ESET Mobile Security for Android RC problem - cannot un-set as Device Administrator

Hello there, WildersSecurity and ESET forum members! I'm having a problem with the ESET Mobile Security for Android RC, and I hope you wonderful people can help me fix it. I already tried calling ESET directly about this problem, but the person I spoke to directed me to this forum.

First, I'm something of a smartphone newbie. I only picked up my first Android last month, only to find the model had major 3G & GPS problems, and I ended up returning it for this phone. That said, I'm fairly computer-literate, well-versed in how Windows and ye old DOS works, and I have a small bit of Linux experience too (which I hope to expand upon.)

I am trying to uninstall ESET Mobile Security temporarily. I'm aware that before I try to uninstall it, I need to un-check it as a Device Administrator under Settings -> Location & Security -> Select Device Administrators.

The problem is: when I click to un-check it, click the "Deactivate" button, and then click "OK" to confirm the action... nothing happens. It punts me back to the "Device administrators" list, and "ESET Security" is still checked in.

In my attempts to troubleshoot the problem, I've blanked out my ESET password, set my password back to what it was, and even changed it to "aaaa" for kicks, all trying to force ESET MS to ask for my password during device un-administration. No difference. Once I knew these didn't change anything, I force-stopped ESET in the application list and cleared its program data, hoping maybe its data was corrupt & a fresh profile would help. No dice here, either.

So, now I'm stuck and a bit stumped. Some things to know about the phone:

- It is a brand new LG Optimus V.
- It is rooted.
- The phone was rooted after ESET MS was installed. (No idea if this makes any difference.)
- I've only granted root access to five apps: DroidWall, Permissions Denied, ES File Explorer, Terminal Emulator, and Titanium Backup.
- Of those apps, only the first two have been given "remembered" root; TB was only granted access once before I uninstalled it (didn't have what I was looking for), TE was given root once at my command ($ su -> # exit -> $ exit), and ES File Explorer I've granted root to a couple of times so I could browse hidden areas of the phone.

I don't know if any of that information is relevant to the troubleshooting, but I figure it can't hurt much. WS members & staff, ESET developers, I'm seeking any help you may have! Thank you!

 

I took a gamble, and took matters into my own hands. Sort of.

I installed Titanium Backup, force-closed ESET's services & main program, turned on USB debugging & TB's Chuck Norris Mode, and used TB to uninstall most of ESET. Doing this completely removed ESET from the list of administrators, but didn't completely clear ESET off the phone -- com.eset.(something) still showed up in the programs list, and trying to uninstall that remnant through TB or the Android UI would fail.

A quick phone reboot later, I went back into the Android applications list and was able to uninstall it successfully.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I reinstalled ESET from the market. Opened it up, it popped up a warning asking me to set a password and for Device Administrator status. Good.

I then went back to the Android home screen, Settings -> Location & Security -> Select Device Administrators, and checked-in ESET Security as an administrator. Success! I then immediately tried to un-check ESET Security as an administrator. [Deactivate], [OK]... and it dumped me back out to the administrator list with ESET Security still checked in, as was happening before.

Another USB-debugging-Chuck-Norris-powered uninstall and a reboot later, I was able to uninstall ESET Security again. I'm so glad I didn't brick my phone during all this!

So yeah, unless it's under the guidance of an ESET developer to help bugfix/troubleshoot this problem, I don't think I'll be reinstalling ESET Mobile Security for a while. Sorry. I've seen a few posts here and there saying they also have this problem on the Optimus V, both rooted and un-rooted, so it might be easily reproduced!

(Also, if it helps: I did not have this problem on my first phone, the Motorola Triumph.)

 

There are a number of posts on the Android market where users have had to hard reset their phones to remove Eset. So there is a problem here.