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...
ok about to root and rom. will verizon know if i call them for service questions? what i mean is, i suppose for a tech support call they can do over-the-phone diagnostics. right? if i call for tech support are they able to determine i am rooted and rommed through their diagnostics?
would i need to return to stock prior to making a tech support call to verizon?
thanks
there are honestly very few reps that know anything about the phones they sell
I'm not sure why you'd call Verizon for diagnostics on a device that's not running their software anymore. I'd think talking to the dev would make more sense. I suppose the could tell, but care? Probably not. I told the manager where I got mine that I intended to root it as soon as I got home shd that my old Incredible was already rooted. His only question was how much better the battery life gets.
They will try to help you for sure but they may no be able to since you do not have stock. They can not look up your phone info on their end but they may ask you for info like software or info about the phone from about phone that could give it away. Honestly you're probably better off posting your issue on this forum and having XDA help.
They wouldn't be too helpful not because you rooted but because you have a different piece of software on your phone.
It'd be like calling Microsoft because your copy of Ubuntu is acting up.
>_> big red is all knowing >_> they will find you.. they will GET YOU! >_>
I don't think they can see what software you are using, but I do believe they may be able to see your radio version.
So what about if i pay my bill with the My Verizon app and the thunderbolt ( which they know i have) is not yet supported by them? Not that i care but id think that be a huge red flag lol
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
littleguevara said:
So what about if i pay my bill with the My Verizon app and the thunderbolt ( which they know i have) is not yet supported by them? Not that i care but id think that be a huge red flag lol
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone can google "My Verizon.apk Thunderbolt", download it, and put it on their phones. Even non rooted fellas. So no, this should not throw up any red flags other than you are using a modded application.
U r legally allowed to root so dont worry about it
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
I did this a week ago, my TB lost 3G completely at the house and 4G only works in PHX. It just happens the wife's D1 had no 3G so I called and we went through some settings on the phone and they checked the IMEI number etc. Found out the following day after talking to several Verizon people that the issue was the SIM card on the phone so I took it in and they replaced it and that fixed it.
I was rooted when I called, I went back to stock before taking it in and replacing the SIM card. They knew nothing at all.
It would be wise to just find help elsewhere. I find that online support is better than verizons anyways
I am an AT&T tech rep, so I can only speak for here. Bu universally most of us, despite carrier, that know what they are doing will answer the same from what I've found.
When someone walks into the device support center with an obviously rooted I won't exchange it for them. I will help them, find answers, and tell them how to fix it. I will also explain any known problems, or past problems, I know about with various roms. But I won't exchange the phone. And it's not to be mean. But often times when a person does come in with a rooted phone the issue they are experiencing is with the radio they flashed or the rom they are using. I see this a lot with the Inspire as is.
If I deem it to be an actual hardware issue and I can very the rom is not the issue then I will tell them how to take the phone back to stock so I can exchange it. For the Inspire I keep a handy sd card with the stock image there that I can flash it back right away.
If I know a phone has been rooted and the person brings it back to me with it flashed back to stock, I will exchange it without a problem. The phone is still under warranty and the warranty does explain in most products that not current software alterations exist (Ie: rooting, clockwork mod, unlock boot loader). If it's back to stock then warranty guidelines are meet.
Now with that being said, I have physical access to the device. Over the phone, the only way they would really be able to know is if they asked the software version, baseband version, kernel version, etc... and knew what they were off hand. Things like that. They can't magically peer into your phone over the air to see what's going on with it. That's the reason for their little script techs over the phone have to run through.
Ultimately, the advice mentioned above about asking the dev or the rom thread is the best you'll get. Most times this is your best place to look after a custom rom has been flashed. If a problem is deemed hardware and not software and you have to have it exchanged, flash back to stock and take it in. No tech rep will care if it was flashed back to stock (unless they are having a really miserable day and can prove it's rooted. but that's few and far between and not specific to any company).
Hi
I recently bought a broken Galaxy S2 with a non-working display/screen off a swiss auction portal (smiliar to eBay) for very little money.
