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I am new to Android. Just got my Vibrant. I want to protect this phone so that in case it is lost or stolen I can recover it. Could you tell me what are some of the best apps for this?
Here is a list of names I know about for now:
Where's My Droid - This is currently installed, but required me to send a text to my phone to activate the GPS and even then it won't keep the GPS active long enough to get a precise location. Furthermore, it can alert the would be robber.
Glympse - well, this is not for stolen phones
Wavesecure - couldn't find any good threads on this. Seems to have an annual subscription fee of $19. I don't want that. Just want a standalone tracker.
Remote security - Not clear that this is a good app.
TheftAlarm - Again, developed in foreign language and I don't know how good it is
MobileDefense - Maybe this is the best app, but it is still in beta and no more users are accepted. I already filled out a request.
Find My Android - Was suggested in this thread, but it doesn't seem to be different from Where's My Droid, except the notification when SIM is replaced.
Lookout Mobile Security - Doesn't seem bad, but it doesn't lock your phone remotely. Can easily uninstall the program. I also found out that I better use a different email address than the one my phone gets otherwise the phone gets an email with "location" of the phone when you look it up online. This is better than Where's My Droid since you can do it more discreetly online, without sending texts (but have to make sure the email you use is not managed by the phone).
Am I missing something? I really want to protect this phone and it is frustrating that among so many apps, we seem to be missing good anti-theft solutions. Preferably I want something that can lock the phone remotely and allow me to do things without interruptions from the thief or at least discreetly. What would you recommend?
Also, I have a rooted (stock) Vibrant.
Thanks.
Where's My Droid isn't exactly very subtle about sending out replies, the author basically said there's nothing he can do.
Most of the other options include AntiVirus and other nonsense, and are expensive or questionable.
Tasker can automatically upload GPS, respond to an email or SMS to do so.. If you send it the right command it could take pictures periodically, make an outgoing call, whatever... It's extremely flexible in what it can do.
khaytsus said:
Where's My Droid isn't exactly very subtle about sending out replies, the author basically said there's nothing he can do.
Most of the other options include AntiVirus and other nonsense, and are expensive or questionable.
Tasker can automatically upload GPS, respond to an email or SMS to do so.. If you send it the right command it could take pictures periodically, make an outgoing call, whatever... It's extremely flexible in what it can do.
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WOW! Ok, but the question is - 1.can it lock the phone remotely? 2.What happens if the thief uninstalls Tracker or changes the SIM (can you password protect it)? Finally, 3.can it take picture AND email them remotely? Otherwise, I don't see much use to this feature if the phone is gone.
Lookout seems rather good, but I have not tested it personally. I'd add a link, but I'm a new user. Should be easy to find with a Google/Market search, though.
Well that (un installing tasker)may be the case with any tech anti theft, if the thief is smart and careful they will wipe/reset/format whatever they took, rendering a soft lo jack useless
I would just get tasker and lookup findmyandroid on lifehacker, its the best current option
Captiv
Yeah, I found out about LookOut on Android forums. I have installed it. It doesn't allow you to lock the phone remotely and can easily be uninstalled.
As for Find My Android, I don't see how is it different from Where's My Droid., maybe except the part where you're notified if the SIM card is replaced.
I updated the original post.
Find my android isn't the name of the app, its what the lifehacker post is tagged as (#findmyandroid)
The program is tasker, and its more customizable and it can turn on gps
Captiv
Sure, Lookout can be uninstalled, as can any other app. But really, you should have some sort of password on your device. With pattern unlock, there's really no reason not to do so.
According to one of the devs on their forums, remote locking as well as "other features" will be coming to Lookout "very soon".
https://lookout.zendesk.com/entries/24881-remote-lock
In the meanwhile, I use WaveSecure for locking my phone and Lookout for tracking, as its mechanism seems much better.
If you want to prevent Lookout from being uninstalled, just move the apk to /system/app (assuming your phone is rooted).
I have had Wave Secure since the Beta (it is free to beta testers) and love it. I can understand not wanting to pay, but it really is a great app. They have a zip file that you can flash in recovery if you are rooted. That will prevent the app from being erased if the phone is factory reset. I have also been using an app lately called "Tasker". It can track your phone, although I have not used it for this. Here is a link to the Wiki.
http://tasker.wikidot.com/locatephone
GPS Tracker by Instamapper is the one I use most. With a text message, it will return its location via Google maps. It will continually do so for as long as you have it set up for. Every 10 Seconds, Every 2 minutes, Every half hour, etc. I used it to track my stolen phone with the laptop in the car. This app saved me from buying a new phone.
stickerbob said:
I have had Wave Secure since the Beta (it is free to beta testers) and love it. I can understand not wanting to pay, but it really is a great app. They have a zip file that you can flash in recovery if you are rooted. That will prevent the app from being erased if the phone is factory reset. I have also been using an app lately called "Tasker". It can track your phone, although I have not used it for this. Here is a link to the Wiki.
http://tasker.wikidot.com/locatephone
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Same here. Glad I got it while it was still a beta!
(Prospective TF700 buyer here.)
So since the device is WiFi only for most of us, no apps that provide post-theft security via receiving an SMS message are applicable.
I can't think of any way to get the tablet back or find its location post-theft. It would be nice if there was a security app that could act of receiving a specific e-mail instead of SMS.
Aside from post-theft action, before theft I know we can use a password to secure the contents of the tablet. But is the built in screen lock via password the best means to secure it?
I just wanted to foster some discussion and ideas around this topic. Since it's much harder than with a phone. Feel free to chime in with whatever is on your mind related to this subject.
Darnell_Chat_TN said:
(Prospective TF700 buyer here.)
So since the device is WiFi only for most of us, no apps that provide post-theft security via receiving an SMS message are applicable.
I can't think of any way to get the tablet back or find its location post-theft. It would be nice if there was a security app that could act of receiving a specific e-mail instead of SMS.
