Someone I work with his come to me for help because he knows I'm all into android gadgets. I have rooted my last two phones within hours of getting them and have become a flashaholic. Always messing with my devices.
He has a Samsung Captivate that he has "retired" and I'm interested in buying it for a few purposes. Unfortunately, he let his (adult) son play with it and the lock screen pattern is set. He doesn't know the pattern or the google account password associated with the account on the device. (When he upgraded and moved out of the device he had to create a new google account.)
He wants to look into the device one more before he turns it over to me. (I will wipe it and root it for my purposes.) Is there a way to get past the lock screen without the complete reset in recovery?
Sent from my GS4 running GoldenEye 26 while holding a homebrew.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs642eujuLA
This might depend on what update it is on, but you can try that.
More generic ideas:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1800799
There are also tools that have the capability to bypass it that some professional shops would have, but probably would be hard pressed to find one of them and between the time and $, probably not worth it.
Related
Ok, before everyone jumps to conclusions on multiple accounts let me get this out there.
1. I am not a noob when it comes to forums and no how to search ie my search results:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=989241
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1067003
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=913958
2. I am not a noob when it comes to android devices and would call myself moderately knowledgable in the subject and really cant think of any other ideas also google nor sprint is not helping in the slightest ( and honestly I dont expect them too).
3. The story below is true and i DID NOT STEAL or receive a STOLEN phone, nor am i some jealous boyfirend. I am doing this for a friend, so here it goes.
My coworkers son commited suicide and has asked me to look at his phone to see if i can find away to unlock it so he can either know if anybody knew this was happening or most likely i think for closure of this whole ordeal. When given to me he had already given the phone to many gestures and gives me the google account lockout screen. the father just wants to see the latest messages on the phone as well as anything that might have come up. now this is what i have done so far:
PHONE: EVO 4G
Status: Stock AKA NOT ROOTED
1. I have taken out the SD card to see if i can grab anything off of there but the last time the text messages were backed up were on 7-31-2011, so that really doesn t help me there. I cant think of any other folders to look in in order to find anything else.
2. The phone was never set to USB debugging so there is no chance of rooting the phone (although i am not sure this would even unlock the phone at this point)
3. His father does not know the gmail account and I have only found a few other accounts through facebook and odd random searches that you can scarely do on the internet. After reading some other posts though I am not sure i could do what i was thinking with this because it only updates the computer and not the password on the phone.
4. Tried calling the phone. The phone doesnt even register as if someone is calling. The father said he didnt turn off the phone yet, and it makes since as i am creepily getting text messages as we speak.
So this is where i am at. I cannot think of too much more. Like i said i dont want the phone, it isnt stolen, and i am really just trying to help the guy out. Google told him becaus ethe kid is older then 18 ther eis nothing they can do and if that is there policy then that is BS especially in this situation. and sprint told him they can do a factory reset on the phone. so those are out of the question.
If you're positive that usb debugging is off, then there's not much you can do.
If you can reset the password to his Google account, and the phone has an internet connection, then inputting the new Google information should unlock the phone. I'm not sure if a connection is automatically created during this process. If you'd like, I can test the theory on my own Evo if you can't get any further.
Most people use the same password for everything. If you can find a password for anything, it's likely that's the password for his Google account. Check his computer as well. If he has saved his login information in his web browser, you should be able to pull that information.
Unfortunately you would have many more options if the phone was rooted. You could do a nandroid backup then sift through the data.img. I'm not sure if the stock recovery allows for anything that will help you. When you get into the stock recovery, it looks like you don't have any options. I believe holding both volume buttons simultaneously on the screen with the red triangle/exclamation point will give you a list of options.
If you cannot get into the phone, the SD card is probably going to be your best source of information - though it's unlikely that you'll get much. Browse through all of the directories. He could've switched SMS Backup apps and the information could be stored in a less obvious location. Try /sdcard/data and /sdcard/android/data.
