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Help with downgrade?

What i have: a brand new carrier unlocked samsung galaxy s7 sm-g930w8 - came with 7.0
What Id love to do: downgrade to 6.0.1 official touchwiz rom but rooted
What im reading: that the security patch is from february of 2018, which means the bootloader is too new, which means downgrading using odin wont work ( https://www.sammobile.com/forum/threads/36282-Does-Region-Matter )
... so what can i do? i bought this phone with the sole intention of downgrading, as ive seen that it is possible for that phone model (s7) in general
i hate the look of the newer OS. They took the touchwiz out of touchwiz which i loved, although mine is a rare opinion. I want the operation and exact feel of 6.0. the menus are simpler, the notifications area isnt completely stripped of features differing from total stock android. i hate having to pull down twice to see everything. I just really want that older look and feel, but all around, not just a theme.
is there anything i can do to either downgrade or fool the bootloader into letting me carry this out? is this a true limitation, or si that info i found false/old? and if I can downgrade, which build version should I use?
ive been looking here for versions
https://samsung-firmware.org/model/SM-G930W8/ but im not sure which region to go with, or if i can technically use any region
sammobile doesnt list that version anymore at all ( https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-s7/SM-G930W8/ )
https://mobiletech360.co/samsung-galaxy-s7-sm-g930w8-stock-firmware-rom-android-6-0-1-marshmallow/ there are a number of options here but unsure of the different numbers/builds. or if since its carrier unlocked, i could pick any?
I know most will think im silly for wanting to downgrade or caring that much about appearance, but silliness aside... is this even possible??
a while ago, i purchased an s5 mini, and downgraded that with no issues at all.... but its honestly been so long and i cant for the life of me remember the steps i took or if i needed to care about region codes or other numbers. but it did sucessfully work.... it was really built unwell/cheap, but it did work.... its also slower than my captivate glide which is still my current phone, until/if i can get this s7 working the way i desire.
any help and guidance is appreciated. If it is needed, ill be using it with a Koodo mobile sim.

well it is too new if its from DRAG or so onwards (those with U2/S2 in the file name) so no dice, you're stuck with 7.0 unless you want to upgrade to oreo. (and 7.0 firmwares prior to DRAG cant be downgraded to either, not that theres much point doing that)
btw this is the wrong forum to post this in

teddytsen said:
well it is too new if its from DRAG or so onwards (those with U2/S2 in the file name) so no dice, you're stuck with 7.0 unless you want to upgrade to oreo. (and 7.0 firmwares prior to DRAG cant be downgraded to either, not that theres much point doing that)
btw this is the wrong forum to post this in
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But this is the forum about s7? I'm wanting to modify an s7?
Which part of the file name are you referring to? Which file?
I would have thought all s7's are made at the same time, and so released with the same overall software, but it all seems so complex now. I've seen s7's running 6.0.1 stock so in my mind it seems they should all be able to...
Not sure what you're referring to with drag either? Does that stand for something?
I'm really hoping this can work somehow, its the last flagship before the edge models which was why I got it, and I love Samsung software up until 7 and 8.
My mom has an s7 as well, not rooted or anything that's too complex for her, but she did the upgrade to 8 and it's still got all the same gross appearance factors that I don't like about version 7. I got excited when her phone wanted to upgrade, maybe they had fixed some of the grossness. But, nope. Wish they had included an option even for stock based or touchwiz based appearance and menus.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Pawprints1986 said:
But this is the forum about s7? I'm wanting to modify an s7?
Which part of the file name are you referring to? Which file?
I would have thought all s7's are made at the same time, and so released with the same overall software, but it all seems so complex now. I've seen s7's running 6.0.1 stock so in my mind it seems they should all be able to...
Not sure what you're referring to with drag either? Does that stand for something?
I'm really hoping this can work somehow, its the last flagship before the edge models which was why I got it, and I love Samsung software up until 7 and 8.
My mom has an s7 as well, not rooted or anything that's too complex for her, but she did the upgrade to 8 and it's still got all the same gross appearance factors that I don't like about version 7. I got excited when her phone wanted to upgrade, maybe they had fixed some of the grossness. But, nope. Wish they had included an option even for stock based or touchwiz based appearance and menus.
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go into about phone and tell me the last 6 characters of your build number
(i was referring to the PDA file in a stock firmware zip)
(Also i meant this should be in Q&A section)

Hello,
I can understand you and also understand what you want but Samsung installed a downgrade lock in their bootloader in early 2018,
if you installed this version you can't go back to an older version, I think that was in February.
You can go back from a 6.2018 version to a 4.2018 version for example but not to a 1.2018 version!
If you have a version of for example 12.2017, you can also go back to a version of 2016, so you can also go back to Android 6.01,
if not you only have the last versions of Android 7 or update to Oreo.
I hope I could help.

