I can't seem to find anything that touches on this, so I thought I'd go ahead and ask.
My girlfriend (who is in another state at the moment for a couple months) is concerned someone has 'hacked' her phone.
As much as I know right now, she had her phone sitting on her desk and it came on, out of sleep, bypassing her pattern lock and started automatically downloading and updating her Maps app. She does not have her phone rooted or modded in anyway, just some additional apps (none that deal with app management) and as far as I know (I have a Samsung Vibrant) there are no 'automatically update' option in any of the menus.
Anyone have any idea? I know this is very little information, but it's all I can grab right now and I had a few minutes.
Thanks in advance for any responses!
jwrichards1982 said:
I can't seem to find anything that touches on this, so I thought I'd go ahead and ask.
My girlfriend (who is in another state at the moment for a couple months) is concerned someone has 'hacked' her phone.
As much as I know right now, she had her phone sitting on her desk and it came on, out of sleep, bypassing her pattern lock and started automatically downloading and updating her Maps app. She does not have her phone rooted or modded in anyway, just some additional apps (none that deal with app management) and as far as I know (I have a Samsung Vibrant) there are no 'automatically update' option in any of the menus.
Anyone have any idea? I know this is very little information, but it's all I can grab right now and I had a few minutes.
Thanks in advance for any responses!
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Just to be sure, she has an Eris, correct? I only ask because if her Android Phone (since it's not rooted) is not an Eris then it could have Android OS 2.2 (Froyo), and the Android Market for Froyo does have an option (she would've had to toggle it on somehow) to autoupdate individual apps.
If she definitely has a unrooted Eris and therefore running 2.1, it may still be possible that she installed the Market from 2.2 (there are various sources to do so), although it doesn't sound likely from your description. She would be aware if she did that, too.
I would double check to make sure she has the phone set to only install apps through the Market:
Long-press Menu
Settings
Applications
Make sure that "Unknown sources" is unchecked.
I don't know if it would still be possible for a malicious app to be installed with it unchecked, but it should definitely reduce the probability.
I've seen weird things happen on all sorts of electronics/computers/phones so unless something else suspicious happened, or she has good reason to believe someone did something to her phone in person that would allow them to do things to it remotely, then I wouldn't sweat it yet.
I originally used security software on my phone, but I haven't for a long time.
If she wants to be certain nothing has invaded her phone, then she could do a factory reset:
Long-press Menu
Settings
Privacy
Factory data reset
This will erase everything that didn't come with her phone. Without root access, noone could've done anything permanent to it.
When she boots the phone after the reset, and puts her Google email and password in, Google will automatically restore her Contacts and Calendar (takes several minutes if a lot of data), but she would have to either manually reinstall and reconfigure her apps, or use a backup program like Titanium Backup, or My Backup Pro. MBP is much slower but recent versions have gotten faster and overall I've had better success with it than TB, but many people swear by TB so it just depends.
Good luck.
I have an HTC Desire Z, and it's been acting strangely lately. I hear it play the startup sound when it's in my pocket, meaning the phone has crashed when I wasn't even doing anything. I suppose it's time for a hard reset. I'm very reluctant to do this, but when I missed an important call the other day because my "com.htc.phone" (or whatever) application crashed and I didn't notice, that was the last straw.
What is a checklist of things I should do before hard resetting? So far, I've:
1) Backed up SMS
2) Taken screenshots of all my home screens so as to put the icons back in the same place
3) Taken screenshots of the application settings screens so as to install all the same applications again
4) Taken screenshots of some of the other settings screens, so as to use the same ringtone, background, SMS beep, etc.
What are some other steps I should take? I'm scared that I won't get my phone set up the same way again. My phone is great right now, it's just how I like it - except for the crashes.
Is your phone rooted? If so, TitaniumBackup (TB) would be all you need. You can get TitaniumBackup, free and paid, from the market. TB can backup your screen settings according to the launcher apps. For example, I use Go Launcher and when I do a full backup of Go Launcher, it will backup icons positions and everything else that I have changed in Go Launcher.