The seller stated that the display broke after he dropped it, the rest of the phone should be fine. Effectively, only the LCD is broken, the glass is intact, but the screen doesn't show anything when I try to turn on the phone.
The first few times I tried to turn on the phone, nothing happened, no boot sound or touch buttons glowing. After trying several combinations of pressing buttons (hard reset, soft reset, download mode, recovery etc.) I heard the boot sound and saw the buttons glowing, but only once and I dont know how I exactly managed it to start. But, nevertheless, I can't really see what the phone is doing, if it is booting, if its in download mode, etc.
Does anyone have an idea, what I can/should do to make sure, the phone itself is working and its only the display which is broken? I just don't want to spend over $100 for a new display, if im not sure if the rest works...any suggestions?
Thanks very much for your help guys!
Greetings from Switzerland!
nkb88
How can anyone answer if the phone is going to be worth the cost of a new screen.It could be water damaged or blacklisted,or faulty.
Did you not foresee these things.What did you expect to happen.You must have trusted the seller,but all of a sudden you have doubts.Why didnt the seller replace the screen.
You probably think youve scored,when in fact it could work out more expensive than buying a working phone.
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maybe your an iphone expert
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theunderling said:
How can anyone answer if the phone is going to be worth the cost of a new screen.It could be water damaged or blacklisted,or faulty.
Did you not foresee these things.What did you expect to happen.You must have trusted the seller,but all of a sudden you have doubts.Why didnt the seller replace the screen.
You probably think youve scored,when in fact it could work out more expensive than buying a working phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, the mentioned auction platform is very small and not quite comparable to eBay, maybe it was my fault to make the comparison to eBay. Its much smaller, only people from Switzerland and people much trustworthier than on eBay. I talked to the seller even before I commited my bid on the phone, and he told me he already bought another one and the place, where he first wanted to repair it, told him, it would be more than $200, which wasnt an option for him...
The phone was very cheap, only about $25 - due to the fact that the sellar put it in a wrong category (mobile accessoires but not mobile devices itself) so almost nobody beside me bidded for the auction. There are several other Galaxy S2s with broken displays for sale, which sell at least for $50-70, rather between $100-150.
So to put it straight: I just bid for the phone because its cheap and, if the display is replaced and the phone is fully working again, the potential selling price is much higher than what I payed for the phone and the display together.
Now, I was just wondering, if there is a possibility to tell, if the phone boots normally and to be sure that the display is the only faulty part...
If you know what network it's on, and you can find a way to get it switched on, you can put a compatible sim card into it and call it....if the phone rings (provided the volume is set right) you can assume it's good.........
That is.....assuming there's charge in the battery.......
Sent from my rooted, de bloated, stock JB powered S2 via PhilZ kernel and XDA developers app
Ok I see now.
All you need to do then is to relist the phone on that auction site you said....in the proper area/listing....and you could make a profit without risk.
You could put it in dl mode and see if it is ready to take a flash.Or see if someone could hook up a screen to test,or see if you can borrow one/get sale or return.
And people on here help with tech problems,not get rich quick schemes......LOL
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maybe your an iphone expert
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theunderling said:
Ok I see now.
All you need to do then is to relist the phone on that auction site you said....in the proper area/listing....and you could make a profit without risk.
You could put it in dl mode and see if it is ready to take a flash.Or see if someone could hook up a screen to test,or see if you can borrow one/get sale or return.
And people on here help with tech problems,not get rich quick schemes......LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I could have bought the phone and relisted it in the proper category, you are right on that BUT I acually don't have any interest in making money with this phone, if it is fully working again, I probably will give it to my GF cause her crappy iFone will probalby be moving to the bin soon... You really probably missunderstood me in this case...
But thanks for you help! I'll see this evening if I can put it in download mode...
keithross39 said:
If you know what network it's on, and you can find a way to get it switched on, you can put a compatible sim card into it and call it....if the phone rings (provided the volume is set right) you can assume it's good.........
