question
stringlengths 0
34.8k
| answer
stringlengths 0
28.3k
| title
stringlengths 7
150
| forum_tag
stringclasses 12
values |
|---|---|---|---|
I have an Android mobile device which has Android 2.2 and I want to update it to Android 2.3. What possible ways are there for me to update the OS?
|
You have two options: If your device manufacturer has released an update, you can use that to update your android. Manufacturer updates are generally released OTA, and they are device specific so you need to check whether the manufacturer has released an update for your device or not. Install a custom ROM. Custom ROMs like cyanogenmod can be used to upgrade Android but remember that it is not official upgrade and you lose the device warranty provided by your device manufacturer.
|
How can I install an updated version of Android on my device?
|
android
|
I would like to use the 3G connection on my android with my Ubuntu. Is there any method to do so?
|
Easy Tether from Mobile Stream should work. It's a way to share your internet connection with another device via USB. Get the Lite version (does not support https, or tethering to gaming consoles) or the Full version . Supports Windows 7/Vista/XP (32-bit and 64-bit), Mac OS X 10.7/10.6/10.5/10.4, Ubuntu 10.4+ and Fedora 13+ Full version supports the following: Tether PS3, Wii, XBox via PC Internet Connection Sharing, you need a computer for game console tethering.
|
Use 3G connection on my Android in Ubuntu
|
android
|
I've uploaded my mp3s to Google Music. I also physically have the files on my phone. But now when I use the Google Music app it shows the songs on my sd card and the songs I've uploaded to the cloud. Apart from deleting the files on my phone, is there a way to tell Google not to sync songs I already have?
|
I think that there is no other way as to simply delete the files on your Android device. Make sure you have a copy of the files on your PC or an external HD. I am not sure if one can download the mp3s easily from the Google music cloud. You have the files in Google musics cloud, why do you need them on the device too? The music App will cache the files on the device for fast/offline access.
|
Get rid of duplicate songs on phone when using Google Music
|
android
|
Is there an easy way to un-root Android 2.2 on Droid X rooted via z4root? The reason is that I would like to apply a Gingerbread 2.3 update from Verizon, and that update ALWAYS fails to install. Since I never had a custom ROM on the phone, my first guess is that the problem may be due to being rooted, but I don't see an "Unroot" option in z4root. Please note that factory reset is NOT an answer I'm looking for.
|
z4root added an "Unroot" button in version 1.2. Version 1.3 added "force unroot" (not entirely sure what that means). You can grab the most recent version from the XDA thread , then you should be able to simply hit "Unroot" and be on your way.
|
Is there an easy way to un-root Android 2.2 on Droid X rooted via z4root?
|
android
|
HTC Desire S seems to have very scarce WiFi settings. I'm trying to debug stackexchange-url ("a Wifi connectivity issue") and looks like stackexchange-url ("it might be a DNS problem"). I Googled and looks like many Android devices have some "advanced" settings including DNS server addresses. I can't find anything like that in Desire S. What am I doing wrong? How do I change DNS and IP settings in Desire S?
|
In my HTC Desire I find it under: Settings-> Wireless & networks -> WiFi Settings Press Menu and select Advanced Here I can see option to use static IP by selecting "Use static IP"
|
Where do I configure DNS and IP settings in HTC Desire S?
|
android
|
When I chat in Google+ through my desktop, my two android devices get the conversations as well. Anyway to stop that from happening? I don't want to necessarily log out of the Apps since I can walk away and I want to still receive messages, but if a conversation is occurring via website, can I have the Apps ignore it?
|
It appears the message is initially logged to my phone, and tablet, as Google says "Hey there's a new mmessage fofor you." Once I start in on the convo it only runs on the one device.
|
Web based Google Talk chat notifications sent to my device
|
android
|
On my Android, I was looking for configuring profiles and under Settings found that I can configure profiles and there are some pre-existing ones like Home, Work, Silent, etc, with further settings to customize each of them. I'm assuming that this is a feature of my CyanogenMod installation and not part of Android itself. Now, my question is what is the easiest way to switch profiles (say switch from 'Home' to 'Work'). I tried to find an option in the notification bar widget buttons in the CyanogenMod settings but couldn't find. Is there something that I can do that is quicker than going to Settings > Profiles > Select profile, may be a widget or something that works with the above mentioned CyanogenMod profiles and preferably not a new application with new profiles. PS: I can see an option to 'Toggle Sound' but that's for switching Sound/Vibrate/Silent modes, whereas I need to switch profile.
|
Holding the power button brings up the "power options" menu. In there you can choose the profile.
|
Shortcut to switch profile on CyanogenMod
|
android
|
I would like to know if it is possible to 'force update' the Talk app. I have Nexus S and I have the video chat in my Talk, but my girlfriend with S Galaxy II (2.3.4) doesn't. I read somewhere on the internet that Talk should feature videochatting from 2.3.4 on, but well... It doesn't so far.
|
This post from xda-developers will help you if her phone is rooted.
|
How to update GTalk to feature video chat?
|
android
|
So we got a Kindle Fire at work today, and I've been playing with it a bit to see what all it can do. One thing that I thought would be neat is to try our new web-based application in the Fire's Silk browser to see how it stacks up against some of our other devices (like my Xoom and the Galaxy Tab 7). In general it's okay, but it's starting to really bug me that the status bar is always visible when I'm using Silk, instead of filling the whole screen. There's also a tab bar at the top that I can't get to go away, and the bottom menu bar appears to be persistently visible. When you read a book, all of this goes away and then you bring it back by touching the screen, and I really like the full screen look. Is there any way to run Silk in a "full screen" mode, specifically one which hides the top status bar? I checked around in the settings and whatnot and haven't been able to find anything. Bonus points: Is there a way to hide the tab bar or the bottom menu bar similar to the book reading app?
|
This appears to have been added in v6.2.2 of the Kindle Fire's system firmware. I updated today and there is now a fullscreen button at the far right of the bottom menu bar in the stock browser. Pressing it hides the menu bar, the status bar, and the tab bar.
|
Is it possible to use the Kindle Fire's browser in a full screen mode?
|
android
|
My Samsung Galaxy S (Captivate) occasionally locks up, so that the screen freezes and it doesn't respond to any user input. I also cannot hold the power button down to bring up the menu to Reboot, Turn off, etc... The only thing I know to do is open the back and pull the battery out and turn it back on. So, my questions are 1) Is pulling the battery to hard shut down harmful to the phone? 2) Is there some button sequence I can press to restart the phone? I'm running a 2.3.4 Gingerbread based ROM.
|
Holding <code> Power + Vol Up </code> for 10 seconds or so will reboot the phone into recovery. From recovery, I already have the option selected to reboot phone, so I can press the power button again. Not sure what users can do if they do not have ClockWork Recovery.
|
How do I reboot Samsung Galaxy S when it locks up? Is pulling battery bad?
|
android
|
It appears Google has updated the market application. Including documentation in the new Google Music application for a link to <code> /music </code> in the market. The link does nothing on my phone except take me to the home screen of the market though. I'm super excited for this new feature and would like to use it now. Is there a way to force the market to update or anything? I'm using stock 2.2 Froyo on T-Mobile Defy (rooted)
|
I just did this, and it works. Go into <code> Settings > Applications > Manage applications > All > Market </code> then clear data, and cache. I had to reboot the phone after. But once it reboots, go into the Market, and the music section should be there.
|
How do I get the new "Music" section of the market to show up?
|
android
|
One thing puzzles me. It looks like if I use some program on Android and press the "home" button I see the home screen and can rerun the program and see that program in the same state as it was before - so looks like the program is not fully restarted, just suspended and then resumed. Yet that doesn't seem to happen consistently with Air Control game. Sometimes when I'm playing Air Control and press "home" and later rerun Air Control - it is paused (as if I pressed "pause" button) and I can resume the game. Sometimes the same leads to Air Control dropping the game and starting anew. So it looks like I don't understand something. What's the deal here? What happens to a program when "home" is pressed? Does it continue running or what does it do?
|
Pressing the Home switches you from the app to the home screen, whilst leaving your app running in the background. This is a bit like switching between windows on a Windows PC. Except that when your phone is running low on resources like memory it will start to close apps that are running in the background, so that your phone has enough resources for what you're trying to do now. Games are often amongst the first apps the phone will "kill" to save resources as they often use a lot more memory and CPU than other apps. This is why sometimes your game is still running paused, and sometimes Android has closed it for you. The Back button is the way to close apps so that they are actually closed. See also stackexchange-url ("What is the right way to close apps in Android?")
|
What happens to a running program when "home" button is pressed in Android phone?
|
android
|
I got a Galaxy Tab from work and I don't use it that much, but the screen size and specs look pretty similar to the new Kindle Fire. I know next to nothing about how things work under the covers but I know that there is a large hacker/modding community within Android. So is it even feasible to attempt such a thing? If not, why, in layman's terms please :)
|
Unless Amazon releases their Kindle Fire source code, there won't be a way to mod a different Android tablet to be a faux Fire. I seriously doubt that will happen That's not to say that someone won't be able to put together some combination of mods and apps that might approximate some of the Fire's functionality, but that's a pretty daunting task, if Amazon's proprietary changes don't make it completely impossible. Update : How about that? Amazon actually did release the Kindle Fire source code. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/11/amazon-releases-kindle-fire-source-code.html Update 2 : It seems that someone's got something very close. Android Spin has details .
|
How can I turn my Galaxy Tab 7" into a Kindle Fire?
|
android
|
My girlfirend has just installed a new CD Player on her car that comes with a USB port to connect external devices(Flash card, external hard drive, etc). My question is based due the fact that I told her that if she want to recharge her Android smartophone on her car, she must buy a 12V car adapter to USB(which is very expensive on Brazil). Now, with the new CD Player, I'm wondering if she can use it's USB port to recharge her cellphone with the USB cable. It is feasible? There is any limitations on recharging an Android smartophone on another types USB ports(I mean from another host not only the CD player)?
|
There're two flavors of USB ports - powered and unpowered. Unpowered ports can't supply power to the devices and are rather rare. You identify them easily - connect the smartphone to them and see if it starts charging. If it starts charging the port is powered and you're okay.
|
Can I recharge my Android smartphone at any USB port?
|
android
|
So I have an old unlocked phone and I'd like to load up my own OS. I've seen some mods out there. CyanogenMod seems to be the most popular. However, I was curious if I could just install a pure untouched version of the OS -- as distributed by Google. I seem to remember being able to download a clean compiled version of the Android OS. Does Google distribute any binaries like this, and if not, is there someone out there that does? Additionally, is this even worth trying? These days is it necessary for Android to be packaged with special drivers and such for all of the different hardware out there?
|
To answer if Google distributes binaries for your device: No, they do not (Unless you have a Nexus device). They do, however, have the full Android source code available so that if you wanted you could compile the source code for your device. However, that leads into your second question about the drivers and such. Yes, you will need to find the drivers and any other proprietary files that your device requires for it to interface with Android. You would have to search about compiling a custom ROM for your device and how to include these files. Likely, your simplest choice is find an AOSP (Android Open Source Project) ROM that exists for your device and install that. Check the XDA Forums to see if your device is included on their site. IF so, go into the development sub-section for your device to search for ROMs.
|
Is there an official Android "Google" ROM?
|
android
|
Is there any list with devices and their params? I'd like to know if this device is ldpi/mdpi/hdpi and what screen it is small/normal/large/etc. For now most important for me is to know how Galaxy Note is described by those params?
|
The most comprehensive list I've ever seen is this arcticle from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Android_devices There are no DPIs, but there are resolutions and screen sizes. Unfortunately Samsung Galaxy Note is not listed there, but it has 5.3 inch display and has 800x1280 resolution.
