How do I downgrade to an earlier version of 6.0.1? - Samsung Galaxy S7 Questions and Answers

Long story short. I'm helping out my colleague who got her phone locked. We ended up factory resetting it, but she's not the most technical, so it seems that every time she's gotten a new phone over the years, she's just created a new gmail-account and forgotten about it.
Then FRP kicked in. Shouldn't be a problem if she just knew her account.. We've found out that she's got at least three accounts, but none of them works. I figure she's got another one, but not one that she could remember. So I have to bypass FRP somehow, otherwise this phone will be an expensive useless brick. :/
It seems it's on build MMB29K.G930FXXU1BPJE.
It's recently updated, so any bypass I've found seems to have been patched. It's usually a good thing, but in this case (she can blame herself, though..) it's a bit sad.
I've tried to downgrade using Odin, but for some reason it fails. I've haven't been able to enable OEM-unlock or enable Developer options.
Any help is appreciated!

She should have some record of which account she used, creating a Google account should ask for a backup email address for recovery, so one of her accounts should have the details of the one she's forgotten
Otherwise unfortunately this could just as easily be "I stole a phone and want to know how to bypass FRP"

Octoplus box and your problem is solved.

*Detection* said:
She should have some record of which account she used, creating a Google account should ask for a backup email address for recovery, so one of her accounts should have the details of the one she's forgotten
Otherwise unfortunately this could just as easily be "I stole a phone and want to know how to bypass FRP"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know. At first she couldn't remember the gmail, and after we checked against her phone no. we found two accounts. Checking against her work e-mail, I found another. Unfortunately it was none of them.

vatvedt said:
I know. At first she couldn't remember the gmail, and after we checked against her phone no. we found two accounts. Checking against her work e-mail, I found another. Unfortunately it was none of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All I can suggest is look for tutorials on YT for bypassing FRP for whichever security update that phone was on / downgrade with ODIN to one that has a tutorial (Try leaving out the BL part of the flash if it's failing, and use CSC, not HOME_CSC)
You should definitely be able to downgrade a G930F, I just did with mine from 7.0 Nougat back to 6.0.1 using ODIN 3.12.3
You don't need OEM Unlock or Dev Options / USB debugging for flashing stock with ODIN

*Detection* said:
All I can suggest is look for tutorials on YT for bypassing FRP for whichever security update that phone was on / downgrade with ODIN to one that has a tutorial (Try leaving out the BL part of the flash if it's failing, and use CSC, not HOME_CSC)
You should definitely be able to downgrade a G930F, I just did with mine from 7.0 Nougat back to 6.0.1 using ODIN 3.12.3
You don't need OEM Unlock or Dev Options / USB debugging for flashing stock with ODIN
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll give it another try later tonight.

Following this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRUp09bXnDA&feature=youtu.be) I didn't have to downgrade anything other than the account manager on 6.0.1 through an .apk. That way I could bypass FRP on the October security patch. She was so happy, and I told her to keep it to this one @gmail-account.
So, problem solved! Thanks for the replies!

Nice one :good:

Related

Disabled OEM Unlock and USB Debug with ROM, now I get CUSTOM BINARY LOCKED BY FRP

