Database Info

Galaxy S4 i9500 Origin

In July I went to New York and bought an Galaxy S4 i9500 and messing around with the device I corrupt the EFS folder losing my IMEI.
Since it wasn't bought on my country (Brazil) I don't have any support nor warranty so I send it to a friend who owns a service box ( octopus probably) and flashing the ROM he asked me what is the country of origin of my device, since I bought in the US and this model in particular isn't supposed to be selled there I don't know wich country it came from and can't fix my device. The back label says it was made in china but i guess every other phone in the world was made there too .
(I bought it from the Samsung stand in the 5th ave Best Buy so it is original)

No problem
In phone setting option there is baseband version and build number from there you can find out where the device is from originally manufactured.
But now I think you have flashed other firmware and that original information is gone.Corruption of efs folder can be from many ways either flashing roms or wiping full internal memory by not following appropriate methods corectly.
You could have make efs backup in first place before experimenting with the phone.
But now you can try the following methods.
Try to flash latest modem to see if it help through odin.
One other method is that you can find your country of origin by your imei no which is on the box. Just call or email Samsung customer service in your country, I did in my case and they can tell you from the imei number the country of origin.

alifarrukhsss said:
In phone setting option there is baseband version and build number from there you can find out where the device is from originally manufactured.
But now I think you have flashed other firmware and that original information is gone.Corruption of efs folder can be from many ways either flashing roms or wiping full internal memory by not following appropriate methods corectly.
You could have make efs backup in first place before experimenting with the phone.
But now you can try the following methods.
Try to flash latest modem to see if it help through odin.
One other method is that you can find your country of origin by your imei no which is on the box. Just call or email Samsung customer service in your country, I did in my case and they can tell you from the imei number the country of origin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But this country of origin will be that the imei says will be one if I flash the stock firmware will fix the device?

imei
Sterkriger said:
But this country of origin will be that the imei says will be one if I flash the stock firmware will fix the device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok Try to flash stock firmware and see if it helps and do tell me if you succeed.

You should be able to flash a stock firmware through ODIN and have the phone working again.
Then as mentioned above, before doing any work on the phone you should do a EFS backup, nandroid backup.
I remember with my previous phone (Galaxy Infuse) i was learning also how to root, tweak, modify the android and also "killed it". I was able to resurrect (in a manner of speak) the phone by loading the stock firmware the phone had when i first got it.
Good luck!

My friend said he repaired the device through the octopuss box and are sending me back. He couldnt upgrade to 4.3 because he didnt know the country of origin (like I said before). I call samsung to ask if they could say to me but here in Brazil the only company that really helps trough phone is Blizzard so I ended where I started. I found a website that using your serial number or IMEI can say where your device are from and I for my surprise it is indeed a chinese Galaxy S4. In Sammobile I found the CHN firmware that matched the time of fabrication (July) and probably its the stock firmware that I was looking for and one of the ones that I didnt tried to flash at the time.
The thing is now I'm too scared to try flashing this one to my mobile and ending ruining the device again and once more being forced to use my old ****ty iPhone. Any sugestions for me guys? (The device didnt arrive yet... i knew the serial and IMEI 'cause i noted down)

You don't have to flash firmware for country of origin. I'm in New Zealand and flash firmware from all over the world, the latest was UK firmware, with a modem extracted from Austrian firmware.
Just go to sammobile and make sure it's for i9500 and you'll be fine mate
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium HD app

What is the serial number of your phone? You can find it by beneath the battery or in settings, about device, status.

raj_p said:
What is the serial number of your phone? You can find it by beneath the battery or in settings, about device, status.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's below the battery, next to the IMEI. It is a combination of letters and numbers and looks like this "S/N: XXXXXXXXXXX" (X= Letter/number)

Obagleyfreer said:
You don't have to flash firmware for country of origin. I'm in New Zealand and flash firmware from all over the world, the latest was UK firmware, with a modem extracted from Austrian firmware.
Just go to sammobile and make sure it's for i9500 and you'll be fine mate
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are probably right but right now I a little afraid of flashing anything to my device since it just got home from repair.
I gonna stick with 4.2.2 a little longer

