title: How do I save sms messages e.g. to SIM?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I save sms messages e.g. to SIM?
Today have fired up my new Samsung Galaxy S II. To find that managing SMS messages is not as intuitive as on my old - non-smart Sony Ericsson. Cant seem to find a way to save messages to SIM - or anywhere else - for example. And - I'm not up to android progamming!

# Answer
> 3 votes
I don't know if there is a way to save them directly on the device, but I do know of a tool called SMS Backup + that I have been using almost since my fist android phone in 2008, and before I used SMS Backup +, I used SMS Backup.

This application will backup your SMS messages and Call Log to your gmail. It puts them in to SMS/CallLog labels so they don't clutter your inbox, but it is a very handy thing to have all your messages backed up. Especially when your wife says "I told you to get 3 loafs of bread", you can pull up and say, "Nope, see you said 30 loafs"...

SMS Backup + can not only backup your SMS/Call Log, but it can also restore them. The developer says MMS is also "coming soon". (but he has said that for a while not, not that I am in any rush for that feature). And, did I mention, the app is free.

Even if I was able to save them to my phone, I would have deleted them 100x over by now with all the times I have done factory resets, new sdcards, etc. Gmail also has way more storage available then my SIM, device, or sdcard. It is also more reliable. I have never lost data stored in my gmail, but I have had 4 sdcards fail on me.

# Answer
> 2 votes
For just backing up and restoring messages, you can try SMS Backup & Restore which backs up to an XML file on your SD card. You can use the XML file to view messages in a web browser or MS Excel, etc. as well.

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Tags: sms, backup
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# Question
Title: How is Anker battery for Android phones?
I've heard people talking about Anker on big forums about Anker battery, basically cell phone batteries and external batteries, and it seems people speak highly about it. So have you have any idea about how it works?

# Answer
> 4 votes
I'll assume you actually want to know *what ways are there to increase battery capacity of your Android device*. There're three approaches to this problem.

Approach one is an internal battery with higher capacity. I don't have any details on whether Anker is worthwhile, but it's capacity for say HTC Desire S is 1600 mAh and standard battery capacity for the same HTC Desire S is 1450 mAh, so that doesn't look like a huge improvement to me - it will be drained in one day of usual use anyway. What is really important is battery reliability - you want a reliable battery with long lifetime (number of charge-discharge cycles and capacity retainment) and good safety so that it doesn't explode in your phone (that actually happens once in a while with cheap batteries) and you have to look for such information elsewhere, not on this site.

Approach two is a spare battery. It's not very convenient - phones are not designed to allow for fast battery swap and phones lose power and their state when a battery is swapped and also charging the spare is a problem, because you either need a charger craddle for that or you use your phone for that and the latter means more battery swapping.

Approach three is an external battery - there's a lot of such stuff, Anker sells that too, they come in a wide range of capacity, some can even be used with netbooks. Basically it's a box with a battery inside and a USB cable. You charge the box either of USB (your computer, laptop, USB hub, phone charger, whatever) or of mains - that depends on the model. Then you can use the box to power any USB device, phone included - the phone will think it is connected to USB and charge through it. This is a rather convenient option - you can temporarily connect your device to the box and charge it fully or partially, you can carry it conveniently in a bag or a pocket and have the device connected to it and use the device at the same time. One big advantage of this approach is that the box can be used with various devices, not a specific model only. One big disadvantage is the thing is relatively expensive. Again you need good reliability, lifetime and safety, you should search for that information elsewhere. Another disadvantage is that the box itself can be slow to charge - its battery capacity is usually rather high and USB doesn't provide lot of power, so charging current will be rather low, this might be important for your convenience.

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Tags: battery, battery-life
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# Question
Title: Can the default browser be upgraded without upgrading the whole OS?
Can android 2.2 default browser be upgraded (without upgrading the whole OS) ?

Unfortunately, it is not available through Android market as far as I know.

# Answer
You cannot update inbuilt browser even though your phone is rooted. Anyway you have some other good alternative browsers in market like Dolphin, Opera.
> 6 votes

# Answer
I am not sure if the browser can be updated, even with root. The best thing is to root your device and install a better ROM, if you are stuck on an old Android version and unhappy with the browser.
> 2 votes

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, browser
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# Question
Title: Sharing computer internet connection with LG - P990 (Optimus 2x)
Is any way to connect the LG-P990 (optimus2x) to internet by sharing a computer connection? I am frequently traveling abroad and the data fees in roaming are very high and I have available the internet on my laptop.

# Answer
The solution is called Reverse tethering, and it can be done with several apps, like Connectify. You can find a quick introduction to it here.
> 4 votes

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Tags: reverse-tether
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title: Devanagari typing

text:
# Question
Title: Devanagari typing
I want to buy a tablet basically for Marathi or Hindi document typing. Which tablet supports it? Will it be possible for me to type in Marathi or Hindi on Samsung Galaxy Tab or Sony Tab with Honeycomb, either with built-in support or an external app?

# Answer
> 4 votes
There are a number of alternative on-screen virtual Keyboard replacement apps on Android Market that support Hindi and Marathi languages. Most should work on all recent Android OS version (2.2 and above.)

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Tags: keyboard, tablet, localization
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# Question
Title: Why is my HTC Incredible's WiFi so slow?
I have a Droid Incredible rooted with Cyanogen 7.

When I use my network wi fi (on cable modem) the download speed is about 400kb/s, using SpeedTest.net's Droid app. When I test with my Virgin MObile LG Optimus V I get 8.5 Mb/s.

I've turned off bluetooth (which I hear uses the same radio as wi fi).

# Answer
OK, this is embarrassing but I'll leave it here for posterity anyway.

Tried another network and got slightly better performance (probably b/c the hotspot had weak signal strength).

After more investigation I realized that it was connecting to my network then disconnecting. Turns out **the password was wrong**, but rather than actually telling me that, it just connected and then a few seconds later (after I'd left that screen) it disconnects.
> 0 votes

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Tags: htc-droid-incredible
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# Question
Title: How to reduce number of screens on HTC Sense android phones?
I was wondering, is there a way to reduce the number of screens available with HTC sense phones to say 5? Just I find that 7 screens is excessive for my needs, and I heard I can get a decent performance / battery boost from having less screens.

So is there a way to reduce the number of screens without using a custom launcher (which I think gets rid of HTC sense?)

Currently I just have my two side screens blank, but that looks off when you zoom out, however I have found that even that has produced a noticeable improvement on my Desire HD

Thanks!

# Answer
> 6 votes
Unfortunately you can't change the number of screens and still use the HTC Sense UI. At least not in any of the versions I've seen.

You can uninstall it or turn it off, but then you won't have free access to all of the HTC widgets, if you like those.

If you really want the performance kick you'll get from less screens in total, and therefore using less RAM, you'll have to go back to Vanilla Android. Simply using less widgets, as you've done, will certainly help somewhat.

I feel you pain too, I really only need 3 screens for my favorite widgets and folders, but I kind of like some of the HTC widgets.

# Answer
> 4 votes
In general, the less widgets you use on your home screens, the better performance your phone is going to have (less processing for widgets).

If you want to reduce the number of homescreens, then I suggest switching to another home launcher such as LauncherPro which will let you change how many homescreens you have. LauncherPro has some similar widgets to HTC's Sense too.

# Answer
> -1 votes
use Go launcher ex. i'm using it for nearly as long as i have the DHD. very customizable, lots of themes and widgets even own locker screen (go locker) and: it's free!

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Tags: htc-sense, performance, screen, htc-desire-hd
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# Question
Title: Is there an Android phone without proprietary code?
I want to buy an Android phone.

However, with everything that is happenning in the IT world today (all the backdoors, "Carrier IQ" stuff and so on), I am more and more convinced I want a trully open OS - that means, without proprietary applications, without proprietary drivers/"binary blobs" - or, at least, with at least of this as possible. (Stallman-style!)

I know that one fully open phone is OpenMoko phone, but that's not an Android and it has *very* outdated hardware. Is there another possibility?

(I see that this question on Android SE was marked as unconstrictive for some reason; I hope this won't be too)

# Answer
Geeksphone started off with the premise of a completely open software and hardware stack. So far they released two handsets, One and Zero. Although both models are severely outdated specifications-wise compared to today's high-end models, the "Zero" model is quite comparable to current mid-range devices.

The company provides source code for the kernel and drivers of their "One" model on the web site. I couldn't find the sources for the "Zero" model, but I'm sure they will if you reach out to them.
> 5 votes

# Answer
There are at least 2 different free OSes aimed at smartphones - the replicant project and the SHR project - both of which are aimed at bringing free-as-in-Stallman software to smartphones. I haven't used either of these yet, but it looks like Replicant is more strict about their definition of free software. Both of them appear to be actively under development:

http://replicant.us/

http://shr-project.org/trac

Your choice of free OS will have a list of recommended hardware devices, so it may be useful to check out their supported hardware lists before making a decision. It looks like the Nokia N900 and the Geeksphones are listed in both, and the Nexus series from google is at least partly supported.
> 5 votes

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Tags: open-source
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title: Multiple gmails in Android phone?

text:
# Question
Title: Multiple gmails in Android phone?
Is it possible have many gmail -accounts in Android phone? I want to have 2nd verification gmail and some non-2nd-verification gmails in the same phone with different security settings -- like `"onion-model"` in networking.

# Answer
> 8 votes
Yes, you can use multiple accounts -- did you try it? I use 3. Add them like any other account through `Settings -> Accounts and sync -> Add account`.

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Tags: email, gmail, accounts, 2-step-verification
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# Question
Title: Will Droid Bionic with Extended Battery Fit Inside the Otterbox Defender Case?
I have a Droid Bionic and I keep it in an Otterbox Defender case. I would like to get the extended battery but am concerned that my Bionic might no longer fit within my Otterbox. Has anyone tried this?

# Answer
> 1 votes
No.

My friend got an extended battery so I tried my case with his phone -- the extended battery is really large, so it won't work. Which is a shame, because the Otterbox Defender case is so large that a hypothetical extended battery Otterbox Defender wouldn't be significantly bulkier than the current Otterbox Defender (regular battery).

If Otterbox made a Defender case specifically for the Bionic with the extended battery, I would buy both that case and an extended battery. I guess that the market for that specific case is just too small.

