Database Info

02 XDA: Help a new guy please!

First post, hi everyone!
In a bit of trouble with my XDA orbit. Im waiting to sell it, but i cant get rid of my contacts. I've taken the SIM out, but all my contacts still show on the phone and wont give me an option to delete. Ive tried downloading some programs on the net that get rid but to no effect.
All my contacts still show, with a little image of what looks like a sim card next to them - but my sim isnt in it!?
Really confused now. Please help!
Cheers
Fil

Well, if I remember correctly the sim contacts are shown even without sim. A good thing before selling the phone would be to hard reset it, which will return the phone to the state it was innitially (and delete all the programs and user settings).

[Q] Locate my phone without app

Yesterday i lost my 1 month old HTC HD2 (with MIUI on it) and i really want to have it back. To bad i didn't install a locater app yet, so is there a possibility to locate my phone without a pre-installed app (a google service or something like that)?
Thanks

Wow, I feel your pain.
Have you try out Plan B? https://market.android.com/details?id=com.lookout.labs.planb&hl=en
It can still install itself onto your phone from the Android Market website, provided it is on, have data connection and the phone is still tied to your Gmail account.
It will be able to give you GPS location.
Here is an exaggerated account on how someone got his phone back, but I suspect the credibility of this story.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/08/how-plan-b-found-the-droid-i-was-looking-for.ars
Nonetheless, it works and still gives a little bit of hope.
PS: Press "thanks" if you think I helped you. It will be my first "thank". =)

i've pushed install B to my htc already, but i don't know if it installed. didn't get any mails yet, so i don't know where my phone is

Hmm.... unfortunately, I cant provide any further help...
When technology fails, we can always fall back to basic human kindness.
I lost my phone once before, but the finder was very kind to call my home and tell my mother about it. Thus I was able to retrieve it.
The finder guessed that it was my home number by searching through the contacts and saw the entry named "Home". But it was a few days later then she called my mum.
So let's hope for the best. =)

call the police first! maybe they can track the phone when someone use it

Reg edit hack to disable "reset your phone" button

hey guys
i think it would be really great and usefull is someone came with a reg hack to remove the Reset my phone button in the about seccion. this is a great option for people who are afraid of getting stolen. for example i got my Wp stolen 2 times in 3 months!!! im using my 3rd wp..and i plan to Glue the sim card to the phone so i can track it. the bad thing about it is that with the reset my phone button the bad guys can erese all and your phone will forget that it was yours.so there is no way to track it. so if anyone can help it would be really appreciated

cmoneto said:
hey guys
i think it would be really great and usefull is someone came with a reg hack to remove the Reset my phone button in the about seccion. this is a great option for people who are afraid of getting stolen. for example i got my Wp stolen 2 times in 3 months!!! im using my 3rd wp..and i plan to Glue the sim card to the phone so i can track it. the bad thing about it is that with the reset my phone button the bad guys can erese all and your phone will forget that it was yours.so there is no way to track it. so if anyone can help it would be really appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, it doesn't matter what SIM card is inserted, tracking will always work (even without a SIM), since the device is bound to your live ID. You can simply prevent people from accessing that reset button by simply adding a wake up password. Still it can't save you completely, because devices can be hardresetted without the need of doing it from within the OS itself.
But honestly, without meaning to offend you.. Best protection is to better take care of your stuff.

dkp1977 said:
First of all, it doesn't matter what SIM card is inserted, tracking will always work (even without a SIM), since the device is bound to your live ID. You can simply prevent people from accessing that reset button by simply adding a wake up password. Still it can't save you completely, because devices can be hardresetted without the need of doing it from within the OS itself.
But honestly, without meaning to offend you.. Best protection is to better take care of your stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
....without a sim BUT online somehow.
After a reset, all personal info,files, apps, Live account, WP7 activation is wiped.
You can track the device by IMEI, request that to your operator ( submit the police theft report as well).
glue the sim, rub jalapenos on the sim and battery, place a sticker under battery " ATF tracking device no: XXXX XXXX XXXX" " FBI registered unit no: XXXXX', have a mean pittbull swallow the phone and use a BT, leash it to a shark, and so on
If you have a history of "misplacing" phones, insurance is you greatest friend.

