title: Apps can't connect to internet

text:
# Question
Title: Apps can't connect to internet
I have a connection problem with any app on Android 2.3.5. I can access the internet with the stock browser but any other app with full network permissions isn't able to connect to the internet. My handset is a Simvalley SPX-5.

Any ideas?

# Answer
You can try one of these steps to solve it.

* Is the problem recently? Have you ever used the phone when this all worked? Maybe then you can try to reset your phone. By setting your phone to the factory settings maybe some kind of glitch will be solved.
* If you've never used other applications on the internet before, and you are using the phone for some time now. Maybe you can try to contact the manufacturer of your device. They can maybe help you better. Because I think, in that case, there is probably something wrong with your phone.

PS: Are you sure you are correctly connected to the web? Maybe if you are using a cellular network, it can be very slow.. Also check this link.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: connection-issues, internet
---


title: Options for operating phone remotely

text:
# Question
Title: Options for operating phone remotely
For *Remote Desktop* functionality there is *Droid VNC Server*, other current better options? *Android Screencast* (Seems like something that was promising)?

I used to "Wi-Fi keyboards", but now with VNC its not so interesting, as I have to set the input-method on the phone. (i think "Remote Keyboard" app could be interesting if there are situations when VNC are difficult.

What about options for working directly with the phone, like desktop SMS applications?

I am thinking of any way of connecting (Bluetooth, USB, Wi-Fi....) with a rooted phone?

Primarily Windows Desktop (But many possibilities is always better)

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can hae a look at AirDroid for desktop SMS.

It works as a kind of web server on your phone, which means you have to access it from a secure web page (downside: works only inside the same WiFi network).

But next to smses you can do a lot more with it, but I recommend you have a look at it yourself.

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you have a Samsung Phone you can check out Teamviewer QuickSupport which lets you fully control your Phone.

There are also ways to use it with other Roms and Phones.

See: QuickSupport Mod

---
Tags: remote-control, remote-access, screencast
---


# Question
Title: Recover Google account password without unlinking/deleting the main account from android device
I forgot the password for my Google account and I want to recover it. This Google account happens to be the main Google account linked to my Android device.

When I try to use the Recovery options:

* A password reset link can only be sent if you haven't signed in for 4 days.
* Your security question can only be answered if you haven't signed in for 5 days.
* A third option where "I no longer have access to those above", it implies a very long password recovery process and **MAY** get the password again.

If I don't unlink this Google account from Android device, the device will continue to sign in to Google services. So, recovery options can't be used.

I don't want to reset my phone to unlink/delete the main Google account, wait 4-5 days and then get the password. This means I can't use my phone for this amount of time and may lose data.

How to get it without unlinking or deleting the Google account of my Google Nexus with Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean)?

# Answer
I am able to receive reset links despite having logged in today, yesterday and pretty much every day. However you should be able to access your account on your phone (as it will use your login details to sign in to chrome) then use that to add your phone number to your account. Then pick reset my password with my phone which will send an SMS to your phone.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-nexus, google-account, 4.2-jelly-bean, password
---


# Question
Title: Android Google map to provide alternative route
Google Map web version can provide 3 alternative routes when routing directions. However, it seems Android Google map can only provide 1 route and have no option to choose alternative routes. Is there any way to get the alternative routes?

# Answer
> 5 votes
To see alternate routes, you need to use Navigation as opposed to Maps.

If you already have Maps open, click the blue arrowhead in the upper right to switch to Navigation, then click the context button on your phone, then select `Route Info`, then click the third button to the right along the bottom which will have both a dashed and solid line going to a map pin. Alternate routes will appear, and you can select them along the top of the route info map.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I have observed that in navigation mode the routes displayed are from the current location and not between the two locations selected.

---
Tags: google-maps
---


title: searching emails in s3

text:
# Question
Title: searching emails in s3
I want to search for old emails/senders/subjects etc. in my samsung galaxy s3 email app. There doesn't seem to be a search function. Any ideas how to do this, or alternative mail apps which you can recommend? Thanks

# Answer
> 1 votes
On my Samsung Galaxy s3 I can hold down the menu button inside the built in mail app - This enables the search function.

You can search for

* All
* Title
* Sender
* Date
* Attachment
* Advanced (which is a combination of Title+Sender+Date)

# Answer
> 0 votes
Emoze has a search function which is much better than any other email app I've tried.

---
Tags: email, search
---


# Question
Title: g-mail app: download without an attachment
I have a Samsung Galaxy S2. I use GMail, and I am using the GMail app on this phone.

Is there a way to have emails downloaded to my phone *without* the attachments? So when I open the email I have the option to download the attachment, if I chose to? If not: is there another email client/app you would recommend?

# Answer
I have an SGS2 too. The GMail app never downloads your attachments automatically. You'll see a list of the attachments at the bottom of the email, with the *option* to download them. The attachments get downloaded (and the corresponding bandwidth used) only when you press download. You can already safely read the email without worrying about GMail using up your bandwidth.
> 2 votes

# Answer
I don't know about the GMail app (as I rarely use it). But for my normal mail via IMAP I use K-9 Mail, which lets me configure the size limit per mail to download (defaulting to 25kB AFAIR). Attachments are only loaded when you hit the button to tell the app you want it. You can also read your GMail mails with *K-9*, so both parts of your question are covered.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, email, gmail
---


# Question
Title: Unable to locate play store after flashing my android phone to CM7
I flashed my Samsung Galaxy I5510 with CM7. Everything was fine until I found that the Play Store was missing in the app drawer. I am unable to find it anywhere on the device.

I even tried installing an apk for Play Store but that didn't work.

Any help would be appreciated.