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Tags: battery, motorola-droid-bionic
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# Question
Title: How can I disable Facebook button on HTC ChaCha without voiding warranty?
I'm interested in the HTC ChaCha but I don't like the Facebook button. I'd prefer it to link to my address book or something like that. Is it possible to do that or in the worst case disable it?

# Answer
Try this app: FB ReMap For HTC ChaCha
> 3 votes

# Answer
Is impossible for you to attempt to make the change withouth the device been rooted.

According to XDA Developers Thread, you need to go into your system folder located in your root, to change the keyboard layout file located here: `/system/usr/keylayout/[devicename]-keypad.kl`.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Try Facebook Button for HTC ChaCha or its lite version.

It is a normal standard-abiding Android application, which installs from the Market, does not require any hacks, and works on *unrooted* devices — so it'll keep you warranty safe.

Feel free to check also its support thread on XDA-Developers.
> 3 votes

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Tags: facebook, buttons, htc-chacha
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# Question
Title: Do favorite Dropbox photos automatically download to my Android?
When I tried Dropbox on the iPad, whenever I Favorite a photo Dropbox will automatically download it and it will show up in the Photos app's gallery.

Is this the same behavior for Androids? I have a Galaxy S2 and I have Favorited a bunch of photos, but they do not show up in the Gallery. I can only view them by going to the Dropbox app. Is this correct?

Thank you.

UPDATE: I did a little experiment. I Favorited a picture out of the Sample album and sure enough it downloaded and showed up in Gallery. Then I powered off the phone, and turned it back on, and it is gone from the Gallery even if the file is still in /data/com.dropbox.blabla/files/andsoforth. Ideas?

# Answer
> 1 votes
It is the same. At least in my setup (HTC Desire S). The image I favorite end up in a gallery folder with the same name as the Dropbox folder they are in.

Edit: The gallery app might play a big role in this. On some systems they are known to take quite a while to update etc.

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, dropbox
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# Question
Title: What does it mean the "WIFI" label on the market?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Wi-Fi icon next to apps in android market

I've noticed that a few items on "My applications" on the Android Market client have a gray "WIFI" label on them. What does that mean?

# Answer
> 5 votes
> Usually means it's a large file and requires you to be connected to WiFi to download.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/mnfwa/what\_does\_the\_wifi\_label\_mean\_for\_apps\_on\_the/

# Answer
> 4 votes
You need WiFi to download the app. It could be that the app size is "LARGE", and a download via carrier network is not recommended.

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Tags: google-play-store, wi-fi
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# Question
Title: How can I customize the actions associated with my Moto Droid's hardware buttons?
I want to be able to redefine what the hardware buttons on my Motorola Droid do. By buttons I mean the 4 capacitive buttons on the bottom: Back, Menu, Home & Search and the Camera button and Volume buttons on the side. I have seen several apps that allow you to change what the Camera and Search buttons do but I want the ability to redefine them all. Can this be done? If so, how?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Got it, ButtonRemapper.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Button Shortcut will let you assign shortcuts to the camera and search buttons.

The home button could be replaced with another home launcher-like app that handles that intent.

However, I do not believe you will be able to re-map the menu and and back buttons without root access to the phone's system due to security reasons. Although within an application you should be able to programatically take control over these buttons with listener events (but it is strongly discouraged to override the default behavior of the back button without valid reasons).

# Answer
> 0 votes
Tasker looks like it allows you to remap at least some of the hardware buttons.

Note that the Android OS spec has some very specific requirements for Android devices. You may not be *able* to remap certain things.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I own a Droid (or rather, its brother Milestone, the GSM version of Droid) and I found its hardware keys not so durable: my power/lock key stopped functioning after a year and the volume down button is failing too. So you might wanna give it a second thought if the durability is ever a concern (I cannot lock/unlock my phone with a press of button anymore). In fact there are quite some apps out there trying to do the reverse, i.e. mapping hardware keys to on-screen touch buttons.

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Tags: buttons
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# Question
Title: Samsung GT-i9000 (Galaxy S), Android 2.3.6, MTP and Linux
Is it possible to connect this device to Linux workstation over USB using MTP mode? I've tried a few times using different tools but no success. GMTP just don't work, mtp-tools don't work reliably, etc.

# Answer
> 4 votes
Finally found an answer: it's not possible. Samsung implementation of MTP works incorrectly so device cannot be used in standard tools like GMTP.

Moreover, MTP application on the phone crashes sometimes during data transfer.

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, linux, usb-connection-mode
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# Question
Title: Looking for application that captures name-card and sync with google contact?
I'm looking for an Android application that `captures picture of name-card` and can help to `sync with Google contact` the contact information in that captured image.

If you know one, please share.

ps.

I'm using Nexus One phone.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You could give CamCard a try.

> CamCard is a professional business card reader and business card scanner. Simply take a picture of a business card, CamCard recognizes the business card and saves contact information in Card Holder or your Address Book. Then feel at ease to manage cards with CamCard - business card reader and business card scanner.

Of course, you can always sync Google contacts.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Google Goggles had this feature enabled last year.

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Tags: contacts, sync, google-account, nexus-one, photos
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# Question
Title: How to identify the latest version of brut map
I use Brut maps as:

> This map is for the country that cant use navigation on google map. It has been hacked and can be used by any country now.

I am currently using version 6.0.3 from here.

Do you know if there is a place to find out about the latest release? I'm not sure if the version I'm using is the latest one.

# Answer
> 2 votes
It looks like the author tries to keep the version of his app in sync with the version of the actual Google Maps app. As of this writing, the official Google Maps app is version 6.1.0 which was released on January 10th 2012. It usually takes the developer several days to adapt the changes. The thread you linked seems to be active, so the newest version will most likely be posted there when it's ready.

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Tags: applications, maps
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# Question
Title: Asus EEE Transformer never gets a GPS fix unless I reboot it
I have an Asus EEE Transformer (not the prime) that has unreliable GPS performance. I usually just fire up Google Maps in my car and use the navigation but the tablet always gets stuck with "Searching for GPS". This can go on for over 30 minutes in which the tablet either won't get a signal at all, or might get one every once in a while, update the map, and then go back to "Searching for GPS".

I have tried the following things:

* Done the same navigation with my Nexus One in the same car and it has no problem receiving a signal right away and finding it's location so I'm pretty sure it's not environmental conditions.
* I tether the Transformer to my Nexus One for internet so at first I thought using the "Use wireless networks" for location was just trying to get the location from the phone but toggling the option on or off doesn't seem to make it work worse or better one way or the other.
* The amazon reviews don't seem to indicate an overwhelming problem with the Transformer with GPS.
* I have tried the tips in this forum thread on the transformer forums.
* I've tried installing GPSfix and using that tool but it doesn't seem to help.
* Android version is 3.2.1, GPS version is 5.5.8, and Build # is: `HTK.US_epad-8.6.5.19-20111107`

So far the only reliable means to get the GPS working seems to be to shutdown the tablet and fire it up again, at which point the GPS and Google Navigation works right away, which leads me to believe that it's a software or configuration problem rather than a hardware issue.

# Answer
> 2 votes
It definitely is a software configuration. There are 2 possible reasons for this problem:

1. Servers its contacting - When Google Maps on your tablet/phone contacts the GPS satellites, its done through a special set of servers. Sometimes, the manufacturer might have set the system to connect to a set of particularly busy servers. It has been shown that connecting to other servers with lower traffic can give dramatically faster lock on times.
2. Possible bug in the initial configuration - when the manufacturer was setting up the initial build configuration, an unintended bug could have been introduced.

The solution to both can be done I believe through a simple fix in the gps.conf file but that would require root access. When I was running the stock firmware on my Asus Transformer, I was having the same problem. Now I am running a Custom ROM and I have no troubles with lock on in Google Maps.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Perhaps this was the problem? (from the forum thread you posted):

> > Originally Posted by prbgd
> > I am totally confused now. I just got confirmation from ASUS a few days ago. The tech person there said the GPS (US model) will not work if there is no WiFi. This is a firmware issue. It may be fixed in next firmware update.
>
> Update: after the latest firmware upgrade today, GPS is working great now even without WiFi.

If that wasn't the problem: sometimes when I use my android device without cell signal it can take quite a while to get a GPS fix. I think it might be a combination of it using cell towers to improve GPS fix time, and having a connection to the internet to download GPS assistance data.

If you do have an internet connection when you're trying to get a GPS fix, the GPS Status & Toolbox app will let you download GPS assistance data, which could possibly improve your fix time. Just install the app, open it up, go to Menu --\> Tools --\> Manage A-GPS state --\> Download.

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Tags: gps, asus-eee-pad-transformer
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# Question
Title: Which kernel versions does the udev exploit work?
Which kernel versions does the udev exploit work? Upon googling this, I found articles claiming that it works on Android 2.1 and maybe 2.2, but there is no information about the kernel versions.

# Answer
I'm actually not sure that the kernel version matters for this exploit. It was a bug that was patched in the platform\_system\_core repository, which I think comprises libraries and system files that live on in the `/system` directory (the README says as much). The patch was committed on July 19, 2010 (in the Froyo branch, anyway).

I'd wager that any kernel with a build date later than that also has the updated system files, so the system wouldn't be vulnerable. `uname -a` would tell you the build date of a given device's kernel, but beyond that I don't know that you could really line it up with a specific kernel version, especially on devices from different manufacturers/carriers/etc.
> 6 votes

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Tags: rooting, kernel
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# Question
Title: How can I switch the weather layout in Beautiful Widgets from clock/current conditions mode to forecast mode?
I am trying to setup a lock-screen widget set to suit my liking. I have the top of the screen covered exactly how I want it with the current weather, clock, and battery meter provided by SiMi widgets, shown below.

The bar underneath it is Beautiful Widgets Small Weather. In many screenshots (including the second one shown, below) I see Beautiful Widgets set in forecast mode, where it shows only the forecast for the next few days rather than a clock and current weather.

For the life of me, I can't figure out how to cause the widget to go into this mode, and I'm hoping others here might know the answer.

This is what I have now:

This is what I'd like the weather line (below my dark conditions/clock/battery) to look like:

# Answer
Beautiful Widgets installs a bunch of individual widgets that can be used. The one with the clock and weather is the "SuperClock" (or "Beautiful Home", maybe) widget. It sounds like you just need to select "Beautiful Weather 4x1" when picking a widget (unless the lock screen widget thingy doesn't give that choice - is that the case?).
> 4 votes

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Tags: lock-screens, app-widgets
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# Question
Title: How do I copy/move contacts from phone to my exchange account?
My contacts are stored on a (Open-)Exchange server, so they are synchronized between phone, the server and my other mail clients (e.g. on my desktop PC).