Aside from post-theft action, before theft I know we can use a password to secure the contents of the tablet. But is the built in screen lock via password the best means to secure it?
I just wanted to foster some discussion and ideas around this topic. Since it's much harder than with a phone. Feel free to chime in with whatever is on your mind related to this subject.
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Click to collapse
This is a valuable way for this kind of thinks and imo it's better than any app.But also keep in mind that even so if you lost your device it will not be easy to get it back,but atleast you could destroy your personal data.Oh,and even if it was a 3G model,the first thing a thief will do is shutting down the device and throw out the SIM.
Pretoriano80 said:
This is a valuable way for this kind of thinks and imo it's better than any app.But also keep in mind that even so if you lost your device it will not be easy to get it back,but atleast you could destroy your personal data.Oh,and even if it was a 3G model,the first thing a thief will do is shutting down the device and throw out the SIM.
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Thanks.
Far as what the thief will do depends on their intelligence . The one who took my wife's phone kept the SIM in to use our plan as their own.
There are several antivirus apps available that provide remote wiping (abd/or locking) functionality and such, although I do not know if they can turn on WiFi and report the device's location in the process.
I guess Asus Device Tracker will have to do for me.
I do share some of the concerns of the OP in that other thread, but for me it beats nothing.
Device encryption. Takes awhile to do but the device will be useless without the pin. I have been meaning to turn it on, I just never have my charger handy when I think of doing it. Maybe tonight...
Unfortunately Android device encryption slows down the device (which isn't the fastest anyway in our case) and drains battery faster. It cannot be undone without the full wipe, too. It is nothing like TrueCrypt in these respects.
Edit: It seems it can give you some problems with rooting, ROMs and others, too, which makes it a wildcard, although I'd love to use it. Apart from that, it's far from perfect security, as enabling debugging mode will still allow adb access without PIN verification if the device is powered and after the pre-boot PIN verification (which it probably will be when stolen).
WhisperCore looks interesting, but it says Temporarily Unavailable where the download link should be present.
MartyHulskemper said:
There are several antivirus apps available that provide remote wiping (abd/or locking) functionality and such, although I do not know if they can turn on WiFi and report the device's location in the process.
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Most work via SMS.
You might be interested in another aspect of Device Tracker: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=30305551&postcount=21
d14b0ll0s said:
You might be interested in another aspect of Device Tracker: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=30305551&postcount=21
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So nevermind using Asus Device Tracker given that news .
And device encryption just has too many negative side effects for me personally.
So there's no decent 3rd party app and we can't trust Asus any further than we can throw one of their techs.
It seems the only security for me at this time is encrypting the most sensitive data via an app just for those pieces of data and general physical security.
d14b0ll0s said:
Unfortunately Android device encryption slows down the device (which isn't the fastest anyway in our case) and drains battery faster. It cannot be undone without the full wipe, too. It is nothing like TrueCrypt in these respects.
Edit: It seems it can give you some problems with rooting, ROMs and others, too, which makes it a wildcard, although I'd love to use it. Apart from that, it's far from perfect security, as enabling debugging mode will still allow adb access without PIN verification if the device is powered and after the pre-boot PIN verification (which it probably will be when stolen).
WhisperCore looks interesting, but it says Temporarily Unavailable where the download link should be present.
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I'd be weary of device encryption if you plan on doing anything to the tablet other than keeping it fully stock. I'm not even sure how OTA updates are handled. Granted the situation is a bit different (and totally my fault) but I encrypted my HD on my laptop (TrueCrypt) which was awesome at first. I didn't see a noticeable depreciation in speed and felt a lot more comfortable . I decided to try a dev build of Win8 one day, so I partitioned my drive and installed through the Win8 setup process. Short version is that my encrypted partition fot trashed and I lost all of my data that wasn't backed up yet.
So yea, be careful when you encrypt.
[OT] Actually, according to TrueCrypt, Windows installer should only change your bootloader and rescue boot from a removable memory should do the trick with recovering TrueCrypt MBA. Did it wipe your data or just the boot record?
---------- Post added at 09:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:38 PM ----------
Darnell_Chat_TN said:
So nevermind using Asus Device Tracker given that news .
And device encryption just has too many negative side effects for me personally.
So there's no decent 3rd party app and we can't trust Asus any further than we can throw one of their techs.
It seems the only security for me at this time is encrypting the most sensitive data via an app just for those pieces of data and general physical security.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think partial encryption is fine, but of course can be compromised easier when not everything is encrypted.
As to third-party apps, I believe there's a lot of these, but after this ASUS example I'm not sure I want to use any of them.
In case you still want sth like that, just have a look at Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=anti+theft&c=apps
I'm not sure what it actually did at the end of the day (can't remember). I THINK it would only boot to the Win8 partition and while the other partition was there I couldn't access it from anything (I vaguely recall the partition showing up saying that it was 0% full). I tried to restore the MBR and I ran a few different analysis tools to see if I could recover files.
After a few days I decided that it wasn't worth it. It as almost a year ago and most of my stuff was backed up, I really only lost some music and some pictures. I decided to cut my losses, reformat everything, and reinstall Windows7.
d14b0ll0s said:
...
As to third-party apps, I believe there's a lot of these, but after this ASUS example I'm not sure I want to use any of them.
In case you still want sth like that, just have a look at Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=anti+theft&c=apps
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Click to collapse
Some of these actually look pretty good to me . It would be nice if they made them to work with your own personal machine and not their servers, but they obviously need to use a model that makes them money :laugh: .
Unlike Asus, 3rd party app makers don't hold the device warranty in their hands. They survive off me willing to use and trust their services.
When you're rooted then I recommend Cerberus I use on both my phone and the tablet. I had luckily never the chance to use it in a real situation but from my testing I can tell that it works really good.
