Develop Bugs

Noob Question: What is a flash counter?

What is a flash counter and how can it effect me? I have a Sprint SGS II. TIA
Edit: i have the SGS III

The flash counter is a binary counter built in Samsung phones that is used by Samsung to basically help identify if you have been tampering with your firmware and flashing unofficial software.
Each time you flash unofficial firmware via Odin, your binary flash counter goes up by 1. Good news is this can be reset using triangle away.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

ergibson83 said:
The flash counter is a binary counter built in Samsung phones that is used by Samsung to basically help identify if you have been tampering with your firmware and flashing unofficial software.
Each time you flash unofficial firmware via Odin, your binary flash counter goes up by 1. Good news is this can be reset using triangle away.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I'm a noob too. Triangle? I wanna return my s3 from att to Verizon s3 because of coverage. I wanna reset it just in case. Please help
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

adlzian said:
Sorry I'm a noob too. Triangle? I wanna return my s3 from att to Verizon s3 because of coverage. I wanna reset it just in case. Please help
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do a Google search for "Triangle Away". It's an app that will reset your counter back to zero
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

Just a heads up. Im not sure if you want to use triangle away. I think its only been tested om the s 3. But a flash counter is a counter that increases every time you use odin to push/flash a file to your phone. I dont really recommend using triangle away on ur s 2. Good luck. Im sure there is something in the s 2 forums to reset it back to 0. Ur warranty is void if its 1 or more
EDIT: i read that it will work for your sgs2 but only uf it is on ics.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using XDA App

To root or not to root

That is the question
I wasnt going to root my phone but while playing with phone and seeing Ads come up and cant install adfree worth rooting for this alone .Ok back to the pc hope I find a good roooting method
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I have decided to hold back on root at the moment due to the flash counter and OTA break issue.
Its killing me though to have to live with such high lcd density atm
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

i'm holding off as well...
waiting to see what sort of custom roms appear in the coming weeks before i decide what to do with it...
aside from Titanium Backup, i don't really use a lot of root packages... changing the DPI would be nice, but i can live with it for the moment until the devs get coding
M

I'm holding off for now too, I really like having this phone stock at the moment but if Google wallet comes out for root then I will.

One idea if you afraid from raising flash counter.
Flash pre rooted rom
Use mobile odin to flash stock rom.
This won't raise flash counter.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

dr.ketan said:
One idea if you afraid from raising flash counter.
Flash pre rooted rom
Use mobile odin to flash stock rom.
This won't raise flash counter.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What happens when the flash counter rises?
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

Warranty will be voids.
Though soon triangle away application will get support for note2, then it can be reset.
Edit
Just looked your sign
PS : any special reason for asking? As you have already used sgs3,note and difficult to believe you don't know it.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

dr.ketan said:
Warranty will be voids.
Though soon triangle away application will get support for note2, then it can be reset.
Edit
Just looked your sign
PS : any special reason for asking? As you have already used sgs3,note and difficult to believe you don't know it.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really do not. I buy unlocked phone and import it in the US where the warranty isnt valid anyway.....
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

Ok.
Then you have never need to worry about that. I can say you are lucky, flash anything with pc odin.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

dr.ketan said:
Warranty will be voids.
Though soon triangle away application will get support for note2, then it can be reset.
Edit
Just looked your sign
PS : any special reason for asking? As you have already used sgs3,note and difficult to believe you don't know it.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any ideas if the break OTA problems can be fixed that comes with rooting?
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I don't think it can be fixed as recovery is custom.
But let's hope it can get fixed.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

dr.ketan said:
Ok.
Then you have never need to worry about that. I can say you are lucky, flash anything with pc odin.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome thanks for the info!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

DMax99 said:
Any ideas if the break OTA problems can be fixed that comes with rooting?
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to choose what you want:
1. Have root and forget about OTA`s and Kies and use CWM and PC/Mobile Odin or
2. Stay on stock firmware and forget about root all together.
You can`t have it both ways mate
You will never be able to install OTA`s if you are rooted as you have a custom recovery.

ok still some what a new bee im looking to get note 2 unlock and run it on att..i have a gs3 on att..
i like rooting to get rid of my crap ware on att..but unlock is nice pure TW and i like it..so if i root and theres a update do i just flash the new update ? coming from a rooted stock TW?
thanks

ROOT!
Then u can clean bloatware, like gmaps, g+, ChatOn etc.

Hi Ketan, i have a question for you, i want to install the rooted rom but before doing that i would want to take the nandroid backup of the stock rom. Can you please give me step by step guide as to how i should go ahead wih it . Thanks and await your reply.

Without root you can't do nandroid backup.

Is there still away to root or install custo m rom without raising counter and without doing full wipe as I have good set up now thx Dr
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

stesteste said:
Is there still away to root or install custo m rom without raising counter and without doing full wipe as I have good set up now thx Dr
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you can download a pre-rooted stock rom`s without raising the binary counter http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1915386. Read the OP well as there are different rom`s to download.

Will it do full wipe or not thx
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

software update?!

" your device had been modified . software updates are not available " why is it saying that, is it suppose to say that im root and with TWRP

Did you use triangle away to reset your binary count to 0?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app

no i have not where can i find the guidance for that ?

