unknowingly bought a rooted G Flex 2 LSS996 - LG G Flex 2

Hello everyone,
Around the black friday weekend, I have purchased a LG G Flex 2 LSS996 on a ebay store. It was unlocked and worked as advertised on 5.1.1.
I could never install any android or firmware updates, which didn't bother me until I also got the throttling/ overheating problem. That's when I noticed that the phone actually is rooted. I wish to upgrade my Android now, which is why I am thinking of unrooting the phone. I thought of ROMs as well, but I haven't found any and I don't have the time and knowledge for ROMs or Xposed Framework.
I'm not sure why or how this phone was rooted, but I fear it has something to do with the carrier unlock since it is a LSS996 for Sprint. Because I want to use this phone outside of the US, the phone would be unusable for me in case the phone gets the carrier lock again if I unroot. Would this be the case?
I'd be happy about any reply! Thanks!
EDIT: still looking through this forum.
Just found this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/g-flex2/help/managed-to-gsm-ls996-awaited-apn-t3090484
Meaning that the seller probably did the same thing right? Will unrooting lock the phone again? I'm not sure what exactly what unrooting does to the phone in regards to these files. I would unroot via SuperSU
Some other things worth mentioning:
- The "hands-free activation" (not sure what it's called in English, I use the phone in German), which starts on every phone start up, never finishes properly. I can let it run through its 5 cycles or press activate, either way it fails.
- When I press "activate this device" in the system settings, a black screen with "self service" on top opens and the immediately closes.
- When I want to update PRL, profile or firmware in system settings -> software updates, I always get an authentication error.
Other than that and the throttling/ overheating issue, the phone works just fine.

I also have the same device. The phone is rooted because someone modified system files to unlock it. You can flash an unrooted system image for your software version and update the phone, and you wont lose carrier unlock. The things you have mentioned are normal for such a device, since it is not unlocked by Sprint.

Thanks for the reply!
How do you suggest flashing? I'm not finished researching, but so far flash fire looks like the most convenient option.

