Database Users

Mobile data stuck on EDGE

Hello everyone, i'm new to XDA forums and hopefully i'll find a solution to my problem here.
I am always stuck on EDGE (E) when it comes to mobile network usage, regardless of where i am. I've tried using my SIM card in another phone and it instantly goes to HSPA+ (H+).
My phone is pretty much new and i didnt mess much with it as i dont know enough about phones to play with them in that way, it has been like this ever since i took it. There is one thing that i think its most likely causing it and that is that my phone was rooted when i bought it. >>> I dont know anything about advantages/disadvantages of rooted phone and if this may or may not cause any problems but i've never had this kind of an issue before with any phone and none of my phones before were rooted. <<<
I wanted to try and unroot the device by using Mobile ODIN Pro from Google Play Store but i stopped before i even started as the PRO version that is needed for this to be done says my device is not supported and therefore i cannot buy it. I had the Lite version and there are like 4-5 features that require PRO version in order for them to be used.
I have a GT-I9505 running on 4.4.2 android version, i'm from Serbia with mts as provider for what it matters.
P.S. My network mode is set to WCDMA/GSM (auto connect), if i change it to WCDMA only i lose network completely and if i put GSM only its again back on EDGE.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Let's make sure you actually have an I9505. Try to enter download mode (shut the S4 off, then hold volume down, home, and power). The model at the top of the screen with the green Android on it is the actual model of your S4.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Let's make sure you actually have an I9505. Try to enter download mode (shut the S4 off, then hold volume down, home, and power). The model at the top of the screen with the green Android on it is the actual model of your S4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is I9505 as i said. How do i leave this mode now? It says "Downloading... Do not turn off target !!" across the screen. :v

I strongly suggest you check that attitude of yours. Just because you said it doesn't mean it actually is. There have been too many instances of counterfeit phones as well as phones from another carrier being installed with I9505 ROMs and IMEI numbers and sold to the unsuspecting. The question is thus a valid one.
If you're looking to exit download mode, simply pull the battery. If you're looking to reinstall a stock ROM, then you're on the right screen. Simply connect your S4 to your computer and use the desktop version of Odin to flash the stock ROM. Now, how do you know which stock ROM you should be using? Simply tell us your carrier.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
I strongly suggest you check that attitude of yours. Just because you said it doesn't mean it actually is. There have been too many instances of counterfeit phones as well as phones from another carrier being installed with I9505 ROMs and IMEI numbers and sold to the unsuspecting. The question is thus a valid one.
If you're looking to exit download mode, simply pull the battery. If you're looking to reinstall a stock ROM, then you're on the right screen. Simply connect your S4 to your computer and use the desktop version of Odin to flash the stock ROM. Now, how do you know which stock ROM you should be using? Simply tell us your carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no attitude mate, i just told you that it is what i earlier wrote after checking it the way you told me to. Nothing more than that.
By carrier you mean my mobile provider or whatever its called? If so, Telekom Srbija (mts).

The latest ROM for your device is here. The page gives instructions on how to use the file as well as download links.

Few questions:
Will that install lollipop? If yes, is lollipop worth getting? I recently heard opposite while i was actually trying to get it. It's the only opinion that i can sort of take in count so idk if its true or not.
Will it fix the problem?
"Add the firmware file to AP / PDA"
- What is(are) AP / PDA?
"Make sure re-partition is NOT ticked"
- This is an option in Odin i suppose, if it is disregard it. If not please explain.
Edit: I've downloaded PC version of Odin and i only see AP among other boxes for files to be added. Is PDA another name for it or..?
Should i also check the little box next to where it says AP? (picture below)
There's another zip file in odin folder "S1PlugIn.bundle_141117", i suppose i shouldnt touch this as you havent mentioned it?
P.S. Sorry if my questions appear stupid but i'm facing all of this for the first time and i'm just being extra careful as i dont want to mess up something.

This is the latest ROM for your device, so it will install Android 5.0.1. I believe it to be worthwhile, but if you want Android 4.4.2 instead a download is also available for it at the same site. Will it fix the problem? It should. If it doesn't then a hardware problem is more likely.
AP and PDA are two different names for the same thing. Older versions of Odin used PDA. Checking the box next to it won't hurt, and that other file isn't something you touch.

So i need to turn off my phone, go to download mode, connect pc and phone with USB, wait for some "blue sign" from ODIN and then add the file and run Start? Re-partition is disabled by default.