It has a trial version so you can test it before buying.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
avast! is the answer
Seems as if avast! Mobile Security can do everything the Asus Device Tracker can do. And even more, since it also has a virus scanner, firewall, network meter, SMS/call blocker and more other features than I care to remember. And it's FREE. All that and no worries of losing warranty.
avast! can lock the device tight via a web site, wipe it and more. And it can be configured to not be easily removed. So it's the answer to me.
Long story short -
I own the SM-G925P and I'm very displeased with it after receiving yet another update today that included more bloat ware to the device. I was upset with the last major update as well because it included applications like 'App Spotlight'
App Spotlight allows Sprint to collect money and to push notifications to your device to highlight recommended applications. I don't agree with this practice at all. I found it very annoying back in the Android 2.0 days and was happy when Android effectively killed that in Android 4. I myself as others didn't pay a high premium for a device to be and ad space for Sprint.
The device has native voice mail notification turn off (WMI Support) which forces you to have to use their voice mail application on the device that looks like a 10 year designed it, let alone again, there is premium features and ad space in the application. These are set to on by default and you can turn this off by visiting the application and turning off the Premium feature or by paying something like $2 a month. If you disable the application you lose voice mail notifications all together.
Yes i'm very aware that you can disable some of the applications, I'm also very aware of using Knox IT policy to disable any application I want with out root, but it comes down to I shouldn't have to do this for a device you pay top dollar for.
Right now I'm using Package Disable Pro, I have 202 Packages disabled on my device currently. Not all of it is Sprint no alot of it is Samsung truthfully. Tonight after the update I still have 202 packages disabled and now I have to add an additional 10 or so, or see if they can be uninstalled or deleted from the application manager first.
Do i have a few issues with the device with 202 applications disabled eh yes really only two issues that concern me. One my dialer codes don't work. To lazy to locate the package that has them working, two my google wallet if I use NFC closes. Other than that no I don't and my phone is running better then ever with 0 to very little lag something that Samsung promised and advertised with these devices., but not to our surprise failed to deliverer the first set of issue was the major memory leak form lollipop, honestly this phone sucked the first time out of the box after the first day of use.
Any way long story short I filed a BBB report against them, they are not accredited so I doubt they will care, but I'm looking to have my plans canceled return the devices for a refund reminding on them.
Hows every one else's day going haha?
If you didn't want all that bloatware on your device (which has been the case since...like forever with Touchwiz), why didn't you just get a Nexus?
I doubt anything will happen with the BBB because there really is no false advertising or any misleading issues with your purchase. Now if you had gotten a few lemons and kept getting them replaced to fix an issue...maybe there would be something.
I'm not specifically talking about touchwiz bloat ware. I accepted the fact that touch wiz has its own and Samsung includes its own app store's etc.
What I'm talking about is Sprint's bloat ware, how the device brands it self after activation based on (Virgin mobile/Sprint/Boost etc) when you first power on the device you don't have a ton of applications pre-installed. After activation the device brands it self to either of these carriers based on who you activated it with. Like two voice mail icons / apps (com.sprint.voicemail: yellow icon takes you to voice mail, com.coremobility.app.vnotes: blue icon used for actual notifications and visual voice mail filled with ads unlike other carriers)
Spotlight - again used to push highlighted apps to my device; added during an update was not originally on the device when purchased.
I should have made notes of each additional bloat that was added to the device with each upgrade but I failed to do that, but noted the most annoying one sense I randomly was getting notifications in my notification center. (Mind you I don't have any third party applications installed on my device it is 100% out of box with what ever applications disabled or can be uninstalled).
The point of what I was making on this, is you spend 5-700$ dollars on a device for them to make it an ad supported. I would have been more understanding of ads or pushing bloat to the device with each upgrade if the device was free. They are getting paid to push notifications to your device for featured games/applications etc. I do not agree with this business tactic at all and no where does it state they may do this.
The device was advertised and pushed by sales teams as the fastest device on the market at the time with a lag free experience. I specifically remember the commercial about this. The problem with that is you released a device with a bugged OS knowingly from the beginning ( Android 5.0 memory leak ) many devices that received 5.0 had major issues and lots of people were wanting to downgrade back to 4.X because of it. It wasn't until the 3rd update that it was improved but not resolved. I don't know its current status as I stopped following the issues. The device is no where as fast / lag free as they claim if anything I have had more lag issues with this device then a device on kitkat.
Now what you don't know is that I work with cell phones on a day to day basis, I have my hands on many different devices at a time. Comparing this device to many other devices against other carriers and Sprints specifically is one of the worst between its stupid IOTA services and other things. Comparing this device to the Verizon edge with older software and the Verizon firmware feels more improved then Sprints.
I will have to write more latter, if you were local to me it would be easier for me to point out the issues in person, and if you have similar OCD like mine it will eat at you like it has me.
File a complaint to the BBB and that will get you nothing and nowhere. You can actually disable most of the apps, google play news/games/books/ect.
You put your finger on and app, hold your finger on it and drag it up to the disable option or uninstall on apps you don't want.
amoamare said:
I'm not specifically talking about touchwiz bloat ware. I accepted the fact that touch wiz has its own and Samsung includes its own app store's etc.
What I'm talking about is Sprint's bloat ware, how the device brands it self after activation based on (Virgin mobile/Sprint/Boost etc) when you first power on the device you don't have a ton of applications pre-installed. After activation the device brands it self to either of these carriers based on who you activated it with. Like two voice mail icons / apps (com.sprint.voicemail: yellow icon takes you to voice mail, com.coremobility.app.vnotes: blue icon used for actual notifications and visual voice mail filled with ads unlike other carriers)
Spotlight - again used to push highlighted apps to my device; added during an update was not originally on the device when purchased.
I should have made notes of each additional bloat that was added to the device with each upgrade but I failed to do that, but noted the most annoying one sense I randomly was getting notifications in my notification center. (Mind you I don't have any third party applications installed on my device it is 100% out of box with what ever applications disabled or can be uninstalled).
