Hi all. My S4 was rooted on Kitkat, and I ran a software called "Dr. Fone" from Wondershare to retrieve some lost messages. The software attempted to root/unroot and seemed to have messed up my root. I tried re-rooting and while Odin said "Pass!" the phone was stuck at the Samsung logo on boot. Clearing the cache and wipe data from recovery mode did did not resolve.
I looked on Sammobile for my country and found a "jellybean" firmware and used Odin to install. It came up fine but it appears locked to one of the carriers in my country. I use this phone when I travel and would like to have it unbranded again. Is my phone screwed? I see an unbranded firmware for Russia, but reading the instructions said to make sure your phone is unlocked, but now it seems locked to a carrier with the rom I installed. Is there anyway to get out of this situation and get back unbranded. I am afraid to try the russia rom and dig myself in a deeper hole.
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Zmantaz669
Hi, thank you for using XDA Assist. Once a phone in unlocked it will remain unlocked. Can you change your APN? Branded firmware can disallow this function. If not I would flash the unbranded firmware and then change the APN to your carriers.
No response. Thread closed.
Would like to know how I can restore my IMEI number onto my device. I did not have an EFS backup and what occurred was I tried unlocking the device with the wrong code and it froze. I then got the master control code (MKU) but this did not help. I was told by the Samsung repair center to plug my device in via USB so my computer would download the device drivers. I was then told to download ODIN as well as the original ROM which is the SM-G935W8 build FMC (FIDO) or XAC (All Canadian Carriers) and download this ROM onto the device. Doing so, it wiped out my IMEI and I am at wits end not knowing my options. The repair center said I have now voided my warranty despite being instructed to do the above and speaking to local repair shops, they said it's a known issue which Samsung will not support.
Seems as if my device is bricked. I have my original paperwork so know my IMEI and am curious if I can root my device and install software to allow me to reprogram the IMEI. Any experts who wish to chime in, I would appreciate any and all the help I can get. Thank you!
So here is the deal. I had a region locked 935F that I was able to use region lock away to activate. After this I flashed Supermanrom and superstock kernel, but I created a full TWRP backup before this. I also created a TWRP EFS backup before trying the region unlock. I was able to connect to Tmobile after the region unlock, but not after flashing SupermanROM and now I can't connect at all.
I have tried flashing stock via Odin
I rerooted the phone and attempted a EFS backup/recovery via the EFS backup app and it shows no EFS/IMEI info error
I have tried restoring via TWRP
I have tried to check the Partition via ADB, but I do not know enough to not mess it up
The IMEI shows correctly on the device, but it will not register to my network at all (no voice nor data)
Can anyone help me out so that I can get my 935F working again?
Tried running the Region unlocker again?
If IMEI is showing the EFS partition should be good
Was it a second hand phone? Certain it hasn't been reported stolen and IMEI blocked?
*Detection* said:
Tried running the Region unlocker again?
If IMEI is showing the EFS partition should be good
Was it a second hand phone? Certain it hasn't been reported stolen and IMEI blocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After reflashing I was able to run the region unlock again but it still doesn't pull anything. The phone was working for a short time so the IMEI is not blocked
ferndezmond said:
After reflashing I was able to run the region unlock again but it still doesn't pull anything. The phone was working for a short time so the IMEI is not blocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can check if the IMEI is blocked here
http://www.imeipro.info/
*Detection* said:
You can check if the IMEI is blocked here
http://www.imeipro.info/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't say its blocked. It says unknown. Swappa IMEI check says that the device does not appear to be blacklisted
I bought an S7 recently with an IMEI blocked by T-Mobile.
Update: I have, successfully, flashed to G930U. This was done through Odin following this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/tm...g930u-firmware-to-t-mobile-s7-t3533918/page1
Good news is that when I insert a different SIM card I now get access to a prompt asking for an unlock code. Maybe I can unlock it for Verizon, Sprint, etc?
Bad news is that I currently am on MintSIM which use T-Mobile networks. So it cannot be activated.
More information: I did ring up multiple times to T-Mobile and managed to get a difinitive answer that "Yes" it is still being financed, and therefore only the account holder can activate it.
I think my best option is to sell it making the bad IMEI number clear. Or to purchase a broken S7 in hopes of replacing the IMEI number physically.
Previously:
I want to switch firmware so I can unlock the IMEI without going through T-Mobile. Would it be possible to use Odin to flash Sprint firmware or Deoxed firmware?
I rooted the S7 and tried to install the Deoxed firmware through FlashFire but the S7 interrupted and restored it to default firmware. Which app files do I need to disable to stop this happening?
Jack Hammered said:
I bought an S7 recently with an IMEI blocked by T-Mobile.
I want to switch firmware so I can unlock the IMEI without going through T-Mobile. Would it be possible to use Odin to flash Sprint firmware or Deoxed firmware?
I rooted the S7 and tried to install the Deoxed firmware through FlashFire but the S7 interrupted and restored it to default firmware. Which app files do I need to disable to stop this happening?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a guy that can change or unlook your IMEI, look in the forum you can find him. Change the rom or firmware does not change your IMEI.
hope it can help
pippone121263 said:
There is a guy that can change or unlook your IMEI, look in the forum you can find him. Change the rom or firmware does not change your IMEI.
hope it can help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have changed the IMEI number to an old phone of mine. Which is legal AFAIK, but it still isn't letting the phone be unlocked by T-Mobile.
