Database Info

Stolen phone

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Help with lost IMEI on fake Lenovo S850c clone

Greetings everyone,
I have an issue i have been trying to combat for a full week now, so i am now based on your expertise to resolve my situation. I have a friend who has bought a fake lenovo clone with the model code S850c. Because the firmware it shipped with was fulled to the brim with bloatware and popups, he asked me to flash another ROM using SP Flash tool. Since it is not a legit model, i only found a couple of ROMS which actually worked.
In between firmware flashes, i had to do a "Format all and flash", which also resulted in the IMEI numbers originally binded with the phone to be deleted. However, I am not able to restore them, because i ommited writing them down before flashing the phone. As a result, the phone recongnises the SIM card but is unable to register to any network. Naturally, i went into engineering mode and punched in the 2 IMEI numbers located under the battery(it is dual SIM), but they must be invalid, since the phone will still not register and imei.info cannot recongnise them.
As a last resort, i also tried to input IMEI numbers from old working phones i have in my drawer, but i still experience the same behaviour. Is there any way to find the original IMEI numbers again or i am doomed? Also, with known working IMEI failed to work?

Only ways xda will advise is to restore a backup that should have been made or to return it to the oem.
Messing with the imei in anyway is illegal in most countries so the above is the only ways xda allows to be talked about.

Thanks for the tip, but I can provide proof that my statements are true and the devices are not stolen, if that is required. I am by no means a thief, i just want to correct a mistake i made in the first place.
In addition, what i asked is about another way to retrieve the IMEI that ORIGINALLY came with the device in order to restore it, without having a backup beforehand. As i mentioned before, the ones under the battery are NOT blacklisted, they are simply fake ones.
With that said, i understand and respect XDA's rules and policies.

DarksonDAP said:
Thanks for the tip, but I can provide proof that my statements are true and the devices are not stolen, if that is required. I am by no means a thief, i just want to correct a mistake i made in the first place.
In addition, what i asked is about another way to retrieve the IMEI that ORIGINALLY came with the device in order to restore it, without having a backup beforehand. As i mentioned before, the ones under the battery are NOT blacklisted, they are simply fake ones.
With that said, i understand and respect XDA's rules and policies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure you can. That wasn't a question really. The biggest issue is that any of the tools that might even help you are illegal so you understand the hard place xda is in. Your issue will be most likely the fact that it is a knock off which will mean that it doesn't have a valid imei to begin with. See if you can track down a stock OS for it in another site. (you won't find one here) and see if flashing it will bring it back. Other then that I would send it back and get it replaced but to be honest, with clones you are best off not touching them.

ok i see, thank you so much for your help! I hope i did not sound agressive in my reply, but i was really desperate for a solution
Best regards!

Help with Data Recovery

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

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

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

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Friend may be screwed - bypass Factory Reset Protection ( FRP ) on Pixel 3

One of my coworkers who is a nice guy, and far too naive and trusting to be using craigslist, bought a Pixel 3. His coming from an iPhone 5 and I guess the sim cards are different sizes. He took the sellers word for it and bought the phone. When he got home and tried setting it up while on wi-fi, it said that the phone was factory reset and needed to be signed in by the previous user. Naturally the guy has gone dark and is no longer responding to my coworker. After calling Google and having them turn him down for assistance, he prayed on it (I'm not even joking) and he remembered I routinely tinker with my phones.
I know it sounds sketchy whenever anyone asks how to bypass protections and I fully understand not wanting to help because others may see it. I have done searches on how to do this, but I am not having much luck. I do not know what version of Android this phone has on it, but I would assume Pie. I have't run stock for any longer than it takes to unlock the bootloader. I will provide any information I can. While I am not very active on the forum, I am a relatively long time member with no history of shady crap.
Any help or guidance would be very much appreciated!

It'll make a great paperweight at this point. The FRP is on there for a reason. Regardless weather he stole it, the seller stole it or you stole it, it still makes a great paperweight.

FilthyFord said:
It'll make a great paperweight at this point. The FRP is on there for a reason. Regardless weather he stole it, the seller stole it or you stole it, it still makes a great paperweight.
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Click to collapse
I was afraid of that.

He should turn in to police, with a description and whatever contact information he had for seller. Definitely stolen property.

It may not be stolen if FRP is tripped. That will happen if you reset the phone and don't remove the Google account first. Of course seller going dark is a big clue that it may be stolen.

MOD ACTION:
Thread closed.
Asking for help and helping to bypass security is not encouraged on XDA, especially since there is no way to ascertain if the request is genuine or not.

NED SERIOUS HELP!

So my brother passed away back at the end of November under very strange circumstances. There may have been malice in his passing due to the people he was with at the time. Before his death he had recently gotten a new LG VELVET phone. I personally know nothing about those particular phones, however I do consider myself to be somewhat knowledgeable with electronics/phones. The State bureau of investigation tried to get into his phone but say they could not at this time. So if anyone on here could please help us, PLEASE get into his phone. He has a PIN code set for his lock screen. We’ve tried and tried to no avail. We obviously need any information that is on there in case it’ll bring us to some concrete evidence, so the factory reset is not an option. Thank you I’m advance.

Hi,
First of all I'm so sorry for your loss, I never had any brothers or sisters. I don't have a 'snap' answer, but the great thing is the fact that there's a wealth of information available on the internet. Three option's come to my mind at the moment (1) Contact LG directly & see if they can suggest a method to get the phone unlocked, (2) Perform a google search for the needed information, (3) Perform a factory reset on the phone, of course by performing a factory reset it restores the phone to a like new condition & you wouldn't have to have a passcode then. And of course another xda forum member might offer you a valid solution. I have the same phone & since I'm the only user I don't use a screen lock or a pass code.
David