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So I purchased a Boost Mobile Moto G 1st Generation device today and want to use it as a spare wifi android device at home only.
The model I have is the XT1031 Boost Mobile CDMA. I went through a whole bunch of threads here and got my device updated to Stock 4.4.4 Kitkat [Falcon], bootloader unlocked, rooted with Super User, and the latest TWRP [the one for XT1032 worked perfectly fine!) I also found the very long paragraph bootloader unlocked nag screen on startup logo removal zip and that was sweet! Thanks to everyone here (so many of you from all of these topics and work beyond imaginable!) I also went ahead and installed Xposed Framework, Gravitybox, F-Droid + AdAway... will need to fiddle around with XPrivacy a bit more or come back to a really old LBE Master Privacy Guard project that seems to be translated now and working for a lot of devices. Now just waiting for the stable Lollipop image to come out and enjoy the next generation of our OS!
So with that all said (loving the device), on each boot right before "Starting Services", the Activation Screen comes up. It starts to first check for Profile, PRL Updates but fails and gives the error : Airplane Mode.
Anyone know a workaround to get that Activation screen disabled from appearing again (if you're not ever planning to use voice/data but only wifi)? I thought after I put the device on Wifi-Airplane Mode, it would go away, but it always comes up. My only workaround (which really isn't a workaround ) on each time I power back up/reboot the Moto G, that it comes up with that message, I just click "Next" and it will go to the Android Home screen just fine. and connect straight to my wifi network while already in airplane mode and work fine like that .
Anyways, it's a very minor thing, but maybe you all could direct me to a link or reply on what to check out if that's something easy to modify? Please let me know if you need any other information from my device or setup thus far to help you with my question!
edit: Hmm, now the activation notice doesn't appear on reboot but a notification at the top (white triangle) with SIM Card Error comes up. The device will hang with starting services in the center. If I press the power button once and press it again, I can swipe away the notification of the SIM Card Error and it will go to Home and everything works. If I click on the Sim Card Error, it gives me a message saying to either power off or continue, stating the device cannot work without a SIM Card.... (this is all while in WiFi-Airplane Mode). I thought it was an error or issue of Xposed/Gravity Box but uninstalling/reinstalling those didn't make a difference and the SIM Card Error still shows up on reboot. Strange thing, I thought the XT1031 Boost CDMA doesn't have a SIM Card Slot. Anyways, if I disable wifi and disable airplane mode and reboot, the original activation screen comes up again... and I can skip it and then go back to Wifi-Airplane mode... Okay, hopefully that gives some insight and maybe someone will know what I am talking about!
So after performing a factory reset on the device it booted normally the 1st time and asked me for my PIN (??). It accepted my usual PIN (!) and took me to a clean slate (all Play Store apps gone) BUT the wallpaper was still the same, my username was still there and the other user profile was also still there. What was missing was a keyboard so there was nothing I could do with the device.
OK no problem, lets perform another factory reset. So once again I hold volume up & the power button, select reset to factory settings, reboot... and this time it boots to a black screen with only the android navigation bar at the bottom and the words emergency mode on the bottom left.
Any ideas on what to do now, short of sending it back to the store?
This is a brand new unit, running EMUI 5 from the box, bought from an authorised dealer. It was not rooted or tampered with in any way or form.
I've seen those symptoms and I had to perform an erecovery. If you have the Chinese version you can do that if you have the international version I think erecovery isn't working just yet.
Sent from my MHA-L29 using XDA-Developers mobile app
I have a MHA-L29 bought in Europe. I assume erecovery is the mode enabled by pushing volume up, volume down & power button at the same time? At that point I would need the full OS in a microSD inside the device, correct? Apologies, I'm not well versed in Android...
Huawei's website offers very little help . All one can find is a link to the 'quick start manual', a link to EMUI's source code (Mate 9 is absent), a mobile wifi inspection tool, and HiSuite. I'm assuming HiSuite is of no help in this case?
Have I run out of options here? Is my next step returning the device to the shop?
Governa said:
I have a MHA-L29 bought in Europe. I assume erecovery is the mode enabled by pushing volume up, volume down & power button at the same time? At that point I would need the full OS in a microSD inside the device, correct? Apologies, I'm not well versed in Android...
Huawei's website offers very little help . All one can find is a link to the 'quick start manual', a link to EMUI's source code (Mate 9 is absent), a mobile wifi inspection tool, and HiSuite. I'm assuming HiSuite is of no help in this case?
Have I run out of options here? Is my next step returning the device to the shop?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The easiest choice for you is returning the device to the shop, but it can definitely be fixed.
Huawei made some very stupid decisions with the Mate 9. You cannot flash firmware from SD card anymore. You have to use eRecovery (boot the phone plugged into a computer holding the volume up key) to recover. However, this eRecovery has not launched for the european model, so you can't restore.