That is.....assuming there's charge in the battery.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats also a good idea BUT afaik you need to enter a PIN code before the phone actually connects to the carrier/provider, isn't that correct?
Not necessarily......unless the phone has been set up that way post purchase.....as I said, you need to know what carrier the phone was with before, and simply go and get a sim card (pay as you go) for that carrier and put it in the phone....job done.
It's not necessary to enter a pin code here in the UK.....I don't know how the mobile operators operare with respect to that in Switzerland though......
Sent from my rooted, de bloated, stock JB powered S2 via PhilZ kernel and XDA developers app
How about if you cant "borrow' a screen,just buy one off eBay from a seller that takes it back with a small restocking fee.
Then hook it up(without fixing it permanently) and see if any problems me/keith mentioned.
Look near the end of this video in this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25438587
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maybe your an iphone expert
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Okay, i managed to connect the phone to my computer and it shows up in KIES! *yay*
Unfortunately, KIES shows: "The connected device is locked..."
But, as far as this looks like, the phone is working! Am I right on this?
I dont know much about kies as I dont use it.Maybe its not an unbranded phone and youve put in a different sim its not used to.
Unless someone has a better idea,I think buying the screen under the conditions I said earlier is the way to go.It may only lose you £15 at the worst.
Check the online imei checket first though to see if it throws amything up.
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maybe your an iphone expert
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theunderling said:
I dont know much about kies as I dont use it.Maybe its not an unbranded phone and youve put in a different sim its not used to.
Unless someone has a better idea,I think buying the screen under the conditions I said earlier is the way to go.It may only lose you £15 at the worst.
Check the online imei checket first though to see if it throws amything up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't put in a SIM at all, as it is not neccesary to be able to use the phone.
I will buy a screen anyway, if I can't use it myself, I will give it to a frend who has also got a smashed S2.
Another question: Is it possible to hard reset the phone, without a working screen? Afaik you have to boot into recovery and select the reset from a menu, which is not really possible without having a working display... Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Someone has just posted this utility.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=43448133
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maybe your an iphone expert
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theunderling said:
Someone has just posted this utility.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=43448133
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but with the phone being locked, i cannot do anything, also not install any apps...
How can I reset the phone without the screen? Or can someone tell me which buttons to press in recovery menu to do a wipe/reset?
Thanks!
That in itself could cause you issues. You have to get the number of and order of presses exactly right otherwise you could end up formatting the system partition (os)
Aaaaand.....you don't know whether you're running 4.0.4 in which case, doing a wipe *may* permanently kill your phone (search emmc brickbug for the why/how)......
Realistically the only option is to obtain a screen......have you thought of taking the phone to an unofficial repairer, explaining the situation and asking for the temporary instore use of a screen? (You could even offer to pay a small fee.....just as a sweetener)
Sent from my rooted, de bloated, stock JB powered S2 via PhilZ kernel and XDA developers app
nkb88 said:
Thanks, but with the phone being locked, i cannot do anything, also not install any apps...
How can I reset the phone without the screen? Or can someone tell me which buttons to press in recovery menu to do a wipe/reset?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That mymobiler didnt look like an app to me.The other thing that was mentioned was an app that needed root.
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maybe your an iphone expert
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keithross39 said:
That in itself could cause you issues. You have to get the number of and order of presses exactly right otherwise you could end up formatting the system partition (os)
Aaaaand.....you don't know whether you're running 4.0.4 in which case, doing a wipe *may* permanently kill your phone (search emmc brickbug for the why/how)......
Realistically the only option is to obtain a screen......have you thought of taking the phone to an unofficial repairer, explaining the situation and asking for the temporary instore use of a screen? (You could even offer to pay a small fee.....just as a sweetener)
Sent from my rooted, de bloated, stock JB powered S2 via PhilZ kernel and XDA developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right - thats really too risky. As I said, i'm going to order a screen now and we'll see how things work out! Thanks for your help! I'll keep this thread updated with my progess.