teddytsen said:
go into about phone and tell me the last 6 characters of your build number
(i was referring to the PDA file in a stock firmware zip)
(Also i meant this should be in Q&A section)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the last of the build number and the last of the baseband version are the same. But i did take a screenshot of it when i was thinking rooting and changing would be no big thing. figured that would be easier. i purposely havent even hooked it up to wifi yet or anything, said no to anything non essential when i was setting it up... on the chance it was starting up in version 6, and i didnt want it upgrading on its own.
also why would they block downgrading? It seems if anything blocking upgrading would be the way to go, to stop people from updating their devices before official software is ready, not just samsung but any manufacturer. in my head it seems silly to even need to root anymore... someone always figures it out, and cell phone manufacturers must know it. it would be nice if it were included, sort of like developer options, where its hidden, but if you know what to look for its there, and if youre not that advanced youll never find it.
if the bootloader is in fact locked and that is the main prevention, has anyone ever successfully unlocked it before?
ETA: Ive done a bit more looking around and there is alot around about frp and making you sign in to a google account in order to reset.... i have *not* needed and havent signed into a google account on that device at all... does that mean a downgrade is still possible though odin? Or, are these 2 things in fact unrelated...
eta #2: Did a bit more searching around, and it seems to be that in order to root your device, in the process it must unlock the bootloader? If that is still the case, would i be able to then flash the marshmallow stock ROM? Thats what i was looking to do all along, sorry maybe i should have been more clear about my planned method initially. Its a bit more nerve wracking as it seems rooting itself has gotten a little more difficult with that dm verity thing... but I definitely want root no matter which version im running. Ive had root on all my devices and theres no way im going back to a locked down OS (cant remove microsoft stuff for example), i need to be able to declutter beyond what factory allows lol.

Pawprints1986 said:
the last of the build number and the last of the baseband version are the same. But i did take a screenshot of it when i was thinking rooting and changing would be no big thing. figured that would be easier. i purposely havent even hooked it up to wifi yet or anything, said no to anything non essential when i was setting it up... on the chance it was starting up in version 6, and i didnt want it upgrading on its own.
also why would they block downgrading? It seems if anything blocking upgrading would be the way to go, to stop people from updating their devices before official software is ready, not just samsung but any manufacturer. in my head it seems silly to even need to root anymore... someone always figures it out, and cell phone manufacturers must know it. it would be nice if it were included, sort of like developer options, where its hidden, but if you know what to look for its there, and if youre not that advanced youll never find it.
if the bootloader is in fact locked and that is the main prevention, has anyone ever successfully unlocked it before?
ETA: Ive done a bit more looking around and there is alot around about frp and making you sign in to a google account in order to reset.... i have *not* needed and havent signed into a google account on that device at all... does that mean a downgrade is still possible though odin? Or, are these 2 things in fact unrelated...
eta #2: Did a bit more searching around, and it seems to be that in order to root your device, in the process it must unlock the bootloader? If that is still the case, would i be able to then flash the marshmallow stock ROM? Thats what i was looking to do all along, sorry maybe i should have been more clear about my planned method initially. Its a bit more nerve wracking as it seems rooting itself has gotten a little more difficult with that dm verity thing... but I definitely want root no matter which version im running. Ive had root on all my devices and theres no way im going back to a locked down OS (cant remove microsoft stuff for example), i need to be able to declutter beyond what factory allows lol.
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TL;DR
your bootloader is currently on version 3, and you cant downgrade to marshmallow
see that "U3BRB2"? that "U3" means your bootloader is on version 3. i assume the marshmallow firmwares use bootloaders pre-version 3 so you cant downgrade to firmwares using bootloaders with version 1 or 2. (this is how it works for F/FD models and im pretty sure samsung made it like that too for the W8 models)
eta 1) unrelated
eta 2) F/FD/W8/S/K/L variants (basically all the exynos models) have unlocked bootloaders. only SD variants have locked bootloaders so it's just your misconception

So, it's literally impossible? Has nobody ever figured out a way to downgrade or mod the bootloader itself? It seems to me the rom makers wouldn't stand for this at all and would figure out a way around it...
I can see an old bootloader can't run new software, but it seems much easier for newer bootloader to run older software, isn't it? You can buy a windows 7 pc and install Windows xp on it much easier than you could buy a windows XP PC and install Windows 7 on it... It's just boggling my mind a little
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Pawprints1986 said:
So, it's literally impossible? Has nobody ever figured out a way to downgrade or mod the bootloader itself? It seems to me the rom makers wouldn't stand for this at all and would figure out a way around it...
I can see an old bootloader can't run new software, but it seems much easier for newer bootloader to run older software, isn't it? You can buy a windows 7 pc and install Windows xp on it much easier than you could buy a windows XP PC and install Windows 7 on it... It's just boggling my mind a little
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
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Click to collapse
Off course you can downgrade to Marshmallow. To unlock the bootloader, enable OEM unlocking in devlopper options. After flash TWRP 3.1.0 for Herolte and wipe everything from the recovery. Install any 6.0 roms on XDA for G930F then flash Magisk 17.1 to root and you're done. You can't FRP if OEM unlocking in devlopper is enabled.

