I had DOCOMO unlock my Galaxy S3 about two years ago. Before that I rooted it but lost the banking app functionality (ID, my bank app, Suica, etc.). So, before unlocking it, I unrooted it back. Then I paid them the ¥3,150 and since then the phone has been working well. EXCEPT....
...Except, I can no longer root it. I have tried any trick in the book - I used Odin, I used Heimdall, I used Kengo Root, and all other options available there. But to no avail. So, unfortunately, I cannot get rid of the bloatware that makes my phone sluggish, nor I can delete the docomo account, even when I factory reseted the device. Anyone has ANY idea how to deal with this?
I had DOCOMO unlock my Galaxy S3 about two years ago. Before that I rooted it but lost the banking app functionality (ID, my bank app, Suica, etc.). So, before unlocking it, I unrooted it back. Then I paid them the ¥3,150 and since then the phone has been working well. EXCEPT....
...Except, I can no longer root it. I have tried any trick in the book - I used Odin, I used Heimdall, I used Kengo Root, and all other options available there. But to no avail. So, unfortunately, I cannot get rid of the bloatware that makes my phone sluggish, nor I can delete the docomo account, even when I factory reseted the device. Anyone has ANY idea how to deal with this?
If u want to root,just beacause u want to disbale bloatware,then try use "Debloater" there re a thread on xda.Debloater help u disable or uninstall all bloatware with out root.And,its 2016 now why not upgrade to s6 or iphone 6?
Hi.
I have sc-03e, and my battery drains too fast.
Installed custom rom: rXTREME.v10.0
Please, tell me, that custom(or stock?) firmware give me good battery life?
Sorry for bad english, this topic - is biggest in internet about this phone, and i hope you will help me.
Hi.
I have sc-03e, and my battery drains too fast.
Installed custom rom: rXTREME.v10.0
Please, tell me, that custom(or stock?) firmware give me good battery life?
Sorry for bad english, this topic - is biggest in internet about this phone, and i hope you will help me.
Hi Lightbass,
I do know some ROM which has good battery life but seems it is customized for Chinese, but I think stock-rooted ROMs are good enough in battery life.
If you have used this device for a long time, you might need to consider changing the battery, buy a new one. My first battery seems to work for only half the time compared with a newly bought battery.
My plan is vice versa. It can be used for LTE and WCDMA. I cant use LTE in sc-03e bec Globe PH set the LTE into diff frequency. So i only used WCDMA. i have a spare s4 when i want to use LTE.
----------------
i just checked the national data roaming. Because if i dont, i get roaming signal.
Weird. I dont have a problem regarding data when i used stock rooted rom.
It is really weird, that you can get data on stock but not on CM 10.1
Another reason could be the radio baseband. What is the baseband that you are using with CM 10.1 (It can be checked in About Phone)
There is similar issue here in Japan for 3G data, where even the Docomo 3G data for non-LTE sim does not work on new basebands.
So if you are using a baseband different than LK5, please flash to the modem to LK5 and then try the data thing again.
---------- Post added at 02:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:33 PM ----------
It is the mobile TV function available on Japanese phones.
I have the sam issue in my mobile I have data plan and fulk 4g coverage in my area when I put my sc03e in only 4g mode I have rooted device using intelli 3g to use only 4g signal appear for a little while then dropped back to emergency call only 3g and 2g work perfectly how to solve this 4g issue any help using stock 4.3 rooted rom
I finally success to porting I9300 ProBam rom to SC03E
Pro-bam feature---> all in one...I think..
1. Halo and multi windows
2. active display
3. appbar
4. lockscreen notification
5. navigator ring target can modified
6. tweak on init.d
7. buildprop mod.
8. lcd density changer
9. compatible with app..(I try use air swipe..and work fine)
10. Gapps included (no need to install gapps)
you can visit their website for full information..
Works all (wifi, gps etc) .. and also stable..
You can download on my dropbox folder.
Hi! I'm trying to use my old Galaxy S3 for other purposes, and I would like to install a custom rom. I am having trouble finding the latest version of the make_japanized_rom tool. All the links I find in this thread and through search lead to 404 pages or errors. Could someone please let me know if there is still a valid download link, or maybe send me the file somehow? That would be really cool, thank you!
Edit: Okay, forget that! It seems like CherryS is the way to go for my 4.4.x rom. Anyway there is no download link for that either, so I update my request for a CherryS working download link, pretty please?
Also, I can not find a download link nor any mention at all anywhere to the JCOM CM 10.x rom that is mentioned several times in this and another thread. Does it exist? And if yes, where can I get it? Any insight much appreciated.
Hi
This is indeed a talented pool of people and i am near sure that i would get a resolution.