# Answer
You need to flash this Google Apps (GApps) from this site here.

Installing just one apk for Play store will not suffice and will fail as it has dependencies on other components that makes up GApps.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: applications, google-play-store, cyanogenmod, rom-flashing
---


# Question
Title: Can a Nexus 7 connect to an Android 2.2 Wi-Fi tethering access point?
I am considering buying a Nexus 7. I would like to occasionally be able to access the internet out and about, but don't want to pay 50% again to get the hspa+ version.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Europa I5500 (a.k.a Samsung Galaxy 5) which allows wi-fi (and USB) tethering to provide my laptop with internet. My question is: would a Nexus 7 16GB Wi-Fi be able to connect to the Android 2.2 access point created by my Galaxy Europa?

If this isn't possible, would USB tethering be an option still?

Thanks, Chris

# Answer
> 1 votes
I managed to get my hands on one to test this and Wi-Fi tethering between the two worked fine, no apps required.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Yes, that is how I occasionally browse on my Nexus 7. I use this app called as `OpenGarden` which has a very clean interface and uses VPN via Bluetooth to connect to your internet enabled open.

NOTE: You need OpenGarden on your phone too. Don't worry. It's a free app!

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, nexus-7, wifi-tethering, samsung-galaxy-5, usb-tethering
---


# Question
Title: How to extract SMS from an HTC One ICS SMS backup file?
I have an HTC One V and I backed up my SMS using the phone's messaging application (which is a part of the ICS stock ROM) to the SD card. The resulting backup is a file called SD\_20121221\_448193\_0 and stored in the SD card in /sms\_backup

After that, I updated to an unofficial Cyanogenmod 10 and I don't see any options in the messaging app that comes with CM10 to backup or restore SMS.

How do I restore my backed up messages? Alternatively, how do I extract them from that backup file or convert them into another format? (I tried opening the file using a text editor and it seems like a binary file, I also tried opening it using SQLite Browser but it says that it isn't a SQLite database. So, to be honest, I don't know the format of the file and it would be great if someone can at least tell me what format is this file supposed to be...)

# Answer
As we checked out on chat, the file was not (as originally expected) some compressed XML in any known format -- so there seems to be no easy way to read the contents of that file. Which leaves you with a few options:

1. re-flash the stock image to your device, import the backup, then use a good backup app like SMS Backup & Restore to back up your SMS. After that, flash back your current ROM, and import with the same app.
This should always work (and did in the OP's case), but means a bit of effort as one has to flash the device at least two more times (to stock, and back to current). Before doing this, consider making a backup if you already put some customization/configuration work into your current ROM.
2. Similar: Use an Android Emulator (the one from the SDK, or Jar of Beans), load the same Android version you had on your device before, import the backup, and use one of the mentioned apps to export it from the Emulator, as well as to import it on your device.
**Note:** this might only work for "Plain Vanilla Android", as the emulator will most likely not support device-specific (or manufactur-specific) stuff. Unless there's an emulator around supporting device-specific images, of course. In the OP's case it did *not* work, as the app in question was bound to HTC's Sense stuff.

Unfortunately we've been unable to determine the file format used. For completeness, one other thing we tried:

If a complete Nandroid backup is available, the SMS database can be found in `/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db` and explored using any SQLite frontend (recommendation for a graphical one: SQLiteman). Unfortunately, in this case the database was empty due to the wipe occuring when unlocking the device.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, cyanogenmod, sms, htc-one-v
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to use android phone as bluetooth headset for ps3?
Does anyone know how to use the android phone as a bluetooth headset so that i can use it as a mic while playing several games (COD) for example.

I'm using Ice Cream Sandwich and i have a Galaxy Vibrant. I don't want to buy a bluetooth headset so i'm simply looking to use my phone as an intermediate adapter. I can connect my wired headphones which has a mic attached to it.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Thanks to an app that turns an Android phone into a more universal Bluetooth device, it is possible to control a PS3 with your Android phone as though it were a Bluetooth remote control. The connection allows the phone to be used as a virtual keyboard for entering text, and it even has a touchscreen trackpad for moving the cursor in the PS3's web browser.

The app, BlueputDroid, is in beta form right now, and is still a bit tricky to use, as the list of supported Android phones is not exhaustive, some of the phones require custom firmware and once you get the app installed, there are technical hoops to work through. A list of believed supported and unsupported devices can be found on XDA-developers.com, where the app was introduced. It also has details on how to download the app for those who own a compatible Android handset.

The independent developer has tested it out on the Nexus One, HTC Wildfire, and LG Optimus One - all with rooted firmwares. He was not able to get it working on the Optimus One.

BlueputDroid is the first app to allow a smartphone to pair up with the PS3 as an input device. There have been other Bluetooth apps for Android that more flexibility in syncing the phone to a computer, but this is the first working app for PS3 connectivity. If the dev can further refine the process and expand compatibility, we'll welcome the chance to use our phones to input PSN info or type in URLs - beats having a real keyboard tethered to your system, hm?

source: http://www.gamesradar.com/how-to-use-your-android-phone-as-a-ps3-bluetooth-keyboard/

# Answer
> 1 votes
Is your phone Rooted ? BlueputDroid works with rooted devices only (if you are prepared to root your device then this **maybe** achieveable with this app) according to this article entitled: **How to remotely control your PS3 with Android BlueputDroid Apps Guide** written by *EHSAN* on Feb. 27th 2011.

http://topbestfreeapps.com/how-to-remotely-control-your-ps3-with-android-blueputdroid-apps-guide/

However checking the list of supported devices yours is not supported:

Unsupported devices ■Samsung Moment ■Samsung Galaxy Spica ■Samsung Galaxy S (this includes Captivate, **Vibrant**, Epic 4G, Fascinate, Showcase, Mesmerize, Continuum, K, U or any other variant of the Galaxy S series devices, but excluding Nexus S, which doesn’t have Samsung’s software, and which works!) ■Samsung Galaxy Tab ■HTC Eris ■HTC Incredible ■HTC Desire/HD ■HTC Desire Z ■HTC Legend ■HTC Hero ■HTC Magic ■HTC Evo 4G ■HTC Aria ■HTC/T-Mobile myTouch 4G

However this article was published in **early 2011**, almost two years ago, so maybe it is now supported.

