Samsung Kies Error With Mavericks

AFT does not work in Mavericks

It does but it is crap.

You must have a different version of Mavericks from me then.

Ok, so here goes. New iMac running OS-X 10.9.5. I found this post while trying to back up my Galaxy Note 3. I believe I had Kies working with Mavericks previously. I have back-ups on my desktop and laptop computers as recently as March and September of 2014, but yesterday I could not get it to work for several different reasons. I tried a number of different versions. The newest, 3.0.1.14124_10 never found the phone by USB, I'm pretty sure, I got so many different errors they have blurred together. I was able to find and download a slightly older version, 3.0.1.14124_6, but had the same problems.

Then I tried the version I believe worked on my laptop, under 10.9 previously, before I updated that to Yosemite, 3.0.1.14032_5. I didn't have the install .dmg file for this version, I just dragged the application file over from my MBP OS-X 10.10 (where it wouldn't connect to my Note) to my iMac 10.9.5. When I launched Kies, it installed its drivers. Installing Kies this way didn't require a restart which the install applications do. This version actually connected to my Note and gave me all the options. Unfortunately, when I tried to backup the Note's contents, it would back up some of them (including Contacts and S Note) but seemed to hang on others (including Call Log, S Health, Alarm and Home Screen), I didn't test them all individually. Call Log I left spinning for over an hour and it never completed.

I also tried an older version I was able to locate on a site in the UK, 3.0.0.13091_3. But I got the dreaded "WMD_AGENT_VERSION" error and, again, was not able to connect to my phone.

I even tried an older version, 1.3.0.12062_4. The installer application wouldn't let me install it, but I was able to unpack the .pkg file and open the application. It would launch, but wouldn't stay running.

I installed all of the Kies applications using the installer applications, where I had them, and unpacking the .pkg file and just dragging the application into the applications folder. It didn't seem to make any difference, but you never know.

I know, TMI, but I wanted to show I really tried Kies before I went to a different option, listed in a following post. Samsung should give us a good way to backup our phones. It should work reliably, easily and it should be included in the cost of the phone. I have been trying to use Kies since at least July 2012 and it has never been easy, even when it has worked.

So, from my unsuccessful efforts to get Kies to work, what did finally?

I don't like cloud server options.

I found that Android File Transfer 1.0 does work under OS-X 10.9.5. I just selected everything (you have to shift-click) on my phone and my card and dropped it in a dated file on my iMac, there to be backed up again in Time Machine. It's a bit mechanical, and not elegant, but it works and it is free. I found an article with more information at http://www.cnet.com/how-to/the-complete-guide-to-using-android-with-a-mac/

There is also an option using DroidNAS, free on GooglePlay, that supposedly allows you to do the same thing using WiFi. It may be Mac only. I have downloaded the app, but I haven't tried it yet. A reference is at http://www.cnet.com/how-to/share-files-between-your-android-device-and-a-mac-wit h-droid-nas/

I also used MyBackup Pro, which I found I had purchased previously and used once but backing up got pushed to the back burner. It is $5. It backs up everything to the cloud or your phone. It says it puts the backup files on an SD card in the phone, but I found them on my main memory when I went looking for them. They were also initially hidden until I uninstalled Kies and rebooted my computer. In this case, I made a complete backup to my phone using MyBackup Pro. Then I used Android File Transfer and went into the folders on the phone and found the backup files and folders. I dragged the folders to my chosen backup storage location on my main computer and, voila, it was done. MyBackup Pro allows you to schedule regular backups and lets you choose how many of these you keep. Realize that each backup is a complete backup, to the best of my knowledge, there are no backups of just the changes made since the last backup.

There are other backup software packages available for $25 to $50, but I was trying to be cheap, and the solutions listed above both worked. There were never any error messages, no dropped connections, no spinning wheels while I waited. The only hang up was the time it took to transfer 7-plus gigabytes of data over USB. Oh, I think there's a limitation to AFT that it won't transfer a file over 4 GB in size, perhaps a book of photos.

A couple of other references I used are:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2423270,00.asp

http://www.androidcentral.com/android-101-android-file-transfer-app-mac

This is what worked for me. I have no interest in any of these software packages or the organizations mentioned. Just thought I'd pass along what I found out while trying to fix my situation. Hope it helps.

I'd suggest you check with Samsung (am I correct to assume that is their app?). I checked the website and it looks to me that the Mac version of that app is rather outdated as it is compatible with Mac OS 10.5 and up - a lot of older apps stopped working with newer Mac OS versions.

Here is the info from roaringapps.com (a site that has compatibility tables):

http://roaringapps.com/app/samsung-kies

Edit: my browser was not displaying all the posts (a glitch), so if this has been posted previously, ignore.......

@volluzphoto Many thanks for posting a very informative response.

With regard to checking with Samsung, don't bother. I contacted them a long time ago about the Kies issue. Their response said that an engineer would call me back to talk me through the problem but I would need to give them remote access to my computer? Eeek! Yeah, right. Anyway I decided to play along and agreed for them to call me. That was nine months ago and still no call.

Samsung after-sales technical support is below abysmal. Given the increasing complexity of devices such as TVs with internet connections etc with such useless support from a company there is no way that I will ever buy a Samsung product again.

For my latest experience with Kies; since updating to Yosemite (10.10.2) I have not been able to get any of my versions of Kies to work. I recently purchased a Samsung Gear S to work with my Note 3, clearly not making the jump back to Apple at this time. I wanted to be able to transfer files to the watch and could not find a way from my iMac, so needed to get them onto the Android phone. I tried the trial version of MobileGo, in spite of the $40 price tag, but it kept quitting on me, so I went back to Kies. I downloaded the installation .dmg file again (http://www.samsung.com/us/kies/). This time, the software worked well and backed up my phone smoothly (Galaxy Note 3, Android OS 4.4.4, Kies 3.0.1.14124_10). This is not a new version of Kies, so perhaps I haven't been checking the debugging option below on previous attempts, or the Mac or Android OS are working better, or who knows what, but it works for the moment.

Remember to check that the Settings > General > Developer options > USB debugging box is checked to allow the USB connection to work. I have not tried WiFi yet. I also made sure to plug my USB cable into the computer and not a USB hub.

There is also a relatively new Samsung product called SideSync available to use an Android phone connected to a PC or an Apple computer. It has some very attractive features. I have downloaded the software, but have not had an opportunity to try it yet. It is also free for both the Mac and Android phone. (http://www.samsung.com/us/sidesync/) There are several YouTube videos showing what this software can do.

Today I downloaded a new version of Kies, 3.1.0.15042_6, and it seemed to work fine. I was able to backup my Note 3 running Lollipop with no hesitation. Files transferred to my Mac running Yosemite, OS X 10.10.3, easily. The download is available at http://www.samsung.com/us/kies/