Hi XDA ... I have been a long time lurker and only post when I feel I can contribute. This post is not to contribute but to either (1) entertain or hopefully (2) look for help. Yes I did search but all of the leads I have followed have been dead ends, and I have a time constraint .. if there is a sure fire way to find my phone please post it, because I haven't been able to nail it, and I will be eternally grateful!
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Writing this partially to vent, partially because writing it may help me think through this, and because I'm looking for ideas.
So I lost my cellphone today. It's a carrier-unlocked Google Galaxy Nexus ($350) with a Straight Talk AT&T MVNO Sim card in it, prepaid for 6 months ($250). If I knew it was lost for good, no big deal, I can move on. What's killing me though is the limbo of not being able to piece together a decent story, or enough information, that I could consider high-odds on what the hell happened. So I'm in missing-cell-phone purgatory at the moment.
Here's what happened. It's not exciting at all...
5:00 went to Nathan (8yo son)'s soccer practice
5:30ish Playing with phone, checking email, etc while sitting in a fold up chair at soccer. Occasionally put it in the chair cupholder when watching.
5:45ish Rachel (my 5yo daughter) sits on my lap for the last 15 min of practice. Not sure exactly where I put the phone, it was either in the cupholder or on the chair between my legs.
6:00 Practice over. Get up to leave, fold up chairs, pack backpack, walk straight to car (100yds) through grass, some mulch, some pinestraw
6:05 Put chairs and backpack in front trunk on the porsche, walk to driver's door, open and get in. Nothing in my hands but a key. Kids let themselves in the car.
6:10 Stop by pumpkin patch on the way home to buy a pumpkin, get out, and "Where's my phone? It should be in my pocket". It's not.
6:15 Assume I must have put it in the backpack while packing. Would check but I need to pee, so we jump in the car and go home
6:20 Pee
6:25 Check backpack, car, everything. Start calling it and listening for the ring. Nada
6:30-10:30 Drive back to the soccer par 3x, retracing my steps, shining bright flashlight, constantly calling my number from another phone, no luck.
So here's what I have done:
- Tried about 4 different "after the fact" phone locators via Play store including Plan B. All report installed correctly, but none give any indication that they work. I get some indication that none of these apps actually work on jellybean.
- Called about a million times. Seems to ring normally for a long time before going to voicemail. Not sure if this is an indication that the phone is actually on or not (or if the sim is still in it), but I assume it does mean it's ringing audibly.
- Sent several texts trying to activate the locators, they seem to go through with no error, but have no idea if that's an indication the phone is on and connected.
- Called Straight talk. They are useless. No location service, no way to ping the phone to see if it's active on the network
- Also called AT&T. They have no access to an MVNO phone/account
- Checked as many data trails as I can think of for access. No gmail usage, no play store access, no new charges on my credit cards, etc. I can't find any malicious usage.
- FYI phone had 100% charge when I left, and had great service at the park, both phone and data.
Here are the scenarios I'm working on in my mind. Problem is, I can't bring myself to believe any of them:
A. How I lost it
1. I left the phone in the chair cupholder, folded the chair, and while walking / swinging the chair, it fell out. I tested this scenario with another phone, and it's ain't gonna happen. The phone's in the way when folding the chair.
2. I left the phone sitting on the seat when folding the chair up, then it fell out while walking. Same problem ... first, it's obvious, and second, I tried it at home, the phone sits in the folded chair nice and secure.
3. I set the phone on the roof of the car when getting in. Nuh-uh. I don't put things on the car. Would have gone in my pocket first.
B. Where it ended up
1. Some 9 year old soccer kid in Cary found or stole my phone and pocketed it. Seems likely, but, seriously, what's the first thing a bad kid would do with a toy? Look for games. Most kids old enough to be devious would be smart enough to go to Play store and d/l some new stuff, but there is no new access. This would explain why it rings and rings, a kid would have turned the volume off so mom and dad don't hear it, but maybe not smart enough to realize how to yank the sim.