Everything went smooth but the problem persists... I even changed the network mode to the new options that i got (which includes 4g if i'm not wrong).
What to do?
P.S. 5.0.1 runs really slow for me, takes double more RAM than 4.4.2 and it almost filled up my whole phone memory

Try a different sim in your phone. if you still don't get 4g then you probably have a hardware failure.

Lennyz1988 said:
Try a different sim in your phone. if you still don't get 4g then you probably have a hardware failure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aye... Still the same even with another sim card. I guess its hardware problem in the end. Any idea what would it cost to fix, if you know what the problem could be at all?

[Q] Revert Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime SM-G5030AZ back to stock Rom after Kingroot

Hello to you to you all. I wish I never rooted. I need to know what I did to my phone now that I used Kingroot on this Grand Prime. I also need to get my phone to not say custom in about phone. I tried Samsung Kies and I got error messages. Do I need to flash a stock Rom? Is my bootloader damaged? Please, I beg you experts please help me?. Thank you all in advance for your time and effort.

HammersmashDFCC said:
Hello to you to you all. I wish I never rooted. I need to know what I did to my phone now that I used Kingroot on this Grand Prime. I also need to get my phone to not say custom in about phone. I tried Samsung Kies and I got error messages. Do I need to flash a stock Rom? Is my bootloader damaged? Please, I beg you experts please help me?. Thank you all in advance for your time and effort.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use super su, and un-root your phone with the option for un-root. Or just flash stock rom that's match your model.

I apologize but I have tried to give supersu superuser status although supersu would have those permissions from kingroot, it could not update it's binaries. When I did a full unroot with kingroot, my phone still was not allowed to receive over the air updates via wifi. About flashing a stock Rom I can reroot with kingroot but I cannot locate any stock Rom for this phone. I did a lot of research trying to find one. Can you please advise to as to where to go so that I can locate the stock Rom? Thank you.

HammersmashDFCC said:
I apologize but I have tried to give supersu superuser status although supersu would have those permissions from kingroot, it could not update it's binaries. When I did a full unroot with kingroot, my phone still was not allowed to receive over the air updates via wifi. About flashing a stock Rom I can reroot with kingroot but I cannot locate any stock Rom for this phone. I did a lot of research trying to find one. Can you please advise to as to where to go so that I can locate the stock Rom? Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here. just use odin to flash. and choose the correct version of your phone.
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/search/grand prime/

Thank you very much
I really appreciate you time and effort that you did.

Getting the stock firmware
I have searched that particular location and my model is SM-G530AZ and it's not found in that directory. I am at a checkmate. Unless I can use a firmware from one of the Grand Prime phones with a similar model but that to me does not make too much sense... Or maybe it does. But regarding my particular model it doesn't exist (or so it seems. Can one please come up with a solution? Flashing the Rom is the only option at this point so need download stock. Thanx everyone. ?.

HammersmashDFCC said:
I have searched that particular location and my model is SM-G530AZ and it's not found in that directory. I am at a checkmate. Unless I can use a firmware from one of the Grand Prime phones with a similar model but that to me does not make too much sense... Or maybe it does. But regarding my particular model it doesn't exist (or so it seems. Can one please come up with a solution? Flashing the Rom is the only option at this point so need download stock. Thanx everyone. ��.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since your model is a dual with lte i guess you can use the 530h firmware. but i'm not sure.

My Model's Definite Firmware
Thank you very much for that info. But its not a definite so I wouldn't go ahead with it. I find it very interesting that for every other model of the Grand Prime there is a definete stock software available for the user. But when it comes to mine there isn't. So if anyone can possibly find it I'll be so happy.

HammersmashDFCC said:
Thank you very much for that info. But its not a definite so I wouldn't go ahead with it. I find it very interesting that for every other model of the Grand Prime there is a definete stock software available for the user. But when it comes to mine there isn't. So if anyone can possibly find it I'll be so happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am facing the same challenge with my G530AZ model aswell. I am not even able to see my Network mode menu to change after realizing my device can not receive 3G signal only Edge. I located this menu after rooting to unlock my phone however it has completely vanished as I may put it. Any news on a compatible stock rom will be appreciated aswell.

Solution for reverting phone fully into stock (SM-G530AZ) & any other Samsung
I wasn't going to let Samsung Customer Service get away with not be able to give me info on how to get the code for emergency recovery mode using Samsung Kies. I got the Samsung Rep to tell me how to get the code in Kies all the time (in emergency recovery mode). Have the usb plugged in first without the phone connected to it. Then hold down the volume down key on your phone when it's OFF and after the volume down key is being held down, connect your phone to the USB while the Samsung Kies program is running. The code should show in Kies after that. Then go to the tools selection in Kies and click on the Recovery Mode option and you follow the further instructions. I didn't try this yet but I will very soon. I wrote this right after I got off the phone from the Samsung Rep. I really hope that this is a true method that works. If yes, cheers to all!

