ATT, Samsung Note 2, and System Recovery no longer supported

ATT, Samsung Note 2, and Support

For those of you that own Samsung Phones and are with the carriers ATT and Verizon, beware.

This just happened to me a month ago, when ATT released the new KitKat 4.4 update (from 4.3 to 4.4) for the Samsung Note 2.

I decided to get the update about 2 days after its release.  I had heard about disastrous installs from the first 4.4 release from months prior, which was halted.  This time it seemed fine.  I began the download on my phone.  The update then began, it rebooted, and then locked up.  It was stuck in a 'boot-loop' which means it never starts.  It just shows the ATT icon until it either shuts off or the battery runs down.  I tried all I knew (rebooting by taking the battery out, rebooting), and that only did the same thing.  It was as though my phone was bricked.  The download must have been bad, (a blip in the download perhaps).

For the next 8 hours, deep into the night, I was googling all over the place trying to find a fix.  My 'Restore' was even crashed from the bad update.  I could not restore the phone.  At around 10PM, I remembered I can restore a phone using the infamous 'Kies'.  I downloaded it, both versions, 2 and 3.  I tried to link in, but found something missing.  System Recovery was no longer there.  Yep.  They took out System Recovery.  You can no longer restore your OS on your Samsung with Kies.

About 1AM in the morning, (yes... )  I found at a site information and downloads of firmware.  They were 'rooted' firmware operating systems that work in my Note 2 phone, the SGH-I317.  I got the stock version downloaded onto my computer.  According to the site, I also needed Odin, which I had heard of, and the drivers for the phone.  I downloaded those as well.  I went on YouTube and found out how to do a Boot Restore via Odin, went into my phone, did the upload of the new Firmware (rooted) and installed it.  It worked!  My phone booted right up, even with the same wallpaper and everything.  All settings still there.  By now it was 2AM.  From 4:30 PM to 2 AM in the morning.  (I love this phone and paid $950.00 for it outright, new from BestBuy and I need a phone and cant afford a new one).

The next day, I found that ATT can restore your phone to its original firmware.  This was on Google again.  I went into my store and they told me I needed to go to the store across town in Scottsdale (Phoenix Arizona) and they can restore the firmware, no problem.  The next morning, I went on the journey across Phoenix to this store, went in, explained, he hooked it up, said he couldnt do it, the computer didnt recognize the phone.  He suggested I buy a new phone, the new LG in about a month.  (Another $900.00 USD????)  I asked him 'What about using the Odin method to install the OS?'  He said he didnt know anything about that.  Bang...  Red Flag.  Here is a 20 year old cell phone technician specialist for ATT and he doesnt know about Odin.  So in a day of hours online, I had learned more then a ATT specialist?  Surely not.  Such a huge corporation making zillions of dollars off of people and they cannot reload firmware in a phone (properly)????

I left.  I went home.  At home, I tried a few more times to get the update.  Nothing I did worked, and I could not find the firmware online (free).  Alot of sites had it, but you had to join them and pay at least $100.00 USD to be a member.  (lol...  Pirated copies of the firmware being charged money for, but ATT do not give it out to their own customers?).


Sitting at my desk, I thought, I need a new phone, I need to leave this goofy carrier that I have been with for years that now treat me like a dumb, money-bags moron and at a cost of $135.00 USD per month, even, and with the worst data download speed on the planet!  

Then, it occurred to me, the new OnePlus One phone soon to come out has CyanogenMod. I had heard alot about it and decided to try it.  I soon had CyanogenMod (CM) operating beautifully on my phone.  It wasnt 4.4 KitKat, but its close to it.  I cant watch movies, but its lightning fast and nice.

So...  Bottom line;

* Update from ATT came out

* Update didnt download right, bricked phone

* Restore was wiped out also

* ATT repair store couldnt/wouldnt restore the firmware

* ATT recommended a new phone, and also a different brand

* Contacted Samsung, they asked a couple of questions (what model is your phone, what is the serial number, what is the platform) and that was it!  They never got back with me.  Nothing....   I did get back with them.  No response.  Well, they said they were sorry for me.

My next plan of action is to contact the Better Business Bureau about ATT and Samsung.

I was really liking Samsung.  I gave up brand new iPads and iPhones for Samsung brands.

Let  me ask you this.  In retrospective of the above story, if you had purchased a Laptop or desktop computer, with Windows, and after an update, the computer wouldnt reboot, and you went to restore it, and restore had been removed, and Windows or the computer company tells you 'well, get another one'...   How would you feel?  This happens often with computers.  Updates happen alot that get messed up somehow. I have had to restore Windows many times.  What if I couldnt anymore?


What have cell phone companies become that they pull garbage, money making stunts like this on customers.  Customers are your business. You should treat them like gold, like 'family'.  If you start ripping them off, you will start losing them.

So, my new quest is, to let the entire world know what ATT and Samsung are doing concerning firmware restorations and how poor their support is.  I want all to know that have phones with ATT / Samsung, so they know what can happen, and also for perspective buyers as well.  This is not good people.  If they can send you an update and it bricks your phone, they evidently force you to get a new phone!

Bill