Database Develop

remove or disable camera

I work for the government and for the next few weeks will not be able to have a phone that can take pictures with me. Is there a way I can either remove or disable the camera function so I can show that I can not take pictures with my phone.

I was gonig to say you can request a ROM, however I just took my laptop to Best Buy today to get it fixed so i can't cook. What i suggest is that you download XDA Live 2.0 and use it for the meantime since it doesn't come with a camera.

You can download a 20270 kaiser kitchen from ppckitchen.org. I think the camera OEM is optional in it, but if not, it's easy to identify which package is the camera and delete it. As an alternive, you can probably just reassign the camera button to a non-existent app and that will essentially disable it to the casual observer.
Most secure facilities don't want you to have the hardware, regardless of whether it is functional or not.

gguruusa said:
You can download a 20270 kaiser kitchen from ppckitchen.org. I think the camera OEM is optional in it, but if not, it's easy to identify which package is the camera and delete it. As an alternive, you can probably just reassign the camera button to a non-existent app and that will essentially disable it to the casual observer.
Most secure facilities don't want you to have the hardware, regardless of whether it is functional or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will look at trying to disable the camera button. I will also look at the 2027 kitchen. I have not been able to get any kind of cooking to work though. I think the main problem is vista. I am not going to be in a very secure place, just a place that has made stupid rules haha.
kareem9nba
if that dosen't work or fly whit where I am going I will go your route thank you for the suggestions.

I also work for the government and if the phone has a camera on it period it is not allowed into secure sites period no matter if the "ROM" has it disabled. once they see that it has a camera its a security risk and the guards that do the intakes could careless that it doesn't work, as long as there is a camera there they will take it until you leave or worse take it for good. the best bet is leave it in the car when you go into secure areas that has always worked for me Also the kaiser can be used as a storage medium so it probably won't be allowed anyway. Since no type of storage media is allowed. Also it depends on how secure the site your going into is

I to Contract for the Goverment!
I agree with Austinsync since there is a Camera lens on it you will not get by Security. Also the fact that it can store data via internal memory and well as transmit via sms,mms and internet there is no way you will talk your way by Security. You could glue a piece of glass on a Sucrets can and they would take it away from you. In fact I had to sign a form stating that if I do bring in something like that in they have the right to take it. and you may not get it back. Where I am PDA's are not aloud ,Anything that can be used to transport data is a risk to them. So don't bother looking for a rom, leave the phone in the car besides most government facilities jam cell calls anyway so having a phone is of no use when your inside the building.
Ed...

I just have a "dumb" phone from back in the day. Just a basic as basic gets cellular. Still useless when im on site due to jaming

I don't work for the federal government. I work for the PA state Gov. I am being sent for training. The place I am going is not secure. No security. They say no cells because they don't want them going off during class. And since we have to stay over night they don't want people running around taking pictures of everything and everyone. We can have cells if we use them as alarms though. I think that if the camera is disabled or would say "no camera" if the button was hit that it would be sufficient for my situation. Even Kareem's suggestion probably would be enough to make the trainers happy if they would say anything. If not I will leave it in my car and go from there.
Also sorry about the post in the wrong area.

[Q] Blocking Smart phone readers

Has anyone seen in the news the electronic readers the government is using which is capable of illegally stealing all private information from any type of smart phone?
Can anybody create a mod that will block a device like this from being used on the Nexus one?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/cops-us...l-cellphone-data-from-innocent-americans.html

Do you really believe what you read?
Say, 16GB of photos&data on iPhone, 1.5 minutes, count required transfer rate - quite simple - and then tell me, what kind of wireless connectivity does this "device" use to "steal data from unsuspecting people"?
Then ask yourself the first question again.
Now, if you look up the stated device's manufacturer site, http://www.cellebrite.com/forensic-products.html, you'll see that even in their photos it's perfectly clear this device has to be connected by wire to the phone. Does anyone in their right mind willingly connect the phone by USB to some device with unknown functionality? In that case, no, the data can't be protected.
Now, if you go even one more step further, and open the "supported devices" catalog on the site, you'll see that the only thing that can be done wireless to the iPhone is extracting phonebook - and I'm not sure about the requirement to allow the BT connection - but if you look up Nexus One, you'll see that it definitely has to be attached by wire to do anything with it.
And now back to the first question: do you believe everything you read?

