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Anyone use Seek Droid?
http://www.appbrain.com/app/seek-droid/org.gtmedia.seekdroid
How's it compare to lookout or prey?
Seems like it's pretty feature rich for $.99 and reviews are good, but it's always good to hear from real, live users directly.
Lifehacker liked it
http://lifehacker.com/5745207/seek-droid-is-the-simplest-way-to-find-your-lost-android-phone
I think its the best, but I'm one of the developers. PM me if you have any questions.
I'm sure you do, but I was going to get some real user reviews here.
Give it a shot, write a review. If you dont like it, email support and we'll make it right.
I'm not sure if we have many people that are on xda using the app (yet). We are a really small company, and unlike our competition, we dont a marketing department to get our name out. Just a few developers trying to put out a good lightweight product. We love to see reviews and suggestions, so let us know what you think.
I can gave you a brief snapshot [after finishing my write up I realized it wasn't so brief]. Note: I haven't lost my phone yet so I've only been able to test it. Also, I have not tested other Droid locator apps so I have no point of reference. I've tested this on a Droid X.
Setup is a breeze. The user is asked to enter a username and secret code. The app goes through a registration process. The main screen of the app (on the phone) is organized as follows: View Website; Your SeekDroid.com Login; View Help; Current Status [Registered]; Your Secret Code; Options for Enabling remote formmating of the phone and SD card; Option for retrieving call history settings; Terms of Service; and Contact Us.
At the Seek Droid website, you're asked to enter your username and secret code. A top line menu appears, as follows: Locate; Alarm; Calls; Hide; Lock; Wipe; Help; and Log Out. Locate does just what it suggests: the webpage sends out a search command and a Google map displays the location. The Alarm options prompts you to type a message to be sent to the phone. Once the message arrives, the message pops up on the phone's screen and it beeps and will continue to beep until the screen is touched. When the screen is touched, you're taken to the slide-to-unlock screen. If your phone is secured with a password, you'll be directed to the unlock screen (pattern or keypad). Calls displays a recent call list. Hide triggers your device to hide the Seek Droid app from you list of apps (in your app drawer). Reboot is required. With Lock, you're prompted to assign a new digit lock code (digits only, not a new pattern lock). Whether your device already has a lock code or pattern lock, the new code is applied. I, for example, have a pattern lock. I changed the lock code remotely with Seek Droid and it changed it to the new code I sent. With Wipe you are given a prompt to ensure that's what you want to do. I did not test this feature. I might backup my SD card and try the wipe feature for that...I'll report the results later if I do.
I've tested the app indoors and outside, with GPS on and off. It finds it every time, usually within 3 minutes. I keep Use Wireless Networks and Enable Assisted GPS activated in the Settings screen on my device. Also, I have an app protector app that locks apps on my phone (along the lines of App Protector). I have Settings locked (requires a password to access). Seek Droid is able to change the unlock code remotely with Settings protected and unprotected.
Naturally, Seek Droid does not find my phone when it's turned off or in flight mode. Seek Droid does not provide advanced user controls like deleting individual apps, turning off/on GPS, remotely turning on your phone, etc.
Locating my phone worked with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome. Javascript must be enabled.
One final comment: I encountered an issue with one of my computers locating my phone. I contacted Seek Droid support and received a response within 1 hour. Very helpful and responsive...kudos to them. After some troubleshooting, I discovered the problem rested with my computer. Seek Droid worked well from every other computers I have access to (rather than troubleshoot the problem with the one computer, I simply won't use that one to log in to Seek Droid in an emergency). So, my advice is to test the app from various computers so you know which one to use if and when you actually lose your phone.
I recommend the app based on my limited testing. I also recommend that you use this in conjunction with a device password or pattern lock (or an app protector app to prevent removal of Seek Droid). You simply want to set up controls so another person can't easily uninstall the app or deregister the device.
Price has now gone up to $1.99 and a bit peeved as I left it until today to get it, losing out 62p in the process
Anyway, after taking an aggggggge (months on and off) trying to configure Tasker to do this unsuccessfully I've now binned that idea and got this instead; setting it up alongside Tasker to receive a specific SMS to switch all the location finding stuff on (I have mobile and wifi switched off by default).
Just liked to echo the above comment in that it is really easy to use and the location is nailed down much better than all my previous attempts with Tasker.
Well worth it.