Sorry, can't be so trusting with Customer Service Rep of Samsung
I apologize for my previous post in a way. Well first of all this model SM-G530AZ (my model) isn't compatable with Kies as in that I got a message from Kies saying that. Therefore there was no way for me to know that the holding of the volume down method will generate the code for the emergency software reflash on this model. Finally, if that Rep was able to make that mistake I doubt whether it works for phones that are compatable with Kies.

sm-g530az
HammersmashDFCC said:
I apologize for my previous post in a way. Well first of all this model SM-G530AZ (my model) isn't compatable with Kies as in that I got a message from Kies saying that. Therefore there was no way for me to know that the holding of the volume down method will generate the code for the emergency software reflash on this model. Finally, if that Rep was able to make that mistake I doubt whether it works for phones that are compatable with Kies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any luck on flashing the sm-g530az. I try most of the firmware from sammobile. But no luck. And, sm-g5630az firmware is not in Sam Moblie.

Only solutions I can think of...
Earlier in this forum a member said that you can possibly use the 530h firmware, being that they are basically the same firmware as ours although he said he's not totally sure. If Kies 3 and the newer version of Kies (the name slipped my mind, but the message pops up anytime one installs Kies 3 asking if you want to download it) don't work because a message comes up saying that the phone doesn't support initializing, maybe what that member said is the only possible option for right now. But now I'm thinking that you can do anything to your phone which will be "normal" looking as far as for the things which the customer service reps look for see if the phone was tampered with which voids the warranty, in a repair center they can wipe all from the phone and put stock software. But the issue with that may be that the binaries that are on you phone now may cause your phone to get bricked being that their software uses different binaries. This is when they plug it in by them the phone need to load to 100% and if it stops in middle the phone is bricked. So they told me that there is that risk. If you can fool them into trying to do that flashing process on your phone because they seem to think that the warrantee is intact and it doesn't get bricked, you are good to go (I visited a Samsung repair center and found this out being that I had issues with them). But in your case that may or may not be possible . Good luck.

Your instructions were slightly off. Here's what worked.
1) install KIES 3. DO NOT PLUG IN PHONE
2) go to tools -> firmware upgrade and initialisation in KIES
3) device id = SM-G530AZ ; serial number is under battery
4) allow KIES to download the firmware
5) place phone in ODIN mode/Emergency Download Mode (hold VOL DWN and HOME while powering on ) then plug in phone to computer via USB
6) allow KIES to send image to phone. Have some ice cream and egg rolls and do not touch anything.
7) PROFIT! After the phone restarts, it will take you through initial set up (like when you bought it)
YOU WIN!! Even the Mobile Data is Set-up Already!​
All your screwups (soft brick, deletes systemui....) are forgiven. Don't do it again.
BONUS::
about: device status: official
odin mode:
current binaryfficial
system status: official
used knox status checker from gp.... 0x0 !
I think we just got our warranty back, baby :good:
OPTIONAL:
If you still want root, (re)reroot using the established method here

zomgitsanoob said:
Your instructions were slightly off. Here's what worked.
1) install KIES 3. DO NOT PLUG IN PHONE
2) go to tools -> firmware upgrade and initialisation in KIES
3) device id = SM-G530AZ ; serial number is under battery
4) allow KIES to download the firmware
5) place phone in ODIN mode/Emergency Download Mode (hold VOL DWN and HOME while powering on ) then plug in phone to computer via USB
6) allow KIES to send image to phone. Have some ice cream and egg rolls and do not touch anything.
7) PROFIT! After the phone restarts, it will take you through initial set up (like when you bought it)
YOU WIN!! Even the Mobile Data is Set-up Already!​
All your screwups (soft brick, deletes systemui....) are forgiven. Don't do it again.
BONUS::
about: device status: official
odin mode:
current binaryfficial
system status: official
used knox status checker from gp.... 0x0 !
I think we just got our warranty back, baby :good:
OPTIONAL:
If you still want root, (re)reroot using the established method here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did this work on the build g530az of5?

Cricket has not yet made lollipop available to me (I keep checking), so I have not been able to test it.

I have the SM-G530AZ and I'm trying to restore stock using the method you provided but I'm stuck at 8% update/initialization. I've tried everything I can think of to unbrick my phone. Please help!

iseewhatudid said:
I have the SM-G530AZ and I'm trying to restore stock using the method you provided but I'm stuck at 8% update/initialization. I've tried everything I can think of to unbrick my phone. Please help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try again following those directions thoroughly, just worked for me earlier today, make sure you're on a good internet connection, and don't plug in the phone (which will be in download mode) until you absolutely have to. hope all goes well.

