(Guide) What can you do if your phone is encrypted and you can't remove it - Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I've spent the whole night trying to figure this out so hopefully the information is useful for some of of you
The usual scenario is that the phone is encrypted due to using Exchange email (eg. Corporate email) and now you can't upgrade or root it. The first thing to do is to delete that email account and hopefully the phone will decrypt itself or the option appears when you go to phone security settings. You can also try to access the corporate email via a browser and delete the mobile connection.
This worked for me previously but it doesn't now - I don't know if its because I'm using a non-stock rom. Either way a lot of people seems to be stuck with a Samsung rom as well. So you now have a phone with the exchange account gone and its restriction so you should in theory be able to removing the decryption but no it doesn't work. I don't know why as this is a basic OS stuff.
At this stage you can try to full wipe it - but this doesn't work, both through settings or CWM. The only way to sort this out is to copy / backup all your information then flash it to factory state and this means using odin and a stock rom. I've done this several times and there is no lasting issues.
I''m by no mean an expert and would be happy for anyone to correct me

Related

[Q] Unlocking messed up my network.

I have Tmobile and it worked perfect before this. usually had full bars, etc.
after this i dont have anything.. just shows a x(0 bars.). went to apn and tried to fix it and nothing. reinstalled greyblur and nothing. did full wipe and nothing..
about 10 minutes later i got a couple facebook notifications. and saw i had 1 bar! i got excited and then it went back down to x... WTF. went to apn settings and such and it doesnt even show Tmobile network. only i can pick between 2 ATT networks. under signal settings or whatever it says im connected to ATT. I have noo clue what is going on.
Can someone help me please?? Would flashing the stock 1.83 help?? Thanks.
Did you do a backup of /DATA?
nexxusty said:
Did you do a backup of /DATA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, i did not. if you mean titanium back up then yes. i followed the instructions on briefmobile..
edit: how would that effect networks or whatever it did..?
wooooow.. xD i just pluged my phone into my computer while having motorola software update started and i have full bars now.. this is very weird.
I dont know if i should be happy or worried LOL
I think I'm having a similar issue. The network is working after unlocking but I can't add my Google account, so I'm locked out of the Android Market and Gmail etc..
I am getting the message "Can't establish reliable connection" when I try to add my Google account to the phone.
I have read that the only solution to this is to do a hard reset. If I have unlocked am I safe to do a hard reset?
My other thought was to re-root and restore the Titanium Backup I took before unlocking. Maybe the system settings I saved would fix it? However when I go reboot to Fastboot and try ADB shell it no longer finds my device (USB debugging is enabled and my drivers must be up to date if I rooted three days ago).
If the easiest thing to do is just hard reset I will do that I just need to know whether it is safe after unlocking. I feel like unlocking may have interfered with whatever the phone uses to communicate with servers but I have no clue if that is possible.
Edit: I was able to root again, had not realized ADB will not work from the fastboot screen. fastboot devices showed my phone. I got rooted, side loaded Titanium Backup and BusyBox. Now I am restoring my apps and settings, I will report back if the problem with signing into Google is resolved.
jbgwofo35 said:
I think I'm having a similar issue. The network is working after unlocking but I can't add my Google account, so I'm locked out of the Android Market and Gmail etc..
I am getting the message "Can't establish reliable connection" when I try to add my Google account to the phone.
I have read that the only solution to this is to do a hard reset. If I have unlocked am I safe to do a hard reset?
My other thought was to re-root and restore the Titanium Backup I took before unlocking. Maybe the system settings I saved would fix it? However when I go reboot to Fastboot and try ADB shell it no longer finds my device (USB debugging is enabled and my drivers must be up to date if I rooted three days ago).
If the easiest thing to do is just hard reset I will do that I just need to know whether it is safe after unlocking. I feel like unlocking may have interfered with whatever the phone uses to communicate with servers but I have no clue if that is possible.
Edit: I was able to root again, had not realized ADB will not work from the fastboot screen. fastboot devices showed my phone. I got rooted, side loaded Titanium Backup and BusyBox. Now I am restoring my apps and settings, I will report back if the problem with signing into Google is resolved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Titanium Backup Restore is done now but I am not out of the water yet. I have all of my applications back and in settings under Accounts I have all of my accounts listed now, but when I launch Android Market or Gmail both applications crash. I tried to add another Gmail account to the phone and when I click Next to begin logging in, I immediately get the "Can't establish a reliable data connection to the server" screen, along with an error dialog saying Gmail has stopped unexpectedly.
I can't tell if this means I got further or am really in the same spot as before
So... can anyone answer the question of whether I am safe to do a hard reset after unlocking and rooting?
jbgwofo35 said:
Titanium Backup Restore is done now but I am not out of the water yet. I have all of my applications back and in settings under Accounts I have all of my accounts listed now, but when I launch Android Market or Gmail both applications crash. I tried to add another Gmail account to the phone and when I click Next to begin logging in, I immediately get the "Can't establish a reliable data connection to the server" screen, along with an error dialog saying Gmail has stopped unexpectedly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem I run into when using Titanium Backup, is that it restores the app and the data associated with the app, and the data caused force closes for the market (Play in my case) and other apps. Try clearing the cache for them. (From the home screen > Menu > Manage Applications > "App" > Clear Data)
I can't tell if this means I got further or am really in the same spot as before
So... can anyone answer the question of whether I am safe to do a hard reset after unlocking and rooting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've honestly never tried it, but hard-reset appears to be the equivalent to wiping cache (and dalvik) and re-flashing. You might try wiping your cache and dalvik cache and flashing the ROM again. Trying a "factory" restore after modifying the factory data on your phone doesn't seem like it would work.
twomoses said:
The problem I run into when using Titanium Backup, is that it restores the app and the data associated with the app, and the data caused force closes for the market (Play in my case) and other apps. Try clearing the cache for them. (From the home screen > Menu > Manage Applications > "App" > Clear Data)
I've honestly never tried it, but hard-reset appears to be the equivalent to wiping cache (and dalvik) and re-flashing. You might try wiping your cache and dalvik cache and flashing the ROM again. Trying a "factory" restore after modifying the factory data on your phone doesn't seem like it would work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did "Clear Data" for Gmail and Market (that is what it is called in my applications list, but the icon says Play).
Gmail is working again! The Market/Play app still gets to a white screen and says "Loading" with the whirly icon then goes away without any information. I see another item in the application list called Google Play Services, should I clear that data as well?
jbgwofo35 said:
I did "Clear Data" for Gmail and Market (that is what it is called in my applications list, but the icon says Play).
Gmail is working again! The Market/Play app still gets to a white screen and says "Loading" with the whirly icon then goes away without any information. I see another item in the application list called Google Play Services, should I clear that data as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You shouldn't have to. If you're seeing a long loading screen, be patient. If it shows market in one spot and Google Play in another, it's probably trying to update.
twomoses said:
You shouldn't have to. If you're seeing a long loading screen, be patient. If it shows market in one spot and Google Play in another, it's probably trying to update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I decided to try side-loading the Google Play Store since the market is no longer used. I got the apk from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1836057.
Now it loads but tells me Authentication is Required. Please sign in. I checked the accounts in the menu and my google account is selected, so I'm not sure what the problem is since Gmail is fine with the account now.
jbgwofo35 said:
I decided to try side-loading the Google Play Store since the market is no longer used. I got the apk from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1836057.
Now it loads but tells me Authentication is Required. Please sign in. I checked the accounts in the menu and my google account is selected, so I'm not sure what the problem is since Gmail is fine with the account now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you start in all this? Were you on a custom ROM and are now trying to get back to stock? Are you on stock and trying to unlock the bootloader or root? The direction you're going will help determine what you may or may not want to try next.
twomoses said:
Where did you start in all this? Were you on a custom ROM and are now trying to get back to stock? Are you on stock and trying to unlock the bootloader or root? The direction you're going will help determine what you may or may not want to try next.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am getting help from you in two separate posts it looks like so I will just consolidate to this thread, I apologize for posting all over the place just hoping to knock this out before the weekend is over.
I started with the official Gingerbread ROM from Motorola. I rooted, then unlocked, then rooted again.
My goal is to end up on an ICS ROM but I would like to get a good back up of the stock ROM first, so I want to knock this problem out, back it up, then flash to a custom ROM. You suggested going ahead and flashing the custom rom, I am just worried about making the problem worse by doing that.
The only problem I am noticing is that I cannot get into the Play Store, and I still get the Can't Establish Reliable connection message when trying to add a Google account. However, Gmail is working now but I can't add another account. I have connected to Wifi and I am still having the problem while connected.
jbgwofo35 said:
I am getting help from you in two separate posts it looks like so I will just consolidate to this thread, I apologize for posting all over the place just hoping to knock this out before the weekend is over.
I started with the official Gingerbread ROM from Motorola. I rooted, then unlocked, then rooted again.
My goal is to end up on an ICS ROM but I would like to get a good back up of the stock ROM first, so I want to knock this problem out, back it up, then flash to a custom ROM. You suggested going ahead and flashing the custom rom, I am just worried about making the problem worse by doing that.
