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Locked out of phone in China!! :/ S6 SM-920F

Hi!
So I have a Galaxy S6 which came with a Dutch T-mobile package. On my way to China, where I moved a few weeks ago for an indefinite period, I cracked the screen and brought it to the local repairman to fix. That went perfectly well, but the phone didn't recognize my fingerprint anymore and I forgot my backup password. That's why I performed a factory reset, and that's where the real trouble began.
After the reset, I tried setting up the phone again, and got to the Samsung reactivation screen. I entered my account info, and provided the password for the wifi, after which the phone connected to wifi (with the corresponding message), but after a few seconds I get a pop up message saying "Unable to connect to the Internet" - even though the wifi symbol would still flash its arrows in the upper right corner. Thus, I can't get past this screen nor in my phone, which is quite a devastating fact as a poor new expat in China . Tried several other wifi networks, to no avail.
My guess is that it's the Great Firewall of China acting here, somehow preventing the phone to connect to the Samsung (and/or Google) network to check my info. I don't know if this is correct, the Samsung helpdesk couldn't say for sure as well, but I really really want to find a workaround here. Once I get the phone working again I can install a VPN to have the Google stuff working in China, but this way I can't get to that point. Now I am completely new to rooting/ installing ROMS and the works, but I am willing to try anything to get this expensive piece of electronics to work out here.
Any helping comment is an absolute lifesaver, and I will name my firstborn child after you!!
Thanks so much!
All the best, Maarten
EDIT: I made some screenshots, but appearantly I am not allowed to post outside links yet.

This problem has Samsung tech support stumped...

Hi all,
My device: Samsung Galaxy S6 (SM-G920F running 6.0.1)
So I've been dealing with Samsung tech support for the last week and believe it or not, things have just gone from bad to much, much, much worse. I am now completely & entirely locked out of my phone (which is running stock firmware).
Background: I wanted to change my Samsung account details (that I've had for nearly 10yrs) from an old email address to another new email account I had. From a combination of reading a few forums & following instructions throughout the actual process on my phone, it turns out that I obviously mad a bad choice. Long story short, I eventually got back to normal and had full access to my phone again, but under 'Settings' > 'Lock screen & security', my 'Reactivation lock' was now enabled (even though I hadn't changed or updated any firmware - only changed my samsung account) and I couldn't slide it to 'off' - even with my correct Samsung Account details?
From speaking to Samsung tech surrport, they said that the changes made to my Samsung email address most likely corrupted some protected file (boot file perhaps, I don't know) and that maybe a trace of my original Samsung account was still on the phone somewhere and now that I was after trying another - they conflicted and were causing me problems. In short, the tech guy said that "the problem is embedded in your software and you will need to do a full factory reset".
The problem (as I explained it to him) was that even with my correct Samsung account details (which he could verify because he remote connected to my phone), (a) I couldn't disable 'reactivation lock' before any factory reset and (b) I couldn't remove the existing Samsung account from my phone before doing so either. I even tried logging onto findmymobile.samsung.com on my PC (which I could do no problem) and tried to disable reactivation lock, but again - it wouldn't allow me to, it just kept sliding back to the 'on' position? The tech support guy proceeded to do an 'emergency recovery & initialization' via the Smart Switch app to reset my device, but now I'm stuck at the initial setup screen (select language, WiFi, etc. and then it comes to my Samsung account details and now it says; "this device is locked because of an abnormal factory reset, etc." However, here's the stickler that even has Samsung tech support baffled........ Despite knowing my samsung account credentials (email address & password), it keeps telling me "processing failed". Whether I try the new details or the old/original ones, I get the same 'processing failed' message! As above, I am assuming this is because there is corrupt Samsung account info in some protected boot file or something, because of two different Samsung accounts I used.
As I am locked out, there is not much I can really do to resolve this. I have researched a lot and I have two queries I am hoping some genius here knows about. (1) Is there not a way to obtain and flash a complete set of original 'everything' to my phone in download mode? (i.e. availing of the 'BL', 'AP', 'CP', 'CSC' functions within Odin?) I am used to inputting files in AP for flashing .tar files for either custom stuff or original firmware, but I have never messed with any of the other options and don't even know where to find the files to put into each 'field' if it was a viable option. If this method is not a way of completely wiping my phone back to the day it came out of the box, what is the method to do this? (2) I have come across a thing called GSM Flasher while doing some research. Not the standalone FRP remover tool which I tried but doesn't work, but the full suite tool. i.e. The one with the cat wallpaper which has Miracle 2.27A, Eagle Eye 2.27A, Aladdin v2 1.34 & 4SE 2.0.4. To the untrained eye, this looks like it could do practically anything to recover any phone, but I am finding it quite hard to come across a decent instructional website or video (in English) on YouTube and/or to determine if it will work and do the job?
Has anyone any ideas about how I go about getting into whatever boot or protect files there are on my phone (that a factory reset doesn't touch) and a way to remove everything and then replace it with original stuff so that I can get ride of this corrupted samsung account issue?
Would really appreciate if anyone who has more know-how than Samsung tech support can weigh-in with some help.
Thanks in advance.

