Database Info

Restore *not change* my IMEI

I know this is a touchy subject due to the potentially illegal uses of IMEI numbers. Let me be very clear, I want to restore MY original IMEI number. Here is my situation:
Through various ROM flashes I have changed my IMEI number. Kies says my device in unregistered because I have the wrong IMEI. I wanted to try going back to stock since GB is now available without using a custom ROM. I have my device's original IMEI number saved in a document (in case it was ever stolen). I do not have a backup of my original EFS folder, only the IMEI number itself saved in a text document.
Is there any way for me to manually input my devices IMEI number and save it back into my phone?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=881162
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Thanks for the suggestion. I had already seen this, but since it was talking about setting the values to a "generic" setting I was trying to avoid it. I tried it anyway and it didn't fix the problem. I unrooted the phone and took it to AT&T. The problem ended up being that the APN setting couldn't be accessed and they weren't configured. The rep was able to do a hard reset. Not sure what kind of reset it was though. Not factory. It didn't revert back to Froyo, but it did remove all the apps (to include all google apps) I had to reinstall the market and restart the phone before it would work. Anyway, everything seems to be working fine now. I just wish I could have seen what the rep was doing so I could describe the solution better, but he was on the other side of the counter and didn't seem to want me to see.

IMei Problems in turkey and registration rules
Hi there
I know this will probably yield me a "no its illegal" reply but please hear me out on this. Im a good person!
I moved to turkey 6 months ago to work here as an IT teacher in an international school. I brought with me my lovely HTC HD2 which i had hacked using XDA software to now run andoid (was very pleased with my phone). registered my phone here with my passport. The phone then broke and while trying to fix it I snapped some of the internal data cables...
I have my old HTC wildfire here but cant use it on the GSM network as im only allowed to register 1 phone to my passport every two years!
I know its not technically allowed but i was thinking of changing the imei on my wildfire to that of my broken (but registered) HTC HD2 and was figuring if i got caught for it that they would see that the imei number is in fact registered to me anyway.
I have searched high and low for solutions for this. I found the Iwizard but I think that this was released in 2007 and my phone was released in 2010 so i am presuming that this will not work. also had some problems and questions about using activesync on my windows 7 computer along with presuming that I cant connect an android phone to activesync.
As I said before. Im not tying to commit a crime here but just trying not to go out and spend lots of money (and phones do cost lots of money here) on buying a turkish phone.
if anyone can help then please let me know
my email is [email protected]
cheers..

Thats called cloning. Will not be discussed here as it is illegal in the states and many other places. Check Turkish law, they may not have any laws against it, however you would still be on your own as its not discussed here.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

just because something is illegal doesnt mean it is illegal to discuss it. it is called freedom of speech. this guy stated he wish he knew how to clone a phone. if you preface your response with the fact the information is not intended for illegal use, you are not aiding anyone. he is responsible for his own actions. a good example of this is when a group attempted to ban "the anarchists cookbook" , a judge ruled that even though the book detailed how to construct illegal devices it could not be baned. the judge cited the first amendment.
i would never advise anyone to break a law but i would not look down on anyone who seeks information. my point is this: it is illegal to make TNT in your basement but it is not illegal to speak or write about how TNT is made. the op should seek his information on the web elsewhere since xda is not for q and a for phone cloning. there are many web sites that explain cloning and it is not illegal to read or write about this matter.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Uh ya, and in short, its not discussed on XDA. I never trounced on anyone's freedom of speech.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

georgiajad said:
just because something is illegal doesnt mean it is illegal to discuss it. it is called freedom of speech. this guy stated he wish he knew how to clone a phone. if you preface your response with the fact the information is not intended for illegal use, you are not aiding anyone. he is responsible for his own actions. a good example of this is when a group attempted to ban "the anarchists cookbook" , a judge ruled that even though the book detailed how to construct illegal devices it could not be baned. the judge cited the first amendment.
i would never advise anyone to break a law but i would not look down on anyone who seeks information. my point is this: it is illegal to make TNT in your basement but it is not illegal to speak or write about how TNT is made. the op should seek his information on the web elsewhere since xda is not for q and a for phone cloning. there are many web sites that explain cloning and it is not illegal to read or write about this matter.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
It's not about whether or not it is illegal for the topic to be discussed. If you allow potentially illegal information to be placed on the forum freely then you open the community up to unnecessary scrutiny. There are a lot of people out there that do not like developers helping people alter there mobile devices. Yes it's legal, but it also pisses a lot of companies off. So one way the community protects itself is through self-censorship.

