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...
Had my S3 returned today from Samsung unrepaired
The reason: One of our engineers, has tested your phone and found that unauthorised rework has been previously carried out on your phone. Unfortunately, as this is not covered under Samsung's warranty obligations, this prevents us from repairing your device. We are therefore returning your phone un-repaired and in the condition it was received.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have assured Samsung I have not tried rooting or updating the software with unofficial software.
Their response, which I find unbelievable was that and I quote "There are Apps on the Play Store that if downloaded, can alter your OS and thus make your phone unusable, this isn't covered by warranty".
My problem or the phones problem is it won't boot or charge. When plugged into the mains, it will only show the battery charge indicator, which doesn't spin. It just sits there frozen. Occasionally, it will boot to the Samsung welcome screen but load no further.
This problem isn't anything to do with me trying to root or add software I wasn't meant to or caused by a dodgy app.
I can't believe Samsung won't repair my phone after 5 months use!
What else can I do as at the moment it's an expensive paper weight?
I do not own a galaxy s 3 but a problem like this should be told to Google.
KKBoro said:
Had my S3 returned today from Samsung unrepaired
I have assured Samsung I have not tried rooting or updating the software with unofficial software.
Their response, which I find unbelievable was that and I quote "There are Apps on the Play Store that if downloaded, can alter your OS and thus make your phone unusable, this isn't covered by warranty".
My problem or the phones problem is it won't boot or charge. When plugged into the mains, it will only show the battery charge indicator, which doesn't spin. It just sits there frozen. Occasionally, it will boot to the Samsung welcome screen but load no further.
This problem isn't anything to do with me trying to root or add software I wasn't meant to or caused by a dodgy app.
I can't believe Samsung won't repair my phone after 5 months use!
What else can I do as at the moment it's an expensive paper weight?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try to return it to the store you bought it from! In our country the law states that any defect that appears on the device to its 6th month of usage is a Factory defect unless the seller can prove otherwise! You can dig a little into your local laws regarding your liberties on the matter!
Sorry if I misused some of the terminology but English is not my native language!
and this is why apples cs is second to none doesnt help you i know just sayin
Contact google and show them the last message from service center. So it's play store guilty?
Claim Google then.
Sent from an electronic device.
i find that shocking.
out of interest can you get into download mode? power, home, volume down.
because if you're left hanging at least you could just flash an official stock.
This isn't related but Samsung said they would not repair my GS3 headphones that stopped working because I bought it off ebay with the phone, saying warranty is not transferable.
just hope the I don't have anything wrong with the phone later on because of this. what a bunch of *insert something not nice here*
Edit: on there site it says "Warranty periods and warranty services are intended as a guide only and variations may occur. The warranty period applies from the date of purchase by the first customer and is transferable only between end-users."
http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/warranty/warrantyInformation.do?page=POLICY.WARRANTY
Doesn't that mean they should repair it?
Don't you have consumer rights people/lawyers where you live? Find them and talk to them. They will help you. They know what they're doing and companies fear the damage they can cause.
This is unacceptable.
KKBoro said:
Had my S3 returned today from Samsung unrepaired
The reason: One of our engineers, has tested your phone and found that unauthorised rework has been previously carried out on your phone. Unfortunately, as this is not covered under Samsung's warranty obligations, this prevents us from repairing your device. We are therefore returning your phone un-repaired and in the condition it was received.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do not mention software/firmware in their reason for not repairing your phone. I interpret this as there is hardware work done on the phone.
It's far fetched, but maybe, just maybe, they're imposing it's low level stuff thats gone ape**** like bootloader/efs by using some crappy SIM Unlock tool/fix or flashing the wrong firmware.
Try another service center. In Canada I'm not asked anything.. if the manufactured date is within 15 months and the phone is linked to any local provider then free repair.
Sent from my SGH-I717 using xda premium
Thanks guys.
I asked the customer service lady what was meant by rework and she said it was the OS wasn't right.
I was then told to ring the tech support department. I told them I hadn't rooted it or updated the software with anything that wasn't official.
