IP Table based Android firewall apps (i.e., DroidWall, LBE Privacy Guard) are known to provide a good measure for preventing applications accessing the internet. However, during the boot time, while they are not fully loaded in the background yet the phone might still be vulnerable.
It might have not occurred but there is actually a very simple solution to the above problem. Disabling the Data service before restarting the phone will leave no chance an application can get a chance to transmit data on the startup process. The option to disable/enable data is normally found under the Data Delivery from the Settings menu.
Also on my Motorola Atrix I found when data is disabled the phone starts a bit quicker for obvious reasons -- any apps that allowed to access the internet does not perform its tasks i.e. weather widgets.
I'm sorry if this tip was already a widely known knowledge. Hope it helps someone new in Android world.
I have a question regarding some hardware components in Android. As we know, switching them on and off through some software API
was disabled by Google, due to security reasons. For example, GPS (on device without root acceess) can only be enabled or disabled
by exact option in menu, but not by third party software. Same for 2g/3g network access, and sometimes even for display brightness...
So, my question is why it can't be done easy way by simply removing that security code from sources? Android is open source operating
system, sources are published by Google, aren't they? So, why these workarounds like RIL code injection (2g/3g), or some root access
helpers (Secure Settings from GP)? It is really so hard to handle such a hardware like GPS or radio mode?
I'm using Cyanogenmod 10 on Samsung Galaxy S, which is theoretically "impossible" to run Jelly Bean (as Samsung decided).
But even in this advanced mod, the hardware switches aren't working well. So, I'm not asking for CM10 itself, but about whole
conception. This is stupid for me, that's hindering people using Android smartphones...
[APPLICATION UPDATED 2/25/21 Version:2.02]
Hello XDA!
If you are interested in a simple and straight forward WIFI application that allows you to easily roam, scan the area, and see your current status. This is the app for you.
I have spend 6 months writing and testing my application with select beta testers. Enjoy!
SDK 15+
My Website for download:
https://ruckman.net/wifibadger.html
Github for Source Code:
https://github.com/williamruckman/WIFIBadger
Why I don't put apps on Google Play:
https://ruckman.net/whynotgoogle.html
Description:
Get the strongest and best performing WIFI access point automatically based on your selected roaming profile.
Works great on most mobile or on the move devices:
- Phones
- Tablets
Available roaming profiles:
- Same SSID (Roam across access points that have the same name)
- Any Saved SSID (Roam across any saved access point regardless of name)
- Any SSID and Open (Roam across any saved and open access points) *VPN Suggested
- Off (Turns off roaming. Only use as a WIFI scanner)
Great for businesses, homes, or any large building with multiple access points.
All timers are customizable. Choose how often you want your device to check for better access points.
View your connections current status and the available access points in your area.
Get the best from your WIFI!
AREA TAB:
- Green = Connected AP
- Yellow = Candidate AP
- Blue = Encrypted AP
- Red = Open AP
LANGUAGES:
- English
- Portuguese (Brazil) - Thanks to Jijo Smidi
@RuckmanXDA
first off all thanks for that nice and usefull app
Is it necessary that the symbol stays active in status bar ?
And how is battery consumption with this app ?
Battery consumption is good with the default settings. If you increase the timers you will scan more and use more battery.
The icon is necessary in later versions of Android as they prefer that persistent services show their presence. No way around it unfortunately. Not without root.
RuckmanXDA said:
Battery consumption is good with the default settings. If you increase the timers you will scan more and use more battery.
The icon is necessary in later versions of Android as they prefer that persistent services show their presence. No way around it unfortunately. Not without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and whats the solution with root ? can you explain that ?
or maybe the icon can be changed ? i my case the icon is to big and unproportional. maybe thats because i changed the default DPI
-Update-
maybe you can implement the notification in a different way ?
Other apps like LightFlow or Avast AntiVirus doenst show a persistent icon but have a persistent notification in notification bar.
der_Kief said:
and whats the solution with root ? can you explain that ?
or maybe the icon can be changed ? i my case the icon is to big and unproportional. maybe thats because i changed the default DPI
-Update-
maybe you can implement the notification in a different way ?
Other apps like LightFlow or Avast AntiVirus doenst show a persistent icon but have a persistent notification in notification bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good suggestion! I'll see if I can figure that out. Thanks!
2-23-17: I have changed the software so that after version 1.7 is released that the persistent notification will no longer show in your tray but only shows in the notification tray.
This is only available to API 16+, anyone on API 15 will still see it.
With this simple code addition for anyone else who needs it:
Code:
if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN) {
notification.priority = Notification.PRIORITY_MIN;
}
I currently don't plan to implement any root options as I want to stick to the API as closely as possible to minimize compatibility headaches.
Thanks!
@RuckmanXDA
Hello RuckmanXDA,
Thank you for your app. It addresses an important problem with Android network usability: selection of the desired WiFi network. Others developers have tried to address the issue in different ways, but the implementations have been severely lacking.