that's right

reply
ConeyKiller said:
Thats called cloning. Will not be discussed here as it is illegal in the states and many other places. Check Turkish law, they may not have any laws against it, however you would still be on your own as its not discussed here.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cheers for taking the time to at least explain this. I was under the impression that someone from XDA had previously posted software on here for the very purpose i am describing in my last post (re turkey). I saw a screen capture of the software (iwizard) and it has a picture of a turkish cup of tea on it. I was guessing that XDA had decided to help people in turkey with the the registration issues we have. But after about 1 week of free time spent searching the internet for solutions I am ready to give in and just go out and buy a turkish mobile phone (can sell me blocked one in england next time i go home) .
Cheers and thanks for all the great software I have previously had from the site for my HTC HD2
f

[Q] IMEI number. Safe to give it out?

This is a long-standing discussion amongst me and my friends that never seems to get anywhere!
Is it safe in the UK, to give someone your IMEI number when you're trying to sell a phone. Personally, I always thought that it would be really useful because you could check to see if it's been stolen / lost etc but others say that it could be cloned and land you in a lot of trouble with huge network charges etc.
Surely the sim card is the thing that you need to protect as you can use it in any phone with any IMEI..
Can someone offer any expert advice?

Ive read it said to never give out imei for all the reasons you stated and maybe more.

Well I'm no expert but what's important about deciding on whether or not to give out your IMEI is to find out exactly what it is going to be used for.
For example a closed beta application may be coded to only work on specific IMEI numbers.
As a general rule I'd say find out what it's needed for, give it to trusted people only and keep it out of public viewing.

[Q] Corrupt imei

I've accidentally done this on my galaxy once. Basically a rom flash corrupted the imei and i had to restore from a backup. NV backup and restore I believe its called.
Basically I want to recreate this on a One X, but it has to be reversible.
Anyone have an idea how to do this?
I am NOT attempting to flash or otherwise alter the imei, that's illegal over here. And I'm pretty sure it cant be done on these new phones either. So its completely irrelevant. I want to backup, corrupt and the restore the phones OWN imei.

ares93 said:
I've accidentally done this on my galaxy once. Basically a rom flash corrupted the imei and i had to restore from a backup. NV backup and restore I believe its called.
Basically I want to recreate this on a One X, but it has to be reversible.
Anyone have an idea how to do this?
I am NOT attempting to flash or otherwise alter the imei, that's illegal over here. And I'm pretty sure it cant be done on these new phones either. So its completely irrelevant. I want to backup, corrupt and the restore the phones OWN imei.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why so 'Genius'?
Sent from my HTC One X

ares93 said:
I've accidentally done this on my galaxy once. Basically a rom flash corrupted the imei and i had to restore from a backup. NV backup and restore I believe its called.
Basically I want to recreate this on a One X, but it has to be reversible.
Anyone have an idea how to do this?
I am NOT attempting to flash or otherwise alter the imei, that's illegal over here. And I'm pretty sure it cant be done on these new phones either. So its completely irrelevant. I want to backup, corrupt and the restore the phones OWN imei.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what you need that for?v can't really understand... sorry but i don't know how to change the imei...

The phones has to stay unidentifiable for an extended period of time for various reasons. Basically, I'm hiding the identity of the phone among other identical ones. They wont be used during that time or even powered on. This will be done to four One X's. Call it an experiment.
I realize its a fine line I'm walking. But this is not against forum rules. I'm not changing anything, just backuping and restoring.

