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Hi there,
my company forces every WM user to activate the WM6 default Device Lock with a cab you have to install, which changes some registry parameters, I guess. But this cab also includes certificates (WLAN and VPN-access) that I really need, so I have to install it.
But I don't want to have my device locked every 15 minutes (especially if using Navigon...). If I try to disable Device Lock in the Settings menu, the field is greyed out. But is there any registry parameter which disables this device lock?!?
Is there another way to disable it?
Thanks in advance!
First enable the box again to untick it:
HKLM\Security\Policies\00001023
0 = Enabled; 1 = Disabled
Then install Zenyee.com Stay Unlock.cab and soft reset your device.
This program will prevent the lock to be activated again.
Great! Works just perfect for me!
This might just be what i'm after Last week I was using an ipaq on wm2003 but since the weekend I've bought myself a Sony E X1 and logged onto the works network this morning and it installed some security polices and then it started locking the phone every 5mins.
Quick search and I find this thread, hope it works, let you all know .
Ta
Update, it has given me the option and I have disabled it rather than setting it to say 24hours and also ran the keep unlocked cab file. See how it goes at work tomorrow.
well i can confirm that no further locks have appeared since logging back onto the work network can see i'm going to enjoy this forum. ta
phoenix3dfx225 said:
well i can confirm that no further locks have appeared since logging back onto the work network can see i'm going to enjoy this forum. ta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works yes, but i found that the app absolutely wiped out my battery which ran very hot. I removed the app and this solved the problem, although unfortunetly device locked appeared once more. Does it wipe out yours?
WM 6.1 VPNLockingmy device
Thanks very much gang!!! I have installed Zenyee.com Unlock cab. It solved the goddamn issue, and allowed me to untick the password request in Setting, Lock.
before Icould not untick it.
now the device is not locking itself every time i turn the screen off
The manual registry cleaning worked very well. Thank you for the tip.
I haven't installed the .cab so we'll see how long it takes until it gets locked again...Maybe it won't I don't have much faith in our IT Group
Not wanting to spoil anyones fun, and i can see why periodic locking of the device is a pain, it is obviously being done for a reason. Bear in mind that it may well be considered a breach of employment contract to circumvent said security measure.
For information i am a BlackBerry Admin and so have a "vested" interest in device security. Just think what "sensitive" detail may be on the device and so open to anyone if it gets lost and this hack is running.
deedee said:
Not wanting to spoil anyones fun, and i can see why periodic locking of the device is a pain, it is obviously being done for a reason. Bear in mind that it may well be considered a breach of employment contract to circumvent said security measure.
For information i am a BlackBerry Admin and so have a "vested" interest in device security. Just think what "sensitive" detail may be on the device and so open to anyone if it gets lost and this hack is running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true deedee,
Personally I dont use the hack on my company mobile, but on my personal one which i used to use via exchange, the policy lock is still enforced even after removing server details, which is a proper pain. The only real way is a hard reset in my experience. The app does work but wiped out my battery daily (and breaking the said security policies, which you are correct can end in your p45 in the post!!!)
Great words of wisdom as usual!
Been looking for a way to get ride of the pain in the ass device lock.... And this just made my day... thanks alot....
I agree as well. However, isn't there a possibility (via Mortscript or whatever) to disable the locking when running some application (a navigator as mentioned in this message) and to enable it again after quitting?
This way, you don't have the lock while navigating, and the policy is still upheld (unless of course, your mobile gets nicked out of the car while in navigation mode).
THANK YOU!
omg so nice to get rid of that damn phonelock thanks!!
What software security is available/recommended for the Windows Mobile devices like the Touch HD.
The built in password jobbie is naff.. I would like something that once password protected is hard wired into the system so that even if lost and found, no amount of hard resetting will bypass it without a complete ROM update..
At the moment, once set, I can still switch backon and "sometimes" it will ask for the password but if I ignore it, it will stay take me to the last app that was running before it hybernated... cheers.
Best I'm aware of is Sprite Terminator.