I might be able to help you using my DNS server because I have reverse-engineered a lot of how the Mate 9 works, but I don't have a European model to test with. If it's easy for you to return it to the store, that's probably the best option.
I've contact Huawei support and they'll be picking up the device by courier. They expect to have it returned in 5 days max. I did test the eRecovery mode that you've described and indeed it fails to gather the needed files ("Getting package info failed").
I appreciate you input, what would your method involve? I've seen firmware (B122) floating around the web, how are people flashing it if the SD card method isn't working for this unit? Having said that I wouldn't personally attempt anything that could possibly void the warranty.
Governa said:
So after performing a factory reset on the device it booted normally the 1st time and asked me for my PIN (??). It accepted my usual PIN (!) and took me to a clean slate (all Play Store apps gone) BUT the wallpaper was still the same, my username was still there and the other user profile was also still there. What was missing was a keyboard so there was nothing I could do with the device.
OK no problem, lets perform another factory reset. So once again I hold volume up & the power button, select reset to factory settings, reboot... and this time it boots to a black screen with only the android navigation bar at the bottom and the words emergency mode on the bottom left.
Any ideas on what to do now, short of sending it back to the store?
This is a brand new unit, running EMUI 5 from the box, bought from an authorised dealer. It was not rooted or tampered with in any way or form.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when you make a factory reset in recovery on first boot you see lost the google service and also the keyboard (i know well i have done it two time in 4 days cause bootloop) how got the google service back? simply download from apkmirror a google keyboard (you need it for next step) and install it then go to settings/advanced settings and make a factory reset(need a pin in my case that why have installed a keyboard) when the device boot again you have the google service again
I see, thank you. I'll keep that in mind next time I reset the device. :good:
I then ask, if I do reset the device to factory settings and it craps out again, how would one know if eRecovery is able to recover European models? As of 3 days ago this option would throw a 'Getting package info failed' error. Short of trying it myself when I get my device back, has anything changed in the meanwhile? Is eRecovery working now?
hi mate, I only know what I've tried: eRecovery delete google service, eRecovery not erase password.factory reset from settings does reappear google services .... likely these problems are software bugs or are linked to nougat that has different partitions than to the past....sorry for now thats it
Inviato dal mio MHA-L29 utilizzando Tapatalk
So I just got my phone back from the service center and the first impressions were not good. Before returning the phone they called me to ask for my Google username and password (!!) to make sure the device was successfully recovered. I obviously refused and just told them to kindly return the device and I would test it myself.
Well the package arrived today and is missing the SIM ejector and the IMEI back sticker. Not only that but it now refuses to install the Amazon Shopping app and Google PhotoScan app because "this app is incompatible with your device". How can this be if I had these two apps installed before??
I also noticed that the device claims to be an "Orange MHA-L29"... have these guys just flashed it with a firmware meant for Mate 9s sold through Orange?
Governa said:
So I just got my phone back from the service center and the first impressions were not good. Before returning the phone they called me to ask for my Google username and password (!!) to make sure the device was successfully recovered. I obviously refused and just told them to kindly return the device and I would test it myself.
Well the package arrived today and is missing the SIM ejector and the IMEI back sticker. Not only that but it now refuses to install the Amazon Shopping app and Google PhotoScan app because "this app is incompatible with your device". How can this be if I had these two apps installed before??
I also noticed that the device claims to be an "Orange MHA-L29"... have these guys just flashed it with a firmware meant for Mate 9s sold through Orange?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmmm too bad mate,your M9 is no brand? Orange is a carrier ....my opinion is ask why this change and ask for phone replacement
Yep, unbranded bought from an authorised dealer.
I am now going to escalate it and try to have this unit rejected and exchanged for a brand new one. I sure hope they don't propose replacing it with a refurbished unit, after all we're talking about a €700 device here and it has spent more time in the service center than in my hands. Very frustrating.
And this whole "no way to use eRecovery yet" and "no way to flash it from MicroSD" is just the last nail in the coffin... I mean what were they thinking? Even Apple devices allow me pick up the corresponding firmware and flash it at home from day 0. I hear the P9 Plus is less restrictive, maybe I should have gone for one of those instead?
I've got a real lemon here... let's see how they handle my case, I'll keep you all updated.
Change your phone CSC code full in a simcard CSC code & country (NO ROOT CLEAN KNOX)
Putting a simcard before first initiation will adapt the csccode automaticly.
The following elnero-method can be used AFTER FIRST INITIATION.