Jack_R1 said:
Do you really believe what you read?
Say, 16GB of photos&data on iPhone, 1.5 minutes, count required transfer rate - quite simple - and then tell me, what kind of wireless connectivity does this "device" use to "steal data from unsuspecting people"?
Then ask yourself the first question again.
Now, if you look up the stated device's manufacturer site, http://www.cellebrite.com/forensic-products.html, you'll see that even in their photos it's perfectly clear this device has to be connected by wire to the phone. Does anyone in their right mind willingly connect the phone by USB to some device with unknown functionality? In that case, no, the data can't be protected.
Now, if you go even one more step further, and open the "supported devices" catalog on the site, you'll see that the only thing that can be done wireless to the iPhone is extracting phonebook - and I'm not sure about the requirement to allow the BT connection - but if you look up Nexus One, you'll see that it definitely has to be attached by wire to do anything with it.
And now back to the first question: do you believe everything you read?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But, it's on the internet, why would the internet lie? Are you calling the internet a liar?

I believe that if you soak your phone in warm, salty water overnight it will block this device - haven't tried though, so I can't confirm...

Umm... those Cellebrite devices are very real, and Michigan police are/were using them. The have the ability to pull the data off of thousands of different types of phones, over USB. I've never see Android specifically listed on their site, but I'd be willing to bet their devices can pull data from Android too.
That being said, I can't believe people are handing over their phones. This whole thing stinks of illegal search and seizure. But, they're getting away with it by saying the person willingly handed over their phone (even though I'd bet they're being coerced), There would be absolutely no way I'd hand my phone over to any LEO with out seeing a warrant first.

I was just mulling this over in my head... and I think the only way to block something like this would be to disable the data port on the phone. What that would involve from a software stand-point, I have no idea, and may not even be possible with how the hardware/software is designed... but that is basically the only way I'd see it to be possible.

Removing the USB driver (device functions) from the kernel would be enough, I believe.

In order for adb to work, you have to enable usb debugging. Wouldn't that be a requirement with this device, also?

ok just because I pulled this from prison planet doesn't mean its not true, it was the most convenient link at the time and hours later it was on front page of yahoo and all the major news sites. it would be easy for a police man to take your phone from you and hook it up to whatever they want.

Yep, saw it tonight on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Looks scary with some cops not using warrants to get your phone on a traffic stop...

Can't go past the "Verifying your account" [URGENT - I'M CAUGHT IN CHINA]

Hi there,
After the advice of John on this thread
https://groups.google.com/a/googlep...forums.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer
I finally got passed the boot loop after another attempt. I am travelling in China and this country is so beautiful that I could not stand living without a camera. So I simply tried again and it worked. (I have a software VPN that helps to reach the Google servers).
So I have setup a hosted network on my Windows 10 device with the VPN on it and went ahead with the install.
It went all fine (a bit longer as the packets have to transit via San Fransico hardware VPN hosted by VPN Express) however once I'm on the "Verifying your account" page, I enter my email and it grays out in the wait of completion but it rolls and rolls, it never ends.
I have searched on Google search engine about documentation to fix that quick and I ended in an ocean of people running around like headless chickens, sake oil dealers etc etc. So what's all these hurdles about this FPR thing???
I am scared.
I am in china and my phone helps me to get around.
It's now a useless paper weight.
What if I end up in a trap because I asked some people for my way and I get hurt? Am I allowed to blame the new fancy "security" policies?
PLEASE HELP ME FAST - I NEED URGENT ASSISTANCE - I will be refreshing my email every 30mns from now.