Wow, didn't notice that. I still hadn't purchased yet either and was going to. I really don't need it, I just wanted to play around with it. I'll just pass @ $1.99 and use the free version of lookout without wipe functionality and spend the $1.99 on a game I wanted or something.
Oh well.
is there a secret code default because i donwloaded the app to my phone online but never set it up
Kicknik: After installing the app and opening for the first time, you will be prompted to enter a username and a secret code of your choosing. Then, it will go through a process of registering your device (I guess it syncs up with Seek Droid). The username and secret code are then used to login to the Seek Droid website in order to locate and lock your device remotely.
My impressions:
Bought and installed a couple days ago on my Lg Optimus One. I am very satisfied.
The program installs very easily, once installed it asks you to choose a login name and a password and to set a few options: there's a few boxes to check, like the possibility to enable or disable the remote wipe of your smartphone.
Once you are done setting up you can access the seek droid website from your phone or from any device with internet access and once you are logged in you can monitor your device position (you can remotely enable gps if gps is disabled), check the last calls that were made from your device, lock your phone or wipe it to factory settings formatting internal memory and sd (of course it asks you for confirmation on the website if you click on the wipe button).
Another useful feature that can be accessed from seek droid website is the "hide" button. Once you press it the seek droid app on your phone becomes invisible (requires reboot) thus becoming even harder to uninstall (anyway even wehn visible the program requires your password to uninstall).
I tried every feature except for the wipe one and i can say it does what it says. Position through gps is accurate and is shown on a mini google map on the seek droid site. I monitored battery consumption and it seems almost unexistent.
In conclusion i think every smart needs a security program like this, and seek droid does better than other similar apps that i had tried before.
First I was using Lookout, but I rly didn't liked that story with the chinese developer that got misunderstood with his wallpaper app because of what Lookout said. Every website was telling ppl to uninstall his app. Lookout got a lot of attention, everyone installed their app and uninstalled the poor chinese app. That wasn't nice :T
Then I went to WaveSecure, from McAfee. I think it's $20 per year.
Never worked on my phone. Tryed the support, even installed a "debug version", but couldn't make it work properly on my HTC Desire. Gave up.
I was looking for another app to replace it and then I met Seek Droid. Was very cheap, no monthly fees and such, decided to give it a try.
Dude, I'm VERY satisfied. It's easy to install, got it WORKING on 5 minutes. McAfee WaveSecure didn't worked for me, but I had no issue with Seek Droid. If I had met it before, could save the $20 I paid to get WaveSecure (I should have tested it first, but saw "McAfee" on it, guessed it works.)
Didn't noticed any abnormal battery drain, I could retrieve the latest phone calls made and received, I could lock and unlock from the website, located very fast (I was using wifi when I tested).
I think that it could report the number of the SIM card and keep the alarm message on the screen, I mean, If I just lose it, I would like to keep on screen instructions to contact me :S
Currently If you "click" on the message, it will go away.
Anyway, I'm another happy customer.
It's very cheap, everyone should give it a try!
seijimaddog said:
Anyway, I'm another happy customer.
It's very cheap, everyone should give it a try!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear you like it. Dont forget to review us in the Android Market.
I bought it for me (EVO) and my wife (LG Optimus S). Very reasonable price. Easy install and configuration and website control.
We also were using the new Sprint/Assurian TEP app. That has additional features--which I don't want or need (i.e., contacts backup). And, even though my wife's phone also has TEP, their app now says that the subscription has expired--which it hasn't.
I was about to cancel the TEP for her phone anyhow, and this is a nice reminder of why it's a waste for her cheap phone anyhow.
We're happy with Seekdroid and the $.99 price.
sycko,
I have Seek Droid on my Droid and my wife's Droid 2. Love the application. I was wondering if there was a way to get to get Seek Droid to work on my rooted Nook Color? There can be a general location using the WiFi instead of GPS I believe.
Thank you for your time.
How does one set this up? I bought it a while back and never got around to setting it up until today. I launch it on my EVO and it pops up a screen asking for a name and password, and anything I put in it says it's username or secret code is incorrect (obviously, since I've never set up a seekdroid account). I go to the website and it does the same thing. HOW DO I SET UP AN ACCOUNT IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Thanks.
Nevermind. Got it. (Uninstalled and reinstalled and the create account screen popped up.)
