[box type=”warning”] We no longer maintain rooting guides on our blog. This means that your phone might not be compatible with this guide. If you’re not sure, please consult our rooting team, who will root your phone, and install FlexiSPY for you, for a fee.
Click here to learn more about our rooting service[/box]
This guide will show you how to root the Huawei Ascend Y530.
Disclaimer: FlexiSPY is not responsible for rooting the Android device in any way. Before performing any of these steps make sure you back up your Android device completely.
What is needed to root the Huawei Ascend Y530?
The Huawei Ascend Y530 can actually be rooted using the device itself. This means that you only need the Huawei Ascend Y530 that you wish to root in your hand, unlike other Android phones this phone can be rooted without needing a PC.
Step 1 – Enable the installation of unknown sources
Rooting the Huawei Ascend Y530 requires the use of the towelroot rooting software. This is software that you must download and run on the phone itself. Before you can do this however you need to enable the installation of unknown sources.
On the phone itself go to Settings > Security and tap the Unknown Sources option (make sure it is checked).
Step 2 – Download towelroot
Now that you have enabled the installation of unknown sources it is time to root the phone by downloading towelroot.
Now that you have downloaded towelroot on to the phone please run it.
On the screen that appears tap the make it ra1n option.
Wait for the rooting process to complete.
After towelroot completes you need to install SuperSU. To do this you go to the Play Store and download and install SuperSU which is a free application.
When you have downloaded SuperSU, run it and let it update itself.
Once this has been done you should successfully have root access on the Huawei Ascend Y530.
[box type=”warning”] We no longer maintain rooting guides on our blog. This means that your phone might not be compatible with this guide. If you’re not sure, please consult our rooting team, who will root your phone, and install FlexiSPY for you, for a fee.
Click here to learn more about our rooting service[/box]
This guide will show you how to root the Sony Xperia Z1.
Disclaimer: FlexiSPY is not responsible for rooting the Android device in any way. Before performing any of these steps make sure you back up your Android device completely.
What Is Needed To Root The Sony Xperia Z1?
In order to root the Sony Xperia Z1 you will need the following
The Sony Xperia Z1 you want to root in your hand.
A PC.
Step 1 – Download the root program to your computer
The program to root the Sony Xperia Z1 is in Chinese. Please follow the instructions carefully as described.
During installation just keep clicking Next until the program is installed.
Step 2 – Root the phone
Connect the phone to your PC (make sure you have set up the Android SDK environment with ADB working on your PC).
Run the rooting program you downloaded in step 1, it should look like this.
Simply click the ROOT button as shown to root the phone providing the phone has been recognised successfully (with a green tick as shown above).
Wait for the rooting process to be completed. You will receive a confirmation message when done.
Unplug the phone from your PC and then look for an application installed called SuperSU. If you can see this application it means you have successfully rooted your Sony Xperia Z1 phone.
Disclaimer: FlexiSPY is not responsible for any loss of data or damages incurred from following the directions given. The directions were accurate at the time of writing. Please make sure you follow the rooting guide correctly if you need to root your phone first and make sure your phone has enough storage space to perform a backup before proceeding.
What is needed to backup the Android phone?
To backup the Android phone you will need the Android phone itself and a PC
Why backup the phone?
Accidents can happen. You may install something that corrupts or crashes the phone or you may want to root the phone or install a custom ROM on it. Either way a lot of activities you can do on Android have the possibility of wiping the device completely first before the action is carried out so it makes sense to always prepare a backup.
What is the easiest way to backup the phone using your PC?
We have already outlined the backup process in several articles on the FlexiSPY blog. Basically you should always make a phone backup before you install anything that may harm the filesystem of the phone and cause it to stop functioning or before you perform a task that will perform a factory reset on the Android phone itself.
Our software of choice to backup the phone to a PC is EFS Professional but there are some requirements first that must be done before EFS Professional works.
Download EFS Professional
Root the Android phone you wish to backup
Install BusyBox on to the rooted Android phone
Turn on USB debugging on the rooted Android phone with BusyBox installed
Connect the Android phone to the PC
Run EFS Professional and perform the backup
To get started you can download the latest version of EFS Professional from here.
Now that you have downloaded EFS Professional, if you have not already rooted the Android phone you want to backup many popular Android handsets have rooting guides here.
So, with the Android phone rooted and EFS Professional on your PC it is time to get ready to perform the backup. The final step is to, on the Android phone, download and install BusyBox.
Now you connect the Android phone to the PC and run EFS Professional. The first thing it does is check that the phone is rooted and BusyBox has been installed and establishes a USB connection so make sure to confirm on the Android phone screen when a USB debugging dialog box appears asking for access.
We then click the Backup tab to get started.
Under the Device Filter option click the drop-down menu and choose *** All Partitions ***
Then simply click the Backup option to start the backup process.
Please be patient as this process may take some time.
Once the process has completed, on your PC, open up the connected Android phone.
There will be a new folder called EFSProBackup with the backup inside. Simply copy the entire folder to your PC for safekeeping.
Backing up your Android phone really is a simple process.
We also show how you can backup an Android phone on the device itself instead using a custom recovery and that can be found here. No matter which method of backup you choose for your Android phone the FlexiSPY blog has you covered.
As anyone who is interested in the shutdown of Stealthgenie website will know, Invocode CEO, Hamad Akbar, was indicted personally for violation of four US laws, three of which are defined in Title 18, Section 2512, and one in Section 317.
No one knows at this stage what the verdict will be, but let’s try to understand what these laws really say, and what the implication is for the computer monitoring business.
Let’s take a look at the case against StealthGenie and understand what they are actually being accused of.
Of four counts StealthGenie were indicted for, it’s the ones under section 2512 that we need to look at if we are to understand the Fed complaint.
In A Nutshell
Two counts revolve around, “knowing or having reason to know that the design of such a device renders it primarily useful for the purpose of the surreptitious interception.”
The third count is about promoting the use of such a device for, “the purpose of the surreptitious interception,”
Given the above, we have to ask what aspect of the design of a computer monitoring application renders it “primarily useful for the purpose of surreptitious interception,” how would one deliberately design such a device, and how would it differ from a device that does “non-surreptitious interception”.
The problem is that it’s difficult to argue that the design of StealthGenie’s product renders it primarily useful for the purpose of surreptitious interception, when they don’t have a separate product for parental or employee monitoring. The product is absolutely identical, regardless of it being used to monitor your child or verify your employee’s behavior. It’s still hidden, it still intercepts, and there is no difference in the software design.
Now, this is a very important fact, as it destroys the heart of the case against StealthGenie, which is predicated around the notion of the “design” of the device. If an identically designed device is used with equal effectiveness in two different situations, and one situation is illegal, then logically it’s the installers intention that’s in question, not the device or its design.
A similar argument was made in the Betamax Case, where and injunction was sought against the sales of VCRs on the basis that its recording capabilities could run afoul of copyright law. The Court rejected this claim on the basis the device is capable of substantial non infringing uses.
Let’s look at another example
Smith & Wesson products are designed to kill, and no one can say that handguns would be designed any differently if used for self-defense or murder. The design does not change for either situation, because the requirements for each situation are the same. Yet no one is accusing Smith & Wesson of murder.
