Dialer codes (eg *#*#225#*#*) - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Yes, yes I know *#*#INFO#*#* (Debug menu) has been discovered and thoroughly analyzed countless times but I want to draw attention to a few others:
*#*#225#*#* (presumably 225 = CAL) brings up Calendar Info which seemingly only lists the number of events for each sync'd Google calendar. Interesting, but not really userful.
*#*#CHECKIN#*#*
Rumored to trigger OTA updates but in my experience this is false. I have yet to find any explanation for what this does, but it consistently triggers network activity and then a "Checkin succeeded" notification appears.
Does anyone have any info on what a checkin is??
*#*#682#*#*
Consistently triggers network activity but I don't know the purpose. I got excited when I tried this because I'm waiting for the 2.3 update for my Tmo G2 and, well, 682 could stand for "ota".... But it didn't trigger any update, unsurprisingly.
Does anyone have any info on this one??
I'm trying to find a way to easily capture network traffic from my phone to learn anything about the network activity triggered by the last two commands. However, if anybody else already knows how to do this and would like to investigate, feel free!
Also, if anyone has discovered similar codes (of the *#*# _ #*#* variety - I'm not talking about manufacturer or carrier specific codes - no shortcodes for checking minute balances please!) feel free to share. I'm sure there have to be more of them!

Related

Using Cell Tower Identifier for Location-Based Services?

I saw this product mentioned on infosync, and it got me thinking that with your growing knowledge of the Phone Edition's inner workings that something like this might be possible on the XDA:
PsiLOC+ miniGPS
(in case you don't want to visit the page)... Basically they are using information about which cell towers are in range to trigger events. They give some nice examples, like having an alarm go off when you get close to your train stop (that way even if the train's delayed and you're asleep you still get the "wake-up call" when you're near your destination.) Or how about having the phone turn the volume down (and switch to vibrate) automatically whenever you're in church or your favorite movie theater.
You could do the XDA a great service just making details of how to get at the relevant information (area ID and cell ID) public, if they aren't already...
CellID and other network info
At the lowest layer, there seem to be no AT commands to get network-related information. And at the TAPI layer (the only one an application can easily get to), this information is, as far as we know, unavailable.
We're working on understanding the modem better, and one of the aims of this endavour is precisely this: getting the CellID for location-based stuff.
Stay tuned (but don't hold your breath)
Surely not?
Surely the only communication with the radio stack isn't via AT commands. Is there no low level api, IO ports, DMA, interrupts etc? How, for example, is the voice stream delivered to the radio stack?
Would it be possible to write a kernel mode driver for these services?
I won't teach you to suck eggs, but maybe a few ideas.
Well... As we see it now all communication with the modem may well be multiplexed in one serial 115.200 bps serial stream. We're working on it...
On my Nokia 6210 I've installed Network-monitor. It shows easily this kind of information.
see this:
http://www.logomanager.co.uk/help/Tools/NetMonMenus.html
localization??? it's already there!
look:
http://www1.o2.ie/products_services/location_services
Re: localization??? it's already there!
kimmie said:
http://www1.o2.ie/products_services/location_services
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These services are network based: i.e. the network knowing where the phone is. This is different than the phone autonomously figuring out where it is, without help from the network.
Depending on the provider, maps with cellIDs may be available.
serial stream.
XDA Developer, I'd like to be involved in the investigation of the modem. This interests me a great deal.
Not hot on hardware, but I can do some dissassembly and stuff like that.
[email protected]
Disassembly would be a lot easier if you set yourself up with a dev system for ATI Nucleus (which I'm told is the embedded OS for the radio stack).
I have a Nucleus setup here but it's geared toward PowerPC as the target. Anybody know what kind of processor is in the radio module? Is the DSP ("TI HERCROM") what's running Nucleus? According to ATI's site all of the dev tools for that port are maintained by TI. The chip has a JTAG interface, so that would make emulation a possibility, and might help. TI's tools for these things are historically free (they want you to buy chips, after all) but I haven't dug any deeper than this right now.
A 4 meg code space is quite a lot to have to wade through, and it's looks like they're using most of it.
Anyone who upgraded their T-Mobile device using the latest update has easy access to the radio stack ROM image, since it lives in the Windows directory after the CE OS upgrade and never gets deleted. There's a file called rsupgrade.cp64 (3.83 MB) which contains the code being squirted into the radio module's ROM by rsupgrade.exe after the first soft-reset.