Jack Hammered said:
I have changed the IMEI number to an old phone of mine. Which is legal AFAIK, but it still isn't letting the phone be unlocked by T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check my signature
EDIT:
I was able to fix it! I had to install a custom ROM to obtain root and delete my EFS partition.
So, here is a bit of a story I will try to keep short.
I went to Vietnam and bought a S8+ from there.
It was a US S8+ from Sprint.
I used it fine there but when I came back to states I tried to put my Verizon sim in and it doesn't work.
I don't get any signal. But I am able to see Baseband and IMEI.
So, I tried to use Odin and flash one of the SM-G955U1 Firmware.
Now, my phone is weird and out with no Baseband or IMEI.
So I try to flash back to firmware it was on.
Same thing.
Any ideas why my S8+ is like this?
MLIGN said:
So, here is a bit of a story I will try to keep short.
I went to Vietnam and bought a S8+ from there.
It was a US S8+ from Sprint.
I used it fine there but when I came back to states I tried to put my Verizon sim in and it doesn't work.
I don't get any signal. But I am able to see Baseband and IMEI.
So, I tried to use Odin and flash one of the SM-G955U1 Firmware.
Now, my phone is weird and out with no Baseband or IMEI.
So I try to flash back to firmware it was on.
Same thing.
Any ideas why my S8+ is like this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you get into recovery/download mode now? What was the last known version of software you know that was on your phone?
If you can get into recovery, what info are in those details?
JeffDC said:
Can you get into recovery/download mode now? What was the last known version of software you know that was on your phone?
If you can get into recovery, what info are in those details?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the long wait. If you are still interested.
CARRIER: SPR
RPMB fuse blown
RPMB PROVISIONED
CURRENT BINARY: Samsung Official
SYSTEM STATUS: Official
FRP LOCK: OFF
WARRANTY VOID: 0x0
QUALCOMM SECUREBOOT: ENABLE
RP SWREV : B3(1,1,1,1,1) K2 S3
SECURE DOWNLOAD: ENABLE
DID: 205EDC8B7351
- duplicate
MLIGN said:
- duplicate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What happens if you restore from the OEM function?
Try downloading custom recovery and flashing a custom rom. You will lose samsung pay but you might have a working phone it's a chance I would take if it was me. Your baseband is messed up try just flashing your carrier baseband . These are just ideas good luck
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
If flashing a custom ROM will fix your phone then so will downloading latest official Samsung ROM and flashing via latest Odin .
The second option above would be the best to try unless you're happy to have a custom rom and lose Samsung pay and anything that relies on Knox being functional
paul_59 said:
If flashing a custom ROM will fix your phone then so will downloading latest official Samsung ROM and flashing via latest Odin .
The second option above would be the best to try unless you're happy to have a custom rom and lose Samsung pay and anything that relies on Knox being functional
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update on the post, I sent it into Samsung. I should hear word soon if they can fix it and how much if anything.
Jtag dead phone to life and rewrite IMEI
First of all my phone is the s8+ G955fd, but I am sure that the people that helped me can help most Samsung owners with bricked phones.
My phone ended up being stuck on the first boot screen, I couldn't get into recovery or download mode. I installed TWRP and after that I lost my IMEI numbers( dual sim), so I tried to reflash stock and thats when i became bricked. I searched someone to help and found reference to the Fonefunshop in England. I sent it there and they said that the eMMC chip was bad. I searched for someone who could write to it or put a new one on the motherboard . I found A2Z cellular in Ottawa Canada. They used jtag to restore it to stock and they told me that the Fonefunshop had not opened the phone which is necessary to use jtag as they claimed, so avoid them.
The phone was now back doing everything it should except the IMEI's were null like before. I gave them the original IMEI's and the phone is working like new.
If your Samsung is bricked these guys can probably fix it and it won't cost much to find out.
the SM-G955U has a locked bootloader, so people should not be telling you to flash a custom recovery or custom ROMs. there is only one way to get root on this phone, through the samfail exploit, and safestrap is the only working recovery. I don't believe it supports CDMA networks but I'm not 100% sure on that. I have this device and I'm only aware of GSM carriers using it.
Just an update on this issue. I still don't have a working Baseband or IMEI. Any clues?
I was able to fix it! I had to install a custom ROM to obtain root and delete my EFS partition via ADB.
MLIGN said:
I was able to fix it! I had to install a custom ROM to obtain root and delete my EFS partition via ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. Can you detail how you fixed you phone please? What custom rom did you use and the steps you used please? I have the same phone with the same problem.
Thanks
MLIGN said:
I was able to fix it! I had to install a custom ROM to obtain root and delete my EFS partition via ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be very careful with doing that. It can cause the EFS (the partition that controls IMEI, Mac and a few other things) to be completely corrupted. Which will cause the device to be useless without fixing it.
Now a little heads up. As messing with the IMEI is illegal in many countries (the US being one of them) There are only 2 ways to fix an IMEI issue allowed on XDA.
1. Restore the backed up EFS partition
2. Return it to the OEM to be repaired.
What did you do after you deleted EFS? I can delete in Combination but I dont get the IMEI number back.
Please I need all XDA members assist ,because of I mistake delete EFS with combination file on my G955U VZW , I have null imei number, then I repair it by flash qcn with z3x Samsung tool , but still I have IMEI number but emergency call only is still display without service ,