Develop Bugs

[Q] SE ARC help.

Hey all, I’m pretty new to this, have been reading throughout this forum and others for weeks. I got a few things I would REALLY appreciate some help with.
I have a SE ARC lt15A running 2.3.3 with 3.0.1.a.0.145 firmware. (I’m in Canada, phone is with Rogers) I bought it locked and unlocked it as I used it for a recent trip to europe no problem there.
It seems very slow like when I press the button for my contacts it takes about 5 seconds to open, so this brings me to where I am now, I’d like to put cyanogenmod on it and get rid of all the pre-loaded stuff.
Do I need to update the firmware before I put on cyanogenmod?
If so I can’t seem to get FastBoot to recognize phone.
But I can get Wotanserver to recognize my phone, there are different firmwares but none from Canada, can I use another region firmware on my phone and have it still work on with my carrier?
I don’t know if this matters but I was trying to flash firmware earlier and phone stopped working, was able to restore it with SEUS, can that lock my phone again?
Could be that i missed a thread that answers my questions, if so would appreciated being pointed in right direction.
Thanks again

homeygomey said:
Hey all, I’m pretty new to this, have been reading throughout this forum and others for weeks. I got a few things I would REALLY appreciate some help with.
I have a SE ARC lt15A running 2.3.3 with 3.0.1.a.0.145 firmware. (I’m in Canada, phone is with Rogers) I bought it locked and unlocked it as I used it for a recent trip to europe no problem there.
It seems very slow like when I press the button for my contacts it takes about 5 seconds to open, so this brings me to where I am now, I’d like to put cyanogenmod on it and get rid of all the pre-loaded stuff.
Do I need to update the firmware before I put on cyanogenmod?
If so I can’t seem to get FastBoot to recognize phone.
But I can get Wotanserver to recognize my phone, there are different firmwares but none from Canada, can I use another region firmware on my phone and have it still work on with my carrier?
I don’t know if this matters but I was trying to flash firmware earlier and phone stopped working, was able to restore it with SEUS, can that lock my phone again?
Could be that i missed a thread that answers my questions, if so would appreciated being pointed in right direction.
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mate i have the same issue. the thing is that once we (you) bought the phone locked the bootloader is locked and it cant acces fastboot - even if u got the unlocking code and even if uwill flash debranded firmware. there is no way to do so now. all u can do is root it and get rid of some bloatware. - yes root it without unlocking the bootloader. check out android dev section and DOOM'S version for windows! perfect and easy.
thats the only thing u can do so far - the same as me. just wait.
thanks

What's doom's version for windows? Can you point me to it? Is it better/easier to use than Gingerbreak?
Also can i update the firmware with a different region without screwing up my phone/provider? Is it possible to get 2.3.4 on a branded phone or do i have to wait for SE to release it for my region?

homeygomey said:
What's doom's version for windows? Can you point me to it? Is it better/easier to use than Gingerbreak?
Also can i update the firmware with a different region without screwing up my phone/provider? Is it possible to get 2.3.4 on a branded phone or do i have to wait for SE to release it for my region?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here u go mate
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1320350
follow the instructions - this is the easiest root ever made for android!
hit the thanks button if i helped you!

homeygomey said:
What's doom's version for windows? Can you point me to it? Is it better/easier to use than Gingerbreak?
Also can i update the firmware with a different region without screwing up my phone/provider? Is it possible to get 2.3.4 on a branded phone or do i have to wait for SE to release it for my region?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make a backup of your ROM with PC Companion or Update Service then flash the latest firmware and root.
You can flash any arc firmware onto any arc.

If you still want fastboot enabled then contact me

i did...thanks god u r here..

Thanks guys i'm installing Doomlord.
For anyone else like me who dont know much of what their doing, i flashed 2.3.4 US on my phone with wotan but then had to add apn for rogers to get 3G back.

