italdesign
Level 2 Member
I had a few things stolen on my trip. My phone was not among them, but it prompted me to prepare. In researching, it seems these are the requirements for a remote Android wipe/lock:
1. Android Device Manager is installed and enabled on the phone.
2. You have access to your Google account on some device (to initiate the wipe/lock)
3. Phone is connected to the internet (to receive the wipe/lock signal)
#1 is easy. However, #2 and 3 are easily disrupted. For #2, if you're on a trip, after losing your phone, you may not have another device where you have logged into Google before. In that case, it requires two-factor authentication. It can either send a txt msg to your phone (wonk wonk), or use a printed backup code. But there's a decent chance the perpetrator also has your wallet, where you kept the codes. So now you have no access to your Google account which is required to perform the wipe/lock.
For #3, the perpetrator can just go into airplane mode and the wipe/lock would never happen (I just tested lock with airplane mode on and it never took place until phone got on internet). He can leisurely read everything on your phone, including all those sensitive Google docs you've made available offline for convenience.
Sure, if you're in a neat situation where you brought your laptop to the trip (and it isn't stolen, and you have quick access to it, and there's internet...), AND the perpetrator didn't take the phone offline, then you can wipe it. But chances are it won't be that handy when it comes to it.
I'm hoping there are solutions to what I've outlined? Any Android experts?
1. Android Device Manager is installed and enabled on the phone.
2. You have access to your Google account on some device (to initiate the wipe/lock)
3. Phone is connected to the internet (to receive the wipe/lock signal)
#1 is easy. However, #2 and 3 are easily disrupted. For #2, if you're on a trip, after losing your phone, you may not have another device where you have logged into Google before. In that case, it requires two-factor authentication. It can either send a txt msg to your phone (wonk wonk), or use a printed backup code. But there's a decent chance the perpetrator also has your wallet, where you kept the codes. So now you have no access to your Google account which is required to perform the wipe/lock.
For #3, the perpetrator can just go into airplane mode and the wipe/lock would never happen (I just tested lock with airplane mode on and it never took place until phone got on internet). He can leisurely read everything on your phone, including all those sensitive Google docs you've made available offline for convenience.
Sure, if you're in a neat situation where you brought your laptop to the trip (and it isn't stolen, and you have quick access to it, and there's internet...), AND the perpetrator didn't take the phone offline, then you can wipe it. But chances are it won't be that handy when it comes to it.
I'm hoping there are solutions to what I've outlined? Any Android experts?
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