Phone deleting apps and Google Play Services by itself - T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S7 Questions & Answers

So I've never seen this happen before but my phone started to delete random apps. At first they were ones I didn't really need so it didn't bother me but then a lot more went missing and when I went to use Paypal it told me that it couldn't work because Google Play Services wasn't on the phone. I had a (soon to be justified) panic attack/flashback to when my friend and I accidentally deleted Google Play Services by mistake and the ****storm we dealt with for two days straight until we were able to track down the correct odin version of her phone's firmware (she had a rare version of Sprint's S3, the Triband one and it was nigh impossible to track down her correct firmware). Any apps that get "deleted" show up in the app drawer/homescreens as having a generic grayed out picture with an "SD" logo on the bottom as if they were sent to SD...but they aren't in the Applications list in settings so I think it's the OS not understanding they're gone and the links still being stuck there.
Questions to you all:
A) Have any of you experienced this random app deleting? Is it a sign my phone's NAND is going bad?
B) Should I just odin the firmware back on and reroot or is there a way to simply to reinsert the correct version of Google Play Store/Services if one of you would kindly provide them (I'm on QG5, newest for G930T)
Thank you!

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Bump, nobody else have this issue?

Not here. The only thing I have seen that is similar is when I restarted in safe mode, so all my user apps were disabled. In this case, are the apps deleted or just disabled?

primatebuddy said:
Not here. The only thing I have seen that is similar is when I restarted in safe mode, so all my user apps were disabled. In this case, are the apps deleted or just disabled?
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No they were deleted, it was so weird. Again, I wouldn't really be that concerned if it didn't delete something as important as Google Play Services which limited a lot of functionality. I found some Play Services version to have it kind of work while I was in Ireland but things like Location/GPS and many apps wouldn't work right or not at all. It's a real pain in the ass how reliant so many things are on that one service.
I'm doing a full re-image on it now, just hope this was one time thing :-/

Related

Apps I didn't download show up in Play Store.

Hello XDA.
This issue has been bothering me for a while now. When I go to the Play Store hit the menu button and go to "my apps", there sometimes a few apps that show up that I never downloaded.
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These apps show up every now and then as downloaded. I don't speak Russian, thus, I don't download apps that are in Russian. I was wondering if maybe someone uses my account, and is downloading apps to their device, or if this is an issue with the Play Store...? I use a very secure password, it literally is a bunch of random numbers, letters, and symbols. Any help with resolving or explaining the issue would be appreciated!
Sent from my rooted SAMSUNG SGH-I747. THANKS CHAINFIRE!!
Change your pw and see if it does it again?
It could be a bad app that you installed is downloading other apps by itself?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk²
My first thought. The apps never appear on my phone though. Some kind of botnet then? A bad app downloads another app to use your account information to download and rate it, then un install it? Those other apps don't have any reviews that involve words, and they all have 10,000+ downloads with 4-5 star ratings. Seems suspicious to me.
Sent from my rooted SAMSUNG SGH-I747. THANKS CHAINFIRE!!
Piz3r said:
My first thought. The apps never appear on my phone though. Some kind of botnet then? A bad app downloads another app to use your account information to download and rate it, then un install it? Those other apps don't have any reviews that involve words, and they all have 10,000+ downloads with 4-5 star ratings. Seems suspicious to me.
Sent from my rooted SAMSUNG SGH-I747. THANKS CHAINFIRE!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've probably just solved it yourself. The tricky part comes now when you have to figure out what app did it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk²

[Q] ✔HELP✔Android got pattern locked & not even asking GOOGLE ACCOUNT RESET ✔HORRIBLE

[Q] ✔HELP✔Android got pattern locked & not even asking GOOGLE ACCOUNT RESET ✔HORRIBLE
I thought i should ask this here as i see some people have suffered this and its some android thing..especially latest version of android like kitkat and lollipop(especially)
The phone is HTC One M8 Eye My elderly Relative actually reset her pattern yesterday (to complex one to prevent misuse by some relative kids) but forgot it later
We know the gmail account and password too but ITS INSANE that even after trying so many patterns (>100), its not giving us any option to reset using google account
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Its not even giving us any "forgot password?" option . THIS is so HORRIBLE as we seem to be locked out and Data is important (on phone storage) so we dont want to factory reset
(I have read some(very few) instances of people sharing this horror ...but cant find any solution...its very common with LOLLIPOP (is it?)
INSTANCES
https://android.stackexchange.com/q...d-phone-not-showing-the-forgot-pattern-button
http://forums.androidcentral.com/sa...can-t-get-past-lock-screen-3.html#post3451960
https://productforums.google.com/d/msg/gmail/fZ-wEEhLLxk/wIi6OUeYQkgJ
We have tried pressing buttons etc, restarting, no such option comes.
Further the fact the data network is on on it and gmail mails are synchronising properly means gmail account logging has no problem either.
The phone is not rooted and completely with stock ROM
I have tried ways to delete the pattern.key file but i think they are not working as phone is not rooted and on default stock recovery
I tried AROMA File Manager, etc.Details
Can anyone please help or give some ideas . Thanks in advance
This seems to too common lately..SO many people complaining and losing their data. What a shame that they cant reset it (atleast i cant found anything till now), even when they have google credentials.. Read that even ADM (Android Device manager) cant unlock it
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/K1Fu_llI19M
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/44rZPomgeCA
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topicsearchin/nexus/unlock$20pattern$20forgot|sort:relevance/nexus/B6F7v0soEqg
https://www.reddit.com/r/nexus4/comments/2n0jor/i_forgot_my_pattern_lock_on_lollipop_android_5/
Looks like google spawned up this more S H I T in LOLLIPOP along with their crap heads-up notification banners,etc
Another One BIG REASON people should not run for UPDATES of the latest **** around.... like zombies running for flesh
Shame on u google.
Morons say that the reset option only works upto Android 4.4
https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/3388218?hl=en
So why the hell they spawned this LOLLIPOP crap? so that people dont have any opportunity ever to get access to their device, if they forget the password/pin/pattern once
PATHETIC

Guide to remove "phone" files from wifi only tablet p900?