So before adapting your phone CSC code into a new SIMCARD CODE and COUNTRY
back-up all your data If your phone already is in use,
1. Quit your Sim- and SD-card from your phone
2. Flash CSC-OXM firmware for you phone with Odin
3. Initiate your phone with only the following data:
- chose country and language and get STARTed
- Put the wifi OFF and go NEXT
- only mark the "End User Licence Agreement" and go NEXT
- DISSABLE ALL Google services and go NEXT
- Just go NEXT on Date and Time
- Just go NEXT on Name
- Mark "No, thank you" on Protect your phone and go SKIP (Twice)
- Dont'mark anything on the Samsung account, only slide up and go SKIP (Twice)
- Dont' mark anything "Get your content" and go SKIP
- DISABLE ALL MARKS on "More Usefull features" and FINISH it
4. Don't touch your phone until it closes
5. Push the phone on again, slide the screen and OPEN the SIM CARD HOLDER.
6. Insert the country SIMcard in his holder,( in wich the CSC country and codes will change) close and wait a little
7. Push the phone on and slide the screen. You'll see "SIM card changed" and touch RESTART
8 Wait until the phone restart completely.
9. Open 'SETTINGS" and chose "About Phone"
10. All under in the next window you'll see "LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE" and push on RESET.
11. Chose "FACTORY DATA RESET" in the next window
12. Push RESET on the next window
13. Push DELETE ALL on the last window that opens
AND NOW JUST WAIT UNTIL
YOUR PHONE HAS REINITIATE CLEAN AND FULLY
WITH THE NEW CSC COUNTRY AND CODE FROM THE INSERTED SIM CARD.
(The phone starts up as on new firmware (nr 3) and YOU CAN INITIATE YOUR PHONE AS YOU LIKE )
Please apolagize my English, I'm a from Flanders and am a Flemisch native.
El
IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT ;
i tried this method repeatedly with simcard form different countries (FR, ES, BE) wiyhout any problem
This ajusts :
Product Code: adjusted
Active CSC code: adjusted
CSC country: adjusted
Mobile operator: adjusted (but also read further for that matter)
As started from the OXM firmware (as written in the post) , the Bootloader -, PDA -, CSC -, and Baseband versions won't change
CHANGING THE SIMCARD LATER WITH ANOTER OXM_COUNTRY SIMCARD WILL ONLY AFFECT THE MOBILE OPERATOR (unless you use the full method of course).
El
PS: you dont have to thank me but PLEASE LEAVE A QUICK REPLY if you tried this method. It can ENDORSE OR IMPROVE THE METHOD
elner0 said:
Putting a simcard before first initiation will adapt the csccode automaticly.
The following elnero-method can be used AFTER FIRST INITIATION.
So before adapting your phone CSC code into a new SIMCARD CODE and COUNTRY
back-up all your data If your phone already is in use,
1. Quit your Sim- and SD-card from your phone
2. Flash CSC-OXM firmware for you phone with Odin
3. Initiate your phone with only the following data:
- chose country and language and get STARTed
- Put the wifi OFF and go NEXT
- only mark the "End User Licence Agreement" and go NEXT
- DISSABLE ALL Google services and go NEXT
- Just go NEXT on Date and Time
- Just go NEXT on Name
- Mark "No, thank you" on Protect your phone and go SKIP (Twice)
- Dont'mark anything on the Samsung account, only slide up and go SKIP (Twice)
- Dont' mark anything "Get your content" and go SKIP
- DISABLE ALL MARKS on "More Usefull features" and FINISH it
4. Don't touch your phone until it closes
5. Push the phone on again, slide the screen and OPEN the SIM CARD HOLDER.
6. Insert the country SIMcard in his holder,( in wich the CSC country and codes will change) close and wait a little
7. Push the phone on and slide the screen. You'll see "SIM card changed" and touch RESTART
8 Wait until the phone restart completely.
9. Open 'SETTINGS" and chose "About Phone"
10. All under in the next window you'll see "LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE" and push on RESET.
11. Chose "FACTORY DATA RESET" in the next window
12. Push RESET on the next window
13. Push DELETE ALL on the last window that opens
AND NOW JUST WAIT UNTIL
YOUR PHONE HAS REINITIATE CLEAN AND FULLY
WITH THE NEW CSC COUNTRY AND CODE FROM THE INSERTED SIM CARD.
(The phone starts up as on new firmware (nr 3) and YOU CAN INITIATE YOUR PHONE AS YOU LIKE )
Please apolagize my English, I'm a from Flanders and am a Flemisch native.
El
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it to much if I asked you to make a short fast video tutorial because I can't do it with these instructions ?
There's no way to pass to next screen from wifi connection screen with SIM-card removed because of FRP, this method might work only on a phone not associated with google account.
i couldnt get this to work on a dual sim phone, any idea what went wrong?
elner0 said:
IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT ;
i tried this method repeatedly with simcard form different countries (FR, ES, BE) wiyhout any problem
This ajusts :
Product Code: adjusted
Active CSC code: adjusted
CSC country: adjusted
Mobile operator: adjusted (but also read further for that matter)
As started from the OXM firmware (as written in the post) , the Bootloader -, PDA -, CSC -, and Baseband versions won't change
CHANGING THE SIMCARD LATER WITH ANOTER OXM_COUNTRY SIMCARD WILL ONLY AFFECT THE MOBILE OPERATOR (unless you use the full method of course).
