Guardian FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Guardian, preserved from the original FAQ page. The answers describe how the software behaved when it was current.

General

How can I uninstall Guardian?

There was an uninstall option inside the software itself, under Settings. Because the program deliberately did not appear in the handset's list of installed applications, this was the only route.

I forgot Guardian's password.

Version 2.0 and later included a recovery procedure. It required the notification recipient number to be reachable, and ran as follows: change the SIM for an unauthorised one, which caused the "SIM changed" notification to be sent to the configured recipient. Then, from that recipient number, send a message to the handset containing only the uppercase text //LOSTPASS. The reply contained the current password.

Two conditions were essential and were stated explicitly. The //LOSTPASS message had to be sent from the configured recipient number, and the new unauthorised SIM had to be capable of sending a message, since the reply went out over it.

Is Guardian compatible with UIQ or Series 80 phones?

No. Ports to both were offered conditionally on project funding reaching a minimum and were never released.

I changed the SIM but no notification was sent.

Three conditions all had to hold: Guardian had to be in the enabled state, the new SIM had to be absent from the authorised list, and the new SIM had to be capable of sending a message — with credit, in network coverage, and so on.

If the first two held, the program hid itself regardless. If sending then failed for any reason, Guardian retried every two minutes up to a maximum of ten attempts, after which the message was deleted; the whole procedure repeated at the next power-on.

I launched Guardian but it did not ask for a password.

Normal. When Guardian was not in the enabled state the password was not requested. The configuration guide covers enabling it.

What does "Execute SMS Command — On Sim Change / Always" do?

Set to Always, Guardian executed the SMS commands documented in the plugin reference even when the SIM present was the authorised one, rather than only after a SIM change.

MultiSim

What is MultiSim?

It allowed up to ten SIM cards to be held on the authorised white list.

How do I add a new authorised SIM?

Following the ordered procedure in the configuration guide — disable, swap, power on, launch, re-enable.

Behaviour

Guardian did not ask for anything at power-on. Is it running?

By design, yes. The absence of any visible sign was the point: no icon in the application list, no entry in the installed-software list, no background process while the authorised card was present, and nothing in the message folders or logs when it sent or received anything. The only way to confirm the system was armed was to open it with the password, or to test it with an unregistered card as described in the configuration guide.

Does a hard reset remove it?

Usually not. A hard reset restores factory settings and removes installed software, which is the standard way of clearing an unwanted application from a handset and therefore the standard way of defeating software of this type. Guardian kept a shadow copy which, the page claimed, survived the reset in around 90% of cases — a figure stated as an estimate rather than a guarantee, and reproduced here as the project stated it.

Licensing and codes

MultiSim and plugin support were optional features activated by a donation code rather than parts of the base program. The FAQ recorded three things about those codes, all of which are of historical interest only since nothing is sold or issued here: the code was tied uniquely to the handset, identified by its IMEI; reinstalling Guardian on the same handset did not require a new one; and it remained valid for future versions. From release 2.2 the handset IMEI replaced an earlier "Request Code" field in that process.