[Q] Brand new S3 shows "modified" device status & "custom" system status...
Hi there,
I just got a brand new s3 through the post (my second, as I had to return the first due to having a scratched camera lens out of the box). The first odd thing was that the software was completely up to date - my first needed two rounds of updates and reboots.
I proceeding to check out the "about phone" page and found that the device status shows modified. So I've rebooted into download mode and it shows no custom binaries, official samsung rom, all good so far, but then, underneath theres a line that say system status: custom......hmmm....
Anyone else had this with an apparently brand new phone? I've found a couple of other instances similar to this on the forum, but neither quite match my circumstances and the responses to those threads seemed far from conclusive on whether the phone may be a refurb.
It came sealed, with a genuine new samsung sticker and in a plastic wrapping from a fulfilled by Amazon seller and looks totally brand-spanking, but, of course, thats not hard to do....
Is this anything to be concerned about and should I return the device...yet again..??
Any help/input/similar tales of woe(!) very much appreciated...
check imei on box against imei on phone
Yup - IMEI from software matches box and one under battery....how is that an indication of authenticity though? The phone could of been refurbed and put back in the same box - or is there more to it?
Cheers for the input
Forgot to mention, although it should be obvious from the post, that the phone has not been rooted or rommed (I literally turned it on less than an hour ago).
Also - one theory I have is that perhaps it's from newer batch, where the updates were applied at the factory....seems a bit of a stretch - anyone know if this is possible?
Sounds like a return that has been officially repaired and sold as new by Samsung on the cheap to suppliers, though they really should state that when selling I think?
One more thing - and apologies to keep bumping, but I just noticed that Opera Mini is installed....WTF? Is that normal?! I can't imagine so somehow....
Refurbished. No doubt
You know what I am typing with.. So don't fret.................Sponsored by Surya_mca
slaphead20 said:
Sounds like a return that has been officially repaired and sold as new by Samsung on the cheap to suppliers, though they really should state that when selling I think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know It was sold as brand new....
I find this Opera thing particularly disturbing as it's uninstallable - which suggests to me that it's baked into the rom, which in turn gets me questioning whether or not it's even genuine samsung product?
knowayback said:
I know It was sold as brand new....
I find this Opera thing particularly disturbing as it's uninstallable - which suggests to me that it's baked into the rom, which in turn gets me questioning whether or not it's even genuine samsung product?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It certainly sounds like an official phone, though the opera thing is very strange....how much did it cost?....and did you check the imei number?
Do your local laws protect you, in the sense that the vendor should give you a really brand new phone? If so, try contacting them and arguing that the phone isn't new, and you want a new one.
If there's nothing that can be done to get a new device, then just get over it, root your phone and uninstall whatever crap it came with (like Opera... argh!)
Yeah - F*** this - sending it back to Amazon A.S.A.P! I'm not paying 450 quid for a bloody refurb!
Gonna try my luck with one from Asda (well known UK supermarket firm), fingers crossed...!
Cheers for all the input, gave me the push I needed to stop procrastinating and get the ball rollin' on a return
A careless refurnish caught by a careful customer.
knowayback said:
Yeah - F*** this - sending it back to Amazon A.S.A.P! I'm not paying 450 quid for a bloody refurb!
Gonna try my luck with one from Asda (well known UK supermarket firm), fingers crossed...!
Cheers for all the input, gave me the push I needed to stop procrastinating and get the ball rollin' on a return
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or....use it as leverage to get a genuine new phone and some compensation discount as well.....and 450 is a lot to pay, got mine on eBay 3 months ago for 390, got lucky, but was only 10 miles away, delivered in person, shop around some more?
slaphead20 said:
Or....use it as leverage to get a genuine new phone and some compensation discount as well.....and 450 is a lot to pay, got mine on eBay 3 months ago for 390, got lucky, but was only 10 miles away, delivered in person, shop around some more?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tend to stick with the big name retailers, cos if you do spot something like this they tend to be more efficient at refunds. I'd rather pay a bit extra safe in the knowledge that I can return in the first two weeks without any headaches.
