Samsung s24

[stella999]

I have just bought Samsung s24. I am having problems doing anything with it, I can't get onto Google at all. I have reset the phone loads of times. I can't update anything as I can't get onto play store.
Have attached a pic.
Any ideas please as at the moment it is a piece of junk. I can't transfer any data or anything, can't up date anything.

 

[B. Diddy]

When you got this phone, did you have to set it up like it was a brand new phone? If so, did you have any issues setting it up with your Google account?

Where did you get the phone? Are you certain it's a legit Samsung phone? There are a LOT of fake knockoffs on sites like Wish, AliExpress, and even Amazon.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Are you sure this is really an S24? The WiFi icon looks different than what is on mine.

 

[stella999]

When you got this phone, did you have to set it up like it was a brand new phone? If so, did you have any issues setting it up with your Google account?

Where did you get the phone? Are you certain it's a legit Samsung phone? There are a LOT of fake knockoffs on sites like Wish, AliExpress, and even Amazon.

Yes brand new phone still in the box. I am beginning to think it is a knock off. How can I tell please. Thank you for replying

 

[stella999]

I am beginning to believe it isn't a genuine one.

 

[B. Diddy]

Where did you get it?

Try running a couple of different device info apps, and see what they report. I suggest Device Info HW and CPU-Z. The biggest giveaway is usually the CPU -- the S24 should have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or the Samsung Exynos 2400 (depending on the region that phone was intended for). If the app reports anything else (often Mediatek), then it's a knockoff.

Show us some screenshots of those tests (primarily the screens that show the important hardware, like CPU, RAM, internal storage, etc.).

 

[Laura Knotek]

Here's how CPU-Z shows my Snapdragon S24 Ultra.

 

[stella999]

Are you sure this is really an S24? The WiFi icon looks different than what is on mine.

How would I check please?

 

[stella999]

Where did you get it?

Try running a couple of different device info apps, and see what they report. I suggest Device Info HW and CPU-Z. The biggest giveaway is usually the CPU -- the S24 should have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 or the Samsung Exynos 2400 (depending on the region that phone was intended for). If the app reports anything else (often Mediatek), then it's a knockoff.

Show us some screenshots of those tests (primarily the screens that show the important hardware, like CPU, RAM, internal storage, etc.).

It won't let me down load it. I am in Bulgaria and we pay at the couriers office, I have put a claim in there as the then pay the money to the sender.

 

[stella999]

Tried both apps but all it wants to do is put it onto other phones

 

[B. Diddy]

Hmm, I guess if you can't log into the Play Store, you won't be able to install apps from the Play Store.

When you first took the phone out of the box and turned it on, did it immediately go to the homescreen? Or did you have to go through the process of setting up the phone with your Google account?

Do you still have the box the phone came in? If so, take a picture of the fine print on the back of the box and show it here. Knockoffs often have a lot of obvious typos.

 

[mustang7757]

I have just bought Samsung s24. I am having problems doing anything with it, I can't get onto Google at all. I have reset the phone loads of times. I can't update anything as I can't get onto play store.
Have attached a pic.
Any ideas please as at the moment it is a piece of junk. I can't transfer any data or anything, can't up date anything.View attachment 366987View attachment 366988View attachment 366989

Are you stuck here or you can get into the phone?

 

[mustang7757]

Moved to the s24 forums

 

[Drongo]

