i was sitting here on XDA and i saw that a user here had his phone stolen from him, and people posted several solutions like GPSTracker and latitude but the user did not have either installed. would anyone be interested in a remote brick? basically it would be like SMS commander, but you send a text that holds a password and the correct brick phrase and the phone will brick. the best(and worst) way i can see to do this would be to have an old radio on the sdcard and have the haykuro SPL on there as well. then when the phone receives the text it flashes the old radio and then the haykuro SPL which we all know would brick the phone. i am still working on possible implementation or another way of doing this(maybe run "wipe all" in terminal), but i was just wondering if anyone would be interested before i really try it out.
maybe in future if app works well our ROM devs could include in their build and then it couldn't be removed(easily). the main reason i would want something like this is so if my phone was stolen i could make it useless to the idiot that stole it.
few minor details that would need to be worked out:
won't work if SIM is changed as number would be different
if i use the terminal command "wipe all" then theif would only need to have a new ROM to install and it would be all better
on the of chance you get the phone back you would want to be able to easily fix the phone
let me know what you think, keep in mind this is a very early stage idea and i haven't put more than 20 minutes thought into it
cant lie the idea is brilliant but execution would be the make or break point, and i have a feelin this will take alot of test g1's to get working lol...and multiple devs as a team to get up off the ground. But im all for it, i have had bad luck in the past especially with sidekicks and etc and this would be a perfect idea to have.
Great idea but don't forget when restoring it (if you manage to retrieve your phone), it should only 'unlock' to a certain pass phrase pre-set by the user. If not anyone could just run the 'unlock' command to start using it again.
On the whole, a great idea.
However, I think flashing an incompatible theme with your current build would be sufficient, seeing as 99% of the people who go around stealing phones would have no idea how to fix a G1 stuck on the T-Mo/Not-Flashing-Android Screen.
Although the Old Radio+New SPL combo ensures that there will be minimal data retrieval, it also seems like overkill for the majority of circumstances, seeing as your phone would become a paperweight.
The terminal command "wipe all" will wipe the data and system partitions and crash the phone, when the person who stole it tries to reboot it it won't boot
Even if you wipe (or remove the SD card) most builds would still boot regardless. A remote kill switch has been around on many platforms for some time, hell even Microsoft have been threatening to use it on Vista for pirated builds but it has never happened.
In this case, perhaps the app would need root access, so it could remotely reboot the G1 and run a script to force a boot loop, if you wanted to go as far as rendering the mobile temp unusable.
However the G1 as it is has plenty of security flaws... I mean many of us managed to get root without issue and I'm sure any google searches will point them to this forum. There is no security for fastboot, nor accessing the recovery image so people can pretty much do as they please - If they know how.
Yeah, I don't know about bricking the phone because it would suck if eventually you did get it back. Then you're stuck with a brick phone maybe theres away around it though which could work not sure how you'd implement this though. I mean the idea is there just going to be abit hard to execute because the problem is with all these theft problems, if they have the phone off when the sms is sent then it doesn't work.
I wouldn't mind having this. If someone snatched my G1 out of my hands and got away, I would just use my friend's cell 1 minute later to make my phone a paper weight, then have peace of mind. lol
Dladu said:
Yeah, I don't know about bricking the phone because it would suck if eventually you did get it back. Then you're stuck with a brick phone maybe theres away around it though which could work not sure how you'd implement this though. I mean the idea is there just going to be abit hard to execute because the problem is with all these theft problems, if they have the phone off when the sms is sent then it doesn't work.
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i am noting the issues, what i am planning is something similar to SMS commander, when the phone gets a text that says a certain thing it does something. if the phone is off then the text will still arrive when the phone is powered on, hell i could probably even remove the recovery screen and then the person would need to fastboot the phone.
sms commander just "listens" for the text of an incoming message and if it matches a certain phrase it runs a command. obviously i would need root, but at this point if you haven't rooted your phone this(if it works) woulud do it.
with that said, i am researching the APIs to see what would need to be done, i used to have something like this on my old 8525 and i never had to use it, but i'm paranoid about stuff like this
i love this idea, there was this time when i had sold my touch pro on craigslist but the buyer had ripped me off! so that just pissed me off!
(good name ideas)
Cold-Droid
Lock Me
Ban-Droid
Dream Lock
Use me...Not!
Where's My owner
or just a plain app called
"Brick"
This app would be cool if it detected the owners sim card so if it were ever replaced it would say wrong sim card enter passkey (which they will not know)
and if they were to ever put the sim card back in then still it will tell you(sim card has been removed please eneter passkey)
or something like that! just an idea!
kind of like sim lock but instead of sim being locked, the device will be locked!
Why you would want to destroy a phone?
Just remote wipe your data, thats enough. Write that as an app!
Not bricking!
Have you guys used/considered Mobile Defense?
So here is my idea for this application.
