[Samsung Galaxy S10+ Guides, News, & Discussion] MeltdownSpectre:
Since the official firmware thread by [MENTION=1586120]henklbr[/MENTION] is flooded with posts asking how to flash rather than actual firmware update talk, this thread can be used for that instead.

Here's the Odin flashing guide at the beginning of the thread which nobody will read.

How to flash the stock Odin flashable firmware:

1) Download Odin v3.13.1 - Link

2) Extract the firmware file you just downloaded. You should get 5 files:

AP (System & Recovery)

BL (Bootloader)

CP (Modem / Radio)

CSC_OXM (OXM CSC file, will wipe your phone)

HOME_CSC_OXM (OXM CSC file, will NOT wipe your phone)

3) Add each file to it's respective field in Odin v3.13.1. Use CSC_OXM if you want to do a clean flash and HOME_CSC OXM if you want to keep your apps and data.

4) Reboot your phone in Download / Odin mode:

-Power off your Galaxy S10/S10+

-Connect the cable to your PC, but do not plug it into your phone yet

-Hold Volume Down + Bixby button and plug the Type C cable into your phone while holding down those buttons

-You will get a warning on your screen, press 'Continue'

5) Once in download mode, Odin should detect your device and a blue box will show up with the COM port number.

6) Do NOT tick any extra boxes. The only options to be ticked are F.Reset Time and Auto-Reboot and they are enabled by default.

7) Click the start button, wait for Odin to say 'PASS'. Once the flash is complete, your phone will reboot automatically.

Flashing Tips:

1) Always try to use the OEM Samsung USB-C cable when flashing.

2) Install Samsung Smart Switch before flashing, it automatically installs the latest Samsung USB drivers. However, make sure Smart Switch is CLOSED when you are flashing your device with Odin.

3) Try not to have too many other applications running if you have a PC with low RAM as Odin can consume a lot of memory sometimes, and the last thing you need is for your PC to freeze in the middle of a flash.

This is what a successful flash log on Odin looks like for an S10+ ----> Pastebin Link

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Before asking a question below, read the FAQs, your question has most probably already been answered.

Q1) Will this trip KNOX, and will I lose my warranty?

Short answer: No

Detailed answer: KNOX counter will remain at 0x0 and warranty stays valid as well.

However, some service centers might note regional differences between builds based on the latest build available for your CSC, indicating that the phone has been flashed, so if you're sending your device in for a service/repair/replacement, then I'd suggest flashing to the latest build available for your home country's CSC. Usually not required though, so not a big deal.

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Q2) What if the firmware build number mentioned above is not available for my CSC, can I still flash it?

Short answer: Yes, but that is subject to your current active CSC. Read detailed answer below.

Detailed answer: See this list --- > LINK

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Q3) I flashed 'ASxx' build, but now I can't get OTAs for a newer build that's available on my CSC?

Short answer: The build you are currently running on your device was never released for your CSC, so no subsequent OTA file is available on the server.

Detailed answer: This is due to Samsung's stupid update rollout methods. Go to SamMobile, select SM-G975F and find your region in the list, and flash whatever the latest build is to regain the ability to receive OTAs.

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Q4) Can I flash the ROM in the main post without flashing the builds that came before it?

Short answer: Yes.

Detailed answer: The firmwares available for download using SamFirm or Frija are full firmware files. Flashing them will manually flash (and update, if necessary) every partition on your phone. So you could be on the oldest firmware ever released for the S10+, and flash directly to the latest one without having to flash any builds released in between.

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Q5) Can I flash without wiping my data?

Short answer: Yes.

Detailed answer: If you've gotten to this question, you clearly haven't read the Odin flashing instructions.

If you want to flash and retain all the data on your phone, you can choose to use the HOME_CSC file when flashing. This will only upgrade your phone to the newer firmware, but allow you to keep all your data.

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Q6) I am on a carrier firmware, can I flash this firmware?

Short answer: Yes, but all your data will be erased.

Detailed answer: If you are on a carrier firmware that is not part of the OXM multi-CSC list given in the answer for Q2, then you can still flash OXM firmwares, but you will not have the option of using the HOME_CSC file to retain your data. You must wipe your data when switching from a carrier firmware to an unbranded firmware. Once you are on the unbranded OXM firmware, you can use HOME_CSC to upgrade without wiping data.

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Q7) If I flash AUT region firmware on my DBT device, will it affect my ability to get OTA updates?

Short answer: Maybe, maybe not.

Detailed answer: Read the answer of Q3.

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Q8) Is there any risk of flashing?

Short answer:No, not really.

Detailed answer: If you are not experienced with flashing but would still like to flash your phone, make sure to be very very careful and don't miss any steps in the process. There is usually no risk, and it is very hard to permanently brick your device when flashing stock ROMs. There is a chance of data loss if the flash is interrupted.

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Q9) Why does the window says 'FAIL' instead of PASS?

Short answer: Could be for multiple reasons, see detailed answer.

Detailed answer: If a flash fails, always make sure to copy and paste your Odin log here so we can see where and why the flash failed.

The Odin flash log can be seen on the bottom left of the Odin window, see this screenshot ---> Odin 3.13.1 screenshot

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Q10) Why does the Odin log show that the flash failed at sboot.bin.lz4?

