Remote phone access features.
I am surprised MS are not advertising their features which match HTCSense.com
HTC seem to be making a big deal about Remote location, Ringing and Erasing your HTC Desire HD or Desire Z from a browser.
I was really pleased to discover matching features at windowsphone.live.com.
Using Find My Phone on the website you can:
- Map it (to catch thieves...)
- Ring it (to locate in the sofa)
- Lock it (with onscreen message)
- Erase it
On activation the Microsoft sytem warns that it works via a hidden text message based system instead of the HTC equivalent which seems to work on mobile data, and so it takes about 30 seconds for the Windows version wheres HTCSense.com takes about 2 seconds to perform each task.
What do you think of their systems?
Q1) What if the phone can't get a data connection?
Is Microsoft GSM SMS method is better?
Q2) What if a thief changes the SIM card?
Does the HTC method still work via a phone identifier, where MS is perhaps linked to the phone number?
I wonder how they work...
Still, I am pleased! Very cool feature to have provided by the operating system and not a third party app.
I read somewhere (can't remember where) that you can change this setting so it uses the 'push' functionality to react faster, but uses more battery.
evilangelic said:
Remote phone access features.
I am surprised MS are not advertising their features which match HTCSense.com
HTC seem to be making a big deal about Remote location, Ringing and Erasing your HTC Desire HD or Desire Z from a browser.
I was really pleased to discover matching features at windowsphone.live.com.
Using Find My Phone on the website you can:
- Map it (to catch thieves...)
- Ring it (to locate in the sofa)
- Lock it (with onscreen message)
- Erase it
On activation the Microsoft sytem warns that it works via a hidden text message based system instead of the HTC equivalent which seems to work on mobile data, and so it takes about 30 seconds for the Windows version wheres HTCSense.com takes about 2 seconds to perform each task.
What do you think of their systems?
Q1) What if the phone can't get a data connection?
Is Microsoft GSM SMS method is better?
Q2) What if a thief changes the SIM card?
Does the HTC method still work via a phone identifier, where MS is perhaps linked to the phone number?
I wonder how they work...
Still, I am pleased! Very cool feature to have provided by the operating system and not a third party app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of this crap matters. If I find a GSM phone I'm going to remove the SIM card and factory reset it. Anyone that isn't retarded will do the same thing. If you care about people using/reselling you device if you lose it or get it stolen, you have no business getting a GSM phone.
Any thief or person who finds a nice device will immediately turn the phone off and both remove the SIM Card and factory reset it. Then they will pay $15 to get it unlocked and make bank with it on CraigsList or eBay.
No Cell Carrier will cooperate with police to track that phone. T-Mobile has even defied sopoenas citing "privacy issues."
As to you two quetions. None of them matter - at ALL. The phone is turned off and factory reset ASAP when it is stolen or found by someone in 95% of cases. There are very few nice people when they find or take something and no one sees them. They will wipe the phone, remove the SIM, and either keep or sell it.
Only way to be secure is to either have an iPhone or get a CDMA device. That way the phone becomes useless (unless jailbroken for iPhone, but EINs are marked dirty and the devices become useless other than as WiFi devices) and they can only profit off of it through scamming others (or selling it for parts?).
After my experience with getting my Vibrant stolen, and what I've learned... I'm definitely going with a CDMA carrier the second I can (and ETFing T-Mobile). The fact that US Carriers don't work together like Europe makes it a market for thieves and resellers. Privacy laws even protect the thieves, here.
Kinda Disagree on this
N8ter said:
None of this crap matters. If I find a GSM phone I'm going to remove the SIM card and factory reset it. Anyone that isn't retarded will do the same thing. If you care about people using/reselling you device if you lose it or get it stolen, you have no business getting a GSM phone.
Any thief or person who finds a nice device will immediately turn the phone off and both remove the SIM Card and factory reset it. Then they will pay $15 to get it unlocked and make bank with it on CraigsList or eBay.
No Cell Carrier will cooperate with police to track that phone. T-Mobile has even defied sopoenas citing "privacy issues."
As to you two quetions. None of them matter - at ALL. The phone is turned off and factory reset ASAP when it is stolen or found by someone in 95% of cases. There are very few nice people when they find or take something and no one sees them. They will wipe the phone, remove the SIM, and either keep or sell it.
Only way to be secure is to either have an iPhone or get a CDMA device. That way the phone becomes useless (unless jailbroken for iPhone, but EINs are marked dirty and the devices become useless other than as WiFi devices) and they can only profit off of it through scamming others (or selling it for parts?).
After my experience with getting my Vibrant stolen, and what I've learned... I'm definitely going with a CDMA carrier the second I can (and ETFing T-Mobile). The fact that US Carriers don't work together like Europe makes it a market for thieves and resellers. Privacy laws even protect the thieves, here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some of this is correct but is heavily assuming that the person who takes the device has some knowledge of its functions and of smartphone use in general.
There has been some theft of devices in AU recently where the thieves have been caught due to lack of knowledge of the device they had stolen. It did in fact lead the cops to where they were. They had basically just replaced the sim and done nothing else to the phone.
This of course maybe different in the US and of course powered off it ain't calling anybody.
Incorrect. It's not hard to know what to do here.
If it says Verizon or Sprint (Includes Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, etc.), the phone is worthless if they report it stolen, aside froma WiFi media device because the ESN will be marked dirty and it won't be able to activate after the owner calls it in as Lost or Stolen.
