Safe boot

[defaultuser]

just figured out that you can get to safemode if you hold down the menu button while booting up.

[dkw0417]

And what exactly does safe mode do differently?

[defaultuser]

well, i did fire up the pictures app and by scrolling the pictures i did detect a lag, so given that and from what i know from the linux world, i come to the conclusion that it puts the phone in a mode that strips all acceleration and third party enhancements from the phone. may be use full in diagnosing problems.

[nickelleon]

Just booted into Safe Mode to tinker around.

As far as I can tell, everything is running fine. The only differences I notice are that the bottom left of your screen always displays "Safe mode" (even over the Flashlight app) and your custom programs dont appear on your menu. The only programs listed on the menu are the default/basic programs.

I can run the custom programs if they have a pre-existing shortcut to them though..

Anyone find anything else out about Safe Mode?

[nickelleon]

Wow, actually, I missed this the first time around, but booting up in Safe Mode bypasses your screen unlock pattern. It took me a minute to realize the gravity of this situation..

If Safe Mode only disables hardware accelleration and 3rd party enhancements like defaultuser suggessted, but all your programs and files are accessible, then breaking into a locked phone is as easy as holding Menu while the G1 powers up....

[defaultuser]

confirmed, you can log in to the phone that has the a security pattern enabled. but once logged in if the phone gets locked you are presented with the unlock screen.


Maybe one of the Admins can pass this along to the Dev Team.

[TheLibraryDude]

Makes me wonder if I should stop telling the browser to remember the passwords for sites I login to. I always figured the screen lock pattern would keep someone out long enough for me to change my passwords should the phone ever be lost/stolen. But with this easy bypass, someone could get access to my accounts without delay and they could change my passwords or access private info.