Plus, the current Asda phone has the 2 year warranty....I'm just praying my luck changes and I get a decent one, as I'm dying to get my hack on after keeping the phone stock for the first couple of weeks (always good practice in my experience, just in case of issues such as these).
Saying that - fairplay on 390, reckon i'd a prolly gone for that an'all if it were just up t'road
450 was quite pricey even in Brazilian standards (everything is pricier in Brazil, because of our crappy taxes, labour cost and very high profit margin).
Mine cost me around (the equivalent to) US$ 320 exactly 3 weeks after launch.
In your position, I`d take it back to Amazon (or whoever), threaten to expose their practice (which you did already) and get more than a refund back.
This isn`t probably Amazon`s fault, unless they have a B-stock just to deal with RMAs and the like. It is probably Samsung's fault.
Wanted to update this post incase anyone else has this issue, as an interesting development has occurred. Got a new device from Asda today - out of the box the device status showed "Normal" - phew! Then the device wanted the usual 3 rounds of updates - double phew!
However, after the updates the device status now shows "modified" and in download mode the system status again shows "custom" - I'm afraid I didn't check what it was showing before the updates, but I'm assuming updating the device changed these values, and furthermore, I'm assuming that this is normal and Ok?
What do you guys think? Anyone else noticed this? Thankfully I don't have a random browser installed this time!
knowayback said:
Wanted to update this post incase anyone else has this issue, as an interesting development has occurred. Got a new device from Asda today - out of the box the device status showed "Normal" - phew! Then the device wanted the usual 3 rounds of updates - double phew!
However, after the updates the device status now shows "modified" and in download mode the system status again shows "custom" - I'm afraid I didn't check what it was showing before the updates, but I'm assuming updating the device changed these values, and furthermore, I'm assuming that this is normal and Ok?
What do you guys think? Anyone else noticed this? Thankfully I don't have a random browser installed this time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What updates by what method ??
Certainly is not normal unless you flash a custom rom or root .
jje
OTA - 5mins after turning it on... Normal before, modified after....
Went from baseband LF2 to LH1, build no. XXALF2 to XXBLG8...
Ok, so thanks to this thread - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1776019 - it seems that the device status modified and system status custom is affected by my Sandisk 64GB micro SD card.
Upon removal device status is back to normal and system status back to official Does anyone know why this might be? Is it still safe to use? And finally, does anyone have any idea or experience if reformatting it as ext4 or FAT32 will make any difference? Btw - I put it straight in as in came out of the box - exFAT i believe.
Once again any input gratefully appreciated
Need some help here, please...
Yesterday I got my new Vodafone Samsung Galaxy S3
It's already with the JB Polish rom. It's also rooted via Odin... because of that I used Triangle Away to reset flash counter...
Now, when I got to system status it's says is modified and when I go to the Odin Mode menu, Custom Binary Download is No and Current Binary says Samsung Official, but System Status says Custom...
Anyone can tell me how to change to Official?!?
P.S. - Does this has something to do with the CSC ?!? Mine says unknown...
Related
To get to the point, people DON'T UPDATE YOUR VIBRANTS and T-MOBILE HANDLES THE ISSUE HORRIBLY! Obviously this is not a universal problem, but if you do happen to be one of the lucky ones that bricks their phone with the update there is no saving it (at least with the help of T-mobile).
I just got off of the phone with tech support and they were less than helpful. After the regular punching in numbers, talking to two different people, and trying to re-boots that everyone with half a brain have tried, they informed me that they would replace the phone but I had to PAY for shipping. While I realize this is a normal policy when it comes to random malfunctions, which may or may not have been the users fault, this is absolutely ridiculous when the problem is 100% their fault. Seriously, T-mobile ships a top of the line phone that has some major flaws and inactivated software (media hub), then breaks the phone with it's official update, and somehow this is MY responsibility to pay to get fixed? The rep even asked if I at this point wanted to add insurance so next time I wouldn't have to pay for shipping and if I wanted to pay extra for expedited shipping! They were trying to make an add-on sale while fixing an issue THEY caused!
