Database Users

[Q] Is this what they call a soft brick?

Hello ladies and gents,
So I'm a total noob and I think I bricked my phone.
I got root by using the motochopper tool
then I went for custom recovery, but I think I flashed the verizon version instead of the ATT version (I was trying to install the Google Wallet fix with a custom rom)
Rebooted the phone, I get an unlock symbol and samsung custom
I can boot into recovery mode and I still have root access / command line.
The phone either boots to black screen with a oscillating blue light or if I go into the other mode it says 'downloading'
Anything I can do to get my phone back working? Did I totally brick it?

Yes, if you see anything on the screen, that would be a soft brick, you are getting the unauthorized screen, then you need another kernel for sure, lets start there...
You really should either put your device in your information screen or tell us what type of device you have, that is very important.
I can not tell you what kernel, not knowing what device has the problem.
I see you mentioned att, is it US or Canadian version?
These are a must when you are seeking help.

I have the AT&T US Version of the S4, 1337
And now it seems I've made it worse, I reinstalled a new Rom, now I can't boot into recovery at all. It goes blank after the Samsung custom screen. Still can ADB into it though.
TheAxman said:
Yes, if you see anything on the screen, that would be a soft brick, you are getting the unauthorized screen, then you need another kernel for sure, lets start there...
You really should either put your device in your information screen or tell us what type of device you have, that is very important.
I can not tell you what kernel, not knowing what device has the problem.
I see you mentioned att, is it US or Canadian version?
These are a must when you are seeking help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Do you have any type backup? Have you tried, power off phone. hold down power button and volume up at same time, when it vibrates, let go of the power button, it should go into recovery, and lets try restoring your backup.
Your problem is you have the wrong kernel loading, flash a ATT kernel once in the recovery, it will boot.

willenglishiv said:
I have the AT&T US Version of the S4, 1337
And now it seems I've made it worse, I reinstalled a new Rom, now I can't boot into recovery at all. It goes blank after the Samsung custom screen. Still can ADB into it though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just ODIN flash the stock firmware for ATT I337 and re-root? That's what I would try.

blyndfyre said:
Just ODIN flash the stock firmware for ATT I337 and re-root? That's what I would try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually Ax has the best solution if he can get to recovery... your way will work but by far to many steps for something that simple...
just saying!!

sloanster said:
Actually Ax has the best solution if he can get to recovery... your way will work but by far to many steps for something that simple...
just saying!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree Ax's solution is simpler, but OP said that he cannot boot to recovery.
And now it seems I've made it worse, I reinstalled a new Rom, now I can't boot into recovery at all. It goes blank after the Samsung custom screen. Still can ADB into it though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

blyndfyre said:
I agree Ax's solution is simpler, but OP said that he cannot boot to recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But he can adb so he can push the kernel onto his phone and flash in recovery
Edit: my bad, he did say he can't boot into recovery. Odin is his best bet.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

he hasn't answered the get into recovery yet, nor has he said he has a backup. I was trying a simple solution. Then we can move on to the odin back.

TheAxman said:
he hasn't answered the get into recovery yet, nor has he said he has a backup. I was trying a simple solution. Then we can move on to the odin back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hope it gets it worked out!!!
The main thing is he's got options...:angel:

[Q] SGH-I337 Download Mode Problem?