Is that similar to NV flash for the transformer sort of thing then? And accessed through some sort diagnostic mode for the tegra chipset (apx)?
Given wire tricks for snapdragons and what have you then you'd have thought that this might be the best hope for achieving s-off too wouldn't you? Stop me if I'm wrong but I've not heard of anyone being able to activate this mode for the one x yet.

Change imei you would need S-OFF then use Fastboot oem commands to change it

ares93 said:
The phones has to stay unidentifiable for an extended period of time for various reasons. Basically, I'm hiding the identity of the phone among other identical ones. They wont be used during that time or even powered on. This will be done to four One X's. Call it an experiment.
I realize its a fine line I'm walking. But this is not against forum rules. I'm not changing anything, just backuping and restoring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What reasons? Not been funny but it sounds to be for dodgy reasons.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

cjm1979 said:
What reasons? Not been funny but it sounds to be for dodgy reasons.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something with stolen phones maybe
Verstuurd van mijn HTC One X

None of the phones are stolen. As I have pointed out, i do not want to change the imei. A stolen (aka barred) phone would not suddenly start working again because you restored the imei that they barred in the first place. You need to change the imei for it to start working again, giving it back its original code does nothing aside from wasting you time.
However, one of them was used to send a so called "dead man's script" (roughly translated) to a computer in the possession of the Swedish police. Now, if they can't prove which phone it was they cant prove who did it. All they have is an imei and an unregistered sim card.
We could keep the phones away, just like we hide the CCTV footage they so desperately want, but its getting tiresome. Better to just let em find the phones and let them scratch their heads for a few weeks before they give up. Its just another dead end for them anyway. They'll never find the footage unless we want them too.

ares93 said:
None of the phones are stolen. As I have pointed out, i do not want to change the imei. A stolen (aka barred) phone would not suddenly start working again because you restored the imei that they barred in the first place. You need to change the imei for it to start working again, giving it back its original code does nothing aside from wasting you time.
However, one of them was used to send a so called "dead man's script" (roughly translated) to a computer in the possession of the Swedish police. Now, if they can't prove which phone it was they cant prove who did it. All they have is an imei and an unregistered sim card.
We could keep the phones away, just like we hide the CCTV footage they so desperately want, but its getting tiresome. Better to just let em find the phones and let them scratch their heads for a few weeks before they give up. Its just another dead end for them anyway. They'll never find the footage unless we want them too.
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Click to collapse
Dead man's script? the plot thickens lol!!!!! :silly:
Sorry, whilst the rest of the thread may not be suspicious, this post certainly is!!!!

exocetdj said:
Dead man's script? the plot thickens lol!!!!! :silly:
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Click to collapse
LOL !!!
Verstuurd van mijn HTC One X

exocetdj said:
Dead man's script? the plot thickens lol!!!!! :silly:
Sorry, whilst the rest of the thread may not be suspicious, this post certainly is!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A dead man's script is a direct translation, its probably called something else in English. Basically its remote access corruption software. Its disrupts a computer system and destroys information on the drives. In conjunction with encryption, it makes it pretty much impossible to recover anything from a computer. Its not illegal to use since the computer is private property, it is however considered tampering with evidence and/or obstruction of justice since the targeted computer is in the possession of the police. Which is funny because I filled the drives with hello kitty videos before they confiscated it.
I have CCTV footage of a couple of coppers literally beating the **** out of a bloke. They want that footage to go away. Frankly this entire matter has been settled, the hard drive with the footage is currently in the UK, well outside their jurisdiction. I just enjoy taunting them.

ares93 said:
A dead man's script is a direct translation, its probably called something else in English. Basically its remote access corruption software. Its disrupts a computer system and destroys information on the drives. In conjunction with encryption, it makes it pretty much impossible to recover anything from a computer. Its not illegal to use since the computer is private property, it is however considered tampering with evidence and/or obstruction of justice since the targeted computer is in the possession of the police. Which is funny because I filled the drives with hello kitty videos before they confiscated it.
I have CCTV footage of a couple of coppers literally beating the **** out of a bloke. They want that footage to go away. Frankly this entire matter has been settled, the hard drive with the footage is currently in the UK, well outside their jurisdiction. I just enjoy taunting them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh right, fair enough, whilst most peeps on here dont stand for anything illegal, its even worse when police are up to this sort of sh#t! Thats pretty heavy stuff man! Fair play on this! :good:
Hello kitty vids a good touch too ha ha!!!!

