Database Info

Why did Odin fail to install firmware from a foreign country/carrier ? (clues)

Can anyone confirm that its not possible to flash a foreign firmware unless the phone is network unlocked ?
But could it be possible to flash an efs image from an unlocked phone before flashing a different firmware ?

id012016 said:
Can anyone confirm that its not possible to flash a foreign firmware unless the phone is network unlocked ?
But could it be possible to flash an efs image from an unlocked phone before flashing a different firmware ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main concern would be that the firmware is for an identical device, because they often differ physically. Single SIM vs dual, Snapdragon vs Exynos, etc. I don't know why carrier lock would have anything to do with it.
I don't know if this is relevant or not, but on my USA T-Mobile Galaxy S4 I use Omega ROM, which changes my device from sgh-m919 to sgh-i9505 (international model). The side-effect is that it sometimes thinks I'm in the UK, even though I have my location set to where I am. For example, I can't use the Amazon app because it loads amazon.co.uk instead of amazon.com and the keyboard often tries inserting a superfluous (in an American's opinion) "u" to words like flavo(u)r and colo(u)r.

RefurbishedV10 fingerprint/security issues after upgrading from lollipop to MM

I've seen many threads about this issue originating because the apparent H900 model for some people turned out to be a different model somehow converted to look like this, and everyone had the exact same issues as me, namely
1. LG VPN has stopped working error
2. Fingerprint/security tab causes settings to crash
3. Attempting to uninstall apps causes instant soft reboot
Some folks mentioned fixing their phones by finding the actual model of their phone and flashing the correct firmware. But AFAIK, no flashing software allows flashing of a different model. And none of them was clear about the actual steps they did to fix it.
Since I'm on Marshmallow, I cannot root, and I cannot rollback to the firmware I had in my phone.
Can anyone please share how they fixed their phone or someone expert in the matter?
Warranty/Motherboard replacement are out of question for me.
Any help is appreciated.

Same here please somebody help.

Same, did you find a solution? :/

same problems
Same probleme... Any update for this?
I see on AT&T website they have been rolling out the software update ver. H900z in USA only?
So we out side USA cant get OTA update?
There some one can give the backup rom?

LIKELY NO CAN'T HELP US ON LG V10 H900W AT&T:crying::crying::crying:

no
behhaja said:
Same probleme... Any update for this?
I see on AT&T website they have been rolling out the software update ver. H900z in USA only?
So we out side USA cant get OTA update?
There some one can give the backup rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can't get ota att outside USA becasue you need to be connected in ATT bridge or IDK but you can't the only way you can by KDZ or TOT FILES

Finally Found 1000% fix for all this type of issues. Security Menu to App Uninstall all-everything OK. Just need to flash an special modified firmware based on VS990 Hardware. The current Firmware version is Android 6.0.
NB: This is not for free and not for individual one. $150 will cost this type of firmware. So, this solution is for Service Personnel or Professional's only. Contact me for details on Skype or Gmail (rassel2k). Goodluck.

Too bad the price of the phone itself, 2nd hand (H900,H901,VS990,F600), is around $100 here.

Updating problematic device from Android 6 to 8

Hello,
I bought an S7 from eBay, it was marked as a "new" and "UK" phone. I factory reset the device on receipt and apparently worked fine to start with. However, there have been a few problems (poor signal, battery life, echoes in video calls) and I noticed the device was still on Android 6, so wondered if an update to Android 8 might help (?).
There is no menu option available to update Android so I started looking into flashing firmware. On further digging, the device seemed an official SM-G930F but "United Arab Emirates" appears in the "About Phone" section.
I downloaded some stock firmware (Android 8, UK Vodafone which is the network I expect to run it on) and tried flashing with Odin 3.13 and it failed with error "unsupport dev_type" on the phone screen. Any suggestions?
I also noticed that in "Download mode" the phone said it was a "SM-G930V". I wondered if this was why the flash had failed. For the SM-G930V I only seem to be able to get USA/Verizon stock firmware. Might this work or would I have trouble using this in the UK?
Any help would be much appreciated. I'm a newbie in this area so apologies if any of these questions are answered elsewhere.
Many thanks,
Edwin

