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[Guide][Tutorial] Root TWRP LG V20 using Dirtysanta[Most Variants][Noobfriendly]

Good day,
Here's the modified dirtysanta method to root LG V20 and install TWRP. This guide will help you in rooting your device with much easier situation.
Before you begin:​(Your phone's internal storage will be wiped or simply formatted or more simply erased)
(You will observe a static boot screen on each boot on some variants)
(These instructions are specifically done using root package 4.0. Some steps will be different if you use other version)
Read this carefully and completely. In this tutorial, I will show you how to root your LG V20 using DirtySanta method.This method is currently working for devices mentioned below in working device headings. So, you are warned not to try this on any other device (or not mentioned device) because this might brick your device. If you're on stock rom with Google's security patch of January 2017 or later then you need to flash a firmware with December 2016 or earlier security patch. This method flashes a debug bootloader, So, if you try to re-lock your bootloader it will brick your device.*
And most important before beginning, read 4th post carefully.
Currently, LS997 (Sprint Variant) cannot return to stock because there is no KDZ available for these devices (they mostly don't release TOT, KDZ).
For H910:
If your phone is on non-rootable firmware you can cross flash a H915 or US995 kdz with December 2016 patch by using Patched LGUP and then proceed to root.
If you are faced any problem you can ask help, I will try my best to help but can't promise and blamed if your device is bricked. Always process is root only if you have enough patience and experience to deal with brick and bring phones back to life.
Working Devices:
- Verizon (VS995)
- Sprint (LS997)
- ATT (H910)
- Korean(F800L)
- USS996 (BPT, UCL)
- Canadian (H915) --> Follow this Method (Specially for H915)
again don't try on others you may face a brick. But if you're so desperate to try it on others devices then tell me your experiences.. DO NOT TRY THIS ON ANY OTHER VARIANT, YOUR PHONE WILL BRICK (INCLUDING BUT NO LIMITED TO H918)
Required Things:​All things that you require for this process can be found in 2nd post.
Preparation:
1: Download files from download section. (Always download latest root package)
2: Install Terminal Emulator on your phone.
3: Extract root package.
4: Install “ADB” through “ADBSteup.exe” from Software Folder
Optional Either copy root zip (SuperSU or MAGISK) to external Sdcard (memory card) or wait till process to end so you can copy it after formatting internal storage from TWRP
6: LG Driver can be found in Software folder of root package (Install it, if not installed already)
Steps:
Bootloader Unlocking:​1: Navigate to extracted Root Toolkit
2: Run "JustRunMe.cmd".
3: Enter "1" to begin process and follow on-screen information. All steps will start automatically one-by-one.
4: When prompted open terminal emulator and perform following commands. (Commands are also described in respective scripts).
Code:
id
check it output if it says ”Context = untrusted_app”. If it say so then you're fine to go to next step or you will have to began from step 1.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Code:
applypatch /system/bin/atd /storage/emulated/0/dirtysanta
5: Now bring Logcat window to front and wait till it says you to start step 2.
Press any key on main "JustRunme.cmd" and it will start 2nd step automatically.
it will boot your device into bootloader after success.
When done, step2 window will close automatically. Press any key on main window to begin 3rd step.
It will flash TWRP on your device. Your phone will reboot and boot into system after some time. If it takes more than 15 minutes or your kept seeing static window then reboot back into fastboot mode.
To boot into fastboot (or bootloader) mode simply turn off phone by taking battery out then press volume down and plug-in USB cable while holding the button.
Flash Boot2 image by entering “2” then “1” from JustRunMe window. (Different for root package 6.0)
It will reboot and phone should boot now.
(If you're faced with any secure boot password then you will have to format data within TWRP. Just power-off your device and boot into TWRP)
Rooting, Removal of Encryption, Installation of SuperSU or Magisk:
​8: Now boot into recovery mode either by entering “5” then “1” or by key method,
Cancel password prompt.
To Remove Encryption Error (It'll wipe all your internal data)
9: On TWRP. Swipe to allow modification.
Click → Wipe → Format Data → type “yes” → enter.
Now you will have access to internal storage from TWRP. Connect your phone to PC with USB cable while in TWRP.
10: Now copy your Supersu or Magisk to phone (Whatever you prefer).
11: Flash this zip by
Press → Install → (Select copied zip) → swipe to flash and wait till it is finished.
12: If you're faced with any secure boot password then you will have to format data again by
Boot into TWRP –> Wipe → Format Data → yes → enter
after that
Press → Wipe → check Cache, Dalvik Cache, Data → Swipe.
Press → Home → Reboot → System.

Download Links:
1: LG V20 Root Package
Old iterations
LG V20 Root Package Here
LG V20 Root Package 3.0 Here
Current iterations:
a: LG V20 Root Package 4.0 Drive | DropBox
b: LG V20 Root Package 6.0 Drive | Mega
2: Terminal Emulator PlayStore or Mirror
3: LG Drivers Here (No need to download from here. From Root Package 4.0, driver can be found in Software folder of extracted files)
OPTIONAL FILES​Patched LGUP (If you want to cross flash firmwares. Use with extreme cautions and don't blame anyone if you hard brick the device)
extract it to "C:\Program Files (x86)\LG Electronics\LGUP" (different for 32-bit windows)
Rootable Firmware
US996 10f KDZ (rootable) (Flash it through Patched LGUP on H910 if your current firmware is not rootable, as no kdz is available for H910 by carrier)
US 996 KDZ
LG US996 KDZ all Available versions

FAQ​
Will this work on the lg v20 H918 10q and up?
Well, Short answer = No.
Long Answer = This guide is just beginner friendly. Which means that It is just more easier version of dirtysanta with FAQ, Video Tutorial (probably) and less anxiety. The reason behind creating this is simply to help new V20 user root and install TWRP more easily. This is no upgrade to method. It is just a modification. It will do only what @me2151's method can do.
Is there any way to revert my phone to a the version before att security patch. I am not super tech savvy so I wouldn't know where to start. I am very frustrated
I did it by flashing a H915 kdz on H910 which had December 16 security patch. After that phone had TWRP by this method. You can try flashing either an H915 or US996 firmware with December 2016 or earlier security patch. US996 10f kdz link is given in 2nd post which is rootable. You can try with that if you have H910 phone.
Here's the link for that tutorial to cross-flash a kdz rom on H910 using patched LGUP. (You can give a try to other variants but H918 which is highly brickable)
Here or Here
How do I find out if my firmware is rootable?
If security patch of your phone says it's December 2016 or earlier then it is rootable using dirtysanta method.
Does that mean I can flash h915 or US996 firmware on h910 even without rooting the device?
I have H910. I can confirm directly flashing H915 and US996 kdz directly using patched LGUP (in 2nd post attachments).
If yes, are there any software requirements/restrictions (be it the AT&T firmware version required, or the h915/US996 kdz I can install - eg. only install version XYZ of h915/US996 firmware if at&t firmware is before/after a certain version)?
Currently there are no software restriction. By flashing firmware from US996 or h915 firmware you can get rid of ATT bloatware and WiFi Hotspot will work without any further enhancements. If you want to root your non-rootable firmware (H910 with firmware along January 2017 or later security patch) then try flashing an US996 firmware with December 2016 (or earlier) security patch to root.
I had the latest US996 firmware (10p) installed, and it worked but I had signals problems (once 4G enabled, connection dropped randomly).
I then tried to flash h915 10e firmware, and I'm now stuck in a bootloop. I tried re-flashing the US996 firmware that worked before, but it no longer works. The phone is still detected as US996 in LGUP (even if I flash h915 firmware).
Try doing a factory reset using button method (The same used to enter TWRP).
This procedure just completely bricked my H918. Everything went perfect until step 2 finished - and then instead of rebooting to bootloader, it simply died/crashed. Now it won't respond in any way whatsoever. I have no download mode, no fastboot - the thing won't even charge. Was on 10d. So that's cool
That's really sad situation.
(No where in the OP does it say that this works on the H918 therefore you bricked your phone.)

Disclaimer
As always, this method is simplified to work more easily. It does have risks same as other rooting method (even more). There might be many problems, if you don't read thread carefully. I will try my best to assist you for any issue but still there are things about which I can't help. There can be situations which needs to be handled with patience. So, I'm not responsible for bricked, faulty or non-operational devices. SDcard not working is not my concern. Any other problem/situations that you faced after following this guide or before following it is not my problem. If you have enough patience, reading ability and the talent of asking questions with more details, and love, then you're always welcome to try, ask and share your experience. Always read FAQ first because most of your questions might be answered there. Searching thread for your issues is best as someone already may have faced and fixed that problem before you. Again Me and @me2151 or any other person isn't responsible for bad outcomes, even your friend who is doing you a favor by rooting your device for you (for free) as you are afraid or not experienced.
Anyways, have happy rooting.
Credits:
I am not author or developer of this method. A very talented XDA member @me2151 found this method. I am just writing it here. All credit goes to him and his fellows. So, if you want to donate and say thanks then he and his fellows deserve it.

Video Tutorial

will this work on the lg v20 H918 10q and up?

dudeawsome said:
will this work on the lg v20 H918 10q and up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, Short answer = No.
Long Answer = This guide is just beginner friendly. Which means that I is just a more easy version of dirtysanta with FAQ, Video Tutorial (probably) and less anxiety. The reason behind creating this is simply to help new V20 user root and install TWRP more easily. This is no upgrade to method. It is just a modification. It will do only what @me2151's method can do.
(Let me add this to FAQ)

dksoni411 said:
Well, Short answer = No.
Long Answer = This guide is just beginner friendly. Which means that I is just a more easy version of dirtysanta with FAQ, Video Tutorial (probably) and less anxiety. The reason behind creating this is simply to help new V20 user root and install TWRP more easily. This is no upgrade to method. It is just a modification. It will do only what @me2151's method can do.
(Let me add this to FAQ)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ahh okay

phone gives that red hazard symbol (debug bootloader thing) and then boots into twrp every time i restart the phone. What should I do now? I want to install alpha rom. I apologize I guess I'm even worse than noob x(

Hi i would just like to verify my understanding of your first post .
my phone is h915 with firmware 10a (h91510a) has security patch feburary 1 2017
This Dirtysanta method will not work anymore because it is after january 2017 is that correct .
Thank you

I have an lg-ls997 and i can't get the applypatch command to work when i enter it all i get is what i think is a usage error reply any idea what i am doing wrong? Also forgive my noobness also what is the [/strike] thing? any help would be awesome as i have been banging my head against the wall trying to root this phone for months. couldn't do it the factory way because no matter what i do i can't get it into fastboot to get the device id it always just boots back to system no matter what adb reboot command i use. so this is kind of my last hope.

atomikkid said:
I have an lg-ls997 and i can't get the applypatch command to work when i enter it all i get is what i think is a usage error reply any idea what i am doing wrong? Also forgive my noobness also what is the [/strike] thing? any help would be awesome as i have been banging my head against the wall trying to root this phone for months. couldn't do it the factory way because no matter what i do i can't get it into fastboot to get the device id it always just boots back to system no matter what adb reboot command i use. so this is kind of my last hope.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you typed commands in terminal emulator correctly.
Is USB debugging on and computer set as always allowed.
Is context being shown as untrusted_app when you typed id in terminal emulator.
Check your anti-virus is disabled.
Make sure ditrycow and dirtysanta exist in extracted folder

H990ds
will this work on H990ds model? I saw the other posts that dirtysanta root works on this model too. I tried and the root processes were successful but the screen was showing white patches(like a hardware failure!!) I reverted back.

