Taking mobile travelling - best precautions if it gets lost?

Ice Rich

Ice Rich

Ice Rich

Soldato
Joined
3 Dec 2004
Posts
2,643
Hi all,

Will be doing some travelling soon and taking my phone (moto 4g), plan to use it for internet, banking, emails etc. It's locked with a pattern code and obviously all my banking apps are passworded.
It's on Giffgaff, am I right in saying if it goes missing I should be able to contact them with the imei and they can lock/block it so no one can access my stuff?

Being android based I take it with a new phone (replacement) I can just log-in to get my contacts, apps back etc?

Thanks
 
Ice Rich said:
Hi all,

Will be doing some travelling soon and taking my phone (moto 4g), plan to use it for internet, banking, emails etc. It's locked with a pattern code and obviously all my banking apps are passworded.
It's on Giffgaff, am I right in saying if it goes missing I should be able to contact them with the imei and they can lock/block it so no one can access my stuff?

Being android based I take it with a new phone (replacement) I can just log-in to get my contacts, apps back etc?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Android will load up your contacts when you log in to the phone with your Gmail, yes. It's a godsend tbh, I think you can export them to an SD card as a .vcf file that you can copy and move around also.

I'd set up a dropbox sync or something too, even if you take a proper camera. Don't want to lose any cool snaps. :)
 
write down your telco's support number so should the worst happens you can start the process, don't leave it on your phone or in your wallet.
 
Ice Rich said:
Hi all,

Will be doing some travelling soon and taking my phone (moto 4g), plan to use it for internet, banking, emails etc. It's locked with a pattern code and obviously all my banking apps are passworded.
Click to expand...

You say it's locked with a pattern code but is the internal storage encrypted? If not, definitely do that.
 
Thanks guys,

Going to enable Sim Lock now (not 100% of it's purpose, but will read up - guessing it allows the operator to limit phone if reported stolen?)

Encryption - phone on charge now so will enable this option asap - does it make phone slower at all?

also found out about Android Manager App, seems really good - locates phone on a map and allows me to 'find' (by ringing) or if comes to worse - remotely delete data)
 
Would also enable the delete phone if pin number is entered wrong and set it at like 3 attempts. I assume all android phones have this option?
Means if you don't notice got more safety, till you do notice and use Cerberus or similar.
 
Myshra said:
write down your telco's support number so should the worst happens you can start the process, don't leave it on your phone or in your wallet.
Click to expand...

Giffgaff doesn't have any support numbers, it's all done online so all the OP has to do is get online, log into their account and file the required report to get both the phone and SIM card blocked (and even if it's only blocked in the UK, if any international partner network requests money for call made on their network the UK network will just tell them to do one since it was reported to them as stolen).
 
Ice Rich said:
Going to enable Sim Lock now (not 100% of it's purpose, but will read up - guessing it allows the operator to limit phone if reported stolen?)
Click to expand...

Your pattern lock will protect the phone, but it won't stop a thief putting your SIM card into another phone and calling premium-rate numbers.

SIM lock prevents this. It locks the SIM with a PIN code, which you have to enter when turning the phone on before it will connect to the network.
 
Glaucus said:
Would also enable the delete phone if pin number is entered wrong and set it at like 3 attempts. I assume all android phones have this option?
Means if you don't notice got more safety, till you do notice and use Cerberus or similar.
Click to expand...

3 times? You're joking right?

It should be set to at least 10 or something.
 
I don't see the point in that function at all. Only an idiot would actually attempt to try and guess a pin number. It would take them so much time to get it right they could have used that time to work and buy a phone in the first place and then some.

If it's locked they cannot access your stuff without wiping it anyway. So they will wipe it when they go into the bootloader and reset it to get rid of the pin.

The best thing is don't lose the phone in the first place. If you do and your very quick before it gets turned off then something like cerberus is good.

In most cases though it's gone. IMEI blocking is a waste of time your better off not doing it and reporting it to the police. It then gets logged on a database as stolen and if someone uses it they will be tracked down. If you block it then it cannot be used and won't be tracked unless it's not been wiped and you have cerberus. If it's blocked it will just be sent to asia/africa or wherever the block doesn't apply so even less likely you will see the phone again.

So your better off not blocking the IMEI number but reporting that IMEI as stolen.

Cerberus is useless in most cases as the phone gets switched off immedietely then wiped. Wife had a Nexus 5 stolen with cerberus on it. It's never been switched back on which leads to believe it was wiped and therefore no longer has cerberus on it.
 
Cerberus is good but if you want a chance to get your phone back you need to take that screen lock off.

You need the person to use the phone as much a's possible to get more information from them.

But if you just want to wipe your phone leave the lock on.

Edit: yes they can wipe the phone and it won't work but if your rooted they will have to flash a new ROM to remove it
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom