Database Develop

Share downloaded apps with second profile 4.2

Sooooo, there has been a lot of *****ing about the user profiles and how a new profile has to download and pay for apps you already own. I agree that it is stupid. Google should have done it differently and they still might. I decided to see how it worked and to see if there was a way to make the apps you already have downloaded visible to another user. After tinkering around for awhile I have found a way to do this.
EDIT: jeepguy04 has made an app that makes this super simple. The link to the app can be found on his thread HERE.
This DOES NOT work if you have restored your apps with titanium backup. I believe it has to do with where TiBu places the data on the sdcard.
Not all scenarios have been tried so your help testing and diagnosing would be appreciated.
Requirements:
- at least a half functioning brain (the more the better)
- a basic understanding of the Engrish language
- a cool beverage for those in warm climates or a warm beverage for those in cool climates
- you must be rooted
- you must have a root file explorer ( ES, Root Explorere, etc) or know how to push and pull files via adb though im not going to go over this method
Step 1:
Create a new user.
Step 2:
Use your root file explorer to navigate to /data/system/users/
This folder contains folders numbered 0 and XX. 0 is the folder for your main profile. XX (it is probably 10) is your second profile.
Step 3:
Open folder XX.
The file we are interested in is called package-restrictions.xml.
Step 4:
Open the package-restrictions.xml for editing.
When you open this up you see a long list strings like this:
stopped=”true” nl=”true” />
These correspond to the packages you have installed on your main profile. The one above obviously is for SketchBook Pro.
If i wanted this to be available on my second user I would simply delete the whole line from this file.
Step 5:
Reboot, log in to the second profile, profit.
Once you reboot you should see the app in the second profile. In my experience the app does not use the data from the main profile so your game scores etc are safe.
Let me know if this works for you.

I just searched a way for sharing an installed app to my kids profile without google account and found the /data/system/users/##/package-restictions.xml file, too. I noticed if an app is installed in the profile, then there is no entry for this app in this file.
So simply deleting the whole line, e.g.
<pkg name="com.rovio.angrybirds" inst="false" />
and rebooting works. The app is now installed

unwired said:
I just searched a way for sharing an installed app to my kids profile without google account and found the /data/system/users/##/package-restictions.xml file, too. I noticed if an app is installed in the profile, then there is no entry for this app in this file.
So simply deleting the whole line, e.g.
<pkg name="com.rovio.angrybirds" inst="false" />
and rebooting works. The app is now installed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad it worked for you. I will have to try it again as it didnt work when I did it the first time.
I suspect that you could disable the play store by setting <pkg name="com.android.vending" enabled="1"> to <pkg name="com.android.vending" inst="false ">
This could easily be incorporated into a ROM by one of our talented developers. If I had any idea how i would give it a try.

This is great... I'm going to use this for my daughter
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

so we need an app that enable apps for other users...

nuzzosono said:
so we need an app that enable apps for other users...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. That is correct. I set up eclipse this afternoon to tinker around and gauge the difficulty of app building. It was quite overwhelming. I guess should have listened better in my programming class.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

If the second profile be using a G account diferent from first profile this shouldnt be target as piracy?
Just asking.
Sent from my GT-P3110 using xda premium

maztahbr said:
If the second profile be using a G account diferent from first profile this shouldnt be target as piracy?
Just asking.
Sent from my GT-P3110 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my case I don't plan on allowing an Google account to be added to the second user. The way I see it is if its already on my device its ok. Just like other profiles on my computer can access my music and some applications. I think its more a matter of morality that legality. I don't think you would ever be busted for it.

Yeah, but i think that Google app are allowed/linked per account, isnt?
If you dont have the account than you dont have the app
Sent from my LG-P500h using xda premium

maztahbr said:
Yeah, but i think that Google app are allowed/linked per account, isnt?
If you dont have the account than you dont have the app
Sent from my LG-P500h using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that is how you feel you don't have to participate. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

maztahbr said:
If the second profile be using a G account diferent from first profile this shouldnt be target as piracy?
Just asking.
Sent from my GT-P3110 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, Google has no problem with us tagging our account to a new user account to obtain apps so I don't see any problem with having the apps there without the tagged account.
As said, this is our device. It should be our choice which of our paid apps another user has access to on our own device.
I'd say that Google just hasn't thought it out too good.

DeadlyDazza said:
... I'd say that Google just hasn't thought it out too good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think Google thought it out very well, and the provided implementation works great for the device owners.
I really can't think of any other implementation that would work out as well for my daughter and me sharing one device.

Is the goal to avoid the cost of a 2nd copy of the app, or avoiding the need for a second account? Or for some reason I'm missing?
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<><><><><><><><><><><><>
Nexus 7
Clean ROM 3.0 - Leankernel 0.8.x

Certainly the goal for me was to provide a limited subset of my total apps to my daughter, and to keep her GMail / Facebook / etc accounts
separate from mine. I hated her logging me out every time she used my tablet...