If it says T-Mobile or AT&T, you have hit the jackpot. GSM Carriers here allow any stolen devices on their network, without prejudice. I've already spoken to T-Mobile about this, because my first Vibrant was stolen. Their words, "If you didn't have a lock code on your phone, or the new owner resets it, it's their phone." With Cloud-based storage of info the information on the phone isn't an issue, it's the $500 piece of hardware that just went bye bye that's the issue (assuming you put your Photos in Picasa/FB/SkyDrive and don't let them rot on the phone's storage, of course).
Turn phone off. Remove Sim Card. Pay $10-20 for an unlock code. List on eBay. Profit?
Yes, there are dumb people anywhere. But anyone in the projects around here who has at least a 3rd grade education will shut that phone down and have it on eBay (probably from the Public Library computers) within a matter of hours. GPS Tracking and things like MyPhone won't help with that once they reset the phone (which is easier as ever these days, since everyone is putting it in as a simple menu option that is trivial to find).
Best way to get the phone back is to have been robbed or something. If you get injured badly enough the cops and the carriers will actually track the phone down. Cops here don't track phones unless it's a life or death situation. If you allow someone to use that phone without calling the carrier ASAP to get the line suspended, you can - and will - be held liable for whatever that person does on the phone. Have fun paying for every ringtone, wallpaper, etc. and all the overages they used on the account (i.e. if they used your phone to tether a torrent client on their laptop/notebook on AT&T with a 200MB data plan).
mobile me from apple is exactly similar to microsoft's devices.live.com service...
many many times theifs have been caught using gps tracking...majority of theives are idiots and don't know what they are doing...
also GSM phones are just as secure...just because t-mobile refuses to do something does not means GSM is insecure...IMEI can be blocked from the network very easily and is done on a regular basis in NZ if phone is stolen...
If you live in Australia you can contact your carrier and have the phone blocked by using the IMEI number.
The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) runs a world-leading anti-theft program at no cost to consumers. It works by detecting a mobile phone's electronic serial number, known as the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, then sharing this information with carriers to block handsets across all networks in Australia.
Here is a link to check it out:
http://www.lost.amta.org.au/
powersquad said:
mobile me from apple is exactly similar to microsoft's devices.live.com service...
many many times theifs have been caught using gps tracking...majority of theives are idiots and don't know what they are doing...
also GSM phones are just as secure...just because t-mobile refuses to do something does not means GSM is insecure...IMEI can be blocked from the network very easily and is done on a regular basis in NZ if phone is stolen...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im talking about the usa. No gsm carrier blocks imeis here. I thought I made that crystal clear in my us/europe comparisons.
They arent tracking a phone here without a court supoena and myphone/mobileme are useless vs 99% of thieves.
Majority of thieves arent idiots. Vast majority of stolen phones are never recovered. Theyre as easy to steal as a netbook and a phone locked there can still be used np in the us, which is why stealing gsm phones are profitable.
There are no inter-carrier databases for logging blacklisted imeis here, like there is in europe.
Lots of stolen phones also goto asia.
I hope that explains my stance. Yes. Gsm is less secure than cdma because the phones can be unlocked and used in other markets easily, unlike cdma. That portability is a blessing and a curse to gsm...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
N8ter said:
Im talking about the usa. No gsm carrier blocks imeis here. I thought I made that crystal clear in my us/europe comparisons.
They arent tracking a phone here without a court supoena and myphone/mobileme are useless vs 99% of thieves. Seriously, good luck getting said supoena... Maybe if your Barack Obama you will get it.
Majority of thieves arent idiots. Vast majority of stolen phones are never recovered. Theyre as easy to steal as a netbook and a phone locked there can still be used np in the us, which is why stealing gsm phones are profitable.
There are no inter-carrier databases for logging blacklisted imeis here, like there is in europe.
Lots of stolen phones also goto asia.
I hope that explains my stance. Yes. Gsm is less secure than cdma because the phones can be unlocked and used in other markets easily, unlike cdma. That portability is a blessing and a curse to gsm...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
N8ter said:
Im talking about the usa. No gsm carrier blocks imeis here. I thought I made that crystal clear in my us/europe comparisons.
They arent tracking a phone here without a court supoena and myphone/mobileme are useless vs 99% of thieves.
Majority of thieves arent idiots. Vast majority of stolen phones are never recovered. Theyre as easy to steal as a netbook and a phone locked there can still be used np in the us, which is why stealing gsm phones are profitable.
There are no inter-carrier databases for logging blacklisted imeis here, like there is in europe.
Lots of stolen phones also goto asia.
I hope that explains my stance. Yes. Gsm is less secure than cdma because the phones can be unlocked and used in other markets easily, unlike cdma. That portability is a blessing and a curse to gsm...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're incorrect about cdma. All you have to do is flash the phone to another carrier such as Cricket, Metro, or Boost. Companies that don't care about the ESN numbers.
Related
Samsung agreed to add a remote kill switch to their Android phones. This is supposed to make a stolen phone useless to resell. My question is... Is this even possible? Wouldn't anything they do be able to be either hacked or overridden by simply reflashing the phone? Would they have to do something that physically damages the phone to kill it? Any thoughts on this?
richb500 said:
Samsung agreed to add a remote kill switch to their Android phones. This is supposed to make a stolen phone useless to resell. My question is... Is this even possible? Wouldn't anything they do be able to be either hacked or overridden by simply reflashing the phone? Would they have to do something that physically damages the phone to kill it? Any thoughts on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are namy ways Samsung could do this, from remotely wiping the IMEI which would prevent it from being used to using something hidden in the one of the unrightable partitions that would completely disable the phone and remotely brick it.
Or maybe just convert all the partitions to RAW format. Which is another way of bricking it.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
If they did this, would it be irreversible? How is that better than someone stealing my phone and my never getting it back? Either way I'd be out a phone. Wouldn't that be like requiring car manufacturers rigging a car to burn up if stolen?
I hope this is optional because I personally don't want anyone having a remote kill switch to my phone.
richb500 said:
If they did this, would it be irreversible? How is that better than someone stealing my phone and my never getting it back? Either way I'd be out a phone. Wouldn't that be like requiring car manufacturers rigging a car to burn up if stolen?
I hope this is optional because I personally don't want anyone having a remote kill switch to my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not. The only way they could track it would be by IMEI but this can be changed. To be honest if you phone is stolen your best bet would be report it stolen and forget about it. There is almost no chance to get it back and if you do everything will be erased anyway.
Wayne Tech Nexus
The deal is to stop the phone from getting stolen in the first place. Right now, if somebody steals a phone, they can sell/use it. There is no motivation to steal it if you know it won't work. If it bricks after getting lost until you enter your Google login or something you at least have a shot at getting it back.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Not to sound too paranoid, but I think the plan is much more sinister. Remember a couple years ago when the gov shut down cell service (I think it was San Francisco) to quell a protest? I think this is what is really at the heart to why these AGs are so hell bent on this. A lot of government officials would love a remote kill switch in cell phones. If there is a kill switch, it's sure to be abused some day. Thus country is headed for a revolution and they are putting a lot of things in place for when that day comes.... gun control, cameras everywhere, gov buying so much ammo that there is a shortage, etc.
The way Apple appears to be complimenting it, is the phone is bricked after wiping until the account that previously owned it puts in their password. That leaves the power in the owners hand, not some remote teleco/govt kill switch.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
All they can do is make the IMEI useless....I already ran into this...I bought a phone from a local computer dealer and took it to an ATT store to have a micro sim put in it, and it did work for about 5 minutes till the IMEI hit the system and it stops you from making calls with the phone. I called ATT and they were like sorry there is nothing we can do and we wont do it, take the phone back where you got it and get your money back (which I did)
carriers say no
http://www.talkandroid.com/184987-u...l-switch-that-would-prevent-smartphone-theft/
dligon said:
http://www.talkandroid.com/184987-u...l-switch-that-would-prevent-smartphone-theft/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
richb500 said:
Samsung agreed to add a remote kill switch to their Android phones. This is supposed to make a stolen phone useless to resell. My question is... Is this even possible? Wouldn't anything they do be able to be either hacked or overridden by simply reflashing the phone? Would they have to do something that physically damages the phone to kill it? Any thoughts on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess what? http://www.techradar.com/us/news/ph...n-up-for-anti-theft-phone-kill-switch-1242938
I'm not an expert on this field, but these are the questions that come to my head as I think about the logistics to support a kill switch. I'm probably wrong in some of the assumptions that I'm making here. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Telcos don't have an incentive to make this work. It has always been possible for a Telco to disable an IMEI at their end thus making any particular IMEI unusable in their network. They already do this when you call them to report your phone stolen. If a worldwide database of stolen phone IMEIs existed then Telcos could have the ability to disable any IMEI in that database. The issue is... who would be responsible for maintaining such database and for the problems that will certainly come up due to inaccuracies and timing of updates (Telco, Government entity, phone manufacturer or a third party) . Can the maintaining entity monetize the overhead of maintaining and supporting such database? Who would pay for it? Who makes the final ruling to include or exclude an IMEI? The end user?... I doubt it. Where would the master database copy reside? And of course... would Telcos in all countries support it? Remember, the Telcos make money off any phone that is active in their network (stolen or not). All they care about is that the user of any active phone in their network is paying the network usage bill. For Telcos the more IMEIs that exists and that can be connected to their network... the better.
I can think of a bunch of issues that could come up when the end user is able to disable the actual phone. I doubt the user would be able to disable the IMEI remotely unless they own the phone and the telco allow it. The issue in the US is that a lot of the phones are subsidized (owned) by the Telco for the duration of the contract. So, in the case that the phone is subsidized the Telco should also have the right to trip the kill switch. I'm assuming that the phone kill switch will be tied to a password known to the rightful owner and "maybe" the renter. The password will render the phone unusable unless the correct password is entered. I'm assuming that if a phone on contract is stolen then the user would either contact the Telco or trip the switch via the Internet. (Lookout and other apps do something similar remotely, but they only wipe the phone.. they do not disable it) If the Telco also has the ability to disable the phone then if the bill isn't paid not only will they disconnect you, but they will also render your phone useless. Good bye data and apps. I also assume that the ability to trip the kill switch remotely would also depend on the network on which the phone is connected. The IMEI (physical address) is translated to an IP address when using the Internet. If I steal a phone in the US and keep it turned off until I register it in a Telco in another country how will the owner trip the kill switch as only the Telco would know which IP address is associated with the IMEI.....