This is why the 2512 laws emphasis on “design” is well intentioned, but meaningless when applied to generic products such monitoring software.
The third count of the indictment is equally problematic as it does not define what surreptitious interception is exactly. Is a remote backup designed as a Window service, or Unix demon, or DOS device driver “surreptitious interception?” Is it illegal to say that they do not have a UI, or that they do not interrupt the user with notifications? What exactly is the law saying in this case.
Now you may be thinking that this is all getting a little silly, but a good lawyer would surely be able to make such a case, which is why it’s clear that the law, in its current form, is not useful.
Therefore, one has to wonder what the motivation of the Feds was to go for StealthGenie when there are so many local producers of monitoring software, such as Web Watchers, and SpectorSoft. In fact, Web Watchers successfully defended themselves from a similar action, where the case against them was dismissed.
Given this precedent, the answer to why the Feds brought these charges would seem to lie in the advertising, not the design of the product.
This assertion can be supported by the fact that two hundred police stations, in thirty five states have been handing out similar spyware call ComputerCOP. Its unlikely that they will be charged with the same offense, even though ComputerCOP could be arguably described as designed for surreptitious interception.
This raises a lot of questions as websites are open to a global audience. It also raises questions about the jurisdiction of the USA, and certainly makes a business rethink which suppliers it does business with.
Regardless of the outcome of this case, the USA has succeeded in creating a shockwave and will make monitoring businesses consider their advertising and suppliers very carefully as this is where the problem lies. Unless Akbar has a lot of money to buy legal services, it’s clear he will have a hard time defending himself from the might of the US legal system.
If you don’t fancy getting in trouble with the FBI we recommend to remove all traces of StealthGenie from your phone. In this article we will show you how.
For Android
On the phone itself go to Settings > Application Manager and look for an application called device.service.
If you see this listed you have StealthGenie on your phone – let’s remove it.
StealthGenie installs itself as a device administrator to stop itself from being easily removed.
If you cannot tap the Uninstall option shown above (it is greyed out) do the following:
Go to Settings > Security > Device Administrators > tap any of the Device Administrators listed that is not called Android Device Manager and then tap Deactivate.
After that you can then uninstall StealthGenie by going to Settings > Manage Applications > device.service and tapping Uninstall.
Once uninstalled StealthGenie is no longer on your Android phone.
For iPhone
First of all, the iPhone has to have been jailbroken first before StealthGenie could ever be installed. If you iPhone has never been jailbroken before then you are safe.
If however it has been jailbroken then you may want to check Cydia.
Inside Cydia go to Sources. If you see a source called Mobile Developer then you have StealthGenie installed.
Simply tap it and remove all packages inside and then finally remove the source itself.
Once done you will now no longer have StealthGenie on your iPhone.
Note: You can also remove StealthGenie from iPhone or Android completely by factory restoring the phone.
This will DELETE ALL DATA on the phone completely. We recommend that iPhone users not factory reset their phone as they’ll then be forced to update to iOS 8 which does not currently have a jailbreak out, and has a myriad of issues
You can read our article on spying on an iPhone 6, here – https://blog.flexispy.com/spy-on-iphone-6-questions-answered/
Like StealthGenie, Mspy provide smartphone and tablet monitoring software. As with FlexiSPY and the entire mobile monitoring industry the StealthGenie case has made many businesses stop and re-evaluate their entire business model and practices due to the recent charges and indictment of Invocode, the creators of StealthGenie, and its CEO, Hamad Akbar.
It is interesting to see how Mspy is dealing with this and what steps they are taking to make sure that they stay on the right side of US law, specifically when it comes to Title 18 USC 2512.
Website Redesign
Mspy seem to have made a number of small changes to their website. These include the absence of the word “spy” in the copy. They have also updated their legal terms, which are all wise actions for a company who requires to be under USA jurisdiction.
They have also changed their claim from being 100% invisible to simply being discreet or stealth. Ironically, Mspy has never been invisible or particularly stealthy, but whether this change in language is enough to avoid the charge of being “surreptitious”, as used in USC 2512 remains to be seen.
mSpy’s website no longer contains the word “spy” in their copy. They’ve also updated their legal terms as they’re under USA jurisdiction.
They still advertise themselves as being discreet and even though their marketing angle is to monitor children and employees.
However they’ve removed all references to monitoring spouses.
Features Removed
Of more concern to customers is the fact that Mspy have removed the call recording and ambient recording features entirely from their product feature list. We can only speculate why this is, but in any case, the new Mspy product will not offer the ability to record calls.
MSpy Server Location
Mspy website and customer portal that stores the captured customer data continues to be hosted by Amazon in the USA. This information can freely be found out by simply looking up the URL’s IP address.
What does this mean for Mspy
Like all companies with a USA footprint, they are under USA jurisdiction, as is Mspy customer data, and like all companies, they strive to remain lawful. However, until the Stealthgenie case is resolved – and it’s by no means a slam-dunk guilty decision – none of us can know what this means for USA companies involved in computer and smartphone monitoring.
The heart of the indictment against StealthGenie revolves around being “surreptitious”. What the legal definition of this term is, and how it applies to software is not yet clear, but this article will describe a FlexiSPY feature that allows you to avoid being accused of this.
FlexiSPY gives users the choice of whether or not they wish to display the application icon according to their needs by allowing them to choose to run the software in the foreground or not to be visible.
Here you can see that the user is given an option to display FlexiSPY on an iOS device.
For example a parent may wish to hide the icon on their child’s phone to stop the child from getting around family rules by using a new phone or formatting the phone and removing the software.
An employer may wish to hide the icon to preserve screen real estate.
And our law enforcement customers would choose to hide the icon to help catch a suspect.
Whatever the reason for hiding the icon, this option for visibility is a feature that FlexiSPY has always had.
In this example of FlexiSPY on an Android phone, visibility options are clearly available.
We recommend using this feature and always run the software in the foreground if you are in the US however the software can be hidden with laws permitting.
FlexiSPY respects the USA, its laws, and its enforcement agencies and is doing everything it can to make sure that its software remains compliant and legal.
Like Stealthgenie, Mobile Spy provide smartphone and tablet monitoring software. And like the rest of the mobile monitoring industry, including FlexiSPY, they have been reevaluating their business model and it’s operation in light of the indictment of Invocode CEO, Hamad Akbar.
It’s instructive to see what steps they have taken to comply with Title 18 USC 2512, and to consider if these may be enough for them to get a clean bill of health from US law.
Website Redesign
In the immediate aftermath, Mobile Spy took their sales site offline for a few days in order to make changes to both their product and advertising to help make sure their product adheres to the law.
The first thing to notice is that they have removed all references to cheating spouses, and now talk only about child and employee monitoring.
Mobile Spy’s website is now back online with Mobile Spy’s software still being advertised as ‘smartphone monitoring software’ with a focus only on parents and employees with some notable change in language
They now state that you must notify the child or employee being monitored first. They also say that the software is tamper-proof which means that it cannot be removed without knowing the PIN code first. This means that they are adverting that Mobile Spy can be used in a legal manner.
Mobile Spy have also updated their legal terms to read that the software is primarily used for monitoring children and employers only and that they do not condone its use for other purposes.