|
List of devices with screen parameters
|
android
|
I somewhat understand what Superuser does, but I'm curious if upgrading to the Elite version is a good idea... What pros are there? Does upgrading provide any additional features?
|
You can see the advantages from the developer's home page . Superuser Elite is the Premium version of Superuser. It unlocks several premium features within Superuser, including: PIN Protection – Secure your Superuser prompt with a PIN number so that nobody but you can grant Superuser rights to apps Access timeout – Allow an app to maintain Superuser rights for a set amount of time, so that you can allow certain apps access without having to remember them or press allow multiple times Ghost mode – Hide Superuser from your app tray and home screen. With ghost mode activated, the only way to launch it is by dialing a secret code into the dialer. The default secret code is <code> *#*#787378737#*#* </code> , but it can be set to whatever you want. Note that this feature will probably be disabled if your device does not have a dialer (tablets specifically). Advanced log management – Set the log to only store a certain number of entries before deleting the oldest entry. You also gain the ability to set certain apps to not log at all. Advanced notification management – Set which apps send notifications and which apps don’t Toast notification placement – If you choose to use Toast notifications instead of Status bar notifications, you gain the ability to set where the notification will appear; top, bottom, or center of the screen, or the default location
|
What pros would upgrading to Superuser Elite bring?
|
android
|
I ran across this question posed on Twitter by stackexchange-url ("Anil Dash"): Is there really no way to take a screenshot on a Kindle Fire? Huh. I know it's early to tell, but does anyone know if this is true about the device?
|
You can take screen shots with ddms and the Android SDK. It's not hard to set up. See http://www.thefireblog.com/2011/11/16/houston-we-have-screenshots/: So, here’s a quick summary people: Install the android SDK tools, then the platform-tools Edit your adb_usb.ini file to add the 0×1949 vendor ID at the end Ensure that adb is running properly Check that your device is online Run ddms Start taking your screenshots using the Device > Screen Capture option.
|
How to take a screenshot on a Kindle Fire?
|
android
|
I woke up 2 hours ago and there was the message on my phone (HTC DROID Incredible) that a new update was available and that my phone would restart to download and install the update and of course I click the "Install" button, but the way I was holding my phone was odd and my palm accidentally hit the "Cancel" button as it was counting down to restart the phone and it only got down to 5. Now the update seems to have disappeared. When I go into <code> Settings > About phone > System updates </code> my phone says that my system is already up to date. I also tried doing that <code> *#*#CHECKIN#*#* </code> thing which did not do anything (it said I was checked in but the update didn't come back). I thought the update would have automatically popped back up after 30 minutes but it's been two hours and my phone seems to have no trace that the update was even sent to my phone.
|
Others are reporting similar issues . Is your build number 4.06, 4.08 or other? I would suspect that if you missed the initial rollout you'll have to wait a bit, since they would want to do it gradually and not overload the network. You might get prompted again later or they might enable manual upgrades at some point. Verizon says you can update over Wi-Fi , though again it looks to be an automatic thing rather than manual, but maybe you'll get a second notification if you connect to Wi-Fi.
|
Accidentally cancelled update to 2.3 this morning; how do I get it back?
|
android
|
Amongst others, I have Facebook and Twitter apps installed on my HTC Desire running Cyanogenmod 7.1. Every few days, it requires me to login again, even though I've previously saved my details. It even asks me again (for Facebook) about syncing Contacts to my phone... it's as if it's forgotten my login to those apps altogether. I have these 2 apps installed on the SD card, so wonder if that's the problem - I don't have space to run them from the phone as that storage is very limited on the Desire... Any ideas if there's a setting of some sort that I can change so that it keeps my details?
|
Yes, it is likely to be the problem. I suppose it's a hack of yours if these apps are on SD rather than internal memory. As the Android SDK mentions 1 , applications that use Service, AccountManager and Widget shoudl not be installed on SD card. The Facebook app has an AccountManager, a widget and a Service.
|
Twitter & Facebook login details periodically forgotten
|
android
|
When I connect the device to computer, it makes sdcard available to it, as in card reader. How to make it share not sdcard, but other block device or file?
|
On my device (Sony Ericsson Xperia X10) it is, for example: <code> echo /sdcard/debian.ext2 > /sys/devices/platform/msm_hsusb/gadget/lun0/file </code> After it the content of file becomes available on the host. Can write to sdcard file without unmounting it from android.
|
Using other block device when conecting Android device to computer as USB storage
|
android
|
I recently started getting the following notification: Low on space: Phone storage space is getting low. When I click on the notification, it takes me to the "All" applications screen listing how much space each application takes, and at the bottom it shows: Internal storage: 296MB used, 452MB free Why is it complaining about low space when only 1/3 of the internal storage has been used? Edit : This is on an HTC Incredible both before and after the upgrade from Froyo to Gingerbread. Edit 2 : Looks like it's not just me: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=20201&q=low%20memory&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=20014&q=low%20memory&colspec=ID%20Type%20Status%20Owner%20Summary%20Stars http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=02216e9b3aed01ad&hl=en etc. Edit 3 : Called Verizon about the issue (expecting to get the standard "do a factory reset"), but instead got escalated to Tier 2. The Tier 2 person looked up the issue in their system and said it was a known bug and that HTC is requesting all people with the bug not do a factory reset but instead call their tech support at 866-449-8358. I called them and they told me a fix (via OTA update) has been released and will upgrade the Android version to 4.08.605.2 (I currently have 4.06.605.3). Last night my phone did try to do another OTA update, but after restarting it complained that it could not install it due to low memory. The HTC rep told me to remove applications from the phone until the low memory warning went away, then dial the following number to force the phone to check for system updates (it normally only does it once a week or so): <code> *#*#2432546#*#* </code> I did this and still haven't received notification of a system update, but hopefully within a week I'll get pushed the new version... Edit 4 : Called again (both HTC and Verizon) to see if there was any other way to force the update again, but they told me all I could do is try a factory reset. A lot of people are running into this, more references: http://gadgetian.com/27505/htc-droid-incredible-vzw-gingerbread-update-4-08-605-2-dwonload/ http://androidforums.com/incredible-support-troubleshooting/183963-low-space-phone-application-storage-notification-12.html http://community.htc.com/na/htc-forums/android/f/91/t/14260.aspx?PageIndex=5 http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon-droid-incredible/134223-second-gb-update-patch-reboot-issue-error-log-message.html
|
Got these instructions from http://gadgetian.com/27505/htc-droid-incredible-vzw-gingerbread-update-4-08-605-2-dwonload/?replytocom=18668#respond It worked for me. My update is installing as we speak. :) "Here is the fix for those of you still stuck in limbo between the Gingerbread Rollout and the patch, and have not gotten another OTA announcement again. Clear borked upload from cache 1.Boot into recovery •Press and hold Power, Choose “Restart” option •When screen turns off, press and hold Volume Down and Power 2.When the white HBOOT screen appears, use the volume button to move down to “RECOVERY.” 3.Press the Power button to select “RECOVERY.” 4.When the triangle and exclamation appears, hold the Volume Up and Power button at the same time. 5.Using the volume button, scroll down to “Wipe cache partition” and select it. 6.Select “Reboot system now” You can now wait for the update to show up again or you can follow steps below to force an update check: Manually change the date on your phone to one year ago. This will trigger an automatic check in with the update servers and you will get the appropriate update. Menu > Settings > Date and Time Un-check Automatic to prevent the date and time from automatically updating Change the date to one year ago (under Set Date) Uncheck Background data from settings menu under Accounts & Sync (don’t really know if it makes a difference, but I did it anyway) Go back to the main settings and select About Phone > Check For Update and follow the prompts (I had to do this about three or four times.) It went MUCH smoother over Wi-Fi Caution…when clicking install and reboot, it will stay at the Droid Eye screen after reboot for a while (~5 mins), but eventually, it did get installed. Read more: http://gadgetian.com/27505/htc-droid-incredible-vzw-gingerbread-update-4-08-605-2-dwonload/#ixzz1gUZiGs1H "
|
"Low on space" warning with over 50% free
|
android
|
I use my Galaxy S as a wifi tether hotspot for my tablet and laptop, so tethering is always on (I have extended battery so it's ok). But if my phone is in the area where I have wifi internet (for example, at home) I don't need it to act as hotspot and want it to stop tethering and connect wifi. Is there a way to automatically start tethering if no wifi is available and stop it / connect wifi if wifi is available for long enough?
|
You can do so e.g. with Tasker , adapting the Wifi Tether Profile described in the Tasker Wiki -- provided your phone is rooted: Requirements rooted device Tasker Locale Execute Plug-In (no longer available -- but most likely no longer needed, either) Wireless Tether for Root Users Tasker-Tasks Tether-On: Plugin -> Execute Script -> Run Shell <code> /data/data/android.tether/tether start 1 </code> , check "Use Root" (with the Locale Execute Plugin , prefix the command with an <code> ! </code> to mark it as "root command") Tether-Off: Plugin -> Execute Script -> Run Shell <code> /data/data/android.tether/tether stop 1 </code> (with the Locale Execute Plugin , prefix the command with an <code> ! </code> to mark it as "root command") Tasker-Profiles You now can attach these tasks to any condition, such as e.g. "Wifi Near" with your networks name. You can also add things like "Wifi On" / "Wifi off" to above tasks to customize. Detailed descriptions can be found in the linked Wiki.
|
How to auto start/stop tether if wifi is unavailable/available?
|
android
|
I'd a Samsung Galaxy i551. I've done a backup using Kies and it saved a .sbu file. Now I don't have the phone any more and I'd like to export this information to some useful format or at least to view it with the Kies. But I can't find anyway to open the .sbu file. How do I open an .sbu file generated by Kies? Thanks!
|
Take a look at this thread over at XDA-Developers forum. Someone wrote a Java app to extract the contacts out of the .sbf file into VCard files, which are a lot easier to deal with. Also, in the same thread people report that with the latest version of Kies you can execute a Restore without having a Samsung phone connected to the PC, and extract the contents. I personally haven't tried either method, so please let us know if they work for you.
|
Samsung Galaxy - Import contacts from sbu file
|
android
|
I tried some stuff I found about sleep policy. I obviously tried setting it to Never , I tried the Wi-Fi keep alive app, it doesn't seem to work. When I let the phone lie for a few minutes and then wake it, the wifi icon is grey and i cannot connect to anything right away, I have to wait till it turns green. This also messes up my GTalk, plenty of times i found out someone wrote to me only by manually opening the Talk app and waiting for it to sync (there was the red unconnected line at the bottom). How do I fix this? I have Nexus S, if that helps. Thank you
|
I was frustrated for a long time with the same problem. An app called Wifi Fixer seems to have fixed it. Hope that helps you too.
|
Wifi sleep policy not working
|
android
|
I recently bought a Nook Color. My intentions from day 1 was to install CyanogenMod7 on the device to get a full Android experience. That process worked just fine, and the device is now running CM7. I am running CM7 installed directly on the device, not from an sdcard. I access my devices a lot via command line using <code> adb </code> , but with the nook color, I am unable to get <code> adb </code> to see the device. I have Windows 7 64-bit, I used the USB drivers, and "fix script" from here and USB Debugging is enabled. If I mount the device to windows I am able to access the sdcard on the device. But no matter what I do, I cannot get <code> adb </code> to see the device.
|
I finally tracked down a fix after some file searching... The "adb over usb" fix creates a file in <code> %USERPROFILE%\.Android\adb_usb.ini </code> with the "vendor id" of <code> 0x2080 </code> in it. I have a <code> .android </code> folder in my root of my sdk directory <code> c:\android-sdk\.android\ </code> , and in there is also the adb_usb.ini. I added the <code> 0x2080 </code> to that file, then restarted adb and I can now see the device via USB-> adb.