AoEKiller said:
Off course you can downgrade to Marshmallow. To unlock the bootloader, enable OEM unlocking in devlopper options. After flash TWRP 3.1.0 for Herolte and wipe everything from the recovery. Install any 6.0 roms on XDA for G930F then flash Magisk 17.1 to root and you're done. You can't FRP if OEM unlocking in devlopper is enabled.
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Click to collapse
You'll trip knox (which breaks features like secure folder, private mode, shealth and Sbrowser private mode) and lose the comfort of OTA updates if you do this tho. Not to mention that you can encounter signal reception problems because your flashed ROM is on marshmallow and your bl/cp is on Oreo or nougat. So I wouldn't advise this method as it may break so many things.

Stuck on stock Pie with bootloader v5

Hi everybody,
I just bought a S8+ with firmware G955FXXU5DSFB - Pie - pre-installed.
After a couple of days (and nights), the frustration piled up:
- barely managed to install TWRP
- RMM protection and "only official released binaries are allowed" messages that seem to come up again almost randomly
- still didn't manage to root
- what's worse - this bootloader downgrade issue (which I've just found out about) - the bootloader cannot be downgraded - is it for real ?
The final question - how can I install a custom Oreo/Nougat custom ROM if I have the BL v5 ?
I guess all the custom ROMS have lower bootloader versions. Does this mean I am stuck forever with stock Pie ? That would be a really bad.
Since when did Samsung turn so bad ? My previous phone was a Note 4 - I haven't been following the xda/Android news for the past 5 years.
Thanks a lot, and as always - xda-developers rule !

I managed to root the phone with Magisk.
I tried to flash Omega ROM, but the phone was stuck at boot screen.
Can someone pmease confirm that there's no way I can install cuatom ROM?
Thanks.

Unfortunately you are stuck to Pie forever, it's also the case for me, got my s8+ with Pie (BL5) and didn't even try to downgrade to Oreo, coz it's impossible
I'm using Alexis Rom with NX Kernel now, everything is perfect, smooth along with 6h30 screen on time

Hi, thanks for the reply. Isn't there any version of Oreo that has BL5 ?
Anyway, had I known this stuff beforehand, I would have never bought the phone. I am sorry that Samsung went so wrong, locking down their phones so brutally. I owned only Samsung smartphones, starting with SGS1; most likely this will be my last Samsung.

realn said:
Hi, thanks for the reply. Isn't there any version of Oreo that has BL5 ?
Anyway, had I known this stuff beforehand, I would have never bought the phone. I am sorry that Samsung went so wrong, locking down their phones so brutally. I owned only Samsung smartphones, starting with SGS1; most likely this will be my last Samsung.
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Click to collapse
No, no oreo firmware with BL5 :/
I got mine for free so I'm not that bothered Plus I'm still enjoying oreo on my s7 edge

It seems that, in fact, there is a way of downgrading: I have now Oreo running on the device with BL5.
Please see below post
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga.../test-u1ara2-devbase-v5-0-encryption-t3752964

KG state prenormal after 7 days no reboots

I have an SM-A530F and had no issues flashing roms and TWRP. I eventually tried Saboor OneUI from and my phone got completely encrypted and would only allow official binaries to be flashed. I flashed Binary 7 (Pie) to my device and tried to flash TWRP but had come across the error and after researching realised I'd have to wait 7 days with the phone continuously booted up. I have waited 7 days with nothing changed. I'm now on my 25th day and still have a prenormal KG state. But in developer options my OEM states that it is already unlocked and I can switch the toggle. I cannot flash TWRP or magisk though.

The same thing happens to me and I used the chimera program and nothing works. 12 euros in the trash.
they have returned my money

almeria53 said:
The same thing happens to me and I used the chimera program and nothing works. 12 euros in the trash
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Click to collapse
I've tried multiple binaries and nothing. Bootloader says its unlocked and even with adb commands I get an unlocked status but the RMM/KG remains prenormal. I'm wondering if anyone can repack TWRP for jackpotlte so the device and Odin THINKS it's an official recovery binary?