Hello fellas,
I have a SM-G930F running Super Stock Rom 2.8, rooted with Magisk 12. This morning I was a little high and worried about getting my device stolen (my S6 was stolen at gun point three months ago), so I disabled OEM Unlock and USB debug in Developer mode, in a crazy attempt to increase the security and make things more difficult for the thief. WRONG! I have really screwed things up.
Now I get CUSTOM BINARY BLOCKED BY FRP LOCK and my device won't boot. The DOWNLOAD mode shows FRP LOCK is ON, this means I won't be able to flash anything with ODIN because it will fail at writing (that is what the FRP Lock is for). I am at work and my computer has the USB ports disabled, so there's nothing I can do until I get home.
This guy did the same stupid thing, except that he wasn't high
https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/help/s7-edge-custom-binary-block-frp-lock-t3347688
I know that attempting a flash with ODIN can also cause this problem:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=71692103&postcount=25
As soon as I get home, I will attempt the Smart Switch Emergency Recovery Function and I hope everything will be OK. Since it was my google account logged in, I won't have any problems with FRP (theoretically, it will ask me to login with the last account used on the previous configuration).
[UPDATE] There is this ADB thing I am completely unfamiliar with, not to mention I have disabled USB debug on the device prior to this. This file will disable FRP Lock but I don't know the procedure.
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=24591000424958372
Any help will be much appreciated. This is my only phone and now I can't use it.
Just Flash with stock frimware to make it worked than it will stuck on google lock account than try to find ways on youtube.
asadnow2k said:
Just Flash with stock frimware to make it worked than it will stuck on google lock account than try to find ways on youtube.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying. Flashing stock firmware with FRP Lock will cause a write failure, are you sure about this? I will try it as soon as I arrive home. I didn't get that part where it will get stuck on google lock account, the device is mine and the latest google account used before was my personal google account. Could you please provide more details to complete the process?
I am also considering Smart Switch Emergency Factory Restore, that is my last shot before taking it to repair shop.
Dear sir kindly be sure the software is latest/i mean firmware
Hi,
had my phone locked too. Smart switch worked, aftter flashing twrp same problem. Got a factory rom from sammonbile and flashed cp, bl and ap with odin which brought it back.
Regards,
dennis
demmis_ said:
Hi,
had my phone locked too. Smart switch worked, aftter flashing twrp same problem. Got a factory rom from sammonbile and flashed cp, bl and ap with odin which brought it back.
Regards,
dennis
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
asadnow2k said:
Dear sir kindly be sure the software is latest/i mean firmware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I managed to solve it using Smart Switch, the firmware update did the trick. After restoring the system asked for last used credentials on previous configuration, like it was supposed to. Since it was my personal google account, there wasn't any problem with FRP Lock. Now I have installed TWRP and Super Stock Rom 2.8 again.
Leason learned, I will NEVER deactivate OEM Unlock again with a Custom ROM.
Thanks to everyone, this thread can be closed now.
hemp_invader said:
I managed to solve it using Smart Switch, the firmware update did the trick. After restoring the system asked for last used credentials on previous configuration, like it was supposed to. Since it was my personal google account, there wasn't any problem with FRP Lock. Now I have installed TWRP and Super Stock Rom 2.8 again.
Leason learned, I will NEVER deactivate OEM Unlock again with a Custom ROM.
Thanks to everyone, this thread can be closed now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hiiii can you help how to get out, i also have a private google account logged in plzzz help, i have also disabled oem mistakely
Thank You

