Scott Purcival

Game Programmer

HowTo: Change Region Code on Samsung Gear S3

By on 29 December, 2017

YAAAY SAMSUNG PAY! 😀

UPDATE: I have been told there is a new, safer method than the one below which requires no flashing and minimal chance of bricking. I HAVE NOT tried this new method, but it can be found here.

Hey All,

I’m happy to say that I have successfully converted my cheaper UAE import Gear S3 Frontier to an AUD model, and now Samsung pay works flawlessly, and I have received the Tizen 3.0 update! 😀 😀
If you want to do this to your own Gear S3, follow the steps below, but BEWARE: This can BRICK your device! There is a very real inherent RISK in flashing firmware, especially non-standard firmware. If you brick your device, I will not be held accountable, however, I will try to help where I can. Just be prepared for a bricked device – and know your contingency.

Big shout out to the following members on the xda-developers forums for their info and guides;
adfree – for providing the firmwares
namrepus2010 – for making the main guide I followed
xedamen
BiggPharma
Honestly Annoying

WARNING!! AS WRITTEN, THIS IS ONLY FOR A SAMSUNG GEAR S3 MODEL SM-R760. THE FIRMWARE HERE IS FOR A FRONTIER.
(I have been lead to believe that you can do this to a Classic, but it will believe it is a Frontier now. Classic firmware may be available at the firmware link below.)

I CAN NOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW RISKY THIS CAN BE – THIS IS SERIOUS NERD TERRITORY

STEPS
1) Download:
netOdin (this is the program that will flash your watch – it requires a WiFi card to work)
Combination Firmware FTMA_R760XXU2BQC2 (aka Service Firmware – this is special technician only firmware that will let you change the country code)
Stock Firmware R760OXA2BQC5 (this is the standard firmware that comes with your device – we will reflash this after we make our changes)

BEWARE!!!!!
Before you flash anything, you must make sure that the firmwares you have are compatible with your device!
The links above are to suit model SM-R760 ONLY!!!
More firmwares can be found HERE.

To check your device/model/firmware;
On your watch, go Settings->About Gear
Model Number must be SM-R760
go to Settings->About Gear->Software Information
Software Version should be R760xxx2BQC5 (where xxx can be any number combination)
if your software version does NOT match this, all is not lost. This method should work with any firmware starting with R760xxx2 – but I have not tested on any other firmware. The important part is the number in the spot where the ‘2’ is, matches in all the firmwares. Going back from a ‘2’ to a ‘1’ (or a ‘3’ to a ‘2’) will brick your device.

More info:
If you care – the model number break down is as such
R760xxxyzzzz
R760 = model number
xxx = country code
Yzzzz = firmware version – Y = major revision, xxxx = minor revision (NEVER  roll back a major revision!!! minor is ok.)

Now that you have the software and firmware files to match your watch, follow this excerpt from the post at xda-developers (original post – do not download any files from the original xda post – unless you have a Classic, and you seriously check your version numbers – I have not verified them)

INSTRUCTIONS:
—————-

1. Check reactivation lock is off
– On your phone, go to Samsung Gear App
– Go to Setttings Tab, choose “Find my Gear”
– Make sure Reactivation Lock is off

2. Connect your watch to your PC
– Hold down the home/power button until you see the “rebooting” screen
– Release the home/power button then quickly press it three times to bring up the boot menu
– Quick press the home/power button to cycle through the menu to “Download (wireless)”
– Long press the home/button to confirm the menu selection
– The phone will then go into WPS mode
– Double press the home/power button to change to AP mode
– On your PC, enable WiFi and connect to the access point on you watch.
NOTE: Until you successfully connect to NetOdin, your watch may display red text stating “Connection Timeout” – this is OK
– Open up NetOdin. You should now be connected to your watch (you should see the IP in the NetOdin window and “Connected to xx.xx.xx.xx” on your watch face.
NOTE: I had to disable Windows Defender public firewall temporarily for NetOdin to work properly

3. Flash combination (service) firmware
– Load the unzipped .tar.md5 file into the “AP” box of NetOdin, wait for it to finish checking then click “Start”. This should take about 10 minutes to complete after clicking “Start”.
Watch will now reboot.

4. You will need to re-enter flash mode (Step 2)

5. Flash CSC file from stock firmware
– Load the unzipped CSC_xxx.tar.md5 file into the “CSC” box of NetOdin, wait for it to finish checking then click “Start”. This should take about 1-2 minutes to complete after clicking “Start”.

