Database Users

Soft-Bricked S4 by Flashing Different Version Rom

Hi everyone,
Before blasting away with comments as to why I would do this, here's my story,
I live in Canada and just brought home a i9508, a China variant of the S4. It belonged to my dad and he didn't want it so I just took it. The i9508 doesn't have Play Store, and it doesn't work on Canadian 3G network.
So to me, the phone is useless right off the start (don't intend on selling it either, who wants it?) So I had 2 options:
1) Leave the phone as it is, and probably use it once every 1-2 years when I visit HK
2) Flash custom roms on it fully aware of the risk it will have so that there's a possibility I can make it more usable
So in the end I went with option 2.
I followed a guide and flashed TWRP for i9505 using Odin onto the phone, and used TWRP to install chainfire SU, and it actually worked (but SU wouldn't open because some sort of security on the phone is blocking it)
Next step, I downloaded the CM version for i9505 and flashed onto the phone, and that worked too. Only problem I've encountered was that the phone would only boot after a fresh install. If I installed CM, turned the phone off after the initial start up, the phone wouldn't boot pass the Samsung logo.
Up until this point, I didn't make a backup, because of my arrogance, cause I have available a copy of the official firmware, in case anything happens.
So I figured at this point, maybe if I restore the original firmware, and try the whole process again, the custom rom would work. So I went into Odin, flash the firmware with PDA, and failed. It just wouldn't work. After retrying it a couple of times, and downloading different updates of the firmware, nothing worked. Only thing working right now is, I can get into Download mode, and I can get into TWRP recovery (but for some reason, I can't flash the zips that I've adb pushed onto the phone, zip can't open)
For me, if it can't be fixed, then it's really SOL. But if there's a way to fix it, I'm open to testing anything people have in mind, cause afterall, this phone is paper weight either way. I'm interested in seeing if I could enable 3G by flashing a i9505 radio, despite warnings, although, I've never actually came across a thread where someone had actually tried it before.
Either way, if someone has any idea on how to fix the phone, and wouldn't mind sharing it, that'll be greatly appreciated.
Working
I can get into Download mode, but Odin is failing (if you need the error please let me know and I'll post it)
I can get into TWRP recovery, but can't flash files
I can get into adb

This isnt the correct forum for your phone. XDA don't follow clones

Unfortunately a section for i9508 doesn't exist, so I figure the closest one would be i9505.
Anyhow, if someone has an idea of how to fix it, I'm more than happy to do testing on it, like flashing other roms or radios.

Jiayu S3 PIN Locked by Kinguser app

First of all, I may be posting this in the wrong section. But I desperately need your help on this.
I got a Jiayu S3, and couldn't not try to flash a custom rom on it, so I tried with "Pure AOSP V1 TF".
All went well, untill i found this app which was included with the rom, "Kinguser" (should be Superuser, i believe), which game me the option to toggle root.
At first and only time I opened this Kinguser app, option root was active. I did deactivate it, and reactivated immediately after.
As soon as i reactivated root, the privacy pin screen showed up.
I didn't set any PIN on my phone, so at first i thought it could be something like 1111 or 0000. Tried 5 times and it made me wait 30 seconds. Then tried another 3-4 times.
Here began the real mess: "forgot pin" (or psw) didn't show up, but at the time i didn't even know about that recovery option.
I didn't know what to do, so I just thought that a factory reset would certainly solve the problem, how couldn't it? Well, wiped everything, but PIN lock screen didn't go away.
So, wiping everything, I also deleted my gmail account from the phone, and I lost the possibility to lock phone and give it a new password (Android Device Manager). Too bad at the time I didn't know about this recovery option as well...
Now I'm out of ideas. I think I've tried every method I could find with a search of "Smartphone PIN locked". Tried with resets, plugins, deleting files with adb..
How do I unlock my phone?
little update: after a factory reset, for 2-3 seconds, it shows the default initial screen, but it doesn't last more that and i just can't do anything.
Now i managed to bring back the stock rom, but with that i lost the twrp recovery, and i can't find a way to make pc recognize the phone to reflash it.
It seems it's going worse instead of better...