Your warning about the H910 and LS997 not being able to return to stock is no longer correct. While it is correct that they don't have KDZs, there are TWRP flashable zips that will return them to stock.
-- Brian

runningnak3d said:
Your warning about the H910 and LS997 not being able to return to stock is no longer correct. While it is correct that they don't have KDZs, there are TWRP flashable zips that will return them to stock.
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops. I saw some flash-able zip but I thought even if your flash stock rom through TWRP, you can't get full stock. With full stock, I meant stock (locked) bootloader and stock recovery with no modification. If full stock is possible then please let me know, I would love to learn how to return back to full stock on H910 (and might write a guide for others)

can i root h91010m with this method ?

Is this working on v20 h910pr claro ??

Can you root F800L if you on April 2017 security patch and F800L10y? Also, If not can I downgrade?

Just bought this phone with a security patch of October 2017 (Verizon variant). So outside of Dirty Santa there is no way to root or unlock Bootloader??

Downgrade with LGUP
Download .kdz firmware file of any <=December 2016 security update & downgrade to it using LGUP.

Sharp AQUOS S3 (FS8032) Thread

Hello I am creating this thread to talk about Sharp Aquos S3. I am waiting my delivery, I have bought one with a very cheap price.
Sharp Aquos S3:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Main Specs:
Exist 2 versions, one with Snapdragon 630 and other with 660.
High screen-to-body ratio: 84.5%.
6.0 inches, 1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 ratio (~402 ppi density).
Android 8.0 (Oreo) with Smile UX.
Memory: 64GB, 4/6GB.
Primary camera: 12 MP, f/1.8, 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF 13 MP, 2x optical zoom.
Secondary camera: 16 MP, f/2.0.
NFC: yes.
USB: 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go.
3200 mAh battery, Fast battery charging 9V/2A 18W (Quick Charge 3.0).
Benchmarks:
Firmware:
Update file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_PFfHIcA-9P7VUg3EPaoRDPZ-nGLXXhj/view (HH1-1460-0-00WW-B02-update)
Fastboot file: https://mega.nz/#F!7NJjXS7K!lab_x6fos5SPZLcQ5BCEwA!qcQ1HCaZ (Not tested, use by your own risk, not for beginners)
Unlock Bootloader :
(MAKE A BACKUP FIRST, IT WILL ERASE ALL YOUR DATA)
No tested.
"fastboot oem unlock".
Tools/Utiles:
Minimal ADB and Fastboot
payload_dumper (Unpack payload.bin from update)
Credits:
@heineken78

Mine.

how is the phone? battery life? i know sd630 is old soc but would be nice to see some custom roms

Hi! Is it possible to flash HH6 (Korean firmware) on HH1?

Hey hey
fastboot oem unlock
works only on Korean bootloader not on Chinese you will get.
Unlock is paid by fking NTOOL.

zimmonx said:
Hi! Is it possible to flash HH6 (Korean firmware) on HH1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And where did you get the firmware from HH6?

zimmonx said:
Hi! Is it possible to flash HH6 (Korean firmware) on HH1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but its needs to be modified.

Style2010 said:
And where did you get the firmware from HH6?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have it, just asking...
heineken78 said:
Yes, but its needs to be modified.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you planning to work on it ?

heineken78 said:
Hey hey
fastboot oem unlock
works only on Korean bootloader not on Chinese you will get.
Unlock is paid by fking NTOOL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. is there a way to get korean HH6 firmware or at least korean bootlader? I do understand the idea to spoof the phone so that we could get the upgrade file downloaded, but there are too many obstacles for an average user like: no root = no way to spoof the name/build or what name/build/skuid should we enter to spoof properly. So most probably impossible without somebody already using a HH6 model that would be able and willing to capture the updates
2. If we stick to paid options - while ordering my s3 I was aware of the fact it would cost to unlock the device
but the problem is, ntool doesn't support S3 (yet), but after googling, I've found a site that claims it has got unlock codes for S3, HH1 and SD1 versions - ie. it's hikarycalix (dot) com (slash) shop - assuming, I get a proper unlock code from them - what to do next? Is the tutorial correct for s3/fs8032? : https://fih-firmware.hikaricalyx.com/unlock.html ?
If the above is correct - can s3 use the same temp recovery like s2/nokia6, 7, 7+ uses ? - described here: https://dospy.wang/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=2222&extra=page=1 (Chinese, need GTranslate)? My goal is to get root rights, cam2api and TitaniumBackup working, I can live with sideloaded recovery while needed
3. There was something like pre-rooted software for Sharp S2 without tampering at bootloader, is it possible for S3 or was it for nougat only?
Thanks for all tips you could give us to get the BL unlocked. Every help much apprieciated

I received my Sharp AQUOS S3 today but I am going to sell it. If someone is interested write me a private message and I will give you a good price.

Unlock Bootloader :
(MAKE A BACKUP FIRST, IT WILL ERASE ALL YOUR DATA)
No tested.
"fastboot oem unlock".
Really ? You are a funny guy

heineken78 said:
Hey hey
fastboot oem unlock
works only on Korean bootloader not on Chinese you will get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I've just found a file on androidfilehost: HH6-350B-0-00A0-B01, the metadata file contains info confirming it's for Korean FS8032:
Code:
pre-build=SHARP/FS8032_00A0/HH6_sprout:9/PPR1.180610.011/FS8032R1221P:user/release-keys
pre-build-incremental=FS8032R1221P
pre-device=HH6_sprout
After extracting the payload.bin file there are abl.img and xbl.img among other files - I believe these are bootlooader files we need.
So, I'm calling You, @heineken78, because You're the only guy that has the knowledge of HMD/Sharp phones - is that going to be that simple now just to execute something like:
Code:
fastboot flash abl abl.img (or fastboot flash abl_a abl.img // fastboot flash abl_b abl.img)
fastboot flash xbl xbl.img (or fastboot blash xbl_a xbl.img // fastboot flash xbl_b.img
fastboot oem unlock
or do we still need something extra to unlock the device? Even if successful, will the device boot with korean/android 9 bootlader and worldwide/android 8 system? I believe it's better to ask, I didn't dare to execute those commands on my device yet
since the mentioned files aren't very big, I attach them

Any news for this phone model? I just picked up one today and it's still on Adroid 8

ln79 said:
Any news for this phone model? I just picked up one today and it's still on Adroid 8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sharp servers were closed some time ago, so leave hope for official updates
the only thing that can happen is to unlock BL and then the development can start - I see some downloads of the files I attached above. Was anybody brave enough to try them?

Lack of unlockable bootloader diminishes modding/GCAM capability.
I see a request for ntool to unlock it is present, with the tool's author writing:
it could be supported as soon as i get phone in hands
Anybody else unlocked a Aquos S3?

I am sorry, I do not understand very much what it means BL or UnLock
What I would like is to flash Android stock on my HH1 S3, either 8 or 9, does not matter
That's because the Sharp OS (8.0 based) is very poor compared to Android 8.0 stock
Moreover, I cannot install Google applications
Any suggestion on how to flash Android stock ROM? I mean, I know how to flash, but is there a file with Android 8 or 9 for the HH1 S3?
thank you very much indeed

Bootloader unlock (critical unlock) via testpoint S3 (sdm630)
Unlock Aquos S3 (HH1 / HH6) through testpoint and service bootloader. Critical unlock
AT ONE'S OWN RISK. NEED EXPERIENCE AND HANDS FOR THIS DEAL.
PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT.
Instruction:
- disassemble the device; you need to remove the back cover and unscrew the cover from the board to disconnect the battery and gain access to the power point .;
- Testpoint is located on the left side of the board and is accessible without removing the board;
- connect the phone to the usb (the battery must be disconnected) the picture of the crossed-out battery will flash on the screen - everything is correct;
- you close the testpoint gently to the mass - for example, to the screen - minus, after the device 9008 appears in the device manager (if necessary, install the driver) - go on;
- connect the battery;
- run the OST, choose the special firmware that I have prepared. In the settings, remove all the checkboxes - select only EMERGENCY MODE, click "next" - the firmware has started;
- The phone should reboot and go into the fastboot itself, the firmware hangs on the message in OST "sutinfo", press the "power" once and wait further
- The phone will be loaded into the recovery twrp (attention is just a special trick and not a working recovery) in it you must choose - Reboot - Bootloader. It is advisable to do it quickly - the OCT does not wait for a long time.
- You get the inscription on the screen about the unlocking - with the volume buttons you choose - UNLOCK BOOTLOADER. ATTENTION THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP, you need to perform - the second unlock - critical.
Critical unlock
- the phone needs to be transferred to download mode
- run the OST, choose the special firmware that I have prepared. In the settings, remove all the checkboxes - select only Normal download, click "next" - the firmware has started;
- The phone will be loaded into the recovery twrp (attention is just a special trick and not a working recovery) in it you must choose - Reboot - Bootloader. It is advisable to do it quickly - the OCT does not wait for a long time.
- You get the inscription on the screen about the unlocking - with the volume buttons you choose - UNLOCK BOOTLOADER. The critical unlock is completed.
Then find the worker stock boot, flash it, and then through it, flash the stock firmware from the recovery.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BMB9m1TBK0GwHijFjp3LjBATHg_1cla8