Galaxy S7 FRP Unlock on Nougat

Hi guys, i have a galaxy s7 of a customer that doesn't absolutely remember email and password for his google account connected to the phone(and so it's OEM Locked).
i tried to follow many guides on the forum but this happened:
i can't root the phone (because the FRP is locking the Flash),
nor install 6.0.1 (because of the error "sw rev check fail device 2 binary 1")
i can't use bluetooth method to skip setup guide (it was fixed in 6.0.1)
i can't use RealTerm because it can't make me save the number to proceed the guide(also fixed in 6.0.1)
what can i do? how do i bypass the FRP? or how do I downgrade to 6.0.1?
Downgrading can be a problem caused by the bootloader, make sure you try to flash a stock ROM with the same version bootloader as shown with this number
G930FXXU2ERD5
The customer would have had to enter a secondary / recovery email while making that Google account, tell them to check their other email addresses for confirmation emails around the time they set up the phone, then they can find the email address of the google account and reset the password to that email address
You have to downgrade to 6.0 and then there are plenty of ways to unlock.
Download 6.0 and latest firmware.
In Odin
1st and 3rd field from old firmware
2nd and 4th field from new firmware
If You need guide how to unlock from 6.0 let me know
LaHunnid said:
You have to downgrade to 6.0 and then there are plenty of ways to unlock.
Download 6.0 and latest firmware.
In Odin
1st and 3rd field from old firmware
2nd and 4th field from new firmware
If You need guide how to unlock from 6.0 let me know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1st and 3rd field in ODIN is Bootloader & Modem
If you flash new firmware to 2nd and 4th you'll end up with new firmware flashed with old bootloader and it won't boot most likely / brick
*Detection* said:
1st and 3rd field in ODIN is Bootloader & Modem
If you flash new firmware to 2nd and 4th you'll end up with new firmware flashed with old bootloader and it won't boot most likely / brick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did that and it didn't brick
LaHunnid said:
I did that and it didn't brick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AP is the system / OS, you're telling OP to flash a new version of Android (AP) with an old bootloader, in order to downgrade to 6.0.1, your method would not downgrade anything other than bootloader & modem and old bootloader with new OS will almost certainly brick
To downgrade you need to flash old bootloader (BL) & old Android 6.0.1 (AP), and probably old modem (CP), CSC is the only thing left
And as already stated, downgrading the BL is the problem that prevents most people from downgrading in the first place
check out my tutorial https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/how-to/g930f-frp-unlock-helps-99-g930f-t3791424
Massive thanks
S6unbricker said:
check out my tutorial https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/how-to/g930f-frp-unlock-helps-99-g930f-t3791424
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been absolutely stuck for days trying to sort out the bloody FRP lock on an S7 (SM-G930F) that had been gifted to my wife by my father-in-law where he hadn't removed the accounts before passing it over.
My wife then did an update that the phone requested when it started up and that went wrong at which point I get involved and factory reset it...oh BIG mistake... and that's where my problems started made worse by the fact my father-in-law couldn't remember which account he had setup on the phone....or even the password to possible accounts!! I consider myself to be well versed in all things tech but I had absolutely no idea FRP existed and was absolutely baffled when i saw the message on the screen after flashing the stock firmware (G930FXXU2DRB6) that was on there according to the recovery mode. I've been trying so many different things over the past week all current methods failed...then I came across this one...which had seemed to be blocked by admins but I was able to click on the link in the 2nd post and grab the password from the readme in the first, which i must admit made it a bit dubious and not sure why @S6unbricker felt the need to do that but there's no issues it doesn't go to a stupid survey site or anything it just goes to a text file on mega which has one line and that's the password!
I followed the method to the letter and, to my surprise and joy, it's actually worked a treat...the S7 is no longer a paper weight!!!
Massive thanks to @S6unbricker :good: ...any chance of re-posting but without the password on the file or putting the password in the post?
Frp doesn't block eng bootloader...after u flash eng boot u can simply use Abd command to remove. Or the longer method flash factory binaries. Enable oem unlock (most important part). Then flash stock rom make sure to remove userdata.img ....on a side note wondering if adding the Samsung retail app and activating it, then using the login data to remove the app via factory data reset might work.
deshaney said:
Frp doesn't block eng bootloader...after u flash eng boot u can simply use Abd command to remove. Or the longer method flash factory binaries. Enable oem unlock (most important part). Then flash stock rom make sure to remove userdata.img ....on a side note wondering if adding the Samsung retail app and activating it, then using the login data to remove the app via factory data reset might work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my experience the combination roms (which I presume you are referring to when you say eng bootloader) didn't solve my issue. Yes I could get them on the phone and boot into them, change the settings or use adb but obviously I don't want the factory binary to stay on there so as soon as I flashed it back to the current firmware, back to square one!
Most poeple advised to use HOME CSC instead of CSC when flashing from combination rom back to stock but I couldn't get odin to flash with HOME CSC.
No I'm referring to the boot.img file. Combination ROMs don't enable su access via she'll.
Samsung s7
Ok I know this is an old Post but I'm brand new to Odin and all the unlock lingo.. can anyone explain to me how to downgrade to bypass the frp on my Galaxy I just bought , I'm very tech savvy just need a walkthrough any help would be greatly appreciated

G930F Stuck on Factory Binary

So I had this S7 my father brought me to fix and appearently it has frp lock.
I followed some instructions and ended up installing this COMBINATION [COMBINATION_FA60_G930FXXU5ASD2]) from a website i cant link because i'm new here (hardreset dot info)
What happened is that i can boot into this factory binary > settings > enable usb debugging, but when i try to flash a new firmware i get only fails from odin. I guess it's because of FRP lock.
I've tried to flash other combinations, but the only thing that works is that particular version that i cant find anywhere else on internet ( COMBINATION_FA60_G930FXXU5ASD2 ).
Can anyone give me a hand? I'll ask to every question you need. Thanks a lot. :fingers-crossed:
Greedy_Ash said:
So I had this S7 my father brought me to fix and appearently it has frp lock.
I followed some instructions and ended up installing this COMBINATION [COMBINATION_FA60_G930FXXU5ASD2]) from a website i cant link because i'm new here (hardreset dot info)
What happened is that i can boot into this factory binary > settings > enable usb debugging, but when i try to flash a new firmware i get only fails from odin. I guess it's because of FRP lock.
I've tried to flash other combinations, but the only thing that works is that particular version that i cant find anywhere else on internet ( COMBINATION_FA60_G930FXXU5ASD2 ).
Can anyone give me a hand? I'll ask to every question you need. Thanks a lot. :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you flash a firmware that works delete the ****ing Google account off the phone. Can't believe how many people mess about with phone without learning the basics. FRP lock is a mother ****er to solve but there's loads of guides.
cooltt said:
Once you flash a firmware that works delete the ****ing Google account off the phone. Can't believe how many people mess about with phone without learning the basics. FRP lock is a mother ****er to solve but there's loads of guides.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me there's no account to delete. I've followed lots of guides, all of them dont work because i cant flash anything into the phone for some reason.