I had just bought this Jiayu S3 and planned to bring it on holidays on wednesday, but i'm starting to think i won't be able to fix it before then

Did you have any resolution to this problem. I am currently sitting in the exact same boat. Did the factory reset, pass code screen still there, I didn't set a pass code. Basically hands tied, can't update firmware, guessing i'll have to get a new phone, but hoping maybe you found a miracle cure! ha! - Thanks for any guidance. - Arden (Seattle, WA)

Just flash another rom (stock/original) and start over.

How have you done that?
Can you help please?
I tried factory reset (volume plus+ power button), hard reset (volume- plus power button), update, and nothing works; I also went to two different specialized stores and they failed to find a way to reinstall the original Android version or a recent one.
Comparing the files with the factory version installed in the phone, the phone report identified three changes:
- a new file: /system/priv-app/7mK0T6e8Z5.apk
- the lost of a file: /system/app/com.android.fallen.apk
- and a modified file: /system/bin/debuggerd

AzulFogo said:
How have you done that?
Can you help please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To flash firmware you can use SP Flash Tool on a windows or linux computer (not sure about macosx). You have to decide which firmware you want (which one do you have now?). The 'official' firmwares can be found on needrom. SP Flash Tool can be found there as well. There are 2 popular LP firmwares built by Jiayu resellers in Europe (Xtreme from Spain and Jiayu.de from Germany). Guides on how to flash are often present at the place where you find the firmware.

Dior DNA said:
To flash firmware you can use SP Flash Tool on a windows or linux computer (not sure about macosx). You have to decide which firmware you want (which one do you have now?). The 'official' firmwares can be found on needrom. SP Flash Tool can be found there as well. There are 2 popular LP firmwares built by Jiayu resellers in Europe (Xtreme from Spain and Jiayu.de from Germany). Guides on how to flash are often present at the place where you find the firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you!
I found "Xtreme from Spain":
needrom.com/download/rom-xtreme-rom-tf/
I found the "SP Flash Tool":
needrom.com/download/sp-flash-tool-v5-1424-00/
but it is for Linux... can you send me the link of the windows version?
And I could not found the "Jiayu.de from Germany": can you send the link?
Also, can you recommend some good manual for dummies?
Thanks again for your patient and help!

latest sp flash tools is 5.1532
search needrom with "5.1532" will leed you to the download page
no link allowed here, so ...
for beta 10 from jiyau.de, search google with "jiyau.de Lollipop 5.1.1 - Beta 10 (14.10.2015)".
it will leeds you to the rom.
Good hunting
tuto sp flash tool
https://youtu.be/ztI8sc8MUNo

AzulFogo said:
Thank you!
I found "Xtreme from Spain":
needrom.com/download/rom-xtreme-rom-tf/
I found the "SP Flash Tool":
needrom.com/download/sp-flash-tool-v5-1424-00/
but it is for Linux... can you send me the link of the windows version?
And I could not found the "Jiayu.de from Germany": can you send the link?
Also, can you recommend some good manual for dummies?
Thanks again for your patient and help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
see jaunedoeuf's answers
I would like to add: if you come from KK and go to LP, you must use firmware upgrade to update/adjust internal SD partition layout. Good Luck! if you succeed, and are happy with firmware, consider voting @ http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/firmware-jiayu-s3-t3212184 (almost 100 votes)

First, thank you for your great help!
With your suggestions, I managed to install Lolipop in my Jiayu S3S (upgraded from Kit Kat) - Xtreme ROM TF (JiayuS3-5.1Extreme1.1SP.zip).
However the problem remain... the phone still is asking for a PIN (that I never had put there, in first place)...
What should I do now?

you could try factory reset and are you sure its the phone asking for pin and not the sim card

Need Instructions to avoid almost bricking again

Hi guys. I very narrowly (somehow) managed to recover from almost bricking my phone.
I successfully S-Off'd my phone, and previously successfully installed TWRP. I tried to install this ROM:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve...m-perfumewl-m60-dev-edition-unlocked-t3442969
When I tried the to flash the ZIP for firmware and for the ROM, the firmware wouldn't install. I tried some other stuff and basically almost bricked my phone. Some how got it to suddenly start being able to use the htc_fastboot commands (????????) and was able to start installing the zip for stock... but it ran an error, I ran it again and it froze... then I forced my phone to reboot and somehow I'm back to having a stock system. No clue what I did.
My question is, can I take a software update on my phone normally (to 7.0) , and then install just that ROM? Or so I need to flash the firmware separately with a command line command? I just don't want to give myself another heart attack tonight. Current firmware version is 1.82.605.6, not rooted, don't believe my recovery is TWRP right now (but I know how to install that one).
I'm just looking for root access and the ability to remove pre-installed Verizon crap (VZW Messager, My Verizon, etc). Thanks guys.