However, I have some "phone-only" contacts and I want to copy or move them to my exchange server contacts.

How can I achieve this?

# Answer
This isn't very elegant...

1. Open the Android Contacts app
2. Menu --\> Display options --\> Choose contacts to display
3. Under each account, expand the list, make a note somewhere of what was checked, and then uncheck everything
4. Tap Done. You should now be left with phone-only contacts
5. Menu --\> Import/Export --\> Share visible contacts
6. You will see some options for sharing a vcard file (.vcf). You could email it to yourself, upload it to Google Docs (if you have the Google Docs app installed), etc.
7. Once you've confirmed you've shared the vcard file, unless you're feeling extra brave, do a quick backup of your contacts to your SD card: Menu --\> Import/Export --\> Export to SD card
8. Delete all the local contacts from your phone (long-press --\> Delete contact)
9. Import the contacts you shared in step 6 (not the ones you backed up to your SD card in step 7, which will include all of your contacts) to Open-Xchange using the instructions on page 193 in the Open-Xchange User Guide. More languages available here: http://oxpedia.org/index.php?title=Main\_Page\_CE#documentation
10. Back in the Contacts app, go to Menu --\> Display options --\> Choose contacts to display
11. Under each account, expand the list and recheck everything you unchecked earlier
12. Tap Done. All your synced contacts should be visible again, including the ones you just exported (the next time your phone does a sync)
> 4 votes

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Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, contacts, exchange
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title: Pandigital SuperNova 1080p Output?

text:
# Question
Title: Pandigital SuperNova 1080p Output?
I ordered a Pandigital SuperNova and I own a 1080p LED TV.

The Pandigital SuperNova has a Micro HDMI port on it. My TV has a regular HDMI port.

If I connect an HDMI cable with regular HDMI on one end to my TV with Micro HDMI on the other into my SuperNova, will I be able to have 1080p output onto my TV?

I've read from this pcmag.com article:

> The SuperNova plays 1080p videos, although it doesn't display them anywhere in 1080p. You get 800-by-600 on the main screen, and 720p HD on a TV, all perfectly smoothly.

But I was hoping for more confirmation on this. (actually hoping the statement to be disproven lol)

I'm not ready to accept it as a fact until more people who have tested this can reply.

# Answer
I got the tablet and YES! It does have 1080p output. :)
> 1 votes

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Tags: hdmi, external-display, pandigital-supernova
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# Question
Title: text editor that starts out in view mode?
I would like a text editor that works like the Google Docs app, where you start out viewing a file and if you want to edit it you specifically have to click an "Edit" button. The reason this would be useful is that the keyboard pops up automatically if you are editing text. 90% of the time, I simply want to view the text file and not make changes. Or maybe I want to view the file and decide if I want to make changes after I see it. Dismissing the keyboard or being prompted to save the file every time is annoying when I only wanted to view it.

# Answer
MiniNoteViewer (https://market.android.com/details?id=jp.gr.java\_conf.hatalab.mnv&hl=en) basically works the way I want. There's no explicit switch between "Edit" and "View" modes, but it doesn't pop up the keyboard until you tell it to. Good enough.

Also Jota View (https://market.android.com/details?id=jp.sblo.pandora.jota) can be set to not pop up the keyboard when you are viewing a note (Preferences-\>Input-\>Viewer), though the app is overcomplicated IMO.
> 0 votes

# Answer
You can install Google docs in your Android device. Also you can use an editor called INKPAD, that works your way, the keyboard only is showed if you want to edit the note.
> 1 votes

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Tags: text-editor
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# Question
Title: Is there a task widget that only shows todays tasks?
Is there a task widget that only shows todays tasks? I have a had a few that I have downloaded, synced with my google account, and all was fine. I then added that task app as a widget and started completing tasks, and future tasks appear. For example, I have make;

Make coffee (due 1-11-12) Make lunch (due 1-11-12) Do laundry (due 1-11-12) Make coffee (due 1-12-12) Make lunch (due 1-12-12)

Now say I only see 3 tasks on the widget, so they all have a due date of 1-11-12. Great, all todays thing that need to be done, but as soon as I mark off make coffee, (due 1-11-12), it brings up make coffee (due 1-12-12), which I don't want. I only want to see todays tasks. Any help pointing me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!

If possible, I'd like the widget to be about the size of the calendar so it doesn't take up the entire screen. I'd like to keep the task and calendar on the same screen.

# Answer
> 4 votes
# Try Any.Do.

It's an normal task app with nice style, and the widget is only showing tasks for today, also several sizes are available.

# Answer
> 1 votes
ColorNote's "Today 2x2" widget will do this, but it unfortunately doesn't sync with Google tasks.

You can also do this using a combination of the Pure Calendar Widget (well worth the $1.99 for all the display options it gives you) and one of the many task applications it works with (I use Dato GTasks, which syncs with Google Tasks). Just make sure to set the search period to 1 day in the calendar tab (you don't have to select a calendar, it works just fine with only a task service enabled).

# Answer
> 1 votes
I use Astrid for all my task/todo management. It has a widget which is the exact same size as the calendar widget (2x2), and when you create it, you can choose to only include certain tasks using a variety of criteria, among which is tasks due today.

It's also open source, ad-free, and syncs with Google Tasks, as well as a couple others.

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you are interested in today's Calendar events I have had good results with Smooth Calendar. You can configure it to show only events in the next 24 hours.

If you are looking for an easy to use to do list application with widgets that show only Today's tasks, I recommend my app Maniana To List.

Both are free and ad free.

---
Tags: applications, app-widgets, task-management, to-do-list
---


# Question
Title: Does Google publish search trends for the Android market?
Does Google publish the searches on the Android market? Is there any way to see top searches or anything?

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can still get some trending information about android apps. For example http://www.google.com/trends/?q=angry+birds

---
Tags: google-play-store
---


title: Get iPhone contacts into Gmail

text:
# Question
Title: Get iPhone contacts into Gmail
I have an Android phone and imported all my contacts from Gmail. Most of my old contacts weren't in Gmail, but on the iPhone 3GS. Now getting the iPhone contacts into Gmail is proving to be a huge pain, there is a ton of information about this on the web but a lot of it must be outdated and none of the methods have worked for me yet.

How can I get contacts of iOS 5 iphone 3GS, and into Gmail so that they can be visible on my new Android phone (Galaxy Nexus)?

I've been trying for 4 hours and it's very frustrating.

# Answer
> 4 votes
Load the IDrive app on your iphone and your android. Contacts transfered within seconds. Then sync with gmail.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I use SyncInABlink. http://www.syncinablink.com/SyncInABlink.aspx

It costs $5 but it's worth it if you don't want to use more time.

---
Tags: ios, gmail
---


# Question
Title: How can I find out which app is putting ads in my notification bar?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Is this red star icon malware? How to get rid of it?

Recently advertisements have started appearing as notifications in my phone's notification bar. The icon on the ad are either a green plus sign or a white star with a red circle inside it. There is no indication in the notification as to which app it came from.

I haven't installed any new applications, so I assume that some application updated to include this intrusive new ad system. Ads only show up at irregular intervals once every few hours, so removing all my apps one by one until the ads stop is not really a viable option, since I would have to wait several hours in between each uninstall to see if another ad appears. (I'm sure this is by design.)

So is there any way to figure out the source application of these notification ads?

My phone is a rooted/unlocked/whatever HTC Droid Incredible running MIUI.

# Answer
> 1 votes
One way is to find by log. If you have android sdk installed, run

> adb shell dumpsys notification

The output will have details about all the notifications. Using Package name you can get the app that has been pushing ads

---
Tags: notification-bar, ads
---


title: Create a custom keyboard dictionary

text:
# Question
Title: Create a custom keyboard dictionary
Is it possible to use custom dictionary with the default Android keyboard? I guess the words are stored in some file, so I would like to edit it.

The goal is to create Macedonian auto-completion because there is no other way to achieve this.

# Answer
Not 100% sure, but Smartkeyboard Pro (2-3 Euro) and MultiLingual keyboard both have Macddonian layouts and remember new words. You can teach them while typing, if this is any good for you. The market shows a few Macedonian specific keyboards, but I assume you have tried this already.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: keyboard, dictionary, auto-correct
---


# Question
Title: Contact images cropped and downsampled when syncing with google contacts
When Syncing with google contacts the photos I chose for my contacts are cropped to a square, and are downsampled to a very low resolution.

Is there a way to sync my phone contacts (without facebook), and keep the hi-res photos?

# Answer
I've found that contact picture quality varies widely with the dialer/contact app used. Consider trying a replacement like GO Contacts EX or any of the other replacements in the market.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: contacts, sync, images, google-contacts
---


# Question
Title: How to sync contacts with Outlook, WITHOUT Exchange?
Can anyone recommend an app to sync Outlook contacts with Android? I know there are a number of them which sync with Exchange, but I am not using Exchange.

I'm looking for something that will sync contacts as well and as easily as Google Calendar Sync handles syncing Outlook's calendar.

I've tried "Missing Sync", but it *completely* hosed Outlook.

I'm running Outlook 2010.

# Answer
It sounds like you're happy using Google/GMail as an intermediary for the sync, if you've already tried Google Calendar Sync, if so then there are a few options.

It sounds unlikely from your question, but if you're part of an organisation that's given you a paid-for Google Apps account then Google Apps Sync is available for you. This syncs an Outlook Calendar, Contacts and Mail with a Google Apps GMail account, and from there you can easily sync with your phone. Unfortunately this isn't available for standard GMail/Google Accounts, or for free Google Apps accounts.

Other, third party, options to sync Outlook with a GMail account are GO Contact Sync (free), CompanionLink (paid app) or Goosync (subscription service with free trial).
> 1 votes

# Answer
You can try Go Contact Sync, there are some mixed reviews on that site about it. On the other hand, I have read good things about gSyncIt, but it is not free. It will sync calendars, contacts, tasks, and notes.

