Develop Bugs

[Q] "Knox" firmware and the m919 version?

I have read (<here> and <here>)
about new firmware versions that will not allow resetting the counter (warranty flag) to initial conditions when restoring to stock after after unlocking or rooting.
If the phone developed a hardware problem, warranty repair could be denied.
The firmware version "MGG" and beyond are reported to have this problem.
Questions:
Does this also apply to the m919 T-Mobile version?
Has anybody seen it on an m919?
Is it going out with an OTA update?
Or is MGG specific to the i9505?
I am shopping for a GS4 m919, and I want confirm that it has the "pre-MGG" firmware version before purchase.
Questions:
Is the ID contained in the "Baseband" ID string in the phone information?
Are there different identifier strings used on the M919?

The T-Mobile S4 has not received the KNOX Bootloader, it will most likely come with the 4.3 update. If anyone is on stock, I would recommend you guys disable OTA updates as you may get automatically updated to 4.3 with the KNOX bootloader.

for once...im dreading an update from tmobile

If I've already rooted and installed a custom recovery (Clockwork Mod), and nothing else, does anyone know if the 4.3 update with KNOX will still be usuable? In other words, will the phone still get an automatic OTA update and will that update install correctly?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

DigitalHeretic said:
If I've already rooted and installed a custom recovery (Clockwork Mod), and nothing else, does anyone know if the 4.3 update with KNOX will still be usuable? In other words, will the phone still get an automatic OTA update and will that update install correctly?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
It wont let you get the update it will pop a box up saying unable to uodate your device has been modified. . Try to check for an uodate youll see what im talking about... I went back to stock just to see if there was anything for updates which there wasnt andbwent to reroot and installed su abd it didn't flash correctly thru odin said to heck with it till the am checked for an update for giggles in the am and wouldn't even check
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

i'm glad I read this thread. i was going to wait until i tried the stock 4.3 update before deciding to root and install custom ROMs. With KNOX coming, I'm just going to root ASAP. I like PA on my Nexus4, so I'll probably go with that for my S4.

So you guys are saying the new update with "knox" won't allow you to reset the counter and only that or will it stop you from completely rooting and installing custom roms?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

futty said:
So you guys are saying the new update with "knox" won't allow you to reset the counter and only that or will it stop you from completely rooting and installing custom roms?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Let me clarify some things. The KNOX processes and functions are already on the stock ROM, most devs remove them, though. So many of you with custom ROMs haven't seen anything related to KNOX.
What the new T-Mobile update (when it gets pushed out) is most likely to come with is a "KNOX Bootloader" which will introduce a thing called "KNOX Flag" which is similar to the old counter we're all used to. This is the counter that @Chainfire was successful in resetting with his app, Triangle Away.
Unfortunately, @Chainfire or anyone else for that matter, has not been able to reset the KNOX flag.
The KNOX flags is this:
0x0 = You have not tripped the KNOX flag.
0x1 = You have tripped the KNOX flag.
Again, once you trip that flag, rooting, flashing a custom recovery, etc.. there is NO way to reset it as of now. And any KNOX functionality on your phone will not work. But the worst part is Samsung will refuse warranty on your device if they see a 0x1 in your bootloader.
Another thing.. on the new bootloader, if you try to downgrade, even with an official Samsung firmware, it will fail and you will trip the KNOX flag.
So once you're on the new bootloader, there's no going back.
There's been speculation that there's an eFuse at play here.
Anyway, this is the reason why I am suggesting you all disable OTA updates and wait until a ROM is built without the new bootloader and all the functions (Wifi, MMS, etc.) are working.