2. An adult found it, then went into the school and dropped it off with a janitor or staff and it's sitting on someone's desk. I really hope this is the case. But I find it hard to imagine that when passing through the hands of TWO adults, that no one would have hit the power button and seen the lockscreen message that says "EMERGENCY CONTACT 919-XXX-XXXX" (my wife's phone). Hard to believe.
3. I did put it on the roof and went screaming around some corners on the way to the pumpkin patch. Nope, I don't put stuff on the car, and during the 4 hours I spent looking for it, I also went ditch digging around the 2 corners and walked the entire way with a flashlight looking
4. An adult found it and pocketed it. If so, an adult would have been smart enough to yank the sim and wipe the phone. But google's still in contact with the phone, and it appears to ring. So it obviously is just sitting somewhere.
So, I don't really believe any of the scenarios. I hope at least for closure that I get to find out what the hell happened. Not ever knowing will absolutely be torture for me... Whew. I doubt anyone is still reading this. I think I feel better, or I will after another beer.
Any ideas? How to hack into my own phone and figure out it's location? If all is well I hope to have another 12-24 hrs of battery life, and I'm closely monitoring accounts to detect malicious use, but I don't want to nuke my accounts while there is still the slim chance of detection using access.
Not entirely familiar with your situation, but there are some apps that allow you to detect the location of a phone after registering it. By any chance, did you manage to install Lookout Mobile Security or Avast on your phone? These apps allow you to detect a phone's location.
Try plan b. Go to play store and read manual how to use it
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
The OP says he has tried Plan B
How about logging into your google account then clicking on this link https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0 This is where google thinks your phone is.
Crisis over! FOUND MY PHONE!
I didn't think about "Where is my phone #5": Kid finds phone on the ground, then runs half way across the park to show his parents, who tell him to leave it on a park bench. Now, I thought I looked at every bench and picnic table in the park in the dark last night, but must have missed that one. And how I never managed to hear it ring while wandering around, I'll never know. Got a call this morning from a nice lady who was out there blowing leaves this morning. Whew!
Re: locating software. DO IT! Learn from my narrowly avoided situation! Especially if you are on an MVNO with no customer service. I now have Plan B, Missing Droid Locator, Android Lost Free, and Where's my Droid installed on the phone. Note that none of them worked when installed after-the-fact. I'm going to play around with them and others over the next few days and I will try to come back here to post my recommendations.
Re: google maps. I did try some version of maps/latitude/history, but not that link. Looks interesting and will keep that around in the future.
Thanks everyone for listening and posting advice... Back to normal life for me
i had the same situation, sorta. someone stole my phone from my fraking house while i was on deployment. they didnt wipe the phone, but swapped sims.
this is what i did. phone was logged into my account, on a different sim.
installed this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidlost
installed this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.androidlost.jumpstart
then i installed any app. does not matter which one, as jumpstart monitors this and will fireup android lost.
Android lost will then report in to the AL server, and allow you to control it via the site.
If you are running jellybean, i do recall him saying there are some issues with android lost jumpstart working right, so that could have been your issue. Anyhow, it worked for me. i pulled GPS coordinates, did a password recovery vis sms, pulled SMS and got a name on the account. got the police involved and got my phone back. ****ing kids.
whit32 said:
Crisis over! FOUND MY PHONE!
I didn't think about "Where is my phone #5": Kid finds phone on the ground, then runs half way across the park to show his parents, who tell him to leave it on a park bench. Now, I thought I looked at every bench and picnic table in the park in the dark last night, but must have missed that one. And how I never managed to hear it ring while wandering around, I'll never know. Got a call this morning from a nice lady who was out there blowing leaves this morning. Whew!