|
Nook Color with CyanogenMod7 is not visible via ADB over USB
|
android
|
My userdata.img probably became partially corrupt because I created it with cat while the phone was running, instead of in recovery mode :-(. Due to this, when I flash it, the phone doesn't boot and logs several messages related to not finding things on /data over and over, since it couldn't mount /data. I can put back an older userdata.img just fine and boot the phone, so my methodology works. I'd guess the new userdata.img isn't entirely rubbish as a hex editor shows data. Attempts to explore (loop-mount) or unpack (unyaffs) on my laptop or on the Android phone itself have failed without much explanations, for the new image as well as for the (known-good) old image. Notably, running the unyaffs2 coming with the latest yaffs2utils tells me it wants to unpack 147 objects but nothing ever shows up. How can I recover?
|
It's impossible, because FS has huge corruptions at different places. You can to use file repare utilities to try repare some data, but mostly it's broken by write to FS at the same moment, as dump process.
|
How to recover a broken userdata.img?
|
android
|
I just got my first Android phone. The ZTE Score which runs on Android 2.3.4.. I'm curious if I can update to a newer Android os, or if I'm stuck with 2.3.4..
|
As I stated in the Comments, version 2.3.4 is the latest version for phones. Versions 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 are all for tablet devices. Version 4.0 will be released on the Galaxy Nexus sometime this month. Version 4.0 (code named Ice Cream Sandwich) was designed to run on both phones and tablets which may clear up the confusion surrounding the numbered releases. Though Google controls the Android operating system and when it gets released, it is up to the manufacturers to decide whether to put it on their devices. Some companies, like HTC and Motorola, actually rewrite pieces of Android with their own special features, like HTC Sense and Motorola Blur. The companies have the choice to push out an update or not. Some of those companies have come out with plans to update their phones to 4.0. ZTE has not announced ( as of a couple weeks ago ) any plans to upgrade their phones to 4.0 but there's no doubts they won't. The second option is to wait until Google releases the code for 4.0. Once they do this, the Android community (like XDA ) will work on a ROM of the operating system which you would then be able to install on your device manually. Doing so is not an easy process and involves dedication and a free weekend. If you consider this route, you should also do a little research to make sure doing so won't "brick" your phone or cause side effects with your service provider. However, it will provide the most clean and pure Android experience you can get. EDIT: As @eldarerathis pointed out in the comments, Google did release a version of Gingerbread numbered 2.3.7 but it is only to support there Google Wallet product which at this time is only supported on Nexus devices or devices with NFC. If you'd like to build this version yourself and install it on your device, you can download the Android source code and build it yourself. There are instructions on how to do this at the site. However, I would strongly recommend waiting until 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is released. For documentary purposes, I will update this answer upon release of 4.0.
|
Is it possible to update the Android platform my phone runs on?
|
android
|
I think this app is a part of HTC Sense. When i check weather, i get usual report: But if i swipe down, i get "current" report: From pictures you can see that reports differ by 2 degrees Celcius, however i once had not only difference in degrees but in day and night i.e usual report showed day while "current" report showed night (or vice versa..? can't recall). Why there is a difference between both?
|
The 'Haifa (Current)' display is the weather at the position your phone thinks it is currently located at. In other words, the 'Current' refers to current position. The other 'Haifa' display is the weather at the extra city location that you have set up. The displays show different weather because the specific locations used by your phone within Haifa are presumably different, even though they are both within Haifa.
|
HTC Sense - What Is "Current Weather"?
|
android
|
I've tried a few custom roms and now I want to reset my phone (they're all unstable). Wipe data/factory reset from recovery doesn't cut it. It leaves a lot of stuff behind. How do I do a completely fresh installation? It's a Galaxy S currently running on a ROM based off JVT Gingerbread 2.3.5. CWM is installed.
|
When you do a factory reset/data wipe, it does not put anything back from the stock firmware. When you install a new ROM, doing the reset just puts it in the "new" state for that ROM. To restore back to stock, you will need to download the stock ROM for your device from SamFirmware (or another place if you know of one). Then you can use ODIN or Heimdall to restore the device back to its original state. These are the steps that I took when I initially reverted my device back to stock (keep in mind this was about a year ago, so the files (version) used probably changed, but steps should be the same. I couldn't give you downloads for everything because you did not say what device you have. Samsung made like 8 different versions of the Galaxy S. You will need the USB drivers for your device if you don't have them installed Download ODIN Download 512 PIT Download JFD tar Note that all 3 of those are from the same thread. It also wouldn't hurt for your to read that post too. Open Odin, plug in your phone, then put it into download mode. To expand on this because a lot of people were asking "how to put in download mode". The easiest way I found to actually do it, if you can can connect via ADB is to do the following: <code> # reboot download </code> If you can't get that to work, try how i mention below (phone off, battery out, hold vol+ & vol-), or try searching these forums for "vibrant download mode" you will find other things that "work" for people load the PIT file in appropriate area. load the .tar file in the PDA area. DO NOT check 're-partition'. Click start, let it finish. Hopefully ODIN doesn't fail for you here, but it did for me, dont panic At this point ODIN failed on me. and I got the "mobile-!-pc" image. Now, pull your battery and unplug USB I also took out the SIM and sdcard at this point. bring the phone to download mode again plug the USB back in (the phone should be off) Hold down vol+ & vol- Put battery back in press power re-run ODIN as mentioned above (if needed)
|
How do I do a completely clean installation?
|
android
|
Is it possible to set a HTML signature in the Android Gmail app somehow? I set something like <code> <a href="http://myurl">mytitle</a> </code> as a signature but the HTML tags didn't parse. If you can suggest another app that allows HTML signature that will also be cool.
|
One current work around would be to create a draft in gmail that has the signature and use it in the mobile app.
|
HTML signature in Gmail app
|
android
|
My brother wants me to backup the data in his SIM card. How can I copy this to my computer without messing up my own contacts?
|
Create a separate Google account for your brother's account. Import your brother's SIM's contacts to that Google account. OK- here's the idea I have: Back up all your existing contacts to SD card. Open your Contacts App and press MENU > IMPORT/EXPORT > EXPORT TO SD CARD. A .vcf file will be created with all your existing contacts. Using My Files or Astro or a file manager of choice, save / copy this backup file to another location as well. Optional Step - You can create a separate Google account for your brother so his imported contacts are pushed/synced there. Turn on Airplane Mode - this way there's no chance of any changes being made to your Google Account Contacts (added safety). Wipe all your contacts - from within the Contacts app, press MENU > DELETE and choose ALL CONTACTS. (This is also rather optional, depending on whether you wish to sync to a Google account or not). Turn your phone off and insert your brother's SIM. Turn your phone on. You currently have no contacts. From within your CONTACTS app, press MENU > IMPORT / EXPORT and choose IMPORT FROM SIM - it'll ask where the contacts should be imported to - PHONE / list of Google Accounts. Depending on your process, either choose the PHONE or the new Google account and you ought to be done. You can either sync the new contacts to the new Google account or export them to a .vcf on your SD card. This is just a rough idea of how you can do things. The end process is yours to tweak to your liking and needs.
|
How can I backup contacts on a SIM card to my computer?
|
android
|
My wife has an HTC Droid Incredible 2, unrooted, running Android 2.3.4, HTC Sense 2.1. If she gets a Gmail email, the notification appears in the notification bar AND it plays a notification sound. What I'd like to do is to get the notification in the bar, but not hear the sound. Gmail now only displays an option to display a notification or not. There are no settings for notification sound in Gmail. But the phone's notification sound can be changed, but there is no "Silent" ringtone. You can add ringtones for the phone ringer, but those added ringtones don't appear in the notification sound list. Is there any way around this?
|
The gmail app now does notifications based on “labels” instead of having global notification settings. That way you can have different settings per label. So, if you go to the inbox label (I think), you can set the sound there…
|
Incredible2 and Gmail notifications
|
android
|
I won a Motorola Photon 4G. They are tied to Sprint, which is CDMA, but it is a world phone, which means it supports GSM and uses a SIM card. I was reading that there may be an unlock code to allow it to work with other carriers. How can I unlock my Motorola Photon 4G for other carriers, specifically AT&T?
|
According to AndroidCentral and these XDA posts , the Photon 4G is specifically made to prevent access to AT&T or T-Mobile and an unlock code won't do anything. Presumably so that if you are in the US and don't need to roam away from Sprint, you can't switch away from Sprint. The limitation doesn't appear to have been hacked around yet.
|
How to unlock a Motorola Photon 4G for other carriers?
|
android
|
I'm receiving calls from call-center companies that wan't to offer me services that I don't want. I already ask them to stop calling but they keep trying.. Can I configure my 2.2 Android Phone(Galaxy 551) to block the incomming calls from certain numbers?
|
I am not sure about an option in the system itself but the app mr number will do that for you: The lifehacker article talks about the app http://lifehacker.com/5648876/call-block-unlimited-automates-call-blocking-and-routing-on-android-phones
|
Can I configure my Android Phone to block certain numbers calls?
|
android
|
I have recently upgraded my HTC Desire to run CyanogenMod 7. The main reason I did this was so that I could use a more recent version of the Android Market that supported multiple accounts. The reason for this was that I have moved my email address from GMail to Google Apps for Your Domain and wanted the main email address on the phone to be the Google Apps one, but the market to keep using the gmail one so that I don't have to buy apps again. I also have two other gmail/apps accounts configured on the phone (so that I can receive emails sent to these two accounts). Generally, everything works fine and I'm really happy with CyanogenMod. However, I have one fairly minor problem with the market. When new updates are available to the installed apps, I used to get a notification message saying (e.g.) <code> 2 New Updates are available </code> (I'm paraphrasing as no updates are currently available, so I can't remember the exact wording of the message). This is quite instructive. With the new market, I get FOUR notification messages: <code> 2 New Updates are available [email protected] 2 New Updates are available [email protected] 2 New Updates are available [email protected] 2 New Updates are available [email protected] </code> This seems a bit daft as they're all the same updates! Is there any way to sort this out? The market is set up to use the [email protected] account, but seems to be checking for all of the accounts. I'd imagine that if there are paid apps that need updating, they'll only be listed for the last account (although that's a guess), but for all the free ones I seem to be stuck with multiple messages.
|
I guess this is by design as the majority of users don't have 4 accounts on their phone. The whole idea of those messages is to give the user the opportunity to download a new version as soon as it comes out. You may not want to use your mobile data when you don't want it to. Maybe the update automatically tickbox would bypass this message, however it will probably still say that 3 updates have been applied. So what you maybe looking for is silent updates stackexchange-url ("stackexchange-url looks like you can do it with a rooted phone. I too think that Google can handle multiple accounts in a more intuitive ways across their products. Since its out of our control to improve these closed source apps ourselves I will say its better than it used to be. I think the best solution for Google would be to combine these messages into one notification ie "5 apps have been updated". Make some noise on the Google support pages to improve this UX, this may be a good start http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/label?lid=551c5c4cca827a18&hl=en
|
Multiple update notifications from Android Market
|
android
|
My Asus Eee transformer just received a firmware update. Where can I go to check what the update included? Asus' website isn't helpful. I'm on 8.6.5.19, and I've already noticed the market place is different, id like to know any other cool features.
|
I have found this thread on XDA to very helpful. The entire forum for the Transformer on XDA has a lot of information.
|
info on firmware upgrade
|
android
|
For my survey I want to attach an external USB Bluetooth Dongle to an Android Tablet. Actually I want better range of the bluetooth, so I will use an antenna for the external bluetooth. I want to know : Which Android version supports it? Can an external Bluetooth work if the Tablet already has an internal Bluetooth ? Any suggestion of Android Tablet in the market ?
|
If you are able to connect an external Bluetooth Dongle to the Android device, it ought to work for you, even with an intrnal Bluetooth present. Android devices with OS v3.1 and above shall support USB host capabilities. So, it is advisable to experiment with devices with the above operating systems. However, it will be on your end to make the dongle work for you; i.e. by creating a separate application for the same.