So you want us to help you tamper with evidence? That sounds more illegal than changing your imei...
Sent from my HTC One XL

Changing the imei is illegal in most contries so therefore it's against the Xda rules
Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk 2

Sounds like you need a portable emp device. Always wanted a portable emp device and brainwave disruptor.
A way to send a targetted ota similar to how cableco updates modem might work if you had that sort of information. Most of the info you need wont be found here.
Most of the changing imei info ive found in past was for non-smartphones.

How many times must I say so. I do NOT, NOT and NOT want to change the imei. I want to corrupt it and then be able to restore it. The original Imei, not another one. Another imei would serve no purpose since the phones are completely legal. I've performed imei changes before, and it not the same thing.
As for imei changes on smartphones, its possible if you know how. But that is beside the point since its agaisnt the FR here on xda. Please do not get into this, I already have a mod breathing down my neck.

ares93 said:
Please do not get into this, I already have a mod breathing down my neck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I wonder why...
Sent from my HTC One XL using xda premium

ares93 said:
How many times must I say so. I do NOT, NOT and NOT want to change the imei. I want to corrupt it and then be able to restore it. The original Imei, not another one. Another imei would serve no purpose since the phones are completely legal. I've performed imei changes before, and it not the same thing.
As for imei changes on smartphones, its possible if you know how. But that is beside the point since its agaisnt the FR here on xda. Please do not get into this, I already have a mod breathing down my neck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Corrupting it is changing it, so therefore it's illegal
I will say if one did some research or just got nosey with a hex editor you could learn more about the device
Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk 2

He wants to do this for learning purposes. Basically learning how to fix corrupt imei by messing it up then repair it. Thats what i gathered from his posts. I'm not even sure he has the evita anyways though.

Stolen phone

My wife just called me on a landline to say her Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 has gone missing. She was working in a tiny charity bookshop, so it was easy to check that it wasn't just dropped, and it goes straight to voicemail. It was double PIN protected on both device and SIM.
It was on Android 4.0.1 - I know, I know, she wouldn't allow me to upgrade it.
Question - I know from experience of flashing a new ROM that Google insists on entering the Google account details again to verify proper ownership. Is this a general Android security procedure, or does it work only on Lollipop/Marshmallow?
Just asking because it will be of some small comfort to know that the thieving scum has a paperweight rather than a phone...

dahawthorne said:
I know from experience of flashing a new ROM that Google insists on entering the Google account details again to verify proper ownership.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incorrect.

I was hoping for something a bit more concrete than that. And it is correct. When I've done a full reset of my phone to flash a new ROM I get "This device has been reset. Please enter your Google credentials" or words to that effect.
I'm happy to have the response, but can someone please give me a sensible one based on knowledge and not guesswork?

dahawthorne said:
I was hoping for something a bit more concrete than that. And it is correct. When I've done a full reset of my phone to flash a new ROM I get "This device has been reset. Please enter your Google credentials" or words to that effect.
I'm happy to have the response, but can someone please give me a sensible one based on knowledge and not guesswork?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh hey look... no Google account!
You're the one operating on guesswork assuming a Google account is mandatory to use an Android device.

Look, guy, if you have no useful advice to offer me then quit wasting my time...
"Friends
Wakamatsu has not made any friends yet
Befriend Wakamatsu"
Well, am I surprised? I think I'll pass on that offer...

