Database Develop

Android Device Manager

In case you didn't know, Google has silently implemented FREE tracking for almost all androids. It also allows you to erase the phone if you feel that it's necessary, all you have to do is enable it as a device admin. I realize there have been apps on the market for a long time now that do this (and more) however Google doesn't require you to install or update any apps to use this service and from my brief testing it seems to work amazingly well right off the bat.
Go here and bookmark: https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager

it's about time they did this. i've hated having to install lookout or avast for decent location and remote wipe. now, that is more. further proof why you don't need an AV on your phone.

The only thing missing that I would like to see in future updates would be the ability to remotely lock the device so that a thief would have a harder time fooling around with the phone before you can track it. I've been using Where's My Droid for a long time but it lost the web interface tracking a while ago and that's been a bummer.

Is there any way to uninstall this useless feature? I never use GPS in my phone (because of the horrible reception, also because I am able to navigate without it), and also do not lose it.
Also, I already encrypted my device, so people can't do anything with it when they find it.
Also, whilst I am at it, I really do not like the way google forces their "content" down the wide opened throat of the community. I did not like the way they went with google services framework, and how you can't do jack sh*t without it, and I do not like the updates and "progression" they make.
Soo, any idea on how to get that off my phone?
Cheers!
PS: Everything I wrote is my own opinion, and if yours differs, at least RESPECT mine. If not, I could not care less about yours and do not get upset if I make fun of it. (Just in case some fanboy tries to attack me )

IRKONIK said:
Is there any way to uninstall this useless feature? I never use GPS in my phone (because of the horrible reception, also because I am able to navigate without it), and also do not lose it.
Also, I already encrypted my device, so people can't do anything with it when they find it.
Also, whilst I am at it, I really do not like the way google forces their "content" down the wide opened throat of the community. I did not like the way they went with google services framework, and how you can't do jack sh*t without it, and I do not like the updates and "progression" they make.
Soo, any idea on how to get that off my phone?
Cheers!
PS: Everything I wrote is my own opinion, and if yours differs, at least RESPECT mine. If not, I could not care less about yours and do not get upset if I make fun of it. (Just in case some fanboy tries to attack me )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can disable the google play services in a custom ROM (i think it's built-in to android 4.2.2) but it'll break the YouTube app, and as you said, you're limited without it. as far as like older ROMs go (ICS, GB, etc.), the app isn't built-in and you can uninstall it.
I personally find google play services somewhat useful (especially now with the ADM), and i use YouTube occasionally so i need it for that, but we all have our own opinions, as you said, and I'd personally like to keep things civil.
and if you hate the services that much, you can actually reflash the ROM you're using without Gapps. it will be a limited experience, but the Play Services won't be there

IRKONIK said:
Is there any way to uninstall this useless feature? I never use GPS in my phone (because of the horrible reception, also because I am able to navigate without it), and also do not lose it.
Also, I already encrypted my device, so people can't do anything with it when they find it.
Also, whilst I am at it, I really do not like the way google forces their "content" down the wide opened throat of the community. I did not like the way they went with google services framework, and how you can't do jack sh*t without it, and I do not like the updates and "progression" they make.
Soo, any idea on how to get that off my phone?
Cheers!
PS: Everything I wrote is my own opinion, and if yours differs, at least RESPECT mine. If not, I could not care less about yours and do not get upset if I make fun of it. (Just in case some fanboy tries to attack me )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than what was already said I don't think there's a way to remove it, but just look at it this way... it doesn't take up any space and won't just activate by itself, so it's really not inconveniencing you in any way. I understand you don't want to be force-fed features that you don't want, and I absolutely respect that, but for many (myself included) this was a long overdue feature that will no doubt help many many users. This kinda stuff comes with the territory of owning a 'connected' device like a smartphone, so if you really want to get off the grid, just go back to a dumb-phone (yes they still exist).

Sorry for the "rant", but these updates cost me money, since I don't have a flatrare on my phone. (And Android OS still uses my data, whilst I have it turned off. Which is strange)
I actually do own "a few" dumb phones, one for calling, one for getting called, one for SMS.
So I am off grid, at least a little bit.
I actually never understood that feature. As I stated above, I am not the kind of person that loses stuff (OK, maybe sometimes my manners ) nor did I ever had something stolen from me. People tried, but never succeeded.
I am looking forward to Replicant, so I can finally shove my middle finger up Googles fat back-ends (of the wafer. Also it is somehow connected to the fat file system. Not what you thought )
Some day.. Soon.

IRKONIK said:
Sorry for the "rant", but these updates cost me money, since I don't have a flatrare on my phone. (And Android OS still uses my data, whilst I have it turned off. Which is strange)
I actually do own "a few" dumb phones, one for calling, one for getting called, one for SMS.
So I am off grid, at least a little bit.
I actually never understood that feature. As I stated above, I am not the kind of person that loses stuff (OK, maybe sometimes my manners ) nor did I ever had something stolen from me. People tried, but never succeeded.
I am looking forward to Replicant, so I can finally shove my middle finger up Googles fat back-ends (of the wafer. Also it is somehow connected to the fat file system. Not what you thought )
Some day.. Soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Replicant is available for the galaxysmtd (international galaxy s). it's not fully functional though, because there aren't a ton of open-source libraries and drivers available. if you want replicant on this phone, you gotta learn how to code, and how to build from source.
supernexus is kinda like replicant except it uses a lot of closed-source libraries that make things work. as i said, just don't flash the google apps package. it's basically a clone of the Nexus firmware, as you get all the AOSP components, nothing more or less. oh and also, very minimal google integration without Gapps

How does it work
So does Android Device Manager track the phone or tablet by the hardware signature or by Google account? I ask because I lost my Nexus 7 last Monday and immediately changed my Google Account password. Now when I try to track the Nexus 7 using Android Device Manager it shows that it has not been used since last Monday.

Capt-Capsaicin said:
So does Android Device Manager track the phone or tablet by the hardware signature or by Google account? I ask because I lost my Nexus 7 last Monday and immediately changed my Google Account password. Now when I try to track the Nexus 7 using Android Device Manager it shows that it has not been used since last Monday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hardware i reckon, when i used this it let's me choose which device I've used with my Google account. It sees phone as different again when I've flashed a new ROM.