|
Can we connect external Bluetooth Dongle in Android Tablet?
|
android
|
I recently moved from 2G network to 3G. On 2G when I call somebody - the phone automatically suspends the mobile Internet (since it cannot send data and voice at the same time) and activates back when the call ends. Now on 3G I just cannot call when the mobile Internet is active (no matter whether it downloads something or not) - the call is reset immediately. At the same time I can receive calls, i.e. if somebody calls me - the phone rings and I can talk. If I disable the mobile Internet and use WiFi (or do not use any connection) - it works fine. Changing the network type (auto, 3G, etc...) doesn't help. Android 2.3.3. Go Launcher + Go Contacts Ex. Two questions: Is this an issue with the phone? Is there something I can tune inside the phone to make it auto-switch the mobile Internet like it was on 2G (maybe 3rd party application or patch/fix)?
|
You may want to talk to your carrier about your phone or service because data is separate from voice (if you are not on a CDMA network). Voice is using GSM/UMTS and data is HSPA. Your data network usage should never interrupt your voice call, even if you use CDMA. The voice should take priority and stop the data usage to make the call. There is either an issue with the network you are on, or the phone.
|
How can I make the phone automatically disable mobile connection when calling?
|
android
|
Using the Amazon Appstore I have "Swiftkey" and "Swiftkey X". When I install one there is an update for the other. It's getting confusing. What is the difference and which one should I install?
|
The SwiftKey website no longer lists anything called "SwiftKey" only "SwiftKey X". I have to assume this means "SwiftKey" was an earlier product, possibly a beta?
|
What is the difference between swiftkey and swiftkey x?
|
android
|
I am trying to login to Android Eee pad transformer from my other linux box using SSH. This are the step i followed and failed. So asking here for the correct answer. 1) Go to Android market and download install Connectbot Launching ConnectBot Asks ssh or telnet or local Press local Asks username Username applied dummy Connected to local Android type ip addr; in the terminal shows ip address and i can ping 8.8.8.8 2) Now i want to access to this box from outside box Go to Android market and install SSDroid and SuperUser Launch SSDroid SSDroid says root:off, sftp://root@ipOfthisAndroidBox:2222 ready From another box i try to login using ssh root@ipOfthisAndroidBox:2222 fails 3) Launch SuperUser it tries to install something but fails All i get to verify am i rooted, always it shows: <code> $ su su: permission denied </code> Follow up: How do i login after installing SSHDroid? <code> [sun@example ~]$ ssh [email protected] -p 2222 The authenticity of host '[94.xx.xx.xx]:2222 ([94.xx.xx.xx]:2222)' can't be established. RSA key fingerprint is 14:ae:33:xxxx. Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes Warning: Permanently added '[94.xx.xx.xx]:2222' (RSA) to the list of known hosts. SSHDroid Use 'root' on rooted devices otherwise any username works Default password is 'admin' [email protected]'s password: /data/data/berserker.android.apps.sshdroid/home $ uname -a Linux localhost 2.6.36.3-00004-g069b8b5 #1 SMP PREEMPT Wed May 11 22:14:22 CST 2011 armv7l GNU/Linux /data/data/berserker.android.apps.sshdroid/home $ uptime 09:20:16 up 2 min, load average: 0.26, 0.25, 0.11 / $ ls EeePad_bootup_first_page.rle acct default.prop init.ventana.rc sys OSD_battery_100.rle bin dev mnt system OSD_battery_25.rle cache etc proc ueventd.goldfish.rc OSD_battery_50.rle config init root ueventd.rc OSD_battery_75.rle d init.goldfish.rc sbin ueventd.ventana.rc Removable data init.rc sdcard vendor More informations: https://gist.github.com/1357588 </code> How do i login to my Android box from other distro's? (I am using Fedora, CentOS, FreeBSD).
|
SSHDroid does not need root, it's optional. Every App can bind a socket on an not privileged port (> 1024). I am pretty sure that your <code> ssh </code> client parameters are wrong, the port especially. AFAIK you can't add the port via <code> : </code> to the hostname. Try <code> ssh root@ipofandroid -p 2222 </code> instead. If you need more verbose output of the <code> ssh </code> binary, start it with <code> -v </code> , <code> -vv </code> or <code> -vvv </code> . This helps to figure out problems.
|
How to start SSH Server in my Android?
|
android
|
Does the Eee Pad Transformer have a way to determine it's current latitude and longitude (e.g. a GPS chip)? I am writing an application where I need those values to identify, for example, if I am upstairs or downstairs or in the car.
|
And how do you think you can determinate upstair/downstair location? Transformer has GPS receiver, but its precision in indoor use is way too low to have a reliable altitude reading.
|
Is the Eee Pad Transformer able to determine latitude and longitude?
|
android
|
I have installed GO Launcher and GO Locker. Now, when I updated them, they got an error. The problem is that, nothing shows up when I press unlock button (I have Nexus S). So, there's nothing I can do with the phone. There's no display at all. I know the phone is running in the background. I get the tone when I get a message. I tried to call my phone hoping it'd get unlocked for answering that call. It did get unlocked, but when I answered the call, it got locked again. No display again. But, when the phone was still ringing, I got a Force Close dialog for GO Launcher EX ( not for GO Locker ). I restarted the phone (removed the battery). When the phone started, it was locked (using the default Android locker). When I try to unlock it, the screen doesn't work. Now, I am unable to use my phone. The first thing that I'd like to do is change the launcher without starting the phone itself. Is that possible? Or do I have to restore the factory settings? If I can restore factory settings, I must be able to do so without starting the phone? Can we do that? In Nokia, we can do that by pressing some key combination and restarting the phone. Does that apply here too?
|
You can try installing a different launcher app via the Android Market web interface. On your PC go to Play Store and sign in with the same Google account as on your phone. Find any Home replacement app. Click on the Install button to send the app directly to your phone (if you have several Android devices you will need to select the phone.) After a few minutes try unlocking your phone. It should ask you to select a launcher app, so pick the one you just installed, or the default one.
|
Change Launcher without starting it
|
android
|
I got a notification on Google+ this morning showing a screenshot of my HTC Sensation's home screen. I checked my phone, and in the 'Camera Shots' album, there is the same picture. I never actioned a screenshot to be taken, and didn't know my phone even took screenshots! Why and how has this happened?
|
A lot of the recent HTC phones can Lock and Home at the same time, that may be what you're doing by accident. As previously stated, the Google+ app by default backs up your pictures to a (private) online album for easier sharing. This can be turned off entirely, or configured to only sync on wifi (to save your data allowance) and give you a chance to delete unwanted pictures before they're uploaded.
|
HTC Sensation sent screenshot to Google+ Instant Upload?
|
android
|
Currently I'm developing with my Nexus S but would like to use Asus Transformer for that. So far I figured that device won't charge from USB. And for me - I need to have it on USB for debugging while charged and ON all the time. Is that even possible? How long device lives on battery when 100% on? EDIT I look at keyboard accessory and it looks good. It seems that I can charge and it will serve as a stand. But I'm not sure if USB in keyboard will work for debugging?
|
The Asus Eee Pad Transformer uses a USB 3.0 cable. I've seen noises elsewhere on the 'net that it will only charge on a USB 3.0 socket. This is likely associated with the extra power only available on USB 3.0.
|
How can I charge an ASUS Transformer while connected to USB?
|
android
|
I had an issue with an application that couldn't be updated, and solved it by uninstalling the market updates (maybe there was another method, but in my case it worked). Problem is, now I can't find a way to reapply the market updates. Before uninstalling them, the updates were applied automatically, but now half a day has passed and I still have the version that came with the phone. Edit : In case it matters, the phone is a rooted Samsung Galaxy Ace, running the latest official firmware (2.3.4)
|
Finally the market updated itself after force-stopping it, clearing its data and cache, starting the app again, and then exiting it and leaving the phone alone for an hour or two.
|
Reapplying market updates after using "uninstall updates"
|
android
|
The contact in question had the wrong phone number in Viber, so I deleted it from Viber. I later found out that Viber had deleted it from my contacts, so I had lost all of the other correct information. Logging in to GMail contacts on the desktop showed that the contact still existed. I proceeded to correct the faulty phone number and tried to sync my contacts from my phone, but this particular contact never shows up. Is there any way around this?
|
Method 1 Stop syncing with Google account, check that all Google contacts are gone, set up sync again. Method 2 Remove the Google account, add it again. (You can do both in Accounts & Sync from phone Settings.)
|
How do I restore a contact I deleted on my Android phone, but not in GMail contacts?
|
android
|
My Samsung Captivate (Galaxy S series) locks up about once per day, where the screen is frozen and it doesn't respond to any type of input. There's no pattern concerning what app I'm running at the time. How do I find out what is causing it? I'm running a 2.3.4-based custom ROM (Apex specifically).
|
I believe this issue has to do with installing a ROM over another one without wiping. My particular ROM is Apex 9.3 . According to the associated XDA forum thread , freezing problems with this ROM have been solved by "a complete wipe including formatting sdcard, system, cache and data when flashing 9.0" . I have done so, wiping the data and cache in recovery mode, reinstalled the ROM, and I have gone a week without a severe lockup (severe meaning I have to restart the phone to get out of it). I've had an occasional 5 second freeze or so, but that's it. Update: Still had issues with freeze-ups. Turned out it was the ROM. Went to a new ROM and have not experienced freezes.
|
How do I find out why my phone is locking up?
|
android
|
This is a known Android issue which has been widely reported (example). I saw a suggestion to use Call Delay Patch from the Android Market, but some report that this helps while others report that it doesn't work. I have the same issue on my HTC Incredible S (Android 2.3.3) and want to know if this issue has been addressed already or if there is a patch for it or a way to avoid it. Searching the web brings only complaints.
|
From what I can tell, this issue has been resolved with Gingerbread 2.3.5. I no longer have the issue with my device running Gingerbread 2.3.5 (actually i think CM7 is based on 2.3.7 now). From what I am seeing in the reported issue is other people are saying the same thing about it being fixed. I am not sure if your device has an update available or not though.
|
Is there a way to fix the call answer delay?
|
android
|
Blue makes a prosumer mic that you can connect directly to an iPod or iPhone via the dock port. I would love to have the same capability to do something similar for an Android phone or tablet. This would be really useful for field recording. I know that some tablets have support for various USB accessories to be plugged in, but I don't know if the OS can handle a microphone. Is this possible using existing or near future (Ice Cream Sandwich) hardware/OS combinations?
|
The range of USB device types supported "as is" by Android is limited and does not include microphones. On the other hand, Android has the capability to work with an unlimited range of USB devices via their ' open accessories ' sdk/kit/framework. This was added in Android 3.0. I believe they had to do it this way: existing USB devices require driver support and they can't go adding all those drivers to Android (which is a static image). The open accessory framework will allow for devices that can be supported without loading a Linux driver. So, you can't just go and buy a USB microphone and plug it into your Android device, but I expect we will soon start seeing USB accessories that are specifically designed to work with Android.
|
Is it possible to connect a USB microphone to an Android phone or tablet?
|
android
|
I have a Google Nexus S with Android 2.3 in it. I want to tether/or enable Wifi HotSpot in it. Do I have to root my phone? How should I proceed? Thanks!
|
No, you don't need to have your phone rooted to enable a portable hotspot. Not quite sure why it isn't working for you, but here are the reasons it hasn't worked for me at various times. No cell data connection. I've tried using the hotspot as a relay to another wi-fi network without any success. The original wi-fi connection is shut down. Misconfigured wi-fi security on the attaching devices.
