[Galaxy A3, A5, A7, A8, A9 Q&A, Help & Troubleshoot] HannahSolo:
Hi. I want to ask for your advice. What can I do with my phone?

Samsung Galaxy A31 (Model SM-A315GZWKTPA).

I'm in Mexico, I bought it through a system called "PayJoy". I finished paying it, called PayJoy and they helped me remove the app. Everything was fine.

I never turned it off. But one day the battery ran out and of course it turned off. The problem is that when I turned it on it asked for the password. I wrote it in a paper but I can't find it. I tried my best to remember the password but all I accomplished was getting a message that says "try agin in 250 -something minutes".

I tried to bring it to the store where I brought it but the store closed. They don't answer their phones.

I tried to use the Google Android recovery and the phone doesn't show up (I can post screencaps, just not sure if I have to erase things like the serial number?)

I tried to use the Samsung Find My Mobile website and same thing, it doesn't show up.

Brought it to the Samsung store, they taught me a menu appears when you turn it off and then ykou press vol up and power. But they told me because I bought it through PayJoy it had some kind of software that didn't allowed recovery.

The menu displays this:

Android Recovery

samsung/a31nsdx/a31

10/QP1A.190711.020/A315GDXU1AUC9

user/release-keys

Android Recovery

samsung/a31insdx/a31

10/QP1A.190711.020/A315GDXU1AUC9

user/release-keys

Use volume up/down and power

———————————————

Reboot system now

Reboot to boot loader

Apply update from ADB

Apply update from SD card

Wipe cache partition

Mount /system

View recovery logs

Run graphics test

Run locale test

Power off

---------

The guys at the Samsung store told me they could reset it if I showed them proof I had finished paying it. I requested it from PayJoy and after several weeks they gave me a document that says I've finished paying the phone and now I'm the owner.

Samsung took it to their lab and they gave me a document that says something like (Translated from Spanish): "To proceed with the repair we request to go to your distributor or operator to unblock the service configuration of your account (Telcel, Knox cloud, Payjoy, MobileIron, Paymetservice etc.) for a correct diagnostic.

I asked PayJoy but they won't answer.

I bought it to a cell repair shop and they told me they tried different recovering options, among them one on this forum.

They tried:

- ADB

- Odin

- Upload from ADB

- Upload fastboot

- Download mode

- Odin flashing only CP

- Flasher BL

- FRP removal tool

- A thread on this website:

Method 1: No recovery installed

Method 2:

List of devices attached

RF8R20LLR5P sideload

adb shell

error: closed

Method 4:

adb shell

error: closed

Method 5:

error: closed

Method 7:

Won’t flash.

- Another software (forgot the name) that gave this output:

Product name: SM-A315G

Current Binary: Samsung Official

FAP Lock: ON

OEM Lock: ON (L)

MTK Secure Boot: Enable

Warranty void: 0x0 (0x0)

AP SWREV: B1 NS1 K1 S1

Secure Download: Enable

Cats: 0x1

MDM Download Block: Not allow

HDM Status: None

DID: dd4875f56686

- Aroma File Manager

# Manual Mode v1.0.0#

- - Install /sdcard/aromafm-1.91.zip…

Finding update package…

Opening update package…

Verifying update package…

E:footer is wrong

Update package verification took 0.1 s (result 1).

E: Signature verification failed

E: error: 21

Install from SD card completed with status 2.

Installation aborted.#1

I even hired a so-called hacker online and he tried to use (his words) "Metasploit Mediatek exploit to gain root". Nothing.

PayJoy on WhatsApp, Facebook and phone won't answer back.

I would really, really appreciate:

a) If anybody knows where I can talk to a person - not a useless chatbot - from PayJoy Mexico. Or if they know the address of their repair shop so I they can help me unlock it.

b) Any other method to recover it. I don't care if I lose my files. I just want to reset the password and use it with the same Google account and the same Samsung account. If it's a repair shop, please one im Mexico City that charges a reasonable price. I bought the phone for MX $8,900 and a local repair shop from a major retailer told me it would cost around $4,500 to repair it.

I can upload screenshots and copies of the documents I have to demosntrate ownership, they're in Spanish. (Should I blur the IMEI or any other data like my name or is it OK to post them?)

Hope you can help me.

Hanna