Ultimate goal is to Flash my SC03E(Galaxy S III alpha) , but i think i have a problem to sort before i can do that.
I brought this phone from tokyo and got it unlocked from a local vendor, without going to NTT . Since then i havent been able to connect to PC using the USB. I have done the below , but it doesnt work
1) Downloaded a samsung USB driver
2)Installed the Kies software
3) Enabled the developer version , tried USB debugging mode.(After i did this step, on the phones password screen, i get a line "Unlock your device to use as a media device". After putting in pwd, nothing happens i.e doesnt show up on PC
When i plugin the phone to PC, i do get the sound from PC which it makes when a USB device is connected, and the phone gets charged from the USB as well , but the phone doesnt show up anywhere on the PC.
I am assuming i cannot go ahead with any rooting process, till my phone connects to the PC
Please help and guide me through this.
Some details on the phone
1) Build # : JSS15J.sc03eomubog5
2) Android version : 4.3
I no longer will be testing or using the SC03E. I am also going to unsubscribe from this thread as I have many other threads to look after and I prefer to forget this phone... GGPO
Note that you can use i9305 versions of most ROMs, but beware that it may not work perfectly and you need to flash CherryS after you flash your ROM of choice. For newer versions that are not uploaded, Google is your friend!
(hint: ROMname+i9305+XDA will get good results in Google!)
Download Odin v3.07, launch the program, then restart your phone and go into download mode.
IF YOU NEED TO UNLOCK YOUR PHONE, FOLLOW THIS GUIDE BEFORE FLASHING CWM!
courtesy @davidcsv. Note that the file hosting service is no longer available, but I have posted the link in the next step. Same exact file... just hosted elsewhere.
Prerequisites:
Windows PC running Odin3 in an administrator account (tested with Odin3 v3.07)
USB cable to connect phone to PC (preferably original cable for reliability)
Internet access to download firmware image(s)
Google account to access Play Store
The following list outlines the required steps in order to successfully unlock your SC-03E:
If you have data on the phone, which is of any importance to you, then I highly recommend that you make appropriate backups first
If present, remove the SIM card and SD card (there's no need to have a Docomo SIM card for this procedure to work)
Download this stock firmware image, which is based on MB1 and includes the appropriate modem component to assist in wiping the NV stored network locking data structures. In addition, this firmware image is root-ready; meaning that you can toggle root mode by pressing VolumeUp/VolumeDown/Power button combination briefly to switch modes.
Initiate Odin Download mode on the SC-03E (Turn the phone off, then simultaneously press VolumeDown/Home/Power buttons until the Download Mode splash screen appears and requires you to press VolumeUp to continue or VolumeDown to cancel if you find yourself suddenly struck by an overwhelming feeling of stage-fright)
Unpack the SC03EOMAMB1_LK5MDM.tar.md5 firmware image from the above-mentioned/downloaded zip archive and flash the file with Odin3 (specify the image file in Odin's PDA section)
As soon as Odin completes the flashing process, it will instruct the phone to reset; be patient while the phone starts up, because it will require more time to set-up and configure itself after a factory reset.
If you have reached this step, then we're assuming the phone has booted successfully and you are presented with the configuration wizard. You need to at least enter your Google account credentials in order to access the Play Store.
Install the (free) ServiceMode Shortcut app (author: KABASOFT) from the Play Store.
Another (paid) option is the ShowServiceMode For Galaxy LTE app (author: Jaken's Laboratory).
Start the service mode app and tap the ServiceMode option, which will in turn fire up the ServiceMode main menu
Select [1]UMTS->[1]DEBUG SCREEN->[8]PHONE CONTROL->[6]NETWORK LOCK->[3]PERSO SHA256 OFF
Now use the phone's android menu soft button to select Back in the pop-up menu to return to the NETWORK LOCK menu
Tap [4]NW LOCK NV DATA INITIALLIZ and wait for about a minute before returning to the NETWORK LOCK menu; when you tap this option again, it should state PERSO_NV_INIT is SUCCESSFUL
You may now power off the phone to insert a SIM card from your favorite telcom operator and restart the phone
From this point onward, it is possible to flash any other firmware image without affecting the unlocked state
Enjoy!
Flash Stock Firmware (courtesy @davidcsv)
-Just open Odin, do not change anything (auto reboot and f. reset time should be the only things checked), and click the button that says PDA... and select the above file (extract it first).
-This is also the same firmware that is in @davidcsv's unlock guide, just hosted on AnniBlue.