|
Enabling WiFi HotSpot in Google Nexus S
|
android
|
I'm using a Galaxy Tab 10.1 3G (GT-P7500), Android 3.1, Baseband version P7500XXKG7, Build HMJ37 P7500XWKG9, rooted. (I got it with 3.1 and TouchWiz preinstalled.) A few weeks ago, I got a notification about an OTA update. The only information I get about this update is: <code> Update details (9.61MB) Improved stability. </code> Trying to install this update reproducibly fails. It downloads, then asks me whether to install. I confirm, and it tells me that it will reboot the device. The device reboots. During the reboot animation, I see a low-resolution progress bar that runs until about 25%. Then it reboots again, I enter my PIN and it tells me: "Failed to update firmware. Try again using PC software (Kies) or visit a Samsung service centre". It does not give me any details as to why it has failed. I connected DDMS to the device during the update, but (as expected) it doesn't show anything during that phase. I don't know how to get any additional reporting as to why the update failed. I can't connect the device to Kies either. Again, it doesn't report the problem. Kies notices when I connect the device, then says: "Reconnect the device in Samsung Kies (PC Studio) mode.Current connection mode not supported by Kies." (sic!) What can cause an OTA update to fail?
|
Updating via Kies eventually worked. The trick to getting Kies to connect to the device is to turn off USB debugging on the device.
|
What can cause the Oct 2011 OTA update of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 to fail?
|
android
|
I just bought a Samsung Galaxy 2, coming from a Nokia 3600. My old cell phone had a quite simple calendar app but when it was supposed to alert me it kept ringing and vibrating until I dismiss it. I could quietly use an alert as a morning alarm if I knew, for example, I'll have to wake up at 6:00 on next 12/25. In new one calendar just beeps once and I already missed a ton of appointments this way. Moreover I started using alarms but there's no vibration available and it's limited in time setting. I'm looking for an app to suit my needs, possibly syncing with Google Calendar, not too much bells and whistles but not mandatory. Any advice? Thank you Edit: As a note to who, gently is answering how to set calendar notification: Please let me know also how to set it the way I need i.e. to make it ring until dismissed (or after, say, max 1 minute in case I'm far from the phone). Otherwise changing from blip to din don won't help that much because I already tested it losing some appointments. :)
|
Calendar Snooze can repeat reminders until you acknowledge them, forever. It works with the default Calendar app, and will let it keep syncing with google. You can customize how often the notification repeats, how many times (including "Keep Repeating"), and you can customize two sets of reminders, for example repeating every minute for 5 minutes, and then ever 5 minutes for an hour. It can also use notifications, the LED, text-to-speech, and alert popups. It also (as the name suggests) allows a very powerful snooze mechanism, with completely customizable snoozes.
|
A calendar with powerful alerts
|
android
|
I have almost this question: stackexchange-url ("Every time I plug in my phone via USB it automatically mounts the SD card") I have a Motorla Droid running CM6 (essentially Android 2.2). I'm connecting to Windows 7 machines via USB. Every time I plug in my phone via USB it automatically mounts the SD card as external storage. Except I have a Xperia Arc with version 2.3.4, and have neither Winamp or DoubleTwist installed (given as culprits in the other question). This behaviour started when I updated to 2.3.4 (I don't know exactly what version I had before). How can I stop it? Edit: I've no "Connect to PC" section in the settings, nor can I find this setting in other sections such as "Storage"
|
Go to <code> Settings->Sony Ericsson->Connectivity </code> and un-check <code> Auto connect in MSC </code> .
|
Every time I plug in my phone via USB it automatically mounts the SD card (Xperia Arc version)
|
android
|
Today I used the GPS on my Android for the first time, and I was wondering how it actually works. I know that Android phones have a GPS chip in them, but does the phone establish a direct connection to the GPS server or is there something else going on? If there is a direct server connection, does that mean that every Android user can make a direct server connection?
|
GPS itself does not need a network connection to any server to work. It just needs a signal from a least 4 GPS satellites to calculate a good position fix. There is also the GPS Almanac, which basically provides future data on where the satellites are expected to be in a given time in the future, usually up to 7 days. This can be used to speed up the position calculation. The Almanac is broadcasted by the GPS satellites and it takes up to 15 minutes to download the full Almanac via the GPS system. That's why there are also Servers on the Internet that provide the Almanac data in an more convenient, faster way. Maybe that's what you meant by "GPS Server". Android makes use of that too.
|
How does the GPS work on Android phones?
|
android
|
I tried to place a 3G-324M video call to my Incredible, but the other phone says that mine doesn't support it. On the web I found someone mentioned that Incredibles do not support video calls in 3G at all. Others mention that this is possible with Skype. The question is - can I make my phone use 3G video calls without using a mobile Internet (as I think Skype is using Internet rather than native 3G video calls, thus I am paying for mobile Internet with Skype calls and not per rate specified per minute for 3G itself). Or is Skype the only available option?
|
As of now I don't know of any Android phone capable of establishing 3G-324M Video calls. Android have some parts of 3G-324M implemented in the communications stack, but is far from being complete. All the android phones that can make “video calls” use Internet. Given the fact that carriers charge an “extra” for a video call using 3G-324M and that any internet traffic is probably included in your data plan, Android will probably continue to go the way of internet video calls, not 3G-324M.
|
How can I make a 3G-324M video call?
|
android
|
I am an ex-Nokia user and used to backup the data with their PC Suite which is great and can backup everything easily and is a free application. How do I do the same with HTC Incredible S? [ I do not plan to get rooted. ]
|
You can back up your sd card to a PC by mounting it from the PC or over the network with a number of different syncing tools. This will not backup each application's state unless they specifically have exported configuration to the sd card. This will include all your pictures. You cannot back up application state (to a PC) without root. See the other "possible duplicates" and "related" questions for how and why this is. There is supposedly a backup API built into android ( developer guide ) but I have yet to see that actually be used, or see any reports by others of it working.
|
How can I backup all of my data to a PC without rooting?
|
android
|
I'd like to be able to turn the 3G connection on and off without navigating the "Settings -> Wireless and networks -> Mobile Networks" menus each time. Is there a widget (or some other way) of turning 3G on and off from the home screen or the "Dashboard"?
|
Instead of widget use apps like data switch . Unlike widget this app doesn't consume resource when idle. There are tons of other apps/widget if you don't like this one or this one doesn't work for you. For eg: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.aispl.mdsswitch https://market.android.com/details?id=ru.chernish2 https://market.android.com/details?id=com.m039.tools https://market.android.com/details?id=com.myreallife.mobiledata https://market.android.com/details?id=com.datalinkswitch
|
How can I turn off the 3G connection?
|
android
|
I have Nexus One and the power button stopped working. It's a known issue but I'm not in USA and I can't get it fixed since I got it from there. Is there any way that I could wake it up without using the power button and without rooting the phone?
|
I don't know what ROM you have, but if you're using a Cyanogen based you can tweak that in the Cyanogen specific settings.
|
How can I wake up my Nexus One using trackball?
|
android
|
I want to load an image from a URL and have it get updated regularly from a web page. Something like a widget that would show my current Stack Overflow flair. Another badge/flair example is to show the weight loss banners at myfitnesspal.com like this: I've tried searching the market for photo widgets, webcam widgets, and URL widgets. I'm not sure how to get the above image that updates onto my home screen. Any ideas?
|
This thread goes way back but I still were unable to find one in the market that seems to fit the description, so I made one myself. Get it here : The widget updates hourly, and currently there is no way to configure that.
|
How can I display an image from a URL on a home screen?
|
android
|
When I open Google Calendar on my Android phone, it starts up showing October 1 2011. The phone knows the current date; pressing menu and then the today button goes to the correct day. I'd just like it to default to today like it did before 10/1. Any ideas? This is Calendar 2.3.6, Android 2.3.6 GKR39F, on a Nexus s. This forum thread seems to describe the same problem, but it's unresolved.
|
looks like this is a bug caused by agenda view and multi-day calendar entries. if you have one that includes the current day, calendar opens to the first day of that entry. fortunately, i think the bug is fixed upstream: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=21605 simplest workaround is to delete the multi-day entry. :/
|
Google Calendar on Android opens to old date by default
|
android
|
Let's say I'm adding a new contact and it's a long lost family members so I want to add them to my custom "Aussie Family" group within my Google account. There appears to be no easy way to do this. I have to log in on a PC to actually achieve the grouping. I recall reading a similar question somewhere (which I now can't locate) which indicated it's not possible using the built-in contacts manager , so, if that's the case, I'm looking for the best way to do it via an app. I'm using Gingerbread (2.3.3) on a Samsung Galaxy phone (kernel v2.6.35.7).
|
Thus far, there appears to be no answer. The best alternative appears to be that you can log into Gmail on a PC and add your new contact to an existing group. Will change the answer to this question if a valid answer pops up.
|
What is the easiest way to add a new contact to an existing Google contacts group?
|
android
|
I have an LG ally that's just about a year old now, running 2.2.2. When I go to Market -> My Apps, there are two apps listed as "Not Installed" I'm having trouble with: Google Search Street View on Google Maps (I have no interest in updating Facebook for Android, I luckily have an old, working version and I'm sticking with it.) When I click on Google Search to download / install the update, the only button available is "Open"; there is no "Install" button. With Street View on Google Maps, there simply aren't any buttons at all! If I didn't already install whatever these updates are, I'd like to install them. If I did already install them, I want them out of the "Not Installed" queue. How do I figure out which is the case? Is this a problem with my phone, or with the apps?
|
I've had the same problem with the new Market app a couple times now, the only solution I've found is to clear the Market data in <code> Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> Market -> Clear data </code> (and <code> Clear cache </code> if it isn't already 0.00B). Now after you reopen Market, it should show the correct updates.
|
Updates for Google Search, and Street View for Google Maps, listed but not able to be downloaded/installed
|
android
|
I've been using Google Maps Navigation to help with my commute for about 2 years now. One common action that I take is to start Naviation to my destination, and then look at the traffic display on other interstates to see if there's a quicker route. The last update to navigation changed the display so that the red/yellow/green traffic overlays over the orangish/brownish roads are thinner, making it much harder to see the off-route traffic. Also, the off-route map stays "light" even when I move the map around with my finger, exacerbating the problem -- it used to not do that as well. I'm currently working around the issue by uninstalling the last update, but Is there a way to fix the issue without unintalling the latest update? Is there a way to give google feedback so that they fix the issue in future versions? Thanks.
|
No one has answered my question, so I will share what I've learned with my own investigation. No, you have to uninstall updates from the manage apps menu selection from the home screen. I'm currently doing this as a workaround. I didn't find a way to email google and get an answer, but I did find their forums. The related question on their forums is at http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Mobile/thread?tid=0d337324bcc86a55&hl=en&fid=0d337324bcc86a550004b349bee9f864 There has been particiption in the discussion from a google employee, which is a good sign. Also, version 6.0.0 is an improvement of 5.12.0, but still not as good as 5.8.0.
|
Maps Update Degraded Off-Route Traffic Display
|
android
|
"Lately" (like in the last few months), I'm unable to start the Clockwork Mod recovery image on my Nexus S with Oxygen 2.2.1 . When I select "boot to recovery mode" (or want to start a ROM backup) in ROM Manager Premium , it reboots and I see the Android icon. The very first line is red and reads: FASTBOOT MODE - NO BOOT OR RECOVERY IMG I've (supposedly…) reinstalled the recovery image multiple times and ROM Manager tells me, that I'm on the latest version already (5.0.2.0). Well… How do I install the Clockwork Mod recovery image? My phone is rooted, if that's important. Thanks, Alexander
|
Try flashing the Recovery image manually via fastboot, as described in this guide: Download the latest version of the ClockworkMod Recovery from here . Place the ClockworkMod Recovery Image in the same folder as fastboot (the /tools folder with the Android SDK folder). Power the Nexus S down, and hold Volume Up & the Power button until booted into the bootloader. You should see a white screen with three skating androids. Connect the Nexus S to the computer via USB. On the computer, open terminal and run: <code> fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-5.0.2.0-crespo.img </code> The ClockworkMod Recovery should now be installed on the Nexus S.
