Hello, my dad factory reset his AT&T note 5 without making sure he had a backup and has now lost all of his photos. I have seen tons of sites and software that claim to be able to recover them, however, most of them seem like scams. Are there any legitimate sites people have used and can vouch for? I know most of them say they require root which is also a problem because I can't seem to find a way to root this phone.
Thank you for the help.
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I wanted to put this in the Root section, but i didnt want to get blasted for not putting it in the right forum, so I figured I would post it here.
I just got my phone, and I would love to get this thing rooted, remove some bloatware and oc'ed.
The only concern I have is that there are several methods it seems for rooting the phone, and which method are most people having the best success with?
I have read several posts in all the different methods about signal losses, no wifi or bluetooth, bricks, etc.
I just want to get some feedback from the brave souls out there that have done it, which method, and if you had any issues doing it.
This is my first Samsung phone as I came from the HTC G2, and I love the Epic Touch. Can't imagine a phone being much better and I dont want to have to go through the hassle of bricking it and having to return it to Best Buy or Sprint.
Thanks in advance!
I think you should wait for a bit, they just uploaded the stock kernel.
Some months ago I made the huge mistake of applying the OTA update to my locked AT&T G S III SGH-i747 which had a stock ROM at the time.
The result could not have been worse. The phone is barely usable now. It's very slow, drains battery faster, cannot tether for free anymore, and can't seem to be able unlock. I tried with SamMobile and lost my money because their software does not work on this phone, and they don't answer to my inquiries
So, does anyone know a method for unlocking it?
Is there a way to go back to stock? Is there a way to reset it before selling it?
My phone is encrypted and I don't know if that makes any difference, but I am afraid it becomes bricked
I have searched the threads first and can't find a definitive answer to my questions
After this terrible experience I am seriously consider never buying a Samsung Android phone ever again. In fact, I am even afraid to install the AT&T OTA KitKat update given the possibility of my phone becoming even less usable
I'm assuming you're referring to Sim unlocking to use on other networks. It doesn't have a locked bootloader if that's what you mean though.
Once updated to 4.3 the only way to Sim unlock it is to get an unlock code from AT&T or buy one online. Unlock codes MUST be entered into the stock dialer.
As for the issues you mentioned, I suspect it has something to do with your encryption, though I could very well be wrong though. I can say your experience is not the norm, so something simply just went wrong along the way. It happens.
This is what I suggest you do. Backup your important data, including what's on your internal SD card.
Flash the 4.3 MJB firmware via Odin. (Firmware is in a thread in the General section.)
Reboot to recovery and factory reset. (This will wipe all apps and data including the internal sdcard)
Reboot, setup and test to see if it's improved.
Alternatively, if you have trouble with Odin, enewman17 has a thread in development for full stock revert. I'll try to find the link in a moment. If either method gives you problems, factory reset and try again.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:20 AM ----------
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2658486
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
Thanks DocHoliday77. I will try to do what you are saying
This update was a well known fiasco, and had to be pulled by Samsung:
http://www.thefullsignal.com/samsung/samsung-galaxy-s-iii/16037/android-43-update-pulled-samsung
http://www.thefullsignal.com/samsung/galaxy-s3/16050/samsung-galaxy-s3-android-43-update-pushing-att
Multiple complaint threads were created in the AT&T forum, which they conveniently folded into a single one
https://forums.att.com/t5/Android/Galaxy-s3-android-update-to-4-3/m-p/3858373
Some people tried to factory reset the phone after the update with the result being the phone bricked (you can read in the above thread and on this very same website). So, I am a little worried about that. But right now the phone it's very unusable, so I guess I have little to lose by following your directions
Question: why do I need to flash the 4.3 MJB firmware via Odin if the firmware is already in my phone? Sorry if it's too obvious to you
I suggest flashing the full firmware in case something was corrupted in yours. That's all.
The only thing I know for sure about the update issue was that it primarily affected i9300 users. Pretty much any article you find about the update being pulled will be talking about that international model. I'm not aware of any us models having an update pulled after its release. I can't say much about AT&Ts though, I'm a T-Mobile user. But on T-Mobile there were very few problems at all. Even with leaked and ported builds from other carriers. I personally didn't have a single issue, but I do recall a lot of people panicking because they thought the i9300 problems were going to affect them too, which ultimately they didn't.
As for complaints on the carrier forums, you'll find similar threads related to every update for every carrier. Its an extremely small percentage compared to the overall number who took the updates with no issues.
Anyway, I hope flashing that firmware helps to solve some of the problems you've had. Make sure your important data is backed up of course and you may need to factory reset. I do acknowledge some had some unnecessary problems though, so I can't guarantee anything. Hopefully everything goes smoothly for you.
