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Tonight I lost my beloved ThunderBolt. In the process I learned some valuable information that may help some of you out.
Last week I customized my splash screen following a tutorial here but I went one step further and edited it to include my name, address, e-mail address, website, business name and phone numbers as well as that there would be a $100 reward if found in case it was ever lost or stolen.
Tonight I went to see the fireworks at Stone Mountain. To conserve battery I turned my mobile data and GPS off. In the middle of the show a thunderstorm came and the rain started coming down heavily. I got up off the grass and ran for cover. In the process I lost my phone.
The other day I found out about an app called Plan B made by Lookout that you push to your phone AFTER it is lost or stolen via the Market. It uses GPS, Wi-Fi, or your mobile network coordinates to locate your phone and e-mails you this info every few minutes. I tested it out and it worked perfectly! There is also an app called SMS GPS Enabler that can be pushed to your phone the same way and can be used to turn GPS and Wi-Fi on remotely via SMS. Unfortunately for me mobile data has to be enabled in order to receive either push from the Market.
Once I realized my phone was missing out of my pocket I started calling it from my girlfriend's phone and texting it. Another app I use is called Backup to Gmail. It backs up all my SMS, MMS and Call Logs to my Gmail account under their own headings. It uses mobile data to do so.
At this time none of the text messages being sent to the phone are showing up in my e-mail, which leads me to believe the mobile data is still turned off, the phone is off, or it received water damage.
Since I run a business from my phone I decided to go ahead and call Asurion. I've only had my phone 18 days so I expected them to tell me it wasn't covered yet but they were able to process a claim quite painlessly. I was off the call in under 5 minutes with a new phone, SD Card, LTE SIM, battery and back cover being overnighted for a total cost of $100. They didn't ask me to call Verizon or file a police report so I did neither.
As of this moment calls to my phone are still going through to voicemail since I never called Verizon to have it shut off. For voicemail I use the PhoneFusion Visual Voicemail app and service. With it all of my missed calls instantly show as e-mails in my inbox so for the next 36 hours while I don't have a phone I will still be able to see who called me and return their calls. It is free and a must-have for any business owner. Your phone doesn't have to be turned on or even in a coverage area for it to work! I also found out that Asurion has a free app to remotely wipe your phone or locate it in the event that is lost or stolen and that you can file 2 claims per year. Lookout also has a similar app for a few bucks.
So that's it. Sucks but all I'm really out is $100 and 4 hours or so customizing the replacement. I should have kept a copy of my Rom Manager Backup on my laptop.
You run a business with a cell phone?
Loling aside, some pretty decent programs I might have to check out
Not exactly but I own a very busy computer store. All my vendors and top customers as well as employees equals non-stop ringing.
Plan B is amazing. Wheres My Droid is something I used to use on my DInc and worked well for losing my phone around the house/friends. Same thing happened to me, check my last thread. Although, it allowed me to recover more than just my phone
Ever hear of a phone case pretty cheap now a days compared to time down,stress,$$$$$.....plan a decent case @#$% flea market 7 bucks....
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scottthreet32 said:
Ever hear of a phone case pretty cheap now a days compared to time down,stress,$$$$$.....plan a decent case @#$% flea market 7 bucks
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
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what are you trying to say here?
how is a phone case going to keep a person from losing a phone, please explain.
thanks for the info! i will definitely remember plan b if i ever lose my phone
I think he's saying that if the phone is THAT important then the OP should do a better job of securing it ... the idea being that a dedicated case is perhaps more secure than sticking the phone in a pocket.
phonelocator pro also is a good app to have it will turn your gps on even when phone is off if ur rooted,has remote wipe,lockout and can continuously ring untill found,unregistered sim detect,know whos calling it and the app can be hidden so it cant be turned off.http://phonelocatorpro.com/
hmmm phone case on belt belt on person, phone in case on person ...see where im going with this.hence phone in case on person phone not lost. wanna get truely out there put safety chain on case in the event case comes off person ah like chain on wallet. DUDE NO INSURANCE PHONE IS $569.00 +- FULL RETAIL PRICE NO K-Y,NO SPIT, NO KISS THATS JUST STRAIGHT UP BENT OVER!!!!....other threads i lost my phone boohoo hundred bucks ..PAY IT ...PHONE CASE PRICELESS ANYTHING AROUND ON PHONE PRICELESS PHONE IS PLASTIC GROUND IS HARD tell me the out come if ya drop PHONES DONT SWIM NOT WATER TIGHT.