It may not be necessary to reset your whole device if your just getting one or two processes force closing themselves. The first thing to check is see if you have installed an app that might be conflicting with system apps (try and remember the last time it was working correctly and uninstall apps that you've installed since then).
If this isn't the issue you can also try to wipe app data/cache for the app in question. I hope this makes sense
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Well, I'm not really sure what's causing the problem. My phone came installed with crapware, and lately I've found software installing itself on my phone without my knowledge. I know for a fact the "QQ Security" crapware the phone came with did indeed prevent my phone from functioning correctly.
I just went from Paranoid Android to CyanogenMod, and expected to have to re-add several apps. If I go from an AOSP ROM back to a TouchWiz ROM, it is treated as a different device, and I get an app list months old. I was pleased to see Android attempting to download my newest set of apps...
However, the sync failed like it does 50% of the time (every app individually fails). Now when I visit the Google Play store, I see my 'new' phone with only a couple of apps installed. I just lost the entire list. Since there's no way to batch install apps with the Play Store, I get to spend a looooong time looking up and reinstalling them by clicking around like an idiot.
Am I missing something? Every element of the story I just described seems like awful design. I'd really not like to resort to AppBrain or something like it. It's incredibly stupid that if the Play Store has some error syncing apps, it makes the new short list the new goal for syncing (so, it won't even try next time).
In short, it would be ideal to have my list of installed apps tied to my account, so that in the event of a problem, I could just push a large "Yes, download ****ing everything" button. Apps that aren't compatible with THIS device can just be skipped I guess. Why is this so hard? Instead I'm going down my 'All' list on my phone, tapping 5 times per app to install them one by ****ing one.
Why don't you just backup apps with titanium and then restore them when you flash a new rom? Titanium has batch commands so it's pretty much one click for each. You can also set up a back up schedule so things are always backed up
Aside from my hesitation to use another app to perform a function that is already supported...
Is Titanium storing the apps themselves, or a list of apps? I really really really do not want to store several MB/GB of data which may or may not be corrupted. If anything, I want to simply store a list of apps, which will all re-download upon restoring the backup.
AndrewZorn said:
Aside from my hesitation to use another app to perform a function that is already supported...
Is Titanium storing the apps themselves, or a list of apps? I really really really do not want to store several MB/GB of data which may or may not be corrupted. If anything, I want to simply store a list of apps, which will all re-download upon restoring the backup.
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Yea it will store all the apps. But if they are working, they probably aren't corrupt.
Also, I have had a few phones over the years linked to my Google account and the play store is never segmented by phone. All my apps that I have been using since my OG Droid show up on my note 2. The times I have let the play store sync my apps they all downloaded fine as long as your screen doesn't turn off which you can force to stay on in the dev settings
I have been using titanium for 5 years now. And have restored my apps literally hundreds of times. Never once did it not work. Never had a single failure. I also have only had the play store re install my apps once. That was the very first time time I flashed a rom back on my droid. That was the first and only time it did that.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
Simply as a matter of principle, I am not concerned with storing the apps themselves. The entire point of the app sync is to keep track of what I have installed. Backing up the apps themselves strikes me as a different goal entirely.
I've had many successful restores myself, but just as many failures. It isn't that difficult of a task... and if it does fail, when every app for some reason (even if it is a legitimate one) isn't installed , there's no way to retry the process. Your new list of synced apps is now the tiny amount that succeeded, the rest are lost to needing to manually reselect. This is absurd.
Multiple phones are definitely treated as separate app lists. I have 5 devices on my Play Store account; each has its own list of associated apps.
This is because every time you flash your phone, or factory reset for that matter, your phone gets a new device ID. That makes it look like a new device to the play store. This will happen anytime you flash a ROM and wipe data. Dirty flashes do not change the ID.
If you use titanium back up, it automatically stores your device ID, so it will prompt you to revert it back the first time opening it after flashing the ROM. This will allow you to maybe reinstall apps through play store, or at least keep the "app list".
