Guide to Switching Carrier, Flashing Carrier and Unlocked Firmware on Galaxy S9 Plus

On older Samsung Galaxy devices released before 2016, the firmware used to have just ane file with .tar.md5 extension. Though Odin3 v3.07 and lower versions had
Bootloader,
PDA,
Phone, and
CSC, and Telephone fields, we needed to flash single-file firmware by adding information technology only to the PDA sections just. Afterward, Samsung split its firmware files into four binaries, and thus on Odin v3.09 and newer
BL,
AP,
CP, and
CSC
were introduced. Now, in that location are 2 types of CSC files in the firmware binder:
CSC
and
Domicile CSC. So which CSC binary should you wink in Odin- CSC or Home CSC? In this article, we’ll attempt to answer this question.

Merely take a look at the side-by-side comparison of Odin3 v3.06 and Odin3 v3.xiv.1 and you will how Odin and thus Samsung firmware has changed over time.

Thus, the old fields on Odin have changed as showed below:

• Bootloader
  ⇒ BL
• PDA
  ⇒ AP
• Telephone
  ⇒ CP
• CSC=
  • CSC
  • HOME_CSC

If you are an old Samsung device user, you probably don’t demand a tutorial to understand the difference between CSC or HOME CSC. However, these 2 CSC files within the firmware folder may cause a lot of confusion to the new user.

What is CSC?

Before we explore the difference betwixt CSC and HOME CSC, let’s observe what CSC is. CSC or
Country/Carrier Specific Product Code
or
Consumer Software Customization
is an important component of Samsung firmware binaries. The CSC file on Samsung contains essential information such as-

• Carrier branding:
  A CSC may be country or carrier-specific. Samsung releases the same model of a smartphone to Tab with unlike CSCs. For instance, if you apply an unlocked or unbranded Samsung Galaxy telephone in the UK, its CSC would be BTU. However, if your device is locked to a network operator, information technology could exist VOD (Vodafone), TMU (T-Mobile), ORA (Orangish), XEU (EE & Three), etc.
• Organisation Languages:
  These include the availability of the popular languages used in a geographical area. For example, if you lot own a Samsung phone in Mexico and flash the firmware meant for India with INS as CSC, you won’t be able to set Spanish, Nahuatl, or Mixtec equally your phone’south organisation language and keyboard.
• Localizations:
  Samsung ships its devices with geo-specific or bloat apps relevant to a country or region.  Localization as well determines the agenda settings and local festivals.
• APN Settings: Access Point Proper name settings include all configurations to make a mobile device work with the network carriers of a region or country. Without these configurations, you may not be able to relish seamless GSM, GPRS, 3G, or 4G mobile networks.
• Samsung FUS: CSC also contains key info to assistance Samsung’south Firmware Update Server to connect to the correct update channel and scroll out the proper software update to your Galaxy device via OTA.

CSC and Dwelling house CSC – The Difference

When you lot excerpt the Samsung firmware nada file, y’all’ll find 5 binaries inside information technology. You can utilize the
Frija Samsung firmware download tool
or other sources to
download CSC, Dwelling CSC, BL, AP, and CP
files for Odin.

It’s very easy to add the respective firmware binaries to respective fields in Odin. You may become confused virtually whether you should flash CSC or Dwelling CSC in Odin. Here’s how these two CSC files differ from each other. One time you sympathise the purpose of CSC and Habitation CSC, you’ll accept no confusion.

CSC

If you want Odin to
wipe all third-party apps, data, and settings and perform a manufacturing plant reset
while installing the firmware, you should add the CSC binary to Odin. When your Samsung phone or Milky way Tab boots upwardly, your device will be in the aforementioned state (on software level) equally it was when you purchased it. You lot’ll have to set up your device and log into your Samsung and Google account again. The image, video, audio, and all other files nowadays on the internal storage volition be deleted. Flashing the CSC binary will consequence in a clean installation. If you experience that your phone is boring and experience any lag or misbehavior, wiping the phone might help ready those issues.

Dwelling CSC

If your purpose is to just re-install the firmware or update your Samsung device’s software
without wiping your apps, all user information, and settings, yous should go with the Domicile CSC binary. Choosing this file will but affect the software version of your telephone while keeping everything intact.

Check CSC or Samsung Country Code

Information technology’southward very easy to find out the current CSC of your Samsung device.

1. Open the
   Settings
   on your device.
2. Get to
   About telephone > Software data.
3. Await for
   Service Provider SW Ver. there.
4. You’ll find the CSC of your Samsung Galaxy telephone.
   