[Q] Location-aware lock screen?

Is anyone aware of a location-aware app to enable and disable the lock screen? I'd actually prefer to trigger it based on WiFi availability, but I'd consider other location schemes.
Via e-mail, I have potentially sensitive business information on my phone.
However, I primarily work from a home office which makes the code-based lock screen a minor hassle. (I don't use the pattern, the finger marks on the screen make it too easy to guess.)
So obviously I'd love it if my lock would kick-in when I head to lunch or need to physically visit the "real" office or whatever -- but not when I'm at home.
Any ideas?
I've no suggestions but I've thought of the exact same thing. I'd love for it pattern lock when I'm anywhere but my home.
I would even pay for that app.
I would recommend looking into Tasker. I haven't personally used it, but I have heard many great things about it. On their website it lists some examples of what you can use it for, one of them is changing phone settings based on location. You can download a free 7 day trial from their website. It costs 3.49 GBP direct from their website or 3.99 GBP in the market.
tasker. dinglisch. net (I can't post links to outside websites, remove the spaces)
Forgot all about Tasker. Good idea.
I've used Setting Profiles to do the same.
When I'm at work the pattern gets set, but when I'm at home, it's not on.
I just downloaded Settings Profiles, but none of the security settings can be adjusted in a profile (at least, not in the Lite version). I'd prefer something more straightforward like that, but none of the profile apps I checked have that setting available.
It appears Tasker can do this with the aid of a plugin:
http://groups.google.com/group/tasker/browse_thread/thread/35f0c3d6dcf4a644/964318b8f77810fc
Haven't tried it yet, though.
Ah. Apparently this is never going to be possible as of 2.2 and higher.
Google blocked programmatic access to the Secure Settings provider as of Froyo.
<sigh>
First we lose GPS control. Now this. Hell, by the time Android 4.0 is out, we'll probably have to check with the Google front desk just to place a call.
(Yes I understand why... but it seems like they could provide some kind of authorization mechanism in case, you know, we pesky old users consciously decided to give access to those settings to a particular application...)
It wouldn't be difficult to add a way for a service or application to communicate
with the lock screen, like Settings can choose which lock screen to display.
the application would at least have to be installed to /system/app but may
have to be signed with the same key as the ROM, if that is the case then
files could be used instead of the system settings db.
this would only protect from a casual attack like some nosy person picking up the phone
and browsing through your stuff, Odin is the ultimate root kit, so a prepared attacker could
probably get what they want in 5-10 min.
Yeah, but vulnerability to ODIN is going to be the case no matter what. I'm a lot more worried about "Some Random Idiot in a Bar" than I am about the several hundred people across the country who can actually use ODIN well enough to go all Wargames on my phone.

[Q] How can I prove that my Android Device (SGS2) has been used by someone else?