The article does in theory provide partial insight into what you want to achieve !

I believe the article I mentioned in the comments above is more tailored to your needs however

# Answer
> -1 votes
Yes, you can use it as a headset.

Just make your own app, and make its settings the same as the headset.

I made one for my LG P690F.

# Answer
> -3 votes
Nope. Not possible. Only recognized or devices signed by Sony can be used for pairing with the PS3.

I don't think you can use ANY bluetooth headset. There are specific ones made for PS3.

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, bluetooth, audio, microphone, headset
---


# Question
Title: Trying to install a stock rom on a samsung captivate
I recently basically bricked my phone by trying to mount the data part of the recovery file created by Nandroid (of the stock os) while CyanogenMod 10 was installed. The installation worked perfectly btw. I then downloaded the stock ROM to try to fix the phone and installed it using Odin.

After Odin says "success", I get the error on my phone after the AT&T logo. (along with other things , not errors)

```
Opening update package...
Verifying update package...
Installing update...
Successfully installed update...

__Copying media files...
E:failed to mount /dbdata (invalid argument)
E:copy_dbdata_media:can't mount /dbdata your storage not prepared yet, please use ui menu for format and reboot actions.
Media files copy failed

--wiping cahce
formatting /cache
cache wipe failed.
--Applying multi-CSC...
Installing multi-CSC
successfully applied multi_CSC

```

Please help -- I really want to get back into my OS. It would really help if I could get a link to download a complete file for Odin 1.85.

i am using I897UCKK4\_I897UCKK4\_I897UCKK4\_HOME.tar.md5 ROM

# Answer
Assuming that your phone is Captivate (from the filename I897), here's a list of stock firmware files found on sammobile. They can be used with Kies too.

Alternatively, try Check Fus, which can get the right stock firmware for your phone.

I assume you know how to flash the files, if not, let me know and I'll dig up some good links for you. Hope this helped! Don't forget to accept the answer if it did.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: rom-flashing, stock-android, samsung-captivate
---


title: Selecting 720p format on Nexus 7

text:
# Question
Title: Selecting 720p format on Nexus 7
I have rooted, unlocked and modded my Nexus 7 with the 720p camera mod. If I go to `system/etc/media_profiles.xml`, it shows the 720p format.

The only problem is, that when I film with the default camera app, it films in 352x288. How do I select which video resolution I wish to use?

Screeny

Circle button pressed

# Answer
> 3 votes
Follow the following steps exactly.

1. Start up your Rooted and Unlocked Nexus 7.
2. Install "ES File Manager" from the Play Store.
3. Start "ES File Manager" and go to "Settings\Root Settings" and tick all boxes.
4. Go to http://d-h.st/E57 and download the file from your Nexus 7.
5. Go to your "/sdcard/Download/" folder.
6. Long press on the "media\_profiles.xml.zip" file and select "Extract to".
7. Leave as default and hit "OK".
8. Go to "/sdcard/Download/media\_profiles.xml/"
9. Long press on the "media\_profiles\_new-3fe47816232d5037339532623a9019f88d6ab143.xml" file and select "Rename".
10. Rename it as "media\_profiles.xml".
11. Long press again, and select "Copy".
12. Navigate to "/etc/" and hit "Paste" in the top bar (2nd last icon)
13. Allow ES File Manager to overwrite the existing file.
14. Long press on "media\_profiles.xml" and select "Properties" (Might need to scroll down).
15. Tick every single box and apply.
16. Restart and launch your camera app and select video.
17. Then hit the circle in the bottom left and hit the settings button that appears in the middle of your screen.
18. It should already read "720p HD" and you can press that to change between that and "480p".

Any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

---
Tags: camera, nexus-7
---


# Question
Title: Galaxy S with Cyanogenmod 10 (stable): File Manager needs root permission to access the external SD card
I have an SGS with CM10 installed. The file manager and Apollo, both of which come with CM10 by default, are having issues reading the SD card.

File Manager needs SU permissions to see it.

Apollo just crashes when I try to open a file from it.

Other File Manager apps have no issue. My PC sees both internal and external memory. Winamp and Play Music have indexed songs from the external SD card and can play them.

Any idea where the problem might be?

Thank you.

# Answer
Sounds like the permission for the mount point of the external sd card got messed up.

This is how it looks like on a SGS with CM 9.1:

```
shell@android:/ $ ls -l /mnt/
d---rwxr-x system   sdcard_rw          1970-01-01 01:00 emmc

```
> 1 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, samsung-galaxy-s, external-sd
---


# Question
Title: Kies is not working after flashing cyanogenmod on my Samsung Android phone
I have flashed my samsung android phone(GT-I5510) to CM7 and everything is fine with it exept that kies has stopped working with it..i.e when I connect my phone to laptop, it doesn't show the option for kies mode. Please help me with how to enable it.