Thank you for that, do you know if there any facilities on that product that also work in a day to day basis.. that is something better than what is on the phone for locking down the phone when you are not using it but will fire back up upon passowrd entry.. something better than what the phone has already.. cheers..
Terminator does not. Absent info from someone else here, I think you just need to run a search for what you're looking for. For example, see http://www.freewareppc.com/utilities/utilities_security.shtml
I am getting a password requested when I boot up my phone.
This has been bothering me over the last several days.
It turns out it is forced by an exchange account I have set to synchronize with my phone.
Is there any way to force this password request to be ignored?
It is not the exchange ID password, rather it is a new password that exchange requires to be entered on phone boot-up in order to enforce security on my phone.
I already use pattern lock, so this is redundant... not to mention annoying.
I don't know if it can be bypassed. I'd like to know too, because although convenient for me, I will not put my work email on my device if I am forced to password protect my screen, as was the case with my Samsung Epix. I'd prefer to be forced to enter my credentials each time I were to check my work email than to enter a pass to unlock my screen.
a_fuegon said:
I don't know if it can be bypassed. I'd like to know too, because although convenient for me, I will not put my work email on my device if I am forced to password protect my screen, as was the case with my Samsung Epix. I'd prefer to be forced to enter my credentials each time I were to check my work email than to enter a pass to unlock my screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would think that the pattern lock would satisfy any need for protecting my email from unauthorized use... a 4 digit numeric code is less secure than the pattern lock, which has 9 points and who knows how many possible combinations.
There have been quite a few discussions about this. Lockpicker seems to work but the developer states only for the HTC Sense.
I'm sure IT managers aren't going through any effort to change their security policies and endure all that's involved to change something they feel is currently effective, regardless of the users sentiments. It's up to us the users to find a way to circumvent or deal with it.
a_fuegon said:
There have been quite a few discussions about this. Lockpicker seems to work but the developer states only for the HTC Sense.
I'm sure IT managers aren't going through any effort to change their security policies and endure all that's involved to change something they feel is currently effective, regardless of the users sentiments. It's up to us the users to find a way to circumvent or deal with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is frustrating, given the fact that this is a new change. For the longest time I thought it was something i did while modding my phone.
I will try the "get IT to fix it" route, but I have my doubts anything will come of it.
Otherwise, I will need to get someone to look at lockpicker.
Thanks.
joeybear23 said:
I would think that the pattern lock would satisfy any need for protecting my email from unauthorized use... a 4 digit numeric code is less secure than the pattern lock, which has 9 points and who knows how many possible combinations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with the pattern lock is you can almost always figure out the pattern based on the screen smudge left behind by it.
This could be overcome if the lock screen didn't show up the same way every time. Either larger / smaller scale or in a differnt orientation then the last previous time (sometime upside down and sometimes landscape). Then the smudges would overlap / confuse each other a little bit atleast.
If the e-mail account is a business account and is controlled by an IT group that isn't you, they're protecting their business. They don't want devices out there with no password and an open line to their systems. If you want your phone to sync with their e-mail account, then you have to accept their security requirements. I don't know why everyone thinks that they should be able to bypass an IT groups security requirements simply because they're inconvenienced by a passcode. A middle ground would be a passcode just to read that e-mail account, but I don't think any of the mobile devices offer such a feature. The simplest solution is still simply to not sync that e-mail account or check it as an IMAP account if you can.
Remove IT Security.
There is a way to get rid of this prompt but you will need a SQLDB editor like SQLite and Root explorer or something similar.
if you open up root explorer then go to DBDATA\DATABASES and then browse down to com.android.providers.settings then open settings.db
you will see a list of items, if you go under "system" then scroll 3/4 of the way down you will see the section for ITsecurity policy. [this is what the exchange services enforced on your phone.
if you change the section "devicelock_itpolicy_enabled" from a 1 to a 0 this will obviously disable this policy.
once the change is done you will need to restart your phone and you will notice upon the restart that it does not ask you for the password again.
problem with this is that its a remote policy however and the phone WILL be pushed this information again. [probably after only a day or two of use]
someone could probably write a MCR script to take care of this easily.