vonz33 said:
Hi there,
After the advice of John on this thread
https://groups.google.com/a/googlep...forums.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer
I finally got passed the boot loop after another attempt. I am travelling in China and this country is so beautiful that I could not stand living without a camera. So I simply tried again and it worked. (I have a software VPN that helps to reach the Google servers).
So I have setup a hosted network on my Windows 10 device with the VPN on it and went ahead with the install.
It went all fine (a bit longer as the packets have to transit via San Fransico hardware VPN hosted by VPN Express) however once I'm on the "Verifying your account" page, I enter my email and it grays out in the wait of completion but it rolls and rolls, it never ends.
I have searched on Google search engine about documentation to fix that quick and I ended in an ocean of people running around like headless chickens, sake oil dealers etc etc. So what's all these hurdles about this FPR thing???
I am scared.
I am in china and my phone helps me to get around.
It's now a useless paper weight.
What if I end up in a trap because I asked some people for my way and I get hurt? Am I allowed to blame the new fancy "security" policies?
PLEASE HELP ME FAST - I NEED URGENT ASSISTANCE - I will be refreshing my email every 30mns from now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a few options you can take (if you have an unlocked bootloader). The quickest would be to simply delete the SetupWizard apk from TWRP.
Another option is to download and flash a ROM without Google Apps (make sure to download the camera apk of your choice- whether it be Snap or Google Camera).
Finally, you could try another VPN service (or server).

Go to a country that allows Google services to be used, or simply be patient as the VPN is apparently the problem. Your last two questions are likely rhetorical, but if you end up in a trap and get hurt it's your fault, not Google's. So no, you can't blame them for their Factory Reset Protection.
The "issue" with FRP is a simple one. It requires knowing the last Google account used and its password. This affects two different groups of people: those with "burner" accounts, and resellers.
In the case of the burner accounts people create a Google account with a password and don't bother to remember it because they don't want to give any information to Google. Then when they have to reset their devices for whatever reason FRP kicks in and they're screwed. Since they don't know the Google account or password they can't get back into the device.
The resellers purchase used devices and try to move them. However the person selling the device often does not clear out the account information from the device or does not remove the device from their account. When the device is sold the new owner attempts to enter their information and gets tripped up by FRP as they don't have the last Google account and its password.
"Burner" accounts are a pathway to disaster. Resellers are a bit more careful, and instances of FRP on a used device from a reseller have gone down.

negusp said:
There are a few options you can take (if you have an unlocked bootloader). The quickest would be to simply delete the SetupWizard apk from TWRP.
Another option is to download and flash a ROM without Google Apps (make sure to download the camera apk of your choice- whether it be Snap or Google Camera).
Finally, you could try another VPN service (or server).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for these options!
Yes, good old TWRP... Good option however since the phone is not rooted it would require a way to root it via fastboot flash, and also a way to push TWRP the same way.
I would perhaps rather downgrade to 6.0 or even 5.0 to see if I get lucky.
I could also buy a new phone here but the pricings are rather prohibitive and the models they have would be of no use outside of China.
I have tried mucking around with other VPNs today, it allowed me to go one or 2 steps further but the procedure finally s+++t itself in the end.
I should be in Vietnam tomorrow so hopefully the local telecom towers will allow me to finish my install....
I have no idea how i'm going to tell the taxi driver that I need to go to the train station without a portable system like an android phone, time is a bit short to chase down a paper dictionary.
If you still have some more leads on your TWRP methods that would solve this, please post ahead. I have no guarantees that Vietnam will solve this at this point in time.
Cheers mate.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Go to a country that allows Google services to be used, or simply be patient as the VPN is apparently the problem. Your last two questions are likely rhetorical, but if you end up in a trap and get hurt it's your fault, not Google's. So no, you can't blame them for their Factory Reset Protection.
The "issue" with FRP is a simple one. It requires knowing the last Google account used and its password. This affects two different groups of people: those with "burner" accounts, and resellers.
In the case of the burner accounts people create a Google account with a password and don't bother to remember it because they don't want to give any information to Google. Then when they have to reset their devices for whatever reason FRP kicks in and they're screwed. Since they don't know the Google account or password they can't get back into the device.
The resellers purchase used devices and try to move them. However the person selling the device often does not clear out the account information from the device or does not remove the device from their account. When the device is sold the new owner attempts to enter their information and gets tripped up by FRP as they don't have the last Google account and its password.
"Burner" accounts are a pathway to disaster. Resellers are a bit more careful, and instances of FRP on a used device from a reseller have gone down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not Google's fault? Lets unpack this one... I am a council fixing up a foot path. The engineers have let a slight gap in the concrete due to a fabrication method process. If you trip and hurt yourself it's your fault yeah?
Secondo, it's not Google's job to make my phone safe from thieves, it's mine. Why in hell would they make my life complicated because some idiots spends $2000 on a phone a forget it in a taxi, I don't want to have to do all these things, I just want my phone to be able to be serviced easily. and especially if i'm in a critical area, my safety is more important than these people's concerns about thieves. An the cherry on the pie is that today with the cloud sync technology, who cares in the first place.
""Burner" accounts are a pathway to disaster." Mate, look up the word disaster's definition from the dictionary and see if it applied to a chum that has got his phone stolen and get back to me with that.
Kind regards