Zefpoes23 said:
I've tried multiple binaries and nothing. Bootloader says its unlocked and even with adb commands I get an unlocked status but the RMM/KG remains prenormal. I'm wondering if anyone can repack TWRP for jackpotlte so the device and Odin THINKS it's an official recovery binary?
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i see you started another thread about this, so take my previous reply in that thread with a grain of salt. I still dont think its the TWRP file thats the culprit. Try reflashing stock firmware and do the 168 hour method again.

almeria53 said:
The same thing happens to me and I used the chimera program and nothing works. 12 euros in the trash.
they have returned my money
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Click to collapse
youdoofus said:
i see you started another thread about this, so take my previous reply in that thread with a grain of salt. I still dont think its the TWRP file thats the culprit. Try reflashing stock firmware and do the 168 hour method again.
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Click to collapse
I know TWRP isn't the culprit. But because of my predicament having waited well over 168 hours without a reboot (oem unlock toggle is available but still shows KG/RMM prenormal) I'm wondering if anyone can change TWRP to make the device think its an official recovery. That way I could flash it with a prenormal state as I can flash stock recovery no problem. If the device thought TWRP was official then that way I could still root and flash zip roms with a locked KG. I hope I'm making sense?

Zefpoes23 said:
I know TWRP isn't the culprit. But because of my predicament having waited well over 168 hours without a reboot (oem unlock toggle is available but still shows KG/RMM prenormal) I'm wondering if anyone can change TWRP to make the device think its an official recovery. That way I could flash it with a prenormal state as I can flash stock recovery no problem. If the device thought TWRP was official then that way I could still root and flash zip roms with a locked KG. I hope I'm making sense?
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youre not going to get the phone to think that TWRP is official. If that was possible, we would all have root and without so much as unlocking the bootloader for that matter

manifesto- posted on another thread-sorry for the dupe
A bit of history gives a bit more depth/ Just when you thought it was okay to go back in the water. I'm Canadian you can probably tell by my accent. My journey with phones has always been Samsung simply due to availability s6 s7 s8 s8+ most recently the a530w.
In order for you to understand my joy finding the A8 and my horror is that the S8 series. in North America S8 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. g950u is SD g950f is the rest of the world (exnyos) This is probably due to some kind of World Trade Organization antitrust treaty {although qualcom makes great chips} or whatnot I don't care.
i do care about is their bootloader lock policy (g950u and up) so it is impossible to unlock an encrypted Snapdragon bootloader. When I ran into the a530w exnyos, I was like a three-year-old at Christmas now you have to understand I'm not a coder I'm more of a mason I'm familiar with bricks. I'm sure we've all watch the AP file upload and Odin like we watch paint dry. So when I first got the a530w pi version April patch I was able to TWRP install I believe at the time was Pixel project or something else added magisk, xposed you get the idea.
Eventually a file got corrupt (much like @Zefpoes23) and I had to common sense restock it. I think my mistake what is going with the most current pie version (hadn't read this thread yet from @corsicanu) which is binary 7 knowing what I know now I would have probably had the ability to go a binary 4 or so. I haven't done the 7 day challenge simply not to waste my sanity. my bootloader unlock never vanished, it like it's a light switch with no bulb. I've tried to backdated front dated. I refuse to wait 7 days to find out that I'm still at the same place. . The problem is all the fixes are zip files which you need TWRP to flash. I agree, it's not @BlackMesa123 version. it's the prenormal. No I'm certainly not a developer and some of them are mobile gods. My questions maybe Elementary logical. Is it possible to replace a recovery image in a stock AP and Odin flash it? Repack. Also is there any way to combo a stockfirm in order to downgrade from the B7. Alter it somehow so it's thinks it's a 7 but it's actually a 4 of some sort. think we're all about to become in the same boat. we could start a movement lie "#meprenormal2" In Time will tell. As or now "prenormal" is the new "normal" All I can to the devs: help me odin 3 canmodme. your my only hope

i have no idea what youre on about for half of this post, so ill chime in with what i could decipher and know the answer to
jthibault27 said:
Is it possible to replace a recovery image in a stock AP and Odin flash it? Repack. Also is there any way to combo a stockfirm in order to downgrade from the B7. Alter it somehow so it's thinks it's a 7 but it's actually a 4 of some sort.
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nope, sorry man. you cant go backwards in bootloader revisions. if you have B7, youre stuck with revision 7
jthibault27 said:
I refuse to wait 7 days to find out that I'm still at the same place.
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you wont have much say in this refusal as the 168 hour thing is quite normal. Every A8 owner ive seen come into these forums has had to do the 168 hour thing.

