Database Develop

Optus Customer Service

I rang up trying to get a second hand handset (Sony k800i) SIM unlocked, cos i dont have a cable for it.
they said i would need to know the number of the sim that activated the phone to determine whether it had $80 of recharge or 6months use (which it has had both, but not on the original sim).
This is fine except i have no idea who was original activator. it is essentially now unfindoutable.
after explaining this to the girl (whom i assume was not in a call centre on this continent) 5 times, she repeated that i had to find it several more times, to which point i just hung up, because she was not willing to accomodate that i could not do it.
does anyone have a work around for this? (aside from spending money on a cable or on the online unlockers, i.e. get optus to come to the party?)
Cheers,

With my experience (used to be a supervisor in a call center), I handled several accounts (telecommunications, gaming console and some technical account) what they usually do is give you an unlock code if you are the original owner of the phone, but if not they will keep on asking you some information that you "really" don't know just like that girl asking you. For the reason "security purposes", they are thinking like you stole the phone or some what like that. They have the unlock code for that but they just won't give it to you. With samsung phones, it goes like this...if you got a second hand phone from someone and it is locked with..let's say verizon...and you want to use it with AT&T..first you have to call verizon to ask for their permission so you can use their phone with a different network, if you are lucky enough they'll give it to you and they'll advise you to call the manufacturer of the phone so you can have the rest of the unlock code. When you call the manufacturer of the phone, they'll ask you if verizon gave you any unlock codes and if you do have they'll give you the rest. Well, that's how it works with samsung. I am not particular with SE. Here's the thing man, if you think that their customer service is from a call center, never hang up the phone, stay on the line as long as you can, if you stay longer let's say more than an hour and keeps on insisting, that agent will give up on you, one of the reason is that in a call center they have this what they called "AHT..average handling time..etc" of course if differs defending on the account that they are handling so for example that girl is allowed to talk to you and resolved your issue in anyway (as in anyway like brush you off) within 8mins and you stayed longer than 8mins that will ruin her AHT, her score for that day, she will fail her daily AHT, weekly AHT, monthly AHT and so on and she might lose her job. So to make it short since I am explaining it too long already and since you want some other ways to unlock the phone by not paying online unlockers and buying a data cable just to unlock it..just stay on the phone longer, as long as you can, repeat everything but if she still refuses to help you ask for a supervisor/tier 2/level 2 wahtsoever ...she will say "my supervisor will tell you the same thing"..tell her to get lost and still insist for a supervisor/tier 2/level 2 wahtsoever. If you were able to talk to a supervisor then that might resolve that. But if that supervisor is as a**h**e as the agent then you're doom, no way to unlock you SE for free but to buy a data cable or have it unlock online. Whew...in the other hand I am a good supervisor and since I am a good one let me see what I can do to help you out, ok? PM me the SN, IMEI or CDA of that phone and let me see if I can still contact my old folks.
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my friend emailed me this sites, try to check this out but still you need a cable
http://forums.se-nse.net/index.php?showtopic=6118
http://forums.se-nse.net/index.php?showtopic=16338
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well my friend said unlock codes does not work on all phones. some phone needs to be unlock via a software some just codes. k800i needs a software and of course a cable and he said you need a K800i.mbn firware etc...
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try this..maybe...you might find the original activator of that phone...
>*<<*<*
Where < or > are directions on the joystick, and * is the bottom left hand button on the keypad.

Cheers for your indepth response. i knew that it could be done, and i told her, just like you say, she repeated the script.
i had a look in the phone system menu (<*..<*) but not sure where to see how / when it was activated?
the phones IMEI is **
Network simlock is at setting 4, this obviously means locked, but does it mean anything else? is there some sort of code level list?