Crawshayi said:
In case you didn't know, Google has silently implemented FREE tracking for almost all androids. It also allows you to erase the phone if you feel that it's necessary, all you have to do is enable it as a device admin. I realize there have been apps on the market for a long time now that do this (and more) however Google doesn't require you to install or update any apps to use this service and from my brief testing it seems to work amazingly well right off the bat.
Go here and bookmark: https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM Team Announces CyanogenMod Account For Remote Device Wipe/Tracking, Dual-Release Branches For Better Security
Posted by Ryan Whitwam in News
http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/0...ng-dual-release-branches-for-better-security/
CM guys still finding ways to 1-up google android :silly:
.

[Q] Prospective customer - VZW questions

Hey everyone - I'm thinking of the moto X on Verizon after the price drop and have a few Questions. I currently have a rooted S-On Rezound running Nil's business sense 4.0.
1. Will USB internet tethering for a windows 8.1 PC work WITHOUT rooting? (It seems like a hassle with this phone and the stock software is clean and good anyway.)
2. How about Titanium backup including application data (WITHOUT root)?
3. How good has Kit Kat been? I'm also concerned about the dual core processor since the new Google maps seemed a little choppy when I played around with one at Best Buy.
4. How good is the standby voice function? Is it a real feature for texting / calling at least, or a marketing gimmick like Siri that doesn't really work well?
Thanks

Aeroman787 said:
Hey everyone - I'm thinking of the moto X on Verizon after the price drop and have a few Questions. I currently have a rooted S-On Rezound running Nil's business sense 4.0.
1. Will USB internet tethering for a windows 8.1 PC work WITHOUT rooting? (It seems like a hassle with this phone and the stock software is clean and good anyway.)
2. How about Titanium backup including application data (WITHOUT root)?
3. How good has Kit Kat been? I'm also concerned about the dual core processor since the new Google maps seemed a little choppy when I played around with one at Best Buy.
4. How good is the standby voice function? Is it a real feature for texting / calling at least, or a marketing gimmick like Siri that doesn't really work well?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can attest to 3 and 4. The dual core has no problem keeping up with this phone and I have never had any problems with google maps or any other app for that matter. The dual core is great on battery as well; I can go all day with moderate use and wifi and gps on as well. The voice controls are amazing. I use it all the time when my phone is sitting on the console of my truck or on my desk 2 feet away. On occasion in a noisy environment it will ask me to speak up but it still has no problem recognizing what I said.

1. http://pdanet.co/help/devices.php everything works with 4.2 but 4.4 doesn't support WiFi tether.
2. Nope. Try Helium https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.backup
3. Awesome. My Note 2 has been collecting dust ever since I received my Moto X. My only issue is with the camera. The Note 2 camera (or software?) takes sharper images.
4. The voice recognition is surprisingly good. I find it can be strict in how you say the trigger, which is good but also a bit annoying.
I think Motorola and Google have been very consistent with updates to the core apps and expanding capabilities. I'm really excited to see how much better this phone can get.

2. If you're not flashing roms, you don't need to backup really. Supposedly the standard Android adb backup works, which is what helium uses.
3. Kit kat is great, no speed issues at all.
4. The OK Google now shortcut works for me all the time. I personally don't like to use it in public, but it great in the car.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Aeroman787 said:
Hey everyone - I'm thinking of the moto X on Verizon after the price drop and have a few Questions. I currently have a rooted S-On Rezound running Nil's business sense 4.0.
1. Will USB internet tethering for a windows 8.1 PC work WITHOUT rooting? (It seems like a hassle with this phone and the stock software is clean and good anyway.)
2. How about Titanium backup including application data (WITHOUT root)?
3. How good has Kit Kat been? I'm also concerned about the dual core processor since the new Google maps seemed a little choppy when I played around with one at Best Buy.
4. How good is the standby voice function? Is it a real feature for texting / calling at least, or a marketing gimmick like Siri that doesn't really work well?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#1. You are concerned about tethering for "free" which would imply you have an unlimited data plan... if you will be paying full retail to keep unlimited, consider getting the Dev Edition which is way easy to unlock the bootloader and root. (after unlocking boot loader via Moto's web site, you flash custom recovery, boot into custom recovery, and install/flash SU). Unlocking the Dev Edition bootloader does NOT void warranty. And it has the added benifit of being able to root this way no matter what ROM version is on your phone, without having to wait for a new exploit/process to be created and released when the rom is updated.
Like you said, the stock software/rom is good. The only reasons I see to root are... 1. use titanium backup or the like to backup/restore data, apps, etc, and freeze/remove applications or verizon bloat. 2. block ads. 3. tether if you have an unlimited data plan.
As for unrooted tethering, like nhizzat said, FoxFi was an option on 4.2.2 roms, but was broken on 4.4 roms. They also claim its not supported see -> http://pdanet.co/help/devices.php BUT this thread implies that just doing a factory reset will make it work -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2602303 I haven't tested.
#2. I don't use it.
#3. No problem with speed or responsiveness with my X vs my Galaxy S4, Note 3, or other devices. I use Google Maps, camera, PIM functions, Hangouts, Facebook, dropbox, NFL Mobile, NHL Gamecenter, NBC Sports Live Extra, Monopoly, Uno, NFS Shift, Rhapsody, and others. Battery life hasn't been a problem either. I do find my phone gives me "better" battery life if I let it run down below about 10% before charging. if I keep "topping off" I get low battery warnings quicker. It makes me think there might be a bug in the phone's battery meter calibration.
#4. Like T-Keith, I primarily use the voice commands only in the car. Sorry, i don't like speaking to my phone in public. It works well for hands free calling, quickly looking something up, etc. It understands me about 95% of the time with the phone sitting down on the shifter in my car.

