Hi Guys, I'm just frustrated and would like to share my experience buying Galaxy Note in an online market in China. (I will go to appropriate forum for help on the problems I'm still having later).
The moral of the story is: If you are not a Chinese-language user, buy an android device at a Chinese online market at your own risk!
My wife and I are non Chinese-language users who live in China. I have a G-Tab P1000 and am extremely happy with it. Thus, I got my wife - an iPhone user - interested to get G-Note N7000 since the day it was announced. So last week, I bought it at a Chinese online market (Taobao) for her early birthday present. It came with Hungarian User Manual.
It arrived Monday (2 days ago). After started it up and changed the language to English, I was shocked and upset! A lot of Samsung specific Apps were missing. I got even more worried when the Android Market was not even there! Instead, there was a Mandarin version Market App customized for Chinese not even developed by Google. In addition to that, there were several other default chinese apps including the QQSecurity, Dolphine Browser in Chinese, Chinese bookstore, etc (all in chinese characters).
Later I found out that I was missing: Android Market, Samsung Apps Market (and all the 'hub' things), Gmail App, Kies connectivity, S Memo (Just found out last night because S-Planner and Screen Capture were "unexpectedly Stopped") and Who-knows-what-I-miss. There is a notification of "Firmware update available" but upon installation and reboot, it failed to 'write' so I couldn't update my firmware either - (and did I mentioned I couldn't connect to Kies?)
So I, a newbie who had not done a single successful rooting (I tried and failed miserably with Z4root and other things before), spent Monday night and the whole day yesterday -- rooted my G-tab(as an experiment) and my wife's G-Note, learned how to block the Chinese Apps using Gemini App Manager, installed Android Market successfully (That's when I learned I have to install the .apk in the /system/app directory, installed Samsung Apps (by far the easiest of all). Only one thing (I think) I haven't been able to install successfully: S MEMO.
Now, I can connect to Kies, but I have this message on it: "Your device does not support software upgrading via Kies"
The product was sent from Shenzhen (the capital of tech and hacks in China, and these people tried to be nice for the Chinese-language users by replacing some English apps with Chinese Character apps, but they didn't do it correctly. I guess they didn't even bother understanding why S-memo is so important, and now I'm missing the most important thing, the reason people buy G-Note: S MEMO!!!!
Now on, I'll be off searching for S Memo's .apk and .odex. or Should I just flash it with the new 2.3.6 ROM?
That's another question in another forum I guess.
P.S. Thanks to everyone's posts in this forum website and thegalaxytabforum
I have done all those above by going through many different posts. Great postings!
Yappoe.
Just root it then install cwm then flash a euro rom
I would perhaps just flash the hong kong rom.
It doesn't have the samsung apps / hubs? I've been trying to get them - they aren't on the HK rom.
S-memo is though, as are the main things I care about.
- Frank
As long as the hardware is good and it isn't bricked, youre totally fine. And it seems that is the case. Just root it and flash any ROM with a high number of replies. You'll be blown away with the outcome.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Not surprised that the Google apps are missing, especially the Market. I'm sure you have heard of China's love affair with Google!
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk
Next time arrange a trip to Hong Kong and get it there.
ahhh don't worry.. this is a very small issue... I got into this before.. just root and install a new fresh ROM... problem solved easily... rooting and flashing a new ROM shouldn't take more than 15mins
Not exactly horrific. Flash a new ROM and done. Many devices here in Dubai are also without the official market. You can simply sideload the market app.
I'd hate to see what you'd think of a really horrific situation.
ShaggyDragon said:
Not exactly horrific. Flash a new ROM and done. Many devices here in Dubai are also without the official market. You can simply sideload the market app.
I'd hate to see what you'd think of a really horrific situation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly.. we have the same issues here in KSA..
UPDATE: Got it flashed with German ROM
It's WORKING....LOVE THE PHONE!!!
Here are the steps I did to make my Galaxy Note GT-N7000 work after a scary day:
I found a place to download firmware at: h**p://fus(dot)nanzen(dot)se/
(from Hoffighter's posting) http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1350960
I downloaded Fus Check Downloader 2.1 and downloaded Firmware N7000XXKK9 (for Germany). It will automatically decode the .enc2 file to.zip file
I extracted the .zip file generated from decoding file to a folder and I got
"N7000XXKK9_N7000OXAKK9_N7000XXKK5_HOME.tar.md 5" file.
I downloaded Odin3 1.85 (search "odin3 1.85" in XDA Dev forum)
opened Odin3 1.85, attach the file .md5 to the PDA field on Odin.