Thanks a million
zomgitsanoob said:
your instructions were slightly off. Here's what worked.
1) install kies 3. Do not plug in phone
2) go to tools -> firmware upgrade and initialisation in kies
3) device id = sm-g530az ; serial number is under battery
4) allow kies to download the firmware
5) place phone in odin mode/emergency download mode (hold vol dwn and home while powering on ) then plug in phone to computer via usb
6) allow kies to send image to phone. Have some ice cream and egg rolls and do not touch anything.
7) profit! After the phone restarts, it will take you through initial set up (like when you bought it)
you win!! Even the mobile data is set-up already!​
all your screwups (soft brick, deletes systemui....) are forgiven. Don't do it again.
bonus::
about: Device status: Official
odin mode:
Current binaryfficial
system status: Official
used knox status checker from gp.... 0x0 !
I think we just got our warranty back, baby :good:
Optional:
If you still want root, (re)reroot using the established method here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you so much man i had rooted my galaxy grand prime from cricket with kingroot ..couple hours later once my phone died and restarted it said my phone was flashed and locked due to unauthorized firmware ..i could not get into my phone at all.. Only able to see odin mode (download mode) ..so i did some research and could not find sm-g530az firmware anywhere for download. So i went to cricket they told me my phone is no good i had to get another one. I was furious ..but didnt give up since im pretty mobile phone and computer savvy. I still did some research found this thread and downloaded kies 3 .it did not recognize my phone for connection ..so i downloaded kies 2.6 and kies lite.
It just kept saying connecting ..so i then followed ur steps above and it brought my phone back to life ..crazy how cricket and even samsun themselves did not know what to do as i was on the phone with both of them ..they told me my phone is no longer good ..smh ...anyways thank you sooo much ..saved me about $150.
I hope this helps anyone else that is in the same position that i was in

same exact issue
BXXCLISIVE said:
thank you so much man i had rooted my galaxy grand prime from cricket with kingroot ..couple hours later once my phone died and restarted it said my phone was flashed and locked due to unauthorized firmware ..i could not get into my phone at all.. Only able to see odin mode (download mode) ..so i did some research and could not find sm-g530az firmware anywhere for download. So i went to cricket they told me my phone is no good i had to get another one. I was furious ..but didnt give up since im pretty mobile phone and computer savvy. I still did some research found this thread and downloaded kies 3 .it did not recognize my phone for connection ..so i downloaded kies 2.6 and kies lite.
It just kept saying connecting ..so i then followed ur steps above and it brought my phone back to life ..crazy how cricket and even samsun themselves did not know what to do as i was on the phone with both of them ..they told me my phone is no longer good ..smh ...anyways thank you sooo much ..saved me about $150.
I hope this helps anyone else that is in the same position that i was in
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when i follow step 3 where i have to put in the model of the phone SM-G530AZ i enter it and it says please check model name and try again i see it says somthing about the serial number how is it supposed to be entered model name;serial number? becuse just using the model number doesnt get me passed anything :crying: :crying:

Oops-a-daisy (flashed wrong version of stock rom)

I wanted to root my Galaxy Note 4 (SM-N910F UK carrier H3G) so I could use the mirroring option in Airdroid.
Long story short, I'm severely disabled so wanted full access to my phone whilst on my pc, without struggling to get my phone all the time. (SWTOR Security Key is one of the many reasons for wanting to not have to grab my phone every time I need to do something on it)
(I can't put phone where it's easily accessible whilst on pc, because of the board I use for keyboard and mouse rested across the arms of my chair)
I THOUGHT I had it sussed, as I had successfully rooted and booted my S3, S4 and Note 2, 3 and 8.0 devices.
However, I didn't read the fine print when using CF-autoroot in that it doesn't work on 5.1.1 atm. Or something along those lines...
Anyway, with my usual eagerness and impatience to do geeky/nerdy deeds, I ended up with my phone in a constant boot loop no matter what I tried.
I scoured the Internet for 3 hours, trying to find the original stock rom for my device and was livid that my usual Google-Fu was failing miserably.
I found one, so I thought, installed the kernel, (couldn't find stock kernel either) installed SuperSU, installed Twprs or whatever it is, (excuse my lack of knowledge please) then installed this "stock" rom.
Turns out it possibly IS the H3G network's Stock Note 4 (SM-N910F) ROM. IF I lived in Italy.
I still would like root access on my phone, but I would like to try and get stock rom back, or something EXCEPTIONALLY similar.
Please, again, excuse my apparent thickness... (and I'm not talking sliced bread here) is it the kernel where rooting takes place, the ROM, or do both have to be involved in the adaptation?
I know very very little about Linux and kernels etc.
I hope that I have described my predicament clearly, and that when one has picked oneself up off the floor from rolling around with much merriment, one (anyone) is able to assist with my screw up.
Best wishes,
(Applebogies for waffling on more than the meat content of a Belgian Blue, (I'm not talking Blue Waffle, but of four legged animals that chew the cud)
(Applebogies also for mentioning The Waffle of Blue-ness in more than one sense of the word, if it makes you Google it and you only just ate and you've never seen it before)
(Finally, applebogies for my rotten and feeble attempts humour, please try to cut through my crap and get to the point ofwhat my conundrum actually is)

