Hi all,
Apologies but I am real new to this and not sure if I am doing it right.
My Galaxy S I9000 on day stopped receiving and making calls. To cut a long story short after a million calls to my network found that my IMEI was not the same as the one on the back of my phone and told me I have tried to Jailbreak it (whatever this means) and nobody will take responsibility for it. After much heartache I had to purchase a new phone as I really need it.
Now my Galaxy S I9000 is a pc. Works perfectly on the net, games, videos etc but cant make calls or receive them. All I can think is that my 3 year old did something to it while playing games.
I wonder if the IMEI number can be restore, this should be legal as the phone is mine and I just want to repair it.
I am absolutely useless at all the jargon so I will pretty please ask for plain plain english.
Thanks for your help in advance.
I`ts illegal to modify the IMEI.So noone can help you here.Even if that means restoring it to the original.
Flash a new stock rom. This will usually solve your problem.
If something has overwritten your IMEI details, I.e "jailbreaking" or updating firmware. Then flashing a stock ROM will not help. It's near to impossible to change the IMEI data as it is encrypted information.
What may be a possibilty is restoring the backup file located in your /efs filesystem. I have done this before and worked flawlessly
How much experience do you have within linux/android?
EDIT: Backup your /efs filesystem first.
What you will have to do first is move the nv_data.md5 to say.....nv_data.md5.old. Reboot the phone, if it is recreated, then you should be good to go to attempt a recovery to your IMEI.
You must have root access. Do not flash a new level of firmware yet. Type in to *#1234# and reply with what it says :-D
I'm going to try and find my old post on another forum which should help you.
EDIT: CLICK HERE For link
How is this even possible to change the IMEI number ???
zamiurratul said:
How is this even possible to change the IMEI number ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same question here. If it's possible, than the existence and purpose of the IMEI would be pointless.
Some googling brought up similar threads here on xda and other forums. One guy posted something like this, hopefully it will work:
Hey guys, I flashed back to JPY (single file - no 512 pit) and on reboot it came up with a load of errors. On recovery screen, I formatted everything, wiped the partition and formatted the internal sd. Rebooted the phone and everything was fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cannot post link to the original topic because of my post number.
I hope this helps, I didn't test it myself (because I didn't have this kind of trouble).
Hi sorry for bad english
I had to edit my thread and put more informations, so, after i revert to stock rom (i used the self reverter rom in zte site), my imeis got doubled and with same 000039485642710 in both sim 1 and sim 2. For what i have research, its a commom bug that happends. If you search in google this imei, you will see that a lot of ZTE users got this problem. I tryied almost everything, but with no sucess. I have all original itens with original imei on the back of the phone box. The imeis was all right before. Now i have no data on sim slots since the imei have changed. Can anyone please help me to repair/revert to my original imei ? I cant buy other phone. Thanks
@brunojborges: No, custom ROMs dont change the IMEI. Sometimes my IMEI appeared as 0 when swapping SIM cards, but 4G LTE still worked.
I no longer own an an A7, but i did have to send it in for repair, i did notice that the IMEI had changed on the returned device. So i called ZTE and they confirmed that the device had been swapped with a different refurbished A7.
However, it is rare but possible that flashing firmware can corrupt the EFS, which is where the IMEI is stored.
Where did you buy your device? And how long ago? If you got it off Craigslist or from some shady site online, it is possible that previous owner reported the device and so the carriers blocked the IMEI.
And, if your IMEI really is blocked, you will need to contact your carrier. Have the IMEI ready, have them check it to see if it is blocked. If so, then by who and when. Try to get details. Depending on the details, you can explain your situation and they might unblock it. Or, they can advise on who to contact. Tough luck with this though, once an IMEI is blocked it will be very hard to get it off the blacklist, esp if it was reported stolen/lost. In that case, you have nothing more than a wifi phone.
AnonVendetta said:
@brunojborges: No, custom ROMs dont change the IMEI. Sometimes my IMEI appeared as 0 when swapping SIM cards, but 4G LTE still worked.
