Disable 2G On Android To Block Stingray Devices
1) Pull up the phone dialer and dial *#*#4636#*#* (that spells INFO)
2) This brings you to the testing screen, select “Phone/Device information”.
3) Scroll down a little to “preferred network type”, select the arrow.
4) Change it to LTE/WCDMA Only.
It will now stay on 3G/4G/4GLTE and avoid the old school GSM 2G Data towers.
If you reboot your phone, you will have to turn it off again.
But now you have to turn your Google tracking off.
If you really care about your privacy, you MUST get a VPN for your home internet.
Can I block a Stingray?
The Stingray is only worth a damn on a 2G Network. Who uses 2G anymore? You can flat out disable 2G altogether and never have to worry about connecting to a fake cell tower. Right?
I have an Android phone and can tell you how to do this but if you have an iPhone, please comment below with instructions or Google it. If it is not possible on an iPhone– then ha– yet another reason for Droid Life.
The GSM is 2G and when it is set to LTE/WCDMA Preferred, if someone jams the 3G /4G LTE service then your phone hops down to the 2G GSM tower which would be the Stingray. So by saying 4G, LTE, and 3G Only, when they jam your service, you will have none at all instead of connecting to the surveillance tower on the 2G GSM Network. Stingray blocked.
There is a lot of talk about local police departments such as OPD listening to your phone conversations at protest lately so here is information below to block those ancient Stingrays.
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Stingray Technology And Local Police Departments
This did force me to do more in-depth research on the Stingray Cell Phone Towers that have been around for quite some time. I wanted to know if the Oakland Police and other local departments had access to them and exactly what information they could obtain.
I found out that OPD does indeed have an old Stingray and that they have been using it for many years. The earliest maintenance record dates 2009 but who knows how long they had it before it was maintained. The information has been made publicly available after a public record request was put in.
Oakland Police released a lot of information about the current Stingray Hardware and apparently have been rejected grants for the newer Hailstorm technology needed to listen to your calls. The upgrade would cost the city $460,000, which they do not have right now. More importantly, what the heck is a “Thru-Wall camera”? It’s listed on OPD’s document.
But what exactly can the police do with this device?
Nothing if you disable your 2G Data. The Stingray has to be upgraded to a Hailstorm to “track” 4G LTE phones. Whatever track even means anymore.
How does it work?
The Stingray will “intercept” data traveling from your phone to a 2G tower. If your phone even does that. I’m pretty sure my plan only uses 3G / 4G, and if those two were not available, it would do nothing, no data no phone calls. However, in the case that your phone does connect to a 2G tower and make calls / browse online / text or whatever, they would force you to connect to the police operated Stingray 2G GSM Cell Tower and from that tower connect you to your cell phone providers tower. So they stand between you and the tower and sift through the transmission first. This means they can now intercept data on that transmission. I don’t know what they can do with it, and there is no real clear information on what data they can get. They do say metadata and access the cellphones internal storage, so that is enough to want to block the Stingray.
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What can Hailstorm do?
Hailstorm, the expensive upgrade that most police departments do not have is needed to get your info on a 4G cell phone. We’re still unclear as to what it does though. Luckily they are far less frequent, and I have found that Oakland Police do not have it due to the high cost. In fact, the only record I see of one is in Oakland County Michigan for some reason.
Christopher Soghoian, a senior policy analyst and principal technologist for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the devices could identify all phones in a targeted radius and ascertain what numbers each called. What’s particularly worrisome is there is no telltale sign they’ve been used, Soghoian said: “It doesn’t leave a trace. No one would ever catch you.”
Can’t they find out what numbers you’ve called anyway by asking your phone service provider?
“Stingray Ii to Hailstorm Upgrade, ETC. the Hailstorm Upgrade is Necessary for the Stingray System to Track 4g LTE Phones”
Mo says
Does anyone know – will a Stingray (without Hailstorm upgrade) appear as a 2G cell tower? Or can it mimic any network?
Alf says
How do we track or trace stingrays and all that other stuff and disable it so they can’t track or trace one or any of us or others. Is there an app to tell us when their tracking so we can mess with them and is available for iPhones?
Vendetta says
We need to come up with a way to find or track these devices kick the crap out of whoever is using them in your area and destroy the device.
Cody G says
I have to burst your bubble but police departments upgraded to the Hailstorm model and that uses 4G LTE so switching off 2G doesn’t work you’ll still get stung. Sorry.
Travis Hutchison says
You’re a pimp, us targeted individuals are having a hell of a time with stingrays.
Michael Gurrola says
I have a metro fierce 4 I did what u said to do with the *#*#4636#*#* so do I put it on wcdma only or lte only it doesn’t have the option on lte/wcdma only and after I do so do I just get out and restart my phone ?
donovan says
My phone won’t give me the option . I have a Android majesti zte. They are all over me so bad, drones and I could blow you guys away with what I know but it’s too long too explain on here.
GeeFunk says
When I put it on wcdma only, it doesn’t allow me to get calls.
Simon says
You know this gang stalking is out of hand. I have moved to a new city and have been followed here. I don’t understand why more is not being done. I have various snapshots from my phone thanks toan app for Android that will show you in real time where these law enforcement trackers are set.
shane says
What App are you using that locates these trackers or sting ray devices?
Why bother the police already know says
Unless I’m crazy, another article states (quoted).
OaklandMofo says
Yes, you are crazy.
Or maybe you did not read my article at all and your sole purpose here was to drop your own link?
My entire article is based on the fact that the devices attempt to knock you off your normal network, LTE, 3G or 4G and onto the old inferior 2G network which is why I show you how to disable 2G so they can not knock you onto it as you have disabled it.
I did remove your link drop.
Winter Soldier says
Florida has hailstorm.
Dub says
Is there an app that will tell me if a stingray is connected to my phone?
Russell Imrue says
Very good article. Thanks. Am in DC area awash in cash and funding so assuming 4G is transparent here. Questions: any idea if VPN (data, not text or voice) blocks Stingray stuff? What about client encrypting apps like Signal?
Thanks
Taz says
Signal is safe. MySudo may be safe if you stay in network (no Sudoout).
Celie Horne says
Signal is no safe for me. The corrupt cops here in South Toms River have interfered with three calls (Signal) in one week. I have 4G, Samsung S9’s. Twice the call dropped (cell to cell) and there was a dial tone. I’ve changed my number numerous times. I have so much dirt on these crooked cops and they know it. I’m not anti cop. I’m anti corrupt cop.
michael says
Wow! I thought I was losing my mind. My cell phone was acting up with issues like i can hear them, but they can’t hear me and vise-versa. Static, beeping noises during call like the person I am talking to is touching buttons on the screen, but they are not, faint and distant sounding talking in the background of the call, etc. All of these are indicators of being hacked. Now add the multiple vehicles with blacked out windows, weird license plate numbers {Out of State/Country, temp stickers like I am the only one who didn’t buy a new vehicle last weekend, spotless license plates on dirty cars, and a high percentage of cars around me that have Idaho license plates. Intersections, freeway ramps, curves on the freeway all have a car waiting and pulls out as soon as i drive by. Cars from various law enforcement agencies sitting with their lights flashing as i pass by and often parked behind a disabled vehicle or none at all and drive away as I get close. Motorists around me talking into their hand after we pass each other. Black helicopter dropping suddenly behind a hill/trees when i turned their direction and flying above my vehicle 45 miles later and landing at our local airport. Trucks turning off headlights at night and turning on emergency flashers as they passed me in the dark. Farm equipment in the filed at midnight suddenly light up as I drove by and a mile or so later a spotlight blasted a beam as i drove past the local school. I could go on, but won’t. I just want to cut them off from having unlimited access to my phone/privacy.
Dusty Rhoads says
If I keep it on wcdma only that will keep stingrays from intercepting and tracking right?
Mae says
Michael,
You are being stalked by proxy or community, organized or gang stalked. So are about I million other citizens for unknown reasons. D.O.J. in 2006 reported 445,220 cases of this reported. Research reputable sites on the subject. It’s terrible what’s happening in this country to citizens born here.
Winter Soldier says
I am one of them. Helicopter, cars, stingrays, phone computer hacks. Following with marked and unmarked vehicles. Accounts hacked, mail taken.
Jack says
I tried the phone code but it doesn’t work. I have an s7 edge. I’m able to access mobile networks options through settings and pick network mode but every option contains GSM. Help?
Cs says
I have a s7, it works, copy and paste the code, got my turned off.
Anonymous Nerd says
Just switch it in Settings > Connections > Mobile Data ?
Frightened Botanist says
I came across this article in search of an explanation after realizing the day before yesterday that my Verizon iphone received a call while my cellular data/wifi were turned off. I can totally make calls from anywhere with no connection (A “Verizon Services” bar which I have never seen before appears for a few seconds in the settings section of my phone below “Cellular”, above the VPN toggle.
I have been enduring some very strange activities at my business and home (As a solo female with obvious activity in my home attic and at work) for the past few months, this just tops off the creepiness as I’m not a criminal or in any way worthy of such efforts.
I assumed it was exes or pervs stalking me up prior to this cell phone discovery.. Now I realize I can hear obvious quiet sounds on my phone when it is not even in use. My question to you is, are the Feds/Pricey equipment owners the only entities capable of this sort of action?
Aside from bad mouthing Monsanto’s newly approved GMO geared dioxin, addressing crisis actors (both topics were minimal, online commentary- I’m no activist or extremist) and posting a rude video to you tube a few years ago (Which was really directed at the swarm of reporters) when the press stormed our cul-de-sac upon realizing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s previously unknown son lives in it, I cannot fathom any reason this is happening. It takes power/money to stage an event such as what is currently transpiring with regard to my privacy.