These are not specific to android, as the information is actually syncing with Google Contacts, not your device.
> 4 votes

# Answer
I use MyPhoneExplorer on windows7 to sync outlook 2010 with my android phone.
> 4 votes

# Answer
I have been using ‘Blue SyncRoid’ to sync my contacts and calendars between Outlook and Android via Bluetooth. Used to forget my USB cable and unwilling to share my personal information (contacts and calendars) on the cloud to sync my info. Pretty satisfied with the solution. Simple and user friendly. They also have a trial version launched. Highly recommended. Visit http://www.bluesyncroid.com for more details. Thumbs up!
> 1 votes

# Answer
You can synchronize with Hotmail since Hotmail supports exchange and you can use the Outlook connector to connect Outlook to Hotmail.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: contacts, sync, outlook
---


# Question
Title: Have I erased my songs? Samsung galaxy S2
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Data Recovery - How to Restore Deleted / Formatted Files on HD Micro SD Card

I removed everything by entering code in phone field. I deleted my all apps. What about my photos and songs? Have I erased it too?

# Answer
If your lucky, you might find some files back with Recuva. Plug your phone in your PC. Start Recuva. Select the drive representing your phone and execute the scan. It will show anything it finds. Though I doubt it will find anything back, phones usually use Flash memory, and once you delete something on a Flash drive, it's completely gone.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, data-recovery
---


# Question
Title: Why are Android games so much smaller than iPhone games?
I compared the size of some Android games with the size of iPhone games and I was quite surprised. For example Asphalt 6 is 6.1mb large on Android and 515mb on the iPhone according to the store websites.

Did I miss something? How is it possible that this game is only 6.1mb large on Andoid but 515mb big large on the iPhone?

# Answer
The maximum size allowable for an Android app on the Android Market is 50MB. \[1\]

The maximum size allowable for an iPhone app on the App Store is approximately 2GB. \[2\]

To answer your question, when you download the Android version of this game, you are downloading an application that will download all of the data files either to your phones internal memory or SD card. Due to the nature of the game, this is likely to account for the majority of the size difference unless different compression methods are used for resources such as the sound, textures and 3D models.

The iPhone's App Store has a much bigger file size limit which in this case means that all of the resources can be bundled into the initial download. The phone will not have to fetch any additional resources.

\[1\] http://support.google.com/androidmarket/developer/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=113469

\[2\] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6659627/iphone-app-size-limit
> 17 votes

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: Is there music player that supports both AAC and MIDI files on Android 2.3?
Update from 2.1 to 2.3 broken playing from aac files in most players.

The only music player that is more or less usable is PowerAMP (and also video players like MoboPlayer and MX Player). But it won't play midi files.

The only player that can play both aac and mid files I tried is MoboPlayer. But it is video player (so no useful widget/play queue).

```
Player:   Support AAC on 2.3   Support mid    have widget
PowerAMP          +                  -            +
Most players      -                  +            -
MoboPlayer        +                  +            -

I want            +                  +            +

```

How to fix aac in android 2.3 in SE Xperia X10? Alternatively, is there a player that can play both aac and mid files and have widget?

# Answer
Workaround found: wrap all aac files into matroska containers and usual music players start recognising them.

```
mkvmerge some_music.aac -o some_music.mka

```
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, music-player
---


# Question
Title: ROM Toolbox claims backups are blocked; how can I work around this?
I was looking for a way to backup my phone's ROM (Samsung Exhibit II SGH T679 (android 2.3.5)); android market had ROM Manager; reviews were great, my phone was listed as compartible, everything looked perfect

While trying to actually backup ROM, ROM Manager needed to have ClockworkMod Recovery installed first; my phone was not on the list of supported devices and I had to cancel ClockworkMod Recovery installation

Ok, no sweat, I'll try something else - so I uninstalled ROM Manager and installed another app (ROM Toolbox)

And here came the big surprise!

With ROM Toolbox, when trying to backup ROM I get the message:

**ROM Manager blocked other apps from creating backups in recovery unless ROM Manager Premium is installed. Once you install ROM Manager Premium you can use ROM Toolbox to backup your ROM.**

(mind you, ROM Manager was uninstalled by that time)

I would have no problem spending a few bucks and getting ROM Manager Premium, but the problem is even worse: someone did try this already and it did not help (ROM Manager Premium still doesn't support the device -\> we are back to square 1)

Here is the question: would it be possible to remove the lock placed by ROM Manager? If not, are there any other ways to backup the ROM?

---

**Update**: According to Koush, "other applications are not "blocked" from creating backups. They are just being lazy, and not actually building/flashing their own recovery image. "

# Answer
I got this response from Koush, the developer of ROM Manager:

> ClockworkMod recovery is open source. However, the hooks that ROM Manager uses to automate backups by hooking into ClockworkMod Recovery are proprietary.
>
> I have told other developers, if they wish to use the ClockworkMod Recovery hooks, they can do it in the following ways:
>
> 1) Build, distribute, and support their own version of ClockworkMod Recovery, so that I am not responsible for the maintenance of it.
>
> 2) Use the ROM Manager API, which requires a ROM Manager Premium License.
>
> The user can ALWAYS make backups manually in recovery, without a Premium license.
>
> Basically, the issue here is that developers are relying on me and my open source work, which I maintain, to build a competing product to my paid applications. Essentially undercutting me by relying on me developing 90% of the product for them. It seems pretty silly for me to continue maintaining and distributing something that directly competes with my income, so I put a stop to it. If they want to build a competing product, they will have to go through all the hassles involved with building, distributing, and supporting recovery images.
>
> So, no, those other applications are not "blocked" from creating backups. They are just being lazy, and not actually building/flashing their own recovery image. Nothing is preventing them from building a ROM Manager clone, if they really wanted to. They are just avoiding doing the hard part.

So for now, I think you're best off finding out if rzrecovery supports your device variant, and if so, using it until there is a version of ClockworkMod for it. I own ROM Manager Premium and have no complaints, and I really respect Koush for the work he does.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: backup, rom-manager
---


# Question
Title: How can I categorize the apps on my phone?
I'm downloading many apps but then forget about them. I'd like to be able to see all my "note taking" apps, "todo" apps etc. So I can quickly compare and discard those I don't want. Of course I'd also like all "game" apps so I can choose which game to play.

How can I do that so it is automatic (maybe use the information in market?). Is there a way to tag apps so they can belong to several categories?

# Answer
There is an app called Apps Organizer that will let you "tag" applications into groups. You can then put folder widgets on your homescreen of each of these "tags" to stay organized. I've used it before, it works well if you keep your tags up to date.
> 11 votes

# Answer
I don't think there would be a reliable way to do it automatically, but App Manager claims to do this.

I group the apps I use on my home screens, so that games are on one screen and apps on another, with related apps in the same row (e.g. instant messengers). You could do something similar.

You could also create folders and put your apps in them. I believe App Manager can help you do that as well.
> 4 votes

# Answer
ADW Launcher lets you group apps in the app drawer. I have a group setup for Games and an icon on my home screen that shows that group.
> 4 votes

# Answer
In case if your phone is from HTC (and has HTC Sense launcher) you may add a folder on any page, like "Todo", "Games", "Internet", "New apps", etc.

I use this approach in my case, and I add every new application to the "New apps" folder just after install.
> 3 votes

# Answer
I don't think there's a way to "tag" apps but Apparently you can (see Bryan's answer).

*The rest of my original answer:* You can create folders on the home screen, label it "Games" or "Notes" and put shortcuts to apps in there. To do this long press on the home screen select "Folders", then "Add Folders", then "New Folder" (steps may be slightly different on your phone). Once the folder is on your home screen you can then drag an app on top of it to add it to the folder. To rename the folder: open the folder and then long press on the title bar of the folder at the top - after a few seconds a dialog will pop up to allow you to rename your folder.

Hope this helps

*Edit* \- I was in the process of editing my answer to include what Matthew said about grouping apps on different home screens - but he beat me to it :). I use this method for games where I have all my games on one home screen.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Try Folder Organizer Lite. It's an extended version of Apps Organizer. It lets you not only tag apps, but also bookmarks and contacts. It's free.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I would suggest TagHome Launcher (freeware)
It's quite easy to use: you can create as many tags as you want and assign (zero or more of) these tags to applications; all new apps are falling into "no tags" category and are easy to spot and assign tags to.
The launcher isn't flashy, but it's quite fast; I've tried several top rated ones before choosing TagHome
> 0 votes

---
Tags: applications
---


title: How can I read large QRs in Android?

text:
# Question
Title: How can I read large QRs in Android?
I have used the Zxing app here but I cannot read large QRs with it, how can I do that? By Large, I mean that I want read a content with a lot of text (I am able to make them as large as possible by dimension but not in content).

Now I am not meaning the technical specs as given by one answer (certainly they reveal somethnig), I am looking for ways to read large-amount of content in QRs without too much lag. Is this a pipe dream, just better device or better software?

# Answer
> 2 votes
QR codes have limitations on the amount of data that can be stored within them. If you are hitting these limitations then you may need to find workarounds such as making the QR code text a hyperlink to the long text you wish to display.

For more information on the limitations of QR codes, see the "Storage" section of the Wikipedia article and its citations.

This citation in particular will be very useful to you. Look at version 40 of the standard in that table, as it has the highest capacity and will give you the absolute length limits.

---
Tags: qr-code
---


title: GO Launcher apps in HTC Sense

text:
# Question
Title: GO Launcher apps in HTC Sense
i want to use **Go switch widget** in **htc sense launcher**. But widget list doesn't show me this one. why is that so ??

# Answer
If you start GOWidget, there are 2 lists. Installed and not installed widgets. You can install widgets from there. If you installed the Switch widget, you can add it to your homescreen tapping on a blank space and selecting GOWidget from the list. Switch should now be listed in the Installed list. Obviously Go Launcher EX has to be installed, it cannot just be used with HTC Sense. You have to replace HTC Sense (at least the launcher) through Go Launcher EX.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: htc-sense, go-launcher-ex
---


# Question
Title: How do I turn off the power-on sound and camera sound in a Galaxy S II?
I have followed several guides and can't get any of them to work on my Galaxy S II. How do I disable these sounds?!

# Answer
This requires a rooted phone. There is a good guide here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103399

If you don't have ADB, get the full Android SDK from here: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html (it might come in useful multiple times, and all app developers should already have it). Don't trust websites offering ADB alone unless it the official Android site. After installing it, browse to the install directory, then "platform-tools", then open the command line -- on Windows 7, this is done by shift-right-click and choose "Open command window here", then type "adb".

**Power-on sound**

This sound file is NOT in the standard location for Android (/system/media/audio) so most guides haven't worked for me.

