Comment by contingencies
9 hours ago
At a guess it was an MMI / USSD code for factory reset. Allegedly the code:
*2767*3855#
Executes a full wipe and firmware reinstall with no confirmation prompt. This was probably it. Don't post the clickable link.
Looks like it only works on a certain older Samsung phone.
Thanks to some genius at Samsung who thinks this is a good idea.
This sort of thing can make sense in manufacturing where you want to clear evidence of tests run, etc. For example, it is common to run optical test suites and then program the optics within a phone to account for imprecision rather than attempt to manufacture for a lack of it. Source: Drinking in Dongguan with the head of optics manufacturing for the company subcontracted to produce the iPhone optics assembly some years ago.
Don't manufacturers use separate firmware images for production testing? I know that we (not making phones) did.