To Mobile Spy’s credit, they also sent out emails to all of their affiliates outlining the planned changes. Here is an excerpt that clearly shows they take this seriously.
“We do cooperate with law enforcement in criminal investigations, and we do not condone the use of our products for illegal or unethical purposes.’ and they followed this up by saying “there will be a PIN protected icon listed along with the rest of the applications on the device’”
They also state that ‘the user of the device will be aware of monitoring activities’
This could not have been an easy pill to swallow.
While they excluded any uses by spouses, they also clarified in great detail, what other relationships can and cannot use their product. The list is as follows.
Here Mobile Spy is seen with their new legal policy
Product Redesign
Mobile took the painful decision to also stop selling their product and redesign it. The new product is not currently available, but they have been very clear.
They will remove any invisibility, and their product will show as an icon on the device homescreen. They say that the app can be opened using a PIN.
We are not sure how this will affect their market share and revenue, but this is also a brave decision.
Without wanting to capitalize on Mobile Spy’s troubles, we would like to let readers know that FlexiSPY has always had the option to operate with visible icon, if that was required. It will be interesting to see if Mobile Spy also choose visibility as an option or if visibility will be mandatory.
Mobile spy disclaimer
Mobile Spy Server Location
Mobile Spy is still based in the US and they host their servers in the US as anyone can verify by looking up the IP address of their online logs portal. Retina X Studios who created Mobile Spy are based in Jacksonville, Florida and their address is freely listed on the Mobile Spy website.
Is Mobile Spy now safe from the law?
This is an impossible question to answer, as the USA law is very unclear, and can easily be interpreted to cover many mundane devices and uses. We will know more in the near future, as everything hinges around the legal definition of the term “surreptitious interception”
However, as Mobile Spy are an American company, they are currently making widespread changes to how their software operates and it will take time to see these changes complete.
It may be some time before Mobile Spy is back online fully with their new software ready, and this was confirmed when we spoke to their support staff. We wish them all the best in their endeavors to make their software comply with what the USA law demands of it, and we hope to see them back online soon.
As a result of the StealthGenie site being shutdown, we have had a flood of people asking if FlexiSPY is next.
We want to reassure our customers that we will not suffer StealthGenie’s fate for the reasons described below. Also, if you are a StealthGenie customer, you may find this interesting.
Background
The mobile monitoring industry was rocked the 27th September 2014, when a temporary restraining order, granted by a US Judge took the StealthGenie website offline. The arrest the following day of Hammed Akbar at Los Angeles Airport under an indictment of charges of manufacturing, selling and advertising a “surreptitious interception device” was then made public.
There are many questions raised by the StealthGenie case, but the one of most concern to the mobile device monitoring industry is, “Could this happen to us?”, and “How do we stay legal?”
Location, Location, Location …
The answer to this can be found by looking at point 6 of the legal complaint that was presented to the court.
“Defendant is subject to the personal jurisdiction of this Court, having sold and advertised StealthGenie using a computer server located at an Amazon Web Services, Inc. data center located in Ashbum, Virginia, which is in the Eastern District of Virginia.”
In other words, because StealthGenie were using Amazon Web Servers that were located in the USA, they were breaking US laws, and thus the Feds can credibly claim that there is a crime being carried out in their territory.
This is no surprise to anyone who has been following how the USA operates internationally in a post 911 world. Any business knows that having even the smallest US footprint, will most likely allow the USA to claim jurisdiction – should they wish to do so.
Which is why StealthGenies decision to use Amazon Web Services is so perplexing.
The answer for businesses is clear. If you do not want to be subject to US laws, then do not use the services of any supplier that is under the jurisdiction of the USA.
In other words, have a zero US footprint in your business.
Don’t Wake The Giant
Regardless of the legality of what StealthGenie were doing, the Feds have a duty to investigate complaints about what happens on their patch. Whether the law is fair, or if it was actually broken are questions for another time and place.
We respect the USA, its laws, and its enforcement agencies and we make sure we stay out of their way by not having a US footprint. This is why FlexiSPY does not use servers in the USA or the services of any USA supplier, and FlexiSPY Ltd is not a USA company. There are no US laws being broken and we respectfully state that we believe that we are not under the jurisdictions of the USA.
If any legal minds out there have a different opinion, please let the world know by leaving a comment below. (Comments from the FED particularly welcome. )
Não há outra maneira de dizer isso, mas, se você é um cliente StealthGenie e você não consegue acessar StealthGenie então você não está sozinho.
O site está fora do ar por vários dias. Isto significa que você não pode acessar nenhum dos seus dados StealthGenie. Conseguir suporte da StealthGenie para obter quaisquer respostas reais ou até mesmo um reembolso será atualmente impossível também.
Então o que você pode fazer? Como você pode continuar o monitoramento e o que acontece com o tempo restante de sua subscrição StealthGenie? Afinal, StealthGenie está offline e ninguém sabe se ou quando ele vai voltar.
Não se preocupe!
Estamos oferecendo uma troca extra especial para clientes StealthGenie.
O que está incluído nessa troca?
Nossa oferta única de troca para os clientes StealthGenie permite-lhe trocar a sua atual licença StealthGenie pela obtenção do seguinte desconto.
Você pode comprar FlexiSPY EXTREME ou PREMIUM com um desconto de 15% Se estiver negociando a sua licença StealthGenie
Para reivindicar esta oferta, por favor, entre em contato com o nosso chat ao vivo com um comprovativo de compra em mãos.
It should be noted that while FlexiSPY may work on the majority of custom android roms, the offically supported devices are those using official roms.
We also take no responsibility for any damage that may occur by following this guide. If you choose to follow this guide, you’re doing so at your own risk.
In this article we will show you how to install a custom ROM on to your Android phone.
The process for installing a custom ROM on both Android phones, even though they are both from different manufacturers is not that different and involve the following steps:
Backing up the Samsung Android phone first using TWRP
Downloading the custom ROM you want to use
Booting in to recovery mode on the Samsung Android phone
Flashing the ROM file to install the custom ROM
What is a custom ROM?
The beauty of Android unlike, say, Apple and the iPhone is that the Android operating system is free and open source. This means that literally anyone who has programming experience can take an existing stock ROM (from the manufacturer) and, with programs and tools free and available on the internet, edit the ROM to change how it looks, how it installs, what programs is comes with – everything and then repackage it and share it with the world over the internet – this is what a custom ROM is.
Why install a custom ROM?
For one thing custom ROMS allow older Android phones to run newer version of the Android OS software that the manufacturers and carriers did not release on the actual phone itself. For example, you may have a Samsung Galaxy Note and you want it to run the latest version of Android. This would mean somehow getting the phone OS software to go from 4.1.2 to 4.4.x.
How do you do it?
By installing a custom ROM.
The custom ROM takes the base of a supported ROM (by base we mean file structure, installation procedure, icons, text applications etc. and tweaks it to either look different or perhaps increase performance in ways that the manufacturers themselves did not want to do. Through custom ROMS you can literally have your Android OS look exactly as you want it. The process of creating your own custom ROM is known as ‘cooking ROMS’ and we may cover it in a future article although it is technical.