Instructions to fully working Android One 9.0 on HH1
hi @heineken78
You have done really great job and i have seen some people also installed custom Treble ROMs on 4pda.
Due to google translation instructions are not much clear about how to convert SKUID to Korean
it is clear that we need to unlock bootloader by opening a back cover or via Hikari Calyx (which is paid).
so can you please write instructions in english here
What is not clear to me is do we still need to flash HH1-6_testpoint_unlock_and_unlock_critical.nb0 after unlocking with code received from HikariCalyx
after that we need to flash HH6-350D-0-00A0-B01_repacked.nb0 using patched OST or we can directly flash
HH6-350D-0-00A0-B01_repacked.nb0 and OST will change the SKUID
As I can see once we flash HH1-6 firmware we have TWRP in it but i guess it will not be flashed into the phone so we need to flash it as per instructions on 4PDA post. but we need 2 OTAs do we need to install OTAs manually (if so kindly share link) or via settings?
once we will have 2 OTAs than we can flash TWRP and after that we will have HH6 Firmware + 2OTAs + TWRP and then we need to replace HH6 vendor files with HH1 for hardware compatibility (2 x SIM and fingerprint).
from this point either we can keep the Android One and reflash vendor file everytime we have OTAs or we can switch to any custom treble.
Also how do we enable Camera2API on custom treble or HH6 firmware, do we have any file to flash or Android One does have camera2API?
Is there any notable bug that will prevent to use HH6 firmware or custom treble on HH1 as daily driver
Kindly clearafy it please
Thanks in advance
heineken78 said:
Unlock Aquos S3 (HH1 / HH6) through testpoint and service bootloader. Critical unlock
AT ONE'S OWN RISK. NEED EXPERIENCE AND HANDS FOR THIS DEAL.
PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT.
Instruction:
- disassemble the device; you need to remove the back cover and unscrew the cover from the board to disconnect the battery and gain access to the power point .;
- Testpoint is located on the left side of the board and is accessible without removing the board;
- connect the phone to the usb (the battery must be disconnected) the picture of the crossed-out battery will flash on the screen - everything is correct;
- you close the testpoint gently to the mass - for example, to the screen - minus, after the device 9008 appears in the device manager (if necessary, install the driver) - go on;
- connect the battery;
- run the OST, choose the special firmware that I have prepared. In the settings, remove all the checkboxes - select only EMERGENCY MODE, click "next" - the firmware has started;
- The phone should reboot and go into the fastboot itself, the firmware hangs on the message in OST "sutinfo", press the "power" once and wait further
- The phone will be loaded into the recovery twrp (attention is just a special trick and not a working recovery) in it you must choose - Reboot - Bootloader. It is advisable to do it quickly - the OCT does not wait for a long time.
- You get the inscription on the screen about the unlocking - with the volume buttons you choose - UNLOCK BOOTLOADER. ATTENTION THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP, you need to perform - the second unlock - critical.
Critical unlock
- the phone needs to be transferred to download mode
- run the OST, choose the special firmware that I have prepared. In the settings, remove all the checkboxes - select only Normal download, click "next" - the firmware has started;
- The phone will be loaded into the recovery twrp (attention is just a special trick and not a working recovery) in it you must choose - Reboot - Bootloader. It is advisable to do it quickly - the OCT does not wait for a long time.
- You get the inscription on the screen about the unlocking - with the volume buttons you choose - UNLOCK BOOTLOADER. The critical unlock is completed.
Then find the worker stock boot, flash it, and then through it, flash the stock firmware from the recovery.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BMB9m1TBK0GwHijFjp3LjBATHg_1cla8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Notification led
Hello. Can someone tell me if this phone (sharp S3) has Notification Led?
I have redad that it has but i have not see ON at any video or photo.
Thanks!!

it had a noti led, near the front camera.
Is there any easy method to unlock the phone ?

[ROOT] [N9600] Verizon Full Rooting Guide + Detonator [WIFI Calling etc]

PREWARNING
THIS GUIDE IS !!ONLY!! FOR N9600 (INTERNATIONAL Snapdragon Model)
DO NOT ATTEMPT ON SPRINT, VERIZON, T-MOBILE, AT&T, OR ANY OTHER US (United States) MODEL PHONE.
BEWARE!! N960U or N960U1 HAS A LOCKED BOOTLOADER WHICH CAN NEVER BE UNLOCKED!
IF YOU ATTEMPT TO ROOT ON ANY US MODEL, YOU WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE!
If you have an N9600 international snapdragon model, please proceed. If not, read for your pleasure or future consideration but DO NOT attempt on a US model.
This guide can also be useful for N960F or N960FD international Exynos models, but you would have to change some things like use the right links.
==================================================================================================
Intro Notes:
I REPEAT: THIS GUIDE IS !!ONLY!! FOR N9600 (INTERNATIONAL Snapdragon Model)
If you have an N9600 international snapdragon model, please proceed. If not, read for your pleasure or future consideration but DO NOT attempt on a US model.
After much thought, research, reading, and contemplation, between Note 8, Galaxy S9+, and Note 9, I have decided on the Note 9.
Out of the available options for rooting, there are the devices, N960F, N960FD, and N9600.
Of course, N960F N960FD are Exynos. Unfortunately, these will not work on Verizon, so I would have to switch to T-Mobile. To stay on Verizon it would have to be N9600.
Ultimately, I decided on N9600. Why? Because with Detonator, I can root the N9600 on Verizon, and it's the only model that I can use on Verizon fully rooted. (There is a partial root on N960U, the US Snapdragon variant, but the root is only partial and will have bugs or may not wok.) I could root with a partial root the Note 8 US version, but it is not that much cheaper and it would only be a partial root, so I decided on N9600.
You can root fine on the Exynos versions, but you could not use Detonator for WIFI calling and other features on Verizon.
Rooting Guide
0. Battery must be above 82% before rooting.
1. Root N9600 using TWRP method (Beta)
PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS THERE FOR ROOTING.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...ecovery-twrp-galaxy-note9-snapdragon-t3845536
(Official XDA Magisk Install Guide, don't follow directly just reference)
2. RMM State Fix (Prevent "Prenormal")
IMMEDIATELY after getting into TWRP, flash the RMM-State_Bypass_Mesa_v2.zip (linked below).
If you do not, then you will get locked out for 7 days in the event you flash anything or flash a new OS or downgrade to Oreo, etc.
You have to do this EVERY TIME you flash something to prevent RMM state to going to "Prenormal" which means wait 7 days before you can flash any non-samsung firmware.
3. How to fix: Stuck on Prenormal and didn't bypass, OEM Unlock missing
You might be stuck because you didn't do the RMM bypass above. In this event, you will be blocked from flashing custom binaries including TWRP. The only thing you will be able to flash is original Samsung firmware.
How to bypass now? There are two solutions for solving Prenormal RMM state. I have done both successfully. There is a third but it rarely seems to work (date hack, available at many sites.)
METHOD 1: Long way around. Wait 7 days.
First wipe your whole device again and reflash your original OS in ODIN. If you don't do this then it's possible that after 7 days, OEM unlock will not show up.
Now wait 7 days.
Do not reboot your device, just for good measure. I did reboot my device, several times, and it still appeared after 7 days and a reboot. Don't know if you'll have the same luck.
The second time after turning on OEM Unlock, however, when it wiped my device, I did NOT reflash the whole OS again. And, after 7 days again, it did NOT show up.
METHOD 2: I waited 7 days, but no OEM unlock! Solution: Chimera application for windows. NOT FREE!
I was tired of waiting so I decided to try it, and it worked.
Activate Developer options
Activate USB Debugging (in Developer Options)
DISABLE "Verify apps via USB" (in Developer Options)
Go to https://chimeratool.com/
Buy the 3 days trial.
Download after paying in PayPal.
Install full application and all drivers. Don't customize it just install full.
Put your phone into Download mode
Turn off phone.
Hold Bixby & Volume Down
Plug phone into PC.
Press volume up at prompt. Download mode will be activated.
Now in Chimera application in Windows it will find your phone.
Choose the option "UNLOCK".
Choose the sub option, "RMM Unlock".
SUCCESS!! NO WAITING!! OEM Unlock activated. Worth every penny in my opinion (because it wasn't too many pennies).
Proceed to install TWRP and DO NOT FORGET TO INSTALL RMM BYPASS AFTER EVERY SINGLE FLASHING OF ANYTHING!!
4. After rooted, flash Detonator
File: Verizon EFS/CSC Detonator: Detonator v3 for Oreo 8.1 (linked in file list below)
(There is no Detonator for Pie on Verizon as of this writing, only Oreo)
0. Download DETONATOR_XXX_OREO_VZW_EFS-CSC_vx.x_INT_TEKHD.zip to your phone.
Maybe just copy to your SD card, easiest way.
In order to flash detonator, in TWRP select every box on the Mount screen (OTB will not be available unless you have one connected, but everything else).
Backup all partitions via TWRP.
Then go to Install (in TWRP) and flash the zip file for Detonator which applies to you. (Do NOT flash right after flashing a ROM!; First boot ROM at least one time… then go back to TWRP and flash Detonator)
After you successfully flash detonator and there are no errors, now if you want to remove the Verizon boot screen now go ahead and flash (through Install screen in TWRP) the Samsung BootAnimation zip on the Detonator website. This will replace your boot with the stock black samsung boot.
After doing these, please remember to flash the RMM State zip file. Always do this again after every flash of anything in TWRP!
Detonator features (from the website):
*With the Verizon Detonator you will get:
– VoLTE, Wifi-Calling /4G/LTE/ONLINE services & features.
– AdAway
– AppLock
– OperaMax (VPN/Data Saving)
– Caller ID & Spam Protection
– Phone and messaging Firewall
– Floating Messages
– Screencast/ScreenRecorder
– Ultra Data Saving Mode
– When booting for the first time… turn off “Confirm Network Connection” Under Settings -> Connections… (*IF AVAILABLE*) (see image below)
Changelog for Verizon Detonator:
v3 – CSC Features added / Wi-Fi Calling APK Update
vPRE-2.2 – Smart Manager Device Security Fix
vPRE-2.1 – Added Mobile Data Toggle to Power Menu.
vPRE-2 – Fixed XML Code / Features Added
vPRE-1 – Initial Release. (Test Phase)
NOTE: After installing Detonator, WIFI Calling button disappeared. I confirmed that I do NOT have WIFI calling, sadly. It doesn't work.
Test it by turning on airplane mode, then connecting to WIFI, then try to make a call. You will get a popup with option to turn on WIFI calling. If you try, it will result in an error, "Unable to activate WIFI Calling at this time, please try again later".
There is presently no solution I am aware of, but maybe someone else knows how, search the forums. Also maybe it has to do with the particular OS I decided to use. I could start over from scratch and try again, but it would be a lot of work and I am out of time for now.
Keep in mind you have to activate on Verizon (see below) before trying to make a call.
5. ACTIVATE ON VERIZON:
Activating on Verizon cannot be done through their site, it will result in an error that your device is incompatible, so don't bother with that.
0. In order to activate you just need an already working SIM card.
Activate a new Verizon SIM card on your PREVIOUS device.
If you need an excuse say you need it for your new phone and YOU will activate it yourself right in the store. Then say it's not working let's try activating on my old phone first.
After the new SIM is working on your OLD phone, leave the store and go home. Now, at your leisure remove the SIM from your old phone and now insert it into your N9600.
Reboot. Now you will be activated on Verizon! (NOTE: YOU MUST ALREADY HAVE DONE DETONATOR, FOLLOW ALL STEPS ABOVE FIRST.)
After you do the rooting below, you'll get messages from SecurityLogAgent saying "security error your device was modified, reboot to revert the changes". You can eliminate this by going into Titanium Backup and FREEZE the following:
SecurityLogAgent
Security policy updates
Software update
Configuration Update
6. Magisk Manager
Boot into phone. If you see Magisk Manager it means you are rooted, probably.
To check it open the Magisk Manager app on your phone.
Feel free to update Magisk. I updated it in the app to 19.3 for Magisk and the installer (flashed from the zip in TWRP) is 7.2
Tap to start safetynet, and accept all prompts.
Reboot
Test if rooted by installing Titanium Backup. If it asks for SuperSU permission then Grant, and it means you are rooted!
7. After rooted, install Xposed
Download xposed from the link in the files section below. If you have a Note 9 on Oreo 8.1 then your file is the SDK 27 for Arm64.
In TWRP, flash the zip file.
Now flash the RMM State zip file. Always do this again after every flash of anything in TWRP!
Backup if desired.
Boot your phone.
Go to the xposed links and get the APK file for xposed. This will be the app you use to manage xposed.
WARNING:
One or more of the settings in the xposed module GravityBox [O] causes bugs and removes your Verizon compatibility. In order to solve the error "No SIM card inserted" (but it is inserted!), what you have to do is to go back into TWRP, and do all steps for the Detonator instructions that I wrote above (it will NOT wipe your device, so don't worry). Once you re-flash Detonator, your Verizon will work again and the SIM card message will be gone.
WARNING 2:
There was another xposed module that caused a similar issue but worse. The issue in reference is you get a black screen at the lock screen but nothing can come up but the reboot menu. You cannot get into the phone. I was about to consider having to factory reset before I solved the issue. Since the issue was an xposed module, then the solution is to:
Download the most recent arm64 xposed uninstaller .zip file from here: https://dl-xda.xposed.info/framework/uninstaller/
Boot into TWRP, flash the xposed uninstaller zip.
Clear the cache and dalvik cache like it suggests using that button on the screen there.
Now flash the RMM State zip file. Always do this again after every flash of anything in TWRP!
Reboot into your phone, your problem is now solved!
Finally, go into Xposed Installer and find the Module that was causing the issue, long-press on it and choose uninstall. I know you want to keep it, but it's too bad, you can re-download it later, you will be unable to simply unselect it. You have to uninstall it.
Now you can go back into TWRP and reinstall xposed.
Last step: flash the RMM State zip file. Always do this again after every flash of anything in TWRP!
Files Needed
ODIN: https://odindownload.com/
- Odin 13.3.1
TWRP: https://forum.xda-developers.com/devdb/project/?id=29220#downloads
- TWRP_3.2.3-0_N9600_beta3.tar.md5
- boot.img (he recommends to use this, see tutorial)
- Encryption disabler.zip
MAGISK: https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/official-magisk-v7-universal-systemless-t3473445
- Magisk 16.7 19.3 (can I use latest version 19.3? Answer: YES, I used 19.3 without any problems.)
USB DRIVERS: https://developer.samsung.com/galaxy/others/android-usb-driver-for-windows
- SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.zip
BYPASS RMM STATE: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75360965
- RMM-State_Bypass_Mesa_v2.zip
DETONATOR: http://tekhd.com/detonator-o/
- DETONATOR_N9_OREO-8.x_VZW_EFS-CSC_v3_INT_TEKHD.zip
DIRECT LINK (VZW v3): https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=11410963190603842742
MIRROR: https://mega.nz/#!cP52EYKS!L9Oc7nihQ2RoXddZPAPXCPdVLvzhXq3VZtaZXGzBtDQ
(link is was down but I have the file which I uploaded for you: [EDIT: TekHD link is back up now! The domain was expired but I spent some time on the phone with GoDaddy trying to renew their domain for them, maybe the dev was able to see it since I told them to reach out to him specifically. GoDaddy refused to let me donate to renew his domain for him. Again update it appears the site is down again. But not expired this time, it just says "pageok". I do have all the data from that site so I will upload it for the community sometime.]
XPOSED (for Oreo 8.1): https://dl-xda.xposed.info/framework/sdk27/arm64/
- xposed-v90-sdk27-arm64-beta3.zip
XPOSED UNINSTALLER (to fix a bad module. See Warning 2.): https://dl-xda.xposed.info/framework/uninstaller/
- xposed-uninstaller-20180117-arm64.zip
OREO 8.1 FIRMWARE (for downgrade):
- N9600ZHS1ASB1 / N9600OWA1ARL5 (N9600 8.1 Oreo 2019-02-01 Chile) https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-note9/SM-N9600/CHL/download/N9600ZHS1ASB1/259310/
- N9600ZHU1ARG6 / N9600OWA1ARG6 (N9600 8.1 Oreo 2018-07-01 Dom Rep) https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-note9/SM-N9600/CDR/download/N9600ZHU1ARG6/231741/
- N9600ZHU1ARG6 / N9600OWE1ARG6 (N9600 8.1 Oreo 2018-07-01 Ecuador) https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-note9/SM-N9600/ALE/download/N9600ZHU1ARG6/231755/
** These three files have been removed from sammobile as of today 2019-05-25, because they were there yesterday. You can still view directly but they will no longer show on the page for the N9600 because sammobile is no longer showing any Oreo (8.0, 8.1) firmwares for the N9600 on their site, only Pie firmwares (9). It's likely these will be removed soon, so I will upload mirrors to the firmwares once they are finished downloading.
(NOTE: DO NOT download firmware N9600ZHS1ASA7_N9600OWT1ARK1_SAM because it will after initializing forcefully change your boot branding to a bright baby blue screen with Movistar carrier branding instead of a normal black samsung boot screen. This will be removed by re-flashing so it's harmless, just annoying. Instead use the above linked. So far I have only tested N9600ZHS1ASB1 above which is fine, it is on the Clara carrier and installs minimal carrier bloat which can be removed after rooting. I linked the other two which I will try as they use pre-August 2018 firmware so hopefully I can get the OEM Unlock to show since I didn't know about the RMM state fix before flashing Pie down to Oreo.)
UPDATE:
This guide is now completed and released. The steps are fully working to get your N9600 working on Verizon.
Someone asked me if regular calling works if they don't have WIFI. Of course. Your phone will fully work on Verizon as normal. In addition to fully working, WIFI calling also works (for some firmwares).
UPDATE 2:
DEAR EVERYONE:
Sorry it took so long for me to upload the files. It appears that TekHD website is now dead for good. It's been down for months. So, since I already had downloaded all the content from the website, including the website pages themselves, I'm now uploaded everything from TekHD for your use. I'm also including all of my rooting files for your use and enjoyment.
Will update the links here when the uploads complete. Enjoy!
EDIT: Here's the link!
https://mega.nz/#F!UbZFSAwC!FObELw39ZmADygAJOFVlyw
-

