[Q] Revert phone from official KitKat to official JellyBean - Galaxy S 4 Mini Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi, so yesterday my phone received the KitKat update from Samsung. I installed it and immediately found issues with KitKat's external SD write issues. Apps I use need access and I don't want to root. (Since it trips Knox? I also eventually want to sell the phone)
Is it possible to revert back to the older official Jelly Bean that I was on? I found this official (I assume) firmware on Sammobile for my mdoel.
Following the instructions, I'm worried about Knox. Will it trip Knox by flashing back down to older Jelly Bean with the process above? I'm new to this so I know very little about this. I just want to roll back
Thanks in advance.

Related

update problems

Hi guys. I have this sgh i747(unlocked) im using it in Europe and i have updated it with kies to 4.1.1. now i want to update is further more but idk how. I cant do it OTA cuz i dont have American card. Is therr any way to update it without getting rooted? And if thete is pls tell me if phone will get locked after that. Thanks in advance, im kinda noobish when it comes with updates. excuses
Is your 4.1.1 ROM completely stock? Have you tried doing an OTA update via wifi?
Once your phone it sim unlocked, it will not re-lock after an update.
Unlocking is permanent, just to confirm. And afaik, the only way you'll be able to update without flashing a custom recovery (I assume you don't want this since you don't want root), is to flash the 4.3 (MJB) firmware via Odin. You can find it in a thread in the General section.
After updating to 4.3, use the OTA made available in the same General section to update to 4.4.2.

10.1 unroot

I'm running 4.2.2 on my 10.1 and it is rooted.
It was done long ago and I really do not need the device being rooted anymore.
Not sure how to unroot it so I can upgrade to 4.42.
It might have been posted but I couldn't find it.
Help appreciated.
my59 said:
I'm running 4.2.2 on my 10.1 and it is rooted.
It was done long ago and I really do not need the device being rooted anymore.
Not sure how to unroot it so I can upgrade to 4.42.
It might have been posted but I couldn't find it.
Help appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Beware that some of us believe that upgrading to 4.4.2 via OTA or Kies or installing Stock 4.4.2 as they come is unsafe!!!
New stock 4.4.2 comes with new bootloaders!!
So for us the safest way to upgrade is use one of the many Rom develop in our forrum. Yes I understand many think the opposite,safest is to stick with Samsung Stock as it come from factory. It is up to you.
A few had claim that after you go back to 4.2.2 Official Stock, their programing counter had clear and they in fact go OTA or Kies to upgrade to 4.4.2. Personally I do not know. I do not use Kies.
But here is an example of such Claim:
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 > Galaxy Tab 3 General > KitKat Update official for GT-P5210 available => http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-3/general/kitkat-update-official-gt-p5210-t2871073
Good luck with your upgrade, I hope nothing happens with those new bootloaders in the future. Who knows maybe you will not be able to clear your counter again! I do not know I am just kidding.
Thanks, that worked, now I am on 4.4.2.
Just a crazy question, what if I want to go back to 4.2.2, can it be done?
my59 said:
Thanks, that worked, now I am on 4.4.2.
Just a crazy question, what if I want to go back to 4.2.2, can it be done?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have not said what type of TAB3 10 you have. 3G, wifi or 4G. Nor said what procedure you follow. Ota, Kies or one of the roms develop here.
I do not know if installing 4.4.2 with OTA or Kies can prevent you to go back.
In my case I use 4.4.2 Pimpdroid 3Beta. I found it smooth and nice. But I got upset with 4.4.2 limitations and went back to 4.2.2 with stock 4.2.2. Without any problems.
r2d23cpo said:
You have not said what type of TAB3 10 you have. 3G, wifi or 4G. Nor said what procedure you follow. Ota, Kies or one of the roms develop here.
I do not know if installing 4.4.2 with OTA or Kies can prevent you to go back.
In my case I use 4.4.2 Pimpdroid 3Beta. I found it smooth and nice. But I got upset with 4.4.2 limitations and went back to 4.2.2 with stock 4.2.2. Without any problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 10.1 tab 3 wifi only, i was rooted in 4.2.2, installed a stock rom of 4.2.2 via odin, after i received an autoupdate via OTA to 4.4.2

[Q] Lollipop OTA - "device suspected in rooting"