Gotta go to work... Given that I don't know how the kill switch will actually be implemented I don't know if any of the stuff I just wrote above is relevant or makes sense. Just curious as to how the kill switch would work.
tamanaco said:
I'm not an expert on this field, but these are the questions that come to my head as I think about the logistics to support a kill switch. I'm probably wrong in some of the assumptions that I'm making here. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Telcos don't have an incentive to make this work. It has always been possible for a Telco to disable an IMEI at their end thus making any particular IMEI unusable in their network. They already do this when you call them to report your phone stolen. If a worldwide database of stolen phone IMEIs existed then Telcos could have the ability to disable any IMEI in that database. The issue is... who would be responsible for maintaining such database and for the problems that will certainly come up due to inaccuracies and timing of updates (Telco, Government entity, phone manufacturer or a third party) . Can the maintaining entity monetize the overhead of maintaining and supporting such database? Who would pay for it? Who makes the final ruling to include or exclude an IMEI? The end user?... I doubt it. Where would the master database copy reside? And of course... would Telcos in all countries support it? Remember, the Telcos make money off any phone that is active in their network (stolen or not). All they care about is that the user of any active phone in their network is paying the network usage bill. For Telcos the more IMEIs that exists and that can be connected to their network... the better.
I can think of a bunch of issues that could come up when the end user is able to disable the actual phone. I doubt the user would be able to disable the IMEI remotely unless they own the phone and the telco allow it. The issue in the US is that a lot of the phones are subsidized (owned) by the Telco for the duration of the contract. So, in the case that the phone is subsidized the Telco should also have the right to trip the kill switch. I'm assuming that the phone kill switch will be tied to a password known to the rightful owner and "maybe" the renter. The password will render the phone unusable unless the correct password is entered. I'm assuming that if a phone on contract is stolen then the user would either contact the Telco or trip the switch via the Internet. (Lookout and other apps do something similar remotely, but they only wipe the phone.. they do not disable it) If the Telco also has the ability to disable the phone then if the bill isn't paid not only will they disconnect you, but they will also render your phone useless. Good bye data and apps. I also assume that the ability to trip the kill switch remotely would also depend on the network on which the phone is connected. The IMEI (physical address) is translated to an IP address when using the Internet. If I steal a phone in the US and keep it turned off until I register it in a Telco in another country how will the owner trip the kill switch as only the Telco would know which IP address is associated with the IMEI.....
Gotta go to work... Given that I don't know how the kill switch will actually be implemented I don't know if any of the stuff I just wrote above is relevant or makes sense. Just curious as to how the kill switch would work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All you need is flashing software, suck as cdma workshop or dsp tools. Boom bypass any lock, because you changes the calling info, such as the IMEI.
While I see this as an option on stock roms. It will most likely be easily removed if flashed with a custom rom, but as google is also part of it we may see something added to aosp as well.
Bat cave One
Dark Souls87 said:
All you need is flashing software, suck as cdma workshop or dsp tools. Boom bypass any lock, because you changes the calling info, such as the IMEI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that it could be bypassed in a phone with root and with an unlocked bootloader. This might not be as easy with a phone with a locked bootloader like the S5. Changing the IMEI is only an option if the IMEI you're changing it to is valid in the Telcos network. I'm thinking that a kill switch implemented by the manufacturer might be tied to the CPU id or some other unique serial number burned into the hardware..
makers, carriers embrace anti-theft initiative
dligon said:
http://www.talkandroid.com/184987-u...l-switch-that-would-prevent-smartphone-theft/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Starting in July 2015, all smartphones manufactured by the companies will come with free anti-theft tools preloaded on the devices or ready to be downloaded, according to wireless association CTIA, which announced the agreement on Tuesday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney, George Gascon welcomed the voluntary agreement but said it fell short of what they have advocated to prevent theft.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/15/smartphone-theft-idUSL2N0N71WW20140415
Looks like a bit of software, not anything on the hardware layer.
No 'Killswitch Engage' . Just an OS killer or partition reformat?
[Edited for typo]
http://www.androidauthority.com/google-android-anti-thect-kill-swtich-369066/
I don't think the switch is to prevent it from being resold if it was stolen or to brick the phone but to protect your data. Last thing I want is to have my phone stolen and on top of that, the jerk to buy everything in the play store and me be broke on top of no phone or to access my bank account, etc.
It also seems you can restore it all back if you actually get your phone back.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
tamanaco said:
I'm not an expert on this field, but these are the questions that come to my head as I think about the logistics to support a kill switch. I'm probably wrong in some of the assumptions that I'm making here. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
................................................
Gotta go to work... Given that I don't know how the kill switch will actually be implemented I don't know if any of the stuff I just wrote above is relevant or makes sense. Just curious as to how the kill switch would work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dark Souls87 said:
All you need is flashing software, suck as cdma workshop or dsp tools. Boom bypass any lock, because you changes the calling info, such as the IMEI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dark souls makes a good point. IMEI is tied to the software. That's why we can back it up and restore it, etc. and cdma workshop in combination with an old throw away phone IMEI or even buying a 20$ feature phone and using that IMEI it to easy to do. But it can a be a good deterrent I believe for most. It'll just have us XDA'ers concerned lol.
drago10029 said:
Dark souls makes a good point. IMEI is tied to the software. That's why we can back it up and restore it, etc. and cdma workshop in combination with an old throw away phone IMEI or even buying a 20$ feature phone and using that IMEI it to easy to do. But it can a be a good deterrent I believe for most. It'll just have us XDA'ers concerned lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While this is partly true the imei is also hardcoded into some of the hardware. This is why when people mess up their IMEI they cant fix it. Not to mention changing the IMEI is completely illegal. Meaning XDA doesnt advise or condone doing this.
zelendel said:
While this is partly true the imei is also hardcoded into some of the hardware. This is why when people mess up their IMEI they cant fix it. Not to mention changing the IMEI is completely illegal. Meaning XDA doesnt advise or condone doing this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow illegal?? I had no idea lol. And yea i figured some of its hardcoded. Speaking of it being hardcoded. I gitta back mine up. Why are a lot of i747 people losing theirs? Anyone know?