You asked about when a security measure was introduced in Android. I informed you that no such security measure exists.
There is a disconnect between what you want to believe and the reality. First, you refused to accept it. Now, you're angry at me because you have no choice but to accept it.
You want reassurances because of your situation? There is none to be offered here.

dahawthorne said:
My wife just called me on a landline to say her Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 has gone missing. She was working in a tiny charity bookshop, so it was easy to check that it wasn't just dropped, and it goes straight to voicemail. It was double PIN protected on both device and SIM.
It was on Android 4.0.1 - I know, I know, she wouldn't allow me to upgrade it.
Question - I know from experience of flashing a new ROM that Google insists on entering the Google account details again to verify proper ownership. Is this a general Android security procedure, or does it work only on Lollipop/Marshmallow?
Just asking because it will be of some small comfort to know that the thieving scum has a paperweight rather than a phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless your carrier has a service that allows imei blacklisting, there is nothing you can do. Even if they do, you'll need a solid proof of ownership and that the phone wasn't just lost. If your wife lost her phone, in most cases there is no obligation on the part of the finder to return it. Any other measure won't do anything, as the device could be wiped clean of everything.

Thanks. optimumpro. My service provider has blocked the phone and the SIM, so with any luck the scumbag will get no joy from it. It's also reported with its IMEI on a website (immobilise.com) which the police refer to when items are recovered.
As to my original question, I believe that the function I mentioned started with Android 5.1, so if the thief has the tech knowledge he/she can probably wipe it and install a new ROM, though I hope the IMEI block will prevent use even with other providers.
Pity - it was a nice little phone - my first smartphone.
And thanks for providing a sensible answer - appreciated.

dahawthorne said:
Thanks. optimumpro. My service provider has blocked the phone and the SIM, so with any luck the scumbag will get no joy from it. It's also reported with its IMEI on a website (immobilise.com) which the police refer to when items are recovered.
As to my original question, I believe that the function I mentioned started with Android 5.1, so if the thief has the tech knowledge he/she can probably wipe it and install a new ROM, though I hope the IMEI block will prevent use even with other providers.
Pity - it was a nice little phone - my first smartphone.
And thanks for providing a sensible answer - appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may want to check ebay, because the phone can be sold to someone from another country. So, with luck you may catch the guy...

Help with Data Recovery

Hi guys,
I'm a new user, I have a problem to which, when talking to a friend, he recommended me to register here and ask about my issue, as there seems to be plenty Android Experts that may be able to provide me a straight answer or give me hope.
My dad just passed away, I still can't believe it happened, given the fact that he wasn't too old... but going back on topic, his phone is a Redmi Note 4 that I ordered him around two years ago, he lived abroad and was a regular user, he never messed up with settings or anything, just stock MIUI with the updates that were sent as far as he mentioned me last time we could speak about his phone. What I would like to know is if it would be possible to recover his phone data, what me and my sisters care for the most are his pictures, we want to recover them and save them in a place where we have access to.
However, while searching on many websites, there are many Android Data Recovery software but they always request me to enable the USB debugging, but it is impossible for me, as the phone has a Pattern/Fingerprint lock.
Also, found several software that claim to remove your screen lock without deleting the device contents but when I'm going to the unlock step, there is a prompt that I have to confirm to delete all the information. And I've downloaded more than five software for each, the last one I downloaded is called Dr. Fone from Wondershare; I sent an email to them asking if I have to purchase the product to get that feature but I have not received any reply yet.
Basically, the phone is locked without USB Debugging, and I cannot access the files in the phone which is all we want.
Does anyone knows of a way to unlock it?
I'd even pay if it is necessary, I just haven't purchased the software mentioned above because I can't find if they are real or are just scam, there isn't like much information about them. Or has anyone purchased or successfully used any of those softwares?
The model is a Redmi Note 4 I believe it was the Global Version, with MIUI 8.1, but I'm not sure.
I'm getting a bit frustrated, maybe my dad doesn't want us to unlock his phone and that is why I cannot find a way, but I would like to know if it is possible.
I really appreciate your time, I'm sorry for the long text, if there is anything that maybe I'm missing, please let me know.
Thanks in advance
Javier