ecc25 said:
Hello,
I bought an S7 from eBay, it was marked as a "new" and "UK" phone. I factory reset the device on receipt and apparently worked fine to start with. However, there have been a few problems (poor signal, battery life, echoes in video calls) and I noticed the device was still on Android 6, so wondered if an update to Android 8 might help (?).
There is no menu option available to update Android so I started looking into flashing firmware. On further digging, the device seemed an official SM-G930F but "United Arab Emirates" appears in the "About Phone" section.
I downloaded some stock firmware (Android 8, UK Vodafone which is the network I expect to run it on) and tried flashing with Odin 3.13 and it failed with error "unsupport dev_type" on the phone screen. Any suggestions?
I also noticed that in "Download mode" the phone said it was a "SM-G930V". I wondered if this was why the flash had failed. For the SM-G930V I only seem to be able to get USA/Verizon stock firmware. Might this work or would I have trouble using this in the UK?
Any help would be much appreciated. I'm a newbie in this area so apologies if any of these questions are answered elsewhere.
Many thanks,
Edwin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to the play store and install Sam phone info, then look at what chipset it lists, you don't want it to be Qualcomm Snapdragon, Eyxnos is what you want to see.
G930V is US Verizon firmware
Report back please.

cooltt said:
Go to the play store and install Sam phone info, then look at what chipset it lists, you don't want it to be Qualcomm Snapdragon, Eyxnos is what you want to see.
G930V is US Verizon firmware
Report back please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply! The "hardware/board" is "qcom/msm8996". Where does that leave me?
I noticed that the Bootloader & Baseband Versions begin G930VVRU but the PDA and CSC versions begin G930FXXU. Not sure if that means anything.
Thank you!

ecc25 said:
Thanks for your reply! The "hardware/board" is "qcom/msm8996". Where does that leave me?
I noticed that the Bootloader & Baseband Versions begin G930VVRU but the PDA and CSC versions begin G930FXXU. Not sure if that means anything.
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the person who sold it to you is a liar for starters, it's not a "brand new UK device", it's a US S7 (G930V) Originally bought for the Verizon Network in the states. They are difficult to do anything with as the Qualcomm boot loader is locked down.
So your first option is to update the firmware to the latest Verizon Oreo, probably not worth it since that firmware is designed to work on a couple of frequencies only.
Next option is to flash unbranded US firmware with a modified version of Odin that ignores mismatch devices etc and just installs the firmware. You will need to use this version of Odin from this thread >>> here Odin 13 PatchD.zip is the one you want.
Unzip, run Odin, place phone into download mode flash firmware. You will need to download G930U from Sammobile or undato.com The 3 letter code should either be USC or XAA.
Any questions please ask.
Also before flashing please remove you google account off the phone.

cooltt said:
Well the person who sold it to you is a liar for starters, it's not a "brand new UK device", it's a US S7 (G930V) Originally bought for the Verizon Network in the states. They are difficult to do anything with as the Qualcomm boot loader is locked down.
So your first option is to update the firmware to the latest Verizon Oreo, probably not worth it since that firmware is designed to work on a couple of frequencies only.
Next option is to flash unbranded US firmware with a modified version of Odin that ignores mismatch devices etc and just installs the firmware. You will need to use this version of Odin from this thread >>> here Odin 13 PatchD.zip is the one you want.
Unzip, run Odin, place phone into download mode flash firmware. You will need to download G930U from Sammobile or undato.com The 3 letter code should either be USC or XAA.
Any questions please ask.
Also before flashing please remove you google account off the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for these detailed instructions -- much appreciated!
Presumably using this version of Odin carries a high risk of bricking the phone if I get anything wrong?
Out of interest, what's the reason for removing the Google account?
Cheers,
Edwin

ecc25 said:
Thank you for these detailed instructions -- much appreciated!
Presumably using this version of Odin carries a high risk of bricking the phone if I get anything wrong?
Out of interest, what's the reason for removing the Google account?
Cheers,
Edwin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it's a further complication with FRP lock you just don't need after flashing. Just add the google account after flashing and your good to go.
With regards to flashing yes there's always a risk that something can go wrong, that's why you take your time and follow the steps exactly. In your case it's pretty straight forward and remember nothing changes on the external SD card, so anything you want to keep can be moved there before flash.
I would also mention that theoretically you could flash UK unbranded (BTU) but it's for G930F Exynos devices so best at this stage just get the device on unbranded Qualcomm and working on UK networks.
let me know how it goes.

