Desperately Need Help - Samsung SM-N960F/DS + T-mobile PUK and other issues.....

[orsonwells456]

Hi. I am a complete noob when it comes to rooting Android.

**************************UPDATE************************************************
THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN SOLVED. PLEASE SCROLL TO POST #89 ON PAGE 9 TO SEE THE SOLUTION.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77950935&postcount=89
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I bought an *unlocked* Samsung Note 9 N960F/DS (Exynos 9810) international phone from a seller on ebay brand new and sealed. Received the phone yesterday (10/19/2018) and popped my working existing sim card from my iphone 6 with T-mobile into the new phone and it *worked*.........except no wifi calling.

Since my house has terrible reception I really do need wifi calling in order to receive calls (I use Skype for outbound). I decided to root and install Detonator (tekhd) even though I've never done this before. Somewhere along the line I messed up and installed the latest LUX ROM because I misred Tekhd's guide on Detonator (my fault).

Here's where I stand now: I found a stock ROM for this model (N960F/DS) and reinstalled it using Odin3 v3.13.1.

After a successful flash when I insert my working T-mobile sim I get "SIM network PIN blocked. Enter SIM network PUK."

Here the Service Provider SW shows XEU/XEU,XEU/MYM

I get the *same* message when I insert a spare T-mobile sim I happened to have that was confirmed as available with T-mobile customer service. If I take the working sim out and put it back into the other phone it works without a problem. I think that rules out the sim cards having issues.

Earlier when I had the phone rooted and Detonator installed (and working), I got a different message when I inserted the SIM:

Network Lock: This device can be remotely unlocked if eligible.
Please use the "Device Unlock" application to unlock the device.
Make sure the device has an internet connectivity to use the "Device Unlock application".
​

Here the Service Provider SW showed TMB/TMB/MYM.

I tried looking for a T-mobile Unlock App apk to download but could not find a recent one. I would get a "Device not supported" error. It seems T-mobile has taken it off the Playstore.

Now, I can't install a stock USA ROM from T-mobile because those ROMS are only for the Snapdragon versions and I have the Exynos chip. I was given two unlock codes over the phone with T-mobile customer service to try and unlock the Pin lock but they both did not work.

Do you think an unlock service will be able to provide me with a valid "Sim Network PUK" code? I'm happy to pay for the service if I can just get the damn phone working. I've spent almost $770 on this phone and in hindsight should just have gotten the T-mobile branded phone for $100 more. I'm really at a loss as to what I can do to rectify this situation.

Also in hindsight I should have done more research before purchasing the phone and also should have backed up my partition in TWRP........You live and you learn.

The irony here is that I had an unlocked phone.....and now it has somehow gotten locked.........by the carrier whose SIM card is working perfectly fine......in a different phone. The device was paid in full btw.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[bober10113]

Hi. I am a complete noob when it comes to rooting Android.

I bought an *unlocked* Samsung Note 9 N960F/DS (Exynos 9810) international phone from a seller on ebay brand new and sealed. Received the phone yesterday (10/19/2018) and popped my working existing sim card from my iphone 6 with T-mobile into the new phone and it *worked*.........except no wifi calling.

Since my house has terrible reception I really do need wifi calling in order to receive calls (I use Skype for outbound). I decided to root and install Detonator (tekhd) even though I've never done this before. Somewhere along the line I messed up and installed the latest LUX ROM because I misred Tekhd's guide on Detonator (my fault).

Here's where I stand now: I found a stock ROM for this model (N960F/DS) and reinstalled it using Odin3 v3.13.1.

After a successful flash when I insert my working T-mobile sim I get "SIM network PIN blocked. Enter SIM network PUK."

Here the Service Provider SW shows XEU/XEU,XEU/MYM

I get the *same* message when I insert a spare T-mobile sim I happened to have that was confirmed as available with T-mobile customer service. If I take the working sim out and put it back into the other phone it works without a problem. I think that rules out the sim cards having issues.

Earlier when I had the phone rooted and Detonator installed (and working), I got a different message when I inserted the SIM:

Network Lock: This device can be remotely unlocked if eligible.
Please use the "Device Unlock" application to unlock the device.
Make sure the device has an internet connectivity to use the "Device Unlock application".


