[StarrySky]

A couple of days back, I was out running and had my 4-year old Nokia 6 in a (soft) waist pouch. There was nothing else in the pouch other than perhaps a single gel (not sure, as I seem to have lost the gel at some point, don't remember when).

Anyway, a few minutes after I started my run, I got a notification on my watch from one of the apps on the phone, so the phone was working till then. After barely another minute or so, I started hearing some tones (keypad tones). Initially I couldn't figure out what was happening, then I figured it was coming from my phone. I was surprised because I didn't have keypad tones enabled, so I took the phone out from the pouch. It had just got factory reset and the tones were just random keypresses, as the phone was waiting for my last configured security PIN.

Data is gone anyway, but I cannot figure out how this could have happened. As I mentioned, I have configured a security PIN, and it is also needed to perform factory reset. I usually lock the screen before putting the phone into the pouch. Even if I had forgotten to do this on that day, it seems one hell of a coincidence that the phone "navigated" to factory reset and then got the correct PIN code to perform the reset.

Any ideas what could have happened? Or should I put it down to just pure bad luck?

[deathwalkr]

Maybe it did a factory reset due to multiple wrong inputs of your PIN?

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Maybe it did a factory reset due to multiple wrong inputs of your PIN?

I believe Android does not have such a feature/policy but my phone has some security policies that are enforced by the organization I work for. Your post triggered me to look up the organization policies and sure enough, the device is wiped if the wrong PIN is entered more than 10 times. So this could be the reason. In that case, this was a disaster waiting to happen as I always have the phone in the waist pouch when I run! Perhaps I did have the gel also with the phone in the pouch and that pressing against the phone triggered this wrong key presses.

I had just finished installing the company portal back again on the phone and given it admin privilages. Time to uninstall it

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

I believe Android does not have such a feature/policy but my phone has some security policies that are enforced by the organization I work for. Your post triggered me to look up the organization policies and sure enough, the device is wiped if the wrong PIN is entered more than 10 times. So this could be the reason.

I think i remember seeing it as an option in my Samsung S20FE while setting up the PIN security option. I had disabled it.

I had the same issue with phone doing random things while in the pocket during morning jogs. Ended up buying a smart watch, so phone is kept aside

[mvadg]

Have been looking for a good Wi-Fi Direct app to transfer files between devices. Samsung Flow is good, but could not install it on the Oneplus or Xiaomi phones. Finally found this cross-platform, open source, free app that seems to check all the boxes.
Try out KDE CONNECT It does a lot more than transfer files.

https://kdeconnect.kde.org/download.html
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....kdeconnect_tp

[INJAXN]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

. It had just got factory reset and the tones were just random keypresses, as the phone was waiting for my last configured security PIN.

WHAT?? Never heard this happening to anyone before.

Originally Posted by StarrySky

I had just finished installing the company portal back again on the phone and given it admin privileges . Time to uninstall it

This could be the very reason for your ordeal. Need to be very careful as this could happen to any one of us as most of us uses same phone for setting up a org profile. Will have to make sure that the phone is locked and is not on unlock screen ( where we put the password).

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

I think i remember seeing it as an option in my Samsung S20FE while setting up the PIN security option. I had disabled it.

Ok, this seems to be device-dependant. On my Nokia 6 running stock android, I don't see such as option.

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

I had the same issue with phone doing random things while in the pocket during morning jogs. Ended up buying a smart watch, so phone is kept aside

I use a smart watch as well, and I track my runs on a separate app on the phone as well for redundancy of fitness data It is ironic that this need for redundancy has lead to losing some personal data that had no backup

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by INJAXN

... could happen to any one of us as most of us uses same phone for setting up a org profile...

Originally Posted by StarrySky

Ok, this seems to be device-dependant. On my Nokia 6 running stock android, I don't see such as option...

What version of Android? And is the device marked 'company owned' or 'employee owned' during MDM (Mobile Device Mgmt.) setup?