So basically in a nutshell, you've bricked your phone? I do know that when I flashed stock ROM the other day, I had to pull the battery, boot into recovery (vol up + home + power) and wipe data/factory reset and wipe cache too. Then it booted just fine try that.

you can find different stock roms for your phone at sammobile (google it) download the firmware from there and flash it with odin. Watch youtube videos on how to flash firmware with odin. its simple

See if you can boot the phone into Download Mode via volume up+home+power. If it boots into download mode that means its not hard bricked. If it doesnt boot into DL the first time you try, do a battery pull for 15-20 seconds, then try again. If that doesnt work, then check your specific device versions forum for an unbrick method, and check for a general unbrick that can be used for all N4's.
If it does boot into download mode, download the stock firmware for your specific N4, flash it via Odin, (instructions are generally included in the thread where you find the stock ROM download) and you should be good to go after that.
Edit: SamMobile does indeed have a firmware for your specific device. Do a google search for sammobile, go to that site, and input SM-N910F into the device search bar. That will take you to a page with a list of firmwares. Theres a list box where you can select your country, that includes country and carrier combinations. Yours will be listed as United Kingdom (H3G)(H3G). Select firmware with PDA version N910FXXU1COJ3.

Not sure why you all think my phone is bricked, I am on it now?
I am however, currently running the Italian version of 3 mobile rom. Looks like asrah has solved that problem though xD
To shorten my previous post:
Where does root happen, on kernel or rom?
Ie - can I have stock rom but still have root access on my phone?
Thank you to asrah for finding my rom.
Thanks all and a very Merry Christmas!

"Sim card removed" error with CM 12.1 on Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9505

First off thanks for this forum and its plethora off information.
My problem:
1. Bought a brand new GT-I9505.
2. Installed cm-12.1-20151117-SNAPSHOT-YOG7DAO1JN-jfltexx with this guide (https://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_jfltexx)
3. Everything went smooth but the next day starting to get "Sim Card Removed" errors
4. Search the internets and saw that it was a know problem to some batches of S4 phones (https://www.google.nl/search?q=sams....69i57j0l5.15789j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)
5. Called customer support of where I bought the phone. Told me I could return it because of the Dead On Arrival support that they give for these cases.
6. Tried to reset to stock but that didn't work because, as I came to discover, knox Warranty Void got triggered to 0x1.
7. Did a factory reset with CM and send the phone back to the company.
8. They sent the phone back to me saying they could not remove CM and that they wanted me to reinstall the OS which came with the phone.
From my past knowledge (installing CM on a galaxy S2) I remembered that my warranty ony would be voided when I would root my device.
I felt supported in that assumption by the text on the install page for my phone which stated:
"The preferred method of installing a custom recovery is through this boot mode. Rooting the stock firmware is neither recommended nor necessary"
So I thought I was doing the installation correctly in terms of warranty voiding.
Clearly that assumption was false because meanwhile Knox got implemented and I should have read upfront before installing CM obviously on my new phone. My bad.
However I am now in a stiuation where I have bought a phone with a hardware defect (Sim card is randomly not being detected) but I cannot return it because Samsung has set a flag which cannot be reset (http://omegadroid.co/wanted-knox-void-warranty-0x1/).
I have read some posts (e.g. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2568450) about that it is possible to return to stock but either the posts are relatively old or they are about other devices and/or Android versions.
So I am confused about what my options are at the moment and before I go into the process of trying to bring back my phone to stock I wanted to ask help from some better informed people about this situation.
My questions are:
1. Can I go back to stock firmware from CM 12.1 while knox got triggered.
2. If so, do I need to root my phone?
3. If succeeded is there a way to hide the Warranty Void message while booting. I am talking about hiding here and not removing/resetting the flasg to 0x0 as that is not possible.
Thanks in advance,
Undersound

