[Q] Exchange Security Policy Post OTA - G2 and Desire Z Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

EDIT: Use the app from KShatzkes' post #24.
I installed the the OTA update, and like many 2.2 phones now, if you use the Email app to connect to exchange, you have to enter an annoying password just to unlock your phone, every time it locks. It's annoying and time consuming because you cannot use the pattern unlock --- you must choose an alphanumeric code at least four digits long.
There are email.apk files that bypass this, but since we cannot replace our email.apk permanently, that probably won't work for us.
The phone did not do this before the OTA, but now it does. Also, you can disable it via the databases in 2.1 (or use lockpicker), but these solutions seem to be broken in 2.2.
Any ideas?

Yes! This is bothering the heck out of me too! Hopefully some solution arises soon!
EDIT: I am guessing that the only option we have is to do something like Paul's Goggles Removal app. If we remove the Email that way, we can then install the other .apk just fine.

I emailed my company's IT department today about this, and got an interesting response:
[Me],
Activesync is set up for a production environment, since it sync's with your handheld which then contains [Company Name] material.
While not all handheld manufactures are have all come to the same level of programming, we've allowed underdeveloped handhelds containing a degree of activesync client to communicate with our servers, with the priority on greater protection. This is why the update of your device is now asking your for a 4 digit pin. The update to your device now has a full activesync client. This is by design.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Thanks
-[Technician]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So apparently, we got the "full" version of activesync. Sucks. I never before wanted something so underdeveloped. =(

Wish I could revert to the old version of the app as well.

I haven't noticed a difference since I installed the OTA.
I'm definitely not having to enter any password to unlock when I bring the phone to life.
I didn't have an unlock code before, and still don't. Maybe that's the difference. Did you have an unlock pattern before? Maybe it changes the type of code you can use.

I have the same annoying Pin requirement now after the OTA. I also did not have a pin before the update. It sucks.

I'll toss out an idea to get around this.
Root with Visionary.
Connect device via USB.
adb shell
su
pm disable com.android.email.policy
Our corporate Exchange server does not have these policies enforced so I cannot confirm whether it will do the trick. But either way, the change is persistent so you only need to do it once unless you wipe.
It can be undone by substituting the last command with "enable" instead of "disable.

smasraum said:
I haven't noticed a difference since I installed the OTA.
I'm definitely not having to enter any password to unlock when I bring the phone to life.
I didn't have an unlock code before, and still don't. Maybe that's the difference. Did you have an unlock pattern before? Maybe it changes the type of code you can use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is probably because your IT staff has not enabled the security (or more likely disabled it, since it is enabled by default in Exchange). I talked to our IT guys, and they say the national corporate office won't disable it, but they all hate it (local IT).
I showed them how to disable it in 2.1 Eclair, but those fixes don't work in 2.2 Froyo. The only fix for Froyo is to replace the Email.apk with a hacked version, but we cannot do this without permanent root.

rmk40 said:
I'll toss out an idea to get around this.
Root with Visionary.
Connect device via USB.
adb shell
su
pm disable com.android.email.policy
Our corporate Exchange server does not have these policies enforced so I cannot confirm whether it will do the trick. But either way, the change is persistent so you only need to do it once unless you wipe.
It can be undone by substituting the last command with "enable" instead of "disable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll give it a shot, but my guess is that you won't be able to connect to the server at all without an email policy.
Edit: Doesn't work. You cannot send without the policy, and the password is still there. If you delete the account and recreate, it still forces you to create a password, and you still cannot send.

So to get this straight, the issue is with the Email.apk or the Email Policy file? Or both?
smasraum, can you upload your Email.apk and/or the com.android.email.policy that you say work for you? I doubt it is gonna work without perm root, but I'm so frustrated that I want to see if the system will allow me to downgrade the files.
Thanks in advance.

