way to flash a custom recovery? I've already looked at various other posts on this phone's board regarding rooting and everything looked quite involved.
The phone says it's a G935PVPS4BQE1, if that helps.
Thanks in advance.
P. S. I currently come from a OnePlus One, though I previously had a Galaxy S3 and remember quite vividly how much of a huge pain it was to properly root the device and deal with KNOX. I imagine the rooting process is even more of a pain with more recent Samsung phones.

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[Q] I've searched but can't find an answer to these noob questions.

I'm sure this has been asked before, and I read the terms when I signed up for forum.xda-developer.com, watched the videos, etc so I've been hesitant to ask this question. The thing is, after two days of searching, I can't find an answer to these questions that I'm sure a lot of new users have. I'm testing my luck and asking it here.
When I get my Nexus 7 (it's due to be delivered in a couple of days) I want to unlock/root it right away. I know that unlocking the boot loader will wipe the user data, and that it's a "pure" Android device. I don't plan to install any custom ROMs or do anything that wouldn't be possible on that stock device right away, but I want the option to be able to customize in the future. Since unlocking wipes the device, I'd rather just do it right away rather than have to deal with reinstalling a bunch of apps a month or two down the road when I'm ready to try out some custom ROMs, etc.
These are my questions:
1) Is there anything pre-installed on a Nexus 7 that isn't easily recovered after it wipes when unlocking? Followup: Will the pre-installed apps (eg. gmail) still be there after I unlock, or will I need to download them? Should I make a list of the apps that are pre-installed on the device before I unlock the bootloader to make re-installing them easy, or will they still be there?
2) Does unlocking the boot loader really void the warranty? I mean, if my device starts to show some physical problem in a couple of months (eg. screen lift, not charging) can I just re-lock it and send it in? What if it just won't turn on one day, therefore not giving me the ability to re-lock it? If I send it in, unlocked and rooted but bricked (through no fault of my own - I'm talking about a physical problem, if it was my fault I would not even bother trying to get it replaced) will they say "You voided your warranty when you unlocked it"?
Again, sorry for posting questions I'm sure have been asked before, but I just want a precise answer.
Thanks!
EDIT: BTW, I bought it straight from Google Play, I should have mentioned that before
rm79 said:
I'm sure this has been asked before, and I read the terms when I signed up for forum.xda-developer.com, watched the videos, etc so I've been hesitant to ask this question. The thing is, after two days of searching, I can't find an answer to this question that I'm sure a lot of new users have. I'm testing my luck and asking it here.
When I get my Nexus 7 (it's due to be delivered in a couple of days) I want to unlock/root it right away. I know that unlocking the boot loader will wipe the user data, and that it's a "pure" Android device. I don't plan to install any custom ROMs or do anything that wouldn't be possible on that stock device right away, but I want the option to be able to customize in the future. Since unlocking wipes the device, I'd rather just do it right away rather than have to deal with reinstalling a bunch of apps a month or two down the road when I'm ready to try out some customer ROMs, etc.
These are my questions:
1) Is there anything pre-installed on a Nexus 7 that isn't easily recovered after it wipes when unlocking? Followup: Will the pre-installed apps (eg. gmail) still be there after I unlock, or will I need to download them? Should I make a list of the apps that are pre-installed on the device before I unlock the bootloader to make re-installing them easy, or will they still be there?
2) Does unlocking the boot loader really void the warranty? I mean, if my device starts to show some physical problem in a couple of months (eg. screen lift, not charging) can I just re-lock it and send it in? What if it just won't turn on one day, therefore not giving me the ability to re-lock it? If I send it in, unlocked and rooted but bricked (through no fault of my own - I'm talking about a physical problem, if it was my fault I would not even bother trying to get it replaced) will they say "You voided your warranty when you unlocked it"?
Again, sorry for posting questions I'm sure have been asked before, but I just want a precise answer.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. itll just wipe away any user data or anything you put into the storage. basically youll just be factory resetting the device.
2. it really depends where youre buying it and whose warranty you are using. i exchanged my original seven a bit more than a month ago, it stopped charging completely. i exchanged it with root, with an unlocked bootloader, with a custom boot animation, with a custom recovery, and with a custom rom and kernel too. there was never an issue if it was unlocked/rooted. it was an obvious hardware issue. i got mine through the google play store. literally after 3 minutes talking to the customer service rep, he had an exchange started for me. google is really good about keeping the warranty if the device unlocked/rooted, if its a hardware issue. i didnt even have to relock/unroot when i sent mine in(after receiving the replacement. that said, other vendors will have issues with warranty exchanges if the device is unlocked. but its as easy to lock the bootloader as it is to unlock it. its as easy to unlock it by typing "fastboot oem unlock" via fastboot, and as easy to lock it typing "fastboot oem lock" to lock it back up.
1. So basically it will still have the pre-installed stuff on it?
2. Awesome, I ordered mine from the play store so that's good to hear.
Thanks for the info, you rock!
simms22 said:
1. itll just wipe away any user data or anything you put into the storage. basically youll just be factory resetting the device.
2. it really depends where youre buying it and whose warranty you are using. i exchanged my original seven a bit more than a month ago, it stopped charging completely. i exchanged it with root, with an unlocked bootloader, with a custom boot animation, with a custom recovery, and with a custom rom and kernel too. there was never an issue if it was unlocked/rooted. it was an obvious hardware issue. i got mine through the google play store. literally after 3 minutes talking to the customer service rep, he had an exchange started for me. google is really good about keeping the warranty if the device unlocked/rooted, if its a hardware issue. i didnt even have to relock/unroot when i sent mine in(after receiving the replacement. that said, other vendors will have issues with warranty exchanges if the device is unlocked. but its as easy to lock the bootloader as it is to unlock it. its as easy to unlock it by typing "fastboot oem unlock" via fastboot, and as easy to lock it typing "fastboot oem lock" to lock it back up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, nothing changes unless you change the rom you are using to a custom rom. then you get whatever that rom developer decided to include. but if its google apps, you can always pick them up from the play store or from flashable "gapps".
simms22 said:
yes, nothing changes unless you change the rom you are using to a custom rom. then you get whatever that rom developer decided to include. but if its google apps, you can always pick them up from the play store or from flashable "gapps".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool. Thanks for that. Like I said I'm not going to change the ROM right away, I just don't want to deal with restarting because of an unlock in a month .