The point of what I was making on this, is you spend 5-700$ dollars on a device for them to make it an ad supported. I would have been more understanding of ads or pushing bloat to the device with each upgrade if the device was free. They are getting paid to push notifications to your device for featured games/applications etc. I do not agree with this business tactic at all and no where does it state they may do this.
The device was advertised and pushed by sales teams as the fastest device on the market at the time with a lag free experience. I specifically remember the commercial about this. The problem with that is you released a device with a bugged OS knowingly from the beginning ( Android 5.0 memory leak ) many devices that received 5.0 had major issues and lots of people were wanting to downgrade back to 4.X because of it. It wasn't until the 3rd update that it was improved but not resolved. I don't know its current status as I stopped following the issues. The device is no where as fast / lag free as they claim if anything I have had more lag issues with this device then a device on kitkat.
Now what you don't know is that I work with cell phones on a day to day basis, I have my hands on many different devices at a time. Comparing this device to many other devices against other carriers and Sprints specifically is one of the worst between its stupid IOTA services and other things. Comparing this device to the Verizon edge with older software and the Verizon firmware feels more improved then Sprints.
I will have to write more latter, if you were local to me it would be easier for me to point out the issues in person, and if you have similar OCD like mine it will eat at you like it has me.
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Click to collapse
This is nothing new for Sprint either...nor Verizon for that matter. When you activate either of those (and my guess is the other 2 major carriers as well) it connects to the network, downloads necessary as well as licensed apps and drivers. There are a lot more Sprint specific apps that they don't install. Go to Apps and Sprint in Play and see what they could have put on. As mentioned, most of the apps are able to be disabled. With root they can be removed. This has been the case for several iterations of Samsung US phones. My GF's Note 4 did this, I think the S5 and Note 3 did as well. I fail to see how Sprint putting extra programs on your phone is a case for the BBB. But good luck with your case. Again sounds like you should stick to Nexus devices going forward.
This same phone is used on the CDMA network in India so it is more convenient to install carrier specific files upon activation.
I could care less about what comes on a phone being that it's 100% customizable. Hell, be happy it's not as much of a headache as iPhone. If it's not for you then don't buy it. That's what the demos are for in the store. I usually buy a phone, play around with the stock for a few hours, root and customize to my standard. After these last 2 updates, I'm very pleased with the phone
Try this
We all dislike some bloatware, but all carriers include it.
A better option that people can follow along with, is change.org where anyone can start actual community petitions against companies.
I would sign your petition. I'm sure many people will.
BBB is simply not the place for this type of opinion, as Sprint would probably call it just that.
If you disabled over 200 apps, i can bet a large amount of those are system apps that are needed by one thing or another. If you're going to disable things that you aren't sure of, dont complain about nfc not working. The system comes with about 290 total apps, and over 150 of those are required for everything on the device to function properly. And sprint isn't making much money off you paying for the phone. They have to buy them from Samsung, for more than what you even lease the phone for. But its the only way they can cover their asses money wise if they aren't locking people into contracts and giving away a 600 dollar phone for 200 bucks. Do your research before you start ranting and complaining to BBB that literally got off the phone with you and tossed out your complaint
I have googled and searched my fingertips to the bone. Whenever i ask a technical question, i get answers from the clueless and the blind. I am beginning to hate this game.
So here we go. Stock android 4.4.2 ....rooted. How do you control which apps autostart and load in the background? Right now I have been trying to kill the Music app. Nothing works. It always restarts. So that means there is a sticky setting in some file somewhere in the system that needs to be edited that more than likely can not properrly be controlled from the childish controls android offers. In windows this is controlled in the registry and the startup process. Where is this in android? Why does no one share this information?
Yes i know it's dangerous. Yes i know not to putts around in the operating system. But if youre rooted, give us the data to control things.
So i await a learned response that probaly only one of the "developers" can answer. Because it sure as s€£%t ain't out there to be found.
Signed, royally frustrated
I'm reminded of that saying "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Not sure why your posts are so charged but many seasoned developers and posters aren't going to engage in conversation with someone who uses condesending and self righteous tones.
I've never seen detailed posting of how it works, nor do I care to know, but by installing Greenify you can effectively control what you wish to control. Greenify allows you to hibernate applications keeping them asleep until manually called.
Some applications have associated services that are used by other parts of the system or other applications and therefore stay loaded to provide that service. If you also install Xposed Framework it will allow Greenify to inject itself further to keep applications that you choose to hibernate from being called upon by other applications (facebook for example has services that often get called upon by other applications for various reasons and so it can be hard to keep hibernated).
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
muzzy996 said:
I'm reminded of that saying "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Not sure why your posts are so charged but many seasoned developers and posters aren't going to engage in conversation with someone who uses condesending and self righteous tones.
I've never seen detailed posting of how it works, nor do I care to know, but by installing Greenify you can effectively control what you wish to control. Greenify allows you to hibernate applications keeping them asleep until manually called.
Some applications have associated services that are used by other parts of the system or other applications and therefore stay loaded to provide that service. If you also install Xposed Framework it will allow Greenify to inject itself further to keep applications that you choose to hibernate from being called upon by other applications (facebook for example has services that often get called upon by other applications for various reasons and so it can be hard to keep hibernated).
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
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I am sorry. I did not intentionally want to come off as charged or spraying vinegar. Quite the opposite. But I have found, after reading tons of post, that we are living in the land of the blind and hardly anyone with sight is actually participating or for that matter even providing a modicum of usefull data. Beginning to think that I don't blame them.
It seems, after deep searching and research that children are actually in charge. What other explanation can you give for an operating system that is struggling with "basic" features found in DOS or windows 3.1 from 20 years ago. Similar to the slow evolution of linux, itself which only now, barely, is win xp like in its features after decades as a skeletal nightmare to load and setup.
You may not have caught the news a few months ago, but Samsung was floating the idea of abandoning android for a flavored and skinned version of linux for future devices, both phones and tablets.p, starting with the China market.