Custom ROMS can provide battery performance and phone performance increases and they can also increase the security of the Android phone as well as decreasing it but the beauty of custom ROMS is that anyone can make one with a little technical knowledge and old phones can get a new breathe of life or get features that were otherwise inaccessible thanks to a custom ROM.
Where can you get a custom ROM?
Before you get a custom ROM there are a few things to do first.
Make sure you backup the phone first – we explain how to do that here.
Make sure the custom ROM you download matches the model number of your Android phone.
To find the model number of your Android phone go to Apps > Settings > About Phone (may also be called About Device) and the model number will be listed.
E.g. On our Samsung Galaxy S4 the model number is GT-I9505 so we need custom ROMS for that model.
The best place to look for custom kernels is the forum on XDA Developers.
How can I download and install a custom kernel which has SELinux set to permissive?
For this example we are using a Samsung Galaxy S4 so we go to XDA forums to get started.
The first thing to do is type in your Android phone model.
Make sure you choose the correct one from the list as many of the same Android phones have country variants with different model numbers.
You can find the model number to search for on the Android phone by going to the About Device (can also be called About Phone) menu and it will be listed.
Make sure you choose the correct one from the list as many of the same Android phones have country variants with different model numbers.
You can find the model number to search for on the Android phone by going to the About Device (can also be called About Phone) menu and it will be listed
In the picture above you can see that our Samsung Galaxy S4 is running OS 4.4.4 which is not possible without a custom ROM so we will now show you how we did it.
The model number of our Samsung Galaxy S4 is GT-I9505 so that is what we need for our custom ROM.
Once you have entered the model number to search for you will get the main page for that Android phone
We need a custom ROM so we click the ROMs tab.
You now need to pick a ROM that you like which is compatible with the model number of the Android phone you wish to install a custom ROM on to.
We are just going to go with the latest custom ROM that allows the Samsung Galaxy S4 to run OS 4.4.4 and look and feel the same as the Nexus 5.
There are so many custom ROMS to choose from and they are usually available for most Android phone makes and models providing the model number of the phone is correct.
How to install the custom ROM
Installing a custom ROM is not a difficult process but there are some requirements first.
NOTE: BACKUP THE DEVICE AND MAKE SURE THE ROM SUPPORTS THE CORRECT ANDROID MODEL NUMBER BEFORE APPLYING IT – Y0U DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Make sure you have backed up the Android phone first (we cannot stress this enough).
The Android phone must be rooted first in order to install the custom ROM.
Once you have backed up and rooted the Android phone you wish to install a custom ROM on to the process to install it is fairly simple.
Download the custom ROM (custom ROMS may be large in filesize, often several gigabytes) so this may take time on a slow connection.
Connect the Android phone to your PC and cope the custom ROM zip file to the Android phone (e.g. Downloads folder on the SDcard)
Boot the Android phone in to recovery mode (you should have a custom recovery installed after rooting the phone).
Use the ‘Install zip from SDcard’ option and point to the custom ROM zip file and wait for installation to be complete.
After downloading the custom ROM we’ll add the custom ROM to our Samsung Galaxy S4
We then need to boot in to recovery mode
Power the phone off completely
Hold the volume up, home and power buttons together until the phone turns on
Clockworkmod recovery will appear.
Choose the Install zip from Sdcard option
Select the custom ROM zip file
Wait for the process to complete
Once the phone has rebooted (you may also need to select Reboot System Now inside recovery instead) the Android phone should now have a custom ROM as you can see from the pictures here.
As you can see the custom ROM was applied successfully.
There are custom ROMS available for the majority of Android phones and as long as you are careful to backup the phone each time you are going to apply a custom ROM and you make sure that the custom ROM matches the model number of the Android phone you are installing it on to then you can literally apply hundreds of different ROMS depending on what you want your Android phone to do.
As ever, because the custom ROMS are not officially made or created by the manufacturers of the phone (e.g. Samsung, HTC Motorola etc.) it may be that some features or functions do not work as well as they did and this is due to either the custom ROM being new (fixes to any ROM are always quick) or the Android phone itself not supported features in the newest Android OS versions which is why the manufacturer did not allow the phone to be upgraded.
But finding that perfect custom ROM for your Android phone can be likened to finding that perfect car. There are hundreds to choose from and that is half the fun.
If you have any favourite custom ROMS you want to share then please let us know in the comments.
This article will explain how you can fix a soft bricked Samsung Android phone.
In this guide we use a Samsung Galaxy S4 but the steps should work for any Samsung Android phone as long as you flash the correct stock firmware for the particular make and model of the Samsung Android phone you are wanting to recover.
Disclaimer: FlexiSPY is not responsible for the steps in this article. while they did work for us it was because we researched and used the correct files for our phone. Always make sure you back up the device if possible before proceeding and you follow the instructions carefully. This entire process is done at your own risk
What does soft bricked mean?
Soft bricked means that the phone turns on but no longer boots up to the Samsung operating system which means that the phone cannot be used.
Typical symptoms of a Samsung Android phone being soft bricked are the phone booting no further than the Samsung logo (and it can often just reboot over and over which is called a bootloop)
Or you see this screen as soon as the phone turns on.
What causes a Samsung Android phone to be soft bricked?
The phone being soft bricked is usually caused by the following:
Incorrectly rooting the phone using Odin or the root process does not complete properly and you exit the program.
Disconnecting the USB cable from your PC while rooting the Samsung Android phone.
Disconnecting the USB cable from your PC while upgrading the firmware using Kies
Anything else that causes the PC that the Samsung Android phone is connected to lose power (e.g. power failure) that stops whatever process is taking place (rooting, firmware upgrade etc.) to not complete.
Can a Samsung Android phone that is soft bricked be fixed?
As long as the phone turns on then the phone can be fixed.
As long as the phone can boot up in to Download mode it can be fixed.
We will now detail how to recover a soft bricked Samsung Android phone.
note: if the device is soft bricked there is no way to back it up before following any of these steps. flashing the stock firmware as shown below will delete all data on the samsung android phone – it will all be lost and cannot be recovered.
Our scenario:
For this article we are using a second Samsung Galaxy S4 that is running OS 4.4.3 which has never been rooted before. Now usually rooting is a very simple process and only takes a few minutes and we have a working guide to root the S4 here but, in the nature of science, using a different Samsung Galaxy S4 than the one we usually use resulted in Odin getting stuck during the root process.
On the second Samsung Android phone we used our Odin output looked like this:
It never got past this point and so the Samsung Galaxy S4 was never rooted and we waited an hour but the progress bar on the Samsung Galaxy S4 and on Odin on the PC failed to move so we disconnected the USB cable and now the device is soft bricked.
This means that, right now, when we turn on our Samsung Android phone (the S4) we get the following message:Firmware upgrade encountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in Kies & try again.
How do we fix it?
First of all, try Kies
As the steps say, try Kies to fix the issue.
We connected the S4 to our PC and ran Kies but it never actually recognised the phone. It just constantly said that the device was ‘connecting’ but failed to find out what the phone was which means that no options inside Kies can actually work and the steps given on the screen of our soft bricked Samsung Android phone cannot be followed.
Second, reinstall the stock OS software version
If Kies does not work (and, to be honest, it usually won’t), the next thing to do is get technical. This simply involves flashing the stock operating system software (the software that powers the phone which comes from Samsung) to the Samsung Android phone which should then allow it to boot up and everything should be fixed.