So, for a previous OTA update on 4.4 KitKat that brought some bug fixes, I could simply do a temporary unroot and use OTA survival mode with Superuser/SuperSU.
Now, with this new OTA that updates the OS to Lollipop, none of that seems to work. It always detects that the device is rooted and I don't know how.
So, does anyone have any idea how to apply this Lollipop OTA with a rooted device? How to avoid OTA rooted phone detection?
The last resort is to either use SuperSU to unroot fully or flash a fresh stock ROM... and none of those are satisfying.
Thanks in advance!
It's more than obvious that you need to flash a stock rom for OTA to function properly.
Masta Sukeh said:
So, for a previous OTA update on 4.4 KitKat that brought some bug fixes, I could simply do a temporary unroot and use OTA survival mode with Superuser/SuperSU.
Now, with this new OTA that updates the OS to Lollipop, none of that seems to work. It always detects that the device is rooted and I don't know how.
So, does anyone have any idea how to apply this Lollipop OTA with a rooted device? How to avoid OTA rooted phone detection?
The last resort is to either use SuperSU to unroot fully or flash a fresh stock ROM... and none of those are satisfying.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you can play around with RCT, there are guides on resetting that.
Though it's not gonna work, such a big upgrade will break root regardless of ota survival mode or whatever. Or you will get a bootloop...
Do it the right way. Install TWRP, then install rooted LL rom.
Masta Sukeh said:
So, for a previous OTA update on 4.4 KitKat that brought some bug fixes, I could simply do a temporary unroot and use OTA survival mode with Superuser/SuperSU.
Now, with this new OTA that updates the OS to Lollipop, none of that seems to work. It always detects that the device is rooted and I don't know how.
So, does anyone have any idea how to apply this Lollipop OTA with a rooted device? How to avoid OTA rooted phone detection?
The last resort is to either use SuperSU to unroot fully or flash a fresh stock ROM... and none of those are satisfying.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! I'm in South Korea and I had the exact same issue on KK.. I always used to flash the stock and then update KK... HOWEVER .....I didn't receive OTA update on Lollipop. I connected my phone to LG PC Suite and the phone updated from there.. and I didn't have to unroot. Have you tried connecting your phone to LG PC Suite and update from there? Good luck
IMO.. Lollipop sucks! I went back to KK after trying Lollipop for a few days.

