Help UnRooting Questions

[Lana30]

Hi Friends,
I need help confirming if what I know about something is true and an answer for something completely different. When you are unrooting a phone that you bought in Spain for example, but you move to England. There is no such thing as a Firmware from Spain right? What matters is that the firmware you install has to match your phone model and Android version, right? Also, if you unroot after moving to another country, will the phone be locked to the carrier of the country where you got it? Thanks in advance!

 

[Jfalls63]

Not 100% sure but I think firmware for international versions would be country and carrier specific as well.

 

[Gendo420]

Hi Friends,
I need help confirming if what I know about something is true and an answer for something completely different. When you are unrooting a phone that you bought in Spain for example, but you move to England. There is no such thing as a Firmware from Spain right? What matters is that the firmware you install has to match your phone model and Android version, right? Also, if you unroot after moving to another country, will the phone be locked to the carrier of the country where you got it? Thanks in advance!

Rooting plays no part in what you're talking about

 

[ironass]

The phone's CSC and Product code, see #1.3 of 29 Galaxy S4 models - know yours?, are what decide which firmware stock Samsung firmware is used in OTA and/or Kies/Smart Switch updates. Flashing any other stock Samsung firmware prevents those updates as per the warning in #1.5.

 

[dynomot]

Not 100% sure but I think firmware for international versions would be country and carrier specific as well.

100% correct, but not completely the whole story.

The phone's CSC and Product code, see #1.3 of 29 Galaxy S4 models - know yours?, are what decide which firmware stock Samsung firmware is used in OTA and/or Kies/Smart Switch updates. Flashing any other stock Samsung firmware prevents those updates as per the warning in #1.5.

100% correct and the whole story. Read and understand all of the above in Ironass' post and links and all will be clear.

For those that "can't be bothered" or think "Pffft what a waste of time", enjoy your phone, it is possible to root, flash away merrily and never have any problem. Possible, yes , but unlikely.

Shaking head and finger wagging over.

And international Samsung Galaxy S4 Is model number is a GT-i9505. This is the same if the phone was purchased in Spain, the UK or wherever. If it is a GT-i9505, it is an international Samsung Galaxy S4. It can and will work perfectly happily on a GT-i9505 firmware of the same age or newer from absolutely anywhere in the world. However it will not receive any OTA (Over The Air) updates ever again unless it is flashed back to the GT-i9505 firmware meant for it's CSC code and product code.

For example my Vodafone (UK) Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-i9505) had Vodafone firmware on it. Fortunately nothing was disabled by Vodafone only lots of their rubbish (to me, not everyone) was added.

Now my S4 had a VOD firmware on it. My phone's CSC and product code when searching OTA for a firmware update would check for a newer VOD firmware than I had and if there was one, it would update. However my phone had not got VOD firmware on it. I flashed the BTU (British unbranded stock S4 firmware) firmware for a GT-i9505 to it straight away, on unwrapping my shiny new phone to get rid of the Vodafone extras and give me a GT-i9505 untainted by Vodafone rubbish. However on downloading the BTU firmware, I also downloaded the VOD firmware of the same age to store and keep if I ever wanted to flash back. Flashing a BTU firmware to my VOD GT-i9505 would make my phone do this in the event of trying to get it to update via OTA : Say from the Vodafone forums I found my GT-i9505 had a new firmware available so off I went with my BTU firmware flashed GT-i9505 - it would check the product code and CSC against new VOD firmware, come up with a mix match, because BTU firmware is installed and tell me "The latest updates have been installed", because it hasn't a clue what I have done. Now with a Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-i9505 this would have never happened to me, as BTU firmware was always the first to get an upgrade. I would download that, and flash it myself and never check OTA again, knowing it would never work unless I flashed back to a VOD firmware.

On a final note flashing, manually a firmware for your phone of any different CSC code into your phone, so long as it is for a Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-i9505) in Europe will not, in EU law invalidate your warranty, but, and it is a huge but, good luck convincing Samsung, (or in my case Vodafone) you are right if your phone goes kaput after flashing a different firmware than its product code and it's CSC say it should have.

So there you have it.

 

[Lana30]

100% correct, but not completely the whole story.



100% correct and the whole story. Read and understand all of the above in Ironass' post and links and all will be clear.

For those that "can't be bothered" or think "Pffft what a waste of time", enjoy your phone, it is possible to root, flash away merrily and never have any problem. Possible, yes , but unlikely.

Shaking head and finger wagging over.

And international Samsung Galaxy S4 Is model number is a GT-i9505. This is the same if the phone was purchased in Spain, the UK or wherever. If it is a GT-i9505, it is an international Samsung Galaxy S4. It can and will work perfectly happily on a GT-i9505 firmware of the same age or newer from absolutely anywhere in the world. However it will not receive any OTA (Over The Air) updates ever again unless it is flashed back to the GT-i9505 firmware meant for it's CSC code and product code.

For example my Vodafone (UK) Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-i9505) had Vodafone firmware on it. Fortunately nothing was disabled by Vodafone only lots of their rubbish (to me, not everyone) was added.

Now my S4 had a VOD firmware on it. My phone's CSC and product code when searching OTA for a firmware update would check for a newer VOD firmware than I had and if there was one, it would update. However my phone had not got VOD firmware on it. I flashed the BTU (British unbranded stock S4 firmware) firmware for a GT-i9505 to it straight away, on unwrapping my shiny new phone to get rid of the Vodafone extras and give me a GT-i9505 untainted by Vodafone rubbish. However on downloading the BTU firmware, I also downloaded the VOD firmware of the same age to store and keep if I ever wanted to flash back. Flashing a BTU firmware to my VOD GT-i9505 would make my phone do this in the event of trying to get it to update via OTA : Say from the Vodafone forums I found my GT-i9505 had a new firmware available so off I went with my BTU firmware flashed GT-i9505 - it would check the product code and CSC against new VOD firmware, come up with a mix match, because BTU firmware is installed and tell me "The latest updates have been installed", because it hasn't a clue what I have done. Now with a Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-i9505 this would have never happened to me, as BTU firmware was always the first to get an upgrade. I would download that, and flash it myself and never check OTA again, knowing it would never work unless I flashed back to a VOD firmware.

On a final note flashing, manually a firmware for your phone of any different CSC code into your phone, so long as it is for a Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-i9505) in Europe will not, in EU law invalidate your warranty, but, and it is a huge but, good luck convincing Samsung, (or in my case Vodafone) you are right if your phone goes kaput after flashing a different firmware than its product code and it's CSC say it should have.

So there you have it.

Wow, Thanks for your detailed answer. That was great. If you unroot after moving to another country, will the phone be locked to the carrier of the country where you got it?

 

[Jfalls63]

One does not affect the other. Once a phone is carrier unlocked it stays that way. No need to unroot unless you just want to.

 

[dynomot]

^^^^^ to add, rooting and unlocking a phone are completely different things and are mutually exclusive. An unlocked phone, unlocked from it's carrier remains unlocked for good.