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Does tripping KNOX stop OTA updates?

I am rooted and looking to go back to stock by flashing the stock firmware using Odin on my G920F. However since KNOX is already tampered with and there's no way of resetting it, will I be able to receive OTA updates once I revert back to full stock? If not, is there a way for it to work?

Austin3161337 said:
I am rooted and looking to go back to stock by flashing the stock firmware using Odin on my G920F. However since KNOX is already tampered with and there's no way of resetting it, will I be able to receive OTA updates once I revert back to full stock? If not, is there a way for it to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, going back to full stock is the best way to get OTA updates so yes you should get any OTA update that is available to you,

maxal said:
Hi, going back to full stock is the best way to get OTA updates so yes you should get any OTA update that is available to you,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the reply, but one more thing, does flashing a specific firmware region may equal different updates? So if i flash the UK firmware, will I get the software updates for the UK phone? I know that sounds pretty dumb but I'm knew to Samsung coming from HTC.

Austin3161337 said:
Thank you for the reply, but one more thing, does flashing a specific firmware region may equal different updates? So if i flash the UK firmware, will I get the software updates for the UK phone? I know that sounds pretty dumb but I'm knew to Samsung coming from HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I have never flashed a different region firmware before so I can't really comment on this sorry.

Tripping KNOX doesn't prevent OTA updates, as long as you flash back stock.
If your current ROM is rooted, this may prevent updates.

Austin3161337 said:
So if i flash the UK firmware, will I get the software updates for the UK phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you will!

Austin3161337 said:
Thank you for the reply, but one more thing, does flashing a specific firmware region may equal different updates? So if i flash the UK firmware, will I get the software updates for the UK phone? I know that sounds pretty dumb but I'm knew to Samsung coming from HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never flash other model firmware, always stay to the W8 version.

[HELP] Downgrading G920F from 6.0.1 to 5.1.1

Hello.
Im trying to get back to 5.1.1 but Odin gives me FAIL everytime.
What should i do?

When during the flash odin give you fail?

Try to flash THIS firmware. It won't fail;
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/download/63682/G920FXXU3QOLH_G920FNEE3QOL2_NEE/

It's interesting to me. Has anyone tried?. Thank you.

Hi
May I please ask why you want to go back to 5.1.1 ?
The reason is, i have 5.1.1 and i am thinking of upgrading ,but if the feedback is result then i'd rather stay on Lollipop.
Thanks and sorry for my bad english

Because it was better with me in LP and because MM missing dozens of settings and functions that were present before.

forumber2 said:
Try to flash THIS firmware. It won't fail;
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does if matter if my model number is different? I live in the US and Verizon is my carrier, will this effect any of that if I flash it onto my phone?

Dreamfall31 said:
Does if matter if my model number is different? I live in the US and Verizon is my carrier, will this effect any of that if I flash it onto my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it matters.
What's your phone's model number?

forumber2 said:
Yeah, it matters.
What's your phone's model number?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SM-G920V
I've tried the firmwares on SamMobile for 5.1.1 and 5.0.2 that are listed under my model number, every time I try to flash it with odin3 it comes up as a fail.

Dreamfall31 said:
SM-G920V
I've tried the firmwares on SamMobile for 5.1.1 and 5.0.2 that are listed under my model number, every time I try to flash it with odin3 it comes up as a fail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon prevents downgrade on their bootloader.
You can't downgrade it, like iOS devices.

forumber2 said:
Verizon prevents downgrade on their bootloader.
You can't downgrade it, like iOS devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah that sucks...I dislike Verizon quite a bit.

LamBor68
I need to downgrade g920f XXV from 6.0.1 to 5.1.1, i try flash odin, but it is fail. help me! all everyone

faurionutz said:
Downgrade isn't possible anymore, even if you could it will brick your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you

faurionutz said:
Downgrade isn't possible anymore, even if you could it will brick your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shut up. It is possible. I do it all the time. Just download the last 5.1.1 firmware below the 6.0.1 from sammobile and you are good to go.

faurionutz said:
If you don't read news then you will brick soon some phones
Trimis de pe al meu SM-G920F folosind Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it doesn't happen to me!

you can bypass or disable the security policies and then do the downgrade?
Thank you

Can anyone help me downgrade g920i 6.0.1 to 5.1.1 without flashing stock or without losing my data.?

AmazingAura01 said:
But it doesn't happen to me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That pretty much depends on the version of the phone, for example Vodafone phones have a custom bootloader, so it can't be easily modified, and even if you successfully flashed another bootloader, most probably you'd trip knox, in the best case, or brick the phone... Bootloaders are always very tricky...
I'm not sure of the model number in that case, I think it's G920F/25F (S6/S6 Edge).
In my case I have a G925i, and would love to know if it can be downgraded from Android 6... I don't have the latest patch yet, I didn't want to install it because I want to eventually root this phone without tripping the blessed knox thing.... I recall that PingPongRoot can root the phone without tripping knox, but I'm not sure of the android version that it works with.
Sprokyshark said:
Can anyone help me downgrade g920i 6.0.1 to 5.1.1 without flashing stock or without losing my data.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There shouldn't be, not as far as the User Data is, as long as you don't wipe the /data/media partition, which shouldn't be the case when you flash stock FW. What is lost however, is the applications, those are lost along with their internal data, like SMS, Contacts (if stored on the phone), MMS, Whatsapp chats (recent ones at least if you didn't backup the latest chats), email app (if you use the stock one), saved games (if local), etc.

so what is the solution?

