[SOLVED] Is it safe to buy use'd phone's an/or tablet's Android an/or Apple ?

[editor1]

Hi

I don't know wear to post this at. Hop this works. I don't want the chance of a keylogger or spy wear built in the firmwear.

I want to buy a phone. And later I will buy a tablet. Should I buy a brand new one, refurbished from the company, or any one know of a way to buy a used one (apple or android)?

 

[Grobe]

You'll never be completely safe.

There are spechial phones designed with privacy in mind.

Alternatively - you just buy something like a CAT B35 phone. I'll say it's pretty safe against keyloggerz and shit.

 

[britechguy]

The secondary market for all computers and electronic devices, including smartphones and tablets, is absolutely huge and spread across venues such as dedicated websites, eBay, Craigslist, and the list goes on and on.

The probability of any individual user looking to sell their phone after having gotten "the latest and greatest" that they wanted being a hacking genius out to spy on some random buyer is incredibly remote. They just want to get some bucks back on a device they'll no longer use.

Nothing is without risk when you buy secondhand. But I certainly wouldn't be worrying about infected firmware as one of my top concerns if you're buying a used smartphone or tablet, particularly if the transaction occurs locally via Craigslist or the like, where you can meet the seller and drop the transaction should you get any sort of uneasy vibe from them.

There is little value in worrying about the remotely possible when it's also highly improbable.

 

[editor1]

The secondary market for all computers and electronic devices, including smartphones and tablets, is absolutely huge and spread across venues such as dedicated websites, eBay, Craigslist, and the list goes on and on.

The probability of any individual user looking to sell their phone after having gotten "the latest and greatest" that they wanted being a hacking genius out to spy on some random buyer is incredibly remote. They just want to get some bucks back on a device they'll no longer use.

Nothing is without risk when you buy secondhand. But I certainly wouldn't be worrying about infected firmware as one of my top concerns if you're buying a used smartphone or tablet, particularly if the transaction occurs locally via Craigslist or the like, where you can meet the seller and drop the transaction should you get any sort of uneasy vibe from them.

There is little value in worrying about the remotely possible when it's also highly improbable.

Tru. So I'm thanking A phone is most safe due to most ppl don't use there phones for shopping(card info). But tablets might be the highest risk due to its hard to change os/firm and no interchangeable hdd. And I thank hdd is the same. Way to easy to do many different thaings to it. SSD might be safe !?

I did a manual flash for my phone and every sense I cant get it to stop randomly toggling wifi. I tell it to forget the network just encase its trying to remote. I spent over 12hr looking for the stoke firmware and ended up with a glitch y phone LOL.

 

[USAFRet]

A used phone, as with any used computing device, needs a full wipe and reinstall before you do anything else with it.
Very first step.

 

[britechguy]

A used phone, as with any used computing device, needs a full wipe and reinstall before you do anything else with it.
Very first step.

The thing is, you generally can't, at least not with an unrooted device.

Yes, you can do a factory reset, and you should (in fact, if the seller has any tech savvy, they will have done it before passing it along), but this is not the equivalent of the same on a PC nor is it anything like a completely clean reinstall of Windows 10, or Linux, etc.

The only way one can get that is on a rooted device where one does a complete wipe and then reinstalls either the stock ROM (obtained from the device manufacturer) or a custom ROM like LineageOS (in the case of an Android device).

I have no idea how one deals with this on iPhones.

 

[USAFRet]

For an iPhone, I imagine you take it to the apple store. This can also verify stolen/not stolen.
Others, I have no idea.

But for every device, no matter if the seller says he did it 5 minutes before you got there...do it again.

 

[Sagar_20]

I had bought a used iphone online, however the previous owner had not completely reset the phone that made me suffer later.

Now one day i forgot the passcode and had to reset the phone using iTunes on my desktop.

The phone was successfully reset but it got stuck at the icloud lock screen.

It's basically an anti-theft feature that prevents unauthorized access on iPhones and turns the phone into a brick, unless you have the real id and password.

If you have "find my phone" turned on on an iPhone, it is automatically enabled.

In the end, i had to call the apple customer support and after proper verification of the ownership of the phone, they remotely unlocked the phone for me.

 

[editor1]

I had bought a used iphone online, however the previous owner had not completely reset the phone that made me suffer later.

Now one day i forgot the passcode and had to reset the phone using iTunes on my desktop.

The phone was successfully reset but it got stuck at the icloud lock screen.

It's basically an anti-theft feature that prevents unauthorized access on iPhones and turns the phone into a brick, unless you have the real id and password.

If you have "find my phone" turned on on an iPhone, it is automatically enabled.

In the end, i had to call the apple customer support and after proper verification of the ownership of the phone, they remotely unlocked the phone for me.

Lucky. I would thank thay would of considered the person that sold it to u stole it from someone.

The only way one can get that is on a rooted device where one does a complete wipe and then reinstalls either the stock ROM (obtained from the device manufacturer) or a custom ROM

A used phone, as with any used computing device, needs a full wipe and reinstall before you do anything else with it.
Very first step.

Ty all. Good stuff to know. My next devices I'll make sheer I can find firmware/os and drivers from good sorce's before buying. I'm not sheer what apple does for phone and tablets. I have installed whitdoor on a ipod tuch before.

I am a little wory'd that a person might be able to hide code (re-right safe mode(the mood you put phone in to start flash)) to launch with the samsung installers to launch before the new flash. I'll have to google and see if it can be wright'n to.