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Is it possible to manually change the contents of the databases an app uses to store all it's formation.
yes of course, so long as you have access to that database. if we are talking about mobile phone apps, then most will have an embedded SQLite database or equivalent. These typically are "stand alone" databases that don't have user authentication to access, you simply need access to the file ("someapp.db", or "someapp.sqlite", etc) and the proper utility installed to read it (SQLite version 3 for example). on linux you would do something like sudo yum install sqlite -y sqlite3 someapp.db and it will open the database and you can issue all your SQL commands from there. Keep in mind some apps go through lengths to "hide" or otherwise make their database impossible for average-joe to access and get into. EDIT: also, on Android specifically there is an App in the market (paid, like $3 i think) called "SQLite Editor" that allows you to browse all found sqlite databases on the phone and edit them if desired.
Android: Manually alter the contents of an app's database?
android
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3, and I just bought the Samsung HDTV Adapter (MHL to HDMI). However, my Dell U2412M monitor only has VGA, DVI or DisplayPort. So I also bought an HDMI to displayPort converter cable. Alas, the connection doesn't work. I know that everything is properly connected. The Samsung MHL is properly connected to both the phone and the (official Samsung) charger. The HDMI cable goes from there to the displayPort to HDMI (female) adapter, which in turn is properly fitted to the monitor. Then, I switch the input on the monitor to DisplayPort, and sadly my monitor goes to power save mode. Is there anything I can do to make this configuration work? If not, have you got any advice?
That cable is not going to work. That adapter will only allow you to go from a (dual-mode) Displayport source to an HDMI input, not the other way around like you're trying to use it. To go from an HDMI source to a Displayport input, you need an active converter, such as this Startech unit , not merely an adapter, as Displayport uses a fundamentally different means of data transmission (It's a packetized connection like USB, not just a digital stream) than HDMI or DVI.
Connecting Galaxy S3 to DisplayPort via MHL HDTV Adaptor
android
Recently I've run out of room on my small (2GB) sdcard. What I want to do is copy all the contents of this card onto something a little larger. I have an FTP server (the one that comes with ES File Explorer) installed on my phone, and that's pretty much the only way I can copy from the card mounted in my phone to a computer or vice-versa (my computer has never recognized my phone's sdcard and only displayes /data). What's the best way to copy all of it (including hidden files, non-readable files, and apps stored on the sdcard)?
The least tricky way is: take your 2GB card out of the device, put it into a card reader, and attach that to your computer copy all contents from the card to an empty directory on your computer safely remove the card reader, replace the 2GB card by the newer, bigger one, and attach that to the computer copy the contents of the directory from step 2. to the new card safely remove that card again, and place it into your Android device When in doubt about the hidden stuff, use Linux for the copy process. You can even boot it from a LiveCD. From a terminal command, use <code> cp -R /path/to/source/* /path/to/target </code> . On the other hand, if using Windows and you can see the files/directories starting with a dot (watch out e.g. for the <code> .android_secure </code> directory), they should be copied along fine. See also: stackexchange-url ("How do I switch my Android device's SD card without causing problems?") stackexchange-url ("Changing SD Card Just a Simple Copy &amp; Paste") stackexchange-url ("App2sd - Changing the SD Card") stackexchange-url ("How to upgrade / swap SD card without losing data and installed apps?")
Copy all sdcard contents to larger sdcard
android
As the title says, how can I set the sound profile to silent for a given contact? Or in other words, how can I set that a given contact will have no ringtone assigned to it? I looked at it and apparently I do have the option to set a custom ringtone for a given contact, but I have to pick one ringtone. I cannot pick "none" as an option. So I was thinking maybe there is an app that can accomplish what I want or there might be a trick I can pull off to get this result?
Instead of having no ringtone assigned to it, get a short silent ringtone (such as the ones found here and use that to set a silent ring.
How can I set the sound profile to silent for a given contact?
android
I'm aware of this stackexchange-url ("question about different notification settings for different apps.") But changing the settings manually like that is time consuming. It would be nice to integrate these settings into profiles so: At night it would be nice to have SMS off, emails off and calendar on During the day however, it would be nice to have everything on On certain occasions, only sms and calendar notifications would be nice ... you can see the trend here, toggling different notifications on and off quickly would be a smart idea. Blackberry has had it for years. I understand that the way Android works makes this impossible. Why is there no API that allows apps to set other app's notification settings? Or would that make too much sense? I have a Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S3. Any solutions are appreciated. The new Blackberry has this feature but then I'd have no apps.
The Llama app supports “LlamaTones” — notification sounds which change according to the current profile. See this blog post for the description by the app developer. You could achieve what you want as follows: Create separate profiles for every different configuration you want to have. Edit one of profiles and create a LlamaTone named “SMS”; select a notification sound for it which should be used when that profile is active. To make the notification silent, select a “No Sound” ringtone (at least on CyanogenMod 9 it is available in the “Ringtones” group; if there is no such ringtone on your phone, you should be able to find a no-sound .mp3 and add it easily). Repeat this step to create LlamaTones for all other apps which need to be controlled separately (you can create a single LlamaTone for a group of apps which should use the same notification sound). Now edit all other profiles and configure all LlamaTones there, setting notification sounds which are appropriate for these profiles. Configure your apps to use the newly created LlamaTones as notification sounds. You can either switch profiles manually, or configure Llama events to switch them according to the current time or any other available triggers. Note that there is no way to set different volumes for different LlamaTones — the same notification volume is used, but this volume can be set in the profile. However, you can use a sound editor to change sound volume in audio files, and then use those audio files as custom notification sounds, e.g., stackexchange-url ("like this").
Is there a way to automatically change notification ringer&volume, differentiating email, sms and calendar via profiles?
android
If you go to settings -> apps -> all you'll be able to find the "Sound Recorder" built-in application in JB 4.2.2 Curious, how to run it?! PS: it's not a question about choosing recording application, but about curiosity of running the built-in one
I suspect the <code> Sound recorder </code> could be just a component that is used by several apps, such as <code> Google Now </code> and <code> Voice Search </code> . If you take a look at the list of apps, there are also others that can't be run directly, such as <code> MusicFX </code> , <code> NFC Service </code> , <code> Search Applications Provider </code> etc., most of which take exactly the same amount of space, 12.00KB. Note that this is just an assumption, I have no further proof.
Built-in sound recorder
android
I've ordered a [Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini] (hasn't arrived yet) : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i8190_galaxy_s_iii_mini-5033.php On the above link, it says that it uses "Mini-SIM". I've tried double-checking that info on Samsung's site, but there it only sais "Sim Support": http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/mobile-devices/smartphones/android/GT-I8190RWABTU-spec My problem is, my provider only lets me switch my standard SIM to Micro-SIM or Nano-SIM. Is there a way to make any of these work with the Galaxy S3 Mini? Anyone who already owns such a phone has had this issue? (and hopefully solved it)?
A Mini-SIM is the same thing as a standard SIM nowadays. The term was coined back in the day when SIM cards were the size of a credit card. Thus, the current-day regular SIM was known as Mini-SIM. Micro-SIM is the next step (used in newer smartphones, examples from GSMArena ) and then there is the Nano-SIM (used only in iPhone 5, iPad mini and Asus PadFone Infinity, as far as I know). See GSM SIM card evolution for graphical representation.
Galaxy S3 Mini - my provider only offers micro and nano SIM cards
android
When I transfer an image from S3 to Nexus 4, Play store is opened. However, for contacts it works well and good. Do I need any app for transferring files over NFC?
The image transfer from S3 uses S Beam, which is a proprietary technology used by Samsung. It doesn't use NFC for the actual data transfer, but instead creates a WiFi Direct (ad-hoc) network between the devices and sends the image over WiFi. NFC is just used for "pairing" the devices. Since Nexus 4 is a vanilla Android, it doesn't have the necessary application for this, and I suspect this is why it opens the Play Store. Instead, most NFC-capable Android devices support Android Beam, which uses Bluetooth instead of WiFi Direct to transmit the data. There is a suggested solution in another stackexchange-url ("question") that could work for you.
How to transfer images via Android beam (NFC)?
android
Is it possible to reroute audio (i.e. music) through the phone earpiece instead of the speaker? I've searched this site and Google extensively and haven't found anything yet. If it matters, I'm on the HTC Evo 4G LTE (Sprint). I'm also rooted and have CM10.1 on my phone.
You can simply use an app like Earpiece . It does what you want to do. You can pop Earpiece up on top of another application simply by holding down the SEARCH key. then check <code> Audio through earpiece </code> On a side note, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Playing audio at high volumes, especially for a prolonged amount of time, can damage speakers and/or hearing .
Is it possible to change which output the audio is played through?
android
I would like to install AOSP version of Android OS on the Nexus 7. However, I am wondering what would I miss by doing so. I know that by compiling the AOSP <code> android-4.2.2_r1 </code> , I should get Android 4.2.2 that is pretty close to what is coming as the stock firmware images. I know that I can get drivers for all the hardware Google . There even seem to be DRM drivers! I know that I can transfer all the proprietary Google application packages from the stock firmware over to the AOSP firmware. But, if I have done all this, am I still somehow short compared to the stock firmware that Google provides on the Nexus 7? I guess I do not get OTA updates to the firmware, but that is not a problem. I guess I should get normal updates to the proprietary Google application packages from Google Play. Are there some applications on Google Play that will not install on my phone if I am using AOSP? Is there something else that I have not thought of?
So there are still some differences between the factory images and AOSP builds. Here are some of the differences I know: "Gesture Typing" feature is missing in AOSP builds as noted by JBQ here . "Photosphere" feature is missing in AOSP, as noted here . The various Google Apps don't come included with AOSP (Play Store, Gmail, Maps, Google Now, etc). I'm sure you can hunt down more differences by going through threads in the 'android-building' mailing list. A last note on the differences by one of the gatekeepers of AOSP . Edit: Actually, I think you can easily compile a more thorough list of the differences between factory and AOSP images. The following commands may be of use to you: <code> adb shell pm list packages adb shell pm list libraries adb shell pm list features adb shell pm adb shell am </code> There's more information regarding these commands at http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html#pm The following answers are added for posterity's sake, since they are somewhat related: stackexchange-url ("What&#39;s the difference between an AOSP ROM and a stock ROM?") stackexchange-url ("What is the difference between AOSP/vanilla and stock?") I didn't find much use out of them, but someone else may. I'll add some comparisons between factory, AOSP, and CyanogenMod later. I'll be testing it on the <code> Nexus 7 (grouper) </code> , it may differ slightly for other devices.
Nexus 7 with AOSP, what is missing from stock?
android
I want to flash a custom rom on my S3. I was wondering if I take a Titanium Backup of all the applications and data on my phone, would I need to re-register (sim verification) for applications like WhatsApp, Tango, Viber etc. even after I restore the data?
I played with fire and went ahead and backed up my data with TB, flashed a custom rom (ParanoidAndroid 3.0) and restored the backup! Well, this is how it went: WhatsApp - restored the data without re-registration Tango - re-register Viber - restored Google+ - log in required and configure the settings Facebook - already logged in (but re-sync contacts) Path - already logged in
WhatsApp re-registration after backup
android
When i pressed settings > About phone > Android version thrice quickly, it took me to another screen which displays Android version with Red Logo . I wonder this behavior is common in all Android Flavors. I have galaxy Nexus with Jellybean 4.2.2
Its called Easter egg. All android versions contain same feature. You just hold that screen for 2 sec, and some more will be displayed. JellyBean Ice cream Sandwich Honeycomb Gingerbread
Press android version thrice took me to another screen which shows big Jellybean logo!
android
I had this several times, my Galaxy S3 freezes and then the screen goes black and I can't wake it up. the only way is to reboot it and pull out the battery. What could be the reason for it?
The problem was in the android version, after I got firmware update it fixed the problem
My Galaxy S3 freezes and the screen goes black, what could be the problem?
android
I have a Samsung Galaxy SII GT-9100 with Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 XXLS8. I am using a PIN for my screen lock. If I make a call while my phone is unlocked, when the call is ended the screen goes to the lock. It is really annoying. How can I fix this?
This is a general problem with all Android phones. Best way to solve this problem is <code> On Call End </code> program. It provides user to select following actions to take after a call: Do nothing Go to phone Home screen Go to phone Dialer Vibrate Show a toast message with the call duration. Outgoing call duration includes the ringing time. You can install <code> On Call End </code> from here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brosix.callend&amp;hl=tr
Screen locks itself after call
android
As you are probably aware, when browsing the web-based PlayStore, it is actually possible to install an app right-away. Upon pressing the "Install" button (like the one in the image - taken from the app page ), I immediately receive a notification on my phone telling me that the app is being downloaded. I would be very interested to know how Google implemented this feature. I suppose being logged to my Google account on both the PC and the phone helps, but still - is the phone continuously polling some network resource to see whether it should start downloading an app? Or is the notification somehow pushed to the phone (I cannot imagine how this would be done)?
The Play Store on the handset is running as a service in the background and by clicking on the ' Install ' from the web front-end on desktop PC browser, this triggers a push notification (Am guessing its GCM - Google Cloud Messaging) which is broadcast across the network only to designated Google accounts which you happen to be signed in. When the Play store service receives the broadcast, that triggers it to pull it down. As for asking how is this implemented is beyond the scope as that is bordering on asking in the direction of development efforts. Only Google is allowed to do that and is part of the terms and conditions of Play store usage. That I would also think is how Google can send a kill switch to designated handsets (it happened before, on pre-release of ICS on Galaxy Nexus, which happened to get leaked by accident on Google employee's handset, by one of the US Carriers, and the kill was issued which wiped the ROM, after it was posted on reddit - IIRC) Edit : I am speculating on how the play store does it, and is proprietary...
How is installing an app from web-based PlayStore implemented?
android
I'm trying to find the manufacturer / model of gps chipset used in my galaxy Y. Can anyone help me?
Broadcom didn't specify it, it could be any from this list , search for the GPS category. Galaxy Y uses the Broadcom BCM21553 which is ARM11. Based on this, I conclude it uses the BCM4751 GPS module. You can also try this USSD codes that might reveal some information.