Custom Status, Fingerprint Sensor, Unauthorized Actions, Can't Update, Non Rooted

Hello:
There are other posts that don’t quite emulate my problem exactly so here it is…lol Please needing some expert advice on this one.
I realize that this all might be a risk, but please keep in mind that I cannot afford a new phone and am disabled and unemployed and it’s hard for me to find a new job. So soft/hard bricking my phone would suck really bad and not be helpful when trying to find a job.
Not Fast Charging is what started this whole mess, I am a multi-tasker and delved into trying to recover deleted phots off of my phone at the same time… and this is the Cliff Notes® version of where I ended up.
I have read other forums to where Samsung might be the culprit of the phone’s status being “Custom” through the latest update(?), but I cannot confirm. I noticed the phone charging really slow and it was supposed to be Fast Charging. Long story short, Samsung believes me that I didn’t try to root my phone and that inadvertently I somehow got the phone into Custom Status/Custom Firmware by using USEase and dr.Fone to recover deleted photos off of my phone, but they cannot help me and said that there was no way to roll back the device at this point. It is true I have no intentions whatsoever in rooting my phone. I’ve thought about it, but I don’t like the more risks involved…lol.
Fast forward to this past week. Yes I did use USEase [Used 1st, and didn’t work] and dr.Fone [Used 2nd, didn’t work either] (both PC programs that hook up to your phone.) which in a sense is like a USB transfer to try and recover some deleted photos. I did enable USB debugging and OEM unlock during that process. They are currently both turned off.
I noticed my first real problems started when:
• My Fingerprint sensor stopped working. [On lock screen display] “The fingerprint sensor is not responding. Try again later.” error (Is this similar as the Samsung Health threads that I see posted throughout the net that Samsung Health cannot work because “Unauthorized software was installed”? Is this Samsung’s way of telling you you’re an idiot for trying to root your phone? But it is not even true, I haven’t tried to root my phone. The best I can do is say that USEase or dr.Fone probably had something to do with it because it was working just fine before.
• Constant “Security Log Agent” message within Notifications that never goes away, “Unauthorized Actions have been detected. Restart your phone to undo these actions.” When I select it from the notification screen and takes me to the Device Security screen it also give me an option to install “My Knox”
• Phone is in “Custom” mode under “Device Status”.
• When trying to see if I can “Update” the phone during my troubleshooting steps, the following message pops up: “The operating system on your device has been modified in an unauthorized way. Try downloading software updates using Smart Switch on your computer or visit a customer service center.
The only sort of light at the end of the tunnel is when I learned how to get into the Odin Mode (Volume Down Button, Home, Power Button @ same time) it states the following:
• ODIN MODE (HIGH SPEED)
• PRODUCT NAME: SM-G930U
• CURRENT BINARY: Samsung Official
• SYSTEM STATUS: Custom
• FRP LOCK: ON
• WARRANTY VOID: 0X0
• QUALCOMM SECUREBOOT: ENABLE
• RP SWREV 84 [The rest is not legible and not going back to get it unless it is
absolutely necessary…lol]
• SECURE DOWNLOAD: ENABLE
So as you can see my Current Binary is Samsung Official and as far as I can tell the Warranty is not void “0x0” (Whew!..lol)
I think I have relegated to the fact that I might have to Factory Reset my phone. Is this true? Or is there a way to turn something on/off without having to Factory Reset?
If I do need to Factory Reset:
• Will this solve:
o My problem period?
o Will this trip the Knox Security and void my warranty? (See below)
o Will a Factory Reset solve the “Custom” status issue?
o Will it solve my Update problem?
Spent many hours troubleshooting this already and am not sure if the best way possible way to do this is through Smart Switch by Samsung on PC? (I have Windows 10) It is possible that I have learned that Smart Switch recently took “Device Initialization” off the newest version(s)? I have remedied that by downloading a previous version of it and not updating it no matter how many prompts that you get (lol)
If this is my only option:
• Do I need to turn Factory Reset Protection (FRP) off? Or is that only if I were to sell my phone to someone?
• Will this cause any concerns that I have as stated above? (Tripping Knox, Voiding the Warranty, etc. etc.)
Could please use some help in someone walking me through the steps needed to get my phone healthy again. Thankfully I can still use my phone for the most part (Can make/receive calls which is the most important) I haven’t done anything yet, just waiting for expert advice. Any and all help is greatly appreciated more than you know.
Thanks,
fryerlawrence