Does this work with Google Voice? I don't have text messaging, so thats the issue I have with location/alarm apps
I want to know, what if my phone got stolen and the guy instantly decides to wipe my device clean of any trackers .. will this device still be able to track after such an activity ?
Also, what if the robber doesn't wipe the device clean, but modifies/disables the internet connection on the device ? Or switches to another SIM which does NOT have internet on it ? Will this program still be helpful in any sense ?
Free today on Amazon. Don't know if this is current version, but thought I would pass that along. Clean interface, but I haven't put it through its paces yet.
Great app
I love the app. Very easy to use. I've used it to locate my phone twice.
I just installed mohan's latest ROM for the skyrocket and I am getting a message that seekdroid is not working. Any tips on how to debug. Is there a log of the failure?
I like the ROM, but consider this a must have app.
need a bit of help
sycko said:
I think its the best, but I'm one of the developers. PM me if you have any questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If seekdroid or something like that was installed on my phone. By my psycho gf. How would I totally remove it????
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!
I feel this idea could be useful for a lot of us, not on our phones since we are likely rooted but on our family members and non tech friends stock phones. Which we usually end up fixing.
My idea if it is possible would be be for a "Plan B" type app for use after a broken screen, were the completely stock phone without ADB enabled needs data extracted.
My hope is that someone could make a app that is remotely installed from play.google.com that automatically turns on ADB debugging (if possible without root)
After that most data can be extracted with "adb backup" or adb pulls.
I can't count how many times this would of helped me in the past if it existed. Any dev up for the job? I am sure it would be appreciated by people.
Guess no one was interested in this idea.
shadowofdarkness said:
Guess no one was interested in this idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think many of us are interested but one (so far) can help.
would be a good idea.... who ever was in need for something like that will be likely to pay for that... :laugh:
I could see this being a massive security risk. Sure the app could be handy, but it would also make stealing info from a phone very very easy.
So on that note, I don't think it will ever make it through, though I am sure there are ways.
Just install something like SMSBackup+: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zegoggles.smssync
Set it to automatically back up to their gmail, every so often, and then when it comes time to have to do repairs, you can get all of their calling/sms stuff back, since Google automatically deals with the contact infos.
it wouldn't be a security risk since the only way to install it would be from play.google.com which no one can do without your password. also pour planning with other software is not the point of this since I have been asked to recover data from devices by people that I honestly had no clue they owned the device before they broke it.usually family I don't see on s normal occurrence.
I've always been taught to keep a back up of anything you consider important.
Either way...
There are ADB backup solutions out there, there are recovery apps in the Playstore that will scan for missing or deleted files.
If you have access to the Playstore you have access to all the already available recovery apps. Why the need for an app that will basically root and unlock the device from behind their 'lock screen'?
If you have no direct GUI access, you want an app that you run on your computer that forces the phone connected via USB, to unlock and let you access whatever you want before you restore the phone. This is a massive security problem, because anyone could download that app, and use it to break into phones.
Sound like the 'prior planning' apps, are the best way to go.
I think you are missing my point. I know that prior planning is the best but it it not always possible when dealing with people so tech illiterate that even thought they own the device they barely understand it is not a iPhone because that is what a smartphone is to them.
My intended use is for physicaly broken phones (mainly screen) where I can't control any apps with the screen or turn on ADB from settings.
You thought on the security risk is wrong since out of the ways I can think of to install it via play store on the phone is would not be used since that would mean the attacker could just go into settings and do it the normal way. sideloading is impossible since it would be redundent due to that already needing ADB on.
The intended way via the web is safe enough since the attacker would need your email, password.
Do you hate the "Plan B" app that gps tracks your lost or stolen phone that is already in the play store and gave me this idea. It shows in the store as having between half a million and a million installs. Do you think those people should of went without such a app and lost their phone since they should of just pre planned since it is better.
Hi developpers. I
My droid phone verson 4.1.2 was stolen last friday. But I was able to track the phone, confront with the thief and recover my phone two days later.
And that's why I am writing in this forum, because I want to share my experience and see if things can be done.....
The thief, stupid guy, removed all my sim cards (dual sim) and removed the memory card, but failed to do the necessary resets and did not remove my google account.
I don't want any lock screen system on my phone. And I strongly recommend everybody not to put a lock screen protection on your phone, because if there is one, the phone might just end straight into the trash bin, and you'll be left with no chance to find back your beloved Droid.
Let the thief in his beliefs it's his lucky day.... he has a nice unprotected full useable phone....