|
Can't start clockwork recovery image lately
|
android
|
I have a Motorola Atrix 4G, with AT&T Carrier. Android 2.3.4 EDIT 11/6/2011: I don't know if this means anything, but I don' have an sdcard in it. I have rooted it using this tutorial . I installed Rom Manager and installed the Clockwork Recovery Image, with success (supposedly). Here are where the problems occur. When I turn off the phone and turn it back on, while holding the volume down button, I get the big red M and scroll down to "Android Recovery" and select that. I then get "Failed to boot 2". Ok, so I reboot and go back to my stock rom and try reinstalling the rom, and it down nothing to change the situation. Next, I try running the fastboot software in the command window on my pc using the command "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img" (recovery.img is the clockwork mod). On my phone it says "Flashing Partition Recovery" then "Flashing MBR to device" and finally "Failed to process command flash:recovery error(0x180002)". Any suggestions? I did google the problem, but the answers I have found didn't apply or didn't work. Please help, Thanks.
|
Rooting the Atrix 4G does only that - gives you elevated privileges on stock OS. In order to be able to install a different recovery image and custom ROMs, the phone's bootloader must be unlocked first. This is a fairly complicated process that carries the usual warnings and disclaimers of modifying phone software. It will most definitely void your warranty with AT&T (and possibly with Motorola as well,) so be very certain that your phone is either free of hardware defects, or out of warranty with your carrier before unlocking it. See this thread on xda-developers forum for further details and installation instructions.
|
Can't boot to Clockwork Recovery on Atrix (several methods tried)
|
android
|
I installed Cyanogenmod on my HTC Desire about a month ago and have just received my first mobile bill. Before installing Cyanogenmod, I'd use maybe 200-300MB per month, because most places (home/work) I spend time have Wi-Fi that I can use. I have scheduled downloads of podcasts over Wi-Fi, configured to only use Wi-Fi (BeyondPod)... although I found that this setting had been unset when I changed from having 2 accounts on the phone (one Google Apps and one not) to just having 1 (Google Apps)... so I guess the preferences had been saved under the account I removed. Have had just received my first bill since I changed to Cyanogenmod and I've apparently used 4GB of data! That's going to cost me over $100 extra, so I'm not best pleased. Some points/thoughts/questions... I have Wi-Fi and mobile data enabled all the time. Podcast downloads were scheduled for 4am so, even with the "only use Wi-Fi" option disabled, it should have downloaded over Wi-Fi at that time as I spend nearly every night at home and therefore on Wi-Fi Sometimes when I unlock the phone, I see the mobile data symbol on screen briefly as well as the Wi-Fi one. Is there a setting somewhere that is turning off Wi-Fi when the phone is locked? Is there a way I can prevent the phone from using mobile data when it's connected to Wi-Fi... and how do I make sure it's connected to Wi-Fi as much as possible? Anyone got any tips/tricks to share for this scenario?
|
Go into the Wi-Fi settings, press Menu, choose Advanced. You should get options including Wi-Fi Sleep Policy. Sounds like its set to turn off Wi-Fi when the screen is off.
|
Phone using mobile data instead of Wi-Fi
|
android
|
My Samsung Galaxy S2 locks after some time I don't touch the screen. How could I lock it immediately, without waiting for this time to pass?
|
On my original SGS you do it by just clicking the power button. I would assume it's the same for the SGS2.
|
How to lock Samsung Galaxy S2?
|
android
|
I've recently bought a Motorola Milestone 2 (Froyo) and I see that when I record a video it produces a .3gp file. Is there a way to have it produce an avi or mp4 instead? Would I have to root the phone?
|
Root won't be necessary, the Android API allows Apps to set the output file format to .mp4 . So you just need to find an App that makes use of it. But, as with most video file extensions, <code> .avi </code> and <code> .mp4 </code> are just container formats . Therefore the actually used video codec, that is responsible for the quality of the video, isn't changed by changing the container format. The Android API itself recommends to use <code> .3gp </code> as container format for better compatibility. Using an MPEG-4 container format may confuse some desktop players. Source I'm not aware of an Android video recording app that actually saves the video with H.264/AVC compression. I think that this is because of the royalty fee one has to pay to use the codec.
|
Is it possible to record a video as avi or mp4?
|
android
|
Is there a homescreen that will basically pop up when I hit home, and I can go right back to what I was doing with the return softkey? It can require root, as I have that.
|
I actually found TaskXP for MultiTasking which someone recommended. It's just what I wanted. It shows my recent apps and any apps that I pin, in an overlay that I can quickly hit back from.
|
Very light overlay-ish home screen
|
android
|
My Album contains Camera Pics and the icons of other applications. Those icons are there in my SD Card. I took back up of other applications using some Backup applications tool. It stores the icons also. I had to delete them manually to separate the icons and my camera pics. Is there any way to exclude the icons and include only Camera pics in Album ?
|
The way to get the Gallery and the Music apps to ignore folders on your phone is to create an empty file in the folder called " <code> .nomedia </code> ". The easiest way to create that file is to plug your phone into a PC, explore the phone until you can find the folder that has your unwanted icons in it. Then if you open Windows Notepad, click File -> Save As , navigate your way to the folder on the phone and then make sure that Notepad's Save As Type box says All Files (*.*) and does not say "Text Documents (*.txt)" you can now type <code> .nomedia </code> (note the full stop/period at the start of the file name) and click Save . If you've done it right the file should not have a Notepad icon in in Explorer, it should just have a default plain white, rectangular icon. Now safely remove the drive, unplug your phone and (after your phone's done a media scan) the icons should disappear from the gallery.
|
How to Ignore the Icons in Camera Album?
|
android
|
I've never really used an Android device before about a week ago so I'm not terribly familiar with how this all works, but I've noticed that there are a couple of apps that I am not able to download on my Samsung Galaxy player, but my friends who have Android phones are able to. Any ideas on why this might be or how I could work around it. An example is Go Launcher Ex.
|
Developers can choose to target specific devices or not. Presumably these apps are either limited to devices that are known to work, or have blacklisted the Galaxy Player due to incompatibility. Another option is that some apps might be available only while connected to a cell network or a particular cell network. There are some AT&T apps that are only available to those on AT&T, for example, and I imagine this might be more broadly the case. Here are some workarounds: Get the app via another (legitimate) means, possibly the developer's site or another app market. Use an app like MarketEnabler (requires root) to fake a different network. Edit your <code> /system/build.prop </code> file to report your device as a different device. Only edit the device name and versions and so on, not other settings, or your device may stop working! You should be able to Google the various fields for other devices and see what to use if you want to mimic one. Note that doing 2 or 3 in order to circumvent distribution controls may not be legal in your region. The onus is on you to ensure you are acting legally. I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. Etc.
|
Some apps not supported on Samsung Galaxy Player
|
android
|
Is there an app that is preferrably free that will shut off (not just mute the phone as I don't want Pandora sucking bandwitdh all night) that will shut off Pandora or spotify after a certain amount of time?
|
Not free, but you probably can use Tasker to do this. I use Pocket Casts to listen to podcasts, and have a Tasker profile set up: 3 Contexts: Shake left-right; app Pocket Cast running; Not Docked Car 2 Tasks: Notify (turn LED on, title "Sleep"); Wait 12 minutes, then Pause Simulate Media Button , then Notify Cancel title "Sleep" Net effect is that I can shake the phone left then right, and Pocket Cast will behave as if the Pause button on a headset were pushed 12 minutes later. I used the notification LED so I could tell whether Sleep had been activated when the screen is off. I'm guessing Pandora would observe the headphone pause function; if it does, this profile should work for you.
|
Spotify/pandora timer
|
android
|
Yesterday I rooted my Phone(Samsung Galaxy Ace), because I wanted to remove stock application Talk and Gmail. But I did something stupid, I went to /system/app and issued the following commands <code> rm *Google* rm *Mail* rm *Gmail* rm *mail* </code> Now I am unable to use the market application, it opens and then just closes itself. I have tried factory reset and it didn't help either. I am stuck because of this blunder. Please help. Thanks
|
Since you haven't mentioned, I assume you don't have nandroid backup. A NANROID backup is basically a backup of your Android operating system from the phone’s NAND memory, saved to the storage card. If you had that, you could have just restored the backup. Now the alternative is, if you know the programs that were deleted by the performed command you could try getting the apk files and adding them in /system/app and rebooting the phone. I thing the best and easy way now would be to get the stock ROM for your phone and flash it.
|
Unable to use Market because of my own mistake
|
android
|
When I disable mobile data in Android 2.2, the 3G symbol disappears. Does this revert my phone's signal to 2G? I don't want to lose my signal when I go to the subway, but I don't want to all my apps consume all my monthly bandwidth.
|
No. This completely disables all data access. Only calls/messages can be used. EDIT: You might try looking into something called JuiceDefender. The free version will disable your data access when your screen turns off. Good for both battery saving and data-usage saving!
|
Does disabling mobile data revert from 3G to 2G?
|
android
|
I have a problem with my contacts in conjunction with google+. Like most, I had already a lot of people in my contactlist, which is synced with the contacts in google mail. With google-plus, I have added a lot of people to circles. Those people from Google+ are now all individual entries in my contacts, but only on the phone. After deletion I recognized, that all people are also removed from my circles. So how to add people to circles, without having them appear as duplicate contacts? EDIT: Thanks anyone, yes, some of you are right - it seems that those people are put in an extra list "Other contacts" (also visible in the web interface). You have to uncheck this group in the settings > displaysettings. Can someone of those people put this in an answer, so I can accept it, thanks :)
|
When you Circle someone in Google+, it also adds them in the "Other Contacts" in Google Contacts. Simply de-select "Other Contacts" in the Contacts app to remove these contacts from your view.
|
How do I remove duplicate contacts from Google+?
|
android
|
I pickup up a Motorola Triumph (running Froyo) for Virgin Mobile a couple weeks ago. I like the thing, but I just don't understand Android's sound management. Let me explain: Setting SilentMode turns off ringer, but not Media or Alarms. While this is annoying in and of itself, it also disables the volumn control in the Settings, meaning I can't change the Media volume before something using the Media volume is actually playing! Occasionally, the media volume will be waaaaay loud, even though it's only one click away from off. Furthermore, changing the Ringer volume will then set the Media volumn to a lower level - changing some sort of multiplier, perhaps? I notice this mostly when using Pandora (it can change volume between songs, and I'll have to go nudge the Ringer volume again to get it to quiet down). Is there any way to fix these issues? Make SilentMode silence Media as well as Ringer, AND still allow me to change the Alarm volume? Or simple make SilentMode ACTUALLY silent? Thanks in advance for your help!
|
Silent Mode definitely isn't supposed to mute media or alarms. Both of those are controlled by you, unlike calls and other notifications that are caused by external events. You wouldn't want to miss your alarm just because you forgot your phone was on silent :) but it's definitely strange that it disables the volume controls entirely, that must be a Motorola thing. You could try the Audio Manager app for better control over the settings. It doesn't sync the media volume to the ringer volume, but you can use profiles to quickly set up one where both are muted and then it's easy to switch with a click or two. It also manages Alarms, Notifications, in-call volume, and "System Volume" (probably the noises you can enable for when you click things and so on).
|
Froyo Sound Management
|
android
|
I'm installing Miui from Miui.us, and I was wondering if I can install themes from http://miuiandroid.com/ , or will those not work?
|
If it's a MIUI theme it will be compatible, but I highly recommend you to use the Themes app that comes built-in your MIUI ROM.
|
Can you install MIUI themes from different sites?