[moved content from here into original post]
[reserved]

I used a exynos S9+ and I'm using a note 9 exynos on Verizon. You don't need to flash anything because if you use shortcutmaster to bring up Ims settings, with root of course, you can enable all you need.

But you don't have wifi calling or several other things right?

I also had to do a RMM state flash. But I didn't know and now I am blocked from doing anything for a week after downgrading OS. Wish someone would have told me ahead of time. The hacks to change date to bypass and re-enable OEM lock DOES NOT WORK. Trying many things, wasted my whole saturday needlessly.

I finally got the OEM unlock to show.
STEPS:
1. Using Odin flash the whole OS from sammobile. I used 8.1 which is compatible with Detonator.
2. During setup, DO NOT CONNECT TO INTERNET.
3. Choose a date some time in the past like a month or even a year ago. I chose a year ago.
4. finish setup disabling everything.
5. General Management → Date and time. DISABLE Automatic date and time.
6. Enable developer options.
a. Settings > About phone
b. tap seven times on ‘Build number’
7. Settings > Developer options > DISABLE Auto update system
8. It will not work unless you also log into a samsung account.
a. Connect to internet now.
b. Cloud and accounts > Accounts > Add account
c. Sign in or create a new Samsung account.
d. You have to log in and add the account, go back and it should say added.
9. DISCONNECT FROM INTERNET
10. Go to date and time. Choose a date in the future. I chose a few months in the future.
11. Settings > Software update > tap on Download updates automatically (it will error because not connected. It's fine. Don't connect!)
12. REBOOT
13. Settings > Developer options. The OEM unlock option should be visible now.
I think the above is what I did. I might have the order above wrong because I tried so many times I can't remember if that's the exact order. I think it is, but if it doesn't work try a few different ways and eventually you'll get it.
EDIT: When I tried again, above does not work so I must not have remembered what I did perfectly, OR for some reason it just didn't work the second time.

[.]

Before I bust out the Type-C cable, I must ask, will this work on the Sprint variant?

Any plan to ad sprint to the list

eastside08 said:
Before I bust out the Type-C cable, I must ask, will this work on the Sprint variant?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NO!!! BEWARE, N960U or N960U1 HAS A LOCKED BOOTLOADER.
IF YOU ATTEMPT TO ROOT ON ANY US MODEL, YOU WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE!
The ONLY Snapdragon model that can be rooted is the INTERNATIONAL N9600. I specifically bought the N9600 for this. This N9600 has an unlocked bootloader.
I was planning on running Detonator on the Oreo 8.1 since the developer TekHD has not yet developed a Detonator for Pie on Verizon. Plus, I read that many people prefer Oreo over Pie. Moreover, Oreo will have more dev support than Pie since Pie is still very new.
I am still working on this so will continue progress updates.
Right now I am stuck because I didn't know about the RMM State so I am stuck on Prenormal, which means 7 days waiting. I had gotten the OEM unlock to show because I was going to disable and re-enable OEM unlock, and when I proceeded it wiped, and then changed to Prenormal preventing from installing TWRP again.
If I had known ahead of time, I could have flashed the RMM fix zip while I had TWRP on there and could have avoided this fiasco. If I get OEM unlock to show again then I will use that to avoid future lockouts.
Right now I am downloading a July 2018 version of Oreo 8.1. I tried flashing several Oreo 8.1 and that is easy with Odin, but could not get the OEM unlock to show up again no matter what I tried. According to this page** (link below), the method of switching the time doesn't work on pre- August 2018 firmwares. That's not entirely accurate as I got it to show up the first time, but I may be stuck now.
So in an effort to try anything, I am downloading and will flash the earlier version of 8.1 from July. Then will try the date method to try to get it to show up. Hopefully it works.
** NOTE: link from above is https://www.thecustom droid.com/prenormal-rmm-state-on-samsung-galaxy-guide/ (remove the space between custom and droid)

For future reference, guides go in the guides section, not development.

Update: I can't get OEM unlock to show up and ran out of time. So, I have to take the long way around and wait a week for it to show up. So, I'll be back on Sunday if OEM unlock shows up.

Im guessing this trips knox ?

why put 'Verizon Full Rooting Guide' when rooting has nothing to do with carriers.
the guide is to get verizon csc on a n9600. you should change the way you named the thread if you dont want to get a gazilion questions from n960u uers.

i sure am confused.
are you able to root a international note9 and use it on verizon network in the usa, or not?
i know elliwigy is working on getting root for a specific model of note9, i think for the usa unlocked or verizon locked model, but it's not useable on stock firmware yet.