Back Story:
My phone was left in my house (shared with other people) yesterday while I was at work. When I got home I was checking missed calls, voicemail etc and I noticed that some text messages were missing. I looked a bit more and it seems that 2 seperate sms message threads had been deleted and a number of contacts had been deleted too. Now, this has happened before to another housemate but we couldn't prove that it had been done. We are pretty sure we know who did it but I need concrete evidence that the phone was accessed.
Phone Specs: Samsung Galaxy S2, rooted, running CM7 latest nightly. I also have Cerebrus installed if that helps.
So my questions are as follows:
1) Is it possible to see what activity was happening on my phone yesterday? I don't have any "logging" software running.
2) Is it possible to retrieve the deleted SMS messages?
I work in IT so am pretty tech savvy, just not in the workings of the Android OS!
All help greatly appreciated.
P.S. I have already been able to restore the contacts that were deleted using the restore functionality in gmail.
The short answer is no. It is, at least in theory, possible to "undelete" stuff, but it isn't usually practical. Even if you did, you wouldn't have "proof" in the legal sense.
That said, I have been involved in a similar situation. Here's the approach we used. It is reasonable to assume that this behavior will continue. Therefore, get some logging software installed. Do NOT talk about it. Do nothing out of the ordinary. Just quietly install some software that will let you see what is going on with your phone. I know there are apps which will email an alert when accessed, snap a pic from the front-facing camera, log SMS to email, remotely lock the phone, etc etc. Based on what you need to accomplish, get these set up and then BE PATIENT. wait a few days (unless you normally leave your phone at home) and leave it again when the person in question might be around.
A pic would be sufficient proof I would think for confronting a roomie. If nothing else log your sms's. I use integrated Google Voice so I'd get an alert on my PC even if I didn't have the phone (very handy, that), but that may not be an option for you.
I also use SeekDroid for remote locking, and I -think- there's a remote camera provision, but it's at a higher paid level than I am subscribed to. At any rate that's my suggestions.
Or, the simple solution: Put a better lock code on your phone.
-JB
A lock code would help prevent the behavior in the future. For catching the vandal red-handed, I believe an app like Gotcha! may do what you need.