Galaxy Y gps chipset model
android
I know this question is quite common, but nothing I've read so far really helped me. I have a Samsung Galaxy Mini, and had a similar problem with the stock ROM. For some other reasons, I've rooted it and put Cyanogenmod 7 on it. Everything works quite well, but the free space is just eating itself. All my applications are sent to SD card (except facebook, which runs exceptionally slow when on card). And still, I'm only left with 6MB of free internal space. I've cleaned up my SMS messages and browser caches, nothing really helps. I'm showing my storage analysis. The thing that bugs me are the <code> /system </code> and <code> /data </code> partitions. How come that <code> /system </code> has so much empty space, while <code> /data </code> has so little. Isn't it supposed to be a compact partition? As for applications, I really don't have a lot, except regular GMail, Google Maps and such. Just Opera browser, iGo, Adobe Reader, Outlook and a few apps with less then 1MB. P.S While taking the screenshot, the Storage Analyser is showing 18MB free, But the system is showing 9MB. Nevertheless, both are not enough for normal work.
First a little explanation on the storage (you might also check the tag wiki of the storage tag for a short introduction): Why can't I use the free space available at <code> /system </code> ? The <code> /system </code> partition holds the often so-called "ROM", i.e. the Android core system (including the pre-installed apps, see bloatware ). By default, it is mounted read-only for several reasons (including "security", so no app can tamper with anything here -- and the user cannot accidentally render the system unusable). This is also why a factory reset will present you with a "virgin system": it will not touch this read-only partition. Being mounted read-only makes it clear you cannot write things onto this partition -- which answers the question why you cannot make use of the "free space" it has. You might wonder why a read-only partition then is not "sized appropriately" -- but it is: it just takes into consideration that additional space might be needed for a system update. Future Android versions might (and most likely will) need more space, also providers might want to add more bloatware... Why is there so little space at <code> /data </code> ? To put it in simple words: 180MB is all that was left after taking away the ~200MB for <code> /system </code> . The Galaxy Mini S5570 isn't a high-end device. And before you ask: No there's nothing you can do to increase the amount of overall storage available to <code> /data </code> (at least nothing easy -- though some geeks might think of creating a bigger partition on the SDCard and mount it as <code> /data </code> , this is nothing simple and also not without side-effects). What can be done? Nothing much. If your device is rooted, you could think of using a bigger SDCard (your device supports up to 32GB), and moving stuff over there with things like link2sd or even Data2SD. You can regularly clear your apps' caches and do some other cleanup. Or you can simply go for a new device which offers more storage (and more RAM, and a faster CPU). I know it's not very satisfying that a device, just being 2 years old (the S5570 was released to the market in February 2011) already is unable to keep up with daily needs. But unfortunately, 180MB storage (and 384MB RAM) really is not much to play around... So all that currently remains is to refer you to the stackexchange-url ("most faqs of the "insufficient storage" tag") to find a solution until you can get yourself a new device. See especially: stackexchange-url ("How can I get rid of the low disk space notification?") stackexchange-url ("What can I do to manage my phone's internal storage?") stackexchange-url ("How can I deal with “Low on Space” messages on my HTC Incredible?") stackexchange-url ("How can I free up more space on my Android (2.2 Froyo) phone?") stackexchange-url ("“Insufficient storage” when trying to install new app")
Android low on space
android
One of my relatives sent me an email pointing to this URL: <code> http://www.flugversuch.at/cnu/kbdjobbwclikw/nbopigxdb/pxcbaolinizdg/qfktoohwzplsjsp </code> When I got there, it automatically downloaded an APK called <code> com.android.fixed.update </code> . What could this be and should I install it?
Are you sure it really was one of your relatives sending this mail -- and not just a spammer using their address as sender (as the URL suggests)? I would for sure NOT install that, to me it looks like malware. Ask that relative first if and why and what he sent. A Google Search revealed some related information: on XDA one encountered something similar, and they assume it's rather malware BestAppMarket informs this app was removed from Google Play (hm, guess why). Same information is found at AndroidInformer and here it comes: VirusTotal clearly lists it as malware , being detected as such by several malware scanners. Conclusion: Keep your fingers OFF! Do NOT install!
Got mail with URL pointing to an APK called com.android.fixed.update, what is this?
android
I want to route all the internet traffic of my phone through my VPN. I configured OpenVPN on my htc Desire with Cyanogenmod 7.2.0.1-bravo through the integrated VPN settings dialog. When I activate the Redirect-Gateway option, DNS resolution (e.g. google.com) doesn't work anymore. So not like others where the resolution of there local hostnames doesn't work (that wouldn't be a problem for me). The device hast still a connection to the internet (through the VPN) but it can't resolve domain names anymore. The nameservers look correctly configured (adb shell): <code> # cat /etc/resolv.conf nameserver 8.8.8.8 nameserver 8.8.4.4 </code> I've also tested the OpenVPN Settings app but as soon as i add 'redirect-gateway' to the openvpn configuration file I get the same problem. What could cause this problem?
I found now a solution myself: First, <code> cat /etc/resolv.conf </code> isn't a valid way to display the used DNS servers under Android. Use <code> getprop net.dns1 </code> instead. In my case the DNS server wasn't the Google server as set in <code> /etc/resolv.conf </code> , instead it was one of my ISP which accepts only requests from IPs in its network but my OpenVPN server is in another network. To solve this issue i just modified <code> /system/etc/dhcpcd/dhcpcd-hooks/20-dns.conf </code> a bit: <code> # Set net.&lt;iface&gt;.dnsN properties that contain the # DNS server addresses given by the DHCP server. set_dns_props() { case "${new_domain_name_servers}" in "") return 0;; esac count=1 for i in 1 2 3 4; do setprop dhcp.${interface}.dns${i} "" done count=1 for dnsaddr in ${new_domain_name_servers}; do setprop dhcp.${interface}.dns${count} ${dnsaddr} count=$(($count + 1)) done setprop net.dns1 8.8.8.8 setprop net.dns2 8.8.4.4 } case "${reason}" in BOUND|INFORM|REBIND|REBOOT|RENEW|TIMEOUT) set_dns_props;; EXPIRE|FAIL|IPV4LL|RELEASE|STOP) unset_dns_props;; esac </code> That will force the phone to always use the Google DNS servers for all connections (e.g. 3G, WiFi, OpenVPN, ...). I've tested that for a few weeks now and it works perfect.
Cyanogenmod 7 OpenVPN DNS not working
android
I have got Karbonn A5+. I dont know how much ROM, RAM it exactly have. When I go to Settings > Applications > Manage Application it shows 191MB used, 11MB free. But, when I open Advanced Task Killer, it shows 220MB free. The same is shown when I go to System app, it shows: 220MB available. It also shows 48% used, 52% free. So I conclude that both apps show RAM+ROM clubbed, while Settings > Applications > Manage Application show only that for ROM. Thus according to System app, if 52% is 220MB, my phone is having ~419MB ROM+RAM. But it still have ~200MB ROM (out of which only ~10MB usually free) as shown in Settings > Applications > Manage Application. And phone has already started giving me "Low on space" warning and now I am not able to install any app. I have moved all possible apps to SD card using Apps2SD, but since am not yet rooted am not able to move some apps. Anyways now am deciding to root, install CyanogenMod for JellyBean (am stuck at Gingerbread :( ). But before that am deciding to buy 32 GB class 10 (to get better loading speed for apps moved on SD) MicroSD, partition it to have App partition of 4GB and a SWAP partition too since I think 419MB ROM+RAM is still small. I am trying to do it as explained here . It uses Link2SD and Swapper apps. Will having SD card space dedicated for SWAP partition be a good decision? Is partitioning this way a good idea at first place? When I read reviews of Swapper many people give it good rating while some considerable number of people say it may brick your phone. What should I do? Am not at all experienced in rooting and MODing. But have read a lot of stuff to get me confident. My first obvious step will be to do NANDROID backup with CWM. But after using Swapper if I brick my phone (like as reviews say it just stuck at start screen), how can I restore from backup? Also the tut asks to have FAT32 formatting for data partition and ext4 for App partition. Why is it so? What should be the ideal ones? The screenshot of Link2SD asks for "File system of SD cards second partition". Why is second partition asked?
Free Space Here you must distinguish between the several partitions: <code> /system </code> : This is mounted read-only in normal mode, and the place where "the system" is installed (Android core apps plus most of the pre-installed "bloatware"). No matter if it shows "220 MB available", as a normal user cannot make any use of that "free space" internal storage ( <code> /data </code> ): This is where the user installs his apps, and where all the user data reside. Most crucial part, and the place where your report states "11 MB free" -- which most likely will trigger the "insufficient memory" error, see insufficient-memory ). To free up space here, you can do things like... uninstall apps you once installed but no longer need (most efficient part) move apps to SDCard (see app2sd ). Apps must explicitly support this (though there are root-methods to enforce the others, it might have side-effects). Still, parts of those apps will remain here -- unless using things like link2sd . cleanup cache (only temporarily helps, as cache will fillup again) internal SDCard: Some devices (not all) offer this as additional storage. App2SD may move apps to this place. Aside from that, you can store files here (documents, media files, etc.) external SDCard: No need to explain this one, right? Unless you really know what you are doing, you should not manually change the partitioning (e.g. to move some free space from <code> /system </code> to <code> /data </code> ). You might break things, especially future updates (where the Android system may need more space than it currently does). SDCard Just a short note on that. While one should no longer "save money" buying anything below class-4, additional money for class-10 might be "wasted". My recommendation is to go for class-6 as the best compromise between speed and spent money. Compare the specs for read speed and write speed between class-6 and class-10 when in doubt. If you still want to go for class-10, make sure your device supports it. Swap Controversely discussed nowadays. Depends very much on how much (physical) RAM you have available in your device, and what kind of apps you use. I tend to say with recent hardware and a recent Android version (2.3 and higher) there's no need to go for swap. The Android system does a good job on handling memory, and if your device has 1 GB (or more) RAM available, I do not see where swap would improve performance. But as said, that also might depend on what apps you are using. Also for your question concerning Swapper: Keep in mind that swap only creates "temporary data". So with "swap broken", you could simply de-activate it without losing data (as it holds no permanent data). Partitioning As said above, I do not recommend to touch this yourself unless you are really experienced with it. Rather leave it to the "experts". Especially I would never make the <code> /system </code> partition smaller, for given reasons: you might encounter problems with future updates -- not only with newer Android versions, but also with different ROMs, as different ROMs also go with different selections of pre-installed apps. File system types I cannot imagine any tutorial recommending FAT32 for <code> /data </code> -- you must have misread that. I even doubt FAT32 would work here, as it IMHO does not allow for the Unix permissions to be supported and required by <code> /data </code> . However, FAT32 is recommended for the "data part" of the SDCard, for compatibility reasons: it is the file system readable by most operating systems. The "App partition" usually is <code> /data </code> , and many ROMs use ext4 here (some older ones might still use YAFFS2 instead). But coming to that point, I'm pretty sure you misunderstood the "targets" -- and "App partition" versus "Data partition" is referring to the SDCard , which brings us to the last point of your question: Partitioning the SDCard This is usually not required but optional, and makes only sense in combination with either App2SD+ or Link2SD to move apps out of the "internal storage" (see above) to gain free space in that most crucial place. It might need a little additional information: Some apps support App2SD to move larger parts to the SDCard. However, with USB Mass Storage (UMS), when you connect your device via USB to a computer the entire SDCard would be "moved" there, and apps as well as data residing on it become "inaccessible" to the device itself. This is one of the reasons some apps will not support App2SD -- especially when providing widgets and/or services. Several approaches exist to circumvent this problem: App2SD+ / Link2SD use a second partition on the SDCard. Android would only "give away" the first partition of the SDCard via UMS, so this second partition remains untouched, and its data/apps/... stay available to the device switching away from UMS and using MTP ( Media Transfer Protocol ) instead, the card is no longer offered to the PC "as a whole" (i.e. including physical access), but in a logical way the computer is permitted to access files on it. So even while mounted via MTP, the device has full access to the card. This is what recent Android versions do -- though some users might have a hard time to get it working with their OS's where it's not always supported "out-of-the-box". Conclusion: If you want to stay with UMS, a second partition on your SDCard might prove useful. Switching to MTP instead, there's no need for that anymore, unless you want to use App2SD+/Link2SD for other reasons (e.g. not only move the apps, but also their data/Dalvik cache).
Creating App and Swap partition for Android
android
<code> aneesh@nb-14:~$ adb devices adb: error while loading shared libraries: libncurses.so.5: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory </code> I would like to understand the error above and correct it. This is just one instance, I get the same error on giving any adb command! Be it push, install, etc. Any help is appreciated!
While <code> dpkg --add-architecture i386 </code> command is not needed in the current version of Ubuntu (13.10), it is required in the current Debian versions (7.x) and it will be required in the future Ubuntu versions as well. So I am going to leave it in. Just ignore it for Ubuntu 13.10. <code> sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 sudo apt-get -qqy update sudo apt-get -qqy install libncurses5:i386 libstdc++6:i386 zlib1g:i386 </code> Update: <code> aapt </code> indeed requires <code> zlib </code> so I added it to the list. But you should not be needing any <code> lib32 </code> packages.
Regarding adb command: Error while loading shared libraries
android
Since Google offers various location-based services for which it uses its maps, known as Google Maps, what is so special about third party software programs that also provide location-based services? Don't those make use of Google Maps, which Google in turn bought from NASA? Is there any legal restriction that Google puts for those third-party programs? I am a newbie.
You can read more about Google's Terms of Service for using Google Maps APIs or Google Earth APIs. That should define the legalities of using their data. The APIs are used by 3rd-party application developers so they can use Google Maps/Earth data in their applications. They can build on top of that, providing additional functionalities. (e.g. Foursquare used to use Google Maps, for their check-in app). However, there's a limit to how much data a 3rd-party application can use/access for a given period of time. Beyond that limit, 3rd-party application developers have to pay. This is similar to the limit that Twitter has for 3rd-party Twitter clients (like Falcon Pro, which recently reached this limit; thus, not being able to display Twitter feed in their app).
Google's location-based services versus third-party services
android
A few days ago, I tried to save an attachment from official Gmail app and it could not finish download due to some connection errors. Now, I'm seeing the notification every time without any progress. It just stays in the notification area and sliding the notification does not remove the download. This file download was started from Gmail app and I see the same type of notification in other downloads from different apps so I'm guessing there is a central download progress going on. I tried turning the phone off, removing the battery and SIM. (Click image to enlarge) How can I list and remove these downloads ?
Have you tried a file explorer like ES File Explorer or My Files, which comes with later versions of Android? If go to the Download folder is the half file present? A completely downloaded file will present a long list of options if you long press the file, allowing you to cut/copy/rename/delete. Possibly it will also appear on a halfway complete download to allow you to delete. Then revisit the gmail message to restart the download if you want. Remember that the target folder might have been specified other than the Download folder. Good Luck.