Optus customer service is crap at best, **** at worst....
Some how they manage to be worse than other fine outfits like dodo

G1 got stolen, a few questions

So, unfortunately I got mugged and my G1 was stolen.
I already changed all relevant passwords and will soon contact the network and police so they can lock the phone and the card.
However, I just wanted to be sure that if I change my google account password, the G1 can no longer access my data without the new password.
Or if the G1 always has access to it despite any changes.

wap32 said:
So, unfortunately I got mugged and my G1 was stolen.
I already changed all relevant passwords and will soon contact the network and police so they can lock the phone and the card.
However, I just wanted to be sure that if I change my google account password, the G1 can no longer access my data without the new password.
Or if the G1 always has access to it despite any changes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Within a few minutes of a password change Android will lose sync and a pop up will hit the notification bar to update the password.

Sorry to hear about that... =(

Are you getting a new one? If so, make sure this time you install a GPS tracker, there are many programs on the market. I use GPStracker by instamapper, it works really well. You need to create an account and enter the device code you get online onto your G1. From there you can text your phone and it will enable GPS, and you can view where your phone is online. Here is the site, and i am terribly sorry that happened to you!!
http://www.instamapper.com/

Thanks for all the input guys.
The thing is, first thing the thieves usually do (as they did in this case) is take out the battery on the phone.
Also, they usually also get rid of the SIM card, and insert another one, most likely of a different network, so the G1 won't have internet access.
That kinda makes those programs useless.

wap32 said:
Thanks for all the input guys.
The thing is, first thing the thieves usually do (as they did in this case) is take out the battery on the phone.
Also, they usually also get rid of the SIM card, and insert another one, most likely of a different network, so the G1 won't have internet access.
That kinda makes those programs useless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why I don't unlock my phone for another network until it's absolutely necessary. If they have to unlock it, that takes time with the correct SIM installed (and then I am able to track it).
Out of curiosity, have you tried looking on Google's Latitude?

momentarylapseofreason said:
That's why I don't unlock my phone for another network until it's absolutely necessary. If they have to unlock it, that takes time with the correct SIM installed (and then I am able to track it).
Out of curiosity, have you tried looking on Google's Latitude?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Latitude wasn't activated...

owned.
well you can tell t-mobile and they can probably track your sim.

G1-evolve said:
owned.
well you can tell t-mobile and they can probably track your sim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They wont. They will disable the IMEI (if recorded) on their network but that's it.

Yeah, no chances of SIM tracking, but they can disable the IMEI on a national level, essentially making the phone useless on the country.

Well, I know I've never had to worry about being hacked with my Trackstick.

Any application you can get for tracking your phone's location will only be useful if you LOSE your phone... then you can follow it.
If you want to be able to track a STOLEN phone, you need to think along a different line....
First off, the FIRST TWO THINGS that the thief will do are... 1) change SIM, 2) FACTORY RESET. That means that anything installed on the DATA partition... is gone.
So what do you do? Obviously, you need to install something on the SYSTEM partition. Not only that, but it must not have any configurations that are stored on the data partition.
Easy and simple solution is this;
You rig up a bootup script that checks if the installed SIMCARD is yours. If it is NOT, it will send an SMS message to some phone number, i.e., your googlevoice number. You will then have the thief's phone number. For further fun, CELL SITE ID, maybe GPS coordinates within the SMS message. And periodically repeat.
Note: The phone number may or may not be traceable by itself. To catch the bastard, you need to find a HOT SOUNDING girl to seduce him over the phone and arrange to meet up with him for a "good time". You then go there and beat the snot out of him and retrieve your phone. Or even better, you go there with cops to slammer him.

That sucks, I'd be lost without my G1

[Q] Why Do I Have 2 Different IMEI Numbers?

While a new member, I've been following the community a bit and have flashed my Captivate successfully several times.
It started acting weird earlier this week (lagging and shutting itself off) so I decided to re-flash it and re-apply SRE with all the goodies it brings.
Since my last flash, the phone works fine (calls, messaging, and Internet) except for one problem - the Android Market.
I can access the market but am unable to download anything. I've tried many different solutions, ROM's (JF2, JH2, and JH3), 3G/WiFi, internal settings, clearing the Market cache, Dalvik cache, etc., using Market Access and going outside of AT&T's allowed applications, all to no avail. It's the same whether I attempt to download after a fresh flash or after applying SRE. I've also tried Unleash the Beast.
Finally I decided to call AT&T to find out if there was a problem somewhere on their end.
Here's the weird thing:
The IMEI I have on the sticker under my battery is that of a Captivate and matches what they have on record. The representative I spoke to told me that the IMEI I have in my phone's menu is an iPhone IMEI.
With all that being said, I have two questions:
1) How did this happen?
2) How can I fix it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