mgbotoe said:
for once...im dreading an update from tmobile
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Click to collapse
Hey, its sammy we have to blame for this one :/ Not T-Mobile lol.
PSSSST! Don't let them know you are dreading it, or they might put it off longer xD
As to the OP.
The KNOX Warranty counter is rumored to be what is called an eFUSE. If this is true, then resetting the KNOX warranty counter will be impossible without taking apart your phone and replacing that specific eFUSE.
However, there are rumors that some root methods DO NOT trip this new counter. Is that good? Yes, is that bad? Yes. For those users who like stock kernels and just wanna root, this is okay for them. But for 99.999999 percent of us who love to flash new kernels and get more from our devices, then it trips the counter.
I personally congratulate Samsung as well as hate them at the same time for this. I congratulate them because what seems to be happening a lot is users flash a million and 2 things to their device having not one single clue what they are doing, thus bricking their 500+ dollar smartphone then claiming it as a warranty claim and getting another one. I also feel they are trying to flex their ego muscles too -.-
I also believe that if you have insurance, this does not apply. It is only for warranty claims. Which like you stated OP, it only means Samsung can choose to deny to repair or replace it. I have read a lot of thread before where users tripped the older binary flash counter, and still were given a new device. I honestly don't know how this is going to play out for the lot of us. For me, my warranty is over in a few months anyhow so i don't really care. But its still kind of a dickish thing Samsung is doing.
I am also hoping that we can extract the contents of the new update and keep our older bootloaders and create a flashable zip with the new update stuff and have it still work. I know there were some issues with the international S4 4.3 update but im not sure if it was entirely caused by the bootloader.

Exel said:
Anyway, this is the reason why I am suggesting you all disable OTA updates and wait until a ROM is built without the new bootloader and all the functions (Wifi, MMS, etc.) are working.
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Where do you disable OTA updates on a stock S4?
Hitting "Software Update" takes me to a Boolean"Update Now" popup with no other option than choosing Yes, No or Wifi. No option to defeat future updates is offered.
Going into developer mode doesn't seem to add any pertinent options either (correct me if I'm wrong).
Clearly, Samsung doesn't want us to be able to disable updates unless or until we root, which I'm doing this weekend on the basis of this thread.

Reignogleph MMXI said:
Where do you disable OTA updates on a stock S4?
Hitting "Software Update" takes me to a Boolean"Update Now" popup with no other option than choosing Yes, No or Wifi. No option to defeat future updates is offered.
Going into developer mode doesn't seem to add any pertinent options either (correct me if I'm wrong).
Clearly, Samsung doesn't want us to be able to disable updates unless or until we root, which I'm doing this weekend on the basis of this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You indeed have to root to disable OTA updates.

Once the update hits im going to extract the system.img to get all the files.
Then explore where all of the Knox crap is and get rid of it.
I know I want be alone in doing this...all who develop for the S4 will be on top of it.
Someone will figure out a way to get around this Knox BS...
Sent from a Insane S4
SICK MADE DEVELOPMENT

alloycowboy said:
Once the update hits im going to extract the system.img to get all the files.
Then explore where all of the Knox crap is and get rid of it.
I know I want be alone in doing this...all who develop for the S4 will be on top of it.
Someone will figure out a way to get around this Knox BS...
Sent from a Insane S4
SICK MADE DEVELOPMENT
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Click to collapse
thats fine and dandy for us with existing phones.. I already removed all the knox crap from my phone, and will update but not kernel and do the same..
But what about all future phones.. If indeed the kernel is locked with knox and there is no way to remove it we are screwed for new phones coming out.

lgkahn said:
thats fine and dandy for us with existing phones.. I already removed all the know crap from my phone, and will update but not kernel and do the same..
But what about all future phones.. If indeed the kernel is locked with knox and there is no way to remove it we are screwed for new phones coming out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. If thats the case....then alot of people will ditch Samsung.
But I have a feeling we will figure out Knox. Its man made so it can be hacked. Who when and how is the question.
Sent from a Insane S4
SICK MADE DEVELOPMENT

that's also why I paid 400 bucks for a T-Mobile sgs 4 and I am using it on at&t... I refuse to pay or support a phone with a locked bootloader.. matter of principle...i would ditch att if T-Mobile had decent service in my area.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

Clarifications about KNOX and the S3

AFAIK nobody has asked anything about KNOX on the T999, so I have a few things I want to know before updating my phone to 4.3.
I bought my phone off-contract at full price and its flash counter has already been incremented many times from rooting, so I obviously don't care about setting the "KNOX warranty void" flag either, nor the enterprise-grade security features KNOX provides.
However, there is a rumor that once the KNOX warranty void flag is set to 0x1 you can't upgrade the ROM anymore, not even via Odin. Is this actually true? I know you can't OTA unless you're stock, but I don't care about OTA since I'd just upgrade via Odin anyways. But the fact you can't even upgrade via Odin seems a bit far-fetched.
Another variant of this rumor that seems more believable is that updating to a KNOX-enabled ROM also updates the bootloader to a KNOX-enabled variant, and that you can't upgrade to new KNOX-enabled ROMs if you decide to downgrade to a non-KNOX ROM after the bootloader has been updated. But if I never downgrade, can I continue to install updates, assuming Samsung releases ROMs for the S3 after 4.3?
Can anyone shed some light on this?