htc9420 said:
....without a sim BUT online somehow.
After a reset, all personal info,files, apps, Live account, WP7 activation is wiped.
You can track the device by IMEI, request that to your operator ( submit the police theft report as well).
glue the sim, rub jalapenos on the sim and battery, place a sticker under battery " ATF tracking device no: XXXX XXXX XXXX" " FBI registered unit no: XXXXX', have a mean pittbull swallow the phone and use a BT, leash it to a shark, and so on
If you have a history of "misplacing" phones, insurance is you greatest friend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hahah thanks! but.. here in my country if i bought the mobile from a diferent source than the carrier they wont track or blacklist your stolen phone imei number. the first one was robbery but the last one was all my fault. i hate to use an unlock code each time i want to use my phone. thats why a reg edit for disable the reset my phone would be so handly.

cmoneto said:
hahah thanks! but.. here in my country if i bought the mobile from a diferent source than the carrier they wont track or blacklist your stolen phone imei number. the first one was robbery but the last one was all my fault. i hate to use an unlock code each time i want to use my phone. thats why a reg edit for disable the reset my phone would be so handly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's more inconvenient? Dealing with an unlock code or dealing with losing phones constantly?

[GUIDE]How to find your Android Device AFTER it has been stolen

Well lets assume your android device has been stolen! Good lord !! . Not to worry, this guide should hopefully help you recover it. Even if its a thief.
PS: This contents of this read may bear resemblance to the reddit thread i created
A about two weeks ago (17th April to be exact) one of my friend lost his Samsung GT-I9003 from his dorm room at 0200hrs. Today when i was scanning my latitude, i saw him position a few hundred meters from me. Problem is, we are on a university campus. 500+ students, staff, kitchen, cleaning - basically lot of people. I suggested we check Google Latitiude's location history and sure enough for the past 15 days, the phone's location is spread all over the campus.
Premise of the crime
The phone is ON and is connecting to the Wi-Fi.
The phone is still tied to the primary gmail account and is thus reporting location.
The SIM has been removed or changed since the original number is now switched off
The person does not have good knowledge of using a smart phone (maybe helping staff)
Steps we have taken
Since we assume it is in the possession of either a student or helping staff we don't want to startle him.
Tried Plan-B on my phone. However the location it was reporting was the same as Google Latitude.
The phone does have Where is my Droid installed but the web interface says invalid email ID. So that option is ruled out unless you have pre configured Where is my Droid previously.
How we found the phone
After Where is my Droid failed us, we started looking for other applications. We found this application called Android Lost. Unfortunately we hit a dead end when we realised that it needs to be activated by sending an SMS. Since we dont know the phone number, or that there is even any SIM card in the phone, that application also seemed useless.But turns out the developer of Android Lost has also made a nifty app called AndroidLost Jumpstart which is can trigger Android Lost without the need of an SMS.
According to the description
This app will wake up the registration process on the androidlost app when ever a phone call is made, an SMS received, battery is low, a package is added, removed or changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So we got android lost installed. Trust me, its a life saver. We got calls logs, sms, pictures, voice recordings. We tracked the person with the help of this.
Hope this helps anyone in the future!

maverick340 said:
Well lets assume your android device has been stolen! Good lord !! . Not to worry, this guide should hopefully help you recover it. Even if its a thief.
PS: This contents of this read may bear resemblance to the reddit thread i created
A about two weeks ago (17th April to be exact) one of my friend lost his Samsung GT-I9003 from his dorm room at 0200hrs. Today when i was scanning my latitude, i saw him position a few hundred meters from me. Problem is, we are on a university campus. 500+ students, staff, kitchen, cleaning - basically lot of people. I suggested we check Google Latitiude's location history and sure enough for the past 15 days, the phone's location is spread all over the campus.
Premise of the crime
The phone is ON and is connecting to the Wi-Fi.
The phone is still tied to the primary gmail account and is thus reporting location.
The SIM has been removed or changed since the original number is now switched off
The person does not have good knowledge of using a smart phone (maybe helping staff)
Steps we have taken
Since we assume it is in the possession of either a student or helping staff we don't want to startle him.
Tried Plan-B on my phone. However the location it was reporting was the same as Google Latitude.
The phone does have Where is my Droid installed but the web interface says invalid email ID. So that option is ruled out unless you have pre configured Where is my Droid previously.
How we found the phone
After Where is my Droid failed us, we started looking for other applications. We found this application called Android Lost. Unfortunately we hit a dead end when we realised that it needs to be activated by sending an SMS. Since we dont know the phone number, or that there is even any SIM card in the phone, that application also seemed useless.But turns out the developer of Android Lost has also made a nifty app called AndroidLost Jumpstart which is can trigger Android Lost without the need of an SMS.
According to the description
So we got android lost installed. Trust me, its a life saver. We got calls logs, sms, pictures, voice recordings. We tracked the person with the help of this.
Hope this helps anyone in the future!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or install Avast anti theft before your phone gets stolen ;D never the less, very useful, thank you.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA

okmijnlp said:
Or install Avast anti theft before your phone gets stolen ;D never the less, very useful, thank you.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep always good to be safe before hand. After this incident lot of my friends have installed or gotten some security app.
Although, aren't security suite like Avast, McAfee and overkill for finding lost phones?

And who was the thief?
Sent from my LG Optimus 2x with xda premium app

another possibility is to instal Cerberus App

Hi everyone. I have recently been the victim of theft for my nexus 7. I had the device locked with the pattern so there is no way that the thief could get into it unless they do a software reset from the recovery mode. The thing is, either way there is no way i would be able to recover it because if in fact they do a factory reset my lookout security would be uninstalled and my nexus would be lost forever, also if they can't get through the pattern and find a way to connect to Wi-Fi, it will still be lost forever. I have read about installing lookout in the system/app folder of a rooted device so its not easily uninstalled by normal means or factory reset. But do you think it is possible to have android lost and lookout pre-configured and installed in the system/app folder so that even if the device is factory reset, the credentials will remain?

is it factory-reset proof?

Just a quick little question: How did you get the phone to register on Android Lost? I can't get a friend's phone to be recognized in the web app, after installing the Jumpstart and another app...

Thank you
Very good contribution, gratz! i will follow your steps in case my android get stolen!

How did it fail?
You say that "after Where's my Droid failed us"...what do you mean by that...how did it "fail"? I would like to know before installing it. What exactly happened that it "failed" you?
Thanks

Losing a phone is irritating
I lost my phone sometime back. I didn't have the time to do research and maybe these apps weren't available at the time of theft. I got the SIM de-activated and tried to track my phone via IMEI number.
So, a few questions
1. Have they changed its IMEI number ?
2. Have they removed my Google account ?
This pretty much messes it up. If you can't track it via IMEI nor can you use any network then its as good as history. These were the only remaining identification tags that could have got your phone back and the thief would know of it. The moment I called on my own number he switched it off. He logged into my account and posted crap(not that I knew any of it had it not been for my friend who reported some strange FB and Twitter status) as if it wasn't enough that he had my phone.
One of the most disturbing things that they can do is play with the IMEI. Older phones were more susceptible to that kind of thing but a Nexus ? P990 ? GT19100? I thought they were much harder to hack. Not only can you NOT track your phone but also lose all other alternatives because the phone is now linked to another google account. I was searching for a post that would walk me through a process of changing the google account currently associated with the phone. In an attempt to understand if this indeed was the case. I wanted to try this app so badly but now I blew it off, my only chance.
Hardware based identification is the only way to go about fixing this issue. Any low level process that runs off some hard coded tag independent of software control known only to the owner of the phone. I just don't know what other options are left with person who lost it. I think there is no other way.
Time for a new phone, I guess
Edit: I guess I was right about that. They had done a hard reset but the IMEI associated with my account is intact. So there are two ways of messing it up. One, you change the IMEI(which sounds ridiculously dumb). Second, you change the primary account(more believable). How stupid of me to think of the first one

i think if a android phone is lost and a guy with a bit knowledge of flashin roms gets it then we might have to forget our phone.. if the phone has screen lock the guy can reset the phone through stock recovery and all security apps like where's my droid,avast etc get wiped off.. i personally don't install any anti-theft apps. i beleive in being EXTRA CAREFUL than installing any anti theft apps

And you are damn right bro, its good to be careful than putting all your believe in one anti-THEFT software which can easily get wiped off.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

That's useful, thanks !

How did you get the Logs.
Hi Maverik,
My phone was robbed yesterday & the SIM card was removed,
I wanted to know how were you able to get the call logs, pics etc of your lost phone to ........

Very useful! Thanks!

we have Find My Phone
you can have a try
Find My Phone - find your misplaced phone/stolen phone/lost phone easily
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phonefindandlock

Thanks for share your experience with AndroidLost.
Inviato dal mio K00E utilizzando Tapatalk

AndroFind is the best
i highly recommend AndroFind to find stolen phone.
you can find it in android market :good:

Hi, but It's possible to find any kind of phone also with older Android version?
Thanks!