   
5. As yous can come across, the CSC of my Galaxy Note 10+ is
   OXM
   and
   INS (India) equally the active CSC.

If the CSC of your Samsung device is
OXM
information technology ways it has
Multi-CSC firmware
installed on it. OXM is a group of CSCs that contains multiple sub-CSCs inside it. Information technology means that yous can easily change the CSC of your Galaxy telephone or Galaxy Tab.

If y’all are curious why the INS CSC is mentioned four times (
INS/INS,INS/INS
)  in the screenshot above, here’due south the caption. Actually, there are two formats in which CSC is shown on Samsung devices and it depends on the fact whether your device is a
unmarried or dual SIM variant.

1. Single SIM models:
   Thirty¹
   
   /
   XXX²
   
   /
   Xxx³
   
2. Dual SIM models:
   XXX¹
   
   /
   30,XXX²
   
   /
   XXX³
   

The first CSC value refers to the
Agile CSC¹
on your telephone. The heart office shows whether your phone is a
single or dual-SIM²
model. The tertiary and the last CSC value shows the
state or region for which the phone has been manufactured³. Thus,

INS/INS,INS/INS
, shows that the agile CSC on my Note x+ is INS; information technology supports two SIM cards from whatever Indian operator; it has been made to be sold in India.

Change CSC on Samsung without Root

Warning:
Changing the CSC on your Samsung device volition wipe all the data and rest it to the factory state.

It’s very very easy to change or switch the agile CSC on a Samsung smartphone or Galaxy Tab if it has a Multi-CSC firmware on it.

1. Open your phone’south dialer.
2. Blazon
   *#272*Device_IMEI_Number# to open the system configuration menu.
   
   
3. When I used this secret code, I found a listing of 82 CSC codes. Remember, my phone has a Multi-CSC firmware.
4. Await for the CSC you want to install and tap the
   Install
   button.

   
   
   

5. Your phone will reboot and your phone’s apps and information will exist deleted but when information technology boots up, your selected CSC will exist agile.

2. Using Samsung Odin

This method is a little complicated and requires some endeavor.

The CSC configuration on your Samsung devices determines if it is unlocked or locked to a network provider. While it’due south possible to use a dissimilar SIM carte on some carrier-locked phones, there are others on which you only tin can’t employ a SIM card from whatsoever other network operator than the one it’s locked to. Suppose you own the Verizon (VZW) variant of the Galaxy S20 and you try to flash the CSC meant for TMO (T-Mobile), you’ll either gen an error in Odin, or you’ll end up with a bricked phone.

So, in what cases a CSC alter might help? In case you lot live in Italia and purchased a used unlocked telephone online from a Russian user, you may non find the Italian language on your device. By flashing a firmware binary with ITV CSC, you can take Italian on your phone. Also, if y’all use a phone with Russian federation CSC in Italy, yous won’t receive software updates from Samsung.

Note:
If your Samsung phone has a locked bootloader or it is SIM-locked, you won’t be able to change the CSC of your device.

If you desire to change your phone’s CSC, here are the steps:

1. Download a
   Multi-CSC (OXM)
   firmware or the firmware with
   ITV CSC. You lot tin employ the
   Frija Tool
   for that. Since Frija works with Windows only, you can employ
   Samloader to download firmware on Mac or Linux.
2. Download the latest
   Samsung Odin tool
   and unzip information technology.
3. Install the latest
   Samsung USB driver
   on your PC.
4. Extract the downloaded firmware ZIP on your desktop.
5. Launch Odin.
6. Turn off your device and boot it into the
   Download Fashion. You can exercise and then by pressing and belongings the
   Volume Down + Ability buttons
   at the same time for 2-3 seconds.
7. Connect your phone to the PC using the USB cable provided by Samsung.
8. When your device is detected by Odin, click the
   BL, AP, CP, and CSC
   sections and add the respective firmware files to them. Practice
   not flash the Dwelling CSC
   merely the CSC (only) binary.

   
   
   

9. Click the
   Start
   button on Odin.
10. When the firmware is flashed, your Samsung device will reboot automatically.
11. Disconnect the USB cable.

Done! You have successfully inverse the CSC on your Samsung Galaxy device. Alternatively, y’all can also flash the CSC file only but in that case, make sure you download the firmware for the same software version as already installed on your device. You’ll still accept to download the total firmware considering y’all can download the Domicile CSC or the CSC file separately.

List of Samsung CSC

If the primary CSC of your Samsung device is
OXM, OXA, OXX, OXE, or
OLB, your phone or tablet has
Multi-CSC firmware. In such a condition, it is the secondary CSC that tells y’all about the country code of your Samsung Milky way device. Below is a list of Samsung CSC codes along with the state, region, or carrier they denote too.

Y’all tin can modify several aspects on your Samsung and any Android device and get useful data near information technology using
these ADB Trounce commands.