How do I remove pending/in-progress downloads
android
I have installed android-sdk-linux on my ubuntu 12.04 netbook and I see that the commands android (which opens the AVD Manager) and emulator (to which on appending the name of a specific AVD, the AVD boots) are not found! It suggested qemulator But that turned out to have nothing to do with the android-sdk-linux. I do know how to boot it via eclipse , where you open the AVD list and then select an AVD and click Start and then Launch. But I don't want to go through these many stages. Instead I would like Launch it using a single command line viz. the emulator command, which I found on the website developer.android.com. I followed installation instructions. Yet I didn't get success. UPDATE: As our friend suggested, I updated the $PATH variable and had partial success. However there is still an error and I have to get that rectified. Here is what panned out. <code> aneesh@nb-14:~$ export PATH=$PATH:android-sdk-linux/tools aneesh@nb-14:~$ emulator @Andreud emulator: ERROR: This AVD's configuration is missing a kernel file!! </code>
The Error stating that the AVD's config is missing a Kernel file is because when I checked the AVD Manager, the concerned AVD had a red cross-mark against it! Once I repaired this AVD I found that the error was eliminated!
'android' and 'emulator' commands not found
android
My Tasker version: <code> 1.3.3u2m </code> ; Android: <code> ICS 4.0.4 </code> To every Profile or Context I can set up Name. And I wanna use this Name with Tasks. Let's take an example: I have Profile with Name " <code> SampleProf </code> " In this Profile I have Context with name " <code> SampleCon </code> " Next I wanna create Task like: New Task > Variable > Variable Set Name > Variable Select > <code> %sampleVar </code> To > Variable Select > HERE I WANT TO SELECT VARIABLE WITH NAME OF PROFILE(" <code> SampleProf </code> ") OR CONTECT(" <code> SampleCon </code> ") Is there way to do that at this moment? I only see that there is "Profiles Active" variable ( <code> %PACTIVE </code> ), but, this puts as value, ALL names of Active Profiles.
There is no such option at this moment. We can use "Profiles Active" variable ( <code> %PACTIVE </code> ).
Tasker: Variable with value "Name of Profile/Context"
android
I need a remote desktop solution, where it doesn't need an internet connection and I could see the desktop. So: TeamViewer is not an option as it needs an Internet connection Unified Remote is not an option as I cannot see my desktop Same as Gmote Any suggestions?
If you're asking for a remote desktop solution that allows you to view/control your desktop/laptop from your Android mobile device over local wireless network, the answer is: Any RDP/VNC app. Personally I use PocketCloud by Wyse. It supports both RDP (Microsoft Windows, built into the OS) and VNC (cross platform, if you have a Linux computer or Apple toy you want to view/control, or you prefer VNC on Windows) protocols. Either RDP or VNC will work over a local network and, if you have proper firewall configuration and DNS setup, can be used over the public internet as well with reasonable security. VNC requires a server to be running on the computer you wish to control. There are several "flavors" of VNC out there, and many of them are free (as in beer). Check out TightVNC for a pretty solid version. RDP requires you to enable Remote Desktop on your computer. In later version of Windows it is disabled by default. The good thing about both these tools is that they are protocols, not confined app systems. As in, you don't need a Microsoft App on your Android tablet to view an RDP session, and you can install any VNC viewer app on your tablet/phone to view any type of VNC server. (Note: With certain types of authentication in VNC, I've found some viewer apps don't work. Just find the right combination for what you need.) If, however, you're asking something different, please clarify your question to indicate what it is you're actually asking.
Android Remote Desktop thru Wifi Only
android
This may be a duplicate question but it seems the bad guy has improved its technology and known methods don't work so far. Anyway, started recently, my phone shows a notification every few days. Addons Detector and AirPush Detector didn't find anything related. Using: <code> adb shell dumpsys notification </code> I got this: <code> NotificationRecord{40c413b0 pkg=com.google.android.gsf id=1 tag=null} icon=0x1080077 / android:drawable/stat_notify_chat contentIntent=PendingIntent{40d4f178: PendingIntentRecord{40d62628 com.google.android.gsf startActivity}} deleteIntent=PendingIntent{40d4f148: PendingIntentRecord{40d45710 com.google.android.gsf broadcastIntent}} tickerText=xoxbellejenxo37@jabber-chat.com wants to be able to chat contentView=android.widget.RemoteViews@40cd0b38 defaults=0x4 flags=0x1 sound=content://settings/system/notification_sound vibrate=null ledARGB=0x0 ledOnMS=0 ledOffMS=0 </code> My question is what else can I do to find out which app is pushing ads? I don't want to try airpush opt out for two reasons: I wouldn't trust people doing this at the first place. I want to find out which app is doing this and add the company/developer behind it to my black list. UPDATE My phone is a rooted Samsung Captivate Glide, Android 2.3. UPDATE Updated to 4.0.4 Thanks
More and more developers are using these "marketing" methods of push notifications now that Google has their GCM (Google Cloud Messaging) service. The easiest way is to ask yourself the following questions: What Apps have I installed prior to receiving these notifications? What Apps have had updates around the time I started receiving these notifications? Most of the time you will be able to figure out which app is doing it based on those questions and uninstall it. If you cannot figure it out from that, you would have to start uninstalling apps one by one until you notice the notifications stop. If your only receiving them once every couple of days, this could be a real pain. You MIGHT be able to get more information on which app is doing it by pulling the logcats off the phone, however I think the phone would need to be plugged in to a computer watching the logcats while it happened (I could be wrong on this, perhaps Android keeps the logs while not plugged in, but I do not have a for sure answer on this)
Find out which app is pushing ads in my notification bar?
android
I have just installed 4.2.2 PAC and S2E later. I have everything on sd-ext, there's 1600MB free space on sd-ext, and 140MB inside. However anytime i want to install an app, it says there's not enough free space. I have restored some apps with MyBackup Root. I think that was the problem. How to solve it? I don't want to wipe data, I've made some important changes. (system 219MB/220MB) (cache 1MB/37MB)
The problem is with the S2E on 4.2.2. I wiped everything, it worked. Now I reinstalled S2E and it won't work. EDIT: main user had no access to write sd-ext. I created a code added init.d to set sd-ext with chmod 777.
ZTE Blade S2E not enough space
android
I am wondering how is push notifications system working? Is there an active TCP/IP connection that runs in the background to Google servers?
Yes, Android keeps one active connection to Google's servers, but it doesn't use much power or data, because no traffic is sent along it until something sends a GCM message to an app on your phone. There's only one connection on the phone, used by all apps: installing a new app that uses GCM doesn't add any extra load. The first step in GCM is that a third-party server (such as an email server) sends a request to Google's GCM server. This server then sends the message to your device, through that open connection. The Android system looks at the message to determine which app it's for, and starts that app. The app must have registered with Android to use GCM, and it must have the relevant permission. When the app starts, it might create a notification straight away with the data from the message. GCM messages are very limited in size, so the app might instead open a normal connection to the third-party server to get more information (for example, downloading the headers of new emails). The advantage of using push notifications is that apps don't have to run at regular intervals to check for new data, saving both power and data. The advantage of having a centralized mechanism like GCM is that the device only needs one open network connection and the Android GCM system is the only thing that needs to keep running, rather than each app having to stay running in the background to keep its own network connection to its own server.
How do push notifications work?
android
Is there a way to pin websites to your homescreen in Android like an app? I know this can be done in iOS, Windows Phone, and Windows 8, but I don't see a way to accomplish it on a Nexus 7 Android device. The closest I've been able to come is to set the sites I want pinned as bookmarks and place the bookmarks folder as a widget on the homescreen, but I'd prefer not to have the clutter of the bookmark folder there and just pin sites directly.
Android has a <code> Bookmark </code> widget that supports individual sites, and a <code> Bookmarks </code> widget that will display all of your bookmarks. It looks like you don't want to use the <code> Bookmarks </code> widget, but rather an individual <code> Bookmark </code> . There are 2 ways: From within Chrome: Bookmark the site you want to link to. Open the Bookmarks (via Menu > Bookmarks) and long-press the one you want to add. Select <code> Add to home screen </code> From the App Launcher: Go to <code> Widgets </code> and find <code> Bookmark </code> (it looks like a red flag with a star on mine) and add that to your home screen. You can then pick whichever bookmark you want. Either way results in a direct link to the desired bookmarked website.
Pinning Web Sites to Android Homescreen
android
My mobile, HTC One X was on CyanogenMod 10.1 which received a update cm-10.1-20130304-EXPERIMENTAL . Once the update package download is completed, I tried to update it via update settings but it restarted on recovery mode and restarted without being updated. So, I installed the update package via TRWP and once the update installation is completed, the phone restarted and the cyanogenMod logo is on loop. Any suggestion ?
Cleared dalvik cache and it worked.
CyanogenMod logo loop
android
Just updated my HTC One X from cm-10.1-20130119 to cm-10.1-20130304-EXPERIMENTAL . The only difference I noticed is my android is now on 4.2.2 from 4.2.1 . Can anyone list me difference in between them ?
As far as Android is concerned, 4.2.1 to 4.2.2 contained only a few things. They include: Show remaining time for downloads from the Play Store Provide a system notification sound when wireless charging begins Allows long-pressing on certain tiles in Quick Settings In reality, since you have a device that doesn't support wireless charging, the second point obviously doesn't apply to you. And since CM already heavily modified the tiles for Quick Settings and offers far more options that this update introduced, the only benefit you would get out of this update would be showing the remaining time. But, CM has new features being added all the time that are separate of the features added by Google. If you look under Settings -> About Phone -> View Changelog, you can see a big list of all the major features that CM 10.1 adds to Google's Android 4.2.2 release. And if you want to look at all the specific changes (usually around 10-50 per day, although, some are new features, some are bug fixes for devices not related to yours, and some are new/updated translations), you can see it online at http://changelog.bbqdroid.org and clicking on your device and CM version. You can browse through the changes for each nightly there, and although some of the subjects can be cryptic, you can still usually make out what new features are being introduced.
Differnce in between Android 4.2.2 and 4.2.1
android
I have an Android 4.0.4 device Sony Xperia MT27i. When this device connects in Mac then it looks like this. (click image to enlarge) Some services are started and also it displays an unwanted screen. I've searched all the settings and tried to stop this, but no success. Please can any one help me?
Those are due the debug settings enabled in Settings menu. Since I am not with any 4.0 device, I am unable to tell exactly what to be switched off. Probably while switching on the USB debugging, you might have experimented with with other settings. Turn off all other than USB debugging to see these to go off. Take a look at this stackexchange-url ("similar") question with similar answer.
How to stop this type of service in Sony Xperia MT27i?
android
Since a nice Wacom tablet is a bit pricey, especially for someone like me who doesn't do much graphic editing, I was wondering if it is possible to use a tablet (i.e. my Nexus 7) as a Wacom-esque drawing tablet when connected to a Linux computer? I did a bit of searching, however most of the info I found is for using a Wacom tablet on an Android device. I've never used a Wacom device, however I have been doing some graphic editing in Gimp, and think it would be much easier than just using a mouse. And since I have a Nexus 7, it seemed like the logical place to start. I would have to use the Nexus as a USB peripheral for the computer, and I don't know if it is possible to transmit the touch screen coordinates to the PC. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it!
The GfxTablet project should allow you to do this. It's network-based rather than USB though.
Use an Android tablet as a Wacom drawing tablet for a PC?
android
It seems as the default keyboard is removed from several Android devices. I have two, a Sony Xperia (4.0.4) and a Samsung Galaxy SIII (4.0.4) and neither of them has the default Android keyboard (or I'm missing something). Is there an official way of installing the default keyboard? (And why would hardware makers disable the default keyboard?) This is related to my other question stackexchange-url ("Switch to another keyboard language using stock keyboard")
There's no official way of installing the default keyboard if it's not installed by the manufacturer. However, there may be unofficial ways using files stripped from other devices or compiled from AOSP. There are some keyboards on Google play, see for example Keyboard from Android 2.3 , which claims to be like the default keyboard from Android 2.3. Another way of getting the default keyboard may be installing another ROM. I think hardware makers would install their own keyboards if they think that they are superior to the default one, for example because they better work on the screen size of a device.
Install default Android keyboard
android
I had been having this weird behavior with my BT - Headset, that it works fine if I pair manually, but when I try to reconnect to a previously connected device, it would connect, and then just fail, and I would need to unpair and repair manually every time . I have verified that this same headset works as expected with other phones - ranging from iPhone - Blackberry - Nokia Symbian S60. The device itself is over a year old, and this is when my previous device failed. However the fact that other phones are able to handle it, negates the possibility of this being purely due to age. I tried to get Samsung Customer support to take a look at this, but they refused to see the problem. Until recently I had just resigned myself to pairing it every time I want to use it, however recently, I seem to have discovered a pattern. If I disable the "Phone" Setting from bluetooth settings, this problem occurs. However with both "Phone" and "Media" options enabled, it seems to work as good as new !! I also came across Bluetooth Auto Connect which seems to be tackling a similar problem, but I don't think it is quite the same. So basically my question is, is this a known/common issue with GSII? Is there a fix for it? My device is rooted if that helps. If this is a purely software issue as I now suspect, will a new rom help?
This problem was fixed when I flashed custom roms. It came with its own can of worms.. but still..
Weird Bluetooth Behavior, difficulty reconnecting to paired device - Galaxy S II
android
In Android, is it possible to block apps from accessing the Internet? Many apps will often connect to remote servers in the background, including Google's own apps or system services. Over time this can eat away at a user's data limit set by a mobile carrier. Does Android allow an app to act as a firewall whereby the user can select which apps have access to the Internet? Or does the device have to be rooted to have that ability?
If you don't have root access on the device, then you can use mobiwol to control the access various apps have to the Internet. Mobiwol creates a 'virtual' VPN connection on the device which allows control of the individual app connections. However , although the app starts when the device starts it is possible that there may be a brief period prior to Mobiwol executing in which apps could get Internet access despite the Mobiwol configuration. If you have root access, there are more alternatives: Remove the 'internet' permission using an app like Permissions Denied If your kernel supports IPTables, you can use an app such as AFWall+ to control which apps have access to the internet.