I normally don't dissect posts but...
vonz33 said:
]Not Google's fault? Lets unpack this one... I am a council fixing up a foot path. The engineers have let a slight gap in the concrete due to a fabrication method process. If you trip and hurt yourself it's your fault yeah?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not Google's fault as you have alternative options you could take. For instance, a dedicated GPS receiver from Garmin or Tom Tom. I keep both a Garmin GPS and a street atlas in my car as a backup to my N6 and I live stateside. Should I encounter an issue, I have a means to get where I need to go. It's called "being prepared".
Your argument is a strawman argument, because Google's Android software is working as intended. Your argument might have more weight if there was a bug in the software that prevented you from using it. FRP is not a bug.
Secondo, it's not Google's job to make my phone safe from thieves, it's mine. Why in hell would they make my life complicated because some idiots spends $2000 on a phone a forget it in a taxi, I don't want to have to do all these things, I just want my phone to be able to be serviced easily. and especially if i'm in a critical area, my safety is more important than these people's concerns about thieves. An the cherry on the pie is that today with the cloud sync technology, who cares in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bit of a strawman here as well, as the issue isn't the person accidentally leaving his device in a taxi, but the person who gets their device stolen. Add to that the hyperbole of a $2,000 phone and you have a funny comment.
This is Google complying with California's kill switch law that went into effect two years ago. Since people travel in and out of California all the time and it's nearly impossible to target devices with "California-only" firmware Google implemented FRP worldwide. The entire idea of FRP is to make the phone impossible to use if it is stolen.
""Burner" accounts are a pathway to disaster." Mate, look up the word disaster's definition from the dictionary and see if it applied to a chum that has got his phone stolen and get back to me with that.
Kind regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The situation you describe is exactly why FRP was implemented on devices. Burner accounts will lead to disaster because it is inevitable that the owner will have to reset his device for whatever reason. When he does, he's screwed. I will clarify one thing here: when I refer to a "Burner" account I refer to an account with a random string of letters and numbers used for both email address and password with the express purpose of preventing Google from tying data collected from the device to the owner of that device. Ideally, if you really want to use a throwaway account, you at least make up an email address and password that are both easy to remember.
For the record, here's the definition of "disaster". Definition 3 applies to this conversation.
dis·as·ter (dəˈzastər)
noun
1. a sudden event, such as an accident or a natural catastrophe, that causes great damage or loss of life. "159 people died in the disaster"
synonyms: catastrophe, calamity, cataclysm, tragedy, act of God, holocaust; accident. "a subway disaster"
2. denoting a genre of films that use natural or accidental catastrophe as the mainspring of plot and setting.
modifier noun: disaster. "a disaster movie"
3. an event or fact that has unfortunate consequences. "a string of personal disasters"
synonyms: misfortune, mishap, misadventure, mischance, setback, reversal, stroke of bad luck, blow. "a string of personal disasters"
P.S. When quoting something written in quotes, double quotes are replaced with single quotes. Thus, in quoting me you want to say, "'Burner' accounts are a pathway to disaster."