[Q] Cannot Flash Android 4.4.2 on GT-I9505 LTE

Hi everyone,
I flashed the leaked ROM I9505XXUFNA5 to my GT-I9505 LTE back in January when it came out, all went fine. However, now when I try to flash the official Android 4.4.2, say I9505XXUFNB8, via odin v3.09 the process will fail after 20 seconds and I have to flash the leaked ROM again in order to have a functioning phone. My phone is carrier free and it is not rooted.Can anyone help me please !
Thank you in advance,
MaximusDacicus

MaximusDacicus said:
Hi everyone,
I flashed the leaked ROM I9505XXUFNA5 to my GT-I9505 LTE back in January when it came out, all went fine. However, now when I try to flash the official Android 4.4.2, say I9505XXUFNB8, via odin v3.09 the process will fail after 20 seconds and I have to flash the leaked ROM again in order to have a functioning phone. My phone is carrier free and it is not rooted.Can anyone help me please !
Thank you in advance,
MaximusDacicus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You just killed your EFS :/
You still got a chance:
you can stay with the leaked rom, but you will have to install the latest "modem" (included in rom failed to install) while you keep the romactually installed
thats the only way it can be lucky and may be EFS get back to work may be. I suppose you dont have any EFS backup, so if restoring it fails that way --> you will have to get it repaired. Will be at least 40$ i think...
There a many posts on xda about EFS, but once gone, it is gone. Feel free to read some hours about it

LS.xD said:
You just killed your EFS :/
You still got a chance:
you can stay with the leaked rom, but you will have to install the latest "modem" (included in rom failed to install) while you keep the romactually installed
thats the only way it can be lucky and may be EFS get back to work may be. I suppose you dont have any EFS backup, so if restoring it fails that way --> you will have to get it repaired. Will be at least 40$ i think...
There a many posts on xda about EFS, but once gone, it is gone. Feel free to read some hours about it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. IMEI code is not messed up (it's the same as the one on on the package);
2. I still have carrier signal;
3. I can lock the sim card by pin code
Do you know other signs that would lead to the conclusion that the EFS file is broken ?

MaximusDacicus said:
1. IMEI code is not messed up (it's the same as the one on on the package);
2. I still have carrier signal;
3. I can lock the sim card by pin code
Do you know other signs that would lead to the conclusion that the EFS file is broken ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mohahah "My phone is carrier free " <-- thought you can-'t get carrier signal anymore lol.
So you're fine i suppose
sry for making trouble. I just missunderstood your writing.
Means you just want to get "back to the root" ?

LS.xD said:
Mohahah "My phone is carrier free " <-- thought you can-'t get carrier signal anymore lol.
So you're fine i suppose
sry for making trouble. I just missunderstood your writing.
Means you just want to get "back to the root" ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Carrier free it means that my phone it's not sim locked in any network. My phone is working fine. I just want to install an official ROM not to stay with the leaked one. I want to install the one for my country so that when I connect to samsung kies via PC the csc and pda of my phone to match up in order to receive updates or to simply for KIES to recognise my phone. The bottom line is that I find it strange that I can't flash 4.4.2 product code COA (Romania) I9505XXUFNB8.

MaximusDacicus said:
Carrier free it means that my phone it's not sim locked in any network. My phone is working fine. I just want to install an official ROM not to stay with the leaked one. I want to install the one for my country so that when I connect to samsung kies via PC the csc and pda of my phone to match up in order to receive updates or to simply for KIES to recognise my phone. The bottom line is that I find it strange that I can't flash 4.4.2 product code COA (Romania) I9505XXUFNB8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what region is the leaked fw for?

It's from the Sammobile, It seems I can't post links.
Country more likely Germany

MaximusDacicus said:
It's from the Sammobile, It seems I can't post links.
Country more likely Germany
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats due to its a branded rom you tried to install (COA = cosmote branded).
Here is the unbranded version you need (ROM = unbranded for your country):
--> http://samsung-updates.com/details/24878/Galaxy_S_4_Snapdragon/GT-I9505/ROM/I9505XXUFNB9.html

Not to flash Samsung Galaxy S6 via Odin

Hello
I have the official version of Android 5.1.1 SK region and would like to upload Officiální Android version 5.1.1 CZ region. Flash Odin FAIL. Please someone help? Thank you.