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Last night I got a call from a lady that found my phone while jogging and thanks to my custom splash screen called me for the reward. I went and picked it up and it is still turned on and functioning correctly. This morning I received the brand new replacement. I don't know whether to call Asurion because in reading other people's posts I read that if I do call they'll want the new one back and to keep my hundred dollars.
allchannels99 said:
Last night I got a call from a lady that found my phone while jogging and thanks to my custom splash screen called me for the reward. I went and picked it up and it is still turned on and functioning correctly. This morning I received the brand new replacement. I don't know whether to call Asurion because in reading other people's posts I read that if I do call they'll want the new one back and to keep my hundred dollars.
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I believe in honesty, but i would personally keep it.
But i wouldnt try and activate it. Most likely it would be reported by asurion as lost/stolen. Just keep it as a at home backup imo.
scottthreet32 said:
hmmm phone case on belt belt on person, phone in case on person ...
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then who was phone?
I have lookout security installed as well as Prey which can be activated by SMS. Not to mention HTC Sense has the phone finder.
I'm sure one is bound to work. If not I'll push Plan B if ever needed.
Htcsense does have a phone finder but someone can turn that feature off easily if they were to find your phone. Anyone know of an app that will let you password protect uninstalling or disabling it.
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altimax98 said:
I believe in honesty, but i would personally keep it.
But i wouldnt try and activate it. Most likely it would be reported by asurion as lost/stolen. Just keep it as a at home backup imo.
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So would the phone now have a bad esn number and therefore can never be activated again?
Most likely yes. Typicly that's what they should do
happimeal said:
Htcsense does have a phone finder but someone can turn that feature off easily if they were to find your phone. Anyone know of an app that will let you password protect uninstalling or disabling it.
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I use App Protector that requires a numeric pin to access any app including settings or package installer to prevent uninstall. I use it for things like this
GMoGoody said:
I use App Protector that requires a numeric pin to access any app including settings or package installer to prevent uninstall. I use it for things like this
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Thank you, good tip.
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I just lost my Nexus S, it fell somewhere when i put it in my short's pocket
I want to say goodbye to NS developers and community with awesome supports, NS is an old device but still the best single core phone IMO.
And i need to know that is there anyway to access to my phone if i had locked my phone with pattern password?
Well, if they know anything about a rooted phone they could go into recovery, wipe, and flash again. Then they would have access to your SD card and a new phone. You didn't have any kind of app to remote wipe it?
I'm sure there's A way to access your phone, but I doubt it's of much concern.
If you used 2 step verification, you can go into your security settings from your Google account and revoke the application password for your phone. How useful that is depends on how reliant you were on Google though.
There are also "Plan B" apps that can help with locking down your phone I think, although they generally just help locate it.
climhz said:
I just lost my Nexus S, it fell somewhere when i put it in my short's pocket
I want to say goodbye to NS developers and community with awesome supports, NS is an old device but still the best single core phone IMO.
And i need to know that is there anyway to access to my phone if i had locked my phone with pattern password?
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I am not sure about hacks to access your data, but they could wipe it and start fresh if they know how to get into the boot loader. They could possibly recover your SD contents after the wipe as well.
Would you not get another Nexus S 4G? They are very cheap and easy to find on Craigslist, at least in my city.
if they have to full wipe before access to my phone then it's ok, thank u all for replying
You should have had Cerberus, would look it up if I were you
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Try androidlost I believe you can install it from your computer and than do anything you want. I hope it works as I am not sure you have to set it as administrator
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Login to play.Google.com and search for Plan B made by Lookout. Install it then you just text your phone find from any other phone and it will email you the location. I've used the app a couple times and it worked great.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda app-developers app
Hey guys, never really thought about it before because I'm a careful guy but I just gave my N4,to my little brother and now I'm curious, is there an app that can locate/lock/wipe/brick a phone remotely EVEN IF it lands in the capable hands of someone who could wipe/format it?
Obviously I'd prefer to be able to pinpoint it using forced GPS or forced internet regardless if the phone is set on location reporting off or data off. And would also like to only resort to the remote bricking as a last resort.
I've checked around and haven't been able to find any apps that fits my demanding request so I'm asking for a 'best fit' app that any of you all may know and free is always a plus
Tldr; is there an app that locates phones and devices if if its formatted or wiped?
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Once wiped, whatever app you paid for or got for free, is... wiped, hence answering your question.
Sent from my Nexus 5
So no steal proof methods?
dynamo147 said:
So no steal proof methods?
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Other than you pretty much opening your phone, hardwiring a microscopic device to the battery and hoping no one finds it? Nope. Not that I know of. I could be wrong.