FrstdOne said:
While a new member, I've been following the community a bit and have flashed my Captivate successfully several times.
It started acting weird earlier this week (lagging and shutting itself off) so I decided to re-flash it and re-apply SRE with all the goodies it brings.
Since my last flash, the phone works fine (calls, messaging, and Internet) except for one problem - the Android Market.
I can access the market but am unable to download anything. I've tried many different solutions, ROM's (JF2, JH2, and JH3), 3G/WiFi, internal settings, clearing the Market cache, Dalvik cache, etc., using Market Access and going outside of AT&T's allowed applications, all to no avail. It's the same whether I attempt to download after a fresh flash or after applying SRE. I've also tried Unleash the Beast.
Finally I decided to call AT&T to find out if there was a problem somewhere on their end.
Here's the weird thing:
The IMEI I have on the sticker under my battery is that of a Captivate and matches what they have on record. The representative I spoke to told me that the IMEI I have in my phone's menu is an iPhone IMEI.
With all that being said, I have two questions:
1) How did this happen?
2) How can I fix it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does your imei start with?

madjsp said:
What does your imei start with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one in the software starts with 004999
The one on the sticker starts with 351863

Iphone imei starts with 011. That rep doesnt know what hes doingp

did you ask them to update youe imei number? would likly fix it, could have just been an accident, from what i have read about 10% of imei number are not unique so somehting could have gotten messed up server side

vinunleaded182 said:
Iphone imei starts with 011. That rep doesnt know what hes doingp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
also a quick google of the 0049 imei shows that there are several iphones with that imei

The rep who I've been working with is off today but she said she'd call me tomorrow. I'll ask her to update the number and hopefully she can.
Unfortunately, while I'm pretty much a noob to all this, I've found that I still know more than most of the people on the AT&T side and the rep I've been working with is the most knowledgeable of the group.

Did you go from an iphone to the samsung if so, it could be a translation issue on atts side which means the billing system never updated the imei to the switch because it errored out on the billing side happend all the time when i use to be a switch tech for att simple to fix just need to file a ticket with a certain department but can be a pain if the rep is new.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I thought the phone read its IMEI number from its own hardware. This thread implies that something on the network is telling the phone what its IMEI Number should be.
I know there are a lot of Ebay phones with bogus stickers - the stickers have one SN/EMEI number, but the phone internally says another.
Where did you get your phone?

I've never owned an iPhone and I purchased the Captivate from a corporate store, not from an authorized reseller or ebay.

wait cant this be useful if we can change the imei to a vibrant one we can get money off of data or would most of you feel bad for doing that (one good thing about that though for 10 dollars we get unlimited data)

labbu63 said:
wait cant this be useful if we can change the imei to a vibrant one we can get money off of data or would most of you feel bad for doing that (one good thing about that though for 10 dollars we get unlimited data)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You gotta pay to play. If you don't want to pay smartphone fees, don't get a smartphone. I'm sure we'd all like a break on price, but when it comes down to it, we can't get one, so we make do.
And unless the modmyi forum was wrong, that's illegal.

yeah i know but im just saying if someone isnt scared to go to jail

If the IMEI shows as 004999010640000, you might check out this thread. Good luck.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=777288
PS: you might want to look at this specific post in that thread.....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8060884&postcount=33