More secure to change sim card after number change?

or is it equally secure to use the same sim card but a new different number.
On the same carrier

kjarak said:
or is it equally secure to use the same sim card but a new different number. On the same carrier
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In general...
Carriers tie the Phone Number with the SIM card Number and the SIM Card Number is tied to a devices IMEI (aka Serial Number).
So if you have a phone number for a device, and then change the SIM Card, the device will not be able to use that phone number on a different SIM.
The only way to tie the phone number to a different SIM is for the carrier to port the phone number over to the new SIM.
This cannot be modified or bypassed on the device because their all tied in to the carriers system for the towers.
I hope that I had explained this okay via text...
Good Luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I DO NOT provide support via PM unless asked/requested by myself. PLEASE keep it in the threads where everyone can share.

Thank you. I was trying to figure out the following scenario.
Let's say I suspect some kind of remote tampering or location tracking without physical access to my phone.
Which one is more secure:
1. Change the phone number with the same carrier
2. Change the phone number and ask for a new sim card on the same carrier.
This is a European carrier.

kjarak said:
Thank you. I was trying to figure out the following scenario.
Let's say I suspect some kind of remote tampering or location tracking without physical access to my phone.
Which one is more secure:
1. Change the phone number with the same carrier
2. Change the phone number and ask for a new sim card on the same carrier.
This is a European carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's one thing that you need to know: tracking your device is also possible when the IMEI number is known(and the IMEI can be changed also) so even when you switch the sim card and the device has location services or internet access it's quite easy to locate your device once it's been setup.

Actually one of these people has all the info from the phone box (IMEI, etc)
Are there other ways to track. Is it easy for anyone to track me with an app, etc. Is it equally easy to track an older non-smart phone.
I saw several time, errors with I think triangle with exclamation mark (I can't remember the exact words) that I have no access to network. This would stay briefly and then be removed. What are the implications of this.
If someone has my number, is it fairly easy for them to get the IMEI.
If they have the IMEI, does this allow them to track location or also get access to my data.
How can I protect myself.
strongst said:
There's one thing that you need to know: tracking your device is also possible when the IMEI number is known(and the IMEI can be changed also) so even when you switch the sim card and the device has location services or internet access it's quite easy to locate your device once it's been setup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

How would these 2 situations be explained.
I am putting the regular (not smart) phone in the pocket. It turns on. It appears I called my own number. It's possible that I pressed dial but I felt I wasn't pressing any keys. It's an old phone with a square large button below the screen. The call log on the phone does show that a call was made to the same phone (calling my own number). would this be visible on the phone if it was done remotely (or would that even be possible: remotely causing a phone to call itself)
I am told by an older guy that someone called from my number and gave a different name than mine (I am asked if I use a different name). The phone was in my possession at all times and it's a smart phone.

I was testing google find my device. I am getting "can't reach device" with location ON on phone. Why would this happen?
On the other hand, I can "play a sound"

kjarak said:
I was testing google find my device. I am getting "can't reach device" with location ON on phone. Why would this happen?
On the other hand, I can "play a sound"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, yeah seems like your device is high jacked by someone. There was a case like yours some month ago here on xda(don't remember the thread right now). You should wipe your device completely(within twrp format every partition.
Then install a aosp based rom.
Maybe this wipes the remote access too, but sadly I'm not sure cause the other guy did it he same but after this it was like before.

Which part makes you think it's hijacked?
not being able to find the device.? or something else (someone calling with the same number in the above post)
It did find the device after I moved it a little bit. It wasn't finding it when it was still.
Then it was not finding the device after I turned off location.
Is that how it works if someone is searching by using IMEI with an app. ie. if I turn off location then device cannot be located.
Which AOSP ROM?
In that case, if remote access wasn't wiped, what was the reason?
If someone has the IMEI, can they hijack repeatedly?
strongst said:
Hi, yeah seems like your device is high jacked by someone. There was a case like yours some month ago here on xda(don't remember the thread right now). You should wipe your device completely(within twrp format every partition.
Then install a aosp based rom.
Maybe this wipes the remote access too, but sadly I'm not sure cause the other guy did it he same but after this it was like before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

