If this happens, please check on the Settings page, and see if the Visual Warning is still Enabled.
(It is easy to Disable a Setting by accident when you often Scroll down the Page to Open the Log, etc.)
No. Probably not.
If a Fake Cell Tower were to be set up in your Area, the purpose would probably be to "catch" as many Cellular/Mobile Phones as possible.
Then we assume that it would use a Phone Technology which is supported by most Phones, such as GSM (2G) or UTMS/WCDMA (3G).
So; Not having LTE (4G) does not seem to be a Drawback in this connection.
This App continues working even when its Activity Windows is closed and/or when the Screen is Closed (i.e. black).
If the "Cell Spy Catcher" is enabled - it will always continue working.
You should always see its ( Red encircled "Stop Spy") Icon in the Notification Bar/Area (normally at the top of your Phone) when it is running.
Please note that the Checking Text Notification will NOT be shown when the Phone is "sleeping" - and NOT on the Locked Screen - but in the background the App will still be Checking for New Networks at the Intervals set by you (on the Settings page).
This App has been Designed to use as Little Battery Power as Possible.
In order to reduce the Battery Consumption used by this App even further, you should (in order of significance):
- Increase the Checking Period
- Disable Showing of Notification Text of Checking Period
- Exit/Close all Windows/Screens of this App by using the Back Key (and not the Home key)
You may also want to have a look at this.
Please also remember that this App is ALWAYS running in the Background while "Cell Spy Catcher" is Enabled. When it is Disabled, it is Not running, and consequently Not using any Battery Power.
As this App is only using negligible power, you can safely ALWAYS have it running.
The Checking Notification Texts may be shown at slightly irregular times.
The App itself will try to Check for New Networks at exactly the times given by your Checking Period Setting. However - sometimes - if the Operating System is busy at the time (doing something else - with a higher priority), both the Checking itself - and in particular the showing of the Notification Text - may be a little delayed.
This will not affect the operation of the App in any serious way
Sometimes the Check Notification Text is shown very often, and sometimes almost continuously.
That can happen when the Operating System has been queuing up these Notification Texts for a long time - because it was busy doing something else - with a higher priority - even though this App had output them at the Regular Times, as selected on the Settings page.
After a while, this situation should settle down, and the Text Notifications will be shown regularly again.
You may want to disable Showing the Text Notifications (near the Top on the Settings page).
Networks Areas (with different LAC (Local Area Code)) may overlap.
You may be located near such an Overlap, or near an intersection between different Network Areas.
So it is not uncommon that your Phone may rapidly change from a Network in one Area to another Network in another Area.
Yes.
Please note that for normal use, only New (so far Unknown) Networks are Logged and Warned about.
When it has a LAC that is different from the previously used Network (by the Phone), "LAC was changed" is shown.
Even though the last WARNED Network had the same LAC is the New/Unknown Network.
YES!
This App will work in all Countries - regardless of where you may be.
You never know where "IMSI"-Catchers may be used.
May be also in your Country.
Probably not.
When you see a Detected Network containing lots of Unknown data, it is probably a Network that is reported by the Phone before all of its parameters have been properly collected.
This App does not take such a Network "seriously".
Such an App is not included in the list of Learned Networks, nor is it sent to the External Database.
But it is shown in the Log, in the List of All Detected Networks, and in the CSV file.
One could argue that it should have been suppressed, but we have decided to be as transparent as possible - and show it to the User.
Maybe it has some significance - after all?
Often you will see the same Network in the Log - after a little time - with all of its parameters properly collected/shown.
As you may have experienced, any Android App can Stop. Also this App.
But you need not worry!
If this App has Stopped, you can just Start it again. And it will continue as if nothing has happened.
NO DATA IS LOST!
If the App has stopped without any obvious reason, it may be because you have enabled an Energy/Battery Saving Scheme.
"Service Unexpectedly ReStarted by System"
If you see this Log Entry, it is because the Android Operating System has ReStarted the "Cell Spy Catcher" Service.
Before that, the Service has obviously been Stopped by the System, either because the System Needed the Memory Space occupied by this App (which can happen in a few cases - where you have too many Apps Running, and not enough Memory Space Left), or because the "Cell Spy Catcher" had Crashed (due to a Software Bug).
In any Case the "Cell Spy Catcher" will continue Running.
No Data is lost.