Short answer: The version of your Odin is not compatible with newer firmwares that use lz4 compression.

Detailed answer: Samsung started using .lz4 compression with Oreo firmwares, so older versions of Odin can't be used.

Use Odin v3.13.1 (Download link) for flashing on the S10+.

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Q11) Why does the Odin flash log show FAIL (XmitDataWrite)?

Short answer: There was an issue flashing the AP (System) file to your device. Read detailed answer on how to solve.

Detailed answer: This is usually due to an issue with the USB port or the cable being used to flash the device. If you are using a USB 3.0 port on your PC / laptop, try switching to a USB 2.0 port instead. If you don't have a USB 2.0 port available, change the cable. Some cables don't handle large file transfers well. Preferably use the OEM Samsung cable that you got in the box of your phone.

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Q12) Where can I download the latest S10+ (SM-G975F) firmwares?

Answer: You can use Frija which downloads the firmwares straight from Samsung servers - Link

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Q13) What do the CSCs in the settings menu mean?

Answer: See below.

Single SIM device:

If you have a Single SIM device, it will show 3 CSCs in the settings menu, in the following format:

DBT/DBT/DBT

1st CSC = active CSC (You will get OTAs for this CSC and any features like Samsung Pay, VoLTE, WiFi calling are dependent on the active CSC)

2nd CSC = CSC of your SIM card (In case your SIM card is from a different region than your active CSC, this will be different from the active CSC)

3rd CSC = Hardware CSC of your device (For example, you purchased the device in Germany, but are living in the Netherlands, it will show PHN/PHN/DBT)

It is not possible to change the hardware CSC, and it has 0 effect on the device's functionality or when it will get OTA updates. It is simply an indicator for what market the device was intended for sale in.

Dual SIM device:

If you have a Dual SIM device, it will show 4 CSCs in the settings menu, in the following format:

DBT/DBT,DBT/DBT

1st CSC = active CSC (You will get OTAs for this CSC and any features like Samsung Pay, VoLTE, WiFi calling are dependent on the active CSC)

2nd CSC = CSC of your SIM card (In case your SIM card is from a different region than your active CSC, this will be different from the active CSC)

3rd CSC = CSC of your SIM card in SIM slot 2

4th CSC = Hardware CSC of your device (For example, you purchased the device in Germany, but are living in the Netherlands, it will show PHN/PHN,PHN/DBT)

It is not possible to change the hardware CSC, and it has 0 effect on the device's functionality or when it will get OTA updates. It is simply an indicator for what market the device was intended for sale in.

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Q14) Why did my CSC change to XEF (France) after flashing from a carrier ROM to the unlocked ROM?

Answer: For OXM firmwares on the S10 series, when flashing from a non-OXM ROM (such as a carrier ROM) to an OXM multi-CSC ROM, the active CSC defaults to XEF.

Detailed answer: For devices that are region locked, once you flash from carrier to unlocked, it will stay on XEF. There is no way to change CSC yet without root.

For devices that are not region locked, it will change to XEF, but to switch to the unlocked CSC for your region, remove your SIM card, insert it again and do a factory reset from the settings menu.

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Q15) Can I downgrade to an older build?

Answer: It depends on your current build. Sometimes you can downgrade, sometimes you can not. Read detailed answer to check.

Detailed answer:

You have to see the bootloader version of your current build. Samsung tends to upgrade bootloader versions regularly so downgrading is not always possible.

For example if your current build is G975FXXU3ASG8, and you want to downgrade to G975FXXU2ASF3, it will not be possible.

Moving from 'XXU3' to 'XXU2' is not possible since XXU2 is an older bootloader version, and because of Samsung's downgrade protection, it will not allow the older version to be flashed.

When attempting to flash, Odin will show 'FAIL' in the flash window, and the bootloader screen on your device will display this error:

SW REV CHECK FAIL(BOOTLOADER) DEVICE: 3, BINARY: 2

This is showing that the device is currently on a v3 build, and the build being flashed is v2, so it will reject the file and abort the flash immediately.

If however you want to downgrade from G975FXXU3ASG8 to G975FXXU3ASG2, you are free to do so, since both builds are labeled 'XXU3' and are on the same bootloader version (i.e: v3).

Note: Some builds will be labeled 'XXS', and the same reasoning applies to those builds as well. If the bootloader version is different, you can not downgrade.

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Q16) Why are some builds labeled 'XXU', whereas some builds are labeled 'XXS'?

Answer:

XXU builds are usually larger updates, they usually include security patches, kernel changes and other under the hood fixes. When new features are added, they are also usually shipped with 'XXU' builds.

XXS builds are maintenance releases. They just include security patches and nothing more. OTA sizes for XXS builds are usually significantly smaller as well. In some cases, exceptions can be made and new kernels can be included with XXS builds as well.

These changes are usually discussed in the stock firmware thread for the device.

For newly released devices in the first 6-8 months, almost all builds are XXU since Samsung is actively working on improving the device.

For devices nearing EOL, Samsung is only fulfilling its obligation to provide security patches and no new features, so most builds are XXS.

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