Malicious Software Removal Help

So need a little help. I have an identified attacker on my phone who has injected spyware which is actively listening to all conversations, reading messages in real time, has access to all apps and full access to the phone. Essentially its an illegal wire tap thats able to view and listen to what i am doing. My question is this, can i clone my phone with all the data on to a thumb drive? Reason i have to turn over the phone to the local police for forensic examination and id rather just give a copy then my personal phone. 2. Is there a way to isolate the program to stop the massive leak without totally wiping my phone? Thanks for your help, I know this is an odd question and a little off the norm any help is deeply appreciated.

Nuke it now.
Change Google and all account passwords after reloaded.
In the future be careful what you install and download or you'll be doing this again!

blackhawk said:
Nuke it now.
Change Google and all account passwords after reloaded.
In the future be careful what you install and download or you'll be doing this again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cant i have to give the information to the police here, long story but the person who did the attack is involved in criminal activities im witness to and my phones going to be evidence. so i need all of the data on my phone to be transfered either to another device or to a thumb drive , after that i can nuke the phone

Kjharahuc said:
cant i have to give the information to the police here, long story but the person who did the attack is involved in criminal activities im witness to and my phones going to be evidence. so i need all of the data on my phone to be transfered either to another device or to a thumb drive , after that i can nuke the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well take it offline and backup the data. It should already be backed up though.
That data may have been tainted too.
Your biggest issue is you don't know how or by what it was infected.
Keep the phone completely disconnected from the carrier/internet until it's reloaded.
At this point it is a 100% liability.

blackhawk said:
Well take it offline and backup the data. It should already be backed up though.
That data may have been tainted too.
Your biggest issue is you don't know how or by what it was infected.
Keep the phone completely disconnected from the carrier/internet until it's reloaded.
At this point it is a 100% liability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
absolutly 100% agree, i cannot use the twrp backup since the phone has another user on it. I get an error due to the inability to decrypt the data. So im hoping imiging the phone over to a SSD that i can then turn into the police will be effective enough. I was able to identify several folders that are not mine or have anything to do with the apps on my phone so they should be able to do the same. To bad there isnt a way to tunnel back through and gain access on the other side of the leak.

The only things I be concerned with be securing the data, accounts and getting it operational.
I be done with it in under a day.

blackhawk said:
The only things I be concerned with be securing the data, accounts and getting it operational.
I be done with it in under a day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im just waiting for the SSD to arrive to transfer all the data the accounts have already been secured on another device

Don't transfer to another Android platform...
Verify the data is readable and all there.

I've wiped the os a total of 6 times and putting the phone into hard brick once it still is leaking and I can't stop it

Question How to recover accidentally erased Camera folder from Samsung S21 Ultra - Data Recovery Android 12 / Root?

Problem:
My mum has an Android-based Samsung phone and unfortunately, when the main folder with photos ("Camera") was moved from the Phone to PC via USB cable, it was made using Cut and Paste. By accident the files were pasted into Recycle Bin and we received warning "Files will be permanently deleted. Do you wish to proceed?". We pressed "No" to abandon this process and undo the mistake. Nevertheless, the entire folder "Camera" has already disappeared from the window of DCIM folder on the phone (as viewed from PC). Similarly, the folder appears to have been deleted when viewed from within the phone. (also the phone now has 150 Gb free, while before the process it had 110 Gb free, so it appears 40 Gb of photos have been deleted....
Attempts to fix:
Standard photo / data recovery services failed to bring results (searching hidden folders using Windows Explorer, Total Commander and Ultdata Android).
We then tried two professional software solutions (Cellebrite UFED and Oxygen Forensic Device Extractor -- Android Agent), which also did not manage to locate photos on the device.
It appears as if they were completely deleted.
The same person who used the two prof software solutions above has access to PC-3000, but he claims it's not suitable for Android data recovery (?)
We have already spent 2 days and hundreds of dollars on consultations, which unfortunately still have not brought any results, while the emotional weight of deleted memories is haunting us. Thus, we appeal to help of this forum.
Current thoughts:
#1 All other methods suggested require rooting the phone, which apparently will wipe the whole and make recovery of that specific folder even less likely (correct me if I'm wrong).
#2 All suggestions to make back-up of the phone / clone the entire memory are not relevant, as the only files that are of importance here are the files in the deleted folder, and those files are not hidden and therefore will not copy into this back-up anyway (correct me if I'm wrong).
#3 One person told us to ask Samsung customer service, but their response was that they don't do data recovery and that they only can restore if there was Samsung cloud backup activated.
Questions:
Q1: What is our best course of action? It seems, rooting is one way or another, inevitable. What rooting method would be best to use here, given the situation and my phone specifications? I understand that there is no 100% guarantee to recover the erased photos, but we would like to at least give it a try with maximum chances of success.
Q2: Given that the files we want to back-up are already deleted and not visible, is it even worth it to try to make any back-ups? or will it be in vain, and should we just proceed to rooting and further recovery attempts?
Q3: IF, we successfully root, what is the best way to access the hidden data? Do we need help of this expert who has PC-3000 and specialized software, or is it going to be accessible using our own PC+USB cable + extra downloaded software?
Phone:
Samsung S21 Ultra (G998B). Android 12. No cloud, no backup. Phone not used for now. New data is not copied onto the phone. Phone not rooted.
Thank you for all your help. I do hope to find some solution. We are down hundreds of dollars, many hours of talking to consultants, many of whom appear to just google potential solutions and offer us some basic things, while the pain of cherished memories potentially lost forever is the worst, much worse than money lost. Any help or constructive feedback would be appreciated!

