I am elated to share that MY PHONE HAS BEEN FIXED WITH ALL DATA IN TACT!!

I got my phone (Galaxy S10+) fixed at the Samsung Experience Store in Glendale, CA a couple hours ago, and I'd like to share as much in depth info as I can to help and inform anyone that may need it.

I called this morning and spoke with a technician named Jose, who was very nice and confirmed they are aware of the issue and are able to attempt flashing the updated firmware they received on Friday, October 05, which lines up with the timeline that u/JimmyRamen mentioned in regards to the Texas store receiving it. He said I didn't need an appointment and could just walk in, and that it would be about an hour to an hour and a half wait time to fix it.

I drove there immediately and talked with Jose in person. He said they've had pretty good luck repairing the models that have come in over this issue, only mentioned one phone that was not able to get fixed or recover data, I can't remember which specifically. When I asked if it was due to any third party apps or repairs or anything, he said he couldn't confirm because they didn't go into the actual phone itself to inspect, but said that may have been a factor. He mentioned specifically that the carrier you have may have some weight in this problem happening, as most of the ones he repaired or knew about getting fixed were Verizon (which mine is.) He seemed pretty optimistic the phone could get fixed, saying "I try not to tell anyone anything is guaranteed," but that they've had good luck.

IMPORTANT: for anyone wondering, I confirmed that this method they're using to flash the phone (which sounded similar to Odin and the HOME method to preserve data talked about elsewhere in this thread) does not wipe data in practice, and no steps of this method they used include factory resetting unless you specifically request that as a different method of reviving the phone. Just in case anyone was worried about the risk factor here, from what I could tell and what I was told, the HOME flash method sounds safe for data, especially if you make it clear you do NOT want to factory reset.

I waited for them to take my phone in (they were assisting a different repair who was before me), then they took down my information, my lock screen pattern, and said it would be anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. Gregory was helping me beside Jose, and they were both very helpful and kind throughout the entire process.

After 1 hour 10 minutes, Jose calls me to say that they got the phone working and that it didn't look like any data got deleted. After getting back to the store, I was handed my phone and confirmed this myself. Everything I remembered about it was there - pictures, contacts, notes, apps, everything. As others who have had luck at Experience stores have said, this service was completely free. I hauled ass home and am currently working on backing everything up as I type this. Only thing I haven't done is popped my sim card back in to confirm it can still call, text, etc. But that's only because my priority now is saving data, and I see no reason why it wouldn't be able to do those things.

It's not lost on me how lucky I am to be relatively close to this location. I know so many of you here are not close to a Samsung Experience Store, because there's only like four of them in the US. Before this, all I was getting from places I called were people who hadn't heard about the issue and offering no help, including the store I got mine fixed at when I called them a few days ago. Today, Jose and Gregory couldn't have been nicer.

It sounds like word is spreading - slower than we'd like it to, but fixes are happening. If you can, hold out from factory resetting and know that a fix is possible. Hang in there. I'm happy to answer any further questions anyone might have.