Greetings everyone,
So will not try to type out a book here, but want to try to include all the info/everything I have done do this point. I recently purchased a Galaxy S4 ( SGH-I337) ATT model. My end goal was to have it rooted with CM 11 installed on it. This is only the second phone I have attempted to root ( First was Atrix HD which went overall fine). I'm basing my end goal off of it, in that I am wanting to have it rooted with CM 11 installed. I started off by downloading Odin and used towel and was able to get the phone rooted. That seemed to have gone without too many problems. I tried to do as much reading as I could, but I'm sure I either misread or overlooked where I went wrong next. I then installed TWRP in the hopes of getting CM 11 installed. This is where the problems start. After installing TWRP ( later reading I saw I probably should have used Philz soft touch??) and restarting my phone it would only go into " Download Mode" and would forever just sit there. I did some searching and saw how to get past this simply by just restarting and holding the volume up and selecting now that I did not want to enter into Download mode. At this point I decided to go download the stock ROM and start over. I downloaded and followed the instructions from
Greetings everyone,
So will not try to type out a book here, but want to try to include all the info/everything I have done do this point. I recently purchased a Galaxy S4 ( SGH-I337) ATT model. My end goal was to have it rooted with CM 11 installed on it. This is only the second phone I have attempted to root ( First was Atrix HD which went overall fine). I'm basing my end goal off of it, in that I am wanting to have it rooted with CM 11 installed. I started off by downloading Odin and used towel and was able to get the phone rooted. That seemed to have gone without too many problems. I tried to do as much reading as I could, but I'm sure I either misread or overlooked where I went wrong next. I then installed TWRP in the hopes of getting CM 11 installed. This is where the problems start. After installing TWRP ( later reading I saw I probably should have used Philz soft touch??) and restarting my phone it would only go into " Download Mode" and would forever just sit there. I did some searching and saw how to get past this simply by just restarting and holding the volume up and selecting now that I did not want to enter into Download mode. At this point I decided to go download the stock ROM and start over. I downloaded and followed the instructions from
androidrootz.com/2014/03/how-to-unrootunbrick-at-galaxy-s4-sgh.html . From that point is where things went to hell in a hand-basket. My phone will load but whenever I try to turn on Wifi to try to re-root I get a Security Information message saying that it has blocked Wifi from turning on. Quick Google search says this is built in security "Knox"? that is causing this. Posts say that I have the wrong firmware for this phone? The bigger problem seems to be that now when I try to boot into recovery, I get a background that says "No Command" and red lettering at the top that says " Android system recovery <3e>. I have options to reboot system now, update from ADB and others. At the bottom it says #Manual Mode# Successfully applied multi-CSC. So somehow I think i have corrupted the boot loader. Of course Odin will not recognize the phone in this state to try to push any kind of firmware or boot-loader to it. At this point I truley am clueless and lost. Not at all above saying I'm above my head and need some guidence or help from someone who knows a lot more about this then I do. I really thought I had read and done plenty of research before I tried this, but non the less I have a phone I can't get into recovery and once booted, I can't get wifi to work. Thanks for your time and insight. From that point is where things went to hell in a hand-basket. My phone will load but whenever I try to turn on Wifi to try to re-root I get a Security Information message saying that it has blocked Wifi from turning on. Quick Google search says this is built in security "Knox"? that is causing this. Posts say that I have the wrong firmware for this phone? The bigger problem seems to be that now when I try to boot into recovery, I get a background that says "No Command" and red lettering at the top that says " Android system recovery <3e>. I have options to reboot system now, update from ADB and others. At the bottom it says #Manual Mode# Successfully applied multi-CSC. So somehow I think i have corrupted the boot loader. Of course Odin will not recognize the phone in this state to try to push any kind of firmware or boot-loader to it. At this point I truley am clueless and lost. Not at all above saying I'm above my head and need some guidence or help from someone who knows a lot more about this then I do. I really thought I had read and done plenty of research before I tried this, but non the less I have a phone I can't get into recovery and once booted, I can't get wifi to work. Thanks for your time and insight.

Tl,dr sure looks like a book to me. If you just got an s4 I'm sure the bootloader can't be exploited and you can't use cm. Look through this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=53758227
Sent from my Nexus 9 using XDA Free mobile app

jd1639 said:
Tl,dr sure looks like a book to me. If you just got an s4 I'm sure the bootloader can't be exploited and you can't use cm. Look through this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=53758227
Sent from my Nexus 9 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link. Very helpful info. Problem I can't seem to get around is that since any ROM i download will not pass the signature inside the recovery mode, I don't know how to get to where I can flash any kind of ROM to it. Yes sorry for the book, I just see too often people don't ever post enough info on what they have or what they have done. In essence how do i use Odin if i can't get into download mode and recovery mode will not accept any file cause it says it fails the md5 signature? Thanks for the help

bryantjb said:
Thanks for the link. Very helpful info. Problem I can't seem to get around is that since any ROM i download will not pass the signature inside the recovery mode, I don't know how to get to where I can flash any kind of ROM to it. Yes sorry for the book, I just see too often people don't ever post enough info on what they have or what they have done. In essence how do i use Odin if i can't get into download mode and recovery mode will not accept any file cause it says it fails the md5 signature? Thanks for the help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want to give you useless information, but make sure you're using the right steps to get into download mode.
1) Power off your device
2) Remove battery for 10 seconds
3) Replace battery
4) Hold POWER + HOME + VOLUME DOWN until you see the "Warning" Screen
5) Quickly hit the VOLUME UP button.
Then you can connect to ODIN, and go from there.