When I heard about multiple profiles in 4.2, I about shat a brick. "How cool! I don't share my Nexus 7 with my family members, but I could totally set up my tablet to have different types of interfaces for different situations! I could have one profile dedicated to operation within my car in landscape mode, and another profile for general use... hell, I could have a profile that creates a 'faux PC UI' so I can get some work done in KingSoft!"
Nope. No app sharing. I can't help but feel that Google tacked this on as a last-minute thing--in fact, the whole of 4.2 feels very "last minute" since all they really added was **** that you could already get baked into other really popular ROMs like notification bar widgets. And even then, they only functioned as links to my settings (or, since I'm on the wonderfully buggy 4.2, the bluetooth button functioned as an annoyance that reminded me to restart my device if I wanted to turn bluetooth off). I've been pretty disappointed with Google lately: the Nexus Q went nowhere fast, the Nexus 4 launch was abysmal, 4.2 had some awful bugs and it detracted from the smoothness of the 4.1, and even 4.2.1 has its share of bugs.
Well, thanks to this thread, I can at least get more out of my N7 in my car and in other situations that require me to have the tablet UI function slightly differently.

It would be quite easy to whip up an app that notified the user an app was installed and to make those modifications to the xml file (for rooted devices).
Is that something people would be interested in?
e.g. Install app, once installed, a notification window shows asking if you would like this app to be enabled for all users.
Let me know, I could prob do this tonight (or on the weekend if I run out of time).

-df- said:
It would be quite easy to whip up an app that notified the user an app was installed and to make those modifications to the xml file (for rooted devices).
Is that something people would be interested in?
e.g. Install app, once installed, a notification window shows asking if you would like this app to be enabled for all users.
Let me know, I could prob do this tonight (or on the weekend if I run out of time).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An app would be great. I think most people don't like digging through the files on their device for fear of messing something up.
I think it would be better if the user had to initialize the app instead of it being automatic. A list of installed apps like in the drawer groups part of nova launcher (see screenshot) that you could check or un-check if you wanted them available to the other users would be nice. It's up to you though. I'm glad you are interested in though. I think many will benefit from this.
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Ryou_Concord said:
When I heard about multiple profiles in 4.2, I about shat a brick. "How cool! I don't share my Nexus 7 with my family members, but I could totally set up my tablet to have different types of interfaces for different situations! I could have one profile dedicated to operation within my car in landscape mode, and another profile for general use... hell, I could have a profile that creates a 'faux PC UI' so I can get some work done in KingSoft!"
Nope. No app sharing. I can't help but feel that Google tacked this on as a last-minute thing--in fact, the whole of 4.2 feels very "last minute" since all they really added was **** that you could already get baked into other really popular ROMs like notification bar widgets. And even then, they only functioned as links to my settings (or, since I'm on the wonderfully buggy 4.2, the bluetooth button functioned as an annoyance that reminded me to restart my device if I wanted to turn bluetooth off). I've been pretty disappointed with Google lately: the Nexus Q went nowhere fast, the Nexus 4 launch was abysmal, 4.2 had some awful bugs and it detracted from the smoothness of the 4.1, and even 4.2.1 has its share of bugs.
Well, thanks to this thread, I can at least get more out of my N7 in my car and in other situations that require me to have the tablet UI function slightly differently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad this has helped you. Though, if I understand you correctly, I think it would be easier for you to add your gmail account to each of your profiles as you will be the only one using them. This is more for those that want a guest account for their kids or friends.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

mentose457 said:
An app would be great. I think most people don't like digging through the files on their device for fear of messing something up.
I think it would be better if the user had to initialize the app instead of it being automatic. A list of installed apps like in the drawer groups part of nova launcher (see screenshot) that you could check or un-check if you wanted them available to the other users would be nice. It's up to you though. I'm glad you are interested in though. I think many will benefit from this.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, I'll look into it tonight or this weekend if the kids are keeping me busy.

Awesome idea.
Guest Account without my Gmail NOT attached but all my apps (that I would want available) would be great for when friends and family come over and want to mess with it! Right now I use App Protector but I prefer not to.

What are the advantages of encryption?

What does it actually do, in the real world? I mean, if a hacker tried to access my phone, what could and couldn't they potentially access? What about the NSA/GCHQ? What about the police if they wanted to access my phone either remotely or in person? What about someone who stole my phone for the purpose of reselling?
I'm curious as to what the ACTUAL real world benefit is so please be as thorough as possible, for what reason would average Joe be happy to have an encrypted N6 rather than sped up by deencrypting it via the methods found on this forum?
Thanks
-----------------------<SiG>-------------------
My house phone is better than your iPhone.

dodgebizkit said:
What does it actually do, in the real world? I mean, if a hacker tried to access my phone, what could and couldn't they potentially access? What about the NSA/GCHQ? What about the police if they wanted to access my phone either remotely or in person? What about someone who stole my phone for the purpose of reselling?
I'm curious as to what the ACTUAL real world benefit is so please be as thorough as possible, for what reason would average Joe be happy to have an encrypted N6 rather than sped up by deencrypting it via the methods found on this forum?
Thanks
------------------------------------------
My house phone is better than your iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Encryption will only protect your data from someone who has got physical access to your phone. Nothing else.
When you boot and enter the password, it allows android to read the data. If you copy data off in this state, it is decrypted as it moves to another device...
If you don't have the password and somehow physically get access to the data partition, as you copy data off, it remains encrypted and cannot be read by anyone.
You are not protected from "hackers". If someone has managed to get access to your phone remotely by whatever methods (you installing warez for example) you've already booted your phone up and allowed android to read the data so you can't stop "hackers"
So the advantage is if you lose your phone, no one will be able to laugh at the pictures you took naked, in front of a mirror.