# Answer
Samsung's Kies software only works with Samsung phones running official Samsung ROMs.

The only way to get Kies working with your phone would be to put an official Samsung released OS version onto it again.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: custom-roms, rom-flashing, samsung-kies
---


# Question
Title: How can I reset my phone without losing everything?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S I9000, it keeps lagging; freezing and turning on and off by itself. I want to reset it, if I do will I lose all my photos, contacts etc etc..? I can't figure out how to transfer everything on to my SD card.

# Answer
If you do a factory reset, your SD card will not be touched. Your pics, etc will all stay put. If you've selected your Google account as the default way to store your contacts, they will all repopulated from Google after you set up your phone.

If you want to be sure you're saving settings, etc. download Titanium Backup from the Google Playstore and do a full backup. After you've reset your phone, reinstall *Ti* and then do a restore from back up. Super simple!
> 5 votes

# Answer
Resetting your phone to factory settings will clear all the data on your phone memory, that is your contacts, calendars, applications downloaded from android market. Factory resetting can be done in settings (Navigation: Settings -\> Privacy Settings -\> Factory data reset)

Data backup can be done in settings (Navigation: Settings -\> Privacy Settings -\> Backup my data). Backup data can be restored after resetting. Certain applications give the option of data backup, if you have installed any apps from market, check for the option. Data backup can also be done using the software CD provided with the phone.

Your photos, audio mp3s, and videos will USUALLY reside in SD card and will NOT be erased. But its better you take out the memory card, and then go ahead resetting.
> 3 votes

# Answer
There are few ways you can reset your Android phone without losing anything. Backup most your stuff on your SD card, and synchronize your phone with a Gmail account so you won't lose any contacts. If you don't want to do that, there's an app called My Backup Pro that can do the same job. You can read more about how to ensure you don't lose any important information with a factory reset here.
> -1 votes

# Answer
There's an app My Backup Pro which you could use. From the description it allows you to:

> Backup (with schedule option) to our online secure servers, or SD card, your Applications, Photos, Music, Videos, Contacts, Call log, Browser Bookmarks, SMS (text messages), MMS (message attachments), Calendar, System Settings, Home Screens (including shortcut positions), Alarms, Dictionary, Music Playlists, APNs, and more...

You can read more about it here.
> -3 votes

---
Tags: factory-reset, data-recovery, system-freeze
---


# Question
Title: What should I do before I try advanced troubleshooting
Are there any generic troubleshooting steps and tips to be followed *before* I search for problem specific troubleshooting options? Then what are they?

I only have a general knowledge on Android and not familiar with flashing, shell commands, etc.

# Answer
> 3 votes
There are several steps/things you can do before you do advanced troubleshooting. Most of the problems can be solved following these steps.

1. **Backup your data.** Backup your data first (of course, if possible). You don't need to risk it. Keep it somewhere else. It is better to have backups for personal data and app data separately.
2. **Try rebooting your device.** You can use your power key or a third party reboot app
3. **Keep your device switched off for a while.** Make sure you remove your SIM card (and the battery and SD card as well, if they are detachable) and wait about 30 minutes.
4. **Try freeing some space.** You *must* always have some free space. It is better to have more than 50MB free so that the apps can work smoothly. (Some say it should be 2% of total memory)
5. **Try re-installing apps.** If you believe your problem is caused by a specific app, try uninstalling and re-installing that app. Also you can try clearing the app cache. It will give you some *more* space.
6. **No hardware fixes.** Do not attempt to quick hardware fixes unless you have *clear understanding* of what you're doing. And keep in mind that you'll lose your manufacturer's warranty by doing such fixes.
7. **Update your OS.** Make sure that the relevant updates are compatible with your device, referring to your manufacturer's website.

If you are still in the problem, you can try searching help for your problem or contacting your manufacturer's customer support personnel. **Remember to do this before you go to *factory resets*.**

---
Tags: troubleshooting, maintenance
---


# Question
Title: How to get rid of bogus "Phone storage full" message (cannot send SMSs)
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Why am I getting a “Low on Space” warning and having other weird problems?

I tried to compose a new SMS (text message): I tapped "New Message" and I got this error message: "Phone storage is full! Delete some files to free space".

So I deleted almost all the previously saved SMSs, and then also moved a few apps from internal space to SD card, and uninstalled some other apps. After this I had about 4MB of free internal space, but I still kept getting the same message.

So I cleared the browser's cache and now I have reportedly 15 MB (of 190) of free internal space (and more than 7 GB of free external SDcard space).

I still get the exact same error when I try to compose a new text message (I also restarted with no luck).

At this point the message is clearly bogus, or at the very least the system is low on some other (god knows what) kind of space, NOT internal storage as it says.

WHAT on earth do I need to delete to free up this misterious kind of space that somehow got low?

# Answer
We had this issue already a couple of times. To get rid of that *insufficient storage available* message, you need to have at least 25MB free available internal storage (source: TechniPages, AndroidCentral). To achieve this, you can...

* delete apps you no longer need
* move apps to sd if possible
* clear app caches

See also:
> 1 votes

---
Tags: sms, internal-storage
---


title: Installing different language on phone

text:
# Question
Title: Installing different language on phone
Is it possible to install a different language other than the ones already in the system? I want my phone to display in Japanese. Everything...the menus, status bars, labels. Just as if my phone was made in and for Japanese.

# Answer
Well, your device is bundled with Japanese language support. I think this was started with 2.1 release. If you are using an older version of android (like 2.1 or so), you might want to check this thread on XDA.

If you have a later version of android, simply go to your language settings and select Japanese as @ce4 suggested

There is **no need to install Japanese language** in your device.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: installation, languages, localization
---


title: Google Cloud Print from Android GMail

text:
# Question
Title: Google Cloud Print from Android GMail
I have setup Google Cloud Print, and it works great. I love being able to print to my home printer, from my phone no matter where I am.