I've found the best way for me ot make the change is to copy the settings.db to another folder [like on my SD card] then make the change I need there.. and whenever there is a repush of the policy, I just overwrite the one settings.db with the other.
this is a temporary solution.. but it does get rid of the password policy.
another option maybe setting the timeout value listed below that.. some exchange policy will only check for the "password enabled" portion to be checked. but the default timeout maybe adjusted to something crazy..
default for my org is 40 minutes. [IE 2400 seconds] so adjusting it to 4000 minutes may just make me not worry about this value as much
l7777 said:
If the e-mail account is a business account and is controlled by an IT group that isn't you, they're protecting their business. They don't want devices out there with no password and an open line to their systems. If you want your phone to sync with their e-mail account, then you have to accept their security requirements. I don't know why everyone thinks that they should be able to bypass an IT groups security requirements simply because they're inconvenienced by a passcode. A middle ground would be a passcode just to read that e-mail account, but I don't think any of the mobile devices offer such a feature. The simplest solution is still simply to not sync that e-mail account or check it as an IMAP account if you can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct. They are protecting their interests and spend lots of money doing it.
Now, I did sense a bit of anger or frustration in your post. If so, calm down. These companies have every right to ensure that they deliver their info as securely as possible. Seeing as we do live in a free country, if somone decides they want to circumvent some established policies, then so be it. It'll be them that will have to suffer the consequences of their actions, not you. I for one am annoyed by those security features. Hence the absence of my company email from MY device.
If it bothers you, you do have the right to skip this thread and move on to the next one.
a_fuegon said:
You are correct. They are protecting their interests and spend lots of money doing it.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is funny is the fact that requiring a 4-digit password at boot up does very little to keep unwanted eyes looking at email on a phone.
How often do thieves steal a powered-off phone... Plus it takes only seconds to hack through that anyway.
It's like gun laws: it only creates another hoop to jump through for the people playing by the rules.
joeybear23 said:
What is funny is the fact that requiring a 4-digit password at boot up does very little to keep unwanted eyes looking at email on a phone.
How often do thieves steal a powered-off phone... Plus it takes only seconds to hack through that anyway.
It's like gun laws: it only creates another hoop to jump through for the people playing by the rules.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree - the idea here is to protect data for certain amount of time - it is a barrier, but not made to be foolproof.
Do you leave your house door unlocked? It takes seconds to smash a window or pry a door, so why lock it? You have an alarm? I can turn off the power and cut the phone line from outside - so i just easily circumvented this too. I can shoot or poison the dog, so that is not perfect either.
I like the PIN Lock, and I wish i could add one to my phone. If you lose your phone, you don't want people getting to your stuff before you can wipe it. The PIN does that it, gives you time.
And it is not that easy to bypass unless you keep your phone in USB Debug mode, and even then Android should prompt for the PIN before mounting drives or granting ADB access - if it doesn't then Android has a major security flaw.
The pattern lock is a joke - as mentioned, i can usually see someones pattern. That coupled with the idea, that although there are 9 starting points, the next point is only one of 3 adjacent points, and so on for the next. If it is really complex it becomes hard to remember - unlike numbers which can be many digits long and easy to remember.
I for one am happy to comply with a PIN lock - it keeps people i know from picking up my phone and rooting around.
alphadog00 said:
...
I for one am happy to comply with a PIN lock - it keeps people i know from picking up my phone and rooting around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you power down your phone after every use?
Because this PIN lock only comes up at boot up...
and the numbers are visible when you type them in.
a_fuegon said:
There have been quite a few discussions about this. Lockpicker seems to work but the developer states only for the HTC Sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't work on my captivate, and as I understand it, it shouldn't work on any captivate because it changes Sense-specific settings.
I didn't really read through this thread, but if this is indeed a corporate exchange account, then there is no way around it.
joeybear23 said:
So you power down your phone after every use?