UPDATE:
After 7 days, a reboot, and pressing check for updates (but not updating), then checking for the OEM unlock, it did in fact show up.
Unfortunately, enabling OEM unlock also factory resets your phone which AGAIN puts the 7 day lock - which is f*ing ridiculous.
So now I have to wait ANOTHER 7 days before proceeding, so that Prenormal will be able to go to Normal and I can flash TWRP and custom binaries.
Will update again in another week.

bober10113 said:
why put 'Verizon Full Rooting Guide' ... if you dont want to get a gazilion questions from n960u uers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please note the tag [N9600], if N960U users fail to read the full title, that's their fault. I put all the disclaimers in red anyway just in case, so they can know.
This indeed is about using an international N9600 on Verizon in the USA. I am still working on this and as per my previous post, in another week once the 7 day wait period is over again so I can finish the root and flashing, then I will continue to update about how to get the N9600 working on Verizon.
It is worth noting that you are required to root the N9600 in order to use Detonator.
siriom said:
Im guessing this trips knox ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The answer to this is Yes. It trips Knox. You cannot root without tripping Knox.
dumbfone said:
are you able to root a international note9 and use it on verizon network in the usa, or not?
i know elliwigy is working on getting root for a specific model of note9, i think for the usa unlocked or verizon locked model, but it's not useable on stock firmware yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The answer to this is hopefully yes, and I have known others to get the N9600 working on Verizon. But I have to wait another week before I can proceed, so please check back next week to see my progress and additional instructions.

Hello everyone,
I have wonderful and amazing news. I have completed fully rooting my Note 9 N9600 and also getting it fully working on Verizon. I am updating the original post now with the details and remaining steps.
It's worth noting that after the second 7 days, OEM unlock would NOT show up. I waited hours more, but still no luck. Instead, I used an application called Chimera which I actually paid for in order to get OEM unlock to finally show up, and it worked.

Update: See the above completed and updated guide.

zxzxzxzxzxzxzxzxzx said:
Update: See the above completed and updated guide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so the way to do it is just flashing the latest detonator?
http://tekhd.com/detonator/
(apparently with full wifi calling support too..)
http://tekhd.com/detonator-o/#vzwdetonator
(or go to detonator telegram channel for possibly modded comunity version...rumor i heard)
implicitly, people probably already know how to root by following the steps outlined from the snapdragon thread..

