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Question

Android phone factory reset

Oct 3, 2018 9:46AM PDT

Hi.
I have a really important question that I need your best answer to. Happy

Is factory resetting an android samsung j3 enough to ensure there is no one monitoring the phone?

I read somewhere that if someone made the monitoring app a system app it would survive. Possible? Any way around it?

Any other way to survive a factory reset?
Doesn't even necessarily have to be an app.
Other ways to monitor?

I really need a quick answer and as many different ideas from as many different people, if possible.

All possibilites you can think of that would survive a reset and ways to ensure the phone is safe.
It is really important.

I have changed my SIM card to one I found home-unopened, dont know if the person knows the number as I also read that people can track data via SIM or other stuff.

I did this: Settings-backup and reset-factory data reset. Samsung j3.
I enabled in a hurry for google to collect there data. Would that mean my location or something is on?
What else should I disable that could give data. Im using mobile data atm.

Also, installing something in the hardware of the phone would be hard? It seems normal but others have had physical access and might have unscrewed something to get access. Im trying to get everything covered...
How possible is that?

I really need your help.

Really really.

Ive listed a lot, but, please, consider all. This is crucial right now.

Thank you!!!!

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Have to write no.
Oct 3, 2018 10:00AM PDT

Some phones arrive with the OS infected with spyware. And you have the other issue of government surveillance.

This is why I can't tell you that a factory reset is enough. For most folk a factory reset is enough.

Example: If you allowed someone to install spy apps like cell phonet rac app.net/how-to-spy-on-a-cell-ph one-samsung-ga axy-j2/ then a factory reset will blow that off the phone.

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I see
Oct 3, 2018 10:08AM PDT

Government surveillance to the side, any other ways you can think of I could check that could survive a reset? Done by ordinary tech savvy people.

The link you provided is a spy app and a factory data reset would delete it permanently?


Thank you for your reply. Happy

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You had to write "permanently"?
Oct 3, 2018 10:55AM PDT

The app is never gone permanently since folk can reinstall it. If you do a factory reset, then ONLY the apps that are factory installed are left. It's that simple.

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I didn't
Oct 3, 2018 11:19AM PDT

I understand what the reset does, I just used the word permanently. I wasnt sure what you.meant by blow off.

I checked if the phone was rooted. It appears not to be. Then someone can't make a downloaded spyapp a system app?

I'm just trying to ensure my safety and asking for ideas.

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To do that they would have rooted your phone.
Oct 3, 2018 11:30AM PDT

Again, If you do a factory reset, then ONLY the apps that are factory installed are left. It's that simple.

So your phone is not rooted so a factory reset takes it back to just what the phone is supposed to have.

All that aside, I do run into folk that feel they are being spied on yet the more you discuss you find they are active on FaceBook and other social media apps. This means they are the one LEAKING INFORMATION. A few figure out this and will stop use of such but some won't give it up.

I can't guess how you came to be in this situation but for now, for how it works today is as I lead with at the beginning of this reply.

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non app related, data, SIM
Oct 4, 2018 1:52AM PDT

Thank you. I understand.
I don't just think, a lot is going on. It wouldn't have been through social media.

Can you think of any other way one could monitor my activity?

Does one need an app to do anything on an android or are there other ways? Non app related?

Can someone track my mobile data? I got some free with my new card.

What about tracking via SIM(before I changed it)

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So far,
Oct 4, 2018 8:19AM PDT

It's well known that where you are, who you call, what you do on the phone is trackable by most governments. This creates possible loopholes for tracking but it's quite rare to see this outside the government on a clean phone.

The SIM is how all this carrier and gov tracking works. You revealed who you are by its purchase and use so that's how phones are tracked.

If you feel you are being tracked (which we know all smart phones are tracked by carriers) I take it something else is going on. But I don't see that discussed here.

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Employee, data and router
Oct 5, 2018 6:54AM PDT

Actually, where I live you can buy a SIM card from the government phone company without giving your name. It is usually done so.

When I bought the card a couple of months ago the person working next to the lady I got it from at the company was my neighbor and he asked her something and heard the number she said. He didnt have to ask anything. You could tell he was curious. It was a 1min transaction.

Can he, as a front desk employee monitor me knowing the number?
Can he monitor my data when I use mobile data? That is very important.

I see, monitoring otherwise should be unlikely. I really hope so.

Another important question.. does.mobile data have anything to do with my internet connection from my router? Can someone get access to it if they have access to.router?

I am in a lot of trouble, but I did nothing wrong...

I am a decent, but naive person, who has a lot of evil and jealous people around her and now even worse.

I wouldnt be asking such stupid questions if a lot didnt depend on it.
Please..

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Have to answer yes.
Oct 5, 2018 8:14AM PDT

The SIM card number will get a phone number and then the tracking can begin. About the only way folk I know avoid this is to get burner phones. They use it for the time they need and then dispose of them.

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Number
Oct 5, 2018 8:21AM PDT

I don't follow. How do you mean the card can get a number? The card is the number.
Any employee can do this?

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Elab
Oct 5, 2018 8:24AM PDT

The card has a number on it. You buy it, its cheap and use it immediately. A simple.pin is used that is the same as all cards.

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Burner phone
Oct 5, 2018 8:29AM PDT

Also, I have a phone a bough from a tech store. Samsung j3. No contract. Most.people do so here. Only when one wants to buy an expensive phone they cant afford or the like, they make a contract and pay like 1$ a month but also have unlimited phone credit(what enables u to make calls and send texts). I dont have that. I buy my credit seperately and small amounts since i dont really talk long and mostly text.

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I can't answer that.
Oct 5, 2018 9:04AM PDT

I do not know what the company allows the employee to do but I have gone to my carrier's support counter which is the same as the sales counter (employees there do both jobs) and hand them my phone with the problem and they had a lot of information at their disposal.

I don't see what's not clear here. Cellular phones are all about data collection and more. This is not news.

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VPN and router
Oct 5, 2018 9:57AM PDT

Thanks for the info. Just two.more questions.

If someone takes my old router after me having reset it, can they access any data?

Using a VPN on mobile data would make my data safe from the employee? Even if he knows the sim number?
I had 1g of data for free. How much can that last for just emails and googling? With the VPN?

I just downloaded the app for android. At some point I stopped something(backup) and it said the vpn wouldnt work without backup. It seems to be working. Connected and an openvpn connection. It also said it wouldnt work without updating gplay. It was working and then i clicked gplay and it didnt open then it did but was loading and now seems to be working.
But it seemed to be working before gplay was so.maybe its not really working?

Do one of those sitea really check this? Recommend one?

Thanks!

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Router reset data.
Oct 5, 2018 10:24AM PDT

While that should be safe, the fact that most routers don't have open source software means we can't be sure.

As to the VPN issues, that's one for that VPN's own support or forums.

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Answer
About the UNSCREW OR HARDWARE HACK.
Oct 3, 2018 11:37AM PDT

This is something I will write "Things you see in the movies."

The chances you are being tracked with something inside the phone (outside of the usual government and carrier tracking) is so low it's unlikely you or I or anyone will every see it.

I'm going to write "No."