A little help, please, someone might have my Android phone. Doh! ... Found!!!

[Muse]

An hour ago I opened my W10 laptop and there was a notification at the bottom right, don't remember what it said, but I clicked it and Bluetooth & other devices opens and asks me this:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pair device?

Does the PIN on "<name of my S9 cell phone>" match the pin below?
<6 digit integer>
[Yes] [Cancel]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kind of puzzles me what's going on here. The screen indicates they're already paired. I figure just go with it and I go to get my Samsung S9 Android phone and can't find it, realize I must have left it on the chair next to me at a department of my HMO yesterday afternoon. It was a longish wait and I had some stuff out, was real hungry, eating a snack, and the guy comes at the wrong moment. So, it's 1:30AM here now and I call the advice nurse, she says they open at 8AM, call them.

So, I'm wondering if I should call my MVNO cell provider right now (uses Verizon network) and report this.

Is the message I'm getting a tipoff that someone else has my phone, someone that didn't turn it in? It was unlocked when I left it on the chair. I don't know if it would automatically go into a mode where it requires my 4 digit PIN, but I suppose yes at some point.

 

[VirtualLarry]

That sounds like the bluetooth pairing pin, not the phone's lock-screen pin, nor the phone line itself pin.

 

[Muse]

That sounds like the bluetooth pairing pin, not the phone's lock-screen pin, nor the phone line itself pin.

Yeah, the lockscreen PIN is 4 digit.

I looked for help online, they have a lot of things to try. Being 3AM here, can't talk to my service provider. Maybe I could do something to deactivate the service temporarily there, I'm looking.

 

[Muse]

That sounds like the bluetooth pairing pin, not the phone's lock-screen pin, nor the phone line itself pin.

Yeah, I'm wondering why my W10 laptop would suddenly request that from the cell phone, if it means someone's trying to use it. Or using it!

 

[Muse]

Yeah, I'm wondering why my W10 laptop would suddenly request that from the cell phone, if it means someone's trying to use it. Or using it!

I can talk to my provider in 1.5 hours, the HMO office opens in 4.5 hours.

 

[WelshBloke]

Find My Mobile

findmymobile.samsung.com

Find Hub

www.google.com

Try either of these if you use a Samsung account or a Google account on your phone, access them from your laptop.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm having trouble parsing what you wrote. Your phone out in the wild won't pair with your laptop via bluetooth. It might be in the house.

 

[WelshBloke]

I'm having trouble parsing what you wrote. Your phone out in the wild won't pair with your laptop via bluetooth. It might be in the house.

Yeah. If the laptop can see the phone via Bluetooth then hey can't be far apart.
Get someone to ring it.

 

[Muse]

Find My Mobile

findmymobile.samsung.com

Find Hub

www.google.com

Try either of these if you use a Samsung account or a Google account on your phone, access them from your laptop.

You know what? I accessed that (around 4AM), signed into my Samsung account using my Google account and the Find My Phone applet said I didn't have a phone registered to it, or something like that. I think I had to set it up for the FMP thing to work.

In any case, a few minutes ago, I FOUND MY PHONE!!! At 3AM, I wasn't exactly in top form and I didn't realize that I'd hung the phone from a USB cable to recharge it.

Doh!

I'm having trouble parsing what you wrote. Your phone out in the wild won't pair with your laptop via bluetooth. It might be in the house.

Bingo!!!

Meantime, I'd frozen my service and just called them back and restarted it.

 

[Muse]

Yeah. If the laptop can see the phone via Bluetooth then hey can't be far apart.
Get someone to ring it.

Now that the phone's on again, and rebooted, I don't hear anything when I call it from my landline... vibrate does work, no sound. Argh. Fixed, see post #12 below.

So, I managed to turn on the sound, fine, but...

The phone shows a call coming in but doesn't respond when I try to answer it. After a dozen rings or so my land line goes into busy signal tones. I'm WTF, gonna look online for a solution, maybe call my provider.