I went to download mode on mt G-Note (Power + home + Volume down)
and click start. It took about 6 to 7 minutes to do the flashing,
and I got my brand new Galaxy Note working!!! I lost my root access, but I got all the apps I installed earlier back.
Thanks for all the good postings, guys!
Glad to hear you have fixed your issues.
As a (too) late word of caution, I would never ever buy that kind of expensive and sensitive piece of electronics from Taobao! Here in China, it is very important to be able to look with your own eyes to make sure this kind of small issues aren t here
Hi,
I´m thinking about getting a S4+, to upgrade the S4 mini I have at the moment. The Kitkat ROM was just released OTA here in Sweden to this model. However, I´m a bit hesitant to if I should upgrade to this or not, since I have read a lot of things......and found that I have a few issues with this release compared to JB.
Could someone maybe try to clarify this for me?
1. I´ve read that text reflow is no longer working in browsers in Kitkat. It this true for the S4/S4+ TouchWiz Kitkat version? Any way around this issue?
2. GPS settings have changed somehow. The toggle in the activity menu is redesigned, but there is also some changes made to the functionality. But exactly what has been changed?? I don´t get that.
3. If I install a "exSD card fix" app from Play store, will this also fix the issue that files will be deleted if I uninstall the app that has created the files and have them in its folder? I´m trying to find out if the status of the exSD-changes that Google introduced in Kitkat will be reverted to exactly like in JB after applying these kind of apps, or if the exSDcard functionality still will be broken somehow.
4. Does Towelroot work on the Kitkat version of S4+?
5. Is there any other significant bugs or issues with Kitkat on S4+ that could be nice to know about before making the decision to upgrade from JB or not??
Big thanks guys for your input and feedback!
Cheers!
BR Ola
Bump.....?
Skickat från min GT-I9195 via Tapatalk
Hello to all,
I have an issue with my S6 edge after updating it to Android 6.0.1.
All is working fine except an edge (side) panel. When I slide it to people edge it's ok, but when sliding to app edge I get notification that "application edge screen was closed". Restart opens it again but still is crashing the same way.
Already contacted Samsung - had to factory reset. That didn't help. Told me to contact service for further repairs.
Already wiped device in recovery mode - didn't help.
Already changed firmware by Odin to BTU (I'm polish) - didn't help
Already changed firmaware to XEO again - didn't help
Already changed firmware using 4 files (pit too) XEO - didn't help.
Can anyone help to resolve this issue?
What ROM are you currently on? Are you rooted? Do you use Titanium Backup or similar?
I ask because I once had the exact same problem. I'd accidentally frozen "Apps Edge"
in Titanium?
Otherwise, see if there's an Edge update in Samsung Apps. Or try pushing another Apps Edge apk into your current setup?
I'm having the same issue - it only seems to be the apps edge panel that crashes it. If I remove all the apps from the panel then re-add them it's ok for a while, then later it crashes again. It was fine & I was using it all the time before the last software update!
Phone details:
Samsung S6 Edge SM-G925F
Android 6.0.1 Build MMB29K.G925FXXU3DPDP (not rooted/customised)
re: edge panel issue
davesing33 said:
I'm having the same issue - it only seems to be the apps edge panel that crashes it. If I remove all the apps from the panel then re-add them it's ok for a while, then later it crashes again. It was fine & I was using it all the time before the last software update!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How difficult would it be to add a couple lines in your post letting everyone know your phone's exact model,
which custom rom you are currently using and whether or not you have xposed framework installed?
And any other specific details.
Good luck,
Have a great day!
Misterjunky said:
How difficult would it be to add a couple lines in your post letting everyone know your phone's exact model,
which custom rom you are currently using and whether or not you have xposed framework installed?
And any other specific details.
Good luck,
Have a great day!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have any xposed framework installed.
Phone isn't rooted as I'm still under warranty which I don't want to lose. Never used Titanium backup or any other app. The only backup was made by SmartSwitch.
The App endge is alrady up to date.
Current ROM is G925FXXU3DPDP
Ver. No. MMB29K.G925FXXU3DPDP
Android 6.0.1
I've been working at this non-stop for the past week, and I've finally found a way. I am not able to flash a European ROM on the Chinese Mate 9.
I came very close to bricking my device, so I'm currently making sure of the method. Here is what it looks like:
http://imgur.com/a/1ONOF
(I am long-pressing the home button to show it's fully google-ized, in both pictures, but I took my hand out of the picture for paranoia purposes)
So, how is it done? Through eRecovery. I will release the full method once I have tested it enough for public consumption, because I don't want people bricking their devices.