I am posting this in a few threads, sorry if anyone is pissed at it. Please everyone follow this link http://www.htcdev.com/contact and ask HTC to stop blocking our MID. Tell them their CEO literally said HTC will no longer be locking bootloaders according to their facebook. If enough people do it we may actually get a real response.
123421342 said:
I am posting this in a few threads, sorry if anyone is pissed at it. Please everyone follow this link http://www.htcdev.com/contact and ask HTC to stop blocking our MID. Tell them their CEO literally said HTC will no longer be locking bootloaders according to their facebook. If enough people do it we may actually get a real response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC is just doing what VZW is making them do. They don't have any choice if they want VZW to order their phones.
If you are angry, go after VZW, if they will even listen.
Sent from my 4G LTE HTC One
123421342 said:
I am posting this in a few threads, sorry if anyone is pissed at it. Please everyone follow this link http://www.htcdev.com/contact and ask HTC to stop blocking our MID. Tell them their CEO literally said HTC will no longer be locking bootloaders according to their facebook. If enough people do it we may actually get a real response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude.... You think that's all it is? I tried, I know Vicious tried and tweeted about it. It's not HTC at all... Like in fact it has nothing to do with HTC period... HTC allows for unlock on the HTC One on all variants but "ours". You see where I'm going with this? The "MID not allowed" is Verizon saying F you to it's customers. I called HTC and Verizon, and Verizon told me to call HTC and see if they will directly hook me up with an Unlock_code.bin for me and when I did call them they dug real deep for me over the phone and actually contacted HTCDev which technically is completely separate from the HTC that we know and love. HTCDev got with me over the phone and basically told even though Vzw tech support told me to call them that it's not them and that someone in Verizons corporate office made the call to have HTCDev blocked for the Verizon variant completely.
Verizon is no longer supporting bootloader unlocks for any device. Not just HTC but all Android devices that can be obtained through Verizon will have a locked bootloader and if there is any site available through the manufacturer that supports the development community Verizon will not support work with or have anything to do with it. Kind of the same way that Motorola has there site where you can unlock devices it will not work either....
I think it's complete crap I really do. It's not fair that we dump so much money in to these companies to be able to have what we want and enjoy our toys the way we want and Verizon shuts us down and locks us out... They may as well just partner up with Apple and drop all Android devices and stick to iPhones because they are just as bad (nazis) as Apple is with there OS and iDevices.........
I hate Verizon now and for the rest of my life!
./end rant
Even so, we should be able to unlock it. I don't care who is at fault. HTC should be fighting for it.
HTC won't fight for it. Verizon has millions of customers, of those, very few actually care about an unlocked bootloader. It's the rest of the people you need to sway in order to start any kind of productive movement.
I learned long ago to say the hell with Verizon and their locked down phones. Every time a new device it's Verizon and it's locked up, people are still shocked.
Sent from my at&t gsm unlocked, s-off'd, super-cid'd, gpe converted HTC one
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4
Political persuasions aside, this is something to be encouraged by. Hopefully it's passed and this crap comes to an end.
http://mobile.theverge.com/2013/9/1...-calls-on-fcc-to-enforce-free-phone-unlocking
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 4
jaydubbs said:
Political persuasions aside, this is something to be encouraged by. Hopefully it's passed and this crap comes to an end.
http://mobile.theverge.com/2013/9/1...-calls-on-fcc-to-enforce-free-phone-unlocking
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That doesn't have anything to do with bootloaders does it? That's unlocking. Being able to use a phone on any carrier. Verizon could "unlock" our phones but we'd still be screwed since they are the only ones using their particular type of network, right? It's not like GSM phones where you could potentially use the same phone on multiple networks, right?
I'm not trying to be argumentative.. and I may have that network thing all wrong.. but I don't take any hope from that article at all, unless the point is just "Obama is interested in what mobile companies are doing to their customers" in that case, I could see where you might find some hope.
As for the "HTC should fight for this." .. Have you seen HTC's bottom line? They are in the crapper fighting to stay alive. I think the ONE is a fantastic effort to stay relevant. It's a beautiful, powerful device. Homerun, in my opinion. But Verizon is also the largest wireless company in the country. HTC needs Verizon way more than Verizon needs HTC.. and that means HTC has essentially zero leverage.
one4thewings said:
That doesn't have anything to do with bootloaders does it? That's unlocking. Being able to use a phone on any carrier. Verizon could "unlock" our phones but we'd still be screwed since they are the only ones using their particular type of network, right? It's not like GSM phones where you could potentially use the same phone on multiple networks, right?
I'm not trying to be argumentative.. and I may have that network thing all wrong.. but I don't take any hope from that article at all, unless the point is just "Obama is interested in what mobile companies are doing to their customers" in that case, I could see where you might find some hope.
As for the "HTC should fight for this." .. Have you seen HTC's bottom line? They are in the crapper fighting to stay alive. I think the ONE is a fantastic effort to stay relevant. It's a beautiful, powerful device. Homerun, in my opinion. But Verizon is also the largest wireless company in the country. HTC needs Verizon way more than Verizon needs HTC.. and that means HTC has essentially zero leverage.
