Reset Flash/Binary Counter on T-Mobile Galaxy S2 SGH-T989 and Telus’ SGH-T989D

One of the annoyances with the Samsung Galaxy S2 and all its variants when flashing custom ROMs and kernels is the flash counter, which is incremented every time you unofficially flash a firmware or a kernel. Also, a big yellow triangle starts showing on the screen every time the phone is booting up. They say it’s for warranty purposes, so that Samsung can deny service to those who have modified their phones by unofficial means. In short, it’s a big nuisance.

However, if you own either the T-Mobile Galaxy S2 SGH-T989 or the Telus Galaxy S2 SGH-T989D and have flashed custom stuff on your phone, you can reset your flash counter thanks to a hack by XDA modder -Mr. X-. The hack will reset the flash counter without the need to use USB jigs or other complicated methods for resetting the counter.

Read on to find out how to reset the flash counter on your T-Mobile Galaxy S2 SGH-T989/Telus Galaxy S2 SGH-T989D.

Compatibility

This hack and the guide below are compatible only and only with T-Mobile Galaxy S2 SGH-T989/Telus Galaxy S2 SGH-T989D. It’s not compatible with any other device. Check your device’s model number in Settings » About phone.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.

Pre-Installation Requirements

• Important! A T-Mobile Galaxy S2 SGH-T989/Telus Galaxy S2 SGH-T989D with ClockworkMod (CWM) recovery installed.
• [Optional] This procedure will NOT wipe anything on your phone. However, to be on the safe side, backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you.

How to Reset Flash Counter on T-Mobile Galaxy S2 SGH-T989/Telus SGH-T989D

1. Download the flash counter reset file. Make sure to download the correct version according to the carrier your bought the phone from.
   T-Mobile: Download Link  |  Filename: flash_counter_reset_Tmo_SGH-T989.zip
   Telus: Download Link  |  Filename: flash_counter_reset_Telus_SGH-T989D.zip
2. Copy the downloaded zip file to the internal SD card on the phone.
3. Turn off the phone, then boot into CWM recovery. In recovery, use Volume buttons to navigate and Power button to select.
4. Perform a Nandroid Backup of your existing ROM, so that you can always restore it from recovery if something does not work out with this hack. To perform a backup, select Backup and Restore –> On the next screen, select Backup again. Select go back to go back to main recovery menu after backup is complete.
5. Select install zip from sdcard, then select choose zip from sdcard. Scroll to the flash_counter_reset_***.zip file on the sdcard and select it.
6. Confirm installation by selecting Yes – Install flash_counter_reset_***.zip on the next screen.
7. After the installation is complete, select go back then select reboot system now to reboot the phone.

The flash counter on your phone will be reset after following the above procedure. You can use the hack whenever you want to reset your counter, so now you can flash custom ROMs and kernels without a worry. Do let us know how it works out for you, in the comments below.