Develop Bugs

GPS and Email encryption

Hey,
Anyone else having problems with GPS when they have their device encrypted? My work email requires me to encrypt the hard drive on the phone, but once I do that, my GPS no longer works. If I un-encrypt the phone my GPS works again, but I can no longer access my work email. Anyone with a similar experience or thoughts on how to fix this?
Thanks

As a matter of fact you may be on to something. I was testing the GPS out on Friday when I picked up the phone. It was working great. However I set up the phone this weekend and encrypted the device. I have been unable to lock a signal since. Other than device encryption nothing has been modified on the device.

Anyone else having a similar issue? Or anyone able to encrypt their phone and still have GPS work?

The stock email app required me to encrypt the SD and enter a ridiculous unlock screen pass. I installed Exchange by Touchdown and now I have a simpler pass that is only required to view email in the app, and the SD card can remain unencrypted .

JAMBergie said:
Anyone else having a similar issue? Or anyone able to encrypt their phone and still have GPS work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like we're alone in this boat.

The GPS in the epic 4g touch is pure ****. I put it next to my EVO 3D using the GPS test app. EVO 3D found
8-10 satellites, the epic 4g touch found none. unacceptable, Samsung still sucks.
Oh, I've never used encryption.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk

Yeah Samsung must not have learned anything from the complaints about the first galaxy s gps problems. Maybe they're just too big of a company to give a poop. I wanted to keep my captivate on at&t but the bad gps was bothering me so I switched to the iPhone which has an acceptable gps. I think motorola makes the most accurate gps and phone radio of all smartphones though not that the iPhone is lousy but moto makes phones with a great gps.

galaxyjeff said:
Yeah Samsung must not have learned anything from the complaints about the first galaxy s gps problems. Maybe they're just too big of a company to give a poop. I wanted to keep my captivate on at&t but the bad gps was bothering me so I switched to the iPhone which has an acceptable gps. I think motorola makes the most accurate gps and phone radio of all smartphones though not that the iPhone is lousy but moto makes phones with a great gps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS on my EVO 3D works flawlessly.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk

sdc177 said:
GPS on my EVO 3D works flawlessly.
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Htc makes phones with great gps radios also. The gps in a smartphone whether it's android or iPhone is a huge feature for finding locations of businesses nearby and free turn by turn directions and other apps. Samsung should not keep producing android phones with a gps that doesn't work as advertised.

JAMBergie said:
Hey,
Anyone else having problems with GPS when they have their device encrypted? My work email requires me to encrypt the hard drive on the phone, but once I do that, my GPS no longer works. If I un-encrypt the phone my GPS works again, but I can no longer access my work email. Anyone with a similar experience or thoughts on how to fix this?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same problem here . Encrypted phone, no ability to lock a gps signal. Unencrypted works perfect

Same problem
Can someone please confirm that they don't have this problem.
My GPS works great when I turn off encryption but conks out when encryption is on
--
mp

this is from samsung..... bla bla bla...
Visitor:
i have spent 10+ hours looking into this as a problem. the epic touch 4g stock works fine. gps etc.. however on any et4g if you go to settings --> locations and security --> and turn on the encrypt phone option it will reboot, encrypt the data and the gps will no longer work.
Visitor:
if i decrypt the phone the gps will resume functioning
Visitor:
however, in light of recent android security issues i must have the ability to encrypt my phone. so i went to sprint and we tested to see if this was just an issue with my phone. it turns out that this happened on all 7 phones we tested
Suzanne: I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you .
Suzanne: May I know since when are you experiencing this issue?
Visitor:
this is an easily reproduced problem. and seems to happen on all epic touch 4g phones as far as i can tell
Visitor:
this happened the minute i encrypted the phone.
Suzanne: Would you mind holding 3 minutes while I gather the required information on your request?
Suzanne: Thank you for holding.
Suzanne: Device Encryption is a safe with a security solution that helps protect mobile data without the need to sacrifice speed and functionality. The Samsung Galaxy S II contains powerful encrypted hardware, minimising the use of security software and applying encryption technology to the hardware itself. The incorporated Sybase Afaria Mobile Device Management and Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync complement the encryption support with their own mechanisms to help secure important corporate and personal information
Suzanne: So when you select encrypt device due to security reasons It might be stopping GPS also.
Suzanne: So I request you to please don't select device Encryptionto access GPS.
Visitor:
it does not stop the device from getting my location as long as the option is chosen to use the data network. It does however disable the ability for the gps sat lock. i want to preface that with that the motorola atrix / htc evo's and other sprint branded phones have the encryption option and dont have any issue with getting a sat lock
Suzanne: I will surely pass on this issue to our support team I appreciate you to bringing this issue to our notice.
Suzanne: I can understand your concern.
Suzanne: The phone is designed in such a way that if you select device Encryption it will not allow access GPS.
Visitor:
since this is easy to reproduce is it possible for you to confirm my findings and possibly let me know when a fix could be anticipated
Suzanne: Unfortunately, there is no specific ETA mentioned for the release of the fix at this moment, once the release is official you can find it on Samsung website.
Visitor: i appreciate your comments but i do not believe that this is how the device was designed to work. Is there someone who can call me on this ? i just need to get a good idea if this is a bug or if you guys intend to fix.
Suzanne: I am sorry to inform you we are not having the access to call to customers. However, you can contact our dedicated Galaxy S phones voice support team at 1-877-EZ2GALAXY (1-877-392-4252).They are available 24/7. You will need to registered to avail 24x 7 service.
Visitor: ok, i will give it a try
AND SO MY JOURNEY BEGINS....