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I can't really see anywhere in any of the articles that I've read that say yea or nay to what "unlock" really means here, so I don't know. It's a step in the right direction either way, I guess.
As for HTC fighting to keep their devices unlocked on Verizon? What phone manufacturer has told Verizon to suck it and walked away with their phones? None. Verizon makes the rules and manufacturers gladly abide by them because they're the biggest fish in the pond. Period. It's all about the numbers.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 4
jaydubbs said:
As for HTC fighting to keep their devices unlocked on Verizon? What phone manufacturer has told Verizon to suck it and walked away with their phones? None. Verizon makes the rules and manufacturers gladly abide by them because they're the biggest fish in the pond. Period. It's all about the numbers.
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I think the only people who've been able to play hardball with Verizon is Apple. In essence they walked away from Verizon when Verizon refused to let them have full control of their device. Updates. Everything. Apple went to AT&T, grew that company larger than it deserved almost solely with the iPhone, and then Verizon had to give in.
No Android manufacturer will ever be able to do that due to the nature of Android. Samsung says they'll walk, Verizon shrugs and talks turkey with HTC and Motorola to increase sales. Samsung is likely the only Android manufacturer that would have any real clout.
In short, I think we'll be playing this game with Verizon for a good long time. Or until another mobile provider can produce a network with a comparable, competitive option. I mean let's face it. I doubt any one of us is very happy with Verizon, especially us modders here at XDA. But yet here we are.
Verizon is the only provider that can give me not only 4g where I live, but a full 5 bars of it. Every other carrier has their version of 3g in sporadic splotches on their maps for where I am. Plus my wife gets a 22% discount from her job so that makes them a good deal more tolerable.
Apple is as big as Verizon so they can do that, but like you said, no Android manufacturer has the power or clout to do what Apple did. At the end of the day, Verizon's corporate accounts are just too lucrative to pass up over something that matters to such a small minority (us). In the big scheme of things, we're just ants biting on a robots toe.
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 4
At the end of the day I look up at Verizon; glare, tell them I hate them and then hold out my fistful of money for them to take. I am without option too.
Verizon is only protecting its network by locking bootloaders. Could you imagine how many people call cause of a bricked device. They got tired of spending money on fixing idiots who don't know what they are doing. We have to suffer. Verizon is smart financial wise but then why choose a network or a phone that has a locked bootloader .
Sent from my HTC One VZW using Tapatalk 4
jaydubbs said:
Political persuasions aside, this is something to be encouraged by. Hopefully it's passed and this crap comes to an end.
http://mobile.theverge.com/2013/9/1...-calls-on-fcc-to-enforce-free-phone-unlocking
Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 4
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I am 99% certain that has to do with carrier unlock, not bootloader unlock.
I hope it's bootloader, but hope doesn't equal reality.
Sent from my HTC One.
This is not HTC's fault. HTC supports unlocked bootloaders.
Go bug Verizon and please stop posting this.
which carriers are better about unlocking?
one4thewings said:
That doesn't have anything to do with bootloaders does it? That's unlocking. Being able to use a phone on any carrier. Verizon could "unlock" our phones but we'd still be screwed since they are the only ones using their particular type of network, right? It's not like GSM phones where you could potentially use the same phone on multiple networks, right?
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I was about to buy an HTC One from Verizon tomorrow and then I (thankfully!) saw this thread. I realize this forum is VZW, but can anyone spell out the unlock policies of the other major US carriers? (Or point me to a place where that's discussed already - because of the way XDA is laid out I couldn't find a place where people are comparing carriers, but that might just be my ineptitude)
thanks from a soon-to-be-ex-iPhone/AT&T-user...
lhuge said:
I was about to buy an HTC One from Verizon tomorrow and then I (thankfully!) saw this thread. I realize this forum is VZW, but can anyone spell out the unlock policies of the other major US carriers? (Or point me to a place where that's discussed already - because of the way XDA is laid out I couldn't find a place where people are comparing carriers, but that might just be my ineptitude)
thanks from a soon-to-be-ex-iPhone/AT&T-user...
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I've heard T-Mo is great for unlockable boot loaders, but their coverage is lacking compared to VZW
Sent from my HTC One.
josh995 said:
I am 99% certain that has to do with carrier unlock, not bootloader unlock.
I hope it's bootloader, but hope doesn't equal reality.
Sent from my HTC One.
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There are 2 parts
"Open applications: Consumers should be able to download and utilize any software applications, content, or services they desire;
Open devices: Consumers should be able to utilize a handheld communications device with whatever wireless network they prefer;"
the first, (Open applications) is what is being violated by VZW I'd imagine bootloader unlocking falls under "applications, content, or services they desire"
Really what it comes down to is if VZW is saying that an we can't use an unlocked bootloader because it may harm the network, than they shouldn't allow the developer edition device (Moto X) or the new google tablet on the network either.
sabindaman said:
There are 2 parts
"Open applications: Consumers should be able to download and utilize any software applications, content, or services they desire;
Open devices: Consumers should be able to utilize a handheld communications device with whatever wireless network they prefer;"
the first, (Open applications) is what is being violated by VZW I'd imagine bootloader unlocking falls under "applications, content, or services they desire"
Really what it comes down to is if VZW is saying that an we can't use an unlocked bootloader because it may harm the network, than they shouldn't allow the developer edition device (Moto X) or the new google tablet on the network either.
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I don't mean to be rude, but you imaging doesn't make it so.