Just flash stock over the top using ODIN 3.12.3 or newer
updato.com for firmware

A stock flash with Odin will not trip Knox, it will return your firmware status to official, and it will allow OTA updates again depending on your CSC.
If you know your credentials there's no need to turn FRP off.

Beanvee7 said:
A stock flash with Odin will not trip Knox, it will return your firmware status to official, and it will allow OTA updates again depending on your CSC.
If you know your credentials there's no need to turn FRP off.
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*Detection*
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Thanks to you both... just have gotten around to post a reply. I was curious @Beanvee and thanks for clearing that up.
I have Odin already from :good:Sammobile dot com:good:. That was a piece of cake. I had already researched all of the horror stories with the other Odin download sites like Odindownload dot com and Samsungodin dot com so I have steered very clear from those sites. The only downside to getting Odin from sammobile dot com is that you have to register to do that and I am okay with that if they are a trusted bunch.
But... WTH with Updato dot com ... I am still downloading from that site from this afternoon and its now almost midnight. not cool...lol. How long is that supposed to take?
Thanks you guys for helping out and droppin' forthe the knowledge... it is greatly appreciated more than you know.
- fryer

fryerlawrence said:
Thanks to you both... just have gotten around to post a reply. I was curious @Beanvee and thanks for clearing that up.
I have Odin already from :good:Sammobile dot com:good:. That was a piece of cake. I had already researched all of the horror stories with the other Odin download sites like Odindownload dot com and Samsungodin dot com so I have steered very clear from those sites. The only downside to getting Odin from sammobile dot com is that you have to register to do that and I am okay with that if they are a trusted bunch.
But... WTH with Updato dot com ... I am still downloading from that site from this afternoon and its now almost midnight. not cool...lol. How long is that supposed to take?
Thanks you guys for helping out and droppin' forthe the knowledge... it is greatly appreciated more than you know.
- fryer
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Well the updato.com owner claims not to limit speeds, but just about everyone and their dog, other than a handful of people get terrible speeds
samfirm tool works well though
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-s/general/tool-samfirm-samsung-firmware-t2988647

*Detection* said:
Well the updato.com owner claims not to limit speeds, but just about everyone and their dog, other than a handful of people get terrible speeds
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Terrible does not = 2 days to download something. I am still downloading. Updato.com is reprehensible. I would recommend never to recommend them again.
@*Detecto* it's not your fault btw... I am just angry and frustrated because I want to get this done two days ago and it should have been done already and me on my merry way. I pay good money for 60 m.p.s. download speeds and Updato.com is ....is... is... I reserve the right to say anymore otherwise I would be accused of being a foul mouthed sailor....lol.
This is literally the most painful download I have EVER used in my entire 30+ years of using computers on this planet. And I am NOT kidding. Right now it says, depending on the number that you want to believe it is showing, I could have either 5, 6, 7, or 8 hours left on this GDMND download!
[Drops mic and gets off of soapbox.]

fryerlawrence said:
Terrible does not = 2 days to download something. I am still downloading. Updato.com is reprehensible. I would recommend never to recommend them again.
@*Detecto* it's not your fault btw... I am just angry and frustrated because I want to get this done two days ago and it should have been done already and me on my merry way. I pay good money for 60 m.p.s. download speeds and Updato.com is ....is... is... I reserve the right to say anymore otherwise I would be accused of being a foul mouthed sailor....lol.
This is literally the most painful download I have EVER used in my entire 30+ years of using computers on this planet. And I am NOT kidding. Right now it says, depending on the number that you want to believe it is showing, I could have either 5, 6, 7, or 8 hours left on this GDMND download!
[Drops mic and gets off of soapbox.]
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Yea we know, we have complained to updato owner, but never get a resolution, not really much you can do about a free service though
Use the samfirm tool I linked above instead, should get max speed from that