If I can think of anything else I will post it. Both ADB and MyPhoneExplorer (I'm not positive that's the name) would be helpful in this situation, but without usb debugging on I don't think you'll be able to use them. Research further into enabling usb debugging without access to the OS.
I'm sorry for your friend's (and your) loss. I hope that in some way, even if not through the phone, he can find closure.
Sent from my Evo + MIUI using Tapatalk!
Thanks for the response good ideas, and I will try them. Turns out this kid never had a computer and in talking with the friends they only had his other email accounts so I will think of someway to get around that, but anyways thanks again.
Your best bet would be something like the Cellebrite UFED that was getting some attention a few months ago. There are other mobile forensics utilities - I'm not sure if they can be purchased by a single person or if there are guidelines these companies must follow before selling the devices. I'm also sure that they're not cheap, so unless you or your friend are very well off, you probably couldn't buy one yourself anyway.
I took a Computer Forensics course and we spent a week on mobile forensics. This was before Android was popular, and I believe that we used the device on a BlackBerry. The device (I don't remember the name) made an image of the contents which we then looked through using Forensic Toolkit or something similar.
If you know anyone in a computer program, ask if they have access to a similar device. We were allowed to use whatever tools were available during specified times (mainly for lab work, but we could use them for other reasons), so this would be your best bet for getting information off of the phone. Other places, like repair shops (and police departments) may have access to similar technology. If you can find someone empathetic to your situation with access to mobile forensics tools then you may be able to get somewhere.
It's a long shot, but I had the thought & wanted to bump your thread for you in hopes that someone with more knowledge could help you out.
If the device happens to have wifi on & is connected, you can also hack into it over the network. If this is the case and you need more information, shoot me a pm and I'll give you what information I know on ways to do so.
Sent from my Evo + MIUI using Tapatalk!
thanks for sharing.................
Helo ppl....I happened to miss my S2 about a week back after which I had lodged a police complaint with IMEI and relevant details and am waiting for information about the phone. Regarding the instances and settings with which the phone was lost gave me a few doubts which I post here. Any one who could throw some light would be helpful
1) When the phone was lost it was already in 2% battery level. So as soon as I lost it when i called back to my number obviously I got a "phone switched off" message.But not sure if it had switched off by itself or if it had been switched off. I believe there is no way of knowing. But if any one has a miraculous idea or sumthing.... do post
2) I had pattern lock active on the phone so I wonder if there is any layman work around for pattern lock just to be sure if my data has been compromised. And also, if the pattern lock is active , when the phone is connected via USB does it give direct access inspite of the pattern lock or how else does it work? If my phone does end up non-traceable i just want to rest assured that the data doesnt get out and to bypass the lock the thief just formats the phone, which i would say is much better for me.
3)I came across a very promising tracking software called Plan B on the google play store and tried installing it via my computer by logging in to my gamil ID. Once i went to the google play store I could see that my ID was still associated with Galaxy S2 even after a week. So does the last active device on the gmailID still show up even if the phone has been logged of my account/phone formatted or could i take it that the device has not been logged off my gmail ID/not formatted yet??
Thanks for ur replies....
If you didn't install tracking software on your phone before you lost it, the police recovering it is your only chance. And at a rough guess, police probably recover 0.01% (1 in 10,000) of stolen mobile phones (in Australia at least)...you know the rest.
MistahBungle said:
If you didn't install tracking software on your phone before you lost it, the police recovering it is your only chance. And at a rough guess, police probably recover 0.01% (1 in 10,000) of stolen mobile phones (in Australia at least)...you know the rest.
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So what is the best tracking software for our phones?
There's lots of them. Search Google Play. I don't use any on my phone, but I use Prey on my laptop & I've heard good things about their Android app. Try a few out & see which has the features you want & works best for you.
metinrecepi said:
So what is the best tracking software for our phones?