She said it was probably an App that altered the OS and it wasn't covered by warranty.
I don't see how me downloading Google Apps or Samsung Apps could completely trash my phone so that it's unusable. Fair enough if I'd downloaded from some dodgy website but I haven't.
I also said, I could go out and buy another brand new S3 and the same thing could happen again, she agreed!!!
If this IS true and Play Store apps can brick your phone, then if the media gets hold of this, Samsung sales will hit the floor!
Thanks guys.
I asked the customer service lady what was meant by rework and she said it was the OS wasn't right.
I was then told to ring the tech support department. I told them I hadn't rooted it or updated the software with anything that wasn't official.
She said it was probably an App that altered the OS and it wasn't covered by warranty.
I don't see how me downloading Google Apps or Samsung Apps could completely trash my phone so that it's unusable. Fair enough if I'd downloaded from some dodgy website but I haven't.
I also said, I could go out and buy another brand new S3 and the same thing could happen again, she agreed!!!
If this IS true and Play Store apps can brick your phone, then if the media gets hold of this, Samsung sales will hit the floor!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only problem being for an app to alter anything that might cause a brick it needs root. Your phone hasn't got it so the tech centre is talking out there ass.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
KKBoro said:
Thanks guys.
I asked the customer service lady what was meant by rework and she said it was the OS wasn't right.
I was then told to ring the tech support department. I told them I hadn't rooted it or updated the software with anything that wasn't official.
She said it was probably an App that altered the OS and it wasn't covered by warranty.
I don't see how me downloading Google Apps or Samsung Apps could completely trash my phone so that it's unusable. Fair enough if I'd downloaded from some dodgy website but I haven't.
I also said, I could go out and buy another brand new S3 and the same thing could happen again, she agreed!!!
If this IS true and Play Store apps can brick your phone, then if the media gets hold of this, Samsung sales will hit the floor!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you are not fighting enough with sammy service centre, dont give up and come crying here, have you tried d options of changing battery n see if it resolves, also have you tried factory resetting your phone and see if it works... You are giving xda guys a clear picture of the problem with your phone...
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
KKBoro said:
Had my S3 returned today from Samsung unrepaired
I have assured Samsung I have not tried rooting or updating the software with unofficial software.
Their response, which I find unbelievable was that and I quote "There are Apps on the Play Store that if downloaded, can alter your OS and thus make your phone unusable, this isn't covered by warranty".
My problem or the phones problem is it won't boot or charge. When plugged into the mains, it will only show the battery charge indicator, which doesn't spin. It just sits there frozen. Occasionally, it will boot to the Samsung welcome screen but load no further.
This problem isn't anything to do with me trying to root or add software I wasn't meant to or caused by a dodgy app.
I can't believe Samsung won't repair my phone after 5 months use!
What else can I do as at the moment it's an expensive paper weight?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is flashing through odin still possible?
gchindi said:
I think you are not fighting enough with sammy service centre, dont give up and come crying here, have you tried d options of changing battery n see if it resolves, also have you tried factory resetting your phone and see if it works... You are giving xda guys a clear picture of the problem with your phone...
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hardly crying but after spending £500 on a phone that lasts 5 months and Samsung refuse to repair it for a lame reason, I am a little hacked off.
I've tried a new battery and VOL UP+HOME+POWER. I did this before I sent it away to Samsung for repair.
I've tried 3 different charges, USB, Mains and a car charger. Nothing works.
I'm convinced there is a hardware fault. If you Google Samsung S3 wont charge, there are many results with the same problem.
My next step will be legal action.
Have you sim unlocked it?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
ok this is very disappointing but honestly, have you done ANY of the following?
rooted the phone
unlocked the phone / sim
installed a custom rom
installed stock from a different region
installed an app from a source other than the play store
run an app that performs root operations
installed any mod
entered any system codes
or;
are you running a stock s3 as supplied factory fresh, apart from play store app installations, theme changes etc?
whatever you have told Samsung, which is it...... honestly? (you can tell me, no one else needs to know)
Hey, it seems a little weird that they are refusing to help you at all!