JABV90 said:
Hello
I have the official version of Android 5.1.1 SK region and would like to upload Officiální Android version 5.1.1 CZ region. Flash Odin FAIL. Please someone help? Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had a similar issue yesterday when I tried to update my rooted 5.0.2 to an official 5.1.1. I have used ODIN many times before since SGS3, and back then you were able to mix your system image from other regions, but that apparantly has been locked down by Samsung. Now you can only update an official version of the rom if it exactly matches your existing region. Because you updated your SK international S6 and tried a region set rom from Czech it most likely failed towards the very end of flash with "FAIL".
Your options are: 1) you download the 5.1.1 version for your region in ODIN format from SAMMobile or 2) you use Smart Switch and let it do it for you - in this case you will need to know the SN of your phone as it is used for verification.

Samsung has locked down the serial number with the regions that come with it. So if you have to install, you should update it or use same region odin file. There is a way to break this chain if you are rooted and some additional files are being used in the odin but I am not completely sure as I have not tried it yet. But there are chances that you may void your warranty if you try that or the worse hard brick as it can sometimes change your serial number if not used properly. but I wouldn recommend that. I'll let you know once I understand the usage correctly.

Flashing Stock Firmware Failed

I have the SM-G955F.
I flashed TWRP using the instructions on here and everything worked perfectly fine. I even booted back into the stock OS - however, the Magisk app was not there.
I was going to boot back into TWRP when I got the message "Only official released binaries are allowed to be flashed" and went into a bootloop.
Then I followed the instructions to flash the stock firmware back on to my S8+, but it failed. Can someone point me in the right direction please?
I used Odin3_v3.13.1. I have attached 2 pictures to show the error.

negative_silent said:
I have the SM-G955F.
I flashed TWRP using the instructions on here and everything worked perfectly fine. I even booted back into the stock OS - however, the Magisk app was not there.
I was going to boot back into TWRP when I got the message "Only official released binaries are allowed to be flashed" and went into a bootloop.
Then I followed the instructions to flash the stock firmware back on to my S8+, but it failed. Can someone point me in the right direction please?
I used Odin3_v3.13.1. I have attached 2 pictures to show the error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you are trying flash older firmware than what is on your phone. Odin saying you are flashing firmware with bootloader ver 3. Download mode saying you have ver 4 bootloader. You will need latest version of firmware with ver 4 bootloader or higher and flash with Odin.
Bootloader version number is 5th number from right of firmware name.

spawnlives said:
Sounds like you are trying flash older firmware than what is on your phone. Odin saying you are flashing firmware with bootloader ver 3. Download mode saying you have ver 4 bootloader. You will need latest version of firmware with ver 4 bootloader or higher and flash with Odin.
Bootloader version number is 5th number from right of firmware name.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for responding. So from my reading and researching, I figured that was the case. However, I could only find the the official firmwares from here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8+/development/rom-galaxy-s8-t3749444
Which happens to be v3 bootloaders. Is there any specific v4 bootloader that I should be flashing? I am at my wits end here. I followed all the instructions perfectly...
I read that everything works fine until reboot then you get the "Only official released binaries are allowed to be flashed"
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/how-to/guide-how-to-root-galaxy-s8-crgh-rom-t3846009
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

negative_silent said:
Thanks so much for responding. So from my reading and researching, I figured that was the case. However, I could only find the the official firmwares from here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8+/development/rom-galaxy-s8-t3749444
Which happens to be v3 bootloaders. Is there any specific v4 bootloader that I should be flashing? I am at my wits end here. I followed all the instructions perfectly...
I read that everything works fine until reboot then you get the "Only official released binaries are allowed to be flashed"
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/how-to/guide-how-to-root-galaxy-s8-crgh-rom-t3846009
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firmware can be download from sammobil or updato and flashed with odin
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/
https://updato.com/firmware-archive-select-model
Select phone model then search for firmware for your region ( and carrier ).
Only official binary error is probably due to your rmm state being in prernormal state which means if you unlock your bootloader ( oem ) and reboot it will relock bootloader causing this message.
Reflash firmware to get phone running again.
Have a read through this guide for more info about rmm state
https://forum.xda-developers.com/sa...w-to/guide-root-install-twrp-samsung-t3747535

spawnlives said:
Firmware can be download from sammobil or updato and flashed with odin
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/
https://updato.com/firmware-archive-select-model
Select phone model then search for firmware for your region ( and carrier ).
Only official binary error is probably due to your rmm state being in prernormal state which means if you unlock your bootloader ( oem ) and reboot it will relock bootloader causing this message.
Reflash firmware to get phone running again.
Have a read through this guide for more info about rmm state
https://forum.xda-developers.com/sa...w-to/guide-root-install-twrp-samsung-t3747535
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the links. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you helping me out.
I bought the phone from eBay, it's a SM-G955F - as for the region and carrier, I live in United States using AT&T. My primary reason getting the international version is to install a custom ROM on it. Is there a specific firmware for my region (U.S.) and carrier (AT&T) that I should flash? I don't see it US listed.
Also, using the guide I mentioned above, I did flash the RMM bypass, however, it was not the version 2, found in the guide you posted. Is that where I messed up?