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@mistah: thanks for the replyy....i too know the scenario about police helping out...but they insisted that they had retrieved quite a number of phones and since it was a smart phone it would be easier they said.......I was jus hoping if some one could enlighten me on point no 2).....
Today my friend took my Mobile phone for couple of minutes and later gave me a phone having a new screen lock over it. The phone when I gave was locked with PIN Protection and it had no access to the Internet. He doesn't know the password of the phone nor of my Google Account. He didn't even booted the phone into Recovery mode through which he could flash the bypassing zip available over different threads. He has done this on HTC, Sony, Samsung, and which so ever Android phone. He had done so even on iPhone 6. I want to know if this is possible like is there any master reset option to do on Android and if yes then how can even I do? Help and thanks in advance!
Your question, although apparently genuine, opens the doors wide open for it to be misused by other individuals. Hence it violates XDA Rules. So, need to close this thread for that reason.
A while ago I took advantage of a Verizon deal (big mistake). I got a tablet for a roommate as well as myself. We had a falling out, he moved away and changed his number, contact info, everything... and the tablet was returned to me..... factory reset.
The tablet wants the original Google Account to sign in before it will initiate any setup. No way past this point.
I've contacted several different Verizon and Google tech supports and QTASUN for help always to be referred to the next company (it's not our fault, etc). Over the past 6 months trying for a solution within Warranty, i'm giving up. :crying:
(Verizon - We just sell the tablet
Google - It's a Hardware safety, it's designed that way
QTASUN - It's software security, ^)
I've asked Verizon stores and techs from different locations about flashing the Tablet for me and some I even have to explain what 'flashing' is and was told 'we don't do that'. Another associate told me 'it would require a level '5' tech on site to flash it, however it's 'against the rules' anyway.'
Please help. I'm paying for a Tablet I am unable to even use, and it's physically in perfect condition. Near new.
I don't know the first thing to prepare to flash anything, however I'm not completely illiterate when it comes to computers. I only want to be able to use the tablet... don't care so much about OEM unlocking and removing bloatware (although nice option). Any help will be greatly appreciated. TY
-Very tired and disappointed Verizon customer.
Look up bypass Google frp lock. I managed to get past the screen where it asks for the previous Google account on an LG X Power I found in the street. It had been driven over but I figured out the only thing damaged was the battery. So after I replaced the battery, I did a factory reset and it asked for my old login which I obviously didn't know. There wasn't a guide that directly helped me but I managed to create my own way of getting passed it with all the different methodologies I looked up. The first thing you should find out is if you can get chrome to open up during the initial set up. It usually involves going into accessibility and finding a link to some terms and conditions page or something, which in turn opens up chrome.
I have an old AT&T Asus 9020A tablet. I got them new years ago thru my phone plan with AT&T. It wasn’t used much and is like new still.
Anyway, I take care of my mother and she likes games and painting by numbers on her iPad but she broke it and screwed up her charging port. I want to fix this tablet up for her.
I bet it wasn’t used 2 months and was just forgotten….I looked it up and completed a factory reset on it and wiped it clean. So I was trying to set it up and get her to painting again! It’s bout to kill her not having it..lol
I was setting it up and it wants the old email associated that was used to set it up. There is no way to remember that or even get it. I asked my daughter, she don’t remember. Anyway, are there any way I can use (reset) this tablet not knowing the old email that was associated with it? Where I can fix her up for her or am I just wasting my time? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
So it is FRP locked?
Arealhooman said:
So it is FRP locked?
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It’s not locked. It reset ever And started the initial setup as if it was new. It just wants the old gmail for some reason before it will accept the new one. It lets me start in the setting up her account on it but is asking for the old email for verification….. I don’t have it and there is no way to remember it unfortunately. I know they are there to keep folks from stealing them and that’s great. But 10 years later…LOL Is this possible?
what you describe (verify device with google account) is called FRP lock (factory reset protection). this is same on most/all official android devices to render device useless on theft.
however, the unofficial by-pass methods vary for each device model/android version. search on YouTube.