Lockdown (iPhone/iPod app) to Android??

[rda990]

This would probably a #1 app I would want...I have it on the iPod and it basically locks the phone completely and for any app it requires you to put in a password.You can pick on the settings which apps to lock at all times and such,also can lock Messages and Phone.I haven't seen this for the Android platform yet...but if there's a Dev that is willing to do something like this i will actually pay 20$ for this app.

 

[qwiksilver711]

Several threads on this, and I'd gladly pay over 20 for it... but it seems to not be happening.

 

[tktouch12]

i was just searching for this, and this thread came up.
i would also pay $20 for this. i cant figure out why we dont have this!!!

 

[jsh1120]

+100 Started another thread on this precise topic earlier today. It is the absence of this functionality that prevents the Droid from being certified for my company and many other large corporations.

 

[LtKen]

I have to imagine this isnt as easy as it sounds. With root you have complete control over the phone, which is both awesome and horrible, depending on which side of the security spectrum you stand.

 

[tktouch12]

It should just be a built in part of the os anyway though. Google/ motorola made an amazing machine but left out this and sound profiles.

 

[jsh1120]

I have to imagine this isnt as easy as it sounds. With root you have complete control over the phone, which is both awesome and horrible, depending on which side of the security spectrum you stand.

I suspect you're correct, as is the post following yours. In effect what it amounts to is interposing functionality between the o/s and the affected application to require a password. I doubt that that is very complicated but it would require an extension of o/s functionality to do it efficiently.

Of course it could also be designed as an option for individual applications. Not as comprehensive or efficient but for applications like email and messaging it would be a significant enhancement.

 

[kertsman]

There is an app that is close to what you want, but it only asks you to unlock it once after you unlock your phone. Maybe if you add some comments they can add the option to prompt for the password always.

Here is the link: Protector v0.1 Application for Android | Tools
Here is a link to the Developers website with a bit more info and an email link: http://www.smart-alarm-clock.com/protector

Hope that helps a little.

 

[mikenilson]

Wouldn't Mobile Defense do this? It tracks your phone using GPS, lets you lock it down and sound an alarm. All via the web.

 

[jsh1120]

There is an app that is close to what you want, but it only asks you to unlock it once after you unlock your phone. Maybe if you add some comments they can add the option to prompt for the password always.

Here is the link: Protector v0.1 Application for Android | Tools
Here is a link to the Developers website with a bit more info and an email link: Protector - finally on android! (Smart Alarm Clock)

Hope that helps a little.

Thanks for the input, kertsman. Downloaded the app and you're right, it does almost everything I'd want except for the fact that it limits the use of the password to a single time after the phone is booted.

Unfortunately, I experienced what may have been a coincidental problem. After downloading the app I found that my new version of Swype would no longer work because it failed to open the English language dictionary on the SDcard. As I said, it may have been a coincidence but I found that there were other apps that I tried to open (Settings) that I had not "protected" that also required a password.

Uninstalled the Protector app and still had the Swype problem so I had to uninstall and reinstall it.

At this point I'm going to give it a couple of days to see if Swype remains stable. If it does, I'll try Protector again.

Again, thanks for the tip.

 

[kertsman]

I got an email stating that he was probably going to be adding a timeout option that will cause the app to lock again after a certain time period.

I have seen similar reports about Swype not working correct. I have it installed and it is working okay right now, so I don't think it is a conflict.

 

[jsh1120]

I got an email stating that he was probably going to be adding a timeout option that will cause the app to lock again after a certain time period.

I have seen similar reports about Swype not working correct. I have it installed and it is working okay right now, so I don't think it is a conflict.

Yes, as I said, I'm not at all sure it wasn't coincidental. However, I haven't seen anyone else experience the exact problem I found (a failure to load the english dictionary.) And I became suspicious because my Astro file manager which I had specifically NOT included in the "protected" apps required a password to access. This suggested to me that Protector was interfering with access to my SDCard.

As I said, though, the problem persisted even after I had uninstalled Protector, so I'm not pointing any fingers. I just don't want to reinstall it until I'm sure that Swype is stable and working correctly.

Otherwise, with the exception of the one-time access constraint, the app is exactly what is needed to prevent access to sensitive information (including email) on the Droid. If it works predictably and correctly, the developer should be able to sell a boatload to business folks who cannot get their Droids certified by their company because of security concerns.

 

[jsh1120]

Wouldn't Mobile Defense do this? It tracks your phone using GPS, lets you lock it down and sound an alarm. All via the web.

Mike,

No, apps like Mobile Defense and Wave Secure provide different functionality. Very useful but different. To choose a "G-rated" scenario imagine you're having dinner with business competitors, a purely social occasion. One of your competitors asks to see your new phone. But your gmail account includes your firm's product schedule and other confidential information. Do you hand your phone to your competitor to examine or refuse to allow him to look at it?

Many corporations will not allow their employees to use a phone that receives confidential documents to avoid situations exactly like this. Your phone need not be stolen or lost for the information on it to be stolen.

Then, of course, there are the "R" and "X" rated scenarios where a user might not want the photos on his phone to be accessible by tapping "Gallery." I'll leave other scenarios to your imagination.

 

[mikenilson]

Wouldn't Mobile Defense do this? It tracks your phone using GPS, lets you lock it down and sound an alarm. All via the web.

Mike,

No, apps like Mobile Defense and Wave Secure provide different functionality. Very useful but different. To choose a "G-rated" scenario imagine you're having dinner with business competitors, a purely social occasion. One of your competitors asks to see your new phone. But your gmail account includes your firm's product schedule and other confidential information. Do you hand your phone to your competitor to examine or refuse to allow him to look at it?

Many corporations will not allow their employees to use a phone that receives confidential documents to avoid situations exactly like this. Your phone need not be stolen or lost for the information on it to be stolen.

Then, of course, there are the "R" and "X" rated scenarios where a user might not want the photos on his phone to be accessible by tapping "Gallery." I'll leave other scenarios to your imagination.

Ooooh! Now I get it!