Youdoofus said:
i have no idea what youre on about for half of this post, so ill chime in with what i could decipher and know the answer to
nope, sorry man. you cant go backwards in bootloader revisions. if you have B7, youre stuck with revision 7
you wont have much say in this refusal as the 168 hour thing is quite normal. Every A8 owner ive seen come into these forums has had to do the 168 hour thing.
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Click to collapse
If I'm violating XDA rules please let me know. You are obviously higher up on the rank that I am. Since my post on November 10th my findings on other threads have led me to believe that this is not just an A8 problem but an entire Samsung Fleet. A summer security patch upgraded knox guard to disable any attempts to flash TWRP. If you are lucky enough to get through that stay on it. My bootloader is like a light switch I can on and off it at anytime. 168 hours is a solution for an old problem that I don't have. I'm in permanent prenormal state with the sole ability to only flash official stock firmware and in one direction v7 or higher.. Which is what Samsung wants. i'm on V7, security patch July 1st 2019. I cannot flash anything else through Odin 13.3.1. I'm simply voicing the fact 168 hours fix is to have the ability to unlock the bootloader. I have the bootloader unlocked. My kg is tripped and I believe my fix will come in Time through a modified Odin or combo firmware emerges. i will also recluse myself from posting on this thread and open my own
---------- Post added at 19:35 ---------- Previous post was at 19:20 ----------
Youdoofus said:
i have no idea what youre on about for half of this post, so ill chime in with what i could decipher and know the answer to
nope, sorry man. you cant go backwards in bootloader revisions. if you have B7, youre stuck with revision 7
you wont have much say in this refusal as the 168 hour thing is quite normal. Every A8 owner ive seen come into these forums has had to do the 168 hour thing.
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Click to collapse
And to clarify what I meant as to replace the recovery file in the AP stock firmware specifically unpacking the lz4 format using 7-Zip 19 ZS v144, replacing the recovery image with the TWRP Recovery image and repacking it (the AP) and flashing it hoping the phone with think it's official. I've consulted a developer who tried it several times without any luck since he shares the same problem on a50.

jthibault27 said:
If I'm violating XDA rules please let me know. You are obviously higher up on the rank that I am. Since my post on November 10th my findings on other threads have led me to believe that this is not just an A8 problem but an entire Samsung Fleet. A summer security patch upgraded knox guard to disable any attempts to flash TWRP. If you are lucky enough to get through that stay on it. My bootloader is like a light switch I can on and off it at anytime. 168 hours is a solution for an old problem that I don't have. I'm in permanent prenormal state with the sole ability to only flash official stock firmware and in one direction v7 or higher.. Which is what Samsung wants. i'm on V7, security patch July 1st 2019. I cannot flash anything else through Odin 13.3.1. I'm simply voicing the fact 168 hours fix is to have the ability to unlock the bootloader. I have the bootloader unlocked. My kg is tripped and I believe my fix will come in Time through a modified Odin or combo firmware emerges. i will also recluse myself from posting on this thread and open my own
---------- Post added at 19:35 ---------- Previous post was at 19:20 ----------
And to clarify what I meant as to replace the recovery file in the AP stock firmware specifically unpacking the lz4 format using 7-Zip 19 ZS v144, replacing the recovery image with the TWRP Recovery image and repacking it (the AP) and flashing it hoping the phone with think it's official. I've consulted a developer who tried it several times without any luck since he shares the same problem on a50.
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Click to collapse
naw man, youre good. i had an A8 for about a year and now the older kiddo has it and it seems to be working well as i havent heard any complaints as of yet.
I, by no means, am an expert on this device and i admittedly have not kept current on the 168 hour fix no longer being relevant.
There is a fellow who had this forum on point about a year ago, cant recall his alias. Ill tag him if i can find him. Hopefully he has kept current on this device more than I.

@mchlbenner if you have a moment, could you lend a hand?

Youdoofus said:
naw man, youre good. i had an A8 for about a year and now the older kiddo has it and it seems to be working well as i havent heard any complaints as of yet.
I, by no means, am an expert on this device and i admittedly have not kept current on the 168 hour fix no longer being relevant.
There is a fellow who had this forum on point about a year ago, cant recall his alias. Ill tag him if i can find him. Hopefully he has kept current on this device more than I.
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Click to collapse
I started in this thread because I had a8 after researching through a bunch of different search engines I found this link
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/help/rmm-prenormal-oem-unlock-android-9-0-t3952959
it ended to be a note link. The moderator is convinced that it's all in our heads but people have been flocking to this thread because the title is so specific that it brings in people from different Samsung devices. It's like Field of Dreams, if you can't mod it they will come. Anyway, there are interesting comments. I apologize if my redirect or hyperlink is off. I'm no expert in this web forum platforms.

jthibault27 said:
I started in this thread because I had a8 after researching through a bunch of different search engines I found this link
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/help/rmm-prenormal-oem-unlock-android-9-0-t3952959
it ended to be a note link. The moderator is convinced that it's all in our heads but people have been flocking to this thread because the title is so specific that it brings in people from different Samsung devices. It's like Field of Dreams, if you can't mod it they will come. Anyway, there are interesting comments. I apologize if my redirect or hyperlink is off. I'm no expert in this web forum platforms.
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Click to collapse
This issue is true I have seen this on other a8 plus.
It part of Samsung security and no mod can fix this.

mchlbenner said:
This issue is true I have seen this on other a8 plus.
It part of Samsung security and no mod can fix this.
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Click to collapse
there you are!! so, the A8 is now not rootable?

