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Help Cerberus gurus here?

S

speedlever

Android Enthusiast
Reading here that Cerberus will allow remote enabling of the GPS (or so I thought), I bought the app the other day. I see no option in the drop down command list to enable the GPS.
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Playing around with it in my usual configuration of GPS off/location services off, I cannot get Cerberus to track or turn on the GPS remotely... just like my free Lookout service performed.

What am I missing?

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Hmm, I love Cerberus, only had to use it once when I wasn't sure where my phone was but I just left it in the car. :o
For me, I always leave GPS on. It's only used when an app needs it, it's not constantly pulling location from satellites and thus draining your battery.
The only work around I can find is setting up a Tasker profile to turn on GPS whenever you receive a SMS.
 
I didn't know that about the GPS. I thought it was one of the battery suckers. It certainly appeared that way on my last Android... a Galaxy Proclaim (S720C) running 2.3.6.

Good idea about Tasker... which I haven't investigated yet.

Which brings to mind another issue (not to derail my own thread)... as I piecemeal together different apps and tweak them, it makes doing a factory reset extremely problematic the further down the road I get. (not rooted, stock except for Nova Prime launcher).

I'm sure there's likely a way to backup all my apps and custom settings so that doing a FDR is a non-event. But if so, I am unaware of how that would be accomplished.

Fortunately, I don't have any known issues that would require a FDR at this time. ;) (but it would be nice to be prepared, just in case).
 
You are not missing anything, just misunderstanding.

Many other tracking apps discussed here, rely on GPS to do the location tracking. Once you turn the GPS off, the app won't do you much good.

Cerberus on the other hand, does not require GPS to track your phone. It will use location services, and it's pretty accurate at that. Just turn it ON, enable Location History in Cerberus' settings, and check your tracking tomorrow. You will see where your phone was, inclusive on nice Google Earth tour, point by point :)

Just a quick one about the GPS control.
If I'm not wrong, ever since Ice Scream Sandwich, Android doesn't allow 3rd party apps to easily control GPS toggle. So even for tasker, it is no longer a straight forward job. You will need to download an app like Secure Settings, then while setting up tasker, you can't simply choose ON GPS by command, but you need to go to Plug Ins, and select Secure Settings, and go from there.

Anyway, GPS or WIFI are easily accessible through Notification. So I suspect, if someone is concern about it, will turn it off as soon as they jack the phone.
Probably turn the power OFF too. Location Services on the other hand, require far more digging, and a fairly savvy Android user to know what to do with that. Your only chance is to wait for the troll to Turn the phone ON, and start tracking it then, or immediately after it was stolen.

The good thing about Cerberus is, that even if someone change the SIM, you can still track the phone. And get the SIM info. Which you could report to your Telco of Police, before the phone gets wiped clean.

In regard to Location Services and History. Just keep in mind, that they tend to be battery hog, so while I keep my Services ON for Cerberus, I disable this option via settings, pretty much for any app I could find, that supports suck settings.

Especially Google's Location History, all the social network apps, G+, Google Search etc... Damn... they can chew through battery with the speed of light.

Did I miss anything? I hope you enjoy the app, and I really hope, you will never get to use it :)

cheers, and have a good weekend ahead.
 
Thanks for the great info Seba. I need to learn how to selectively enable location services. I thought it was all or nothing.
 
speedlever said:
Thanks for the great info Seba. I need to learn how to selectively enable location services. I thought it was all or nothing.
Click to expand...

Under Google Now - Menu - Settings - Privacy & Accounts - Google Location Settings- Access Location <-- uncheck

Google + Menu - Setting - Location Sharing

Maps - Menu -Settings - Google Location Services

Facebook, Instagram and whatever other apps, use the names like, "location services", "location Sharing", "Check Ins", "Location Updates", etc...

ALMOST, every app that does something on line, will come with that.

It should be much easier with 4.3 Jelly Bean. There is a new feature which allow you to list all the app and their permissions. So using ON/OFF buttons, you can just reject access to Location and other permissions, by taking one by one from app list, rather than digging into each menu and looking for it.