undersound said:
First off thanks for this forum and its plethora off information.
My problem:
1. Bought a brand new GT-I9505.
2. Installed cm-12.1-20151117-SNAPSHOT-YOG7DAO1JN-jfltexx with this guide (https://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_jfltexx)
3. Everything went smooth but the next day starting to get "Sim Card Removed" errors
4. Search the internets and saw that it was a know problem to some batches of S4 phones (https://www.google.nl/search?q=sams....69i57j0l5.15789j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)
5. Called customer support of where I bought the phone. Told me I could return it because of the Dead On Arrival support that they give for these cases.
6. Tried to reset to stock but that didn't work because, as I came to discover, knox Warranty Void got triggered to 0x1.
7. Did a factory reset with CM and send the phone back to the company.
8. They sent the phone back to me saying they could not remove CM and that they wanted me to reinstall the OS which came with the phone.
From my past knowledge (installing CM on a galaxy S2) I remembered that my warranty ony would be voided when I would root my device.
I felt supported in that assumption by the text on the install page for my phone which stated:
"The preferred method of installing a custom recovery is through this boot mode. Rooting the stock firmware is neither recommended nor necessary"
So I thought I was doing the installation correctly in terms of warranty voiding.
Clearly that assumption was false because meanwhile Knox got implemented and I should have read upfront before installing CM obviously on my new phone. My bad.
However I am now in a stiuation where I have bought a phone with a hardware defect (Sim card is randomly not being detected) but I cannot return it because Samsung has set a flag which cannot be reset (http://omegadroid.co/wanted-knox-void-warranty-0x1/).
I have read some posts (e.g. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2568450) about that it is possible to return to stock but either the posts are relatively old or they are about other devices and/or Android versions.
So I am confused about what my options are at the moment and before I go into the process of trying to bring back my phone to stock I wanted to ask help from some better informed people about this situation.
My questions are:
1. Can I go back to stock firmware from CM 12.1 while knox got triggered.
2. If so, do I need to root my phone?
3. If succeeded is there a way to hide the Warranty Void message while booting. I am talking about hiding here and not removing/resetting the flasg to 0x0 as that is not possible.
Thanks in advance,
Undersound
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Yes, of course.
2) No.
3) Don't know what you are talking about.
Odin is used to flash stock roms on Samsung devices. That is the only way.
There are links to guides in the help thread in the Q&A section.

Yes u can go back to stock. Just download the firmware from sammobile.com then download odin now put ur phone in download mode and start odin as admin.
Next in pda select the file u downloaded from sammobile and flash.
Thats all
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

jimmyoh said:
Yes u can go back to stock. Just download the firmware from sammobile.com then download odin now put ur phone in download mode and start odin as admin.
Next in pda select the file u downloaded from sammobile and flash.
Thats all
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks both for your answers.
Should have been more clear in point 6 where I write I tried to reset to stock.
I tries resetting to stock with Odin 3.10.7 (also tried 3.09 and 3.07) and a firmware image from sammobile.com
Unfortuanetely I got an error relating to my pit file.
Used heimdall to create one from my phone.
Tried to go back to stock again via pda and pit file options (re-partition checked this time)
Unfortuanetely it still didn't work. Don't have access to the exact error messages here from that process but will post back the error messages once I do.
Thanks again for your time and support on this

undersound said:
Thanks both for your answers.
Should have been more clear in point 6 where I write I tried to reset to stock.
I tries resetting to stock with Odin 3.10.7 (also tried 3.09 and 3.07) and a firmware image from sammobile.com
Unfortuanetely I got an error relating to my pit file.
Used heimdall to create one from my phone.
Tried to go back to stock again via pda and pit file options (re-partition checked this time)
Unfortuanetely it still didn't work. Don't have access to the exact error messages here from that process but will post back the error messages once I do.
Thanks again for your time and support on this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Such errors are usually related to the USB cable, USB port on the pc (back ports are recommended) and Windows version.
Edit: You might be able to use FlashFire to flash the stock rom if Odin doesn't work.

GDReaper said:
Such errors are usually related to the USB cable, USB port on the pc (back ports are recommended) and Windows version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's good to know, thanks. I was trying this with an extended usb cable so it can be the definitely the case.
Will try later today with a direct connection to a backport.