Good luck!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
Well, it affected non-international users as well, like me. Not sure what you mean by "primarily" but if it means you mostly heard about the i9300 and you don't use AT&T so you didn't hear too much about it, that does not really sound less anecdotal than my experience
And yes, I am aware the people who complain in forums does not necessarily represent the whole universe of users. However, the absence of more people complaining in such forums does not prove in any way the problems do not affect most users. One simply can't draw conclusions one way or the other.
Thanks for your help. Based on your reputation I am sure you know what you are talking about with regards to ROMs and technical details.
I am not convinced, though, about how typical or less typical are the problems I am experiencing just based on the information on this thread.
:deleted: (with apologies)
err on the side of kindness
I have yet to find a answer to this question anywhere. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have a SM-G925T and I had rooted and flashed roms to this device in the past and have been able fix all of the problems I have run into until now. I am not currently able to use my phone for texting/caling/mobile data until I connect to wifi (with wifi calling on t-mobile) I am not able to do anything, but when I do connect to wifi I can make calls and tests. I have been looking everywhere and not seen anyone with the same problem. I feel as though I corrupt the EFS folder or IMEI as my IMEI now shows 360000000000006 and the actual IMEI is entirely different. If anyone has an answer to this that doesn't involve sending it to Samsung I would love the help.
What have you tried to fix this problem? Reset APN? Reflash rom? What rom are you using? Also dont sent it to Samsung, just ask for tmobile to replace it unless you dont have insurance.
Sent from my SM-G925T using Tapatalk
The problem is rooting.
Returning to stock will fix and solve all your problems.
Pp.
i ran into the same issue 2 days ago and searched this plus many other sites for a solution. i kept getting answers saying something about a root key needed to be fixed. or the other answer i was getting told was to flash [KERNEL] UniKernel v8-0002 COH9. i ultimately ended up taking it back to t-mobile and got a new phone. but the manager told me it was missing certificates and the stock kernel. i hope this little piece of information helps, and i hope you have better luck in restoring your phone than i did.
Every time this phone S6edge, gets an update it becomes harder and riskier to root the S6e and still have a working phone.
This top of the line device (until the S7 gets here) isn't your average phone to experiment with, try a plain android like a nexus Google phone, there's probably a handful of developers working on the Nexus alone Vs one (maybe) for the S6e?
I know xda forums are all about taking control of your phone but not this puppy, you must surrender to Samsung on this one.
My phone is 6 months old and works great, even after updates it just gets better and better and after marshmallow gets here this phone will be a greater device.
I have stayed stock and never attempted to root because I was following and reading all threads started on the S6e and it was a hot mess, a lot of stuff and phones going wrong at first and as soon as some one found an exploit Samsung had it removed and safe root went right out the window.
I have learned to like stock and I'm ok with it. And my phone works all the time.
Pp.
PanchoPlanet said:
Every time this phone S6edge, gets an update it becomes harder and riskier to root the S6e and still have a working phone.
This top of the line device (until the S7 gets here) isn't your average phone to experiment with, try a plain android like a nexus Google phone, there's probably a handful of developers working on the Nexus alone Vs one (maybe) for the S6e?
I know xda forums are all about taking control of your phone but not this puppy, you must surrender to Samsung on this one.
My phone is 6 months old and works great, even after updates it just gets better and better and after marshmallow gets here this phone will be a greater device.
I have stayed stock and never attempted to root because I was following and reading all threads started on the S6e and it was a hot mess, a lot of stuff and phones going wrong at first and as soon as some one found an exploit Samsung had it removed and safe root went right out the window.
I have learned to like stock and I'm ok with it. And my phone works all the time.
Pp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree!
+2!!!!!
I personally have had no problems with rooting my phone or with custom roms. The only time I had an issue was when I changed my boot splash. The first time I bricked my phone and had to use emergency recovery with Smart Switch. I am also going to suggest you try that before you return your phone. Make sure you backup you internal SD first though because Smart Switch will erase everything. I think it will fix your problem be cause the emergency recovery is started with your serial number. so I do believe it will fix your efs issue. It is definitely worth a try.
Future reference. TWRP does backup your EFS if you click the checkbox for it.
I find it so hard to believe and if it is correct then OMG.
So at our corp we have a lot of people who link their phones with google. Now when they leave on good or bad terms it often happens that their phone is obviously still linked.
How can we as an enterprise with 100s of phones in circulation deal with these "locked" phones.