cooltt said:
Because it's a further complication with FRP lock you just don't need after flashing. Just add the google account after flashing and your good to go.
With regards to flashing yes there's always a risk that something can go wrong, that's why you take your time and follow the steps exactly. In your case it's pretty straight forward and remember nothing changes on the external SD card, so anything you want to keep can be moved there before flash.
I would also mention that theoretically you could flash UK unbranded (BTU) but it's for G930F Exynos devices so best at this stage just get the device on unbranded Qualcomm and working on UK networks.
let me know how it goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
I've just tried doing what you suggested (I think!) and I got a failure. Odin said "FAIL! (Auth)" and the phone said "Secure check fail: apnhlos". I tried rebooting and got a security error. So I tried Odin again and it passed.
However, now the phone won't boot, it alternates between "Samsung Galaxy S7" and a blank screen. In recovery I get:
"#fail to open recovery_cause(No such file or directory)#"
#Reboot Recovery Cause is [UNKNOWN]#
No Support SINGLE-SKU
File-Based OTA
Supported API: 3
dm-verity verification failed..."
Any ideas?
Thanks a lot,
Edwin

ecc25 said:
Hello,
I've just tried doing what you suggested (I think!) and I got a failure. Odin said "FAIL! (Auth)" and the phone said "Secure check fail: apnhlos". I tried rebooting and got a security error. So I tried Odin again and it passed.
However, now the phone won't boot, it alternates between "Samsung Galaxy S7" and a blank screen. In recovery I get:
"#fail to open recovery_cause(No such file or directory)#"
#Reboot Recovery Cause is [UNKNOWN]#
No Support SINGLE-SKU
File-Based OTA
Supported API: 3
dm-verity verification failed..."
Any ideas?
Thanks a lot,
Edwin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so try an earlier G930V firmware and please make sure you are placing the file in the right places with Odin. The US carriers have all updated their firmware and often closes the loophole which allows the patched Odin to work. Then it's just a question of waiting until someone develops a workaround again.
Also you can pick up an S7 from ebay for about £100 now, your always going to have problems with a qualcomm device on UK networks. Where about are you in the UK?

cooltt said:
Ok, so try an earlier G930V firmware and please make sure you are placing the file in the right places with Odin. The US carriers have all updated their firmware and often closes the loophole which allows the patched Odin to work. Then it's just a question of waiting until someone develops a workaround again.
Also you can pick up an S7 from ebay for about £100 now, your always going to have problems with a qualcomm device on UK networks. Where about are you in the UK?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Actually shortly after posting I found a suggesting of using CSC not HOME_CSC, which enabled the flash to work (at the expense of phone data, as expected).
The device still does have a few issues though, as you predicted. Is the radio hardware different for Qualcomm? Might need to buy another then. Any advice to avoid being scammed on eBay again?!
Thanks so much!

ecc25 said:
Thanks! Actually shortly after posting I found a suggesting of using CSC not HOME_CSC, which enabled the flash to work (at the expense of phone data, as expected).
The device still does have a few issues though, as you predicted. Is the radio hardware different for Qualcomm? Might need to buy another then. Any advice to avoid being scammed on eBay again?!
Thanks so much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you could flash G930U which opens up all of the radios for the US and you may have less issues but US and European devices have different chips so your never going to be able to flash any EU generic firmware. I'm addition the US and Europe are different cellular regions with different operating frequencies. You can get by with what you have but never get full functionality.
I think you were just unlucky with this phone on ebay, there are plenty which are genuine EU region devices.

Is Download Mode part of the Odin BL bootloader file? Some other file?

Is the Download Mode part of the BL/bootloader file (the thing you flash with Odin)?
If not, then that part of the phone is never updated? Then it would also never be possible to permanently brick the phone with Odin as you always can came back to Download Mode and fix it, right? Or is it part of another section/file/category in Odin? The Modem part maybe?
I have a second-hand S7 whose Download Mode says it is a SM-G930V, but the system shows SM-G930F in all the areas where you can see that. Some CPU revealing tool believes to see a Snapdragon processor, so I believe someone flashed G930F parts to make the phone fit or fitter for Europe (if that is possible...).
Can I try to randomly flash whatever the phone accepts via Odin or could I end up in a state where not even Download Mode works?