Aeroman787 said:
Hey everyone - I'm thinking of the moto X on Verizon after the price drop and have a few Questions. I currently have a rooted S-On Rezound running Nil's business sense 4.0.
1. Will USB internet tethering for a windows 8.1 PC work WITHOUT rooting? (It seems like a hassle with this phone and the stock software is clean and good anyway.)
2. How about Titanium backup including application data (WITHOUT root)?
3. How good has Kit Kat been? I'm also concerned about the dual core processor since the new Google maps seemed a little choppy when I played around with one at Best Buy.
4. How good is the standby voice function? Is it a real feature for texting / calling at least, or a marketing gimmick like Siri that doesn't really work well?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#1 - USB Tethering, I don't know. Assuming that you don't want to pay for tethering then I would wager, no. I'd also like to say that people not paying for tethering is one of the biggest reasons why carriers lock bootloaders. I know if you load CyanogenMod or one of those (you'll loose voice activation and such) then, it would work.
#2 - No, Titanium Backup requires root. If you're not flashing custom ROMs and such then you might not need it, but I haven't ever had much luck with the built in restore features. While getting Root in a pain in the ass, it is worth it. I run Titanium Backup on my device just be sure I have a backup.
#3 - I love KitKat, efficient. The Dual Core CPU works just fine. Keep in mind it has a quad core GPU (which is what will render graphics on games, the launcher, etc..). And the third CPU has 2 core, one of voice activation and one for contextual awareness - this means it can offload things from the main Dual Core CPU that normally would suck CPU cycles.
#4 - Actually, it works very well. And its use case depends on how you use your phone. Now, I liked it very much because it works in my car - I can tell my phone to dial and such without picking it up. I also have used it while cooking, asking Google to convert cups to tablespoons and such, which works nice without having to touch the phone. The downside is that it interfaces with only certain apps, so if the app doesn't work with Google Now it isn't going to work with being voice activated. I'd say, it a pilot program, it isn't a gimmick but it is incomplete.

Unhappy with Root? Share your stories....

I've been a devoted rooter ever since my very first android phone, the Motorola Atrix (the very first phone with a fingerprint reader!). Loved it! After that, I had dutifully rooted my Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, and then the Galaxy S 4 (before the update that put the whole phone on crazy lock-down). At first, I was very unhappy with not being able to root the ATT S5, but once I detoxed myself from the root addiction, I found that I really enjoyed the phone and everything worked really well. No FCs, no weird compatability issues because of the Xposed Framework and/or Wanam Xposed. Sure, I have to live without ad blocking or being able to tether (on a grandfathered unlimited data, so no tethering plan for me), and most missed is the inability to use TiBu (although I have found that Helium does a decent enough job).
So, after having been rooted for about 48 hours, I decided to undo the mess. I followed the instructions posted here on how to ODIN the original firmware and then perform the OTA update again. Took me a few hours to get my phone back to the state (more or less) it was in pre-root - especially with the help of Helium (paid for Premium, really worth it).
Anyone else experience something similar? Have another reason for de-rooting? Curious.....
I'd be more inclined to keep root on this device if things didn't get so screwed up with it....it was almost like a full time job keeping it operational with all the "moving pieces" so-to-speak (the real clincher for me was that the phonebook transfer via BT to my car was so screwed up post-root, that it just wasn't worth having it - especially in light of my discovery that after I've detoxed myself from the root addiction and still enjoyed my phone).
--Q

quordandis said:
I've been a devoted rooter ever since my very first android phone, the Motorola Atrix (the very first phone with a fingerprint reader!). Loved it! After that, I had dutifully rooted my Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, and then the Galaxy S 4 (before the update that put the whole phone on crazy lock-down). At first, I was very unhappy with not being able to root the ATT S5, but once I detoxed myself from the root addiction, I found that I really enjoyed the phone and everything worked really well. No FCs, no weird compatability issues because of the Xposed Framework and/or Wanam Xposed. Sure, I have to live without ad blocking or being able to tether (on a grandfathered unlimited data, so no tethering plan for me), and most missed is the inability to use TiBu (although I have found that Helium does a decent enough job).
So, after having been rooted for about 48 hours, I decided to undo the mess. I followed the instructions posted here on how to ODIN the original firmware and then perform the OTA update again. Took me a few hours to get my phone back to the state (more or less) it was in pre-root - especially with the help of Helium (paid for Premium, really worth it).
Anyone else experience something similar? Have another reason for de-rooting? Curious.....
I'd be more inclined to keep root on this device if things didn't get so screwed up with it....it was almost like a full time job keeping it operational with all the "moving pieces" so-to-speak (the real clincher for me was that the phonebook transfer via BT to my car was so screwed up post-root, that it just wasn't worth having it - especially in light of my discovery that after I've detoxed myself from the root addiction and still enjoyed my phone).
--Q
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's all about what you do with a rooted phone that either makes it a full time job or not just to keep it up and running smooth. Me for instance could really care less about custom roms and what not. I like root just for removing bloatware to make the phone and battery better. And in the case of the AT&T s5 the ability to change my default storage to the external sd card. Once that is done I tweak with it for a week or so finding the best performance settings and enabling tether and then I just leave it alone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I rooted and installed xposed/wanam and no problems whatsoever.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Free mobile app

It's not root that screws up your phone. It's something that you do after rooting that screws up the phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

No issues here, I was happy to root and remove the att and samsung bloatware.
I am also not a fan of touchwiz and that will take a while before we have an unlocked boot loader and are able to load custom roms..
To each their own it is no more of a pain in the ass to run a rooted phone vs a non rooted phone. Im at a loss as to why you think it was that much trouble?

quordandis said:
I've been a devoted rooter ever since my very first android phone, the Motorola Atrix (the very first phone with a fingerprint reader!). Loved it! After that, I had dutifully rooted my Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, and then the Galaxy S 4 (before the update that put the whole phone on crazy lock-down). At first, I was very unhappy with not being able to root the ATT S5, but once I detoxed myself from the root addiction, I found that I really enjoyed the phone and everything worked really well. No FCs, no weird compatability issues because of the Xposed Framework and/or Wanam Xposed. Sure, I have to live without ad blocking or being able to tether (on a grandfathered unlimited data, so no tethering plan for me), and most missed is the inability to use TiBu (although I have found that Helium does a decent enough job).
So, after having been rooted for about 48 hours, I decided to undo the mess. I followed the instructions posted here on how to ODIN the original firmware and then perform the OTA update again. Took me a few hours to get my phone back to the state (more or less) it was in pre-root - especially with the help of Helium (paid for Premium, really worth it).
Anyone else experience something similar? Have another reason for de-rooting? Curious.....
I'd be more inclined to keep root on this device if things didn't get so screwed up with it....it was almost like a full time job keeping it operational with all the "moving pieces" so-to-speak (the real clincher for me was that the phonebook transfer via BT to my car was so screwed up post-root, that it just wasn't worth having it - especially in light of my discovery that after I've detoxed myself from the root addiction and still enjoyed my phone).
--Q
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand where you are coming from, I enjoy root for the ability to use Tibu and remove bloat. I also was like you I had a granfathered plan since 1997, the BellSouth mobility day's. I just recently changed to the Mobile data share plan, after analyzing my data usage for the last couple of years I realized my data was under 12 gigs a month for the whole family. I signed up for the 15 gig data share plan have saved $ 40 dollars or more per month. Just a heads up you may want to look into it. Oh and as for tethering it is included in the mobile data share plan.

