Hey all ...
I just got my WP7 stolen :-(
I tried to use the tools we have with hotmail to locate, close etc our phones.
And you know what ?
I just discovered that they all use text messages to send the commands to your phone with your phone number !!!
And of course if the thief take off your sim card then you are f*cked up.
So I have been digging around to see if there are more serious solutions and found some much better application on Windows Mobile 6 or Android for example that can detect if you change the sim card, send messages, autolock and such ....
Anyone know if that kind of application exist on WP7 ?
Actually I'm wrong ....
Looks like it can also use push messages directly from hotmail to your phone.
By default that's what it tries, but if your phone isnt logued on on the hotmail push service (or something like that) then hotmail ask you for your phone number and try to lock it with a SMS. And of course if the thief changed your SIM it wont works.
But if i get it right, if the thief change the SIM card and turn your phone on with a full internet data access and let your phone log on on your hotmail account then it receive a push message that will lock it.
I'm not sure exactly how it works, specialy now because I have bought another HD2 and Flashed it exactly like my previous one, so on my hotmail account there's 2 phones and I there's some mixed stuff happening ... ( Makes me think of I ll create another temporary account to use my new phone til I give up on trying to lock my stolen one)
I tried to call Microsoft Hotline, talked with a guy for 20 minuts, he tried to get more info on how it is working exactly and called me back the next day but he couldnt get much more detailed explanations ...
I tried to check on the web but I can t get anything else than just the regular documentation saying how to lock or map your phone ...
the problem is that almost anyone could quite easily get around this, unless the thief is a complete numpty there is little that can be done.
There was some fantastic progams on WM that could be built in to the ROM, so short of flashing a new ROM, it would always report home on what ever SIM card was inplace.
With the tools we have, you have probably got a window of abut an hour before it will be reset, airport moded sim removed or reflashed, after than, unless they are stupid, is a gonna. In saying all of that, even the location tool is mostly useless, unless you catch them going home, once they are in the house it uses network triangulation, which depending on where they live could give you 200 houses to check! inshort, the second you know its gone, find a PC and lock and locate it.
Dont forget to get pictures of the IMIE and serial numbers pus any identifiable marks, even finding it is useless unless you can prove its yours.
as for WP7, there is nothing available yet, i doubt there would be anything useful in the near future either.
I know only antitheif which is only work for 6.5.
Related
Here's the story, I had a TMobile G1 Retail phone, I hacked it installed a new bootloader yadda yadda and put the Android Dev 1 or whatever is the latest version onto the phone, set it up with a gmail account etc, all is well.
Well the reason I did this is so I could give the phone to my wife who lives in the Dominican Republic, Well I thought to be the safe hubby and put the Visual lock on it and set a real simple pattern for her to remember.
Her friends are dense at times, and repeatedly botched the visual locked until it asked her for her credentials and locked her out of the phone.
Now the catch is she doesn't have any sort of data plan, I don't even know if a compatible service exists with Orange over there.
How can I unlock her phone without it being able to communicate with Google via a data connection, is a hard reset in order? Will that prompt her to set up a new account, or if I remember correctly do you need to even setup an account just for basic phone usage.
I'd just hate for her to lose all the apps/games I put on there with a hard reset or having to track down someone technical over there to push a new install.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=485988
No need to get the entire sdk, just send the adb.exe and adbwinapi.dll files.
By the way, if the phone doesn't have a dataplan then i'm assuming it's not logged into Google? If that's the case why not just deactivate the lock screen? The main purpose is to prevent casual access to your GMail/GCal/etc if you were to lose your phone.
Thanks for the reply, and yeah well after she told me what happened, I immediately asked myself the same question, I was busy during the visit and the little things that are important I neglected to conceive.
I should have gone through and turned off alot of settings but I just didn't think about it at the time.
Thanks again.
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
updated my vivid to ics today, everything was fine untill i tried adding a new phone number to my sim card.
After hitting save i get "unable to save contact. sim card error"
i still had access to my other phone numbers and calls/internet
i figured maybe the card wasnt sitting right in its socket, took it out put it back, and then i get "No SIM card"
Took it out a couple more times and it still said "no sim card"
put it back a final time everything was back to normal until i tried adding a new phone number
"unable to save contact. sim card error" again.
Not sure if this is a ICS problem or a hardware problem, but any help would be appreciated
its neither saving contacts to sim cards is no longer supported feature
seriously? where did you find that out from...
also, not sure if this matters but the last two phone numbers i added before ics were erased as well, all other contacts are fine
Hasnt been supported in awhile...contacts sync to google,obsolete function
ive been using the sim card for ALL my contacts since i got this phone 4-6 months ago, never had a problem.
like i said before unless ICS changed something then i should still be able to use the sim for contacts
and if sim cards are obsolete like you say they are then why are service providers still using them.