Instead of completely bricking the phone, make it so that if the SIM card is removed, or the secret SMS message is sent that it does a complete phone lock and displays a message on-screen stating "This phone is suspected to have been lost/stolen. Please call XXX number to return the property.". All the while sending precise GPS locations updated every x minutes to a preset Email address and/or send a SMS to a preset phone number. This way the real owner may be able to easily recover the phone and none of the information is exposed. The only way to unlock it is to put in a code to unlock it. After x amount of days without being recovered, the program will issue a recoverable brick all the while showing the same message. After x more days after the soft brick, the phone will format all ROM and be unrecoverable. By that time, the real owner would have already gotten his/her replacement G1 if they had insurance, and the thief will have a fancy paperweight.
Great idea
Is this going to get anywhere?
that'd be funny if you could lock the phone at a screen that has a customized text.
Like F**K YOU B*TICH
or maybe
If Found Contact -
ETC. and it just stays at that screen. wonder if thats possible
edit- i shoulda read page 2 haha. same idea as Setnev lol.
i have a note 3 that is boots up to the unlocked padlock screen gets stuck there then boots into recovery mode. it even gets stuck in like a bsod mode where i cant see nothing or get it to respond to buttons. the only way I can is if i open it up and disconnect all ribbons(havent tried pinning pointing one yet) after i do that and reconnect them i can get the phone in download mode or recovery mode. i tried the restore with title wifi fix. to no avail. the only thing i know about this phone is supposedly it was working then they guy tried to do the update since then stuck. he said he sent it to samsung and they wouldnt fix it because it supposedly had a custom rom flashed. which im sure it had something done because of the unlock padlock/bootloader sign. any help would be greatly appreciated.
prelude91sit said:
i have a note 3 that is boots up to the unlocked padlock screen gets stuck there then boots into recovery mode. it even gets stuck in like a bsod mode where i cant see nothing or get it to respond to buttons. the only way I can is if i open it up and disconnect all ribbons(havent tried pinning pointing one yet) after i do that and reconnect them i can get the phone in download mode or recovery mode. i tried the restore with title wifi fix. to no avail. the only thing i know about this phone is supposedly it was working then they guy tried to do the update since then stuck. he said he sent it to samsung and they wouldnt fix it because it supposedly had a custom rom flashed. which im sure it had something done because of the unlock padlock/bootloader sign. any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Dear Brother !!
This same thing happened to me!!
I looked everywhere for an easy solution BUT THERE IS NONE !! Yet.
The reason why is because there are no easy "Odin back to stock files" yet is because at&t is a fn a-hole and locked the bootloader !!
I brikt my shıt about 4 days after I brought it home from costco.
I combed through the interwebs for the 48 hrs straight like a mad tweaker!! because of course this is our 800 dollar babies we're talking about !!
I kept getting the same error message as you are mentioning about the kies update connect your pc blah and so I tool it back to costco and played dumb and said that I got a notification to update and clicked ok and it did some stuff and "now its stuck on this screen with some error??" .. the lady at the kiosk looked it up and down and said someone else had come in last week with the same error message . LoL !!
I walked out of there with a brand new baby !!
Maybe you can do the same thing? Just hoping you are within your return timeframe.
your last but definitely not last worst case scenerio option is to stick your sim card in another phone and wait till someone from our awesome family here finds away around/through that damn bootloader and drops the beautiful Odin+files to give new birth to your 5.7 beast of an angel !!
Hope this helped in any sort of way. Good luck dear Brother!!
Please let us know how it goes. I think there are many brothers on here in the same predicament.
Hello.
It's me again, and I have another problem. Damn machines like to play it hard (or maybe I'm just clicking wrong choices all the time).
Before unlocking my device via MiUnlock I got myself a finger scanned for quick unlocking the phone. It didn't work all the time but was a nice addition to pattern unlock. After unlocking my phone via fastboot mode I was on tour, and during driving, I was in need of screen being on. I turned off pattern/fingerprint unlock in order to get my beloved girl as a guide.
However, when I wanted to turn it on again today, after setting pattern, pin code or passlock, retyping (redrawing) it again and clicking "confirm"...nothing happens.
Is this the "feature" Xiaomi warned about before I was unlocking my phone on MiUnlock?
Can I somehow turn it on again? It seems like a bad joke, that your device can be secure ONLY when totally locked. And when You like to get root access - sorry mate, you are on your own.
Just to clarify - my MIUI is unchanged from the beginning 7.0 with latest possible update via OTA (all the way to 9.2.1.0 NCFMIEK version). I'm looking forward to swapping it for the new one someday, but I would like to know if there's another way around than just reflashing whole phone and reconfiguration process, that always took me much time. I'll get rid of preinstalled vanilla someday anyway, tbh, but I'm just curious. Also – will this be a thing and will it still occur, when I install some custom?
INB4 – buy yourself a car holder, lazy bastard.
INB5 – You could have changed screen awake time option anytime dude, wtf.
INB6 – You dunno anything about unlocking, get back into your cave and keep smashing stones.
INB7 - better try custom ROM... Time for a Change.
Hey! I'm trying to find out ways I might trash my OS without unlocking the bootloader or using adb.
Really I'd like people to share basically the worst things they've ever done to their phones. Just the dumbest mistakes. I think inside these stories we also will find hints about pitfalls that could catch someone before they ever even get to enjoy custom ROMs at all.