[Q] Data recovery on Verizon SM-G900V Android 4.4.4

I have a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5, SM-G900V, running Android 4.4.4. I accidentally ran a factory restore, wiping out my files. I want to try to get the data off of it, since the files may not yet be overwritten, but I have no idea of how to go about this, especially using a method that does as few writes to the internal memory as possible (to increase the chance of success). I would very much rather not root, or at the very least not trip Knox or otherwise void my warranty. However, I might be willing to risk it if necessary. I have never rooted before, and it seems as though rooting utilities have a difficult time with this phone (at least in part thanks to Verizon).
I have not found any guide on how to do data recovery in this situation. I've tried at least one recovery program that was completely useless, though that might be due to lack of root. I am familiar with computers, and Linux, but Android is very foreign to me, and it seems like most data recovery attempts require me to mount the device on a computer as a disk drive. Although I've gotten it to connect for file browsing and transfers, I have not managed to get a connection where it acts like a mountable, normal disk. Naturally this rules out getting a memory image with this method, leaving me rather stranded.
Can anyone provide me with some assistance? I'm not expecting to fully restore the phone, but I've got some files (especially the memo and contacts) I'd rather not say goodbye to since my last backup.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
NoBricksPlease said:
I have a Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5, SM-G900V, running Android 4.4.4. I accidentally ran a factory restore, wiping out my files. I want to try to get the data off of it, since the files may not yet be overwritten, but I have no idea of how to go about this, especially using a method that does as few writes to the internal memory as possible (to increase the chance of success). I would very much rather not root, or at the very least not trip Knox or otherwise void my warranty. However, I might be willing to risk it if necessary. I have never rooted before, and it seems as though rooting utilities have a difficult time with this phone (at least in part thanks to Verizon).
I have not found any guide on how to do data recovery in this situation. I've tried at least one recovery program that was completely useless, though that might be due to lack of root. I am familiar with computers, and Linux, but Android is very foreign to me, and it seems like most data recovery attempts require me to mount the device on a computer as a disk drive. Although I've gotten it to connect for file browsing and transfers, I have not managed to get a connection where it acts like a mountable, normal disk. Naturally this rules out getting a memory image with this method, leaving me rather stranded.
Can anyone provide me with some assistance? I'm not expecting to fully restore the phone, but I've got some files (especially the memo and contacts) I'd rather not say goodbye to since my last backup.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience has been that once a factory reset has been done, that's it. Your phone is back to the state it was when shipped from the manufacturer. Any personal info is gone. One caveat though. Unless you've backed up to a "cloud" (VZW provides this with Contacts natively) or saved to a micro disc, you are out of luck.
Wish I had better info for you.

Modify build.prop without Root?