Youdoofus said:
there you are!! so, the A8 is now not rootable?
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Click to collapse
It's very rootable provided that you don't do what 99% of the world do before selling it on Kijiji (Canadian version of Craig's list) is upgrade the latest OTA to impress the buyer. if you have an Oreo built Axxx or Sxxx (basically an Exynos chip) you are golden. not going to get into the whole North American snapdragon-Qualcomm thing. If you have a (guessing) Pre-June 2019 security patch however 9.0 I believe you can flash TWRP (all things being equal) you have a chance. however, if you have (I'm guessing most recent models) 9.0 security patch July 1 2019+ stock (previously tripped KG on a custom ROM-which say got corrupt), you are in the non-mod world. you are stuck with 9.0 official Samsung. you can't flash oreo (until someone develops a matching binary). since through my sammobile travels, I've yet to encounter a baseband/BL Oreo higher than 4. my phone (a8 9.0) is B7

jthibault27 said:
It's very rootable provided that you don't do what 99% of the world do before selling it on Kijiji (Canadian version of Craig's list) is upgrade the latest OTA to impress the buyer. if you have an Oreo built Axxx or Sxxx (basically an Exynos chip) you are golden. not going to get into the whole North American snapdragon-Qualcomm thing. If you have a (guessing) Pre-June 2019 security patch however 9.0 I believe you can flash TWRP (all things being equal) you have a chance. however, if you have (I'm guessing most recent models) 9.0 security patch July 1 2019+ stock (previously tripped KG on a custom ROM-which say got corrupt), you are in the non-mod world. you are stuck with 9.0 official Samsung. you can't flash oreo (until someone develops a matching binary). since through my sammobile travels, I've yet to encounter a baseband/BL Oreo higher than 4. my phone (a8 9.0) is B7
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Well I'm on gsi ROMs this will never see a Samsung rom ever again.
Also slot of don't follow rooting directions I have been lock out once on Oreo never had a problem with Android 9.

mchlbenner said:
Well I'm on gsi ROMs this will never see a Samsung rom ever again.
Also slot of don't follow rooting directions I have been lock out once on Oreo never had a problem with Android 9.
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so, between what you and the other fella are saying, the newest factory OTA prevents folks from rooting this thing now, correct? That would be a shame, locking down even the F devices? Come on Samsung!!

Youdoofus said:
so, between what you and the other fella are saying, the newest factory OTA prevents folks from rooting this thing now, correct? That would be a shame, locking down even the F devices? Come on Samsung!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
note: This doesn't necessarily apply to everyone since my situation was that I had a custom ROM corrupt and I restock firmware to V7 on the A8. My original custom install using TWRP had triggered kg Knox. I should have not flashed the latest stock version of 9.0. This was simply just a bridge to a new custom firmware anyway. I did not realize that I was installing a security patch that Samsung would deploy. So the question is if you go and buy the latest a, n, s 9.0 (F) can you still TWRP? Or does it say pre normal as soon as you attempt to TWRP. Rooting is not even in the realm of possibilities if you can't install TWRP. Magisk now has a feature where it modifies the AP system file which you can Odin. I thought it would pass as official. Of course, it didn't. Those dam Samsung MIT grad security engineers probably think they're better than us. LOL. All I can tell you is the toggle for the unlock Bootloader is as effective as the close door button on an elevator, you're not sure if it's connected to anything. This has been an Android War since Jelly Bean.

jthibault27 said:
note: This doesn't necessarily apply to everyone since my situation was that I had a custom ROM corrupt and I restock firmware to V7 on the A8. My original custom install using TWRP had triggered kg Knox. I should have not flashed the latest stock version of 9.0. This was simply just a bridge to a new custom firmware anyway. I did not realize that I was installing a security patch that Samsung would deploy. So the question is if you go and buy the latest a, n, s 9.0 (F) can you still TWRP? Or does it say pre normal as soon as you attempt to TWRP. Rooting is not even in the realm of possibilities if you can't install TWRP. Magisk now has a feature where it modifies the AP system file which you can Odin. I thought it would pass as official. Of course, it didn't. Those dam Samsung MIT grad security engineers probably think they're better than us. LOL. All I can tell you is the toggle for the unlock Bootloader is as effective as the close door button on an elevator, you're not sure if it's connected to anything. This has been an Android War since Jelly Bean.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, from what ive gathered from mchelbenner, the party is over. I trust his input as he is very well versed in the A8. More than I as he has had this forum on lockdown even before i got my A8 to begin with. If he said its no longer possible, thats what i will go with also

Youdoofus said:
yes, from what I've gathered from mchelbenner, the party is over. I trust his input as he is very well versed in the A8. More than I as he has had this forum on lockdown even before I got my A8 to begin with. If he said its no longer possible, thats what i will go with also
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you ever come across a forum specific to this issue ({completely extrapolating the date by guess} July 1, 2019 9.0) but not necessarily specific to the A8, please share. as it stands now, my findings indicate isolated conversations in different forums on various models, sharing the same problem. We must unite! lol. truth be told, it's challenging searching for such a specific problem relating to a patch on many models.