Cheers! :good:
nkb88 said:
You are right - thats really too risky. As I said, i'm going to order a screen now and we'll see how things work out! Thanks for your help! I'll keep this thread updated with my progess.
Cheers! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got a new screen and everything is working smoothly!
Thanks for your support! :good:
PS: Any recommendable, FAST rom without too much bloatware?
Cheerio!
Lol....not gonna recommend a specific ROM as that's against XDAs rules......but if you want the stability of stock without the bloat, try one of the hybrid ROMs. Look for "samsung based" in the ROM sticky thread.....or do what I've done. ....stay with your stock firmware, but root it and debloat it.......
My Wife says I'm a phone geek.....
I'd have to agree.....
Okay, so it's a bit of a long story but there's a woman I work with who had her virtually-new Samsung Galaxy S3 stolen by her recently-split husband last year. We all knew it was him, but we had virtually no evidence, other than it's disappearance. Anyway, so this woman recently was in his now-separated husband's flat & was rooting around. She found a Samsung Galaxy S3, smartly took a picture of the IMEI & left it. She knew it was hers, but wanted to be 100% sure. She went home, checked the box, & of course they did match. The next day, she went back to his house & manipulated the situation so that she could find enough time on her own to go take the phone back without him knowing. So she brings it into work with her the next day. The problem is, the phone now has a password lock on it. She then spent the night trying to guess the password, but to no success.
So, me being the tech guy that I am, she asked me to try to get into it. I said, the easiest way would be for me to wipe it & factory reset it, but that she would lose all of her information. She doesn't want me to do that. She wants to get pictures & stuff of her / their kids off the phone, as well as look into who her ex-husband had been talking to / see who knew about him stealing the phone. So, I said it should be possible. However, I'm not a hugely great phone guy. I'm good with computers, but not so much phones.
So, we spent the day trying various exploits found on Google or YouTube but to no success. There was one method where we had a little success where we turned the phone on > Emergency Call > Emergency Contact > Press Home > Press Power > Unlocked home screen in then meant to appear. It never did. Although we could get it to quickly flash whatever was on the home screen (which was a picture of her / their kids, which she'd set to the phone before it was taken).
So without any of those methods working, I'm tasked with now getting into the phone at home. I have no idea whether USB debugging is enabled, I would assume not. We are unable to reset the password via Google Recovery or anything because we're never offered the option. As I say, she doesn't want me to wipe the phone. But there has to be a way to get into it otherwise, either through brute force, or one of those other password cracking methods possibly?
There was a technique I found on Google at work, something about connecting the phone to your computer via USB then trying to do some stuff from command line or through a Linux distro, which I need to re-find & try.
But alas, does anyone here have any methods or know any ways that I could get around this password lock?
I have to say though, I'm glad it's not that simple (atleast it appears so, anyway) to get around one of these passwords. Makes me feel a little safer for my own Galaxy S3! haha
Hey
You said u tried the Google account method right?
If that's not working try to flash philz recovery and from that you can access the contents of the internal SD card..
U can also TRY to use the custom back up option offered by his recovery and then custom restore the data..
I can't assure you that it will work but you can try it..
Best of Luck
-tchindalia
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
We did not try a Google account method, I don't think? Think we tried to log in to the ex-husband's Google account on my iPad for some reason (can't remember why now tbh) but we could not guess his password. He's apparently changed it since they split.
Won't flashing the phone wipe everything that's on it?
Hey
Not if your just flashing a recovery..
Just youtube for some videos on this...
I had see one some time back..
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Benaholic said:
Okay, so it's a bit of a long story but there's a woman I work with who had her virtually-new Samsung Galaxy S3 stolen by her recently-split husband last year. We all knew it was him, but we had virtually no evidence, other than it's disappearance. Anyway, so this woman recently was in his now-separated husband's flat & was rooting around. She found a Samsung Galaxy S3, smartly took a picture of the IMEI & left it. She knew it was hers, but wanted to be 100% sure. She went home, checked the box, & of course they did match. The next day, she went back to his house & manipulated the situation so that she could find enough time on her own to go take the phone back without him knowing. So she brings it into work with her the next day. The problem is, the phone now has a password lock on it. She then spent the night trying to guess the password, but to no success.