|
android
|
I got myself Honeycomb tablet, but after I used it for a while I've decided that I'd like to get a different one. How do I transfer all my apps from one tablet to another? Or, if this is not possible, how I can delete all my data from my old tablet?
|
Yes if you've previously set your current tablet to back up your data and settings to Google's servers, then during the initial setup of your new tablet you should be given an option to restore your previous settings and data. The settings that you need to check on your current tablet are in Settings -> Privacy Settings . See below for more info on this from the official Android 3.0 (aka Honeycomb) user's guide : Page 13 Backing up and restoring your data You can back up your settings and other data with your Google Account, so if you ever replace your tablet, you can restore your data on the new one. If you choose to use this service, your data is backed up automatically. If you previously used the backup service with the Google Account you just used to sign in, you can also choose to restore your settings from your Google Account to your tablet now. Important If you want to restore your settings, you must do that now during setup. You can’t restore data after setup is complete. Many kinds of data are backed up, including: Your Android settings, such as your Wi-Fi networks and passwords, user dictionary, and so on Many Google application settings, such as your Browser bookmarks The apps you download from Android Market Some third-party apps also make use of the backup service, so if you reinstall one, its settings and data are restored. Page 132 Privacy settings You use the Privacy settings to manage whether your settings and other data are backed up to Google servers, using your Google account. You also use these settings to erase all the data on your tablet by performing a factory data reset. Back up my data Check to back up some of your personal data to Google servers, with your Google Account. If you replace your tablet, you can restore the data you’ve backed up, the first time you sign in with your Google Account. If you check this option, a wide variety of your personal data is backed up, including your Wi-Fi passwords, Browser bookmarks, a list of the applications you’ve installed from Market, the words you’ve added to the user dictionary used by the onscreen keyboard, and most of the settings that you configure with the Settings application. Some third-party applications may also take advantage of this feature, so you can restore your data if you reinstall an application. If you uncheck this option, you stop backing up your data to your account, and any existing backups are deleted from Google servers. Backup account Displays the Google Account that your settings and other data are backed up with. This is the account you need to sign into on a new Android tablet or other device, if you want to restore the settings from this tablet to that device. Automatic restore Check this option to restore settings and other data when you reinstall an application. This feature requires that you are backing up your data with your Google Account and that the application is using the backup service. To wipe your current tablet (after you've ensured that it's been backed up, from the same privacy screen you should also see this option: Factory data reset Opens a dialog where you can erase all of your personal data from internal tablet storage, including information about your Google Account, any other accounts, your system and application settings, any downloaded applications, as well as your music, photos, videos, and other files. If you reset the tablet in this way, the next time you turn on your tablet you’re prompted to reenter the same kind of information as when you first started Android.
|
How can I migrate my data/apps from one Honeycomb tablet to another?
|
android
|
I've a question regarding security in a rooted device. Being superuser means that you can access the /data/data directory, and that's a lot of personal data (I think it is almost all the data there can be in the phone). So if a rooted phone is stolen, anyone can connect to the device via adb and perform a complete "audit" of the data, including mail, sms, search and browser history, contacts, etc. It is in fact easier than with a non-rooted phone. I see a big vulnerability here. Is there a way to prevent adb connecting to the phone like, for instance, a password?
|
The adb can connect to an android device only if "USB debugging" is enabled in Settings-> Applications-> Development. If this setting is disabled and a password lock is set for unlocking the device, there should be no worries. Also there are many apps such 'Lookout' which provide the ability to remotely wipe data from a phone if it gets stolen.
|
How to prevent data extraction from rooted phone via adb?
|
android
|
I'm trying to set up a VPN so that I can have a connection to my LAN from my phone (HTC Droid Incredible, Stock ROM, Not rooted) wherever I am. AFAICT, everything is set up correctly. The Domain Name resolves correctly, I forwarded the ports required by the how-to I was following, yet I still can't connect. I have no idea what's wrong or how to get to any debug information. The only thing I can think of that I haven't verified yet is the port, but I couldn't find a way to select one. What Port Does Android Use For VPN Connections? P.S. I would really like to do this without rooting.
|
If you have access to a computer that a) is on the same Wi-Fi network; and b) runs wireshark (http://www.wireshark.org/) you can probably find out the port that way.
|
What Port Does Android Use For VPN Connections?
|
android
|
Just did a fresh install of CM7 in my Incredible, it's fantastic, but whenever I turn on my GPS, it does not show in the status bar that it's on, like it does in the stock 2.2 OS. Is there a way to enable this show it shows when it's active?
|
It will only show up if you open up an application that will use the GPS for something. For example just open up Google Maps. If you want to know if you left the GPS activated, just slide the notification panel and at the top you will have the toggle buttons, one of them is the GPS.
|
How do I get the GPS icon to show in the status bar in CM7?
|
android
|
I have a rooted Samsung Galaxy S II i9100 running the default Sammy Android 2.3.3 on the Siyah Kernel 2.0 I use SetCPU to change my processor speeds to conserve battery life during the day. Will there be any difference in time taken to charge my phone to 100% depending on the core processor(s) speed / governor? Will a change in processor speed increase/decrease charging time? Will a phone charge faster if it's completely powered down? Or is charging solely based on the output of the AC power adapter ?
|
Any phone you'll get will draw power from the battery, not directly from the charger. Let's make some assumptions: Your phone takes 2 hours to charge when off. Your phone always uses constant power when on. Your phone drains a full battery in 8 hours. Charging and discharging is completely linear. So if you plug your phone in when it's completely drained and turn it on, it will be charged to 75% (100% - 2/8) after two hours. It'll take 3 hours and 20 minutes to charge fully. As illustrated above it will take longer to charge the battery when the battery's being drained at the same time. Obviously, none of the assumptions hold in real life, but it's more or less accurate. Certainly it will charge the fastest when off. As for the question of CPU scaling, that's very interesting. The rate of battery drain affects the maximum rate of charge, so less CPU work means less drain and a faster charge. I'm not totally convinced that underclocking the CPU will achieve this, though. If your phone is idle it should already be doing a negligible amount of work. Slowing the CPU will make that little amount of work use the CPU for longer. It's almost certainly chipset-dependent whether 100 ms at 100 MHz take more or less energy than 10 ms at 1000 MHz, for example. If SetCPU is altering the voltages as well, that further complicates things.
|
Does the processor speed have any bearing on the time taken to charge?
|
android
|
Suppose the OEM loses interest in my device; can I still install the stock distro updates when issued by Google? Are there issues with device drivers if I go this route?
|
Once a manufacturer abandons supporting the device, your only choice is rooting it, unlocking its bootloader (if possible) and installing custom ROMs. Google only releases the Android source code into AOSP (Android Open Source Project,) and has no say whether or not the manufacturer or carrier will update a given device. The only exception is the Nexus line of phones that are supported by Google directly. As it stands, AOSP cannot be built for any non-Google device without major work. Even though manufacturers and carriers are required to provide the source code, it is true only for the part of the OS. They don't have to (and rarely do) provide sources for the proprietary drivers, which are necessary to build a completely working Android version for a given device. The community developers usually use the drivers from older OS versions, which greatly limits the upgrade potential. The drivers sometimes are reverse-engineered which gives a greater flexibility to developers. There also is an issue of locked down bootloaders on most new Android phones and tablets, which limits the extent of the changes a custom ROM can bring. Most manufacturers and carriers lock bootloaders to prevent people from "bricking" their devices. There are ways to unlock/bypass such locks for many devices though. Bottom line is that if you are looking for a device that will be supported the longest - your best choice is a Nexus line. Otherwise, I suggest looking at various online forums ( xda-developers or rootzwiki , for example) to see if there is enough interest in your device from community developers to produce custom ROMs for it.
|
Is it possible to continue upgrading an Android device if the OEM stops supporting it?
|
android
|
I have a HTC Incredible running 2.2, successfully used the unrevoked method and rooted it, used Titanium Backup to back up all apps and system data, and ROM manager to install and run CM7. ok, that's all done, but now i want to try Miui, is the process still the same? What i mean is, i'd rather not reinstall all the apps as I want to try a new rom, but want to go back to CM7 if i don't like it. How can i try Miui, then go back to CM7 if need be??
|
Assuming you installed ClockworkMod Recovery via Rom Manager app (or manually), you can do the following: Install the Appbrain and Fast Web Installer apps. Run Appbrain, sign in with your Google account, enable the Fast Web Installer from Settings, and perform a sync. Download the ROM installation ZIP for MIUI and place it onto your SD Card. Reboot your phone to Recovery mode, scroll down to "backup and restore", go in, and select the "Backup" option. This will write an image of your phone onto your SD Card. OS, your apps and settings will be saved. Perform a full wipe of your device from Recovery by doing a "wipe data/factory reset", "wipe cache partition", and "advanced -> Wipe Dalvik Cache". Select "install zip from card" option, and then "choose zip from sdcard" to flash the ROM zip that you downloaded in step 2. Optionally, flash the GApps package, and any other files (refer to the ROM's instructions.) Once the installation is completed reboot the phone, add your Google account, and set up the system to your lining (do not download any 3rd-party apps yet.) Open the Market app, install AppBrain and Fast Web Installer again, and sign in. Open the Appbrain app, and enable Fast Web Installer in settings again. While still inside the Appbrain app, go to "Manage And Sync", press the Menu button, select the "More lists.." option. Pick the list that was created for you in step 1, and press the "Add all apps" button. This will queue up all the missing apps that you had installed on the previous ROM. Go back once, and tap the "Execute" button. After verifying the permissions, tap the Install button. This will automatically download and re-install your apps. Once the apps are installed, configure them to your liking. Reboot back into Recovery, perform another backup, and reboot the phone normally. Open the ROM Manager app, and tap on "Manage and Restore Backups." You should see a list consisting of the 2 backups you just made, sorted chronologically. Rename the first backup to "CM7", and the second to "MIUI". You can now easily switch from CM7 to MIUI by simply restoring the corresponding backup. Keep in mind that if you change anything on either ROM, you will need to perform another backup so that your changes are saved.
|
What's the process for installing a new ROM after I've just completed one?
|
android
|
At the end of a week , I would like to see a log for each connection with a (known) WI-FI network I made with my Galaxy phone. I automatically connect to different networks. It would be nice to see the time of start/end connection for those networks I am connected to. This would give me an indication for hours spend at each place. Anyone knows if this is possible ?
|
I will answer my own question until someone else shows me another application. I have found the following one in the market : Wifi Monitor . Time will tell whether it really does what it promises. Still, if anyone has got some other software which does this, please let me know ! UPDATE After trying this app for a week now, I can confirm that it works. When I enter/leave buildings with a known WiFi connection, the start and end of the connections are logged. This gives me an easy although crude way of hour-logging.
|
How can I log the start and stop connection with known WI-FI networks
|
android
|
I'd like to explore the content of the internal memory. I have a rooted phone with a terminal emulator which allows me to navigate through it. The problem is that it's quite hard to use (small screen, no physical keyboard) and I cannot transfer files from internal memory to my computer to examine it (maybe memory -> sd and then sd -> computer but not the easiest). Is there a way to have a ssh daemon (I've ConnectBot but it's only a client) on the phone, control it with usb cable (with usb debugging maybe), install a backdoor (maybe no) or something like this ? Thanks
|
The Android Debug Bridge (adb) can do pretty much everything you want. It is part of the Android SDK , just download the SDK and enable USB debugging on your phone. You can get a shell with the command <code> adb shell </code> and you can get files from the phone with <code> adb pull </code> All the commands are documented in the first link I gave. Another way to get any file from the phone would be to use any of the backup utilities available and back up your whole phone to your computer where you can examine it. As you already rooted your phone you might already have a backup utility installed, or you can easily install one, e.g. Titanium Backup Root or Nandroid. I have no experience with those two though, I can't tell you anything more about them. The kernel I used to root my phone included ClockworkMod Recovery with a backup program already integrated, so you might already have that available too.