Also have Remotely locate this device enabled in the google settings, or get one of these hidden tracking apps on your phon.. Also enable allow remote lock and factory resets. The thief was so stupid he forgot to disable this feature of the phone.
Now here is my point. The Google Settings should be password protected. And it should be a shared password with the phone settings/Personal/ BACKUP AND RESET option.
At least, password protecting these two sections of the phone will avoid the thief to:
1. Disable the geo location of your phone
2. Doing a factory reset or remove any of the accounts on your phone.
Unless the thief is also a hacker, you will always be able to track your phone and get it back.
In my case, I tracked down the thief, up to 4m accuracy. I also have a Bluetooth speaker. I went to the Geo location and my Bluetooth speaker confirmed big time the phone was at this location.
Another thing to consider is to build INTO the OS itself is the option to track your phone. There are many programs on Google Play, but they can all be removed easily with a simple factory reset. This kind of software should be build in INTO the phone's OS itself.
Good luck to all of you who get your phone stolen!
oz457 said:
Hi developpers. I
My droid phone verson 4.1.2 was stolen last friday. But I was able to track the phone, confront with the thief and recover my phone two days later.
And that's why I am writing in this forum, because I want to share my experience and see if things can be done.....
The thief, stupid guy, removed all my sim cards (dual sim) and removed the memory card, but failed to do the necessary resets and did not remove my google account.
I don't want any lock screen system on my phone. And I strongly recommend everybody not to put a lock screen protection on your phone, because if there is one, the phone might just end straight into the trash bin, and you'll be left with no chance to find back your beloved Droid.
Let the thief in his beliefs it's his lucky day.... he has a nice unprotected full useable phone....
Also have Remotely locate this device enabled in the google settings, or get one of these hidden tracking apps on your phon.. Also enable allow remote lock and factory resets. The thief was so stupid he forgot to disable this feature of the phone.
Now here is my point. The Google Settings should be password protected. And it should be a shared password with the phone settings/Personal/ BACKUP AND RESET option.
At least, password protecting these two sections of the phone will avoid the thief to:
1. Disable the geo location of your phone
2. Doing a factory reset or remove any of the accounts on your phone.
Unless the thief is also a hacker, you will always be able to track your phone and get it back.
In my case, I tracked down the thief, up to 4m accuracy. I also have a Bluetooth speaker. I went to the Geo location and my Bluetooth speaker confirmed big time the phone was at this location.
Another thing to consider is to build INTO the OS itself is the option to track your phone. There are many programs on Google Play, but they can all be removed easily with a simple factory reset. This kind of software should be build in INTO the phone's OS itself.
Good luck to all of you who get your phone stolen!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is why you should use Software to prevent this. There are lots of tracking/AntiThief Software available. Noone will put it to trash when its locked,
mynote said:
This is why you should use Software to prevent this. There are lots of tracking/AntiThief Software available. Noone will put it to trash when its locked,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The question is if software will really help....
You're lucky.
The thief, stupid guy. If He smart than, he can google and reboot your phone in to recovery, and he can Wipe all of your data.
And your phone will gone forever
andy-q said:
The question is if software will really help....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. It is. 9 of 10 of my customers are happy and got ist device back after stolen/lost.
Just for the statistics..
The only shortcoming with the tracking/remote lock/wipe abilities is that they can still be defeated through CWM or whatever recovery is being used. That said, in most situations involving theft the thief doesn't have this level of knowledge to consider this step.
What's interesting to me is that so many people still steal phones for personal use, but I guess the stolen ESN database isn't far reaching enough yet to make it a stolen phone worthless for use yet. There is still some cash to be made selling them off for the hardware, but grabbing someone's phone doesn't seem worth a felony IMO.
As to the OP, a lock screen isn't worthless, especially if you have a non-removable battery. Most phones with them--an active lock screen I mean--either won't allow or can be set to disallow the phone being turned off without the code/pattern/password being entered, meaning if your phone is tossed in the trash it can still be recovered. That is one feature that will always make an integrated battery a plus. Even without one, there's the chance that the thief isn't going to take the time to pull the battery once he see's there's active security anyway.
MissionImprobable said:
The only shortcoming with the tracking/remote lock/wipe abilities is that they can still be defeated through CWM or whatever recovery is being used. That said, in most situations involving theft the thief doesn't have this level of knowledge to consider this step.