So, me being the tech guy that I am, she asked me to try to get into it. I said, the easiest way would be for me to wipe it & factory reset it, but that she would lose all of her information. She doesn't want me to do that. She wants to get pictures & stuff of her / their kids off the phone, as well as look into who her ex-husband had been talking to / see who knew about him stealing the phone. So, I said it should be possible. However, I'm not a hugely great phone guy. I'm good with computers, but not so much phones.
So, we spent the day trying various exploits found on Google or YouTube but to no success. There was one method where we had a little success where we turned the phone on > Emergency Call > Emergency Contact > Press Home > Press Power > Unlocked home screen in then meant to appear. It never did. Although we could get it to quickly flash whatever was on the home screen (which was a picture of her / their kids, which she'd set to the phone before it was taken).
So without any of those methods working, I'm tasked with now getting into the phone at home. I have no idea whether USB debugging is enabled, I would assume not. We are unable to reset the password via Google Recovery or anything because we're never offered the option. As I say, she doesn't want me to wipe the phone. But there has to be a way to get into it otherwise, either through brute force, or one of those other password cracking methods possibly?
There was a technique I found on Google at work, something about connecting the phone to your computer via USB then trying to do some stuff from command line or through a Linux distro, which I need to re-find & try.
But alas, does anyone here have any methods or know any ways that I could get around this password lock?
I have to say though, I'm glad it's not that simple (atleast it appears so, anyway) to get around one of these passwords. Makes me feel a little safer for my own Galaxy S3! haha
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If he lets her into the house so easily then:
1- HE didn't steal the phone because he felt no need to hide it
2- The "woman" is invading the guy's privacy and checking personal info without consent
3- Seeing who he talked to is a typical behaviour pattern of someone who is invading someone's privacy for ill intentions
4- the "woman" can always request for the guy to share the kid's photos and other stuff. No need to snoop around
To the OP:
If you do help this person break into the phone and turns out it wasn't hers, then you are aiding in a possibly criminal activity.
If he did steal, then all the best to you. Otherwise; Beware of the LAW.
~ RazorMC
RazorMC said:
If he lets her into the house so easily then:
1- HE didn't steal the phone because he felt no need to hide it
2- The "woman" is invading the guy's privacy and checking personal info without consent
3- Seeing who he talked to is a typical behaviour pattern of someone who is invading someone's privacy for ill intentions
4- the "woman" can always request for the guy to share the kid's photos and other stuff. No need to snoop around
To the OP:
If you do help this person break into the phone and turns out it wasn't hers, then you are aiding in a possibly criminal activity.
If he did steal, then all the best to you. Otherwise; Beware of the LAW.
~ RazorMC
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OP alr said the imei matched so the phone is the woman's. Unless tat was a lie.
To the OP, have u tried samsung's "find my mobile"?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
JellyYogurt said:
OP alr said the imei matched so the phone is the woman's. Unless tat was a lie.
To the OP, have u tried samsung's "find my mobile"?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
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Like I said, if it was indeed stolen, then I wish the OP luck.
I'm just curious why the person never approached the police with proof of ownership instead of trying to bypass the security.
Cheers :good:
~ RazorMC
RazorMC said:
Like I said, if it was indeed stolen, then I wish the OP luck.
I'm just curious why the person never approached the police with proof of ownership instead of trying to bypass the security.
Cheers :good:
~ RazorMC
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I can't remember the reason she believed the phone was stolen, to be honest. The reason she had access to his house, was because they have kids together. She had gone to go drop the kids off, or pick them up. For some bizarre reason, I don't know why, he left her in the house alone after he went to take them to school (telling her to lock the door when she leaves). She took that opportunity to look around the house for the phone, as he'd never previously admitted to taking it but she was sure he did.