[GUIDE] AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE FOR G935F/FD

AN ESSENTIAL GUIDE FOR G935F/FD​
DISCLAIMER☆THIS WILL BE A HUGE WORD WALL, SO DON'T BOTHER WITH THIS IN ADVANCE IF YOU MIND READING LARGE AMOUNTS OF WORDS ON SCREEN
☆THIS ISN'T A ROOT GUIDE EXACTLY BUT WHEN YOU READ THIS TILL THE END, ROOTING WILL BE AS EASY AS BREATHING FOR YOU (LITERALLY)
NOTE : THIS GUIDE DOESN'T APPLIES TO YOU IF YOU ALREADY KNOW BASICS AND/OR ARE ADVANCED USER WHO KNOWS GUTS OF ANDROID. THIS IS EXPLICITLY FOR NOOBS LIKE MYSELF WHO ACCIDENTALLY MESS THEIR DEVICES AND GET A BRICK !
WARNING : THIS DOESN'T APPLIES FOR ANY OTHER MODEL THEN G935F/FD, AND IS JUST FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES, I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE CAUSED TO YOUR DEVICE FOLLOWING THIS GUIDE.
P.SHERE I PRESENT MY FIRST GUIDE FOR S7 SERIES, YOU CAN SAY ITS A BASIC ROOTING GUIDE AND SUCH GUIDES ARE EVERYWHERE HERE ON S7 FORUMS BUT THIS ONE CONTAINS VITAL INFORMATION WHICH I COLLECTED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES AND TRIED KEEPING IT AT ONE PLACE AND FOR THE NOOBS LIKE ME WHO DON'T KNOW WHERE TO SEARCH FOR THESE THINGS
ALSO AS I RECEIVE HUNDREDS OF PM'S FOR HELP REGARDING PEOPLE ACCIDENTALLY TURNING OEM UNLOCK OFF AND MESSING THEIR DEVICES, I HAD TO MAKE A GUIDE NOW SO EVERYONE CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS
AND YEAH I CANNOT HELP ANYONE REMOTELY NOW, SORRY LIFE SUCKS IN AT TIMES
AND YOU GUYS KNOW THAT S7 SERIES ARE ALMOST EOL BY SAMSUNG SO I TRIED MAKING AN EOL GUIDE TOO
--------------------------------------------------------------------​
INTRODUCTION
EFS :
EFS (encrypting file system) is the partition which stores nv data of your phone, that is a read only partiton and it contains nv data (non-volatile data) memory which stores all the vital data from the manufacturer which is non volatile or in other words.. not to be removed/modified in any way.. and So, this nv data kinda makes your phone a 'phone'
UFS :
The UFS is universal flash storage chip also known as nand memory in older terms, your internal memory chip on the s7 edge series.. it contains all the android partitions of your phone i.e everything your smartphone has to be a 'smartphone' ..
DM-VERITY :
Device-Mapper verification is a new security measure in latest samsung devices, it basically checks system integrity i.e to check if system partition is modified by any method .. if your system partition is modified even willingly by yourself by any method like non-systemless root/mod/custom binaries etc, dm-verity will kick in and prevent your phone from booting normally. DM-verity is explicitly present in recovery partition which prevents boot on activating and it kicks in through a check inside the stock kernel which activates it.. apparently, removing dm-verity in recovery or kernel makes the device boot-able again.
DRK :
DRK or device root key is present in efs partition of your phone, DRK is a device-unique asymmetric key pair that is signed by Samsung's root key through an X.509 certificate, this certificate proves that the DRK was produced by Samsung. DRK is explicitly present in EFS partition. If due to any reason your drk gets corrupted/deleted, you get a permanent type of dm-verity error and your phone will not boot even stock samsung roms without dm verity disabler zips ..
NV DATA :
Non-volatile data is present on efs partition and includes, device specific vital manufacturer binaries which are never to be modified/removed in anyway. This includes device specific network certificates, IMEIs, SERIAL numbers, bluetooth ids/mac addresses, DRK, nfc parameters and others etc ..
PARTITIONS :
Android adopts linux like partitions and file tables, but most of the partitions present on samsung phones are not to be modified/messed up in any way, other then backing them up. The most common partitions to modify/format include :
1. DATA
2. CACHE
3. DALVIK CACHE
4. SYSTEM
But system partition is often recommended to not modify/format for the reasons I will explain further down in the guide ..
A partitions screenshot of s7 edge G935F running a stock rooted rom on version 8 binary
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
The highlighted ones in yellow contain your nv data..
NOTE : ITS A VITAL STEP TO BACKUP ALL NV DATA PARTITIONS AFTER ROOTING (SHOULD BE THE FIRST THING TO DO AFTER ROOTING! )
PARTITION STYLE/IMAGE TYPE :
S7 series (exynos) partition table is A type on oreo stock firmware and until pie based custom roms.. one ui 2.0 introduced A/B style partitioning. Only difference between them is about how hard magisk implementation is in A/B and also the absence of ramdisk. You can get more info in magisk's documentation on github.
FIRMWARE TYPES :
All firmwares before the 10th binary update are called as A firmwares, the 10th or 0 one being called as A and after onwards from that we call the binaries as B firmwares i.e all firmwares from G935FXX1XXXXX to G935FXX9XXXXX will be called A firmwares simply, the 10th one being G935FXXAXXXXX and after that B firmware starts as G935FXXBXXXXX and then binaries continue like C/D/E/F if samsung wanted to update the device further.. S7 exynos are currently on 8th version binary.. where the binary number is actually the bootloader number and you cannot downgrade to lower version binaries from a higher version ..
Also the B firmwares are a very special case, will explain later further down later.
BOOTLOADER VERSION :
Refer to the above paragraph. Numbers/alphabets after XX and before XXXXX denote the version number of the binaries or in other words the bootloader version, which after upgrading to a higher version cannot be downgraded to a lower bootloader version ..
WHAT IS AP/CP/CSC/BL/PIT?
AP is Application Processor, known as PDA in older terms, the core android of the flashing package, CP being the Core Processor also known as modem, while CSC is Consumer Software Customization which contains regional/country based settings for your phone which includes network settings and custom preloaded software, also to mention that CSC has two types CSC and HOME_CSC ..
CSC contains the pit file which partitions and formats the phone before flashing in odin, while HOME_CSC doesn't include pit file and is meant to upgrade/dirty flash without wiping data in odin.. PIT means partition information table, if you are flashing CSC you don't need to manually extract and place pit file in odin as this is automatically done when flashed using CSC..
ODIN :
Odin, the lord of the dead as known in norse mythology is actually a lord of dead samsung phones too you already know what this is, but in case if you really don't; then this is a flashing software for samsung phones and you don't need to select any advanced options in odin when flashing.. just select auto-reboot and f.reset when flashing stock firmwares - all other options are obsolete and/or have no use for s7 series devices. Also when flashing any recovery don't tick auto reboot just f.reset and manually force reboot from download mode to custom recovery using key combinations
DOWNLOAD, RECOVERY MODE, SAFE MODE AND FORCE REBOOT :
While phone is turned off, holding vol down+home+power buttons will make you go in download mode.
And while phone is off, holding vol up+home+power buttons will make you go in recovery mode ..
Holding vol down after samsung animation comes during boot would make you enter in safe mode (this option is obsolete since in most bootloops we cannot go in safe mode because phone isn't booting properly to accept safe mode key input)
Hold vol down+home+power buttons on any screen to force reboot phone ..
DOWNLOAD MODE INFO :
There are details written in download mode which are very useful for diagnosing various issues.
Such as :
>Real Model Number : displays real phone's hardware model.
>System Status : displays intact-ness of /system partition.
>Binary Status : displays intact-ness of other partitions like boot (kernel) or recovery etc.
>KNOX Status : displays the hardware e-fuse status for warranty purposes. Anything other then 0x00 means its tripped.
>Letters B/K/S : letter B means bootloader version number, K for kernel's and S for system's version number. You cannot flash any firmware with lower numbers then displayed here because secure bootloader will always block it.
UPLOAD MODE :
There is not much info on this or any info at all for the matter. All I know per my personal experience is that it happened due to SBL (secure bootloader) error after flashing an incompatible firmware. It can be due to any other software or hardware reasons, but my guess is that it protects phone from becoming a complete brick in case of bootloader error or corruption. But again, its so scarce that hardly any reliable information exists about it and I'm not gonna brick my phone just to see if it really 'works'
FRP LOCK :
FRP lock is the factory reset protection, it kicks in two ways.
1. You had oem unlock off and you forgot to delete your/last google account on device before factory resetting it and for some reason you also forgot that google account's password, so this frp lock kicks in and you need to login with that last google account to regain access to your phone, this is basically an anti-theft measure, also ironically there were/are ways to bypass it too ..
2. If you disable oem unlock after rooting/modifying/installing custom binaries or you try to root/modify/install custom binaries without enabling oem unlock first, you get custom binary blocked by frp on next boot, for solving this you just need to flash back stock rom.. and login with last google account password if required ..
3. Its a bit same like no. 2, but this one is a dreaded and notorious issue.. happens when your drk or efs gets corrupted due to any reason and you also "Accidentally" turn OEM Unlock OFF (lmao) . Now when you flash custom binary you get the same frp lock as no. 2, BUT you cannot boot stock rom back to Enable OEM Unlock due to drk error/efs corruption (which prevents even stock rom from booting up because of dm-verity error) and you cannot fix drk/dm-verity error by flashing no verity zips.. because custom binary block by frp error.......
So now you know its not a good idea to do "Accidents"
COMBINATION BINARIES :
Combination binaries are troubleshooting firmwares developed specially for repairing by samsung which don't have dm-verity checks as well as no developer options either, which mainly can be used to fix imei/efs issues AFTER restoring a backup which you are SURE to be WORKING and taken from an earlier/working environment..
Sometimes combination roms can fix efs/imei and network issues without restoring a working earlier backup (in case of some software bug), though this only works if the original factory efs of your phone is intact ..
NOTE : AS OF NOW, LATEST COMBINATION ROMS FOR VERSION 7 AND 8 BINARIES AREN'T AVAILABLE ON THE POPULAR AND TRUSTWORTHY SOURCES - NOT EVEN ON PAID ONES. SO EITHER DON'T UPGRADE YOUR PHONES TO LATEST BINARIES OR DON'T MESS THEM UP SO THEY DON'T REQUIRE COMBINATION ROMS TO FIX THEM
--------------------------------------------------------------------​
MAIN GUIDE AND ISSUES TROUBLESHOOTING
NOW THAT YOU HAVE READ MY ENCYCLOPEDIA, I WILL BEGIN WITH MY DARWIN PHILOSOPHIES
1. DEVELOPER OPTIONS AND OEM UNLOCK :
Developer options are the first step when you want or even think of modifying/rooting your device in anyway. You go in about section of your phone and tap build number 8 times to enable developer options and then you need to ENABLE OEM UNLOCK BEFORE MODIFYING/ROOTING YOUR DEVICE IN ANYWAY POSSIBLE
FLASHING ROMS AFTER ENABLING OEM UNLOCK DOES NOT CHANGE ITS STATE
BE WARNED : CLEARING DATA OF SETTINGS APP OR FOLLOWING ANY GUIDE ON INTERNET TO DISABLE DEVELOPER OPTIONS AFTER ROOTING/MODIFYING YOUR PHONE CAN RESULT IN OEM UNLOCK BEING TURNED OFF AND YOU GETTING THE CUSTOM BINARY BLOCKED BY FRP MESSAGE
AND YES PLEASE DON'T ACCIDENTALLY TURN OEM UNLOCK OFF FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE
2. USB DEBUGGING :
Although not vital, but usb debugging is needed for using adb from your pc and adb has many useful commands if you like digging in the linux shell, plus many no-root apps require adb commands to make them run some useful functions without root.. I recommend keeping it on just in case.
3. DM-VERITY ERRORS :
Ah yes, I hate this one, this is one of the most notorious errors I have ever seen, DM verity as told above is a system integrity check for modifications, but this dm-verity thing on occasion can make a hard brick coupled with some kind of encryption in the kernel/bootloader, Master @Chainfire describes such behaviour in one of his posts here, it was on nougat though and I can only expect it to be worse on oreo ..
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72204306&postcount=978
In simple terms a s7 can become a partial hard brick IF user had no access to a working rom (due to dm-verity) and custom recovery is broken/can't be flashed (due to OEM Unlock being turned off) ..
What worries me most, is that I could not get my device in any sort of booting state without formatting /data and /cache in recovery (something that you would normally be able to do through ODIN by flashing empty images). This means that if you end up in this broken state and for any reason recovery isn't functional, your device may be unrecoverable and essentially bricked. It is certainly not unheard of to have a broken recovery, especially on Samsung devices. Combine the two, and it is a certainty that some users will eventually end up bricked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, if anyone modifies their system partition after root without disabling dm-verity check in the stock kernel or they root using non-systemless method or they did a swipe for system modifications in twrp or they installed any non-systemless mod, they get dm-verity error.. For most part a dm-verity error due to a modified system partition on a rooted phone can be easily fixed by flashing no-verity zips in twrp recovery ..
OR by flashing a stock firmware of matching binary through odin ..
Even if you have accidentally turned oem unlock off, you simply reflash stock firmware and go in developer options to re-enable oem unlock. This is what I call type 1 dm-verity which is the easy one to fix ..
NOW, lets see another scenario where some people accidentally turned oem unlock off (yeah believe me there are tons of users doing this these days lol) and for those people dm-verity was not going away even after a stock firmware reflash and because they turned OEM UNLOCK OFF they could NOT flash custom binaries to bypass dm-verity either.. HENCE THEIR DEVICE WAS IN A STATE OF SEMI-PERMANENT HARD-BRICK..
My search revealed that a corrupted/missing DRK in EFS partition was actually the root cause of this type of dm-verity error, such unfortunate users CANNOT EVER REVERT BACK TO A STOCK UNMODIFIED ROM (without restoring an intact DRK backup) and they ALWAYS HAVE TO FLASH NO VERITY ZIPS TO USE/BOOT STOCK ROM..
But if OEM UNLOCK IS TURNED OFF, they get STUCK BADLY because device rejects any custom binaries like no-verity zips and twrp etc ..
My further search concluded that since the stock recovery kicked in dm verity, So if the AP file of firmware is extracted and stock recovery is deleted from it, while the boot.img is renamed as recovery.img and only system.img alongwith renamed recovery.img is repacked and flashed alongwith BL, CP and CSC, it allows users to BOOT into stock rom to ENABLE OEM UNLOCK AGAIN and use their device with custom binaries, and so their device is back to the living once more
The exact steps are as follow :
1. Extract the correct matching-binary firmware package.. then extract the AP file, and copy boot.img and system.img to a new separate folder ..
2. Rename boot.img to recovery.img and repack this renamed recovery.img alongwith system.img (only these 2) using autotar tool (I've posted the link to autotar tool now although it gets detected as a virus, So download at your own risk) or any other tar packing utility ..