BigJayDogg3 said:
You gotta pay to play. If you don't want to pay smartphone fees, don't get a smartphone. I'm sure we'd all like a break on price, but when it comes down to it, we can't get one, so we make do.
And unless the modmyi forum was wrong, that's illegal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually i was just looking at the library of congress's recent ruling on the DMCA and their new excemptions and read this
"
(3) Computer programs, in the form of firmware or software, that enable used wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telecommunications network, when circumvention is initiated by the owner of the copy of the computer program solely in order to connect to a wireless telecommunications network and access to the network is authorized by the operator of the network.
"
sounds like to me that changing the imei is legal as long as the only reason you are doing it is to connect to a network that you are already authorized to use

xatrekak said:
actually i was just looking at the library of congress's recent ruling on the DMCA and their new excemptions and read this
"
(3) Computer programs, in the form of firmware or software, that enable used wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telecommunications network, when circumvention is initiated by the owner of the copy of the computer program solely in order to connect to a wireless telecommunications network and access to the network is authorized by the operator of the network.
"
sounds like to me that changing the imei is legal as long as the only reason you are doing it is to connect to a network that you are already authorized to use
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Changing The imei is illegal and has nothing to do with the DMCA. changing The imei is fraud like changing a car's vin number.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

alphadog00 i was wondering that, you wouldn't happen to be able to point out to me which law that is contained in, i have heard it was illegal like a million times but havn't seen the law yet. but i have always liked reading the actual laws that make the things i want to illegal

how do you know its illegal the DMCA was changed and said it was legal so until you find something that says its illegal we will never know

labbu63 said:
how do you know its illegal the DMCA was changed and said it was legal so until you find something that says its illegal we will never know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are confusing unlocking with changing your IMEI. It is legal to unlock and hack, it is not legal to change the phone's network id.

xatrekak said:
alphadog00 i was wondering that, you wouldn't happen to be able to point out to me which law that is contained in, i have heard it was illegal like a million times but havn't seen the law yet. but i have always liked reading the actual laws that make the things i want to illegal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't point to you an exact law, but cloning phones has been considered fraudulent for years and people have been prosecuted. In changing the IMEI number, you are in essence cloning a phone - it may not exist yet, but it could. So once a new phone is made with the new EMEI number you created, you have created fraud.
After doing some research - this is the section of federal code that is used to prosecute cell phone cloners:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00001029----000-.html
U.S. Code: TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 47 > § 1029
§ 1029. Fraud and related activity in connection with access *devices
You may not get arrested for changing your IMEI (not one person anyway) but at some point the carrier will probably just black list your device or your account.
Changing the IMEI or ESN basically makes your device a counterfeit access device. Some debate that if they own 3 phones they should be able to let them all share one IMEI if only one is active at a time.
Personally, I can see no valid reason to change your IMEI - swapping sim cards is easy enough.

[Q] Turn off secret tracking

Is there a way to turn it off? WSJ Link
In the case of Google, according to new research by security analyst Samy Kamkar, an HTC Android phone collected its location every few seconds and transmitted the data to Google at least several times an hour. It also transmitted the name, location and signal strength of any nearby Wi-Fi networks, as well as a unique phone identifier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Uncheck Settings -> Location -> Use Wireless Networks
Calling it secret is a HUGE exaggeration. By default it is disabled, and when you enable it it pops up a warning that says "are you sure you want to do this, enabling this feature will send your location to google."
Also, sign out of Google Latitude if you ever signed in to it. The entire purpose of that app is to constantly update google with your location so your friends can know where you're at so if you don't want your phone tell google where you are, you should probably not be using this app.
Finally when the browser asks, "This page wants to know your location", say no.

I have that turned off. I'm concerned with tower triangulation data being sent to unauthorized recipients such as Google.

Why do you believe that your phone is still transmitting it's location if you have turned off all of the features that warn you when you turn them on they will transmit your location? The story you linked to does not imply that he had those features turned off.
On the other hand, so long as the cell towers can see your phone, the towers can calculate your position so AT&T can (and does) know where you are, and is free to sell that location to who ever they please. But the only way to disable that is to not own a cell phone of any kind because it is not a function of your phone it is a function of the cell towers.

It is my impression that both Apple and Google use cell tower triangulation and call home over the cellular network. The Apple collected info definitely comes from cell tower triangulation.
My firewall logs do not show any attempts to send data from my home network. They would be blocked as unauthorized. The real question is how can one be certain of what the evil empire is doing to destroy one's privacy?