Thanked you, so it's useless unless someone wanted data off my phone and my phone was switched off when they wanted the data? Google and Motorola are slowing my phone down for THAT???
THAT'S ridiculous haha... Crazy. If it was protecting all my personal data from online thieves I wouldn't mind but...
:/
-----------------------<SiG>-------------------
My house phone is better than your iPhone.

dodgebizkit said:
Thanked you, so it's useless unless someone wanted data off my phone and my phone was switched off when they wanted the data? Google and Motorola are slowing my phone down for THAT???
THAT'S ridiculous haha... Crazy. If it was protecting all my personal data from online thieves I wouldn't mind but...
:/
-----------------------<SiG>-------------------
My house phone is better than your iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No your phone can be on, so long as your screen is locked. But only protecting from people with physical access. There would be no real way to safeguard from remote attack, however that would be extremely unlikely anyway.
The encryption is so that they can compete better in the corporate world with IPhones. May not help you, but people with corporate information on their devices may have more concerns about their data.

dodgebizkit said:
Google and Motorola are slowing my phone down for THAT???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your phones(nexus 6) isnt slowed down, thats a misconception that most people think is happening(because someone else said so) but really isnt. the read/write speeds get slowed down slightly, to about nexus 5 levels. but the phone, and its performance, isnt really affected.

Try not to focus on protecting your embarrassing nudies and think more along the lines of having other personal information or banking information and your phone gets stolen. A thief could potentially steal this info for other purposes.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app

gk1984 said:
Try not to focus on protecting your embarrassing nudies and think more along the lines of having other personal information or banking information and your phone gets stolen. A thief could potentially steal this info for other purposes.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They could steal your nudes and hold them for ransom for personal information ?

Protecting nude selfies are exactly why it's encrypted! Lol..
Well maybe not if you also upload them to google drive.
Like everyone said, it's to protect the data on it, whatever it might be.
The police and NSA I think would have a hard time accessing it without your password.
If it's something like a rootkit that monitors your usage though, it doesn't prevent that.
I think it's worth it but I don't do a lot of writing; which is typically the slowest link in the chain.

Real world encryption example:
Your username/passwords on anything website related is stored in a database (most likely SQL). When your inputting your username/password it's being checked into the database to see if the combination is correct or not correct. This is usually passed through a TLS/SSL protocol to protect the passageway of your information.
If a hacker was to obtain the database on the servers, the hacker would have to go through a decryption process which would take considerable amounts of time to decrypt the data. It is possible for the hacker to decrypt the data but it will take a long time. If this was not encrypted, a easy example would be that the combination of username/password would be stored in plaintext.
Plaintext: thisismypassword
Encrypted: !KA4IU5NBAK (random characters)
You can read about encryption on wikipedia. A fairly simple cryptosystem is RSA.

dodgebizkit said:
What does it actually do, in the real world? I mean, if a hacker tried to access my phone, what could and couldn't they potentially access? What about the NSA/GCHQ? What about the police if they wanted to access my phone either remotely or in person? What about someone who stole my phone for the purpose of reselling?
I'm curious as to what the ACTUAL real world benefit is so please be as thorough as possible, for what reason would average Joe be happy to have an encrypted N6 rather than sped up by deencrypting it via the methods found on this forum?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dodgebizkit said:
Thanked you, so it's useless unless someone wanted data off my phone and my phone was switched off when they wanted the data? Google and Motorola are slowing my phone down for THAT???
THAT'S ridiculous haha... Crazy. If it was protecting all my personal data from online thieves I wouldn't mind but...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As has been said, it protects data from physical access. Especially in the US, where encryption, whether it is "good" or not, provides you with a LEGAL protection against snooping. I.e., any data recovered by law enforcement from an encrypted device is inadmissible, EXCEPT if you VOLUNTARILY yielded your passcode.
Further, it protects your data from anyone who gets their hands on your phone, like a thief. This is particularly important for business use, where there could be sensitive data stored on the device, if someone steals your phone, you don't want that person to gain access to all the sensitive information on it.
For "average joe", the benefit is protection against law enforcement. And don't give me that crock about "if you have nothing to hide" -- the reason why certain things are classified as *rights* is because you DON'T NEED ANY JUSTIFICATION to exercise them.
The reason why anyone else benefits, is because it protects sensitive information from unauthorized access.
As far as protection from online thieves.... well that's what selinux does. Nexus 6 ships with selinux set to enforcing. It is also what *common sense* does. Don't even consider installing "hot girls" application from China that asks for network, contact, storage, messaging access, because its purpose is to send your sensitive information to those who have no right to it.
---------- Post added at 03:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:56 PM ----------
simms22 said:
your phones(nexus 6) isnt slowed down, thats a misconception that most people think is happening(because someone else said so) but really isnt. the read/write speeds get slowed down slightly, to about nexus 5 levels. but the phone, and its performance, isnt really affected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Invalid.
Encryption causes a MASSIVE and VERY EASILY measured reduction in I/O performance;
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8725/encryption-and-storage-performance-in-android-50-lollipop
Take a look at the hit against sequential read.... 131.65 MB/s without encryption, 25.36 with. That difference is enormous.