[Q] Data connection problem, and queries about rooting, flashing and stock recovery

So, this is my first time (both on xda, and on android)...
I've got a unlocked AT&T Captivate Glide with GB 2.3.6 (with the AT&T bloatware) on it.
The problem is that although the (voice) calling and texting and Google Play is working perfectly, the browsers (built-in as well as Dolphin) cannot surf any websites at all. Dolphin gave me and error msg "of my carrier not supporting cellular data or some malware preventing data connectivity"
What (if any) is the solution for this problem??
A thing I have been wondering about since I found XDA is the ICS update.
As is public knowledge, the ICS update (unofficial) for the i927 is available, and the repaired Samsung official update should also be round the corner. So, how can I update to either (official or unofficial) and still keep my phone unlocked??
And although I really am keen to get root access on my phone, I was wondering if I can update to ICS without rooting??
Finally, while I am eager to get ICS on the phone, I am apprehensive of bricking the phone.
So, how do I take a back-up of my phone as it is right now??
And what are the steps to initiate stock-recovery in case of a stalled update attempt??
I am sorry for the long list of queries, but I am what you may call a "super-noob", especially on android.
Any and all help is appreciated.

abalsy said:
So, this is my first time (both on xda, and on android)...
I've got a unlocked AT&T Captivate Glide with GB 2.3.6 (with the AT&T bloatware) on it.
The problem is that although the (voice) calling and texting and Google Play is working perfectly, the browsers (built-in as well as Dolphin) cannot surf any websites at all. Dolphin gave me and error msg "of my carrier not supporting cellular data or some malware preventing data connectivity"
What (if any) is the solution for this problem??
A thing I have been wondering about since I found XDA is the ICS update.
As is public knowledge, the ICS update (unofficial) for the i927 is available, and the repaired Samsung official update should also be round the corner. So, how can I update to either (official or unofficial) and still keep my phone unlocked??
And although I really am keen to get root access on my phone, I was wondering if I can update to ICS without rooting??
Finally, while I am eager to get ICS on the phone, I am apprehensive of bricking the phone.
So, how do I take a back-up of my phone as it is right now??
And what are the steps to initiate stock-recovery in case of a stalled update attempt??
I am sorry for the long list of queries, but I am what you may call a "super-noob", especially on android.
Any and all help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Install CWM via Odin
2. Boot into CWM and make a nandroid backup.
3. Either flash ICS via CWM or the 1 click exe.
Sent from my SGH-I927 using xda app-developers app

official I927UCLJ3 to be flashed on unlocked ATT Captivate Glide?
dudejb said:
1. Install CWM via Odin
2. Boot into CWM and make a nandroid backup.
3. Either flash ICS via CWM or the 1 click exe.
Sent from my SGH-I927 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have installed CWM on my Captivate Glide and have the official I927UCLJ3_I927ATTLJ3_ATT.zip (from samfirmware) on my PC.
So, all I need to do now is make a nandroid backup and flash it with samfirmware ICS stock??
I apologize if I appear edgy, but I do not have the unlock code for the handset, and so I do not want disable (SIM usage on) it.
Thank you.

If you downloaded from Sam firmware you will not use CWM. Those roms are installed via ODIN. You can do that now. Just open up ODIN and flash it as you did to install CWM but without checking the PDA. Please note I believe this will remove your CWM and you will have to reinstall it again if you want it after you flashed the I927UCLJ3.
JB

[Q] Flashing a rooted ROM - HELP!

