[Q] Found a Galaxy SII Need help getting owners info! - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So I found a GSII on the train today, Nobody to been seen so I picked it up and took it with me, Got home to discover a lock screen, No smudges on the screen to guess the lock. Look at the SD Card there's a few images of a kid and some toys but that is all, Im guess everything else is on the internal memory.
Anyway to unlock this device and get any info to contact the owner, Tried the networks, they said it has not been reported as lost or stolen.
Not the kind of guy to keep this. I have a Galaxy Nexus

Could you try to set your phone like it doesn't ask for pin and then insert the sim card from that sgs2 to look for numbers like mom
Sent from my sgs2 running cm9 using xda app

There was no sim in the phone when I found it, Which I though was bizzare.

Bouncer5 said:
So I found a GSII on the train today, Nobody to been seen so I picked it up and took it with me, Got home to discover a lock screen, No smudges on the screen to guess the lock. Look at the SD Card there's a few images of a kid and some toys but that is all, Im guess everything else is on the internal memory.
Anyway to unlock this device and get any info to contact the owner, Tried the networks, they said it has not been reported as lost or stolen.
Not the kind of guy to keep this. I have a Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that's quite polite of you.
You're the reason I keep an "Owner's Info" message on my lockscreen (and other people are the reason that I use a 9-digit PIN).
I commend you for your honesty, but unfortunately I can't provide assistance.
It could have been stolen, which would explain the absence of a SIM. Maybe the previous 'owner' couldn't do anything with it either and gave up.
You might be able to flash a new ROM, but everything would be deleted...and you'd still not have the owner's info.
Good luck, sir and thank you for your honesty!

No phone numbers??? Try syncing with google... see if there are any email addresses or ANYTHING on the phone... Very honest though hats off...
I once found a phone like you did but found loads of pics of him cheating on his wife :S there was a message with HER address on so I delivered it.... I wonder what did happen to them lol

Just hand it into a cop shop or train station that you found it at...
Why all the drama?

Nyssa1104 said:
Just hand it into a cop shop or train station that you found it at...
Why all the drama?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For something like this I'd exhaust all possibilities to find the owner personally first, otherwise the Lost 'n Found will "lose" it, even PD's "lose" stuff. The owner is lucky that someone whom doesn't want to keep it, or sell it, has found it.
Edit: although without a sim card it's probably a drug mule's phone and you should bring a gun to the meet just in case.

Done a factory reset, Which says it will wipe data. It failed, Now I can look at teh pictures and try figure out who they are. More childrens movies on the internal stornage

Woah, how kind of you wanting to return the phone.. Only one thing comes to my mind - all phones should be trackable by their IMEI - perhaps try flashing a full wipe base ROM via ODIN (maybe pulling all the data you can thru adb first?), and perhaps try contacting samsung officials in your country about a found phone?? That is if the guy was fortunate enough to create a samsung account or something that could identify him..
EDIT: Okay I found a thread, perhaps you can try running an ADB command like this to get the contacts database??
http://www.droidxforums.com/forum/droid-x-rescue-squad/30987-acquire-contacts-via-adb.html

Pulling the contacts database is good but if adb wasn't already enabled you would have to root it with cf-root then boot into recovery and run the adb commands from it since adb is enabled in recovery by default *may have to mount data partition*

Pin is stored in the EFS folder, and no factory reset or firmware flash will touch that. Messing with EFS can have dire consequences if corrupted (no IMEI = no network connection).
But if no choice, take a look at Hellcatdroid's solution with
ADB here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1476634
Edit as previous poster, maybe even flash a Chainfire CF-Root kernel, and then boot into CWM recovery. Mount partitions, and use windows program "Android Commander" to file explore any system partition for more info. The EFS could backed upped and even deleted. But risks outlined earlier.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Wipe the thing and enjoy your new phone
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

borolo222 said:
Wipe the thing and enjoy your new phone
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should really grow up and also learn something about a thing called reading
Sent from my sgs2 running cm9 using xda app

You need to hand the phone to the police.

CrashUK said:
You need to hand the phone to the police.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^
+ lots this. Let's face it, putting two and two together with the other thread where you seem desperate to transfer an IMEI from one phone to another (illegal), something doesn't sound right here.

MistahBungle said:
^^
+ lots this. Let's face it, putting two and two together with the other thread where you seem desperate to transfer an IMEI from one phone to another (illegal), something doesn't sound right here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you "clamped" him ...

Not been clamped on anything, On the phone there were several named files of a child (baby xxxx and little zzz stuck the names together then I looked on facebook the woman had made the boy a facebook and from there I checked her pictures, Same person and told them about there phone.
She said it was nice of me to do so, Told to me to keep it as it had been replaced, But she would be greatful if she could get the pictures so On to a flashdrive and in the post they went.
So I now have a large MP3 Player.
So congragulations on 2+2 together and getting 5.
We are not all a-holes. Despite what you think.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Too be fair, i did see that thread, what were we suppose to assume lol??
But fairplay... i would miss my pics more than anything

Bouncer5 said:
Not been clamped on anything, On the phone there were several named files of a child (baby xxxx and little zzz stuck the names together then I looked on facebook the woman had made the boy a facebook and from there I checked her pictures, Same person and told them about there phone.
She said it was nice of me to do so, Told to me to keep it as it had been replaced, But she would be greatful if she could get the pictures so On to a flashdrive and in the post they went.
So I now have a large MP3 Player.
So congragulations on 2+2 together and getting 5.
We are not all a-holes. Despite what you think.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll give you €100 for it. ;-) But no seriously. I would.