Block apps from accessing the Internet on Android device
android
I'm trying to edit the hosts file on a Kindle Fire. I should say that I'm not interested in rooting the device (unless I have to) and am not trying to hide adverts or prevent software updates etc. I just use the device for web development and use hosts to route made up domains to a server. I've pulled the hosts file using ADB, but I can't push it back as I'm unable to mount it with write permissions. Is there a simple method for me to push the file using ADB without having to go through the whole process of rooting? Any simple way to get write access? Cheers, Matt
Short answer: No. Explanation: This action would involve multiple steps: re-mount <code> /system </code> read-write write the <code> hosts </code> file to <code> /system/etc/hosts </code> re-mount <code> /system </code> read-only Each of the step requires root permissions, as the file belongs to <code> system:system </code> and usually is read-only to other "users".
Edit hosts file on Kindle Fire
android
My HTC Cha Cha won't turn on, so I want to hard reset it to factory settings. Is there a possibility of losing contacts stored on the phone? (They are very important to me).
You need to differentiate between a "hard reset" (hover the mouse over that tag: a forced reboot/shutdown by removing power (take out the battery, usually) ) and a "factory reset" (again, mouse-over: A factory reset results in a full reset of an Android device to the original settings of the currently-installed ROM. ). hard-reset: here it's unlikely (though not absolutely impossible) to lose your stored contacts factory-reset: here it's very sure they are deleted, as all data and all user-installed apps are deleted from the device However, you can make a backup of your contacts. In the contacts app itself, when pressing the menu key, you should find a menu item for "export/import". Select to "export", and have it save the data to your SDCard. To be absolutely safe, before doing a factory reset copy all the SDCard's contents to e.g. your PC. After the factory-reset, you can use the very same item in the contacts app to re-import the data. Btw: contacts export uses a common file format, which is understood by many other programs as well ( <code> *.vcf </code> which means VCard File). It can be read e.g. by GMail (even the Web interface) or Outlook as well. If you have your contacts synced with Google, they should be restored automatically once you configured your Google account on the device after the factory reset.
HTC Cha Cha hard reset - stored phone numbers
android
Related question: stackexchange-url ("How can I stream music/audio from Android and PC to Android device via WiFi?") I would like to stream audio from a Bluetooth-enabled "dumb phone" to my Andoid phone. The Android phone is running Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.4). I have searched the Play store for such an app, but all I could find were applications that did the opposite (stream audio from the Android phone instead of to it). Is this somehow possible?
The Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) is a source/sink configuration. In an normal scenario, you have a source (for example, and Android phone) and a sink (Bluetooth headset/speakers). But in your case, the Android phone would have to act as a sink to the dumbphone source. This is not currently supported, even though the phone supports the A2DP profile. One solution would be to install a custom Bluetooth stack, which defines which profiles are supported on the device. This would additionally require a software component that can bypass the Android Framework and use the stack directly, since the framework lacks A2DP sink support. So far, no such modifications can be found.
How can I stream audio from another device via Bluetooth?
android
I have a Samsung tab2, and have added screen pin lock on my Tab few days back as I was going out. Now I don't want to use pin lock as security, but I am not able to disable it. I am going to <code> setting --&gt; security --&gt; screen lock </code> After entering my pin my options are to disable includes last the option None . What should I do to remove the screen lock pin??
In my case, I installed my own certificate which even on removing was some where present don't know where so ultimately I cleared up every thing and again tried to remove pin and it got removed. Proper way would be settings--> security--> clear credential Clear credentials is last option under security heading. And now u can change your pin setting--> security--> screen lock--> swipe/none whatever you feel comfortable with. Enjoy :D
How to disable pin security from Samsing Tab 2
android
I recently upgraded by old Wildfire to a Galaxy S2. For an event I'm running, I'd like to be able to hook the wildfire up to a sound system and play music (that's on the wildfire). However, I'd also like to control the playback using my S2. This can be via bluetooth or wi-fi, as I can use the wi-fi hotspot feature if required. Can anyone suggest any Apps that would allow me to do this? So far a remote-desktop app is the best I've found, but it's a bit awkward to use.
You could try Tablet Remote. It is a Bluetooth only app. I haven't tried it yet but it looks like exactly what you want. https://market.android.com/details?id=com.tournesol.tabletremote
Control media player on one phone from another
android
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 with Verizon. I've recently rooted it and installed Cyanogenmod 10.1. Of ocurse, when you buy the phone brand new, it comes with all the built-in apps from the manufacturer. With the Samsung Galaxy S3, I prefer their original dialer/contacts/messaging apps vs. the ones that comes with Cyanogenmod. Is there anyway to get back the original dialer/contacts/messaging apps and replace the ones on Cyanogenmod? Is there anyway to change custom ROMs to your liking? Is there a apk of the original dialer/contacts/messaging S3 apps? I'm new to the world of custom ROMs and rooting Android, so please, if you could, be specific and detailed as, most likely, I won't know where your coming from. Thanks!
The problem with most manufacturer specific apps is that they are tied very closely with their specific framework, and will not work on "vanilla" Android OS. In your example, Samsung's Contacts app relies heavily on features of their TouchWiz UI that ships standard with Galasy SIII, and will not function properly (or perhaps even at all) on custom ROMs that are not based on Samsung firmware. CyanogenMod is based on AOSP (Android Open Source Project) and none of the TouchWiz apps will work there. The same holds true for most other manufacturers' apps that ship with their proprietary UI overlays, such as Motorola's BLUR (or whatever they renamed it to,) or HTC's Sense for example. Even if you manage to find an APK for a given app, installing it onto a system that doesn't have the required framework could potentially cause issues ranging anywhere from force-closes, to even not being able to boot the device. Always have a backup of your device before attempting any such modifications and/or installations, so that you can restore your device to a working condition should something go wrong. As an alternative, you can try and find a 3rd-party replacement app that mimics the functionality of a manufacturer-specific app you're interested in. In most cases, Android will allow you to set the downloaded app as a default instead of the built-in app. For example, there are a myriad replacement Contacts management, Dialer, and Texting apps available in Google Play Store (both free and paid varieties.) I'm sure some of those will have features that you like from Samsung's corresponding app.
How to replace Cyanogenmod dialer/contacts/messaging(texting) apps?
android
I have just set up a second user account on my Nexus 10 (running stock 4.2.2) so that I can keep my work Exchange email account separated on the device. In this new account, the email app works fine in almost all ways, except that when you (for example) open the settings dialog, nothing appears to happen. It is only when you hit the 'back' button that the settings window appears. It's as if new windows are opening behind the original one rather than in front. Initially it looked like it was on the Email app with this behaviour, but this morning Evernote has started doing the same thing in that account. This is extremely annoying! It only seems to affect this new secondary user. Everything works perfectly in the primary account. I've tried searching for people having the same issue but have come up with nothing. How do I fix this?
I did resolve this issue eventually. I use App Protector Pro on the main account of the device, but it is not installed in the second user. Somehow having this enabled on the primary account disrupts the screen ordering on the second and subsequent users. It occurred to me that this might be the case, and testing has proved it so. You need to disable App Protector Pro to resolve.
When using apps as a second user, why do new screens within apps open behind the main window?
android
I accidentally sat on my Samsung Galaxy S2 and it has resulted in screen crack. I am planning of repairing it instead of buying a new one. The phone with the cracked screen works (except the screen) and contains personal and sensitive data. I do not want to expose it in any way while I give it for repair. It would be nice if I can factory reset or wipe the phone before I give it to service.
A hard reset restores the original factory settings and erases content, including downloaded ringtones, images, programs, and contacts stored in the internal memory. This feature allows for resetting of sound profiles, display settings, and phone or memory card settings. To perform a hard reset using the hardware keys, follow these steps: Turn off the device. Press and hold both Volume Up and Volume Down keys at the same time. Press the Power key only until the phone vibrates once, then release only the Power key. Continue to hold the Volume up and Volume Down keys until the Android System Recovery screen appears. Press the Volume Down key to highlight Wipe Factory Data. Press the Home key to select. Press the Volume Down key to highlight Yes - Delete all user data. Press the Home key to select. Press the Home key to reboot. But as you said, your screen is broken. Check the screenshots and see how many times you want to use down and up volume key, so that the according to number position you can do it.
Samsung Galaxy S2(Format or restore factory setting through pc?)
android
I have to set up 50+ plus phones for my company, and I am allowed to root the phones. Each phone needs to have the exact same WIFI SSID's / passwords, account / privacy settings, brightness, input methods, etc. Repeating the exact same manual setup 50 times seems a bit tedious.. Where are the phone settings stored? Can I simply adb push the settings to each device? The phones are Samsung Galaxy Pockets.
As it turns out, there is no magic file or directory that contains all settings. They are stored in various places, and depends greatly on how the manufacturer decides to set things up. I primarily work with Samsung phones, so the information here will mostly be Samsung oriented. Also, note that all of the below requires root access. If anyone has anything to add / rectify, feel free to comment. First off, I have found that "copying settings" is not always the best way to go. You can do nandroid backups and restores , which pretty much clones one phone to another. If you're technical enough, and you're using Samsung, then creating your own odin image might be an even better option as it doesn't rely on you or someone else having created nandroid / recovery support. The Settings General settings: Settings are mostly stored in the <code> /data </code> subdirectory. If you're looking for something specific, start there. Built-in apps: Built-in apps tend to keep their settings in <code> /data/data/com.android.* </code> and <code> /data/data/com.google.android.* </code> For example: Contacts: <code> /data/data/com.android.contacts </code> Email accounts: <code> /data/data/com.android.email </code> MMS: <code> /data/data/com.android.mms </code> WiFi: WiFi settings location depends on the manufacturer, but is generally predictable. Samsung Galaxy Pocket, S2, S3: <code> /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf </code> Samsung Tab: <code> /data/wifi/bcm_supp.conf </code> HTC Desire: <code> /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf </code> Dell Streak: <code> /data/misc/wifi/wpa.conf </code> Keyboard configs: I have had to disable hardware keys, reconfigure layouts, or alter general keyboard behaviour before. The exact file name tends to be different on every phone, but I've found the config files to always be in <code> /system/usr/keylayout/ </code> . Be careful, as breaking those could render your phone unusable. Misc: Most miscellaneous settings like product information, boot sounds, and enabling / disabling the on-screen nav bar are stored in <code> /system/build.prop </code> . Breaking this config file could bootloop your device. If I find more information, I'll add later.
Where are Android settings stored?
android
I have a Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100 running on Android 4.1.1 JellyBean. The 4.1.2 update has been released a while back, but I still am reluctant to upgrade. I have read over the Internet that it causes the battery to drain faster than normal. Is there any truth to this?
Yes there was Issue with Battery drain but they had solved the issue and you can go for 4.1.2 and performance is good.
Galaxy Note 2 JellyBean update
android
I want to be able to connect my Nexus 7 in order to test my applications from Eclipse on the physical device. I followed this Google guide . My <code> /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules </code> file contains this : <code> SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="18d1", ATTR{idProduct}=="4e42", MODE="0666" SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="18d1", ATTR{idProduct}=="4e40", MODE="0666" SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="18d1", ATTR{idProduct}=="4e41", MODE="0666" </code> The device is configured to use <code> "Camera (PTP)" </code> and <code> "USB debugging" </code> is checked too. But <code> adb devices </code> lists no device. What have I missed ?
The fact that the "Connected" message only appeared sometimes and that <code> lsusb </code> was unable to detect the Nexus casted a doubt on the cable. I just tested with another cable and it works. My other cable seems to have a damaged connector.
ADB unable to connect my Nexus 7 on Ubuntu
android
Galaxy Nexus does not charge when powered on , but it charges properly when powered off . Phone doesn't detect USB connection also. This happened without any reason. Phone is not rooted. Tried different cable, charger, everything.
That sounds to me like a hardware issue. If you're still under warranty, I'd get it repaired. If not, you'll have to decide whether you want to live with it or pay for repair (or replace the phone).
Galaxy Nexus does not charge when turned on
android
I did a terrible mistake. After some tentatives of installing cyanogen, I replaced the kernel with wrong version. I have a Motorola Defy+ (MB526) and I'm trying to use RSD Lite to reflash the firmware. I'm trying with the Retail Version from here http://sbf.droid-developers.org/umts_jordanplus/list.php . The cellphone does nothing, only black screen. When I insert the usb cable and open RSD Lite, they recognizes and all the process to send the flash is done, the cell phone is booted automatically but I can't turn it on. When flashing, the cellphone screen show the message that the SW is being updated. The process seems to be done right, but at the end I can't start the operational system. After finishing the process successfully, I can't turn it on. It's like nothing got flashed. Even the recovery mode was erased. I don't know if I need some kind of boot loader (like some linux does) or other sbf file. Anyone knows if do I need to flash more files? Edited According here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1216982 It seems I downgraded the version, that's why I'm getting a black screen. How do I know what is the version I need to use? Can I try Chinese version? It seems that is the newer, but I'm afraid if I would face no English language option to set after installing it.
After months trying, I solved flashing the DEFYPLUS_U3_4.5.1-134_DFP-2311_BLUR_SIGN_USADEFYEMARAB1B8TFDE004.0R_PDS03C_USAJRDNGIBRO2DE_P020_A025_M002_Service1FF.sbf
Motorola Defy+: Black Screen and no BootLoader. How to discover what firmware version my device supports?
android
I need a way to back up my whole Android device on my PC, which is running Windows 7. I don't have USB cable for my phone, but I have wireless router, so my best option is using Wireless connection. I have encrypted my rooted Nexus S device, and now I am locked out of accessing SD card via recovery. The only way to decrypt my device is Factory data reset, which will erase all data on my phone. Before doing that I need to backup all my SD Card content, Apps, App data content to my PC. I need something much like Ultimate Backup Tool , but instead of recovering data through USB cable, using wireless instead.
Summing up the solution from the comments and expanding: This process basically includes two steps: Create a backup Transfer it to the Windows PC wirelessly A further pre-condition for the following is that the device is rooted, which is the case here. Create the backup Depending on what you need to backup, there are different good solutions available (you can see the stackexchange-url ("backup tag-wiki") for more information): With a custom recovery such as clockworkmod , you can create a nandroid backup Helium - App Sync and Backup can be used to create an adb style backup of all your apps including their settings Titanium Backup does backups of all your apps, data, settings, etc., and has proven well over all the years All three options store their backups on the SDCard. So if your device features a microSD slot, you could even simply take out the card, and attach it to your PC using a card reader. This generally works without a cable, and such could also count as "wireless" :) One thing you might need to care for manually are the media files, and other downloaded/manually created stuff. Usually, this is stored on the SDCard as well – but that could be the internal one, so in case of the "card-reader option" you might need to copy stuff to the external card manually, which can be done with a good file manager such as ES File Explorer . Transfer via WiFi Now for the WiFi transfer. This can be done with the just mentioned ES File Explorer , which includes a "Samba client" to access Windows shares: Just share a drive from your computer, and then copy all files over. This also can be done "the other way round", pulling the files: with e.g. Airdroid you can access your device from any web browser. Airdroid includes a file manager, and lets you upload and download files. Another more elegant variant, especially if you want to automate things, is to use a sync tool. Here you might want to take a look at FolderSync : As the name suggests, this app lets you synchronizes files and folders. Like with ES File Explorer , you can use Samba/CIFS here to access a Windows share. Elegant permanent solution: Set up scheduled backups with Titanium Backup , and set up a matching sync interval for TiBu's backup directory with FolderSync . That way you always have an up-to-date backup off-board your device, in case of brick/loss/whatever.