However, the one thing I can't seem to print are GMail emails. I'm using the GMail app (not website) on my Galaxy S3.

Everything else I can use Cloud Print and then just Share to it, and it will print. GMail doesn't work like that however.

Regular email is a pain as well, as I need to save the email, then I can share it.

So my question is, how do I print email through Google Cloud Print, from my S3?

# Answer
> 0 votes
I was surprised there was no official Google app. I am using Cloud Print on my Galaxy S3.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-3, gmail, cloud, printing
---


# Question
Title: Android 4.0.4 - Wifi WPA-PSK hex password too long
I am currently trying to connect to a Wifi (WPA-PSK TKIP with 64-bit hex password). However my device - LG Optimus L9 with Android 4.0.4 - only allows to type in 63 characters.

It seems that it only support "passphrase" password which is supposed to be 8-63 characters long but not "hex" password..

Did anyone else have the same problem?

# Answer
> 1 votes
My experience: One friend's network uses WPA with a 64character hex-key and I haven't had any problem connecting to it since Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

I also had a look at the wifi config at `/data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf` which holds all the wifi credentials. The one entry from above is configured just as every other with the exception that it has a 64 character hex key. I, of course censored both keys and SSIDs, fyi.

Here's a sample:

```
network={
        ssid="normal_psk_key_network"
        psk="secretpassphrase"
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
        priority=1
}

network={
        ssid="64hexchar_network"
        psk=0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
        priority=2
}

```

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, wi-fi, password
---


# Question
Title: Not all media files discovered by media apps
I have folder on my sd card called podcasts. It contains subfolders of podcasts. My problem is the media players I have tried only display some of the podcast files as being available to play.

There doesn't seem to be any reason why the displayed files should be playable and the others not. I have tried clearing the data of the "media storage" app as well as running a "rescan sd card" app, to no avail.

So, any ideas as to how I can get all of my podcasts to be playable in a media player?

UPDATE: The problem seemed be caused by Winamp not playing wma format files, even though it's meant to support them. Have converted them to mp3 and they now appear in Winamp and can be played

# Answer
The problem seemed be caused by Winamp not playing wma format files, even though it's meant to support them. Have converted them to mp3 and they now appear in Winamp and can be played.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: media-player, media-scanner, media-files
---


# Question
Title: Stop old posts from reappearing in Facebook News Feed
I've recently been given an update of the Facebook App on Android and I have noticed that in my News Feed old posts are appearing. Some as old as a week or more. Obviously the point of a News Feed is to see new things, not old stuff.

How can I turn this off so that I only see new posts appear in the News Feed?

# Answer
> 2 votes
The problem is that Facebook wants to be smart and recommend posts for you.

If you just want the most recent posts you can press the button top left of the app (some stripes on top of each other), this will open the menu for you. To the right of the 'News Feed' button, there is a gear wheel button, click on it and choose 'Most Recent'.

PS: could be that this is not completely the same in older android versions, I'm talking about 4+

# Answer
> 1 votes
That is somewhat prevalent glitch in the updated Facebook.

Have discovered earlier, the "somewhat" temperamental cure is this:

* Try logging out and log back in again to clear the cached data.

And also try get in touch via Google Play Store and there should be a button/linky to email the developers directly about the issue.

---
Tags: facebook
---


title: Jelly Bean offline voice recognition

text:
# Question
Title: Jelly Bean offline voice recognition
So, Jelly Bean is supposed to have offline voice recognition, right? I've encountered several situations where the voice-keyboard has said that Google is not available. Has anyone else seen this behavior? If so, how do we fix it?

I've noticed the problem in areas where I have questionable mobile data or wifi access. If I have a good wifi / mobile data signal **OR** if I enable airplane mode (disabling data completely), then it all seems to work ok.

I'm using a GSM Samsung Galaxy Nexus, FYI.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Have you downloaded the files for you language, that supports offline voice recognition? Under Google Now, hit the menu button at the bottom, select Settings, select Voice, then the option to Download offline speech recognition.

Also, it could depend on what rom of JellyBean you are running. Some things work better than others in certain roms...

# Answer
> 1 votes
I have noticed that it only worked when I have English US selected in the (Choose input method), all others didn't work for me, I live in Canada. English in Canada didn't work also having it set on automatic didn't work either. thanks

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-nexus, 4.1-jelly-bean, voice-recognition
---


# Question
Title: What difference does it make that I have two SD cards
I guess I don't really understand the Android storage structure; maybe someone can enlighten me or direct me to a place that does. I have a Galaxy S3, Android 4.0.5, with two 16GB SD cards. So:

1. Does the phone have internal storage other than the SD cards?
2. Under /mnt, I see both sdcard and extSdCard; there is also sdcard under /. I assume this is just a link. But this implies to me that the external sd card is somehow "less important" than the original SD card. Is that true?
3. I would like to use perhaps doubletwist, or some other application, to put my whole iTunes library, which is slightly larger than 16GB, on my phone. Will that application (or any application) insist on having 16gig on one card, or will it just figure it out and put the data wherever it needs to go?
4. The file structure on my sd cards seems pretty complicated, with lots of empty folders. What folders are really needed by the OS, and how can I figure out what is supposed to go in each?

I guess this comes down to two questions: 1) how can I figure out what the principles are behind the Android file system, and 2) do applications care that there are two cards, or do they/can they treat it as a single disk?

Thanks.

# Answer
> 2 votes
By the sound of it, its like as if the handset is in fact a 16GB model variant, if so, then the so-called sdcard is treated as internal storage i.e. `sdcard`, and the external SDCard is symbolically linked to `extSdCard`.