siemer said:
Is the Download Mode part of the BL/bootloader file (the thing you flash with Odin)?
If not, then that part of the phone is never updated? Then it would also never be possible to permanently brick the phone with Odin as you always can came back to Download Mode and fix it, right? Or is it part of another section/file/category in Odin? The Modem part maybe?
I have a second-hand S7 whose Download Mode says it is a SM-G930V, but the system shows SM-G930F in all the areas where you can see that. Some CPU revealing tool believes to see a Snapdragon processor, so I believe someone flashed G930F parts to make the phone fit or fitter for Europe (if that is possible...).
Can I try to randomly flash whatever the phone accepts via Odin or could I end up in a state where not even Download Mode works?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The recovery is located in the EFS partition which stores all the original parameters of the device. If download mode is showing G930V, that's the original hardware and software of the device.
It is a complicated process to flash a firmware like G930F which is simply not designed to work with a Qualcomm processor. This forum is littered with horror stories where an American device has been modified to work in another region. G930V to G930F and the phone either dies or has limited functionality. Attempt this at your peril!!
Do not modify the EFS partition unless you know exactly what you are doing.
One more thing, American devices have a different network connection standard to Europe and other countries. So even if you do get G930F to work it will never have full functionality outside of the region it was designed to operate in. Network connection is largely hardware dependant rather than firmware dependent.

cooltt said:
The recovery is located in the EFS partition which stores all the original parameters of the device. If download mode is showing G930V, that's the original hardware and software of the device.
It is a complicated process to flash a firmware like G930F which is simply not designed to work with a Qualcomm processor. This forum is littered with horror stories where an American device has been modified to work in another region. G930V to G930F and the phone either dies or has limited functionality. Attempt this at your peril!!
Do not modify the EFS partition unless you know exactly what you are doing.
One more thing, American devices have a different network connection standard to Europe and other countries. So even if you do get G930F to work it will never have full functionality outside of the region it was designed to operate in. Network connection is largely hardware dependant rather than firmware dependent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, you have not read my post properly. Neither do I intend to turn it into a G930F (it already is as far as I can see), nor did you answer any of my questions (Can an odin flash with “random data” prohibit any future flash with proper data which would bring the device back to working state?).

siemer said:
Unfortunately, you have not read my post properly. Neither do I intend to turn it into a G930F (it already is as far as I can see), nor did you answer any of my questions (Can an odin flash with “random data” prohibit any future flash with proper data which would bring the device back to working state?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did read it properly and i did answer, i told you what goes where and what you can and can't do with the phone. It's obvious you can't just flash "randon data". But since your response is so rude i'll no longer help.

I don't know where download mode is stored, but yes you can brick a device to the extent even download mode in inaccessible. Usually you need a USB jig to save it.
I wouldn't say flashing anything Odin accepts is a good idea, counter-intuitively it will let you flash files that can brick your device even if they're not the correct files for your device.
But the phone does have read only data you can't modify, which is what download mode displays. It's also why you can't reset Knox once it's tripped.
As for your device I don't know the specifics but yes certain parts of the firmware can be modified to change what the phone shows in system information.
It's a common scam to sell broken contract or stolen US snapdragon devices, rebrand them as G930F and sell them internationally to evade any US carrier blacklists.
Your best option would be to flash the generic unbranded G930U firmware, it's the closest thing to a clean debloat you'll get on a G390V.

Yes it is: Download mode is part of Bootloader..you can compare it to the BIOS of a Pc,it only contain the basic "drivers" to manage essential functions like video or usb.
And yes,until you got a functional BL you can always recover your device (exept EFS partition that contain univoque data like imei or serial number)

g970n vs g970f

Hi all,
Yesterday I bought an S10e under the impression that it is sm-g970F.
Trying to flash Android 11 I discovered that it is actually sm-g970N.
Is there really a difference between them?
Should I be worried that some functions will be missing/unavailable?
Also, in the settings, it appears as g970F. How did the seller change it??

I have the same problem i tried to update the phone to the latest sm-g970f rom (figured if it's already installed it's possible)
And non of the roms flashed only when i decided to try latest sm-g970n rom it flashed however i bricked the phone and i have no idea what to do now.

almogkm said:
Hi all,
Yesterday I bought an S10e under the impression that it is sm-g970F.
Trying to flash Android 11 I discovered that it is actually sm-g970N.
Is there really a difference between them?
Should I be worried that some functions will be missing/unavailable?
Also, in the settings, it appears as g970F. How did the seller change it??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So after digging into the issue since i have the same problem here are my conclusions:
1. The phone is a Korean Variant G970N it is probably a renewed phone and not a new one.
apparently it's okay for an importer to take used phones (from Korea in this case) and replace all the cosmetics but of cause leaving the used MB.
Now here is what you should worry about, in order to flash the G970F Fixed Rom (there is no way you have updates) they used a Custom Kernel which means the phone was rooted and now Knox is tripped (this not reversible).
(Download Phone Info from play store and check knox if it shows 0x1 then your phone warrenty is void and some features won't be available any more for example - Samsung Pay).
So what should you do?
Well if you still have the option i would have demanded my money back!!
One thing that i am perplexed about is how in hell is this legal?!!!
If you no longer have this option or you want to keep the phone you have two option:
1. Flashing Korean Unbranded Firmware (KOO) which is pretty good it doesn't have bloatware or issues as far as i can tell, i only found one down side for it, the phone language selection is small but if you only need English (like any normal Human) then you are golden.
2. Keep the G970F ROM but bare in mind it will receive no updates and no security patches.
I am still looking for a proper way to flash G970F Firmware over G970N for now i haven't found any internet source that will confirm it's even possible.
So how did those importers\sellers did it, they probably flashed it with a Cellphone Lab Software (not Odin solution) and used a custom Kernel to fool Knox, like i said before this is practically a crime and i don't understand how can they sell used phones as new and get away with it!!!!