I've had samsung phones before and had them repaired no problem even with custom ROMs flashed on them..
I would either try a different service centre (without mentioning that this incident) or fill in the form here http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/engla.../reporting_a_problem_to_trading_standards.htm
and then write an email back to the people telling them that you've contacted citizens advice and reported them to the trading standards. A gentle threat works wonders!
Good luck
mossy1963 said:
ok this is very disappointing but honestly, have you done ANY of the following?
rooted the phone
unlocked the phone / sim
installed a custom rom
installed stock from a different region
installed an app from a source other than the play store
run an app that performs root operations
installed any mod
entered any system codes
or;
are you running a stock s3 as supplied factory fresh, apart from play store app installations, theme changes etc?
whatever you have told Samsung, which is it...... honestly? (you can tell me, no one else needs to know)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of the above, it is 100% completely and utterly a stock handset. I even use a genuine Samsung case lol.
I had the last two iPhones, 3GS and 4 and never even jailbroke either of them. I run them how the manufacturers intended them to run.
That's what is so annoying about this!
You are either hiding a part of the story, or you are in the wrong service center.
If you didn't alter the phone (OS or Hardware) in ANY way there is NO WAY your phone will get "Bricked by an app in the play store".
So yep either you are hiding something, or that lady is crazy.. try another service center.
hi all,
this is my first post here, the noob video did cheer me up alot after the day ive had...
around a month ago, my phone started to have problems connecting to wifi, the problem occurs when making a connection to ANY ROUTER USING ANY KIND OF SECURITY,the phone comes back stating "authentication error", yet when i connect it to my motorola xoom tablet (set to mobile hotspot) the phone connects and functions great!?
now for my question,
samsung have voided my warranty as i flashed the software on the phone (as some asshole at the samsung call centre asked me to do,said the warranty would be ok as long as its the genuine software....what a load of rubbish that turned out to be) i have not rooted it,and they are quoting me in the vacinity of $250 us to fix it (w##kers) ,its a longshot but,can any of tell if this is a firmware problem rather than a hardware problem? it seems to me like its along the lines of firmware, as it works in only the one instance connected to my tablet..i know i did get an update from my phone company and it stopped working shortly after then...theoretically if it is just a firmware issue i could pick up on how to do the jtag trick and try and reload the firmware myself? instead of pay the same jerk who screwed me to fix it in the first place?
have any of you had your phone into samsung for the same problem? though a good search turns up many stories on power save mode etc, no one seems to have the same problem i do...HELP!!!
the other way is i guess to do a pcb swap, but i dont know how many of these are available...
i know nothing about what you all do, i am an electrical engineer with a big background in industrial electronics and computers and the last thing i want to do is spend what little free time i have modding my phone, i dont have anything against anyone who does, its just that valve amps and vinyl do alot more for me than the new stuff does...BUT if i need to do something out of nessecity, then id love to learn a few tricks you gurus could teach me to save my skin, who knows, i might be able to offer you some advice one day!!
after 4 weeks searching and reading this site amoung others,i have tried EVERYTHING software wise to rectify the problem,
samsung are not telling me what exactly the fault is and are using my flashing of the standard software as a scapegoat to say ive tamered with it.
samsung nz are a bunch of scam artists who ill never again trust with a dime of my hard earned cash and thats all i have to say about that....will be taking them to court (new zealand has a consumer rights guarantee system so their warranty does not mean jack but they still refuse to repair it)
thank you in advance for any help you can offer, i am at my wits end and regret stepping into the "smartphone" world!!!
mike
preludefan said:
hi all,
now for my question,
samsung have voided my warranty as i flashed the software on the phone (as some asshole at the samsung call centre asked me to do,said the warranty would be ok as long as its the genuine software....what a load of rubbish that turned out to be)
No root and stock firmware flashed does not void warranty .
Wifi is generally a kernel problem you can try flashing a stock firmware from here or sammobile.com.