I assure you that Xposed and Wanam definitely interfere with some of the phone's processes. In fact, there's a whole thread here that describes the steps you have to take to remove the lag on your phone and allow you to use S Health (which I do). But then, other things get screwy, because the ro.securestorage.support property is set to true because other processes rely on it, so now I have a whole slew of other issues that arise from it.
I can tell you from the outset, all I did was root, install xposed, install wanam, and installed the ISIS Root Bypass module, and then all these issues came from that. I just felt it wasn't worth it, and I can easily freeze/disable/turn off the bloatware so I don't have issues with that, per se.
--Q

The stuff I really wanted root for doesn't cause any ongoing weirdness. I was getting along ok without root but I am a LOT happier now:
- permanently disable the annoying, super-loud boot sound without having to resort to workarounds
- disable the tether provisioning check (my plan includes tethering, but on more than one occasion the provisioning check failed and told me to try later)
- full use of BBS and Greenify to monitor/tame battery suckers
- TiBu for freezing (I don't attempt to delete the bloatware) and backups too
- sdfix to gain full access to my sd card
To me, all of that stuff with the exception of the tether provisioning check really should be possible for everyone if they want it. And the tether check could at least reasonably cache your status.
xposed modules are probably the biggest culprit in rooted-user problems (even more than people deleting stuff they shouldn't), and while I love a lot of the customizations xposed allows (a big one for me was being able to show the setting in the messaging app that says not to turn on the screen when a message comes in - no more pocket-crap for me!), I could live without that. The one xposed module I would say I might miss is Xprivacy. I'm relatively conservative in what I block, but it is amazing the info our apps can have access to.

jdock said:
The stuff I really wanted root for doesn't cause any ongoing weirdness. I was getting along ok without root but I am a LOT happier now:
- permanently disable the annoying, super-loud boot sound without having to resort to workarounds
- disable the tether provisioning check (my plan includes tethering, but on more than one occasion the provisioning check failed and told me to try later)
- full use of BBS and Greenify to monitor/tame battery suckers
- TiBu for freezing (I don't attempt to delete the bloatware) and backups too
- sdfix to gain full access to my sd card
To me, all of that stuff with the exception of the tether provisioning check really should be possible for everyone if they want it. And the tether check could at least reasonably cache your status.
xposed modules are probably the biggest culprit in rooted-user problems (even more than people deleting stuff they shouldn't), and while I love a lot of the customizations xposed allows (a big one for me was being able to show the setting in the messaging app that says not to turn on the screen when a message comes in - no more pocket-crap for me!), I could live without that. The one xposed module I would say I might miss is Xprivacy. I'm relatively conservative in what I block, but it is amazing the info our apps can have access to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm....perhaps I'll revisit rooting again....and keep off of xposed....I too miss xprivacy - keep it nice and updated on my Xoom and S4
Would not mind just using root for tethering, tibu and sdfix.....Do you have links to the tethering and sdfix solution you used? I guess the real litmus test here is if my car's bluetooth doesn't get all EFFED up on the phonebook. The weirdest thing....after I rooted (even before xposed) I would activate voice recognition and say "Call Home" it would repeat back to me in confirmation "Call Home" in the lovely female robotic voice. Then proceed to dial someone completely different. VERY weird.
--Q
PS - I'm not a newb user here...been delving into the guts of phones back when I had the old school Windows Mobile devices

quordandis said:
Hmm....perhaps I'll revisit rooting again....and keep off of xposed....I too miss xprivacy - keep it nice and updated on my Xoom and S4
Would not mind just using root for tethering, tibu and sdfix.....Do you have links to the tethering and sdfix solution you used? I guess the real litmus test here is if my car's bluetooth doesn't get all EFFED up on the phonebook. The weirdest thing....after I rooted (even before xposed) I would activate voice recognition and say "Call Home" it would repeat back to me in confirmation "Call Home" in the lovely female robotic voice. Then proceed to dial someone completely different. VERY weird.
--Q
PS - I'm not a newb user here...been delving into the guts of phones back when I had the old school Windows Mobile devices
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing I did after I rooted my phone was to get rid of the boot sound and used sdfix to be able to use my sd card. But I was having random problems with some apps not working. I would have to uninstall the app and reinstall it to get it to work again. This was really annoying since I was on a trip and really needed to use the apps without all the bother. So I decided to install xposed to try to fix the problems I was having. That just made everything worse--more apps that I use a lot stopped working. After that I used Kies3 to get back to unrooted stock and reinstalled all my data from backup. I am using silent boot to get rid of the boot sound and adjusting to the way I have to use my sd card now. I plan to wait a while before I try root again.
This will be my first smart phone that I am using unrooted. But everything is working now and I have the most annoying things fixed without root.