El
PS: you dont have to thank me but PLEASE LEAVE A QUICK REPLY if you tried this method. It can ENDORSE OR IMPROVE THE METHOD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont know if this can help: did you tried with only one mayor card inserted?
elner0 said:
Dont know if this can help: did you tried with only one mayor card inserted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
In step 4 what do you mean by don't touch the phone until it closes ?
(mean close for shuting down) or (close : only stand-by screen while the phone is on)
Hi. I received my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G smartphone, which I ordered from Samsung.com (I chose the T-Mobile version when ordering). After turning on the phone for the first time, at the Welcome screen, when I click the Start button, I get the message, "Insert SIM card from your service provider for network service."
I can't find a way to bypass this message. I was initially thinking if I could connect to my WiFi, it'd go away, but there's absolutely no way to connect to WiFi or access any settings.
I upgrade my smartphones every 15 months and have had T-Mobile for nearly a decade, and this is the first time I've seen such a thing during setup. I like to keep my SIM card in my current smartphone until the new one is fully set up, at which point I would transfer the SIM card over. I have a lot of services I use that rely on SIM card (i.e., not fully cloud-based and are tied to the SIM card), and not having that service during setup may be an issue. Also, I have received brand new phones that have had issues in the past (e.g., poor battery life, screen problems), so I'd rather fully test the new phone before transferring my SIM over.
The workaround I thought of: Put in a temporary T-Mobile SIM card, just to complete the setup process. Once setup has completed, I'll put my actual SIM card into the phone, or have T-Mobile transfer my phone number to the new SIM card. Thoughts?
Thank you.
It's because you got the T-Mobile phone so it wants you to connect to the network first before using it or continuing with setup. A way to get around that is to install the u1 firmware.
IIRC you can hold the volume down button for 5 seconds at the sim required screen to bypass the requirement. There's a help article somewhere that documents this.
As far as I know, Samsung requiring a SIM card during initial setup has been around for a long time. Nothing to do with your carrier. Even my unlocked phone from Samsung required a SIM card on first boot before continuing. There are of course ways around that, but beware. I bypassed the SIM card requirement setting up my S21 Ultra and spent a day configuring it to my liking. Then I popped the SIM card in from my old phone and it caused a factory reset erasing all my hard work. Probably because my carrier wanted to install all their software and settings. Not saying the same thing will happen to you, but just something to be aware of.
Here is the link to the eSIM setup (bypass SIM requirement)
Samsung eSIM to eSIM first time use
Visit T-Mobile Support for help with phones & internet devices, plans & services, billing, and more!
www.t-mobile.com
Sticking a SIM from another carrier after eSIM set up should not cause a hard reset under normal circumstances, it does cause a reboot into bootloader to deploy the new carrier specific customizations from cache, but this is supposed to be transparent to user data. It broke if it caused a hard reset ;\
Da_G said:
IIRC you can hold the volume down button for 5 seconds at the sim required screen to bypass the requirement. There's a help article somewhere that documents this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically, this worked, but this burned me badly. I appreciate the workaround, but I highly recommend against it. See below.
SloPoke23 said:
I bypassed the SIM card requirement setting up my S21 Ultra and spent a day configuring it to my liking. Then I popped the SIM card in from my old phone and it caused a factory reset erasing all my hard work. Probably because my carrier wanted to install all their software and settings. Not saying the same thing will happen to you, but just something to be aware of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly what happened to me on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. This is literally the most annoyed I have ever been at an electronic consumer device.
I spent over 21 hours over the span of 6 days setting up the phone. I put in the SIM card and was presented with a message stating, "SIM card detected. Restart your phone to start using your new SIM card." I could not use the phone at all, so my only option was to restart. After I hit the Restart button, the phone restarted. For less than 3 seconds, it showed a black screen with a small Android logo, with the small text "Erasing." Then the phone started up and everything is as if it's a brand new phone. Everything I've spent time working on is all gone.
Hello Team, important information, when it is asking for the carrier sim card, you need press volumen up + volumen down + power button at the same time for few seconds, then it will say a message like "Unlocked" then proceed with the first configuration.
This is for people who is going to use with a different provided, please let me know if you heard or read this info in another link (because i did not find that)
Xiaomi Qin F21 Pro with US Bands
LTE Bands 2, 4, 12, 13, 17, 66, 71 as provided by the US Qin F30 Kosher.
Things you need:
Windows PC (as far as I know this only works on Windows)
Qin F21 Pro with unlocked bootloader and TWRP installed.
See: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/tools-mod-scripts-mlgmxyysds-qin-f21-pro-unlock-tool.4368277/
(This can be a headache, there are probably better ways to do this.)