Anyway, have a good weekend :)
 
Thanks again Seba. I have some work to do on location services! I'm looking forward to 4.3 JB. Hope it will be released soon.
 
Quick question Seba: for my i337, under location services, there are two options:
1) use GPS satellites
2) use wireless networks

Right now I just have the GPS option checked. Should only one or the other be on? Both?
 
speedlever said:
Quick question Seba: for my i337, under location services, there are two options:
1) use GPS satellites
2) use wireless networks

Right now I just have the GPS option checked. Should only one or the other be on? Both?
Click to expand...

*I* have both turned on, I suspect it's a matter of preference.
If you're inside a building where the is no GPS signal, you can still get a reasonable (usually) location fix using the wireless networks. Of course GPS is more accurate, but only if your device can 'see' the satellites.

As for your original question, I agree that the phone has to have locations services active before Cerberus will work. Which actually is what the error is telling you 'all location services off' is fairly straightforward - if you think about it right. :)
Cerberus can indeed turn on the GPS, but only if that's been allowed in the first place in the phone setup.

We used Cerberus a couple of weeks ago when my wife couldn't find her phone, she was afraid it had fallen out in a parking lot. We were at a restaurant, I sent the 'find' text message to her phone, and about a minute later it returned it's location lat/long via text (safely at home).
 
Thanks. I find that I am perpetually in a battery saving mindset, and wish to disable battery suckers at whatever level of Android competence I find myself. It's a constant learning process. ;)

I probably won't be happy until I finish an 18 hour day and still have 95% remaining. :D
 
speedlever said:
Quick question Seba: for my i337, under location services, there are two options:
1) use GPS satellites
2) use wireless networks

Right now I just have the GPS option checked. Should only one or the other be on? Both?
Click to expand...

Turn off GPS and keep wireless network checked.

Android uses Wifi for location, even if you are not connected to any network, and in case you disable Wifi via Notification bar, you will still be using Mobile Data for tracking, using cell towers.

Just a quick, not very related note:
Did you ever notice, that when you turn ON Google Now, it asks you to keep your Wifi ON for better search results?

If there is no such pop up box, then there will be small note at the bottom of the screen:

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Ever wonder why the hell does it need a wifi, if you are about to leave your house? Well, as you move by walk, car or bicycle, the phone detects any wireless network, encrypted or otherwise, it sends the BSSID (MAC address) of the router along with signal strength, and most importantly, GPS coordinates up to the Google mothership data center.

Every person connecting to internet leave number of personal information behind, for Google to cultivate it. As you move about, the device finds MAC address and immediately compare it against Google records. And that's how Google knows exactly where you are, as you keep scanning and sending newly picked up MACs from all over the town.

Open Google Now, tap the microphone icon, and ask google "Distance to Airport". It will give you the distance and directions to the nearest international Airport based on your current location. And that's exactly how it is also capable of finding near by restaurants, hospitals, while you are in the building, outside or GPS reach :)
Clever that Google, I tell you... really clever one...
 
Its been awhile since this thread was active. I am wondering if you figured out how to enable GPS with Cerberus. I have Cerberus and Tasker and I just added Secure Settings. I have only made one simple Tasker task which is to disable the screen rotation when using WinAmp. It always causes a force close crash when it rotates. Tasker solved that problem easily.

I have another app that sends GPS location info when the battery is about to die. The same problem as with Cerberus when the GPS is usually disabled, a prompt asking for permission to enable GPS pops up. If the phone is simply misplaced or if it is in the hands of a thief the GPS isn't going to get turned on. I want to let cerberus have permission to enable GPS without the prompt appearing.

I am sure someone has accomplished this somehow and I think Tasker is possibly the best way but I have almost no idea how to start doing it.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
 
Hi. I have a Cerberus account installed in my phone. I've erroneously turned off my phone while in locked mode. Now it is under fake shutdown. I can't recover it now from the website. Everytime I try to do so, a message appears saying "Problem communicating with your device". What should I do?
 
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