But how is this done?
First, for our soft bricked phone we put it in to Download mode.
Turn off the S4 completely
Hold down the volume down, home and power buttons together
Wait for the S4 to turn on and it should boot in to download mode
If you have done it correctly it boot in to recovery mode and you then press the Volume up button to continue and it will be in download mode.
We then downloaded the stock firmware for the Samsung Galaxy S4 that we were using and we connected the soft bricked Samsung Android phone to our PC and flashed the stock ROM using Odin
The flashing process will take quite some time and, as you have gathered, Do not disconnect the phone from the pc in any way while this is in progress.
When it’s finished, the Samsung phone will reboot and Odin will display a Blue RESET! notification. Then, after the phone boots up for the first time it will display a Green PASS! notification
However, now that the hard part is done, some things may still remain.
The Samsung Android phone may get stuck booting up on the Samsung logo
The Samsung Android phone may boot up to the Samsung logo and continually restart itself.
The phone no longer has a working IMEI number and cannot make calls (‘Mobile Network not available’).
These are easy to fix, to fix them you put the Samsung Android phone in to recovery mode.
To do this you do the following.
Turn off the Samsung Android phone completely (remove the battery if needed).
Disconnect the phone from the PC.
Press and hold the Volume up key, the home key and the power key.
Keep these buttons pressed and held until the Samsung model number appears
Let go and then the phone should be in recovery mode.
On our S4 we performed the following steps and it looked like this:
Using the Volume up and Volume down keys to navigate the menu and the Power button to select an option you need to do the following.
Navigate to wipe data/factory reset and select the option.
Navigate to Yes – delete all user data and select the option.
Wait for it to complete.
Now that you have performed a factory reset you also need to reset the user cache.
Navigate to wipe cache partition and select the option.
Wait for it to complete.
The Samsung Android phone will reboot itself and will boot up properly for the first time. This can take a while so please be patient.
If, after the phone has booted up you find that you no longer have a cell signal and that your IMEI number is incorrect – e.g. 004999010640000/01 (Settings > More > About Device > Status > IMEI) then you need to download the modem file from here, save it to your PC and extract it.
Put the Samsung Galaxy S4 in to download mode again and connect it to your PC and run Odin (see step 4 for more information).
It will look like This Picture once connected as we have seen before
Click the CP button and then point to the Modem binary file shown in the last screenshot
Odin should now look like This Picture . You can see the S4 has been added and the modem file is selected.
Click Start to flash the modem and wait.
DO NOT DISCONNECT THE S4 FROM THE PC OR TURN IT OFF IN ANY WAY
Once it has been done wait for the S4 to reboot and you should now have your working IMEI back and the phone will work as normal and you can now make calls.
Can this be used to fix any soft bricked Samsung Android phone – not just the S4?
Technically yes. Simply make sure that you choose the correct stock ROM for whatever Samsung Android phone you are working on – the rest of the steps are the same.
In fact we have already discussed this in several articles relating to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Android phones because the process for downgrading an OS, upgrading an OS or returning the Samsung Android phone to the OS it came with from the factory (which should fix the soft brick issue) have already been covered and are the same for every Samsung Android phone.
For example you can use this article to both fix a soft bricked Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and downgrade a Samsung Galaxy Grand – it is not limited to just the Samsung Galaxy S4.
To find and download the stock OS we use the website here.
Click Firmware Database to be taken to the page below
Under TYPE, OS, MODEL and COUNTRY select the values that match your Samsung Android phone.
Click the ROM you want to download
Make sure the details are correct for the Samsung Android phone you are working with and then click the Download button
Once it has been downloaded extract it to your computer as shown in This Picture
Please note that the ROM files can be several gigabytes in size and downloading them may take some time
You now need to flash the firmware that was downloaded on to the Samsung Android phone you are working with which we have already explained here and in several other articles on the FlexiSPY blog and that should fix the soft brick issue.
NOTE: WHEN FIXING THE IMEI ISSUE YOU MUST LOOK FOR THE CORRECT MODEM BINARY FILE FOR THE SAMSUNG ANDROID PHONE YOU ARE WORKING WITH – TRY SITES SUCH AS XDA FORUMS FOR THIS.
As you can see Odin and the ability to flash ROMS is a very important skill to have when working with Samsung Android phones. Obviously there is some risk involved if you pick the wrong OS or if you try to root the phone and it fails or if you flash the incorrect modem binary file (or cannot find it) to fix the IMEI issue but as long as the phone can get in to Download mode then nothing is ever really broken.
Samsung in fact make it much easier than other Android phone manufacturers to work with custom ROMS and performed advanced technical operations on the Android when compared to, say, HTC for example.
Let us know in the comments if you have any questions or issues about fixing a soft bricked Samsung Android phone and we will be happy to help.
[box type=”warning”] We no longer maintain rooting guides on our blog. This means that your phone might not be compatible with this guide. If you’re not sure, please consult our rooting team, who will root your phone, and install FlexiSPY for you, for a fee.
Click here to learn more about our rooting service[/box]
This guide will show you how to root the popular Sony Xperia ZL phone.
Disclaimer: FlexiSPY is not responsible for rooting the Android device in any way. Before performing any of these steps make sure you back up your Android device completely.
What Is Needed To Root The Sony Xperia ZL?
In order to root the Sony Xperia ZL you will need the following
The Sony Xperia ZL you want to root in your hand.
A PC.
Step 1 – Enable USB Debugging On The Sony Xperia ZL
Before we are able to root the phone you must first enable USB debugging on it which is done as follows:
On the phone itself go to Menu > Settings > Developer options > USB debugging and make sure that the USB debugging option is checked.
Step 2 – Download the root file for the Sony Xperia ZL
You need to download the root file and save it to your PC in an easy to find location such as the desktop. You can download it from here.Once you have downloaded it extract it to its own folder.
Step 3 – Root The Sony Xperia ZL
Now that we have enabled USB debugging and downloaded and extracted the zip file we are ready to root the phone. This is done as follows:
Connect the Sony Xperia ZL to your PC and make sure it is recognized properly by your PC.
Run the runme.bat file from the folder you extracted in step 2.
Select Normal Mode if asked.
Follow the instructions on-screen to root the device.
Wait for rooting to finish.
Once rooting has finished disconnect the phone from your PC and look for the SuperSU app. Once you can see this you have successfully rooted the Sony Xperia ZL.
This guide will show you how to Change your Android SELinux mode to permissive on an Android phone, helping you better run various apps to their fullest.
We are not responsible for any damages that occur through following this article. at the time of writing the steps worked fine for the test android phone we were using and we were able to change selinux successfully using a custom kernel.
As we have mentioned throughout this article custom kernels are not available for all versions of every Android phone ever made. however popular phones should be covered. Always take care and backup the device at all stages and correctly choose the kernel for the android model number of the phone you are working with.
Changing SELinux from enforced to permissive will Not Work on Samsung Android Phones with Samsung Knox enabled and it may also not work for other Android phones from other manufacturers depending on the Sndroid os version installed.
What is SELinux?
SELinux or ‘Security Enhanced Linux’ is an Android OS module that is designed to identify and address critical security gaps in the Android operating system. It is used to protect the Android operating software from malicious code or software being installed and causing damage to the phone.