That is the way Google are doing it now, and doing away with having external SDCard's... :)

No its not true that one is "more" important than the other, its just a way of increasing internal storage capacity for apps and media etc, the external SDCard acts as a "overflow" bucket once the storage space on the internal `sdcard` gets maxed out.

---
Tags: sd-card
---


# Question
Title: Hardware ID missing on Galaxy S3 after Windows update
A few days ago I accepted Windows Update's Samsung drivers for Galaxy S3 running rooted Jelly Bean. It worked fine as USB MTP device until then.

Now, every time I connect the USB cable I get the error "Hardware ID missing. Contact manufacturer..." and I can't see my device's file system.

Switching to PTP or enabling Debug doesn't work.

How to fix it?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Make sure your device is connected. Open `Device Manager`. In `USB Devices`, find a `SAMSUNG` composite device (can't capture a screenshot because it goes away).

Right click, choose `Uninstall` and make sure to check "get rid of that *sheet* of driver software"... Well... I mean "delete driver software too".

Disconnect and reconnect USB, or clik Detect Devices button

Windows detects the phone and installs the plain old MTP driver.

Optional step: report to Samsung

Optional step 2: upvote :)

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-3, usb-connection-mode
---


# Question
Title: Email widget: How to show inbox instead of subfolder?
I have a question regarding email on my Nexus 7 3G:

When I try to add an email widget on my home screen I'm asked to choose a folder, but I only have the option to select a sub folder in my inbox, not my actual inbox.

How can I let the widget show my complete inbox instead of a sub folder only?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try to scroll down the list to find the inbox. I think it is listed below, but it seems missing at first. I could not see it at first. But after several tries, I got the list to scroll down to find the inbox.

---
Tags: email, app-widgets
---


# Question
Title: Can I install Android 4.2.1 AOKP IceColdJelly ROM on my HTC One X by AT&T?
Can the *Android 4.2.1 AOKP IceColdJelly ROM* that seems to be released for the *HTC One X* international model be installed on *HTC One X* subscribed by AT&T?

I found the update for *HTC One X* on following link :

Android 4.2.1 AOKP IceColdJelly ROM for HTC One X

Does my HTC One X from AT&T support this ?

# Answer
> 2 votes
No you can't flash an international ROM on your device.
Because your phone's configuration is different than international version.
Details are given below:

**Chipset:** *Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon* (**AT&T**)----- *Nvidia Tegra 3* (**International**)
**CPU:** *Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait* (**AT&T**)----- *Quad-core 1.5 GHz* (**International**)
**GPU:** *Adreno 225* (**AT&T**)--------- *ULP GeForce* (**International**)

if you flash this , it may brick your phone.

See this

---
Tags: custom-roms, htc-one-x, att
---


title: How can I get a phone app on a tablet?

text:
# Question
Title: How can I get a phone app on a tablet?
I have a brand new Galaxy Tab 2 that is apparently not compatible with my bank's tablet app. Someone on another forum mentioned that they just use the phone version on their tablet, but they don't say how they got it. When I go to the google play store, I only see one version. I do have the app on my phone; is there any way to transfer it?

# Answer
If you already have the app on your phone, you might want to take a look at AppMonster. This app allows you to create backups of your apps' `.apk` files to your SD card (the Pro version even can do so automatically each time you install/update an app, so you always have the chance to revert to a previous version if an update breaks something). You can then pick that `.apk` from your SD card, copy it to your tablet, and "side-load" it (i.e. install it manually). For this to work, you must enable "unknown sources" in your tablet's settings (otherwise it only accepts installs directly via the Playstore).
> 2 votes

---
Tags: applications, tablet, samsung-galaxy-tab
---


# Question
Title: Android 4.0.3 Google tablet will not connect to Billion 5200n RC router
I have an Android Google tablet that will not connect to internet Wi-Fi on Billion 5200n RC model router. iPad and iPhones do connect without a problem, but the tablet shows its connected but when I go to browser it will not load a page and connect to internet. Have tried connecting tablet at the neighbors house and it connected without a problem. Can someone please help me out and tell me what the problem is.

# Answer
Try going to your Billion router and check that it is not restricting access by MAC address. If it is then make sure your Android's MAC address is pluged in.

Also, if you have Bluetooth running on the tablet, try turning it off first, in case there is an address conflict.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I once had a problem with another Wi-Fi client. My device got connected to the router (got a dynamic IP adress from the router), but was not able to browse the web because the DNS was not working. Have you tried wifi analyzer to examine your problem?
> 0 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi
---


# Question
Title: How to get Recovery without the Hardware key
Apprently I am stuck in a known problem the Cyanogen Bootloop.
The solution involves going into *recovery*, which is not possible since my "**volume down key**" is physically damaged.

Do I have any options of escaping the vicious Bootloop? Or did I officially brick it?

The model is: HTC Desire HD (HTC Ace)

# Answer
Try booting while pressing the **back key**. That will get you into ***fastboot***, and you can access hboot (and hence recovery) from there.

If it worked try any solution among this..

**It depends on the cause of the boot loop**

Wipe cache and dalvik (depending on what recovery you look in different places for these. I think ClockworkMod may have wipe dalvik in advanced). TBH I think this is unlikely to do it, but is harmless.

If something has been corrupted in the ROM then reflashing the ROM (without wiping) will fix it.

If it's data corruption then a factory reset will do it.
> 3 votes

# Answer
If you have fastboot, boot into that. You can then procede to wipe data while in fastboot mode by issues the `fastboot -w` command. You can then reboot the device using the `fastboot reboot` command.