That would be quite an interesting concept to have though. Maybe a partition that isn't user accessible and not wiped as part of a factory reset. I doubt most thieves will go into recovery and flash roms and modify partitions. LOL
I wonder how that kill switch Samsung or one of the manufacturers want/ed to or have already introduced works, i.e whether a device wipe disabled that feature.
A untouchable partition would be great, locked up by a user password, and ensuring constant validation and communication of each individual phone would be great since an imei # can only do so much
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
Just got my Phone jacked I have full protection on it from T-Mobile which comes with Lookout Premium, but for some reason even tho I had it installed, I can't access it on Google Maps, from the Lookout website. It's not showing the location, not allowing me to issue commands, anything. So I think I am basically screwed. I didn't have a password on it. Tho some of my files are Encrypted. And I had just cleaned out my Call log and SMS log, so that's a plus.
So does Anyone know of anyway to get this Lookout "Find My Droid" feature working? Or am I just gonna have to suck it up and go pay the deductible to get myself my nexus back before i go through SNWS (sudden Nexus Withdrawal Symptoms)
Silicon Knight said:
Just got my Phone jacked I have full protection on it from T-Mobile which comes with Lookout Premium, but for some reason even tho I had it installed, I can't access it on Google Maps, from the Lookout website. It's not showing the location, not allowing me to issue commands, anything. So I think I am basically screwed. I didn't have a password on it. Tho some of my files are Encrypted. And I had just cleaned out my Call log and SMS log, so that's a plus.
So does Anyone know of anyway to get this Lookout "Find My Droid" feature working? Or am I just gonna have to suck it up and go pay the deductible to get myself my nexus back before i go through SNWS (sudden Nexus Withdrawal Symptoms)
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Whats the point of security software without the first line of defense a password!
Look up the android device manager app on Google play.
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Dragn4rce said:
Look up the android device manager app on Google play.
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Visit https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager?u=0 while logged into your Google Account, if you see the location, don't go try retrieve yourself, contact the police for help.
Good luck!
Silicon Knight said:
Just got my Phone jacked I have full protection on it from T-Mobile which comes with Lookout Premium, but for some reason even tho I had it installed, I can't access it on Google Maps, from the Lookout website. It's not showing the location, not allowing me to issue commands, anything. So I think I am basically screwed. I didn't have a password on it. Tho some of my files are Encrypted. And I had just cleaned out my Call log and SMS log, so that's a plus.
So does Anyone know of anyway to get this Lookout "Find My Droid" feature working? Or am I just gonna have to suck it up and go pay the deductible to get myself my nexus back before i go through SNWS (sudden Nexus Withdrawal Symptoms)
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I just tried to Find My Device from LookOut's webpage. Surprisingly, even though my phone was right next to me, connected to WIFI and LTE, it kept saying locating. I then opened the LookOut app and BAM, my phone was found right then and there. For some reason, it seems that LookOut, even with the "Better Missing Device" option checked in under Device Administrators, closes itself and cannot work properly. I just have the regular free version though.
A suggestion for you though @Silicon Knight would be to log into the LookOut website, then to check previous locations. That should leave a pretty good trail up till the last point. I am also assuming that since you don't have a lock, you won't be able to benefit from receiving a picture when the password is entered wrong a few times.
As @Dragn4rce mentioned, login to Android Device Manager and try to locate your phone that way hoping that your phone hasn't already been wiped. Here are two links I'd suggest you try to report your stolen device at :
https://www.fcc.gov/guides/stolen-and-lost-wireless-devices
http://imeidetective.com/
Use android device manager.
https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager
i always install avast anti-theft it's one of the best anti-theft apps it has format protection you can sms command and it locates with gps it doesnt need wifi or 3g to work all other apps needs internet to work.
If you didn't have a password they probably have powered it off already and you are out of luck. They will probably wipe the device and your data and it will get shipped across seas for sale.
u wiped mssges and call log just before the theft? and few files were encrypted. Sounds too fishy to me!
jags_the1 said:
u wiped mssges and call log just before the theft? and few files were encrypted. Sounds too fishy to me!
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Why would that be fishy?
adio01 said:
If you didn't have a password they probably have powered it off already and you are out of luck. They will probably wipe the device and your data and it will get shipped across seas for sale.
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or eBay,
I use cerberus on my nexus, I think you need root but I may be wrong, it has loads of options on it such as:
Remote wipe via text, text your phone to enable 3g, take pictures of failed unlocks and it even hides the app so someone can't delete it.
Its similar to lookout but I like it better and it works well.