Backing up Android device on Windows via wireless
android
I have a Nexus 10. I want to split screen to do two things at the same time. Is that possible in Android? 3rd-party apps are acceptable too.
As of this writing, only a few Android devices offer multi-window functionality out-of-the-box. Samsung built this feature into 4.1.2 OS version for several of their Android tablets (Galaxy Note 10.1 and Galaxy Note 2, for example.) There are some major drawbacks to this. First, it's a proprietary Samsung feature that only comes with their TouchWiz overlay, and therefore is not compatible with "vanilla" Android OS. Second, apps must be specifically written to support this feature.
How do I run two programs at once in split-screen?
android
There are a few apps that seems to act like document scanners? How do they work? Is it more than a lot of posprocessing of one shot? Are they actually "scanning" or utilizing more several shots? What kind of phone specs do I need to have quick and reliable document scanning?
In my opinion, the word scanning in this context is a misnomer. Basically the camera and the flash are the key hardware components involved in this operation. The camera doesn't go into burst mode and instead takes only one good shot. The rest are the magic of software algorithms that straighten, finds boundaries and brightens and de speck the image. The app Camscanner supports creating documents either from image or capturing with camera. Higher camera resolution, the ability to autofocus and presence of flash (in absence of ambient light) are the features that are to be looked for. For shooting an A4 size with text printed with font size of 12, a 5 mega pixel resolution is needed and with 3.2 mega pixels, I am able to capture A5 sized papers with very decent quality - observed from my experience.
Scanning with Android
android
I have the Google Voice app on my Android phone, and I'd like to occasionally make calls from it, but I don't want to enable the "Ask me every time whether to use Google Voice" option, as 90% of my calls would be from my cell phone's number. Given that I have the "never use google voice" option enabled, is there a option buried somewhere that I can use to place a call to someone without having to re-enable the "ask me every time" setting?
There are a few options available, depending on what your needs are exactly. Option 1 - Manually route specific calls through google voice Before I had a smartphone, this was how I routed all my calls. Basically, for every contact, I stored their regular number as well as a Google Voice number. The GV number was my own GV number, followed by a <code> wait </code> , then a <code> 2 </code> , another <code> wait </code> , and finally followed by the contact's number and a pound key. In effect, I made a macro. Ex ( My #: 1234567890, Bob's number: 19876543210): Contact: <code> Bob </code> Primary: <code> 19876543210 </code> Secondary: <code> 1234567890W2W19876543210# </code> If you only have a few contacts that you wish to call via your Google Voice number, this option is very simple. It does add some extra time to call them, as your phone doesn't connect directly to your contact, but rather connects to Google Voice, then "manually" dials the contact's number. Note that you must have certain settings set up in Google Voice (the website, not the app) so that when you call your own number, you get the Google Voice menu system instead of leaving yourself a message. Also, if you require a PIN for your specific phone, you'll have to modify the setting, or add a PIN to the macro dial string. FYI, this was how I got unlimited (outgoing) minutes as well. Since I could choose up 5 numbers to dial without using minutes, I simply chose my own Google Voice number as one of the five. Since all my calls went through GV, my carrier simply saw me dialing the same number all the time. Option 2 - Add a widget to simplify Google Voice The Google Voice app has several widgets, and one of them is a 1x1 icon that rotates between the 4 calling options: <code> Always use Google Voice </code> , <code> Only for International Calls </code> , <code> Ask Everytime </code> , and <code> Never use Google Voice </code> . This is the option I used to prefer, and I have actually used this in the past. It is very useful to quickly switch phone numbers, and you don't need to go through the hassle of opening the Google Voice app and finding the specific setting. Just click the widget until it is on the setting you want, and call from there. Option 3 - Use Titanium Backup Pro to make a separate profile With the paid version of Titanium Backup, you can create multiple profiles for apps, essentially giving you the ability to have multiple users. This is the option I use currently, as it reduces the number of clicks I need, and it allows me to have multiple profiles on a specific set of apps I want (such as games, lists, and Google Voice). I can switch from my Normal profile to my Guest profile (for example) so that I can hand off my phone to a family member to play games without messing up my own progress. Set up a second profile that has Google Voice on for all calls, and make your primary profile never ask. When you want to use google voice, just switch profiles. There are other apps that let you do multiple profiles, and I know some of them are free if you only want a total of 2 profiles.
Using the Google Voice app to place calls when "ask me" and "always use GV" are disabled
android
I have a Archos Cobalt tablet. The external micro sdcard appears empty to the tablet and to the pc when the tablet is attached via USB, debugging on. I have used app2sd to move apps to the sdcard. Without the card in they don't work so it must have moved them but it still appears as blank to the tablet and pc? The contents of the tablets internal disk appear ok on both the tablet and in Windows so whats the difference? I have also tried removing the card and plugging it in again.
I've done some research and it seems to be an oddity of the tablet. When you do 'move to sd' whats happening is its moving data to another part of the -internal- sdcard. You can't move apps to the external one e.g. http://yatse.leetzone.org/redmine/boards/2/topics/259#.UTfGXxyeN8E thanks anyway
Android sdcard appears empty to Windows?
android
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 with Verizon with the custom ROM Cyanogenmod 10.1. It has it's own people app and dialer. Previously, before I rooted my phone and installed the Cyanogenmod, the S3 comes with Samsung's TouchWiz along with all of Samsung's built-in apps. One of the apps was their dialer and contacts app. Is there anyway, while using the Cyanogenmod, to replace the Cyanogenmod's default phone app with the original S3's phone app? Is there an apk file of the phone app I could install? Thanks!
You need to get a stock ROM of the same Android version. In this case 4.2 JellyBean, since its the base of Cyanogenmod 10.1. Once you get the stock ROM, you can open it with any zip viewer and get the apps you want from <code> /system/app </code> , then you just connect the phone via USB and <code> adb push </code> the apps to <code> /system/app </code> in the phone. Be sure to wipe cache/dalvik and reboot to apply the changes. Another easier way is if you have a nandroid of your last stock ROM (and its JB also). You can open the nandroid with WinRAR and get the needed apps from <code> /system/app </code> without searching for the stock ROM.
How use the Samsung Galaxy S3 stock contact/phone app with custom ROM?
android
I would like to buy a tablet and use it as a netbook to work using a keyboard dock (I still like the touchscreen and stylus options over buying a netbook). I work mostly on linux machines where I need ssh, vpn and the ability to open X windows remotely. Are there terminals for the Android tablets that can do that ? Anyone with comments about Ubuntu on tablets ?
Yes, to an extent. I know there are apps that will create an SSH terminal. Most likely there are other apps that can process other types of protocols. There are only few tablets that compatible with Ubuntu (At least work well with). The Nexus 7 and/or 10 being a prime example. From what I hear, it works very well and is almost no different from the desktop version. In my opinion, from what you are looking for, I'd get a Nexus 7/10 and try out Android OS, and if it can't do everything you want it to, then install Ubuntu.
Bash terminal on tablets
android
My LG Nexus 4 (Android 4.2.2) does not play my .wma audio files. However, my generic/budget Android 4.0.3 tablet plays the same .wma files just fine. Why? How can I get my Android device to play .wma files?
It seems that ICS does not have native support for WMA files. You can use an app like MX Player (or its Pro version) to play WMA files.
Why does my Nexus 4 not support WMA audio files?
android
From iOS I'm used to seeing app icon badges and notifications concerning actvity inside apps. Android is lacking app icon badges but it does have a great notification menu -- except that Google+ notifications (the red counter in the black Google bar on all Google's web sites) don't arrive there. I do see the counter in the Google+ app (in Android as well as in iOS) but on Android there's no notification outside of the app. I think it's weird that Google's awesome social network doesn't send notifications to Google's mobile OS. I am hoping that it's merely some setting I need to enable on my phone to make these appear. Right? I very much doubt that I really have to launch the G+ app to see notifications, given that so many other apps use Android's notification methods so successfully. How can I see Google+ notifications in Android's notification list?
Uhhh...I get Google+ Notifications all of the time. Check: <code> Settings | Apps | Google+ | Show Notifications </code> is checked In the Google+ app, <code> Overflow menu (three vertical dots) | Settings | Notifications </code> is ON. Tap that entry and choose which types of notifications to get. I see POSTS AND MENTIONS Mentions Shares Comments Comments on a post after I commented Circle subscriptions CIRCLES Adds me PHOTOS Tags me Comments on a photo I am tagged in Comments on a photo I tagged Photos added from Instant Upload EVENTS Invitations or updates to events Reminders about events I'm invited to Activity on events I created COMMUNITIES Invites me to a Community
How do I get Google+'s notifications into Android's notification list?
android
I just got a brand new LG Optimus 4X . Feeling naked without the privacy protection offered by apps like LBE Privacy Guard , and missing good backup solutions like Titanium Backup (and no, Carbon Backup cannot really compete here), I want the device rooted. How can that be achieved?
In fact, I never had an Android device where this was that easy to achive! Our friends at XDA-Developers offer a guide and the necessary tools in this thread . Having a "Microsoft free zone" and "only" running Linux machines (yeah, even the Android ones run a Linux kernel), I was able to follow up those steps with a little adaption here and there -- and so I will sum up the results for Windows and Linux users as well: Preparation First you need to download the required tools, all of them available at the linked XDA-Developers thread: o4xr.zip is the rooting toolkit IS11LG_SystemBackupTest.signed.apk to prepare your device Windows users only: LGUnitedMobileDriver_Ver_3.7.2_LG-P880_LGO4XHD.zip -- the Windows drivers for the device Having everything downloaded, some additional steps are necessary at your computer: Windows users only: Unzip and install the drivers Linux users: Make sure <code> adb </code> is able to detect the device (check with <code> adb devices </code> ). If it's not, see at the end of this answer for some hints. Everybody: Copy <code> IS11LG_SystemBackupTest.signed.apk </code> to your Optimus (e.g. after connecting it via USB in MTP mode, copy the file to the internal SDCard) Everybody: Create a new directory, unzip <code> o4xr.zip </code> there, and change into this directory. The rooting process On your Optimus, go to Settings&rarr;Security and make sure "Unknown Sources" is TICKED (i.e. contains a checkmark) Go to Settings&rarr;Developer Options and enable "USB Debugging" Now install <code> IS11LG_SystemBackupTest.signed.apk </code> (e.g. use a file explorer to find and "launch" it) Open the "SystemBackupTest" app you just installed. Nothing spectacular will happen, so don't be disappointed here. Hold the power button and choose "Power off and restart". When you can see the lock screen, you may notice that the phone is running very slowly, this is normal. Once the device is fully started up again, connect it to your computer with an USB cable. Make sure the phone is in "Charging Only" mode. On your PC, open a terminal (Linux) resp. command ( <code> cmd.exe, Windows) window and change into the directory you've extracted </code> o4xr.zip` into. (on Windows, you may need admin privileges: right click, run as administrator. On Linux it did fine for me without superuser/root permissions) Now run the rooting script: Windows users: type <code> root </code> followed by the enter key Linux users: type <code> ./root-linux.sh </code> , also followed by the enter key Any Mac users? Type <code> ./root-mac.sh </code> , also followed by the enter key. Don't worry, it won't root your Mac/Linux machine (Windows users: it is unlikely to root your box, either :) DO NOT DISCONNECT YOUR PHONE WHILE THE SCRIPT RUNS! Wait while it does its job. During that process, the phone will reboot automatically a couple of times. The script will inform you about this in your command/terminal window. Once the command/shell prompt returns, the misdeed is accomplished :) Now uninstall <code> SystemBackupTest </code> from your Optimus. Do not launch it again at this state, or you might have to start over from step 5 :) On your phone, open up Google Play Store and search for "SuperSU". Update the app when prompted, then open it. Press OK to update the SU binary. You now have root and can safely restore the "Unknown Sources" and "USB debugging" settings back to how you had them! Congratulations! Next steps are to install Titanium Backup , LBE Privacy Guard , and all the other things you might need and which require root! Hint for Linux users to get <code> adb </code> recognize your Android device These steps should work with all Android phones. The example data of course should exactly fit the LG Optimus P880 this question deals with. open a terminal window, and make yourself root ( <code> sudo su - </code> ) enter the following command: <code> lsusb </code> . Note the output in your mind. connect your device with USB Debugging enabled using an USB cable. again issue the <code> lsusb </code> command. Now it should output an additional line which has to be the just connected Android device. For the LG Optimus P880 , this should read like: <code> Bus 002 Device 103: ID 1004:61a6 LG Electronics, Inc. </code> <code> 1004 </code> is the vendor ID for LG, <code> 61a6 </code> the device ID of the P880 in USB Debugging mode. use your favorite editor (still in root mode!) and open <code> /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules </code> (if no such file exists, simply create it). Add the below lines (first line is optional), and then save the file. restart the UDEV daemon: <code> service udev restart </code> Now you just need to disconnect your device. When reconnecting it for the next time, <code> adb </code> will see it -- as you can confirm with the <code> adb devices </code> command. So here are the lines for your <code> /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules </code> file: <code> #LG Optimus X4 P880 SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="1004", ATTRS{idProduct}=="61a6", MODE="0666" GROUP="androiddev", SYMLINK+="android%n" </code>
How to root the LG Optimus 4X (LG-P880)?
android
I have version 2.3.3 of the stock android browser on my phone. I know there are newer versions out that support features that I want which are not available in 2.3.3. However, I do not see any upgrades available, and in fact the stock browser does not even show up in the Google Play store. I figure I probably need to manually install from somewhere, but where do I find the necessary files and how do I perform the upgrade? Note: I am not interested in upgrading to a newer version of Android.
Check this XDA post . It has an APK for a 4.2 AOSP browser. NOTE: Install at your own risk.