That's not even the end of it, because I was so irritated they sent me to a "loyalty specialist" (who sounded like a used car salesman). He rambled on about how he would waive the shipping fee (he made it sound like he just saved my first born child). I told him I appreciated that but it didn't fix the fact that T-Mobile was not handling the issue well. When a large number of phones break from an issue originating from the provider they should either 1) have re-furbished phones (or even set aside new phones if necessary) to replace these broken phones as they come up or 2) offer free over night shipping of the replacement phone. He told me that these options were too expensive for T-Mobile, and that if I like I could sign up for either of their two insurance plans, as they would allow me to do an in-store replacement (he later noted that one of them was only available within the first 14 days of owning the phone...). I couldn't believe they were trying to another add-on sale! The best part being, I later called around to all my local T-Mobile owned stores and none of them have the Vibrant available for in-store replacement (and never have).
So the Cliff-Notes of my rant:
1) DON'T UPDATE YOUR VIBRANT
2) If you did brick your phone, make sure to complain and they should refund the ridiculous shipping charge
3) If you don't own a Vibrant and are thinking about it consider the following (Don't let it stop you, just consider it):
- Still on 2.1, when Nexus One has been on 2.2 for months (and the Galaxy S 2.2 official ROM has been leaked so it does exist in some form.) => Meaning updates are super scarce and extremely late.
- T-Mobile is selling a good phone with many flaws, and their first attempt to fix it bricked many phones (do a google search I am not the only one).
- While it may be better than other companies, T-Mobiles customer service is FAR from flawless
P.S. My phone was completely stock (so please don't mention how I did this with a lag fix, etc.). I waited at least 15 mins before I pulled the battery, before which I had noted the T-Mobile sound starting without the animation (seems like a timing issue or something). And finally, I realize this is a duplicate post to many others but I want people to find this info (not be at the bottom of a really long thread) to get the word out how T-Mobile deals with their errors.
I hate when people mess with their phones then get angry at a company for "breaking" their phone. Im running stock rom with root and also got bricked, but, I manned up and knew I was in the wrong and accepted what happened. I didn't put the blame on TMo, because completely untouched vibrants that I was aware of had no issues with this OTA. If you added functionality to it after the fact that it wasn't originally on there before when you initially purchased it; then its YOUR fault that it bricked, NOT T-mobiles. Take some responsibility and stop crying.
Had the same problem but this is a pretty fix using Odin.
If you install an update from an OTA T-Mobile should be held responsible
I don't know about you guys but when you have been a customer for 10+ years, T-Mobile will pretty much suck your balls.
Either way, if you guys rooted it, then that takes the fault from T-Mobile to you. You changed the phone. The update was designed for a pristine un-edited Samsung Vibrant, if you changed anything in the system by rooting or flashing it is your fault for changing the equation. T-Mobile is NOT at fault for your actions.
Yeah why warranty the phone when you can just ODIN and fix it yourself? Do a xda search. If you're gonna use xda to complain at least use it to solve your own problems as well. Unless your phone is hardware locked it is 100 % fixable.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
starkiller86 said:
I hate when people mess with their phones then get angry at a company for "breaking" their phone. Im running stock rom with root and also got bricked, but, I manned up and knew I was in the wrong and accepted what happened. I didn't put the blame on TMo, because completely untouched vibrants that I was aware of had no issues with this OTA. If you added functionality to it after the fact that it wasn't originally on there before when you initially purchased it; then its YOUR fault that it bricked, NOT T-mobiles. Take some responsibility and stop crying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
P.S. My phone was completely stock (so please don't mention how I did this with a lag fix, etc.). I waited at least 15 mins before I pulled the battery, before which I had noted the T-Mobile sound starting without the animation (seems like a timing issue or something). And finally, I realize this is a duplicate post to many others but I want people to find this info (not be at the bottom of a really long thread) to get the word out how T-Mobile deals with their errors
Did you not read that part?
I bricked two stock Vibrants with the update. The second one failed during Mini-Kies update and was hardware locked.
It is a known issue according to the Tech guy that I spoke to while getting my replacement.
First phone wouldn't power on after failure, second phone was hardware locked so un-fixable.
No, no.
This happened to me, I had a rooted phone I had uninstalled the inflight internet, etc on it and hadn't overclocked or anything like that. Phone kills itself. I went to the tmo store and they only make you pay for shipping if you take the overnight option.