I personally think you are being petty about this. It's not Google's fault you are constantly flashing your phone and creating new app ID's.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
I have had the play store fail upon sync before, but it has never failed to keep the list of all the apps I've installed on any device tied to my google account. Strange that said list got wiped for you.
I'd just install a backup app and call it a day. I use Ultimate Backup Pro, by Jrummy. The newest version will sync your apps (a list, or the data) to Dropbox, Box, or Google Drive.
^^^ +1 for this
nrfitchett4 said:
This is because every time you flash your phone, or factory reset for that matter, your phone gets a new device ID. That makes it look like a new device to the play store. This will happen anytime you flash a ROM and wipe data. Dirty flashes do not change the ID.
If you use titanium back up, it automatically stores your device ID, so it will prompt you to revert it back the first time opening it after flashing the ROM. This will allow you to maybe reinstall apps through play store, or at least keep the "app list".
I personally think you are being petty about this. It's not Google's fault you are constantly flashing your phone and creating new app ID's.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
I'd like to agree that it is petty, or believe the terms of the problem as you describe them.
It isn't petty that a feature is not working correctly. Flashing a phone gives a new device ID, but so does losing it, or replacing it. You're passing off the lack of harmony as my mistake.
The mere fact none of us can find a way to retry the app sync proves my point; this argument alone brings me a bit of closure, because at least I am not the only one with the issue. If you are all happy with backing up actual program data instead of realizing the power of a synced list, fine. To suggest this behavior is the intention of Google, however, is nonsense.
...and one last word: if it were as simple as getting a new device ID upon each flash, surely I'd be able to log in to the Play Store and view the list of apps on my 'old' device, right? How does Google know that device no longer exists? How are the two ideas of "syncing apps, but not across different devices" and "getting a new ID upon flash, then attempting to sync" both able to exist?
Perhaps I'm wrong about all of this, but can you really say using 3rd party software to remedy a failed sync is not noteworthy? I specifically remember myself mocking the idea of avoiding 3rd party software when a user wanted to solve a problem... this is much different. This is a legitimate issue with an existing feature.
AndrewZorn said:
If you are all happy with backing up actual program data instead of realizing the power of a synced list, fine.
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Click to collapse
No one said you should backup/restore app data, just the app itself. The app data is actually frowned upon for the most part. Although I have done it numerous times and have never had an issue, but that's a whole different can of worms
But in the end, you do what you want to do.
You are tilting at windmills.
There is a reason everyone uses an app backup program like Titanium or My Backup Pro (those are the two I use). It's the easiest/fastest way to restore apps. Google backup and restore was not intended for 'us' who root. No amount of believing its wrong the way it works is going to change that.
There are apps that will only backup the market link (to your storage) but the only one I know of does not have a one button restore. But it's called App List Backup if you want to check it out.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
I love titanium backup. The fact that I can backup all of my apps and restore them plus restore data, such as the music that's already buffered on Google play music is great. Is a time saver! Imop
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
I still feel like you guys are misunderstanding me (mostly, yes, I've tried App List Backup, and it's alright, "Google should already do this better" aside)...
Backing up programs themselves to create some huge file is a completely different thing than maintaining a list of installed apps on Google's servers. Completely different things. You may be willing to say they accomplish the same goal, something I disagree with. Let's stop talking about rooting and flashing, and start considering the idea of a lost/broken/corrupted phone. If the Google app sync worked better (in terms of reliability or feature set), it would be a painless task to have a new phone redownload all apps installed on the old one.
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AndrewZorn said:
I still feel like you guys are misunderstanding me (mostly, yes, I've tried App List Backup, and it's alright, "Google should already do this better" aside)...