Tell me that Microsoft did not head that off by providing reciprocal licensing to Samsung for windows 10 to abandoning linux. Would not be suprised if we start seeing win10 handsets in the near future here.
Once android looses support from major manufacturers, then it is DEAD.
Read every other post and you will see the lament about the quality of google store apps.
So when I ask a specific, technical question requiring a precise answer.....which requires actual proframming skill.....which has yet to appear...you can see how the lack of response to that colors the situation.
If I offended anyone, I apologize. I get excited sometimes. Repeatedly slamming ones head against the wall, figuratively tends to make you anxious.
At this rate, my raw participation on these boards may be curtailed if I continue with this sense of useless effort.
Sorry to make anyone upset. You can let the kids back in the room. I think there is ice cream.
Have you considered freezing the processes you want to prevent from running with Titanium Backup?
ShadowLea said:
Have you considered freezing the processes you want to prevent from running with Titanium Backup?
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Titanium backup would work. The other option since you are rooted is to just remove the offending music app. I don't mind the samsung music app, but I don't find it absolutely necessary either. You could also uninstall the updates and force stop the app. That should also keep it from starting.
Another option that I haven't looked at completely but might work is the app "tasker" that lets you assign certain apps to start only when you want them too. So you could have the music app start only when you tap on media files. But I haven't tried this myself.
The problem currently with asking technical questions about the note pro is that it's a low selling device from 2014 so it just doesn't get much action on the forums anymore. It's a bummer for such a great device but that's how it is.
mjkurke said:
Titanium backup would work. The other option since you are rooted is to just remove the offending music app. I don't mind the samsung music app, but I don't find it absolutely necessary either. You could also uninstall the updates and force stop the app. That should also keep it from starting.
Another option that I haven't looked at completely but might work is the app "tasker" that lets you assign certain apps to start only when you want them too. So you could have the music app start only when you tap on media files. But I haven't tried this myself.
The problem currently with asking technical questions about the note pro is that it's a low selling device from 2014 so it just doesn't get much action on the forums anymore. It's a bummer for such a great device but that's how it is.
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Low selling are not the words. More like abandoned. Samsung has moved away. My questions where android specific. "Freezing" apps, using a convoluted set of more apps to control unwanted apps, ridiculous. It is all ridiculous. Either root gives control or it does not.
I want full control, what runs, what doesn't, what runs in the background. Is that not why we root? So a comprehensive list of whats what WOULD RREEEAAAALLLLYYY HELP.
I am alone in the wilderness screaming at the trees demanding to know why it rains.
Do you understand?
Options like freezing in Titanium or using Greenify have already been addressed. Tasker is good for starting things but not so good at keeping things killed, not the proper tool to use for the job of keeping apps from loading.
My strategy:
1) Freeze anything that's safe to freeze that I know I'll never use in Titanium first. That way they never pre-cache into memory.
2) Greenify applications that I rarely use so that they don't pre-cache, taking care not to greenify applications that need to stay loaded to operate properly (like email clients, weather apps or messaging apps).
In the end on a clean boot my application/precache list is full of my commonly used apps. I worry not about how much free RAM I have, as long as the list of apps in RAM/cache is populated with the stuff that I commonly use.
NOW, all of that said if you're looking for something that works like windows startup manager then installing Xposed Framework and then BootManager is the way to go. I've done this in the past but find that employing freezing and greenify is good enough for my own needs so I've stopped.
globalsearch said:
Low selling are not the words. More like abandoned. Samsung has moved away. My questions where android specific. "Freezing" apps, using a convoluted set of more apps to control unwanted apps, ridiculous. It is all ridiculous. Either root gives control or it does not.
I want full control, what runs, what doesn't, what runs in the background. Is that not why we root? So a comprehensive list of whats what WOULD RREEEAAAALLLLYYY HELP.
I am alone in the wilderness screaming at the trees demanding to know why it rains.
Do you understand?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am starting to suspect you have greatly misunderstood the meaning of root access. From what it sounds like, you seem to think it miraculously gives you access to settings and functions that non-rooted users can't see. Which is why you can't seem to get the answers you seek.
There is no such thing as a root-menu. Android does not have that functionality build into its GUI.
Root access simply means administrator access to the system's root directories. Hence the word Root.
You will always need additional apps and software to root access to change functionality. Titanium Backup, Xposed, SuperUser/SuperSU, etcetera.
If you want those options in the system, you'll need a customROM.
ShadowLea said:
Root access simply means administrator access to the system's root directories. Hence the word Root.
You will always need additional apps and software to root access to change functionality. Titanium Backup, Xposed, SuperUser/SuperSU, etcetera.
If you want those options in the system, you'll need a customROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right and even with a custom ROM you can't run away from using 3rd party utilities to make the tweaks. Custom is usually a good start though as they are typically debloated. Civato's is good for lightly modified stock with xposed baked in.
Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk
Now we are getting somewhere. So what you have all told me is that stock android, even when rooted, is still a sandbox with all kinds of limitations to customization. Even with apps to tweak some of it.
This is the nail in the coffin for me and android then. Im not in the least interested in all those custom roms where there is always some shortcoming or lack of support for a feature that does not work properly.
Thanks all. I am done.
globalsearch said:
Now we are getting somewhere. So what you have all told me is that stock android, even when rooted, is still a sandbox with all kinds of limitations to customization. Even with apps to tweak some of it.
This is the nail in the coffin for me and android then. Im not in the least interested in all those custom roms where there is always some shortcoming or lack of support for a feature that does not work properly.