Searching around for a guide or better yet app to remove all the phone files from my p900. I would think it might benefit from that stuff not loading and running when its useless. Any ideas or comments would be appreciated.
Forgot to mention running stock lollypop 5.0.2 by Civato full Samsung rom.
There are many app removers on Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=app remover&c=apps&hl=en
Yes there are app removers. Have not found anything that will remove/kill phone services. Freezing them in titanium doesn't seem to stop them either. I was hoping someone knew what files and apks to safely remove.
spacenut said:
Yes there are app removers. Have not found anything that will remove/kill phone services. Freezing them in titanium doesn't seem to stop them either. I was hoping someone knew what files and apks to safely remove.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder why you believe there are phone services running in a Wifi model SM-P900. Even in a LTE tablet , all phone apps are disable.
This is an example from my LTE tablet from TMobile, Phone app is disable to prevent users use a LTE tablet as a phone.
Look at your Application Manager--> All, you will see Phone app is disable.
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Even if you want to use LTE tablet as a phone, a modem must be installed and voice call must be enable in the firmware
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1875024
If you look at running apps and services with an app like say fmr memory I think its called. You will see phone related apps running. I use it to find, tweak and turn off things I don't use or need with Titanium.
spacenut said:
If you look at running apps and services with an app like say fmr memory I think its called. You will see phone related apps running. I use it to find, tweak and turn off things I don't use or need with Titanium.
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Click to collapse
You should post a snapshot of processed of those you think phone related apps; otherwise it's very hard to answer a general question
regarding phone activities in a Wifi Note Pro.
My LTE doesn't have any activities of phone services when checking all running apps.
Deleted com.phone.android and it no longer runs. Many task apps show more detail on what is actually running on your system.

Should I keep using these Chinese phones? (Doogee, BlackView)

I bought 2 Chinese smartphones: One is from a company called "Doogee", and the second is called "BlackView"
The Doogee one came with many weird apps preinstalled, so I installed Malwarebytes, and it detected 2 malwares. Both removed. After a day, Malwarebytes prompted me that a malware app is trying to install itself (one of those I removed!) - So I stopped using this phone. Hopefully did not risk too much of my personal information (passwords, emails, etc).
Meanwhile, the other Chinese phone I ordered has arrived. Knowing about those security issues now, I immediately installed Malwarebytes, and it detected that the Sound Recorder app is a malware, and is actually using data(?):
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T
@TroyGuard I would recommend to search for a custom rom build from source to get rid of that stock spy roms :good:
@TroyGuard
personally I wouldn't use them but as you have bought phones you probably want to.
Though on twitter recently Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y was asking for such phones to analyse, he'd probably be happy to get one!
So If no custom ROM then you should be able to freeze those apps, system or preinstalled, that are risky or unknown (though they often come back, so freeze normally better). If you read the recent threads you will find links to a number of ways to do this, eg using TWRP, ADB, apps like Debloater etc which may work on those phones
WARNING: be careful freezing system apps, freezing an essential app can make your phone unusable, check online first if in doubt
Change all your passwords after this is done, to be safe.
(though there is still the possibility of a hardware backdoor , but I've not seen any reports of this.)
(Note: you probably won't get automatic OTA updates anymore as the ota updater is often part of the problem, besides you would have to refreeze apps after new install, but might be worth updating manually if it gives you important security patches)

how do I find the app behind the wakelock ?

currently my S20FE 5G is running a rooted stock based custom rom that has a few OneUI 4 elements in it somewhere, no idea what those actually are.
I'm getting some steep battery drain but otherwise I'm quite happy with the rom and want to keep it.
I've got a partial wakelock called VK_WakeLock, it's keeping the phone from sleeping when the screen is off. I searched for a while and can't find a method that would help me find the app that's causing it or even better the specific service or process.
if we know the name of a wakelock is there any terminal commands or apps that could lead me to a package / process name ?
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What's accessing the internet when that happens?
blackhawk said:
What's accessing the internet when that happens?
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I have background data off, I have a firewall that keeps the majority of apps without internet. most of my user apps (which aren't involved) don't do background stuff, so basically I've got no idea right now.
3mel said:
I have background data off, I have a firewall that keeps the majority of apps without internet. most of my user apps (which aren't involved) don't do background stuff, so basically I've got no idea right now.
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Try temporarily disabling Google play Services at night. It's a blood sucker, day and night.
blackhawk said:
Try temporarily disabling Google play Services at night. It's a blood sucker, day and night.
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Click to collapse
it hasn't been a battery drain for me previously, if it was an update that brought this effect the internet would be full of posts regarding it. as it stands their are only a handful of search results for VK_WakeLock.
3mel said:
it hasn't been a battery drain for me previously, if it was an update that brought this effect the internet would be full of posts regarding it. as it stands their are only a handful of search results for VK_WakeLock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you know how I feel about updates...
You can try making sure all system apps are updated or roll them back to their factory load versions.
Clear system cache. Clear system app caches or data.
Find the root cause. You need to ID that apk responsible for your mystery name.
or
Factory reset and hope that gets it.
This is why I don't update. Cleaning up an update mess is time consuming.

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