Sticking with root. Agreed that it's what you do after root that messes things up. Sometimes when you have the power, you don't stop to think whether you should make changes. Unfortunately the phones are built now where many apps have their hands in others to make the user experience "better". The users in this instance are the general masses who just want a phone to work by statistics. It fails to acknowledge that some people think differently. Sometimes I pick up my sister's phone and wonder why she would have the launcher do what she did but that's her phone.
Would I un-root? That's a firm no good buddy. I appreciate everyone's input in making the rooting process less of a landmine but I would never give up the ability to do what I want at, the time that I want. The first thing I did was freeze att.update.software among other att software. (To the author of the post, att did a pretty good job in making everything work in it's first iteration). Then on to battery extending, greenify and wakelock detector. Finally I will delve into customizing my UI but like the author said, Touchwiz doesn't bother me that much, I just sped things up in the developer's option. Because I'm not a heavy phone user I am now getting about 3 days from my charge and still able to get my message updates albeit on my terms, not pushed to me. Also, not having to see ads anymore? Priceless.
And because of everyone else's efforts, I can still go into UPS in case of those times that I find I can't get access to a charger, which now a days, is not that often.

quordandis said:
Hmm....perhaps I'll revisit rooting again....and keep off of xposed....I too miss xprivacy - keep it nice and updated on my Xoom and S4
Would not mind just using root for tethering, tibu and sdfix.....Do you have links to the tethering and sdfix solution you used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the sd permissions I used this sdfix app from the play store. There are several and they just edit /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml for you, so you could do it manually too.
I have to admit, for the tether provisioning, right now I'm using the option in Wanam Xposed just because it was quick. Supposedly the X Tether module works too. A non-xposed method is here but I didn't try it since the xposed module worked. On my old phone it was as simple as using an sql editor to change the entitlement_check setting in /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db - I don't see that in the GS5, but it may be that the default is 1 and just adding it with a value of 0 will work.
Another idea I hadn't tried (no need to) was the old standby wifi tether for root users app; it might not work as-is for the GS5 but it's just a frontend for a couple of scripts that might be fairly easy to get working since the basic idea is the same and not magic at all (load the wifi device modules, start the wpa_supplicant on it, start a dhcp server on it, setup routing/iptables, and off you go - none of that needs to check to see if you're allowed; the obvious downside is no fancy gui to start/configure/monitor it). On my old phone, I used this as a framework for my own script that brought wifi up simultaneously with mobile data - not operating as a hotspot, but connecting to my home wireless - and then I could run a socks proxy on my phone and use that from anything on my home network, wireless or wired.
The weirdest thing....after I rooted (even before xposed) I would activate voice recognition and say "Call Home" it would repeat back to me in confirmation "Call Home" in the lovely female robotic voice. Then proceed to dial someone completely different. VERY weird.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is weird, and if the only thing you did was root, I can't see any reason for something like that to happen.
Edit: this thread has another method for disabling the provisioning check, which looks like a great way if you don't want to use xposed or modify framework.apk.

quordandis said:
I've been a devoted rooter ever since my very first android phone, the Motorola Atrix (the very first phone with a fingerprint reader!). Loved it! After that, I had dutifully rooted my Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, and then the Galaxy S 4 (before the update that put the whole phone on crazy lock-down). At first, I was very unhappy with not being able to root the ATT S5, but once I detoxed myself from the root addiction, I found that I really enjoyed the phone and everything worked really well. No FCs, no weird compatability issues because of the Xposed Framework and/or Wanam Xposed. Sure, I have to live without ad blocking or being able to tether (on a grandfathered unlimited data, so no tethering plan for me), and most missed is the inability to use TiBu (although I have found that Helium does a decent enough job).
So, after having been rooted for about 48 hours, I decided to undo the mess. I followed the instructions posted here on how to ODIN the original firmware and then perform the OTA update again. Took me a few hours to get my phone back to the state (more or less) it was in pre-root - especially with the help of Helium (paid for Premium, really worth it).
Anyone else experience something similar? Have another reason for de-rooting? Curious.....
I'd be more inclined to keep root on this device if things didn't get so screwed up with it....it was almost like a full time job keeping it operational with all the "moving pieces" so-to-speak (the real clincher for me was that the phonebook transfer via BT to my car was so screwed up post-root, that it just wasn't worth having it - especially in light of my discovery that after I've detoxed myself from the root addiction and still enjoyed my phone).
--Q
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It takes time to learn what you can and can't tweak once you have "root", each device is different, each users needs are different. Where battery life and de-bloating may important to one it might very well be insignificant to another, Development is time consuming and with xPosed and the modules that go with it every time Google comes out with an updated OS or Samsung, HTC,LG or Motorola come out with a device it requires the devs to step back and re-evaluate the code and make appropriate adjustments for the best behavior, modifications for compatibility or in the worst case scenario a complete re-write. We all read (or should read) the disclaimers with every tweak or mod we do and as always if it doesnt work or causes bad behavior we can remove it.

I had small issues at first. Then I used Kies 3 to restore. Started over and immediately rooted. Installed Xposed and all 6 of my favorite Modules. Also did the Tool Kit (Dev Sec) Phone is flying fast and has great battery life. I have no issues at all.
I love root......(( I have the s 5 Active ))

I guess I'm a very conservative rooter. I don't freeze apps unless I know what they are, so there's some on the "safe to freeze" list that I still have enabled. After having CM running on my Galaxy S II Skyrocket for so long, I was really impressed with the S5. Really the only thing I missed was AdFree Android. However having CM made my Skyrocket last a lot longer than it would have on the stock ROM, I only upgraded because the hardware started getting wonky.
So after root, I've only installed AdFree, SDFix, and froze a few bloat apps that were persistently in the running apps list that I couldn't disable in stock form. Really helped with battery life too, I can't use phone much during the day due to my job, but battery life jumped from 75-80% at the end of the day to around 90% if I don't touch it (~85% if I check FB during lunch for a few minutes).
There's a few more tweaks that I would like, but seeing all the issues with Xposed, I'll either deal or figure out a manual change at some point. Maybe I'll research what the ro.securestorage.support module is, since disabling it is really why I haven't tried Xposed. (Yes, I wanted root access, but I don't want to make my phone any less secure than I have to.)
tl;dr If you like the phone is stock form, go easy on the modifications after getting root.