Re: locating software. DO IT! Learn from my narrowly avoided situation! Especially if you are on an MVNO with no customer service. I now have Plan B, Missing Droid Locator, Android Lost Free, and Where's my Droid installed on the phone. Note that none of them worked when installed after-the-fact. I'm going to play around with them and others over the next few days and I will try to come back here to post my recommendations.
Re: google maps. I did try some version of maps/latitude/history, but not that link. Looks interesting and will keep that around in the future.
Thanks everyone for listening and posting advice... Back to normal life for me
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Click to collapse
Use Avast! - it's free, and you remote lock, sound alarms, and even wipe via web browser or texting from another phone using the PIN you setup. Also comes with malware and virus scanners (which I disable due to extra load on the system/battery). You can also set it to lock the device if the SIM is switched. Fortunately I haven't had to use it real world yet.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium
Related
So today I went to the Sprint store to have my screen replaced, but upon doing so, somehow the technician made it so the device will no longer power on. She tried 2 different screens, so I said to just put the orignal back on so I at least have a working phone. The device still does not power on. I've noticed that the power button no longer has a clicking sense to it like it once did and it now easily sinks into the device. It seems like it just sinks right into the phone, but no matter how hard you press it, or how fine you press it (fingernail) it just won't turn on. Has anyone had a similar experience? Is there anything I can do to fix this myself?
Why did you let the tech give you a phone that doesn't power on? Get a full replacement phone. I'm sure it's just a spring clip or something that didn't get replaced quite right, but whoever did the service obviously has insufficient skills to be performing repairs.
Besides, if you try to take your phone apart yourself, you'll void the warranty.
SilverZero said:
Why did you let the tech give you a phone that doesn't power on? Get a full replacement phone. I'm sure it's just a spring clip or something that didn't get replaced quite right, but whoever did the service obviously has insufficient skills to be performing repairs.
Besides, if you try to take your phone apart yourself, you'll void the warranty.
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1. There are no Evos in stock. They are currently waiting for them to get back in stock so they can order a replacement. The problem is I'm away on business and need a phone.
2. The phone has already been opened, there would be no way for them to tell whether I did it or the techs did. I have a receipt for the repair order if it comes to them accusing it was me.
3. I'm looking for ways to get my phone powered back on. I appreciate your help, but I really just need answers to my question, nothing else.
call mgt or walk in and talk to mgt. the store tech made the device nonfuntional, then the store needs to ensure that you have a communications device for your trip and a brand new EVO waiting for you when you return to your home city. perhaps you don't travel with a EVO this trip.
i don't understand why you would walk out of the store without a phone given the situation you describe. i would strongly advise having a different tech break down and rewiew your EVO. perhaps she put it together wrong (if you're lucky).
DraginMagik said:
call mgt or walk in and talk to mgt. the store tech made the device nonfuntional, then the store needs to ensure that you have a communications device for your trip and a brand new EVO waiting for you when you return to your home city. perhaps you don't travel with a EVO this trip.
i don't understand why you would walk out of the store without a phone given the situation you describe. i would strongly advise having a different tech break down and rewiew your EVO. perhaps she put it together wrong (if you're lucky).
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She tried it 3 different times, I doubt she would have messed up 3 different times. Also, do you not understand that Evos are still sold out...everywhere! I walked out of the store without a phone because they didn't have one to give me. What's hard to understand about that?
I also don't understand how you can just leave the store without a functioning phone. They (in my eyes) bricked the phone, meaning it doesn't turn on at all. They should have scoured the area, calling other stores, repair centers in the area to get you a working evo (while you're waiting for a replacement).
I hope things work out for you. I'm waiting for a replacement phone and the store told me it would be less than a week wait. I had them activate an old phone for me (that I brought with me)
And even if they don't have an Evo to give you, they should be able to give you something comparable as a temp phone. You could almost have a legal issue here if their screw-up is causing your work to suffer.
If you're hell-bent on fixing it yourself, just open it up and see what you can see. Or I think there is a tear-down video somewhere from when the Evo first launched. Google it.