[Q] character limit in contacts notes field

I've found other threads about a similar issue, but not for the SG III
The character limit in Android contacts notes field, THAT CAN BE EDITED DIRECTLY IN THE PHONE seems to be about 1000, (968 according to some users)
This also seems to be related only to SAMSUNG version of contacts.
Has anyone found a workaround to this limit?
The bad news are that if you sync with Outlook, you may end up with a loss of information.
I know, I know: 1000 is a lot, contacts is not a CRM program, etc, but any help will be really wellcome.
Regards.
Contacts notes field character limitations
This issue of a limited notes field in the contacts app - while it seems like such a small one to most people - greatly affects many of us who utilize the contacts in our Gmail accounts to store a great deal of information (usually, I have found, due to the kind of work we do). Frankly, for me the limitation is important enough that it has affected and continues to affect which phones and tablets I purchase.
There are only a few Android phones that do not have this limitation. Fortunately, the HTC One M8 and M9 don't have character limits in the notes field of the contacts app. (If you've stood in a store and copied and pasted many times over to test this, you'll want to know that there's a simple tell I've found - the name of the contacts app. If it's called "People," as is the case with the Samsung phones, so far everyone I've tested has had the limitation. If, instead, it's called "Contacts," as is the case with the HTC phones, then there's no limitation.
Some have theorized to me that the phone manufacturers include this limitation knowingly in order to keep phones from being overburdened by data. I have a difficult time believing this, partly because I have approximately 10,000 contacts, and in the accompanying notes fields I store everything from copies of correspondence to research to articles related to the contacts. I've never come close to any data storage space issues related to this particular issue. By the way, there's a bit of a work around with regard to this issue, though it's nowhere near helpful enough to change my feature priorities when looking for a new phone - something I do every six months or so. You can use a PC to do your major notes field creating and editing - and as long as you don't need to make any changes via your mobile device, you can get along OK. That is, while you can edit the notes field using unlimited characters space on your laptop, then read everything in the app on the phone, any editing on your mobile device done in notes which exceed the limit is limited by the character limitation.
I love my HTC, but I probably would be using a Samsung were it not for this issue. I've spent some considerable time - and many different times - on the phone with people at Samsung about this issue. Most of the time, after lengthy back and forth conversations (most people don't fully understand the issue initially; then, once they do, their usual responses range from some level of disinterest to judgments about why no one should ever need to reach much less exceed the maximum), I rarely can get anyone in either support or development to even agree to mention the issue to the development teams with which they at least share company benefits.
This issue is one of several that restrict the phones I buy. Unlike many (I'm guessing, based on the number of phones built with the relevant specs), a micro SD card is important to me. The importance to me of that one feature narrows the phones in my market considerably. In fact, based on very unscientific research, I believe my desire/need for a phone with a micro SD card and unlimited space in the notes field of the contacts app limits me currently to precisely two phones - the HTC One M9 (my current phone) and the Sony Xperia Z. As to high-end tablets, I own a Google Nexus 7 because it doesn't limit the notes field, but I just bought a Sony Xperia z2 tablet (because it also has a micro SD card).
Fortunately for me, both the HTC One M9 smartphone and the Sony Xperia z2 tablet are top-notch pieces of hardware. I used to own a Motorola Droid Razr M - when it included an SD card - because it, too, didn't limit the notes field. But it no longer has an SD card.
Surely there is some way for the phone manufacturers to get rid of what seems to be a spurious limitation. I know, for me, at least it would give me the opportunity to purchase from a less limited market.
Thanks
Thanks so much for your comment that I absolutly agree with.
My Contactc list is about 5000, with the same issues and use as yours.
I'm also commited to devices supporting external SD cards, it has saved my day a few times already
Just to be fair, I've to comment some "news" on the issue.
I'm actually on LG band (LG G-III to be more precise) and It's both a capable and excellent performer, with less limitations tan current Samsung devices (not to mention the iPhone-likes S6 family)
Regarding the notes field, LG (Or KitKat/Lollipop, not sure) has a different approach, though a bit cumbersome:
When you open in your device an existing contact from your Contacts list, in the Notes field (NOT created by default on new contacts, you have to manually add it) the number of characters SHOWN is limited to about 1000 characters.... this limit applies ONLY to how many characters are DISPLAYED.
BUT if you enter the edit mode inside the contact ... .¡THERE IS NO LIMITATION! NO LOSS OF INFORMATION EITHER IN THE PROCESS OF SYNCING. you read/edit the NOTES field in FULL with no limitations.
As soon as you "Save" or "exit" the edit mode, you are back to the restricted character display, but the "rest of the info" is there.
IN SHORT: The LIMIT is in the number of characters displayed NOT in the STORED info.
It may help you broaden your device buying options as it did with mines.
I don't know if this applies to other devices.
Give it a try if you like.
Regards.
Simpler problem for my s4 is not enough characters in the contact name field...only 17 characters doesn't cut it. Also curious why I don't have the plus/minus symbols for adding another number to a contact (say they had home/office/fax/etc). What did I turn off that affected the plus/minus symbol?
asdfasfd said:
Simpler problem for my s4 is not enough characters in the contact name field...only 17 characters doesn't cut it. Also curious why I don't have the plus/minus symbols for adding another number to a contact (say they had home/office/fax/etc). What did I turn off that affected the plus/minus symbol?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never heard of such a thing, it has to be a different issue. Maybe you should reset your device to get a fresh Contact manager start-up.
Sorry not being able to help.
Regards.

Looking for a specific application

I'm looking for a very specific tracking application for android. I am a small store owner and have 2-3 delivery guys. I am looking to buy them cheap android phones for keeping track of where they go while on delivery.
Now I have already selected a phone, what I need is an app for keeping track of them. I want an app that will, firstly, give me their position when requested, either through SMS or cellular (SMS is preferred).
Secondly, I want a feature that I automatically get a text alert if these phones (and so their owners) go out of a certain radius. If I set this radius for just my city, I want a text alert whenever that phone gets out of that city.
The master device through which I view the locations and on which I get the alert can either be a phone, tablet, or even a PC. Just as long as the two features I mentioned are present. I found many on the play store which meet the first requirement but not the second.
So does such an app exist?
Regards,
Cerberus97

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