How can I update the default stock browser (com.android.browser)?
android
I have an LG Marquee on Boost Mobile and recently my phone started to boot loop. I had not backed up my micro SD Card contents and am afraid I could lose them with my phone acting up like this. Each time my media scanner runs at start up, the phone reboots again, so I cannot access my media content in time to salvage it. A user on here gave me the idea to buy an SD Card reader, put the contents of my SD Card onto my PC and copy them onto a new card. Then I could insert the new card into my phone and factory reset it in order to save my media content. My question in a nutshell is: What is the process of copying content from an SD Card onto a PC, and then copying this content to a new card? My second and last question is: Once I move the contents of my current SD Card onto my PC and copy them to a new SD Card, will my factory-reset phone take the new card and load the contents?
Answer to your first Question: No specific processes needed. When You Connect your SDcard to PC via SDcard reader, you can see a new drive is mounted on you PC. Just copy necessary files to PC and similarly copy same files to new SDcard. Answer to your first Question: Yes. your mobile will recognize your new SDcard when you mount it to your mobile.
How can I copy content from my SD Card to my PC?
android
Is it possible to have a shortcut on home screen for .mp3, .jpg, .docx etc files . As I need to access few documents every now and then , for this I have to go through folders in my ext memory.
Yes. File Short cut App will help you to create short cut for files. It is an app to create a shortcut to open the file. You can choose any files such as images, videos, or PDF. Note - You need a separate application that corresponds to the format so you can open the file. For example, PDF files can not be opened without PDF readers such as Adobe Reader. Supports mp3, mp4, jpg, png, gif, html, pdf, txt, doc, xls, ppt
Shortcut for .mp3 .jpg .docx files
android
I have a HTC One S with Android 4.1.1 installed. I recently got the "google settings" app and checked the settings in there. Under the field "location" is a switch to "Let google apps access your location" with a note that apps may access your location while the app is not being used. If I switch that off, the GPS is not activated when I start google maps - and therefore renders it pretty useless for me. I even get a message telling me to switch google location on if I want to have a location based map. So here is the question: When this setting is switched on, do I risk that other apps (google search or whatever else I have installed from google) will take my location from the Wifi connection or cell tower and transmit it to google for storage, or even the GPS data? Is there any way to enable GPS in maps but not my location for all other apps, too? I am worried that the setting is a "Either you do not use Google maps, or we will know and record whenever, wherever you are". Is that the case? I have so far only stackexchange-url ("this question here") but it seems to say there that the google location service does not affect GPS - but for me it does.
That strongly depends on the app used. Unfortunately, since Froyo (Android 2.2) the options "use location service" and "permit Google to collect" are connected and undividable (before you could chose them separately). So if an app uses the Google Framework's location service to obtain position data, it won't work without that service enabled. If it accesses GPS itself, it would work with or without. Only way out of this trouble would be to root the device, and then use a permission protector like e.g. LBE Privacy Guard or PDroid Privacy Protection / PDroid Manager , which let you decide on a per-app basis which app is permitted to access a service/certain data (many possibilities here, not only location).
Full Google apps access to location needed for maps with GPS?
android
I've stored some images in Google Drive, and I'd like to view them on my tablet. The problem is, I can only view them one at a time and the procedure goes something like this: Open Drive. Navigate to image folder. Select image to view. View image. Press back. Select another image to view (while trying to remember which image I just viewed, so I don't view it again). Repeat steps 3 - 6. If I could download the files onto the tablet, I could view them in the default image viewing application and the procedure is more like this: Select image to view. Slide left/right to view next/previous image. Is there a way to download the files stored on Google Drive to an Android device? Update: I found a slightly awkward workaround. If you login to Google Drive using a web browser, clicking on the image will download it to <code> /storage/sdcard0/Download/ </code> . You can then view the images using the default image viewer application.
You can use ES File Explorer. To get connected: Press the settings button on the phone, or the app. Expand the Network list, and click Cloud. Click New, and choose Gdrive. Enter your Google credentials, accept the terms, and you're all set up. To copy a file to the phone: Locate the file on Gdrive through ES File Explorer. Long press the file. Press <code> More </code> , then <code> Copy to </code> . Select the location to copy the file to, and press <code> OK </code> . OR... Locate the file on Gdrive through ES File Explorer. Long press the file. Press <code> Copy </code> . Navigate to the location you want the file. Press <code> Paste </code> .
Is there a way to download the files stored on Google Drive to an Android device?
android
I currently have a Nexus 7 with the default "out-of-the-box" Android Stock OS (as of this post JB 4.2.2). From what I've read online, Ubuntu has made a mobile version of their OS. Usually, they specially demo their mobile OS with Google's Nexus devices. I would like to try Ubuntu on my Nexus 7, but don't want to do it permanently. Though, I still want to have the experience as if Ubuntu runs the tablet, and not Android (Just to try something new and a change of pace). I wanted to know that if I were to permanently to install Ubuntu on my Nexus 7 device, if and how would I get my device back to the stock Android OS that came with it "out-of-the-box"? In other words, I know you are able to install Ubuntu on Android, but is it possible, once you have cleared Android off, and only Ubuntu exists, to go from Ubuntu back to Android? Maybe I don't know enough about what happens when you install Ubuntu on an Android device, but if there is some detail that you feel is missing, please feel to fill in the blanks of my stupidity.
Directions taken from OMG! Ubuntu! . I’m assuming you backed up your data. Download the corresponding Android image from Google . Extract the downloaded ZIP. Connect your Nexus 7 to the computer with the USB cable. Open a Terminal window and type: <code> adb reboot-bootloader </code> , this will reboot the tablet into the Android bootloader. In the terminal, use the <code> cd </code> command to enter the folder created after you extracted the previously downloaded ZIP, for example, <code> Desktop/&lt;name of extracted folder&gt; </code> Once there, run the shell script: <code> sudo ./flash-all.sh </code> and wait for it to complete.
Once you have Ubuntu installed on a Nexus 7, how do you get back to stock Android?
android
My phone has been stuck in a boot loop and I need to safely retrieve the contents via card-to-PC transfer, then PC-to-new card, then new card-to-phone, etc. I read somewhere on here that you must reformat your SD card before you can connect it to your PC to copy its contents. Is this true? If so, will I lose my stuff from reformatting my card? Every time I've tried reformatting my card, I get a dialog box that tells me all my card's contents could be destroyed if I go ahead, so I refrain. Seems like it would be pointless to try and retrieve my card's contents if I must destroy them first. I'm fairly new to this stuff, so please excuse my lack of knowledge for it. Also, once I get all of my content into my new SD card, do I need to format the new card when inserted in my phone? I notice that whenever I put an SD card with files on it into a new phone, I get a prompt saying that all contents could be destroyed if I format, even though I want these files on my phone and certainly not destroyed. Thanks for any and all questions answered, I appreciate it.
No, you MUST NOT reformat it before copying! Formatting a storage device means to prepare it to hold files, and it will delete everything on it (see the stackexchange-url ("tag wiki of the formatting tag") for details). So yes, formatting woul imply losing all contents on the formatted device (in this case, from your SDCard). New cards usually come pre-formatted, so there's no action needed either: Simply insert and enjoy. I never heard a device prompting you to format a newly inserted card, and I've had some of them. Of course, a warning is issued when you manually select to format a card, so you do not accidentally fall into such a trap.
Do you have to reformat an SD Card before you can copy its contents to your PC?
android
Today, all of a sudden I saw this app in my Samsung Galaxy Y mobile phone: I am talking about the app named <code> "Google Settings" </code> I uninstalled it immediately only to find it installed again a few hours later. My mobile phone is rooted and I did have access to internet through the phone during this period? Can anyone tell me as to what is going on? Should I worry? What should I do?
The Google settings app is being put their either by the Maps app, Search app, or the Google+ app. It's a unified settings/sign-in thing they just added in literally yesterday and allows you to manage the settings for all of the above (and probably more in future) from one menu. http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/27/google-settings-app-sneaks-onto-android-to-bolster-g-sign-in/
What is this Google Settings app that installed itself on my phone?
android
I bought an Asus Transformer tf300t tablet. It runs on Android 4.1. I really need the multi-user feature of the Android 4.2. I read that Asus will provide an upgrade for all the Transformer series to Android 4.2, but there isn't any official announcement. Should I wait for this hypothetical upgrade or install a CyanogenMod ROM right now?
You can install Cyanogen now, and in the event of an official update, go back to the stock Rom. Steps to install CyanogenMod in Asus TF300t: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_tf300t
Android 4.2 for Asus Transformer tf300t
android
I'm a bit OCD about efficiency and I have noticed that at least one of my two Android devices tells me to unplug it after charging is complete to save energy. My questions are: Is it true that a chargeable USB device may or will continue to consume similar amounts of power if it remains plugged in after fully charging? Does this vary based on hardware and/or software (Is it possible my LG Optimus T phone continues to consume similar power after it is charged, but my Nexus 7 doesn't)? If a device continues to "consume" power after it is charged, where does it go (laws of thermodynamics and all)? In searching for my answer, I have found the following questions relevant but not entirely applicable to my question: stackexchange-url ("Does constant charging harm my Android cellphone?") stackexchange-url ("AC-USB Charging Device Makes Sounds when Device Fully Charged") stackexchange-url ("What component of my phone charger produces chirps and how does it do that?")
Like any other device, regardless if the battery is full or need charging it consumes energy all the time. When your device is fully charged and still plugged in then the charger replenishes the energy used by the phone. It uses less energy than when charging but still. This is called Trickle charging It is advised to unplug device because keeping you battery fully charged all the time will reduce its capacity and make your battery die faster. Battery needs to be partially discharged and then be fully charged on a semi-regular basis in order to prolong its life. The following sentence is from Article on prolonging battery life Let’s look at real-life situations and examine what stresses lithium-ion batteries encounter. Most packs last three to five years. Environmental conditions, and not cycling alone, are a key ingredient to longevity, and the worst situation is keeping a fully charged battery at elevated temperatures. This is the case when running a laptop off the power grid. Under these conditions, a battery will typically last for about two years, whether cycled or not. The pack does not die suddenly but will give lower runtimes with aging. You can also read about partial discharging and charging here: Techrepublic - Five tips for extending lithium-ion battery life
Does the device/charger consume power after charging is complete?
android
I have recently bought Karbonn A15, i am facing 2 problems in it. How to Store images taken from the camera to SD Card, currently its storing in Internal Storage, i have 8GB of External Storage, but just have 2.5GB of internal How to store apps in internal storage, currently it by default stores on system space, i have 2.5GB of internal storage but just have 581MB of system space. Can anyone tell me how can i do the settings for the above things.
Short answer to your questions: In many cases, the camera app itself offers to chose the storage for images/videos. Check its settings for an item called "storage". If it's not there, you could try to use a symlink of the <code> DCIM </code> folder to the sdcard. That's a case for App2SD -- but depends on whether the apps support it or not. You can check this e.g. in Settings&rarr;Apps&rarr;Manage Apps . If supported by the app, you should be able to move it out of the "system space" from here. As for where an app is installed by default, mostly depends on two things: what the developer specified in his apps <code> Manifest </code> for the install location (see App Install Location in the developer's documentation) what the user defined in the Android settings as default install location (see e.g. How to Install Android Apps to the SD Card by Default &amp; Move Almost Any App to the SD Card ) Related information: stackexchange-url ("Install apps to sd card by default") Setting default install path in android (xda-developers) Set The Storage Card As The Default Install Location In Android (socialtimes.com)
Storing Apps on internal storage
android
I have an Xperia Play that was originally with Verizon and therefore using CDMA. I want to use it with the Rogers network now. I've read that the Qualcomm chip inside supports both types of networks by default. Is it possible to change it to GSM?
Not going to happen. Sorry. While MSM8655 supports GSM - Play Verizon's version of radio software makes no use of it. You can not reflash the radio software because the bootloader is locked. And even if you could - the GSM bands are not "phased" in your phone. "Phasing" is a process of calibrating the phone during manufacturing - without it you would get no 3G, at best you could probably get very poor 2G performance if any at all.
Sony Xperia Play CDMA to GSM
android
I just bought this China-made tablet, Ainol Novo Flame , and it has Ice Cream Sandwich installed on it. Is there anyway to install Jelly Bean? I Googled some and couldn't find a good source. Do you know any? thanks I hope this is the right place to ask. I'm new to android overall.
This is the latest Official Ainol Novo 7 Fire JellyBean firmware (using the latest Android version 4.2.2): Google Translation maybe required.
Installing Jelly Bean on Ice Cream Sandwich tablet
android
I am trying to unlock bootloader for my HTC Legend. I have ADT (Android SDK according to release 21.1) on my Ubuntu/Linux box. While following the HTCDev instructions to unlock bootloader of HTC Legend. I can <code> adb devices </code> that results as under <code> List of devices attached HTXXXXXXXXXX device </code> But <code> fastboot devices </code> does not result any thing. When I reboot my phone to <code> FASTBOOT USB </code> mode and plug in the USB cable to phone and connect to PC/Ubuntu. <code> fastboot oem get_identifier_token </code> results as following and sit idle. <code> &lt; waiting for device &gt; </code> I have cross checked for certain things: The default USB mode is Charge Only The USB Debugging is enabled But on my ubuntu box there are no drivers and no HTC Sync installed. What am I missing here? Can I do it from Ubuntu, as I don't have windows? UPDATE: My device's HBOOT is 1.00.0000 UPDATE2: I just tried with <code> sudo fastboot devices </code> and returned. <code> HTXXXXXXXXXX fastboot </code> Now when I do <code> sudo fastboot oem get_identifier_token </code> it returns: <code> ... (bootloader) [ERR] Command error !!! OKAY [ 0.010s] finished. total time: 0.010s </code>
It looks like your HBOOT needs to be upgraded to v1.02.0000 in order to use the HTCdev unlock method. The reason for this is that the Legend's bootloader did not originally ship with unlocking capabilities, so you need to upgrade to the version that added it. Unfortunately, the HTCdev site will give you an RUU to run, but since it's an .exe file it won't do you much good on Linux (even with wine it probably will balk). However, you can perform a manual flash instead: Download this LEGEIMG.zip 1 file. This is the new 1.02 bootloader packaged as a zip. Copy the zip file to the root of your SD card (as in, not in any subfolders) Reboot to your bootloader however you like ( <code> adb reboot bootloader </code> works, for example) When HBOOT starts up it should tell you that it found an upgrade package on the SD card. Check the on-screen prompt and select "Yes" to let it flash the zip. Reboot your phone into your bootloader again and verify that it's been updated to version 1.02. At this point you can follow the HTCdev unlocking instructions. 1 Regarding this file: "eldarerathis", you say, "I'm sure you're a trustworthy chap and all, but how do I know that this Mediafire download is legit?" Well, since your bootloader is currently locked , it will only flash images that have been digitally signed by HTC. Since modifying the contents of the zip file would invalidate the signature, you can rest assured that it is genuine and has not been tampered with. For complete instructions, including how to actually get the zip from the RUU yourself (which requires Windows), refer to this XDA post .