As you mention dimes and dollars do you actually have a I9300 ??? as flash I9300 firmware on a non I9300 will brick your phone.
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your reply,
yes it is definetly a gt19300, i was blown away by the number of variants out there!
so any pointers on how to deal with samsung if they refuse to fix it?
thanks
mike
JJEgan said:
preludefan said:
hi all,
now for my question,
samsung have voided my warranty as i flashed the software on the phone (as some asshole at the samsung call centre asked me to do,said the warranty would be ok as long as its the genuine software....what a load of rubbish that turned out to be)
No root and stock firmware flashed does not void warranty .
Wifi is generally a kernel problem you can try flashing a stock firmware from here or sammobile.com.
As you mention dimes and dollars do you actually have a I9300 ??? as flash I9300 firmware on a non I9300 will brick your phone.
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
preludefan said:
thanks for your reply,
yes it is definetly a gt19300, i was blown away by the number of variants out there!
so any pointers on how to deal with samsung if they refuse to fix it?
thanks
mike
You need to argue the case that the Samsung call centre told you to carry out steps xyz .
Alternative paid for repair then complain to Samsung re call centre .
You can try arguing the EU regulations as referred to on XDA by Adam Outler .
However does any EU legislation have similar in new Zealand .
What firmware and root is on your phone that Samsung said to flash .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they arent saying anything of the details of the rom, but i flashed a genuine 2 degrees (phone company) software, but they could have changed it themselfs?
i have argued with them to my wits end about the law etc but they are not taking it on board, so im asking for the phone to be returned to me, then ill take them to court...paying to get it done then complaining wont work in a legal sense, as by paying,they see it as though im agreeing to it all...
i do know this however, if i do fix it myself ill post a fix incase it happens to any one else...
I cannot even find any information on this device let alone a root method. Apparently from my searches methods for the zenphone may work but im not sure if I want to risk bricking this device, but verizon would just replace it anyway. I guess its fairly new? It came with MM and already has an OTA which i keep putting off while I am going to try out various methods to get this one rooted and unleashed since one verizon store essentially scammed me over my new s7 edge so another store refunded everything for me. Now I got this 4g tablet I want to fasten in my car and it would be nice to root or unlock and put some custom vehicle firmware on it or something like that.
I have the same issue with my new Zenpad 3 8.0 . KingRoot and some other rooting apps didn't work for me.
At least someone finally replies.... I am still stuck trying to root this thing. I've tried nearly everything to no success. Even the temporary cwm wouldn't work for me
Same here buddy. Why did ASUS remove such features as App to SD and multi user support?
Anyone found anything? I have the tablet too...
Well damn this sux, Verizon stuck me with another unrootable device, at least I can say I got my pixel in time to unlock the bootloader and route it but not much activity for it since decided to lock them down. I thought I learned with my G4 that's why I got the pixel got home just to find out they're going to be locked down too lol Oh God how I loath Verizon
dadrumgod said:
Well damn this sux, Verizon stuck me with another unrootable device, at least I can say I got my pixel in time to unlock the bootloader and route it but not much activity for it since decided to lock them down. I thought I learned with my G4 that's why I got the pixel got home just to find out they're going to be locked down too lol Oh God how I loath Verizon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear ya. I have this tablet too: Asus Verizon Zenpad Z8 ZT581KL with V.3.4.23. Despite my best efforts, the damn system update notification keeps coming up telling me to update to Android 7--which I DO NOT want to do since doing that very well could kill any small hope I have on rooting the device. Since this is a Verizon branded tablet, they made an agreement with Asus to lock it down like Gitmo, so any official bootloader unlocker will not work with Verizon. Maybe one day when Verizon get's their head out of their ass and understands that people have the right to screw with their phones, they will allow unlocking options--though I doubt it.