Be aware that not all devices come with fastboot. If you can access ADB while the device is booting, then you can issue an `adb reboot recovery` command to reboot into the recovery menu that way.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: recovery-mode, boot-loop
---


title: Google apps settings deleted

text:
# Question
Title: Google apps settings deleted
I just deleted the Google apps settings by mistake (from `Applications -> Google Apps -> clear data`). So, my HTC Magic is not connecting to the Google server anymore. How can I input the dates I've deleted? Can it be reinstalled?

# Answer
> 1 votes
I'm not sure about HTC, but you can probably configure your Google account in `Settings > Accounts`.

---
Tags: settings
---


title: Tasker Newbie Question

text:
# Question
Title: Tasker Newbie Question
I am learning tasker and reading up tutorial on http://tasker.dinglisch.net/tour.html.

If you look at the picture,
you can see the two same tasks "Set Widget Icon".
Is that a typo, or something I do not understand?

Also, what is the benefit of toggle? Why is the property ternary, not just off and on? Can you please help with a practical example?

Thanks much.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Yes, that seems to be a typo: the conditions should be `If %WIFI ~ on` and `If %WIFI !~ on` (or `If %WIFI ~ off`).

The %WIFI variable can only be `on` or `off`, not `toggle`. But the Wifi action can be used to enable, disable or toggle Wifi, i.e. if Wifi is enabled, it will be disabled, and if Wifi is disabled, it will be enabled.

The example (minus the typo) talks about creating a "Toggle Wifi" widget: if Wifi is on and you click the icon, Wifi will be disabled and the icon will be changed to a "Wifi is off" icon. And if Wifi is off and you click the icon, Wifi will be enabled and the icon will be changed to a "Wifi is on" icon.

---
Tags: tasker
---


title: Cleaning the mess in the contacts

text:
# Question
Title: Cleaning the mess in the contacts
I am trying to put some order in my contact list. The situation is as follows: I have first imported my contacts from Gmail and enabled sync, **but** I have set the phone as the default contact repository (until now), so that new contacts were saved on the phone.

The result is as follows. I have some contacts on phone only, some merged between phone and Gmail, some Gmail only. I would like to have all contacts Gmail only, wihtout duplicates, except for some occasional contacts I want to keep on the phone (say, the plumber).

It is easy, though tedious and error prone, to go through the contacts that live only on the phone, since they do not show the Gmail icon in the address list. I can then manually import them in Gmail and remove the contact on the phone.

My problem is that I don't know how to find out which contacts have some information on the phone and some in Gmail, since they appear as Gmail only in the list. I have to actually open each one to find out. Moreover, once I find out, I would like to be able to copy the information that is on the phone to the Gmail account, so that I can sort the mess in Gmail and remove the contact on the phone.

> What is the simplest way to reorganize the contacts so as to move all the information on Gmail?

If it is relevant, I am on Android 2.2

# Answer
I'm working from memory here as I'm now running ICS on my phone so I may be a bit off here. If you go into your phonebook settings, you should be able to stop it showing your gmail contacts.

Now, to get them into gmail contacts just do the following. Go to your phonebook, this will now just be showing you the contacts stored on your phone. You should be able to export this as a VCF file. Copy this file to your computer. Now just log into your gmail account, go to contacts and then import the VCF from there. Then delete all the phone contacts and re-sync your phone to gmail.

You may still have to do a bit of merging if you have part of a contact saved in gmail and saved in the phone memory but this will take most of the hassle out of getting them into gmail.
> 6 votes

# Answer
Thanks, it actually helped!

HOW TO CLEAN THE MESS IN GINGERBREAD CONTACTS. THE PROBLEM: some contacts were from google, some from phone only, some from skype and some from facebook. So the main problem was that there were contacts which were on the phone but not on google. More over it merged contacts from different services and sometimes incorrectly. I just wanted a universal set google contacts and nothing else.

THE FIX:

backup the contacts. In contacts screen \> menu\> export \> sd card.

Unsynk from google and all other services(Skype, facebook): settings\> accounts\> click account\> unsynk contacts only.

delete all contacts: contacts\> menu\> delete\> select all\> delete.

turn the sync back on.

Get an error message - sync has problems.

Find this message in the slide down are (how do you name it?) - you grab the top of the screen, slide it down - there are messages.

Click on the error message.

It says "too many deletes."

Pick to undelete google contacts.

Done.

RESULT: only google contacts are shown.

Also, in settings, somewhere, there is a setting to save all new contacts to your google account (not phone), do that. Now all contacts are unified and under control.

Also restore the contacts from SD card (contacts\>menu\> import\> pick the file you saved, it has 0001 in it)\> this will create duplicates.

(Give the sync few minutes to upload all restored contacts to Gmail)

Go to Gmail, contact\> remove duplicates, run it few times until all dups are gone.

Now it is perfect.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: contacts, gmail, sync
---


# Question
Title: Does stock Android have a panorama camera feature?
I was wondering if Android has any panorama-like feature like how iOS does?

# Answer
> 1 votes
This depends entirely on the OEM and what features they decide to put in their devices.

However, I've used a panorama feature since the beginning (2.3 Gingerbread) on my Nexus S, and have had it all the way till my 4.2 Galaxy Nexus, so I can say that the stock Android camera app has panorama, at least 2.3 onwards.

Beyond that, device specific panorama is dependent on the OEM.

You could always use third party apps, like this one, which supports Android 2.1 and above.

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Tags: camera, stock-android
---


# Question
Title: Different methods of moving apps to SD card
There is a native method for moving apps to the SD card, by viewing the app info and pressing the "move to SD card" button. (I don't know on which Android version this was introduced). Not all apps can be moved this way.

There are other apps that promise moving apps to the SD card, such as Link2SD, App 2 SD, MoveToSD, Move2SD Enabler, and many more. Some require root, some (apparently) don't.