See: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...om-firmware-root-playstore-certified.4405615/
You only have to follow this tutorial up to the point of installing the boot_2.img in TWRP you do not have to root if you don't want to. I do believe most of us with F21's probably have already done this entire tutorial though.
SP Flash Tool: See tutorial above, it comes with it.
ADB (and please know how to use it): https://www.xda-developers.com/install-adb-windows-macos-linux/
The files I provide with this link Which are: F30 files (from my purchased F30), my edited scatter file to show new partitions, SN Write tool with provided Database files.
https://www.mediafire.com/file/3fba0dugos3lkdv/F30_US_LTE_Bands_Package.zip/file
I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IF YOUR PHONE DOESN'T BOOT, SOFT/HARD BRICKED! THIS TUTORIAL IS TO DO AT YOUR OWN RISK!
GUIDE:
1. Write down your F21's Original IMEI, Wifi Mac Address, and Bluetooth Address.
Go into your phone settings and scroll all the way down to "About Phone".
Here you will find your IMEI, Device Wi-Fi MAC address, and Bluetooth address.
WRITE THESE DOWN!!!!!!!! YOU NEED THESE LATER!!!!!!! I even included a txt file for you to do it in!
We want to write these down because we will need them for the SNwriter tool later.
2. Turn off your phone and boot into TWRP, you can do this by holding the heart/owl key (top left) and the * (star, bottom left) key, you will see the Douqin Logo. Keep holding until TWRP boots.
3. Plug the F21 into computer and TWRP will allow ADB connections. We are going to use ADB to pull/backup your modem and identifier files in case you mess up =)
DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. WE WILL BE OVERWRITING THESE FILES - THEY CONTAIN THE IDENTIFIERS THAT YOU WROTE DOWN ABOVE.
Even though we will no longer be using these files, they are original to your phone, and I think its incredibly important to have a back up. I even included an empty folder for you to put them in!
Use the following ADB commands:
adb pull /dev/block/by-name/nvdata
adb pull /dev/block/by-name/nvram
adb pull /dev/block/by-name/nvcfg
Now find those files and put them some where safe!!!
(You can also use TWRP and copy the files, and put the on a USB stick or maybe some where else on the phone)
4. Turn off the phone again, you can do this from TWRP by going to Reboot and chosing Power Off.
5. Open SPFlash Tool and load the scatter file provided from my files "MT6761_Android_scatter - edited.txt". This will add the NVData, NVRam, NVcfg partitions to flashable partitions.
5a. Uncheck all the boxes we don't need and only check off nvcfg, nvdata, nvram, and md1img_a. These are the ONLY partitions we are flashing. (They should already be selected! BUT SO WILL THE PRELOADER, UNCHECK PRELOADER, I had to include it in the folder for the flashing to work, but we do NOT need to flash it!)
5b. Click the "location" portion of each row and find the corresponding file from the files I provided. (This should already be done!)
5c. When you got everything set up, click the Green Arrow Download button. With your phone turned off, hold the BACK button (top right) and plug it in. It will flash these files to your phone. KEEP YOUR PHONE OFF FOR NOW.
6. Open SNwrite tool on your computer, make sure ComPort says USBVCOM, and Target Type says Smart Phone.
6a. Open the System Config button and make sure ONLY IMEI, BT Address, and Wifi Address are checked off in the "Write Option" (top left) section.
6b. In the DataBase File section (at the bottom) and make sure "Load AP DB from DUT and Load Modem DB from DUT are checked.
6c. Click on the MD1_DB button and select the "MDDB_InfoCustomAppSrcP_MT6761_S00_MOLY_LR12A_R3_MP_V88_3_1_ulwctg_n.EDB" file located in the AP DB Base\\MT6761 folder (within SNwrite folder).
6d. Click on the AP_DB button and seelect the "APDB_MT6761_S01__W1947" file located in the AP DB Base\MT6761 folder (within SNwrite folder).
6e. Click Save and go back to the main window, click on "Start" and a new window will pop up. Remember how I told you to WRITE DOWN all of these from your F21? This is where we need it.
IMEI_1 = your original IMEI.
BT Addr = Your Bluetooth Address (no colons!)
Wifi Addr = Your Wifi MAC Address (no colons!)
6f. Before you click OK be sure to have your phone at the ready. You will need to, just like with SP Flash Tool, hold the back button as you plug it in! Click OK and plug in your phone with the back button held. Wait for the bar to progress and the green PASS signal to light up.
6g. When its done, your original identifiers will be flashed to your phone! Another window may pop up making you think you have to flash again, just close it as long as you saw that Green PASS signal you are good.
7. TURN ON YOUR PHONE AND ENJOY US LTE BANDS!!!!!! 2, 4, 12, 13, 17, 66, 71
These cover most of T-mobile and Verizon users!