Open applications, services, and content refers to apps in the play store. Verizon is not doing anything wrong by locking our bootloaders. People have already written to the FCC on the issue and the response has been on Verizon's side.
The boot loader being locked is completely legal as of right now and unless a large majority of their customer base demands unlocked boot loaders, we will be dealing with them indefinitely.
If Verizon were, in fact, illegally locking boot loaders, the FCC would have intervened by now.
Sent from my HTC One.
Vzw just knows that the modders are less than one percent of their customers so they don't care what we think.
Sent from my 4G LTE HTC One
If we can't go to HTC about this issue (I do think they are partially to blame), and we know doesn't give a sh*t about it's customers, so we can't go to them. Who can we bring this issue to and possibly make some headway? I mean if we blow someones inbox up enough, or tweet, or whatever method, we are going to be heard. Chances are it wont get us anywhere, but I think we should try. I wish I knew who to take this to. If we find the correct company/person I think we should have a standard message we can just cut and paste into an email, tweet, etc.
If nothing else, we are sharing our headache with someone else. I really wish we could intimidate Verizon as I see that being the one thing that would get us anywhere.
Someone posted something about Verizon losing money through bricked phones because of unlock or s-off. That is a bull**** excuse. They could track unlocks if they wanted to and then just tell the ass who bricked his phone that he is SOL because he unlocked.
Data is the only thing keeping me with Verizon. I am going to start using wifi as much as possible (where it is convenient) and see how low I can get my average data. Before I got my One I went into ATT and said "here is the deal I have now with Verizon, throw together a comparable plan to convince me, so I can convince my wife it is worth switching to you guys." He looked at my plan and said ATT couldn't come close to offering a better deal based on my data usage. Chucked up the deuces and walked out.
Hello, this is my first post but sure it not the last!
I have been exposed of fraud! I bought Note 10 Plus on a website called Blocket in Sweden were you can buy everything. The guy told me that the phone was locked to 3 and that was no problem because i have that to. But when he came to me he had activated the phone so WiFi call was on (I didn't know that). I logged in to my google account and then I also connected to my WiFi. Then i tried a call and no problems so I paid the guy and got a receipt and took his ID. But as soon as I went out I couldn't call and did some research and the phone had only 0 as IMEI and in small letters on the back it says that it is a Demo unit and have a serial number and its name is SM-975X . So my question is if anyone have been able to get a phone like this to work? Everything is reported to the police but he had false ID and the phone number has been turned off! I payed 650$ so would be so happy if anyone has an solution of my problem :fingers-crossed :fingers-crossed:
Sadly, there is no solution, only a motherboard replacement would work
Hm, is it so bad! Do they remove the radio parts for everything else works like a charm even WiFi calls and wireless charging both on my phone and to other phones to!
Do you know if the they only remove/disable the radio part and let everything else work?
What I know, is that there is no way to make it work as a regular device, they are intended to be used by vendors, to discourage people from stealing them from showrooms, precisely the cellular part is totally disabled
the IMEI is generally a unique identifier used by networks and such to track devices (stolen or otherwise) without one a device wont work on a network and the only way for a device to get one is from the factory encoded into the hardware, so short of swapping out hardware for a different board that has an IMEI there is pretty much nothing you can do.
as if it was simple to change them people would be able to hide stolen hardware or their tracks when swapping SIM cards. also would get them around blacklisting and other features on the networks.
the IMEI is basically the same as a VIN number on a car, even if you could change it you would need a valid one to register the device on a network.
it's sad but unfortunately all you can use this as is a learning experience, in future only buy from reputable sources that offer some level of consumer protection and always check things like the IMEI as people even sell blacklisted phones as they will turn on and seem to work but will be blocked off the majority of networks.
Yes it was a wakening call, but I have sold and bought 40-50 different phones and other stuff on "Blocket" but this was the first time i was cheated. I had no idea of that you could make WiFi calls otherwise it wouldn't worked! He had receipt and everything so I had no thought that it was a demo phone! Before he came i was looking for a site were you could write the serial number and look if it was stolen but couldn't find any! Apple has one and have used that often and had one guy that tried to sell a iPhone that was stolen!
I talked to a independent repair shop and he was willing to buy it for 200$ so he could use it for parts, then my lost is only 450$ but it hurts anyway
yeah screen battery and a few other parts would still be viable, it's mainly the board with the phone modem on that would be unusable as little more than a demo/home unit.
WIFI calling will still work as it doesn't use any of the phone identifiers other than stuff like the MAC address of the phone WIFI chip that even a demo unit would need.
A quick google should give you IMEI checker sites and it's something you should always check, if you have bought as many phones as you say, you have been very lucky this is the first to have a problem as there is a massive black market for stolen devices that are black listed and such, that is why IMEI checker sites are fairly common as most networks do allow access to blacklist device lists as they don't want them being sold on. so really IMEI is probably the most important thing to check when buying a phone as there are multiple ways it could cause you problems.
I bought s20 ultra from local cell phone dealer off the craigslist. The local dealer seems quite reputable however the guy said IMEI has been changed which got me bit concerned but proceeded to buy anyway. What are the reason for that? Quick search of the internet shows it could be stolen. But I dont see someone from respectable local phone dealer (at least based on their yelp google review) doing that since they are sittiing duck.
I contemplated either to resell back or keep using and for now using. It is wonderful in terms of speed comapred to junk I carried briefly (LG Q70).
However, there is just bit of an easy feeling about using it with IMEI chanegd.