Bootloop after applying a theme to CM13 20151214!

Hello, I am facing a major issue here, I had CM13 nightly 20151214 and I applied a theme, I even can't remember its name then the mobile rebooted then it stuck in a boot loop since then.
I have tried so many times and I can't get into the recovery!! Don't know why! I was on TWRP 2.8.7.3 bumped and everything was working perfect until that restart.
I still can access the download mode but I don't want to flash the stock rom now as I have so important files on the phone and I want to back it up first; and since I can't access the recovery to copy the files or flash another rom I am out of options!!
Your help is much appreciated here.
Phone: LG G2 D802 International version

I think that Android M created a smaller /system partition and in turn caused problems when you wrote to it and did not have space left. The only thing I can suggest is keep trying to boot to recovery...

shaneel1491 said:
I think that Android M created a smaller /system partition and in turn caused problems when you wrote to it and did not have space left. The only thing I can suggest is keep trying to boot to recovery...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For some reason the buttons combination for opening the recovery are not working anymore!

Pr0fess0rX said:
For some reason the buttons combination for opening the recovery are not working anymore!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try either the vol down plus power, and I know there is another but I can't remember it, just do some regarding the different bootloaders..

Try vol- plus power when see lg logo release and press volume+ and vouleme-

I couldn't access the recovery (despite the fact that I know the combination very well) and also wasn't able to flash a stock rom.
After many tried and so much help in the following thread, I was successfully able to install a stock rom and here is the link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64331109&postcount=11256

Cant get past fastboot screen

Hey guys so i was on stock lg v20 software and i recently rooted and didnt realize that i would loose wifi calling... I tried to do a factory reset but that was a mistake... ATM i currently can get into bootloader mode and fastboot but i am not able to do anything else but that... For some reason when i mount on bootloader the internal storage doesnt even show up... Im not sure what to do at this point I dont think i can just reset back to stock because there isnt no firmware... I know there is a krz file that i downloaded i used to the flasher software but it didnt do anything for some reason i put my phone into download mode and it would be stuck at 0 percent... I was on the h910 model but now its saying us966 for some reason. I can also note that i tried to install the deox rom or whatever it is and it would say it was installed but when i reboot to system it just goes back into fastboot can anyone help me with this? I realized i screwed up but is there anything i can do? I can contact att and get a replacement but i dont know if they will do it since the bootloader is on there.

Oamamn5 said:
Hey guys so i was on stock lg v20 software and i recently rooted and didnt realize that i would loose wifi calling... I tried to do a factory reset but that was a mistake... ATM i currently can get into bootloader mode and fastboot but i am not able to do anything else but that... For some reason when i mount on bootloader the internal storage doesnt even show up... Im not sure what to do at this point I dont think i can just reset back to stock because there isnt no firmware... I know there is a krz file that i downloaded i used to the flasher software but it didnt do anything for some reason i put my phone into download mode and it would be stuck at 0 percent... I was on the h910 model but now its saying us966 for some reason. I can also note that i tried to install the deox rom or whatever it is and it would say it was installed but when i reboot to system it just goes back into fastboot can anyone help me with this? I realized i screwed up but is there anything i can do? I can contact att and get a replacement but i dont know if they will do it since the bootloader is on there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm try getting back into Recovery if you've already flashed TWRP. Pull battery out, hold down POWER and VOL DOWN at the same time, the second that the LG logo pops up, let go of power and hold it back down again really quick. If you do it right, you will get a factory reset screen. Say yes to both screens. If you are unsure that you have TWRP flashed, reflash TWRP from fastboot. If you are able to get to TWRP, do a clean wipe [(dalvik, boot,system, cache) + (format data)] then flash your desired rom.
I don't know anything about going back to stock, especially since I'm on the Sprint variant. Good luck.