This would be a great little tablet, if Verizon gave us more control over it--Jesus Christ, you're still getting $$ from me on your non-unlimited data. Bunch of ****-tards---I used to work for them back in the day at one of their corporate locations in Folsom, CA. Sadly, I think it's that prison mentality (Folsom Prison) that must have been carried in the air a few miles to the Verizon offices there. That was WDTS (Wireless Data Tech Support)....I was there right when EVDO just came out/expanding (Before Iphones...closest thing would have been a BES-Enabled Blackberry, or a fancy PDA)--oh those were the days...
There are rooting options available if you understand Chinese--but even its for older software versions 3.3.x, etc, and from what I can understand, the flash might actually take (hackers take note: if the flash can take..maybe we can piece together a flash with proper rooted versions)...but since this is a Sim/LTE tablet by doing that it will screw up the radio (Cellular) and recovery partitions. But maybe something round-about could be done that does that, then reflashes modified signed firmware to root it--I dunno.
My google-fu is pretty good and I came across some cached, or snippet that said SRSroot might root 6.0.1 on the ZT581KL, but not sure now legit it is.
Unless more people get this tablet/devs play with it, I don't think we will get root/bootloader/recovery anytime soon. I wish I lived in a country that allowed multiple wifes, because I would do a bounty for root on this devices and give away one of my wives for payment.
I used the tablet mostly for navigation, but I want root/twrp for backup purposes, if I need to wipe the device crossing the border since police now wanting to look at peoples phones/tablets. I love using Waze since I'll be driving down the road with a FAT blunt smoking away, so it's good to know if cops are around.
Zenpad z8 running on Fi
I also have this pad. I bought it from Verizon because it's USB-C and I loathe micro USB and even more so because the helpful sales guy at Verizon let me try my Google Fi data only sim...and sure enough it works awesome after setting h2g2 as the apn. Would love to root it though I hate how I can only have one user account on this for now.
Kind of off-topic, but I can't find any clear answer to my question about the Z8 and Z8s. I'm considering buying one, but I do not want a data-plan. Do these tablets work without a SIM in them, or will I be stuck at a home screen that says "Insert SIM..."?
_HighVoltage_ said:
Kind of off-topic, but I can't find any clear answer to my question about the Z8 and Z8s. I'm considering buying one, but I do not want a data-plan. Do these tablets work without a SIM in them, or will I be stuck at a home screen that says "Insert SIM..."?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course you can use it without a SIM.
I just ordered this tablet. I'm sad I can't root it, but I mainly use root for adblocking. I will have to use DNS66 or BlockThis instead.
This method doesn't work?
https://neopodapsi.com/how-to-root-asus-zenpad-z8/
replica9000 said:
This method doesn't work?
Nope, just a scam to fill out never ending surveys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Zenpad P008 Verizon root - no luck
I just tried One Click Root and that didn't work either. Upon chatting with support they were stymied by the lack of an 'OEM Override' debug mode setting.
Can anybody help, I'm new at this stuff. Plus I'm teaching myself. I've rooted some devices. Did some firmware jobs, kinda' familiar with Odin. But I've tried everything from KingRoot PC to adb tryna' root this thing (P008). Between this thing and that Knox MDM shizzle. Man!, Anybody got anything on these topics......
Anyone try Magisk?? I also want to root this thing. Cannot get a usb gaming controller to recognize either.
Without paying attention (because I had just broke my Galaxy S20-5G) I got a Galaxy A21 for cheap. I should have done the research but I honestly wasn't thinking. I didn't know this A21 would be stuck on Android 10. It's running the A215U1 stock rom build because I use Straight Talk, and I thought the latest stock rom for it would at least be Android 11, but it's not. I think I've gotten so used to Android 11 that being stuck on Android 10 is just really messing with my user experience.
So my question is, since Samsung doesn't seem to be releasing Android 11 for the A215U1 build, are there any custom roms with Android 11 floating around for it? I have a feeling that it's unlikely because when I finally decided to research it I've found pretty much nothing. But I figured I would come here to talk to the pros on XDA, because you guys pretty much know everything there is to know collectively.
If not, I was also given an FRP locked SM-A125 from a Telecomm friend who doesn't run any kind of MobileIron or MS InTune to be able to unlock old phones that employees turn in. The company doesn't want to invest in it, which just seems ridiculous, right?