PROTIP - DON'T ASK FOR EXTRA SPEEDY SHIPPING AND THEY'LL PAY FOR IT.
so i guess we are just SOL for the data on the phone? I just lost an entire vacation of pictures. I had not had a chance to root this phone either. this is ****ing awesome.
dechire said:
so i guess we are just SOL for the data on the phone? I just lost an entire vacation of pictures. I had not had a chance to root this phone either. this is ****ing awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess this is just an example of "store your pictures on the external SD card"
Then if you brick it you can still get your pictures back ....
watcher64 said:
I guess this is just an example of "store your pictures on the external SD card"
Then if you brick it you can still get your pictures back ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Word. That's one of the first things I did when I got the phone and was playing with the features. Switched it from phone storage to memory card.
Sorry to hear you lost photos.
Protip: Pay the damn overnight shipping fee...it'll be deducted from your bill (flex pay) which makes it free: )
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Here is the business side
If I am T mobile every time some person has a problem and I offered free shipping, the Every moron would be shipping the device back for Any problem. Way way costly, so that is not going to happen. If you Really believe the phone is factory defective then, pay the shipping and move on. If you messed with it at all then the burden to resolve is yours and be honest about that. Remember the reason people are in here is to customize the phone and improve it. Like the XDA mantra sez.......... It is not just the result... but the journey....
Like one of the other posts stated:
If you rooted it, then that takes the fault from T-Mobile to you. You changed the phone. The update was designed for a pristine un-edited Samsung Vibrant, if you changed anything in the system by rooting or flashing it is your fault for changing the equation. T-Mobile is NOT at fault for your actions.
Gr8gorilla said:
First phone wouldn't power on after failure, second phone was hardware locked so un-fixable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a hardware lock fix now, you really should flash that before you do anything else. Yeah, you run the risk of bricking with the hardware unlock, but it's probably a safer bet than flashing away.
dechire said:
so i guess we are just SOL for the data on the phone? I just lost an entire vacation of pictures. I had not had a chance to root this phone either. this is ****ing awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you Odin it with the JI6 update, you might still be able to get a working system out of it. Worth a shot to see if you can get it without having to flash to stock first (which will wipe).
With all the time you spent with tech support, you could have found the thread that delineates how to fix your phone and update through odin. Its very easy and, frankly why be on a developers forum when you are not willing to tinker around a bit.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
dechire said:
so i guess we are just SOL for the data on the phone? I just lost an entire vacation of pictures. I had not had a chance to root this phone either. this is ****ing awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as the phone still powers on you can still use ADB Pull and save the data from the /sdcard folder. This update isn't a totally bricking the phone (at least it didn't mine) just making the display and inputs not work. To quote Billy Crystal: "He's only MOSTLY dead"
Odin was really simple to reflash the stock ROM and then I was able to do a nandroid restore from there.
The T-Mobile OTA update left my phone only booting to the vibrant screen, but it was a pretty simple fix with Odin. The hardest part was getting the proper drivers installed in windows!
Mini kies wouldnt even let me update,so I rooted and flashed bionix 1.8,works great.**** tmo.
Fyi to the people with hardware lock. I did the update on my gf's phone which was hardware locked and it failed. The phone would only boot to the vibrant screen. The good news is the ota update unlocks the hardware because her phone is able to get into recovery and download mode even thought the update failed. The point is don't worry if ota fail on you because you can just use odin to fix it since it unlocks the download mode.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
mr2t32 said:
Fyi to the people with hardware lock. I did the update on my gf's phone which was hardware locked and it failed. The phone would only boot to the vibrant screen. The good news is the ota update unlocks the hardware because her phone is able to get into recovery and download mode even thought the update failed. The point is don't worry if ota fail on you because you can just use odin to fix it since it unlocks the download mode.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the update even gets that far...
I'm looking to get a second hand galaxy s2, is there any way to check the lifetimer of the phone?
The *#*#info#*#* is not showing the info that i need. Is there any other code that i could use.
Thanks
J
Sent from my GT-I9000
Lifetimer?
