Problem: S5 screen/digitizer is broken, lighting and no key click like feedback when rubbing the screen over where the lock screen patter would appear. does anyone know of a secondary method to gain access to the phone's content, primarily an auxiliary input and secondary display? I've replaced the phone already and am wanting to determine if i should spend more $ to fix this one.
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Help Any way to access phone with inoperable screen/digitizer?
- Thread starter CanDMan
- Start date
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- Tags
- samsung galaxy s5
Hey CanDMan, looks like there's several good candidates on the Play Store:
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=remote%20control%20desktop&c=apps
but I'm wondering if they need you to already have a client portion already installed on your device? (not sure...:dontknow
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You can do a remote install via adb if you had USB debugging turned on...do you know or remember if you did?
(note: a remote install from the Play Store won't work since you've got no way to launch the app unless you've previously already launched it).
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=remote%20control%20desktop&c=apps
but I'm wondering if they need you to already have a client portion already installed on your device? (not sure...:dontknow
.You can do a remote install via adb if you had USB debugging turned on...do you know or remember if you did?
(note: a remote install from the Play Store won't work since you've got no way to launch the app unless you've previously already launched it).
Rukbat
Extreme Android User
Scary, even installing most apps with adb would require using the screen to run them, but it's worth a try, I guess.
The shop method is to temporarily plug in a working screen. Most shops won't do that these days, because the policy is to do a factory reset from recovery before doing anything else. (If it's a hard and fast rule, your suit against them for stealing your data has almost no chance of succeeding, which is why they do it. Back when people trusted each other, they'd send you an entire database of proprietary information to convert, with just your verbal promise to not use it for anything.)
The shop method is to temporarily plug in a working screen. Most shops won't do that these days, because the policy is to do a factory reset from recovery before doing anything else. (If it's a hard and fast rule, your suit against them for stealing your data has almost no chance of succeeding, which is why they do it. Back when people trusted each other, they'd send you an entire database of proprietary information to convert, with just your verbal promise to not use it for anything.)
True, but I'm guessing that at least one of the remote control apps would have a minimal interaction requirement of getting their client side started-up, to handle this very scenario.
By the way, installing an app via adb (assuming you've got USB debugging enabled) is very straight-forward:
C:\Users\Scary Alien>adb install appname.apk
Then, you can actually launch it via adb:adb shell am start -n com.package.name/com.package.name.ActivityName
(details re. the "am start" syntax and other info courtesy of this post on stackoverflow.com)edit/P.S.: note, it is sometimes difficult to determine the name of the main activity to cause the app to launch, but this can easily be determined by examining the AndroidManifest.xml file in the .apk file itself.
AZgl1500
Extreme Android User
* Kies | SUPPORT | SAMSUNG
If you have a backup with Kies 3.0 this might help.
SideSync will allow you to control the phone w/o looking at the display, IF you already have the SideSync app installed on your phone.
SAMSUNG SideSync
This is a neat program, you can do anything to/with your phone from the PC keyboard and mouse and you don't have to see the phone to make it work.
Just a USB connection....
If you have a backup with Kies 3.0 this might help.
SideSync will allow you to control the phone w/o looking at the display, IF you already have the SideSync app installed on your phone.
SAMSUNG SideSync
This is a neat program, you can do anything to/with your phone from the PC keyboard and mouse and you don't have to see the phone to make it work.
Just a USB connection....
Interesting for sure. I know I have a huge barrier to being able to access this device, not being able to emulate the function of the screen to get past the lock will keep this a paperweight for sure. I booted it side by side with the new one and the button and indicator lights all lit up in sync as normal, so perhaps the rest of the phone survived being slammed by a car door 
...I had things fairly wrapped up access wise, but some of these options mentioned here will go well on the replacement device as precautionary measures ...until i figure out how to remotely access the broken phone or until i decide it's worth the risk to attempt a screen repair at home.
...I had things fairly wrapped up access wise, but some of these options mentioned here will go well on the replacement device as precautionary measures ...until i figure out how to remotely access the broken phone or until i decide it's worth the risk to attempt a screen repair at home.