Unlock bootloader using fastboot using Ubuntu/Linux
android
I have here two phones that both exhibit the same symptoms. One is a samsung GT-S5570 running the stock ROM, the other is a Galaxy S2 running an AOSP-based custom ROM. The problem I have is that while they are connected to the wifi and are able to browse web sites, etc, they periodically stop accepting incoming connections and/or responding to pings. In order to get them to start responding again I have to disconnect and reconnect the wireless connection. Yet they are still able to make outbound connections. Any ideas what may be causing this (somewhat bizarre) behaviour or how I can stop it?
See my comment above; appears to have been caused by a broken DHCP configuration.
Phone connected to wireless but does not respond to pings
android
I bought two different cheap android tablets, in the process of buying a dozen for my company. I haven't had much experience with them before and there's one thing that's bugging me. I downloaded a few simple apps that show the screen resolution, and the values are 768x976 (portrait) and 1024x720 (landscape). The devices are advertised as 1024x768 (4:3) and indeed, they look 4:3. What's going on here? Are the devices lying in their specs? Are the apps inaccurate? Is this because the apps omit parts of the screen that can't be used for apps? The devices aren't well known but for reference, they are: Dinosaur Dino 9.97 and a Go On Touch DC97 IPS 9.7. The apps I tried are: ScreenSpecs, Screen Resolution and Screen Resolution (same name).
You haven't specified the Android version, but on tablets the difference is generally because the system bar (or "combined bar") is 48px (specifically, 48dpi, but in your case that's 48 real pixels) and the apps are only considering available screen space when they report the resolution: Portrait = 768 x (976 + 48) = 768 x 1024 Landscape = 1024 x (720 + 48) = 1024 x 768 Some references: stackexchange-url ("What is the true available resolution of a 10.1 Android tablet?") Asus TF101 tablet status bar steals 48 pixels Metrics and Grids (from developer.android.com; explains why 48 dpi was chosen for UI components)
Why does my device shows a resolution other than that advertised?
android
I've found several obsolete answers, but this question about situation nowadays: what's the most robust solution to have the device (android v4.2-based) protected? Turn on device encryption (there is only built-in storage, no SD-cards) Set up password But it's all makes not much sense without wiping the data after 10 (or so) wrong password inputs (like iOS does). So any solutions to wipe after brute-force attempts nowadays? UPD : I've found there is a method in the api setMaximumFailedPasswordsForWipe() but is there a User Interface that calls that method? UPD 2 : Hm, I'm surprised that people don't care of security much, hmmm. That's curious
You might want to take a look at Autowipe for that: Use Autowipe to automatically and PERMANENTLY WIPE your internal and external data by doing a factory reset. Enterprise and business users should find this useful! This is meant to be used in case your device gets stolen, misplaced, or lost. Automatically wipes for: failed passwords to unlock screen, SMS password received, subscriber ID changed (SIM card). Use the new integrated test mode to test all these cases. Locks the screen while wiping. The app does not require root, according to its Playstore description. (click to enlarge)
Wipe data on wrong password inputs
android
I read somewhere that we can install custom ROM in our devices without voiding warranty ace plus is not getting updates soon. Is there any method by which we can install that and please suggest a good custom rom. thanks
Sum-up from the comments: Warranty First, at least as of today and outside the EU, it is not possible to install a custom ROM or even only root your phone without voiding your warranty. Even if it can be done in a way not increasing a (possibly existing) "flash-counter": In case your device "bricks" for some reason, not giving you a chance to restore to "stock", your custumizations would be found in the service center. Existing Custom-ROMs As said, here you might want to take a look into the question stackexchange-url ("Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?"), which lists a lot of ressources where to find different Custom ROMs. A good choice might be CyanogenMod, which is e.g. dealt with in the XDA-Developers thread about CyanogenMod for Ace Plus . To find more details, you can simply use this Google Search .
Install custom rom ACE PLUS without voiding warranty
android
How can I root my android phone ... Please provide answer in easy steps ... I am using ... Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III Android OS v4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) If anyone know then share
Step 1 Power off your Galaxy S3. Then hold down Volume Down, Center Home, and Power buttons together until you see the warning screen. Step 2 Hit Volume Up button to enter Download ODIN mode and connect a microUSB cable from your Galaxy S3 to your computer. Step 3 Next, download GalaxyS3RootNew.zip , unzip the files and run odin3v1.85.exe by double-clicking on the file. Step 4 When ODIN program opens, you should find a highlighted yellow box with a random COM number. If you don’t see this, download and install Samsung USB drivers Step 5 DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE, hit “PDA” button and select the file CF-Root-SGS3-v6.4.tar. Step 6 Hit “Start” button. This will install ClockworkMod Recovery on your Galaxy S3 i9300. If you get stuck on this step, just try a different USB port. Step 7 Once ODIN is done flashing, you will see “PASS!” in green highlighted box. Step 8 Your Galaxy S3 will reboot once into CWM Recovery and automatically install root and Superuser app. Step 9 Once your phone reboots, you will find an app called “SuperSU”, this is your superuser app. Step 10 Download and install Titanium Backup app from Play Store to verify you have root, a Superuser request window should pop up. That’s it! This should take you less than 5 minutes to do and does not affect your phone in any way but give you Superuser, root, and custom ClockworkMod Recovery. You can find video and More details here NOTE : I'm not resposible for any of your activities. Do it on your own RISK .
How to root my android phone?
android
I just purchased a 32 GB SD card for use with my Galaxy S3 which is running a 4.2.1 rom. Certain apps like Titanium Backup I was able to switch to start using the SD card just fine, but I can't for the life of me find a setting anywhere for the camera to start storing videos/photos there. Is this possible? I've googled lots, but all I can find is directions for older versions of Android, which aren't applicable to my setup.
Here's how I did it: Go into Camera as if you were taking a picture Go into Settings (gear) on top left Scroll down to Storage Change to Memory Card
How to get Jelly Bean Camera to use external SD card?
android
Is there any way to boot an Android phone* from a bus-powered USB drive**? If so, what are the steps to achieve this? * E.g. one with USB OTG functionality. ** E.g. a flash drive.
Please clarify what is the intended goal and why? Android phones have their own boot-loaders and cannot be overridden by other means. It is not like a PC's BIOS where you can switch the ordering of boot to boot from certain devices such as Network PXE, USB, Primary/Secondary H.D.D... Edit: After the comments below, and in relation to the OP's question Is there any way to boot an Android phone (E.g. one with USB OTG functionality.) via way of a bus-powered USB drive The generic boot-loader (*which resides on the chip-set) has no knowledge of USB etc, as the lk (Little Kernel) is more concerned about trapping keystrokes in order to chain-load into recovery or to boot directly into Android environment (When holding Vol+Down key in this instance) - in pseudo-code ( this is from the context/aspect of lk, and also, the memory addresses pertaining to how to read the partitions are hard-coded into this lk so it will know how to process the logic! ) The lk kernel is the de-facto standard by Qualcomm for MSM chipsets (Snapdragon) and adopted by manufacturers such as Sony, Motorola, LG, Samsung and can be found in the AOSP source under <code> bootable/bootloader </code> . if ( Is Volume Down key pressed? ) then chain-load kernel from <code> /recovery </code> partition into particular address in memory and jump to it and start execution, in bringing up the recovery environment else chain-load kernel from <code> /system </code> partition into particular address in memory and jump to it and start execution in bringing up the Android environment. end if. As the kernel within lk is pretty limited, considering that the binary image of the kernel is burned into the chip and therefore no way of modifying it . And also should be mentioned that lk contains the <code> fastboot </code> protocol in preparation for flashing <code> /boot </code> , <code> /recovery </code> , <code> /system </code> and <code> /data </code> partitions. There are two sequences to boot, primary boot and secondary boot as it is: Primary Boot -> lk (depending on outcome of logic) Go into Secondary Boot -> <code> /boot </code> or <code> /recovery </code> Side note: Samsung is fond of the PBL/SBL (Which is Primary Boot Loader and Secondary Boot Loader respectively) in their jargon when it comes to modding. Thing about Samsung, is that, in some handsets, PBL and SBL may be encrypted (Samsung Wave GT-S8500 is one such example, where porting Android to it was nearly impossible to do because of the DRM within the boot loaders which was a nightmare to deal with and made modding it extremely difficult, nonetheless, it is sort of working via an exploit in the FOTA code!) This is why there are no extra facilities such as OTG functionality or anything else such as serial communications, reading from SDCard, graphics etc as it would make the lk kernel bigger than is intended. In other words, it is the smallest possible size of kernel that is designated to do just the above pseudo-code happen. Also, another way of looking at it is this, and this is dependent on the Android version - the USB OTG functionality is fully brought up within the Android environment, i.e when the familiar home screen appears, then OTG's functionality is enabled. Unfortunately not the case when looking at it from lk's perspective. If you're curious, here's the Qualcomm entry on the above lk which is a part of the tiny C source that has ARM assembly included and found in JellyBean's AOSP source in <code> bootable/bootloader/legacy/usbloader/main.c </code> <code> int boot_linux_from_flash(void) { boot_img_hdr *hdr = (void*) raw_header; unsigned n; ptentry *p; unsigned offset = 0; const char *cmdline; if((p = flash_find_ptn("boot")) == 0) { cprintf("NO BOOT PARTITION\n"); return -1; } if(flash_read(p, offset, raw_header, 2048)) { cprintf("CANNOT READ BOOT IMAGE HEADER\n"); return -1; } offset += 2048; if(memcmp(hdr-&gt;magic, BOOT_MAGIC, BOOT_MAGIC_SIZE)) { cprintf("INVALID BOOT IMAGE HEADER\n"); return -1; } n = (hdr-&gt;kernel_size + (FLASH_PAGE_SIZE - 1)) &amp; (~(FLASH_PAGE_SIZE - 1)); if(flash_read(p, offset, (void*) hdr-&gt;kernel_addr, n)) { cprintf("CANNOT READ KERNEL IMAGE\n"); return -1; } offset += n; n = (hdr-&gt;ramdisk_size + (FLASH_PAGE_SIZE - 1)) &amp; (~(FLASH_PAGE_SIZE - 1)); if(flash_read(p, offset, (void*) hdr-&gt;ramdisk_addr, n)) { cprintf("CANNOT READ RAMDISK IMAGE\n"); return -1; } offset += n; dprintf("\nkernel @ %x (%d bytes)\n", hdr-&gt;kernel_addr, hdr-&gt;kernel_size); dprintf("ramdisk @ %x (%d bytes)\n\n\n", hdr-&gt;ramdisk_addr, hdr-&gt;ramdisk_size); if(hdr-&gt;cmdline[0]) { cmdline = (char*) hdr-&gt;cmdline; } else { cmdline = board_cmdline(); if(cmdline == 0) { cmdline = "mem=50M console=null"; } } cprintf("cmdline = '%s'\n", cmdline); cprintf("\nBooting Linux\n"); create_atags(ADDR_TAGS, cmdline, hdr-&gt;ramdisk_addr, hdr-&gt;ramdisk_size); boot_linux(hdr-&gt;kernel_addr); return 0; } </code>
Is it possible to boot an Android phone from a USB drive?
android
I've seen some Bluetooth Smart (4.0) technology for tracking tire rotation rate (bike speed), peddle rotation rate (cadence) and even heart rate monitors. Some heart rate monitors are supported by google mytracks now. Anybody aware of support for cycling sensors?
Not aware, but a quick check in the playstore shows there are several bicycle apps supporting "ANT+ sensors" for speed and other things. Take e.g. a look at IpBike ANT+™ Bike Computer , ANT+ Bike Display Demo , IpBikeKey , and others. Starting point: ANT+ Playstore search :) Please note that, as Ifor pointed out stackexchange-url ("in his comment"), that this requires special support from the Android device's hardware. Details can be found e.g. at the IpBike page .
Is there any android support for bicycle sensors?
android
I use Pidgin on all my desktop computers because it's completely cross-platform (even Linux) and really like it. Unfortunately they don't have a mobile app. Is there a mobile chat client that allows you to add accounts from multiple protocols (AIM, GTalk, MSN, ICQ, etc.) and DOESN'T require you to create a separate account for their service first? I've tried Trillian and IMO, but both want me to create an account for their service before I can add my other accounts.
IM apps that don't require an additional account tend to be few and far between on Android (in my experience, anyway), but so far I've seen two: eBuddy - This does have an associated "eBudy ID" account that you can register for, but you're not required to do so in order to use other protocols. IM+ ( free , pro ) - Same as eBuddy above. Another potential selling point is that the tablet interface is much nicer, IMHO.
Is there a multi-protocol chat client that doesn't require a separate account?
android
I've downloaded an application that wasn't in Google Play (private developer) for testing purposed. Part of the assignment is for me to send them back some information about my device (auto-generated, I just hit send). However, I noticed before sending the email that there was an attachment. I sent it to myself first so I could look at it on my computer and saw it was all of my contacts and the information I had of them, such as phone numbers, names, etc. Is this something the developer legitly needs? The application can call other people, so that may be why they need it, but I don't understand why they need it. Should I send it to them?
Definitly not! That's nothing like what a developer needs. And a developer requiring you to send that I'd avoid in the future as well. All that might be needed can be provided by e.g. <code> adb bugreport </code> (which is the most comprehensive data collection known to me to be useful for a developer concerning his development). Requesting all your addresses is harvesting , and rather used for spamming. TL;DR: I would NOT send that information. You might contact that dev and ask for an explanation, and then maybe decide different. But I cannot believe this being a "mistake" or simply "carelessness".
Is there a reason why an app would want all of my contacts?
android
I have a Google Nexus 7 that I share with my kids. I am the owner and created a second account for my child. I've found that many games work on my (the owners) account, but will not work on the second users account. One of the apps in question is Unblock me Free. It works great on my account, but on the second users account, it will get to the splash screen and then just disappear. I cannot find any app, user or security settings that could be causing this. Hoping for some insight from this group as to what is causing this. I hesitate to install a root-kit or unlock the tablet unless I can be convinced that's the best/safest way to go.