Connect your phone to your computer and open ADB. Go into shell with "adb -d shell". Now become super-user with "su" - your phone must be active and unlocked - a dialog will open which you accept. In ADB again: " mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system".

Now rename the sound files so they can't be found! "cd /system/etc" "mv PowerOn.wav PowerOn.wav.old" "mv 1\_Power\_on.ogg 1\_Power\_on.ogg.old"

Restart your phone. There should be no power-on sound.

**Disable camera sound**

Again. this sound file is also not in the standard Android location (/system/media/audio/ui/camera\_clicker.ogg) so most guides haven't worked for me.

First, make your / read-write. In ADB, go into shell then type "cat /proc/mounts", find the line where "/" is the second column, and remember the first column which in my case is "rootfs". In ADB do "mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 rootfs /"

Now you need to edit the root default.prop (that is, "/default.prop"). In ADB: "cp /default.prop /sdcard/default.prop". Copy it from your SD card to your computer (Samsung Kies is the easier way). Add the line "ro.camera.sound.forced=0" and save. Put the edited file back onto your sdcard with the same name. Now "cat /sdcard/default.prop \> /default.prop"

Restart your phone. Open the camera app. Taking photos and videos should now be silent.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Just go to sounds and set volume to 0 for system
> -3 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, audio, camera, boot
---


# Question
Title: How can I disable Phone, SMS, Market and 3G functionality from Android?
I am trying to convert my old Motorola Droid (running CyanogenMod 7) into a device my kids can use without me worrying about them making phone calls or downloading apps I don't know of. My needs are:

1. Disable / uninstall the ability to make phone calls
2. Disable / uninstall the ability to send text messages
3. Disable / uninstall cellular data connectivity (should only be able to work on wifi)
4. Password protect the Market

Is there a ROM out there that already has this, or some pointers on how I can do this myself on Cyanogen?

# Answer
> 6 votes
Re: 1,2,3

Removing SIM card is the safest option, but you could try enabling modified airplane mode in the system settings : http://developer.android.com/reference/android/provider/Settings.System.html

in *adb shell* you could try :

```
su
sqlite3 data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db
insert into system (name,value) values('airplane_mode_on',1);
insert into system (name,value) values('airplane_mode_radios','cell');
.exit
reboot

```

Re.4

Have you tried apps like https://market.android.com/details?id=com.vlobe.smartappcloud.android.parentalcontrol

You could also remove the Market app completely and only install apks via *adb*.

# Answer
> 4 votes
Why don't you simply remove the SIM module from that phone? Android can work well without SIM.

The only thing that you miss is the ability to protect the market (or any other apps) with a password. One of the following apps could help you achieve the desired result:

# Answer
> 1 votes
You could flash an incorrect baseband into the phone. It will knock out the phone radio part completely until a correct baseband is flashed. At least this is true on my Verizon Droid (Sholes).

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, motorola-droid
---


# Question
Title: Share (through share menu) directly to own email address
I often send over images etc to my own email for forwarding or printing or what ever.

Problem is I have many contacts, and I have to type quite a bit to find my own email address.

I would really like to have a share-menu option that says "Share to \[specific email address\]".

Is there any application that provides such option??

# Answer
> 4 votes
The following is a solution that will work if you are sharing images from the browser. This won't work in the gallery though. Unfortunately I'm not aware of any custom share apps that add to the Gallery's share menu.

**Install Bookmarklet Free** (it allows you to add services to the "Share" menu, including custom ones).

To make a custom "Mail to yourself" bookmarklet just open the app and create a custom bookmarklet that has the following for the Starting URL:

```
https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=YOUR@EMAIL.COM&su=SUBJECT

```

Replace YOUR@EMAIL.COM with the email you want to default send to and replace SUBJECT with the subject. Leave the rest of the fields alone.

Now in the browser if you are looking at an image you can long click it and choose share and choose your custom bookmarklet.

# Answer
> 2 votes
The Autoshare app in the Android Market can do this.

* Once this app is set up, **it is 100% non-interactive** — you do NOT have to edit the email or click a "Send" button. Everything gets filled out and sent in the background. This is a major benefit!
* However, the app requires you to set up an email server/password/userid to do that. With Gmail it was a breeze to set up. I don't think this app uses the Gmmail app — it connects straight to Google's SMTP server.

---
Tags: contacts, share-menu
---


# Question
Title: AC-USB Charging Device Makes Sounds when Device Fully Charged
This might not be the right place to ask this question, as it falls under the purview of electronics, however that SE is not about consumer electronics. And this phenomena has only happened with Android devices, at least with the Droid 1 and Droid 3. So Android is where I stuck it. Sorry if that's wrong :(

This has happened with both the MicroUSB-to-USB (with AC adapter attachment) OEM wall charger and MicroUSB-to-AC-only wall charger.

Basically, when my phone is charging, the AC plug is completely quiet, but once my phone hits 100%, sporadically the plug portion of the charging apparatus will begin to make squealing noises. It stops once I unplug the phone and will begin again if I were to re-plug it in immediately.

Here's the thing, two other people I've asked cannot hear it. I promise you I am not going crazy and imagining things -- but I have been known to have very sensitive hearing -- hearing buzzing from old TVs and monitors and so forth.

My question, mostly out of curiosity, **why is this happening** and **how can I get it to stop**, as it is rather irritating.

This issue seems unique to my old Droid 1 and Droid 3. My laptop or similar high-power chargable device does not suffer from this issue.

# Answer
> 7 votes
See this very good answer on Electronics SE for details. Basically it's a side effect of the charger circuitry operation - it's by design, you can't change it. If that disturbs you - either find another charger, or bring this one further from you, don't try to silence it with an enclosure - that may lead to overheating.

---
Tags: battery, charging, motorola-droid-3
---


# Question
Title: How can I get Tasker to set my Google Chat Status?
I'd like my Google Chat status to update by task; specifically '@Work' and '@Home', on the obvious criteria. Is there a plugin or script that will allow me to set the status in a task? With additional work, could I do it via something like SL4A and trigger it from Tasker? I'd prefer to avoid a graft like this as a plugin would be more efficient, but it's better than nothing.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I found a plugin! When I first looked, I didn't realize Locale plugins were compatible with Tasker. The plugin is called "Locale GTalk Plug-in" by Billy Francisco. I have a Galaxy Nexus with ICS, and it appears to be working fine; my status was set properly by a Task.

There is a nearly identically named app, "Locale GTalk Plug-in Free" by Willem Stoker; reviews warned it includes Air Push advertising, so I did not install or test it.

---
Tags: tasker
---


# Question
Title: 2.3.6 update for Samsung Galaxy S 2 GT-I9100
does anybody know how to download the officially released rom from Samsung? I can't see it in the web site and kies does not donwload anything, currently I am using the 2.3.4 updated a while ago. I have the phone in Switzerland (Zurich) and my Phone operator is Sunrise. Thanks!

# Answer
Samsung's Kies software is the official way to download and install updates. These updates are released on different dates for different countries and networks and some countries/networks don't have all updates. It may be that your network hasn't tested and certified the update yet, or they might not be releasing this version at all.

This page lists most of the official updates available via Kies for the Galaxy S2 I9100 phone:

Samsung Galaxy S2 Firmware Updates via Kies Official Releases compiled list (2012) | Android Stock ROM BlogPost
> 3 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2
---


title: How to enable a disabled app

text:
# Question
Title: How to enable a disabled app
I recently disabled a default app (Google+, using `Settings -> Apps -> Google+ -> Disable`) on my phone. Is there a way to enable it again?

# Answer
The same way.

`Settings | Apps | (app) | Enable`

Disabled apps automatically sort to the **bottom** of the app list.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich
---


# Question
Title: Android-adapted BusyBox binary for rooted phone
I would like to place a place BusyBox on my rooted Android phone, and I would like to have a version that has "sh" as an alias for "ash" so that I can replace the standard */system/bin/sh* with a symlink to *busybox*. Also, I'd be nice to have it always read in */system/etc/profile*.

Of course, I could just compile BusyBox myself, but I feel there should be a "default" BusyBox binary for Android that does all that. Is there?

# Answer
> 1 votes
There is busybox installer program in Market. Also good rooting programs may install busybox themselves.

You can install it manually into /system/xdev/ (with necessary symbolic links)