I'm pretty new to all this, I had a Rogers Captivate that had been crashing on me. Everything suggests that if I changed my software it would work.
So I managed to to flash a newer AT&T ROM on to the phone via Odin. (I was pretty chuffed with myself)
However, as soon as I put my sim into it, it became locked. I paid an online service to get an unlock code, but the IMEI number I delivered to them didn't match the network, so I messed that up.
Now I've noticed that I could flash a rooted ROM via Odin, which should save me having to unlock, right ?
I went to the thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1621350 and looked for a suitable ROM (preferably supported).
I went for the PAC ROM, but noticed there is no tar file in the download.
The other ones I wanted to try either suggested it was flashed by another method than Odin (I might be wrong) or the download links for the files themselves were no longer working.
Also, there is talk about Gapps. What is this and what is the process for installing it ?
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Hi there,
You'll need to specify that the phone is still on the Rogers network, as that's how they access the database. Ie., if you have a phone that was supplied to Rogers, the IMEI will be associated with Rogers and if you tell them it's ATT, they won't be able to find it - regardless of what ROM you're running.
Unfortunately, as far as I'm aware you do have to pay to unlock the ROM again but I'm not an expert on this - I know that I had the same problem you did and they told me to put it in as Rogers instead - that got me my unlock code.
I have a rooted Milestone 2 which is running JB now, and it is still operator locked unfortunately.
Apparently the GalaxSim Unlock tool is good but I don't know if it retains your IMEI - I know it does back up your EFS though. Maybe it's worth a try?

Before doing anything with your IMEI i suggest you to backup your efs folder. There's a software for this too.
[sent from my awesome Samsung Captivate Glide]
[AT&T rooted stock ROM]

thank you
Thanks for the feedback, I've reapplied for my unlock code.
What I'd really like to know now is which rooted ROM should I choose to flash via Odin ?

pardoning edeaoh
hkcharlie said:
Thanks for the feedback, I've reapplied for my unlock code.
What I'd really like to know now is which rooted ROM should I choose to flash via Odin ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi hkcharlie,
Have a look at the below thread to unlock your sim card. I used it on mine and my friend's S3.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846451
I suggest reading the "everything about captivate glide" thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1621350
I use CWMR (ClockWork Mod Recovery) from this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1458153
You have to flash this acording to ODIN. Afterwards, you can download .zip files directly to your device for flashing, or download them on your computer and copy them to the devices SD card. Select them in recovery mode and they will install.
These two roms I've had a lot of success with:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1945558
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2021374
They're both ICS. There is a cm10.1 JB (4.2.2) build as well, and it's *awesome* - but it is missing a few critical features so I won't recommend it for your first time.
Almost any ROM you flash from this forum will already be rooted. Being 'rooted' just means having a kernel that supports it (both ICS rom's above include a root-capable kernel) and a /bin/su and appropriate superuser apk.
Of course, back up your EFS - there are some apps on the market that will help you do this. And backup everything. And test your backup. And your warranty is void, your phone may explode, or impregnate you with mogwai. (do not get wet, do not feed after midnight.)
Happy flashing!

[Q] How to Network Unlock Galaxy S3 sgh-T999

I'm a bit of a noob, so apologies if this is in the wrong section. I've had a very difficult time finding threads that focus on those who have (stupidly!) applied the OTA 4.3 jellybean update, and what they can do to network unlock the phone. So here goes:
Samsung Galaxy SIII
SGH-T999
Android Version 4.3
Baseband Version T999UVUEMJC
Stock build. No root.
The closest step-by-step I've come across:
Remove T-Mobile SIM. Replace with ATT SIM. Reboot phone.
*#197328640# which successfully puts me into service mode.
This brings up the following menu:
MAIN MENU
[1]UMTS
[2]CDMA
[3]LTE
[4]SIM
From there its
[1]UMTS
[1] DEBUG SCREEN
[8]PHONE CONTROL
[6]NETWORK UNLOCK
[3]PERSO SHA256 OFF ...
Now, that's as far as I can get. The guide then says to go back to [6] and there should be an option, [4] NV INITIALIZZ.
This option is not there for me. (Note: at this point the PERSO SHA256 status is indeed set to SHA256_ENABLE_FLAG [0]).
Another guide suggested BACKing to the MAIN MENU and selecting option [5] run EFS SYNC() after selecting [3]PERSO SHA256 OFF.
I have done this and the screen reads: SYNC success. please reboot.
I do so, heart aflutter... only to be met with a SIM unlock PIN code entry screen.
Unlock fail.
Other threads have suggested downgrading to 4.1.1 in order for this to work and the necessary options be made available. Most of what I have read has said that attempts to downgrade from OTA 4.3 (with big brother KNOX) will result in a hard brick.
So, if you've made it this far... Has anyone figured out how to SIM unlock this particular phone running OTA 4.3 without rooting/downgrading?
If there is a more suitable thread discussing SIII's that are running 4.3 please direct me there.
Many thanks!