quordandis said:
I've been a devoted rooter ever since my very first android phone, the Motorola Atrix (the very first phone with a fingerprint reader!). Loved it! After that, I had dutifully rooted my Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, and then the Galaxy S 4 (before the update that put the whole phone on crazy lock-down). At first, I was very unhappy with not being able to root the ATT S5, but once I detoxed myself from the root addiction, I found that I really enjoyed the phone and everything worked really well. No FCs, no weird compatability issues because of the Xposed Framework and/or Wanam Xposed. Sure, I have to live without ad blocking or being able to tether (on a grandfathered unlimited data, so no tethering plan for me), and most missed is the inability to use TiBu (although I have found that Helium does a decent enough job).
So, after having been rooted for about 48 hours, I decided to undo the mess. I followed the instructions posted here on how to ODIN the original firmware and then perform the OTA update again. Took me a few hours to get my phone back to the state (more or less) it was in pre-root - especially with the help of Helium (paid for Premium, really worth it).
Anyone else experience something similar? Have another reason for de-rooting? Curious.....
I'd be more inclined to keep root on this device if things didn't get so screwed up with it....it was almost like a full time job keeping it operational with all the "moving pieces" so-to-speak (the real clincher for me was that the phonebook transfer via BT to my car was so screwed up post-root, that it just wasn't worth having it - especially in light of my discovery that after I've detoxed myself from the root addiction and still enjoyed my phone).
--Q
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, I completely 110% disagree with everything you have mentioned here, this has not at all be my experience at all but then again I'm tech savvy. If I were you I would be buying apple products. I for one of the opinion, if I cant root it, I don't want it and won't pay money for it. That goes for knox 0x1 bootloaders as well. Samsung won't see another dime from me again!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm rooted. I froze at&t's crap, chat on, hangouts, and google+.
freezing ANYTHING Samsung seems to create a huge mess on this device.

shortydoggg said:
It's not root that screws up your phone. It's something that you do after rooting that screws up the phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spot on
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

barondebxl said:
Spot on
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently, not entirely true. Here's one for you:
Pre-root, the phone connects just fine via bluetooth to my car. Upon initial pairing, I get a request to allow reading of contact list, phone history and messages. I agree. Car syncs contacts and saves to internal car temp memory (this sync occurs each time the car is turned on and the BT connection is established). Activate voice recognition to "Call Home" - car confirms with audible prompt "Call Home. Say yes, no or correction" to which I would reply "Yes" and then the car would call the contact labeled as "Home" on my phone which it synced.
Now, run towelroot, reboots phone with JUST root (su binary). Phone loads up just fine. Car establishes bluetooth connection. Tell it to "Call Home" everything proceeds as expected. I confirm with "yes" and it proceeds to dial a completely different phone number even though the voice prompt confirmed that I indeed wanted to call "home."
Ok - so I unpair the car from the phone, and delete the phone profile from the car. Decide to start from scratch. Phone pairs with the car and I allow the syncing of contacts, etc as was the case pre-root. Attempt to "Call Home" again and the same weird phenomenon occurs where it will confirm it's calling home, then proceed to dial a completely different contact. Ok. I clear the phonebook and force it to resync the contacts. Same issue. Ok. Unpair car from phone, delete phone from car.
Reboot phone into stock recovery and wipe cache. Try pairing again and do the whole shebang. SAME FREAKING ISSUE WITH THE CONTACT SYCN. Meanwhile, ONLY rooted the phone with the added su binary. No other root-enabled apps installed or used. Haven't even USED su yet to do anything other than run "adb shell" and confirm su works. (didn't even install a root checker).
I decide to UNROOT by installing supersu then using it to unroot. Reboot, unroot successful, no su binary, and remove supersu. Pair phone and car again, go through the steps and lo' and behold! CONTACT SYNC WORKED AND CAR DIALS APPROPRIATE CONTACT.
So, in reference to
shortydoggg said:
It's not root that screws up your phone. It's something that you do after rooting that screws up the phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- that's probably true in most cases, just not in this one. I'm not saying it's the root per se, but certainly something about the su binary or how the phone gets rooted through the exploit or something definitely screws something up.......

quordandis said:
Apparently, not entirely true. Here's one for you:
Pre-root, the phone connects just fine via bluetooth to my car. Upon initial pairing, I get a request to allow reading of contact list, phone history and messages. I agree. Car syncs contacts and saves to internal car temp memory (this sync occurs each time the car is turned on and the BT connection is established). Activate voice recognition to "Call Home" - car confirms with audible prompt "Call Home. Say yes, no or correction" to which I would reply "Yes" and then the car would call the contact labeled as "Home" on my phone which it synced.
Now, run towelroot, reboots phone with JUST root (su binary). Phone loads up just fine. Car establishes bluetooth connection. Tell it to "Call Home" everything proceeds as expected. I confirm with "yes" and it proceeds to dial a completely different phone number even though the voice prompt confirmed that I indeed wanted to call "home."
Ok - so I unpair the car from the phone, and delete the phone profile from the car. Decide to start from scratch. Phone pairs with the car and I allow the syncing of contacts, etc as was the case pre-root. Attempt to "Call Home" again and the same weird phenomenon occurs where it will confirm it's calling home, then proceed to dial a completely different contact. Ok. I clear the phonebook and force it to resync the contacts. Same issue. Ok. Unpair car from phone, delete phone from car.
Reboot phone into stock recovery and wipe cache. Try pairing again and do the whole shebang. SAME FREAKING ISSUE WITH THE CONTACT SYCN. Meanwhile, ONLY rooted the phone with the added su binary. No other root-enabled apps installed or used. Haven't even USED su yet to do anything other than run "adb shell" and confirm su works. (didn't even install a root checker).
I decide to UNROOT by installing supersu then using it to unroot. Reboot, unroot successful, no su binary, and remove supersu. Pair phone and car again, go through the steps and lo' and behold! CONTACT SYNC WORKED AND CAR DIALS APPROPRIATE CONTACT.
So, in reference to - that's probably true in most cases, just not in this one. I'm not saying it's the root per se, but certainly something about the su binary or how the phone gets rooted through the exploit or something definitely screws something up.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
]
Dunno whats wrong with your setup, but my rooted phone works fine in my wife's Ford and my Subaru.

Snapdragon users: How are you surviving without root?