The employee factory reset it without removing their Google account, and claims they don't remember the account email and password they created specifically for it. So the company literally just throws them away rather than deal with the process of sending them into Samsung with the proof of purchase to get them unlocked.
I've tried so hard to flash the right customization file on it to get to that service screen that allows you to remove the FRP lock, but I've been unable. I managed to do it once before for an S8+ that he gave me a couple years ago, but honestly I was trying so many different things that I can't even remember how I managed to do it. I'd at least like to have the A12 with Android 11 to use in the meantime, until (hopefully) Samsung releases Android 11 for the SM-A215U1.
It's only the screen broken on my Galaxy S21 5G, so as soon as I can get an extra $250 together I think I'll send it in to have it repaired. I just hope when I dropped it that something more than the screen didn't break internally. Anyways, even if you guys can't help, thanks for everything you all do here. Have a great weekend everybody.
J.R.
jonnirage said:
Without paying attention (because I had just broke my Galaxy S20-5G) I got a Galaxy A21 for cheap. I should have done the research but I honestly wasn't thinking. I didn't know this A21 would be stuck on Android 10. It's running the A215U1 stock rom build because I use Straight Talk, and I thought the latest stock rom for it would at least be Android 11, but it's not. I think I've gotten so used to Android 11 that being stuck on Android 10 is just really messing with my user experience.
So my question is, since Samsung doesn't seem to be releasing Android 11 for the A215U1 build, are there any custom roms with Android 11 floating around for it? I have a feeling that it's unlikely because when I finally decided to research it I've found pretty much nothing. But I figured I would come here to talk to the pros on XDA, because you guys pretty much know everything there is to know collectively.
If not, I was also given an FRP locked SM-A125 from a Telecomm friend who doesn't run any kind of MobileIron or MS InTune to be able to unlock old phones that employees turn in. The company doesn't want to invest in it, which just seems ridiculous, right?
The employee factory reset it without removing their Google account, and claims they don't remember the account email and password they created specifically for it. So the company literally just throws them away rather than deal with the process of sending them into Samsung with the proof of purchase to get them unlocked.
I've tried so hard to flash the right customization file on it to get to that service screen that allows you to remove the FRP lock, but I've been unable. I managed to do it once before for an S8+ that he gave me a couple years ago, but honestly I was trying so many different things that I can't even remember how I managed to do it. I'd at least like to have the A12 with Android 11 to use in the meantime, until (hopefully) Samsung releases Android 11 for the SM-A215U1.
It's only the screen broken on my Galaxy S21 5G, so as soon as I can get an extra $250 together I think I'll send it in to have it repaired. I just hope when I dropped it that something more than the screen didn't break internally. Anyways, even if you guys can't help, thanks for everything you all do here. Have a great weekend everybody.
J.R.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know much about the A21s, but I remember being able to upgrade my Samsung S4 to Android 9 back when I still had it. In all likelihood: Absolutely, you can upgrade your Samsung A21s to Android 11 - and probably even 12 with zero issues.
First two ROMs here seem to yield the results that you're looking for:
Samsung Galaxy A21s ROMs, Kernels, Recoveries, & O
Improve your Samsung Galaxy A21s's battery life, performance, and look by rooting it and installing a custom ROM, kernel, and more.
forum.xda-developers.com
I have a SM-a215u that was frp locked. I spent 2 days trying various fixes, pulling my hair out, and this was only effective solution...
I wouldn't worry so much about it. Android 10 is very good as is, Android 11 doesn't really add that much except for google trying to further lock things down and make life harder for running custom things, if I had this phone I'd just be on the look out for a solid custom Rom, something like LineageOS or based off.
I own a different phone, which had Android 10 and eventually got 11, but after trying 11, I much prefered to stick to my custom Android 10 rom.
I want some option to. The A21 is really bloated. I tried to remove stuff manually, but there a lot and there was not much change. I would like to try to install plain android, but even enabling EOM is tricky. and root to...