Here is one I have:

```
/system/xbin # md5sum busybox
26d429e0541c42684225a880dc331053  busybox
/system/xbin # ./busybox
BusyBox v1.19.0 (2011-08-14 23:46:58 CDT) multi-call binary.
Copyright (C) 1998-2011 Erik Andersen, Rob Landley, Denys Vlasenko
and others. Licensed under GPLv2.
See source distribution for full notice.

Usage: busybox [function] [arguments]...
   or: busybox --list[-full]
   or: function [arguments]...

    BusyBox is a multi-call binary that combines many common Unix
    utilities into a single executable.  Most people will create a
    link to busybox for each function they wish to use and BusyBox
    will act like whatever it was invoked as.

Currently defined functions:
    [, [[, acpid, add-shell, addgroup, adduser, adjtimex, arp, arping, ash, awk, base64, basename, beep, blkid,
    blockdev, bootchartd, brctl, bunzip2, bzcat, bzip2, cal, cat, catv, chat, chattr, chgrp, chmod, chown, chpasswd,
    chpst, chroot, chrt, chvt, cksum, clear, cmp, comm, cp, cpio, crond, crontab, cryptpw, cttyhack, cut, date, dc, dd,
    deallocvt, delgroup, deluser, depmod, devmem, df, dhcprelay, diff, dirname, dmesg, dnsd, dnsdomainname, dos2unix,
    du, dumpkmap, dumpleases, echo, ed, egrep, eject, env, envdir, envuidgid, ether-wake, expand, expr, fakeidentd,
    false, fbset, fbsplash, fdflush, fdformat, fdisk, fgconsole, fgrep, find, findfs, flock, fold, free, freeramdisk,
    fsck, fsck.minix, fsync, ftpd, ftpget, ftpput, fuser, getopt, getty, grep, groups, gunzip, gzip, halt, hd, hdparm,
    head, hexdump, hostid, hostname, httpd, hush, hwclock, id, ifconfig, ifdown, ifenslave, ifplugd, ifup, inetd, init,
    insmod, install, ionice, iostat, ip, ipaddr, ipcalc, ipcrm, ipcs, iplink, iproute, iprule, iptunnel, kbd_mode, kill,
    killall, killall5, klogd, last, less, linux32, linux64, linuxrc, ln, loadfont, loadkmap, logger, login, logname,
    logread, losetup, lpd, lpq, lpr, ls, lsattr, lsmod, lspci, lsusb, lzcat, lzma, lzop, lzopcat, makedevs, makemime,
    man, md5sum, mdev, mesg, microcom, mkdir, mkdosfs, mke2fs, mkfifo, mkfs.ext2, mkfs.minix, mkfs.vfat, mknod,
    mkpasswd, mkswap, mktemp, modinfo, modprobe, more, mount, mountpoint, mpstat, mt, mv, nameif, nbd-client, nc,
    netstat, nice, nmeter, nohup, nslookup, ntpd, od, openvt, passwd, patch, pgrep, pidof, ping, ping6, pipe_progress,
    pivot_root, pkill, pmap, popmaildir, poweroff, powertop, printenv, printf, ps, pscan, pstree, pwd, pwdx,
    raidautorun, rdate, rdev, readahead, readlink, readprofile, realpath, reboot, reformime, remove-shell, renice,
    reset, resize, rev, rm, rmdir, rmmod, route, rpm, rpm2cpio, rtcwake, run-parts, runlevel, runsv, runsvdir, rx,
    script, scriptreplay, sed, sendmail, seq, setarch, setconsole, setfont, setkeycodes, setlogcons, setserial, setsid,
    setuidgid, sh, sha1sum, sha256sum, sha512sum, showkey, slattach, sleep, smemcap, softlimit, sort, split,
    start-stop-daemon, stat, strings, stty, su, sulogin, sum, sv, svlogd, swapoff, swapon, switch_root, sync, sysctl,
    syslogd, tac, tail, tar, tcpsvd, tee, telnet, telnetd, test, tftp, tftpd, time, timeout, top, touch, tr, traceroute,
    traceroute6, true, tty, ttysize, tunctl, ubiattach, ubidetach, ubimkvol, ubirmvol, ubirsvol, ubiupdatevol, udhcpc,
    udhcpd, udpsvd, umount, uname, unexpand, uniq, unix2dos, unlzma, unlzop, unxz, unzip, uptime, users, usleep,
    uudecode, uuencode, vconfig, vi, vlock, volname, wall, watch, watchdog, wc, wget, which, who, whoami, whois, xargs,
    xz, xzcat, yes, zcat, zcip
/system/xbin # ls -l | grep busybox | wc -l
348

```

---
Tags: shell, busybox
---


# Question
Title: Is there a PDF reader app for the Kindle Fire with Dropbox syncing?
Are there any apps for reading PDFs on the Kindle Fire that sync with Dropbox? (Ideally I'm looking for an app comparable to the excellent GoodReader for iOS.)

Note: Dropbox does not have an app in the Amazon Appstore.

# Answer
> 3 votes
If you allow non-Appstore apps to be installed in your device, you can install Dropbox from their website.

To do that,

* Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the Kindle Fire home screen to activate the Settings window
* Click More
* Scroll down to Device
* Scroll down to ‘Allow Installation of Applications from Unknown Sources’ and move the slider from ‘Off’ to ‘On’ and confirm the selection

Then head to Dropbox's site and download the apk from their site (NB: since this is not attached to a market, you will not be notified of updates): http://www.dropbox.com/android

Once that's installed, you should be able to use any PDF app that's installed on the Fire. ***{Begin biased statement}*** I'm partial to my company's own qPDF Notes and we have some nifty UI enhancements coming along shortly but ***{end biased statement}*** there are a number of other apps that will read PDFs on the Fire and, assuming they've set up their Intents (that handy little window that pops up in one app when you want to Send or Open or Share something in another app) properly, you should be able to click on a PDF from within Dropbox and open in the app of your choice and click Send from the app of your choice and save it to Dropbox.

---
Tags: pdf, amazon-kindle-fire, ebook-reader, dropbox
---


title: Message application deleted

text:
# Question
Title: Message application deleted
A friend just rooted (don't know if it is the correct word) my Galaxy 551 and some of the applications he deleted, Orkut, some games, etc, he also deleted the Message application.

I can't send or receive messages, the icon com menu has disappeared.

How can I get it back? Samsung Galaxy 551 with Android 2.2

Thanks in advance

# Answer
See if your friend created a backup of your phone - that's a suggested step in lots of root instructions, and it is possible he did this so you can just re-add the missing application.

Assuming this wasn't done though, you may want to just start over. The following webpage has information on using ODIN (Samsung service application) to restore the original software to your phone. It looks like it covers all the regional variants, you'll need to read carefully to find the applicable software and process for your region. If you provide more regional information, I'll see if I can find more precise steps.

https://galaxy551.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/the-stock-rom-and-odin-thread/

UPDATE:

I don't speak the language and the Google translate is very sloppy - so I may be misunderstanding this thread. Hopefully you speak the language.

For a Brazilian phone, this forum thread has steps for installing a rooted stock 2.3.4 update (sounds like a prerelease leak of an official ROM, which are common to Samsung devices) and reply #8 in the thread also gives steps for installing the 2.2 version that you have installed right now.

Update #2:

Since I started replying, that forum stopped responding. Hopefully just a temporary glitch, but just in case, here's another page I found that includes links to download the Brazilian software.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-5
---


# Question
Title: Using an Archos 3G modem with an Acer Iconia tab (Android Honeycomb)
I've recently purchased an Acer Iconia tablet with Android 3.1. Then I adquired an Archos G9 3G USB modem, with the intention of having internet connection on my tablet when not around a wifi (90% of the time for me, sadly). I *thought* using it would be simple, like with a PC: insert the USB modem on the tablet, it recognises it, asks me some questions to configure it and so on.

But no, when I insert the USB modem on my tablet it does **absolutely nothing**. I've searched on the net for instructions about this but haven't found any. Is this USB modem intended for using **only** with Archos tablets? Anyone on my situation?

# Answer
It's plug-and-play on your PC because the industry has an established standard for driver infrastructure in Windows & OSX. Android isn't as friendly to 3rd party drivers. There's some limited success reported with specific models of 3g dongle - you may need to switch devices. Here's a partial list from XDA:

> * ZTE MF 639 (might need roaming enabled to get data working)
> * Vodafone K3765-H
> * Vodafone K3715
> * Vodafone K3565 / Huawei E160
> * Huawei E169
> * Huawai E170
> * Huawai E171
> * Huawei E173
> * Huawei E1550
> * Huawei E1692
> * Huawei E1750
> * Huawei E1752
> * Huawei E1820
> * HUAWEI K3520
> * HUAWEI K3565 -Rev 2
> 2 votes

---
Tags: usb, 3g, acer-iconia-a500
---


# Question
Title: After wipe Apps are still shown as installed on Android's Web Market. How can I install them?
I accidentally formatted my phone. Now, when I login to my google account it doesn't install my new apps. When I login through internet, it shows in "My Library" that those apps are installed, but they are not. What should I do?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Simplest thing is to open each app (even if it says "Installed") and install each one.

---
Tags: google-play-store
---


# Question
Title: htc wildfire s after update to 2.3.5 - cannot install any app
After updating my wildfire s phone to android version 2.3.5 I cannot install any application or update existing ones. Downloading icon appears for 1 sec and instantly disappears - for some reason apps wont download.

Friend of mine has very same problem with his wildfire s, so it looks like not an accident with my phone but real reproducable issue.

Does anyone managed to fix it without factory data reset?

Thanks

# Answer
> 4 votes
I had the same problem, tried cleaning cache and data with no result.

So I went in settings \> applications \> manage apps \> all, picked the download manager and "uninstalled the updates". It told me the app would reset to factory settings, and when I started the phone again, it was running marketplace 3.4.4 and I managed to update and install apps normally after that.

Disclaimer: I only tried that because I planed to do a factory reset if I broke everything. I don't guarantee the results.

---
Tags: updates, bugs, htc-wildfire-s
---


# Question
Title: Is there any limit on number of devices you can install Apps on from Amazon App Store?
I recently started using the Amazon App store, and noticed that it copies the apps I already purchased or downloaded to other Android devices if I sign in using the same account. Is there any specified limit on the number of devices that this is supported on? If I have 10 Android devices can I buy an app once and install it on all of them?

# Answer
**Yes**, you can install all the apps you buy from the Amazon appstore on any device which is linked to that Amazon account. It operates just like paid apps in the Android Market which are available to all the devices associated with that particular Google Account.

I have 3 Android devices and all they are all linked to the same Amazon account and the same Google account and when I purchase an app through the Market or the Appstore I have it on all three devices.
> 7 votes

# Answer
The max is 25. It'll tell you that your username or password is wrong if you try to auth any more. Though it's pretty easy de-authing them from the amazon website

Found a source: http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-1315474.html
> 5 votes

# Answer
Applications purchased are tied to your Amazon account. You can also tie multiple devices to your Amazon account. However, every device must have the Amazon Appstore app installed on it and must be logged in to access the apps installed via the Amazon Appstore, which would give anyone with any of these devices the ability to purchase additional apps using your Amazon account and it's payment information. So, as the Amazon help describes it, it does look like it's possible. However, it also looks like a really bad idea unless you absolutely trust everyone who has each of these 10 devices.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: amazon-appstore
---


# Question
Title: Samsung apps cannot be run. Please try again later
I'm using Kies to connect my 'Samsung Galaxy Ace' in my PC. All the options like Music,Photos,Videos and Podcasts working fine. But when I click on Samsung Apps under Store option, its showing an error "Samsung apps cannot be run. Please try again later". Could you help me to resolve this problem...?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Do you have a Samsung Apps icon on your phone? Have you tried using that one?

It's been a little while since I've used Kies, but it is used for all of Samsung's phones, not just the Android ones. The Samsung Apps icon in Kies only used to list Bada compatible apps, not Android ones, you needed to use the Samsung Apps icon on your phone to get the Android ones.

Edit: Just realised that this question has come up before, for the Galaxy S: Why do Samsung Apps not support the Galaxy S? though that question is from a year ago, so things may have changed since then

# Answer
> -1 votes
Try to re-install the Kies on your PC.And try it once again because i had the same problem and i got it back by this way.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-ace, samsung-kies
---


title: What to check when buying a used device

text:
# Question
Title: What to check when buying a used device
I'm thinking about buying a used Android device and I want to know what should I check on the device before I buy it?

Is there an app or something that does some sort of testing on the phone?

Are there any problematic parts that I should check?