I no longer own an an A7, but i did have to send it in for repair, i did notice that the IMEI had changed on the returned device. So i called ZTE and they confirmed that the device had been swapped with a different refurbished A7.
However, it is rare but possible that flashing firmware can corrupt the EFS, which is where the IMEI is stored.
Where did you buy your device? And how long ago? If you got it off Craigslist or from some shady site online, it is possible that previous owner reported the device and so the carriers blocked the IMEI.
And, if your IMEI really is blocked, you will need to contact your carrier. Have the IMEI ready, have them check it to see if it is blocked. If so, then by who and when. Try to get details. Depending on the details, you can explain your situation and they might unblock it. Or, they can advise on who to contact. Tough luck with this though, once an IMEI is blocked it will be very hard to get it off the blacklist, esp if it was reported stolen/lost. In that case, you have nothing more than a wifi phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks to your answer friend!
So, i purchase this phone used, on sale site. With box, manuals, and all itens, and a import doc. I never had any problem with him (using 1 month or more). Everything was working ok. Just after i change the rom, in the same moment, my sims stop to work. So i decide to check the imei, and i realize that is different from the imeis on the back of the box (not shure but i guess, before the imeis was the same). The seller is from here (brazil), was the first owner, and the imei block is from argentina (the phone has never been there). So i just want to know if there is a software or something that i can use to insert the original imeis on the back of the box to the phone.
One more thing, the both imeis are exactly the same. I guess this makes no sense :laugh: :laugh:
@brunojborges: Well the issue is that you bought it used, which implies there was a previous ownee. Probably the online seller you bought from knew it was lost/stolen, but sold it anyway. There is a good chance that the phone IS from Argentina, probably where the previous owner lives. Everything may have seemed to be working OK, and was, up until it was reported, then it becomes blacklisted.
As already stated, changing custom ROMs doesnt mess with the IMEI. However, flashing firmware might. It is also entirely possible that your device is legit, legally speaking, and that whatever you did messed up the IMEI.
It is possible to restore the original IMEI/EFS with QFIL/QPST. I did so once on a friend's ZTE Blade and it worked. You can find instructions online. However, this program can do more harm than good, it is relatively complex to use, and so you must be careful and follow instructions to the letter.
I would still contact your carrier first.
AnonVendetta said:
@brunojborges: Well the issue is that you bought it used, which implies there was a previous ownee. Probably the online seller you bought from knew it was lost/stolen, but sold it anyway. There is a good chance that the phone IS from Argentina, probably where the previous owner lives. Everything may have seemed to be working OK, and was, up until it was reported, then it becomes blacklisted.
As already stated, changing custom ROMs doesnt mess with the IMEI. However, flashing firmware might. It is also entirely possible that your device is legit, legally speaking, and that whatever you did messed up the IMEI.
It is possible to restore the original IMEI/EFS with QFIL/QPST. I did so once on a friend's ZTE Blade and it worked. You can find instructions online. However, this program can do more harm than good, it is relatively complex to use, and so you must be careful and follow instructions to the letter.
I would still contact your carrier first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank a lot. i will try to learn what is this qfil and fix this issue, as i said, the both sim 1 and sim 2 are with the same number so something must be wrong with the device. and i remember to have flashed some firmware when installing any of the 10 or more roms. thanks.
Do you have the correct modem installed
Predatorhaze said:
Do you have the correct modem installed
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Click to collapse
yes i have. saddly, modem files dont chance imei numbers i guess. the key to my problem is the fact that the 2 numers are the same (and start with 0000xxxxxxxxxxx). Sould be different, but isnt. why? im very very sad coz im loosing nights trying to change this imeis and put the originals wrhiten in the back of the box. Xposed work, says ok saved and must restart, but when i do, there is no change at all. Tried softwares on pc in adb mode then shell then su, the program says ok but dont change. Dont know more what to do
any help please?
i want to thank everyone that knows how to solve this problem but didnt help me. Know that after 1 week of no sleeping and trying thousand things, i finally changed the both imeis to originals from the box. Im not a chief, i have buyed this phone legally, i have all original itens and documents and just got a bug. I hope i could continue to help people here with what i know, and never do what they did to me (or did not).