doitright said:
As has been said, it protects data from physical access. Especially in the US, where encryption, whether it is "good" or not, provides you with a LEGAL protection against snooping. I.e., any data recovered by law enforcement from an encrypted device is inadmissible, EXCEPT if you VOLUNTARILY yielded your passcode.
Further, it protects your data from anyone who gets their hands on your phone, like a thief. This is particularly important for business use, where there could be sensitive data stored on the device, if someone steals your phone, you don't want that person to gain access to all the sensitive information on it.
For "average joe", the benefit is protection against law enforcement. And don't give me that crock about "if you have nothing to hide" -- the reason why certain things are classified as *rights* is because you DON'T NEED ANY JUSTIFICATION to exercise them.
The reason why anyone else benefits, is because it protects sensitive information from unauthorized access.
As far as protection from online thieves.... well that's what selinux does. Nexus 6 ships with selinux set to enforcing. It is also what *common sense* does. Don't even consider installing "hot girls" application from China that asks for network, contact, storage, messaging access, because its purpose is to send your sensitive information to those who have no right to it.
---------- Post added at 03:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:56 PM ----------
Invalid.
Encryption causes a MASSIVE and VERY EASILY measured reduction in I/O performance;
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8725/encryption-and-storage-performance-in-android-50-lollipop
Take a look at the hit against sequential read.... 131.65 MB/s without encryption, 25.36 with. That difference is enormous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks : knowing that the police and other organisations cannot access my private data as they have done before, despite having ZERO grounds for believing me to be involved in criminal activity (as I am not lol) and having had all assumed consent withdrawn, makes the performance hit worth it.
And yes I do notice the slowdown myself, it isn't too much to bear though.
What other phones are encrypted as standard? Are the latest iOS devices, the latest windows phone lumia devices, etc or any other Android devices encrypted as standard like the Nexus 6?
-----------------------<SiG>-------------------
My house phone is better than your iPhone.

doitright said:
Invalid.
Encryption causes a MASSIVE and VERY EASILY measured reduction in I/O performance;
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8725/encryption-and-storage-performance-in-android-50-lollipop
Take a look at the hit against sequential read.... 131.65 MB/s without encryption, 25.36 with. That difference is enormous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
problem with that is all dependent on what app you test it with. with some benchmarks the difference is huge, with others its much less. which is right? anyways, i do not use a computer, and do not transfer files to one, ever. so i dont see this lowered read/write, so i can say it barely affects me. and again, as i said before, it does affect read/right, but besides that it does not affect the performance of the phone itself.

Coming from a nexus 4 on L I notice the speed difference : once an app is open and running it's faster, the power difference is obvious, but launching apps, certain UI elements, initial boot up, opening pictures and media etc is all much slower on this beast than it was on the Nexus 4 (not even talking nexus 5). It's not a deal breaker and obviously can be disabled for those who want it.
-----------------------<SiG>-------------------
My house phone is better than your iPhone.

dodgebizkit said:
Coming from a nexus 4 on L I notice the speed difference : once an app is open and running it's faster, the power difference is obvious, but launching apps, certain UI elements, initial boot up, opening pictures and media etc is all much slower on this beast than it was on the Nexus 4 (not even talking nexus 5). It's not a deal breaker and obviously can be disabled for those who want it.
-----------------------<SiG>-------------------
My house phone is better than your iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i own the n4, n5, and n6. open and starting apps is not slower on the n6. if yours is slower, either there is something wrong with your device, or its your setup.

I've noticed that the phone is much faster and more stable (as are touchwiz phones) when you uninstall Facebook and Fb messenger apps. I know it's not related specifically but I recommend it. Life is better without Facebook
-----------------------<SiG>-------------------
My house phone is better than your iPhone.

dodgebizkit said:
I've noticed that the phone is much faster and more stable (as are touchwiz phones) when you uninstall Facebook and Fb messenger apps. I know it's not related specifically but I recommend it. Life is better without Facebook
-----------------------<SiG>-------------------
My house phone is better than your iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
truth!
speaking off, i just picked this up from yahoo. the worst/most battery draining android apps..
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simms22 said:
i own the n4, n5, and n6. open and starting apps is not slower on the n6. if yours is slower, either there is something wrong with your device, or its your setup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I too as well see lag issue of a sec or 2 when opening apps. Once they are open they fly but when i initially open them it lags and same goes with media as well. YOU can really tell when using the recent apps drawer/menu. Think i will flash f2fs twrp and decrypt my phone and see if that makes a difference.

I hope google find a way to optimise the process a little more in future updates, I really wanna feel that 805 processor!
-----------------------<SiG>-------------------
My house phone is better than your iPhone.

dodgebizkit said:
What other phones are encrypted as standard? Are the latest iOS devices, the latest windows phone lumia devices, etc or any other Android devices encrypted as standard like the Nexus 6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nexus 9.
---------- Post added at 02:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:40 PM ----------
simms22 said:
problem with that is all dependent on what app you test it with. with some benchmarks the difference is huge, with others its much less. which is right? anyways, i do not use a computer, and do not transfer files to one, ever. so i dont see this lowered read/write, so i can say it barely affects me. and again, as i said before, it does affect read/right, but besides that it does not affect the performance of the phone itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verifiable with dd.
dd does not lie.

So... My N6 is encrypted but I don't get prompted for a pin or password when I boot. So what does this do for me? Nothing but mess up my performance?

[Q] Hypothetical, storing a file worth $50,000 on your phone

I'm debating buying a Chinese Cyanogenmod phone. That got me thinking about security. People have different ways of dealing with it. I tend to prefer trying to keep my main phone secure. If you have an unrooted iPhone do you prefer to do banking on that? Or a linux laptop? Or a blackberry? Or do you keep one phone particularly clean for this kind of thing?
Lets say you have a file worth $50,000 and you had to store it on a phone, what would you choose and why?
Hoping for a fun but heated civilised discussion, though one word answers are welcome :good:

Windows Phone. Apart from fact I love it anyway, no one cares about it, and you look more inconspicuous than if you had a BlackBerry. Bonus points if its also one of the last Nokia's, as it can be uses as a weapon in a pinch.
Sent from my galaxy note 4 fake, now revived from the dead

No system is secure.
All devices can be hacked.
For a 50,000$ file , an elaborate storage transfer can be executed ...I won't be using any phone to transfer it ...