I somehow can't trust the first one. However the second one sounds more plausible. Anyway doc Holliday has removed KNOX from the most recent leaked Stock Rom. So this question becomes moot really.

Perseus71 said:
I somehow can't trust the first one.
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Which is exactly why I asked this. I just wanted some more opinion.
Perseus71 said:
Anyway doc Holliday has removed KNOX from the most recent leaked Stock Rom.
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Click to collapse
And does this also mean that the bootloader isn't KNOX-enabled?

jim45 said:
Which is exactly why I asked this. I just wanted some more opinion.
And does this also mean that the bootloader isn't KNOX-enabled?
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Click to collapse
I don't think so. I flashed that Leak to test out the features. Afterwards flashed back my regular AOSP Rom.
NOTE - With the Leak, some reported that the Bootloader didn't get updated. I explicitly asked as well. If you are concerned with Knox'd Bootloader, you can Flash back UVDMD5 Bootloader too!

Here's what I know so far.
First, we do not have to worry about the Knox counter. One of my sources sent me a pic of their download mode and it was not there.
Second, I have reliable doubts that our official release will NOT include Knox. It's only included now for ease of using the same builds across multiple devices during internal testing.
Third, the bootloader is not included in any of the leaks. I do have a copy of it and have been considering releasing a recovery flashable firmware update, but haven't decided yet if I want to do this.
One of my sources ran into a problem at one point and soft bricked. Samsung simply connected remotely and flashed the firmware via Odin.
As for not being able to downgrade or flash certain things, I do not think this is the case at all. If you do something Knox doesn't like, it will lock down the secure containers it uses and you will not be able to regain access. I do not belie e it will restrict you from flashing something else, old or new, firmware or Rom, etc.
There is still a lot I do not know about it, but the information is out there. I stopped putting time into it when I found we probably won't need to worry about it anyway.
A quick Google search will net you more info, but if you really want an education on it I'd suggest visiting the S4 and Note3 forums. S4 users have been dealing with Knox longer than anyone, and the Note3 is the first device to ship with it fully implemented.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

(Question) rooting and back to stock

Hi guys
It’s been awhile since I had a Samsung phone
Anyhow I remember that if you are rooting your phone I will not be able to go back to stock and keep receiving updates regularly and also the user will not be able to use any Samsung service since there is some security on the device board
I wonder if it’s still the situation in galaxy s21 series
thanks

Yes OTA updates will be disabled for the rooted device. But you can easily install them if you so wish without loosing root by temporarily removing root without rebooting the device. Follow this guide for full process.
As for the services, I didn't hear about a service that's disabled by rooting. But if it happens you can easily replace said services by downloading alternatives or using specific modules in magisk manager.

Thank you
I’m asking because if I will ever want to sell the device it will be impossible

sagiag said:
Thank you
I’m asking because if I will ever want to sell the device it will be impossible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not at all.
You can just do this:
Unroot.
Remove Samsung and google account.
Flash stock ROM [Optional, unless you flashed a custom ROM]
Lock the bootloader.
And that's it you can sell it as just lightly used.

I think you wouldn't be able to use Secure Folder after root.

dalanik said:
I think you wouldn't be able to use Secure Folder after root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Knox is disabled after rooting, similarly anything knox dependant will be disabled as well. I thought he meant some other services like samsung health or other bloatware.

Tripped Knox with unrooted device

The other day I thought it would be a good idea to root my phone (S20 Ultra Exynos), as it's been many years since I've done it (S6 was my last rooted device).
Anyway, I kept running into issues with connecting to my watch, and getting payment apps working (on account of the root), and decided it was not worth the hassle.
So I unrooted the device via flashing stock firmware in ODIN and locked the bootloader.
I noticed my Samsung Health app didn't work, which was strange. Upon research, I found it was due to Knox being tripped - which was confirmed via downloading a checking app from the play store.
I know that there are patched S Health apps that would allow me to bypass knox, but is there is any way to reset the knox counter so that warranty is no longer void?
Are there also any other implications from this.
So far all my apps work fine, except for health.
Cheers!