For apple, there is no way to know. There can be no "secretes" when it comes to android. You don't have to trust google not to transmit your location when you uncheck the box that says don't transmit your location. You can find out exactly under what scenarios the phone will transmit your location by downloading and reading the source code yourself. Or you can just trust that many of the DEV's on this site have read the source code and have not found any "evil" going on.

cypho said:
For apple, there is no way to know. There can be no "secretes" when it comes to android. You don't have to trust google not to transmit your location when you uncheck the box that says don't transmit your location. You can find out exactly under what scenarios the phone will transmit your location by downloading and reading the source code yourself. Or you can just trust that many of the DEV's on this site have read the source code and have not found any "evil" going on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
It's all open source. There's nothing to worry about. That's the magic of Android.

I think this a case of worrying over nothing. What can they do with that data if they have it...improve features and service? LOL

Detectives would sacrifice their first born to have a location history of someone they are investigating. There is no doubt that divorce lawyers would do the same. If that info is stored in a file on the cell phone, they'll get it. Read the stories about the Michigan State Police testing the Cellebrite UFED.

You guys are pretty naive if you think Android being open source has anything to do with this. As long as you're in phone mode and connected to a tower, they can track you. Only airplane mode or turning the phone off will stop this. The problem is not that the phone can do this, but that there are no laws that dictate what can be done with the info and who can have access to it and under what circumstances. We are so quick to adopt these new technologies without knowing or fully understanding how they can expose us. The law does not keep pace with the technology.

The question is who is "They". If the OS is secure the only "they" is the people who own the cell towers. But if the OS is not secure, google, samsung, or someone else could be tracking you.
Unfortunately, the party I trust the least is AT&T and I agree with you that there is nothing anyone can do that would stop them from knowing where you are.
But if it is google, samsung or someone else other than AT&T that you fear, then the discussion does have merrit.
Miami_Son said:
You guys are pretty naive if you think Android being open source has anything to do with this. As long as you're in phone mode and connected to a tower, they can track you. Only airplane mode or turning the phone off will stop this. The problem is not that the phone can do this, but that there are no laws that dictate what can be done with the info and who can have access to it and under what circumstances. We are so quick to adopt these new technologies without knowing or fully understanding how they can expose us. The law does not keep pace with the technology.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

cypho said:
The question is who is "They". If the OS is secure the only "they" is the people who own the cell towers. But if the OS is not secure, google, samsung, or someone else could be tracking you.
Unfortunately, the party I trust the least is AT&T and I agree with you that there is nothing anyone can do that would stop them from knowing where you are.
But if it is google, samsung or someone else other than AT&T that you fear, then the discussion does have merrit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T knows and has known where u were even on basic cell phones cos ur phone would be attached to the cell tower it is connected to. So there is no way u can get around from AT&T knowing where u r.

"They" is the evil Google.

ua549 said:
Detectives would sacrifice their first born to have a location history of someone they are investigating. There is no doubt that divorce lawyers would do the same. If that info is stored in a file on the cell phone, they'll get it. Read the stories about the Michigan State Police testing the Cellebrite UFED.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to belittle the privacy concerns but if detectives and divorce lawyers are the first thing that pop into your head you probably have some issues to address.
Seriously though getting your location is nothing new whether it be via cell, credit/debit card purchases, etc., if the police can justify to a judge that they have avalid reason to try and locate you using these means, they most definitely will. Remember though, they are concerned with admissability as well. At least at the local, state, and moat federal levels.
As for.the msp article,there is no evidence they have misused the technology.....yet.

Those weren't the first occupations that I considered. Anyone can purchase forensic electronics and suck up the contents of a handset. A warrant is immaterial. Ask the Michigan State Police. I'm not worried about the legal aspects as much as the illegal ones. The police though are noted for crossing the line of legality, especially at traffic stops.
My concern is protecting my privacy. That's why I use prepaid sims, single use email addresses, proxies and several legal tools to obfuscate my identity. I use anonymous gift cards for non-cash purchases.

