[Q] Need help - Bricked Sprint S4 L720TVPUBNAF

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sandman515

Member
Mar 1, 2014
13
2
My Sprint S4 received the 4.4 update OTA which moved it to version L720TVPUBNAF. I attempted to flash it back to the L720TVPUAMK5 (4.3) version using Odin and the .tar for the stock firmware for this version. Big mistake. Odin failed and now I get the 'Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue' upon boot. First I'm hoping there may be a .tar available for the NAF version and I can flash that with Odin through DL mode since DL mode is the only working mode. I have not used Kies so I do not have an image to fall back to. Any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated.
 
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chris-allen

Senior Member
Jun 22, 2012
684
133
at least your not hard bricked..... find a .tar ver. of the naf rom...might be at samsung websight....then Odin it back... sorry i.dont have links at hand, im kinda busy., but they are there... i have not seen naf roms here on xda yet but i could be wrong... im sure it should be here
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
 
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Mistertac

Senior Member
Oct 22, 2013
4,759
2,749
Springfield, Ma
My Sprint S4 received the 4.4 update OTA which moved it to version L720TVPUBNAF. I attempted to flash it back to the L720TVPUAMK5 (4.3) version using Odin and the .tar for the stock firmware for this version. Big mistake. Odin failed and now I get the 'Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue' upon boot. First I'm hoping there may be a .tar available for the NAF version and I can flash that with Odin through DL mode since DL mode is the only working mode. I have not used Kies so I do not have an image to fall back to. Any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

Just saw you had this thread going too lol hey I know how it is having a bricked phone.
Like these guys said you can ( I guess) flash an NAF based ROM via Odin if you can find one. Or try that other method I linked you to before
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=50704719

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

---------- Post added at 09:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:19 AM ----------

I don't see any NAF (tri band) based Roms myself. I don't know IFA NAE ROM would get you very far since it Is different.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 

cruise350

Senior Member
Dec 11, 2007
1,962
625
Memphis, TN
There is no full tar file for NAF and probably won't be for several weeks. You NEVER flash older tars with the S4 anymore. Once Samsung implemented the full knox bootloader it prevents you from going backwards. Your best bet if you want your phone to work is to take it to Sprint and tell them the update to Kit Kat failed and they should be able to flash your phone back to NAF, or they will replace it.
 

Mistertac

Senior Member
Oct 22, 2013
4,759
2,749
Springfield, Ma
There is no full tar file for NAF and probably won't be for several weeks. You NEVER flash older tars with the S4 anymore. Once Samsung implemented the full knox bootloader it prevents you from going backwards. Your best bet if you want your phone to work is to take it to Sprint and tell them the update to Kit Kat failed and they should be able to flash your phone back to NAF, or they will replace it.

I see you were involved in that thread I linked him. That update zip would not help him since the phone is bricked right? I've never gone that route myself so that's why I'm asking. That'd be my take on it right now, I seem to have over looked that when I linked him that.

Also there was a thread on here for the regular l720 that included a couple files and the use of Odin to get people unbricked and then I think able to use an update zip. Have you seen that? Just throwing that out there that's all. That method is a tad more involved but did work for a few people to unbrick their NAE S4's after they tried downgrading to mk2.

Now since that method wasn't for the tri band s4, I think finding the needed files may be hard. Again I'm just tossing this out there to get your feedback.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 

sandman515

Member
Mar 1, 2014
13
2
I see you were involved in that thread I linked him. That update zip would not help him since the phone is bricked right? I've never gone that route myself so that's why I'm asking. That'd be my take on it right now, I seem to have over looked that when I linked him that.

Also there was a thread on here for the regular l720 that included a couple files and the use of Odin to get people unbricked and then I think able to use an update zip. Have you seen that? Just throwing that out there that's all. That method is a tad more involved but did work for a few people to unbrick their NAE S4's after they tried downgrading to mk2.