Thanks all. I am done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for what its worth I do have your answer, better late than never right?
anyways android is built on a linux kernal and normally access to the linux command line does not come pre-installed to keep normal people from messing up their system.
so you will need to download a terminal emulator app if you don't already have one if you plan to do this from android. (Alternatively you can do it from the android debug bridge while connected to a computer if preferred)
First you will want to get the package name for the app you want to disable.
you can do this with a root file browser app by going to system / Data / App and then finding the package you want to disable.
however since it sounds like you want to do this manually we will go over the terminal process:
open a terminal window.
type: su
Hit: enter
the terminal will ask you for root access, go ahead and grant it.
to list the android packages type: pm list packages
hit: enter
This will show a list of the installed packages (Apps)
find the ones you want to disable.
now type: pm disable insertpackagename
hit: enter
for example to disable youtube type: pm disable com.google.android.youtube
Hit: Enter
that's it.
you will likely want to restart your launcher or even just restart the tablet afterwards as most launchers don't constantly poll for disabled apps so it will need a refresh.
also you probably already realise this so I apologise if its redundant but make sure you know what you are disabling
as with any linux environment disabling system packages and packages that another application is dependant on can cause trouble.
firefly6240 said:
for what its worth I do have your answer, better late than never right?
anyways android is built on a linux kernal and normally access to the linux command line does not come pre-installed to keep normal people from messing up their system.
so you will need to download a terminal emulator app if you don't already have one if you plan to do this from android. (Alternatively you can do it from the android debug bridge while connected to a computer if preferred)
First you will want to get the package name for the app you want to disable.
you can do this with a root file browser app by going to system / Data / App and then finding the package you want to disable.
however since it sounds like you want to do this manually we will go over the terminal process:
open a terminal window.
type: su
Hit: enter
the terminal will ask you for root access, go ahead and grant it.
to list the android packages type: pm list packages
hit: enter
This will show a list of the installed packages (Apps)
find the ones you want to disable.
now type: pm disable insertpackagename
hit: enter
for example to disable youtube type: pm disable com.google.android.youtube
Hit: Enter
that's it.
you will likely want to restart your launcher or even just restart the tablet afterwards as most launchers don't constantly poll for disabled apps so it will need a refresh.
also you probably already realise this so I apologise if its redundant but make sure you know what you are disabling
as with any linux environment disabling system packages and packages that another application is dependant on can cause trouble.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
globalsearch said:
Low selling are not the words. More like abandoned. Samsung has moved away. My questions where android specific. "Freezing" apps, using a convoluted set of more apps to control unwanted apps, ridiculous. It is all ridiculous. Either root gives control or it does not.
I want full control, what runs, what doesn't, what runs in the background. Is that not why we root? So a comprehensive list of whats what WOULD RREEEAAAALLLLYYY HELP.
I am alone in the wilderness screaming at the trees demanding to know why it rains.
Do you understand?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just thought I would clarify a bit here, I know how confusing it can be coming from windows, I made the switch myself not so many years ago and had a lot of the same questions.
to explain root, the closest comparison I have imperfect as it may be is that root access is similar to windows admin access.
the noticeable difference in a lot of cases is what comes pre-installed.
for example in windows if you have an admin account it automatically unlocks access to the command prompt which was already pre-installed.
in android root access gives you the option to use a terminal but often one is not pre-installed, in fact even a file manager is often not included.
this is actually not a limitation of android so much as a limitation put in place by the specific device manufacturer as to what comes pre-installed.
for example a lot of cheap android tablets running google AOSP (Android open source Project) code actually do come with terminal apps and in some cases even come pre-loaded with root access.
in comparison a lot of more well known devices do not come with this pre-loaded to prevent people from breaking things. (For a windows comparison, its hard to delete the system32 folder without admin access, a file browser and command prompt right?)
As far as samsung abandonment, its a bit trickier there.
Basically what you would normally be used to is the Microsoft scenario.
1. Microsoft - Microsoft makes the OS but it runs on hardware made by others.
a. hardware issues go to the hardware manufacturer for as long as they support it.
b. OS updates are handled by Microsoft, they have more or less full control of the OS as it is closed source.
2. the Samsung Scenario - The hardware is made by the manufacturer, the bootloaders are locked, the OS is made by Google and then tweaked by the manufacturer.
a. all official updates come through the manufacturer (In this case Samsung) after google releases the open source code, samsung then alters it as they like and then they release an update.
b. Samsung is the sole support for the hardware and software as google no longer supports the software for the most part after its been altered.
c. it takes a lot of time and work for samsung to develop an update and push it out and then deal with all of the issues that come with updating the OS.
d. its often easier to leave a device that comparatively very few people bought on an OS that they knew was usable rather than spend all the time and money updating it and dealing with all of the related issues.
With that in mind this tablet has been out for about 2 years now which is a huge amount of time for this type of hardware.
All that being said Samsung very recently released the update to android 5.1.1 for this tablet
so it is definitely not abandoned yet, in fact its had more attention than even other devices by the same manufacturer but I suspect 5.1.1 will be the last official update we see.
if you have one of the note variants with an unlockable bootloader as well as a bit of time on your hands I would very much recommend trying a custom rom if you are worried about samsung abandonment.
you may have to try several different ones though, as you'll find a mix of roms that may seem almost half baked, more alpha release style but are cutting edge (I like those ones myself) to roms that are even more stable than the original.
My apologies if some of this is redundant information, I just thought I would throw in my two cents in case it helps
Two points . . for what its worth . . 1) the use of package manager's disable command effectively does the same thing that freezing in Titanium does, the main difference being that you're using a GUI to do it (there can be differences in how the apps are flagged though and using the pm command means not having to rely on yet another app); 2) disabling/freezing means you'll be unable to ever launch said application unless you enable the app again manually (using the package manager PM commands or Titanium).
Main reason in my initial response I didn't go straight to freezing/disabling apps is because that approach isn't exactly the same thing as managing startup in the context of the example given about managing what apps start up on boot in Windows (i.e. msconfig command and unchecking startup options). When someone takes an app out of startup in Windows the software isn't permanently disabled (unavailable) it is merely prevented from preloading when the system is started. So . . in reference to the music app referred to in the original post, if the goal is to be able to use the stock music app but just not have it load itself into memory on its own then the solution isnt disabling it or freezing it, its to hibernate it with something like Greenify or prevent it from starting using something like Boot Manager and Xposed Framework.
