You mean I'm going to lose everything?! I'll sue!

[sirwired]

If you have a smartphone, don't you have to go to special effort to NOT have your stuff automatically backed up?

[Orgaloth]

I'm just curious ... Over here if you lock your phone by entering the incorrect PIN three times, you can enter the so called Personal Unblocking Key (PUK) to unlock the phone again without losing anything. The PUK, which comes with the SIM card upon purchase, basically is a way to prove that this is indeed your SIM card. So there will be no harm done if you lock yourself out of your phone, provided you didn't throw away the PUK (or forgot where you put it ).
Do your SIM cards work differently?

He's talking about the phone security pin, which the pattern lock falls under too. The sim pin, if entered incorrectly three times asks for the eight digit PUK. The PUK can be obtained from your provider.

[Orgaloth]

If you have a smartphone, don't you have to go to special effort to NOT have your stuff automatically backed up?

You'll be amazed at the number of people that don't have a Gmail account, or an apple id, and don't plug their phones into a computer on a regular basis.

And then there's the ones that think that EVERYTHING is saved onto the sim card, or that we can copy all their information off a bricked phone.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Would you be so kind as to explain how to do that, please? I might very well wind up needing to know.

Sure. It's quite simple actually.

Just download the android device manager from play store and go through the brief and easy set up.

Then if you lose your phone and need to locate it or remotely wipe it, all you need to do is go to the device manager website, sign in with the same google account that's attached to the phone and click the right button for whatever it is you're trying to do.

The location service is pretty accurate too.

You'll be amazed at the number of people that don't have a Gmail account, or an apple id, and don't plug their phones into a computer on a regular basis.

And then there's the ones that think that EVERYTHING is saved onto the sim card, or that we can copy all their information off a bricked phone.

The hilarious thing is that the storage of most SIM cards is about 128K

Personally, I have my photos backed up three times over. I have a backup on the SD card in my phone. Since those cards can become corrupted and fail, I have a cloud backup online and a third back up on my home computer. I also have three backups of my contacts in the same way.

Of course, for the truly techie, there ARE ways of getting data off a bricked phone but that would require taking the phone apart, connecting the memory to another device and so forth.

In other words things that most customers don't need to go no near with a 20 foot pole.

[icmedia]

Curious if this was an Android phone - generally you can unlock using your google account (assuming they remember their google password....)

Despite the fact that Android phones require a Gmail account be set up to download any apps, and that 90% of my customers set that Gmail account up themselves, I deal with at least 2 customers a week who don't know their Gmail passwords.

You picked it out yourselves, people, why on Earth wouldn't you pick something you would remember?

[sms001]

SC: This phone is SUPPOSED to be reliable!

Your phone IS reliable sir. It is functioning exactly as intended... keeping someone who doesn't know the PIN out.

[notalwaysright]

I know someone who regularly forgets his email password, changes it, then when he signs in clicks the little "remember password" option in the browser. Then he goes to his laptop or tablet (which he had previously used the remember password option) and is infuriated when it tells him incorrect password. I've tried to explain that the option to remember password doesn't magically span all computers he has ever touched, because it would defeat the purpose of a password, but it hasn't sunk in yet.

[Seshat]

Synonym time.

Try explaining that a password is a "shared secret". Just between them and their phone.

Sometimes they don't understand the word 'password', but do get it when you call the exact same thing a 'shared secret'.


Amazing things, synonyms. Sometimes they unlock the dullest minds.

[earl colby pottinger]

How to get the data

I know how he can get his data off the phone.

Go to a local international airport.

Declare "I want to blow this place up!".

The nice men will take him to a private room and get all the data off his phone for him.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Despite the fact that Android phones require a Gmail account be set up to download any apps, and that 90% of my customers set that Gmail account up themselves, I deal with at least 2 customers a week who don't know their Gmail passwords.

You picked it out yourselves, people, why on Earth wouldn't you pick something you would remember?

In defense of the customers, sometimes this can happen when an "overenthusiastic" sales rep sets one up for them in the store during phone activation and NEVER bothers to give them the password.

I run into that problem a LOT.

[sms001]

the option to remember password doesn't magically span all computers

Chrome/Settings/Advanced Sync Settings/Choose What to Sync: Passwords.

[otakuneko]

Despite the fact that Android phones require a Gmail account be set up to download any apps, and that 90% of my customers set that Gmail account up themselves, I deal with at least 2 customers a week who don't know their Gmail passwords.

You picked it out yourselves, people, why on Earth wouldn't you pick something you would remember?

It's even worse in enterprise security.

So you mean to tell me you've not only forgotten the password to this crucial piece of security infrastructure (that costs thousands of dollars and your employer pays us thousands more for support for), you failed to document it?

Have a fun trip to the datacenter, USB stick in one hand and print out of instructions in the other. No there is no way to reset the root password remotely, that would be kind of ah, insecure, ya know?

[Words4theWorld]

He's talking about the phone security pin, which the pattern lock falls under too. The sim pin, if entered incorrectly three times asks for the eight digit PUK. The PUK can be obtained from your provider.

Argh, silly me! I completely forgot about that one, probably because I've never used it for my phone. Thanks for reminding me!

[Gilhelmi]

I am sure it has been said but...

All electronic devices have an average lifespan of 2 years, some more, some much less. Anyone who does not back up important data, well it will be gone in less the 2 years (probably).

I had one cell-phone last me 7 years. It was a great phone, it survived many Army training exercises and being dropped in a toilet. I shed a tear for my dearly departed friend. Then upgraded to a smart phone and got a new back-up service (Before, I only used strange thing called "pen and paper". Now I use a "Cloud", "pen and paper" and "undisclosed item". I HAVE 3 BACK-UPs, MORTALS.)

[Gilhelmi]

I know how he can get his data off the phone.

Go to a local international airport.

Declare "I want to blow this place up!".

The nice men will take him to a private room and get all the data off his phone for him.

Ya, but then they wont give it back to you until closer to your trial date.