Don't know which one u like to know by that word - Life-timer
1.If u meant- the phone's manufacture date and Warranty period:
Go to this place.
http://www.sammobile.com/firmware/?page=2
Register.Then put the serial number[found on the label inside the phone under the battery] in the space provided and hit send.U will get ur answer.
2. If u want to know the Phone's up-time, it's really tough as a factory reset will put the counter to Zero.
I think he means how much the previous owner has use it ... like how much calling ......
I wouldn't go there at all, because you can never be 100% certain of anything with a 2nd hand phone. Get a new one. Or get a cheaper Android phone. There's heaps of them from different manufacturers.
Why paying 500€ on a phone that will be replaced soon.
Anyway...yes, i want to know if there's a code that will show you the up time from new. Nokia use to have one...
Sent from my GT-I9000
MistahBungle said:
I wouldn't go there at all, because you can never be 100% certain of anything with a 2nd hand phone. Get a new one. Or get a cheaper Android phone. There's heaps of them from different manufacturers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always buy second hand phones, never got a bad surprise. It's a question of testing functionalities before buying (Quite easy, really)
As far as I know android does not have lifetimer functionality but I could be wrong.
Your only other clue would be date on the battery unless seller replaced it with new.
Thanks Idan73, just checked the battery date on my galaxy s and is made in the same month i bought the phone.
The S2 i'm looking to get is only 2 weeks old according to the seller. I was hoping i can check the usage with some code.
Sent from my GT-I9000
Sorry! But even nokia war0anty code can be reset...
But like I said battery is pretty good indicator (within a month usually cause these things don't stay in stock long) and most importantly visual inspection and for God sakes, play with the phone before buying.
Also important to check for USB damage. Telltale signs are in info menu under battery when full it will say overcharge, phone refuses to shut down, temperature warning while booting...
Hey guys, sorry for another topic, however I actually do know what is wrong with my phone and know it needs to be JTAG repaired..
however... I was wondering if anyone knew the root cause of this (no pun intended).. I was flashing JellyBam v5.0 (custom [email protected]~) and mid installation, phone froze, powered down and is now bricked. Any reason why it would do that mid install? Battery was 95%+
cheers
rsr1 said:
Hey guys, sorry for another topic, however I actually do know what is wrong with my phone and know it needs to be JTAG repaired..
however... I was wondering if anyone knew the root cause of this (no pun intended).. I was flashing JellyBam v5.0 (custom [email protected]~) and mid installation, phone froze, powered down and is now bricked. Any reason why it would do that mid install? Battery was 95%+
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please state more details. Rom, kernel, modem, odin, cwm, etc
He did. Regardless, none of that info would be relevant/useful in this case anyway, phone's borked.
@OP - Honestly, that's impossible to say. Something hardware related in the phone, something simple like the battery contacts not making a proper connection, something on the PC side even (temporary issue with the connection b/w the PC & phone) ? The possibilities are endless.
Have it looked at by a JTAG repairer & if that can't be done, maybe try and source a motherboard from a donor phone (broken screen or whatever). That will be the cheaper option than having Samsung replace the MB if it can't be JTAG'd, even if you pay a local mobile repair shop to install the 'new' MB (if you're not confident enough to DIY).
seanwong98 said:
Please state more details. Rom, kernel, modem, odin, cwm, etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MistahBungle said:
He did. Regardless, none of that info would be relevant/useful in this case anyway, phone's borked.
@OP - Honestly, that's impossible to say. Something hardware related in the phone, something simple like the battery contacts not making a proper connection, something on the PC side even (temporary issue with the connection b/w the PC & phone) ? The possibilities are endless.
Have it looked at by a JTAG repairer & if that can't be done, maybe try and source a motherboard from a donor phone (broken screen or whatever). That will be the cheaper option than having Samsung replace the MB if it can't be JTAG'd, even if you pay a local mobile repair shop to install the 'new' MB (if you're not confident enough to DIY).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you are right it could be anything happening within the phone without my knowledge, luckily phone was connected to mains when i was flashing using CWM so no problems there, but i don't think i will find the reason why it actually happened as you said the possibilities are endless
I'm trying to get in touch with a place that does JTAG repairs at the moment, however im just scared they say it can't be done. Havent really got the money to fork out for a new MB. I bought the phone second hand last year (april) where i was told it was only 3-4weeks old however had no old purchase details. Is there any way for me to check if the warranty is still valid or does it become void after resale? Thanks
There used to be an online warranty checker on one of Samsung's regional websites (can't remember which, maybe someone else does ?) where you could put the serial number in & get the warranty end date, but I recall people on here saying it either went away or didn't work anymore at some point last year.