[Q] A little guidance for a galaxy newbie

Hello,
I just bought my first Galaxy device (had a CDMA LG for a while, and I have a Nexus Tablet), and I am looking at how to get this new phone set up right. I bought my i747 retail, so I was unable to unlock it. However, now I'm struggling with finding the right method for upgrading, rooting, etc. I know nothing about knox or any of these Samsung intricacies. Could someone please give me a little guidance on how to go about getting to the OS and status that I'm looking for? This is what I've done so far:
Came unrooted with 4.1.2 stock rom
Unlocked using legit unlock code
Tried OTA updates, but none were available (must be because of unlock)
Rooted w/ ODIN using 4.1.1 file based of MrRobinson method. (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1739426)
Now I keep getting popups like process. ... .acore,media, etc. stopped.
I'm looking to ideally get a custom recovery (either CWM or TWRP, whichever is better) and either kitkat Touchwiz or possibly kitkat nexus stock (I read somewhere that it was possible). Also, i just bought it, and have the code still, so I don't mind deleting everything if needed. Regardless, I'd like the ability to get it back to pure stock with no flash counter (I have a manufacturer's warranty I want to use if need be).
Could someone please just give me a little guidance? I'm pretty capable with rooting, etc., so you'd only need to lead me to other threads, etc. that will take me where I want to go. Thank you very much.
Before flashing or doing anything else, confirm the bootloader on your phone. Download and install the Samsung Phone Info app from the playstore and post your bootloader.
audit13 said:
Before flashing or doing anything else, confirm the bootloader on your phone. Download and install the Samsung Phone Info app from the playstore and post your bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the bad news is I already flashed using MrRobinson's instructions, and now my phone is barely workable, as things like process.android.media and Touchwiz keep crashing. I was able to install the info app though, and my bootloader is listed as I747UCDLK3. Thanks again though, and let me know what else you need from me.
I recommend starting over by flashing the stock AT&T 4.1.1 firmware from sammobile. Once flashed, boot the phone and make sure your phone is sim unlocked. If it isn't sim unlocked, unlock it using the free method or your unlock code.
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SGH-I747/
After sim unlocking, run OTA updates until you have the latest stock AT&T ROM on your phone. Upgrading the phone's bootloader and modem is the easiest way to do it for someone that is new to the phone and custom ROMs.
audit13 said:
I recommend starting over by flashing the stock AT&T 4.1.1 firmware from sammobile. Once flashed, boot the phone and make sure your phone is sim unlocked. If it isn't sim unlocked, unlock it using the free method or your unlock code.
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SGH-I747/
After sim unlocking, run OTA updates until you have the latest stock AT&T ROM on your phone. Upgrading the phone's bootloader and modem is the easiest way to do it for someone that is new to the phone and custom ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, but wouldn't OTA updates install Knox, which would basically void my warranty if I tried to flash anything after that? And, I've checked for OTA updates twice, once on 4.1.2 and on 4.1.1, and both times it said my software was up to date.
I spoke with StoneyJSG about my situation, and he suggested that I go to stock 4.1, root w/ saferoot, then flash a kitkat custom rom without Knox through TWRP. That way, I could use triangle away and flash stock unrooted if I needed to send it in.
Although, I'm not sure if I should do that, as I thought I read that you need to update the radio and bootloader first before you can install a custom kitkat rom from jelly bean, but I'm still not entirely sure how that works.
The most recent release of many custom ROMs will not work but you may not have a signal without an updated modem and you should not be running updated modems on an older bootloader. Doing this could brick your phone.
With a rooted system, OTA updates will not work.
Thank you again for helping walk me through the minutia around this phone.
I think I have a much better understanding of everything now. I read the following article on Knox (http://omegadroid.co/wanted-knox-void-warranty-0x1/) and with an understanding of that, I get now that there is no way to load any custom rom on 4.3 or higher without losing my warranty.
So, basically my options are to stay at 4.1 and flash whatever, using triangle away to erase my tracks. Or, I could update to 4.3, but only be able to use saferoot/towelroot, otherwise I'd trip the warranty void. But, if all I did use was towelroot (no custom recovery or rom), then I could just unroot the phone using the full unroot option in SuperSU and send it on in for service if needed, right?
Also, I did unroot my phone and did a factory reset, so it's back at 4.1.1 and unrooted. Yet, I still do not see any software updates available from Samsung. I even plugged it into Kies, and nothing (http://i.imgur.com/E0xPGpf.png). Does anyone know why this could be? Does it have something to do with my not having a carrier for the phone yet? I'm sorry for all the questions, but I do appreciate your help.
jateed said:
Thank you again for helping walk me through the minutia around this phone.
I think I have a much better understanding of everything now. I read the following article on Knox (http://omegadroid.co/wanted-knox-void-warranty-0x1/) and with an understanding of that, I get now that there is no way to load any custom rom on 4.3 or higher without losing my warranty.
So, basically my options are to stay at 4.1 and flash whatever, using triangle away to erase my tracks. Or, I could update to 4.3, but only be able to use saferoot/towelroot, otherwise I'd trip the warranty void. But, if all I did use was towelroot (no custom recovery or rom), then I could just unroot the phone using the full unroot option in SuperSU and send it on in for service if needed, right?
Also, I did unroot my phone and did a factory reset, so it's back at 4.1.1 and unrooted. Yet, I still do not see any software updates available from Samsung. I even plugged it into Kies, and nothing (http://i.imgur.com/E0xPGpf.png). Does anyone know why this could be? Does it have something to do with my not having a carrier for the phone yet? I'm sorry for all the questions, but I do appreciate your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is your cell service? If not AT&T, you will never get OTA.
Whether you get OTA can vary from carrier to carrier and phone to phone in my opinion.
I have a Rogers HTC One X that gets OTA updates from HTC even though I am on the Bell network.
