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Help Any way to block apps from accessing internet?

T

TheMegastar

Newbie
Hi! Is there any way we can block various apps from accessing and downloading/uploading from the internet WITHOUT stopping their functionality? I have like 200 apps installed in my SGS II so far, and my data usage is rising alarmingly with each new app installed. I only want to give automatic internet access to just my Twitter app, my Facebook app, my Anti Virus app and my Emails. I don't want to give automatic internet access to any other app....is it possible?

I know about APNdroid and am already using it, but it stops ALL internet traffic. Is there any app to selectively block internet access of apps without affecting their functionality?
 
Well, you can mess around with individual app settings eg. Weather update frequency.

You may fix your problem by toggling which apps auto sync in 'Accounts and Sync'.

However, I think what you want is an app called droid wall. It does exactly what you are after but it does require root. Luck.
 
Rooting would make the warranty void and am still unclear about the benefits of rooting. I see no major difference between a rooted and an unrooted phone other than the fact that you get rid of the manufacturer's logo on startup and some other bloatware. So I can't use Droidwall app.....is there any other app which does what Droidwall does without having to root the phone?

Also is there any way I can block Spam SMSs which are sent via the internet, as in these SMSs do not show the number of the sender and you cannot reply to them. Any app to block such SMSs?
 
@NZtechfreak: Hmm...installed Tasker but it looks like a program for geeks! I think I will need to study the tutorial on their site for days before I can use it as I desire. Isn't there anything simpler? Can you tell me in simple steps how to create a task that solves my problem, using the Tasker app?

I need a simple program which can let me check or uncheck the apps I want to give internet access to without needing to Root my phone.

@lob: I have already given individual settings in apps wherever they were available. My internet data traffic has increased drastically with each new app I install. I have unchecked the "Background data" option in Accounts & Sync setting, but I can still see a lot of activity on my network meter.
 
@ajh94: 200 is a lot? Lol.....and I just got started! It's been only two weeks since I got my new SGS II ;)

@Irate: Droidwall, Andfire do not work.....they require a rooted phone, I guess. Any firewall app that works on unrooted android phones like the SGS II???
 
If it was possible to make an app like that which worked on unrooted phones, no one would have made one that required root.

Rooting is SOOO over-dramatized by some people. It's trivially easy on this phone; Samsung are practically begging you to do it. And if you are looking for the advantages of rooting- well this is one of them.
 
@lob: You would be surprised that it is already possible. One such app is in Beta testing and it already works on Nexus.

But you guys are tempting me to Root. I would require more encouragement from ACTUAL OWNERS OF SGS II ROOTED phones. If anyone here has rooted their SGS II phone without any problems, then please post here. If you faced any problems during or after Rooting, then also please share your experience here.

Can you please give me a point wise list of genuine benefits of rooting? And please tell me if I will need to RE-INSTALL ALL MY APPS AFTER ROOTING? And will all those apps work like before, even after rooting? What will be my startup and home screens look like after rooting? Would appreciate if you can post screen shots of your phone after rooting. Will the android 2.3.3 os work like before?
 
rooting is super easy the SGS2 was my first droid and first time of rooting a phone and i did it in 30 mins.there will be no difference after rooting as long as you dont install a custom rom

rooting has allowed me to freeze all the samsung hubs improving speed and battery life
 
Ok. So tell me,

1) were you able to get rid of that Yellow Triangle warning message after retarting the phone after root? Or do you still get that yellow triangle when you boot your phone?

2) Will you be able to connect to Kies and get software/firmware updates from Samsung site like earlier?

3) Will your phone be put back in Unrooted state if you try updating via Kies? I am essentially asking if Samsung allows your phone to remain Rooted even after updating via Kies and normal software/firmware updates via phone internet?

4) My Kernel version is the latest 2.6.35.7-I9100XWKE8. Will it remain the same after rooting?

5. Do all your apps work like they did before rooting?
 
Rooting is easy, the yellow triangle can be removed easily if you want with a jig (purchasable for a couple of dollars from Ebay), after you've flashed a custom kernel with Odin to Root the phone you won't want to upgrade firmware with Kies (you'll just use Odin instead, which is just much faster and easier), kernel version will change with Root, Rooting does nothing to affect how apps runs (except that with Root you can also run Root-only apps and with Chainfire 3D run Tegra-only apps).

I will take a look at Tasker for you, it should be quite straightfoward to set up profiles for apps like you want.
 
@NZtechfreak: I understand that rooting is easy....I had almost made up my mind to root my phone till I read your last post. Two things put me off:

1. That the Yellow Triangle will not go away after root, and I will have to purchase some app for that from ebay. Give me the link to something I can get for free to get rid of that warning msg on boot after root.

2. That my Kernel version will change after root. I don't like the sound of it coz I am having the latest Kernel version, that is KE8. After browsing thru the msgs here I have come to know that no one on this board has a newer Kernel version than KE7, so why would I want to go back to an older Kernel version after root? So my question is, if I do not flash a custom kernel and just simply root my phone, will I be able to get update from Kies or not?

3. You say I don't have to use Kies after root and I can use Odin to get updates. But what is the benefit of using Odin over Kies? What is the source of updates available on Odin? Who runs Odin? And are their updates reliable and free of trojans/spy software etc.?

Yes, please have a look at Tasker and tell me how to create a Profile which will act like a Firewall to turn off/on apps internet access at will. I would appreciate that.