Unfortunately those same ‘security gaps’ associated with malicious software also allow many apps at their root features to function properly. With SELinux in Permissive mode the security gaps in the Android operating system are not fixed and so the programs can use those to run properly.
With SELinux set to Enforced mode the security gaps are fixed, therefor the software cannot run all of its root features properly which results in Limited mode and reduced functionality.
How does SELinux affect applications?
When Samsung released Android OS 4.3 they changed the SELinux option from Permissive, which is what a lot of applications need, to Enforced which means that while most applications will work certain features will not.
For example, when you install FlexiSPY on a rooted phone, as part of the installation process, while it checks for root permissions within SuperSU (after you grant access) it also checks the SELinux status to see if it is set to Enforced – if it is then it will try to force the permission status to permissive.
If it is successful then the software runs in root mode with full access, whereas if it’s unsuccessful, then it will run in root mode with limited access.
How To Check Your SELinux Settings
On the phone, go to Settings > More > About Device and then scroll down to the bottom where you’ll see SE for Android Status
Easily Change Your Android SELinux Mode To Permissive
There is a program on the Play Store (link below) that can change the SELinux mode of non-Samsung Android phones and Samsung Android phones running OS 4.4.2 and below but anything above that and the software will not work – we mention about issues with OS 4.3 and above here
All you need to do is download the application on to the Android phone, run it and tap the Permissive button but, if the Android phone is a Samsung Android phone with OS 4.3 or above installed which also has Knox running then it will no longer work.
Download and install SELinux Mode Changer from the Play Store onto your phone.
Run the application and set SELinux to Permissive
Restart the phone
Check the SELinux status in the About Device menu to see if it has changed.Note: This process will not only downgrade the OS version but it will also DELETE ALL DATA ON THE PHONE.
Didn’t work? | Install a Custom Kernel
One way to get around SELinux being set to Enforced is change the kernel to one which has been edited so that SELinux has been set to Permissive which should theoretically allow your apps, or FlexiSPY to run in Full mode.
These kernels though may not exist or may be hard to find for every Android phone.
Any Android phone, not just Samsung, whose SELinux status is set to Permissive can run FlexiSPY in FULL MODE.
First of all you need to find out if the Android phone you have has SELinux set to permissive or not which we have explained earlier.
SELinux cannot always be changed so easily depending on the make and mode of the Android phone.
And this is why we have to install a custom kernel if the SELinux Mode Changer application fails to fix the problem.
Please note that custom kernels with selinux set to permissive are not available for all android phones – regardless of whether they are made by samsung or not.
Where can you download a custom kernel?
The Android OS kernel is the most important part of the Android OS. It allows the phone software to interface with the hardware and the application that are installed on the phone, basically telling the phone how to run and what settings and configuration it has and then all this information is used for all installed programs on the Android phone.
The best place to look for custom kernels is the forum on XDA Developers.
How can I install a Custom Kernel which has SELinux set to permissive?
For this example we are using a Samsung Galaxy S4 so we go to XDA forums to get started.
The first thing to do is type in your Android phone model.
Make sure you choose the correct one from the list as many of the same Android phones have country variants with different model numbers.
You can find the model number to search for on the Android phone by going to the About Device (can also be called About Phone) menu and it will be listed.
For example the model number of our Samsung Galaxy S4 is GT-I9505 so that is what we need for our custom kernel.
Once you have entered the model number to search for you will get the main page for that Android phone.
We need a custom kernel so we click the Kernels tab.
You now need to simply browse through all the custom kernels until you have found one that says it has SELinux set to permissive.
For our version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 we found one pretty easily.
As you can see it matches the model number of our Samsung Galaxy S4 and has SELinux set to permissive and runs on Android OS 4.3.
Note: never install a custom kernel on to a phone whose model number does not match. doing so can make the phone inoperable.
Custom Kernel Installation Guide
The first thing to do is to backup the phone completely. This is vitally important. We explain how to backup an Android phone completely in this article.
Once you have backed up the phone completely download the ROM file from here.
Once you have downloaded the kernel file to your PC you need to install Clockworkmod recovery on to your Android phone. If you have already rooted the Android phone then you already have Clockworkmod installed – you can learn more about rooting and how to root popular Android phones here.
Now that you have backed up the Android phone and rooted it to install Clockworkmod recovery it is time to install the customized kernel.
First you need to connect the Android phone to your PC.
Once it is connected it will appear as a device. Simply copy the kernel zip file to the Downloads folder of the phone, once you have done that we can boot in to ClockworkMod recovery and flash the kernel.
Make sure the Android phone is turned off completely.
Hold down the Volume Up, Home button and power together until the model number appears.
Let go of the key combination and Clockworkmod recovery should load.
From the list of options choose Install zip from Sdcard
Browse to the kernel zip file you copied to the phone and select it.
Install the kernel and wait for it to complete.
Choose ‘Reboot System Now’ to reboot the phone.
Now that you have flashed the custom kernel and rebooted the phone it is time to check the SELinux status.
Using the above screenshot as an example you would need to check the SELinux status which is highlighted and the Kernel version should also have been updated to reflect the custom kernel that you just installed.
Providing everything was done correctly and SELinux was successfully changed to Permissive you can now install FlexiSPY (or deactivate and uninstall and reinstall to get full mode) and start taking advantage of the great features that FlexiSPY offers on a rooted phone.
[box type=”warning”] We no longer maintain rooting guides on our blog. This means that your phone might not be compatible with this guide. If you’re not sure, please consult our rooting team, who will root your phone, and install FlexiSPY for you, for a fee.
Click here to learn more about our rooting service[/box]
This guide will show you how to root the Sony Xperia E phone.
Disclaimer: FlexiSPY is not responsible for rooting the Android device in any way. Before performing any of these steps make sure you back up your Android device completely.
What do you need to root the Sony Xperia E?
In order to root the Sony Xperia E you will need the following:
The Sony Xperia E you wish to root in your hand
A PC
Step 1 – Download and copy Framaroot to the Sony Xperia E
Rooting the phone is done using Framaroot which you can get from here. Save the file to your computer in an easy to find location on your PC
You now need to copy Framaroot on to the phone which is done as follows:
Connect The Sony Xperia E To Your PC
Copy the file you downloaded in step 2 onto the phone in an easy to find location such as the downloads folder.
Step 2 – Root the Sony Xperia E
You can now install Framaroot on the phone and root it. This is done by doing the following:
Disconnect the Sony Xperia E from your PC.
On the phone, browse to the download folder and run Framaroot (you may need to install a file manager from the Play Store to do this; enable installation of unknown sources if asked).
Install Framaroot on to the phone.
Run Framaroot and tap Install Superuser
Tap Gandalf and wait for the rooting process to complete.
Reboot the device when asked.
When the Sony Xperia E has rebooted look for the SuperSU icon which means that you have successfully rooted the phone.
This guide will show you how to downgrade the HTC One M8 OS software and return it to factory settings.
Note: This is only for the T-Mobile or ATT HTC One M8 – DO NOT USE IT ON ANY OTHER VERSIONS
Disclaimer: FlexiSPY is not responsible for downgrading the Android device in any way. Before performing any of these steps make sure you back up your Android device completely. These steps are performed at your own risk.