Because this PIN lock only comes up at boot up...
and the numbers are visible when you type them in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On my Samsung Captivate it is requiring it everytime the screen goes blank. With HTC WM phone i was able to set this to 24 hours so it would only ask once a day or on power off then back on. If I could make it prompt just a little less I would be fine with it.
mreevimus said:
On my Samsung Captivate it is requiring it everytime the screen goes blank. With HTC WM phone i was able to set this to 24 hours so it would only ask once a day or on power off then back on. If I could make it prompt just a little less I would be fine with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. Everytime the phone wakes is a big pain. I set my winmo phone for 2 hours.
I also work from a company that does this. Using the standard email app connection to exchange server, it requires the pin unlock when coming out of standby after a certain number of minutes. VERY annoying.
The best way around it will cost you $20. Using Touchdown, the pin unlock is in the app only. It will only prompt you for it when you actually use the app (again after a certain number of minutes).
Well lets assume your android device has been stolen! Good lord !! . Not to worry, this guide should hopefully help you recover it. Even if its a thief.
PS: This contents of this read may bear resemblance to the reddit thread i created
A about two weeks ago (17th April to be exact) one of my friend lost his Samsung GT-I9003 from his dorm room at 0200hrs. Today when i was scanning my latitude, i saw him position a few hundred meters from me. Problem is, we are on a university campus. 500+ students, staff, kitchen, cleaning - basically lot of people. I suggested we check Google Latitiude's location history and sure enough for the past 15 days, the phone's location is spread all over the campus.
Premise of the crime
The phone is ON and is connecting to the Wi-Fi.
The phone is still tied to the primary gmail account and is thus reporting location.
The SIM has been removed or changed since the original number is now switched off
The person does not have good knowledge of using a smart phone (maybe helping staff)
Steps we have taken
Since we assume it is in the possession of either a student or helping staff we don't want to startle him.
Tried Plan-B on my phone. However the location it was reporting was the same as Google Latitude.
The phone does have Where is my Droid installed but the web interface says invalid email ID. So that option is ruled out unless you have pre configured Where is my Droid previously.
How we found the phone
After Where is my Droid failed us, we started looking for other applications. We found this application called Android Lost. Unfortunately we hit a dead end when we realised that it needs to be activated by sending an SMS. Since we dont know the phone number, or that there is even any SIM card in the phone, that application also seemed useless.But turns out the developer of Android Lost has also made a nifty app called AndroidLost Jumpstart which is can trigger Android Lost without the need of an SMS.
According to the description
This app will wake up the registration process on the androidlost app when ever a phone call is made, an SMS received, battery is low, a package is added, removed or changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So we got android lost installed. Trust me, its a life saver. We got calls logs, sms, pictures, voice recordings. We tracked the person with the help of this.
Hope this helps anyone in the future!
maverick340 said:
Well lets assume your android device has been stolen! Good lord !! . Not to worry, this guide should hopefully help you recover it. Even if its a thief.
PS: This contents of this read may bear resemblance to the reddit thread i created
A about two weeks ago (17th April to be exact) one of my friend lost his Samsung GT-I9003 from his dorm room at 0200hrs. Today when i was scanning my latitude, i saw him position a few hundred meters from me. Problem is, we are on a university campus. 500+ students, staff, kitchen, cleaning - basically lot of people. I suggested we check Google Latitiude's location history and sure enough for the past 15 days, the phone's location is spread all over the campus.
Premise of the crime
The phone is ON and is connecting to the Wi-Fi.
The phone is still tied to the primary gmail account and is thus reporting location.
The SIM has been removed or changed since the original number is now switched off
The person does not have good knowledge of using a smart phone (maybe helping staff)
Steps we have taken
Since we assume it is in the possession of either a student or helping staff we don't want to startle him.
Tried Plan-B on my phone. However the location it was reporting was the same as Google Latitude.
The phone does have Where is my Droid installed but the web interface says invalid email ID. So that option is ruled out unless you have pre configured Where is my Droid previously.