Well I opened it up and sure enough the button for the power was broken inside. The part that the external button presses into was snapped off somehow. So now the external button doesn't contact it. Not sure how the tech could not have discovered that herself, considering she did it. First I tried to remove it and replace it with one from the volume rocker, but decided that for now, I'm leaving the two top screws on the phone removed and using a needle to trigger the power button.
I at least have a working phone and can hold out for a replacement when they get back in stock. Yes I shouldn't have left with a phone, but this is Sprint. When asking about a loaner, they told me they could only replace it with the same phone, even for loan. It just baffles me how this company could not leave enough phones in the warehouse for replacements. It's quite simple Sprint, stop being greedy and shipping out every phone for sales. That way you can service the current customers you have that have already been paying you. It's no wonder you keep losing customers each quarter.
They "serviced" you alright.
indiearmy said:
She tried it 3 different times, I doubt she would have messed up 3 different times. Also, do you not understand that Evos are still sold out...everywhere! I walked out of the store without a phone because they didn't have one to give me. What's hard to understand about that?
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i understand that when i was in sales my phone was as important as the shoes on my feet. i would not have walked out without a working phone. evo or not. the sprint folks can fix their screwup.
whats hard to understand is why you cowed under and meekly walked out the door.
DraginMagik said:
...
whats hard to understand is why you cowed under and meekly walked out the door.
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hate to judge, but I kinda agree. prolly would have figuratively broken that place up before I left. at the very least, the mgr would have gone home tonight and kicked his dog
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
DraginMagik said:
i understand that when i was in sales my phone was as important as the shoes on my feet. i would not have walked out without a working phone. evo or not. the sprint folks can fix their screwup.
whats hard to understand is why you cowed under and meekly walked out the door.
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I didn't. What part of they didn't have any do you people not understand?
"Oh yes, well I'm going raise my voice act all mighty and tough a demand you just whip up an Evo right here and now. Come on, don't try to bull**** me, I know there must be someone here that can build those outside of it's normal manufacture plant!" I didn't meekly walk out the door, they just didn't have any. You may take the I'm an asshole customer approach, but I've learned through many years in retail that it doesn't get you anywhere. Just like it wouldn't have gotten me anywhere cause again, ranting and raving isn't magically going to make an Evo pop up in that store.
you're a good person. I wouldn't have left the store without an equivalent replacement
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
indianacurly said:
you're a good person. I wouldn't have left the store without an equivalent replacement
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
You probably would have, because they didn't have any. Also, I was probably 75% sure I could fix it myself, or at least get a temp fix going like I describe I've done. It wasn't worth the hassle to me knowing I could fix it within the hour myself.
Hey everyone, I'm looking to see if there's a better alternative to wavesecure. I was robbed last night at gun point and among my DSLR cam and wallet, my phone went along with them.
That is when I realized how useless Wavesecure is. I don't know who's paying for it since I got in on the free lifetime membership but what a waste of money.
They completely ignore what happens in a robbery.
First, phone gets stolen and turned off by thief (if they're smart or been doing it for a while).
Second, Victim tries to lock or track the phone through the Wavesecure site but with the phone off..nothing will get through. Sure, you may say, "as soon as they turn it on...." but how long will you wait? The only way this will work is if you can get the wipe command in soon enough. Otherwise, if you lock it and they see it...off it goes.
Third, after the police report.. you start calling the bank.. and eventually sprint to restrict service. But if you restrict it then the command will really never get through unless they're on wifi.
After you restrict it, it's time to say good bye and Wavesecure has done nothing.
The best security measure, is to have a weapon of your own, haha. Or maybe lifting the ghettos out of the ghetto so crimerate lowers, :O.
Seriously, the thing I appreciate most about the phone is that I had it pattern locked. So if it's off, then next time they turn it on, service or not, they'll be greeted with it. So, no access to my data, which is the biggest loss for me. The only thing vulnerable is my microsd card...which is why wavesecure let me down. They will never connect to wifi because they can't unlock it and sd card will never be wiped.