Google Search

First thing they say to try is restart the phone (which I did a few minutes ago, but I'll try again)...

 

[Muse]

Google Search

First thing they say to try is restart the phone (which I did a few minutes ago, but I'll try again)...

That didn't fix it, still can't answer a call.

 

[Muse]

That didn't fix it, still can't answer a call.

Oh, man, it's like a secret handshake. Sheesh!

If you have a Samsung phone, things are a bit different now. Earlier, one could tap on the answer (or green) button to accept the call. But the functionality has been removed now. So if you are trying to answer the call in the same way, it’s incorrect. You will have to swipe up on the green button.

That worked. I guess it's a security feature. I'm "back in business."

 

[WelshBloke]

I glad you have everything sorted mate!

 

[Captante]

So OP .... you been hitting the pipe ??

 

[Muse]

So OP .... you been hitting the pipe ??

Nope! TBH, I don't think I've been sleeping enough.

Um, fact is I rarely make (or receive) calls with my cell phone. With the pandemic and all I've been at home, so landline. Besides, my cell service at home is sketchy. I was hoping that moving from AT&T to Verizon would improve it but it's just as bad. I use it if I need phone support when away from the house, which isn't a lot. I took it with me yesterday, just in case, you know how that is.

 

[Captante]

my cell service at home is sketchy. I was hoping that moving from AT&T to Verizon would improve it but it's just as bad

Unfortunately a lot of the time the closest AT&T repeater is hanging out on the tower right next to the closest Verizon & T-Mobile so signals will be about the same for everyone.

The other possible issue could be the building you live in or something in it. Just as with wifi cellular signals are affected by many things, like the composition of walls for example.

 

[Muse]

Unfortunately a lot of the time the closest AT&T repeater is hanging out on the tower right next to the closest Verizon & T-Mobile so signals will be about the same for everyone.

The other possible issue could be the building you live in or something in it. Just as with wifi cellular signals are affected by many things, like the composition of walls for example.

It kinda works, I'm not really sure, but the signal is weak. I get 2 maybe 3 bars if I'm lucky out of 5. Better upstairs than downstairs!

 

[sdifox]

I am still getting over you charge your phone by hanging it on the charging usb cable...

 

[Spacehead]

Unfortunately a lot of the time the closest AT&T repeater is hanging out on the tower right next to the closest Verizon & T-Mobile so signals will be about the same for everyone.

The other possible issue could be the building you live in or something in it. Just as with wifi cellular signals are affected by many things, like the composition of walls for example.

Could Zuul somehow be involved?

 

[Muse]

I am still getting over you charge your phone by hanging it on the charging usb cable...

I suppose you charge yours with some contactless method, EM radiation. Don't you know that stuff is carcinogenic? I prefer cables.

 

[WelshBloke]

Nope! TBH, I don't think I've been sleeping enough.

Um, fact is I rarely make (or receive) calls with my cell phone. With the pandemic and all I've been at home, so landline. Besides, my cell service at home is sketchy. I was hoping that moving from AT&T to Verizon would improve it but it's just as bad. I use it if I need phone support when away from the house, which isn't a lot. I took it with me yesterday, just in case, you know how that is.

Does your provider offer VoIP or wireless calling or whatever they call it now?

 

[Captante]

Could Zuul somehow be involved?

 

[Muse]

Does your provider offer VoIP or wireless calling or whatever they call it now?

Ah, not that I'm aware of. It's Verizon by virtue of an MVNO (Redpocket), phone is Android (Samsung Galaxy S9).

 

[WelshBloke]

Ah, not that I'm aware of. It's Verizon by virtue of an MVNO (Redpocket), phone is Android (Samsung Galaxy S9).

I have no idea about US providers, I know that the UK S9 can do it so it isn't a hardware thing.

 

[Muse]

I have no idea about US providers, I know that the UK S9 can do it so it isn't a hardware thing.

Guess I should look into it. I typically have my computers in suspend, though unless I'm using them directly for something. I figure to use that functionality a computer would need to be active.