dyaga said:
Suzanne: The phone is designed in such a way that if you select device Encryption it will not allow access GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So they're saying its completely by design, encryption = no GPS? But location still works via data network.
Ugh.
Thanks for the transcript, please keep us posted if Samsung comes back to you with a "fix".

I have the same problem. I am bumping to see if someone else can help.

JAMBergie said:
Hey,
Anyone else having problems with GPS when they have their device encrypted? My work email requires me to encrypt the hard drive on the phone, but once I do that, my GPS no longer works. If I un-encrypt the phone my GPS works again, but I can no longer access my work email. Anyone with a similar experience or thoughts on how to fix this?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone solved this problem yet ??? How... I am having the same issue now.+

[Q] Is it possible to take pics from the Lock Screen without entering your pin code?

I think IOS has this right, just to take a quick pic I dont want to have to enter my pin code or do my security pattern.

You have the option to swipe left..but only with slide to unlock. I can't say I've seen any iPhone with that function though.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

iphone 4s definitely has this feature even with Pin Code enabled, I have one in front of me.
Herman76 said:
You have the option to swipe left..but only with slide to unlock. I can't say I've seen any iPhone with that function though.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Personally, I disagree ... If I lock my phone, I don't want people to be able to do anything with the phone. Isn't that the point of the lock?

Well, that's why we have these things called options.
I lock my phone because if I lose it or its stolen I dont want anyone to have access to my data...I dont care if the only thing they can do is take pictures...as a matter of fact I would encourage this so I can track them via GPS info on the pics
tjhart85 said:
Personally, I disagree ... If I lock my phone, I don't want people to be able to do anything with the phone. Isn't that the point of the lock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

If you are rooted I guess tasker or similar app can be configured to take pictures for you on lock screen.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Then remove the pin if you want easy access to the camera.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

Yes, the while point of having a lock is to "lock" out other people from using your phone...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I bet if i didn't mention IOS in my OP I wouldn't have had all these unhelpful replies
Since when did Android become the land of no options/customizations?

The idea itself is quite nice.
Maybe android itself won't make it possible? I could imagine that there are just no permissions to execute anything without unlock. However the community is insane and solves problems like that.
I don't use any lock so I can't tell you if any rom I used so far had this kind of feature

How are the replies not helpful? The fact is you can't.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

So it looks like you can do this with a few 3rd party apps.
Right now I am testing this Setting Profiles.
I have Profiles setup to disable Lock when connected to my home WiFi or my cars Bluetooth.
It has disabled the Lock Screen & Pin entering all together while home, but I will test this out more today during my travels.
If settings profile doesn't work well, then I will try this app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.benhirashima.unlockwithwifi&hl=en
Unlock With Wifi which seems to do most of what I use Settings Profiles for anyway.
And Josh, most of the replies just said "why" would I want to do this.
Thanks Herman76 for pointing me in the right direction.
joshnichols189 said:
How are the replies not helpful? The fact is you can't.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

This might be possible because you can use wallet without unlocking the phone even with corporate email.
Sent from my GT-P7310 using Tapatalk 2

Delayed Lock
Update:
Although Settings Profile did what I wanted, it was screwing up my Bluetooth connection. (Seems the app hasn't been updated in months...)
Right now I am testing Delayed Lock Free Trial.
It has plug-in to disable the Pin Lock based on Wifi AP connected, Bluetooth Device or GPS Location...so it brings me to the slider unlock screen where I have my Camera as an option (AOKP)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...CwiZGUuajR2ZWxpbi5kZWxheWVkbG9jazIudHJpYWwiXQ..