Here the Service Provider SW showed TMB/TMB/MYM.

I tried looking for a T-mobile Unlock App apk to download but could not find a recent one. I would get a "Device not supported" error. It seems T-mobile has taken it off the Playstore.

Now, I can't install a stock USA ROM from T-mobile because those ROMS are only for the Snapdragon versions and I have the Exynos chip. I was given two unlock codes over the phone with T-mobile customer service to try and unlock the Pin lock but they both did not work.

Do you think an unlock service will be able to provide me with a valid "Sim Network PUK" code? I'm happy to pay for the service if I can just get the damn phone working. I've spent almost $770 on this phone and in hindsight should just have gotten the T-mobile branded phone for $100 more. I'm really at a loss as to what I can do to rectify this situation.

Also in hindsight I should have done more research before purchasing the phone and also should have backed up my partition in TWRP........You live and you learn.

The irony here is that I had an unlocked phone.....and now it has somehow gotten locked.........by the carrier whose SIM card is working perfectly fine......in a different phone. The device was paid in full btw.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

this is a first. I always though once the region lock was lifted it couldn't be relocked( to me it seems to be a region lock issue, which if it is you need to make a 5 min call on region soil... good luck)

anyways check on your box there is a sticker with model and serial . find what carrier or region its from and grab that firmware and flash it. might want to factory wipe everything (including cache) in the recovery before booting it up indownlaod mode to do Odin flash.

also remove sim before wiping/ flashing, let it boot and do the initial setup then insert sim.

 

[orsonwells456]

this is a first. I always though once the region lock was lifted it couldn't be relocked( to me it seems to be a region lock issue, which if it is you need to make a 5 min call on region soil... good luck)

anyways check on your box there is a sticker with model and serial . find what carrier or region its from and grab that firmware and flash it. might want to factory wipe everything (including cache) in the recovery before booting it up indownlaod mode to do Odin flash.

also remove sim before wiping/ flashing, let it boot and do the initial setup then insert sim.

I did wipe and reinstall the stock rom with the sim removed. The strange thing is..........I get the same message if I insert an old, blank, unused t-mobile sim into the device. Plus the working sim works fine in my old phone. So how could it be that the sim is locked?

There is nothing on the box that says anything about a carrier. This was advertised and sold as a factory unlocked phone which by all indications it does seem to be. The only thing on the box that says anything about country is that it was manufactured in vietnam.

 

[bober10113]

I did wipe and reinstall the stock rom with the sim removed. The strange thing is..........I get the same message if I insert an old, blank, unused t-mobile sim into the device. Plus the working sim works fine in my old phone. So how could it be that the sim is locked?

There is nothing on the box that says anything about a carrier. This was advertised and sold as a factory unlocked phone which by all indications it does seem to be. The only thing on the box that says anything about country is that it was manufactured in vietnam.

no sticker with device model or anything? not even in the back of the phone when it was new? a white sticker

 

[orsonwells456]

no sticker with device model or anything? not even in the back of the phone when it was new? a white sticker

Yes there are stickers. But it is not associated with a carrier, specific region, or country. I just see IMEI info on the sticker on the back of the phone and S/N.

 

[bober10113]

Yes there are stickers. But it is not associated with a carrier, specific region, or country. I just see IMEI info on the sticker on the back of the phone and S/N.

nothing like

SM-N960FOYAU1MYM or something?

 

[orsonwells456]

nothing like

SM-N960FOYAMYM or something?

Ah ok. SM-N960FZBDMYM

 

[bober10113]

nothing like

SM-N960FOYAU1MYM or something?

btw I think detonator zip backup efs partition. did your issues arise before it after flashing it? if after try to find the backup and refresh it

 

[orsonwells456]

btw I think detonator zip backup efs partition. did your issues arise before it after flashing it? if after try to find the backup and refresh it

I was a dumbass and did not backup. I had zero issues other than no wifi-calling before trying to root and flash detonator...... Thank you for your help.

 

[orsonwells456]

I went to a site with all "official" downloads and I don't see anything for ZBDMYM........