I have a Bell S3 that is running on the Rogers network and it receives OTA updates from Bell even though it has a Rogers sim card in the phone.
I have a Telus Moto G running on the Bell network and it received the Telus KK OTA update while connected to the Bell network.
audit13 said:
Whether you get OTA can vary from carrier to carrier and phone to phone in my opinion.
I have a Rogers HTC One X that gets OTA updates from HTC even though I am on the Bell network.
I have a Bell S3 that is running on the Rogers network and it receives OTA updates from Bell even though it has a Rogers sim card in the phone.
I have a Telus Moto G running on the Bell network and it received the Telus KK OTA update while connected to the Bell network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I have an AT&T model which I unlocked and will be putting on Cricket at the end of the week (when my plan month is set to end). Right now there's no SIM in it, and I've been doing everything over wifi. I looked up whether the carrier had something to do with the OTAs, and I was told that Samsung sent the updates out, not AT&T, so I figured that the carrier info was irrelevant. I now wonder what my options are.
Can I manually flash 4.3 stock without tripping the knox warranty void?
Does Towelroot/Xposed framework trip the Knox void flag?
If I can update to 4.3/4.4 and root without tripping the knox flag, I might just manually update and just run towelroot and xposed to modify my OS the best I can until my warranty runs out.
If I can't root it at all once I'm on 4.3+, then I'll just sit on 4.1.1 for a few months until I can't stand it anymore and just void the warranty anyway.
Thanks again everyone. This whole knox/binary counter thing is not something I dealt with on my CDMA LG or Nexus, so I was totally in the dark about how it all worked. This is also my first GSM phone, so all those intricacies are new to me too. Once I know about manually flashing stock and running towelroot/xposed, I think I'll be in good shape.
Flashing the stock 4.3 ROM should not trip the counter as long as you do not need to install a custom recovery to flash it.
Apparently, the latest KK stock ROM cannot be rooted using Towelroot.
If you want a custom ROM, use one that will work with a 4.1.1 bootloader and modem. Once on 4.3 or higher, it's a little harder to recover from a soft brick.
audit13 said:
Flashing the stock 4.3 ROM should not trip the counter as long as you do not need to install a custom recovery to flash it.
Apparently, the latest KK stock ROM cannot be rooted using Towelroot.
If you want a custom ROM, use one that will work with a 4.1.1 bootloader and modem. Once on 4.3 or higher, it's a little harder to recover from a soft brick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent. If I did flash stock, i would just use ODIN, then factory reset to wipe the caches. And that's good to know about the KK rom, as I would probably update straight to 4.4 if at all (I've read a lot of bad things about 4.3 on the S3), but not if it means I cannot root safely and cleanly.
I'll check out the custom roms for 4.1.1. I know that flashing the rom and/or a custom recovery will trip the binary counter, but I can just use triangle away to clean that up. Do you know if there is a list of custom 4.1.1/4.1.2 roms somewhere, or do I need to scour the older threads here?
Thank you very much audit13 (thanks to StoneyJSG and pre4speed as well). You have been immensely helpful and really brought me up to speed on everything surrounding S3 customization. Needless to say it's way more complicated than what I've dealt with from LG and Google/Asus. (I mean, i could root my nexus with a single click using Wugfresh's toolkit)
4.1.1 is the only complete stock ROM that AT&T released for flashing via Odin.
4.3 ROMS and higher were prepared by XDA members for flashing in either a custom recovery or Odin.
audit13 said:
4.1.1 is the only complete stock ROM that AT&T released for flashing via Odin.
4.3 ROMS and higher were prepared by XDA members for flashing in either a custom recovery or Odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, so what other way can you flash a stock rom, if not through ODIN or a custom recovery? Regardless, it seems as though I really should not dive into 4.3+ until I'm ready to concede that my warranty is over. There are just too many potential pitfalls and headaches.
On the lighter side, I've found a few 4.1.2 based custom roms that have some promise. I'm going to post them here in case anyone has opinions on them, or if someone else in my situation sees this thread and wants to go custom 4.1 too:
Hyperdrive RLS16
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2176793
Slim Bean-d2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1865262
Jedi Academy
http://www.teamandroid.com/2013/12/...oid-412-jedi-academy-jelly-bean-custom-rom/2/
Jelly ‘Beans’
http://www.teamandroid.com/2013/04/...ndroid-412-att-galaxy-s3-sgh-i747-custom-rom/
I was also torn when I got my s3 that was running 4.1.2. I downgraded to 4.1.1, sim unlocked the phone, used it on stock 4.1.2 for about a week to make sure everything was working, hardware wise, upgraded to stock 4.4.2, installed a custom recovery and a custom ROM. I wasn't too concerned about the warranty since I got the phone as a free upgrade and had no intention of using the s3 as my daily phone. I kept it as a backup until my niece needed and phone and then it went to her. It's been over a year and there are still no problems with the phone.

SM-N900T 4.3 JB Downgrade Idea

Hello!
I have a friend who is fed up with Lollipop, downgraded to KitKat and is still having issues, so now he wants to downgrade the Note 3 back to Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean), but the ODIN process keeps failing. I've read around that downgrading the bootloader (to a version prior to the KitKat update) would bypass the "Must be a KitKat ROM" check and allow his device to be downgraded to the older firmware, so my question for you guys is could you please provide me (or at the very least) point me in the right direction so I can successfully complete this for him? If it's absolutely NOT possible, please let me know, but based on my reading around on XDA, I'm pretty sure it's possible once you downgrade the bootloader to one which doesn't include those checks.
Thanks.
You cannot load a 4.3 bootloader over a KK or LP bootloader.
Your only option is to flash a custom ROM based on JB, but at this point in time I highly doubt that any links to JB are still functional. As stated above, you cannot load a 4.3 bootloader once you've updated to LL.
What are the so fed up with on 5.0? Mine has been a dream especially with all the recent little updates. Buttery smooth, and no issues at all. Maybe a full factory reset, or even a factory reset, and ODIN flash of it again? Sorry to hear about the problems.

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