AOKP gives you an option to view the standard slide lockscreen before viewing the secure lockscreen, but you still have to put in your pin/pattern after sliding over to the camera. This isn't what you're looking for, but it seems to be a bit faster than putting in the pin THEN opening the camera app (especially if you enable the quick pin unlock in Rom Control).
There's also the option of using the above method with face unlock. After sliding, you'd move to face unlock then open to the camera app.

Reasons
@RichAP your efforts are well appreciated as you did actually try to find a solution and not just bring reasons for 'why you shouldn`t use this feature', however I`ve come across the same question as the person who started the topic and I thought I`d give a more detailed explanation of what is the app he is looking for.
This could come quite handy to most users who may want to capture a picture close to 'instantly'. For example if you wanna challenge your camera`s ability to take a picture of a fast moving object such as your neighbor finally jumping off his house, having to put a password/pin/pattern would result in you missing the moment and you don`t want that. A better example is something which happened to me today. An idiot nearly drove into the car i was in, popped his head out of the window, started swearing at everyone and then drifts away. I wanted to take a picture of his number plate, in case anything would go sideways, but by the time i unlocked my phone he was long gone.
As the person who started the topic mentioned, this feature is available in iOS (i`ve seen it on iphone 4s about 2 months ago), but the security measures have been taken into account too; you can only take pictures, but you cannot view them unless you pass the security measures (therefore if your phone gets lost/stolen, whoever has it can only fill up your memory with pictures in the worst case scenario, but what`s that good for when you can`t access them ?). I personally hate apple with a passion, but this is the only feature i`ve come across which i couldn`t find on android yet. Of course now this is down to the developers if they are interested to implement this, i only showed under what circumstances you can use it. Oh and why does apple have it (and amazingly, doesn`t charge the users ridiculous amounts of money, it`s actually built-in the OS) and android doesn`t (even as a 3rd party app) is a good question, as apple never gives its users more than 1% on top of the very basic (for free).
I do apologize for jumping in quite late, however I just got a galaxy S3 3 weeks ago and I`ve just come across this today. If anyone found an alternative or something which is already on the market, may I please ask how do i find it ? Thank you in advance.

I'm sure with the 4.2 update you can take pictures even when the phone has a pattern/pin lock, or at least I can on the paranoid 2.99 beta9 rom

You can do that in 4.2
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Anyone realize the last reply is 6 months ago, which means there is no 4.2.....................................................................

I dont think its a good idea to enable camera without unlocking the screen.
Sent from my MT11i using xda app-developers app

Security Apps

I recently thought I had lost my phone but I had just misplaced it at home. Because I had powered it off I was unable to locate it by making it ring and I thought it had been stolen.
Unfortunately, I hadn't set a lockscreen pin or installed a security app to help locate and control my phone remotely so my phone was totally unprepared for the situation.
I hurridly set about changing sensitive passwords using my laptop then I tried to remotely install a security app called "Android Lost" and when I eventually found my phone the app was automatically installed but did not work because it needs to be run and activated.
So, I have learned my lesson from this experience and I have now set a lockscreen password PIN and installed and registered "Android Lost".
Now if I really lose my phone I am not completely helpless and I will not power it off unless it is on charge.
I hope my experience acts as a warning to others who have not taken phone security precautions.

Yeah that's basically the first thing I did with the Nexus 4, I ended up going with Cerberus which was about $4aud for a account which I can use on my two previous phones and tablet should I decide to take it away since the Nexus doesn't have USB OTG support.
Does basically everything, my most wanted feature was the invalid pin/pattern photo, where if you put the wrong pin/pattern in it'll take a photo & Email it to me.
Thankfully haven't needed to put it into action but I make sure to test it after each ROM upgrade just in case it doesn't work.