samsung galaxy s7 custom binary blocked by frp lock

Greetings, ever since i tried rooting my phone, i knew something went wrong (i used cf autoroot).
So the first thing i noticed, i was asked to reset the phone or something similar to that, meaning i would lose all my data.
I tried to find a workaround as this had never happened to me before while rooting a phone, and someone had said that i was supposed to download twrp
and change some partition and then change it back. I dont remember what else he mentioned and what exactly i tried doing, i realised it was formatted either way and i had to start fresh. As i setup my phone i went and switched the oem unlock back to "off", as i did not wanna attempt to root again, but i hadn't realised that my phone was infact rooted sucessfully, leading me to my first error after restarting. "Custom binary blocked by frp lock", with absolutely no access to recovery mode at all anymore. Again, trying to find a workaround, i download some stockfirmware that i atleast had hoped was the right one for my phone, after a couple failed attempts of flashing with odin, ( i had gotten various different error messeges on download mode screen such as (REV Check fail device 7 binary 0 and others witch i cannot remember), now im getting a new error screen, stating that an error has occured while updating the device software. I cant flash twrp recovery as the frp lock is on, and the only thing i can guess is that im flashing the wrong firmware, but i cant find a matching code at all.
Its the following: sm-g930fzkadbt
IMEI: 35214310282955
on the back of the phone it says uk yateley, although the phone was purchased in germany.
Im not sure what to do anymore, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
PS: I have managed to get back to the old error screen with the custom binary info, this time with bootloop, by checking the deviceinfo box on odin
Yep you've now learned the hard way not to mess about and read the proper guides.
Anyway "dbt" is just unbranded german firmware. Download UK "BTU" and flash with Odin, it's UK unbranded.
FRP lock means you'll need to unlock the phone with the google account and password that was on it before you started messing about with it.
If you don't know the google email and password you need to read up on how to bypass FRP lock and it's a nightmare.
cooltt said:
Yep you've now learned the hard way not to mess about and read the proper guides.
Anyway "dbt" is just unbranded german firmware. Download UK "BTU" and flash with Odin, it's UK unbranded.
FRP lock means you'll need to unlock the phone with the google account and password that was on it before you started messing about with it.
If you don't know the google email and password you need to read up on how to bypass FRP lock and it's a nightmare.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply, just a question, will any btu update work? Should i download latest android version btu firmware?
(Also yes, it was stupid of me to try and do it quick but i had rooted 3 different samsung galaxy phones in the past without issues, either i did something wrong or it took something way too specific to do the job, perhaps the phone's unrootable, but thank you either way) :fingers-crossed:
Elef244 said:
Thanks for your reply, just a question, will any btu update work? Should i download latest android version btu firmware?
(Also yes, it was stupid of me to try and do it quick but i had rooted 3 different samsung galaxy phones in the past without issues, either i did something wrong or it took something way too specific to do the job, perhaps the phone's unrootable, but thank you either way) :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll likely only find the last version of BTU think it was August 2019. It isn't updated officially anymore but it'll be fine to use.
cooltt said:
You'll likely only find the last version of BTU think it was August 2019. It isn't updated officially anymore but it'll be fine to use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've found android 6 to android 8 with all the monthly updates, im just trying the latest of the latest though i dont remember my android version, ill try android 7 and 6 if that doesn't work, thanks again. I'll make sure to reply if this works or doesn't.
cooltt said:
Yep you've now learned the hard way not to mess about and read the proper guides.
Anyway "dbt" is just unbranded german firmware. Download UK "BTU" and flash with Odin, it's UK unbranded.
FRP lock means you'll need to unlock the phone with the google account and password that was on it before you started messing about with it.
If you don't know the google email and password you need to read up on how to bypass FRP lock and it's a nightmare.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK so i thought it worked but i can only enter recovery mode now and download mode, but cant actually boot the system, it just boots up the battery screen whenever i plug the charger, and never shows the actual battery info, just the thunder icon. Formatting from recovery mode doesn't help either (Note whenever i launch recovery mode it says installing update, then says no command and brings me to the recovery menu) Any ideas?
PS: It fixed itself. Sorry for the pointless edit.