What do you need to downgrade the HTC One M8?
In order to downgrade the HTC One M8 you will need the following:
The HTC One M8 you wish to downgrade in your hand.
A PC.
Note: This process will not only downgrade the OS version but it will also DELETE ALL DATA ON THE PHONE.
Getting started
The first thing you need to do is make sure you have set up the Android SDK on your PC and that ADB is installed and working.
In order to use Fastboot to downgrade the HTC One M8 you must have the Android SDK downloaded and installed on to your computer
You need to gain S-Off on your HTC One M8 to be able to downgrade it and you can use Firewater and the website here to do this – please read all instructions carefully.
Step 2 – Download the HTC USB drivers for your PC
In order for your HTC One M8 to be recognised once you connect it to your PC, and for Fastboot to work please install the drivers from here.
Step 3 – Enable USB debugging on the HTC One M8
On the HTC One M8 you must enable USB debugging so that the PC recognizes it when you connect it and you can downgrade it.
To do that, on the device, go to Menu > Settings > Developer options and make sure USB debugging is selected.
Step 4 – Connect the HTC One M8 to your PC and run Fastboot
Connect the HTC One M8 to your PC.
On your PC browse to the Fastboot folder that you got after you installed the Android SDK.
Hold down the shift key whilst right-clicking to open a command prompt window.
Type “adb reboot bootloader” and press Enter. The phone will reboot into bootloader mode.
On the phone select the Fastboot option.
In the same command prompt window type “fastboot oem lock” and press Enter.
The HTC One M8 bootloader will then be locked – this may take some time.
You only need to lock the bootloader if you unlocked it for rooting the device – otherwise skip this step.
Step 5 – Download the downgrade RUU file
On your PC download the T-Mobile RUU (ROM upgrade utility) file that you will use to downgrade the phone. You can get it from here. The ATT version is here.
Step 6 – Downgrade the phone
With the HTC One M8 still in Fastboot mode and connected to your PC and the downgrade RUU file downloaded simply run the RUU file itself.
On the window that appears select the Update option and follow the on-screen instructions.
Once the entire process has finished the HTC One M8 will reboot and then you can remove it from your PC.
Once the HTC One M8 boots up it will be running the same stock OS as it was when you first purchased it.
You only need to lock the bootloader if you unlocked it for rooting the device – otherwise skip this step.
There’s been a lot of Scam Coupon sites recently offering bogus codes for our software. These sites -created by competitors?- offer fake codes to those searching for a legit discount. Worse yet, some sites will redirect you to a bogus spy phone software site, or even a competitors site.
To counter this, we’ve made this post in hopes that when you search for “FlexiSPY Coupon Code” in your favorite search engine, you’ll land here, instead of page with malicious intentions.
Help Share Our Coupon Page
If you landed on this post first, straight from your search engine, then you’re lucky. We ask that if this post has benefited you, you will “like” this post or share it with your friends! Doing this actually makes this post more visible in search results, so people won’t be as likely to click on a bogus site.
Right now we don’t have any promotion codes
We do however, have a brand-new pricing system that we formed from our customer feedback with plans starting out as low at $69.99 per month. If you’re still not lovin’ it, then we advise that you go to the FlexiSPY home page and sign up to our mailing list there, where we have sometimes sent out seasonal promotions.
Scam Coupon Sites
We’ve compiled a small list of coupon sites known to provide not just false FlexiSPY codes, but a number of false codes for other products.
CouponsAdder
ValidCouponCode
If you want real FlexiSPY coupon codes or you want to stay up to date with the latest FlexiSPY news, promotions and discounts then make sure you are following FlexiSPY through the following channels because only through official FlexiSPY channels will official FlexiSPY coupon codes be given.
[box type=”warning”] We no longer maintain rooting guides on our blog. This means that your phone might not be compatible with this guide. If you’re not sure, please consult our rooting team, who will root your phone, and install FlexiSPY for you, for a fee.
Click here to learn more about our rooting service[/box]
This guide will show you how to root the Huawei U8665. This phone is also known as the ATT Fusion 2
Disclaimer: FlexiSPY is not responsible for rooting the Android device in any way, before performing any of these steps make sure you back up your Android device completely. Rooting is done entirely by you at your own risk.
What do you need in order to root the Huawei U8665?
To root the Huawei U8665you will need the following:
The Huawei U8665 you want to root in your hand
A PC.
Step 1 – Download the Huawei U8665 root file
In order to root the Huawei U8665 you need to download the root file first and save it to your PC. You can get it from here. When you have downloaded it make a folder on your desktop called ‘Huawei Fusion 2’ and extract the contents to that folder.
Step 2 – Download the Huawei U8665 drivers
So that your PC recognises the Huawei U8665 when you connect it to your PC you must install the correct drivers. Simply download the driver file from here and then extract and run it to start installation.
Step 3 – Boot the phone in to Fastboot mode
Using the root file requires putting the Huawei U8665 in to Fastboot mode.
Turn off the phone completely.
Hold down the Volume Down button and the power button at the same time and wait for the phone to boot up.
Note: Keep the buttons pressed for at least 10 – 20 seconds. If done properly the phone will stop at the ATT logo and look like it has frozen (it will go no further) – this is normal and means it is now in Fastboot mode.
Step 4 – Root the Huawei U8665
Now that the phone is in Fastboot mode, connect it to your computer.
Go to the ‘Huawei Fusion 2′ folder on your desktop from step 1. It should contain the rooting files.
Double-click the file titled ‘runme.bat’ A command prompt window will appear.
In the window that appears type the following:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.superrecovery.img and press Enter when done.
Note: Wait for the process to finish and display the total time taken before moving on.
This will flash the custom recovery file to the phone allowing you to root it.
When the process has completely finished (it may take some time) unplug the Huawei U8665 from your PC.
Remove the battery from the phone and leave it for 30 seconds.
Reinsert the battery. Now that you have done that you need to boot the phone in to recovery mode (the custom recovery you just flashed to it will now load).
Turn off the phone completely.
Hold down the Volume Down button and the power button at the same time and wait for the phone to boot up.
The phone will now be in recovery mode.
With the Huawei U8665 in recovery mode simply select the ‘Reboot Phone Now’ option (use the volume up and down buttons to select and the power button to confirm).
Wait for the phone to reboot, once it has rebooted it will be rooted. Simply look for a new application installed called SuperSU as a signal that the rooting process was done successfully.
[box type=”warning”] We no longer maintain rooting guides on our blog. This means that your phone might not be compatible with this guide. If you’re not sure, please consult our rooting team, who will root your phone, and install FlexiSPY for you, for a fee.
Click here to learn more about our rooting service[/box]
This guide will show you how to root the popular Sony Xperia L phone from Sony.
Disclaimer: FlexiSPY is not responsible for rooting the Android device in any way, before performing any of these steps make sure you back up your Android device completely. Rooting is done entirely by you at your own risk.
What is needed to root the Sony Xperia L?
In order to root the Sony Xperia L you will need the following.
The Sony Xperia L you want to root in your hand.
A PC.