Go back into your phone settings as in Step 1 and make sure your original IMEI, Wifi Mac Address and Bluetooth Address are there.
To confirm the bands, use the phone dialer and type:
*#*#3646633#*#*
This will take you into engineering mode (use at your own risk, don't mess with anything!) and click on Band Mode. Scroll thru the bands and you can confirm which ones are active. As far as which ones are currently being used, I am unsure of how to do that just yet. Will update when I know (was told there are apps that might be able to do this).
-----------------------------
Things to note:
AGAIN: BE SURE TO BACK UP YOUR FILES and write down your IMEI, Wifi MAC ADDRESS and BLUETOOTH ADDRESS! I cannot state this enough.
If you do not do the SNwrite tool (section 6 of the steps) you will have DUMMY made-up identifiers, and technically those will work for a while.. but you don't want to have the same ones as others, so please do section 6.
I cannot help you with unlocking your bootloader, that part can be easier and the tool I linked was not fun. There are apparently much easier ways, please look into them.
If you can unlock your bootloader, and install TWRP you can do the rest of these steps easy!
-----------------------------
If you would like to buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/storymode
I'd like to thank:
Jbazt_katuforzs (XDA forums) for the Unofficial Qin F21 Pro firmware tutorial.
Sense_101 (XDA forums) who I couldn't have done this without, they helped me with learning ADB commands and knowing which files I would need to get this done.
mosheys (XDA) who told me about SNwrite tool.. which I knew about, but couldn't work before, and gave me the motivation to try again, really made this all come together.
jbriones95 (Reddit) who got me into Dumbphones and introduced me, through his videos, to the F21 Pro. The perfect phone for me!
eitokai (Reddit) who worked on tinkering with the F30 and made me believe I could do it too, and make progress - and everyone they thanked helped too!
Quick shout outs to Highpowers23 (Reddit), and 154FAviator (Reddit).
Lots of other random tutorials online where other people were trying to do similar things with their phones!!
-edits-
4/25/23: Fixed an issue where SPFlash tool was giving an Invalid Preloader error on Step 5a. I had to add the preloader file to the supplied download, but we do NOT need to flash the preloader. Edited step 5a to reflect change. Thanks to XDA user mosheys for pointing it out =)
amazing. looking forward to trying this out later tonight.
It worked! Amazing. Thank you for putting the time in to write this up.
Wow, and I always thought that network bands are hardware that can't be added...
How's that possible?
Hi
I have been using this flashed US Bands thing on my phone, and I notice there's few places that my phone just gets thrown off service, I can be in middle of a call and the call ends, etc
Also I miss a lot of calls due to it getting thrown off service in certain areas. (not talking here in basements etc, just random on street)
Anybody else experience such issues?
DEV845 said:
Hi
I have been using this flashed US Bands thing on my phone, and I notice there's few places that my phone just gets thrown off service, I can be in middle of a call and the call ends, etc
Also I miss a lot of calls due to it getting thrown off service in certain areas. (not talking here in basements etc, just random on street)
Anybody else experience such issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry I haven't had any issues at all except for one time when I ran out of data unknowingly. What phone provider are you with? You might have to manually add their APNs to your settings.
shulemf said:
Wow, and I always thought that network bands are hardware that can't be added...
How's that possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what they'd like you to believe! It can be mostly true, but since the F21 has a US clone, the F30, I was able to make it work via their files. Next thing I really want to try is adding more bands if possible. But it involves hex editing perhaps which I'm no good at.
CatStoleTheCrown said:
That's what they'd like you to believe! It can be mostly true, but since the F21 has a US clone, the F30, I was able to make it work via their files. Next thing I really want to try is adding more bands if possible. But it involves hex editing perhaps which I'm no good at.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you figure this out . Love my f21 so much since I used your guide
Can someone post a step by step video on how to do this
Will this work on f22 pro also?
Hi there! Thanks so much for the guide and the files
I followed all your instructions with my brand new F21 pro unlocked that I got from aliexpress, 64/4 version. when the phone arrived, it was already unlocked and had TWRP installed. So I went to follow your tutorial from that point. I specifically bought this phone to use on Verizon for a family member that does not use smart phones so this would be big upgrade for them, since most of the options for Verizon basic phones are bad choices.
Anyway, I consider myself fairly intelligent and computer savvy, I followed your instructions exactly and got no errors both times. first, I got the green checkmark after downloading the files then I did the imei writing I got the green PASS with 0 errors
so I go to turn the phone on, the system now appears "kosher." the Chinese play store is gone, etc. the system is telling me there is a software update which I ignore... when I plug the SIM card into the phone, I am not getting any cellular reception, however the phone does see that sim belongs with Verizon. my phone number shows up in the about section, as well as the original imei and Mac and bluetooth address. so it appears my writing to the phone was successful, but for some reason the bands are not active. I can do wifi calling with Verizon but not over cellular.