The only problem I am noticing is that I cannot get into the Play Store, and I still get the Can't Establish Reliable connection message when trying to add a Google account. However, Gmail is working now but I can't add another account. I have connected to Wifi and I am still having the problem while connected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you side-loaded Google Play, try clearing any cache (App Data) for it as well. I don't know why your market/play is acting up if all you did was root > unlock > root. Assuming you have flashed CWM Recovery, you may end up having to get Google Apps (usually called gapps) and installing them as a zip to correct this. If so, here are the steps:
Get them from here or browse them all http://goo-inside.me/gapps/ and get the ones you want.
Load them onto the root directory of the phone's SD Card (not the internal memory).
Reboot into Recovery
Choose the option "Install Zip from SD Card" using the volume keys and the lock button
Scroll down to gapps-gb-tegra-20110118-signed.zip (or whichever one you got if you browsed them) and hit the lock button
Scroll down to whichever one says "Yes" in the midst of all the "No"s (I think that's how they're listed)
Reboot when the install is finished. It shouldn't take more than a minute or two.
---------- Post added at 08:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:02 PM ----------
jbgwofo35 said:
I am getting help from you in two separate posts it looks like so I will just consolidate to this thread, I apologize for posting all over the place just hoping to knock this out before the weekend is over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That may explain why I may have had an oops moment in one of them. I'm new to XDA, so I'm trying to help while learning the ropes a bit too. :fingers-crossed:
twomoses said:
If you side-loaded Google Play, try clearing any cache (App Data) for it as well. I don't know why your market/play is acting up if all you did was root > unlock > root. Assuming you have flashed CWM Recovery, you may end up having to get Google Apps (usually called gapps) and installing them as a zip to correct this. If so, here are the steps:
Get them from here or browse them all http://goo-inside.me/gapps/ and get the ones you want.
Load them onto the root directory of the phone's SD Card (not the internal memory).
Reboot into Recovery
Choose the option "Install Zip from SD Card" using the volume keys and the lock button
Scroll down to gapps-gb-tegra-20110118-signed.zip (or whichever one you got if you browsed them) and hit the lock button
Scroll down to whichever one says "Yes" in the midst of all the "No"s (I think that's how they're listed)
Reboot when the install is finished. It shouldn't take more than a minute or two.
---------- Post added at 08:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:02 PM ----------
That may explain why I may have had an oops moment in one of them. I'm new to XDA, so I'm trying to help while learning the ropes a bit too. :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to try the Gapps install, but I am having an issue flashing CWM apparently. I follow the instructions here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1204500 but I am still not seeing Clockwork Mod Recovery. When I reboot, hold volume down, go to Android Recovery and press up, I still see the Android/Triangle/Exclamation point icon. Press volume down and up and see a blue menu with three or 4 options but none are Install from SD, so I am guessing I'm not successfully flashing CWM.
Edit: I did not delete the system/etc/install-recovery.sh file before flashing CWM. I am trying to do that then flash again, but ES File Explorer will not let me delete the file. My super user may need to be updated, but since I can't connect to the store it won't do it on its own.
I resolved the the issue with CWM thanks to Zestar in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1302423&page=16
I just have to reflash every time until I decide to go for the custom rom. I installed GAPPS from CWM Recovery but I am still having the same issue with being told i need to authenticate my account.
I got a ROM backup while in CWM as well so I think at this point I will just flash a custom rom and see where that gets me. Since I got a copy of the rom I should be able to return to this point in time anyways (could be wrong though )
Thanks for your help, I will report back once I have flashed to a new ROM and see what happens.
I didn't get this done before the weekend was up but got time tonight and flashed to the TopSmarts GingerBread ROM (it is really cool to me, a first time custom rom-er). I was able to get set up on e-mail (don't have a Gmail app loaded yet) but Play Store - which I had to side load - is crashing when I try to add an account still.
I flashed the Gapps from above after flashing the new ROM but none of them showed up when the phone booted into the rom for the first time. Do I need to do something other than install from CWM?
Edit: I flashed the Gapps from TopSmarts and rebooted and was able to get Play Store running. It had a minor hiccup and repeated the sign in process a few times but now it is updating my apps. I am happy with the world again, thank you for your help.
jbgwofo35 said:
: I flashed the Gapps from TopSmarts and rebooted and was able to get Play Store running. It had a minor hiccup and repeated the sign in process a few times but now it is updating my apps. I am happy with the world again, thank you for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you got it working. I've never seen the TopSmarts ROM as I am also very new to the custom ROM world. I flashed CyanogenMod 7 Nightly (I didn't know Nightly versions were beta until after I flashed it), and I love it! It took me a couple of tries to get the gapps working too, but once they worked, I haven't really had a problem since.