its hard to believe that they would just discontinue the use of sim cards for contacts for no apparent reason
Can use them sure, itll read them...adding contacts is another story,the added contacts on 3.0 were not saved to sim ill bet they were saved to phone and seen in your contacts for sure...it is not a supported [email protected] to sim any longer...no sense arguing or debating about it....on 3.0,3.5 and now 3.6 that feature has never [email protected] to sim...you can save to csv,back up from sdcard sync with google...thats about it....sony software allows this but not htc's..and to address why they would not allow it...well you can only store up to 250 contacts on a sim....google is unliminted...sim cards are used for more than backing up contacts too...lol...thats how your able to get service
PoNGxB said:
ive been using the sim card for ALL my contacts since i got this phone 4-6 months ago, never had a problem. like i said before unless ICS changed something then i should still be able to use the sim for contacts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im telling you that i was able to save contacts to the sim, how else would they be on there in the first place. and there is a point in arguing about it because your saying that sense 3.0 is unable to save to sim, and i know for a fact that it can
ok you know better than me....ask away then...enjoy your night boss ...)
and if there is no such function anymore why is it that when i add a contact, under contact type there is SIM, phone, and google. if like you said the function is no longer in use why would they even put it in the drop down menu
and you said the contacts saved on 3.0 were saved on the phone, then why is it that when i change phones MY NUMBERS ARE ON THE NEW PHONE.
i never said i knew better than you, i was asking for help and you came on your high horse and said a bunch of stuff that makes absolutely no sense.
Not on a high horse....lol...just have asked att about it have tested myself since getting the device....doesnt work...if your contacts were there then they transferred them at the [email protected] also they sync with google automatically as soon as you set up [email protected] being there. If you think im on a high horse and took the statements in that manner then thats on you....my apologies....spoke from what research and dev i have done and do with this and other devices....
all im saying is i dont use google sync, i dont sync anything with my phone. and ive added contacts to my sim before and i know theyre on the sim. i can edit delete old contacts but not save them i find it strange that they would just discontinue the use of sim cards
Xda is seriously going down the crapper when people argue with a master dev and accuse him of being on a high horse ... Knowing that the dev is saving the vivid from obscurity
I haven't..and am still not able..to save contacts to sim since my inspire with 3.0
lol just cause people are of authority doesnt make everything they say true
PoNGxB said:
lol just cause people are of authority doesnt make everything they say true
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok well when your up at three in the morning with a new Rom release, or up all night answering questions about how to flash said Rom, or answering the same questions over and over again, or dealing with people whom Apparently have never even seen a high horse , then you will have room to criticize...
Come on now. Mine don't save to sim either. I really don't care as long as they show up every time I turn on the phone.
WC has ripped the software apart numerous times plus re-built them over and over again. Authority has nothing to do with it, understanding the inner workings through life experiences does.
Authority??...I have no authority I simply spoke on what i know to be fact now again from the work ive done on this and other android devices....thats all...if you feel i am wrong thats your choice to search for the answer that appeases you....the answer will be the same
PoNGxB said:
lol just cause people are of authority doesnt make everything they say true
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're new this month...which means you weren't around last month for the drama. I suggest you stop now or a ban will more than likely be in your future. You're not helping anything
Hi Everyone ,
I'm new to this whole Sony Xperia thing being a new convert from the iPhone , so forgive me if this sounds a bit odd.
I've just enabled and activated the Find 'My Xperia' utility , that on the face of it is like iPhone's 'Find my phone' , the only difference and correct me if I'm wrong here , whats to stop me turning it off in the settings (assuming i have no pin on the keypad - ok so i'd deserve it if that was the case). But it also seems easy enough to reflash my 'lost' phone with a virgin stock firmware and then thats the find my xperia utility disabled , as it needs to be active on the phone as well as online. IOS stops you doing this by locking the phones repair and activation unless you unlock it with your iTunes account.?
Does this seem a bit of a half hearted effort or am i missing something?
Thanks guys.
Sixx
I can and have pushed updates to my iPhone when I was playing with that and had the phone locked. Could have been a fluke but still should have never happened. I have also flashed ios firmwares that were no longer signed without SHSH blobs including betas without being a dev.
IMHO, lock your phone and see what it does. I do not use those apps because the iPhone one was wasted on me and if my phone is not in my hands or pocket we probably have larger issues.
You may need to log in with your PSN ID to unlock the device. This would be similar to using an Apple ID to unlock the device.
My Xperia Utility
Hi there,
Thanks for the reply , I tried it out by registering and locking my handle remotely , and as I guessed reflashing with a stock ROM wiped any trace of it and I was unable to trace it.
I'm assuming it's this way as the handset does not need to talk to an authentication server like the iPhone's do prior to activation.
Was interesting to do though.... Bored now.
Sixx
Yeah, My Xperia and similar solutions are useful, but if a determined and/or technically clued up person steals your device then you almost certainly aren't going to be able to retrieve it that way. They're more of a deterrent to the opportunistic thief than anything.
I have Cerberus and have it set to email me images via the front camera on incorrect unlock attempts. My phone also automatically switches over to a secure lockscreen when away from my home wifi. The power menu also don't display in the lockscreen, so makes it difficult for someone not in the know to power off my phone.