kjarak said:
Which part makes you think it's hijacked?
not being able to find the device.? or something else (someone calling with the same number in the above post)
It did find the device after I moved it a little bit. It wasn't finding it when it was still.
Then it was not finding the device after I turned off location.
Is that how it works if someone is searching by using IMEI with an app. ie. if I turn off location then device cannot be located.
Which AOSP ROM?
In that case, if remote access wasn't wiped, what was the reason?
If someone has the IMEI, can they hijack repeatedly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This makes me think someone hijacked your phone https://forum.xda-developers.com/ge...-change-sim-card-change-t3746592/post75146000
I don't know what device you have(you didn't wrote it) but try any non stock rom hence aosp based like LineageOS or ressurection remix for example and wipe your device before completely.
I don't know the root cause of this problem, I just remember me what was happening on the other member last year and maybe you are in the same situation.
If not, maybe there's help for you

It's an LG G3.
The link you posted leads to a ROM. Is it the correct link?
strongst said:
This makes me think someone hijacked your phone https://forum.xda-developers.com/ge...-change-sim-card-change-t3746592/post75146000
I don't know what device you have(you didn't wrote it) but try any non stock rom hence aosp based like LineageOS or ressurection remix for example and wipe your device before completely.
I don't know the root cause of this problem, I just remember me what was happening on the other member last year and maybe you are in the same situation.
If not, maybe there's help for you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

If I put the SIM card which was briefly in the phone into a new phone, would that allow someone to continue to track me or should I get a new number and sim

kjarak said:
It's an LG G3.
The link you posted leads to a ROM. Is it the correct link?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, wrong link
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ge...-change-sim-card-change-t3746592/post75546070
kjarak said:
If I put the SIM card which was briefly in the phone into a new phone, would that allow someone to continue to track me or should I get a new number and sim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should try. It's also possible to track you again if he has a duplicate sim(yeah, that's possible). But I don't think so.

That's a link to this thread in which we are posting.
strongst said:
Sorry, wrong link
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ge...-change-sim-card-change-t3746592/post75546070
You should try. It's also possible to track you again if he has a duplicate sim(yeah, that's possible). But I don't think so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

kjarak said:
That's a link to this thread in which we are posting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly: your story let me think your phone/sim is hijacked.

I thought you found the thread you were talking about here of someone from a few months ago.
strongst said:
Hi, yeah seems like your device is high jacked by someone. There was a case like yours some month ago here on xda(don't remember the thread right now). You should wipe your device completely(within twrp format every partition.
Then install a aosp based rom.
Maybe this wipes the remote access too, but sadly I'm not sure cause the other guy did it he same but after this it was like before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

kjarak said:
I thought you found the thread you were talking about here of someone from a few months ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was no solution sadly :crying:

If a phone is hijacked, does that mean the attacker has access to all data, camera, mic, calls, etc. Can make calls from the number, etc. or just track location.
Would this be visible to the phone company?
Is there a solution.

kjarak said:
If a phone is hijacked, does that mean the attacker has access to all data, camera, mic, calls, etc. Can make calls from the number, etc. or just track location.
Would this be visible to the phone company?
Is there a solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With Trojans its all possible.
Did you already do what I wrote? Format the phone completely and install a aosp based rom? You didn't wrote what rom you're running and which apps... Maybe you have a app that's faulty

kjarak said:
If a phone is hijacked, does that mean the attacker has access to all data, camera, mic, calls, etc. Can make calls from the number, etc. or just track location.
Would this be visible to the phone company?
Is there a solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Further to previous comments By strongest
Yes, if hijacked (trojan installed ) then it's likely they can access anything they want, though it depends on Trojan installed.
As you got a phone call from someone who gave a different name your phone may have been cloned (possibly after malware infection or if someone has hadphysical access to it & copied imie etc). This is good in that your phone bill will show activity of the other phone & you can get help from your phone company. Your Google acc may show something too....
have you done the basics? Installed good anti virus, checked if rooted, checked if app showing in device administrators etc. Even if it comes back negative a port may have been opened & Trojan self deleted. Then you need to either try a firewall or check network traffic to identify unknown connections so probably easiest to just reflash full stock ROM or custom ( best as LineageOS will give you security updates every month ) ( make sure you backup your pic, files, contacts etc first )
They can only track your imei if they have access to the network infrastructure (as far as I know) assuming you have removed any Trojans, tracker, spy app etc and have clean install a ROM,
If you had a Trojan you should assume they have ALL your passwords, including your WiFi (maybe router admin too!) Change them all (use a password manager)