# Answer
Don't forget to check for water damage.

> Every phone that is sold by a reputable retailer (T-Mobile, Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, etc.) should contain a tiny indicator that clearly shows if water has attacked your phone. This little item is typically called the **liquid damage indicator**, or LDI for short. In almost every case, **a red or pink indicator means that there is water damage. A white indicator means that there is no water damage**.

Here is the detail.
> 8 votes

# Answer
You also might want to check with Voodoo CarrierIQ detector if this device is clean. Besides, I also bought a used one and when you manage to reset it you should be fine. Type \*2767\*3855# for this if the password is no longer available. If your password for resetting is still available (e.g. if the previous owner knows it) there is no need for this combination obviously.
> 6 votes

# Answer
The other answers cover some device specific things to check for, or fixable software issues. I'd take a different approach - check the hardware basics (screen, audio, buttons) and equally important - get on the phone with your carrier before buying to make sure the device can be activated - not blacklisted as lost/stolen, for instance.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Some Samsung Galaxy S2 units that have outdated firmwares may have yellow tints on the LCD. This is not a sign for alarm; just upgrade the firmware and everything will be fine. In case the yellow tint is still there after a firmware upgrade, consult with Samsung Service Center to have it checked or replaced. (Yellow tint: Samsung Galaxy S2 - Screen Problems)

Pink camera spots were an issue too, but seems to have been fixed by firmware upgrades. Again, check with Samsung if it cannot be fixed by firmware upgrade.

I guess the only thing you need to check is if the basics works - camera, radio, 3g, wifi, sms, bluetooth, etc. (Camera spot: Samsung Galaxy S2 Camera Pink Spot Problem)
> 3 votes

---
Tags: hardware
---


# Question
Title: How do you remove a custom word from SlideIT?
How do you remove a custom word from SlideIT?

(hint: the `User dictionary` list in `Language & keyboard settings`, is, quite obviously, not the answer)

# Answer
> 1 votes
Check this video.

> To remove a word press on **-** sign.

---
Tags: dictionary
---


# Question
Title: Use Transformer Prime instead of virtual emulator
I am thinking about buying the Asus Transformer Prime, to start developing on android. Currently I am borrowing a Motorola Xoom to develop, and that has a Micro USB port, that I can plug into, and use it to debug my apps. From what I can tell the Asus Transformer Prime does not have such a port. Can I even use this as my debugging device, or would I be making a $500 mistake?

# Answer
> 3 votes
The Prime uses a proprietary cable, but it supports a USB connection to a computer via that cable (which you can see in this image from Engadget which I posted in another question). The fact that the connector isn't a micro USB port has no bearing on whether or not you can connect over USB (see: every Samsung tablet).

---
Tags: asus-eee-pad-transformer, usb-debugging
---


# Question
Title: How to Set 'Play' Button Behavior on Bluetooth Remote
I have a RocketFish Bluetooth headset paired with my MotoDROID v1 (Froyo). The BT headphones have multimedia controls (volume up/down, next track, previous track, play/pause) and a button to trigger voice dialing. I have it paired both on the handsfree headset profile and the advanced audio profile.

When I click the play button on my headphones, the behavior is unpredictable. I might have the Music app up, but clicking play will cause Listen to launch and begin playing a podcast. I might have Listen in the foreground, but clicking play will cause the Music player to start playing from a playlist. Other times, the play button will behave as expected and cause the app in the foreground to play.

Is there any way (outside of rooting my device) that I can indicate which app should be acting on these button presses?

# Answer
Normaly the developer can set which button do which action. So it is different from app to app.
The only way is, sorry, rooting and remap your headset buttons.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: bluetooth, music, audio
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to use the Kindle Fire's browser in a full screen mode?
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?

# Answer
> 2 votes
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.

---
Tags: browser, amazon-kindle-fire
---


title: Samsung Galaxy 3 incoming call problem

text:
# Question
Title: Samsung Galaxy 3 incoming call problem
Most of the time I receive incoming calls for few seconds, then it shows as missed call while my caller listens full ring, leading them to thinking that I didn't pickup the call. I checked all the settings but couldn't find anything. This happens especially when I connect 'vodafone' sim card. I didn't have this problem with other sim cards. My handset is Samsung Galaxy 3 (GT-I5801).

# Answer
remove true caller or similar app from ur cell, restart the phone it will be ok...tried my self.
> -3 votes

---
Tags: calls, samsung-galaxy-apollo
---


title: What is the ODIN tool?

text:
# Question
Title: What is the ODIN tool?
Recently, I've been learning about rooting/flashing android devices and I often come across web-pages mentioning "ODIN".

From my common sense, I've come to realise that it is some sort of Windows GUI software that helps you in flashing/tweaking android devices.

However, my concern is that wherever it is talked about, it is only provided as a downloadable *binary blob* .exe file hosted on third party file hosting services. Which raises concerns over trustworthiness of that downloadable file.

So my questions are - What is ODIN? What is the canonical website? Is it open source? If yes then, what is the canonical URL for repository?

# Answer
Odin is an internal Samsung tool used for flashing firmware to their devices (via Download mode, bypassing recovery etc.). Importantly, it also has the ability to repartition the device storage based on a .pit file, which can save you from softbricking (when flashing goes wrong and recovery/the bootloader fail). It is not open source and to my knowledge they have not intentionally released it — a few versions have been leaked. For what it's worth, I have used the version posted here without issue.

Heimdall, however, is open source and duplicates the functionality of Odin. It claims to be more reliable as well, in addition to being cross-platform (Odin is Windows-only).

Both tools appear to work best with Galaxy S devices, so if you're using another device you probably want to ensure someone else has tried it and succeeded. Another note is that they use .tar packages layed out differently than the normal update.zip format used by recovery and OTAs, so you need to get the proper package for it to work.
> 29 votes

---
Tags: odin
---


# Question
Title: How can I disable root on a modded device?
Is it possible to *disable* root access to applications on an Android device again after installing modded firmware?

I would like to try Cyanogen or one of the other custom ROMs, but I'm wondering whether that poses a security risk. Do all installed applications get root access automatically, or can that be disabled?

I want to keep the Android security model the way it is or at least for applications to ask for my permission before they can access sensitive data.

# Answer
> 6 votes
If you install SuperUser you can control which apps are allowed root access. By default it blocks all requests and asks you what you want to do. You can give an app access indefinitely and revoke it at any time, or allow only specific requests with a timeout. Most rooted ROMs come with it pre-installed, including CyanogenMOD, and many rooting methods will install it for you as well.

As an alternative, you could remove the `su` binary and Busybox from your device to effectively un-root it.

---
Tags: security, custom-roms, root-access
---


title: Updating my Nexus S from 2.3.6 to 4.0.3

text:
# Question
Title: Updating my Nexus S from 2.3.6 to 4.0.3
I have an unlocked GSM Nexus S I bought from a friend. I'm currently running version 2.3.6 (which was pre-loaded on the phone). I really like the way Ice Cream Sandwich looks, so I would like to upgrade to 4.0.3.

I've looked around for tutorials and it seems I'm going to have to root my device and install a ROM. However, I can't seem to find an ICS (4.0.3) download from any reputable sources. They all seem to be hosted independently by users. Is there a place I can download the update from Google/Android directly?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Google hosts their flagship device OTAs online, fortunately, under the codename *crespo* for the Nexus S. Some searching along those line resulted in this Android Police post (affiliate links removed):

> Well, that didn't take long. Here are the instructions to \[get\] your Nexus S rocking ICS right now. **Do not try this on the CDMA Nexus S!**
>
> * Download the OTA Package
>     + Rename it to update.zip
>     + Copy it to the root of the internal storage
>     + Power off the device, hold Volume Up and Power to reboot into the bootloader
>     + Select "recovery," then hit the power button
>     + Once the warning triangle appears, hold the power button and hit volume up
>     + Select "apply update from /sdcard" and choose the update.zip
>     + Once the process is finished, simply choose "reboot system now"
>
> Once it reboots, BAM! You've got ICS. Congratulations!

The link there is `http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/google_crespo/VQ8PQk_V.zip`. Koush notes that this is for the T-Mobile version, the i9020T. From dottech.org:

> There are unofficial reports that the update works for i9023 (the Super LCD version of Nexus S); and can work for i9020A (the AT&T/Telus/Koodo Nexus S) by flashing compatible radio files. If you are a brazen fellow you can attempt to update your i9023/i9020A with the T-Mobile ICS package but be warned: You might get a brick.

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, 2.3-gingerbread, updates, samsung-nexus-s
---


# Question
Title: How do I disconnect Bluetooth headset while in call
Does anyone know how to disconnect from a Bluetooth headset/handsfree device while in a call? Sometimes when I'm getting into my car while on a call, the handsfree in the car will take over the call before I'm ready to hand the call off. I've been turning off the Bluetooth to take the call back, but that is cumbersome, my palm phone before had an option on the call screen whenever on a call with Bluetooth to simply disconnect the hands free device.

# Answer
Depending on your phone (please update your question with your specific model), the call screen does have an option to turn off Bluetooth. That will turn off Bluetooth Audio Routing for just that current call (and conference calls made while that one is active/on hold).

I've only used CyanogenMod; CM6 & CM7 both have this option on the call screen. If your phone's UI has been customized by the vendor, it may have been removed.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: bluetooth, hands-free
---


title: Show when roaming Ice Cream Sandwich

text:
# Question
Title: Show when roaming Ice Cream Sandwich
Gingerbread showed a little R in the "signal strength bars" when roaming.

Ice cream sandwich *does not* notify me when my phone is roaming (it just shows number of bars, but *no R*). I want the phone to notify me when I'm roaming.

# Answer
On which Phone are you using ICS?
I'am using ICS on an Galaxy S GT-I9000 (Teamhacksung Rom) and it showed me the R in the Signal Strength Bars.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Are you possibly using "domestic" roaming, i.e. using another network in the same country as your home provider? Android changed the behavior of the roaming indicator somewhat, so that it doesn't count domestic roaming as real roaming anymore.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: roaming
---


# Question
Title: How to change Gmail sync frequency in ICS?
I am using a stock Nexus S that has been upgraded to ICS 4.0.3. I have noticed that Gmail syncs far less frequently since the upgrade - at the moment it appears to be syncing approximately every 8 hours.

I cannot seem to find the menu screen that allows me to configure the frequency of the the sync.