Android 9 & up, it's possible to completely separate Personal and Work profiles (including settings), and any wipes triggered by MDM only affect the Work container. Only works when setup as 'employee owned' AND fully-managed MDM profile (where a separate Work profile gets created with its own instances of apps).

For partial setups (individual apps like Outlook, Skype, Teams etc.) or devices tagged 'company owned' in MDM, MDM policies supersede device-level policies (including allowed unlock mechanisms), and an MDM-triggered wipe is often TOTAL.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

What version of Android? And is the device marked 'company owned' or 'employee owned' during MDM (Mobile Device Mgmt.) setup?

Android 9, and the device is marked "Corporate" in the MDM.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

For partial setups (individual apps like Outlook, Skype, Teams etc.) or devices tagged 'company owned' in MDM, MDM policies supersede device-level policies (including allowed unlock mechanisms), and an MDM-triggered wipe is often TOTAL.

I don't have separate profiles setup in my device, so no wonder the wipe was total.

[aan nhu mare?]

Just spotted this on Amazon.



Is it legit?

Also, don't miss that back cover that's selling for 42k!

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

and an MDM-triggered wipe is often TOTAL.

On second thoughts, what does TOTAL mean here?

When I took out my phone after the reset had happened, I had to enter my PIN number before the phone could then be set up with my google account etc.

So, although all apps and data were deleted, the my PIN was still valid. If the wipe was initiated due to incorrect PIN entered 10 times, then it is amusing that I needed to enter the old PIN again to setup the device.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

On second thoughts, what does TOTAL mean here?

You'll lose all apps and user data, with a few security exceptions. Read on.

The PIN quirk is Google Factory Reset Protection (FRP) at work. FRP is auto-enabled when you register a Google Account on the device, and disabled when you remove said account. FRP protects and retains primary screen lock (PIN) and encrypted data during an unauthorized wipe (basically any wipe triggered except from the Settings > Factory Reset option).

If you factory reset an Android without removing/logging out the Google account it was setup with, you'll need to login with that account on the wiped device before it'll let you setup with another. So a thief who wipes your phone by accessing Recovery Mode using hardware button combinations is still stuck with an unusable brick unless they know your Google login and/or screenlock PIN too.

Biometric can be made 'preferred' unlock method in day-to-day use after setting up the device, but PIN remains the 'primary', note you'll be prompted for the PIN to enable/disable/edit biometric info too.

P.S. iOS is similar. Their instructions for preparing a phone for sale/trade-in clearly mention logging off from every service that's tied to the user's Apple ID before resetting the device.

[Sheel]

I was at a Samsung store yesterday, the S21's size is just so good, even the S21 5G is okayish, but how I wish the S21 came with Snapdragon. Would have been a perfect phone for a lot of us.

Originally Posted by aan nhu mare?

Just spotted this on Amazon.

Is it legit?

I too was eying this but then resident tech expert / geek Vid confirms that these are grey imports without warranty. Amazon does not sell any Google product officially.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by Sheel

I was at a Samsung store yesterday, the S21's size is just so good, even the S21 5G is okayish, but how I wish the S21 came with Snapdragon. Would have been a perfect phone for a lot of us.

The S22 series when launched in India may get the Snapdragon 898 and not Exynos as apparently the Exynos has low yield and may be reserved for Europe mainly.
If it does happen, it'll be the perfect compact Android smartphone that many of us are waiting for! I'm holding onto my existing phone with the hope of getting a snapdragon powered Samsung flagship early next year.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I have been talking about wanting an actual small phone for a long time! I wish I could love the Pixel 4a, but, I fear I cannot. The screen is longer than my existing Mi A1, taking more of the front of an over-all smaller phone, but the width! I cut a paper to size, and thought of reading, or even looking at pictures, on this. No, it would not do.

I'm glad I did the practical experiment: I was ever-so-nearly an impulse buyer there!