CritKlepka said:
Hi guys. I very narrowly (somehow) managed to recover from almost bricking my phone.
I successfully S-Off'd my phone, and previously successfully installed TWRP. I tried to install this ROM:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve...m-perfumewl-m60-dev-edition-unlocked-t3442969
When I tried the to flash the ZIP for firmware and for the ROM, the firmware wouldn't install. I tried some other stuff and basically almost bricked my phone. Some how got it to suddenly start being able to use the htc_fastboot commands (????????) and was able to start installing the zip for stock... but it ran an error, I ran it again and it froze... then I forced my phone to reboot and somehow I'm back to having a stock system. No clue what I did.
My question is, can I take a software update on my phone normally (to 7.0) , and then install just that ROM? Or so I need to flash the firmware separately with a command line command? I just don't want to give myself another heart attack tonight. Current firmware version is 1.82.605.6, not rooted, don't believe my recovery is TWRP right now (but I know how to install that one).
I'm just looking for root access and the ability to remove pre-installed Verizon crap (VZW Messager, My Verizon, etc). Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recommend you install this one instead:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve...m-1-85-605-9-aroma-root-root-debloat-t3529732
Follow instructions in OP...or:
1)fastboot flash FW w/o Boot w/ TWRP (htc_fastboot oem rebootRUU, fastboot flash zip...)
2)htc_fastboot reboot-bootloader
3) Finally, go into recovery-- backup and flash ROM (choose root w/ Magisk and debloat)

Thanks, I figured out why it wasn't working before. Used official TWRP, thats why it wasn't working. Wouldn't have thought that'd made that much of a difference.
New problem though; something I really would like to use the Google versions of contacts and dialers. Trying to flash those just made my phone app unusable. So I turned to LineageOS but it REFUSES to boot. Hangs on their little vertical line with a moving circle. Found out AOSP roms don't like VZW firmware? Flashed global firmware, updated through WiFi as much as possible, and then ran into issues with radio, even though I flashed the VZW one. So I reverted those changes, am going through with what you said above to have a working phone (after not having one all day), but any advice on getting Google dialer and contacts? I'd like to use LineageOS but I couldn't get it work at all.

CritKlepka said:
Thanks, I figured out why it wasn't working before. Used official TWRP, thats why it wasn't working. Wouldn't have thought that'd made that much of a difference.
New problem though; something I really would like to use the Google versions of contacts and dialers. Trying to flash those just made my phone app unusable. So I turned to LineageOS but it REFUSES to boot. Hangs on their little vertical line with a moving circle. Found out AOSP roms don't like VZW firmware? Flashed global firmware, updated through WiFi as much as possible, and then ran into issues with radio, even though I flashed the VZW one. So I reverted those changes, am going through with what you said above to have a working phone (after not having one all day), but any advice on getting Google dialer and contacts? I'd like to use LineageOS but I couldn't get it work at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've got to read OPs, search threads, etc. Some ROMs work w/ our phone, and some do not. Check out the latest versions of ice and leedroid. Your most likely want to grab the SVN versions is the official versions may not yet support Verizon N firmware

Antny6 said:
You've got to read OPs, search threads, etc. Some ROMs work w/ our phone, and some do not. Check out the latest versions of ice and leedroid. Your most likely want to grab the SVN versions is the official versions may not yet support Verizon N firmware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been doing a lot of searching, but I've found so many different, conflicting sources of information. For example, one website told me to install LineageOS, was to be on latest Verizon OTA and just normally flash it; that obviously didn't work.
So from what I can see, our choices are Viper, Ice, LeeDroid, NuSense and the one you linked. I'm going to try out LeeDroid... out of curiousity, is there any reason, for example, LeeDroid or Ice haven't posted in this Verizon section with links to their ROMs?
*Edit Two* Dialer wouldn't work out of the "box" so to speak, so I had to go to Phone settings at the bottom, there is a menu called Calling Accounts. Had to go there and tap Receive Incoming Calls... why is that disabled in the first place..? But that seems to be an issue going even as far back as the Nexus 5. But that's how you find the option in the HTC 10 for anyone who comes across this issue too...