I'm glad I'm on a CDMA carrier, esn blocked. Nothing like that on GSM that I know of.
Is there a solution that will wipe your phone AND sd card after a set number of failed pin/password/pattern unlock attempts? Say 20?
Funny info: they only used my credit card once. $2.20 at a McDonald's.
Yes: There's an app called "autowipe" which allows you to wipe both the phone's memory and SD card if one of the following conditions is met:
1) Phone receives a text with a password in it.
2) User-defined number of lockscreen password failures.
3) SIM card is changed (doesn't apply to us, but nice feature).
Best of all, it's FREE.
The number one thing is that you are ok, these fools out here will shoot even if you cooperate with them. I ran into a similar situation with my phone (not robbed) but my phone was stolen and I had mobile defense. Only way to track the phone is if it was on which the thief turned off, so the only option was to wait for them to turn on the phone, which I did attempt for a few days but lost hope and had sprint stop service to the phone. The only option I had left was if they turned on the phone and connected to wifi which had not happened to this date so I had to buy another Evo which was equally painful as the first one being stolen. Like I said though, glad you are ok because a phone can be replaced, not a person.
Autowipe, darn. I hadn't heard of it before. I never really thought out the situation. Noone ever expects to be in it.. First thing installed when I get my phone from asurion.
Jfree, no insurance? Buying one full price is the worst, to top it all off. I was skeptical about needing insurance. I had never lost a phone before..but stolen never seemed like a real possibility. Always a surprise.
Autowipe seems like the app i was looking for. Definitely a must have, especially to protect all your valuable data.
That sucks, Los Angeles really does suck... thankfully I am in the northern half of Cali
Sucks.
Sent while sitting on the toilet.
So you do not like wavesecure because it doesn't work with the phone off?
Find out what McDonald's they went to and get the police to pull the videotape at the time of the sale. Have the LAPD do something for a change.
backdown said:
So you do not like wavesecure because it doesn't work with the phone off?
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I didn't say I didn't like it. I'm saying that in the situation for which it is intended to be used, it is useless. Autowipe and a pattern/pin/password lock would be a better alternative. Especially since you have to pay for wavesecure.
P_Dub_S said:
Find out what McDonald's they went to and get the police to pull the videotape at the time of the sale. Have the LAPD do something for a change.
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Wow, I is noob. I'm going to call them asap, hadn't thought of that.! I want my cam back...or reimbursement. Thanks! This whole thing has me in a zoned out mode kind of..
overthinkingme said:
I didn't say I didn't like it. I'm saying that in the situation for which it is intended to be used, it is useless. Autowipe and a pattern/pin/password lock would be a better alternative. Especially since you have to pay for wavesecure.
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Why would it work with the phone off? It has no power source. No power source =/= signal. Now, once they turn the phone on you are good..but no matter what you do to your phone (short of planting an actual gps chip on it) it will not work if the phone is on.
Wow, I is noob. I'm going to call them asap, hadn't thought of that.! I want my cam back...or reimbursement. Thanks! This whole thing has me in a zoned out mode kind of..
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You will only get a reimbursement if you carry insurance (home owners) on them..
jigglywiggly said:
That sucks, Los Angeles really does suck... thankfully I am in the northern half of Cali
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Yeah because we all know there's no crime in northern Cali. People just do not get robbed there .....ass
P_Dub_S said:
Find out what McDonald's they went to and get the police to pull the videotape at the time of the sale. Have the LAPD do something for a change.
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Unless they shot someone I doubt the lapd will do this.
backdown said:
Why would it work with the phone off? It has no power source. No power source =/= signal. Now, once they turn the phone on you are good..but no matter what you do to your phone (short of planting an actual gps chip on it) it will not work if the phone is on.
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Not once did I say that I expected it to work while off.