Did you try this guide here: https://www.******.com/repair-imei-snapdragon-device/
It's what I used to repair my IMEI in 2016 when I had a similar problem.
KwesiJnr said:
Did you try this guide here: https://www.******.com/repair-imei-snapdragon-device/
It's what I used to repair my IMEI in 2016 when I had a similar problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tryied. A lot of things. A thousand tutorials and guides indeed. What worked was using a program to backup the partitions, then find, inside the binary file, the codified imeis, then change them to original imeis (using another program to change imei to binary) and save the file, then erase modem partitions in the phone with twrp, and then flash back the edited backup file with the right imeis changed.
edit: ofcouse nobody told me that, i had to try almost all possibilities on whole web and get little informations from thousand topics about thousand different things and put the pieces together.
brunojborges said:
...
edit: ofcouse nobody told me that, i had to try almost all possibilities on whole web and get little informations from thousand topics about thousand different things and put the pieces together.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great that you solved your issue on your own... What I was asking myself is if you're seriously blaming others here for not providing a solution? Here people share what they now and their experiences... And I'm sure that all who read about your issue shared what could help you if they knew anything at all (and it didn't involve stuff forbidden from XDA Forum rules).
If you should really except, that folks here owe you to provide a solution then better look out for ZTE customer support (and be glad if you get any [surely useless] answer at all...) ... Although even they are fine out if device's software was modified...
But what I ask you do is to give a good example and provide your solution in a handy guide as you're the first one that I know of that actually found a solution for the lost IMEI issue, that happend only to very few persons before you here on XDA.
Gachmuret said:
Great that you solved your issue on your own... What I was asking myself is if you're seriously blaming others here for not providing a solution? Here people share what they now and their experiences... And I'm sure that all who read about your issue shared what could help you if they knew anything at all (and it didn't involve stuff forbidden from XDA Forum rules).
If you should really except, that folks here owe you to provide a solution then better look out for ZTE customer support (and be glad if you get any [surely useless] answer at all...) ... Although even they are fine out if device's software was modified...
But what I ask you do is to give a good example and provide your solution in a handy guide as you're the first one that I know of that actually found a solution for the lost IMEI issue, that happend only to very few persons before you here on XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This forum has the most expert phone users in the world together, i can shure u at least one or two that knew how to solve, did read this thread but say nothing. But no problem my friend, was the very most hard thing i ever did, i will try make a simple steps and try to guide who need this to the right way. Just a moment.
Gachmuret said:
Great that you solved your issue on your own... What I was asking myself is if you're seriously blaming others here for not providing a solution? Here people share what they now and their experiences... And I'm sure that all who read about your issue shared what could help you if they knew anything at all (and it didn't involve stuff forbidden from XDA Forum rules).
If you should really except, that folks here owe you to provide a solution then better look out for ZTE customer support (and be glad if you get any [surely useless] answer at all...) ... Although even they are fine out if device's software was modified...
But what I ask you do is to give a good example and provide your solution in a handy guide as you're the first one that I know of that actually found a solution for the lost IMEI issue, that happend only to very few persons before you here on XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fist: This can potentially screw up your phone rendering it the equivalent of a paper weight IF not done correctly. So pay attention to each step. I am not responsible for lost baseband's, lost IMEI's, bricked phones and nuclear war. Proceed with caution and via your own will.
the phone must be rooted and with twrp.