Not sure why your having issues with the flashing. Are you doing a full wipe? Not just factory reset. Going from stock to lineage requires a complete format of internal SD card. On the stock roms, most will ask if you are still on marshmallow firmware & are working fine. Again, we need more info on what firmware version your on, version of twrp& how your wiping your device. Most AOSP roms work, but no advanced calling

LOS ROMs will work without issue IF you have flashed the US unlocked firmware at some point in time. This is the only information that we have found from a VzW device with LOS booting and VzW device without. We started a thread awhile ago and is the only known method we currently know of to get LOS booting. Also works for Sprint users.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-htc-10/how-to/how-to-cm-booting-vzw-vzw-firmware-t3500900

How to flash a custom ROM and root successfully?

Hi,
For context, I've been custom romming and rooting for probably over 10 years by now so I know quite well how this works but this device is a new challenge.
I've tried numerous methods on the internet and XDA but apart from softbricking (and restoring every time, msm tool), I just can't get it to work.
Had multiple Qualcomm crash dumps and currently stuck in the bootloader unlocked message. I can still reach fastboot.
All I want is the most recent LineageOS (or preferably dotOS but with the last version Bluetooth audio wasn't working. I managed to flash this one successfully until everything started to go wrong) with Magisk and xposed (or lsposed).
Can someone point me to a resource which most probably would work? I both have Linux and Windows VM's (not macOS) so that's not an issue.
Thanks!

[issue found][archived] FRP / OEM locked device that won't start OS

Edit 3: TL;DR: This is appears to be an S8 exclusive error, it's shown in the recovery:
"Product device tree not found, couldn't verify firmware" or something like that. For solutions, please look that up.
So, I bought a bootlooping S8 in the hopes of fixing it.
Since OEM and FRP lock are on, I went with installing Samsung firmware on it, as installing a custom recovery at this point is not possible.
The default recovery wouldn't work, so I wasn't able to know which firmware exactly to flash, because I couldn't find out which model exactly I have bought.
I do not know the carrier of the device either, but it should be from some german provider.
All of the firmwares I tried just bootlooped, but the recovery works again, except for ADB, which is quite unfortunate, and I have no idea why it fails, the device shows up when I'm in the recovery menu, but as soon as I activate ADB, it's gone from the list of connected devices.
Combination firmwares sometimes show some turning gears animations, but then crash with some, thought often memory related, pretty random crash issue.
Another problem I am now facing is that in the process of trying to find a working firmware I now upgraded the devices "binary level"? (forgot what exactly it was called) to 6, so I can't flash any older firmware or combination firmware than 6, since downgrading isn't allowed.
I received the device with either binary level 1 oder 2.
My theory is that I don't have the right firmware, since I keep seeing dm-verity and license errors...
I am happy to provide logs if necessary.
The goal is to have an unlocked bootloader/ custom recovery.
I literally am going INSANE over this FRP blocking me from flashing TWRP and being done with this in under 10 minutes, please help :c
PS: Some random info attached
Edit 1: With the IMEI code i found while opening the phone I now know my model number: SM-G950FZKADBT.
Any tips for finding the PDA code of the originally installed system? Or finding a matching firmware?
Is this even neccesary? Why do official firmwares not work for me? :c
Edit 2: Somewhat solution: I think the only way to recover this device would be to find it's firmware, which is just NOT to be found...
So, until a miracle happens I'm gonna keep reading "Firmware is not valid" errors in the log

Did you look in samfrew.com ? ? ? I just grabbed a fw from there.
The dnld was loooong so I purchased a privilege for faster speed . . .