Related

[Q] Help - Verizon 4.0.4 OTA - Galaxy Nexus

The 4.0.4 OTA update was waiting for me when I woke up this morning. I started the install but when it went to reboot it hung up with a picture of the Android man on his back with a red error/warning triangle.
I haven't done anything with it, hoping someone might be able to help me out.
The phone is rooted but running 4.0.2 stock rom. the battery was a little low when i started the install, but i plugged it in before starting.
Thanks in advance for help,
jvoosh
the reason is that your phone is rooted ,so ... if you want OTA ,you had better unroot you rom or ruu
so can I hard reset the phone (pull the battery) without screwing anything up and then figure out how to unroot the phone?
thanks for your help,
j
Ditto
I'm in exactly the same boat, and hope someone answers this before I try a battery pull.
EDIT: I read around and found some people describing our situation, and mentioning that they did battery pulls to no avail. So I did, and nothing broke. However, the update didn't go through, and now I'm trying to figure out why this happened.
Same issue
I'm having the same issue. Phone got the IMM76k update, and after downloaded, was prompted to restart and install. So i did, gets through part of the install, and then goes to the android man on his back with a red exclamation mark. Have tried multiple times, all to no avail. Now, when I click check for update, it says system up to date, but still on 4.0.2.
Non-rooted, bootloader unlocked...anyone have any luck fixing this?
After downloading update, get Android man on back with red exclamation point
I'm having some difficulty getting the update to install, along the lines of some of the comments posted before mine:
I was able to force download the OTA update (IMM76K) according to the instructions on this original post. (It took a few tries, but eventually worked.)
I select the "Restart & Install" option (which is the only option available to me), and it restarts.
I get the relatively familiar Android man with his blue-green glowing polyhedron wireframe guts spinning, and a progress bar beneath him. After getting through what looks like about 20%, it slows down significantly, and I get the Android man on his back with a red exclamation point above him where the polyhedron used to be. I don't recall seeing any specific error message any of the three times that I tried this. (The first time, I did a battery pull; the second and third times, I just waited, and it eventually restarted on its own.) Needless to say, I'm still on 4.0.2.
I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with different version names and so forth (e.g,. I don't know what yakju is), but this was a phone that Verizon sent me in December 2011 here in the US.
Here's the information from my "About phone" page:
Model number: Galaxy Nexus
Android version: 4.0.2
Baseband version: I515.09 V.EK05 / I515.EK02
Kernel version: 3.0.8-gaaa2611 [email protected] #1
Build number: ICL53F
When I first got the phone, I immediately unlocked the bootloader and rooted it. I did NOT install a custom recovery, nor did I install any custom ROM.
It sounds like there might be some kind of validation error, but I do not recall doing anything that would make my OS non-stock, except perhaps side-loading Google Wallet, but since that doesn't even require root, I can't imagine that it would have any effect. My Superuser app shows only the following apps to have ever used root permissions: BusyBox Free, Secure Settings, Superuser, Terminal Emulator, and Titanium Backup. I've only used BusyBox and Secure Settings with Tasker to automate certain tasks, but nothing crazy! Mostly, I just need root for Titanium Backup. (I cannot recall exactly what I restored from my stock Gingerbread Droid X, but I was very careful to only restore apps and their corresponding app data--and I avoided restoring any Google-provided apps.) Even my tethering is done through an app not requiring root (SVTP).
Any advice (not requiring that I do a factory reset or flash a custom recovery or ROM) would be greatly appreciated! I'd also like to hear about people who have similar circumstances, but didn't have problems updating (so that I can rule out various factors).
Thank you in advance!
same exact issue here.
A "solution", albeit less than ideal
The OTA update eventually came to my phone naturally, and it still didn't work. (No surprise there.)
I called up Verizon tech support, and they had me do the Google Services Framework workaround to try to force the update again. Of course, it didn't work.
They said "We're going to need you to reset your device." (i.e., to factory default).
I told them that was wholly unacceptable, since I want to make sure that all my settings are preserved. (I'm kind of obsessive compulsive about things being set the way I like them, and Titanium Backup, as great a program as it is, has sometimes caused some trouble for me when restoring system settings, and especially since I'd be doing a restore after upgrading the OS, I was nervous about that option.)
Verizon got Samsung on the phone. They had no advice except "We're going to need you to reset your device." Both the Verizon rep and I told him that wasn't acceptable.
So Verizon's "solution" was to send me a new device, allow me five days to get everything transferred over, and then have me return the old device.
Up side: In case there was something wrong with my hardware or something else got messed up, I get a new device that I can get set up with the exact same settings as the old one.
Down side: The "new device" is refurbished, so there could potentially be some kind of baggage.
The "new device" came with 4.0.2. I booted it up without the SIM card, skipped all the logging in to Google, and immediately started going through the steps to unlock the bootloader and root the device. (I used the Galaxy Nexus Root Toolkit, which worked like a charm on a 64-bit Windows 7 machine I had lying around.) After unlocking and rooting, I logged into the device with my Google credentials and let it restore my settings and apps that I had downloaded from Google Play.
Then, it notified me that the 4.0.4 (IMM76K) update was available, so I installed that, and it worked without a problem.
Then, I installed the SIM card and got the new device activated through Verizon's website for activation.
Then, with both devices side by side, I went through every phone setting and made sure it's what I wanted, I made sure every app was installed (and if it was a non-Google Play app, I restored it through Titanium Backup), and I restored data for apps that don't store their data in the cloud (e.g., various games) through Titanium Backup. (I made a backup of my old device with Titanium Backup and transferred it over to the new device after getting the new one up and running.)
Everything seems to be working just fine, and the "new device" runs a bit faster and smoother than the old device, and that's with both devices rebooting and then going through the exact same "click paths", side by side.
So it's a bit of a hassle, but everyone who has a Galaxy Nexus should still be under warranty, so if you're polite with your Verizon tech support representative, they may be willing to help you out.
Verizon can sometimes be infuriating with their update release schedule and keeping their customers informed, but they sure do a good job accommodating their customers in other ways.
I realize this isn't really a "solution" to the Android man on his back problem, but this seemed to be the path of least resistance for me, and I'm pretty happy with the outcome so far. (It's been less than 24 hours since I got the "new device" set up!)
Other things I realized I should have tried (and still may, before I wipe my phone and send it back):
- uninstalling BusyBox (through the app itself, since it makes modifications to the system) and Secure Settings
- unrooting
Good luck!
My friend who has a nexus has his bootloader unlocked and CWM on it. He got the OTA today on his way into work and like you guys, he has a broken android when he boots up. We can get into CMW but we are unable to mount his internal SD storage onto our computer and he has no ROM zips on his phone. Any advice as to how to get his phone up and running?
Will wiping the system/data fix it? Is there a way to get a ROM like AOKP onto the device outside of CWM?
Edit: After several reboots it decided to just boot into the stock ROM. Really strange. Anyhow, flashed AOKP and all is well now.

