You might not own your Galaxy S22 Ultra. | Image by PhoneArena
Some Galaxy S22 Ultra owners are facing a shocking realization: they don't actually own their phones. More alarming still, neither does Samsung.
Who owns your Galaxy S22 Ultra?
Some customers who purchased the Galaxy S22 Ultra suddenly discovered that an organization owns it. | Image by Samsung user Members_VWp2Mc7
Several Galaxy S22 Ultra owners who factory reset their devices were informed during the setup process that an organization manages their phone, as first reported by Android Authority. This occurred despite the units being personal purchases rather than enterprise-issued hardware.
The affected Galaxy S22 Ultra units are registered to Numero LLC. | Image by TheLastRedditAcct
The devices appear to be owned by Numero LLC, an elusive company that has remained unreachable.
No way out
The mysterious Numero LLC can view activities, apps, and data on compromised devices. | Image by Reddit user Eulerbodyguard
The affected Galaxy S22 Ultra units were registered via their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a unique phone identifier, with Samsung's Knox Manage enterprise management solution. This command center allows corporations to remotely configure, monitor, and wipe devices. This makes it easier to enroll a fleet of devices with minimal steps.
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Galaxy S22 Ultra users can't use their phones without giving a shady company elevated permissions. | Image by Reddit user 5over7username
However, Galaxy S22 Ultra owners who have been locked out of their devices bought their phones from Samsung or other trusted retail channels. The problem only cropped up after a reset.
Numero LLC is using an admin app called "SAMSUNG ADMIN" to manage phones, and the app indicates that there's a Factory Reset Protection (FRP) lock on the devices. FRP is a security measure intended to prevent the use of a device in an untrusted environment.
Why are the users only finding out about it now?
The Galaxy S22 was released in 2022. It's nearing the end of its support cycle and has recently been downgraded to quarterly security updates.
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Most owners have used their phones for years, only discovering the corporate hijack after a hard reset. That's probably because the device was unenrolled when it was reset, but setup cannot continue without granting rights to Numero.
Samsung and Knox support are passing users back and forth, with both saying they don't have access to the database that can remove the lock.
Installing a custom version of Android doesn't help either, as it does not remove the hardware-level Knox security.
Samsung only lets trusted resellers register devices to a Knox server. There's even a directory to look up licensed resellers.
It's possible that a licensed reseller was compromised to enroll a batch of consumer devices under Numero LLC. Another theory is that the CVE-2026-20978 authorization vulnerability was exploited to bypass settings, though that would have required physical access to the devices.
Either way, the only choice left to owners is to use a restricted, company-controlled device or accept that it has effectively been bricked.
What would you do in such a situation?
Having to scrap a perfectly good phone
Many owners reset their devices to give them to relatives but gave up due to privacy concerns.
The scale of the problem is limited, and the affected users haven't posted proof that they, in fact, bought the device.
Assuming these are in fact consumer-grade devices, Samsung's alleged indifference and refusal to help are alarming. After all, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is a top-tier phone, and customers shouldn't have to toss it if it's still in working condition.
Privacy implications
Perhaps the most worrying aspect of all is the privacy violation. These Galaxy S22 Ultra units were registered under Numero LLC for the four or so years of ownership, unbeknownst to customers.
Worsening concerns is the fact that no one has been able to track Numero LLC.
Samsung hasn't officially commented on the issue, but it reflects poorly on the company, which recently had to compensate some Galaxy S22 owners for slowing down their devices.
The South Korean giant was second only to Apple in smartphone sales last year, shipping 241.2 million units. Thus, while shocking, the hijacked Galaxy S22 devices are outliers.
Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.
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