Appless remote wipe question

[Mpie]

I remember having a feature on my previous android phone (Mpie G7 with 4.4.2) that had a remote wipe setting that you could use. This was not an additional/external app, it was in the settings options of the phone.

If you turned it on, you could text message certain commands to your phone to wipe the data, restart it, turn it off, etc.

Now with my new phone HTC One M8, there is no feature like that, that I can find on the phone. Am I missing something ?

I don't really want to install an app for this, I'm just curious to why my current phone doesn't have this feature.
Was it a feature of 4.4.2 and then they took it out for whatever reasons ?

 

[Crashdamage]

It's in 4.4.2. Look in the Google Settings app and activate Android Device Manager.

 

[Mpie]

It's in 4.4.2. Look in the Google Settings app and activate Android Device Manager.

Do you know why its not included in 4.4.4 ? (just in case I wasn't clear in my explanation, that feature I'm talking about was not part of the Google Android Device Manager, it seemed like it was an integral part of the operating system)

 

[girolez]

Hi

Your old phone may have had a manufacturers remote wipe facility. Many Samsung phones do, it is listed in the phones settings but only works if you set up a samsung account..Its best just to activate Googles ADM as suggested.

Roger

 

[Mpie]

Hi

Your old phone may have had a manufacturers remote wipe facility. Many Samsung phones do, it is listed in the phones settings but only works if you set up a samsung account..Its best just to activate Googles ADM as suggested.

Roger

So your saying that it came as a proprietary feature specific to that phone (manufacturer) and not to the android software ? Fyi, i didnt have to set up an account with anyone to use that feature.

How can I get remote security features (like texting a command to my phone) without installing Google ADM (because I'm concerned about privacy as in collection of personal info by Google without consent)

 

[codesplice]

So your saying that it came as a proprietary feature specific to that phone (manufacturer) and not to the android software ? Fyi, i didnt have to set up an account with anyone to use that feature.

Yep. That would have been a part of the manufacturer (or carrier's) suite of apps/features that came preinstalled.

How can I get remote security features (like texting a command to my phone) without installing Google ADM (because I'm concerned about privacy as in collection of personal info by Google without consent)

You'll have to install a third-party app to do it. Do you trust some random dev on Google Play more than Google itself?

Some of my favorites:
- Lookout
- Avast
- Cerberus

There are plenty of others to choose from - again assuming that you trust these random devs more than El Goog.

 

[Slug]

Another suggestion.... Mobile Superhero. Rubbish name, great app. I use it myself.

 

[Mpie]

I appreciate the suggestions.
It looks like there's a lot of 3rd part app options available

So my next question would be, "who can I trust?"

 

[codesplice]

So my next question would be, "who can I trust?"

The three that I suggested (as well as Google) are all major players who have been at this for a while. They have each earned my trust, and each application did several months as my trusted remote-wipe solution. I'd still be using Cerberus or Avast if Android Device Manager hadn't become A Thing. (I prefer to have such features integrated with the OS as tightly as possible.)

I don't know anything about the Mobile Superhero app that Slug suggested, but I do trust @Slug enough to trust his recommendation.

Really, there are plenty of options out there, and none of us will be able to choose the one that satisfies you the best. You'll need to look closely at the contenders and see what suits your needs.

 

[Mpie]

They have each earned my trust

Yes, but do you mean to say you trust their privacy policy as well (if yes, why) ?
This is what I'm trying to get at, who can you trust not to collect personal information from your phone ?

 

[mikedt]

Yes, but do you mean to say you trust their privacy policy as well (if yes, why) ?
This is what I'm trying to get at, who can you trust not to collect personal information from your phone ?

I have to ask, did you trust the privacy policy of the whomever(Alibaba, Tencent or Baidu?) was providing the included remote wipe feature on your previous phone, the Mpie G7? That they weren't going to make all your personal information available to the Communist Party of China and other third-parties and spooks? FYI the Mpie G7 is a Chinese phone, that uses servers in China. Don't even know who manufactures this phone, so good luck in finding their ToS and privacy policy. Looks very much like a counterfeit Oppo Find 7.

 

[Mpie]

Yea I hear ya, I know it was a sketchy Chinese phone, and no I wasn't placing any trust in it (one of the many reasons it is now gone).

It's all a learning process so I'm just trying to look into things as much as I can, that's all.