A 50.000 quid file? I'd happily store it on my Note 3. Nobody expects an artist to carry a file lile that on a regular phone, I don't leave my phone anywhere, never hand it over, and I always have all connections off unless I'm using it. (I'm a bit ocd when it comes to batterylife.) And I always do my banking on it, just never over open/public wifi points.
And I'd disguise it as something else. I've had to deal with documents that required a confidentiality agreement, and my best method is renaming the entire file, including the extension, into something inconspicuous.
Nameless64.png (or .psd for a big file) is not going to stand out amongst the other 8900 nameless files in my 450 'New Folder's. (Yes, I'm hopeless at file management.)
Sent From My Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N9005 Using Tapatalk

karandpr said:
No system is secure.
All devices can be hacked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true, that's why both shadowlea and I suggested looking inconspicuous instead of having the best file security. I personally chose windows phone because your less likely to be found on a random hacking attempt, as not enough people one to make hacking it worthwhile.
Definitely renaming it and changing the file extension should be done also.
Sent from my galaxy note 4 fake, now revived from the dead

And if you want to be really, really thorough, zip it, rar the zip, then zip it again, then rename it to a jpg or pdf or psd. (Or whatever is most likely to be on your system. PSD makes sense for a designer, but not for an engineer.).
That way they can't locate the file by scanning the device, as the code's changed as well. And double compress it, because you can't scan a compressed file inside a compressed file.
And yes, I have put far too much thought into this. :silly:

I would create and app to store that file, so the file is protected by Android permissions.
No, really, the best way is to encrypt it with a password or a password-protected key. In that case, no matter who has the file, only who knows the password can decrypt it and access the data.

AlvaroGzP said:
I would create and app to store that file, so the file is protected by Android permissions.
No, really, the best way is to encrypt it with a password or a password-protected key. In that case, no matter who has the file, only who knows the password can decrypt it and access the data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Use es file explorer to encrypt. Select the option to encrypt file name and then the name of the file is just a string of numbers. Store that in a sub file of the android system, and everyone will just think its another system file.
Too much trouble but you could also store the encrypted file in the root directory, then unroot the phone.
Sent from my SPH-L300 using XDA Free mobile app

ShadowLea said:
A 50.000 quid file? I'd happily store it on my Note 3. Nobody expects an artist to carry a file lile that on a regular phone, I don't leave my phone anywhere, never hand it over, and I always have all connections off unless I'm using it. (I'm a bit ocd when it comes to batterylife.) And I always do my banking on it, just never over open/public wifi points.
And I'd disguise it as something else. I've had to deal with documents that required a confidentiality agreement, and my best method is renaming the entire file, including the extension, into something inconspicuous.
Nameless64.png (or .psd for a big file) is not going to stand out amongst the other 8900 nameless files in my 450 'New Folder's. (Yes, I'm hopeless at file management.)
Sent From My Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N9005 Using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jesse72 said:
This is true, that's why both shadowlea and I suggested looking inconspicuous instead of having the best file security. I personally chose windows phone because your less likely to be found on a random hacking attempt, as not enough people one to make hacking it worthwhile.
Definitely renaming it and changing the file extension should be done also.
Sent from my galaxy note 4 fake, now revived from the dead
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ShadowLea said:
And if you want to be really, really thorough, zip it, rar the zip, then zip it again, then rename it to a jpg or pdf or psd. (Or whatever is most likely to be on your system. PSD makes sense for a designer, but not for an engineer.).
That way they can't locate the file by scanning the device, as the code's changed as well. And double compress it, because you can't scan a compressed file inside a compressed file.
And yes, I have put far too much thought into this. :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works against common folks.
Against any professional worth his salt ,these techniques are pretty much worthless. On the contrary you are helping the professional by filtering the file from the rest
. Any Professional is adept to work with 100K' s of files per request so obfuscation by numbers or type is pretty much pointless.
Encryption works fine. Except for a small part. Data is destroyed if key is destroyed and in such scenario the value of 50K file is worthless.
Any open system is easily hackable or accessible. To secure 50K worth data on a continuous basis ,you are better off using a prop. system whose standards are known to limited set of people. It filters out most common attacks .
Of course every system fails in front of a pipe wrench
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Well this is funny to have posted this beforehand. I just upgraded to S5 yesterday and I have this KNOX and Samsungs private mode stuff now. Previously I was using PrivacyGuard with CM11...
Brothers and Sisters, bathe me in the waters of belief. Give me the strength to flip that 0x0 to 0x1
x

karandpr said:
It works against common folks.
Against any professional worth his salt ,these techniques are pretty much worthless. On the contrary you are helping the professional by filtering the file from the rest
. Any Professional is adept to work with 100K' s of files per request so obfuscation by numbers or type is pretty much pointless.
Encryption works fine. Except for a small part. Data is destroyed if key is destroyed and in such scenario the value of 50K file is worthless.
Any open system is easily hackable or accessible. To secure 50K worth data on a continuous basis ,you are better off using a prop. system whose standards are known to limited set of people. It filters out most common attacks .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically speaking, any selfrespecting professional would put the file on a storage medium that isn't connected to anything. A microSD folded inside a piece of aluminium foil is pretty much steal-proof.
Well, digitally speaking, anyway. No encryption or software is going to protect you from someone who hits you on the head with a blunt object and physically steals the storage device. And they don't work all that well against guns, either.
jago25_98 said:
Well this is funny to have posted this beforehand. I just upgraded to S5 yesterday and I have this KNOX and Samsungs private mode stuff now. Previously I was using PrivacyGuard with CM11...
Brothers and Sisters, bathe me in the waters of belief. Give me the strength to flip that 0x0 to 0x1
x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you trip KNOX, the KNOX container is destroyed. So if you intend to use it, you can't trip it to 0x1.
Also, if you had any files inside the container when you tripped the fuse, they're wiped as well.