[Q] How do I suppress firmware updates?

I got a notification on my phone that there is a software update available for my phone. After reading up on it a bit, I decided it's not worth the hassle to update. I thought I had gone through steps to suppress firmware updates a while back but I guess not. What's the easiest way to suppress this warning? Let me know when you get the chance. Thanks, guys!
Well, a bit of an update, I found the original information on how to suppress OTA updates here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=56693607&postcount=370
As I thought before, I had already gone through this step and disabled it (it was disabled in the hidden menu already). However, the update still seems to have popped up. t tried to auto update this morning but reported back that it suspects my system is rooted so it wasn't able to install. That's good news to a point (at least it didn't screw anything up) but I don't like that it even attempted it without me giving it permission.
Any idea what might have changed? Or is there a difference between an OTA update and a "software update"?
I don't know the answer but I am having the same problem. My phone keeps restarting and giving the error that it wasn't able to install. This actually happened before when I was on 4.X and eventually it bricked my phone and the AT&T store couldn't fix it so they gave me a refurb. It sucked because I didn't have all my photos backed up(I have since fixed that problem.) Now I am having the same issue and I don't want it to brick my phone. I also hate that it restarts automatically...I might need to use my phone for something at the moment. I also have tried the info in the link to disable OTA both phones and neither time has it worked. If anyone can help, please do. Thanks.
The only thing I have ever done and has worked every time is to root and then freeze a file called. "software update" or "update manager". Hope this helps.
I would actually like someone to put together an update.zip that will update us to the latest version without having to go through the hassle of flashing back to stock and what not.
I like the idea of LTE voice calls but not so much that I am willing to go through the work of starting over.
sent from a location using an app
In Titanium Backup (or similar app) find the app call "Software Update 2.3.3.1" and freeze it
That is what solved me receiving software updates and I no longer see the option in the About phone area.

Problems with phone after OTA update (FIXED!)

Hello,
I wanted to share what I had to do in order to fix my phone after it took the July 27 OTA update. The update somehow corrupted my display and the white portions of the display were now pink and red. A google search has info and pics on this display problem so I won't elaborate on it. The first thing I tried was power cycling the phone, the red and pink remained. The next thing I tried was factory reset the device, that didn't work either. I simply wanted to revert back to the previous firmware and hopefully that would fix it. I liked the new firmware features, but that pink screen had to go! I foolishly flashed the US unlocked firmware (XAA) from SamMobile site with Odin. The pink screen probem was fixed but this definately was not the firmware that came on this phone. Gear VR didn't work, Samsung pay was borked, and there were all types of problems with the software.
At this point I called Samsung Tech Support. The guy was really nice and after a bit of explaining he offered to have the phone flashed at no cost to me. However I would have to send the phone in to be repaired and I would be without my device for a week at least, maybe 2 weeks. I thanked him and hung up. Why couldn't he simply make the firmware available to me so I could fix this without having to send it in and be without my phone for over a week. Not really a acceptable solution. I went online and did some reading. That's when I found the fix!
To anyone who is having problems and would simply like to get back to original factory firmware Samsung has a program called " Smart Switch ". It's available as a App for your phone or as a PC software program. The phone app helps sync devices, but the PC program can do much more. I'm not going to go over in detail how to use the software because a google search has videos and tutorials on how to use it. For me I was able to enter my phone model and serial number and Smart Switch went and downloaded the "correct factory firmware" and installed it to my phone. Now I have the latest firmware (7/27) full factory install and the pink / red display problem is gone. So what I'm getting at is if you are having problems after taking the OTA update like I did, you can try using Smart Switch and install the complete factory firmware from scratch to your device. Make sure to follow instruction on how to use the program, I had to put the phone into download mode for it to work for me. Also be sure you understand about "Google lock" before flashing your phone. This program claims it can un-brick a Samsung phone, and will also over-write a rooted phone to get it back to stock. I'm sure Smart Switch has been discussed before, but for a new Samsung user (like myself) it sure got me out of a bind!