For now, I am doing for e-mail, phone call and various apps but hesitant about using with fin-app (brokerage), bank, ebay apps that involves money.
Any ideas?
What are the chances of mine being compromised? I am setting a common sense here as just because I got from wireless authorized dealer does not mean it is bad and getting a brand new from authrozied dealer (verizon) not necessarly guarantee security.
guyenxda000 said:
I bought s20 ultra from local cell phone dealer off the craigslist. The local dealer seems quite reputable however the guy said IMEI has been changed which got me bit concerned but proceeded to buy anyway. What are the reason for that? Quick search of the internet shows it could be stolen. But I dont see someone from respectable local phone dealer (at least based on their yelp google review) doing that since they are sittiing duck.
I contemplated either to resell back or keep using and for now using. It is wonderful in terms of speed comapred to junk I carried briefly (LG Q70).
However, there is just bit of an easy feeling about using it with IMEI chanegd.
For now, I am doing for e-mail, phone call and various apps but hesitant about using with fin-app (brokerage), bank, ebay apps that involves money.
Any ideas?
What are the chances of mine being compromised? I am setting a common sense here as just because I got from wireless authorized dealer does not mean it is bad and getting a brand new from authrozied dealer (verizon) not necessarly guarantee security.
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Click to collapse
You bought a potentially compromised phone with a changed IMEI. That means that it's definitely stolen or was owned by someone who didn't want to be traced before being soled as a burner phone.
That being said, IMEI is just device ID. Meaning: Your device is in no way compromised just because a different ID. Surely whoever has the tools and your IMEI can track all your records across the internet and track your current location as well.
But don't worry the tools necessary for such a thing can only be accessed by authorized personnel of respective telecommunication company (Like AT&T) and your local authorities.
Also banking apps have meticulous safety checks before allowing the usage of the app, so don't worry too much.
However that doesn't mean that your phone is secured, as remains the question of how did they change the IMEI of your phone?
There are multiple ways to change an IMEI number but they all include one common point: They all directly affect some component in the device whether it be software or hardware.
So there is the possibility that your current software/hardware is compromised.
My advice? Just get a new phone, or make your phone secure again.
You can start by doing SafetyNet check. If the result is ok then you can be safe. (However as I said before whoever has the methods can still track you)
Flashing the stock ROM of the device then locking the bootloader can help. Also rooting the device then manually checking the device software for issues. Or simply changing the IMEI of your device again. (Only try those methods if you know what you're doing)
It's enough by itself that google, social media platforms and the government can track all your records across the internet whenever they feel like it, I myself wouldn't feel safe with potentially sharing my data with another unsolicited person.
So to answer your question:
Privacy is the issue when you have a potentially compromised IMEI. Not security.
Security is the issue when you have a potentially compromised system.
Hope I answered your question.
You've bought a stolen phone.
Theres absolutely NO REASON to change the IMEI.... EVER. If it has been changed, it is because the original IMEI has been reported stolen, and changing it gets around the cell network blocking it. There is NO LEGAL REASON TO CHANGE AN IMEI
I hope you are not caught with it, its essentially stolen property.
Well, the Samsung Tab S4, excellent as it is, seems to have faded into obscurity. But I have a unique problem iIn which I have three Galaxy Tab S4s activated on tracfone with T Mobile SIMs. Two of them work for data/talk/text, but one Tracfone claims is not compatible with their network. Yet, all three are SM T835s. They all worked at one point, but then Tracfone said they were no longer compatible with their system, and I would have to get a free replacement phone to stay on their service.
Their claim is that the Tab S4 is not Volte compatible, but it actually is, because I have two relatives who work for Qualcomm, who quite legitimately explained to me how to activate it. If the phone fails because it is not volte, data will still work, because it doesn't need volte.
But Tracfone mimics slowly failing compatibility issues by disabling the service completely, which is a dead giveaway it's intentional, and not due to the phone (tablet). Their real motivation is to get everyone off t mobile, and onto Verizon, because Verizon owns tracfone now.
There are no longer t mobile tracfone sim cards available at all. If you want to keep your old number, they want an imei number for the phone you're activating. If you give an imei on the byod program (unlocked), they reject practically every unlocked phone in existence, even though Verizon, which owns tracfone, will activate the devices on its byod program. But the charge is 3x as much as tracfone.
Now there is some serious BS going on at tracfone, to effectively use byod as bait and switch, by rejecting every unlocked phone, and then offering a free tracfone phone, which is a piece of crap, so they know once they've got everyone that far, it's easy to sell them. To purchase a usable locked phone (a $100.00 phone).
The tech support will never say anything but what their screen says, so I sent a letter to their legal department explaining that what tracfone is doing is illegal, and against the agreement it made with federal regulators to approve the takeover by Verizon of tracfone.
Tracfone is a big company with 11 million subscribers, and the best deals in town. I want users who detest being bullied by the cellular providers, to write to the FTC AND FCC, and tell them what the hell is going on, because they never intended for tracfone to become a huckster for Verizon.
The FTC you can do online, ftc.gov. And. The FCC it's probably easiest to send your send your US Senator an email, explaining just what I wrote here.
Eventually, I pinned down the tech support agents until they failed to make sense, and then the beans were spilled. Maybe no one else cares, but I'm hoping someone, anyone, is willing to fight these cullular bullies who have had their way far too long!
Just be polite. Don't use spinglish, just say what you mean, unless you're a pro spin doctor, and keep it to one page, or 500 words. Thanks!