How does it work? It's... interesting.
The version showing up on the phone is the last Chinese firmware which was installed. It doesn't update to show what version it is. In the imgur picture, for instance, it says B109SP01, but it's actually B115 running on it. The phone still thinks it's a Chinese phone, so if you try to get an OTA, you'll probably be getting a Chinese OTA which will not work correctly. So in that sense, it's a bastardized version, and OTAs/updates will not work normally -- You'll have to flash them through a different method.
The positive side is, Google works. Completely. It comes installed out of the gate with account sync, and so on. Other than being Google-fied, some other differences include the permissions menu, the keyboard (SwiftKey is default), and a few other things here and there. The default theme looks strange, and I think it has to do with the cust partition not matching the actual model. This is something I'm currently looking into before release. I'm also looking into using version B122 (or newer if it becomes available) instead of 115.
I'm sure many of you want to get your hands on the European firmware and the method to install it. If you're interested in testing despite one-day-old pre-beta status, shoot me a PM, and I'll try to get you hooked up. In the future, because this method will require a lot of data transfer, I'm considering charging some money to people who download it, and setting up a proper server.
Anyway, for now, know that it's possible, and if you want to do it right away, get in touch with me and I'll try to help!
Update: I have now verified that it's possible to go back to the Chinese ROM. I should have something for those who contacted me wanting to test tomorrow. Since this is a LOT of work, priority will be given to those willing to make a donation.
Although I don't have a Chinese M9 I appreciate your efforts as this opens up the way to flashing other stock and maybe even custom ROM's. Well done!
blackspp said:
Although I don't have a Chinese M9 I appreciate your efforts as this opens up the way to flashing other stock and maybe even custom ROM's. Well done!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I think that custom ROMs will not work with this method, because they're not signed by Huawei.
Wow, That's great news.
I really appreciate your efforts.
I think that you can get a little bit of money in return for your efforts.
I would like to participate in this plan.
Please notify me when the procedure is completed.
Thanks again!
So, here's where we are at right now:
We can flash the system partition of a European firmware, no problem. There's seemingly no issue there.
Where we get the issue is when we look at the cust partition. Because we can't change the actual region of the phone from all/cn to hw/eu, for example, the cust partition has issues. What I mean by issues is, you don't get any of the default themes, various software might be missing features, and so on. Your phone's model number also appears to change from MHA-AL00 to M300-AL00 if you flash the non-Chinese cust partition. When this happens, things go crazy, and you cannot see a proper version number, build number, or model number.
I am looking into making a 'bastardized' version of something to flash, using a Chinese cust partition with an international system rom. Theoretically, this could fix the issues to an extent. It will, however, probably give you a warning upon boot-up that the system has been tampered with, and so on. I will have more information later tonight, Japan time, when I get a chance to work on it some more.
The programs which go missing on a flash of the European firmware are the following:
AutoInStallAPKFromMcc HPLegacyPlugin HwPhoneService PlayGames
Books HwCloudDrive_Local LatinImeGoogle PlusOne
ChromeHomePage HwID Newsstand PredefinedEapSim
GameBoxGlobal HwOUC OMACP talkback
Appmanager HwBetaClub Instagram_Stub Todoist
Booking HwHealthPlatform_OVE Installer Todoist_ntp
DisableTodoistReceiver HwLogUploadService NewsRepublic Twitter
Facebook_Stub HwOUCBeta ProjectMenuAct WPS
Along with all the included themes, and the auto-installer which mounts via USB when you plug the phone in.
Obviously, some of these files are more important than others. All of the things really vital to being able to use the phone can likely be loaded via a Chinese cust partition, but the versions are probably different from the european versions.
Update:
I've obtained a server and am currently setting things up to bring this to the public. The first stage will be a private test. I'm still willing to take some testers who are willing to put their phones in the line of fire! I don't think the private test will launch today, because a new International B126 ROM just came out, so I'm going to base my work off of that for now.
After all the kinks are worked out, I will develop some kind of system for the general public to use. Eventually, this system will be one where you configure your DNS to my server, log into a website, choose what firmware you want to flash, then use eRecovery and that firmware will flash to your phone. I will have to customize all of the international firmware to work perfectly on Chinese devices, and I've yet to do that, but will be working on it. If there's a need, I can expand this system to other Huawei phones. It's exciting times for Mate 9 owners.
Hi duraraa
I have just received my 128g mate 9 in France. I will be happy tomake a donation and participate to the test. Please let me know.
v.kuo said:
Hi duraraa
I have just received my 128g mate 9 in France. I will be happy tomake a donation and participate to the test. Please let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, thank you for your interest. In the meantime, if you are currently on a version like B115 or higher, please downgrade to B106 / B109SP01 so you are familiar with the process.