Check "[How To Guides] Root,Unroot,CWM,Stock,Hotspot, + Tips!" in the General forum.
Thats how I fixed mine
~Eric

What firmware is update?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium

tikay00 said:
Did you use triangle away to reset your binary count to 0?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesnt matter if he uses Triangle Away right now, he has TWRP on it. Until he is 100% stock + rooted it will always say modified.

stevessvt said:
It doesnt matter if he uses Triangle Away right now, he has TWRP on it. Until he is 100% stock + rooted it will always say modified.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're completely right. I forgot that he said he was still rooted. Assumed he unrooted at this point.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app

I'm 100% stock+rooted and it says under status that my phone is custom. Even After using triangle away. If I want to get the OTA update I'm gonna have to ODIN flash a stock firmware.

ImperiousRex89 said:
I'm 100% stock+rooted and it says under status that my phone is custom. Even After using triangle away. If I want to get the OTA update I'm gonna have to ODIN flash a stock firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In triangle away check the box for 'System Modified Workaround', After a reboot it disables root for a few minutes, it should say Official after that.

What kind of recovery do you have? Stock?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

yeah I'm having the same problem . I'm rooted with twrp recovery and stock rom.. . getting the same message op has . I know it's because of twrp recovery but is there any way to get the update without having stock recovery since I'm still on stock rom ?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

traviswade said:
yeah I'm having the same problem . I'm rooted with twrp recovery and stock rom.. . getting the same message op has . I know it's because of twrp recovery but is there any way to get the update without having stock recovery since I'm still on stock rom ?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash stock recovery (I think there is an Odin file floating around) then use triangle away. Should reset you back. The bootloader is running a check on the recovery at boot. If it doesn't match a certain value (I think it checks the signature) then it trips the counter.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

elesbb said:
Flash stock recovery (I think there is an Odin file floating around) then use triangle away. Should reset you back. The bootloader is running a check on the recovery at boot. If it doesn't match a certain value (I think it checks the signature) then it trips the counter.
Might not even matter, but just in case, do triangle away before you flash to stock. That's the way I've been told to do it, and its safer I guess.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoops. I actually responded to this post, buy I guess I quoted it.
To be safe, I'd use triangle away right before you flash you stock ROM. That's the way I was told to do it, and worked without a hitch. Plus, it's way easier.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app

where can I find a stock recovery file for the t-mobile sgh m919 ?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

traviswade said:
where can I find a stock recovery file for the t-mobile sgh m919 ?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite possibly the easiest thing to find. Use Google or YouTube and type in "how to unroot TMobile S4."
All the instructions give you links to the official stock Roms.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app

Triangle away

My counter keeps saying 2 no matter what I try I followed the instructions. Help?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

Post what ROM you're on.
Triangle Away says it's always best to do it on a stock ROM.

Had the same problem, but there is a guide in the general section on how to unroot..... by DJ intrique (hope I spelled right). I followed that and worked beautifully.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using xda app-developers app

ace2153 said:
My counter keeps saying 2 no matter what I try I followed the instructions. Help?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Backup your current ROM.
Flash back to stock ROM and stock kernel. Even the debloated stock ROMs you find in the dev section should work,
Run triangle away.
Verify it worked.
Restore your backed up ROM.
Should take 10 minutes for this whole process, not counting the time to download the stock ROM.
Sent from your phone. You should be careful where you leave that thing.

So after all that can I go back to my custom rom doing a re store?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

ace2153 said:
So after all that can I go back to my custom rom doing a re store? Wait you said flash can I not use my backup of stock rom?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

ace2153 said:
So after all that can I go back to my custom rom doing a re store?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup.
The counter only goes up when you flash something through Odin. If you reset it to 0 and flash 500 things from Recovery, the flash counter still stays at 0.

So if I wanted to Un root and return to stock how would I do that without tripping the flash counter don't I have to Odin?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

ace2153 said:
So if I wanted to Un root and return to stock how would I do that without tripping the flash counter don't I have to Odin?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash stock in odin.
Root.
Run triangle away to reset counter.
Uninstall triangle away.
Open SuperUser and click the untoot option.
Reboot.
You now have a stock phone.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app

Pretty sure you can triangle away successfully with just the stock kernel which out work on any tw rom

Adam0524 said:
Pretty sure you can triangle away successfully with just the stock kernel which out work on any tw rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need the stock kernel & stock recovery I believe. CF Auto Root gives you just that and makes the process very simple.
Towle
Forum Moderator

ace2153 said:
So if I wanted to Un root and return to stock how would I do that without tripping the flash counter don't I have to Odin?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good thread:good:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2336392

How to reset binary counter

After reinstalling stock firmware, I can't Turn The phone on. Is there a way of reseting the binary counter so I can use my warranty
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app

SAMVREMIX said:
After reinstalling stock firmware, I can't Turn The phone on. Is there a way of reseting the binary counter so I can use my warranty
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
after reinstall stock fw, go to default recovery and whipe data & cache than restart the phone.
to reset binary counter use this

Triangle away works fine but yoy will have to be rooted to use it. So use triangle away before you unroot for warranty
Sent from my GT-N7105 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Still cant boot up devicen
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app

SAMVREMIX said:
Still cant boot up devicen
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try to flash back the custom rom you haved , than install triangle away to reset counter flash(root is a must).
restart in download mode
flash stock rom via odin
go to stock recovery and do full wipe

I can't do anything. Cause I went back to stock firmware I lost root. But I can't boot up so I can't re-root
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app

SAMVREMIX said:
I can't do anything. Cause I went back to stock firmware I lost root. But I can't boot up so I can't re-root
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go to download mode and install cwm via odin, reinstall custom rom, root...

did you saved your phone?