Re-Enable Osaifu Keitai/Felica Part 1 (NOT NECESSARY IF YOU DONT USE OSAIFU KEITAI OR IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE OF JAPAN)
Thanks to SlateBlue and their easy to understand instructions! https://sites.google.com/site/rootsc03e/felica
After you complete the initial set up, Enable installing apps from unknown sources and enable USB debugging in the developer options.
Before launching it, you will need to press VolUp+VolDown+PowerButton to toggle root, now you should see the Samsung logo twist and it will look like the phone restarted.
Now launch it, and choose "Felica Control"
Now choose Felica Device Keys. When I first did this it asked something and I accidentally clicked something.... BUT
Press it again (if the same thing happened to you) and choose the option on the very right.
The process is not complete yet... and you will need finish up the process later... just read the guide.
Flash CWM:
Flash sc03e-KK-KBC-CWM-v6.0.4.7_r1-recovery.tar in Odin then restart your phone and get into CWM (hold home+volume up+power button). Upon exiting CWM you will be asked to fix your root binaries... say yes!
OK, I edited the Japanize ROM cooker so it has four options. Please note that the 4.4 options are obsolete a we can flash CherryS. Read on below for that info.
Convert ROMs for 4.2
Convert ROMs for 4.3
Convert ROMs for 4.4 *this is under development, NOT WORKING
Convert ROMs for 4.4 with Boeffla boot.img *this is under development, NOT WORKING
Make sure you:
Have the cooker file path with NO SPACES
-i.e. - C:\cook\ (extract here)
The ROM name has NO SPACES (e.g. NameOfTheROM.zip)
Copy the ROM in the same folder as the file named 'make_japanized_ROM_SC03E.bat'
Now drag and drop the ROM you want cooked on to 'make_japanized_ROM_SC03E.bat' and wait for it to complete
Reboot into CWM (hold volume up + power button + home) and install the ROM, Make sure you have all the files on your SD card also.
Wipe data/factory reset & wipe cache partition & wipe dalvik cache (under 'advanced')
Flash your new ROM
Flash CherryS if you want Boeffla kernel and/or if it is NOT a SC-03E ROM. Make sure you flash the proper CherryS kernel (Samsung/stock ROM, AOSP, MIUI)
Flash the proper GAPPs for the ROM you are using. Refer to their designated threads for that info.
Re-Enable Osaifu Keitai/Felica Part 2 (NOT NECESSARY IF YOU DONT USE OSAIFU KEITAI OR IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE OF JAPAN)
-Start GNT2/S3a ExtremeTuner and choose "Felica Control"
-Now choose "Unlock Felica Device"... but the text just stayed up there for me... So i just hit the back button and it worked!
-In the Japanese guide it said you need to reboot, but I didn't need to.
Wipe cache partition, data/factory reset and wipe dalvik cache in CWM
Install, launch and apply Triangle Away
Let the phone reboot, BUT DON'T LET the OS be loaded! PUT IT IN DOWNLOAD MODE (volume down + home + power) BEFORE THE SAMSUNG LOGO APPEARS!
Flash stock ROM using Odin
IMPORTANT Factory reset and wipe cache from stock recovery mode (volume up + home + power)
ROMs that I use < prefer in the following order
JCOM CM 10.x - Works great and dosnt have that stupid anime chick that Masashi Seino included in it. I didn't even want to show people my boot screen cause of that silly little ****. But this ROM works well and is the most stable and less buggy ROM for this device.
Slimsaber i9305 - This is a well developed ROM and has all the features you can ask for. This ROM has the ****ed up mic so people cant hear you when using Line, Skype, etc. Basic phone works for some reason.
CM11 i9305 nightly - Works great, same sound issues as Slimsaber
Mokee SC03E - Too much chinese apps included and has the sound bug...
AOSB i9305 - Has so many features, but lack of updates and bugs here and there.
PACman/Liquidsmooth/Omni i9305 - Great ROM, but still buggy for the SC03E.
To sum it up, screw this phone and I cant wait for the Nexus 6 to come out so I can stop stressing over it.
DISCLAIMER: You will be flashing your phone at your own risk. You are solely responsible for anything you do to your phone, so make sure you are well informed and well prepared before deciding to flash or install anything on your device.
The purpose of this thread is to provide a 'reference site' for anything related to ROMs and kernels, be it original stock, modified stock or custom images for the Samsung Galaxy S III Japanese versions, starting with model SC-03E.
All comments and feedback are welcome and appreciated.
Reminders:
After flashing a new ROM image, it is highly recommended to perform a cache wipe and factory reset. Please avoid posting about problems repeatedly which can be easily solved by this procedure.