Question Removing Retail Mode from S21+

Hi XDA, first time poster and I could not find a similar thread with the answers I was looking for, if that thread exists I apologize!
So basically I started a job in a retail phone shop a few months back. We have a drawer in store that has a bunch of old demo units in there that, once they have been removed from display, just sit there unused. There is phones in there from almost 10 years ago. They are never given back or requested back, nor are they logged in any way.
Well I noticed there was an almost perfect condition S21+ in there so I asked my manager if we could use it as a sales incentive and he replied saying the phones are useless because of the software on them. I said I was pretty sure you could remove the retail software and use it as a normal phone and he said if I can do that and get it working, I can take the phone for myself.
Well, I took it home and did some digging / experimenting. The phone has a proper IMEI already, you can put a SIM into the phone and it registers to the network. The problem is, the phone has security restrictions on data sharing and it does not have the playstore on it and there is no factory data reset option in the settings, nor in recovery mode.
I have tried flashing a stock firmware on using Odin which I thought worked, however when the phone restarts and you go through set up, Samsung Knox pops up and installs settings which forces the phone to set up in retail mode again with the same restrictions as previous (no play store, factory reset etc).
Any idea how to get around this issue? I would have thought flashing stock software would be the obvious work around but something on the phone forces it to install on retail mode every time.
Any advice on this is much appreciated.
Frostyb said:
Hi XDA, first time poster and I could not find a similar thread with the answers I was looking for, if that thread exists I apologize!
So basically I started a job in a retail phone shop a few months back. We have a drawer in store that has a bunch of old demo units in there that, once they have been removed from display, just sit there unused. There is phones in there from almost 10 years ago. They are never given back or requested back, nor are they logged in any way.
Well I noticed there was an almost perfect condition S21+ in there so I asked my manager if we could use it as a sales incentive and he replied saying the phones are useless because of the software on them. I said I was pretty sure you could remove the retail software and use it as a normal phone and he said if I can do that and get it working, I can take the phone for myself.
Well, I took it home and did some digging / experimenting. The phone has a proper IMEI already, you can put a SIM into the phone and it registers to the network. The problem is, the phone has security restrictions on data sharing and it does not have the playstore on it and there is no factory data reset option in the settings, nor in recovery mode.
I have tried flashing a stock firmware on using Odin which I thought worked, however when the phone restarts and you go through set up, Samsung Knox pops up and installs settings which forces the phone to set up in retail mode again with the same restrictions as previous (no play store, factory reset etc).
Any idea how to get around this issue? I would have thought flashing stock software would be the obvious work around but something on the phone forces it to install on retail mode every time.
Any advice on this is much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried following the steps in a video such as this?
DO THIS COMPLETELY AT YOUR OWN RISK! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BRICKING YOUR DEVICE, GETTING A VIRUS OR STARTING A LITERAL WAR.
Everything i was able find on the subject was kind of sketchy-looking (probably because doing this without permission would probably be illegal) so I included a warning.
BloodyFruitDestroyer said:
Have you tried following the steps in a video such as this?
DO THIS COMPLETELY AT YOUR OWN RISK! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BRICKING YOUR DEVICE, GETTING A VIRUS OR STARTING A LITERAL WAR.
Everything i was able find on the subject was kind of sketchy-looking (probably because doing this without permission would probably be illegal) so I included a warning.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply!
So I also came across this same video on the subject last night, it seems to be a workaround for bypassing Knox but I couldnt find any further info on what kind of state that leaves the phone in after, if it can still get official updates and such or if it triggered to eFuse that causes you to lose access to Samsung Pay and other official apps.
I'm aware this is at my own risk, the phone will sit in a drawer if I cant figure it out any way so no harm no foul as far as I can see. I've thought about rooting the device (I know this will trigger the eFuse) but I cant find any info on if that would get around the specific issue I'm having of Knox forcing the phone to install in retail settings or not so do not want to go down that road just yet.
Frostyb said:
Thanks for the reply!
So I also came across this same video on the subject last night, it seems to be a workaround for bypassing Knox but I couldnt find any further info on what kind of state that leaves the phone in after, if it can still get official updates and such or if it triggered to eFuse that causes you to lose access to Samsung Pay and other official apps.