Step 1 – Enable USB debugging on the Sony Xperia L
Before we are able to root the phone you must first enable USB debugging on it which is done as follows:
On the phone itself go to Menu > Settings > Developer options > USB debugging and make sure that the USB debugging option is checked.
Step 2 – Download the root file for the Sony Xperia L
You need to download the root file and save it to your PC in an easy to find location such as the desktop. You can download it from here. Once you have downloaded it extract it to its own folder.
Step 3 – Root the Sony Xperia L
Now that we have enabled USB debugging and downloaded and extracted the zip file we are ready to root the phone. This is done as follows:
Connect the Sony Xperia L to your PC and make sure it is recognised properly by your PC.
Run the runme.bat file from the folder you extracted in step 2.
Select any option between 1 and 4 when asked.
Follow the instructions on-screen to root the device.
Wait for rooting to finish.
Once rooting has finished disconnect the phone from your PC and look for the SuperSU app. Once you can see this you have successfully rooted the Sony Xperia L.
This guide will show you how to downgrade the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 from OS 4.4 to OS 4.3.
Disclaimer: Please understand that this guide is provided ‘as is’. FlexiSPY is not responsible for it or its contents and you perform the downgrade procedure entirely by yourself and at your own risk. FlexiSPY is not responsible in any way for any damages that may incur through following this guide and by reading past this notice you agree to the notice given above:
For this guide we are using a Note 3 whose model number is SM-N900
Please make sure your Samsung Galaxy Note 3 model number matches the one used above as not all versions of the Note 3 can be downgraded.
What is needed to downgrade?
In order to downgrade the Note 3 you will need the following:
The Note 3 that you wish to downgrade in your hand
A PC.
Why downgrade the OS of the Note 3?
If you have rooted the Note 3 already what happens is that you no longer receive official system updates from Samsung so what happens if you want to change the OS version to an older one for performance reasons?
All you have to do is backup the Note 3, download the ROM that you want to downgrade to and then flash the ROM to the phone using your PC and Odin.
For one thing downgrading the Android OS to an older version can allow Galaxy Note 3s running OS 4.4.x to run FlexiSPY in FULL mode which means that, once the device is rooted, all FlexiSPY features will function provided you have rooted the phone before installing FlexiSPY.
Running an older OS version can also add features that were removed in newer version or improve stability and reliability, especially if the new OS has just been released and so can be subject to bugs and issues.
Backup the phone first
Before you do anything make sure that the phone has been backed up first. We have discussed how to do that here (the steps are the same even though the phones are different) and the software used is EFS Professional (to backup all partitions – especially EFS as this is the most important).
Once the phone has been completely backed up to your PC you now need to download the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 ROM for your country that is running OS 4.3.x.
Download the 4.3.x ROM you need for the Note 3
Now that you have backed up the phone completely (especially the EFS partition – we cannot stress that enough!) it is time to get the ROM you need.
If you want to downgrade a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 running OS 4.4.x to 4.3.x or below in order to run FlexiSPY here is what you need to do.
1. Browse to http://www.samfirmware.com/
2. Click the Firmware tab at the top.
3. Click the Check your firmware option. 4. Search for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 using the dropdown menu. It should look something like this..
5. Click Check firmware when done.
Note – In this example using the Note 3 we chose Thailand as the country but you would choose your own country (e.g. USA or UK) which means that the model number (SM-N900) may also be different.
6. Click Download – click the Download button again when ready to proceed (you may need to register a free account on Sammobile before you can download ROMS).
7. Click the Download button once more to start the download process and save the ROM file to your PC.
The filesize is 1.3GB so the download may take some time. Once downloaded save it somewhere that is easy to access such as the desktop.
Download the unlocked Note 3 bootloader
When Samsung released the Note 3, on many variants of the model, they have now locked the bootloader. This means that you cannot downgrade at all as you cannot unlock the bootloader on all versions of the Note 3 which is why this guide is for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 model SM-N900 only.
You can download the unlocked bootloader from here.
Save it to your PC in an easy to find location such as the desktop.
Get the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Ready
In order to flash the ROM to your Samsung Galaxy Note 3 you must perform a few tasks on your PC first.
1. Download Samsung Kies for your PC so that the phone is recognised by Odin when you connect it using the USB cable.
2. Download Odin.
3. Put the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in recovery mode
a. Turn off the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 completely
b. Hold down the volume down, home and power buttons together.
c. Wait for the phone to turn on and it should boot in to download mode
If you have done it correctly it will look like below and you then press the Volume up button to continue and it will be in download mode.
4. Connect the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to your PC using the USB cable.
5. Open Odin and it will look like this if everything is done correctly (ADDED means that the phone has been successfully recognized by Odin.)
You now have to add the bootloader file you downloaded in to Odin.
Click the BL button
Browse to the bootloader zip file and choose it.
Once added and Odin confirms it is okay simply click Start to start the flashing process – this can take some time and please do not remove the phone from your computer in any way.
Once done successfully Odin will look like this.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will reboot and you can disconnect it from your PC.
Booting up for the first time using the OS may take some time so please be patient.
Once it boots up disconnect it from your PC. You now need to boot it in to recovery.
Turn off the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 completely
Hold down the volume up, home and power buttons together.
Wait for the phone to turn on and it should boot in to recovery mode.
Once in the recovery menu choose to wipe data/factory reset and also wipe the cache partition – THIS WILL DELETE ALL DATA ON THE DEVICE.
After that reboot the phone back in to normal mode and then turn it off. You now need to boot in to download mode.
Turn off the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 completely
Hold down the volume down, home and power buttons together.
Wait for the phone to turn on and it should boot in to download mode.
Connect the phone to your PC and it should be recognised by Odin.
You now have to add the ROM file in to Odin.
Click the AP button
Browse to the ROM file and choose it.
Once added and Odin confirms it is okay simply click Start to start the flashing process – this can take some time and please do not remove the phone from your computer in any way.
Once done successfully Odin will look like this.
How To Fix Any Issues After Downgrading
If the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, after you flash the ROM, is stuck on the Samsung logo or constantly reboots then do the following.
Turn off the phone completely.
Hold down the Volume up, home and power buttons together.
Wait for the phone to display the Samsung logo and then let go
It will now be in recovery mode which looks similar to this.
Using the Volume up and down keys scroll to Wipe data/factory reset and press the Power button to confirm
Scroll down to Yes and press the Power button on that to confirm, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will then perform a factory reset.
When it is back on the screen shown above select Reboot and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will restart and boot up – this may take some time when booting for the first time so please be patient
If, after the phone has booted up you find that you no longer have a cell signal and that your IMEI number is incorrect – e.g. 004999010640000/01 (Settings > More > About Device > Status > IMEI) then you need to download the modem file from sites such as XDA forums, save it to your PC and extract it.
Put the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in to download mode again and connect it to your PC and run Odin (see above for more information).
Click the CP button and then point to the Modem binary file that you downloaded and extracted.
Click Start to flash the modem and wait.
DO NOT DISCONNECT THE SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 3 FROM THE PC OR TURN IT OFF IN ANY WAY
Once it has been done wait for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to reboot and you should now have your working IMEI back and successfully downgraded the OS version.
As ever this guide is provided as is so if you have any issues or questions about this simply let us know in the comments and we will do our best to assist you.