'Google Talk authentication failed' error

I just got my Atrix yesterday, I seem to have the issue where it wont successfully log in to google talk which also means that I cant download apps. I've tried making a new account which also failed to work. Are there any ideas out there for how I could fix it?
Can anybody help me?
I had the same problem and figured out that it was Droid Wall keeping Gtalk from connecting. Make sure Talk can access the network freely.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
Real solution
Gibsonflyingv said:
I just got my Atrix yesterday, I seem to have the issue where it wont successfully log in to google talk which also means that I cant download apps. I've tried making a new account which also failed to work. Are there any ideas out there for how I could fix it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After cloning a samsung gio s5660 through a CWM backup I started experiencing the same issue. Heres What REALLY happens.
Google authenticates you in their services trought unique "keys" which are automatically generated upon system installation / factory reset, so if you clone your device or install a rom which has these "keys" pre-installed, obviously, your rom will only autheticate you in google servers if your phone is the only one using the service at that given time... Upon failure, your phone assumes to be the one who's wrong, and google servers won't autheticate you until you either tell your phone he is not wrong (by deleting the data from play store, which resets its status and errors) or you change the "keys". SO, what can we learn from this? deleting the play store data IS a temporary solution, and won't solve a thing. Let's delete the duplicated keys shall we?
Navigate with your favourite folder explorer on your android (I use X-plore, you can tell me anything, there's nothing better) to the following directory:
- "(root)/data/data/com.google.android.gsf"
Now you have two real options, either you may delete the all folder, which was the perfect solution for me, since my rom is prepared to re-create it upon phone restart and new keys will be generated, OR, you might want to just delete the contents of app_sslcache inside com.google.android.gsf whish are THE KEYS I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS ALL TIME, YEEEIHHHH and reboot your phone...
Needless to say, take a nandroid backup before you do any of this...
Thank me later
For those who remember me from symbian s60v3 phones, yes, it is me, I'm back, and I've moved to the droid world, it's much better indeed
Let me just say, I have no idea why this thread was moved or resurrected. Whoever did so was about a year and a half too late. Please close/delete this thread.

[Q] Preserve an App through factory reset

I've done everything I can think of to determine if this is a question that has been posed elsewhere - to no avail. Nothing quite seems to fit my predicament exactly (that I've found anyway - please feel free to flame/educate me if I have overlooked anything or am in the wrong thread) I am hoping you 1337 pros here on xda devs can help this poor self-loathing n00b. Apologies for the lengthy post - but it is necessary to explain my question.
I am attempting to develop an app (open source for personal use [no ads] - with enterprise edition available for a fee) that can remotely secure/locate an Android device - tablets, phones, etc -- targeted for anything running Froyo or better.
The problem I am running into is that I am unable to prevent a would-be thief from initiating a factory reset and removing the app (and it's configuration settings). I have device admin setup so that the permissions must be revoked after signing in with a username and password before the app can be uninstalled - but factory restore still wipes it.
As this would be a theft deterrent/recovery tool - relying on a thief to connect the device back to the original Google account and reinstall the apps is out of the question. I understand that if the ROM is replaced with a custom ROM (e.g. Cyanogen, etc.) it would not be able to prevent the app from being wiped - but negating the factory reset from removing the app would still be very beneficial.
Short of including the app in the manufacturer's ROM image - is there any work around to be found here? I'm at my wit's end (however limited that may be).
I am most grateful for any information you can provide - even if its bad news.

Can recovery mode help exit Ultra-Power-Saving-Mode on S5 while locked out of phone?