Thanks to everyone involved!
After getting side-tracked quite a few times, worrying about what I needed to update before I even tried, and just fearful of any negative outcome ... tonight was the night I got my phone's fingerprint sensor back and am pretty sure that I am now "Samsung Official" so saith the About Phone > Status > Device Status > "Official"
Just wanted to thank each and everyone in this thread who helped out. I did end up using the updato.com firmware and downloaded Odin then I wanted to make sure I didn't "f" anything up so I watched a YouTube video by MrW0lf "How to Flash Stock Firmware on Samsung Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge [via Odin]".
Thanks again everyone for your help in getting back my phone to the way it was. It was pretty remarkable that I didn't lose any of my text messages, contacts, etc. I double checked my SD card and everything was there. Even my phone's theme wasn't touched. I feel like it was all a dream but thankfully it wasn't. Now the only thing I wait for is how the battery is gonna do...lol.
Thanks all of you guys for everything! :good:
- fryer

Security problem after Dr fone bootloop and hard factory reset. Desperate help needed

So I was going to reset my old s7 and wanted to backup the phone before I erased everything. I kept coming across wondershare Dr fone. Seemed fairly simple and since there were no scam alerts to be found just Quickly browsing I thought i'll give it a whirl. Should have not ran it apparently.
So I connected via usb to Windows and started the program - > Phone instantly gone to download mode and apparently the software is trying to root or set some firmware to gather data - > Software doesnt work and phone stuck in endless bootloop - > recovery mode gives no command but starts after hanging a few seconds 10 or so - > Do a factory reset from recovery and Log back into previous Google Account required so I Do it and do a normal reset - > Reset goes in normal but when setting up clean phone it gives me a Security alerts "unauthorized activity noticed" and deviCe Security guides me to restart phone to reset changes.
Really spooky not knowing what the software did! Can you guys please help me figure out? Didnt find anything on web that indicates Dr fone stealing data or hacking, just ripping Off payments.
- How do I know I'm on stock ROM and nothing suspicious was left on the phone?
- Should I flash stock ROM just in case?
- Can my personal data, passwords etc be compromised if I dont use the phone?
- Could the Windows app itself have gathered personal info somehow. Can I check it out from Log or such?
I was hoping to sell the S7 but dont want anyone to get in trouble with the phone. What do you think I should do. I believe this thread Could help others unlucky Dr fone victims As Well.
Tell me if you need photos. Thanks in advance!

Ollie321 said:
- How do I know I'm on stock ROM and nothing suspicious was left on the phone?
- Should I flash stock ROM just in case?
- Can my personal data, passwords etc be compromised if I dont use the phone?
- Could the Windows app itself have gathered personal info somehow. Can I check it out from Log or such?
Tell me if you need photos. Thanks in advance!
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Click to collapse
So I found out Samsungs have an efuse that triggers when attempting to root and obviously dr fone might have triggered it. That would obviously also trigger the security alert. Any idea how it actually works? Does anyone know if this can be fixed somehow? The firmware doesn't seem like a custom but how do I know?
Also the windows app seems to have gathered the logs from the attempt and I have them in AppData. Could anyone help me solve if anything suspicious happened if I provide them?

Status update
Reflashing stock ROM fixed the security alert so it wasn't the knox efuse. Odin mode showed:
Binary Samsung Official
System Custom
Knox warranty void 0x0000
After flashing twice it changed back to normal:
Binary Samsung Official
System Official
Knox 0x0000
How is that even possible. No changes made but still changes made? I believe it started to do something and then crashed before knox went off. I have currently absolutely no reason to believe anything suspicious was going on in windows. Ran pretty much everything to scan in safe mode and all logs seemed completely normal, but this "Unauthorized access" in the custom system after factory reset seems a little shady. Checked all the preinstalled apps and they're the same after flashing stock except custom os had "Game optimization" and the official doesn't. I made the conclusion that something really did find it's way there even though that service might have been legit. That or system changes were made and interrupted and security alert because of that.
Reset passwords and using 2 step authentication so I doubt anything really important was compromised for very long. If you are reading this keep an eye out for this type of crapware!