And if there is absolutely no solution to this issue, I hope there is a way to at least flash these phones so we don't have the throw away perfectly fine hardware because of something stupid as this! What a waste of hardware that would be!
mandatory edit:
For the ones we get back, we have the puc/pin codes and normally all the info that's required.
In the case I have now, I have the pin code but that user didn't share his pattern unlock method. So I'm stuck at that as well, when I want to perform a hardware reset I see the message along the lines of "if it's linked to google this reset will not work"
Zwarbanski said:
I find it so hard to believe and if it is correct then OMG.
So at our corp we have a lot of people who link their phones with google. Now when they leave on good or bad terms it often happens that their phone is obviously still linked.
How can we as an enterprise with 100s of phones in circulation deal with these "locked" phones.
And if there is absolutely no solution to this issue, I hope there is a way to at least flash these phones so we don't have the throw away perfectly fine hardware because of something stupid as this! What a waste of hardware that would be!
mandatory edit:
For the ones we get back, we have the puc/pin codes and normally all the info that's required.
In the case I have now, I have the pin code but that user didn't share his pattern unlock method. So I'm stuck at that as well, when I want to perform a hardware reset I see the message along the lines of "if it's linked to google this reset will not work"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't it possible to boot into android recovery and perform a reset there?
I think in stock e3 android recovery its labeled "factory data reset" or something.
EDIT: How to boot Galaxy A70 into recovery?
So, this is a friend's phone...
I know, whenever I hear someone say that I think to myself "sure buddy". But seriously, it's true, this is not my phone but I have taken on the task of repairing it. My personal phone is actually a Pixel 2 XL, which I chose so I would never have to deal with a phone that had a locked bootloader or a strict root policy; forcing me to scour through forums for solutions to problems that are created by the cell phone manufacturers and carriers.
Moving along, my friend's phone is a Tmobile Galaxy S9 (g960usqs6csgb) (SM-G960U)
I believe it has the Snapdragon CPU (qualcomm and qual was littered all over the bootloader logs) but I don't know what Android version it's on. Because I can't get past the initial setup screens... because, you guessed it, the device was factory reset and now it's locked because he doesn't have the previous owner's google account credentials and it won't allow further progress. A message is displayed at the wifi setup screen stating as much, and at this point the unit is entirely useless.
When I first saw him with the phone in hand, wrestling to get it to work, I proclaimed "I can fix it!! Not to worry!! After all, I used to root and ROM and ADB with the best of 'em !! Going back to the early days of android, cracking open the incredible, galaxy nexus, HTC 9, nexus 5, note 5, etc etc. My Pixel 2 XL was the first phone I didn't root, simply because it already had all the features I wanted, right out of the box! But this phone wasn't cooperating like the old devices. Apparently the carriers and manufacturers have incorporated new ways to deter nefarious activities and squeeze out every bit of money from us hapless technology addicts.
I digress. Is there any way to get past this? I've already downloaded Odin 3 and I believe I'm hot on the trail of this model's firmware:
https://www.sammobile.com/samsung/galaxy-s9/firmware/SM-G960U/TMB/download/G960USQS6CSGB/283293/
But is this even possible? Will rooting and flashing a new ROM remove the unauthorized factory reset lockdown? Will the device even let me get that far? I don't know anything about rooting the S9 but it's all here in the forums, I just wanted to know if there's anything I should be aware of in advance. I'm not too concerned with bootlooping/bricking or losing google pay or something similar because it's basically a paperweight already. But if there's a way to do this properly, I certainly don't want to mess it up irreparably by charging headlong into the fire when I might patiently tiptoe and emerge unscathed instead. I appreciate any help you might offer.
Thanks!!
Yikes, not a single reply.
No one's gonna touch this one, a?
At least I got a like. Thank you to the brave individual willing to sit back and watch the trainwreck go its course.
TLDR: Can I get past the Google lockout on a TMobile s9? Is it possible to unlock, root, and flash a ROM on an otherwise locked s9?
If your stuck on FRP lock then maybe this thread may help.
[CLOSED]S21+ (GM-996B) FRP Bypass
Hello everybody, I hope it fits in here. I forgot the pattern on my S21 + after resetting the phone, my phone still wanted the pattern or a Google account. He doesn't take my Google account and after a long back and forth with the Samsung...
forum.xda-developers.com
spawnlives said:
If your stuck on FRP lock then maybe this thread may help.
[CLOSED]S21+ (GM-996B) FRP Bypass
Hello everybody, I hope it fits in here. I forgot the pattern on my S21 + after resetting the phone, my phone still wanted the pattern or a Google account. He doesn't take my Google account and after a long back and forth with the Samsung...
forum.xda-developers.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much. Didn't even know what to call it so search wasn't very helpful.