Oamamn5 said:
Hey guys so i was on stock lg v20 software and i recently rooted and didnt realize that i would loose wifi calling... I tried to do a factory reset but that was a mistake... ATM i currently can get into bootloader mode and fastboot but i am not able to do anything else but that... For some reason when i mount on bootloader the internal storage doesnt even show up... Im not sure what to do at this point I dont think i can just reset back to stock because there isnt no firmware... I know there is a krz file that i downloaded i used to the flasher software but it didnt do anything for some reason i put my phone into download mode and it would be stuck at 0 percent... I was on the h910 model but now its saying us966 for some reason. I can also note that i tried to install the deox rom or whatever it is and it would say it was installed but when i reboot to system it just goes back into fastboot can anyone help me with this? I realized i screwed up but is there anything i can do? I can contact att and get a replacement but i dont know if they will do it since the bootloader is on there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the similar problem, Im on the sprint variant. If you can access the boot loader. Run Step 3 of the dirty Santa method. this will install the TWRP recovery again, if somehow it is corrupt. After that, download the stock from for your h910 model and place it on an SD card. Flash it and see if that fixes it.
At least with this you will know that it is most likely a firmware issue.
Note: if after you install TWRP and it just hangs on the LG logo, at some given point, you can run the command via your respected operating system.
adb reboot recovery
and that should kick you into TWRP.

This is not an answer to your question, but you should not lose wifi calling from just rooting. Stock based ROMs should also have wifi calling working.

well dang for some reason my wifi calling wasnt working and ik for a fact that the fm radio wasnt working also not that i need it anyways. Well what i did was call att and thank god there sending me a replacement so im going to send this one back when i get the new one i would like to root the new phone but I do not want to lose wifi calling if i do it again i doubt ill be able to get another replacement lol. Is there a easier way to root possibly? And I cant download a stock firmware because i basically cant find one for my phone I have no way to go back to stock so a rom is only option Im going to try this one more time just to check it im going to download a rom for my phone and ill check it

Oamamn5 said:
well dang for some reason my wifi calling wasnt working and ik for a fact that the fm radio wasnt working also not that i need it anyways. Well what i did was call att and thank god there sending me a replacement so im going to send this one back when i get the new one i would like to root the new phone but I do not want to lose wifi calling if i do it again i doubt ill be able to get another replacement lol. Is there a easier way to root possibly? And I cant download a stock firmware because i basically cant find one for my phone I have no way to go back to stock so a rom is only option Im going to try this one more time just to check it im going to download a rom for my phone and ill check it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may want to check out this thread. If you can't get out of this situation you should also consider not rooting your next device.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/how-to/stock-att-h910-stock-recovery-boot-image-t3528060

SM-P613. Error vbmeta image.

Hello!
I was recently gifted a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 SM-P13. I only use my tablet to watch chess videos on Youtube, so I was happy to get a tablet to mess around a bit with it. I did not know much about rooting, but I thought installing Lineage OS and learning from it would be exciting.
I'm good at following instructions, but with some overenthusiasm, I realized that Lineage OS did not support my model a bit too late. So I reached step 5 of "Installing a custom recovery using heimdall" in the official instructions (https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/gta4xlwifi/install).
But I could not do step 6 as it could not boot into recovery mode. It will stay in download mode with the following message:
<!>
_partition recovery
Reason recovery: Error verifying vbmeta image: invalid vbmeta header(6)
CUSTOM recovery
VBMETA P613XXU1AVG5, 54410278R
I have looked around to see fixes, but I have felt slightly overwhelmed. So I have installed Odin, and at this moment, as Lineage OS is not an option, I don't care which ROM to install (stock, lite, etc...).
Can someone guide me on what to do now so I won't worsen things?
Thank you for your help in advance!

Hey Pablosky000, have you tried using odin to flash stock firmware to fix it back to how it orignally was?

oFluffy said:
Hey Pablosky000, have you tried using odin to flash stock firmware to fix it back to how it orignally was?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. Liked I said, I feel a bit overwhelmed and risk-averse at the moment. I have Odin installed and a the stock lite version downloaded. Was hoping for a "Try Odin with stock first" before making any further mistakes.