Very strange boot animation in android 11 update

It seems they are sending android 11 to everyone but they changed the boot animation. Now when you boot you see a logo that says edge and then TIM italy. This did not happen in android 10. My moto g 5g is free retail with no brand on the box. I think there is a bug in this update. Is it possible to return to android 10? Also this update changed the intensity of the bars on the screen, now it is more generous but if you see the numeric values of Dbm or ASU these are much lower. I regretted updating so fast and I would like to go back to android 10 until 11 is fixed.

Lol, 11 will never be "fixed".
If the bootloader was updated you're boned.
Apparently on the OTA updates on at least some devices it's not being updated, you can rollback.
The 5th digit from the end of the boot loader version and the firmware are the significant digits. If the boot loader version is the same or less than the firmware, you can rollback. In this case it's a 2.

Not sure that this Samsung rule applies to Motorola updates.

RETIEF said:
Not sure that this Samsung rule applies to Motorola updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea, it may be a Samsung idiosyncrasy.
A very annoying one...

PredatorGreen said:
It seems they are sending android 11 to everyone but they changed the boot animation. Now when you boot you see a logo that says edge and then TIM italy. This did not happen in android 10. My moto g 5g is free retail with no brand on the box. I think there is a bug in this update. Is it possible to return to android 10? Also this update changed the intensity of the bars on the screen, now it is more generous but if you see the numeric values of Dbm or ASU these are much lower. I regretted updating so fast and I would like to go back to android 10 until 11 is fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the software channel from Settings>Telephone information (or similar), which software channel do you have? If it is timit you are on the tim software channel (and the updates depends on the carrier, but actually seems in line with reteu, the european standar), if you are on reteu this is really strange. I don't know why they miss the boot animation but the firmware is right.

Yes the software channel is timit, but in android 10 it showed the boot animation for reteu channel. And i dont know why now it shows an edge logo animation that has nothing to do with this model. It looks like they put something from another model in the update. Look at the attached photo.

I'm using the euro android 11 XT2113-3_KIEV_RETEU_11_RZK31.Q3-25-15 on a XT2113-2 and everything seems happy as a clam, *except* it would not flash the radio.img. As far as being "boned" if you went to 11 but wished to downgrade.... Has anyone bothered to try a patched vbmeta? I could go up or down on my one action using this route. I think I may just try for the hell of it.
EDIT: downloading 10 now. If it works I'll post my patched vbmeta.
EDIT: Now keep in mind I am doing this from a flash of android 11 xt2113-3 on a xt2113-2 handset... The flash fails on the radio, then next the DSP. It does however downgrade the bootloader no problem. I went ahead and prepatched the boot.img prior to flashing, and it just finished sooooo survey says.......? It worked. Now back in Android 10 XT2113_KIEV_RETUS_10_QZKS30.Q4-40-95-2. Running through the setup now to make sure it dials out etc.
EDIT: Phone dials out, bluetooth and wireless works. Havent seen 5G yet but 4G/LTE is working for sure. So yes, you most assuredly downgrade from 11 if one so chooses. Attached is the vbmeta I used.

PredatorGreen said:
It seems they are sending android 11 to everyone but they changed the boot animation. Now when you boot you see a logo that says edge and then TIM italy. This did not happen in android 10. My moto g 5g is free retail with no brand on the box. I think there is a bug in this update. Is it possible to return to android 10? Also this update changed the intensity of the bars on the screen, now it is more generous but if you see the numeric values of Dbm or ASU these are much lower. I regretted updating so fast and I would like to go back to android 10 until 11 is fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can always just root phone and change the boot animation files. They're in system/media/bootanimation.zip
Just download android 10 firmware get this file from system.img and put it on your phone