Try to really imagine that you're in that situation where you must use a phone. No dodging the question by using offline storage!
How would you actually feel about it?
Personally I would feel nervous about it because by law only devices with closed source modem code are allowed to connect to phone networks. In turn we have seen this as a backdoor that allows access to the phone. And we have then seen the likes of the NSA using this to access our phones.
So there is no phone out there that isn't back doored.
But... some have more protection than others and to all intents and purposes is someone at the NSA going to bother with $50k?
I don't know. This is half the point of this question. I am curious to see how other people react in the situation. Because there are a whole range of threats. The question becomes - what level should we protect to? Certainly that dodgy flashlight app. But also we have seen the FBI steal Bit coin funds during investigation so I would argue that this could be a realistic aim to think about. But then probably the FBI aren't going to be looking through your phone - who knows.
The point is to view things from others viewpoint to try to learn something.. In particular I was hoping to see points of views from different countries where spare is more common. For example in China we have a different kind of insecurity. Something that might have been discussed and discovered as a result of this hypotetical thought game might have been that a Chinese phone is or isn't easier to lock down than a USA one.
now you're going to look at my paranoid post instead of coming up with your own responses... which could just have been to stick it on a factory stock phone and not worry.
But that's also something I'm interested in. We all lead different lives. So I wonder if it's easier for others to deal with. The example.of an artist above is a good one. Really imagine you have that file, and it must be on a phone
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

jago25_98 said:
Try to really imagine that you're in that situation where you must use a phone. No dodging the question by using offline storage!
How would you actually feel about it?
Personally I would feel nervous about it because by law only devices with closed source modem code are allowed to connect to phone networks. In turn we have seen this as a backdoor that allows access to the phone. And we have then seen the likes of the NSA using this to access our phones.
So there is no phone out there that isn't back doored.
But... some have more protection than others and to all intents and purposes is someone at the NSA going to bother with $50k?
I don't know. This is half the point of this question. I am curious to see how other people react in the situation. Because there are a whole range of threats. The question becomes - what level should we protect to? Certainly that dodgy flashlight app. But also we have seen the FBI steal Bit coin funds during investigation so I would argue that this could be a realistic aim to think about. But then probably the FBI aren't going to be looking through your phone - who knows.
The point is to view things from others viewpoint to try to learn something.. In particular I was hoping to see points of views from different countries where spare is more common. For example in China we have a different kind of insecurity. Something that might have been discussed and discovered as a result of this hypotetical thought game might have been that a Chinese phone is or isn't easier to lock down than a USA one.
now you're going to look at my paranoid post instead of coming up with your own responses... which could just have been to stick it on a factory stock phone and not worry.
But that's also something I'm interested in. We all lead different lives. So I wonder if it's easier for others to deal with. The example.of an artist above is a good one. Really imagine you have that file, and it must be on a phone
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use phone in offline mode as storage, Or use a smartphone. adb perma locked , fastboot locked, Internet routed via private server with a whitelist to filter the network.
That will protect you against online intrusion,
A pickpocket can steal your phone and make a mockery of your security measures ...
Government officials can take you into custody and get the data from you.
Cyber warfare and security is over rated beyond feasible limits.
You are more likely to get mugged than hacked.

The note 4.

Device owner already set before purchasing?

I think this applies to all tablet models. I did a factory reset and wiped the cache, several times in a row last night, because I got sick of a few things and wanted to run a test.
I wanted to install IceBox Apps Freezer. You don't need root, so long as you set it to be 'Device Owner' using ADB shell:
Code:
adb shell dpm set-device-owner com.catchingnow.icebox/.receiver.DPMReceiver
The app says to remove all accounts associated with the device in order for that to work. On our tablets (all models) this isn't possible. So I had to find out a way that would clear all 'device owners.' Google itself is very specific about how this is to be done: Factory reset.
Caution: If provisioning has already started, affected devices must be factory reset first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since I did that, and didn't register the tablet with Amazon, Managed Provisioning shouldn't apply. However, I followed all the steps, made sure WiFi was and still is off and went into ADB and this is what I got in return:
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Trying to set device owner but device is already provisioned
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Click to collapse
Um what? Is that even legal?

I know this can be done via security settings, but maybe doing it through ADB has a better effect. I managed to get Ice Box to be an admin using adb. That's as far as I've been able to get so far.
I've tried moving the code around and I just don't understand how to elevate it to profile owner, then hopefully to device owner.