If you find that someone has been helpful in assisting you, then please do not shy away from hitting the THANKS button below their post; this is the preferred action instead of creating a new post just to show your gratitude
BEFORE ASKING HOW TO DO SOMETHING, READ THIS GUIDE
Some questions are being asked over and over again in this thread without bothering to read through it or looking for the answer here in the OP. Especially for the 'lazy' ones among us, we'll attempt to make a new and fresh, additional, reference pointer right here at the top of the very first post. Please consider taking a look at @lparryU's guide BEFORE posting your next question. "How-to: Root, Unlock, Enable Osaifu Keitai/Felica, CWM, cook & flash custom ROM for SC-03E"
PIT File
Use this PIT file when flashing with Odin, and ONLY if you have scr*wed up your default partitioning scheme due to specifying an incorrect one during a previous flash. Normally there is NO NEED to specify a PIT file when flashing with Odin!
Due to hotfile.com's demise, and my limited storage and bandwidth resources in my mediafire subscription, stock images will be available on demand only. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Pre Rooted stock ROMs
(Flashing the following ROM components will trigger the custom binary counter)
All the rooters contain a sample debloat script as well. it is located in the file /preload/Proxyme/debloat.sample. If your /sdcard already has an older debloat script in /sdcard/Proxyme/debloat.sh, it will not be overwritten by the rooter (in case you made changes to it for an older rom). So to be sure of using the most recent script for the targeted version of the firmware check the version in the /preload/Proxyme location. As a reminder, you can execute the debloat script (or any other one) from within Proxyme WITHOUT enabling SU, because it will always run in an environment with elevated privileges.
Jelly Bean 4.3 SC03EOMUBNH2 (Proxyme) (Build Date 2014-08-19)
This zip archive contains an Odin flashable file. It is not the complete stock image, so you MUST have OMUBNH2 already running on your phone or you will need to download it from the above reference sites, which carry complete stock firmware images, and flash it before continuing with this file. Instructions are included.
(Flashing these ROMs will NOT trigger the custom binary counter)
Jelly Bean 4.3 XXUENE4 GT-I9305 Based (Proxyme) (Build Date 2014-05-16)
This image will clear data/cache implicitly upon initial boot, so backup your stuff before flashing
This one includes the Samsung Chinese IME with support for full screen handwriting and the QUERTY layout with extra row of numerical keys at the top
Jelly Bean 4.1.2 MI4 GT-I9305(TGY) Based (Build Date 2013-09-26)
Rooting instructions are displayed in RootInfo app Wipe Data/Cache if you are experiencing problems.
Display Languages: English(UK/US), Chinese(Trad/Simpl) and Korean
Input: Samsung Chinese IME (English/Chinese-TW/Chinese-HK/Chinese/Korean), Standard Samsung IME (en_GB;en_US;az;ca;cs;da;de;et;es;eu;el;fr;gl;ka;hr;it;is;kk;lv;lt;hu;nb;nl;pl;pt;ru;ro;fi;sr;sk;sl;sv;tr;uk;ko;hy;bg;zh_CN)
mediafire (unpack tar.md5 file from this multipart zip archive and flash with Odin)
MR8 GT-I9305(TNL) Based (Build Date 2013-09-26)
Rooting instructions are displayed in RootInfo app Wipe Data/Cache if you are experiencing problems.
Display Languages: (en_GB;en_US;en_AU;en_IE;en_NZ;en_ZA;ko_KR;de_AT;de_CH;de_DE;fr_FR;fr_CH;bg_BG;cs_CZ;da_DK;el_GR;es_ES;et_EE;fi_FI;ga_IE;hr_HR;hu_HU;is_IS;it_IT;lt_LT;lv_LV;mk_MK;nb_NO;nl_NL;nl_BE;pl_PL;pt_PT;ro_RO;sr_RS;sv_SE;tr_TR;ca_ES;eu_ES;gl_ES;kk_KZ;ru_RU;sk_SK; sl_SI; uk_UA; uz_UZ; az_AZ; hy_AM; ka_GE; es_US; pt_BR; ar_AE;zh_CN;zh_TW;ja_JP)
Input: Samsung Chinese IME (English/Chinese-TW/Chinese-HK/Chinese/Korean), Standard Samsung IME (en_GB;en_US;az;ca;cs;da;de;et;es;eu;el;fr;gl;ka;hr;it;is;kk;lv;lt;hu;nb;nl;pl;pt;ru;ro;fi;sr;sk;sl;sv;tr;uk;ko;hy;bg)
mediafire (unpack tar.md5 file from this multipart zip archive and flash with Odin)
MG3 GT-I9305(SFR) Based (Build Date 2013-07-31)
To toggle root/unroot, boot the phone and then press VolumeUp/VolumeDown/Power simultaneously for a brief moment.