Hi All
I was wondering whether someone could tell me whether this is likely to work before I spend hours trying...
My situation is that the echo / muffled voice issue is a CONSTANT issue for me - I bought on a contract rather than through Google, so would have to return to Huawei directly for "repair" - which I've already done once and pretty sure they just sent the phone back to me. Besides, I don't have a spare phone and setting up the phone again every time is a pain, especially as I use it for work and need to involve our IT to register and install [email protected]
It's this latter point which prevents me from rooting - the software audits and reports on rooting - so it'd get blocked and I'd get a slap on the wrist. Using RootCloak or similar is also not an option I'm willing to go down (my company deals in security things so this wouldn't go down well at all!).
So what I'm aiming to do is:
Modify build.prop to turn the noise cancelling mic off
Without wiping my device and having to install all my apps again
Without rooting
I've come across this: How to edit build.prop without root and I'm interested in whether the approach without root would work?
In short, it would involve booting into a custom recovery (TWRP?) temporarily through fastboot (without unlocking the bootloader as that wipes all my data), and then modifying the file via adb.
So - does anyone know whether this is a feasible option on the 6P?
Thanks!
What you may be able to do is unlock the bootloader. Once unlocked you can flash twrp recovery on the device (however do not root it when it asks if you want to). Then from there you should be able to pull and push a modified build.prop. However you will have to wipe your device in order to make it happen. That is the only way I could think of since the bootloader has to be unlocked in order to edit files on the nexus.
This won't work, even using adb to modify system files requires root.
Long story short: you can't do it. I'm pretty sure even using adb to modify system files requires root.
Grr - So I'm either stuck with a phone that I can use for emails / calendar for work, but doesn't work as a phone - or I have to root to make it work as a phone, but not use it for work
I'm not sure I have the energy or desire to keep sending this back for repair, only for them to not fix anything - it seems that some units just work, others don't.
OP, were you ever able to resolve this issue?
I have the same problem, got a replacement from Huawei for the bootlooping issue (same IMEI as before) and have the horrible microphone issue and don't want to root it.
I want to try the build.Prop quora.com thing as well but that is the only reference I have seen that claims to allow modification without root.

Rooting an sm-n910t WITHOUT a factory reset

(SOLVED)
Hi,
Ive been searching around all week now trying to find a way to do the above, root my note 4 without a factory reset.
As far as i can gather, my bootloader is unlocked.
I suspect it has had somekind of non-t-mobile standard wizardry performed upon it prior to my ownership (2nd hand). The reason i think this (naive?) is as i understand it, these, in the UK, were locked to t-mobile sims new, however, mine can use any sim. also, since my ownership (couple years +), maybe 3 or 4 times it has randomly rebooted and gone into some kind of anti-"fiddling" mode stating something along the lines of "this phone has none genuine blah blah and is now locked. take it into a t-mobile shop to get fixed". A simple battery pull has "fixed" the issue each and every time.
Now, the actual main reason i want to root this, apart from the obvious other advantages, is to be able to perform a complete backup (including all the backup locked out apps). i have a few apps ive paid for, but have since been pulled from the play store, thus, should this phone die, i have no way of restoring them.
it seems that, the only way to backup these apps is to root the phone. i can only find ways in which to root my phone that involve a factory reset. hence im stuck in a catch 22.
According to posts i've read, fastboot doesn't work with my phone. I have been reticent to actually follow through with any method which may reset/factory wipe my phone (as, if i understand it correctly, changing the bootloader/recovery will?).
even though i have found apk's for some of these apps, they are only for the trial versions, and not what i have previously paid for. furthermore, some of these companies have either gone bust, or simply refuse to respond to my emails. losing their cache i can live with, losing the full apps i "can't".
i use a laptop with arch installed. i have occassional access to a windows10 pc.
please please tell me it is possible to root this phone without losing these apps. Or at the very least, a way of pulling/backing up these apps.
ive not found a browser that can see into the data\app folder. adb can see into the data\app folder and pull apps, but not the apps i want to backup which have been pulled from the play store that ive paid for.
phone details:
model sm-n910t
android 6.0.1
baseband n910tuvu2eqi2
kernel 3.10.40 - 9385989
[email protected]#1
build no mmb29m.n910tuvu2eqi2
Hrafnblod said:
Hi,
Ive been searching around all week now trying to find a way to do the above, root my note 4 without a factory reset.
As far as i can gather, my bootloader is unlocked.
I suspect it has had somekind of non-t-mobile standard wizardry performed upon it prior to my ownership (2nd hand). The reason i think this (naive?) is as i understand it, these, in the UK, were locked to t-mobile sims new, however, mine can use any sim. also, since my ownership (couple years +), maybe 3 or 4 times it has randomly rebooted and gone into some kind of anti-"fiddling" mode stating something along the lines of "this phone has none genuine blah blah and is now locked. take it into a t-mobile shop to get fixed". A simple battery pull has "fixed" the issue each and every time.
Now, the actual main reason i want to root this, apart from the obvious other advantages, is to be able to perform a complete backup (including all the backup locked out apps). i have a few apps ive paid for, but have since been pulled from the play store, thus, should this phone die, i have no way of restoring them.
it seems that, the only way to backup these apps is to root the phone. i can only find ways in which to root my phone that involve a factory reset. hence im stuck in a catch 22.
According to posts i've read, fastboot doesn't work with my phone. I have been reticent to actually follow through with any method which may reset/factory wipe my phone (as, if i understand it correctly, changing the bootloader/recovery will?).
even though i have found apk's for some of these apps, they are only for the trial versions, and not what i have previously paid for. furthermore, some of these companies have either gone bust, or simply refuse to respond to my emails. losing their cache i can live with, losing the full apps i "can't".
i use a laptop with arch installed. i have occassional access to a windows10 pc.
please please tell me it is possible to root this phone without losing these apps. Or at the very least, a way of pulling/backing up these apps.
ive not found a browser that can see into the data\app folder. adb can see into the data\app folder and pull apps, but not the apps i want to backup which have been pulled from the play store that ive paid for.
phone details:
model sm-n910t
android 6.0.1
baseband n910tuvu2eqi2
kernel 3.10.40 - 9385989
[email protected]#1
build no mmb29m.n910tuvu2eqi2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried Odin? Samsung phones don't use fastboot but have their own flashing tool.
QuoPrimum said:
Have you tried Odin? Samsung phones don't use fastboot but have their own flashing tool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm now rooted, cheers
I used ODIN on windows and CF_Auto Root.
I was just incredibly worried about getting a phone wipe/reset. I think, with having read through so many different guides and discussions, and having first tried to find a linux only solution, I'd ended up confusing myself. It just seemed that, when I thought I understood the process enough to actually physically start the rooting, all I could see was boot loop, bricking and factory reset issues in the guides.
Awesome forum.
Any apps you buy on the play store don't just disappear.
Check your actual purchase list for your Google account, it'll force a cached page.
Which is how I found out Activision pushed a (paid) mobile version of Zombies, removed it, then pushed the same game to the market which they continued to update.

