I need to protect a Samsung S8+ against all possible catastrophies. It has very sensitive and unretrievable info.

BACKGROUND: It contains my sister`s contacts, working email account and whatsapp conversations and files.
She suffered severe brain damage and the phone is the only tool I have to deal with her former entourage and find clues who they were as opposed to whom they pretend to be these days. Extremely different things, I`m afraid.

The phone was a brand new S8+ that she never got to enjoy. Very expensive locally and that already went missing for 6 months until I passed the word I could have Natonal Intelligence resources looking for it. It surfaced miraculously.

Will need it in working conditions for the next few years.

Someone gifted me a used Lunatik knock off for my already dead iphone 4s and I love it. I managed to destroy or let rot a few famous brands cases before and the Lunatik looks indestructible to me.

I only turn on my sister`s phone once a day for a few minutes to check mail and the eventual software update.
Well aware the built like a tank cases are bulky and will likely not have the best reception but the bulkiness works like a sticky fingers deterrent as well.

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I have no personal experience with them but they look bulletproof. here is one for you "on sale"

https://www.lunatikcase.com/lu...case/galaxy-s8-plus/

I loved the original LUNATIK case because it was beefy and durable. I was never concerned for the safety of my phone, even on the couple of occasions I accidentally dropped it on the sidewalk.

quote:

Very expensive locally and that already went missing for 6 months until I passed the word I could have Natonal Intelligence resources looking for it. It surfaced miraculously.

Will need it in working conditions for the next few years.

Someone gifted me a used Lunatik knock off for my already dead iphone 4s and I love it. I managed to destroy or let rot a few famous brands cases before and the Lunatik looks indestructible to me.

I only turn on my sister`s phone once a day for a few minutes to check mail and the eventual software update.
Well aware the built like a tank cases are bulky and will likely not have the best reception but the bulkiness works like a sticky fingers deterrent as well.

That looks like a good case.

I have had an S8+ for a number of years now. My kids have had once since they were 13 and 14. They are now 16 and 17. My daughter broke the screen once, It was a quick and easy repair via verizon. I am using an otter box case. My wife has had one through her work for about 6 months before we upgraded from s5's.

Here are my suggestions to keep it in good working order.

When charging plug it in, and walk away. Let it be in one place. Charging in a cubby of a car or any place where you put pressure on the charging connection will make it the first thing to go.

Second: Update the phone with Samsung updates. completely. Keep it up to date.

Third: Dump all the apps you don't need. Don't download any you don't use. Turn off all the auto-updates on the apps. Only update the apps when you need to use them.

Fourth: institute 2 step verification on her phone with your phone and email for all of her apps and email accounts. Make sure her passwords are 15-20 characters long mixing random letters numbers and symbols as much as possible.

Fith: Disable GPS, Disable all verizon cloud, google cloud, apple cloud services. If she has any pull-down and save everything to your CPU, in its own folder.

Sixth: Copy everything from the phone to its own folder on your cpu after every significant use. That will give you a basic image of the phone in case someone has a back door, or the phone is damaged the previous 5 steps have not mitigated.


Finally: only charge it before you need it, only turn it on as long as you need it. Keep it powered off and put it in your safe when not in use.

I have no experience with the Lunatik but might I suggest this one from Incipio https://tinyurl.com/t28bd69 .Is is 2 piece. Hard corners where the newer S series are most vulnerable to drops.I have used them on my work phones and my phones have been dropped many time and have survived.I like then better than the Otterbox.

^^^^^^ Phone already wears one just like that. Thank you.

I treat the phone like it was a Faberge's egg.

Having already owned/used a Lunatik type case, I found it quite unpractical and hard to pocket/hide fast and easily. That's one extra measure of security I want to add to a phone that already vanished once.

The current case is practical for daily use. I want something that stands out even if it means poor reception. Worried slightly about
overheat but i will never use it long enough for it to happen. Only risky when charging.

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Hey,

Can't figure out how to retrieve the hotmail/FB and whatsapp passwords.

Facebook and Hotmail have recovery apps. It is likely someone else set up 2 step authentication. The recovery codes are going to them, not to your sisters phone or email. Usually you have to provide a power of attorney, or death cert to get those changed via the companies help system.

Once you have them changed over, put 2 step authentication to your email, and your phone. So you will see everytime someone tries to access those accounts.

Do you know if whatsapp can be backed up and moved eventually to another phone without requiring a password and keep functioning? As I said, her phone is almost one of a kind down here.

I am not familliar with whats app, Usually you can transfer to a new phone. BUT the first time you log into that phone you need to know its passwords to use those apps.
As for her whats app down loads. Screen shots are your friend. How you do a screen shot on the s8+ is by pressing two buttons at the same time. The 2nd button down on the left hand side, and the power button on the right hand side. Just a nice even press of both. No need to hold them down. Scroll through her apps an simply screen shot everything. then transfer those pictures to your computer.

Now there may be a possible way to retrieve some of her passwords.

Do you know her google gmail email address and password?

If so, you can sign in and likely get access to the passwords via the services menu. Does she have a laptop? Desk top?

~Aaron

i'm also a fan of the otterbox defender for the old s3, s5, note5 & current s8+ on pie/9.0.

quote:

Originally posted by DSgrouse:
Hey...

Do you know her google gmail email address and password?

If so, you can sign in and likely get access to the passwords via the services menu. Does she have a laptop? Desk top?

~Aaron

I've dedicated months to figure them up. Some I broke, some i couldn't. Stopped short of messing with Whatsapp and FB/Hotmail. They are too vital them have them blocked.
We suspect her email boxes were heavily edited since she shared her password with others and we noticed someone had opened her account at an impossible date.
Her tablet and notebook are missing, her phone vanished for 6 months.
Once we figured as much, we used the incoming mail to our advantage with some disinformation and some people vanished in the air. Main problem is we don't know who talks to whom. Some are innocent, some are bad people.

I fine combed all her retrievable mails and browsers for saved and unsaved passwords.
Some accounts might have died for lack of use by now. Former company said they were not going to help. Now it's too late.

Samsung has FB access as well. We try not to check on it.

The cases you guys use are fine, nothing wrong with them. I wish they were available down here.
BUT the S8+ being such a rare phone in this country, if it never needs any kind of repair that will be the end of it.
That is why i look for something with an extra gorilla glass and nukeprook.

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I hope you get some resolution. That sounds like an up hill battle.