Airplane Mode Workaround?
Jun 12, 2014 | 11:28 am
#31
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,893
Enabling airplane mode without authentication would be a great way for a thief to disable your phone's traceability. But the widget isn't available on a locked phone, so that still doesn't answer the question.
And for Samsung Galaxy phones, you could just pop the battery out in about 2 seconds.
Jun 12, 2014 | 11:45 am
#32
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DAY/CMH
Programs: UA MileagePlus
Posts: 2,474
My phone requires an unlock to enable the power button and doesn't have a removable battery, so it passes those two tests. Unfortunately for security, you can disable the phone's mobile connection by removing the SIM card. Even that is more secure than other phones, though, as the SIM socket is cleverly hidden behind the volume rocker. Nobody would figure that out if they hadn't seen a similar phone.
Jun 12, 2014 | 4:48 pm
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: UA, LY
Posts: 13,179
My Galaxy S3 requires the phone to be unlocked to turn it off - can't do it from the unlock screen. As for taking out the battery, part of the reason to shut mobile connections would be to reprogram the phone. Having it off may turn off traceability, but it wouldn't help a thief to reprogram. And turning it back on, the phone would be locked again and traceable again
Jun 12, 2014 | 5:51 pm
#34
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Mass
Programs: Independent
Posts: 4,863
It's not as if airplane mode can't be turned off. It just can't be turned off using a widget toggle switch. At first I was thinking maybe it was to prevent someone from turning on airplane mode to substitute their own calling service kind of hijacking your calls, but that doesn't really even make sense, and if the radios are off how would it connect anyways. You can still turn WiFi off and on through a toggle as well as Bluetooth. And I guess on some phones airplane mode turns off GPS, on others it does not.
Jun 15, 2014 | 9:25 am
#35
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: LON, ACK, BOS..... (Not necessarily in that order)
Programs: **Mucci Diamond Hairbrush** - compared to that nothing else matters (+BA Bronze)
Posts: 15,947
It can't be done by an app anymore (after 4.2) unless you can root the device. See here for more info https://code.google.com/p/android/is...etail?id=40497
If you can't root the device then you aren't going to be able to get an app to do what you want unless Google make changes. Personally I find it takes under two seconds when I get to work to switch to Airplane Mode, I flick down on top of the screen and select it (version 4.0.3 on a Star W007 here).
If you can't root the device then you aren't going to be able to get an app to do what you want unless Google make changes. Personally I find it takes under two seconds when I get to work to switch to Airplane Mode, I flick down on top of the screen and select it (version 4.0.3 on a Star W007 here).
Jun 15, 2014 | 12:04 pm
#36
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: in the vicinity of SFO
Programs: AA 2MM (LT-PLT, PPro for this year)
Posts: 19,784
My Galaxy S3 requires the phone to be unlocked to turn it off - can't do it from the unlock screen. As for taking out the battery, part of the reason to shut mobile connections would be to reprogram the phone. Having it off may turn off traceability, but it wouldn't help a thief to reprogram. And turning it back on, the phone would be locked again and traceable again
Jun 19, 2014 | 8:05 am
#37
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: LON, ACK, BOS..... (Not necessarily in that order)
Programs: **Mucci Diamond Hairbrush** - compared to that nothing else matters (+BA Bronze)
Posts: 15,947
It can't be done by an app anymore (after 4.2) unless you can root the device. See here for more info https://code.google.com/p/android/is...etail?id=40497
If you can't root the device then you aren't going to be able to get an app to do what you want unless Google make changes. Personally I find it takes under two seconds when I get to work to switch to Airplane Mode, I flick down on top of the screen and select it (version 4.0.3 on a Star W007 here).
If you can't root the device then you aren't going to be able to get an app to do what you want unless Google make changes. Personally I find it takes under two seconds when I get to work to switch to Airplane Mode, I flick down on top of the screen and select it (version 4.0.3 on a Star W007 here).