Thjavo said:
Hi guys,
I'm a new user, I have a problem to which, when talking to a friend, he recommended me to register here and ask about my issue, as there seems to be plenty Android Experts that may be able to provide me a straight answer or give me hope.
My dad just passed away, I still can't believe it happened, given the fact that he wasn't too old... but going back on topic, his phone is a Redmi Note 4 that I ordered him around two years ago, he lived abroad and was a regular user, he never messed up with settings or anything, just stock MIUI with the updates that were sent as far as he mentioned me last time we could speak about his phone. What I would like to know is if it would be possible to recover his phone data, what me and my sisters care for the most are his pictures, we want to recover them and save them in a place where we have access to.
However, while searching on many websites, there are many Android Data Recovery software but they always request me to enable the USB debugging, but it is impossible for me, as the phone has a Pattern/Fingerprint lock.
Also, found several software that claim to remove your screen lock without deleting the device contents but when I'm going to the unlock step, there is a prompt that I have to confirm to delete all the information. And I've downloaded more than five software for each, the last one I downloaded is called Dr. Fone from Wondershare; I sent an email to them asking if I have to purchase the product to get that feature but I have not received any reply yet.
Basically, the phone is locked without USB Debugging, and I cannot access the files in the phone which is all we want.
Does anyone knows of a way to unlock it?
I'd even pay if it is necessary, I just haven't purchased the software mentioned above because I can't find if they are real or are just scam, there isn't like much information about them. Or has anyone purchased or successfully used any of those softwares?
The model is a Redmi Note 4 I believe it was the Global Version, with MIUI 8.1, but I'm not sure.
I'm getting a bit frustrated, maybe my dad doesn't want us to unlock his phone and that is why I cannot find a way, but I would like to know if it is possible.
I really appreciate your time, I'm sorry for the long text, if there is anything that maybe I'm missing, please let me know.
Thanks in advance
Javier
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand your situation, I lost my father a few years ago. It is possible to recover the data from your dad's phone, but, unfortunately, it is against the forum rules here to help with cracking a phone to retrieve data that does not belong to you. The reason why it is against the rules, even in your unfortunate situation, is because anything we tell you could be seen and used by other people to break into devices that do not belong to them.
Another factor is, we don't know if what you tell us is actually true or not. That does not mean that you are deceiving us, it just means we have no way of knowing and we can't just take your word for it.
These reasons make it unacceptable for anyone in this forum to help you. It's all about security and maintaining security, regardless of the situation, and it is somewhat a legal issue. Helping crack the device could be a liability against XDA or the members helping you. A member or user can choose to compromise their own security but we can't help with devices that are not theirs.
It is best if you didn't ask this question here and it is pointless for you to try making another thread about this issue with different wording because all of your threads and posts can be viewed from your user profile page. It is also pointless to try making another username to post this issue again with different wording because the moderators and Admin can see that it is still you with a different name.
I know it sucks, but anyone that helps you will be violating the forum rules. I'm not saying that you can't get this done, I'm just saying no one HERE can legitimately help you. I would try linking you to other places that can help you, but even that might be pushing the rules a bit.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk

each device has a google account (and maybe a xiaomi account). you can check from PC if there is the google password saved in browser. if not, each google account has a fallback email address where you may be able to request a (google) password reset. from google you can lock the phone with temporary password, then unlock the screen with temporary password. if you recently changed the google password before, you need to wait at least 72 hours with internet connection. besides this you can check photos.google.com or drive.google.com for any backups.
without knowing the google account, you still can try to bruteforce the pattern with Teensy or Hak5 USB Rubber Ducky microcontroller connected via USB OTG adapter. if the phone does not support USB OTG there are more expensive solutions like XPIN Clip (this is just a common hint, the important part is the code for microcontroller which i don't share here). also there might be a chance to flash TWRP custom recovery in EDL Mode without unlocking the bootloader or factory reset via exploit, and TWRP might be able to decrypt userdata partition with default_password

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