She found the phone, took a picture of the IMEI, went home to match to the IMEI on her box & it saw that they were the same. She's shown me the picture as well. confirming that it was indeed her phone, she then went back to her ex's flat the next day (because he was going to come along to their daughter's birthday). Just as they were about to leave, she says she needs the toilet. So, she runs back upstairs & grabs the phone without him knowing.
I think the reason why she never went to the police about it is because he was trying to get citizenship to remain here in the country, & she didn't want something like this to jeopardize whether she's in a relationship with him or not; they do still have kids together. Sending him back to Kenya over a phone wouldn't do anyone any good.
JellyYogurt said:
OP alr said the imei matched so the phone is the woman's. Unless tat was a lie.
To the OP, have u tried samsung's "find my mobile"?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Which "Find my mobile" thing are you on about?
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I appear to have found a way to bypass the lock screen via the ADB, but I think it only works for a lock pattern. Anyone know or have any ideas what to do for a password?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2237382
For hours now I've been trying alsorts of stuff, from doing things via terminal, trying to do things through recovery, & alsorts to no success. However, I did find one solution that worked:
http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f77...-pin-reset-no-root-no-usb-debug-free-1722271/
Was posted here on XDA Developers as well, but the thread was closed. Many virus programs do immediately notify that the program contains viruses / trojans, but not sure if they're false positives? Anyway, disabled AVG & it worked like a charm! So, if anyone else needs similar help, maybe try this?
Alas, suppose this thread can be closed now.
^^ That malware had stopped working and that is why it was closed on other site as well.
~ RazorMC
IT'S A TRAP!
Well I just found out the hard way that VZW is even more evil than I thought.
Called about my G3 because of audio issue with the headphone jack, seeking an RMA.
Without my permission verizon ran some remote diagnosis on my phone and discovered root, right while I was on the call. Tier 2 support did this by the way.
Not sure how... I froze all the VZW bloat I could find in titanium.
Just wanted to let you guys know to watch your back. I'm not sure exactly when verizon got wind of my root. Whether it was right there while I was on call or the minute I rooted.
Verizon is literally the devil
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
What did they say once they discovered root on your phone? Just denied the RMA? Would they let you make an insurance claim at least?
The rep responded "after running diagnostics on your device I see your phone is rooted so your warranty is invalid"
Then he preceeded to try and give me instructions to call LG and get the flash tool to return to stock.
My issue with the audio jack is obviously a HW issue and not an issue with software/root
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
Always put your phone in Airplane Mode if you have to call them. If they say they need the phone turned on to run diagnostics, REFUSE, and tell them that you don't consent, or tell them that the phone is not near you, then continue talking and tell them that you're NOT calling about a software but hardware issue and there's no reason that they need to run a Software Diagnostic.
Someone else mentioned the same thing however from what I understand their system polls your phone every few hours so that may not help. Even if the phone was offline the system may still show root status regardless of the phones current state.
Couldn't hurt though...
Either way it's a little to late for me. I just hope that someone sees this thread before calling only to get a big fat middle finger from VZW.
Flash to stock and wait a bit on official software to make sure Verizon's system shows official software.
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
I woulda said root (software) has nothing to do with audio jack (hardware). Not that it wouldve really gotten you anywhere anyway.
Either way, Verizon doesnt really cover hardware warranty, they just send the phone over to LG, which the rep directed to you anyway. So sounds like youre gonna have to contact LG directly.
Or maybe you even get a do-over. You could flash back everything to stock, and then just walk into store and try the same thing. The reps at the store arent nearly as sharp as the phone reps.
Good to know tho, thx for the heads up!
Yeah but I got the phone on the VZW website on a black Friday deal. So that would leave me without a phone. I'm assuming they would have to ship it back and would not just exchange it on the spot.
Couldn't hurt though I call tomorrow and ask if they will swap it on the spot.