What's interesting to me is that so many people still steal phones for personal use, but I guess the stolen ESN database isn't far reaching enough yet to make it a stolen phone worthless for use yet. There is still some cash to be made selling them off for the hardware, but grabbing someone's phone doesn't seem worth a felony IMO.
As to the OP, a lock screen isn't worthless, especially if you have a non-removable battery. Most phones with them--an active lock screen I mean--either won't allow or can be set to disallow the phone being turned off without the code/pattern/password being entered, meaning if your phone is tossed in the trash it can still be recovered. That is one feature that will always make an integrated battery a plus. Even without one, there's the chance that the thief isn't going to take the time to pull the battery once he see's there's active security anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, true. Anyway. Even if you are just loosing your phone instead of getting stolen..
I consider that the thief will trash the phone when there is a lockscreen. Mostly the thief will try to look for "Reset-Possibilities". If you have a good AntiThief Software you may also disable the lockscreen when you feel that its the only way to get it back.
Anyway, there is Google Android Device Manager now which can get your device back easily..
When stolen/lost phone comes back I would check it for spyware
2 stolen phones never came back to me. :'(
Grievances. RIP .
alaminok said:
2 stolen phones never came back to me. :'(
Grievances. RIP .
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I never got my stolen items back either but grats to the OP
This is the perfect thread for a question I've had ever since I came to the Android family from my iPhone.
On my Jailbroken iPhone I was able to download an app that took a picture with the front camera and sent it to the email of my choice every time the wrong password was entered, the photo came along with the GPS location of the phone and time.
Is there anything like this available for us
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yoboyheartless said:
This is the perfect thread for a question I've had ever since I came to the Android family from my iPhone.
On my Jailbroken iPhone I was able to download an app that took a picture with the front camera and sent it to the email of my choice every time the wrong password was entered, the photo came along with the GPS location of the phone and time.
Is there anything like this available for us
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk now Free
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Here Try Ceberus, its a paid app but worth it and you can have up to 5 devices at once, it even disguies itself as a system app you can view calls, text messages and even make the phone call any other phone track it via GPS..... a bunch of features
(Heres some features It has three ways to protect your device:
- Remote control through the website www.cerberusapp.com
- Remote control via text messages
- SIM Checker (for devices that have a SIM card): you will automatically receive alerts if someone uses your phone with an unauthorized SIM card
Remote control allows you to perform many operations on your device, like:
- Locate and track it
- Start a loud alarm, even if the device is set to silent mode
- Wipe the internal memory and the SD card
- Hide Cerberus from the app drawer
- Lock the device with a code
- Record audio from the microphone
- Get a list of last calls sent and received
- Get information about network and operator the device is connected to
- And much more!)
Link---> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lsdroid.cerberus
if thieves are smart, they would have been reading xda
but thanks
If thieves were smart, they would be educated enough to get a job and buy their own sh*t!
I use Cerberus as well on both my droids. Very neat app, and even more advanced than FindMyiPhone or whatever it's called again. Recommended with root for all features though.
Glad you got lucky and a non-tech savvy thief stole your phone.
cerberus
Cerberus celebrates 3rd birthday with free licenses for the next 30 hours
http://phandroid.com/2014/04/24/cerberus-3rd-birthday-free-license/
I had a phone lost/stolen. It is such a personal item it is like having your wallet stolen. Fortunately I never use the remember password feature for any apps, and have an encrypted password file I keep up to date and backed up.When I lost my phone I went to all the sites and changed my passwords. What a pia, but it is some peace of mind. Took many hours.
With t-mo, they have this feature available that takes a picture after 5 mis-trys and emails it along with the location, T-mo will also erase the phone and reset the lock screen pattern, It works pretty good because I have sent numerous pics of myself from fatfingerin the unlock.and checked the map to verify.
I prefer Cerberus...
oz457 said:
Hi developpers. I
My droid phone verson 4.1.2 was stolen last friday. But I was able to track the phone, confront with the thief and recover my phone two days later.
And that's why I am writing in this forum, because I want to share my experience and see if things can be done.....
The thief, stupid guy, removed all my sim cards (dual sim) and removed the memory card, but failed to do the necessary resets and did not remove my google account.
I don't want any lock screen system on my phone. And I strongly recommend everybody not to put a lock screen protection on your phone, because if there is one, the phone might just end straight into the trash bin, and you'll be left with no chance to find back your beloved Droid.