BTW if someone offers a working solution, I can offer consultancy fee for time and success fee in case of recovery.

Root probably won't be possible without unlocking the bootloader, and unlocking the bootloader factory resets the phone, which formats the internal storage and permanently deletes everything. I've used root apps to recover deleted photos and videos before but that only works if the phone was already rooted, or if there's a way to do it without wiping the phone. When I joined XDA almost a decade ago it was relatively common to see root methods that used exploits, and didn't require you to wipe the phone but that's not really a thing today. All this is to say that root is almost certainly not a viable option.

Have you checked for professional forensics services that can disassemble the phone and connect wires directly to the storage chips?
I've seen Youtube videos like this, where they get into the guts of the electronics and use solder and wiring. Sorry I don't know more specifics, but perhaps you can find them online and mail your phone for professional forensics recovery.

Maybe you can download a folder files of camera for the S21 Ultra :U

KingFatty said:
Have you checked for professional forensics services that can disassemble the phone and connect wires directly to the storage chips?
I've seen Youtube videos like this, where they get into the guts of the electronics and use solder and wiring. Sorry I don't know more specifics, but perhaps you can find them online and mail your phone for professional forensics recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^this^ Your best shot. With this you may only get one shot especially if you cause more damage by misadventure...
Others here have gone this route and gotten good results. $400-800 for non rush service is in the ballpark.

KingFatty said:
Have you checked for professional forensics services that can disassemble the phone and connect wires directly to the storage chips?
I've seen Youtube videos like this, where they get into the guts of the electronics and use solder and wiring. Sorry I don't know more specifics, but perhaps you can find them online and mail your phone for professional forensics recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
blackhawk said:
^this^ Your best shot. With this you may only get one shot especially if you cause more damage by misadventure...
Others here have gone this route and gotten good results. $400-800 for non rush service is in the ballpark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I have come across some websites mentioning this, but could not find any agency of repute in my region offering such a solution. And especially if I can only get one shot with this, I definitely want to pick the best agency to try it out. The photos inside are worth it for me to shell out hundreds of dollars if necessary...
I wonder also, if we can reasonably expect technical progress to be able to solve this situation. I don't mean some stuff like quantum computing, but for instance I'm aware that PS3 has recently been cracked , a few years after it came out. Can I reasonably expect something similar to happen to Android 12 that what's not breakable/crackable today, may become so in 1-2 or maybe 3-4 years? While I'd hate to have to wait for 2-3 years, there's nothing time-sensitive in those photos; just family moments that I would like to be able to revisit 10 years later, so if I only will be able to access them later on, that's fine, I can just put my phone in a drawer for a few years and wait. As long as this wait is not in vain. Definitely don't need false hope.
Thanks for your feedback!