6. Factory reset
– In your Gear, go to Settings > Gear Info > Reset Gear > Confirm
NOTE: BiggPharma got a warning at this stage that Reactivation Lock was on. Don’t know why they got this message as they had definitely turned it off in step 1. They ignored it (no guts, no glory!) and was fine. Your mileage may vary. I however did not have this happen (I also got this warning – hit ok, no problems – SP)

7. Set CSC code
– In the Gear, go to the Tizen Keystring app
NOTE: screenshots of what your interface will look like:

– Type in the following code exactly: *#272*719434266344#
– You will be taken to a list of CSC codes that you can scroll through. Find the code you want to change to and select it. I used “XAR” for US so that i could use samsung pay.
LIST OF COUNTRY CODES HERE (I used XSA for Australia – SP)

8. Reflash complete current stock ROM
– Load the unzipped CSC_xxx.tar.md5 file into the “CSC” box of NetOdin, wait for it to finish checking.
– Load the unzipped AP_xxx.tar.md5 file into the “AP” box of NetOdin, wait for it to finish checking.
– Load the unzipped BL_xxx.tar.md5 file into the “BL” box of NetOdin, wait for it to finish checking.
– Click “Start”. This should take about 15 minutes to complete after clicking “OK”.

You are done!

And that’s it!
At this point I reconnected to my phone, and my watch started two urgent updates, one to Samsung Pay, and the other update was the new Tizen 3 update.
did have issues with some widgets not working after the Tizen 3 update, but one more final watch factory reset resolved those issues.

GOOD LUCK! 😀

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45 comments on “HowTo: Change Region Code on Samsung Gear S3

  1. Thanks for posting this. I bricked my S3 Frontier before and managed to rescue it by connecting via USB. It wouldn’t go into WiFi mode.

    This detailed tutorial head certainly given me the balls to have another go!

    Thank you

  2. OK so I’ve done it. Set my CSC to BTC (United Kingdom).

    However I have no Samsung Pay app, Tizen has not updated and I see some green text on startup

  3. Did you reflash stock firmware after changing the CSC?
    If so did you perform a factory reset on the watch?
    Pics would help, can you link to some?

  4. Yes I reflashed to the stock firmware in this post Stock Firmware R760OXA2BQC5.

    I did do a factory reset but can still see the green text on the phone on startup before it show the Samsung splash screen.

    Watch seems to be working perfectly except there is no Samsung Pay on the watch or my Samsung Gear app on the phone and it is still on a Tizen 2 firmware. It should upgrade to Tizen 3 but it isn’t.

    I don’t have pics, but it basically says:-

    LOT_ID = N6DYD
    ASV TBL VER = 5
    HW REV = 13
    RAM = 768 MB
    ASV CPU:7 63D:7 WIF:7 INT:7 CAM:7 CP:7

    Then it says…

    Installing new configuration…

  5. I tried again following the tutorial using CSC BTU.

    This time I got Samsung pay and the tizen upgrade came through.

    But when my device restarted to install the update it got stuck in a boot loop with the green text above the Samsung logo (diagnostic text in the message above)

  6. Thankyou worked perfectly for me, I had to flash the stock Rom a second time as the first time did not work but I have successfully change my gear s3 frontier from UAE to uk and now spay works.
    Thanks

  7. This doesnt sound good, once again pics would help alot, are you sure you own a SM-R760? (written on the back of the watch)
    Are you also certain you did not downgrade your major software revision?

  8. Thanks
    How are you getting to factory reseting after step 4?
    i try powering the watch off and on reboot, its hanging on loading scree

  9. loaded step 7 and started again, has fixed the hanging issue.
    On another try the watch rebooted after installing the service firmware (reboot flag was unticked) Think its worth noting in service firmware you need to hold the power button down for about 5 seconds, this will reboot and then open the boot menu

    THANK YOU

  10. It did not work, and now my s3 gear is bricked. 🙁

    When I try to turn it on, it gets frozen into the SAMSUNG S3 FRONTIER screen. When I try to switch it to download mode, it shows “Wireless download Do not turn off target”, but does not show the option to change to AP mode.

    Any hints? Other than buy a new one?

  11. Mine is not starting after step 4. It gets freezed on Samsung Gear S3 frontier.

    Is there a flag on NetOdin that performs the factory reset as there is on Odin for Galaxy phones?

    Steps 3 and 4 completed successfully on Odin.

    1. Check the latest comments, there was a chap that had to reset multiple times to get it to work.

  12. Hi Scott,

    I just got my UAE gear s3 today (SM-R760), it has firmware R760XXU2CQL1, it’s on Tizen 3. Am I still able to use this guide and if so would I be able to simply use the same files you used? I also want to change mine to AUS. Cheers.

    1. That’s more than I could tell you. Best bet is to ask that question in the forum I linked.

  13. I did this and managed to change my CSC code from Canada to USA to get Spay. I was totally afraid of bricking my watch but wanted Spay more so I gave it a whirl. I had a few hick ups along the way but manged to get them solved by repeating steps. Found in the end I had to restart and reset my watch a few times to get things to start working after I followed the steps above. The next day I had to reset my watch again cause my phone wasn’t picking up Spay. Since I changed it I can also get all the cooler apps in the US that aren’t available to Canada for my watch. Thanks for the great instructions

  14. Hi Scott I ended up using the sdb method which meant I didn’t have to flash any firmware onto my watch. It’s pretty straight forward, you just need the sdb software (found on xda) and with a single line of code you end up launching the same app used in this tutorial without needing the maintenance firmware. Hope others find success with either method.