Did you not read? My argument is that by the time they turn it back on, non-predictable, the phone will have already been restricted by you..but at that point you already don't expect to get it back..
I'm originally from S.F., but I moved to LA for the crime.
i am sorry for your loss sir.
Thats why I believe every person that does not have a criminal record should be allowed to have a concealed weapons permit with training...if these punk ass lowlife pieces of **** were afraid they would be killed when they rob or attack somebody maybe they would think twice...i guarantee crime rates would drop practically overnight! But the damn yuppies and politicians only want the criminals to have guns..
Sorry man....that sucks. One of our employees just had his stolen out of his car which was parked in his garage. Had Lookout on it and I was able to track it for just a few minutes while they had it on but couldn't pinpoint the location before the phone was turned off. After that, called Sprint and shut phone off. Bye Bye phone.
Looking back on what could have been done......
First thing, set an unlock pattern for your phone so, unless they know how to bypass, not going to get into it.
Second, even if the phone is off/locked they could pull the SD card and browse via PC. If sensitive information is on there they will have access. There is an app in the market which lets you set a password for any folders/files on the card you wish. This way, no access granted to those particular items.
If you want the app and can't find it repost and I will dig it up.
Also, Sprint will give some credit for the phone if stolen but with what they charge it will still be expensive. Might be better off buying on sale over the net for cheaper price. EVO was advertised on Amazon not too long ago @ 99.99.
Sucks... my right hand man got stolen yesterday.. so customized and so many good photos and videos on it.. crap!! I'm in the Dominican Republic.. 2nd to last day of a 2 week vacation and someone takes it when I wasn't looking off a table at a restaurant! I almost transferred photos the previous night too! Anyway just had to let some people know that can truly feel my pain. Anyone know Asurion's deductible on this phone? I can't do anything with my Sprint account or Asurion till I get back in the states cuz I cant figure my pin or my "first car" security question and I think Sprint site it blocked from loggin in this country..
I was at work and had my phone charging next to demo phones bc we were slow. Next thing I know it was gone. I immediately went to the door and locked it and called my number hoping I would catch someone in the act and lay it on them...it started ringing next to a couple that was with my manager. Seeing the look in my eye he immediately said that he took it off the charger so no one took it. I think the red on my face gave it away that I was going to get it and get fired by my actions or it was going to get handed back to me. Luckily I have phone nerds watching my back when I get busy lol.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Sorry to hear your phone got stolen (especially with your awesome pictures). The deduction for a new phone will be $100 thru the TEP. You can do it online, as long as you order before 11pm, you should have your phone the next day, unless its on backorder.
tri0xinn said:
Sucks... my right hand man got stolen yesterday.. so customized and so many good photos and videos on it.. crap!! I'm in the Dominican Republic.. 2nd to last day of a 2 week vacation and someone takes it when I wasn't looking off a table at a restaurant! I almost transferred photos the previous night too! Anyway just had to let some people know that can truly feel my pain. Anyone know Asurion's deductible on this phone? I can't do anything with my Sprint account or Asurion till I get back in the states cuz I cant figure my pin or my "first car" security question and I think Sprint site it blocked from loggin in this country..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install Plan B from the android market, it's free (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.lookout.labs.planb)
If your phone is still on, it'll download itself to your phone and send you an email about its location. You can also text your phone a keyword (I think it's 'locate', the exact word is on the android marketplace) and it'll give you an updated location. It might not work, but it's worth a try.
^ There's a good idea. And in the future you should really have something like Androidlost on it so you can track and wipe it remotely.
I kinda want mine to be stolen. I have mine set that whenever it boots another number I have gets a text with its network location and gps location. I can also text it a word and it will respond with the location. I have not yet figured out how to wipe the device with a modded rom so if they remove the sd card they have access to all of my pics and info, but I'll know where they are and I have another action text word to take a pic and send to me so I'll see who they are too.