In the interest of improving the app development, I have made some notes from a user's perceptive about desirable network selection and am sharing them with you.
A user often has various criteria to decide upon which is or are the desirable access point(s). The following are considered:
Not all access points have the same features, security, or offer the same level of access. This is true regardless of SSID-name sameness or signal strength. For example, access points of a given SSID name may offer Internet access at different levels of service (or none at all) or impose different network management criteria; it may therefore be preferable to connect to an access point with lower signal power that offers superior features than one with same SSID name and higher signal strength, but that does not offer the better access or features.
There are some access points that are defective, rogue, or otherwise undesirable. Connecting to such access points is problematic, and thus it is important to be able to prevent automatic roaming to such access points.
At times it is desirable to manually select a specific access point to use or test.
It is sometimes, oftentimes, or always important to know which specific network or access point one is connected to. This is especially true with network roaming, where the network or access point one was connected to may no longer be the current network or access point.
There may be more than one option with regards to network interfaces (single or multiple of WiFi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, cellular, etc.) and such options should be manageable to be usable how the user wants. Currently, this is handled very poorly on Android; the interface types are prioritized and network connection is often exclusive. For example, if there are network resources on Ethernet (which seems to be given low interface priority), they often cannot be used without disabling other interfaces (such as WiFi or Cellular data) first if they are enabled. Ideally, the different interfaces and links should be used, prioritized, or balanced in the manner a user wants.
It is also worth noting the following common use scenarios:
Same SSID naming and feature access points are used for a single network.
Different SSID and feature access points are used for a single network.
Same SSIDs used for multiple and separate networks.
Subscription services over public access points. (such as subscription WiFi Internet service). These are sometimes troublesome to roam when they have captive portals. These may use the same or different SSIDs.
For the moment, I request three features:
Ability to manually select an Access Point to connect to.
Ability to create and use custom (SSID, MAC address, etc.) roaming rules and profiles.
Ability to blacklist access points given criteria (SSID, MAC address, etc.).
Hey @RuckmanXDA are u alive? Badger is missing at Google Play Stole and even your webpage is not functional. Wifi Badger was excelent app but now it can not be installed anymore
frogale said:
Hey @RuckmanXDA are u alive? Badger is missing at Google Play Stole and even your webpage is not functional. Wifi Badger was excellent app but now it can not be installed anymore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am still alive, I have updated the app information. The final version, updated links, and github page are now listed. Thanks for the bump, I forgot to update the info here.
I would like to figure out the best solution to receive some kind of real time alerts when an apk is installed on my phone. Two possible options would do this through tasker by monitoring the /data/data folder and creating a notification or through termux with a similar method. Looking for ideas or input here.
Disable automatic updates... lock it down.
Always keep install unknown files disabled unless needed.
If you don't use wi-fi it's easy; disable wi-fi and set Playstore etc to autoupdate by wi-fi only.
Karma Firewall will block all the update IPs as well. I also use Package Disabler to block Playstore and AT&T updates.
Complete updates lockdown on my phone unless I want it.
Makes finding a buggy update much simpler... only a matter of time before autoupdates bones you proper.
@Masterbuilt
If I see it correctly then what you have in mind is to continously take snapshots and compare these. In my eyes an horror: it costs RAM ,stresses CPU, reduces the lifespan of the eMMC, discharges the battery beyond measure...
In my eyes it would be a far better solution to establish an Android service (in Android a service runs in the background and is started at boot time) that intercepts the broadcasts of the Android package manager
Code:
ACTION_PACKAGE_ADDED
and acts accordingly. Causes very little RAM and CPU usage.
There doesn't seem to be a Samsung Galaxy A13 5G subforum on xda, so I'll ask here. If there is, please direct me to it so I can post in the correct place.
My father's Samsung Galaxy A13 5G (T-Mobile) automatically downloads system updates, even when using cellular data. Since he only wants to pay for 1GB/mo and the updates often seem to be 500 MB - 1GB, this uses up his data without his consent. The phone was recently updated to running Samsung's skinned version of Android 13, and is mostly set up otherwise as it came from the factory.
- I did check that it was actually the software update using up all the data. At least according to the phone's mobile data usage, it is.
- I've checked the system settings and can't find a setting to turn off automatic update downloading (or any settings for system updates at all), just one to keep them from *installing* in developer options.
- Since he's not technically skilled, I won't consider rooting the phone or installing a custom ROM to fix this.
- I've shown him how to manually check for and install updates when connected to wifi, but this doesn't always help (I'm not sure whether he forgets, or whether the software just chooses to update the moment there's one available).
- Getting a different phone, from a company that doesn't think the users are idiots also isn't a good option in his case.
- Turning off mobile data when it's not in use would be equivalent to just letting system updates use up all mobile data.
Is there any other way to keep his data from being used up outside of his control?