negative_silent said:
Thank you for the links. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you helping me out.
I bought the phone from eBay, it's a SM-G955F - as for the region and carrier, I live in United States using AT&T. My primary reason getting the international version is to install a custom ROM on it. Is there a specific firmware for my region (U.S.) and carrier (AT&T) that I should flash? I don't see it US listed.
Also, using the guide I mentioned above, I did flash the RMM bypass, however, it was not the version 2, found in the guide you posted. Is that where I messed up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't live in the US but there should be filters on the websites to filter by region. I normally use updato and firmware for your region shows up under U.S.A it will show you all your carrier's like at&t, Sprint, t-mobile and non carrier firmware.
As for the rmm zip version 2 may have been better it is more up to date and is smaller in size. Both should do the same job though.

spawnlives said:
I don't live in the US but there should be filters on the websites to filter by region. I normally use updato and firmware for your region shows up under U.S.A it will show you all your carrier's like at&t, Sprint, t-mobile and non carrier firmware.
As for the rmm zip version 2 may have been better it is more up to date and is smaller in size. Both should do the same job though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked on updato and sammobile, both do not have USA region. Can I flash firmware from another region and still get it to work on my carrier?
For example, can I flash U.K. (Vodafone) since its on ver 4 firmware and uses GSM - regardless of region and carrier?

negative_silent said:
I looked on updato and sammobile, both do not have USA region. Can I flash firmware from another region and still get it to work on my carrier?
For example, can I flash U.K. (Vodafone) since its on ver 4 firmware and uses GSM - regardless of region and carrier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just doubled checked saw you have the f series while updato has u1 version firmware that I can see.
You can flash firmware from the UK if you want but can't say for certain you will have full network capabilities due to the difference in region and carriers ( network capabilities ). I would try and find an unbranded version ( non carrier branded) firmware first if not then something like Vodafone .

There is a simple reason for this. If you came from TWRP as "reboot to download", this creates the problem. Turn off the phone. Go to download mode with Vol_Down+Bixby+Power and then press Vol_Up button. When I enter download mode like this, it flashes without any problems.

g970n vs g970f

Hi all,
Yesterday I bought an S10e under the impression that it is sm-g970F.
Trying to flash Android 11 I discovered that it is actually sm-g970N.
Is there really a difference between them?
Should I be worried that some functions will be missing/unavailable?
Also, in the settings, it appears as g970F. How did the seller change it??

I have the same problem i tried to update the phone to the latest sm-g970f rom (figured if it's already installed it's possible)
And non of the roms flashed only when i decided to try latest sm-g970n rom it flashed however i bricked the phone and i have no idea what to do now.

almogkm said:
Hi all,
Yesterday I bought an S10e under the impression that it is sm-g970F.
Trying to flash Android 11 I discovered that it is actually sm-g970N.
Is there really a difference between them?
Should I be worried that some functions will be missing/unavailable?
Also, in the settings, it appears as g970F. How did the seller change it??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So after digging into the issue since i have the same problem here are my conclusions:
1. The phone is a Korean Variant G970N it is probably a renewed phone and not a new one.
apparently it's okay for an importer to take used phones (from Korea in this case) and replace all the cosmetics but of cause leaving the used MB.
Now here is what you should worry about, in order to flash the G970F Fixed Rom (there is no way you have updates) they used a Custom Kernel which means the phone was rooted and now Knox is tripped (this not reversible).
(Download Phone Info from play store and check knox if it shows 0x1 then your phone warrenty is void and some features won't be available any more for example - Samsung Pay).
So what should you do?
Well if you still have the option i would have demanded my money back!!
One thing that i am perplexed about is how in hell is this legal?!!!
If you no longer have this option or you want to keep the phone you have two option:
1. Flashing Korean Unbranded Firmware (KOO) which is pretty good it doesn't have bloatware or issues as far as i can tell, i only found one down side for it, the phone language selection is small but if you only need English (like any normal Human) then you are golden.
2. Keep the G970F ROM but bare in mind it will receive no updates and no security patches.
I am still looking for a proper way to flash G970F Firmware over G970N for now i haven't found any internet source that will confirm it's even possible.
So how did those importers\sellers did it, they probably flashed it with a Cellphone Lab Software (not Odin solution) and used a custom Kernel to fool Knox, like i said before this is practically a crime and i don't understand how can they sell used phones as new and get away with it!!!!