OP that blows I'm sorry. When I got this phone I had a nightmare that a idiot took my phone and accudentally bricked it. I was pissed! Lol
eagercrow said:
I kinda want mine to be stolen. I nave mine set that whenever it boots another number I have gets a text with its network location and gps location. I can also text it a word and it will respond with the location. I have not yet figured out how to wipe the device with a modded rom so if they remove the sd card they have access to all of my pics and info, but I'll know where they are and I have another action text word to take a pic and send to me so I'll see who they are too.
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Click to collapse
Really? You kinda want your phone to be stolen?
nabbed said:
Really? You kinda want your phone to be stolen?
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yes and no, does that make any sense? lol. My phone is a part of me so that would suck, but because it is a part of me I have set up ways to track it if lost. Sure I could give my phone to a friend to test, but my friends are like me and I might get one location before they wiped it. I would like to know how effective my precautions and protections are against a real world situation.
What apps can take pictures of the thief ?
Sent from my GS2ET4g
Well I installed plan b.. wish there was an app I could install remotely that would wipe the phone automatically.. or self destruct it..hehe... thanks for the replies and ideas. I tried to claim through asurion but my pin is wrong as well as my 'first car" question.. would be nice because I get home Friday.. would be nice if there was new one waiting. Does anyone know what the default "pin" could be .. like date of birth .. or something else? I tried date of birth but didn't work unless it's a different format.
i think the default pin is 123456. i could be wrong though...
i just know that when i got my evo, i never picked a pin and that's what i had when i finally remembered to change it.
Not the same, but wanted to comment on getting stuff stolen.
You can never be too cautious. About 10 years ago, I went to Mexico with my school (senior year Spanish class trip), and we were getting ready to leave from a hotel. We were sitting on a bench, 3 guys, and I went to help people get the bags in the bus. Told the guys to watch the bag, but a few seconds later I saw them next to me. So I ran to the bench, and it was gone. Had a brand new digital camera (3mpx back then), my CD player with all my CDs, etc. It just messed the entire trip. It was bad.
I'd like to say that when you're out of your comfort area you can never be too cautious...but...you can NEVER be too cautious no matter where you are. I didn't get anything, but I surely tried looking everywhere to see if I could find somebody with my bag, or the camera, etc.
The thing with the phone, is that nowadays, the phone is your digital camera, your CD player, your facebook portal, has your email, documents... This summer, my wife left her phone at McDonalds. We were on a 1000-mile trip, so this was just one stop in the middle of nowhere. Right away I asked her to check for her phone. She thought I had it, I thought she got it...Had to turn around in the highway (one of those "only emergency vehicles" turns) and went back to McD. Of course she was freaking out. Her facebook, the phone was unprotected, had access to all her mail, her contacts, etc, etc. I went there, looked for it, called it, nothing. Looked like if someone was hanging up when I called. I asked the manager at McD and I guess somebody cleaning found it and brought it to the back.
I was of the lucky ones.
Follow these guys' advice: protect your phone, because you don't know when sh$t will happen. It could be you, your girlfriend, wife, daughter, son, husband...somehow, somewhere, chances are a phone may go missing. So protect it while you can.
Hey all, I'm having some trouble here. My best friend past away in a car accident a month ago, 5 hours away from his place. His mother and I would like to know what he was doing out there in the first place. The Coroner gave her the phone, and since I'm in IT, she gave it to me. So far I can access photos, videos, etc, but the screen is completely smashed. part of the display itself (under the glass) is missing. Here's my other problem, I don't know his passcode, even if I did acquire an old phone and did a parts swap. Windows is not detecting the phone as a phone (probably cause I havent put his passcode in), but detects it as a removable storage device. so far, I can't find an app for PC that will detect the phone in this state, and I need to pull the SMS/MMS data off of the phone, and everything else. The phone is NOT rooted. His mom trusted me to do this for her, and so far all I've gotten are the photos and voice recordings. Can anyone help me out?