I'm coming from my Note4 which I specifically bought so that I could have a rooted phone. Making the switch back to a non-rooted phone has been frustrating so far to say the least. My main sticking points are:
Wireless file transfers w/ windows
adblocking
disabling loud volume alert
titanium backup
Wireless file transfers w/ windows
I hate MTP. And, I use MusicBee for music management. It allows you to transfer files wireless as long as you mount the wireless device as a virtual drive in windows. I've tried just about every protocol I could with wireless file transfers.
1. Samba servers
While this was my go to as root, but it seems like there isn't an app that can setup your phone as a samba server without root .
2. SSH
This seems to work fine as far as apps on addroid, but I wans't able to get it mounted as a virtual drive despite tinkering with win-sshfs. What a headache.
3. FTP
My current solution. I'm using on windows DriveMaker to mount the ftp network location as an actual network drive and not just an internet location (for some reason these two things are very different despite interfacing w/ them the same way in explorer). The server is where it gets weird to me though. Only one app actually allows me to write to the Note8 server: WiFi Pro FTP Server
I've tried: Ftp server Pro, FTPServer, Server Ultimate Pro to no avail. I can mount them as network locations and then as virtual drives, but throw an error when you try to do write to them. If anyone has any insight onto how WiFi Pro FTP Server is able to access both internal and external storage it would be appreciated. It seems WiFi Pro FTP Server uses a built in Nougat file explorer to choose your location, while the others have custom ones, which seems to make a difference.
4. WebDav
WebDav has the same issue as FTP, though I haven't found a magic app like WiFi Pro FTP Server for WebDav.
adblocking
I'm using block-this now. Seems to do the trick. Though the VPN notifcation is annoying. Is there a way to disable that?
disabling loud volume alert
My biggest UX gripe with TouchWiz quite honestly. I'm always plugging into my cars aux, and getting this useless notifcation that I have to interact with. Usually use an Xposed module to deal with this like Wanam.
titanium backup
Haven't found anything similar with this on non-roots, but let me know what you use.
What issues are you facing without root? How are you solving them? Do you have better solutions for any of the points I brought up?

I was thinking about whining about not being able to use Viper for eight or nine posts, then jumping off a bridge.
Ya know, if you spend a grand on a phone that has a dicey chance of being rooted, and you can't live your life without root.....

Em maybe read through the forums ?
Root is here and has been for a few days.
There is also twrp and a custom Rom which is already at V2.
Sent from my SM-N950F using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Zionator said:
Em maybe read through the forums ?
Root is here and has been for a few days.
There is also twrp and a custom Rom which is already at V2.
Sent from my SM-N950F using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

The only things that I will miss about having root are ad blocking and being able to monitor wakelocks. I don't care about custom roms or kernels anymore, and haven't since the S3 days. I did always miss the ability to change up the way the phone looks, but Nova is fairly decent for that. I am still on a Note 4, but only had root on it for a short period of time before breaking it and losing it. When I had it, the main thing that I did was work out why my phone was always awake. There wasn't a whole lot of development for it.
For me, root just isn't as important as it was when I was on the Evo or S3. Those were both complete failures at battery life and root was almost a requirement to be able to make the phones last. Note 8 seems to have decent battery life.

Zionator said:
Em maybe read through the forums ?
Root is here and has been for a few days.
There is also twrp and a custom Rom which is already at V2.
Sent from my SM-N950F using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no root for the Snapdragon version of the phone. Only Exgynos.

Well im surviving pretty damn good because the phone itself even unrooted is awesome. However its only been released a couple days and knowing everything we do about the snapdragon situation, obviously that will take a while to achieve root. So I know it will happen eventually so in the meantime I am going to not worry about it and enjoy the hell out of my phone.
I root only for tether and maybe certain customization's that come with a certain ROM. Luckily an answer for tether has been found that works, and I am ok with theme's for now.

Zionator said:
Em maybe read through the forums?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Irony.
swazedahustla said:
Well im surviving pretty damn good because the phone itself even unrooted is awesome. However its only been released a couple days and knowing everything we do about the snapdragon situation, obviously that will take a while to achieve root. So I know it will happen eventually so in the meantime I am going to not worry about it and enjoy the hell out of my phone.
I root only for tether and maybe certain customization's that come with a certain ROM. Luckily an answer for tether has been found that works, and I am ok with theme's for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely a great phone. I think I may have found a soultion to my issue of file transferal using sshDroid and expanDrive.

I haven't had a real need for Root in quite a while as well. Since Samsung has gotten into giving us the ability to add themes, and I also use Nova, the themeing options are all I really look for now a days. Ad Blocking would be great, but not really necessary for me.
I came from the S7E on AT&T, the root method for it was not a real viable option for me, way too "unstable" was the feedback I was reading in threads, so I never even tried. I wont even be trying on my N8

I survive by installing the unbraded Samsung Galaxy Note 8 firmware, running BK Disabler, using Ablock Plus for Samsung browser and installing the Pixel Launcher. The battery life is phenomenal and I am not missing any features all while running a debloated rom..

androidfilesharing said:
I survive by installing the unbraded Samsung Galaxy Note 8 firmware, running BK Disabler, using Ablock Plus for Samsung browser and installing the Pixel Launcher. The battery life is phenomenal and I am not missing any features all while running a debloated rom..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya know, it's sacrilege to be on XDA forums and not want to root your phone. /snark/

I missed Viper4Andriod also custom Rom .

It's actually not that bad nowadays one of the main reasons I used to root my phones was for customisation battery life and performance but the Note 8 has all of that right out the box as far as ads go I simply pay to have the ads removed and for those annoying ass selfish apps that insist on having ads and no option to pay to have them removed I use Lucky Patcher no I don't feel bad about it, the only thing I do miss is having Titanium Backup

Root these days seems to be more trouble that it's worth. Things aren't as easy as they used to be and there seems to be more compromises that there were before, as well. I'm happy with my stock experience but I do miss TB. I guess that's the only thing I'm really missing. Otherwise things are pretty awesome on my end.

i would never own an unrooted phone.
NEVER

Ever since I discovered Adguard Pro, I have had no reason to root my current. I still have an old Note 4 and Note Edge rooted to run Adaway but Adguard Pro requires no root to block ads in apps.

I miss free Wireless hotspot on OG unlimited plan, Verizon branded phone. I haven't tried the workaround yet to see if it works.

On my Note 9 being hacked & the validity of 'Ethical hackers'...