I was nice enongh to not only try to get the phone back to the owner and data instead of being lost in the lost and found, People really shouldnt assume the worst.
Im still left with a GSII that was crushed by a bus but has a valid IMEI a GSII thats barred from network best I can do with it is use it like a iPod Touch. Or pull the battery for a spare in my Nexus.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Related

[Q] my s2 won't read any sim card

hello ,
suddenly my s2 won't read any sim card and it's always on flight mode ! i tried to restart the phone and it didn't work , also tried to take the battery and the sim card off for a while and it didn't work also , i did factory reset still nothing.
- the sim card worked normally on another phone
- the phone is running on android 2.3.5 because we didn't get the ICS in the middle east for some reason.
- the phone is not rooted.
- kies doesn't recognize the phone anymore .
so how do i make it work ?
and sorry for the bad English because I'm not a native speaker .
kak2a2 said:
- the phone is running on android 3.5.5 because we didn't get the ICS in the middle east for some reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm impressed that you managed to get Honeycomb working on it.
oinkylicious said:
I'm impressed that you managed to get Honeycomb working on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry i mean 2.3.5
I'm pretty sure you EFS folder is messed up. There is a guide in general to recover it altrough most likely it won't. Other way is to contact xda member odia, I think he can recover it.
Sent from my sgs2 running cm9
Do one more factory restore but this time without Sim card and SD card.
Use the dial code to wipe.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Check first your IMEI is correct .
What do you mean by not read sim card network or you cannot read the data on the sim contacts etc .
jje
atifsh said:
Do one more factory restore but this time without Sim card and SD card.
Use the dial code to wipe.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
didn't work , thanks for trying
JJEgan said:
Check first your IMEI is correct .
What do you mean by not read sim card network or you cannot read the data on the sim contacts etc .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the network doesn't work and i can't show the data , it basically tells me to "insert the sim card" so it's like the sim is not even in the phone at all.
kak2a2 said:
the network doesn't work and i can't show the data , it basically tells me to "insert the sim card" so it's like the sim is not even in the phone at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then it may not be you efs folder (IMEI!) becoming corrupted after all! Try cleaning the contacts on your sim & inside your phone & make sure none of the pins are bent or broken internally also, then try somebody elses sim card in your phone first before replacing your own! If your sim works in another phone then it's got to be something to do with the contacts/pins, as you haven't flashed your phone or anything to corrupt stuff in the first place!!
CrackDaddy said:
Then it may not be you efs folder (IMEI!) becoming corrupted after all! Try cleaning the contacts on your sim & inside your phone & make sure none of the pins are bent or broken internally also, then try somebody elses sim card in your phone first before replacing your own! If your sim works in another phone then it's got to be something to do with the contacts/pins, as you haven't flashed your phone or anything to corrupt stuff in the first place!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my friend fixed it for me and he said yes the problem was in the IMEI . thanks for the help guys
Annoyed with Android
I have the exact same symptoms except I did not play around with any software updates or “internal settings”. The memory on my phone was filled with photos I took over the weekend and some apps refused to start up because of the lack of memory. Probably the mistake, I took the SD card out to try to read it from my Win 7 notebook, because the “Gallery App” did not want to open to allow me to delete of some images to free up memory. (Well why not, most other equipment allow their SD cards to be read by Windows.)
Whatever the reason the phone is completely stuffed; the SD card is not recognised and that result in no phone connection!! The phone can't be used. This is absolutely ludicrous. One cannot sell equipment that can be made unusable this easily. I can understand maybe losing image/data on the SD card if I took it out, but now the entire phone is useless, and it seems (from other forums too) that it is quite a process to get the so-called IEMI folder back. I am really frustrated at this point and have a real annoyance with Android. Judging from the amount of hits returned after a Google search, this SD card problem is a fairly common one. I am not going to fix this; will rather get a new phone, one that works, and it will not be an Android phone. Yes I know hardcore Andriod followers will be all over my post, but just think a bit, this kind of problem should not happen and is really nonsense
(PS: People that moan about multiple postings, can't you just answer the question, even if there is another similar thread, do you have to nit pick on everything.)
Pierre9 said:
I have the exact same symptoms except I did not play around with any software updates or “internal settings”. The memory on my phone was filled with photos I took over the weekend and some apps refused to start up becayse of the memory. Probably the mistake, I took the SD card out to try and read it from my Win 7 notebook, because the “Gallery App” did not want to open to allow me to delete of some images to free up memory. (Why not most other equipment allow their SD cards to be rad by Windows.)
Whatever the reason the phone is completely stuffed; the SD card is not recognised and that result in no phone connection!! The phone can't be used. This is absolutely ludicrous. One cannot sell equipment that can be made unusable this easily. I can understand maybe losing image/data on the SD card if I took it out, but now the entire phone is useless, and it seems (from other forums too) that it is quite a process to get the so-called IEMI folder back. I am really frustrated at this point and have a real annoyance with Android. Judging from the amount of hits returned after a Google search, this SD card problem is a fairly common one. I am not going to fix this; will rather get a new phone, one that works, and it will not be an Android phone. Yes I know hardcore Andriod followers will be all over my post, but just think a bit, this is really nonsense
(PS: People that moan about multiple postings, can't you just answer the question, even if there is another similar thread, do you have to nit pick on everything.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- There is no need for you to start spamming this thread.
- Ask questions with common sense, that will help you get the much needed assistance.
- There no need for you to threaten anyone. If you are not going to buy Android device again, million more people will still buy it.
- You must understand that, people who give assistance here on XDA, do so without any monetary benefit. It's not your right to be given assistance, it's a privilege.
- Xda just like any other forum/organisation has rules and regulations, you must follow them.
- stop spamming around, it will only make things worse for you.
Peace
Swyped from my Samsung Galaxy SII
Pierre there is a trading forum on here.Im sure someone could give you £20 for your phone.....since its faulty lol.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Apologies for the double messages. I tried to fix it numerous times, but it does not seem to take effect.
Jokesy, the fact people don’t get paid for commenting here is completely irrelevant; I also have a day job and don’t have 6 hours in the evening to get a phone to make a call. Pointing out severe problems with a product is not spamming.
Pierre9 said:
Apologies for the double messages. I tried to fix it numerous times, but it does not seem to take effect.
Jokesy, the fact people don’t get paid for commenting here is completely irrelevant; I also have a day job and don’t have 6 hours in the evening to get a phone to make a call. Pointing out severe problems with a product is not spamming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Posting the same thing 3 or 4 times within 3 minutes and again in another person's thread is indeed spamming.
I'm not if I'd reported you already
Swyped from my Samsung Galaxy SII
Jokesy you sure are not very observant. You should have noticed the multiple messages were due to an editing problem. Report my post; hopefully an administrator can clear up the extra messages as sure as tax this editor cannot. Do you think for one moment I value membership of a site where some rude one-eyed geeks hang out?
To the $20 guy; the phone is not worth that much. I will probably not come back to this site, so it is pointless, but I would even mail the phone to you in its original box, free of charge, if I could.
could you please tell me how did he fix it? Because I apparently have the same problem!:crying:
Try reflashing stock ROM
And theres ICS for middle east
Go to samfirmware.com and download it
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
Interesting...
I am in a similar situation with a t989 phone that doesn´t recognize my simcards.
Some days ago I tried to upgrade my phone to the latest official ICS using ODIN as KIES
was always giving disconnection errors before finishing the upgrade.
Finally I got my phone stuck at the download mode with an error message and a yellow warning triangle.
I thought I had a bricked phone, but fortunately I managed to recover it using an old
official ROM. The problems is that now it doesn´t recognize any simcard inserted.
The current installed software versions are:
Android 2.3.5
Base band: T989UVKID
Kernel version: 2.6.35.11
Compilation number: GINGERBREAD.UVKID
Makrilli said:
I'm pretty sure you EFS folder is messed up. There is a guide in general to recover it altrough most likely it won't. Other way is to contact xda member odia, I think he can recover it.
Sent from my sgs2 running cm9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my S2 doesn't recognize my sim card
kak2a2 said:
my friend fixed it for me and he said yes the problem was in the IMEI . thanks for the help guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello please i just read your post and would need your advice, my S2 just stopped recognizing my Sim card yesterday night, i was playing a fast action game on my phone and the phone suddenly went off, when it came back on it did not recognize my Sim card any longer. I tired putting the same Sim in another phone and it worked but when i returned it to mine it still did not recognize my Sim, please can you tell me what to do with regards to this issue?