Here is the working (without password) Email.apk. I have this working fine on my Nexus with no password required. I don't think any changes to the policy are necessary. I believe this works by telling the Email app not to ask the server what its password policies are.

cparekh said:
Here is the working (without password) Email.apk. I have this working fine on my Nexus with no password required. I don't think any changes to the policy are necessary. I believe this works by telling the Email app not to ask the server what its password policies are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am assuming this apk won't remain on a reboot, will it? Will it revert back to the new apk?
If so, I guess we can make a visionary.sh script which can install the working apk on boot. Closest thing we will have.
EDIT: I tried to install that Email.apk, but I am getting an "Application not installed." Any ideas?

I don't think you can install it. I think you have to push it to the system/app directory. Then reboot, which is why it won't work on the G2. Also, I believe the ROM needs to be deodexed, so it would not work with the stock ROM anyways.
The steps I followed on my Nexus:
1) Delete Exchange account.
2) Remove password and go to regular lockscreen.
3) Replace existing email.apk with edited email.apk.
4) Reboot.
5) Add Exchange account.
All this was done on CM 6.1, which, I believe, is deodexed.

cparekh said:
I don't think you can install it. I think you have to push it to the system/app directory. Then reboot, which is why it won't work on the G2. Also, I believe the ROM needs to be deodexed, so it would not work with the stock ROM anyways.
The steps I followed on my Nexus:
1) Delete Exchange account.
2) Remove password and go to regular lockscreen.
3) Replace existing email.apk with edited email.apk.
4) Reboot.
5) Add Exchange account.
All this was done on CM 6.1, which, I believe, is deodexed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, okay so I see the real problem more clear now. And a visionary.sh script won't work because we need a reboot...
So I am guessing the only way to actually get this done is through Paul's Google Goggles method. Trick the system into deleting the current Email.apk, and then installing the old one. Anyone know enough to make that happen? =P

You can do that via Titanium backup with Paul's update. The problem is, if it doesn't work, then the change is permanent, and there is no current way of reverting.
I don't know if it would work, though, because it's not a market app, so it would not have the necessary signature to write itself to system/app and then run.

cparekh said:
You can do that via Titanium backup with Paul's update. The problem is, if it doesn't work, then the change is permanent, and there is no current way of reverting.
I don't know if it would work, though, because it's not a market app, so it would not have the necessary signature to write itself to system/app and then run.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah I didn't know Titanium Backup can do it now! Thats awesome.
But yes, I am wary that the change can be permanent if it doesn't work. Anyone pre-OTA (or a brave soul Post-OTA), willing to help us out and try this? Thanks!

I just caught the end of your last post. Yeah, I didn't think of it that way. I guess no matter what we aren't going to be able to make changes to the /system/app.
But, wait. If we deleted the Email.apk through TB, and then as long as the other Email.apk could be installed, then I think we would be good. Since we could make a visionary.sh script to install the good Email.apk on boot each time. But still, the problem I guess is we aren't too sure if the Email.apk would install in the first place...

KShatzkes said:
the problem I guess is we aren't too sure if the Email.apk would install in the first place...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's what I don't know. In effect, the NAND lock is not only keeping us from customizing our phones, it's keeping us from trying to customize our phones.

exchange problem after OTA update
i believe the problem i'm experiencing is related to everyone else here except i am not asked to enter any pin or pass codes. prior to the OTA update on 11/5 am for me, i was having absolutely no problems checking my work email via exchange. now after the update, i get this error message when i go into the app and try to retrieve email "unable to open connection to server".
anyone else experiencing this?

I got this once. The problem seems that after the OTA, it did not push the security policy to the phone. The solution for me was to delete the account and then re-enable it.

Related

Any Standard Rooted 1.47.651.1 ROMs out there?