Also something that could be fun though is behavior of an almost completely but not entirely bricked android. For example, I spent several minutes today trying to race pixel setup before it crashed. For running fastboot boot on a factory boot img allows me to enter a black hole where my os should be. I found that if I spastically tapped my phone while waiting for it to load, it sometimes didn't crash. I was able to advance far enough to set a pin, disagree to various privacy agreements, set the time, and list all of my allergies. I also was able to kill google play services through a default widget, and I could turn on the flashlight! See, not all bricked
Ok, I'm asking because my system is extremely bricked, but not bricked enough to trigger edl, and I have oem flashing locked. And yeah I'm very hung up on it, but I'm trying to turn it into a positive experience for everyone while maybe picking up a new attack.
I'm really hoping someone can help me. I have the Samsung S10 from Verizon, and recently had to change my lock pattern (to unlock the phone to be able to do anything). I did it late at night and honestly can't remember what pattern I set up. I have fingerprint and facial recognition setup, but it doesn't even attempt those, as if it isn't an option at this point. Right now, each time I attempt to unlock my phone, it won't allow me to try again for over an hour, and it adds on more time each time I mess up the pattern. I've called Verizon and Samsung. Verizon told me that I had to call Samsung, and Samsung said they couldn't help me. The closest Verizon store is about 1.5 hours away. I'll probably try to go tomorrow if I don't get anywhere. But so far, it isn't looking good, and this is insane to me. I can't believe no one can help me get into my phone. But then I remembered these forums have been EXTREMELY helpful in the past. I'm wondering if anyone has a solution or can offer some help. I've considered rooting the phone (or whatever people call it these days) but that will void my warranty. I was dumb enough to have never written down passwords, so I pretty much can't access any website (that requires a username and password) because all my info is stored in my phone. I can't even get into my email. If any of you great people think you can help me out, I'm open to all suggestions! Thank you!
emmiejolopez said:
I'm really hoping someone can help me. I have the Samsung S10 from Verizon, and recently had to change my lock pattern (to unlock the phone to be able to do anything). I did it late at night and honestly can't remember what pattern I set up. I have fingerprint and facial recognition setup, but it doesn't even attempt those, as if it isn't an option at this point. Right now, each time I attempt to unlock my phone, it won't allow me to try again for over an hour, and it adds on more time each time I mess up the pattern. I've called Verizon and Samsung. Verizon told me that I had to call Samsung, and Samsung said they couldn't help me. The closest Verizon store is about 1.5 hours away. I'll probably try to go tomorrow if I don't get anywhere. But so far, it isn't looking good, and this is insane to me. I can't believe no one can help me get into my phone. But then I remembered these forums have been EXTREMELY helpful in the past. I'm wondering if anyone has a solution or can offer some help. I've considered rooting the phone (or whatever people call it these days) but that will void my warranty. I was dumb enough to have never written down passwords, so I pretty much can't access any website (that requires a username and password) because all my info is stored in my phone. I can't even get into my email. If any of you great people think you can help me out, I'm open to all suggestions! Thank you!
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I’ve never had a problem like this, so solutions I can only be guessed at.
Try install Stock ROM with Odin. Download last version with Frija. You will lose all settings and Android will be installed at the factory settings. I think you can turn off your phone, enter the Download mode and install Android with Odin. Or if you can enter Recovery mode, go to wipe data / factory reset and restart phone. I don't think you will lose your phone warranty.
emmiejolopez said:
I'm really hoping someone can help me. I have the Samsung S10 from Verizon, and recently had to change my lock pattern (to unlock the phone to be able to do anything). I did it late at night and honestly can't remember what pattern I set up. I have fingerprint and facial recognition setup, but it doesn't even attempt those, as if it isn't an option at this point. Right now, each time I attempt to unlock my phone, it won't allow me to try again for over an hour, and it adds on more time each time I mess up the pattern. I've called Verizon and Samsung. Verizon told me that I had to call Samsung, and Samsung said they couldn't help me. The closest Verizon store is about 1.5 hours away. I'll probably try to go tomorrow if I don't get anywhere. But so far, it isn't looking good, and this is insane to me. I can't believe no one can help me get into my phone. But then I remembered these forums have been EXTREMELY helpful in the past. I'm wondering if anyone has a solution or can offer some help. I've considered rooting the phone (or whatever people call it these days) but that will void my warranty. I was dumb enough to have never written down passwords, so I pretty much can't access any website (that requires a username and password) because all my info is stored in my phone. I can't even get into my email. If any of you great people think you can help me out, I'm open to all suggestions! Thank you!
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Hi Emmie, I have exactly the same problem with my S10+ in the UK. Created my pattern late last night and forgot it too! Samsung here are saying they can't do anything except a factory reset but I have around 15,000 pics/vids saved! I'm happy for it to sit there for years whilst a solution is found as long as I don't lose my data. I don't understand why face recognition stopped working nor why it keeps increasing the time between attempts. I hope nothing worse happens as it doesn't warn how many attempts I have left so I just keep trying every 17 minutes now!