But I doubt you'd get warranty service without the original receipt anyway, and even if you had it, I'm not sure the warranty is transferable beyond the original purchaser (Someone else please correct me if they know of cases where the warranty has been honoured regardless, I realise this might vary from country to country).
Unless the phone has physical damage as opposed to the NAND simply being scrambled beyond all recognition which normally happens when a flash goes wrong like that, you'd probably expect it to be JTAG'able.
If it's not, as I said in my PP, a board from a 'donor' phone would be much cheaper to both buy/have installed than paying a Samsung authorised repairer to put a new MB in (apparently they charge in the vicinity of half what a new phone would cost retail).
Edit - Re: getting a 'donor' phone for the MB, here's an example of what I'm talking about; no doubt you'll probably pick one up cheaper, just thought I'd give you an example of what to look for if you end up needing to go down that path.
rsr1 said:
-SNIP-
I'm trying to get in touch with a place that does JTAG repairs at the moment, however im just scared they say it can't be done. Havent really got the money to fork out for a new MB. I bought the phone second hand last year (april) where i was told it was only 3-4weeks old however had no old purchase details. Is there any way for me to check if the warranty is still valid or does it become void after resale? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MistahBungle said:
There used to be an online warranty checker on one of Samsung's regional websites (can't remember which, maybe someone else does ?) where you could put the serial number in & get the warranty end date, but I recall people on here saying it either went away or didn't work anymore at some point last year.
But I doubt you'd get warranty service without the original receipt anyway, and even if you had it, I'm not sure the warranty is transferable beyond the original purchaser (Someone else please correct me if they know of cases where the warranty has been honoured regardless, I realise this might vary from country to country).
Unless the phone has physical damage as opposed to the NAND simply being scrambled beyond all recognition which normally happens when a flash goes wrong like that, you'd probably expect it to be JTAG'able.
If it's not, as I said in my PP, a board from a 'donor' phone would be much cheaper to both buy/have installed than paying a Samsung authorised repairer to put a new MB in (apparently they charge in the vicinity of half what a new phone would cost retail).
Edit - Re: getting a 'donor' phone for the MB, here's an example of what I'm talking about; no doubt you'll probably pick one up cheaper, just thought I'd give you an example of what to look for if you end up needing to go down that path.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're right on that one, if i don't even have proof of purchase then I don't think warranty will be valid. Thanks anyway on that behalf. Yeah it is only that one issue nothing else is wrong physically so i am hoping for the best and do believe a JTAG should get me out of this situation without a problem (fingers crossed).
On the topic of a replacement motherboard thank you very much for pointing me in the right direction if JTAG fails. Buying a cheap phone as such is a great idea and taking a working motherboard for a lot cheaper than RRP is wonderful.
Thankyou very much for your input & help ::highfive:
I have the EXACT same problem...
the ivelstre
Simmyen said:
I have the EXACT same problem...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It happened to both of us whilst installing JellyBam v5, so surely there must be a problem with the ROM? We encountered the exact same issue 100% and are both left in the same position now due to the ROM
rsr1 said:
It happened to both of us whilst installing JellyBam v5, so surely there must be a problem with the ROM? We encountered the exact same issue 100% and are both left in the same position now due to the ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the exact same problem yeah, but i know a friend of mine who used the same ROM as we did.. it worked for him though
Always try a Jig before JTAG, no harm there.
If warrantu isn't voided, make sure it's really bricked so you can claim it with the "I was updating it via wifi and dropped dead" rutine.