When I bought my new Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus I was having problems using Samsung keyboard and the Samsung Clock and the phone is installed with a lot of Bloatware apps,
I installed Google Gboard, Google clock, Google wallet, Google wallpapers and Google find my device and also I think Google Play store with no problems.
I installed Gboard because it has the option to set to many different languages, I set it to Australian and especially because it has a personal dictionary where you can add any words you want and it is very easy to type mainly using the swipe function.
I'm writing this on my PC, and now I have no problems with the phone at this time. I bought this phone at an official Samsung Store in Yuen Long Hong Kong. I uninstalled updates on a lot of useless apps, quite a few had traditional Chinese characters which is known as Cantonese in Hong Kong.
I have a total of 79 Apps shown when I click on Settings and Apps. There are 20 Apps I was able to disable Automatic updates and they are inside Galaxy Store. Quite a few of the Apps are in the "Deep Sleeping Mode"
This phone because I bought in Hong Kong doesn't have the eSIM function because of the national security law.
A person in Hong Kong buying a SIM card in Hong Kong must show their Hong Kong Identity Card. This phone charges very quickly and I took the plastic screen protection cover off because it was full of fingerprints. The screen on this Samsung has no fingerprints when I touch the screen to type or unlock with Biometrics (Fingerprint). Thanks for allowing me to write comments in this forum.

 

[stella999]

Hmm, I guess if you can't log into the Play Store, you won't be able to install apps from the Play Store.

When you first took the phone out of the box and turned it on, did it immediately go to the homescreen? Or did you have to go through the process of setting up the phone with your Google account?

Do you still have the box the phone came in? If so, take a picture of the fine print on the back of the box and show it here. Knockoffs often have a lot of obvious typos.

Pic of back of box.
Probably silly question but is it possible to crub the software on the phone and reinstall other software, the phone is useless as it is so if it never turns on again its no loss.
Thank you

 

[B. Diddy]

@stella999, that looks pretty normal, but sometimes knockoffs can be pretty good at reproducing all the details.

I asked this a couple of times before, but didn't quite get a definitive answer: when you first turned on the phone for the first time right out of the box, did you have to go through the whole setup wizard, where it asked you to sign in to the phone (not the Play Store) with your Google account, and then asked you if you wanted to copy data over from another phone, or restore from a backup on Google Drive?

When I look at those initial screenshots you shared, that UI looks pretty outdated, which increases my suspicion that this is a knockoff.

Is the phone connected to the web via wi-fi or mobile data? If it's mobile data, see if it works on wi-fi.

 

[B. Diddy]

Also, can you tell us where you bought this phone? You didn't mention that before either.

 

[stella999]

@stella999, that looks pretty normal, but sometimes knockoffs can be pretty good at reproducing all the details.

I asked this a couple of times before, but didn't quite get a definitive answer: when you first turned on the phone for the first time right out of the box, did you have to go through the whole setup wizard, where it asked you to sign in to the phone (not the Play Store) with your Google account, and then asked you if you wanted to copy data over from another phone, or restore from a backup on Google Drive?

When I look at those initial screenshots you shared, that UI looks pretty outdated, which increases my suspicion that this is a knockoff.

Is the phone connected to the web via wi-fi or mobile data? If it's mobile data, see if it works on wi-fi.

It didn't ask to me to copy stuff over at all.
I think it might have asked to set up my Google account which I tried to do, that is now just stuck in a loop now. Have tried WiFi and with sim for mobile data. It is a fake, I know it is.
The seller will do nothing.
At the moment it is a pice of useless crap, hence there is no loss if I can put different software on and it doesn't work.
I have tried loads of times to reset the phone to see if I can get into my Google account but it won't do that.

 

[B. Diddy]

Unfortunately, you can't just install a different version of Android on the phone. Someone would have to design a custom ROM for that specific phone, and that's not going to happen with generic knockoff clones.

If you bought the phone on some online marketplace, see if there is an option to dispute the purchase. eBay is very good about this, and typically protects the buyer more robustly than the seller. But if you bought this as a private transaction, then the seller really has no obligation to do anything, unfortunately.

Most likely, this will just have to be a hard lesson learned. Cheapo knockoffs of flagship phones are rampant online, so it's always best to buy from reputable sources (or at least use a marketplace with good protection for the buyer). One of the most obvious clues is the price -- if the price seems too good to be true, then it's almost certainly not true. Refurbs for the S24 Ultra still go for around $700, so if you paid closer to $100-200 for it, that's a big red flag. Sorry!

 

[stella999]

I bought it from some one on fb market place. Lesson learnt I will throw it. Thank upu for your time and patience.