If my phone goes missing for more than an hour and I receive any notification of incorrect unlock attempts, then it's being wiped remotely and a message to call my other line is displayed to return the device. If that fails, then a phone call to my provider to get the phone totally blocked is the next step.
Sent from my C6603
hello ALL!
i am an AVID android user, and have been using xda for YEARS, even contributed many things to this site, in way of help, mods, and other things, never built roms but worked closely as a tester with some big developers.
recently while riding my bike home from work, i saw a phone scattered in pieces down the street. i picked up all pieces and put back together when i got home, and surprisingly it turned on with no issue, didn't even need to charge battery.
so now, i cannot access it because it has a pin passcode(ive tried all your "run of the mill ones" Plus after a few guesses and then battery dying, , it is NOW telling me I HAVE to WAIT 2680 MINUTES until next attempt....seriously?!?! 2680 MINUTES?!?! THATS NEARLY TWO DAYS!!!!!!
anyways
i need someones help here, i am TRYING to return this device to it's owner, but without a valid passcode to enter, i cannot get into their contacts and try to call anyone they might know in order to return the device.
so if ANYONE knows of a toolkit, or command line thing i can do/use in order to remove/change this pin lock, i would be very grateful.
i DONT want to wipe the device and end up without ANY info on the owner or even anything that might help me return it.
ANY IDEAS ???
I HAD SEEN MENTION OF WINDOWS PHONE RECOVERY KIT
would THAT be useful in this situation?
or basically am i stuck with resetting the phone and HOPING something is left on sdcard that will have info as to the owner of device???
ashclepdia said:
hello ALL!
i am an AVID android user, and have been using xda for YEARS, even contributed many things to this site, in way of help, mods, and other things, never built roms but worked closely as a tester with some big developers.
recently while riding my bike home from work, i saw a phone scattered in pieces down the street. i picked up all pieces and put back together when i got home, and surprisingly it turned on with no issue, didn't even need to charge battery.
so now, i cannot access it because it has a pin passcode(ive tried all your "run of the mill ones" Plus after a few guesses and then battery dying, , it is NOW telling me I HAVE to WAIT 2680 MINUTES until next attempt....seriously?!?! 2680 MINUTES?!?! THATS NEARLY TWO DAYS!!!!!!
anyways
i need someones help here, i am TRYING to return this device to it's owner, but without a valid passcode to enter, i cannot get into their contacts and try to call anyone they might know in order to return the device.
so if ANYONE knows of a toolkit, or command line thing i can do/use in order to remove/change this pin lock, i would be very grateful.
i DONT want to wipe the device and end up without ANY info on the owner or even anything that might help me return it.
ANY IDEAS ???
I HAD SEEN MENTION OF WINDOWS PHONE RECOVERY KIT
would THAT be useful in this situation?
or basically am i stuck with resetting the phone and HOPING something is left on sdcard that will have info as to the owner of device???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could try to put the SIM in an other phone, he might have contacts stored on his SIM.
Also same thing with the SD Card but doubt there'll be anything helpful in there.
On WP unfortunately there is no way to remove the lock without doing a hard reset which will wipe everything except the SD Card and contacts on the SIM so it's the same as inserting the SD and SIM in an other phone, better not hard reset it so the owner doesn't loose all he has on there.
I like how you use the word "unfortunately" about there being no way to bypass the one crucial security feature of the phone... The lock screen is there for a reason! If you'd tried messing with my phone that way, it would already have wiped itself.
To the OP, leave it powered on and connected to the Internet, and the owner will be able to find it eventually. The "my Windows Phone" (or whatever it's called now) website allows the owner to get the phone's GPS location, and also to display a message (such as "please email me at <this address> if you found my phone!") on the screen. If they never come for it, then... free phone, I guess? I'm not usually a fan of "finders keepers" but there's no excuse for a WP owner not even trying the existing tools to get the phone back, if they want it back at all.
If you really want to go above and beyond the call of duty, I suppose you could check the SIM from the phone and see what carrier it's for, then call the carrier and see if they have any way to get in touch with the phone's owner...
This has likely long been resolved, but here's what I would do.
Take the SIM, put it in another phone. Check "about" to see what the phone number is. Call that number.
If you get an answer, there's your missing phone's owner with a new phone and SIM card. Let them know you found their phone. No answer, leave voicemail.
PepperdotNet said:
This has likely long been resolved, but here's what I would do.
Take the SIM, put it in another phone. Check "about" to see what the phone number is. Call that number.
If you get an answer, there's your missing phone's owner with a new phone and SIM card. Let them know you found their phone. No answer, leave voicemail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are correct, has been resolved, good tip though thank you, found owner and was told to keep device, they had gotten new one, they don't know how it ended up on side of street, but I ended up giving to someone I had worked with who was in need of an at&t device.
Thank you, and all others, for all assistance.
Ended up that the owner actually knew someone that I was working with at the time, small world huh, funny how it all worked out, was just happy to help everyone out in the end. Was just a funny circle of events that led to the device getting to who has it now.