I bought an unlocked refurbished Galaxy A53 5G from Amazon about two years ago. Earlier this week the phone prompted me to install the Oct 1, 2025 update (One UI 8.0). After installing the update, the phone no longer detects my sim card. It's saying (Searching) and No service in the upper left corner. The Sim card status says Not available for every single item. The data icon is gone and there is no way to view or change mobile network settings.
According to the phone, the model is SM-A536U1/DS. However, despite the model number, this does not appear to be a dual sim phone. The tray has SIM card slot on the bottom and SD card slot on top, with no way to hold a SIM card where the SD card goes. Also, according to the IMEI checker, the phone is not SM-A536U1/DS but SM-A536U. Model name is SM2A536UZKAXAU according to IMEI checker.
XAG/XAG/XAU
I tried a lot of things, like restarting the phone, taking out the sim card and cleaning the contacts, factory reset, and also manually checked for updated and installed the November 1, 2025 update. No change.
The SIM card works fine in another phone.
The model discrepancy makes me think the seller cross-flashed the phone, which has now essentially bricked it.