Pablosky000 said:
Hi. Liked I said, I feel a bit overwhelmed and risk-averse at the moment. I have Odin installed and a the stock lite version downloaded. Was hoping for a "Try Odin with stock first" before making any further mistakes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't fully understand whether or not you are wanting to return it to normal or not here, but I do know about the S6 lite. I have my own S6 lite, and I noticed no one has been updating the patched files for it. A recent update forces it to have the file it was talking about, and unless someone makes a specific twrp for that device specifically, we won't be able to use a custom recovery to flash a rom.
If your issue is getting it into recovery mode however, you aren't alone. The Samsung tablet's usually have the same method for launching, but this one specifically was weird.
You have to:
1.Unplug it
2.Hold power and volume down
3. As soon as it turns off plug it back in and begin holding the recovery key buttons
4.If it isn't in recovery you may have just missed the small window you had to do it, which is fine just start from step one until it works.
If you did flash your own recovery and expected it to show the stock Samsung recovery menu, that won't happen since you overwrote it by flashing a recovery. You should be able to find your device model on https://sfirmware.com/
In odin "AP" is where you flash your recovery files. If the device isn't working you may have to also flash the "BL" or binaries for your device. I usually do anyway just to make sure it is going to work correctly. Make sure you have adb, and any Android drivers needed for it to work. Let me know if you need more help! Thanks.

oFluffy said:
I don't fully understand whether or not you are wanting to return it to normal or not here, but I do know about the S6 lite. I have my own S6 lite, and I noticed no one has been updating the patched files for it. A recent update forces it to have the file it was talking about, and unless someone makes a specific twrp for that device specifically, we won't be able to use a custom recovery to flash a rom.
If your issue is getting it into recovery mode however, you aren't alone. The Samsung tablet's usually have the same method for launching, but this one specifically was weird.
You have to:
1.Unplug it
2.Hold power and volume down
3. As soon as it turns off plug it back in and begin holding the recovery key buttons
4.If it isn't in recovery you may have just missed the small window you had to do it, which is fine just start from step one until it works.
If you did flash your own recovery and expected it to show the stock Samsung recovery menu, that won't happen since you overwrote it by flashing a recovery. You should be able to find your device model on https://sfirmware.com/
In odin "AP" is where you flash your recovery files. If the device isn't working you may have to also flash the "BL" or binaries for your device. I usually do anyway just to make sure it is going to work correctly. Make sure you have adb, and any Android drivers needed for it to work. Let me know if you need more help! Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfect!!! Thanks a lot. I didn't have much expectation apart from "not bricking it". I just wanted to make sure I did not do anything stupid. Follow your instructions. And it worked perfectly! Thanks a lot for the help! I truly appreciated. I am usually alright at a lot of these things, but I ended up being a bit lost, and just wanted to make sure I stopped doing stupid stuff!
Million thanks!!!!

I am facing a similar issue, but I can't seem to find a recovery image, so can you please help with that? I went to the sfirmware website, but can't locate the recovery image for sm-p613, though I did find it for other models such as p610. At this point, I'm fine with going stock os if it means I haven't bricked the tablet.

mr_scientific127 said:
I am facing a similar issue, but I can't seem to find a recovery image, so can you please help with that? I went to the sfirmware website, but can't locate the recovery image for sm-p613, though I did find it for other models such as p610. At this point, I'm fine with going stock os if it means I haven't bricked the tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I softbricked mine with Snapdragon last night. See the fix and link to a working recovery image here. Developer says there's no hope for Snapdragon support for the S6 Lite Wifi now or in the future. Samsung doesn't even support the firmware reload for this device in their own Smart Switch Windows app.

deckardsdream1988 said:
I softbricked mine with Snapdragon last night. See the fix and link to a working recovery image here. Developer says there's no hope for Snapdragon support for the S6 Lite Wifi now or in the future. Samsung doesn't even support the firmware reload for this device in their own Smart Switch Windows app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, I managed to get my tablet working. Really wish samsung made the firmware more available.