How we found the phone
After Where is my Droid failed us, we started looking for other applications. We found this application called Android Lost. Unfortunately we hit a dead end when we realised that it needs to be activated by sending an SMS. Since we dont know the phone number, or that there is even any SIM card in the phone, that application also seemed useless.But turns out the developer of Android Lost has also made a nifty app called AndroidLost Jumpstart which is can trigger Android Lost without the need of an SMS.
According to the description
So we got android lost installed. Trust me, its a life saver. We got calls logs, sms, pictures, voice recordings. We tracked the person with the help of this.
Hope this helps anyone in the future!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or install Avast anti theft before your phone gets stolen ;D never the less, very useful, thank you.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
okmijnlp said:
Or install Avast anti theft before your phone gets stolen ;D never the less, very useful, thank you.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep always good to be safe before hand. After this incident lot of my friends have installed or gotten some security app.
Although, aren't security suite like Avast, McAfee and overkill for finding lost phones?
And who was the thief?
Sent from my LG Optimus 2x with xda premium app
another possibility is to instal Cerberus App
Hi everyone. I have recently been the victim of theft for my nexus 7. I had the device locked with the pattern so there is no way that the thief could get into it unless they do a software reset from the recovery mode. The thing is, either way there is no way i would be able to recover it because if in fact they do a factory reset my lookout security would be uninstalled and my nexus would be lost forever, also if they can't get through the pattern and find a way to connect to Wi-Fi, it will still be lost forever. I have read about installing lookout in the system/app folder of a rooted device so its not easily uninstalled by normal means or factory reset. But do you think it is possible to have android lost and lookout pre-configured and installed in the system/app folder so that even if the device is factory reset, the credentials will remain?
is it factory-reset proof?
Just a quick little question: How did you get the phone to register on Android Lost? I can't get a friend's phone to be recognized in the web app, after installing the Jumpstart and another app...
Thank you
Very good contribution, gratz! i will follow your steps in case my android get stolen!
How did it fail?
You say that "after Where's my Droid failed us"...what do you mean by that...how did it "fail"? I would like to know before installing it. What exactly happened that it "failed" you?
Thanks
Losing a phone is irritating
I lost my phone sometime back. I didn't have the time to do research and maybe these apps weren't available at the time of theft. I got the SIM de-activated and tried to track my phone via IMEI number.
So, a few questions
1. Have they changed its IMEI number ?
2. Have they removed my Google account ?
This pretty much messes it up. If you can't track it via IMEI nor can you use any network then its as good as history. These were the only remaining identification tags that could have got your phone back and the thief would know of it. The moment I called on my own number he switched it off. He logged into my account and posted crap(not that I knew any of it had it not been for my friend who reported some strange FB and Twitter status) as if it wasn't enough that he had my phone.
One of the most disturbing things that they can do is play with the IMEI. Older phones were more susceptible to that kind of thing but a Nexus ? P990 ? GT19100? I thought they were much harder to hack. Not only can you NOT track your phone but also lose all other alternatives because the phone is now linked to another google account. I was searching for a post that would walk me through a process of changing the google account currently associated with the phone. In an attempt to understand if this indeed was the case. I wanted to try this app so badly but now I blew it off, my only chance.
Hardware based identification is the only way to go about fixing this issue. Any low level process that runs off some hard coded tag independent of software control known only to the owner of the phone. I just don't know what other options are left with person who lost it. I think there is no other way.
Time for a new phone, I guess
Edit: I guess I was right about that. They had done a hard reset but the IMEI associated with my account is intact. So there are two ways of messing it up. One, you change the IMEI(which sounds ridiculously dumb). Second, you change the primary account(more believable). How stupid of me to think of the first one
i think if a android phone is lost and a guy with a bit knowledge of flashin roms gets it then we might have to forget our phone.. if the phone has screen lock the guy can reset the phone through stock recovery and all security apps like where's my droid,avast etc get wiped off.. i personally don't install any anti-theft apps. i beleive in being EXTRA CAREFUL than installing any anti theft apps
And you are damn right bro, its good to be careful than putting all your believe in one anti-THEFT software which can easily get wiped off.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
That's useful, thanks !