I really dont think I did anything wrong but I do have a question was the sp flash tool supposed to only say "download" in the drop down box from the first step?? was it supposed to be install and format??? I left it on download because I wasn't instructed to change anything and went about my business but I am just trying to figure out what went wrong.
again, I want to reiterate, the Verizon employee said they did not see the imei I provided to them with my current sim already in the phone, so why could they not see the f21 pro with original imei and lte bands after your guide? was he lying because they do not want me to use this phone? he asked me if the phone was Samsung and I just said yeah, he was foreign and I didn't feel like explaining.
really trying to figure out what went wrong here. it's frustrating that you can get it to work but I can't. I successfully copied the imei, Mac and Bluetooth address so I dont think that is it. when I go to look at the bands in the developer menu, I do not see the bands you mention with a check box next them. does that mean they are not active??
I really dont want to have to return this phone or sell it because it was a gift and it is actually quite nice for the money. so I put the SIM card back in the old basic phone (sonim xp5) and naturally, it is working as it should... this is a LTE sim and both phones use LTE, so I do not see what the problem is
is there something that must be changed manually in the cellular settings after sim insertion such as LTE/ CDMA only or something like that? again I am on Verizon and I have decent coverage where I am trying this.
thanks
it worked ! Thanks for sharing this guide !
TweakBox Tutuapp​
moogpunk said:
Hi there! Thanks so much for the guide and the files
I followed all your instructions with my brand new F21 pro unlocked that I got from aliexpress, 64/4 version. when the phone arrived, it was already unlocked and had TWRP installed. So I went to follow your tutorial from that point. I specifically bought this phone to use on Verizon for a family member that does not use smart phones so this would be big upgrade for them, since most of the options for Verizon basic phones are bad choices.
Anyway, I consider myself fairly intelligent and computer savvy, I followed your instructions exactly and got no errors both times. first, I got the green checkmark after downloading the files then I did the imei writing I got the green PASS with 0 errors
so I go to turn the phone on, the system now appears "kosher." the Chinese play store is gone, etc. the system is telling me there is a software update which I ignore... when I plug the SIM card into the phone, I am not getting any cellular reception, however the phone does see that sim belongs with Verizon. my phone number shows up in the about section, as well as the original imei and Mac and bluetooth address. so it appears my writing to the phone was successful, but for some reason the bands are not active. I can do wifi calling with Verizon but not over cellular.
I really dont think I did anything wrong but I do have a question was the sp flash tool supposed to only say "download" in the drop down box from the first step?? was it supposed to be install and format??? I left it on download because I wasn't instructed to change anything and went about my business but I am just trying to figure out what went wrong.
again, I want to reiterate, the Verizon employee said they did not see the imei I provided to them with my current sim already in the phone, so why could they not see the f21 pro with original imei and lte bands after your guide? was he lying because they do not want me to use this phone? he asked me if the phone was Samsung and I just said yeah, he was foreign and I didn't feel like explaining.
really trying to figure out what went wrong here. it's frustrating that you can get it to work but I can't. I successfully copied the imei, Mac and Bluetooth address so I dont think that is it. when I go to look at the bands in the developer menu, I do not see the bands you mention with a check box next them. does that mean they are not active??
I really dont want to have to return this phone or sell it because it was a gift and it is actually quite nice for the money. so I put the SIM card back in the old basic phone (sonim xp5) and naturally, it is working as it should... this is a LTE sim and both phones use LTE, so I do not see what the problem is
is there something that must be changed manually in the cellular settings after sim insertion such as LTE/ CDMA only or something like that? again I am on Verizon and I have decent coverage where I am trying this.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there,
The fact that the bands aren't checked off in engineering mode indeed means that the bands aren't active (I did it and the bands showed up) you should of course redo the setup carefully in case you might have missed a step.
About Sp flash tool all you have to press is the green download arrow at the top of the window. And remember to make sure to deselect the preloader partition.
And not sure if I understood you correctly but you mentioned that after you finished the process you got the full kosher version on the phone, that shouldn't be the case because we are only copying the necessary partitions from the f30 for the service to work(I might have misunderstood you on that last one).
Potential_Threat said:
Hey there,
The fact that the bands aren't checked off in engineering mode indeed means that the bands aren't active (I did it and the bands showed up) you should of course redo the setup carefully in case you might have missed a step.
About Sp flash tool all you have to press is the green download arrow at the top of the window. And remember to make sure to deselect the preloader partition.