GDReaper said:
Such errors are usually related to the USB cable, USB port on the pc (back ports are recommended) and Windows version.
Edit: You might be able to use FlashFire to flash the stock rom if Odin doesn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Managed to return to stock firmware, yay!
In case it helps someone else, here are my steps:
1. By dialing *#1234# on a similar phone I checked what ap/cp/csc version I needed
Code:
AP: I9505XXUHOF2
CP: I9505XXUHOF2
CSC: I9505OXAHOF2
2. Downloaded the correct firmware image (http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/download/50091/I9505XXUHOF2_I9505YHNHOF2_PHN/)
3. Extracted the firmware file
4. Opened Odin v3.10.7
5. Rebooted Phone in Download Mode (press and hold Home + Power + Volume Down buttons)
6. Connected phone and waited until I got a blue sign in Odin
7. Added the firmware file to AP / PDA
8. Made sure re-partition was NOT ticked
9. Clicked the start button
10. Then I got a PASS!
So I guess there can be 2 reasons my first attempt of flashing stock firmware did not worked:
1. The firmware I used the first time was not correct for this phone (http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/download/64897/I9505XXUPOL1_I9505PHNPOL1_PHN)
I did not know at that time about checking my ap/cp/csc described in Step 1 above so I was just downloading the firmware which seemed the most appropiate according to the country / provider.
What helped me a lot was when I found the explanation of the parts of the version number:
Code:
I9505XXUHOF2
I9505 = phone model
XX = country/region code
UHOH2 = modem
2. The second attempt I followed GDReaper suggestion and I used the usb cable directly on of the backports of my pc so that could have helped as well.
Another thing that was not clear to me at first were the providers code. Or well, they were clear to me that they were abbreviations for telecom providers but I did not bought these phones from a provider so I was not sure which one to pick. After a while I came to discover that I needed PHN which means Unbranded
Code:
---------------------
PHN = unbranded
TNL = Tmobile
VDF = Vodafone
Thanks all for the help

Back from Windows Phone, what ROM to use?

Thinking I'll post the TLDR up top:
What ROM should I use for the most basic (no extra "features") for my phone? Perhaps I'm too soon for such a version? I have the Exynos S8+.
So ~4 years ago I decided to move to Windows Phone (xperia 1020 -> Lumia 950XL). I'm not a big Facebook guy, so my phone is mainly for notes, texts and calling. I have however become a "fan" of Microsoft products, and I managed to change everything from "Samsung all the way up your ass" to "Microsoft when you desire it" on my S8+, including remapping the bixby button to Cortana. I have turned of all permissions possible for all Samsung apps I could, the only reason I want to root/change ROM is because I hate the "always active, **** up your battery and start all apps lockscreen home button".
I don't want any fancy stuff, I just want a clean android version for my Phone, with the option to disable the Home button on lock screen... And perhaps a point in the right direction for how to root/ROM my phone correctly. I believe it's 7 years since I've looked into rooting, hell, might even use the wrong terms here... That's what not looking into tech like I did 7 years ago does to a man
Edit: My 950XL basically went to hell, so I had to more or less impulse-purchase my S8+, without looking into what I really bought.