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
I had same exact audio jack prob on G2. They didnt take my phone or anything, they shipped me a new one and i sent back the old one afterwards. There's something like a 30 day grace period to ship your phone back before they charge you for it. Was easy peasy
---------- Post added at 06:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:58 PM ----------
Oh and doesnt matter where you bought the phone , its a Verizon phone and youre a Verizon customer so they will help you no matter what. That G2 was from Ebay. If its under warranty by LG, its under warranty. Again, Verizon just assists yoh with the warranty as a customer service. The money comes out of LG's pocket, not theirs.
Yeah but their service department knows I have root. I'm pretty sure they will just tell me to screw off if I go to swap the phone. But it couldn't hurt to try. Thanks for the info.
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
True but you never know, give it a shot and let us know.
---------- Post added at 06:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:36 PM ----------
Check out this article from Droid Life. Verizon actually saw tge article and made some clarifications in regards to root, warranty and what they consider void or not void.
Verizon Begins Charging Full Price of Warranty Phones if Rooted? (Updated)
What exactly should happen if you were to root your phone, play around with ROMs/hacks/etc., somehow manage to break it, and then send it in to Verizon for a warranty replacement? Should you be allowed to get a replacement or not? According to reports, you can get a replacement, but the rooting of your phone voids any warranty you had and gives Verizon permission to charge you for a new one if they determine that your broken phone was tampered with.
Our buddy @P3droid has apparently heard from a couple of friends who have run into the scenario that we described above and then been slapped with a pretty hefty and unannounced bill. Fair or unfair?
I’ll just say this – we’ve known that rooting your device voids your warranty since well back in the original DROID days, so it makes sense that Verizon would do this. As unpopular as this may sound, I can’t fault Big Red for going this route. If you decide to take your phone out of its original factory status, tinker with its guts, and break something, it shouldn’t be their responsibility to take care of you.
With that said though, a broken volume rocker, faulty screen, etc. has nothing do with rooting, so I’d hate to see someone get charged for something that they didn’t cause even if they decided to root. It’s an interesting topic, and one that I would love to hear all your opinions on.
Update: Our friends at Verizon saw this post and wanted to reach out to clarify everything immediately. First up, is the fact that their policy says absolutely nothing about checking for root on devices. When a phone is received, a phone is checked for three things and that definitely isn’t one of them. They check to see if the box that the device was sent in is damaged, if the outside of the phone looks awful, and if it powers on – satisfy all of those and they move on to the next phone. So basically, these reports of being charged for a rooted phone simply mean that these people were sending in garbage phone with defects.
So…sound off!
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/06/1...ging-full-price-of-warranty-phones-if-rooted/
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I would take the word of a Verizon PR Rep over some call center dweeb. Just b/c he works there doesnt mean he's rhe end all be all.
I'll tell you what's up there. Worked for the company for a while and encountered this. Rooting does not really void a warranty, as the warehouse does not check for root, they just check if a phone has physical damage to it. Now if your phone is rooted, reps are advised to tell you that it can't be supported any longer by VZW. But that could happen with any company. If you modify a LG TV, LG might not want to support it either. If you are just rooted, it might be one thing, but different roms MIGHT affect different things. Yours probably is the hardware issue though. If you haven't been already taken care of, if you call back in, just let a rep know that you don't want anyone to remotely access your phone. That is not supposed to be done without your permission. I have had a few phones replaced under warranty that had been rooted. If nothing else, just return a phone to stock. But if you don't want to worry about any of that, just turn your phone off, and tell them that you tried to accept the most recent 12B update, and now your phone won't fully boot up, and leave the phone powered off the whole time.
subhelix said:
I'll tell you what's up there. Worked for the company for a while and encountered this. Rooting does not really void a warranty, as the warehouse does not check for root, they just check if a phone has physical damage to it. Now if your phone is rooted, reps are advised to tell you that it can't be supported any longer by VZW. But that could happen with any company. If you modify a LG TV, LG might not want to support it either. If you are just rooted, it might be one thing, but different roms MIGHT affect different things. Yours probably is the hardware issue though. If you haven't been already taken care of, if you call back in, just let a rep know that you don't want anyone to remotely access your phone. That is not supposed to be done without your permission. I have had a few phones replaced under warranty that had been rooted. If nothing else, just return a phone to stock. But if you don't want to worry about any of that, just turn your phone off, and tell them that you tried to accept the most recent 12B update, and now your phone won't fully boot up, and leave the phone powered off the whole time.