How did you get the Logs.
Hi Maverik,
My phone was robbed yesterday & the SIM card was removed,
I wanted to know how were you able to get the call logs, pics etc of your lost phone to ........
Very useful! Thanks!
we have Find My Phone
you can have a try
Find My Phone - find your misplaced phone/stolen phone/lost phone easily
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phonefindandlock
Thanks for share your experience with AndroidLost.
Inviato dal mio K00E utilizzando Tapatalk
AndroFind is the best
i highly recommend AndroFind to find stolen phone.
you can find it in android market :good:
Hi, but It's possible to find any kind of phone also with older Android version?
Thanks!
Hi developpers. I
My droid phone verson 4.1.2 was stolen last friday. But I was able to track the phone, confront with the thief and recover my phone two days later.
And that's why I am writing in this forum, because I want to share my experience and see if things can be done.....
The thief, stupid guy, removed all my sim cards (dual sim) and removed the memory card, but failed to do the necessary resets and did not remove my google account.
I don't want any lock screen system on my phone. And I strongly recommend everybody not to put a lock screen protection on your phone, because if there is one, the phone might just end straight into the trash bin, and you'll be left with no chance to find back your beloved Droid.
Let the thief in his beliefs it's his lucky day.... he has a nice unprotected full useable phone....
Also have Remotely locate this device enabled in the google settings, or get one of these hidden tracking apps on your phon.. Also enable allow remote lock and factory resets. The thief was so stupid he forgot to disable this feature of the phone.
Now here is my point. The Google Settings should be password protected. And it should be a shared password with the phone settings/Personal/ BACKUP AND RESET option.
At least, password protecting these two sections of the phone will avoid the thief to:
1. Disable the geo location of your phone
2. Doing a factory reset or remove any of the accounts on your phone.
Unless the thief is also a hacker, you will always be able to track your phone and get it back.
In my case, I tracked down the thief, up to 4m accuracy. I also have a Bluetooth speaker. I went to the Geo location and my Bluetooth speaker confirmed big time the phone was at this location.
Another thing to consider is to build INTO the OS itself is the option to track your phone. There are many programs on Google Play, but they can all be removed easily with a simple factory reset. This kind of software should be build in INTO the phone's OS itself.
Good luck to all of you who get your phone stolen!
oz457 said:
Hi developpers. I
My droid phone verson 4.1.2 was stolen last friday. But I was able to track the phone, confront with the thief and recover my phone two days later.
And that's why I am writing in this forum, because I want to share my experience and see if things can be done.....
The thief, stupid guy, removed all my sim cards (dual sim) and removed the memory card, but failed to do the necessary resets and did not remove my google account.
I don't want any lock screen system on my phone. And I strongly recommend everybody not to put a lock screen protection on your phone, because if there is one, the phone might just end straight into the trash bin, and you'll be left with no chance to find back your beloved Droid.
Let the thief in his beliefs it's his lucky day.... he has a nice unprotected full useable phone....
Also have Remotely locate this device enabled in the google settings, or get one of these hidden tracking apps on your phon.. Also enable allow remote lock and factory resets. The thief was so stupid he forgot to disable this feature of the phone.
Now here is my point. The Google Settings should be password protected. And it should be a shared password with the phone settings/Personal/ BACKUP AND RESET option.
At least, password protecting these two sections of the phone will avoid the thief to:
1. Disable the geo location of your phone
2. Doing a factory reset or remove any of the accounts on your phone.
Unless the thief is also a hacker, you will always be able to track your phone and get it back.
In my case, I tracked down the thief, up to 4m accuracy. I also have a Bluetooth speaker. I went to the Geo location and my Bluetooth speaker confirmed big time the phone was at this location.