And not sure if I understood you correctly but you mentioned that after you finished the process you got the full kosher version on the phone, that shouldn't be the case because we are only copying the necessary partitions from the f30 for the service to work(I might have misunderstood you on that last one).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had prepared the phone for the user I bought it for thinking I did al the steps right. when I realized the phone wasnt working, I re did the tutorial. it wiped all the apps and work I had previously done on the phone such as adding the play store, certification, etc and various apps. it was ready to go... so when I did the tutorial again, starting at the step where you load the F30 files, the phone appeared "kosher" when I flashed it and was once again app less... that is what I meant. it looked like I had started over.
was there anything about the bootloader or the unlocking process that may have not been done properly by the seller of the phone? Again, the phone arrived to me already unlocked and with TWRP installed so I skipped all those steps thinking I wouldn't need to do them.
what did I do wrong if I erased all the apps and the kosher version got installed and wiped the stuff I had already done when I tried to redo the process ?? I'm literally just following the instructions on a brand new phone.
the only thing I could think that I did wrong was skip the unlocking process but I only did that because I assumed the phone was already unlocked. I would assume it's unlocked if TWRP was already installed.... am I wrong ?
moogpunk said:
the only thing I could think that I did wrong was skip the unlocking process but I only did that because I assumed the phone was already unlocked. I would assume it's unlocked if TWRP was already installed.... am I wrong ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean you bought the version with the Google play store ("unlocked") and that's why you bypassed the other stuff?
moogpunk said:
I had prepared the phone for the user I bought it for thinking I did al the steps right. when I realized the phone wasnt working, I re did the tutorial. it wiped all the apps and work I had previously done on the phone such as adding the play store, certification, etc and various apps. it was ready to go... so when I did the tutorial again, starting at the step where you load the F30 files, the phone appeared "kosher" when I flashed it and was once again app less... that is what I meant. it looked like I had started over.
was there anything about the bootloader or the unlocking process that may have not been done properly by the seller of the phone? Again, the phone arrived to me already unlocked and with TWRP installed so I skipped all those steps thinking I wouldn't need to do them.
what did I do wrong if I erased all the apps and the kosher version got installed and wiped the stuff I had already done when I tried to redo the process ?? I'm literally just following the instructions on a brand new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And now with the kosher version, are you following the steps to fully unlock it first?
nemoslumbers said:
And now with the kosher version, are you following the steps to fully unlock it first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I admit I skipped the unlocking part because I bought the "google unlocked world" version from aliexpress, and so I assumed it was done. and in the developer menu it said the phones boot loader was already unlocked... and the phone had TWRP already, so I assumed in order for TWRP to be there, it was unlocked already.
so I guess you are telling me that I shouldn't have skipped it because it wasn't truly unlocked then? okay, I will try it again.
I do not have the kosher version, I was referring to my f21pro phone after flashing with scatter f30 file.
also I just realized that when I was trying to unlock I was holding the wrong two "top buttons" I thought it was the owl button and the back button, not the camera button and the back button
moogpunk said:
yes. I skipped the unlocking part because I bought the "google unlocked world" version from aliexpress, and so I assumed it was done. and in the developer menu it said the phones boot loader was already unlocked... and the phone had TWRP already, so I assumed in order for TWRP to be there, it was unlocked already.
so I guess you are telling me that I shouldn't have skipped it because it wasn't truly unlocked then? okay, I will try it again.
I do not have the kosher version, I was referring to my f21pro phone after flashing with scatter f30 file.
also I just realized that when I was trying to unlock I was holding the wrong two "top buttons" I thought it was the owl button and the back button, not the camera button and the back button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe give the two top buttons a try before trying the full unlock route? Only a suggestion! I also got the google unlocked world version and was going to try putting all of this on here this weekend. Hoping we don't actually have to go through the full unlock process and maybe it was just the wrong button combo!
nemoslumbers said:
Maybe give the two top buttons a try before trying the full unlock route? Only a suggestion! I also got the google unlocked world version and was going to try putting all of this on here this weekend. Hoping we don't actually have to go through the full unlock process and maybe it was just the wrong button combo!
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Click to collapse
I've read some conflicting reports about which buttons it's supposed to be. The actual readme says it's the top two buttons (Owl+back) and someone else, an administrator here actually, posted a photo circling the #+back button.... and someone liked that post assuming it was true
also, someone else said you can only get into TWRP by holding the Star and Owl button when the phone turns on then you have to immediately press the up and back button to boot into TWRP... which isn't entirely true... all you have to do is hold Star+Owl button to boot into TWRP...
I will admit I am new to the world of modding phones but not modding electronics which is why I felt confident enough to take on this project. I have modified many iPods with rockbox in my day and done physical modifications. I find this fun but it's teetering on extremely frustrating.
I am going to have to do the entire unlock process from the very beginning because I don't have any other choice, otherwise I am left with a phone I cannot use on Verizon. it will be waste of ~140usd. not the fault of the aliexpress seller, just poorly written instructions and dumb windows compatibility issues.
I cannot get the phone unlocked because I cannot get my computer to recognize the phone via usb. no amount of button combinations are letting my windows computer see the phone so I cannot unlock it.