I think the app "Plan B" will work in that situation. Never tried before though.
Using "Wheres my droid" myself.

parker09 said:
Yeah that's basically the first thing I did with the Nexus 4, I ended up going with Cerberus which was about $4aud for a account which I can use on my two previous phones and tablet should I decide to take it away since the Nexus doesn't have USB OTG support.
Does basically everything, my most wanted feature was the invalid pin/pattern photo, where if you put the wrong pin/pattern in it'll take a photo & Email it to me.
Thankfully haven't needed to put it into action but I make sure to test it after each ROM upgrade just in case it doesn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your informative reply. I've switched from "Android Lost" to Cerberus which looks better.

Cerebus, Android lost or where's my droid?

I tried Cerberus because of all the positive comments I had seen on xda. I can personally say it is by far the best one out there. I've used seek droid, where's my droid and nearly all of them but Cerberus just seems to do more
Sent from my Nexus 4

ltylty123 said:
I think the app "Plan B" will work in that situation. Never tried before though.
Using "Wheres my droid" myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plan B doesn't work on 4.0+
I use Cerberus.

parker09 said:
Yeah that's basically the first thing I did with the Nexus 4, I ended up going with Cerberus which was about $4aud for a account which I can use on my two previous phones and tablet should I decide to take it away since the Nexus doesn't have USB OTG support.
Does basically everything, my most wanted feature was the invalid pin/pattern photo, where if you put the wrong pin/pattern in it'll take a photo & Email it to me.
Thankfully haven't needed to put it into action but I make sure to test it after each ROM upgrade just in case it doesn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I use Cerberus as well (got it for free quite some time back when the developer was having a "free for life" weekend special). Also, it's worth mentioning that once bought you can use it on up to 5 devices (which is great if you have multiple phones).
In addition to doing what is quoted above it also lets you do all kinds of things in the web interface. From locking the SIM to tracking the phone's location over a given time period to being able to pull up call and text logs. All of that in addition to the usual features of locating your phone (via GPS) and setting off an alarm (that is insanely, and occasionally scary, loud).
I highly recommend it to my friends and family members. Definitely think you should give it a go. If I hadn't gotten it for free I would gladly have paid for it. Never had to use it (beyond showing off its capabilities to people looking for a security app), but it gives me peace of mind knowing it just works (and does so after ROM flashing).
Also, if you have root and enable it as a device administrator it'll do quite a bit more. From locking your phone to remote wipes to uninstallation protection (of course a complete wipe from recovery will beat that, but there's only so much you can do or not do in that case).

I like the way Cerberus can take a picture of someone trying to crack the lock screen pin and email it. I wonder how difficult it is to get past a screen lock pin?

How big is the impact of Cerberus on battery life guys?

Lexus fan said:
How big is the impact of Cerberus on battery life guys?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Almost no impact at all

Anyone using avast?

I just got my Nexus 4 and have yet to setup a security app. I used Prey on my last phone and it seemed pretty good. Anyone know how it compares to these other apps?

Lexus fan said:
How big is the impact of Cerberus on battery life guys?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No impact at all. Since the app doesn't run until you manually send commands from the web interface. And even then the app doesn't really "run" per se. There's no visibility at all it's even there, minus the icon in the app drawer. (And you can even hide the app and make it so it's only accessible by dialing a certain code from the phone dialer.)

i want to install these 'lost my phone' apps but dont they really drain the battery and you have to turn on gps and location settings on? also if the thief who steals your phone will read up on how to reflash and wipe the phone? it will render these apps useless

I've been using Cerberus for some time now and it's absolutely perfect! Every part of it functions just as it's intended to and the app has practically no impact on battery life. Great stuff!

elbel86 said:
I just got my Nexus 4 and have yet to setup a security app. I used Prey on my last phone and it seemed pretty good. Anyone know how it compares to these other apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was using prey, but thanks to this thread I just switched to Cerberus - much better deal, interface, and functionality - plus a couple extra features if rooted. Totally worth the USD4.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

Location Smart Lock Stopped Working...

So I'm not sure when, exactly, it stopped working because by habit I tend to utilize the fingerprint reader every time I pick up the phone...
But I just noticed that despite working when I originally got the phone, the Smart Lock I have set for my house (location), it's now not remaining unlocked when I'm home. I'm always having to unlock the phone even when I'm here.
I checked to make sure location was on... I've tried both the High Accuracy setting as well as the Battery Saver settings. And I've checked to make sure my home address is still listed in the Smart Lock locations.
Anyone know what might be going on? I don't think I changed anything but maybe I did something by accident? Anyway, any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Have you tried to delete and add the location to smart lock again?
I've had to do that with bluetooth in the past, maybe it will work with this.

Exchange interference
This same issue happened to me...but I discovered it was due to adding an exchange mail account allowing my company to manage my security which disabled smart Lock.
I am using the Outlook app instead of exchange now.

NiRePh said:
This same issue happened to me...but I discovered it was due to adding an exchange mail account allowing my company to manage my security which disabled smart Lock.
I am using the Outlook app instead of exchange now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The outlook app does not enforce the Exchange requirements for device administration?

Delete and re-add your "Home" location, through Google maps. NOT through settings. Again I emphasize through Google Maps. This is what I needed to do to get location based Smart Lock working properly again.

This will work periodically, but it's extremely frustrating the other 90% of the time. I've deleted and reset the locations, add new ones from different parts of the house, etc.
Any new suggestions? It hasn't worked well in for a long time. I have the pixel 2.

Anybody fixed the issue? For me it seems like it stops working after midnight, I set it up(well, again) during the day and it works perfectly, I wake up in the morning and its not working at all. I saved the location using google maps but it didnt help. Happens every day.
Wysłane z mojego Pixel 2 XL przy użyciu Tapatalka

I've had similar issues in the past. After some Googling, seems like many people have the same problem. Seems like an issue with Smart Lock itself. It's been hit or miss for me and works whenever it feels like it.
I recently switched to Carbon ROM and it's been perfectly fine so far, not sure if a clean flash was the fix or the ROM.
The best troubleshooting step that has worked for me in the past is disabling then enabling Smart Lock in Trust Agents.

hi2u2 said:
Delete and re-add your "Home" location, through Google maps. NOT through settings. Again I emphasize through Google Maps. This is what I needed to do to get location based Smart Lock working properly again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, Thank you!
I had been hating on my Pie P2-XL because it kept locking inside Home.
Your suggestion cured it.

Is there any way to fix smart lock's "trusted places" feature

Smart lock's trusted places is a great feature to keep your phone locked while at home but it never works reliably. I had an S8 and was never able to get it working either. I've scoured the internet and tried every remedy I can find. I can get smart lock to keep my phone unlocked for a few hours sometimes but it always fails at some point and requires a fingerprint again even while at home. It works very reliably connected to my car as a trusted device.
Has anyone found a way to fix this problem and get smart lock to work for more than just a few hours? Is this a Samsung issue or an Android problem? I do see people with other devices complaining as well so I'm assuming it is an Android problem.

skiddingus said:
Smart lock's trusted places is a great feature to keep your phone locked while at home but it never works reliably. I had an S8 and was never able to get it working either. I've scoured the internet and tried every remedy I can find. I can get smart lock to keep my phone unlocked for a few hours sometimes but it always fails at some point and requires a fingerprint again even while at home. It works very reliably connected to my car as a trusted device.
Has anyone found a way to fix this problem and get smart lock to work for more than just a few hours? Is this a Samsung issue or an Android problem? I do see people with other devices complaining as well so I'm assuming it is an Android problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a known bug with Android. There are threads in the Google support forums.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

ergalthema said:
It's a known bug with Android. There are threads in the Google support forums.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I thought but this issue has been going on for years. Why can't Google just let us use Wifi to keep the phone unlocked? It would be so simple.

After 4 hours of not interacting with the phone it will require you to use a biometric or pin/password. That's by design. Not sure if that's your issue or not. I use a BT connection as my smart unlock at home, and it works fine.

meyerweb said:
After 4 hours of not interacting with the phone it will require you to use a biometric or pin/password. That's by design. Not sure if that's your issue or not. I use a BT connection as my smart unlock at home, and it works fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not the issue. It will lock immediately after turning off the screen, and often immediately after adding a new safe area coordinates from the same location....

Do you have location set to high accuracy?

I have it set to high accuracy and same issue. Even after using biometrics to unlock (for example when waking up in the morning) trusted places still doesn't work. Super annoying.

In my S7 edge it worked much better than in this s9. Really super annoying

Daagen said:
In my S7 edge it worked much better than in this s9. Really super annoying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a S7 edge too and on this device Smart Lock trusted places has suddenly become totally unreliable recently (since few weeks approximately).
I'd really like being able to use Wifi instead as @skiddingus suggested.