Yeah man I figured it out. I'm back on 5.1.1 now when I was on my s3 flashing stock would erase the whole internal storage. And coz s6 doesn't have an SD card I thot my internal would be wiped

Sound Bug on speaker and headphones

Hi, I'm having a distorted sound while I'm playing videos or listening to music on speaker and headphones. I'm on stock MM, rooted and TWRP installed. I updated the system to 1 december patch and can't upgrate to Nougat because I'll lose the IMEI, that's what they told me so I hope someone can recommend me a fix or anything to avoid this bug because started to happen when I updated to this december version.
Greetings from Perú and thanks in advance.

Turn the volume down?
Or is it distorted even at low volume?

*Detection* said:
Turn the volume down?
Or is it distorted even at low volume?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, even at low volume and ringtones are affected tho. It's a 1 sec distortion but when I use *#0*# to test the speaker always sounds great so maybe it's something with this G930FXXU1BPLB firmware version.

When you updated to the december version was that via OTA or an Odin flash?
Also lose the IMEI? Who told you that? I've never heard of updating android erasing your IMEI, sounds like a miscommunication to me.

Beanvee7 said:
When you updated to the december version was that via OTA or an Odin flash?
Also lose the IMEI? Who told you that? I've never heard of updating android erasing your IMEI, sounds like a miscommunication to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I updated via Odin. Yeah, I lose the IMEI when I update to Nougat and I have to take the phone to a service center and they will change the IMEI in MM.

You flash all 4 firmware files (CP, BL, AP, CSC) at the same time?
Also that sounds very shady. A phone shouldn't lose it's IMEI phone updating, I have a feeling the phone was stolen, IMEI blocked, then resold, and they're using an IMEI hack to change it.
Is Xposed on the phone currently?

Beanvee7 said:
You flash all 4 firmware files (CP, BL, AP, CSC) at the same time?
Also that sounds very shady. A phone shouldn't lose it's IMEI phone updating, I have a feeling the phone was stolen, IMEI blocked, then resold, and they're using an IMEI hack to change it.
Is Xposed on the phone currently?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, a friend told me the same. This phone comes from another country and here they did that IMEI hack and that's why I lose it when I update to Nougat. I flashed all 4 files at the same time. Phone was working fine with november patch so I'm guessing I'll have to downgrade or update to another MM version and then go to the service center for IMEI hack to fix this distorted sound. I'm also have xposed installed but the sound stills there with or without xposed installed.

You could note down the IMEI that works, upgrade to Nougat, put Xposed back on, and use an Xposed module to set the IMEI back.
I assume an Xposed module is what's doing it right now on MM?

Beanvee7 said:
You could note down the IMEI that works, upgrade to Nougat, put Xposed back on, and use an Xposed module to set the IMEI back.
I assume an Xposed module is what's doing it right now on MM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They gave me the phone just rooted and oem unlocked on developers settings, once I disabled It and a FRP error was showed on boot. So tooked to them and told me to not to disable It and not to update to Nougat because I will lose the IMEI.
You think that updating to Nougat via Odin and setting the IMEI that it's working on xposed will do the job?

In theory yes, but honestly if I were you I'd just be asking for a refund and buying a new phone. Way too much nonsense for a phone.
Do a full backup in TWRP with everything ticked, if anything goes wrong you can restore that and it'll be back to the way it was incl. IMEI - so you won't have to take it back to the centre.

Beanvee7 said:
In theory yes, but honestly if I were you I'd just be asking for a refund and buying a new phone. Way too much nonsense for a phone.
Do a full backup in TWRP with everything ticked, if anything goes wrong you can restore that and it'll be back to the way it was incl. IMEI - so you won't have to take it back to the centre.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
'
Ok, thanks! Maybe You know a xposed module that could help me with it?

I'm only aware of one personally https://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/xposed-imei-changer-t2847187

Probably just a software bug that could be resolved by downgrading to an earlier version of Nougat or MM (depending on which firmware you are on).

Beanvee7 said:
I'm only aware of one personally https://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/xposed-imei-changer-t2847187
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!

Revontheus said:
Probably just a software bug that could be resolved by downgrading to an earlier version of Nougat or MM (depending on which firmware you are on).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I'm on MM 1 december patch BTU, I'll try on XEU. Thanks!

ccalixtro said:
Yeah I'm on MM 1 december patch BTU, I'll try on XEU. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suggest trying the Global version of the firmware instead of region-specific ones , regardless, good luck and hope you solve the problem!