[Q] So I'm finally about to root my phone, a few questions!

I'm finally rooting my phone after months of messing about waiting for an unlock
My phone is international model i9300 and I've been reading this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1695238
Looks really good, well detailed should be very easy with the help of chainfire!
But I've still got a few questions
1) I think I can't back up my phone until it's rooted to get access to the system files, am I right in thinking when I'm rooted I can use CWM to make a full back up of the phone?
2) Once it's rooted what is a thing that you must not do? The phone was expensive and as these threads may be annoying to all of you I just need to know before I do anything silly so apologies for all the topics
3) I'm going to wait until JB is released for official ROMs, when it comes to flashing a new ROM do I need to unroot the device?
4) Can I remove bloatware with just the standard root? The amount is ridiculous, it fills up 2 whole pages of apps and 95% of them I haven't used and don't plan on using, ever. I'm sure if I ever needed to there will be an app for it
5) any other advice on keeping my phone safe would be great, I am just really really cautious with this kind of stuff lol. Technology is really fussy I don't want to brick my phone
Thanks to everybody who posts, you guys have helped me so much since I joined and I really appreciate it
UrbanDesigns said:
I'm finally rooting my phone after months of messing about waiting for an unlock
My phone is international model i9300 and I've been reading this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1695238
Looks really good, well detailed should be very easy with the help of chainfire!
But I've still got a few questions
1) I think I can't back up my phone until it's rooted to get access to the system files, am I right in thinking when I'm rooted I can use CWM to make a full back up of the phone?
2) Once it's rooted what is a thing that you must not do? The phone was expensive and as these threads may be annoying to all of you I just need to know before I do anything silly so apologies for all the topics
3) I'm going to wait until JB is released for official ROMs, when it comes to flashing a new ROM do I need to unroot the device?
4) any other advice on keeping my phone safe would be great, I am just really really cautious with this kind of stuff lol. Technology is really fussy I don't want to brick my phone
Thanks to everybody who posts, you guys have helped me so much since I joined and I really appreciate it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Answer 1: Check the link in my description (Win 8 -help) and download the adb executables. Then (Using Windows 7/8) Press and hold shift + Right mouse button in the folder and open cmd.
Once in cmd type:
Code:
adb start-server
adb devices (To check if your phone is connected properly)
adb backup -f %Userprofile%\Desktop\ADBackup\backup.ab -apk -nosystem -noshared -all
That will backup your user apps, incase you do do something wrong
Answer 2: Yes, there are a few things you shouldn't do;
Flash a ROM without making a backup
Deleting partitons in the phones' root.
Deleting system apps (APKs), when you don't know what they do, or even what they are.
Flashing a ROM/kernel, that wasn't made for your phone.
Overclocking/undervolting your phone too much.
And there are a couple more, but I don't want to waist your time ^^
Answer 3: JB is already released. No, you don't have to unroot your phone, before flashing. In fact, you probably can't, because you need the recovery program, to flash the ROM.
Answer 4: Don't flash bad stuff, don't install apps, that are reported (i.e. viruses) don't flash ROMs and kernels, that aren't for your device. And last but not least: Only use Odin, if you really have to!
Hope I could help!
UrbanDesigns said:
I'm finally rooting my phone after months of messing about waiting for an unlock
My phone is international model i9300 and I've been reading this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1695238
Looks really good, well detailed should be very easy with the help of chainfire!
But I've still got a few questions
1) I think I can't back up my phone until it's rooted to get access to the system files, am I right in thinking when I'm rooted I can use CWM to make a full back up of the phone?
2) Once it's rooted what is a thing that you must not do? The phone was expensive and as these threads may be annoying to all of you I just need to know before I do anything silly so apologies for all the topics
3) I'm going to wait until JB is released for official ROMs, when it comes to flashing a new ROM do I need to unroot the device?
4) any other advice on keeping my phone safe would be great, I am just really really cautious with this kind of stuff lol. Technology is really fussy I don't want to brick my phone
Thanks to everybody who posts, you guys have helped me so much since I joined and I really appreciate it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) You are right
2) Do not unroot
3) Official JB is already available. Flashing using odin doesn't required unroot. Update via OTA or kies required unroot.
4) Read, read and read is the best way to prevent bricking your device.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Thank you guys!
I did not know JB was released, I saw it come out for Poland but I received no notification on my S3.
Now I'm not quite sure in which order I should do things, shall I update to JB and then root?
Can anyone link me to a guide to update for the official JB, al my search results come up with old results with leaked firmware
so I use odin for the first flash and then use CWM from there on out
UrbanDesigns said:
Thank you guys!
I did not know JB was released, I saw it come out for Poland but I received no notification on my S3.
Its only the Poland release so far .
All the rest are the old leaks .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UrbanDesigns said:
Thank you guys!
I did not know JB was released, I saw it come out for Poland but I received no notification on my S3.
Now I'm not quite sure in which order I should do things, shall I update to JB and then root?
Can anyone link me to a guide to update for the official JB, al my search results come up with old results with leaked firmware
so I use odin for the first flash and then use CWM from there on out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want a Jellybean rom with bloat removed, then download Checkrom http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1738527 . It's a stock samsung rom, bloat taken out, rooted, and is ready for if you wanted themeing etc..
In his kitchen app (that comes with the rom) you can find a package with ALL the removed bloat for you to download and install (ota) but he's also separated them so you can download just the ones you want. Also in the kitchen you will find tweaks for changing the notification drawer toggles, changing the theme, different modems, kernels etc... And check in the kitchen now and again for any updates to the rom (as and when samsung release them)
It's all there and very noob friendly. It's the smoothest most stable stock rom I've tried.
So root your phone using odin (easiest method by far), pay for titanium backup and back up your apps, boot into recovery and make a nandroid, move them onto you exSd or computer, wipe your phone, install checkrom, download titanium again and restore your apps from it.