|
How can I explore my android from my computer
|
android
|
On my desktop I often use delicious.com chrome plugin to save bookmarks to interesting sites. Quite often I also want to save interesting sites to delicious.com when browsing on Android browser. What is the best way to do that?
|
There is a dedicated Android app available now for Delicious from AVOS.
|
How do I easily bookmark sites on delicious.com?
|
android
|
I have a limited plan for mobile data usage(only 100MB per mounth) so I use mobile data for sending/recieving MMSes and for browsing only. I have mobile data turned off 99% of time. White signal bars are hard to see, so I would like to know, if there is any way to turn the "icons goes white while not connected to Google servers" funtcion off?
|
You have to edit your <code> Framework-Res.apk </code> . Its a bit complicated and differenct on every phone. So I can't simply provide a guide. But I suggest you, to ask in your phone forum on xda-developers .
|
How can I prevent the signal and 3G icon from turning it to white icon when my connection to Google server is lost?
|
android
|
Is it possible to move/backup txt/sms message from my phone to my PC? I have Android 2.2 If this could be done via a usb cable, that would be ideal.
|
Use Backup & Restore application on your mobile. Take the Backup of your messages only. Its going to store in SDCard/data/backup/.sbf. You can copy this file into your PC using a Cable or using Bluetooth. Anyways I prefer SMS Backup+ which syncs your SMS, Call Logs, etc with your gmail.
|
Save txt messages to PC?
|
android
|
Is it possible to monitor Wi-Fi usage in a similar method to how 3g watchdog monitors 3G usage? I have android 2.2 on my phone. I doesn't need to do everything 3G watchdog does, all I need to see is how much data I am using.
|
Netcounter can monitor both cellular data and wifi usage levels.
|
How to monitor Wi-Fi usage?
|
android
|
How can I set song from my sd card as alarm tone ? i tried to change the tone but I cant figure out how to make the songs from my sd card to show up on the list. I am using samsung galaxy ace with android 2.3.4
|
I also faced the same issue with the Stock Alarm. Stock alarm was not able to recognize the SD Card songs. I vaguely remembered the solution. Couple of restarts and removing the SD Card from the phone and plugging it again solved the issue fro me. But now I installed Alarm Klock which has the option to see all the Songs on SD Card by Author and Album wise. It has vibrating feature which doesn't there in stock Alarm.
|
set song as alarm tone
|
android
|
Has Truecrypt been ported over to Android yet? If yes, where can I get it from as I can't seem to find it in the Market unless it's named something different. If no, is anyone developing it? If no again, any reason why no one is developing it?
|
A lot of people are asking that question. Here's one . Some people are offering bounties. Like at XDA-Developers . Some people have suggested alternatives . AxCrypt looks like an alternative, and there's an alpha product that works with it (and Dropbox) called BoxCryptor . But I've not found an actual port of Truecrypt to Android, nor any information about plans to do so.
|
Truecrypt on Android 2.2?
|
android
|
I have a HTC Incredible running 2.2, and i understand you need to Root first before anything else, got that, but now I am confused about the ROM thing. I would like to Root to uninstall the default HTC apps that keep causing my 'Low Memory Errors'. If i install Gingerbread, is that a ROM like CM7 is? Confused as to what exactly to do after a root, can i install Gingerbread without rooting? If i want to install HTC sense, is that a ROM?? Thanks for the clarification here, i've searched numerous forums, but can't seem to find specific answers.
|
When you are talking about an Android ROM, you are really talking of a group of programs, including the Android base system, that are put together to work with your phone and that once installed are what you see and use when you start your phone without installing any app from anywhere else. You can imagine that the ROM is the operating system of your phone plus the “default applications” that come with it. The thing with Android is that is open source, so come people have managed to build systems configured to offer the user some things the original manufacturers of the phones don’t offer. This is the case of CM7 (CyanogenMod 7). If I install Gingerbread, is that a ROM like CM7 is? Gingerbread is the codename of a version of Android, the 2.3, to be exact. Andorid 2.1 --> Eclair Android 2.2 --> Froyo Android 2.3 --> Gingerbread Android 3.x --> Honeycomb (only for tablets) Android 4.0 --> Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.1 --> Jelly Bean CM7 is a ROM that uses as base system the Android 2.3 system, so you can say that CM7 is a ROM based on Gingerbread. Confused as to what exactly to do after a root, can I install Gingerbread without rooting? That depends. If HTC offers an official ROM upgrade to Gingerbread (version 2.3 of Android), you can. If HTC doesn’t offer this update, then you can only install an unofficial ROM (like CM7). If I want to install HTC Sense, is that a ROM? HTC Sense is a pack of applications developed by HTC to customize their phones and make themselves unique. HTC Sense is not a ROM, but you can find ROMs for your phone that are based on the official ROM with Sense and some of the other parts of the system changed. Rooting a phone is the process to gain full permissions. It is the equivalent of being the administrator of the system. Once you are root you have full access to the system, so you can change it.
|
Noob confused about ROM's
|
android
|
On the desktop version of Google Maps, I can add multiple destinations, or drag the route created to include a specific spot that is not on the original route. Is there a way to do this on the Android version of Maps, short of navigating to the first spot, and then entering the final destination once that's reached? I'm running Maps version 5.11.0
|
On Google Maps, create your trip including all waypoints. Save that map to "My Maps" within Google Maps. On the Android device, go to Maps, layers, more layers and then choose "My Maps" Select the map you want, it will come into maps on your Android device with each waypoint available. You can choose each waypoint individually and you will get the blue arrow over it which will kick off Google Navigation. Not the best solution (e.g. Google having programmed it as a feature), but at least one can completely plan a trip with Google Maps and then port the entire thing over to the Android device and navigate with it.
|
Is it possible to add a stopover or intermediate waypoint in Google Maps navigation?
|
android
|
Titanium Backup is a root app that allows you to back up your apps and all their data. Link2SD is a root app that moves all files an app stores in internal storage to a special partition on SD card, and creates symlinks into the internal storage in place of the original files. Does Titanium Backup work with Link2SD? That is, does it correctly back up the files that the symlinks point to, or does it instead end up backing up just the symlinks?
|
Titanium Backup works fine with Link2SD. I've been using them together for about six months, with around 100 apps symlinked. There's no reason taking a backup would uninstall linked apps as Wolfgang reports, and I've also had zero issues restoring backups of linked apps, so it's clear that Titanium follows the symlinks correctly. In fact, I have just finished restoring all my apps from Titanium after flashing a ROM. The only caveat is that when you restore in Titanium, Link2SD will not automatically link apps as they are restored, even if you set it up before restoring the rest of your apps. This is annoying, because it means you have to be conscious of your available internal memory and only restore in batches that will fit in your free space, then link the apps and do another batch. Other than that, they work very smoothly alongside each other.
|
Does Titanium Backup work with system using Link2SD
|
android
|
I got a Playstation phone (Sony Xperia Play) and would love to play old video games on it for free. I was hoping there was an emulator (maybe mame?) I could install on it. Is there some way I could do this? EDIT: I'd like something that makes use of the playstation control buttons on my particular phone
|
Yes there are! Currently I found a Mame, Gameboy, N64, Snes, ScummVM (emulates classic adventure titles like Secret of Monkey Island, THE DIG, Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango and Broken Sword) and a Genesis emulator. All of them use the PSX buttons but you need to configure all of them in the internal emulator configuration. I have them all installed but I only tested the MAME, Sness and ScummVM emulator. I also have been told that some of these were removed from the market since they were paid apps that were copied from open source emulators. I have no idea about the legality of the use of emulators. Since some of the APKs are not available via Market you'll need to install a file manager and allow the android system to install apps that are not from the market. I really can't find the direct links to the emulators, but here it is their websites: Gameboy N64oid SNES A. D. ScummVM Genplus-Droid (GENESIS) Tiger Emulator (MAME) Btw: The Tiger Emulator page says that it also emulates other platforms, I've only tried Marvel vs Capcom and Metal Slug. Oh yeah, they also run great with zero lag but they'll usually suck your battery dry. Edit: I tested all of them and everyone works like a charm, with the exception of the N64 emulator. Some games like Mario Kart 64 run OK and other like Pillotwings64 are unplayable. Double Edit: I've been doing some research about PSX emulators and some close friends have recommended me FPse (Free Playstation Emulator) - it's supposed to be free but someone is selling it on the Droid Market. I haven't got the chance to test it and I'll only get my PSX games after the weekend I believe that if someone does want to emulate PSX, it seems like a good way to start.
|
How does one install an emulator onto the Playstation phone (Sony Xperia Play)?
|
android
|
I recently installed CyanogenMod 7.1 on my Samsung Galaxy S i9000 and I have some problems now to get ADB on my Windows 7 64-bit computer to recognize the device. Currently, <code> adb devices </code> returns no entry for my phone and the Device Manager shows a device called "Galaxy S" but with a yellow exclamation mark because a driver is missing. I've tried to install Samsung Kies as well as the Google USB driver for Windows Revision 4 and point the device manager at the directories with those drivers. It doesn't find anything it can use there. Which drivers do I actually need for the phone now that it is running CyanogenMod 7.1? And where do I get those and how can I install them?
|
Use the drivers that come with the android SDK . The samsung drivers do not work once CyanogenMod is installed.
|
USB drivers for using ADB with Samsung Galaxy S on CyanogenMod 7.1?
|
android
|
I've noticed that Android keeps the same music playlists across music apps. Where are these playlists stored? How (in what format) are they stored? Can I access them remotely via the USB storage link, or is there instead an app I can use to access them? Related question: stackexchange-url ("Music transfer and playlists")
|
They're stored in your <code> music.db </code> file - mine is <code> /data/data/com.google.android.music/databases </code> ; I'm not sure if this is exactly the same across all devices but I'd guess it probably is. They live in a combination of the <code> LISTS </code> and <code> LISTITEMS </code> tables, which are defined as such: <code> sqlite> .schema lists .schema lists CREATE TABLE LISTS(Id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, Name TEXT NOT NULL, SourceAccount INTEGER, SourceId TEXT, _sync_version TEXT, _sync_dirty INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0, MediaStoreId INTEGER, ListType INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0, ListArtworkLocation TEXT); CREATE INDEX LIST_SYNC_INDEX on LISTS(SourceAccount,SourceId); sqlite> sqlite> .schema listitems .schema listitems CREATE TABLE LISTITEMS(Id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, ListId INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES LISTS, MusicSourceAccount INTEGER NOT NULL, MusicSourceId TEXT NOT NULL, ClientPosition INTEGER NOT NULL, ServerPosition INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0, SourceAccount INTEGER, SourceId TEXT, _sync_version TEXT, _sync_dirty INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0, ServerOrder TEXT DEFAULT '', ClientId TEXT); CREATE INDEX LISTITEMS_ORDER_INDEX ON LISTITEMS (ListId, ServerOrder, ClientPosition); CREATE INDEX LISTITEMS_SYNC_INDEX on LISTITEMS(SourceAccount,SourceId); sqlite> </code> Interestingly, if you're using the new Google Music Beta, playlists that you create don't seem to appear in other apps but they do have entries in the DB. It looks like this is possibly because the <code> MusicSourceAccount </code> field is set to your Google Music account id; other apps set it to 0, and those appear across all apps that take data from the DB.
|
Where (and how) does Android store music playlists?
|
android
|
This is a feature of older nokias, I would like to have it on android! On a related note, it would be nice to have a different background when silenced or on airplane mode.
|
Yes, using Tasker. See "Set Wallpaper" action and "Power" state. It even looks like it'd be rather easy to configure that event. For your related notes, also see "Airplane Mode" state and %SILENT variable.
|
Is it possible to change the background automatically when charging battery?
|
android
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.