Now since that method wasn't for the tri band s4, I think finding the needed files may be hard. Again I'm just tossing this out there to get your feedback.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Thanks for everyone's responses and suggestions. I took the phone to Best Buy and they flashed NAF back on using the Samsung SMART firmware tool they have. As far as some of the other questions, I think a .tar of the NAF firmware would have worked using Odin because I could get into download mode. I don't think a zip would have worked because I could not get into any kind of interactive Recovery mode. Regular boot and attempting to boot to Recovery would take me to the same "Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue" screen.
 
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CyberpodS2

Senior Member
Mar 27, 2012
2,813
1,240
NE Pennsylvania Boonies
Thanks for everyone's responses and suggestions. I took the phone to Best Buy and they flashed NAF back on using the Samsung SMART firmware tool they have. As far as some of the other questions, I think a .tar of the NAF firmware would have worked using Odin because I could get into download mode. I don't think a zip would have worked because I could not get into any kind of interactive Recovery mode. Regular boot and attempting to boot to Recovery would take me to the same "Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue" screen.



I just wanted to say thank you for posting the followup info after getting your issues squared away. All too often people ask questions and you never know if they got resolved. You also posted HOW your problem was fixed, which can help others in the same boat. Glad to have you here at XDA.
 

brianray14

Senior Member
Jan 29, 2011
960
179
Bradenton
I just wanted to say thank you for posting the followup info after getting your issues squared away. All too often people ask questions and you never know if they got resolved. You also posted HOW your problem was fixed, which can help others in the same boat. Glad to have you here at XDA.

I'm facing the same ordeal oddly enough. Rooted with cf root, Flashed philz touch. Flashed slimkat and gapps, got everything all set up, went to change the DPI with textdroider, rebooted and the phone booted up however DPI didn't change. Tried a few more times with no success and installed resolution change / Density (without reading reviews) and bam! soft bricked. Spent over an hour looking for the NAF ROM and found it on sammobile. Waiting for DL and that has taken well over an hour. Can't believe this ROM is uploaded NO WHERE ELSE. I'll be posted back about results and also if i'm succesful I'm open to sharing this file here on xda so it doesn't take forever to DL!! If someone has a good solution for hosting, i'm all ears

EDIT: Flashing the NAF stock ROM from sammobile worked a treat. However, still kida burned about having to wait so long to reach a resoluton mainly due to horrendously slow DL
 
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    My Sprint S4 received the 4.4 update OTA which moved it to version L720TVPUBNAF. I attempted to flash it back to the L720TVPUAMK5 (4.3) version using Odin and the .tar for the stock firmware for this version. Big mistake. Odin failed and now I get the 'Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue' upon boot. First I'm hoping there may be a .tar available for the NAF version and I can flash that with Odin through DL mode since DL mode is the only working mode. I have not used Kies so I do not have an image to fall back to. Any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated.
    1
    at least your not hard bricked..... find a .tar ver. of the naf rom...might be at samsung websight....then Odin it back... sorry i.dont have links at hand, im kinda busy., but they are there... i have not seen naf roms here on xda yet but i could be wrong... im sure it should be here
    Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
    1
    I believe you want a nae ROM. There in the development section.
    1
    I see you were involved in that thread I linked him. That update zip would not help him since the phone is bricked right? I've never gone that route myself so that's why I'm asking. That'd be my take on it right now, I seem to have over looked that when I linked him that.

    Also there was a thread on here for the regular l720 that included a couple files and the use of Odin to get people unbricked and then I think able to use an update zip. Have you seen that? Just throwing that out there that's all. That method is a tad more involved but did work for a few people to unbrick their NAE S4's after they tried downgrading to mk2.

    Now since that method wasn't for the tri band s4, I think finding the needed files may be hard. Again I'm just tossing this out there to get your feedback.

    Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

    Thanks for everyone's responses and suggestions. I took the phone to Best Buy and they flashed NAF back on using the Samsung SMART firmware tool they have. As far as some of the other questions, I think a .tar of the NAF firmware would have worked using Odin because I could get into download mode. I don't think a zip would have worked because I could not get into any kind of interactive Recovery mode. Regular boot and attempting to boot to Recovery would take me to the same "Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue" screen.