If you manage to get your phone back it may be worth looking into it, fingers crossed you do get it back :fingers-crossed:
how did they steal it??
The OP hasn't said a single thing since the 26th wth?
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Tango down - NSA
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i'm sorry about that
it happened to me too
we re not alone in this world
keep cool
I haven't said anything cause, A.) I usually post on here via my Smartphone. B.) It's the holidays and am staying at my parents until the 2nd, so I keep getting roped into lil family outings lol And I lost the phone at the bank the other day, I had my cousins dog with me, was trying to keep him in check (he's a pitbull pup and very rambunctious, i don't know why i thought that would be a good idea to bring him to the bank) and I set the phone down to fill out a deposit slip and left it there like a fool. I've never lost or had a phone stolen in my life. But I guess it happens to everyone at least once...or at least most people.
I am going down to get a new Nexus 5 tomorrow. Filed a Police Report, did all that I could. In the end someone got a mint condition nexus 5, for the 5 finger discount price of FREE !
and yea, why would it be fishy that I wipe my SMS and Call Logs lol I flash lots of custom roms and I don't ever back SMS/Call Logs, never had a need to, so they get wiped every time i switch to something new, or if I restore a nandroid, then I have old messages and call logs so I wipe them myself.
Anyways, thanks for the advice peeps. Cerberus sounds like the way to go. Lookout is pretty similar but the ability to hide the app itself so it cannot be removed except by the owner, is pretty damn cool, and wins my vote.
Please ignore this post. Replied from phone and didn't emerge last part of thread.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Don't feel bad. I've done FAR worse. I lost my phone at a strip club before. It was in my pocket and I'm guessing the stripper popped it out when she was grinding on my pants. I tracked it, and it showed that it was still in the strip club, so I went back to look inside for it, but I couldn't find it. I'm guessing someone "found" it.
I leave my phone in the car now.
nerv8765 said:
Don't feel bad. I've done FAR worse. I lost my phone at a strip club before. It was in my pocket and I'm guessing the stripper popped it out when she was grinding on my pants. I tracked it, and it showed that it was still in the strip club, so I went back to look inside for it, but I couldn't find it. I'm guessing someone "found" it.
I leave my phone in the car now.
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haha, that's funny, that sucks of course, but yea, you know what i mean lol
This is the first Time I've ever lost a phone or had one stolen. I lost my pager once when i was like 14 my mom got me one. I wanted a cellphone but they were hella expensive back then. That's back when my mom was on Voicestream lol The prices they charged for cell service in the 90's made Verizon look like its cheaper then foodstamps haha So she got me a pager from a company (think they may still be around) called "Cook Paging" I had it for like 2 weeks, and somehow on the way home from my GF's house (who was like the only one who ever paged me, besides my mom lol) I lost it.
Can some one tell me what's this ? Sometimes happens when I unlock my phone
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
this is creepy.
Virus / Malware? Have you noticed any odd charges on your phone bill?
Kill it with factory images. Be careful what you download next time...
RoyJ said:
Virus / Malware? Have you noticed any odd charges on your phone bill?
Kill it with factory images. Be careful what you download next time...
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Its a new phone
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Well you're the one who came here asking for help.
I'm 99.999% positive that's not a feature enabled on the phone to brighten your day, but I could be wrong about that.
What does a new phone have to do with it? Nothing, that's what. If you take it out of the box and download an app that installs malware on your phone, then guess what? You have malware now. Viruses/malware/spyware/WHATEVER doesn't really care how old your phone is.
Download and install a virus scanner or flash factory images and start over. Next time be smart about what you download on your phone. Older phones aren't susceptible to viruses any more or less then new phones... -_-
It's not malware or virus or anything of that sort AFAIK... It's a carrier message which pops up when Data is enabled/disabled.. I've seen this kind of behavior in another thread.
However, it could also be an app which is causing this though as said in earlier posts.
Remove the sim card or put the phone in airplane mode and use it for a day. If the messages don't pop up then there's a good possibility that it's a carrier message!
Maybe your phone's alive!I guess it wants to talk with you!
Just kidding,I guess its something related to your carrier.
Wow that is super creepy. I don't know. I'm super paranoid as is Haha. I'd probably do with @RoyJ had described.. However I never encountered this.
Seeing a stupid comment on Google Play about an app you love and marking it as "spam". You've done it too.
Here you go: http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/quick-question-smiley-appearing-screen-t2779035
It's most probably a carrier message as I said earlier. There's no solution to it as it's being sent by your carrier. Changing the runtime to ART was a temporary solution which the OP of that thread found!
Download Air Push Detector and run it...