the.real.p3y0t3 said:
I'm using the euro android 11 XT2113-3_KIEV_RETEU_11_RZK31.Q3-25-15 on a XT2113-2 and everything seems happy as a clam, *except* it would not flash the radio.img. As far as being "boned" if you went to 11 but wished to downgrade.... Has anyone bothered to try a patched vbmeta? I could go up or down on my one action using this route. I think I may just try for the hell of it.
EDIT: downloading 10 now. If it works I'll post my patched vbmeta.
EDIT: Now keep in mind I am doing this from a flash of android 11 xt2113-3 on a xt2113-2 handset... The flash fails on the radio, then next the DSP. It does however downgrade the bootloader no problem. I went ahead and prepatched the boot.img prior to flashing, and it just finished sooooo survey says.......? It worked. Now back in Android 10 XT2113_KIEV_RETUS_10_QZKS30.Q4-40-95-2. Running through the setup now to make sure it dials out etc.
EDIT: Phone dials out, bluetooth and wireless works. Havent seen 5G yet but 4G/LTE is working for sure. So yes, you most assuredly downgrade from 11 if one so chooses. Attached is the vbmeta I used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello and sorry for asking a newbie question here but I don't want this to go sideways...
I have a new XT2113-2 (TM) that is yet to be boot loader unlocked/rooted/etc. I don't want to do that until I am sure. I got this variant of the phone so I could unlock the bootloader, root, TWRP, etc and was afraid the "global" variant -3 might not work with USA 5G. The phone came with Android 11 installed (and has since auto-installed at least one security update). It shows the build as RZKS31.Q3-45-16-3-11 and the baseband ends with Kiev_TMO_CUST. I am using it on ATT (via Red Pocket) since TM service just sucks where I live. And I do get the 5G icon on it now.
But ideally, I want to get this to the original TM Android 10, which I think is shown here as the file XT2113-2_KIEV_TMO_10_QZKS30.Q4-40-95-6_subsidy-TMO_SPR_RSU_QCOM_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC.xml.zip as I hope it will undo some of the "security" crap Google has added to Android with each successive release.
So I need to be sure of the following:
1. Can I downgrade from 11 to 10?
2. Is there some reason to NOT use the firmware mentioned above? Should I use retail US (RETUS) instead? I am not sure the differences (it would be great if that would permit me to use this phone on Red Pocket Verizon but the IMEI now shows as incompatible on Verizon).
3. Must I unlock the boot loader to downgrade? I know I must to do other stuff and I have the unlock code on hand and ready to put it if needed. If I must unlock the boot loader to downgrade, will I have to re-unlock it afterwards? And, if so, will I have to go through the same process of getting a code or will the code I have now work?
4. How do I flash to do the downgrade? I have the Lenovo Rescue/Smart Assistant installed on my PC and was able to download the stock firmware (I assume it matches what is on there now) and stashed it aside. But is there some other tool needed?
5. Once I achieve downgrade, what is the best way to avoid having the thing auto-update to Android 11?
Thanks for your help with these questions.

Question Downgrade A53 (A536B) from android 13 to 12

Hey guys all good?
I got my hands on an A53 already on Android 13 (U.I 5.1), then I unlocked the bootloader, rooted, magisk working but then I decided to downgrade from 13 to 12 because of a few things
I tried via Odin (13.14.4 and 13.12.7) and both didn't work the first odin it fails the flashing and the second pass but it didn't flash the whole thing just reset the phone
any idea? or I'm now stuck with Android 13?
Cheers

From what I can find, Odin supposedly won't allow a downgrade if the boot loader version is lower.
That's just what people seem to say about Samsung devices and downgrading. I've never tried it and never will. Would immediately use multiple OS versions however if Android actually supported dual booting. Its fantastically messed up that it doesn't.
Not sure if TWRP will. Didn't look that one up. You didn't bring that one up but it might be a way to do it.

sandsofmyst said:
From what I can find, Odin supposedly won't allow a downgrade if the boot loader version is lower.
That's just what people seem to say about Samsung devices and downgrading. I've never tried it and never will. Would immediately use multiple OS versions however if Android actually supported dual booting. Its fantastically messed up that it doesn't.
Not sure if TWRP will. Didn't look that one up. You didn't bring that one up but it might be a way to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I was thinking something about that too. Not that the bootloader is lower but that it was modified (root) i guess
Unfortunately TWRP is not compatible yet with Android 13 UI 5.1 at least accordingly to this topic
So i guess I'm stuck for now

biustech said:
Thanks for the reply. I was thinking something about that too. Not that the bootloader is lower but that it was modified (root) i guess
Unfortunately TWRP is not compatible yet with Android 13 UI 5.1 at least accordingly to this topic
So i guess I'm stuck for now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could flash a GSI image, but I guess that wouldn't be OneUI anymore

Hello you all hope you're having a good day, so no way to downgrade a53 5g from Android 13 to android 12 ??? I found some firmwares for Android 12 but the binary number is 4 and Android 13 is actually on binary number 5 , no way to do the downgrade with Odin?
I read somewhere that is not possible to flash a firmware with different binary number is it true ?? I would like to comeback to android 12 it's better