sublimeload said:
Hey all, I'm having some trouble here. My best friend past away in a car accident a month ago, 5 hours away from his place. His mother and I would like to know what he was doing out there in the first place. The Coroner gave her the phone, and since I'm in IT, she gave it to me. So far I can access photos, videos, etc, but the screen is completely smashed. part of the display itself (under the glass) is missing. Here's my other problem, I don't know his passcode, even if I did acquire an old phone and did a parts swap. Windows is not detecting the phone as a phone (probably cause I havent put his passcode in), but detects it as a removable storage device. so far, I can't find an app for PC that will detect the phone in this state, and I need to pull the SMS/MMS data off of the phone, and everything else. The phone is NOT rooted. His mom trusted me to do this for her, and so far all I've gotten are the photos and voice recordings. Can anyone help me out?
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I feel sorry for your loss. You and his mom have my condolences.. If his mom does not know the passcode then there is only limted help we can offer. I am not saying it can't be done.
It is XDA Policy to not post instructions on unlocking phones with passcodes. So I apologize I can't help any further.
There are threads that detail how to do this. Can't say for sure they are all still there, but I have seen them.
I've seen some that tell how to get around the screen lock passcode/password, and some that detail how to pull all data from a device with a broken screen for backup before sending it for repair.
I too, am very sorry to hear about your loss..... I will keep you in my prayers and hope you may find the strength and closure you need to get through such a difficult tragedy...
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
I tried:
- Facebook -> no effect
- Twitter -> no use, only used for maketing, they don't answer
- Email -> The site (both local and global English) just throws me to the main page, and nothing happens. I get no mail that I submitted my message, I get no message on the website that my message was sent OK. I get nothing. Just throws me to the main page and that's it.
Tried both pages as I said, no effect.
There is also a phone contact, but I doubt I could reach anyone there.
The story:
I could use my phone and was satisfied with it (HOX) for half a year. Then it started dying, and spent the rest in service.
Been using my old Nokia ever since. (What a joke...)
Now I'm really, really fed up. Yes, I waited patiently weeks, months, read the fake/forged repair documents and whatnot...
But it's just useless. There is no effect whatsoever.
Even if they list that they changed the moon or... whatever, they did not. They spit lies in your face, in the form of a huge list on an A4 paper.
So I want to reach someone who could help me.
Story:
- Phone first had difficulties waking up in any weather/heat condition.
- After a while phone could not wake up in cold temperatures at all. (Not outside cold, just below 15C.)
- Then it started having glitching screen, and the lock-up issue did not go away.
- I changed the SIM cards and returned the phone.
Took them weeks to get it fixed, and when I got it back, I could not even turn it back on.
Asked the service that "wtf?!" and he said "you are right"... Just what the hell?
What the f. did the service people doing in there? Like... "well, let's write a lot of things on a list and that will surely fix it!"
So he took the phone back and the phone was in service again.
Fast forward weeks again, the phone is back.
- I didn't want to waste time with contacts transfer (it's an ass. HTC provides no tools, software support is outright ****.)
- So I sat down and I had glitches in the menu when scrolling. As I said I did not use the phone prior, because either I use one phone, or the other phone.
- And after a few minutes of use, when the chip started heating up (tegra), the phone locked up and the screen went off.
tl;dr: the phone been through many repairs and it's A BRICK. A PERFECT PAPER-WEIGHT.
If you are thinking of buying a HTC device: Don't do it man. It sucks.
The software you get is a joke (on PC), it does not help. MyPhoneExplorer is like the only way to KINDA transfer data, but even that fails. I'm a programmer, I spent days on fixing problems regarding this. I don't even know how a normal person could transfer their contact list.
And this is just one problem. As you can see build quality/quality and warranty is the other thing.
My entire county is crying on the local HTC wall that their phones are plagued with problems and no one cares about them. I want A PHONE after I paid so much money.