You could try and flash a 4.1.1 Modem. After that, try the above process.
Note - In that process, you are required to be super patient at each step.

Perseus71 said:
You could try and flash a 4.1.1 Modem. After that, try the above process.
Note - In that process, you are required to be super patient at each step.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Appreciate the response.
Yes, most of what I have come across has indicated that I would need to get 4.1.1 by hook or by crook in order to network unlock the phone, having upgraded to 4.3.
I have some experience fiddling with such things, but many posts have also indicated that, with the new KNOX package in tow, backing down from 4.3 will hard brick this device. I am hoping that, with access to Service Mode, someone will discover a way to network unlock without root/flashing.
Thanks again!

Are you Rooted ? If so flashing the LJC modem from Doc's thread won't brick your device.

Perseus71 said:
Are you Rooted ? If so flashing the LJC modem from Doc's thread won't brick your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is not currently rooted, no. Most rooting instructions I've seen are for 4.1.1 or 4.1.2. My guess is I'm going to have to root to unlock...
Could you direct me to instructions for rooting OTA 4.3?
Again, many thanks for taking the time to help.

etrash310 said:
The phone is not currently rooted, no. Most rooting instructions I've seen are for 4.1.1 or 4.1.2. My guess is I'm going to have to root to unlock...
Could you direct me to instructions for rooting OTA 4.3?
Again, many thanks for taking the time to help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Follow these. Effectively Flash Custom Rom using ODIN then flash SuperUser Zip.

Perseus71 said:
Follow these. Effectively Flash Custom Rom using ODIN then flash SuperUser Zip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome. I will try this tonight.

etrash310 said:
Awesome. I will try this tonight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, no luck. Followed all the directions I could (provided by some awesome contributors including Doc) including:
1)Rooting using the aforementioned method and installing 4.3 with SU and no KNOX. Then just flashing stock modem 4.1.1 UVDLJC, in order to reveal the [4] NV INITIALIZZ option that is not present in Servicemode on jellybean 4.3 firmware.
--- This resulted in very slowed down system with no WiFi capability and no startup or shutdown sounds. Logging into Servicemode just resulted in a blank screen that said Servicemode.
--- Ultimately had to emergency restore firmware via KIES. (Thanks to reading a post by Doc on another thread). This got me up and running again.
2) Rooting using aforementioned method. And searching for stock 4.1.1 firmware in order to downgrade...
--- This has proven to be impossible. I can not find stock 4.1.1 anywhere. All links that have turned up have either been dead hotfile.com links or corrupted .zip files.
--- Additionally, I have been informed that once you upgrade to 4.3 OTA it is IMPOSSIBLE to flash an earlier firmware using ODIN. (Is is possible using CWM perhaps?)
In the end, it appears that the jellybean 4.3 OTA update currently has the community stumped as to how to unlock the SGH-T999 for use on another network with your only option to either convince T-Mobile to give you an unlock code or ordering one online. (And I've read of too many folks getting bogus codes ordering online...)
Still having fun trying, and its very cool to see all the hard work and info that folks like Doc are compiling on here. Maybe somebody is on the way to cracking this nut!!!

etrash310 said:
In the end, it appears that the jellybean 4.3 OTA update currently has the community stumped as to how to unlock the SGH-T999 for use on another network with your only option to either convince T-Mobile to give you an unlock code or ordering one online. (And I've read of too many folks getting bogus codes ordering online...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So after all that, what is your current Rom and Firmware ? Can you try Root66 of 4.2 Rom ? Doc has Re-Hosted with mirrors.