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I would assume that because I have already been caught that they have the voided warranty on record... or is this not the case?
I thought that once they caught you, thats it, the jig is up and they put a note on your account that the phones warranty is void.
I think I might know what happened. I have noticed that when I first rooted my G3 (3 Days Ago) that the Verizon Mobile app asked for root permissions immediately upon rebooting for the phone. I accidentally gave it permissions and it went on about its ways. I later removed the permission and didn't worry about it any longer. Not thinking anything about it I think that once you give the Verizon app permission it will figure out your rooted and sync up with your account (which it does automatically during the setup process) by your phone number tied to the Sim card. I think that's exactly how they knew, and I think a warning goes out and is posted on the account phone number saying its a rooted device.
Possibility? Let me know.
Wow, now that I think of it, you might be right!
Same thing happened to me a few days ago. I had already granted it access before i even realized it was the actual Verizon app. Shrugged my shoulders after I realized it but thought it had something to do with the actual ROM im running (Jasmine 3.0).
That being said, if it were me, id still try the store. Things arent nearly as automated and recorded as you think they might or should be in the real world.
Not to mention, reps at the store are idiots and dont really know too much about smartphones outside of using the setup wizard. I cant tell you how many times tge in store reps have told me or someone else to call the hotline b/c they werent sure or didnt know. The physical store employees are the bottom od the Totum pole. Halfbof them are fresh out of High School
Its not just Verizon that does this by the way.. These phone companieshave this in place as a standard to protect themselves against people bricking phones, and crying out for a replacement. History has shown them that when people root, they tend to flash custom roms, and more dangerously, custom kernels.. As well, people attempt to change the way their CPU functions, and alter the phone to better its performance.. When these things are done, it changes the system hardware stability, and things can get weak or damaged.
So as a way of cutting you off from future complaints, they make it clear that if you root, your warantee is void.
NEVER tell them its rooted, never walk into a store with a rooted device and ask for help, and if you call for support, dont just put it in airplane mode.... PULL THE BATTERY!!! They are able to access your phone through GPS, wifi, bluetooth, and data connection
If the battery is in your device, it can be accessed... The Government has been doing it for years to track people...and contrary to common thought, I believe I read some documentation that "front facing" cameras were a Government idea...
Anyways, be safe, and be careful...youve just learned proof that someone is watching
JJT211 said:
Wow, now that I think of it, you might be right!
Same thing happened to me a few days ago. I had already granted it access before i even realized it was the actual Verizon app. Shrugged my shoulders after I realized it but thought it had something to do with the actual ROM im running (Jasmine 3.0).
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Why on Earth would you grant something root privileges without verifying what was asking first? This is exactly the type of thing more senior folks in the modding community are constantly complaining about.
yes NEVER EVER GIVE MY VERIZON SU!!! this is what probably happened and it throws flag in their system if you call or request service
Its totally possible.
From what I understand the response from denying root access and the response from not having it at all have two different signatures.
Once I saw a VZW app requesting root I immediately denied it. But that right there could have been the dead giveaway.
I already tried flashing back to stock using the KDZ method. Still the problem of audio quality persists.
Either way, it's BS this is most definitely a hardware issue and should be covered under warranty.
Sent from my VS985 4G using XDA Free mobile app
Yes it's BS but it shouldn't really be a surprise. And it's nothing we haven't been warned of before
I suggest calling back in. If you are now back on stock, you should have no problem. I know it sucks ass, but representatives are just doing a job. What we were told, if someone was rooted, to try to suggest that they return to stock and then we can support the phone, and that is again no matter what the issue might be. Well, as long as it can boot up. So if you flashed back to stock using the KDZ method, root should not be detected anymore. And it might have been noted at that time that it was rooted, but it's a different story now since the phone is back to stock.