in my case, i had the imei numbers on phone settings, but was invalid numers and they was the same on sim1 and sim2. Im saying that because we will make a backup of the partitions where are the wrong imeis, then find this numbers in binary inside the backup file (we will use other program to open and edit this file, and there is a tip to find this numbers in binady, so i dont know how to find where line is the imeis stored if they are erased or 0), then change this numbers in the file to the right ones using another program to change the right imeis to binary (so you must have the box of the phone with the original imeis or know them from somewhere as in any photo, text backup, etc), then erase this partitions on phone (after that my phone got crazy, hot, and with a lot of strange lines on system>about phone>imei information), then flash full stock with miflash (so then the imeis will show as 0 as the partitions will back but erased), then reflash any other rom with root and magisk and twrp, and then flash back the backup partitions file with right numbers changed. Then voalaa
most of the files to do this are here https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/general/guide-repairing-imei-qpst-qualcomm-t3856968
steps:
WRITE DOWN YOUR IMEI SOMEWHERE SAFE! IF you don't have it don't worry as your IMEI most likely is false / null. Whole reason we're here right? Ok. Now you want to connect your phone to your PC, enable diag mode on your phone, Install QPST Tools then open QPST Configuration. Allow debbug on developer options in phone, and when conect to pc, open adb prompt, and type:
adb devices (to check if the phone is identified correctly)
adb shell
su
setprop sys.usb.config diag,serial_tty,serial_smd
if this did not work, your phone has no root, or are not in debbug mode.
if was all right, you can proceed. remember if QPST.2.7.437 (version i used) did not recongnize your phone, maybe you must go into devices in windows and change driver to the one "qualcom" and with "901D" in the end.
Next open QPST Software Download and navigate to the Backup tab.
Make sure your com port is still showing and you are connected. Next click to the right of where it says xQCN file the "Browse" button and set a location and name your backup file something like coolpad_original_qcn.qcn . Save it as .qcn format not xQCN.
Now you are ready to open up MiTeC Hex Editor(program name) and load up your QCN file. So do this. Once loaded you will want to search for 088a to find your IMEI within the file. Why? Thats how it is stored in hex format. The 08 will be what stays but the 3rd letter "8" is what your IMEI starts with so make sure you replace it.. e.g. IMEI 762429035623741 would be 087a.. and if it started with 6 086a etc.
You should have located the string now that shows 087a then following will be the rest of your IMEI just reversed. Should look like this which is from our example IMEI in step 3, "087A 2624 0953 2673 1400". This translates out to 7 skip the first 08 and the A then 62429035623741 so 762429035623741.
Open the last tool called IMEI Converter. Input your phones new (factory original) IMEI in the first box and take the output and replace "087A 2624 0953 2673 1400" with this string you just created. Save your .qcn file and MAKE SURE you do not overwrite your original QCN backup.
now i had to erase the partitions on phone. what was in this tutorial i found, did not work. but this did: fist i had to go into twrp, so i go into console and typed this 3 lines, pressing enter after each line separately:
dd if=/dev/zero bs=16384 count=1 of=erase_modemst.bin
fastboot flash modemst1 erase_modemst.bin (not shure if this lines did anything, but i did it anyway)
fastboot flash modemst2 erase_modemst.bin (not shure if this lines did anything, but i did it anyway)
after that, reboot your phone. mine got very hot, a little crazy, and with strange infos in imei options. so i thought if i restore to stock, the software would make partitions back again but erased. and this is what happend. i flashed full stock nougat with miflash (no need links here, is easy to find stock nougat for your device as miflash software), and boot phone. all ok and imeis "unknow".
so then, i used edl tools to flash a eld package oreo with twrp after (my goad was only install twrp, but i only know do this with this method, any other doesnt work for me). https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/axon-7-edl-tool-flash-backup-restore-t3750759 (dont forget to read and get required files)
so with twrp, i did flashed a newer twrp and a rom slim aroma that has inbuid options to root and install magisk https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/rom-slm7-dfnr-t3896486 (dont forget to read and get required files)
now, i enabled again debbug mode, and all this lines again in adb through pc:
adb devices (to check if the phone is identified correctly)
adb shell
su
setprop sys.usb.config diag,serial_tty,serial_smd
now for last, Open up QPST Software Downloader and goto Restore tab. Select your file we saved in the last step (.qcn file with imeis changed) and write it. Now reboot your phone. Check to see that your new imei is showing. Mine was back and i coudnt belive, only thing is that as the imeis was doubled, i didnt know how to change first so the imei 1 in my box is the imei2 on phone and imei 2 on box are imei 1 on phone. Not a big deal. I will not do all this again, no way.