Firefly6240 got exactly what I was asking for. Freezing and hybernating, et al, is not total control. When i kill an app and i want it gone. I want it gone. Example, the google music, google books and google films. I gave stopped, killed even "uninstalled" in Purify and in Kingroot. On random reboot, the buggers are back. Fireflys solution is ceasars thumbs down. Wonderful. He understood the TOTAL control I was looking for.
Also, i loaded android terminal to run the commands.
By the way, Knox and EML are next on my list.
Thanks again firefly6420
globalsearch said:
Firefly6240 got exactly what I was asking for. Freezing and hybernating, et al, is not total control. When i kill an app and i want it gone. I want it gone. Example, the google music, google books and google films. I gave stopped, killed even "uninstalled" in Purify and in Kingroot. On random reboot, the buggers are back. Fireflys solution is ceasars thumbs down. Wonderful. He understood the TOTAL control I was looking for.
Also, i loaded android terminal to run the commands.
By the way, Knox and EML are next on my list.
Thanks again firefly6420
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK good, then I misunderstood the question. Hibernation has its place, it's just not what you wanted, you wanted complete uninstallation basically.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
like it or not, OEMs, even Google cannot just give the public ready-made controls to such things because the way a lot of (non-essential but) pre-installed apps are designed they depends on other apps being present and/or running.
AppOps was a classic example cuz once ppl found it and made public how to take advantage, a lot of dependant apps and services were affected and people called in to their OEMs complaining of broken phones when it was simply tinkered permissions.
there is no mobile OS more robust than android. all have their forms of depth, appeal, features and restrictions but none embrace admin access & leaving open the ability to do it more than android (just need the carrier and sometimes OEM to leave the bootloader the hell alone lol)
if you want a smartphone with admin privileges out-of-the-box and full control of all system services etc, I would recommend an Ubuntu phone. they're about a year into commercial availability which is still kinda fringe but stable and will lack certain major perks of owning either iOS (yuck!) or Android. there is a couple Ubuntu/android dual boot phones out there too, and that comes with the issue of storage space after holding 2 OS's
in another year or 2 Ubuntu phones should be more plentiful and bring over some popular apps and active development but I don't anticipate seeing it take off quite like other mobile OS's cuz when it comes to feeding the masses, more options and less restrictions can have the same effect as asking an 80 year old to put in an address on your navigation in the car while you're on the highway. it's a learning curve simple to some that seems too simple not to understand but can be bad for business.
I think android and iOS beat this problem initially because when they started, there weren't any other well-established alternatives. BlackBerry and some fringe PDAs were about it...
Note pro 12.2
I was/am dealing with the Note Pro 12.2 specifically. Not other handsets. This device is coming up on two years and support has been waning. When I bought it all was well. Less than a few months later the damned KitKat update came and suddenly I found myself without proper access to the external sd card, that had worked perfectly when i purchased the unit. I was furious. Especially when we where being told that it was for our own good and google was pushing internal memory over external. Damn them. I bought samsung BECAUSE it had the sd slot. And when Samsung did not provide the fix to the platform.xml file I was livid. 5.01 came out and Samsung destoyed support for most external blue tooth keyboards. And so it goes, one stupid blunder after another. Their updates destroyed my workflow.
So yes, damned right I want full control of my device, because they have shown they have NO regard for our needs and DO NOT ADDRESS our concerns. Just buy our stuff and shut up. Well in this case, i was sold a product that they later incapacitated.
I can not abide with that. I tried so hard not to root, for a year and a half. I shut off automatic updates on EVERYTHING because even updates from google play would sometimes destroy a goid priducy. I started saving apks from versions of apps that worked. I stayed stock 4.4.2 because everything worked but the sd write. How many threads do we have here where people upgraded to marshmellow and then begged to get back to kitkat? Last week after reading thread after thread of problems and convoluted fixes and a gazillion rom versions each of which has its own imperfections and then reading that the new samsung tablet was released windows 10. I knew it was over.
At that moment the decision was inevitable. I rooted and IMMEDIATELY fixed the sd write issue. And i unrooted. Two days of random reboots and i roited again, this time to take the bull by the hirns and control this thing. I became increasingly frustrated with the lack of displayed technical knowledge here at xda and the tons pf advice from also clueless posters. I tried everything. Even got scolded by an admin who has been here less time than me. (Follow the rules, follow the rules...don't you dare to ask the important questions)
Not till the reply from firefly6240. Now he knows something. And he shared a little with me. Which i greatly appreciated. I have a direction now. And the tweaks I have done have increased my battery tije, the screen reojse time and overall improvement of the environment. All on 4.4.2.
I still have some minor issues, but google and android code monkeys WILL NO LONGER CONTROL MY DEVICE, MY PROPERTY.
It is time people take control of the ELECTRONIC items which we purchase with OUR hard earned money and stop letting manufacturers turn those devices into nothing more than sales portals to make more money and deny us control or the ability to JUST SAY NO.
So i've been recently thinking, why do we honestly need to root our G5?
(sorry for clickbait title but its true lol)
What spurred this thought for me was that my friend who had an S6 and S7 kept telling me i won't need to root.
And i'm starting to believe him.
I was able to almost completly theme my phone to black and white with icon packs and other apps that offer custom theme options with little problem.
I was able to change the DPI without root. What i'm unable to do without root so far is changing the ugly LG system emojis to Android or some other standard emojis.
Obviously we also lack the granular control root allows for, but even without root, tasker can do alot.
Pros:
Xposed Framework
More control in general
Cons:
Android Pay will cease to work
Discuss below why you think you need root for the G5.
Do the pros outweigh the cons?
2 main reason I root
To change the system icon with default launcher and to change my font all around system wide.
Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk
Adaway
Remove some unwanted app in /system
Custom data backup/restore
Free hotspot, uninstall system apps (not freeze), ads, disable startup apps, disable system running services.
I have only one app running in background that consumes data the rest is blocked.
silly question but i'll entertain it.
For the same reason you want personal freedom in the world in which you live.
I bypass the tethering reporting with the non-root method below so I can use more than 7 GB a month. (This phone and my wife's IS our only internet connection) But for me I would like it for my data partition control. Plus I used systemless root on my N6 before this, had busybox, AND was able to use Android pay.... cause I didn't jack with the system partition. So, it is handy, but I CAN live without if needed.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/tmobile-lg-g3/general/lollipop-tethering-t3071188
I need it to test an unlocking method...otherwise, it really doesn't matter to me much outside of just messing with aosp.
---------- Post added at 04:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 PM ----------
And for the tethering bypass, simply use pdanet, via usb that is and change your browser ua to safari or a mobile device (using ssl webpages also helps), also you can simply get a proxy like Charles proxy and change the entire system ua to null or a mobile device or safari as mentioned before.
Not hijacking your thread, just offering a tip I've been using for years with absolutely no issues.
I need root to delete T-MOBILE spyware, bloatware, and basically control MY device the way MY device should be configured MY way.
I like using Titanium Backup Pro, Terminal Emulator, and the various apps that require root.
I use root for 'taking back' the device I purchased. It's bad enough that the U.S. not only SIM-Locks your device to the carrier but the bootloader is locked and in most cases (depending on your carrier) the device is carrier branded. It's done out of greed. The great many carriers in Europe for example don't do this. I use root to rid of the bloatware, spyware and tracking T-Mobile and other carriers use. I use it for changing the system wide fonts of MY choosing and also for the apps that allow great flexibility and functionality (Titanium Bkup, TWRP, Xposed Framework). Your device is YOUR device and should be used in any manner you choose (legally, of course).
For the first time in years I can say I'm happy with a phone. A simple root would remove the bloat and give me more control for theming.
uninstall the god damn t-mobile apps and spyware
I actually have not needed root so far. I would have liked root at the beginning when I had this so I could install those $%@^$*% tmo apps sooner but I have removed them all and disabled those I couldn't. Afaik they are no longer running. The only thing I would like root for is to do ad blocking but I can say I'm happy with a phone for the first time.
fatapia said:
I actually have not needed root so far. I would have liked root at the beginning when I had this so I could install those $%@^$*% tmo apps sooner but I have removed them all and disabled those I couldn't. Afaik they are no longer running. The only thing I would like root for is to do ad blocking but I can say I'm happy with a phone for the first time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use this for adblocking. https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/releases
TWRP backups are nice thou.
sharpknight said:
TWRP backups are nice thou.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use helium for that. I do agree however that titanium is more convenient. I usually required root so I could record phone calls. But it worked out of the box in the g5 so ad blocking was the only other real concern for me.
There are many reasons why the LG G5 needs root.
First off, we need to get rid of TMobile bloatware, because android by itself with nothing else open shouldn't use 2GB of RAM. The notion that this is even remotely acceptable is down right idiotic, that's even more bloat than Windows 10, the heaviest OS so far.
Second, we need to be able to completely disable the Nav bar, as it serves no purpose other than to use up screen space, and make it so swipe from bottom gestures aren't possible. Hardware buttons can be remapped to do all the same task, and then there is pi controls, a much faster, fluid alternative to software buttons.
Third, AdAway, enough said.
Forth, inapp and lvl emulation, for cool stuff
Fifth, we need to stop considering a phone as a toy which we cannot control the way we need to, and instead consider it as a little computer that is totally ours in every way we can imagine. You have a powerhouse in your pocket, that is actually better than desktops were in 2006-2007. Why shouldn't you be able to use it as well as you can any other computer, especially considering it is based on a platform whose philosophy is built around software freedom.
Admiral_Face said:
There are many reasons why the LG G5 needs root.
First off, we need to get rid of TMobile bloatware, because android by itself with nothing else open shouldn't use 2GB of RAM. The notion that this is even remotely acceptable is down right idiotic, that's even more bloat than Windows 10, the heaviest OS so far.
Second, we need to be able to completely disable the Nav bar, as it serves no purpose other than to use up screen space, and make it so swipe from bottom gestures aren't possible. Hardware buttons can be remapped to do all the same task, and then there is pi controls, a much faster, fluid alternative to software buttons.
Third, AdAway, enough said.
Forth, inapp and lvl emulation, for cool stuff
Fifth, we need to stop considering a phone as a toy which we cannot control the way we need to, and instead consider it as a little computer that is totally ours in every way we can imagine. You have a powerhouse in your pocket, that is actually better than desktops were in 2006-2007. Why shouldn't you be able to use it as well as you can any other computer, especially considering it is based on a platform whose philosophy is built around software freedom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sixth. Universal data backup/restore which lets you backup/restore/transfer app data among different Android devices
kwkw480 said:
silly question but i'll entertain it.
For the same reason you want personal freedom in the world in which you live.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And also Adaway
sharpknight said:
What spurred this thought for me was that my friend who had an S6 and S7 kept telling me i won't need to root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S6 allows you to mute the camera shutter sound while leaving your volume on. All Samsung phones that I've used do this. No such option on the G4 or G5 without root. Some terribly incorrect posts say this is some legal requirement. If that's the case then my S6 appears to be above the law. Add this to the list.
pcm2a said:
The S6 allows you to mute the camera shutter sound while leaving your volume on. All Samsung phones that I've used do this. No such option on the G4 or G5 without root. Some terribly incorrect posts say this is some legal requirement. If that's the case then my S6 appears to be above the law. Add this to the list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the law (at least in Japan) that all cameras/phones have to have an unmutable shutter sound to deter upskirt pervs if I recall correctly.