That's a good start for you, EVERYTHING you need to know has been asked and answered before, so just google or search XDA, it's all still relevant, and you won't go wrong.
I'm going to root it now, seems pretty straight-forward but I'll let you know!
Now I will be shortly rooted what's the best anti-theft to use?
edit: wow... that was possible the easiest thing I have ever done lol, i was expecting it to be hard but it's literally selecting a file and pressing start. it's so much easier then jailbreaking (easy as hell but this tops it for sure)
Just done a CWM back up I didnt expect it to take so long haha
In my opinion, Cerberus is the best anti-theft app out there. You can use for a week as a free trial, I'll bet you're gonna buy it after 15 minutes.
Note that no anti-theft protection will prevent a thief from actually using your phone. Within like 2 minutes of Googling, the thief knows that he can use Download mode to overwrite the firmware (including the "anti theft" app) and 5 minutes later he has done it.
I use one such app (Watchdroid) to find my phone when I have misplaced it and for family members to be able to locate my position through an sms in case of personal distress.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
d4fseeker said:
Note that no anti-theft protection will prevent a thief from actually using your phone. Within like 2 minutes of Googling, the thief knows that he can use Download mode to overwrite the firmware (including the "anti theft" app) and 5 minutes later he has done it.
I use one such app (Watchdroid) to find my phone when I have misplaced it and for family members to be able to locate my position through an sms in case of personal distress.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it just depends on who finds it, there should be a password for download mode that can't be overwritten
I'm going to have it on either way, it can't hurt
d4fseeker said:
Note that no anti-theft protection will prevent a thief from actually using your phone. Within like 2 minutes of Googling, the thief knows that he can use Download mode to overwrite the firmware (including the "anti theft" app) and 5 minutes later he has done it.
I use one such app (Watchdroid) to find my phone when I have misplaced it and for family members to be able to locate my position through an sms in case of personal distress.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only a thief, who knows what he's doing will use Google. Idiots are more likely to throw the phone away, or give it back..
And Avast! Anti Virus has a lockdown feature, which forces GPS, WiFi/Data and number forwarding (Root), so my phone is pretty safe
I've just installed avast - cheers!
What happens if the SIM is replaced?
and how do I track the phone if it gets lost/stolen?
also in my notification bar it says "avast mobile security is protecting you" i renamed the app for obvious reasons like it suggested. it's pretty stupid if the app renames its self if only reported lost/stolen
UrbanDesigns said:
I've just installed avast - cheers!
What happens if the SIM is replaced?
and how do I track the phone if it gets lost/stolen?
also in my notification bar it says "avast mobile security is protecting you" i renamed the app for obvious reasons like it suggested. it's pretty stupid if the app renames its self if only reported lost/stolen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the anti-theft settings in the app. It lets you set up trusted numbers, so you can control your phone remotely, and you can set things up, like force GPS and Data on, that way the phone can tell you it's position..
familyguy59 said:
Check the anti-theft settings in the app. It lets you set up trusted numbers, so you can control your phone remotely, and you can set things up, like force GPS and Data on, that way the phone can tell you it's position..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've done all that, I've enabled anti-theft stealth mode where it states it will remain hidden after my next reboot.
I rebooted the phone but to no avail. It keeps showing in the notification bar and anti-theft seems useless, I've set up a pin but anybody who saw my phone would see the app straight away and would just use google on "how to remove avast samsung galaxy s3"
i don't think a thief could do it themselves but any idiot can search keywords into google to find a solid result
UrbanDesigns said:
I've done all that, I've enabled anti-theft stealth mode where it states it will remain hidden after my next reboot.
I rebooted the phone but to no avail. It keeps showing in the notification bar and anti-theft seems useless, I've set up a pin but anybody who saw my phone would see the app straight away and would just use google on "how to remove avast samsung galaxy s3"
i don't think a thief could do it themselves but any idiot can search keywords into google to find a solid result
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but not everyone knows what the avast! symbol look like, do they? I doubt you're going to find an XDA-Member would have stolen your phone, it will probably be an Asi, or someone really retarded.
And anyways, they'll get frightened enough, when the phone rights junk to the SD, locks itself up and sounds the siren, with a personal "greeting"..
Give it a go, if your phone gets stolen, there's always the police, they'll (hopefully) help you But that's worst-case-scenario..
familyguy59 said:
Yes, but not everyone knows what the avast! symbol look like, do they? I doubt you're going to find an XDA-Member would have stolen your phone, it will probably be an Asi, or someone really retarded.
And anyways, they'll get frightened enough, when the phone rights junk to the SD, locks itself up and sounds the siren, with a personal "greeting"..
Give it a go, if your phone gets stolen, there's always the police, they'll (hopefully) help you But that's worst-case-scenario..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No but I'd still like it hidden
Anyone with google and the least bit of experience or interest will just reflash the stock Samsungrom anyway, rendering all and any (including Samsung's own) anti-theft utterly useless.
(In many cases thiefs steal to buy drugs, the dealer will certainly know someone to "freshen" up the phone.
It's very useful for finding the phone though if you have misplaced it =)
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
UrbanDesigns said:
No but I'd still like it hidden
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could remove the icon by going into avast > Settings > Notification Icon > None
Hope this helps
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
d4fseeker said:
Anyone with google and the least bit of experience or interest will just reflash the stock Samsungrom anyway, rendering all and any (including Samsung's own) anti-theft utterly useless.
(In many cases thiefs steal to buy drugs, the dealer will certainly know someone to "freshen" up the phone.
It's very useful for finding the phone though if you have misplaced it =)
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you're saying if I left my phone on the bus or something and somebody picked it up and decided to be a thief they automatically are casual drug users who know dodgy people, all because they found my phone?
I don't see how it could be useful for finding a "misplaced" phone, what would you class as misplaced? If I left the phone under my bed or something and "misplaced" it surely avast! isn't going to show a picture of inside my house?