As far as Android SDK documentation goes: <code> As an app developer, there’s nothing different you need to do in order for your app to work properly with multiple users on a single device. ... To be certain that your app behaves properly in a multi-user environment, do not refer to your internal app directory or external storage location using hard-coded paths and instead always use the appropriate APIs: </code> Hence theoretically speaking, if the app developer had used appropriate methods this app should work normally. In that sense, I do not think you have any better way other than reporting this to the app developer. Rooting your Nexus 7 doesn't going to solve this issue - in my opinion. Update: I sent an email to the support team of the app developer quoting this question. I received a reply as: <code> Thank you for your information. We have filed the issue with engineering team. We'll try our best to fix them ASAP. </code> which in my opinion supports my assumption.
Many apps don't work for secondary accounts
android
I have a Jawbone Bluetooth headset paired to my new Nexus 7 tablet. In the paired Bluetooth devices section, it show that it is paired under the <code> Phone Audio </code> profile. I just want all the audio to go through the Jawbone earpiece, when it is connected. So far even though it is connected I can't get any sound out of the ear piece and the tablet still uses it's built in microphone. So is there a way to change the Jawbone's Bluetooth profile from <code> Phone Audio </code> to all, or media, etc? I don't know how to change this, and I'm not even sure what the <code> Phone Audio </code> profile is for, since I'm new to Android and this isn't really a phone.
There is an app called Mono for Bluetooth that allows you route the devices sound via mono bluetooth headset. I'm sure there are other apps, but this is the first one I found and it seems to work fine. It also does the following: sound indication when routing is switched on restores sound volume after switching off the routing indication when routing is on in status bar restores bluetooth routing after phone call Supports Android 2.2 and higher.
Use a bluetooth headset for media audio on a Nexus 7 running Android 4.2
android
When using a normal computer I like to use a launcher to quickly launch applications and perform other tasks. Examples of such launchers are Quicksilver , Launchy , Gnome-Do and Kupfer (which I currently prefer). The power of these launchers is that you can easily open them with a shortcut, type a few characters to find the application and press enter to launch it. I'm looking for a similar app for Android (I'm using a Nexus 7 with 4.2). I already found a few solutions, but they all have small shortcomings, so I'm still looking for the perfect solution: Quickdroid : This Open Source app can search apps, contacts, music and a few other things. It also provides a 'quick launch' by adding a permanent notification to open Quickdroid. However it still feels as not fast enough, as you have to open the notification drawer, search for the quickdroid notification and touch it. FAST App Search : This is a much simpler app (also Open Source), which only searches apps (no contacts etc, so that's it's weak point). It can however be configured to launch when dragging the home button from the bottom up to the center of the screen, thereby replacing Google Now. Google Now: When dragging the home button up, the Nexus 7 will by default launch Google Now. This actually searches for apps, music, contacts etc and applications can add 'catalogs' to it. So in fact this is pretty much what I'm looking for. The problem here is that (1) After opening Google Now you need to tap the search field before you can start typing, (2) because of the google search suggestions, the actual matching applications are hidden behind the onscreen keyboard and (3) to really search all the 'catalogs' you need to tap 'search tablet'. Google from homescreen: I can also press the google search button on the homescreen of the Nexus 7. The result is similar to opening Google Now, except that the search field immediately gets the cursor-focus. This obviously adds another step because you have to make the homescreen visible, and doesn't solve the search suggestions. Is it possible to configure the 'drag the home button up'-action, to launch the google search, with the search field focused and immediately in tablet-search modus? This certainly feels like the best solution as it is already part of Android and apps can extend it by adding content. Or are there other similar apps that can be configured to launch by a single tap/drag and search for apps, contacts, music, etc?
To answer my own question: I found SwipeSwitcher Lite and am using this to easily launch QuickDroid. SwipeSwitcher is a very simple app which just adds a small invisble overlay on the left and right edges of the screen. It let's you configure each overlay to launch an app (or go the the previous/next app in the default configuration). So I configured the left edge to launch QuickDroid and kept the right edge at the default config. Now I can quickly launch QuickDroid by swiping from the left edge of the screen. To launch an app all I do now is swipe, type 2 - 3 characters, and select the app. And as an added bonus, I can quickly go back to the previous app by swiping from the right edge of the screen. So far I really like this very simple solution. It's similar to other suggested solutions such as FlipLauncher and SwipePad, except that SwipeSwitcher does not replace the homescreen and immediately launches one single app. I also had a look at Google Search Launcher , as that promised to be exactly what I wanted to use the Android built-in Tablet search. However, this really just launches the Google Search, so it is still not in 'tablet search mode' by default and still shows search suggestions. It also makes the homesceeen inaccessible and was rather slow. It seemed promising but was a rather dissapointing. Update : I just found another very nice solution. If you have Tasker installed, you can install Assistant Event for Tasker . Then you can create a task which will launch QuickDroid (or any app of your choice) when using the gesture which would normally open Google Now (the "Google Assistant" gesture).
Looking for a launcher similar to Launchy, Synapse or Kupfer (with type to find and launch app feature)
android
On iOS, when I select one or more photos from the camera storage and choose to send them by email, the OS will ask me whether to send the images in full size or make them smaller so that the email won't be so large. On Android (stock 4.2.2 on Nexus 4) I haven't found a comparable function. When I send an email of my baby to my mom, she receives a full 8-megapixel image that's too large to view on her monitor... How can I have Android reduce the chosen photos before emailing them? I don't want to have to launch an editor app and scale each image individually. I only found stackexchange-url ("one 2-year-old post") about this that doesn't mention any solution. Surely, there's a way to do this on Android, similar to how it's done on iOS?
Image Shrink Lite is just right for me; there's a paid version with more options.
Resize photo before sending it by email?
android
I am absolutely noob in Android hacking, though I am quite good in doing techie stuff. Now I have got my first mobile Karbonn A5+ . It has 1GHz processor and 431 MB ROM+RAM. It runs Gingerbread. As usual it doesnt get updates. I really want to taste JellyBean on it. So while googling for the same, I found stackexchange-url ("this thread"). It instructs to install clean nexus images from here . Can I able to install the same on my mobile following the same instructions?
I can only wish for that ability @Mahesh(a999). The image has to be prepared for a specific hardware as it involves lot of drivers to be accounted for. The chances are pretty bright if the two device share same hardware, which in your case is not. You can try Cyanogenmod ROMs or other custom ROM. Visit this XDA page, which is exlcusive for your device.
Installing Nexus Images on other devices
android
Since today, I see the following root warning when turning wifi on or off: Superuser Anfrage / Superuser request: mksh (1000) Angeforderter Benutzer / Requested User: ROOT (0) Befehl / Command: ip route add 224.0.0.0/4 dev wlan0 My phone is a HTC One V with Android 4.0.3 and SuperSU installed as root app. It was running 8 months without this prompt. My last install was Power Toggles 1 week ago. Does anyone know about this? I'm afraid it's something dangerous...
<code> mksh(1) </code> is “just” the system shell on Android (has been for a few versions by now). The request basically means that some other application is trying to run a shell command with root permissions, which the dialogue then attributes to the shell instead of the program/library actually requesting it (on whose behalf <code> mksh </code> is operating). There are several very long threads acting on it; this one has got a good summary, out of which the most important points are: the "ip route add" command comes from libChange.so in HTC Sense ROMs (thanks to chrisch1974 for finding it), which itself is already running as a system component the command itself is not malicious, but there's no clear reason why HTC Sense should run this command the reason it shows up in SuperSU v0.97 and does not show up in older versions is because v0.97 no longer automatically grants root to the shell and system processes 224.0.0.0/4 is the standard IP multicast range - this command just forces multicasting out of the wifi interface (since AFAIK cell carriers don't allow multicasting on their data connections). This prevents multicast traffic from attempting to use the mobile network connection and failing. If you have used the adb shell command on any previous phone and got the root prompt, <code> # </code> , instead of the user prompt, <code> $ </code> , by default then your shell has been this way before. I've seen it come and go. In the end, most people agree that saying Yes here seems to be harmless. Disclaimer: I’m the <code> mksh </code> maintainer.
unexpected root request for mksh when turning wifi on or off
android
I'm using SGS2 with latest stock ICS ROM, but it has few bugs which I really hate, so I want to look at custom kernels which could help me in this. The main headache for me at the moment is I can't turn off my SGS2, when I try to do this my phone reboots itself so I need to pull out the battery to Switch it off . I'm getting hardly 24 hour battery backup while I'm not using too many calls or internet on my device, if I charged it 100% at night and wake up in morning then it drains out 5-10% battery. I have disabled auto sync, network connection etc which could be cause to drain out battery fast. Why I'm looking for custom kernels are due to 1: I want to get good battery life. 2: I want a good and stable performance. 3: Don't want to lag while playing games like Temple Run I have heard two custom kernels for SGS2 are Siyah and Speedmod . Now I'm not sure which one should I use to for my phone for getting a good performance and battery life. Can I flash kernel using stock recovery of my SGS2 ? And is it safe?
Upgrade your phone to latest JellyBean stock ROM and flash SpeedMod kernel from Odin. Right now is one of the most stable combinations for the Galaxy S II. If you want more performance you can always install Siyah kernel and tweak it for your needs. Also remember to do a full Nandroid backup before flashing anything and wipe <code> /system </code> , <code> /data </code> and <code> /cache </code> before installing JB from Odin.
Which custom or official kernel should I use on SGS2?
android
I'd like to flash 'HTC desire' and found this: http://www.jphellemons.nl/post/Cyanogenmod-on-my-HTC-Desire-the-easy-way.aspx I started to wonder if I'm able to do the flash.. because i use Debian and the tutorial is definitely for windows user. I'm worried about these points: EDIT: As Dan pointed out in the comments: Make sure you have HTC Sync on your system or get the drivers from the link he posted in the comments! installed the windows hboot usb driver: http://unrevoked.com/rootwiki/doku.php/public/windows_hboot_driver_install
Yes. It is possible to flash android devices under linux. The fact is that Android does not need drivers - both adb and fastboot use libusb and talk to the devices directly. Your main concern should be finding compatible fastboot binary - some OEMs use proprietary fastboot extensions to handle certain functions. Obviously you can not expect to be able to follow the windows tutorial under linux. Fortunately for you unrevoked (the tool used in the tutorial you linked) has a linux version as well.
Is it possible to flash htc desire on linux (drivers concern)?
android
I have Sony Xperia P with official android 4.0.4 on board. The Polish language uses some letters, that normally (on PC) are typed by Alt Gr + letter (eg. Alt Gr + a =ą). But using Alt Gr on external keyboard does not work as intended on android. How to make it working correctly?
I've found the solution some time ago. The app External Keyboard Helper Pro makes it work correctly.
Using Alt Gr on external keyboard with Android 4.0.4
android
A few months back I started developing an app that read incoming sms messages and saved them in a db. A few days ago I went to revisit the app and had a quick look in the db where I discovered the app was still recording my texts!?! I can't find any mention of my app running on the android apps option under settings or in advanced task killer. How can I find out if it's running or not? It's bizarre!
I had a similar incidence, in my case i left a service open. Please check if any service related, is open ? To check you can use, stackexchange-url ("This link from stackoverflow")
what apps are running?
android
Yesterday I bought a brand new samsung galaxy s3. WHen I hold home button and lock button, it doesnt shot the screen. how to fix it?
The problem solved. it would meant to be "Home" + "Back" + "Power".
Samsung galaxy S3 screenshot doesn't work
android
When I get a notification about an app update I often wonder what changed in this update. Is there a quick &amp; easy way to find out? (No typing.) Note: This is with auto-update enabled, when the update is already installed.
If you want to know the changes made in the app after the update then simply follow this steps. Slide down the notification bar Tap the update notification . This will bring up the market link (unless you set the app to auto-update which will open up the app and not the market link because the update is already installed). Once you're in, search for the app in question, select it, and there you will find the changelog like this . Notice that you cannot do this if auto-update is enabled. You must open the Play Store, tap Menu (three dots in upper right of screen), and select My Apps . From there, do step 3 . Take note that not all developers post their changes in the market. For that you will need to google for the answer.
How can I easily find out what has changed in an app after an auto update notification?
android
In the messaging application it says who is the sender of each message, but it doesn't say the phone number the message was from. From each thread I can get to the corresponding contact, but some contacts have several numbers and I don't know how to tell which number the message was from. I can get the message details, but again only the name of the contact is listed, and not the number. I am running ICS on a Galaxy S2 device.
In my LG optimus one running gingerbread, I can open a message thread and long press on an message. This pops up a list of options and if I press 'view message details' I get details like from, date, time. The value displayed for from is not the contact name rather it is their number. Alternatively, instead of long press, short press on the sender's name in the message gives an option to call and when I do so and quickly disconnect, I can see the number which is called, which is the number the message came from.
How do I find out which number an SMS is from, out of all the numbers associated with the sender?
android
i want to know how to connect the galaxy tab 2 p3100 to my monitor through hdmi or dvi interface. is it possible or not. i tried google but can't find any solution.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 does not support any form of video out. The necessary hardware was not included in the design for cost-cutting reasons. Only the 10.1 has MHL capability. source: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=37032295&amp;postcount=110
Is there any way to connect 'Samsung galaxy tab 2 p3100' to a monitor
android
I often use Instagram to add effect and frame to my photos. Then, there is a folder named instagram appearing in Gallery; but that folder won't be synced with my Google account i.e. on another Android device signed in with the same account, I don't see that folder. So my question is that how I can have it synced?
PhotoSync (Sync to Picasa) might be your choice: PhotoSync is tool for sync photos to Picasa(Google Photos). though limited, you can sync videos too.You can also sync photos among multi devices via Picasa.
How to sync non-picasa folder displayed in Gallery app?
android
I want to download an mp3 from email and listen to it through the google music player. I currently do it through yahoo mail and jelly bean 4.2.2. However after downloading I have to turn off and back on phone for it to show in player. Closing the player and restarting player does not get it to recognise the newly downloaded file. There must be a better way?
There is. All that has to be done is having the Media Scanner run and update the index. Turning the device off and on again triggers this, but (as you said) is not a very convenient way. Unmounting/mounting the SD card would trigger it as well (and can be done via Settings&rarr;Storage ) -- already a little better, but still not very user-friendly. The most easy way would be to have an app like e.g. Rescan Media taking care for it. Rescan SD might be even more convenient, as it offers a widget. Just tap it, wait for the scan to finish, and your MP3 file should be visible from your music players.
mp3 from email to player
android