AutoTar Tool
3. Flash this modified AP using latest odin along with BL, CP and CSC (not HOME_CSC) and only tick auto reboot and f.reset in odin options ..
Your phone should boot now and you can ENABLE OEM UNLOCK to flash custom binaries and make your phone usable again.. personally tested that this method works ..
BE WARNED THAT THIS METHOD REQUIRES ATLEAST 10% BATTERY FOR FLASHING AND BOOTING
Since many devices had been hard bricked for months and battery being drained completely, they couldn't boot or complete flash due to their phone becoming dead in the middle of flashing process or booting process ..
I recommend charging phone by a wireless charger in this state (since wireless charger is said to be working even in bricked state, also connecting it to a charger while in download mode may give it some charge) or simply try continously to boot it, if flash using above method is successful then don't reflash anymore just try to boot phone while putting it on charger ..
And hopefully your device will get out of this dreaded dm-verity + frp lock due to custom binary ..
Here's my original post for such dm-verity fix : https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=82294339&postcount=11
WARNING : MULTIPLE INTERRUPTED/INCOMPLETE FLASHES DUE TO NO BATTERY OR BATTERY DYING IN THE MIDDLE OF FLASHING PROCESS CAN CAUSE PERMANENT UFS CHIP HARDWARE DAMAGE !!
END NOTE : ALL OF DM-VERITY ISSUES ONLY HAPPEN ON A FULLY STOCK ROM WITH STOCK BOOT/KERNEL AND STOCK RECOVERY, ONCE A CUSTOM ROM OR CUSTOM BOOT/KERNEL AND CUSTOM RECOVERY ARE FLASHED, THEN THERE MAY NOT BE A NEED TO FLASH NO VERITY ZIPS, BECAUSE DM-VERITY MAY ALREADY BE DISABLED IN THE CODE. REFER TO YOUR RESPECTIVE ROM THREAD FOR THE REQUIRED INFO.
4. FORCED ENCRYPTION :
My personal experience and testing with root on android 8.0 stock oreo made me conclude that for some reason, the latest twrp as well as tkkg's modified twrp (which only supports quota) fails to mount /data even after formatting, when we reboot first time into system after formatting data and then go again in twrp, twrp fails to see /data again ..
Well, this is not a huge problem BUT if due to any reason your phone got in a non-fixable bootloop and you still got valuable data on it, then there's no practical way to recover it, except copying and moving it from twrp to external sd card/usb otg ..
So yeah an accessible /data is a big factor for me to have it working ..
Tkkg's post on encryption : https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77296095&postcount=2228
link where he says he hasn't added encryption support : https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77314388&postcount=1251
I first thought that latest official/tkkg's twrp would have fixed this problem, but even when forced encryption is disabled using zips, every twrp I tried could not see /data partition ..
EDIT : OFFICIAL TWRP 3.3.1+ WORKS BUT WE NEED TO FLASH MAGISK RIGHT AFTER BOOTING TWRP FOR FIRST TIME AFTER DOING A FORMAT DATA UNDER WIPE OPTIONS, AFTER THIS REBOOT TO SYSTEM, AND ENCRYPTION WON'T COME BACK AND YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO ACCESS DATA AFTER EVERY REBOOT IN TWRP !!! SEEMS LIKE IF NO MAGISK = NO /DATA ACCESS IN TWRP OR IN OTHER WORDS "FORCED ENCRYPTION"
5. ODIN ISSUES :
Many users on the forums reported issues with flashing via odin, my own experience and research tells me it can be due to :
》You're using a wrong model firmware.
》You're using a counterfeit/modified phone whose real hardware model is different then what's displayed.
》Your phone's internal nand storage hardware got faulty and fails to write anything on it.
》Odin's version is wrong and/or you got a fake software (can happen when downloading odin from fishy webs)
》Either your PC/Samsung usb drivers/usb cables/usb ports got some bugs/issues.
》Smart switch is running in background processes and it is known to mess with odin flashing (often that's the culprit)
You can try to download odin from a reputable web, re-verify that you're using correct firmware and smart switch isn't running as a background process. Also try checking with some other usb cables/ports or PC. Also verify that your phone isn't a counterfeit product (hardware modified)
If you were already rooted or flashed a custom rom before, and you're sure that OEM Unlock is enabled in developer options, you can try flashing twrp in odin and then a custom rom through twrp - as a last resort. But if you haven't rooted/enabled OEM Unlock before, this won't work either and you may had to take your phone to a repair shop
Heads Up : Incase you didn't knew, but if odin fails a flash or flash gets interrupted at or during sboot.bin (the bootloader flashing step) or you flash a wrong bootloader which unfortunately download mode couldn't stop from getting flashed, it can cause hard bricking due to corrupted bootloader (no download mode) and can only be fixed via UART interface using a hardware repair box. Ofcourse this doesn't include failed flashes at sboot which are due to download mode blocking the flash (its actually protecting itself from flashing a wrong/incompatible bootloader)
6. ROOTS AND SYSTEM-LESS ROOTS :
I guess in all my rant you must have noticed that the biggest problem comes in when efs partition becomes corrupted specifically, now when i searched countless pages of users and their issues I came to conclusion that somehow ROOTS using system modifications and also TWRP with system modifications enabled HAVE A HIGHER CHANCE TO MESS/CORRUPT EFS PARTITION, specifically the FULLY MODIFIED CUSTOM ROMS OUT THERE (AND NO I AM NOT BLAMING ANY CUSTOM ROM OR DEV, JUST THAT A FULLY ACCESSIBLE SYSTEM PARTITION HAVE MORE RISK OF CORRUPTING EFS PAR MY OBSERVATION- I hope to be wrong lol)
Now, thats where system-less roots come in !!
THEY ARE SIMPLY AWESOME AND NOT BECAUSE I AM A FANBOY OF MAGISK BUT BECAUSE THEIR ACCESS TO SYSTEM PARTITION IS TOTALLY INDIRECT WHICH INTURN PASSES SAFETY NET CHECKS TOO.
SYSTEM-LESS ROOTS ARE ONE OF THE BEST EVOLUTION OF ROOTS, IN MY VIEW SYSTEM-LESS ROOT AND SYSTEM-LESS CUSTOM ROM DEV BASE ARE ONE OF THE BEST ROOT AND ROM RESPECTIVELY NOT BECAUSE IT ONLY PERFORMS WELL AND FEELS STABLE BUT BECAUSE IT HAS THE LEAST TENDENCY TO CORRUPT EFS BECAUSE IT IS MUCH MORE CLOSER TO STOCK ROM! A BIG SHOUT OUT TO @_alexndr FOR HIS SUPERB SYSTEM-LESS DEV BASE.. AND THE BEST THING IS THAT DOWNLOAD MODE REPORTS SYSTEM AS OFFICIAL AND PASSES SAFETY NET EVEN WHEN YOU'RE ROOTED AND USING EDXPOSED !
THAT BEING SAID, THE BIGGEST REASONS OF EFS CORRUPTIONS ARE NOT DUE TO CUSTOM ROMS, BUT DUE TO THE VARIOUS MODS AND INCORRECT FOLLOWING OF FLASHING/INSTRUCTIONS WHICH CAUSE THIS.. AND SOMETIMES FAULT/ERROR OF THE HARDWARE TOO.. AND VERY RARELY ITS A MISTAKE ON DEV'S PART ..
Moving on to root types, you got Super SU along with its system-less root option and Magisk (has system-less root as default); both have hiding root options as well, you just need to choose your preference and flash it in twrp.. I really don't recommend king root or any other root types !!
FOR USING SYSTEM-LESS ROOT KEEP SYSTEM READ ONLY IN TWRP!!! (DO NOT SWIPE TO ALLOW SYSTEM MODIFICATIONS WHEN BOOTING IN TWRP FOR FIRST TIME AND TICK DON'T ASK ME AGAIN)
BE AWARE ! CHOOSING SYSTEM MODIFICATIONS IN TWRP WILL AUTOMATICALLY CAUSE NON-SYSTEMLESS ROOT METHOD !
ALSO : WITH MAGISK ONE NEEDS TO FLASH IT AFTER FLASHING NO VERITY ZIPS IN TWRP (IF USING MAGISK IN NON-SYSTEMLESS MODE OR DUE TO DRK BEING CORRUPTED)
Please note that CF Auto root is now obsolete for s7 series on version 5+ binaries ..
7. BOOTLOADER EXCEPTION BUG (SBL ERRROR) :
Another rare and possibly dangerous bug, ironically I encountered it on my first days of getting this device
That screen was terrifying for a noob like me at that time lol, now how did I got it in first place ?
Yeah I tried to be a smart-ass and flashed a normal bootloader along with a combination firmware in odin lol (tried to bypass bootloader blocking flash of lower binary version), flash was successful and when phone booted it caused bootloader exception bug ..
And what I did to solve it ? Simply hold home button until you see upload mode and then force reboot by combination keys and then immediately hold download mode combination keys to go in download mode and reflash stock rom
Seems like other people on forums weren't that lucky to get out of this error easily
Possibly, this error can also be caused by some hardware fault/bug.
Further investigation revealed that SBL error (secure bootloader error) is particularly a semi-corrupted bootloader which in reality would cause the device to become a hard brick which can only be recovered through UART interface using a hardware box (which essentially requires us to open phone's guts), but instead it caused bootloader to get in a fail-safe 'UPLOAD MODE' which is surprising actually because any wrong bootloader flash is sure to make your device a permanent brick.
So better NOT cross-flash firmwares or bootloaders not designed for your phone, specially which are apparently made for same hardware as yours but you may not be that lucky to get in upload mode after that, So :
>Don't try to flash a G935F (global) bootloader on a G935W8 (Canada variant) or G935V/T/A/U (US variants) or G9350/K/L/S (Chinese/Korean/Hongkong variants etc) and vice versa.
>Don't try to flash a G9350/K/L/S (Chinese/Korean/Hongkong variants etc) bootloader on G935V/T/A/U (US variants) or G935F (global) or G935W8 (canada variant) and vice versa.
>The above instructions includes both normal and combination firmwares. Also don't try to flash normal firmware's bootloader with combination firmware or vice versa.
>Don't try to downgrade bootloader by 'any method'..
>Don't use any 'patched odin' to flash an incompatible firmware.
>Don't try to flash bootloader using flashfire/twrp or any other mobile flashing utility.
8. NETWORK AND IMEI'S ISSUES :
Regarding loss of network signals, there are 2 possibilities, either that your imei got deleted/corrupted due to a bad efs partition or your phone's imei was changed and a network certificate patch was used to make it working, and you reflashed your phone through odin or any other flashing method which removed that network certificate patch and you lost your signals ..
Now both can be fixed only by a box or box-like alternative see this thread link for more info :
1. https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/how-to/fix-imei-downgrading-g935f-fd-t3947911
Remember : There's always a risk of bricking your device or screwing it further by using such (box-free) tools ..
Moreover, signals can be lost when flashing old modem on newer bootloader, it can be fixed by reflashing correct firmware (matching bootloader version) for your phone ..
Signals can also be lost by a bugged out csc (probably due to a bad efs), for solving this you can try changing your csc code by flashing different csc firmware with matching bootloader version (preferably a single csc firmware like dbt/xeu) and then reflashing your original csc to revert back and applying the fix mentioned in No. 1 thread link above.
A bugged out/corrupted efs is often the main culprit for signals issue, which needs combination rom with matching bootloader version and/or an earlier working efs backup to fix it.
See this thread link below for more on this :
2. https://forum.xda-developers.com/s7-edge/how-to/guide-how-to-fix-check-drk-imei-issues-t3379516
Another option is if you got an older working efs backup, just restore it and then give appropriate permissions and then flash combination rom for your rom, but problem is.. you need quite a bit of linux command knowledge and updating the permissions according to your own phone and android version (originally it was done on note 4) plus combination roms for latest binaries are not getting released into public now !!
Please refer to this thread link of note 4 below :
3. https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/general/fix-drk-dm-verity-factory-csc-serial-t3422965
As a token I provide my phone's DRK, the prov_data folder (for getting rid of dm-verity error by following No. 3 thread link of note 4 above).. if anyone experienced and interested enough wants to experiment to fix their drk/dm-verity errors permanently ..
NOTE : As policy of xda, I'm not sharing any imei/personal phone data, but just a DRK encrypted key which could benefit users with dm-verity and drk errors, if anyone finds it against xda's terms or rules, feel free to report my shared prov_data (but it has already been shared before for note 4)
BUT EVEN WITH THIS PROV DATA AND SUCCESSFULLY GIVING PERMISSIONS YOU WOULD STILL NEED COMBINATION ROM TO FIX DRK AND SIGNALS/IMEI AS STATED IN NOTE 4 THREAD !
ALSO THIS WILL ONLY WORK ON DEVICES BEING ROOTED AND IN WORKING CONDITION !
TIP : WELL, SOMETIMES YOU TRAVEL ALL THE WORLD TO FIND SOMETHING WHEN ITS ALREADY THERE IN YOUR HOME OR NEIGHBOURHOOD AND SAME THINGS CAN HAPPEN WITH THESE ISSUES TOO, IN THE END YOU DID EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO TRY AND GET YOUR SIGNALS FIXED WHEN YOU JUST HAD TO REPLACE YOUR SIM CARD LOL
SO YEAH SIM CARD CAN BE FAULTY TOO, ALWAYS TRY CHANGING SIM CARDS FIRST IF YOU GET ANY NETWORK ISSUES. ALSO, SOMETIMES ITS THE PHONE'S MODEM HARDWARE THAT'S FAULTY AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ON THE SOFTWARE SIDE.
9. BATTERY DRAIN ISSUES :
Ever since the version 7 binary update i.e december 2019 security patch and later, I noticed my phone draining battery heavily due to android system and kernel.. and I lost almost 50% of s.o.t and also created this warning thread here :
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=81410317
SO YEAH. I RECOMMEND USERS TO NOT UPDATE TO VERSION 7 BINARIES OR LATER !! IT WILL ONLY CAUSE A DELIBERATE SAMSUNG CREATED BATTERY DRAIN TO PUSH USERS FOR UPGRADING THEIR PHONES !
10. BINARY UPDATES :
Since samsung has officially made s7 series eol, the updates they will now push would always to some extent, try to limit device in some ways - like the huge battery drains with version 7+ binaries and the fact that you cannot downgrade, the whole point is that they want users to upgrade their phones and hence they will push such updates which will further limit our device !
Also let me tell you, once S7 reaches Version 11 or in other words 'B' binary, its stated that twrp will not work and I think even root will be much harder to achieve and sustain.. if I'm wrong then I request someone to please correct me
ALL IN ALL, UPGRADING BINARIES WILL ONLY CAUSE YOU TO BE STUCK ON EVEN WORST FIRMWARES !!
I REALLY RECOMMEND TO NOT UPDATE YOUR PHONES ANYMORE !!
11. PERSONAL RECOMMENDS :
I am not the one to recommend anyone something but if you do want to get root but want stability, unmodified system-partition, less risks of your phone being messed up or simply you care for your phone's health; this is still a great phone
I heavily recommend alexndr's custom devbase rom or if you don't want that debloated stock rom, you can just use his system-less devbase root option too.. along with system-less Magisk ..
AND MY BIGGEST RECOMMENDATION IS :
ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR EFS AND NV DATA PARTITIONS FIRST THING AFTER ROOT !!!
This is it from this noob guide of mine, thanks for reading such a long "rant", I hope it would benefit you. My original aim was to create an END OF LIFE GUIDE for S7 series combining various info, and I think I'm partially successful in it
I'm always open to add new info and/or correct anything which I mentioned wrong, also if you need any help feel free to post a reply.. I'm not able to help remotely anymore though
But no matter, all the info I learned remains archived in this thread till the end of times
USEFUL LINKS :
ODIN
ODIN
SAMSUNG STOCK ROMS
SAMSUNG USB DRIVERS
OFFICIAL TWRP
SUPER SU
SUPER SU
MAGISK
MAGISK
SYSTEM-LESS ROOT DEVBASE
SYSTEM-LESS DEVBASE ROM
NoVerityOptEncrypt
NoVerityForceEncrypt
ALL CREDITS TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CONTRIBUTORS​