Assistance with (partial)Bootloop and Locked Bootloader.

Hey there forums.
I've been an active browser of XDA but never really created an account but I've done so to have assistance with a particular situation with my device.
So the other week, i had spent 150 dollars on a Sony Xperia XA F3115 from Vodafone, Australia and it turns out that the bootloader was locked because of Vodafone and i wasn't going to pay 50 dollars to unlock it. I alternated and browsed the internet (Mostly XDA but other sources aswell) to figure out if there were any methods of bypassing this, whether it be easy or not - I was willing to try anything that seemed like it had a chance to work, without a 100% failure rate. Reading responses to particular methods, i was drawn into one method of just reflashing the stock firmware onto the device and then rooting, flashing and doing everything from there (as the device was no longer locked by Vodafone at that point).
I have completed this task as of this morning, and the device booted successfully. As soon as i unlocked my device, i had received the general android setup window but half way through, i got spammed with "Name has stopped responding" countless times to the point where the phone was literally unusable, it would just pop up again right after closing it - So i decided to restart the device. This was probably a big mistake, it booted fine but it said "Android is updating" and had the whole "Applications updating 100 out of 255" stuff happening. Then it booted to the lock screen, which i had previously setup before i flashed the device which didn't really surprise me too much.
Then it rebooted. Now every single time i boot the device, it reboots to the "Optimizing apps blah out of blah" and then will reboot upon the notification bar popping up, but no lock screen. I decided that my best cause of action was to download another firmware and try that one instead, but I'm unable to boot my device into bootloader mode as it's impossible to happen. I turn off my device, plug it in and hold the volume down button but it refuses to work anymore.
Now that the situation has been explained, I'd really like your help to see if i can have this resolved. I'm baffled as to why Vodafone even locked it to begin with, since the phone was prepaid and had nothing to do with any sort of plans - nor was it even available as a plan. I don't have the money to buy a new phone, and they have already denied me a refund. I need this phone for work and the mistakes i made were stupid - Please, i need assistance. You're all hopefully more tech savvy than i am in the field of mobile phones.

Unable to flash stock android nor Successfully unlock phone.

Good evening,
Hate to bother everyone since you're all busy, however i've been trying for 2 days now to do a couple things with this new phone. This LG Aristo 2 was handed to me by a sister in law (not purchased from swappa); What we've been trying to do is have the Phone unlocked and used for T-mobile however it appears that no matter how much we try resetting the phone, booting the unlock app and being greeted with a "Unlock failed: Phone already unlocked" screen and using a different SIM. The phone will pick up the signal, turn to 'searching...' and then connect to the network again but not allow calls/data to go through, The APN settings are also correct.
So plan B is to reinstall the stock android software (kdz) from https://lg-firmwares.com/lg-lmx210ma-firmwares/; Unfortunately i'm always greeted with an error saying that it cannot complete. Unsure what else to do at this point, Any recommendations?
To clarify, the reason why I'm trying to ensure the unlock has been successful is because we plan to use for calls and data. Texting seems to work, the APNs are correct but data services and calls don't seem to go through, unsure why.
To unlock it via app, you can spend $7ish on eBay. It would take 2 days to get it unlocked.

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