Android anti-theft tips?

[leopheard]

Hi all,

I am thinking about how to get my phone back if it's ever lost/stolen (I work in an environment where this is an ever present issue), but I should point out I'm not a thief!

I know there's apps like Prey or Avast etc. and I've set Tasker to send any new SIM details to my email, take photos of anyone when the PIN code is entered incorrectly, etc.

My thoughts are, what if a thief simply wipes the phone or Android tablet etc? I know this is unlikely as most thieves won't have the first clue how to do this and won't want to spend time with an item in their possession for fear of being caught with it.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[chanchan05]

If you are rooted, some apps like avast and cerberus are designed to survive reformatting.

 

[Ceverol]

Hi all,

I am thinking about how to get my phone back if it's ever lost/stolen (I work in an environment where this is an ever present issue), but I should point out I'm not a thief!

I know there's apps like Prey or Avast etc. and I've set Tasker to send any new SIM details to my email, take photos of anyone when the PIN code is entered incorrectly, etc.

My thoughts are, what if a thief simply wipes the phone or Android tablet etc? I know this is unlikely as most thieves won't have the first clue how to do this and won't want to spend time with an item in their possession for fear of being caught with it.

Any help would be appreciated!

Any pro thief worth his salt will immediately remove the SIMcard and pull the battery, so that no signal from you can reach the phone. So that phone is effectively a goner, as far as you're concerned.
The only thing you can still do is ask your telco/provider to brick it remotely, making it utterly useless to the thief. Your telco/provider can do that if you record your device's IMEI number somewhere (NOT on your device!), which is unique to your phone. With the IMEI number your telco/provider can brick the phone remotely whether there is a SIMcard in it or not.

You can find your phone's IMEI number by inputting *#06# on the dialer.

If your phone is stolen by a non-pro you have a small chance of recovering it with tracker software like Lookout, Avast, Cerberus, or, to be used AFTER the phone was stolen: free 'Plan B'.