You don't have to turn Latitude off to prevent your location being sent to Google. There is an option to enter a location to send. I'll have to dig in to find out where the option is. Using this option you can pick a spot on the map and that is what is sent to Google. As far as Google is concerned i haven't left Mallory Square in Key West for about 6 months!

I don't have Latitude so I didn't consider it.
There are lots of other location aware apps.
I have that feature turned off.

Lost my phone to a pickpocket today. I realize that Google can't help me get it back.

I WAS an owner of a Nexus 5, very beloved to me because it was a gift for an achievement. Anyway, I use public transport almost everyday to get to places. Today while I was on my way to the university, I was targeted by a pickpocket who took away my phone
After a couple of minutes of running around and searching for the pickpocket I remembered the new "Find My Phone" feature Google launched recently. So I soon got into my account on a laptop and Googled "Find my Phone". Unfortunately, the thief had already switched it off and Google cannot locate it because its offline and switched off.
Now not only am I angry on the thief and myself, but I am also angry on Google. We've had Android Device Manager lying around for years and it already has Device Administrator permissions, yet it cannot switch on GPS, notify about SIM changes nor can it report the last known location of the phone. Its like the sheer existence of Android Device Manager is a waste.
I know you'd blame me for not having a third-party app to track my lost phone (I used to have an amazing and free app called Theftie which was pulled down by Google for an unknown reason) , but that's not the point. Why doesn't Google have a way to find and retrieve my android phone just like Apple has features to find lost iDevices. Why cant Android Device Manager turn on location and track a device even when it is locked. Why cant it prevent illegitimate flashing of devices?
Now I have ended up with no phone and I am left with no money (I've spent all my student budget money on college fee and to fund my final year project) and no phone (let alone smartphone). So the only way to get a new phone is to either do some kind of achievement or wait for two more months and those two months will like living in the Stone age.
Anyway, I request you android fans to help me send a message to Google, all OEMs and developers of custom recoveries, third-pary apps etc. We need a solution to prevent our phone from being stolen and in case it gets stolen, we want a way to retrieve our lost phones. We request all of you genius developers to work on securing not only our data but also our devices.
TL;DR: Had my phone pick-pocketed and the thief switched off the phone. Tried locating the phone using Android Device Manager and "Find My Phone" on Google. No use because the phone is neither online nor is it switched ON. Requesting Google and devs to come up with solutions to safeguard devices

Obviously it's of no use to Nexus 5 users, but Google has addressed these problems with Android Device Protection that came with 5.1

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Believe me I know that panic,disbelief,frantically going through your pockets, as it dawns it's gone. I took out all trace apps on this because they are useless as you know.
Sent from my Nexus 5

Blacklist it....
Have the carrier "Blacklist" the imei then the pickpocket can not use it other than just parts... He/She may have just turned the phone off, keep on trying, they may try to turn it on to attempt to flash it.... you might also see where it is or has been if your "location history" was set to be "on" look in your google account "dashboard" its down the page a bit "location history"

crachel said:
Obviously it's of no use to Nexus 5 users, but Google has addressed these problems with Android Device Protection that came with 5.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google has become more and more like a regular OEM these past couple updates in regards to holding out on features for no reason at all other than to generate sales on a new device.

Really sorry to your lost, and get a iphone next time

Downloaded Cerberus

dr.eXntriK said:
Unfortunately, the thief had already switched it off and Google cannot locate it because its offline and switched off
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me get this straight. You're mad at Google because they don't have the ability to locate your phone that is turned off? Apple can't do that. No manufacturer can do that. It is impossible. The phone is off. Radios, GPS, data, sim. All of that requires power to function.

If it's turned off, there obviously is no way to track it.
In Cerberus, you can disable the ability to turn off the phone while it is locked, as well as quick settings while locked (no airplane mode). This way, the thief has to stay online. It all works without root.

