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Remove Google Account After Factory Reset (2019)
31–40 of 72 posts
Re: Remove Google Account After Factory Reset (2019)
#32The amount of these devices going into the trash is shameful and unnecessary. Vendors like Apple should be required to take back phones and devices that are in such a locked state for free. They should then unlock devices that can be sold as refurbished, used or even part out the devices.
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Re: Remove Google Account After Factory Reset (2019)
#33This is really no different to Apple’s Activation Lock. If the previous user isn’t careful to sign out of their Apple ID (or, at a minimum, disable “Find My”), the new owner will need the previous owner’s password to reset the device. This is a good thing . Combined with remote lock, it renders stolen devices useless.
"This is a good thing. Combined with remote lock, it renders stolen devices useless."
My personal opinions on this:
Factory reset should mean 'just like when it came out of the factory brand new'. So no hidden keys, certificates, connections, locks or other dependencies. Either change the definition or do not call it factory reset. If people will not be able to factory reset a device, please explicitly state so in the TOS.
Rendering stolen devices useless may be a good thing security wise, but it is horrible for things like the ability to recycle and reuse. There are tons of procedures to make pretty sure devices are wiped completely from any sort of data. Why is this not enough?
I have had to destroy thousands of devices that could have a happy second (completely unsupported and no warranty whatosever) life at various projects. I'm not proud of it.
Re: Remove Google Account After Factory Reset (2019)
#34If it's a corporate device, managed by Google Workspace then you can bypass this anyway.
"Allows the specified administrator accounts to sign in to a company-owned device after it’s reset to its factory settings. Who can sign in after a factory reset depends on how the device is company-owned and its management client"
[0] - https://support.google.com/a/answer/6328708?hl=en_GB#dev_fac...
Re: Remove Google Account After Factory Reset (2019)
#35This is really no different to Apple’s Activation Lock. If the previous user isn’t careful to sign out of their Apple ID (or, at a minimum, disable “Find My”), the new owner will need the previous owner’s password to reset the device. This is a good thing . Combined with remote lock, it renders stolen devices useless.
Really depends if it really is a good thing. Stolen devices are an edge case and devices bricked because of such protection are probably numerous.
Re: Remove Google Account After Factory Reset (2019)
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes. And your cellular provider could send text messages "from" you. Your email host could randomly delete all your emails. Your credit card provider could buy stuff on your account. But they don't because they're all enormous companies with thousands of employees. The negative PR would be instant and overwhelming, and the sheer amount of staff would render trying to do it secretly, ineffective. There is cautious, an…
> Your credit card provider could buy stuff on your account. This example is unlike the others; your credit card provider already buys everything that goes on your account. For that to make any sense, they'd need to convince you to pay them "back". > But they don't because they're all enormous companies with thousands of employees. The negative PR would be instant and overwhelming, and the sheer amount of staff would…
Credit card providers not only do not buy anything that goes on your account, they do not pay for anything that goes on your account. They transfer funds for purchases that you make, and make payments on your behalf. As such they are neither the buyer nor the payor in any credit card transaction.
Re: Remove Google Account After Factory Reset (2019)
#37This is really no different to Apple’s Activation Lock. If the previous user isn’t careful to sign out of their Apple ID (or, at a minimum, disable “Find My”), the new owner will need the previous owner’s password to reset the device. This is a good thing . Combined with remote lock, it renders stolen devices useless.
"This is a good thing. Combined with remote lock, it renders stolen devices useless." My personal opinions on this: Factory reset should mean 'just like when it came out of the factory brand new'. So no hidden keys, certificates, connections, locks or other dependencies. Either change the definition or do not call it factory reset. If people will not be able to factory reset a device, please explicitly state so in th…
> There are tons of procedures to make pretty sure devices are wiped completely from any sort of data. Why is this not enough?
It sucks, but it's not enough because it doesn't remove the incentive to steal the device in the first place. If you want someone to plonk down $2k for a fancy phone, you'd better be able to (a) convince them that they'll be able to re-sell it for a good chunk of that amount, and (b) at the same time reassure them that there's no point anyone stealing their expensive new toy, which means they aren't just painting a giant target on their head.
If the thousands of devices you mention were legitimately obtained, why were they locked with account credentials that you didn't have? Or were they recovered from dumped recycling or something?
Re: Remove Google Account After Factory Reset (2019)
#38This is really no different to Apple’s Activation Lock. If the previous user isn’t careful to sign out of their Apple ID (or, at a minimum, disable “Find My”), the new owner will need the previous owner’s password to reset the device. This is a good thing . Combined with remote lock, it renders stolen devices useless.
Really depends if it really is a good thing. Stolen devices are an edge case and devices bricked because of such protection are probably numerous.
Stolen devices are an edge case because it removes the incentive to steal the devices. Back when mobile phones first started becoming popular they were an equally popular smash-and-grab item. Now? Not so much.
Re: Remove Google Account After Factory Reset (2019)
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
"This is a good thing. Combined with remote lock, it renders stolen devices useless." My personal opinions on this: Factory reset should mean 'just like when it came out of the factory brand new'. So no hidden keys, certificates, connections, locks or other dependencies. Either change the definition or do not call it factory reset. If people will not be able to factory reset a device, please explicitly state so in th…
> There are tons of procedures to make pretty sure devices are wiped completely from any sort of data. Why is this not enough? It sucks, but it's not enough because it doesn't remove the incentive to steal the device in the first place. If you want someone to plonk down $2k for a fancy phone, you'd better be able to (a) convince them that they'll be able to re-sell it for a good chunk of that amount, and (b) at the s…
"If the thousands of devices you mention were legitimately obtained, why were they locked with account credentials that you didn't have? Or were they recovered from dumped recycling or something?" Oh that was not only smartphones, but also data carriers like harddisks and usb sticks. Apologies for not clarifying.
Nevertheless valid points indeed. Regarding smartphones people just forgot or died. Most of them 'assumed IT would have some way of recovering them so they did not bother'.
Re: Remove Google Account After Factory Reset (2019)
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
Really depends if it really is a good thing. Stolen devices are an edge case and devices bricked because of such protection are probably numerous.
Stolen devices are an edge case because it removes the incentive to steal the devices. Back when mobile phones first started becoming popular they were an equally popular smash-and-grab item. Now? Not so much.
But most phones don't have physical reset buttons, so all of them have this kind of protection without the shenanigans of account de-association.