Custom ROM suggestions for Samsung J7 Sky Pro SM-727VL(GP)

Could someone please point me in the direction of a custom ROM that will (or even might) work on Samsung j7 sky pro SM-272VL(GP)
Before anyone suggests, I have already read all of the information out there on rooting, ODIN, TWRP, etc for this phone. It sounds like several have tried, but no one has actually been able to gain root, although there may be hope for that due to security flaw https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45379 mentioned in this post #21
SM-S727VL Analysis, Partition Table, and Factory
-- UPDATE #1 (11/05/18) added So I've got myself a Tracfone Variant of the Samsung J7, The "Galaxy J7 Sky Pro" [SM-S727VL] CDMA. As far as I can tell, this variant is sold on both the Tracfone and StraightTalk carriers, and it seems to just run...
forum.xda-developers.com
I have also read all of the only other thread out there on this device on the subject of rooting, or anything really:
SM-S727VL Root and Recovery
I cannot for the life of me get this phone rooted or a recovery installed. Odin always fails and ADB doesn't recognize the device. Does anyone have any info on rooting this device? I really just want to at least be able to update this thing to...
forum.xda-developers.com
However not much was accomplished in these peoples attempts other than a bricked phone or 2, and most of the participants seem to have moved onto other devices.
I however do not have any issue with needing to root as I own the device, and as it is I can boot into a recovery ODIN mode that says that FRP Lock is off, and the screen is showing a "download in progress" background to a console, waiting for me to send the updated firmware/custom ROM/whatever from the USB cable. See attached image.
I run Linux and have for the last 20 years have used too many Distros to count, but can work with most any, but prefer debian based although I have much respect for Gentoo, and their compile everything package management, and have spent considerable time on it as well. l have unlocked and installed custom ROM's of of many types on many phones, and am working with the combined experience of myself, and my friend who has done the same, except even more on more different devices than myself. But neither of us has worked on such an obscure model as this one with so little information posted publicly on the internet for anyone to find as this one. But if there is a way to do it, I'm sure between the two of us, we can and will make it happen.
Can anyone be of any help? I would really like to get something out of the phone for the $100 that it cost me. Things I would like to run would be Kali Nethunter, and/or Andrax or Cyanogenmod/LineageOS or really any other AOSP that is not google f***ed. Basically any custom ROM (whichever, whatever type and version has the best chance of working on this phone, since there are none posted publicly that are specifically made for this device that we can find for this obscure, excessively undocumented model of phone. Just getting TWRP will be a good start, and I'm pretty sure we can handle that. However in the mentioned posts even the the TWRP file that is made for this phone, people are having troubles installing in their experiences, and bricking their phones in the process, so I definitelly would prefer not to have a repeat of what happened there.
Thank you in advanced for any and all information, hints, tips, tricks, etc. I would like to not brick this phone as the only other person who attempted to do anything with this phone unfortunately had done.

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