This toggle only works if you enable Settings->Developer Options->USB Debugging Data and cache are wiped, so backup your data prior to flashing with Odin.
Display Languages: (en_GB;en_US;en_AU;en_IE;en_NZ;en_ZA;ko_KR;de_AT;de_CH;de_DE;fr_FR;fr_CH;bg_BG;cs_CZ;da_DK;el_GR;es_ES;et_EE;fi_FI;ga_IE;hr_HR;hu_HU;is_IS;it_IT;lt_LT;lv_LV;mk_MK;nb_NO;nl_NL;nl_BE;pl_PL;pt_PT;ro_RO;sr_RS;sv_SE;tr_TR;ca_ES;eu_ES;gl_ES;kk_KZ;ru_RU;sk_SK; sl_SI; uk_UA; uz_UZ;az_AZ; hy_AM; ka_GE;es_US; pt_BR; ar_AE)
Input: Samsung Chinese IME (English/Chinese-TW/Chinese-HK/Chinese/Korean), Standard Samsung IME (en_GB;en_US;az;ca;cs;da;de;et;es;eu;el;fr;gl;ka;hr;it;is;kk;lv;lt;hu;nb;nl;pl;pt;ru;ro;fi;sr;sk;sl;sv;tr;uk;ko;hy;bg)
mediafire (unpack tar.md5 file from this multipart zip archive and flash with Odin)
Jelly Bean 4.1.1 SC03EOMAMJ4 ( 2013-10-18 ) Depending on what's running on your phone currently, you may have to consider performing a manual factory reset and wipe the cache and data partitions. Rooting Instructions:
Default state is - not rooted - Proxyme has been included in this rom,
Proxyme offers live su binary control, and without the need to 'root' the phone, you have...
- SSH server with virtually unlimited user accounts, configurable with specific UID, GID, home directory and shell,
- execution of scripts with elevated privileges (sample debloating script included),
- tag along scripts for root ON and root OFF actions,
- busybox switch
(Unpack the .tar.md5 file from any one of the following zip archive and flash with Odin)
To toggle root/unroot, boot the phone and then press VolumeUp/VolumeDown/Power simultaneously for a brief moment.
This toggle only works if you enable Settings->Developer Options->USB Debugging mediafire (unpack tar.md5 file from this multi-part zip archive and flash with Odin)
To toggle root/unroot, boot the phone and then press VolumeUp/VolumeDown/Power simultaneously for a brief moment.
This toggle only works if you enable Settings->Developer Options->USB Debugging
Chainfire's SuperSU has been included for your convenience.
hotfile - link dead (unpack tar.md5 file from this zip archive and flash with Odin)
.
KBC Developers github wiki
Contains everything everyone in here needs, Samsung custom kernel, with visible hidden partition for using triangle away on stock rooted,
and having all Japanese things working too. And the cm10.1 links. Its in Japanese but easily translated. (courtesy of @Robobob1221) https://github.com/kbc-developers/release/wiki
How-to: Root, Unlock, Enable Osaifu Keitai/Felica, CWM, cook & flash ROM on SC-03E
THIS HAS BEEN UPDATED ON 2015 FEBRUARY 04
I no longer will be testing or using the SC03E. I am also going to unsubscribe from this thread as I have many other threads to look after and I prefer to forget this phone... GGPO
Note that you can use i9305 versions of most ROMs, but beware that it may not work perfectly and you need to flash CherryS after you flash your ROM of choice. For newer versions that are not uploaded, Google is your friend!
(hint: ROMname+i9305+XDA will get good results in Google!)
Download Odin v3.07, launch the program, then restart your phone and go into download mode.
IF YOU NEED TO UNLOCK YOUR PHONE, FOLLOW THIS GUIDE BEFORE FLASHING CWM!
courtesy @davidcsv. Note that the file hosting service is no longer available, but I have posted the link in the next step. Same exact file... just hosted elsewhere.
Prerequisites:
Windows PC running Odin3 in an administrator account (tested with Odin3 v3.07)
USB cable to connect phone to PC (preferably original cable for reliability)
Internet access to download firmware image(s)
Google account to access Play Store
The following list outlines the required steps in order to successfully unlock your SC-03E:
If you have data on the phone, which is of any importance to you, then I highly recommend that you make appropriate backups first
If present, remove the SIM card and SD card (there's no need to have a Docomo SIM card for this procedure to work)
Download this stock firmware image, which is based on MB1 and includes the appropriate modem component to assist in wiping the NV stored network locking data structures. In addition, this firmware image is root-ready; meaning that you can toggle root mode by pressing VolumeUp/VolumeDown/Power button combination briefly to switch modes.
