# Can a cell phone, locked w/a passcode, be 'unlocked' by emergency personnel? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571 "2013-05-05T20:57:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/21 "2013-05-07T14:07:16Z")
I guess everybody I know is just a trusting fool or something - I really don’t know anybody who locks their phones. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/22 "2013-05-07T14:29:43Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > I can do this with my Samsung Galaxey Note 2. It’s a feature of the level of Android OS you have. Ooook… would you happen to know if that’s possible with a Galaxy S3? (I’m assuming that it is, since they both utilize the Android OS.) Would you kindly provide a cite/link? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/23 "2013-05-07T14:31:15Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I guess everybody I know is just a trusting fool or something - I really don’t know anybody who locks their phones. Then I guess you don’t know anybody that has been a victim of ‘identity theft’. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/24 "2013-05-07T14:50:07Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Smartphones don’t have ICE numbers? If I find your locked phone, I have no way to get a hold of one of your friends or relatives? There’s an ICE number only if the phone owner inputs them. ---
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/25 "2013-05-07T15:29:54Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > Then I guess you don’t know anybody that has been a victim of ‘identity theft’. :eek: I don’t think most people would put their SSN in their phone unless it was behind another password. Where would you put such information? I don’t lock my phone and all a person would get is my contacts. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/26 "2013-05-07T17:19:21Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > I can do this with my Samsung Galaxey Note 2. It’s a feature of the level of Android OS you have. Can you point out how? I may just have missed it but I haven’t found it yet (I just got a Galaxy Note 2 a couple days ago). **Silver Fire** : “none of this is relevant” - while someone could use your phone to call out, the idea of having a centralized place to go for ICE information still seems like a good idea. Of course naming a contact ICE is good but you might want to include other information. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/27 "2013-05-07T17:24:06Z")
> [@ethelbert](#): > > I don’t think most people would put their SSN in their phone unless it was behind another password. Where would you put such information? I don’t lock my phone and all a person would get is my contacts. Do you have email on your phone? They could use that to log in to various websites - “oops, I forgot my user ID and password, can you resend it?”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/28 "2013-05-07T17:33:19Z")
> [@ethelbert](#): > > I don’t think most people would put their SSN in their phone unless it was behind another password. Where would you put such information? I don’t lock my phone and all a person would get is my contacts. I’ve gotten my phone stolen once. When I got to the computer a few hours later, I tried to remote track it and remote wipe it, but whoever got it was smart enough to disable “Find my iPhone” and do whatever you need to do to make remote wipe impossible. I left a remote wipe command open for weeks on my iCould page and never got confirmation. Since then, I’ve always kept it password locked, so I could at least have some extra time to try to find the phone or at least wipe it via the iCloud before somebody jailbreaks it and resets it or whatever they need to do to bypass the passcode (which I believe at least involves a total wipe of the phone contents, right?) Anyhow, I don’t know how much info is on my phone, but my last few emails are on there, I’m sure there are a few auto-logins stored for various websites and apps, gps tags on my photos, text messages, and God knows what else. ETA: And, yes, the “oops, I forgot my password, can you send it to my email address” most websites have is dangerous when the thief has your iPhone and you haven’t had time to change your account passwords. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/29 "2013-05-07T17:36:56Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Can you point out how? I may just have missed it but I haven’t found it yet (I just got a Galaxy Note 2 a couple days ago). > > **Silver Fire** : “none of this is relevant” - while someone could use your phone to call out, the idea of having a centralized place to go for ICE information still seems like a good idea. Of course naming a contact ICE is good but you might want to include other information. You need to go to your contacts list and designate people as part of your ICE group. Then when your phone is locked you press on emergency dialer, a screen comes up and there is an icon with a person behind another person, press that one and your ICE contacts come up. I am not aware of any limits to how many ICE contacts you can have in your group. And to the people who never lock their phones; have you ever ordered something from your phone and paid by credit card or by PayPal? Do you erase your history and cookies every day? I don’t even hand my phone to people anymore, it’s worse than handing them your wallet as far as I am concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/30 "2013-05-07T17:54:55Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > I just got a Galaxy Note 2 a couple days ago. BTW, you are going to love the Galaxy Note 2, I moved up from a Droid X myself and the Note is sooo much better. Also, you should try the the app “Rotation Locker” to keep the screen in either landscape or portrait mode; that screen is so big you generally want to lock it into one. And get a [case with a stand](http://www.handhelditems.com/combo-holster-case-with-viewing-stand-samsung-galaxy-note-n7100-black-p-197670.html), once again the screen is so big you need a little stand sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/31 "2013-05-07T18:00:16Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I guess everybody I know is just a trusting fool or something - I really don’t know anybody who locks their phones. Mine is a work phone and passwords are mandatory. When I just had my personal cell, I didn’t have a password either. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/32 "2013-05-07T18:19:52Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > You need to go to your contacts list and designate people as part of your ICE group. Then when your phone is locked you press on emergency dialer, a screen comes up and there is an icon with a person behind another person, press that one and your ICE contacts come up. I am not aware of any limits to how many ICE contacts you can have in your group Can you do that with the iPhone? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/33 "2013-05-07T18:33:51Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Can you do that with the iPhone? What’s an iPhone? 😕 Does it connect to your eye? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/34 "2013-05-07T20:56:07Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > What’s an iPhone? 😕 Does it connect to your eye? Well, from Googling, it appears you can’t. Harrumph. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/35 "2013-05-08T05:51:52Z")
Thank you one and all for the replies, they’ve all been most informative. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/36 "2013-05-08T12:38:13Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > You need to go to your contacts list and designate people as part of your ICE group. Then when your phone is locked you press on emergency dialer, a screen comes up and there is an icon with a person behind another person, press that one and your ICE contacts come up. I am not aware of any limits to how many ICE contacts you can have in your group… Aha - you are correct. I hadn’t even looked there since I rarely mess with groups on the phone. It is still not as good as the Motorola variant: much less obvious (I mean, what is that little icon with no label!!!) - and no ability to put a note with stuff like medical information. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/37 "2013-05-08T14:55:26Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > **Silver Fire** : “none of this is relevant” - while someone could use your phone to call out, the idea of having a centralized place to go for ICE information still seems like a good idea. Of course naming a contact ICE is good but you might want to include other information. I usually do designate ICE contacts and I have used the notes feature before (I had one that talked about my son and which school he could be found in as well as one saying I was X weeks pregnant and have a certain pain med allergy, etc.) but I had to replace my phone recently and haven’t bothered. The “not relevant” bit was about whether the features could be accessed from a locked screen because, while my screen does lock after a period of time, there is no secret code to get it to open back up again. My parents are in my favorites which are displayed at the top of my home screen and are named “Dad (Name)” and “Mom (Name)” so it should be fairly easy for anybody with access to my phone to determine who to call in an emergency even before I update my ICE contacts again. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/38 "2013-05-08T15:11:47Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > And to the people who never lock their phones; have you ever ordered something from your phone and paid by credit card or by PayPal? Do you erase your history and cookies every day? I don’t even hand my phone to people anymore, it’s worse than handing them your wallet as far as I am concerned. Answers: Yes. No, not every day. I’m really not overly concerned about my phone being taken at all, let alone as a means to steal my identity. I don’t carry a purse to be stolen, I don’t leave my phone in my car. In public (work, school, whatever) it’s on my person\*. At home I’m at home and it’s not a big deal. Even so, it’s either plugged in somewhere or on my person/close at hand. And in about 13 years of owning one, I’ve never lost a cell phone. I lost a wallet once (well, twice, but the first time the finder was kind enough to turn it in to the customer service department of that particular store; the second time I just lost it and have no idea what ever became of it) and that was pretty scary. Never a phone though. I used to lock my phone. It was mostly just a pain in the ass for me so I gave up. \*Unless I don’t have pockets but that usually only happens on our weekly date nights and then he carries it for me. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/39 "2013-05-08T16:03:53Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > And to the people who never lock their phones; have you ever ordered something from your phone and paid by credit card or by PayPal? Do you erase your history and cookies every day? I don’t even hand my phone to people anymore, it’s worse than handing them your wallet as far as I am concerned. Never locked my phone, and I use it to order stuff all the time. I’ve never erased cookies or history. I’m careful with my phone, though. ---
**Author:** ![smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smoke)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571/40 "2013-05-08T16:49:12Z")
> [@EmAnJ](#): > > You can’t get on my BB via USB without a passcode either. > > I can tell you that neither my fire fighter husband and nurse sister have some super secret password to get in to locked cell phones. It doesn’t exist. > > You can change the words on your locked screen if you don’t have the ability to add emergency numbers as some people in this thread are able to do. Just change it from the default text (which is probably either blank or ‘Blackberry’ or something) to ‘ICE: (xxx) xxx-xxxx’ or similar. This is friggin brilliant, thanks! I feel dumb for not having thought of it, and I’ve been thinking about the ICE dilemma on and off for a few weeks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-cell-phone-locked-w-a-passcode-be-unlocked-by-emergency-personnel/657571.md?page=1)