Does anyone know of a "1.47.651.1 ROM" that:
• Is rooted WITHOUT Super User(meaning "adb shell" brings up "#", not a "$" and then "su" to get "#")
• Isn't tweaked to hell
• Has working AND updated EVDO & WiMax Radios
That's all I want, but can't seem to find it in this jumble of hacked ROMs and special do-dads.
I think that the "start over with 1.47" thread gets you to stock with everything updated, except that you're going to have superuser access.
It's probably your best bet. Why don't you want superuser permissions?
Because typing "su" an extra step, and it also asks me to give permissions everytime something with root access pops up. So annoying. I just want it to work lol.
Psionicsin said:
Because typing "su" an extra step, and it also asks me to give permissions everytime something with root access pops up. So annoying. I just want it to work lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should only ask for the application once. If you don't have it, the application won't run at all will it?
Sirchuk said:
It should only ask for the application once. If you don't have it, the application won't run at all will it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems to do it a lot, and even stops me to ask me if certain programs are allowed to communicate with Google servers every so often. Is SU something that is required NOW for a root to work? Because my last phone didn't (Black) didn't have it on there, had 1.47, and rooted fine with the flash exploit method.
It's not working for my white phone though, so I had to use SimpleRoot (which took me back to a WAY earlier version), and flash my way up to 1.47.
Psionicsin said:
Seems to do it a lot, and even stops me to ask me if certain programs are allowed to communicate with Google servers every so often. Is SU something that is required NOW for a root to work? Because my last phone didn't (Black) didn't have it on there, had 1.47, and rooted fine with the flash exploit method.
It's not working for my white phone though, so I had to use SimpleRoot, and flash my way up to 1.47.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not have your issues with the superuser permission app. It maintains a list of all allowed apps. Once you ass it as "always allowed", you never see it prompt for that app/function, again.
I am using whitslack

[Q] Modified Email.APK to remove corporate security requirements not installing

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=775007
The above thread references a modified APK to remove corporate policy enforcement. From what I understand even if the corporate policy is set to not require a pin/password it still forces it on the phone. I also understand that this is only like this with Froyo and not Eclair or Gingerbread. With that said I am unable to install this APK, I keep getting the error message not installed.
Phone Info:
Rooted Syndicate Frozen 1.1.
Thanks in advance.
Bump. In case anybody cares, this is for my wife's phone. She is basically in charge of the IT stuff at her job at a small company and they have several people who have this issue of entering a pin just to make a call or look at something on their phone. I'm not sure if it is the ROM I am running or what is causing me to not be able to install this APK. Any help would be appreciated.
You don't "install" it using the Android Installer. You use Root Explorer and drop it in /system/app/
Have you tried it this way? That should work.
Atlienzz said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=775007
The above thread references a modified APK to remove corporate policy enforcement. From what I understand even if the corporate policy is set to not require a pin/password it still forces it on the phone. I also understand that this is only like this with Froyo and not Eclair or Gingerbread. With that said I am unable to install this APK, I keep getting the error message not installed.
Phone Info:
Rooted Syndicate Frozen 1.1.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[Q]Signature of software conflict problem

Here is the case:
As we know, after editing a software, we need to sign for it just in order to use it. I figured how to edit softwares so that it wont be killed by the system when running background. When testing in Android 2.3.5, with sense 3.5, everything goes smoothly. (I need to simply explain how the installation thing works just so it makes sense. I install the edited version first, move it to system/app, for it requires to be a system app to run the part of code. Then I reboot, and reinstall the original version. [Here is why: This app is an IM app, which means it requires internet connection to the online server, but it also automatically check the signature. If the signature is not the same as the known one, it will not allow me to connect to the server, which makes the app useless.] After this step, the checking mechanism would be tricked. However, in android 4.0, here comes the problem. I CANNOT INSTALL THE SAME APP WITH DIFFERENT SIGNATURE TWICE. The cheating mechanism will not work if I cannot install it twice. This is the biggest problem I am facing right now. Can you guys help me. Thanks a lot.
Um..Is this question that difficult..I mean, it requires to go over the signature checking mechanism of the phone. I really dont know what part of code in the rom this part belongs to, otherwise I can try it myself... And, I do think there is someone solved this question in previous roms like sense 3.5 or sense 3.0, etc, for there were people asking this kind of question...Although their answer is not helpful at all...
sign the zip yourself if toggling permissions in recovery wont work.
you can incorporate just about anything you wont into an image so long as you either change the permission, sign it yourself, or force the update via adb
demkantor said:
sign the zip yourself if toggling permissions in recovery wont work.
you can incorporate just about anything you wont into an image so long as you either change the permission, sign it yourself, or force the update via adb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have signed it, but the signature of the original app is different, and android 4.0 doesnt allow me to replace the same app which has a different signature...
have you tried incorporating the app into the rom before you flash it?
demkantor said:
have you tried incorporating the app into the rom before you flash it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I can try it...