I had the same suspicions....
I'll try going to the lab that sold the previous owner the device and deal with them tho it looks like I just got scammed...

Sorry to bring this up again but I've just had an idea following JerryRigEverything's video:
What if I transplant SM-G970F components from a broken device that no longer works or in use in my SM-G970N which is supposedly new.
My N device is now bricked for some reason I couldn't solve, though my suspicion is that it has to do with incompatibility with the SIM card I use.
When my device did work, it worked great! ...besides battery issues that are most likely a result of the incompatibility aforementioned.
Will this work? If so, what components do I need? I already know I'll need the logic board but as seen in the video, there are several more antennas, should I just copy what Jerry did?

Vegetto32 said:
I have the same problem i tried to update the phone to the latest sm-g970f rom (figured if it's already installed it's possible)
And non of the roms flashed only when i decided to try latest sm-g970n rom it flashed however i bricked the phone and i have no idea what to do now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Vegetto,
I am from India and buy a galaxy S10e from UAE, It is showing G970F in the Phone's about but the problem is It is a G960N. Now, When I see in Sam Phone Info app there is Bootloader version - G970N, PDA Version - G970F, CSC G970F.
It is also a Knox tripped phone. Knox 0/1.
But if I see in Samsung code by typing in keypad *#12580*369#
it showing like all option in Odin:
BL: G970F
AP: G970F
CP: G970F
CSC: G970F
Does this means I can flash new Firmware on the list of SAM Mobile website, with G970F series firmware, It also showing in SAM Phone Info App that there latest firmware G970FXXSEFUL1/G970FOXMEFUJ2/G970FXXSEFUJ2.
I am in India right now.
Please help me, My email Id is -- [email protected]

It actually means you cannot flash SM-G970F the only roms you can flash are G970N.
Also if you want the phone to get security updates you must flash the original phones bootloader version, my suggestion download the G970N KOO firmware it's a global firmware. As for the knox it is tripped and there is nothing you can do about it.

Vegetto32 said:
It actually means you cannot flash SM-G970F the only roms you can flash are G970N.
Also if you want the phone to get security updates you must flash the original phones bootloader version, my suggestion download the G970N KOO firmware it's a global firmware. As for the knox it is tripped and there is nothing you can do about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can I flash the original phone's bootloader version?
Where from I can download the original phone's G970N KOO Firmware and is it official Samsung Firmware?
How are they able to flash G970F? Is it custom Rom or do they use the original one?
I searched that my phone is using G970FXXS4BTB3 firmware which Vietnam XXV and same number found at https://www.sammobile.com/samsung/galaxy-s10e/firmware/SM-G970F/XXV/download/G970FXXS4BTB3/322678/ in an old update in 2020.
So see the attached screenshot, can I flash its latest version with odin. Of course, there is a chinese written in recovery mode installed when I go to its recovery mode for flashing with Odin.

I have a similar problem right now on my Korean S10E. Device is SM-G970N. I need it to be in Turkish. Only Themes item in Settings is in Turkish- very interesting- The rest is in English. App names are mostly Turkish Settings app name is in English.
The bootloader is unlocked but the phone is not rooted, Knox seems not tampered.
Could not start OTA update at first, I have upgraded a few versions from PC via Smartswitch. Just then noticed OTA also started downloading. The rest of the updates went on from the phone until upgrading to 12, there was a message like "All of the updates were not succesful." OTA update no longer responded. This time I turned back to Smart Switch. Update finished this time and finally I am at the latest version.
I only need Turkish in Settings. I used some ADB commands and an app called MoreLocale2. It did not work either. This has to be simple. Turkish exists. Keyboard is Turkish but not Settings. Quick links and most other things are strangely mixed English and Turkish.
How can I enable full Turkish?