I was running a U1 XAA build of Android 10 2.0 with the
June 1 Security patch that I'd downloaded and flashed
from Sammobile.
Awhile ago I downloaded and flashed the U1 XAA 2.1 update from the same place and noticed that there
are a number of apps I can no longer deny Wifi Control
access to under the Apps Special access area:
DeviceTest
DeviceKeystring
FACM
Gear VR Service
Voice wake-up
being 5 out of the 12 I cant deny access to.
Also I am no longer able to disable Google Play Services
whereas before in 2.0 I could. I'm not even allowed to forcestop Play Services now! Its not just these two changes, there are other things I used to be able to disable but now can't. And I have *two* 'SmartThings'
apps, one is version 10.0.37.0 and the other is version
1.7.50-21 (the-21 is just how its listed.)
I know this all sounds somewhat tame and trivial but I would like to know if this is all normal and can be confirmed by anyone else.
Anyone
-----------------
**Update**
Okay, just wanted to post some info on some sort of resolution to the above, mostly for those who make honest and earnest pleas for help and ask really pertinent questions but are ignored by the knowledgable (or criminal)
peruser.
In short, I was hacked. It doesn't come as a surprise (has happened *many* times with my N9. It *does* make me wonder about that supposed military-grade Knox security)
How do you know if you're hacked?? I just used the Running Services lister under Development Tools. Look
for services that shouldn't be running as often as they do
(Last hack they had Samsung Push which is for delivering notifications related to Samsung apps?? running something as a Service (not sure what it was but as soon as I stopped it, it popped right back up) or things you never use or have deactivated showing up in the cache (ESPECIALLY Aircommand!! Disable this as a Trusted Agent immediately! And keep an eye on it, and always keep the Air Remote feature OFF).
Also, the Google Play Store app. When I flashed the July 2020 Security update I noticed the Play Store was still at the May 2020 version update. I didn't think much of it at the time, but after having to Factory Reset I noticed it now read July 1 2020. So I guess the 'worms' have the May version hacked. Sucks that villany loves working for free breaking stuff, but in order to build something up and protect it, it takes toil and coercion.
Finally (Not sure if this is actually a sign of malware or hacking, but the only reference I could find relating to it
was from a guy who was truly beleaguered by hackers)
theres a User Certificate under Biometrics & Security / Other
Security settings / User Certificates that reads as
'FindMyMobile' and purports to being necessary for VPN security and other applications. Well, I had Find My Mobile
deactivated and uninstalled via ADB and it still showed back up after being deleted numerous times and my VPN seems to work without it. It might be for the Note 9's
built-in Knox android VPN strengthening parameters, but I couldn't find nfo online about it anywhere except in the case I mentioned which seems very odd. Qualifying proof of its malicious intent for me?: After factory resetting it hasn't shown back up.
I dont think my N9 is cleaned or I should say I'll never trust a smart phone fully again, not until the outdated and hacked 40 year old SS7 protocol that runs all cellular communications is updated, not until something more reliably secure than 'somewhat' obsfucatingly complex baseband processors are present in phones and maybe something akin to a hardware firewall in the soc that can interpret and filter non-carrier invalid commands (prob only need to update that damn SS7 protocol!) I'd also love it if Google/Alphabet would dump Android and start over with a new updated mobile OS with security at the forefront (Think, updates delivered via 'Middleware', roms bought initially directly from the manufacturer that can be crytographically flashed up to three times with signed updates with each update burned and locked into the rom via fuses. Each factory reset brings you back to your last update. The roms are only updatable if a hardware dip switch is tripped which moves actual physical leads in the soc which powers the ability to flash this chip. And maybe screw AOSP, I wonder if all this open sourceness has actually given the malware creators more knowledge to
finess the software and the hardware. The so-called white-hat 'Ethical Hackers' (LOL! HOW can breaking into someone's personal space without permission outside of national defense be considered ethical?!? All hackers are criminals. If you want to be considered a 'good' hacker (*snort*) bring to light the measly exploits and software, the slime who make and distribute the same and tell how to protect against them and detect them and disable them. Criminals giving webinars and seminars about how to circumvent protections for devices that billions of people rely on for living should be outlawed FULL-STOP-PERIOD I'd rather have one slime who knows how to get into a system than having that slime be allowed to freely distribute the software and knowledge so that millions of other definately less conscionable scum can make use of his knowledge.)
hackers only care about making their fame and fortune by
beinging to light obscure and unknown exploits that no one has ever used or are likely to use than going after to exoloits that *are* in use and *do* affect those in the here and now. It must give some sense of ease not to be in contention with real criminality and the fear of any reprisals from the 'less-ethically saturated' in the tech community.
Just wanted to get that out somewhere. I know its pointless and no-one will listen. Look at what Edward Snowden sacrificed for people who were/are unworthy of *any* sacrifice by betraying everything bit by bit, battle by battle until it must one day be reclaimed (if it can be) via costly confrontation, disruption and perhaps irrevocable critical loss.
Okay, END RANT. Yeah, a slow day, corona cloud and all.
But seriuosly the Feds need to check all this electronic criminality, its gotten waaay out of hand. TO FEDS: Less hunting terrorists, MORE hunting electronic predators and anarchists!

Hi, @tamdwin,
Even though you believe your phone may have been hacked, DeviceKeystring, DeviceTest, EmergencyManagerService, FACM, IMS Service, IOTHiddenMenu, Samsung MirrorLink 1.1, Settings, Setup Wizard, Wi-Fi Direct & WlanTest are enabled on my Note9 with One UI 2.1, Security patch: 1 July 2020 (w/out Google Play Services/Google Play Store, Bixby, GearVR, DeX...only have Google Services Framework installed).
After downloading the 1 July 2020 Security update, I noticed that these services could no longer be turned off for wi-fi control.
Wish I never downloaded the update for the fancy camera features, lol.
Snowden? Have you read any of his articles on smartphone security? (you may want to throw your phone in a blender after reading...)
Some of the settings, such as disabling "Find My Mobile" from running in the background, reset/enable after you restart the phone.

Snowden? Have you read any of his articles on smartphone security? (you may want to throw your phone in a blender after reading...)
But will it blend!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN9mktgYZJ8

I am worried about these things, so I am looking at developing my own custom ROM.
Sorry for my English I Am brazillian

@P00r ROFL! The Samsung S4 Active shake looks delicious! Thank you for sharing the vid!
silvaBR said:
I am worried about these things, so I am looking at developing my own custom ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds like an excellent plan!