    1. Thanks Andy, that looks like a much better way, I have added a link at the top of the page.

  15. I followed all the steps above and manged to get my watch changed from canada to USA but its not working when I use it in stores

    1. Is the Spay on the Gear S3 a merchant thing here in Canada or is it just a watch thing and I have to repeat the steps again???

  16. Hi – just wanted to comment that i flashed my S3 R770 classic from kogan.com last night. It was on Tizen 3.0.0.2 R770XXU2CRC3. After the flash it was on the stock firmware R770XXU2BQC5, and Samsung pay didn’t work. So I then manually updated via gear app back to R770XXU2CQL1(?) then R770XXU2CRC3 and my Citibank card now works. Amex doesn’t though. Doh!

    Some tips…
    -You can find out what CSC code your phone is on by installing Android Phone Info. My Australian CSC was XSA. So i used this on my watch.
    -It looked to me as if the CSC contains ALL(?) the CSC codes. Just pick your one.
    -Once on the maintenance firmware, to get to the boot menu took me maaaany tries. I think you need to triple click during boot not shutdown.
    -Windows defender had to be tuned off
    -Uninstall Gear App, re-install and reconnect… it does some updates etc

    FW
    Combination for R770 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2OlLU7vg4Yzc054QlZXb3M4MG8/view

    Stock for R770
    https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AK2-v8GdDK1gggQ&id=A2387B997ED7C10D%21105&cid=A2387B997ED7C10D

    Good luck and as always this is all at your own risk.

  17. It works for my French S3. I have successfully changed the region settings to from French to Hong Kong.

    Then, I tried to change the S3 to China Region Code. However, there is no China region code available on the selection list (step 7 above).

  18. I have just got my S3 Gear Frontier today from Amazon UK, set it up did all the normal updates and then when I tried to add my bank card found out that its set to UAE and not UK. my model number is SR-R760 – Tizen version 3.0.0.2 – Software version R760XXU2CRE3 – Knox version 2.2.0 Can I use the linked sofaware and follow the instructions ? I’m new to all this have always used Apple iPhone/Watch in the passed.

    1. Hey Steve, I suggest trying the new SDB method first – link is at the top of the post.

  19. Hi, Iv compleated all 8 steps but for some reason when i try to do a software update it says “your software is already up to date” but its currently running tizen version 2.3.2.3 any ideas why its doing this?

  20. Hey Scott

    This Worked really well and I managed to switch my Gear S3 frontier from “UAE” to the same as your’s “XSA” but as i’m in NZ we don’t use samsung pay but we do have google pay now with ANZ. applied all the updates and it works great, Cheers!

    Andrew

  21. Uff.. This is such a relief. I tried using XDA and it did not go quite well.. This resolved my issue. Thanks a ton!!!!

  22. Hi – I have conducted all steps but when I get to the list of CSC codes (after entering *#272*719434266344#), a screen titled “CSC Pre-config” appears and I cannot enter the new region code (XSA) and no menu appears. When I try to reboot, the TIZEN key string app reappears. I tried to complete the remaining Net Odin steps but this was not successful. How do I fix or is the watch now bricked? I have done factory reset a number of times…..

  23. i cant seem to get it into wps mode. or i cant connect to the point on the watch this is net odin wont let me add picture, i get reboot and move to wireless long hold but just starts normally

  24. Ok i think when i restarted the watch after step 4 i did not connect to the WPS of the watch and tried to install the CSC file and it probably did not happen as when i tried to enter the CSC code it came as a CSC-preconfig.

    Now i cant get the watch to connect to my computer as it wont show its WIFI on my computer wifi list. What can i do now?

  25. I did the entire process but in the range selection I could not find a Code for Canada. Also I could not find the code for UAE so I selected a random code to get my watch in working order but when everything was done it still reverted back to UAE as the Samsung pay registered as UAE.
    So how do we fix this.

  26. Bought a SM-760 from Kogan with the UAE country code. With your instructions, I was able to change it without fault.

    Just take note of the email used initially for the reactivation lock. I’ve changed email addresses and it told me to sign in to the one I’ve previously used.
    This was after flashing firmwares and changing country code.

    The proceeding updates from Samsung was huge, comprises of 3-4 seperate files.

    All in all, it works fine, and am able to use Samsung Pay without issues.

    Thanks Scott! Well written and thorough guide!

  27. Hi guys,

    Can anyone of you tell me where I can find “Tizen Keystring app”, please?
    I just got SM-R760 and I don’t know so much.
    I tried all the steps and got stacked at Tizen Keystring app.

    Thank you for your help

    1. The keystring app should be preloaded on the device and available when you are booted up in the service firmware. Its a bit hard to see in the picture, but it is the icon right at the bottom, that does not have a white block on it, between waterproof, and pretest.
      If you are not seeing any of these icons, it sounds like flashing of the service firmware failed. You might want to try that step again.

      1. Dear Scott

        I still couldn’t find it.
        I can’t find the icon of waterproof or of pretest.
        My watch is SM-R760 (German).

        Thank you for your help

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