Let the thief in his beliefs it's his lucky day.... he has a nice unprotected full useable phone....
Also have Remotely locate this device enabled in the google settings, or get one of these hidden tracking apps on your phon.. Also enable allow remote lock and factory resets. The thief was so stupid he forgot to disable this feature of the phone.
Now here is my point. The Google Settings should be password protected. And it should be a shared password with the phone settings/Personal/ BACKUP AND RESET option.
At least, password protecting these two sections of the phone will avoid the thief to:
1. Disable the geo location of your phone
2. Doing a factory reset or remove any of the accounts on your phone.
Unless the thief is also a hacker, you will always be able to track your phone and get it back.
In my case, I tracked down the thief, up to 4m accuracy. I also have a Bluetooth speaker. I went to the Geo location and my Bluetooth speaker confirmed big time the phone was at this location.
Another thing to consider is to build INTO the OS itself is the option to track your phone. There are many programs on Google Play, but they can all be removed easily with a simple factory reset. This kind of software should be build in INTO the phone's OS itself.
Good luck to all of you who get your phone stolen!
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Thank you so much for all the info. My biggest concern would be confronting the thief. What did you do? Wait for them to leave their house/apartment and confront them? Or did you confront them in some other way? I guess I would struggle between wanting my beloved phone back and being worried about the thief being a crazy person who might shoot me or something.
This Was Very Helpful
This is Very Helpful, We Wish We Had Known this when we had our phone stolen, I spent endless hours trying to locate my phone to no avail, thank goodness the Police were able to recuperate the phone, but only because the thief had stolen a number of other devices in the area, if I had known this information I would have saved myself hours of frustration !! BTW, Thank You For Sharing This !
Hello people, as I mention in the title my Ascend Mate 7 was stolen from me 2 days ago. I was travelling in Argentina and two "motochorros" (scumbags on a bike) took it from my hand while I was making a call.. ****ty country
Anyways, my question is this, I had configured 2 of my fingerprints and a code to access the phone, is it possible for this people to reset the phone or something so they can resell it?
I have deleted my Google account remotely but wasn't able to locate it with GPS, I guess they haven't connected to the internet. Appreciate your help!
Oh yes it's easy.
Just a root, and a custom recovery is enough to make a wipe data/factory reset...
You just have to know it a little...
You should of pushed a gps app like lookout security to your device to track it. Now that you removed google account you have no access to it.
pystolero said:
Oh yes it's easy.
Just a root, and a custom recovery is enough to make a wipe data/factory reset...
You just have to know it a little...
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Even without access to the configuration?
geant90 said:
You should of pushed a gps app like lookout security to your device to track it. Now that you removed google account you have no access to it.
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It`s no use, they turned it off as soon as they stole it, I asume they also removed the SIM, gps was off at the moment and they didnt connect the phone to the internet. I know because I removed the Google account 4 days after they stole it and the last connection and gps location was when they stole it. So as Pyestolero said I figure they found a way to reset the phone and erase my security options, wich I personally think shouldnt work like that, otherwise theres little to no protection for stolen unlocked smartphones..
Unlocked bootloader is made with phone in fastboot mode. To boot in fastboot mode no need access to the phone. Just hold volume key and power... It erase the phone also.
You need an app like cerberus. It's hidden from the application list, you can lock your phone track it with gps (and activate it), erase your data, take a picture, or listen with the mic, you can block power key, put on an alarm with lound sound and so more....
Only 5€ for 5 phones.
pystolero said:
Unlocked bootloader is made with phone in fastboot mode. To boot in fastboot mode no need access to the phone. Just hold volume key and power... It erase the phone also.
You need an app like cerberus. It's hidden from the application list, you can lock your phone track it with gps (and activate it), erase your data, take a picture, or listen with the mic, you can block power key, put on an alarm with lound sound and so more....
Only 5€ for 5 phones.
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Good app, but again for what I read in their website it only works if they connect it to the internet before doing the hard reset, which I highly doubt they`ll do (they didnt connected it in 4 days and if I were the robber I would do it eiher) I guess this leaves us with no way to make the phone unusable for these people against a hard reset.. Huawei and every company should have a way to prevent this.
You can block the phone by imei number through the service provider and also locate it.
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Samsung knox security
No body can reactivate the phone
But Samsung phones suck at the moment
I wish Huawei had same like security system
Because not even devolopers can break it
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