Update: Now that we can install Google framework on the Chinese latest firmware, I have decided to cancel this project for now. I may keep a server alive to upload to unsupported/beta firmwares, but trying to get the European firmware working well on the Chinese Mate 9 is no longer a priority.
Which version of the firmware Duraraa ?
duraaraa said:
Update: Now that we can install Google framework on the Chinese latest firmware, I have decided to cancel this project for now. I may keep a server alive to upload to unsupported/beta firmwares, but trying to get the European firmware working well on the Chinese Mate 9 is no longer a priority.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Duraaraa.
i might have missed something... how to put the framework on? Thanks so much - looking soo much forward to have Google on my AL00 phone.
weiaoli said:
Hi Duraaraa.
i might have missed something... how to put the framework on? Thanks so much - looking soo much forward to have Google on my AL00 phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just search for GMS in the HiApp store. Huawei released a google framework installer.
But the app twin functionality in Chinese handset only allows QQ and wechat. Please continue with finding out how we can install European Rom on Chinese handset so we can have twin app functionality for whatsapp.
ewijaya74 said:
But the app twin functionality in Chinese handset only allows QQ and wechat. Please continue with finding out how we can install European Rom on Chinese handset so we can have twin app functionality for whatsapp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I flash the European rom on the Chinese handset, it's still QQ and wechat. Strange, eh?
Yes very strange....But there must be a way to fix this right?
Mate 9 from Taiwan
Hi everyone, keeping an eye on the market I found a very tempting offer on the 64GB version - HUAWEI Mate 9 64GB 4G Dual Sim SIM FREE/ UNLOCKED .
Now, my knowledge of ROM flashing is "level: what is a ROM?", but I am reading lots on the subject , but a couple of months ago I bought a P9 for my wife, chinese Al00 version, no problems to install Google Play but still many things are in chinese, the language correction for english or other EU languages sucks. That is why I decided not to go for Chinese versions unless there were exaustive guides on how to flash the mobile to an international or better european ROM.
Said all that, I wonder if anyone has found an easy way to solve the above mentioned issues - I assume everyone with a chinese version will have similar problems - and if you solved them otherwise.
Thanks for any information you might provide, and sorry if I missed key info to have this question properly addressed, but I will be happy to add it if asked.
Cheers,
Daniele
Hello Everyone!
I'm hoping I can get some good advice on how to fix the issue that has come up.
I will try to be as detailed as I can in describing what has happened.
I started out with my Samsung S5 DUOS rooted on Android 4.4.2 but I had to update due to apps dropping support for 4.4.2.
Using Odin I installed Official Samsung 6.0.1 update for Android 6.0.1, after which I rooted the phone using the correct Chainfire Rooting package,
and after this I also installed the latest correct TWRP Recovery.
When starting up the phone everything was working fine except Google Services Framework and Play Store kept crashing constantly which I then solved by grabbing the APK's from another Samsung S5 running Android 6.0.1 and installed those on my phone. This fixed the crashing issue entirely and everything is now 100% stable and working just fine.
Which brings me to my problem: In the Play Store app it seems now that it is partially in English. I am running the phone set entirely to Swedish language otherwise. So most of the Play Store displays in Swedish, but certain things such as "Downloading" or "Install" or certain menu options of the app itself displays in English rather than Swedish. Also the app name is Play Store rather than "Play Butik" in Swedish. I thought that these APKs had all languages integrated in them and displayed the correct language depending on the language setting of the phone itself.
Any and all help to fix this so that I can have Play Store app run in Swedish would be appreciated very very much.
Kindest regards,
XDAFan.
P.S If I have posted this in the wrong place please move it to where it's supposed to go.
Might be a bug and ruled out with the next version of Playstore. I assume there are quite frequent updates, but performed in the background, like the Play Services updates.
lecorbusier said:
Might be a bug and ruled out with the next version of Playstore. I assume there are quite frequent updates, but performed in the background, like the Play Services updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is an interesting theory! I went to APK Mirror and checked the versions of the APK's that I had pulled from the other (identical) phone and the Play Services APK was a match but the Playstore was outdated(!) so I pulled the latest compatible (Android 6.0+) version of that that I could find on APK Mirror and installed it and that fixed the problem!!
So BIG THANKS for thinking of this as a possible cause of my problem and the solution to it!
Kindest regards,
XDAFan.
Updating my previous reply here
Kindest regards,
xdafan.