`Settings > Accounts & Sync` gives me access to switch on or off syncing and would seem to be the logical place for this functionality to live, but I cannot see anything that lets me control frequency.

Similarly there appears to be no settings around this within the Gmail app itself.

Am I being blind or is this functionality no longer available?

# Answer
If you use the Gmail app the mail is pushed instead of synced and therefore you cannot find the sync frequency setup.

However, if you set up your Gmail account in the Android Email app, where you can have your non Gmail accounts (POP3/IMAP/Exchange), the mail is synced and you can set the frequency in the Account settings, inside the Email app.
> 5 votes

# Answer
You can only set how much E-mails are synced in the GMail settings.
Goto Gmail \> labels \> organize labels \> click on the label you edit want.
Now you have tree options, 4day, all or nothing. If you choose 4 days, GMail downloads the E-Mails of the last 4 days, if you choose all, all Mails were downloaded and nothing say what its doing.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, sync, gmail
---


# Question
Title: Why do single apps override launcher setting to not show statusbar and how to avoid this?
Using GO LAUNCHER EX I disabled statusbar, but when starting Firefox the statusbar shows up again, dolpin hd doesn't csuse this behavior. Is there any hack or app to generally not show the statusbar?

# Answer
Sorry, but you cant prevent this.
The developer can set in the AndroidManifest.xml if the Activity (the screen you see) hide the statusbar or not. This is the setting, if you are interested in: `@android:style/Theme.NoTitleBar`
> 2 votes

---
Tags: settings, launcher
---


title: Change own phone number in ICS

text:
# Question
Title: Change own phone number in ICS
I've change the SIM in my Galaxy-Nexus-S. Under `Settings -> About phone -> Status` there still is the old phone number and I cannot manage to change it.

I've seen this answer which is outdated. The menu option `Own numbers` discribed in the answer is not there in ICS.

The navigation terms might be called differently, as I manually translated the names from German.

# Answer
> 1 votes
In previous versions of Android (mine is 2.3.7) you can set this setting in the *Additional call settings*. In Android 4.0 the Additional call settings screen is located here:

Open the **Phone** app -\> \[Menu\] -\> **Settings** -\> **Additional settings**.

I have not verified this on a physical device yet.

# Answer
> -1 votes
You need to reprogram the phone. Dial ##786# on the dial pad and then hit view. You may need your MSL to be able to change the phone number.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Have you tried just a factory reset? Sounds like you got a new phone, right? Any opposition to just wiping and starting fresh? I would think that would do it.

---
Tags: samsung-nexus-s, 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich
---


# Question
Title: apps(tasks) restarting even after killing them
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Do I really need to install a task manager?
> apps automatically starting?
> How can I stop applications and services from running?

I have some apps running in background using cpu all the time and draining my batery. I want to stop them.

I have a latest `task manager` to kill the background tasks but BUT some of the tasks(apps) are restarting even after killing them, WHY ?

Is there any way to permanently kill a particular task ?

# Answer
No, these tasks are services.
And I think the developer starts the service `START_STICKY` which means, the service get every time restored if killed (normaly not through a taskmanager, only on low memory).
I would suggest you, to remove the task manager. Android is not designed, that the tasks get killed.
If Android need memory, the system frees the ram on it own.
> 2 votes

# Answer
In addition to Leandros' answer, if you want to prevent these services from running the only real option is to uninstall the app that owns them. For system apps you'll need root, and to be careful not to remove something that's needed by the system.

Autostarts can edit which apps receive which events — some apps start based on your network connectivity and so on — but services designed to run constantly can't be changed this way.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: task-management
---


title: How do I root a Huawei X3?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I root a Huawei X3?
I have a Huawei X3 (U8510) which I've purchased for testing Android applications I'm developing. I'd like to root this, but as I've not had any experience with rooting Android handsets, its something I'm approaching with some caution.

What is the recommended way to root the X3? I've found mention of a Windows app called SuperOneClick, which looks like it may be useful. My development machine is a Mac, but I'm not adverse to using Windows apps to do this if its easier.

# Answer
Full rooting instructions for Huawei IDEOS X3 (U8510) are posted on this thread over at XDA:

> 1. Download the Automatic Root Enabler for the X3. For more recent versions I suggest checking original thread and the forum it's in as I may not be able to update this thread all the time.
> 2. Install the latest USB drivers for the X3. Search for the latest version of "HUAWEI Android Phones USB Driver" from the Huawei Downloads site.
> 3. Turn on USB Debugging from Settings -\> Application -\> Development on the X3.
> 4. Connect the X3 to your PC via microUSB.
> 5. Run the Automatic Root Enabler and it should start rooting your phone automatically.
> 6 votes

# Answer
I found this really good tutorial, but its german ... I translate:

1. prepare phone, go to settings \> apps and disable "fastboot".
2. shutdown phone, completely (if you want to be safe, remove battery and plug it in back)
3. Boot into fastboot mode (press and hold VolDown + Power)
4. plug usb to phone, windows will show up a new device. If the driver is not installed properly, install it via device manager (Download driver here). Now the device should show up as `Android Sooner Single ADB Interface`
5. Download this and navigate to `RecoveryClockmodByZaDkYn` and start `Instalador.bat`
6. Now open a command prompt, press any button. Now the progress is started. If its finished, press any button again.
7. Now you have ClockWorkMod installed, download this file, copy It to your sdcard. Boot into CWM, select `install zip from sdcard` and chose `chose zip from sdcard` select su.zip and press power to flash it (you can navigate in the cwm with volumeDown and Up)
> 3 votes

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Tags: rooting, huawei-u8150
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# Question
Title: How can I move apps to SD on my Samsung Galaxy Ace?
I want to move some apps to my SD card, and from Googling around I found that it's possible to do this if the device is rooted. How can I root my Samsung Galaxy Ace?

# Answer
Samsung Galaxy Ace runs at least Android version 2.2 and is upgradable to Gingerbread, so the device already has the possibility to move apps to the SD card. Though, not all apps support this. You can move an app to the SD card by navigating to *Settings -\> Applications -\> Manage applications* and click on the app you want to move. Then you click the button *Move to SD card*.

If you root your device you can move apps that doesn't support *App 2 SD*, as well (except for launchers and widgets which must be installed on internal storage). If you are running Android 2.2 you can use the desktop program Super One Click to root. If you are running 2.3 you can read a tutorial here.

Hope that helps!
> 2 votes

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-ace, app2sd
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# Question
Title: Where does "battery usage" app collect its data from?
The Battery Usage screen gives nice stats about which application has consumed how much battery. The stats are based on the time each process has kept the phone awake, the CPU time, etc. etc.

There are times that I want to get more details that possibly exist, but not shown in the UI. That's why I want to look at the source of the info, or possibly write an app to collect better stats. (maybe some files in the /proc file system?)

Originally, this is because I didn't get any answer on this question: How can I find out what causes "Android OS" to consume battery?

# Answer
I think you found a solution to your source problem. However your question went unanswered.

The information in the Battery Usage screen is found in

`/data/system/batterystats.bin`

https://plus.google.com/u/0/105051985738280261832/posts/FV3LVtdVxPT
> 1 votes

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Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, battery
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# Question
Title: Installing CyanogenMod on Newsmy NP-711 tablet
I have a Newsmy NP-711 Android 2.1 tablet (terrible device, cannot recommend it to anyone), and I would like to install CyanogenMod on it.

On their page, they only have downloads for specific phone and tablet models. Is there no "minimum-build" that might work for non-listed devices? And how would I go about installing it?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Nope. Mobile device drivers tend to be highly specific and there's no sort of defaults that will work across devices.

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Tags: cyanogenmod, hardware-requirements
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title: How do I set mp3s as ringtones on ICS?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I set mp3s as ringtones on ICS?
I just upgraded my Nexus-S to Ice Cream Sandwich, I can't find the option to set mp3s as ringtones for my contacts? what am I missing?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Go to the contact you want to add the ringtone to, press the menu button in the top right corner and select `Set ringtone`. The mp3 file has to be in the `/sdcard/Ringtones/` directory for the phone to find it.

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Tags: samsung-nexus-s, 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, ringtone
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# Question
Title: Stop automaticaly switching to 3g if wi-fi drops
I have an android 2.2 phone. The other day, I was using a wi-fi connection on my phone and had it tethered to my laptop. For whatever reason, the wi-fi connection dropped and my phone starting using my phones 3g connection to continue the internet connection tethered to my laptop...

Is it possible to stop this from happening? i.e. if the wireless connection drops, don't use the 3g connection automatically?

# Answer
> 5 votes
If you have no reason to why the wifi drops, you might try changing the wifi sleep policy. The wifi sleep policy handles when or if the wifi connection shall switch to mobile data. If this option is set to the default value, *When screen turns off*, wifi connection automatically switches off when the phone has been idle for a while. You can try setting this to *Never*, which will keep the connection on, even when the phone is not used.

To change this setting, navigate to **Settings** -\> **Wireless & networks** -\> **Wi-Fi settings** -\> \[Menu\] -\> **Advanced** -\> **Wi-Fi sleep policy**.

# Answer
> 5 votes
Turn off mobile data usage. Go to `Settings`-\>`Wireless and networks`-\>`Mobile network`(you should uncheck this). Some manufacturers may have a widget for this, such as HTC did for my Incredible(v1).

# Answer
> 4 votes
Try enabling airplane mode. It will shut down all the radios on your device - cell, wifi, bluetooth. Then try explicitly turning the wifi back on. Not all devices support this - driver issues, I think - but in many you will wind up with the cell radio disabled and the wifi on.

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, wi-fi, tethering, wifi-tethering, usb-tethering
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# Question
Title: Android App to read current time out loud?
I am looking for an Android app that would read out loud the current time. For example if I'm in bed and don't want to open my eyes, I would just press a button or something, and it would read "It is now six thirty four".

Does anyone know about an app that does that?

# Answer
There's a rather large number of Speaking Clock Apps in the Android Marketplace.

Specifically, the "Speaking Clock" app seems to do what you're after, and it's free.
> 2 votes

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Tags: text-to-speech
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# Question
Title: Does the default email app support IMAP?
Does the default email app in Android 2.2 support IMAP rather than just POP?

# Answer
Default email app on my G2 supports IMAP, including encryption. I personally use K-9, which is free.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Do you use GMail? Or the default "E-Mail App"? Which device you own (Samsung has another than stock google).
But I remember, that both of them support IMAP.
> 2 votes

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, email, imap
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