I've had this Samsung phone for maybe a month and a half. So please take this with a grain a salt. Information that was scattered around and I had to go searching for when I bought this phone. Here is my brain dump...
There isn't an AOSP or Vanilla Android ROM, they're all touchwiz based. Most of the ROMs give you an option during installation of certain apps you can remove. I dabbed around making a very clean and minimal ROM, but turns out if you remove too much the setup wizard falls apart and the phone basically freezes before even selecting your language. So I resorted to installing someone elses ROM and after setting it up, using ROM toolkit to remove random system apps and hoping it doesn't crash after a reboot. haha
This is my first Samsung phone (exynos S8) so getting around to using ODIN and the different files you need to flash was a headache. The general rules to follow are.
1. Enable Developer Options and turn on OEM Unlock. Then never again change that option. If you are not running 100% stock the bootloader will prevent the phone from turning on correctly and kick you into Download mode basically forcing you to flash a stock ROM. So once you turn on OEM Unlock, just leave it turned on. I was messing around in Dev Options and without knowing turned it off. Next time I restarted my phone I was forced to flash stock rom again. Custom ROMS tend to remove that option entirely so someone doesn't mistakenly turn it OFF.
2. KNOX is Samsungs security in stock ROMs. The moment any kind of custom recovery or anything is installed. KNOX will be tripped and stop the phone from completing boot up. It'll basically tell you that theres something that wasn't signed by Samsung and to reset the phone. An endless cycle unless you, 1. Install a Custom ROM or 2. Flash a stock ROM to undo whatever you did.
3. Keep your firmware (modem bootloader etc) as recommended by the ROM Dev. AQF7 is the last known stable and developed for firmware.
Right now there a new update AQG5 that has an updated Bootloader that will softbrick your phone. People have tried installing the entire Stock ROM and ran into issues. It worked for some, but avoid it for now. If you do find the need to play with it. For the time being flashing just the modem (CP file) and keeping or using the previous AQF7 Bootloader (BL file) should keep your phone usable.
4. The S8 and S8+ are very much identical except the obvious size difference. Cross Development allows Devs to create a single ROM for both devices. With only the Kernel being the difference. Which is some cases both are in the ROM zip and automatically selected for you. So if they state its compatible with both. If not just focus on S8+ only ROMS.
5. ODIN is a program that's used to flash files. Either to flash custom recovery or stock files. Samsungs SmartSwitch program is like Windows Phone Recovery Tool. It'll detect the phone you have connected and download the latest stock ROM it can find and flash it. ODIN is a stripped down program that we use to flash individual files. Its only really used to either flash a stock ROM or custom recovery. In some cases bootloaders and modem updates, but id avoid those for now.
6. ROM/Firmware structure. Samsung stock ROMs and Firmware zips are available all over the place. Basically its a .zip file with more tar files in it.
Lets say you download a stock ROM.
The name is normally Model|Region|Version.zip so for me I have G950FXXU1AQF7 that tells you. G950F is the Euro S8 Exynos, XXU1 is basically just New Zealand and some carrier, AQF7 is the firmware version. The file name might have multiple regions. Theres more into what means what. I personally just focus on the Model and the Firmware. I can delete carrier apps or flash my carriers CSC later on. From what I've seen version numbers increase with the next letter in the alphabet and a number. So obviously an update with AQF7 is newer then one named AQD6 etc.
If you where to extract a stock firmware/ROM zip to use in ODIN etc. It normally gets broken down to these tar files. If stock files are renamed ODIN will not accept them. It happen to me
BL** - Contains the Bootloader, partition layout etc.
AP** - Actual ROM. Kernel, System, cache, userdata (for some), recovery
CP** - Modem files.
CSC** - Preloaded carrier apps, settings. This comes in two files. If you flash HOME_CSC your data is kept if you decide to do an update. CSC file without HOME will format the data partition.
These files are flashed in their prepacked files. You wont flash individual system, kernel files etc with odin.
7. TWRP the go to recovery for Android. You'll use ODIN to flash it. On twrps website just find the S8+ (dream2lte) and download the .tar file. Using ODIN it will be flashed as an AP file.
8. Once you have TWRP installed it will trip KNOX if using a stock ROM. The button combination to get you into recovery from a fully turned off phone is,
PWR + Vol Up + Bixby
Vol Down is Download Mode, also used as the button combo to force the phone to restart. If you restart it this way, quickly move your finger and hit Vol Up and if done right will go into recovery.
9. CSC is carrier bloatware, but in the forums its what gives you VoLTE & WifiCalling. As long as your carrier supports it and in an area/wifi network that will allow it. Some ROMs have it included, if not you can find a forum thread which offers a flashable zip that will give you all the carriers around the globe. If selected correctly should give you those features for your carrier on your phone.
___________
The jist of all that is. Enable OEM unlock > use ODIN to flash TWRP > Boot into TWRP and flash a custom ROM. You'll use TWRP to flash ROMS, Mods, Custom Kernels. ODIN/SmartSwitch would be used to revert to 100% stock. If you ever some how turn off OEM unlock while using a custom ROM. FAP will be turned on and block you from using your phone until you flash a stock ROM and turn on OEM unlock again.
I'm personally using Renovate ICE on my S8 and have removed ALOT of system apps. Windows Phone has a special place in my heart, but Microsoft is just terrible about it now. I had a 950XL for a bit, but always had HTC phones when it came to Android. For me HTC was so much easier to work with when it came to ROMs. Now I'm rocking an S8 so had to learn fast.
Always do your research before flashing anything. Make sure multiple sources say the same thing or risk flashing something that might break your phone. If any other user finds something I mention to be wrong, PLEASE correct me. I will learn and so will others.
What I missed from HTC forums was the sticky threads. The go to threads that broken everything down and explained it. All the HTC phones I had while using XDA had these sticky threads in each devices forums. I was and still am reading threads from other Galaxy phones just to get a better understanding of how it all works since they aren't in this devices forum.
Not to talk bad about long time Samsung users, but yall need to get organized haha. Once I'm confident with Samsungs inner programming workings I'll try to make an actual knowledge thread with links and where credit is do. But dam it's like sink or swim around some galaxy phones.