I had the same suspicions....
I'll try going to the lab that sold the previous owner the device and deal with them tho it looks like I just got scammed...

Sorry to bring this up again but I've just had an idea following JerryRigEverything's video:
What if I transplant SM-G970F components from a broken device that no longer works or in use in my SM-G970N which is supposedly new.
My N device is now bricked for some reason I couldn't solve, though my suspicion is that it has to do with incompatibility with the SIM card I use.
When my device did work, it worked great! ...besides battery issues that are most likely a result of the incompatibility aforementioned.
Will this work? If so, what components do I need? I already know I'll need the logic board but as seen in the video, there are several more antennas, should I just copy what Jerry did?

Vegetto32 said:
I have the same problem i tried to update the phone to the latest sm-g970f rom (figured if it's already installed it's possible)
And non of the roms flashed only when i decided to try latest sm-g970n rom it flashed however i bricked the phone and i have no idea what to do now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Vegetto,
I am from India and buy a galaxy S10e from UAE, It is showing G970F in the Phone's about but the problem is It is a G960N. Now, When I see in Sam Phone Info app there is Bootloader version - G970N, PDA Version - G970F, CSC G970F.
It is also a Knox tripped phone. Knox 0/1.
But if I see in Samsung code by typing in keypad *#12580*369#
it showing like all option in Odin:
BL: G970F
AP: G970F
CP: G970F
CSC: G970F
Does this means I can flash new Firmware on the list of SAM Mobile website, with G970F series firmware, It also showing in SAM Phone Info App that there latest firmware G970FXXSEFUL1/G970FOXMEFUJ2/G970FXXSEFUJ2.
I am in India right now.
Please help me, My email Id is -- [email protected]

It actually means you cannot flash SM-G970F the only roms you can flash are G970N.
Also if you want the phone to get security updates you must flash the original phones bootloader version, my suggestion download the G970N KOO firmware it's a global firmware. As for the knox it is tripped and there is nothing you can do about it.

Vegetto32 said:
It actually means you cannot flash SM-G970F the only roms you can flash are G970N.
Also if you want the phone to get security updates you must flash the original phones bootloader version, my suggestion download the G970N KOO firmware it's a global firmware. As for the knox it is tripped and there is nothing you can do about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can I flash the original phone's bootloader version?
Where from I can download the original phone's G970N KOO Firmware and is it official Samsung Firmware?
How are they able to flash G970F? Is it custom Rom or do they use the original one?
I searched that my phone is using G970FXXS4BTB3 firmware which Vietnam XXV and same number found at https://www.sammobile.com/samsung/galaxy-s10e/firmware/SM-G970F/XXV/download/G970FXXS4BTB3/322678/ in an old update in 2020.
So see the attached screenshot, can I flash its latest version with odin. Of course, there is a chinese written in recovery mode installed when I go to its recovery mode for flashing with Odin.

I have a similar problem right now on my Korean S10E. Device is SM-G970N. I need it to be in Turkish. Only Themes item in Settings is in Turkish- very interesting- The rest is in English. App names are mostly Turkish Settings app name is in English.
The bootloader is unlocked but the phone is not rooted, Knox seems not tampered.
Could not start OTA update at first, I have upgraded a few versions from PC via Smartswitch. Just then noticed OTA also started downloading. The rest of the updates went on from the phone until upgrading to 12, there was a message like "All of the updates were not succesful." OTA update no longer responded. This time I turned back to Smart Switch. Update finished this time and finally I am at the latest version.
I only need Turkish in Settings. I used some ADB commands and an app called MoreLocale2. It did not work either. This has to be simple. Turkish exists. Keyboard is Turkish but not Settings. Quick links and most other things are strangely mixed English and Turkish.
How can I enable full Turkish?