Backing up programs themselves to create some huge file is a completely different thing than maintaining a list of installed apps on Google's servers. Completely different things. You may be willing to say they accomplish the same goal, something I disagree with. Let's stop talking about rooting and flashing, and start considering the idea of a lost/broken/corrupted phone. If the Google app sync worked better (in terms of reliability or feature set), it would be a painless task to have a new phone redownload all apps installed on the old one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You like to find problems instead of solutions. Sure it's a little bit of work to go down the Google Play list and install the one you want but how often are you planning to break/lose/corrupt your phone?
Backup file size. Backup to dropbox. Backup to your SDCard. Move your backup file to your PC.
Restoring a device to the way it was. Do a nandroid. Use your extSDCard. Root the new phone and restore. Boom exactly the way you left it.
I think you already mentioned that you didn't want to use AppBrain. But that is another potential solution.
I realize you want a perfect native Google solution but we are not the ones who can solve that for you. It would be a nice feature, but I still wouldn't use it. App backup gives me more control with really no downside. And nandroid is a perfect system restore with data intact.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
Hi there,
I'm curious if it is possible to install an app so that it will be there, even if the phone is wiped (either from the phone or CWM/TWRP). I don't care if the phone must be rooted or the app needs to be pushed to system apps or integrated in the rom. It's basically because I want to make my own phone tracking software that sends me the position periodically or after SIM was changed. I heard that cerberus was capable of doing that (or at least not being uninstalled wihtout authorization).
It's not about just getting an app like that, but the fun, developing it myself. A friend of mine was robbed recently, so I got interested in that stuff...
So, is there any way to make an app stick after wipe?
Thx in advance
SKArabaeus said:
Hi there,
I'm curious if it is possible to install an app so that it will be there, even if the phone is wiped (either from the phone or CWM/TWRP). I don't care if the phone must be rooted or the app needs to be pushed to system apps or integrated in the rom. It's basically because I want to make my own phone tracking software that sends me the position periodically or after SIM was changed. I heard that cerberus was capable of doing that (or at least not being uninstalled wihtout authorization).
It's not about just getting an app like that, but the fun, developing it myself. A friend of mine was robbed recently, so I got interested in that stuff...
So, is there any way to make an app stick after wipe?
Thx in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
System apps won't be affected by a factory reset, a wipe of the system partition will obviously remove it though. This would require the phone to be rooted.Also, apps which require you to add as admin (try installing avast interface), can't be uninstalled unless that option is turned off.
Hi everyone,
In the last 6 months I've been going back and forth between phones a lot (mainly because of a temperamental GS6, that got replaced by a GS7 last week). To be honest, I never really cared about backing up anything on my Android devices in the past because I would still use an iPhone as a main device (I know, I know...). Now though, my Android has become my main device and I want to back things up as seamlessly as I can - say what you want about Apple and iOS, but as a Mac user, backup is something they do really well.
I've noticed that even if I checked off everything that I had to, nothing got backed up to my account: no Wifi passwords, no app data, nothing. I did see the devices to restore from when I booted a new phone, but selecting one or another backup only asked me which apps I wanted to re-install; once done, no app data was restored. I mean, I can go to Play and re-install apps myself... the whole point is to recover my DATA in the apps... And as I mentioned, all my passwords needed to be input manually and so on.
I'm not talking about contacts or calendars, those are fine; I'm just interested in app data. Did I miss something? Am I misunderstanding what I can and cannot back up?
Thanks!
PS: I know of and have used things like Titanium, but both my GS6 and GS7 are not rooted, and I can't (because of a stupid rule from Canadian Banks of all things...) so those are not an option. I find it hard to believe there are no solutions in 2016 to back up my app data. All the backup apps I've tried back up the APKs but not the data.
Helium backup doesn't require root, so I recommend trying it out: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.backup it's not as good as titanium backup though.
mosimchah said:
Helium backup doesn't require root, so I recommend trying it out: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.backup it's not as good as titanium backup though.
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Thanks, I've tried it but it doesn't keep application data either just the APKs
You will have to have root for this. This is due to the security of the data partition where the apps and data are being restored. Google does back up the info with apps or so they say but I have never seen it work outside of the nexus line due to oem messing with the code.