 

[bober10113]

I was a dumbass and did not backup. I had zero issues other than no wifi-calling before trying to root and flash detonator...... Thank you for your help.

https://samsung-firmware.org/model/SM-N960F/region/MYM/

did you flash one of these?

these should be the original firmware U1 and the lates U2 which if you flash wint be able to downgrade bootloader but shouldn't be causing rhe sim lock issue.

flash U1 first and see if it fixes your issue. then try the October U2 just for fun

you can also download it using samfirm tool

enter 960F and MYM in settings it should also be a faster download then the web links

 

[orsonwells456]

https://samsung-firmware.org/model/SM-N960F/region/MYM/

did you flash one of these?

these should be the original firmware U1 and the lates U2 which if you flash wint be able to downgrade bootloader but shouldn't be causing rhe sim lock issue.

flash U1 first and see if it fixes your issue. then try the October U2 just for fun

My baseband version currently shows N960FXXU2ARH7 and Service Provider SW Ver. shows XEU/XEU, XEU/MYM. I will try loading U1 first and see what happens.

 

[bober10113]

My baseband version currently shows N960FXXU2ARH7 and Service Provider SW Ver. shows XEU/XEU, XEU/MYM. I will try loading U1 first and see what happens.

ok so it's too late for U1 . ure phone is already on U2 latest bootloader. so flash the October build

but be sure to wipe all with no sim before flashing

and in Odin fill in all slots and for csc use CSC but not HOME csc file.


good luck

 

[orsonwells456]

ok so it's too late for U1 . ure phone is already on U2 latest bootloader. so flash the October build

but be sure to wipe all with no sim before flashing

Should I take out sim, use TWRP to wipe, then go into download mode, Odin3=> flash rom? Thanks.

 

[bober10113]

Should I take out sim, use TWRP to wipe, then go into download mode, Odin3=> flash rom? Thanks.

yeah might as well use tarp. and erase all. but before, did you sift through internal s or ext s for an efs backup that detonator might have made automatically?

check for a folder called .backup and or for a file like:
efs_backup.img.gz

efs_backup.img

or anything similar

 

[orsonwells456]

yeah might as well use tarp. and erase all. but before, did you sift through internal s or ext s for an efs backup that detonator might have made automatically?

No, but I did download Dr. Ketan's tool to make an efs backup. But that was way later in the process....so it wasn't the original efs directory......It was after I flashed my current "stock" rom. I'm going to try and find another site to download since that one will take 2 days on slow speed......

Btw what does the ZBD mean? MYM I figured is Myanmar......

 

[bober10113]

No, but I did download Dr. Ketan's tool to make an efs backup. But that was way later in the process....so it wasn't the original efs directory......It was after I flashed my current "stock" rom. I'm going to try and find another site to download since that one will take 2 days on slow speed......

Btw what does the ZBD mean? MYM I figured is Myanmar......

probably a date code of some sort. Samsung mashes a bunch if letters to come up with country,date code. just Google it.

but try samfirm 3.6 tool to dl

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhXVLDDj8g3AgdJZClzJmsN17YL2CQ

 

[orsonwells456]

I am using Samfirm and found this;

Model: N960F
Region: MYM
File: N960FXXU2ARJ1/N960FOXM2ARJ1/N960FXXU2ARJ1/N960FXXU2ARJ1
Verions: N960F_1_20181001162540_w0h1lv73k8_fac.zip.enc4

 

[orsonwells456]

If Install this ROM, does this mean my phone will be region locked to MYM again? I'm definitely confused on this......

 

[bober10113]

I am using Samfirm and found this;

Model: N960F
Region: MYM
File: N960FXXU2ARJ1/N960FOXM2ARJ1/N960FXXU2ARJ1/N960FXXU2ARJ1
Verions: N960F_1_20181001162540_w0h1lv73k8_fac.zip.enc4

yeah looks good. its October 1st build

---------- Post added at 07:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:44 PM ----------

If Install this ROM, does this mean my phone will be region locked to MYM again? I'm definitely confused on this......

well ure screwed either way. the goal is to restore everything back to stock and see if you can get a line working


btw was there a seal on the box that you had to break in order to open the box when you first got it?