My quality of life has steadily decreased over the past few months as the scope of my livelihood has narrowed in on trying to figure out why cars that circle my home street appear at my isolated work location and wait outside 7-11 while i go in and come out to be followed again. Of course, I also spend time trying to reassure myself that this is just coincidental nonsense, bullshit, paranoia.. that’s what my R&R time has evolved into-but that is difficult to do when you come home to a smoke smelling house and peek in the attic, think you see movement and snap a grainy image of what appears to be two men when you turn up the brightness later.. Or come into a house smelling like paint, write it off as silly paranoia, then grab the wall corner to steady yourself later that evening when your excited great danes almost knock you over and realize not only is the paint tacky in some areas but contains confirming pieces of fur from my pets although that wall was last painted by previous occupants. Weird noise reduction plugs popping up on appliances, chargers plugged in to my own A/C adaptors in my garage that aren’t mine and look like they belong to wireless tools or networking devices.. Brighthouse modem that will absolutely not port forward no matter how hard my silicon valley brother hits it with linux scripting so that i can view my pnp camera.. Network scan showing 6 devices on my work server at 2am (HTC, Cisco, etc) alerts from the camera at work, (a camera that’s log file will be mysteriously gone by the time I login to look at the 20 or so that have popped up as I type- time is always reset to military or 2 hours later).. Footprints in dog pee on my back cement and on top of the bbq (up against a fence) and atop my counter at work. Lightbulbs that i didn’t buy, weird metal rods inside of previously hollow wall art. Magnetometer readings of 1200+ microtesla on various furniture cushions whose symmetrical parts measure 46. Cell phone locking up out of nowhere when i point the attached thermal cam at my warehouse before entering and see a 4 heat signatures. A blaring squelch coming out of my cell phone when its up to my ear because I heard a click.
One soccer mom looking lady actually pulled a red bandana up over her face all Boyz In The Hood style last week when I realized she’d pulled up and watched me pump gas then was preparing to exit as I did.. I swung around facing her unexpectedly, toward the opposite driveway and looked at her and she yanked it up under her sunglasses, proceeding to wait at the light with it on and drive down our suburban main drag that way at 3pm Sunday… My twenty something niece who just came to visit from SF after finishing her Masters in psychology was in the car with me and was noticeably shaken by this ridiculousness.
Thinking all of this was a product of ex boyfriends is one thing, but considering the scale, it’s probably not and given the cellular issue- if this is the result of the government initiating some weird baseless surveillance (said actions are basically equating to torture), that is incredibly disheartening.. Not only for the wasted time and money it seems would be required, but for the sheer invasion of privacy that is altering my life for the worse and diverting my own funds to security systems and items- and after rereading this comment, probably some sort of mental therapy ;)
Seriously though, I don’t know if the source’s goal is to drive me to the brink, I’m certainly sounding crazy as of late. But- I know I’m not lol.. Given the thought of this cell tower faking and the fact that the people who are inducing said craze are listening to and observing the result of their invasive behavior is sickening. They’ve stolen my favorite pastimes of solo trout fishing up the canyon and my desolate paleo digs because I am scared at the anonymous aspect of things.
In short- I’m going to see if the aforementioned apps identify my phone issue. Sorry for the insane sounding rant, but my state of mind probably exemplifies about 99% of the normal nobodies (who actually notice) that these devices are used on. I’m not at all happy to sacrifice my own peace of mind as part of some mass filtering process to catch the 1% of actual threats that this time, funding, and effort should be directed at. This methodology is Un-American.
Metoo says
You are not alone I have many of these same problems. You are not going crazy. These people make no sense and have nothing better to do with our tax dollars. I can’t say much more here but I have experienced what you are going through. Do not give in to them! Research how to prevent them from doing what they are doing. Invest in high security locks for where you live as a start. What they are doing is not legal so don’t give in.
They are Real says
I’m sorry to hear that. Please, get a sample of the wet paint area to be tested for radioactivity as that is a method that CIA contractors use to slowly kill those deemed a threat to the truth remaining hidden…
Ge Marie Diosana says
Just 2 days ago my smart phone got busted because of a STING RAY DEVICE. Operators are from 99.5 RT of GMA 7 network, Cebu Philippines.
jessica says
Is there a way to find out if you have been hit with a stingray? And can my phone carrier tell if my phone has ran off such? And any other resource links or web sites that would be helpful to me?
Felix says
I was searching thru Google play this morning on my Sony Z3, because my phone has been going into 2g often and I can’t imagine any reason why it would in this day and age with a BRAND NEW phone. Just seems peculiar. When I restart it goes back to 4g. Any how, I came across a few apps like snoopsnitch, and hammer head that claim to track these attacks, however they require rooting your phone (which I don’t know much about). The information in this article stops 2g all together, and that seems ideal. Facebook recently released software that codes your page as well after the overturn of freedom of information act a couple weeks ago. You can check your settings to activate it. I haven’t done so yet but I’m sure Google will tell ya all about it. Thanks for the info Mr Blogger.