Revontheus said:
I suggest trying the Global version of the firmware instead of region-specific ones , regardless, good luck and hope you solve the problem!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What Code do I have to looking for? Thanks! By the way a friend if mine wants to exchange my g930f for his Nexus 6P.

ccalixtro said:
What Code do I have to looking for? Thanks! By the way a friend if mine wants to exchange my g930f for his Nexus 6P.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't trade my S7 for the 6P, it's just not worth it really. I think Global versions are marked as Global in Samsung's repository

maybe backup the EFS and restore it after installing nougat(?)

AT&T Galaxy S8+ OTA software update not working / alternative way. SOLVED

What I want to do: I was trying to OTA update my phone software to the latest, but it seems I am behind on many updates. On the AT&T website, I saw that I need the previous updates installed first, in order to get the latest ones. I have to go in order.
Problem: Every-time I try to do a software update from the settings, it says “Current software is up to date.” It’s been saying that for over a year now. I can’t even get the updates from last year.
So is there a way I can flash one of the stock firmware updates from last year on to my phone with Odin and see if it will fix the ‘over the air’ updates? Or can I just skip to the most recent firmware and flash that one.
By the way, I have never done anything like this to my phone before, so I am a bit nervous, but I want to get this problem fixed so I would love if someone helped me out. I did see some articles online about flashing stock firmware, that’s how I learned about Odin.
If this is doable, can someone please link me to a thorough tutorial on this process? If it isn’t, can you guys recommend another way of getting to the latest 8.0 stock firmware?
My phone:
Galaxy S8 plus (AT&T)
Model#: SM-G955U
Android version: 7.0
Baseband version: G955USQS1AQF7
Android security patch level: June 1, 2017
Kernel version: 4.4.16-11449429
My phone isn't unlocked.

Zendrop said:
What I want to do: I was trying to OTA update my phone software to the latest, but it seems I am behind on many updates. On the AT&T website, I saw that I need the previous updates installed first, in order to get the latest ones. I have to go in order.
Problem: Every-time I try to do a software update from the settings, it says “Current software is up to date.” It’s been saying that for over a year now. I can’t even get the updates from last year.
So is there a way I can flash one of the stock firmware updates from last year on to my phone with Odin and see if it will fix the ‘over the air’ updates? Or can I just skip to the most recent firmware and flash that one.
By the way, I have never done anything like this to my phone before, so I am a bit nervous, but I want to get this problem fixed so I would love if someone helped me out. I did see some articles online about flashing stock firmware, that’s how I learned about Odin.
If this is doable, can someone please link me to a thorough tutorial on this process? If it isn’t, can you guys recommend another way of getting to the latest 8.0 stock firmware?
My phone:
Galaxy S8 plus (AT&T)
Model#: SM-G955U
Android version: 7.0
Baseband version: G955USQS1AQF7
Android security patch level: June 1, 2017
Kernel version: 4.4.16-11449429
My phone isn't unlocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can Odin flash CRG3 and the next OTA should be CRHI, so once you go thru settings, check for updates it should want to go to CRHI. And then you should be in the Update path to receive OTA's automatically

Josephigloe said:
You can Odin flash CRG3 and the next OTA should be CRHI, so once you go thru settings, check for updates it should want to go to CRHI. And then you should be in the Update path to receive OTA's automatically
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, so is it okay to flash it with the latest version of Odin? Also, do you mind linking me with an up to date / reliable tutorial on this? This is my first time attempting to do something like this.
One more thing, on Sammobile, there is only one firmware available for at&t, and it's the oldest one.
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-s8-plus/SM-G955U/ATT/

Zendrop said:
Thanks, so is it okay to flash it with the latest version of Odin? Also, do you mind linking me with an up to date / reliable tutorial on this? This is my first time attempting to do something like this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1okPBAupxRljTcSPI70ZVv7KqrccKNqwU
This is a patched odin.
Odin instructions.
https://www.xda-developers.com/update-firmware-any-samsung-phone/

Josephigloe said:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1okPBAupxRljTcSPI70ZVv7KqrccKNqwU
This is a patched odin.
Odin instructions.
https://www.xda-developers.com/update-firmware-any-samsung-phone/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, and is it okay if I flash from a firmware from May 2018? It's about 4 months old. Would I be able to OTA update from there on? Also, what is AT&T userdata? I came across it in this thread and I was wondering. https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s8+/how-to/g955u-att-stock-odin-files-firmware-t3769140

Zendrop said:
Okay, and is it okay if I flash from a firmware from May 2018? It's about 4 months old. Would I be able to OTA update from there on? Also, what is AT&T userdata? I came across it in this thread and I was wondering. https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s8+/how-to/g955u-att-stock-odin-files-firmware-t3769140
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can use this firmware and start to receive updates, User data I'm not 100% sure but I think its supposed to flash your data so you wont have to reinstall everything but I heard it dosent work for At&t it will still do a complete wipe before install.

Josephigloe said:
Yes you can use this firmware and start to receive updates, User data I'm not 100% sure but I think its supposed to flash your data so you wont have to reinstall everything but I heard it dosent work for At&t it will still do a complete wipe before install.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I flashed it and it works great so far. Thanks for all the help! The OTA update also seems to be working!

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.