Bought used 970F with Magisk, relocked, flashed stock UI5, no network at all

*****FINAL UPDATE: THIS POST IS A WASTE OF TIME WANDERING AROUND SOLUTIONS FOR THE IMEI. THE REAL REASON IS THAT I WAS SCAMMED AND BOUGHT A STOLEN PHONE WITHOUT KNOWING, AND THE IMEI/IMEIs WERE CHANGED, so when I factory reset the phone, the IMEIs were gone. If you're in the same situation, see if you can return the phone. If not, the only thing you can do is sell it AS IT IS, because YOU WERE PROBABLY SCAMMED, LIKE ME, so please sell it declaring the state of the phone and the IMEIs.*******
****If you want to read the entire post, go ahead, but you'll waste all your time. You were scammed, it's a stolen phone, end of story.****
Guys I was really excited about this purchase, I tested network with the seller, on both SIMs, both worked great, 4G data, when I took it home I noticed the phone was BL unlocked with Magisk, which made me worry about any security issues or not being able to update. Relocked BL from download mode, flashed stock G970FXXSDFUI5 (I live and bought it here in Colombia), and I checked this was the same FW that it had while rooted with Magisk
Cleared data/cache, flashed successfully, warnings gone, but no network at all, this is what I have:
- Only emergency calls with any SIM in any slot, already tried different carriers
- Checked IMEI in national blacklist database imeicolombia.com, they're both clean
- When trying to make a call "not registered on network"
- When going into Mobile Networks - Select Network - Select Automatically is ON, if I try to turn off it instantly says "Error searching for networks" and the switch stays on, so no "Manual Search" button.
Already tried clearing data/cache of SIM Toolkit app, what am I missing? Thank you!
UPDATE: I went through all the process of unlocking BL again and rooting again with Magisk successfully following this tut
with updated Magisk, etc, but still no ntwk, will now try flashing other countries same/higher SW REV, will post any other update.
Additional steps: I tried putting 2G only or 3G only and reset APNs to see if "Select Automatically" switch was fixed but same story, it wont turn off and shows same "Error while searching for networks" msg right away
UPDATE 2: I wanted to share a video I found that shows the exact same error that I get in the "Mobile Networks" menu:
Altough I rly dont think it's the same situation, cause in that video, the phone has no signal at all, mine is able to pick full signal for emergency calls. I rly dont think my situation is that of hardware but some kind of software/activation/sim thing (It's not the SIM bc it works in any other phone)
Please someone help me, I've invested more than labor hours researching and trying to fix this, I fear I could damage the phone by flashing it so many times

Fixed by @hainguyenthao
DDDDDD

SamaelThuum said:
Fixed by @hainguyenthao
DDDDDD
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How?!

PatnosD said:
How?!
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A VERY VERY VERY complex process. It turns out the answer was a very simple one. They sold me a stolen phone with the IMEIs changed, so at the moment that I factory reset the phone, the "fake" IMEIs were cleared, leaving the phone with NULL IMEIs. In short, I got scammed, had to sell the phone declaring the situation, ofc for a quite discounted price due to the fact of it being a stolen phone.
ALERT 1: WHEN YOU'RE GONNA BUY A SAMSUNG PHONE, ASK THE SELLER IF IT CAN BE FACTORY RESET RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM/HER BEFORE PAYING. IF THE SELLER SAYS YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN ALREADY GUESS WHAT'S GOING ON.
ALERT 2: NOW THEY CAN CRACK THE SAMSUNG PHONE IMEIS SO IF YOU FACTORY RESET, IT WOULD KEEP THE FAKE IMEIs, so the only thing you can do is go into this website:
IMEIpro - free Samsung IMEI checker
Check information about your Samsung cell phone - model, serial number, manufacture date. Verify Samsung carrier, age of the phone, purchase country, CSN number and other details.
imeipro.info
Enter the IMEI and the website will show you THE SERIAL NUMBER. COMPARE IT WITH THE ONE SHOWN IN THE PHONE. IF THEY DON'T MATCH, THE PHONE IMEI HAS BEEN CHANGED, LIKELY A STOLEN PHONE! DO NOT BUY IT!
This is the best guide I have for buying used samsung phones so far