tips: if your phone has stuck in DFU mode, just plug on pc and open edl tools, it will reboot to edl mode for you.
if your phone has stuck in edl mode, you will have to disassembly and disconect/connect battery flat. Is a bit easy, as you dont have to do nothing with the screen. or wait any days to drain the battery.
this is what i did after 1 week trying thousand tutorials. there was a lot of threads that i take some parts from one, ones from another, so i cant give the credits coz the truth is that i dont remember all them. I created nothing here, and 90% of what is here are not my words. all i did is put the pieces together. Really sorry for my bad english.
brunojborges said:
Fist: This can potentially screw up your phone rendering it the equivalent of a paper weight IF not done correctly. So pay attention to each step. I am not responsible for lost baseband's, lost IMEI's, bricked phones and nuclear war. Proceed with caution and via your own will.
the phone must be rooted and with twrp.
in my case, i had the imei numbers on phone settings, but was invalid numers and they was the same on sim1 and sim2. Im saying that because we will make a backup of the partitions where are the wrong imeis, then find this numbers in binary inside the backup file (we will use other program to open and edit this file, and there is a tip to find this numbers in binady, so i dont know how to find where line is the imeis stored if they are erased or 0), then change this numbers in the file to the right ones using another program to change the right imeis to binary (so you must have the box of the phone with the original imeis or know them from somewhere as in any photo, text backup, etc), then erase this partitions on phone (after that my phone got crazy, hot, and with a lot of strange lines on system>about phone>imei information), then flash full stock with miflash (so then the imeis will show as 0 as the partitions will back but erased), then reflash any other rom with root and magisk and twrp, and then flash back the backup partitions file with right numbers changed. Then voalaa
most of the files to do this are here https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/general/guide-repairing-imei-qpst-qualcomm-t3856968
steps:
WRITE DOWN YOUR IMEI SOMEWHERE SAFE! IF you don't have it don't worry as your IMEI most likely is false / null. Whole reason we're here right? Ok. Now you want to connect your phone to your PC, enable diag mode on your phone, Install QPST Tools then open QPST Configuration. Allow debbug on developer options in phone, and when conect to pc, open adb prompt, and type:
adb devices (to check if the phone is identified correctly)
adb shell
su
setprop sys.usb.config diag,serial_tty,serial_smd
if this did not work, your phone has no root, or are not in debbug mode.
if was all right, you can proceed. remember if QPST.2.7.437 (version i used) did not recongnize your phone, maybe you must go into devices in windows and change driver to the one "qualcom" and with "901D" in the end.
Next open QPST Software Download and navigate to the Backup tab.
Make sure your com port is still showing and you are connected. Next click to the right of where it says xQCN file the "Browse" button and set a location and name your backup file something like coolpad_original_qcn.qcn . Save it as .qcn format not xQCN.
Now you are ready to open up MiTeC Hex Editor(program name) and load up your QCN file. So do this. Once loaded you will want to search for 088a to find your IMEI within the file. Why? Thats how it is stored in hex format. The 08 will be what stays but the 3rd letter "8" is what your IMEI starts with so make sure you replace it.. e.g. IMEI 762429035623741 would be 087a.. and if it started with 6 086a etc.
You should have located the string now that shows 087a then following will be the rest of your IMEI just reversed. Should look like this which is from our example IMEI in step 3, "087A 2624 0953 2673 1400". This translates out to 7 skip the first 08 and the A then 62429035623741 so 762429035623741.