It's a micro efuse inside the chipset that blows when you trip Knox.
The only way to fully undo it be to replace the mobo. Yeah... like Fort Knox.

blackhawk said:
It's a micro efuse inside the chipset that blows when you trip Knox.
The only way to fully undo it be to replace the mobo. Yeah... like Fort Knox.
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Click to collapse
Thought that might be the case.
Bloody Samsung, that's so ridiculous!
Oh well, I haven't seen any other issues with it tripping so far. Warranty is already void anyway since it's water damaged and have had the screen replaced by others.
Thanks!

You're welcome.
Samsung Pay won't work either or maybe Secure Folder. Not the end of the world...

blackhawk said:
You're welcome.
Samsung Pay won't work either or maybe Secure Folder. Not the end of the world...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah definitely not the end of the world. I use google pay over samsung, and have never used the secure folder (I use Onedrive Vault).

Are there any other negative effects apart from Samsung Pay, Secure Folder, etc.? I just read that on some older devices the battery life was decreased as well? It's a shame that it can't be undone... I mean, what harm does it do if the phone was rooted (or even attempted to be rooted... it didn't even work!) once. Why should it forever be unsafe from then on? I want to use the phone as stock as possible, original firmware, no root, ...

kadajawi said:
Are there any other negative effects apart from Samsung Pay, Secure Folder, etc.? I just read that on some older devices the battery life was decreased as well? It's a shame that it can't be undone... I mean, what harm does it do if the phone was rooted (or even attempted to be rooted... it didn't even work!) once. Why should it forever be unsafe from then on? I want to use the phone as stock as possible, original firmware, no root, ...
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Click to collapse
because yes

123jonSLO said:
It's because samsung doesn't want you to root your phone and wants you to know that there are permanent consequences of you doing so.
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Click to collapse
It's so you know the phone's security has been compromised. Rooting and custom roms makes troubleshooting much more difficult.
Can't blame them for not wanting to troubleshoot other people's firmware on top of their hardware.
Stock Samsung's are relatively easy to troubleshoot...

blackhawk said:
It's so you know the phone's security has been compromised. Rooting and custom roms makes troubleshooting much more difficult.
Can't blame them for not wanting to troubleshoot other people's firmware on top of their hardware.
Stock Samsung's are relatively easy to troubleshoot...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but knox stays tripped even if you reinstall the official firmware

123jonSLO said:
Yeah but knox stays tripped even if you reinstall the official firmware
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Click to collapse
Because the bootloader was compromised. A core component to Knox security.

How can I make my A50 stock?

Hello friends,
I unlocked the bootloader and installed TWRP a few days ago on my A50, rooted it with Magisk, but I don't want to use it like that anymore because I can't use Samsung Pass and for some reason I felt a bit uncomfortable.
Maybe there are more reasons to use it this way, but I'm a regular user and I got into these things out of curiosity.
Yesterday Magisk had been unrooted and the phone was completely out of the way I installed it to test it.
I still don't know if there is a way for me to return to that pure a50 state because Knox I saw something troublesome in a few places, I want your help on this.
What do you think I should do?

I would suspect that you have tripped Knox. This results in that you cannot use many apps, e.g., Samsung Pay, Samsung Health, and Samsung Flow. I think it also includes Samsung Pass.
Unfortunately, this is not reversible as it is in the phone's hardware that it can't be restored once the Knox has been tripped.
You can reinstall the stock ROM if you miss the stock experience, but you won't be able to use these Samsung apps.

TrulyPain said:
I would suspect that you have tripped Knox. This results in that you cannot use many apps, e.g., Samsung Pay, Samsung Health, and Samsung Flow. I think it also includes Samsung Pass.
Unfortunately, this is not reversible as it is in the phone's hardware that it can't be restored once the Knox has been tripped.
You can reinstall the stock ROM if you miss the stock experience, but you won't be able to use these Samsung apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes i can't use any samsung apps. i'll probably root it and try some things changed via buildprop that i saw in some forums, do you think they will work?
Or if I can't make it original, I'm thinking if I should install a custom rom and kernel, I'm very torn. (I'm open to suggestions)

hsynmtl35 said:
yes i can't use any samsung apps. i'll probably root it and try some things changed via buildprop that i saw in some forums, do you think they will work?
Or if I can't make it original, I'm thinking if I should install a custom rom and kernel, I'm very torn. (I'm open to suggestions)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
will not work. knox is tripped so you better find alternative apps