Is there any way to exit Ultra-Power-Saving-Mode while locked out of my S5 using recovery mode, installing some update, etc? I have a lot of development experience with several languages and tools, but not Android.
I've been using my fingerprint for access for over a year and now I have no idea what my alternative password is... since I've never used it regularly and can't find any record of it. I usually right document such things, but apparently not this time.
Unfortunately, this last Sunday while in Ultra-Power-Saving-Mode something went wrong with my phone and now it only asks for the alternative password... which I can't recall. I've used the Android Device Manager 4 times since then to reset the lock PUK/PIK. After each time resetting it, the lock screen does show the new greeting I set via the Android Device Manager, but it still asks for the alternative password... instead of asking for the PUK/PIK that I just reset.
I am suspecting/hoping that if I can somehow get my phone out of UPSM that the lock screen will allow me to use the reset PUK/PIK to get back into my phone.
So, I am asking if you know of any app that can be installed remotely that will allow me to get my phone out of UPSM? Or, if there is any way to get it out of UPSM by rooting the phone, but installing an ADM update, etc.
Normally I would just do a factory reset because everything is synced up to my Google account. However, apparently my SD card, which was my primary storage, filled up on May 2, so everything since then has been stored on internal memory and thus will be lost if I do a factory reset. I've taken a lot of pictures and video of my 2 1/2 yr old boy and I am trying to avoid losing everything since May 2.
Thanks for any help.
rjlyders said:
Is there any way to exit Ultra-Power-Saving-Mode while locked out of my S5 using recovery mode, installing some update, etc? I have a lot of development experience with several languages and tools, but not Android.
I've been using my fingerprint for access for over a year and now I have no idea what my alternative password is... since I've never used it regularly and can't find any record of it. I usually right document such things, but apparently not this time.
Unfortunately, this last Sunday while in Ultra-Power-Saving-Mode something went wrong with my phone and now it only asks for the alternative password... which I can't recall. I've used the Android Device Manager 4 times since then to reset the lock PUK/PIK. After each time resetting it, the lock screen does show the new greeting I set via the Android Device Manager, but it still asks for the alternative password... instead of asking for the PUK/PIK that I just reset.
I am suspecting/hoping that if I can somehow get my phone out of UPSM that the lock screen will allow me to use the reset PUK/PIK to get back into my phone.
So, I am asking if you know of any app that can be installed remotely that will allow me to get my phone out of UPSM? Or, if there is any way to get it out of UPSM by rooting the phone, but installing an ADM update, etc.
Normally I would just do a factory reset because everything is synced up to my Google account. However, apparently my SD card, which was my primary storage, filled up on May 2, so everything since then has been stored on internal memory and thus will be lost if I do a factory reset. I've taken a lot of pictures and video of my 2 1/2 yr old boy and I am trying to avoid losing everything since May 2.
Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only option I can think of would be to install TWRP custom recovery and use the built in file manager to rename the UPSM app. This wouldn't work if you have an ATT or VZW model, as the bootloaders are locked down, not allowing installation of TWRP, but pretty much any other carrier model should be fine.

Google Account disappears, can't add back

Hey,
today I needed to turn off my phone to swap battery. On turning it back on, my Google account wasn't there anymore, a notification said "due to changes to your account you have to sign in again". But signing it just won't do it. It doesn't fail, I come to the accepting terms and conditions, but when accepting the app just closes, the account isn't created so it seems that whatever app is responsible for that just crashes for no reason without any notification. The strange things: in the process I can see only the arrow in the bottom right, not the words "next" or "accept" (at the last page), only when I tap on them I can see them. And I had no accounts.db under /data/system/users/0. Now I have that file via TB restore. And I now see, after reflashing my ROM (by wiping /system, cache and dalvik-cache in TWRP and flashing the ROM) that I also have under /data a system_ce (with accounts_ce.db) and system_de (with accounts_de.db and accounts_de.db-journal), but I don't know if I had them before the TB restore or the ROM reflashing (having english (US) and german (germany) as system languages).
No solution form anywhere else was helpful. I froze AdAway with TB, deleted /system/etc/hosts, deleted data from PlayStore and PlayServices with multiple reboots and the mentioned reflashing, nothing seems to help.
I'm running Emotion ROM based on CM 14.1 on my Note 4 N910F with latest modem and bootloader I can find. Since I don't know how far that could be ROM or CM related, I'm posting that problem here. I have absolutely no problems logging in with my account on my desktop PC via browser, even logging in on google.com from chrome on the phone is no problem. But filling in the infomation either initiated over system settings -> accounts or by opening PlayStore, I pass everything but the account is not under the accounts section and PlayStore would just open again with the login page.
Anyone any idea how to fix it? Here is a logfile of me trying to log in.
UPDATE: Just did a TWRP restore. Did not help! Going to ask Google meanwhile since it might not be a problem with my device...at least if I can find out where to do so.
PS: just looked into my account settings, it seems to recognize that I log in to my device, but that's it. Disconnectiong the device from there and trying again also doesn't work.

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