samsungs21 said:
Thank you. I have come across some websites mentioning this, but could not find any agency of repute in my region offering such a solution. And especially if I can only get one shot with this, I definitely want to pick the best agency to try it out. The photos inside are worth it for me to shell out hundreds of dollars if necessary...
I wonder also, if we can reasonably expect technical progress to be able to solve this situation. I don't mean some stuff like quantum computing, but for instance I'm aware that PS3 has recently been cracked , a few years after it came out. Can I reasonably expect something similar to happen to Android 12 that what's not breakable/crackable today, may become so in 1-2 or maybe 3-4 years? While I'd hate to have to wait for 2-3 years, there's nothing time-sensitive in those photos; just family moments that I would like to be able to revisit 10 years later, so if I only will be able to access them later on, that's fine, I can just put my phone in a drawer for a few years and wait. As long as this wait is not in vain. Definitely don't need false hope.
Thanks for your feedback!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a thread here I posted on going 4-8 months. He had hid data recovered from a Samsung for $1200 rush job vs the usual $800 charge). I've tried to find it, but you see my post count. Usually that works in my favor but not always He shipped it to them if I recall correctly.
Try these guys. That may be the company he used. Been too long and it was of passing interest to me. If you do recover the data please report back. Many posters here have asked for this.
Due to the way those files were lost they may not be recoverable. Personally I would've written them off. However only a recovery specialist can say for sure.

blackhawk said:
There's a thread here I posted on going 4-8 months. He had hid data recovered from a Samsung for $1200 rush job vs the usual $800 charge). I've tried to find it, but you see my post count. Usually that works in my favor but not always He shipped it to them if I recall correctly.
Try these guys. That may be the company he used. Been too long and it was of passing interest to me. If you do recover the data please report back. Many posters here have asked for this.
Due to the way those files were lost they may not be recoverable. Personally I would've written them off. However only a recovery specialist can say for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
reached out to the guys you recommended, though their website / social media have not been updated since 2020... Will report back on the progress.

samsungs21 said:
reached out to the guys you recommended, though their website / social media have not been updated since 2020... Will report back on the progress.
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I'm not sure that's who he used and I know only what I read on their site. Just saying...

Can't you just plug the phone to a PC and use a recovery tool like DiskDrill, or something?

Flash the original firmware

Samarimama said:
Flash the original firmware
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That would do nothing except complicate the issue.

RSGI said:
Can't you just plug the phone to a PC and use a recovery tool like DiskDrill, or something?
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tried that. The phone is not considered a hard drive, hence neither appears on the list of hard drives on Disk Drill, nor can be selected as folder/destination to run it on...

samsungs21 said:
tried that. The phone is not considered a hard drive, hence neither appears on the list of hard drives on Disk Drill, nor can be selected as folder/destination to run it on...
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I should mention that even if the jpegs can be recovered their exif data is not able to be associated with the jpeg. The folder structure is lost as well. A sea of jpegs with no time stamp or original image name. A daunting task in itself to sort these out.

Make a factory reset

Samarimama said:
Make a factory reset
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That would overwrite the lost data potentially making it impossible to recover as if it's not already bad enough.
It was a simple data transfer that went bad (this can happen), nothing indicates the user partition or rom are corrupted... throwing rocks at it doesn't help.

samsungs21 said:
tried that. The phone is not considered a hard drive, hence neither appears on the list of hard drives on Disk Drill, nor can be selected as folder/destination to run it on...
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Try an app called "Disk Digger". Its on the playstore. It might belp.

RSGI said:
Try an app called "Disk Digger". Its on the playstore. It might belp.
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If you're not going to use a professional recovery service, go for it.
Otherwise using the device risks overwriting the now unallocated data... once overwritten recovery is completely impossible on a flash drive.

blackhawk said:
That would overwrite the lost data potentially making it impossible to recover as if it's not already bad enough.
It was a simple data transfer that went bad (this can happen), nothing indicates the user partition or rom are corrupted... throwing rocks at it doesn't he
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Samarimama said:
Make a factory reset
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That would definitely ruin his chances of any recovery... just avoid making any writing on the storage, cause if the data you want to recover is overwrite, it's definitely gone... at least intact...