@xplosiv: That's exactly what I'm doing right now. But the problem is that it closes all open internet connections.....what I am looking for is an EFFECTIVE FIREWALL FOR UNROOTED SGS II phones that can SELECTIVELY turn OFF/ON the internet access of various apps installed on the phone.

Thanks
 
Megastar, just thought I'd add my experience. I'm also an Android newbie but easily managed to root my phone through the instructions on the XDA developers forum using Odin. You don't need to purchase anything to get rid of the yellow triangle - you root the phone by flashing the insecure kernal to the phone then running superoneclick rooter. This results in the yellow triangle. All you have to do to get rid of the yellow triangle is to then re-flash the secure kernal back to the phone again - yellow triangle gone.

I then used bloat freezer to freeze a few of the Samsung apps, including those pesky hubs!

To your other questions, you do end up with a slightly different kernal name - mine now reads 2.6.35.7-I9100XWKE7-CL215725 root@DELL103 #2

But I understand Kies will still update as long as you don't install a custom rom. They have the KE8 insecure and original kernals now: [KERNEL] Insecure Kernels for use with rooting - xda-developers
 
NZtechfreak said:
Rooting is easy, the yellow triangle can be removed easily if you want with a jig (purchasable for a couple of dollars from Ebay)
Click to expand...

You don't even need to do that. What I did was root the phone, reflash the original kernel which left Clockwork Mod in place, copy the rooted kernel onto the phone and then reflash the kernel with Clockwork Mod.

This did the trick with no problem for me and I'm completely new to rooting phones (although a lifelong pointy head who is not intimidated by techie stuff).

Rooting is useful and simple. I'm glad I did it.
 
Thanks for your replies, SimonPG & Lotus49. I'm gonna try the SimonPG method of removing the Yellow triangle.

@SimonPG : I downloaded both the insecure & original kernels for KE8 from the link you gave. Before I go ahead and do it, just confirm to me if I understand the steps involved in rooting correctly:

Step 1 : Reboot the phone in download mode.
Step 2 : Start Odin on my laptop.
Step 3 : Connect the phone to my laptop via USB cable.
Step 4 : Press PDA and select the INSECURE .tar file which I downloaded from your link. Press START, ODIN will now flash the kernel and phone will reboot.
Step 5 : Wait till reboot completes, then while still being connected to the laptop via USB cable, I now start Super One Click and press ROOT.
Step 6 : Reboot the phone (Just one question here...will the phone reboot automatically after pressing the ROOT button in Super One Click or do I have to disconnect the USB cable from the laptop and Power Off, then Power On again to reboot the phone??)

Secondly, the original Kernel file that I have downloaded from the link is not a .tar file like the insecure one.......it has the extension .md5 after .tar ........... so will it flash in the same way as the insecure kernel (.tar file) did by pressing the PDA button in Odin??
 
TheMegastar said:
Secondly, the original Kernel file that I have downloaded from the link is not a .tar file like the insecure one.......it has the extension .md5 after .tar ........... so will it flash in the same way as the insecure kernel (.tar file) did by pressing the PDA button in Odin??
Click to expand...

MD5 is a hashing algorithm, so a file ending in .md5 is just a hash (to enable you to check that the main file isn't corrupt).

If you only have one file called something like kernel_blah.tar.md5, you have got the wrong file. You need the one called kernel_blah.tar.

I am pretty sure that Odin would not allow you to flash such a file, but if you did, something unpleasant would happen. Don't find out what.
 
Hi Lotus49, I just followed the link given by SimonPG and downloaded the insecure and the original files for my kernel version, which is KE8. While the insecure kernel is .tar file, the ORIGINAL file has extension .md5 after .tar which I think was a mistake by the Uploader. The file size of the insecure file is 8200KB and the file size of the original is 8201KB, so I am guessing that the file is correct but somehow the uploader gave the wrong extension to it. So if I just delete the extension .md5 and rename the file, it turns into a .tar file. Am I doing the right thing?

Secondly, there is another method of rooting given on this page : [15.06.2011][CF-Root v4.0] KE2/7/8, KF1 - su+bb+CWM4 - xda-developers "Flash CF-Root-xxx-vX.X.tar (from the attached zip) as PDA in ODIN, without repartition. Done."

Should I root using this file :
CF-Root-SGS2_XW_ODD_KE8-v4.0-CWM4.zip given on the above xda-developers page?
 
@Lotus49 or anyone else who has rooted SGS II successfully and got rid of the pesky Yellow Triangle warning on startup:

I am having to root, so that I can use a Firewall app for SGS II like Droidwall. Can any users of Droidwall confirm that they are able to control which apps get internet access, after having rooted their phone, thru Droidwall? Is Droidwall the best Firewall app for android or is there any other also?

So if anyone knows, can you please post here a STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO ROOTING, including how to get rid of the Yellow Triangle, in SIMPLE ENGLISH for absolute beginners?
 
Did rooting the phone solve the issue of apps accessing the internet using droid firewall??

I too have got a new SGS2 and am fed up with extra bills which come as result of the apps connecting to the net!
 
Just rooted my SGS2 using the DooMLORD easy rooting application.
Superb piece of software.
I rooted my Samsung Galaxy S2 ( Indian ) in a flat 4minutes. I was very nervous in rooting the phone having bricked my Samsung i780 in flashing custom ROM and having sent my Omnia i900 nearly to death flashing a custom ROM .... but then the thrill of rooting and modifying the device got better of me and I did it in a flat record time of 4 minutes.
The option of unrooting is an added benefit.
 
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