I´m sorry for your loss but you cannot blame Google or LG or anybody else for the lost phone. Let me guess, you´re one of the guys who puts his phone, wallet or other valuable items in his back pocket ? This is a invitation for every scumbag to snatch it...
I use Cerberus and even this App is not 100% safe if the thief knows how to get rid of it. On the other hand, Cerberus can send you a Email with the new SIM details but in order to function properly, your device needs to be rooted.
Better luck next time. I see people on a regular basis who don´t seem to care about losing their stuff.

I like that cerberus can hide itself from the Apps menu. A careless thief might not be aware the app is loaded and running, and taking a SNAPSHOT of his face
Remote wipe is a nice last resort option.

call your carrier or service provider to block your IMEI No or file a police report about stolen phone with IMEI and they will track it when ever thief put any SIM card in it this is the best way to get your phone back provided police & service provider helps you ( there is very thin chance of it )

At least in Germany, the police won´t do anything to track down a stolen phone. You can fill a report but this will only waste your time. There is one exception where the police MIGHT track a stolen phone: You have to be assaulted by the thief and let him beat the living cr*p out of you before he runs away with your phone, wallet etc...

Gorgtech said:
At least in Germany, the police won´t do anything to track down a stolen phone. You can fill a report but this will only waste your time. There is one exception where the police MIGHT track a stolen phone: You have to be assaulted by the thief and let him beat the living cr*p out of you before he runs away with your phone, wallet etc...
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Well then just get a friend to punch you in the face and thats it... Like in 25th hour lol

This is why I use cataclysm which blocks the power off, reboot, etc menu when secure.
Although if the thief is knowledgeable of holding power for 30 seconds it will reboot but still, not easy to turn off.

jb91 said:
If it's turned off, there obviously is no way to track it.
In Cerberus, you can disable the ability to turn off the phone while it is locked, as well as quick settings while locked (no airplane mode). This way, the thief has to stay online. It all works without root.
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and if you hold down the power button for 8 (10) seconds? it turns off anyways. hardware level bypass of the software.

Gorgtech said:
I´m sorry for your loss but you cannot blame Google or LG or anybody else for the lost phone. Let me guess, you´re one of the guys who puts his phone, wallet or other valuable items in his back pocket ? This is a invitation for every scumbag to snatch it...
I use Cerberus and even this App is not 100% safe if the thief knows how to get rid of it. On the other hand, Cerberus can send you a Email with the new SIM details but in order to function properly, your device needs to be rooted.
Better luck next time. I see people on a regular basis who don´t seem to care about losing their stuff.
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Nope I keep it safely in my front pocket with my hands in the pocket. But here, the public buses are so overloaded that you cant stand with your hands in your pockets.
The thief found this to be the best opportunity and slipped the phone out of my pocket.

jineshpatel30 said:
call your carrier or service provider to block your IMEI No or file a police report about stolen phone with IMEI and they will track it when ever thief put any SIM card in it this is the best way to get your phone back provided police & service provider helps you ( there is very thin chance of it )
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Hmmm this sounds like a very good idea. Blocking the IMEI itself. I did lodge a complaint with the police, so I am going to raise a request to block the IMEI as well. But will I be able to unblock it IFFFF I ever get my phone back?

dr.eXntriK said:
Hmmm this sounds like a very good idea. Blocking the IMEI itself. I did lodge a complaint with the police, so I am going to raise a request to block the IMEI as well. But will I be able to unblock it IFFFF I ever get my phone back?
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Yah you will IF YOU OFFICIALLY FILE COMPLAIN to police.. when they track your phone..but i think there will be some legal process u need to follow for claiming it back
If you already lodge a complaint then talk to them freely about blocking & unblocking..they will give you proper details.
---------- Post added at 06:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:08 PM ----------
Gorgtech said:
At least in Germany, the police won´t do anything to track down a stolen phone. You can fill a report but this will only waste your time. There is one exception where the police MIGHT track a stolen phone: You have to be assaulted by the thief and let him beat the living cr*p out of you before he runs away with your phone, wallet etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same case in India also but it's still worth to try...and it's best way to recover if you got lucky with police

I hate it that in lollipop one can enable airplane mode while the device is locked.
Also, the power menu is accessible.
This basically makes the tracker useless.
Enviado do meu Nexus 5