Initiate Odin Download mode on the SC-03E (Turn the phone off, then simultaneously press VolumeDown/Home/Power buttons until the Download Mode splash screen appears and requires you to press VolumeUp to continue or VolumeDown to cancel if you find yourself suddenly struck by an overwhelming feeling of stage-fright)
Unpack the SC03EOMAMB1_LK5MDM.tar.md5 firmware image from the above-mentioned/downloaded zip archive and flash the file with Odin3 (specify the image file in Odin's PDA section)
As soon as Odin completes the flashing process, it will instruct the phone to reset; be patient while the phone starts up, because it will require more time to set-up and configure itself after a factory reset.
If you have reached this step, then we're assuming the phone has booted successfully and you are presented with the configuration wizard. You need to at least enter your Google account credentials in order to access the Play Store.
Install the (free) ServiceMode Shortcut app (author: KABASOFT) from the Play Store.
Another (paid) option is the ShowServiceMode For Galaxy LTE app (author: Jaken's Laboratory).
Start the service mode app and tap the ServiceMode option, which will in turn fire up the ServiceMode main menu
Select [1]UMTS->[1]DEBUG SCREEN->[8]PHONE CONTROL->[6]NETWORK LOCK->[3]PERSO SHA256 OFF
Now use the phone's android menu soft button to select Back in the pop-up menu to return to the NETWORK LOCK menu
Tap [4]NW LOCK NV DATA INITIALLIZ and wait for about a minute before returning to the NETWORK LOCK menu; when you tap this option again, it should state PERSO_NV_INIT is SUCCESSFUL
You may now power off the phone to insert a SIM card from your favorite telcom operator and restart the phone
From this point onward, it is possible to flash any other firmware image without affecting the unlocked state
Enjoy!
Flash Stock Firmware (courtesy @davidcsv)
-Just open Odin, do not change anything (auto reboot and f. reset time should be the only things checked), and click the button that says PDA... and select the above file (extract it first).
-This is also the same firmware that is in @davidcsv's unlock guide, just hosted on AnniBlue.
Re-Enable Osaifu Keitai/Felica Part 1 (NOT NECESSARY IF YOU DONT USE OSAIFU KEITAI OR IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE OF JAPAN)
Thanks to SlateBlue and their easy to understand instructions! https://sites.google.com/site/rootsc03e/felica
After you complete the initial set up, Enable installing apps from unknown sources and enable USB debugging in the developer options.
Before launching it, you will need to press VolUp+VolDown+PowerButton to toggle root, now you should see the Samsung logo twist and it will look like the phone restarted.
Now launch it, and choose "Felica Control"
Now choose Felica Device Keys. When I first did this it asked something and I accidentally clicked something.... BUT
Press it again (if the same thing happened to you) and choose the option on the very right.
The process is not complete yet... and you will need finish up the process later... just read the guide.
Flash CWM:
Flash sc03e-KK-KBC-CWM-v6.0.4.7_r1-recovery.tar in Odin then restart your phone and get into CWM (hold home+volume up+power button). Upon exiting CWM you will be asked to fix your root binaries... say yes!
OK, I edited the Japanize ROM cooker so it has four options. Please note that the 4.4 options are obsolete a we can flash CherryS. Read on below for that info.
Convert ROMs for 4.2
Convert ROMs for 4.3
Convert ROMs for 4.4 *this is under development, NOT WORKING
Convert ROMs for 4.4 with Boeffla boot.img *this is under development, NOT WORKING
Make sure you:
Have the cooker file path with NO SPACES
-i.e. - C:\cook\ (extract here)
The ROM name has NO SPACES (e.g. NameOfTheROM.zip)
Copy the ROM in the same folder as the file named 'make_japanized_ROM_SC03E.bat'
Now drag and drop the ROM you want cooked on to 'make_japanized_ROM_SC03E.bat' and wait for it to complete
Reboot into CWM (hold volume up + power button + home) and install the ROM, Make sure you have all the files on your SD card also.
Wipe data/factory reset & wipe cache partition & wipe dalvik cache (under 'advanced')
Flash your new ROM
Flash CherryS if you want Boeffla kernel and/or if it is NOT a SC-03E ROM. Make sure you flash the proper CherryS kernel (Samsung/stock ROM, AOSP, MIUI)
Flash the proper GAPPs for the ROM you are using. Refer to their designated threads for that info.
Re-Enable Osaifu Keitai/Felica Part 2 (NOT NECESSARY IF YOU DONT USE OSAIFU KEITAI OR IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE OF JAPAN)
-Start GNT2/S3a ExtremeTuner and choose "Felica Control"
-Now choose "Unlock Felica Device"... but the text just stayed up there for me... So i just hit the back button and it worked!
-In the Japanese guide it said you need to reboot, but I didn't need to.
Wipe cache partition, data/factory reset and wipe dalvik cache in CWM
Install, launch and apply Triangle Away
Let the phone reboot, BUT DON'T LET the OS be loaded! PUT IT IN DOWNLOAD MODE (volume down + home + power) BEFORE THE SAMSUNG LOGO APPEARS!
Flash stock ROM using Odin
IMPORTANT Factory reset and wipe cache from stock recovery mode (volume up + home + power)
ROMs that I use < prefer in the following order
JCOM CM 10.x - Works great and dosnt have that stupid anime chick that Masashi Seino included in it. I didn't even want to show people my boot screen cause of that silly little ****. But this ROM works well and is the most stable and less buggy ROM for this device.
Slimsaber i9305 - This is a well developed ROM and has all the features you can ask for. This ROM has the ****ed up mic so people cant hear you when using Line, Skype, etc. Basic phone works for some reason.
CM11 i9305 nightly - Works great, same sound issues as Slimsaber
Mokee SC03E - Too much chinese apps included and has the sound bug...
AOSB i9305 - Has so many features, but lack of updates and bugs here and there.
PACman/Liquidsmooth/Omni i9305 - Great ROM, but still buggy for the SC03E.
To sum it up, screw this phone and I cant wait for the Nexus 6 to come out so I can stop stressing over it.
By following these directions you do so at your own risk. I am not responsible for anything you do to your phone. These procedures may damage your phone making it unusable, cause thermonuclear war, make your significant other leave you, get you fired from your job for missing your alarm, cause God to kick a puppy, and they WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY!!!!
Ok to start here is some terminology you might find useful.
cook - to convert a ROM so that it is usable on your device nandroid backup - a complete backup of your current ROM that can be used to fully restore your phone in case of bricking it (see below) bricking - Turning your phone into a useless piece of metal and plastic because something went wrong during the flashing procedure. There are two kinds: Soft bricks - These can be fixed by performing a full wipe of the phone and flashing a working rom. Hard brick - permanent damage to the phone that renders it totally useless
Note: It is very difficult to hard brick our phones because we have Odin Odin - A software tool that pushes software onto the phone similar to Kies
Initial Preparations
Download all the software you will need:
1. Odin (I used v3.07) find it here and read the instructions provided by it's developers (thank them too)
2. Samsung USB drivers - they can be found on the above post
3. A stock, rooted Samsung ROM - get it here. It's hotfile in Japanese, simply click the left button when the timer runs out. Note: this will take 2.5 hours to download unless you have a premium account on hotfile.
4. Clockwork recovery - Get it from KBC developers . If you wish to thank them and I recommend you do they have a twitter page
5. The conversion tool - From KBC developers (you really should thank them). This may be updated periodically so before you convert a rom check back at their page.
6. A rom to convert - If you read the help file included with the conversion tool it will tell you that ONLY i9305 AOSP roms can be converted. They have similar hardware to the S3alpha. DO NOT try to flash them without converting them. You may soft brick your phone.
8. JDK6 - THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DOWNLOAD. If you do not have this the conversion will not work. Don't use JDK7, Android does not like. If you want to know why Google it. Get JDK6 here (win x86)(win 64-bit). If you aren't sure which to use check your windows version.
Rooting and making a backup
1. Install Odin the Samsung USB drivers and JDK6. (I believe Odin just needs to be unpacked. Put it somewhere you won't forget it. I think the JDK6 install is automatic). Restart your computer.
2. Run Odin - If you have problems run it as an administrator (right click the .exe and select administrator)
3. Turn off your phone and put it into download mode (pwr + volDown then push volUp when the Japanese text appears)
4. Plug your phone into your pc - Odin should detect it. One of the top boxes should read ID:COM# where # is between 1 and 5 usually.If you don't see anything reboot your computer and try again or run as administrator.
5. Click PDA and select your stock/rooted Samsung rom. Click start. When the ID:COM bar says reset unplug your phone and reboot. Do your initial setup then put your phone back into download mode.
6. Reset Odin and plug your phone back in.
7. Click recovery and select your Clockwork recovery file. Click start. When Odin is finished unplug your phone and reboot into recovery (pwr + volUp) Don't worry about the ! in the top left corner of your screen. That means it worked.
8. Use the volUp and volDown buttons to navigate through the menus. Go to backup and restore. Make a backup (nandroid).
(This is the perfect time to unlock your phone if you need to. I won't get into it as I haven't done it and others have already explained it.)
Cooking (Converting) a rom
1. Unpack the conversion tool (make_japanized_rom_xxxxx) and put the rom file you wish to convert in the root directory of the tool.
