Remote Device Wipe needs Device Administrator

[garymsw]

Just updated to v2.2.  I see that there is a new security function that allows you to set parameters to remotely wipe and/or lock your phone if parameters are ignored, such as if it is lost/stolen and the wrong password is entered...To activate this, I understand that a Device Administrator must be "selected" in Settings/Security/Select Device Administrator menu.  I have no options available in this area.  I have looked into Google, Verizon, misc forums and can find nothing.

Can anyone tell me how to "select the device administrator" so I may activate the Remote Wipe?

Thanks in advance.

g 

[PJNC284]

Not sure but I believe that only works if you're connected to an Exchange server.

[Cobjones]

That is the only way it works PJNC... you need to have an exchange server that allows for a remote wipe.

[garymsw]

Great,thanks for your responses.

I am not sure how to go to the next step.  I suspect that the Exchange Server is related to my corporate email account.  Is that correct?

Is there somewhere I can read about it that is comprehensible to a non-techie?  Or, can you all help me?

Thanks in advance.

g

[mitchelljpaul]

I came across this thread as I was researching the same issue, and thought I'd respond in case others ended up here:

I had a coworker volunteer his Droid for the test, and it took a couple iterations to get Remote Wiping to work.

The phone is the original Droid, running OS version 2.2.  The Exchange server is Exchange 2003, with the following options:

Within Exchange System Manager, (Root) -> Global Settings -> Mobile Services -> Properties

Exchange ActiveSync group

Enable user initiated synchronization: checked

Enable up-to-date notification via SMTP and Text Messaging: checked

Enable notifications to user specified SMTP addresses: checked

Enable Direct Push over HTTP(S): checked

Outlook Mobile Access group

Enable Outlook Mobile Access: unchecked

Enable unsupported devices: unchecked

These settings are here for completeness -- I did not change these while working with the Droid.  The settings I had to play with were under the "Device Security..." button:

"Enforce password on device" is the only option I have checked at the moment.  I'll likely set sane options for password length and so forth.  The one setting that I had set at one point when Remote Wipe was failing was "Allow access to devices that do not fully support password settings".  It appears that you don't want this setting turned on.

As far as I can tell, enforcing the password is enough to have the Droid ask to make the EMail application one of the Device Administrators.  Once EMail is a Device Administrator, Remote Wipe works (it does not clear SD card contents, but restores the Droid to its factory settings, requiring reactivation and whatnot.)

I have further testing to do, and will post any additional findings to this thread.

[mitchelljpaul]

...And, I'm back.  Nothing major to report.  A word of caution -- the first phone we wiped required help from Verizon's tech support to get reactivated.  The second one -- a Droid 2 -- reactivated just fine.  Don't wipe a critical device just before a meeting, or you may regret it.

Enjoy.