[Q] Hackers have taken over my phone

They control my phone completely. A factory reset from the phone, a hard reset by holding the buttons and a reset done by typing in the number code all dont erase the hackers stuff. Its like they took over the stock firmware of my phone or something. How can I completely erase everything from this phone? Or do I just have to throw this thing away now? They've also similarly took over my Asus Transformer tablet.
Can anyone help me?
You're done for. Stupid hackers got you too, huh? You should mail both to me.
Anthony820 said:
You're done for. Stupid hackers got you too, huh? You should mail both to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you not believe me?
lw99 said:
They control my phone completely. A factory reset from the phone, a hard reset by holding the buttons and a reset done by typing in the number code all dont erase the hackers stuff. Its like they took over the stock firmware of my phone or something. How can I completely erase everything from this phone? Or do I just have to throw this thing away now? They've also similarly took over my Asus Transformer tablet.
Can anyone help me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, if you're serious, the perfect solution would be to flash a stock firmware over the existing one.
Sent from my GT-P6200 using xda app-developers app
First off, what's hacked and how do you know you've been hacked? Then you have to find out how they hacked you. Was it thru an app? Thru Wi-Fi? Did you login on a false webpage like the common Facebook hack?
If you believe you've been hacked change ALL your passwords to EVERYthing. Even Wi-Fi passwords. Make sure you do it from a different device or pc. preferably using https. Then wipe everything possible. Internal, external storage, cookies etc.....
king_below_my_lord said:
Lol, if you're serious, the perfect solution would be to flash a stock firmware over the existing one.
Sent from my GT-P6200 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you flash the stock firmware? I dont know anything about this stuff..
An example of how they control my phone is if I download an anti-virus app, they turn off it's monitoring and give it permissions to send texts, access my personal data, make phone calls, etc.
lw99 said:
do you not believe me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't believe you even own a Note. But props for trolling an otherwise untrolled forum. I'm sure many people will try to talk you through your problem.
Iw99 we need more info if you are not a troll please provide phone model, operating system where you are located when this problem started apps you are using are you using any bootleg apps the more info you provide the better.
Sent from my SGH-I717 using xda premium
First, you're going to have to prepare a tinfoil lined room to work in. . .
rangercaptain said:
First, you're going to have to prepare a tinfoil lined room to work in. . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice.
Download samsung kies on your computer. Tools_emergency firmaware recovery. Follow the steps.
SENT FROM MY I717
Made in China:{
Bull****
lw99 said:
They control my phone completely. A factory reset from the phone, a hard reset by holding the buttons and a reset done by typing in the number code all dont erase the hackers stuff. Its like they took over the stock firmware of my phone or something. How can I completely erase everything from this phone? Or do I just have to throw this thing away now? They've also similarly took over my Asus Transformer tablet.
Can anyone help me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't believe a word of this.
zancro said:
Don't believe a word of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He might be saying "I have a phone with a lockscreen password I don't know (because it isnt mine) and I want to completely erase everything so I can have a fresh phone".
440 I don't think everyone is a crook but I can usually spot a red herring from a long distance.
I really don't think you have been hacked but you have glitches in your rom
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
What numbers did they call? Can you hear the phone calls? Can you read the texts that they send? Do they send nude pics?
Obvious Troll. Close thread.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Either way
rangercaptain said:
He might be saying "I have a phone with a lockscreen password I don't know (because it isnt mine) and I want to completely erase everything so I can have a fresh phone".
440 I don't think everyone is a crook but I can usually spot a red herring from a long distance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ref 440 - I applaud your faith in your fellow man. That is rare in today's post-naiveté world, and should be treasured. But as far as this story goes, either incredibly incompetence or lying is involved... But NOT hacking. Just not consistent. Hacking can sometimes be hard to spot, and then only through exhaustive analysis. If the OP's story is even half true I suspect the case really involves some really dumb action that does NOT involve hacking.
But frankly, I got bigger problems. After the upgrade to stock 4.1.2 I'm getting a series of "No SIM card" errors, even after a SIM replacement. Now going to Google....
The way many have overcome the no sim card error has been to return the phone to stock ICS and the modem to the LF6, then go on to the rom, kernel, and modem of choice.
Using the emergancy firmware installation option of Kies has also been used.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=40942237
This link is to a guide to fix that error
Hacked seriously doubt it ... give me all your accounts and passwords and i can fix this lol
zancro said:
Don't believe a word of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think, maybe a little too much on the ole glass pipe????
sent from my GalaxySuperNote runnin paranoidKANGdroid 4.2.2
Don't feed the troll. Stop replying to this thread. Hopefully mine will be the last.