Open the last tool called IMEI Converter. Input your phones new (factory original) IMEI in the first box and take the output and replace "087A 2624 0953 2673 1400" with this string you just created. Save your .qcn file and MAKE SURE you do not overwrite your original QCN backup.
now i had to erase the partitions on phone. what was in this tutorial i found, did not work. but this did: fist i had to go into twrp, so i go into console and typed this 3 lines, pressing enter after each line separately:
dd if=/dev/zero bs=16384 count=1 of=erase_modemst.bin
fastboot flash modemst1 erase_modemst.bin (not shure if this lines did anything, but i did it anyway)
fastboot flash modemst2 erase_modemst.bin (not shure if this lines did anything, but i did it anyway)
after that, reboot your phone. mine got very hot, a little crazy, and with strange infos in imei options. so i thought if i restore to stock, the software would make partitions back again but erased. and this is what happend. i flashed full stock nougat with miflash (no need links here, is easy to find stock nougat for your device as miflash software), and boot phone. all ok and imeis "unknow".
so then, i used edl tools to flash a eld package oreo with twrp after (my goad was only install twrp, but i only know do this with this method, any other doesnt work for me). https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/axon-7-edl-tool-flash-backup-restore-t3750759 (dont forget to read and get required files)
so with twrp, i did flashed a newer twrp and a rom slim aroma that has inbuid options to root and install magisk https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/development/rom-slm7-dfnr-t3896486 (dont forget to read and get required files)
now, i enabled again debbug mode, and all this lines again in adb through pc:
adb devices (to check if the phone is identified correctly)
adb shell
su
setprop sys.usb.config diag,serial_tty,serial_smd
now for last, Open up QPST Software Downloader and goto Restore tab. Select your file we saved in the last step (.qcn file with imeis changed) and write it. Now reboot your phone. Check to see that your new imei is showing. Mine was back and i coudnt belive, only thing is that as the imeis was doubled, i didnt know how to change first so the imei 1 in my box is the imei2 on phone and imei 2 on box are imei 1 on phone. Not a big deal. I will not do all this again, no way.
tips: if your phone has stuck in DFU mode, just plug on pc and open edl tools, it will reboot to edl mode for you.
if your phone has stuck in edl mode, you will have to disassembly and disconect/connect battery flat. Is a bit easy, as you dont have to do nothing with the screen. or wait any days to drain the battery.
this is what i did after 1 week trying thousand tutorials. there was a lot of threads that i take some parts from one, ones from another, so i cant give the credits coz the truth is that i dont remember all them. I created nothing here, and 90% of what is here are not my words. all i did is put the pieces together. Really sorry for my bad english.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great to have that here. Thanks for putting it together, impressive.
I tried to flash evox and somehow my efs data got corrupted, can someone please help me so i can get my imei back please?
You did not lose it trying to flash MY evox you lost it by restoring a twrp backup of someone else' efs partition which was daft because that causes a corrupt qcn partition.
Also only way to fix is by requiring a eng qcn which should only be in possession by the factory but if I a device is popular enough it slips out but erm as you can see like 5 people have this phone so it's not released lol
Quantumkk123 said:
only way to fix is by requiring a eng qcn which should only be in possession by the factory but if I a device is popular enough it slips out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no way to make a backup the QCN by QPST/QFIL from someone's phone, then change the IMEI for the right value and restore that QCN in the OP phone?
maciek9991 said:
There is no way to make a backup the QCN by QPST/QFIL from someone's phone, then change the IMEI for the right value and restore that QCN in the OP phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope cannot be done as our device is specifically uniquely retarded
I don't find this funny. It's what we all do when we are new, mistakes. It's against this forums rules to explain how to restore your IMEI, since that implies one could set up a phone for a made up IMEI that doesn't belong to the phone. Which, in most countries, almost all over the world, is illegal. So, it's difficult to help you out there. It is legal to restore the original IMEI, but it's done the same way that someone could do something illegal.
So you'd have to visit other forums for that. Not forums that condones illegal acts, but forums that are a bit more understanding in your problem, in restoring your original IMEI.
Again, I don't find this funny. It's just one of those things that one learns from. A person who has never made any mistakes has never learned anything.