Exchange security bypass for GN works on N7

For those of you not fond of using a PIN or pattern to unlock due to your Exchange server's security policies, this is god-send
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1749921
I used the Stock Android JRO03C version (even though I'm running Android JRO03D). I also needed to manually move EmailGoogle.apk/odex and Exchange2Google.apk/odex files out of system/apps before flashing.
Once flashed and you've set your Exchange server up (don't worry when it warns you about needing permissions, it never asks for them later), you'll need to reboot one more time to enable syncing (otherwise it'll FC when trying to sync).
After that, sit back and enjoy Exchange email with no unlock screen hassles. Just remember that anyone who can get to your N7 can now read your work email, and your employer will rightly frown on that.

Cyanogen rom & encryption

Hiya,
My phone is a work phone and I've rooted it and installed Cyanogen rom on it, however encryption doesn't work as part of that rom. For me to be able to use the phone as a work device I need to encrypt it. If I tell it to encrypt the phone it never seems to do anything, I get the green android appear and that's it I have left it overnight before and it never seems to complete or give me any kind of progress bar. Any ideas how I can fix this please ?
Regards,
Martin
brayman said:
Hiya,
My phone is a work phone and I've rooted it and installed Cyanogen rom on it, however encryption doesn't work as part of that rom. For me to be able to use the phone as a work device I need to encrypt it. If I tell it to encrypt the phone it never seems to do anything, I get the green android appear and that's it I have left it overnight before and it never seems to complete or give me any kind of progress bar. Any ideas how I can fix this please ?
Regards,
Martin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you want to know something then ask in the rom thread....but where do you tried to encypt it? in the settings or where? and which encrypt do you mean? it should work nicely
I'm assuming here you are trying to add an account as either Exchange or a Google Apps domain controlled by your employer and thus you are getting the security pop-ups telling you to add a PIN and encrypt the storage. What you'll find that really sucks is that once encrypted you can't flash updates to CM through the recovery anymore.
Try this app: Enhanced Email $9.99.
It will let you sync without needing to enable all of the security features on your device. I highly recommend you stick with a PIN code though!
Sorry for the self-advertisement: but encryption does work in my 4.2 AOSP ROM: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2013506
Note that you should switch to the 'bigdata' layout in order to avoid any data leakage by an unencrypted sdcard.
One-X-master said:
if you want to know something then ask in the rom thread....but where do you tried to encypt it? in the settings or where? and which encrypt do you mean? it should work nicely
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought I did, ok. Yes if I go to settings and encrypt on the phone that way and it doesn't work.
navalynt said:
I'm assuming here you are trying to add an account as either Exchange or a Google Apps domain controlled by your employer and thus you are getting the security pop-ups telling you to add a PIN and encrypt the storage. What you'll find that really sucks is that once encrypted you can't flash updates to CM through the recovery anymore.
Try this app: Enhanced Email $9.99.
It will let you sync without needing to enable all of the security features on your device. I highly recommend you stick with a PIN code though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that's exactly It, Our work email is on Google now so its the Google apps problem. I don't mind if I cant flash updates as I haven't found any problems with the latest nightlies for a long time. I may try that if there is no other solutions dont really wanna spend my own money getting my work email working .

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