.............................

shah22 said:
.............................
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS7/comments/qn5q99
What do you think about that problem?

How To Guide How To: Root Galaxy A12 | SM-A125F/DSN

This is the Method how i Root my Galaxy A12 .
This method is very easy if you take your time. THIS WILL ALSO WIPE YOUR DEVICE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DEVICE OR SD CARD DAMAGE.
BEFORE PROCEEDING, UNLOCK BOOTLOADER.
YOU CAN FIND THE FIRMWARE YOU NEED ON SAMMOBILE.
1. Download the firmware for your device.
2. Load Zarchiver from playstore.
3. Open Zarchiver and locate the firmware you downloaded.
4. Click on the firmware, a menu will appear at the bottom. You will then have option to extract.
5. Extract the firmware and you will have files..AP..BL..CP..CSC..and HOME_CSC. The only file we need is AP
6. Click on AP file and rename AP_A125FXX.md5 to AP_A125FXX.tar - so your just highlighting the file and removing md5 so it only says .tar at the end.
7. Once you have renamed AP file click and again you will be given the option to extract. Once extracted, locate boot.img.lz4
8. Then extract boot.img.lz4 leaving you with boot.img
9. You should have Magisk manager installed on device. Use Magisk to patch the boot.img. once patched locate magisk_patched.img and rename to boot.img
10. Return to Zarchiver locate the patched boot.img and compress to boot.tar.
11. Move compressed boot.tar to computer and rename to boot.img.tar
12. Put device in download mode, open Odin and put the boot.img.tar in AP and click start. Once odin says pass, your device will boot to stock recovery and you will have to do a factory reset so save anything you need before doing this.
13. Once Device boots - RE-install Magisk Manager and follow prompts.
Congatulations, Youre Rooted Now.
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It worked! Thank you so much for this tutorial!

Will This Affect OTA Updates (Will OTA Functionality Work After Root) And Will OTA Updates Unroot My Phone

cldkrs said:
BEFORE PROCEEDING, UNLOCK BOOTLOADER
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you please give a walk through on this , just starting out and need some help

cl3vin said:
can you please give a walk through on this , just starting out and need some help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/how-to-unlock-bootloader.4244757/

But, does only flashing TWRP instead just need an OEM bootloader unlock, and doesn’t need to follow those above firmware steps like rooting on a stock ROM?

Just rooted my phone yesterday, by the way Safety net fails the basic integrity test, i guess there's no way to circumvent this since this device uses Hardware Backed attestation to detect an unlocked bootloader.

28.3.2021: Download of patched boot.img.tar failed with error:
SW REV CHECK FAIL : [boot]Fused 1 > Binary
Only official released binaries are allowed to be flashed : boot
KG STATUS : PRENORMAL was the culprit. For naive users inexperienced with Samsung devices like myself might be usefull to have warning in the rooting guide to avoid PRENORMAL state and link to instructions how to do it.
Update 8.4.2021: To get rid of PRENORMAL state is enough to wait for a week with sim, active data connection and maybe also logged into google account. Do not reboot or disconnect network during wait time. Check the OEM ulocking state in developer settings time to time (to trigger status verification on Samsung servers).
Flashing unofficial binary succeeded afterwards.
Sources:
https://milankragujevic.com/how-to-avoid-rmm-state-prenormal-when-unlocking-samsung-phones
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...ll-twrp-on-exynos-samsung-after-2018.3747535/

After using Odin to flash a Magisk modified version of boot.img.lz4, my smartphone stayed in a boot loop. After flashing the unmodified version of boot.img.lz4 (uncompressed and tarred) I could boot again and I could also turn of OEM Unlocking in the development options. So I returned the Smartphone to the seller, giving the true reason.

Hi, where I can found the firmware for my Galaxy A12 (SM-A125F/DSN) for the root?

forumarbeit said:
Hi, where I can found the firmware for my Galaxy A12 (SM-A125F/DSN) for the root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can download it on SamMobile

forumarbeit said:
Hi, where I can found the firmware for my Galaxy A12 (SM-A125F/DSN) for the root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cldkrs said:
[...]
YOU CAN FIND THE FIRMWARE YOU NEED ON SAMMOBILE.
[...]]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download Samsung Galaxy A12 SM-A125F firmware
Download the latest Samsung firmware for Galaxy A12 with model code SM-A125F. Check out our free download or super fast premium options.
www.sammobile.com

Thanks @jkaltes, I download the firmware from sammobile.
After install is then an new OS on my rooted mobile phone or stays the same original OS only with root rights?
How can I unlock the bootloader?
cldkrs said:
BEFORE PROCEEDING, UNLOCK BOOTLOADER.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your feedback.

Ive tried searching for my firmware on sammobile however im not finding it. Its model sm-a125u doesnt even show up on their list.

fixapixa said:
Update 8.4.2021: To get rid of PRENORMAL state is enough to wait for a week with sim, active data connection and maybe also logged into google account. Do not reboot or disconnect network during wait time. Check the OEM ulocking state in developer settings time to time (to trigger status verification on Samsung servers).
Flashing unofficial binary succeeded afterwards.
Sources:
https://milankragujevic.com/how-to-avoid-rmm-state-prenormal-when-unlocking-samsung-phones
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...ll-twrp-on-exynos-samsung-after-2018.3747535/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IF I get one of these things - I'm understanding (?) though we can get root - in order to keep root, one has to have a google acct?
2nd Q? is after the "wait to clear PRENORMAL" can the google acct be removed?
3rd Q? Can the phone be set up using WiFi (before buying a SIM) (?) then after the wait, put the SIM in? (reason I've asked is my carrier SIM "does ****" ...)
4th Q? Does the device need to be CARRIER unlocked to UL bootloader -- otherwise, I should buy a fully unlocked one, right?
Thanks in advance
VW

1) I guess it's not necessary to keep google account. Haven't confirmed myself however.
2) After unlocking the bootloader you should restart to system, connect to network and let the device verify status with Samsung servers. This way you avoid PRENORMAL status (without waiting) and will be allowed to flash patched AP. After the flash your device will be wiped so any existing google account is deleted anyway but after first boot into system you have to connect to network once again else device gets locked and you can start over. After your device succesfully synchronises itself with Samsung servers, you can disconnect from network and I don't see reason why you would need to have Google account if you don't want one.
3) You'll have to find out yourself. Personally I think that if you follow process from 2), wifi might be enough and no Google account would be needed at all but I cannot confirm that. In worse case if anonymity is paramount for you, just plug in some cheap prepaid SIM if such things are still availabe in your country and throw it away afterwards.
4) By carrier do you mean AT&T, Vodafone and such? No idea about your provider. Devices from open market are unlockable for sure but try to search the forum whether anybody encountered trouble with your provider.
As I wrote before, I have no previous experience with Samsung so I followed linked instructions and didn't experiment. If you want to help others, try to find out yourself and don't forget to report your findings here

fixapixa said:
..... if anonymity is paramount for you, just plug in some cheap prepaid SIM if such things are still availabe in your country and throw it away afterwards.
4) By carrier do you mean AT&T,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much - Yeah, I'm that "anonymity paramount" user... Replacing a Blackberry Passport only because of that diabolical VoLTE...
Carrier = MetroPCS-T-Mobile
HOPEFULLY I'll be back with MetroPCS (runs on T-Mobile towers) by this time tomorrow ... If they'll re-activate the Passport. I've got a fallback android if that fails, but...
They might refuse the devices I have, and the A21 seems the best option in my price range, Rather than suffer from "bought in Store" sabotaged unit, I'll get one FACTORY unlocked.
US Carriers have gotten pretty evil, I've suddenly learned "Better the Devil you KNOW than meet a new one"
Thanks again for the feedback - VW

fixapixa said:
28.3.2021: Download of patched boot.img.tar failed with error:
SW REV CHECK FAIL : [boot]Fused 1 > Binary
Only official released binaries are allowed to be flashed : boot
KG STATUS : PRENORMAL was the culprit. For naive users inexperienced with Samsung devices like myself might be usefull to have warning in the rooting guide to avoid PRENORMAL state and link to instructions how to do it.
Update 8.4.2021: To get rid of PRENORMAL state is enough to wait for a week with sim, active data connection and maybe also logged into google account. Do not reboot or disconnect network during wait time. Check the OEM ulocking state in developer settings time to time (to trigger status verification on Samsung servers).
Flashing unofficial binary succeeded afterwards.
Sources:
https://milankragujevic.com/how-to-avoid-rmm-state-prenormal-when-unlocking-samsung-phones
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...ll-twrp-on-exynos-samsung-after-2018.3747535/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am on samsung a10, I cant unlock my bootloader as my kg status is PRENORMAL. I have waited more than 168 hours for the oem unlock option to appar however nothing happend. I found that to unlock the bootloader I need to have my kg state to be normal. I have no idea what to do, i have tried reflashing may times, did all the updates and still nothing. Is there absolutely any hope?

cldkrs said:
This is the Method how i Root my Galaxy A12 .
This method is very easy if you take your time. THIS WILL ALSO WIPE YOUR DEVICE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DEVICE OR SD CARD DAMAGE.
BEFORE PROCEEDING, UNLOCK BOOTLOADER.
YOU CAN FIND THE FIRMWARE YOU NEED ON SAMMOBILE.
1. Download the firmware for your device.
2. Load Zarchiver from playstore.
3. Open Zarchiver and locate the firmware you downloaded.
4. Click on the firmware, a menu will appear at the bottom. You will then have option to extract.
5. Extract the firmware and you will have files..AP..BL..CP..CSC..and HOME_CSC. The only file we need is AP
6. Click on AP file and rename AP_A125FXX.md5 to AP_A125FXX.tar - so your just highlighting the file and removing md5 so it only says .tar at the end.
7. Once you have renamed AP file click and again you will be given the option to extract. Once extracted, locate boot.img.lz4
8. Then extract boot.img.lz4 leaving you with boot.img
9. You should have Magisk manager installed on device. Use Magisk to patch the boot.img. once patched locate magisk_patched.img and rename to boot.img
10. Return to Zarchiver locate the patched boot.img and compress to boot.tar.
11. Move compressed boot.tar to computer and rename to boot.img.tar
12. Put device in download mode, open Odin and put the boot.img.tar in AP and click start. Once odin says pass, your device will boot to stock recovery and you will have to do a factory reset so save anything you need before doing this.
13. Once Device boots - RE-install Magisk Manager and follow prompts.
Congatulations, Youre Rooted Now.
View attachment 5244935
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i flow this setup bue i can root heeeeeeeellp i need open bootloder ??

Just to elaborate on the Bootloader unlocking.
You will always need to connect to the internet, either wifi or sim card data.
Open Developer Options, Enable OEM unlock. (without internet, this option won't appear under developer)
boot to Download mode , confirm OEM unlock. This will wipe your phone.
go through start up, just skip everything, you phone will be wiped again anyway.
Connect to the internet, Open Developer Options, check that the "Enable OEM unlock" is greyed out!
By doing so, your bootloader is now unlocked. So yes, don't miss any steps stated above.
Samsung has a service called VaultKeeper to prevent unoffical firmware. Checking the "Enable OEM unlock" option is greyed out after Bootloader unlock will ensure the VaultKeeper to accept unoffical firmware. This requires internet connection. I suggest you to give the phone more time to check bootloader unlock state if you have a very slow / unstable internet connection.
If the outcome of the above steps does not appear to be true for you, your phone maybe cannot unlock bootloader.