No probs. Just sorry we couldn't be of more help. Best of luck (Hope it ends up being easily JTAG'able for you).
rsr1 said:
-SNIP-
Thankyou very much for your input & help ::highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently sold a tablet on eBay that was working when I shipped it, I have pictures of it working both before and after I factory reset it. When the buyer received it, he emailed me saying it will not turn on, but I am 100% sure it was working when I shipped it out. The buyer has initiated a return, which pretty much means I have to refund the money as there is nothing I can really do to prove it was working when sent. I have pictures of it working, with the date stamp on the EXIF data, but I am almost certain PayPal / eBay will side with the buyer anyway so I would rather at least get the tablet back in my hands.
The tablet was not in the best shape, but the sold price reflected that and I was entirely honest in the description. Reading back through the messages from the buyer there are some red flags popping up that have me wondering if he tried to flash something to it and bricked it. In my auction description and in messages between us I had indicated it was rooted and running TWRP as well as a custom ROM. He had replied saying that he may end up flashing to the original ROM (this after also asking me if it was SIM unlocked, even though it clearly stated it is a wifi only tablet).
Is there any way to find out if he tried to flash something like a P605 ROM onto the P600 I sold him and bricked it? Assuming he did do something like that and I can connect to it somehow either via ADB or ODIN, will it be fairly straightforward to flash the correct ROM back onto it? I should have the tablet back tomorrow and will want to check it fairly quickly to see if the guy screwed it up himself or not.
The only thing that does not have me almost 100% certain of it is that he only had it a few hours before contacting me to say it was not working. However, I absolutely know I sent a working tablet and in all honesty, am going to be pretty annoyed if I get back a non-working tablet.
Thanks.
TL;DR cliffs - suspecting backdoor install after phone screen repair, would like to flash stock ROM, is a trusted source available?
I recently broke the screen on my Samsung A50 from Verizon, and had it repaired by an "authorized" repair shop recommended from Samsung.
This is the second time I've done this. The first time, I took it to a non authorized repair shop, and the fingerprint sensor stopped working and the price for repair was no less expensive than the authorized one, only more convenient location wise.
So this time, I got it done at the authorized shop called UBREAKIFIX.
When I arrived for the AMOLED screen repair they asked me what the password/pattern was, and I thought that was really weird considering it's just a hardware replacement, and asked why do you need the password? The guy gave me some gibberish about how they need to make sure blah blah blah and I was so desperate to just get my phone back and didn't want to argue so I just told them, thinking what's the worst that could happen?
So a few things.
- I dropped it off with a full battery, and got it back with 30% charge level when I got the repair done maybe 3 hours later.
- The battery now drains a lot faster with little/no use. I've always taken good care of the device, it's fairly new as I had it replaced under warranty for a brand new one due to fingerprint sensor issues mentioned previously
- When getting on wifi I am now suddenly getting a warning I've never gotten before:
"Apps are using mobile data
0 apps are using mobile data when when your phone is connected to WiFi. Tap here to manage these apps"
Of course no app is listed that is using the mobile data. It's never shown this warning before..
- A few apps seems to have been opened at the very least, including Signal, a secure messaging app which was at the very least launched and appears the messages were tampered with. WTF.
I am suspecting some employee has installed some backdoor/Trojan but I can't prove it. I'd like to install a clean stock ROM to give me better peace of mind. Hopefully this will solve the battery issue as well?
Can't quite explain the battery draining fast issue if it's not a backdoor... Did they possibly damage the battery while removing it to replace the screen, and maybe install an inferior one?
All in all I am horribly regretting the decision on paying $150 to have it repaired instead of spending $225 for an Amazon certified refurbished one. With the +$75 refurbished option and a screen replacement that I would attempt myself, I would have the base for a second WiFi device that I use for work, which would actually come in handy (since my current WiFi device is a J3 with 2gb RAM which can be very slow for some things).
I went for the lazy repair option because I didn't want the headache of having to reconfigure the phone to my likings again, .with the 10 or so OTA updates which must be painstakingly done one at a time with a reboot between every one, can be an all-day process.
is there a trusted source for a stock ROM image that I can flash, and instructions for doing so?
Bump
Contact Verizion to obtain the source of the Stock ROM.
Is asking for (and receiving) ROM images a thing now?
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I am fully anticipating having to jump through all sorts of hoops and "escalations" only to be told that this type of thing isn't supported by Verizon.....