I have found the way to provisioning, but yeah...doesn't let me setup the device. I am trying to find a way to trigger it on the next reboot.
Code:
adb shell pm enable com.android.managedprovisioning
Error: java.lang.SecurityException: Permission Denial: attempt to change component state from pid=6012, uid=2000, package uid=32028
adb shell am start -n com.android.managedprovisioning/.DeviceOwnerProvisioningActivity
Starting: Intent { cmp=com.android.managedprovisioning/.DeviceOwnerProvisioningActivity }
That takes me to a screen with a briefcase and a spinning wheel under "Set up your device."
Oops! Couldn't set up your device. Contact your IT department.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Amazon uses an APK to provision devices before there is even an actual owner (see attachment). You can unzip it using WinRar or 7zip or root explorer. Everything it needs to tell you you don't actually own your tablet, is right there. What the hell did we purchase then? This cracked me up a bit. AVG says its malware.
Code:
com.android.managedprovisioning

So I was looking at my XT907 for some similar items. Only one: SelfProvisioningService.apk
I did a quick Google search and kept getting hits for Cisco Services. I unzipped the apk and it's a Motorola provisioning application. Google was useless. Nothing comes up on either of these "programs/apps". The only direct hit/connection I've found so far is the AVG reference. These flushable provisions are supposed to be proprietary software and they always update them. I'll assume they don't stay the same package names for too long and change so quick and often, most go unnoticed.
Here's the answer i haven't been able to find or get...who or what is DeviceOwner? To put it into perspective: there is a random guy walking around with a kickass cell phone that can literally flash a new DeviceOwner to any electronic device within that company. Who has this information? Can they still access it and at will? Please do comment as I would rather be totally wrong and paranoid, than thinking this guy or whatever can access my tablet at will,whenever he wants and can see or get whatever he wants.
Code:
com.motorola.service.selfprovisioning
there are no permissions to write or access much of anything, except wireless capabilities. The provisioning is usually flashed to devices enmass through the Nfc or Android Beam etc. It's like tap and pay and done. And it's usually by some service technician.

so icebox can't be used in this device?

shawon11 said:
so icebox can't be used in this device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only with root access unfortunately.
Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs

DragonFire1024 said:
Only with root access unfortunately.
Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if i had root why would i use icebox. and I don't think root is ever going to come in fire HD 8.

shawon11 said:
if i had root why would i use icebox. and I don't think root is ever going to come in fire HD 8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are many practical reasons to disable/freeze apps on a rooted device. And yes, securing stable root is highly unlikely on FireOS v5 builds targeting older hardware architecture (SOCs) like that used on the HD 8.

Davey126 said:
There are many practical reasons to disable/freeze apps on a rooted device. And yes, securing stable root is highly unlikely on FireOS v5 builds targeting older hardware architecture (SOCs) like that used on the HD 8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seriously bummed about this. fire hd 10 got root just not fire hd 7 & 8.. these things need root more than anything else.

shawon11 said:
seriously bummed about this. fire hd 10 got root just not fire hd 7 & 8.. these things need root more than anything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HD 10 got root because it appears, in my opinion, Amazon threw either a badly patched or unpatched kernel into the HD 10. I don't think the dirty cow patch can be exploited on Android yet either. If so, there may not be a patch. The HD 10 can be rooted from At least 5.4.0.1 to the current build. It might be a flaw Amazon can't fix.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using XDA Labs

shawon11 said:
seriously bummed about this. fire hd 10 got root just not fire hd 7 & 8.. these things need root more than anything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HD 10 uses a newer hardware architecture and different build of FireOS. Amazon left a few doors open which will almost certainly be addressed in future releases. Accept reality and move on. In the absence of an unlocked bootloader root access is becoming increasingly rare across all hardware. Bad for tinkers; good for the overwhelming majority of Android/FireOS users who don't have a clue how to properly secure their device. Not to mention Amazon who retains near complete control over the user experience (a.k.a. ecosystem portal). Don't like it? Buy a different gizmo. Likely at a much higher price point.

Davey126 said:
HD 10 uses a newer hardware architecture and different build of FireOS. Amazon left a few doors open which will almost certainly be addressed in future releases. Accept reality and move on. In the absence of an unlocked bootloader root access is becoming increasingly rare across all hardware. Bad for tinkers; good for the overwhelming majority of Android/FireOS users who don't have a clue how to properly secure their device. Not to mention Amazon who retains near complete control over the user experience (a.k.a. ecosystem portal). Don't like it? Buy a different gizmo. Likely at a much higher price point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having mine still on 5.4.0.0 after two years, I'm one of the lucky few who can disable most of that ecosystem.
Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs

Can I see somewhere information about the device owner? For example where the device is registered to? Can I change this information?

klausb65 said:
Can I see somewhere information about the device owner? For example where the device is registered to? Can I change this information?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://forum.xda-developers.com/hd8-hd10/general/root-remove-parental-control-t3932831
Sent from my Droid RAZR M using XDA Labs