[Q] How To Format an Encrypted GS3

I work for a company doing tech support and one of the problems we've ran into is that our employees are sending their old GS3 devices back to us after we upgrade them and we cannot get into them. When we get the phones back they are locked, encrypted, and off. Our policy is that we never ask employees for passwords so that if our employees get someone asking for a password, their natural response is to take a step back and refuse to share passwords.
So now we have probably 10+ USCellular GS3 devices that are locked and encrypted. Does anyone know a way to wipe these to factory settings w/o knowing the password?
Thanks!
12059350 said:
I work for a company doing tech support and one of the problems we've ran into is that our employees are sending their old GS3 devices back to us after we upgrade them and we cannot get into them. When we get the phones back they are locked, encrypted, and off. Our policy is that we never ask employees for passwords so that if our employees get someone asking for a password, their natural response is to take a step back and refuse to share passwords.
So now we have probably 10+ USCellular GS3 devices that are locked and encrypted. Does anyone know a way to wipe these to factory settings w/o knowing the password?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even if somebody knows how to I don't thing anybody in there right mind would post a solution here! (1) XDA would not allow it (2) It is illegal (3) Anybody who lets say uses a stolen phone would know exactly where to look to reset the phone!
Why didn't you just suggest for your "employees" to just factory reset their phones and unlock before sending them to you?..
WRONG
tallman43 said:
Even if somebody knows how to I don't thing anybody in there right mind would post a solution here! (1) XDA would not allow it (2) It is illegal (3) Anybody who lets say uses a stolen phone would know exactly where to look to reset the phone!
Why didn't you just suggest for your "employees" to just factory reset their phones and unlock before sending them to you?..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok (1)If anyone DIDN'T think this post was anything sinister, they sure as hell do now. Thanks man. (2) It makes no difference whether it is encrypted or not, i don't want the data off of it and that is the soul reason to encrypt a phone, to keep the data inside protected. (3) WE RIGHTFULLY OWN ALL OF THESE DEVICES but just cannot unlock them (4)Even if they were stolen, their MEID would be blacklisted and they would just be a glorified mp3 player that cannot be hooked up to a network.
This is not illegal, not even a little bit. Prove me wrong with data to support it buddy.....
12059350 said:
Ok (1)If anyone DIDN'T think this post was anything sinister, they sure as hell do now. Thanks man. (2) It makes no difference whether it is encrypted or not, i don't want the data off of it and that is the soul reason to encrypt a phone, to keep the data inside protected. (3) WE RIGHTFULLY OWN ALL OF THESE DEVICES but just cannot unlock them (4)Even if they were stolen, their MEID would be blacklisted and they would just be a glorified mp3 player that cannot be hooked up to a network.
This is not illegal, not even a little bit. Prove me wrong with data to support it buddy.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny how u work for a company tat does tech but dun know tat it is IMEI instead of MEID.
(1)He was saying tat xda does not allow anyone to make use of the info to do illegal things. So if anyone got a stolen phone, they can use the info here and xda will be partially responsible.
(2)no idea wat u are saying
(3)Wat I said in '(1)'
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
80% Right
12059350 said:
Ok (1)If anyone DIDN'T think this post was anything sinister, they sure as hell do now. Thanks man. (2) It makes no difference whether it is encrypted or not, i don't want the data off of it and that is the soul reason to encrypt a phone, to keep the data inside protected. (3) WE RIGHTFULLY OWN ALL OF THESE DEVICES but just cannot unlock them (4)Even if they were stolen, their MEID would be blacklisted and they would just be a glorified mp3 player that cannot be hooked up to a network.
This is not illegal, not even a little bit. Prove me wrong with data to support it buddy.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To say my post was WRONG is inaccurate (partially wrong maybe)
My original answers:
(1) XDA would not allow it (RIGHT THEY WOULD NOT!:good
(2) Illegal (Maybe not..my mistake )
(3) Anybody who lets say uses a stolen phone would know exactly where to look to reset the phone! (OBVIOUSLY RIGHT!:good
Your answers:
(1) People may think it was sinister because of the nature of the question wiping a locked phone! (not that I think you personally have anything to hide)
(2) I know what encrypting a phone is
(3) I NEVER SAID YOU DID NOT OWN THE DEVICES!
(4) I never said anything about the imei ..(and they would make good mp3 players )
My point was to say you would not get any answer on here on how to wipe the phones!
But you still did not answer my question why did you not just ask the employees to just unlock and factory reset before returning to you (would have saved you alot of trouble)
I was not saying the your phones where stolen but posting any information on here about wiping locked phones would not be allowed and would be a haven for people who are not entirely honest..
Thanks
JellyYogurt said:
Funny how u work for a company tat does tech but dun know tat it is IMEI instead of MEID.
(1)He was saying tat xda does not allow anyone to make use of the info to do illegal things. So if anyone got a stolen phone, they can use the info here and xda will be partially responsible.
(2)no idea wat u are saying
(3)Wat I said in '(1)'
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok ass hat, 1st, the IMEI contains the MEID (at least on my devices it does) so ease up and 2nd, forgive me if i use the wrong acronym, it's not like IT Professionals have that many to remember.... (sarcasm since we are spelling it out) and 3rd, you spelled "that" wrong so i don't feel bad for making a small mistake.
12059350 said:
Ok ass hat, 1st, the IMEI contains the MEID (at least on my devices it does) so ease up and 2nd, forgive me if i use the wrong acronym, it's not like IT Professionals have that many to remember.... (sarcasm since we are spelling it out) and 3rd, you spelled "that" wrong so i don't feel bad for making a small mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh well u are just angry tat my form of typing is too fab.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
similar situation..
hi all.. ive posted this in another forum but havent seen a reply yet. i thought i'd try my luck in this thread as it's kinda relevant to my situation. obviously im not fluent in cellphone tech but at the recommendation of a member here i went to root my gs3 (gt-i9300) using kingo. i should have stuck to the old adage, "if it seems to good to be true, then it probably is.." but thought safe in the recommendation of others... the idea of rooting my phone in a single click process seemed wonderful. so, i now have a hardbricked phone.
after whipping up a usb jig following various youtube guides i was able to get it back to download mode. so, my primary question is, "because my phone was encrypted before becoming a brick, am i able to restore it using odin?" or will it keep taking me back to the encryption password screen with no hope to restore the phone?
ok, what the problem is, is this: i've tried to re-flash firmware from sammobile relevant to my country and model with odin(v3.07), it completes successfully, reboots, then takes me back to the encrypt screen. the prob is, when i enter the password the phone just turns off and i have to take the battery out to get back to download mode through the usb jig. also, after trying to flash with an earlier firmware, it just keeps saying "try again" without turning off, still no joy but atleast with that firmware it didn't turn off.
any help or guidance would be very welcome, as i'm willing to keep working if i can restore my phone, if it's beyond hope then i will just dump it.