2. Drag the rom file over the make_japanized_ROM_SC-03E.bat and drop it. This will start the tool. If you simply click on the .bat file the tool will not work.
3. If you live in Japan and want to watch TV over 1seg answer yes to the first question. If you don't live in Japan just answer no.
4. Wait until the tool finishes then check the "out" folder for your rom. That's it. You now have a custom AOSP rom that will work on your phone (most likely). The rom will start with Japanese as the default language, but don't worry you can change it at the start of the setup just like with any other AOSP rom.
Flashing your new rom
1. Copy your new rom and gapps file to the internal SD card of your phone. I use either my download folder or the root of my SD card. Do not use the root directory of your phone, Clockwork recovery won't let you at it.
2. Reboot into recovery
3. Factory reset your phone (wipe data/factory reset). If you don't you will soft brick your phone on restart.
4. go to advanced and wipe the dalvik cache. If you don't you will soft brick your phone on restart.
5. go back to the main menu and select install zip from sdcard. Select choose zip from internal sdcard
6. navigate to your rom file and select it. If the conversion worked you will see the Android upgrade animation. If it didn't you will see the fail animation (reread the above steps to make sure you did everything)
7. navigate to your gapps file and select it. As long as you picked one of the two files I suggested this will work. I don't know about other gapps files so use them at your own risk.
Potential reasons for failure
1. You used the wrong type of rom - i9300 is not the same as i9305 OR you used a Touchwiz based rom
2. You don't have JDK6 installed
3. You didn't wipe your phone before flashing
4. You flashed in the wrong order- ROM then gapps only
5. The rom simply isn't compatible (this should not happen unless the rom is unstable on the i9305)
If you find any errors in these instructions let me know. I'm terrible at proofing my own writing.
And don't forget the thanks button so I know you are actually reading and making use of these instructions that took time to write.
Guides.. with several links and specifically for unlocking your phone with the proper ROM (has the LK5 modem which is the go to for unlocking and working with other carriers), and instructions to do just about everything you need to get done with this phone
SC-03E Docomo S3 LTE - Just Another Unlocking Guide
This (sim) unlocking guide has been primarily inspired by the very comprehensive guide initially written and posted by @majin in his post.
WARNING: This unlock procedure will automatically wipe the phone's cache and data partitions, effectively performing a factory reset; you are strongly advised to backup your data prior to executing this guide.
Prerequisites:
Windows PC running Odin3 in an administrator account (tested with Odin3 v3.07)
USB cable to connect phone to PC (preferably original cable for reliability)
Internet access to download firmware image(s)
Google account to access Play Store
The following list outlines the required steps in order to successfully unlock your SC-03E:
If you have data on the phone, which is of any importance to you, then I highly recommend that you make appropriate backups first
If present, remove the sim card and sdcard (there's no need to have a Docomo sim card for this procedure to work)
Download this stock firmware image, which is based on MB1 and includes the appropriate modem component to assist in wiping the NV stored network locking data structures. In addition, this firmware image is root-ready; meaning that you can toggle root mode by pressing VolumeUp/VolumeDown/Power button combination briefly to switch modes.
Initiate Odin Download mode on the SC-03E (Turn the phone off, then simultaneously press VolumeDown/Home/Power buttons until the Download Mode splash screen appears and requires you to press VolumeUp to continue or VolumeDown to cancel if you find yourself suddenly struck by an overwhelming feeling of stage-fright)
Unpack the SC03EOMAMB1_LK5MDM.tar.md5 firmware image from the above-mentioned/downloaded zip archive and flash the file with Odin3 (specify the image file in Odin's PDA section)
As soon as Odin completes the flashing process, it will instruct the phone to reset; be patient while the phone starts up, because it will require more time to setup and configure itself after a factory reset.
If you have reached this step, then we're assuming the phone has booted successfully and you are presented with the configuration wizard. You need to at least enter your Google account credentials in order to access the Play Store.
Start the service mode app and tap the ServiceMode option, which will in turn fire up the ServiceMode main menu
Select [1]UMTS->[1]DEBUG SCREEN->[8]PHONE CONTROL->[6]NETWORK LOCK->[3]PERSO SHA256 OFF
Now use the phone's android menu soft button to select Back in the popup menu to return to the NETWORK LOCK menu
Tap [4]NW LOCK NV DATA INITIALLIZ and wait for about a minute before returning to the NETWORK LOCK menu; when you tap this option again, it should state PERSO_NV_INIT is SUCCESSFUL
You may now power off the phone to insert a sim card from your favorite telco operator and restart the phone
From this point onward, it is possible to flash any other firmware image without affecting the unlocked state