I followed cLogic's guide that you linked to above and am running 4.3 rooted w/o Knox garbage.
Ended up getting phone network unlocked at a local hole in the wall phone shoppe. Figured it was worth a couple extra bucks to have it unlocked face to face in case code didn't work rather than fish out a reputable online source on my own.
Will be curious to compare its power usage to stock 4.3. Phone is working well, although it seems I will have to play with the APN settings as I am unable to send MMS messages... hmmm. Any advice off the top of your head?
I'd given root66 a try and also gave Doc's reposts another shot, but no dice.
So the sum of my endeavors are as follows:
1) If you want to network unlock your galaxy s3 on your own, DO NOT upgrade to jellybean 4.3 OTA until you do. It does not seem anyone has figured a way to ala ServiceMode in 4.1.1 yet.
2) If you have upgraded to 4.3 OTA you can use cLogic's guide linked to above to root your phone sans Knox.
3) If you have already upgraded to 4.3 OTA and want your phone network unlocked, you will have to pay to have it factory unlocked.
4) XDA is the bomb.

UPDATE:
Looks like the MMS messages I was trying to send finally went through... it just took an inordinately long time for them to do so.. not sure why yet.

Of dubious help to the OP, who had his phone commercially unlocked, but for others reading this thread or the OP's curiosity.. the 4.3 update has caused all kinds of grief. Amongst various bugs and battery drain issues, 4.3 has changed dialer codes or shuffled menus around. I can confirm the same results as the OP up to the point where he found that the initialize NV menu missing.
To progress further, I found that I needed:
An active SIM from a different carrier, with said SIM needing to be the phone throughout. This is in contrast to the previous method that worked without a SIM in the phone during the unlock procedure. I successfully unlocked a Note 2 with 4.3 using the steps in this techbeasts.com post.
And was successful with a 4.3 S4 using a slight variation (no NV initialize menu!.. back.. key input.. 1.. back). Both phones were M (Canadian) models.​
Reading between the lines of various reports in addition to first hand experience implies that there may be several different carrier specific dodges being employed here. Playing musical chairs with the missing menu items that now have different dialer codes, are now found on hidden sub menus (key input = 1) or in back up files.
The commercial unlock guys are using proprietary tools such as Samsung tool v 16.8. Which usually seem to be database based factory unlocks fetched (or calculated?) from their servers.
.

since this worked on a note2, would it work on a sgs3 t999 that is already on 4.3?
fffft said:
Of dubious help to the OP, who had his phone commercially unlocked, but for others reading this thread or the OP's curiosity.. the 4.3 update has caused all kinds of grief. Amongst various bugs and battery drain issues, 4.3 has changed dialer codes or shuffled menus around. I can confirm the same results as the OP up to the point where he found that the initialize NV menu missing.
To progress further, I found that I needed:
An active SIM from a different carrier, with said SIM needing to be the phone throughout. This is in contrast to the previous method that worked without a SIM in the phone during the unlock procedure. I successfully unlocked a Note 2 with 4.3 using the steps in this techbeasts.com post.
And was successful with a 4.3 S4 using a slight variation (no NV initialize menu!.. back.. key input.. 1.. back). Both phones were M (Canadian) models.​
Reading between the lines of various reports in addition to first hand experience implies that there may be several different carrier specific dodges being employed here. Playing musical chairs with the missing menu items that now have different dialer codes, are now found on hidden sub menus (key input = 1) or in back up files.
The commercial unlock guys are using proprietary tools such as Samsung tool v 16.8. Which usually seem to be database based factory unlocks fetched (or calculated?) from their servers.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