Moved to iOS

I'll probably get a lot of hate for this, but after 10 years of being an avid Android fan and supporter, I have moved back to iOS and the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
All I can say is I don't regret it one bit. I was the first to make fun of iPhone users in the past, but Apple have made such strides, it's a real pleasure to be back. Yes Apple wait years to implement features that have been available on Android for ages and call it new and revolutionary, but what they do, they do better than anyone else. The biggest thing is just the cohesiveness between the hardware and software. Everything works flawlessly together and the user interface looks great.
What has annoyed me with Android are things like manufacturers not having their own email or messaging apps. You're forced to download a third party app which never really feels in tune with the particular phone/skin/version of Android. And yes you can say the Gmail app is the stock Android email app, but not everyone is a fan, including me. I know it's probably unavoidable due to nature of AOSP, but still, there is a clear divide between the hardware and software for the most part compared to iOS.
The other thing that stopped me using (and mocking) iOS is the fact that a lot of things were a pain in the backside to do and the general incompatibility with a lot of platforms. That seems to have changed as well as I had no issues connecting directly to my NAS drive and Windows PC to access all my files, either while on the same LAN or through 5G when I'm not at home. Youtube Vanced (now ReVanced) was another big thing, but you have options in iOS for that as well.
App tracking was another reason I made the switch. You can simply disable app tracking for all apps with one toggle and all newly installed apps will abide by this as well. Yes, no one really knows if it stops all tracking in its entirety, but it's an option that is not available in Android. You can use a third party app like Blokada to achieve the same result, but you cannot run a VPN service at the same time. Now I can run my VPN service and have app tracking blocked at the same time. Not to mention battery life. I am not a super heavy user, but I get three days out of a single charge with 20% battery left. Even with heavy use, you will struggle to kill this thing's battery in a day as you get 10-14 hours of screen on time depending on how you use it. Standby drain is also nonexistent, the bane of so many Android users' lives, mine included. The cameras and especially video recording is also top notch. Possibly a little boring compared to some of the features you get in Android, but as an everyday point and shoot device, it's hard to beat.
Notifications is the one thing where I would say I still prefer the way it's done in Android, but with everything else working so well I can forgive that. Price is another drawback as Apple charge ridiculous amounts for their hardware, so this is the only time in 10 years where I will keep the same phone for more than a year.
I will still keep my Pixel and have it as a backup phone, but for now I am super happy I made the switch. And I will understand it if not many of you agree.

Biggenz said:
And I will understand it if not many of you agree.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not about whether we agree, but whether we care. We don't.

Good luck and let us know when you return....

galaxys said:
Good luck and let us know when you return....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or not. That's OK, too.

Biggenz said:
I'll probably get a lot of hate for this, but after 10 years of being an avid Android fan and supporter, I have moved back to iOS and the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
All I can say is I don't regret it one bit. I was the first to make fun of iPhone users in the past, but Apple have made such strides, it's a real pleasure to be back. Yes Apple wait years to implement features that have been available on Android for ages and call it new and revolutionary, but what they do, they do better than anyone else. The biggest thing is just the cohesiveness between the hardware and software. Everything works flawlessly together and the user interface looks great.
What has annoyed me with Android are things like manufacturers not having their own email or messaging apps. You're forced to download a third party app which never really feels in tune with the particular phone/skin/version of Android. And yes you can say the Gmail app is the stock Android email app, but not everyone is a fan, including me. I know it's probably unavoidable due to nature of AOSP, but still, there is a clear divide between the hardware and software for the most part compared to iOS.
The other thing that stopped me using (and mocking) iOS is the fact that a lot of things were a pain in the backside to do and the general incompatibility with a lot of platforms. That seems to have changed as well as I had no issues connecting directly to my NAS drive and Windows PC to access all my files, either while on the same LAN or through 5G when I'm not at home. Youtube Vanced (now ReVanced) was another big thing, but you have options in iOS for that as well.
App tracking was another reason I made the switch. You can simply disable app tracking for all apps with one toggle and all newly installed apps will abide by this as well. Yes, no one really knows if it stops all tracking in its entirety, but it's an option that is not available in Android. You can use a third party app like Blokada to achieve the same result, but you cannot run a VPN service at the same time. Now I can run my VPN service and have app tracking blocked at the same time. Not to mention battery life. I am not a super heavy user, but I get three days out of a single charge with 20% battery left. Even with heavy use, you will struggle to kill this thing's battery in a day as you get 10-14 hours of screen on time depending on how you use it. Standby drain is also nonexistent, the bane of so many Android users' lives, mine included. The cameras and especially video recording is also top notch. Possibly a little boring compared to some of the features you get in Android, but as an everyday point and shoot device, it's hard to beat.
Notifications is the one thing where I would say I still prefer the way it's done in Android, but with everything else working so well I can forgive that. Price is another drawback as Apple charge ridiculous amounts for their hardware, so this is the only time in 10 years where I will keep the same phone for more than a year.
I will still keep my Pixel and have it as a backup phone, but for now I am super happy I made the switch. And I will understand it if not many of you agree.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most sincere condolences

I agree with you. System IOS showed myself very good thought last years. I think that IOS more stability than Android OS thought it has not so great functionality.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
It's not about whether we agree, but whether we care. We don't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
It's not about whether we agree, but whether we care. We don't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, that's a rather self-indulgent/pompous comment to assume that "we" don't care. "You" might not care but I'm glad to hear about the experiences of people that have had both Android and Apple products. I've had Windows mobile phones and am now going on my 4th or 5th Android device, but I've never had an Apple product. I'm very much interested in the point of view of somebody that has lived with both products.

TravisBean said:
*useless drivel snipped"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please. At the time this thread was originally posted it was in the Pixel 6 forums...an Android phone. The only reason they made that post was to grab the spotlight. And you fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Please. At the time this thread was originally posted it was in the Pixel 6 forums...an Android phone. The only reason they made that post was to grab the spotlight. And you fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.
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You're the one with Apple on your face

iPhone 14 Pro Max? are you sure?))

Android is just far better than iOS at this stage, it might be cohesive and all but honestly it still sucks

Jool2637 said:
The good thing about Android for me is F-Droid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And the ability to install any apk.

I promised myself that I would never use IOS. Android is enough for me and for now, I will stick to this position, but maybe someday I will change my mind just like you.