How to block factory reset option on Android smartphone?

Belonging to Abba

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I would like to ask if anyone knows how to block the factory reset option on an Android smartphone. In the past I used an Android smartphone and I installed accountability software called Accountable2You which will send a text message to an accountability partner if you try to look at inappropriate content.

However I found that the software could be easily removed without your accountability partner knowing in a brief moment by doing a factory reset of the phone. This means going to the option in settings to "restore the phone to its original factory settings". I did this to gain access to inappropriate content. Also this failure led me to quit using the smartphone and give it to my mom to keep until I find a solution for this problem. I have not used the smartphone for about a year. Also I reported the problem on Google issue tracker, but I don't know if they will provide a solution. I found a software program called SureLock made by the company 42gears that can block the factory reset. However this is an enterprise software solution made for companies to control their employees' device use. Their software can restrict you to a list of allowed apps. I am thinking I want that restriction for myself and give the password to my accountability partner.

However before I start paying a monthly fee to block the factory reset, I want to ask on here if anyone knows of a way to block the factory reset. I do not think assigning your Google account to the phone for downloading apps in Google play will work because my phone did not require my password when I reset it, only the 4 digit lock screen code. I have also heard that some Samsung phones have an unlock code that you have to type before resetting, so maybe that would be an idea of a way to block the factory reset.

Also I am not sure what Apple has done to secure the factory reset option on iPhones, but based on my research I think that they have this problem to.

Lastly, I realize that the factory reset option has a purpose, but I think having that option is a serious threat to purity if the user installs software to prevent accessing inappropriate content, and than they can quickly remove the software by resetting the phone. I sometimes can be my own worst enemy when it comes to this issue and I have been using a flip phone with no Internet access for my cell phone service since I have not resolved this issue.
 

Wookiee

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The short answer is: no. To lock those features you usually need it setup for enterprise use (as you've already found), and even then there are often fairly straightforward ways of working around it to factory reset it.

This is so that if anything goes wrong with the software you're not out of options for making it usable again.

If you get to the point where you can do something like that yourself, you usually have enough know-how to work around it. And if you were going so far as to use factory reset in the first place...
 
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JesseBassett

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Only option I can think of is to create a master pin or passcode and only yourself knows it. That way whoever uses said device cannot factory reset it.
 
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Belonging to Abba

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The request I had submitted on the Google issue tracker to resolve this problem was rejected and they labeled it as "infeasible" (to block access to the factory reset option). I am also aware that there is a way to reset Android phone by pushing a few buttons at startup and entering a system menu rather than the normal Android OS, so they would have to resolve that issue too.

So next I am going to want to ask if Apple computers has provided a way to block the option to factory reset iPhones so that it is impossible to reset them if accountability software or software that blocks inappropriate content is installed on the phone. Do you think Apple would take this kind of issue more seriously than Google?

Also I have heard that there is a such thing as Windows phones, but Microsoft stopped making them. Would a Windows phone be a good option? The reason I am able to use a computer and not factory reset the computer is because a family member holds the BIOS power on password. So would a Windows phone have a BIOS?
 
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Belonging to Abba

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I found something in the instructions that came with the Android phone that shares how you can prevent the phone from being factory reset. I wanted to ask about this.

"Add your Google account on your device: If your device is wiped [factory reset] but you have your Google account on it, the device can't finish the setup process until your Google account information is entered again."

I wanted to ask what specifically does this mean? Does this mean that the device is unusable until you login to your Google account? Or does it mean that you are simply unable to install your apps, and restore the settings to the phone that were erased but that you could still use it to get online without entering Google account information? I am going to think that even if adding a Google account that I don't have the password to could be done, this would not be a reliable way to block the factory reset because before resetting you could simply remove that Google account and add another that you do know the password to.
 
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Wookiee

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So next I am going to want to ask if Apple computers has provided a way to block the option to factory reset iPhones so that it is impossible to reset them if accountability software or software that blocks inappropriate content is installed on the phone. Do you think Apple would take this kind of issue more seriously than Google?

Hahahahahaha. Ha.

Apple don't even listen to Enterprise customers. And they pride themselves on making things that are (they think) as convenient as possible. Resetting an iOS device is no different.

Also I have heard that there is a such thing as Windows phones, but Microsoft stopped making them. Would a Windows phone be a good option? The reason I am able to use a computer and not factory reset the computer is because a family member holds the BIOS power on password. So would a Windows phone have a BIOS?

Everything has a BIOS (just different types); the BIOS is a special operating system that is designed to interact directly with device hardware.

As far as I'm aware, no phone has password protection to stop formatting. The thing with computers is the BIOS can be password protected to stop you from adjusting settings that could potentially damage or disrupt the system, or booting off alternate devices.

Phones have a closed ecosystem meaning (without screwing around and voiding warranty) you can only boot into the one operating system and not mess with hardware settings that could make a phone unstable or dead.

There's no actual way to prevent a factory reset as there are situations where the phone can't boot and need to be put into a recovery mode so they can be restored. Otherwise they become "bricked" paperweights.

The problem is you're trying to apply security protections for things they're not designed for. And I mean, they do work to a degree, but like I said earlier, there's no perfect solution that doesn't have a work around.

I found something in the instructions that came with the Android phone that shares how you can prevent the phone from being factory reset. I wanted to ask about this.

"Add your Google account on your device: If your device is wiped [factory reset] but you have your Google account on it, the device can't finish the setup process until your Google account information is entered again."

I wanted to ask what specifically does this mean? Does this mean that the device is unusable until you login to your Google account? Or does it mean that you are simply unable to install your apps, and restore the settings to the phone that were erased but that you could still use it to get online without entering Google account information? I am going to think that even if adding a Google account that I don't have the password to could be done, this would not be a reliable way to block the factory reset because before resetting you could simply remove that Google account and add another that you do know the password to.

It doesn't prevent resetting as such, it prevents the phone from activating after a reset (sort of like iOS's activation lock). So I mean, it could be used for what you want if you want to try, but like most other solutions you've tried, it's not designed for that and could end you back to square one (and potentially without a working phone).
 
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I doubt any device manufacture will want software that can prevent a factory reset.

If you coding the software, your best bet would be a key or ID that would be lost on a factory reset, and report on that.
 
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dlapm42

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I would like to ask if anyone knows how to block the factory reset option on an Android smartphone. In the past I used an Android smartphone and I installed accountability software called Accountable2You which will send a text message to an accountability partner if you try to look at inappropriate content.

Hi Isaiah 55:6-7, I can offer a solution to this which I have been using and it's free.

You can use Google Family Link - Home
If you have someone set this up as the "Admin" or Parent and then add your gmail account to it. Once the family link app is added to your Android Factory Reset will become greyed out and unavailable, as will Debugging and Safe Mode.
 
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pgp_protector

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Hi Isaiah 55:6-7, I can offer a solution to this which I have been using and it's free.

You can use Google Family Link - Home
If you have someone set this up as the "Admin" or Parent and then add your gmail account to it. Once the family link app is added to your Android Factory Reset will become greyed out and unavailable, as will Debugging and Safe Mode.
7 year olds are apparently getting around it.
My 7 year old figured out a way to bypass the Family Link Bedtime setting.... : Android
 
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