Question OTA update bricked phone!! (sorta)

[William 5]

Hello i am making this post out of desperation .

i own a Samsung A35 bought through a US carrier. A few months back i dropped it and the screen went black and never worked again even though it wasnt cracked. A little while later i bought a non genuine screen and replaced it and it worked perfectly fine.

Until today ive ignored the OTA updates and for some reason decided to let the device update today. First update went fine, second update went fine. On the third update and the phone rebooting the touch screen no longer registered any touches. I know the update caused this as the phone never left the desk and worked fine on the previous 2 updates.

So for some reason the samsung update caused my non genuine screen to stop responding to touch. My idea was to flash back to an older update (if possible, didnt get that far) but i wanted to save all my data and picture before i did that. I was simply going to plug an OTG mouse in and use the device that way and backup the data.

The issue here is the phone does not allow an ADB connection (debugging is enabled and the PC's RSA fingerprint is allowed) nor an OTG connection to any keyboard or mouse unless the device is unlocked using the PIN.. i have no way to input the pin. I was not using the Samsung find my device feature so i cant remotely unlock with that and the google find my device does in fact see the phone but does not give an option to unlock remotely.

Is there anyway else i can physically get the pattern entered so i can use an OTG device to back up my data? Any help at all is greatly appreciated.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Details..
From what version to which? You can't always go back.

Either way, it's hosed. Look at your Google Drive/Photos of anything is backed up.

Only option that may still not work is factory reset and lose everything. Or replace the screen with a genuine one, likely won't work either.

Take the loss, learn from not backing up your files.

 

[William 5]

Details..
From what version to which? You can't always go back.

Either way, it's hosed. Look at your Google Drive/Photos of anything is backed up.

Only option that may still not work is factory reset and lose everything. Or replace the screen with a genuine one, likely won't work either.

Take the loss, learn from not backing up your files.

why exactly wouldnt replacing with OEM work?

I have attempted hotswapping displays to no avail so im curious why an OEM display wont work? I can get device to boot with old OEM and non genuine just fine but it seems to know when hotswapping and i cant get display at all on non genuine after a hotswap from OEM unless i boot phone with non genuine already hooked up.

I have very important authenticator data on the device. I can live without the pictures but i cannot live without the data

 

[William 5]

From what version to which? You can't always go back.

I do not know which version to which although you are correct, i cannot revert back. Im sure if i tried it would full brick the device

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Because if for whatever reason the display tripped Knox, I don't know why it would but Samsungs been in stupid mode, it's irreversible.
Like my raincoat.

Samsung uses A/B now but used to old school blindly overwrite files. If it overwrite any system files related to the display, that file now correlates to the display you have now. It could say non-genuine screen and bricked your phone. Or it could say genuine screen needed, don't display until replaced.
Thats theoretical and unlikely to be the case.

By the time you pay for a genuine screen, you might as well just get a new phone especially as it isn't guaranteed to fix your issue. A factory reset might be needed for the genuine one to work if at all.

I also don't remember how the A series behaves but Ultras remember if you trusted the host for ADB. That further means something either got FUBAR or maybe your Windows is being dumb. Try a different port and cable. I haven't cross flashed in a long time but don't remember having to unlock the phone to send commands.

To summarize a new might or might not work, you may need to factory reset regardless on top of that. If ADB is rejected, you are really SOL.

 

[mustang7757]

The display you can see when you put a non OEM one? Who did the work?

 

[William 5]

I also don't remember how the A series behaves but Ultras remember if you trusted the host for ADB. That further means something either got FUBAR or maybe your Windows is being dumb. Try a different port and cable. I haven't cross flashed in a long time but don't remember having to unlock the phone to send commands.

i see. I believe it has to do with the phone being restarted as it says you must unlock the phone to use USB functions. My oneplus device does not do this and i can ADB whenever. It simply does not see an ADB device on either of my PCs but the phone does recognize that a usb is being plugged in. Have attempted ADB as well as an OTG device. Neither were successful.

The display you can see when you put a non OEM one? Who did the work?

I did the work. And it worked flawlessly for months until the update. By flawless i mean it was stuck at 46 hz (120HZ device) and had the worst touch response ive ever used. Albeit, it did function.

I paid 18 dollars for the screen off Tee mu lol. To my surprise i was able to gain function back with a sub 20 dollar screen but those days are over.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

It shouldn't though is what I mean. ADB has persisted at least for me as long as the phone isn't reset or Windows/ADB reset.

That said, if it already wasn't working right, its most definitely a hardware incompatibility, possibly tighter Android or Knox restrictions.

If OTG isn't working (makes sense) and short of risking another knockoff, you only option would be hoping a genuine works without a reset.

Otherwise it might be a goner. No ADB or OTG leaves little left. You could try Safe Mode but that's very unlikely to be any different

 

[William 5]

It shouldn't though is what I mean. ADB has persisted at least for me as long as the phone isn't reset or Windows/ADB reset.

That said, if it already wasn't working right, its most definitely a hardware incompatibility, possibly tighter Android or Knox restrictions.

If OTG isn't working (makes sense) and short of risking another knockoff, you only option would be hoping a genuine works without a reset.

Otherwise it might be a goner. No ADB or OTG leaves little left. You could try Safe Mode but that's very unlikely to be any different

So apparently Samsungs latest update enables by default an option that blocks USB connections unless the device is unlocked in th name of security. I definitely get it I just wish it wasn't enabled by default.
Thanks for your help.

 

[mustang7757]

i see. I believe it has to do with the phone being restarted as it says you must unlock the phone to use USB functions. My oneplus device does not do this and i can ADB whenever. It simply does not see an ADB device on either of my PCs but the phone does recognize that a usb is being plugged in. Have attempted ADB as well as an OTG device. Neither were successful.




I did the work. And it worked flawlessly for months until the update. By flawless i mean it was stuck at 46 hz (120HZ device) and had the worst touch response ive ever used. Albeit, it did function.

I paid 18 dollars for the screen off Tee mu lol. To my surprise i was able to gain function back with a sub 20 dollar screen but those days are over.

18.00 dollar screen ? yeah that's not a good recipe.

If you can't get into download mode and USB doesn't recognize you should plan for another device unless you want keep tinkering with your device which if your not experienced I wouldn't bother.