[Q] Need to regain access to a previously-stolen password locked Galaxy S III

Okay, so it's a bit of a long story but there's a woman I work with who had her virtually-new Samsung Galaxy S3 stolen by her recently-split husband last year. We all knew it was him, but we had virtually no evidence, other than it's disappearance. Anyway, so this woman recently was in his now-separated husband's flat & was rooting around. She found a Samsung Galaxy S3, smartly took a picture of the IMEI & left it. She knew it was hers, but wanted to be 100% sure. She went home, checked the box, & of course they did match. The next day, she went back to his house & manipulated the situation so that she could find enough time on her own to go take the phone back without him knowing. So she brings it into work with her the next day. The problem is, the phone now has a password lock on it. She then spent the night trying to guess the password, but to no success.
So, me being the tech guy that I am, she asked me to try to get into it. I said, the easiest way would be for me to wipe it & factory reset it, but that she would lose all of her information. She doesn't want me to do that. She wants to get pictures & stuff of her / their kids off the phone, as well as look into who her ex-husband had been talking to / see who knew about him stealing the phone. So, I said it should be possible. However, I'm not a hugely great phone guy. I'm good with computers, but not so much phones.
So, we spent the day trying various exploits found on Google or YouTube but to no success. There was one method where we had a little success where we turned the phone on > Emergency Call > Emergency Contact > Press Home > Press Power > Unlocked home screen in then meant to appear. It never did. Although we could get it to quickly flash whatever was on the home screen (which was a picture of her / their kids, which she'd set to the phone before it was taken).
So without any of those methods working, I'm tasked with now getting into the phone at home. I have no idea whether USB debugging is enabled, I would assume not. We are unable to reset the password via Google Recovery or anything because we're never offered the option. As I say, she doesn't want me to wipe the phone. But there has to be a way to get into it otherwise, either through brute force, or one of those other password cracking methods possibly?
There was a technique I found on Google at work, something about connecting the phone to your computer via USB then trying to do some stuff from command line or through a Linux distro, which I need to re-find & try.
But alas, does anyone here have any methods or know any ways that I could get around this password lock?
I have to say though, I'm glad it's not that simple (atleast it appears so, anyway) to get around one of these passwords. Makes me feel a little safer for my own Galaxy S3! haha
Hey
You said u tried the Google account method right?
If that's not working try to flash philz recovery and from that you can access the contents of the internal SD card..
U can also TRY to use the custom back up option offered by his recovery and then custom restore the data..
I can't assure you that it will work but you can try it..
Best of Luck
-tchindalia
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
We did not try a Google account method, I don't think? Think we tried to log in to the ex-husband's Google account on my iPad for some reason (can't remember why now tbh) but we could not guess his password. He's apparently changed it since they split.
Won't flashing the phone wipe everything that's on it?
Hey
Not if your just flashing a recovery..
Just youtube for some videos on this...
I had see one some time back..
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Benaholic said:
Okay, so it's a bit of a long story but there's a woman I work with who had her virtually-new Samsung Galaxy S3 stolen by her recently-split husband last year. We all knew it was him, but we had virtually no evidence, other than it's disappearance. Anyway, so this woman recently was in his now-separated husband's flat & was rooting around. She found a Samsung Galaxy S3, smartly took a picture of the IMEI & left it. She knew it was hers, but wanted to be 100% sure. She went home, checked the box, & of course they did match. The next day, she went back to his house & manipulated the situation so that she could find enough time on her own to go take the phone back without him knowing. So she brings it into work with her the next day. The problem is, the phone now has a password lock on it. She then spent the night trying to guess the password, but to no success.
So, me being the tech guy that I am, she asked me to try to get into it. I said, the easiest way would be for me to wipe it & factory reset it, but that she would lose all of her information. She doesn't want me to do that. She wants to get pictures & stuff of her / their kids off the phone, as well as look into who her ex-husband had been talking to / see who knew about him stealing the phone. So, I said it should be possible. However, I'm not a hugely great phone guy. I'm good with computers, but not so much phones.
So, we spent the day trying various exploits found on Google or YouTube but to no success. There was one method where we had a little success where we turned the phone on > Emergency Call > Emergency Contact > Press Home > Press Power > Unlocked home screen in then meant to appear. It never did. Although we could get it to quickly flash whatever was on the home screen (which was a picture of her / their kids, which she'd set to the phone before it was taken).