etrash310 said:
Well, no luck. Followed all the directions I could (provided by some awesome contributors including Doc) including:
1)Rooting using the aforementioned method and installing 4.3 with SU and no KNOX. Then just flashing stock modem 4.1.1 UVDLJC, in order to reveal the [4] NV INITIALIZZ option that is not present in Servicemode on jellybean 4.3 firmware.
--- This resulted in very slowed down system with no WiFi capability and no startup or shutdown sounds. Logging into Servicemode just resulted in a blank screen that said Servicemode.
--- Ultimately had to emergency restore firmware via KIES. (Thanks to reading a post by Doc on another thread). This got me up and running again.
2) Rooting using aforementioned method. And searching for stock 4.1.1 firmware in order to downgrade...
--- This has proven to be impossible. I can not find stock 4.1.1 anywhere. All links that have turned up have either been dead hotfile.com links or corrupted .zip files.
--- Additionally, I have been informed that once you upgrade to 4.3 OTA it is IMPOSSIBLE to flash an earlier firmware using ODIN. (Is is possible using CWM perhaps?)
In the end, it appears that the jellybean 4.3 OTA update currently has the community stumped as to how to unlock the SGH-T999 for use on another network with your only option to either convince T-Mobile to give you an unlock code or ordering one online. (And I've read of too many folks getting bogus codes ordering online...)
Still having fun trying, and its very cool to see all the hard work and info that folks like Doc are compiling on here. Maybe somebody is on the way to cracking this nut!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well try this link .... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1949687

well i dont know if it will work for me because my t999 is running cyanogenmod 12.1

The phone must be running stock 4.1.1 in order to sim unlock using the free method. Once the phone is on a 4.3 or newer bootloader, sim unlocking must be done using a code specific to the phone's imei. In order to enter the unlock code, the phone must be running a stock ROM or possibly a custom ROM based on a tw kernel.

audit13 said:
The phone must be running stock 4.1.1 in order to sim unlock using the free method. Once the phone is on a 4.3 or newer bootloader, sim unlocking must be done using a code specific to the phone's imei. In order to enter the unlock code, the phone must be running a stock ROM or possibly a custom ROM based on a tw kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I previously rooted my s3. It is locked to tmobile. Then I unrooted and tried to unlock it but of course after 4.3 update (LUVUBOH1 Big mistake I see! I tried to flash a different 4.3 stock baseband just to make sure I flashed stock rom but odin failed. I kept trying and even updated odin, but no dice. Any ideas??

Do you have an unlock code? If not, you'll have to buy an unlock code and enter the code while running a stock ROM.

audit13 said:
Do you have an unlock code? If not, you'll have to buy an unlock code and enter the code while running a stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I did purchase an unlock code. I'm going to try a different sim. I THINK I'm running stock rom 4.3 LUVUBOH1.

When you insert a non T-Mobile sim, you're not prompted to enter a network unlock code?

[Q] T-Mobile branded S3 somehow became AT&T.

When I received my S3, it was on a T-Mobile branded stock firmware 4.1.1. I wanted to try CyanogenMod, so I installed it, but didn't like it.
Here's where my problem begins. Upon wiping my phone back to stock to get rid of CyanogenMod, I find that it's now AT&T branded, despite the physical phone being a T-Mobile T999.
I tried rooting it and using CSC changers, but those tell me that the PreconfigUI is SingleCSC, and thus apparently unchangeable.
What I want to do is somehow get my phone back to T-Mobile branded stock.
P.S. I do not have a MicroSIM yet.

GraphicsApathy said:
When I received my S3, it was on a T-Mobile branded stock firmware 4.1.1. I wanted to try CyanogenMod, so I installed it, but didn't like it.
Here's where my problem begins. Upon wiping my phone back to stock to get rid of CyanogenMod, I find that it's now AT&T branded, despite the physical phone being a T-Mobile T999.
I tried rooting it and using CSC changers, but those tell me that the PreconfigUI is SingleCSC, and thus apparently unchangeable.
What I want to do is somehow get my phone back to T-Mobile branded stock.
P.S. I do not have a MicroSIM yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you go to your phone's settings => about device and check what the firmware settings are? Let's see what you have under firmware version, baseband version & build number. If possible, you may post a screen shot. Did you say you returned to stock by wiping your phone? Hardly seems likely and you would have probably needed to flash some firmware. Would you recall what you flashed?