I'm aware this is at my own risk, the phone will sit in a drawer if I cant figure it out any way so no harm no foul as far as I can see. I've thought about rooting the device (I know this will trigger the eFuse) but I cant find any info on if that would get around the specific issue I'm having of Knox forcing the phone to install in retail settings or not so do not want to go down that road just yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say that the Knox workaround would probably (do not quote me on that) leave you with un-tripped Knox (=e-fuse intact) if it even still is. Even if Knox would be tripped, you would still most likely be able to get software updates. But because you said that you have already used Odin successfully on the device, that would lead me to believe that OEM unlocking might already be on in which case there probably isn't any more to lose by rooting the device. On a rooted device there are instructions o WikiHow on how to remove the Knox , but I haven't personally tested them. If I were you, I'd check with a Knox warranty checker app or through recovery mode, etc
whether the e-fuse is already triggered before continuing with anything.
And if I confused you, feel free to ask anything!
With the root approach you would also have to worry about passing Safety Net, but that'll only be relevant if you decide to go with that path.
BloodyFruitDestroyer said:
I'd say that the Knox workaround would probably (do not quote me on that) leave you with un-tripped Knox (=e-fuse intact) if it even still is. Even if Knox would be tripped, you would still most likely be able to get software updates. But because you said that you have already used Odin successfully on the device, that would lead me to believe that OEM unlocking might already be on in which case there probably isn't any more to lose by rooting the device. On a rooted device there are instructions o WikiHow on how to remove the Knox , but I haven't personally tested them. If I were you, I'd check with a Knox warranty checker app whether the e-fuse is already triggered before continuing with anything.
And if I confused you, feel free to ask anything!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, I may give the workaround a shot when I get home later then.
So I have used Odin but it was with official firmware obtained through Frija and, according to reading, that does NOT trip the eFuse. I did turn on OHD in dev options but from what I can tell, the fuse is only tripped when you load an unofficial image onto the device which I havent done yet. I can check when I get home by booting into recovery mode and checking the warranty line AFAIK it will say either 1 or 0 indicating if it's been tripped or not.
So my issue with rooting is I dont know if I root, will the phone still install in the retail setup that it does currently. I know I can run apps or code to remove Knox once rooted, but I dont know if then just reinstall firmware and it will be back to default like I want, or if I'll then need to figure out how to get the playstore loaded, if the security issues persist etc. Also as far as I can tell to root, I need to install Magisk on the device first to alter one of the image files, then move that file back to the PC to flash with Odin, and I'm not sure I can do that with the retail settings enabled.
Frostyb said:
Interesting, I may give the workaround a shot when I get home later then.
So I have used Odin but it was with official firmware obtained through Frija and, according to reading, that does NOT trip the eFuse. I did turn on OHD in dev options but from what I can tell, the fuse is only tripped when you load an unofficial image onto the device which I havent done yet. I can check when I get home by booting into recovery mode and checking the warranty line AFAIK it will say either 1 or 0 indicating if it's been tripped or not.
So my issue with rooting is I dont know if I root, will the phone still install in the retail setup that it does currently. I know I can run apps or code to remove Knox once rooted, but I dont know if then just reinstall firmware and it will be back to default like I want, or if I'll then need to figure out how to get the playstore loaded, if the security issues persist etc. Also as far as I can tell to root, I need to install Magisk on the device first to alter one of the image files, then move that file back to the PC to flash with Odin, and I'm not sure I can do that with the retail settings enabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am interested in how this develops. Please keep me updated with the warranty byte status and whether the workaround is successful!
BloodyFruitDestroyer said:
I am interested in how this develops. Please keep me updated with the warranty byte status and whether the workaround is successful!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So quick update on this: none of the workaround videos on youtube seem to be capable of doing anything. They all rely on being able to connect to Wifi then get around the device before Knox settings apply, however on my build as SOON as you connect to wifi, it immediately starts applying knox settings and cannot be skipped.
I am wondering if this is because the version of software I flashed on using Odin was the most recent firmware, being android 12, and most of these workarounds are for android 11? Is it safe to locate the original firmware for the S21+ somewhere and flash that on to the device instead do you think?
Also the eFuse is still currently in tact.
Frostyb said:
So quick update on this: none of the workaround videos on youtube seem to be capable of doing anything. They all rely on being able to connect to Wifi then get around the device before Knox settings apply, however on my build as SOON as you connect to wifi, it immediately starts applying knox settings and cannot be skipped.
I am wondering if this is because the version of software I flashed on using Odin was the most recent firmware, being android 12, and most of these workarounds are for android 11? Is it safe to locate the original firmware for the S21+ somewhere and flash that on to the device instead do you think?
Also the eFuse is still currently in tact.
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You could flash an older Android version, but if and only if it has the same bootloader version as the current one, otherwise it won't work and might even brick your device. I am unsure though if the downgrade would help but if the bootloader versions match, you can try!
On SamMobile.com you can see older versions of firmware. Just check the bootloader version before flashing!
BloodyFruitDestroyer said:
You could flash an older Android version, but if and only if it has the same bootloader version as the current one, otherwise it won't work and might even brick your device. I am unsure though if the downgrade would help but if the bootloader versions match, you can try!
On SamMobile.com you can see older versions of firmware. Just check the bootloader version before flashing!
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So this may seem like a dumb question but how do I check to make sure the bootloader version matches?
Frostyb said:
So this may seem like a dumb question but how do I check to make sure the bootloader version matches?
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It's most likely as simple as comparing the bootloader filenames between the Odin flashable files for the old and new software. I could verify whether that's the case if you send the filenames for both bootloader files here. (The file that goes into the BL slot in Odin)
BloodyFruitDestroyer said:
It's most likely as simple as comparing the bootloader filenames between the Odin flashable files for the old and new software. I could verify whether that's the case if you send the filenames for both bootloader files here. (The file that goes into the BL slot in Odin)
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So the first image is of the current firmware that successfully flashed to my device via Odin.
The second is firmware from August 2021 that is on a build of Android 11. You can also see by the file modification dates.
What were your exact model and region again? Probably won't matter, please wait a minute
BloodyFruitDestroyer said:
What were your exact model and region again?
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BloodyFruitDestroyer said:
What were your exact model and region again? Probably won't matter, please wait a minute
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SM-G996B
Region is Ireland (CSC is MET)
Yeah, it seems like the current bootloader is version 4 while the Android 11 one is version 3 so these versions seem, unfortunately, incompatible.
Frostyb said:
SM-G996B
Region is Ireland (CSC is MET)
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Hi there, I can help you out! I have some experience with Samsung.
So first off, I take it this is an Exynos model? Snapdragons require the use of a paid service to get an unlock.
It seems you've flashed stock firmware before but it didn't work out due to Knox. Did you flash all the files including the CSC (wipe all data) file? Also, you could try flashing TWRP and that would trip Knox, at which point Knox is disabled due to detecting system modifications or it will try to rollback your modifications.
So the only thing I personally can think of to get rid of the problem is going the TWRP route, but this will trip the Knox warranty byte to 0x1, so think about it. There might be someone more experienced than me that might be able to help without tripping Knox, but this is right now the only thing I can personally suggest to fix the problem.
Edit: It seems like someone more experienced appeared while I was writing this! Sweet!
BloodyFruitDestroyer said:
So the only thing I personally can think of to get rid of the problem is going the TWRP route, but this will trip the Knox warranty byte to 0x1, so think about it. There might be someone more experienced than me that might be able to help without tripping Knox, but this is right now the only thing I can personally suggest to fix the problem.
Frostyb said:
SM-G996B
Region is Ireland (CSC is MET)
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Are you able to enable developer options? If so, you might be able to use ADB commands to disable the Retail Mode app. I doubt they're enabled though.
BloodyFruitDestroyer said:
Yeah, it seems like the current bootloader is version 4 while the Android 11 one is version 3 so these versions seem, unfortunately, incompatible.
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Dammit, so it seems I'm stuck on Android 12 and there is no way to get back to a previous version then I take it?
Frostyb said:
Dammit, so it seems I'm stuck on Android 12 and there is no way to get back to a previous version then I take it?
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With official firmware, I'd be pretty certain that you can't. By the way, please look at the latest messages as there is someone else with fresh ideas here, too.

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