Another thing to consider is to build INTO the OS itself is the option to track your phone. There are many programs on Google Play, but they can all be removed easily with a simple factory reset. This kind of software should be build in INTO the phone's OS itself.
Good luck to all of you who get your phone stolen!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is why you should use Software to prevent this. There are lots of tracking/AntiThief Software available. Noone will put it to trash when its locked,
mynote said:
This is why you should use Software to prevent this. There are lots of tracking/AntiThief Software available. Noone will put it to trash when its locked,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The question is if software will really help....
You're lucky.
The thief, stupid guy. If He smart than, he can google and reboot your phone in to recovery, and he can Wipe all of your data.
And your phone will gone forever
andy-q said:
The question is if software will really help....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. It is. 9 of 10 of my customers are happy and got ist device back after stolen/lost.
Just for the statistics..
The only shortcoming with the tracking/remote lock/wipe abilities is that they can still be defeated through CWM or whatever recovery is being used. That said, in most situations involving theft the thief doesn't have this level of knowledge to consider this step.
What's interesting to me is that so many people still steal phones for personal use, but I guess the stolen ESN database isn't far reaching enough yet to make it a stolen phone worthless for use yet. There is still some cash to be made selling them off for the hardware, but grabbing someone's phone doesn't seem worth a felony IMO.
As to the OP, a lock screen isn't worthless, especially if you have a non-removable battery. Most phones with them--an active lock screen I mean--either won't allow or can be set to disallow the phone being turned off without the code/pattern/password being entered, meaning if your phone is tossed in the trash it can still be recovered. That is one feature that will always make an integrated battery a plus. Even without one, there's the chance that the thief isn't going to take the time to pull the battery once he see's there's active security anyway.
MissionImprobable said:
The only shortcoming with the tracking/remote lock/wipe abilities is that they can still be defeated through CWM or whatever recovery is being used. That said, in most situations involving theft the thief doesn't have this level of knowledge to consider this step.
What's interesting to me is that so many people still steal phones for personal use, but I guess the stolen ESN database isn't far reaching enough yet to make it a stolen phone worthless for use yet. There is still some cash to be made selling them off for the hardware, but grabbing someone's phone doesn't seem worth a felony IMO.
As to the OP, a lock screen isn't worthless, especially if you have a non-removable battery. Most phones with them--an active lock screen I mean--either won't allow or can be set to disallow the phone being turned off without the code/pattern/password being entered, meaning if your phone is tossed in the trash it can still be recovered. That is one feature that will always make an integrated battery a plus. Even without one, there's the chance that the thief isn't going to take the time to pull the battery once he see's there's active security anyway.
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yeah, true. Anyway. Even if you are just loosing your phone instead of getting stolen..
I consider that the thief will trash the phone when there is a lockscreen. Mostly the thief will try to look for "Reset-Possibilities". If you have a good AntiThief Software you may also disable the lockscreen when you feel that its the only way to get it back.
Anyway, there is Google Android Device Manager now which can get your device back easily..
When stolen/lost phone comes back I would check it for spyware
2 stolen phones never came back to me. :'(
Grievances. RIP .
alaminok said:
2 stolen phones never came back to me. :'(
Grievances. RIP .
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I never got my stolen items back either but grats to the OP
This is the perfect thread for a question I've had ever since I came to the Android family from my iPhone.
On my Jailbroken iPhone I was able to download an app that took a picture with the front camera and sent it to the email of my choice every time the wrong password was entered, the photo came along with the GPS location of the phone and time.
Is there anything like this available for us
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk now Free
yoboyheartless said:
This is the perfect thread for a question I've had ever since I came to the Android family from my iPhone.
On my Jailbroken iPhone I was able to download an app that took a picture with the front camera and sent it to the email of my choice every time the wrong password was entered, the photo came along with the GPS location of the phone and time.