So without any of those methods working, I'm tasked with now getting into the phone at home. I have no idea whether USB debugging is enabled, I would assume not. We are unable to reset the password via Google Recovery or anything because we're never offered the option. As I say, she doesn't want me to wipe the phone. But there has to be a way to get into it otherwise, either through brute force, or one of those other password cracking methods possibly?
There was a technique I found on Google at work, something about connecting the phone to your computer via USB then trying to do some stuff from command line or through a Linux distro, which I need to re-find & try.
But alas, does anyone here have any methods or know any ways that I could get around this password lock?
I have to say though, I'm glad it's not that simple (atleast it appears so, anyway) to get around one of these passwords. Makes me feel a little safer for my own Galaxy S3! haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If he lets her into the house so easily then:
1- HE didn't steal the phone because he felt no need to hide it
2- The "woman" is invading the guy's privacy and checking personal info without consent
3- Seeing who he talked to is a typical behaviour pattern of someone who is invading someone's privacy for ill intentions
4- the "woman" can always request for the guy to share the kid's photos and other stuff. No need to snoop around
To the OP:
If you do help this person break into the phone and turns out it wasn't hers, then you are aiding in a possibly criminal activity.
If he did steal, then all the best to you. Otherwise; Beware of the LAW.
~ RazorMC
RazorMC said:
If he lets her into the house so easily then:
1- HE didn't steal the phone because he felt no need to hide it
2- The "woman" is invading the guy's privacy and checking personal info without consent
3- Seeing who he talked to is a typical behaviour pattern of someone who is invading someone's privacy for ill intentions
4- the "woman" can always request for the guy to share the kid's photos and other stuff. No need to snoop around
To the OP:
If you do help this person break into the phone and turns out it wasn't hers, then you are aiding in a possibly criminal activity.
If he did steal, then all the best to you. Otherwise; Beware of the LAW.
~ RazorMC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OP alr said the imei matched so the phone is the woman's. Unless tat was a lie.
To the OP, have u tried samsung's "find my mobile"?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
JellyYogurt said:
OP alr said the imei matched so the phone is the woman's. Unless tat was a lie.
To the OP, have u tried samsung's "find my mobile"?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said, if it was indeed stolen, then I wish the OP luck.
I'm just curious why the person never approached the police with proof of ownership instead of trying to bypass the security.
Cheers :good:
~ RazorMC
RazorMC said:
Like I said, if it was indeed stolen, then I wish the OP luck.
I'm just curious why the person never approached the police with proof of ownership instead of trying to bypass the security.
Cheers :good:
~ RazorMC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't remember the reason she believed the phone was stolen, to be honest. The reason she had access to his house, was because they have kids together. She had gone to go drop the kids off, or pick them up. For some bizarre reason, I don't know why, he left her in the house alone after he went to take them to school (telling her to lock the door when she leaves). She took that opportunity to look around the house for the phone, as he'd never previously admitted to taking it but she was sure he did.
She found the phone, took a picture of the IMEI, went home to match to the IMEI on her box & it saw that they were the same. She's shown me the picture as well. confirming that it was indeed her phone, she then went back to her ex's flat the next day (because he was going to come along to their daughter's birthday). Just as they were about to leave, she says she needs the toilet. So, she runs back upstairs & grabs the phone without him knowing.
I think the reason why she never went to the police about it is because he was trying to get citizenship to remain here in the country, & she didn't want something like this to jeopardize whether she's in a relationship with him or not; they do still have kids together. Sending him back to Kenya over a phone wouldn't do anyone any good.
JellyYogurt said:
OP alr said the imei matched so the phone is the woman's. Unless tat was a lie.
To the OP, have u tried samsung's "find my mobile"?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which "Find my mobile" thing are you on about?
---------------------------------------
I appear to have found a way to bypass the lock screen via the ADB, but I think it only works for a lock pattern. Anyone know or have any ideas what to do for a password?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2237382
For hours now I've been trying alsorts of stuff, from doing things via terminal, trying to do things through recovery, & alsorts to no success. However, I did find one solution that worked:
http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/f77...-pin-reset-no-root-no-usb-debug-free-1722271/
Was posted here on XDA Developers as well, but the thread was closed. Many virus programs do immediately notify that the program contains viruses / trojans, but not sure if they're false positives? Anyway, disabled AVG & it worked like a charm! So, if anyone else needs similar help, maybe try this?
Alas, suppose this thread can be closed now.
^^ That malware had stopped working and that is why it was closed on other site as well.
~ RazorMC

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