Thanks for stepping up. My phone's info is:
Android Version is 4.1.1
Baseband is I747UCDLK3
Build is JRO03L.I747UCDLK3
I did not flash any firmware, as I had no reason to.

GraphicsApathy said:
Thanks for stepping up. My phone's info is:
Android Version is 4.1.1
Baseband is I747UCDLK3
Build is JRO03L.I747UCDLK3
I did not flash any firmware, as I had no reason to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's definitely on AT&T firmware. Apologies if I sound like I'm doubting you but are you certain it had T-Mobile firmware when you acquired it? I'd guess it was probably already an AT&T phone. If you bought it in the secondary market, there could have been some previous repairs involving parts swaps. Your safest bet may be to leave it as is and unlock for you use on T-Mobile. Trying to force on T-Mobile firmware now could result in a brick. As it is on 4.1.1, you can easily free unlock it by following the well tested method you'll find elsewhere in this forum.

No apologies needed. I forgot to state that the phone was purchased with the T-Mobile boot animation and bloatware already present, and that the model number printed below the battery is T999. I've got no clue if there was a parts swap or not. Is the method to unlock that's posted elsewhere that you're referring to the one that begins with you dialing *#197328640#? If so, i've tried it but never got the unlock message to show.

GraphicsApathy said:
No apologies needed. I forgot to state that the phone was purchased with the T-Mobile boot animation and bloatware already present, and that the model number printed below the battery is T999. I've got no clue if there was a parts swap or not. Is the method to unlock that's posted elsewhere that you're referring to the one that begins with you dialing *#197328640#? If so, i've tried it but never got the unlock message to show.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There could have been a previous JTag operation involving forced firmware installation on the MB. I've seen previous hybrid firmware involving one or other partition belonging to a different model - e.g. the modem, bootloader or something else but not the complete system.
Yes, that's the unlock method I was referring to. You won't get any confirmation that the process worked at the end. However, if you did it correctly, you would know it worked when you insert a non-compatible SIM card and it works. You should also be able to install T-Mobile apps especially the Wi-Fi calling app which is a really nice feature of T-Mobile.

I'm getting it microSIM'ed tomorrow. I'll see how that goes.
UPDATE: Successfully obtained and installed T-Mobile microSIM. Still wish to replace AT&T boot animation and bloatware with T-Mobile's, though.

GraphicsApathy said:
I'm getting it microSIM'ed tomorrow. I'll see how that goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. I'd be interested in knowing the outcome but I'll be surprised if it isn't unlocked already. Did some further research and there have been some reports of people successfully 'flashing' AT&T firmware on T-Mobile phones, and vice versa. Not sure why this should happen and conventional logic suggests the result should be a hard brick which is indeed the most common outcome. I'll also suggest you boot into download mode and see the information under bootloader. If the device has a T-Mobile bootloader, it may be possible to remove the OS via custom recovery and re-flash T-Mobile firmware.

Download mode currently gives Product Name as SGH-I747. Wiping AT&T OS via custom recovery and then installing the proper one sounds like a good lead. I eagerly await your instruction

GraphicsApathy said:
Download mode currently gives Product Name as SGH-I747. Wiping AT&T OS via custom recovery and then installing the proper one sounds like a good lead. I eagerly await your instruction
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If download mode info shows secure bootloader enabled, the phone is, to all intents and purposes, now an AT&T phone. Attempting to flash T-Mobile firmware may likely result in a brick which would require a JTag fix. I was hoping download mode would show it still had a T-Mobile bootloader which could have allowed for safe firmware installation but this does not appear to be the case. Likely the motherboard was previously replaced or it suffered a brick and AT&T firmware was JTagged on. Either way, it would be safer to leave it as is.

Bummer. I'll leave it as is then. Thank you for all the help.