Is there anything like this available for us
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk now Free
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Here Try Ceberus, its a paid app but worth it and you can have up to 5 devices at once, it even disguies itself as a system app you can view calls, text messages and even make the phone call any other phone track it via GPS..... a bunch of features
(Heres some features It has three ways to protect your device:
- Remote control through the website www.cerberusapp.com
- Remote control via text messages
- SIM Checker (for devices that have a SIM card): you will automatically receive alerts if someone uses your phone with an unauthorized SIM card
Remote control allows you to perform many operations on your device, like:
- Locate and track it
- Start a loud alarm, even if the device is set to silent mode
- Wipe the internal memory and the SD card
- Hide Cerberus from the app drawer
- Lock the device with a code
- Record audio from the microphone
- Get a list of last calls sent and received
- Get information about network and operator the device is connected to
- And much more!)
Link---> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lsdroid.cerberus
if thieves are smart, they would have been reading xda
but thanks
If thieves were smart, they would be educated enough to get a job and buy their own sh*t!
I use Cerberus as well on both my droids. Very neat app, and even more advanced than FindMyiPhone or whatever it's called again. Recommended with root for all features though.
Glad you got lucky and a non-tech savvy thief stole your phone.
cerberus
Cerberus celebrates 3rd birthday with free licenses for the next 30 hours
http://phandroid.com/2014/04/24/cerberus-3rd-birthday-free-license/
I had a phone lost/stolen. It is such a personal item it is like having your wallet stolen. Fortunately I never use the remember password feature for any apps, and have an encrypted password file I keep up to date and backed up.When I lost my phone I went to all the sites and changed my passwords. What a pia, but it is some peace of mind. Took many hours.
With t-mo, they have this feature available that takes a picture after 5 mis-trys and emails it along with the location, T-mo will also erase the phone and reset the lock screen pattern, It works pretty good because I have sent numerous pics of myself from fatfingerin the unlock.and checked the map to verify.
I prefer Cerberus...
oz457 said:
Hi developpers. I
My droid phone verson 4.1.2 was stolen last friday. But I was able to track the phone, confront with the thief and recover my phone two days later.
And that's why I am writing in this forum, because I want to share my experience and see if things can be done.....
The thief, stupid guy, removed all my sim cards (dual sim) and removed the memory card, but failed to do the necessary resets and did not remove my google account.
I don't want any lock screen system on my phone. And I strongly recommend everybody not to put a lock screen protection on your phone, because if there is one, the phone might just end straight into the trash bin, and you'll be left with no chance to find back your beloved Droid.
Let the thief in his beliefs it's his lucky day.... he has a nice unprotected full useable phone....
Also have Remotely locate this device enabled in the google settings, or get one of these hidden tracking apps on your phon.. Also enable allow remote lock and factory resets. The thief was so stupid he forgot to disable this feature of the phone.
Now here is my point. The Google Settings should be password protected. And it should be a shared password with the phone settings/Personal/ BACKUP AND RESET option.
At least, password protecting these two sections of the phone will avoid the thief to:
1. Disable the geo location of your phone
2. Doing a factory reset or remove any of the accounts on your phone.
Unless the thief is also a hacker, you will always be able to track your phone and get it back.
In my case, I tracked down the thief, up to 4m accuracy. I also have a Bluetooth speaker. I went to the Geo location and my Bluetooth speaker confirmed big time the phone was at this location.
Another thing to consider is to build INTO the OS itself is the option to track your phone. There are many programs on Google Play, but they can all be removed easily with a simple factory reset. This kind of software should be build in INTO the phone's OS itself.
Good luck to all of you who get your phone stolen!
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Thank you so much for all the info. My biggest concern would be confronting the thief. What did you do? Wait for them to leave their house/apartment and confront them? Or did you confront them in some other way? I guess I would struggle between wanting my beloved phone back and being worried about the thief being a crazy person who might shoot me or something.
This Was Very Helpful
This is Very Helpful, We Wish We Had Known this when we had our phone stolen, I spent endless hours trying to locate my phone to no avail, thank goodness the Police were able to recuperate the phone, but only because the thief had stolen a number of other devices in the area, if I had known this information I would have saved myself hours of frustration !! BTW, Thank You For Sharing This !