Do all these apps work in the same (or similar) ways? Is it the same way of the native method? The native method works the same way as the apps do? Why do some apps require root access and others don't? Is it safe to move apps that have the native method of moving disabled (grayed out)?

# Answer
Many questions in one, but all connected -- so I'll give it a try:

You can device those apps in two categories, basically: those which work "similar" to the native app2sd, and those which don't. There are several rules an app must obey to be "allowed" for installation on SD card. Apps installed on SD card can e.g. not automatically start at boot time (as the `boot_completed` event is broadcast *before* the card is mounted). They also may not offer widgets, services, alarms, and some other things -- as those functionalities would break when the sd card gets "removed" (e.g. when mounted to the PC). All these rules are obeyed by the native method. Those "advanced app2sd" helpers which "move more apps" mostly ignore some of these rules. The app will work nevertheless, but maybe some of its features are broken.

And then there's at least one app working completely different: *Link2SD*. This app simply creates "symbolic links" to the sdcard (after copying the app/data over there), and thus fool the system which still thinks they're on internal storage. By using a separate partition on the card (which will be "invisible" when connected to the PC, and thus not mounted) it works around some of the caveats -- a trick some of the above mentioned "advanced app2sd apps" also play. This variant obviously requires root, as it handles apps and their data itself -- which is not possible for a non-root app. Same applies to some of the above tools when they offer to move app data / Dalvik cache to the card, which is also not possible without root.
> 2 votes

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Tags: sd-card, app2sd, link2sd
---


# Question
Title: LG Optimus Slider for tethering Kindle Fire
I have rooted my LG Optimus Slider, and have downloaded several apps for tethering, however, none of them seems to be working with my Kindle Fire. I have read somewhere that the Kindle Fire does not accept ad-hoc signals from hotspots, which is what most of the tethering apps have. Is there a way to convert this signal to a format Kindle Fire will accept? Or, is there an app out there somewhere that would work better?

# Answer
I was able to figure it out. :)

after getting my phone rooted, I found this link:

http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/downloads/detail?name=wifi\_tether\_v3\_1-pre113.apk&can=2&q=label%3AExperimental

All you have to do is download that code in the link into your phone. It takes you to an app, and you install it. This is an experimental (beta) version of the app, which uses infrastructure wifi -the updated version uses ad hoc.

The beta version works great, and now I can get a great signal on my kindle fire from my phone, without having to root my kindle.
> 1 votes

# Answer
This worked well for me aswell, but not real smooth.

Choosing the Optimus S from the "Change Device Profile" makes the HotSpot visible and works fine on the Kindle. There is an error associated with the app when the hotspot is started with this profile that is annoying at the worst. It appears this profile is attempting to start the built in OS Hotspot app which fails as we knew it would. In doing all that, it all works out.....

Thanks for the heads up. Will be pinging a few developers for a cleaner solution since the combo does work, just not very well with avail hotspot apps/tools.

Until then, FREE is still going to get a donation for providing me with "A" option. ;)
> 1 votes

---
Tags: tethering, wifi-tethering, amazon-kindle-fire
---


# Question
Title: Locus Maps - adding additional zoom levels
The Locus Maps app allows downloading maps and using them offline. When selecting a map region, the zoom levels have to be selected. I've downloaded a map at a specific zoom level (23) expecting that I will be able to use lower zoom levels as well (1-22).

However - I can now only go through the map at zoom level 23, which is awkward.

Is there any way to add additional zoom levels to those maps already downloaded, without having to download the entire thing again from scratch (it's big)?

Thank you!

# Answer
> 1 votes
After searching and searching - I don't think there's a way to do this. The only option is deleting the old map and downloading the map once again with multiple zoom levels selected.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Did you read the Locus documentation for downloading maps? Check this document.

In the end, there is a section called "Download types". There is a type called "External map", and this is what you need for this task.

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Tags: maps
---


# Question
Title: Does Samsung Galaxy S keep GPS location in camera taken photo metadata?
Does anyone know if Samsung Galaxy S GT-I9000's camera taken photos keep information about GPS location from when they were taken?

Thank you

# Answer
> 9 votes
It can if you turn the function on in the settings. In the settings menu there's an option for "GPS", that when checked turns on geotagging:

*via GSM Arena & CareAce*

# Answer
> 1 votes
There is no setting in the camera phone for GPS on my Galaxy S GT19000.

I disabled everything in `Settings > location and security`. It was still geotagging my photos, and I couldn't work out how it was doing that. But if you go to `applications > local`, it was here for me. Just visit the `Settings` section.

Nasty.

# Answer
> -1 votes
I just did a reset of all camera settings and the geotagging disappeared. Since this is what I wanted, I'm happy. When I bought it it was off (I think) and it got turned on sometime last month.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, gps, camera, geolocation, geotagging
---


title: Reverting LG GT540 to its old interface

text:
# Question
Title: Reverting LG GT540 to its old interface
I just tried to install my LG GT540 with a KDZ file that I downloaded from a site, hoping that my problem with the Android Market would be fixed but nothing happened.

My problem is that I can't revert the phone back to its original interface. It now has a Vodafone on the background screen.

Any idea on how I can revert it back?

# Answer
If you're on Globe, then I assume you're in the Philippines. (Same here)

Check this out: http://www.droidevelopers.com/f236/11721-%5Bdownload%5D-%5Bfirmware%5D-lg-optimus-gt540-original-roms.html. It has a ROM for Philippines, and instructions on how to install it.
> 0 votes

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Tags: lg-gt540-optimus
---


title: Multiplayer Games and Wifi / LAN

text:
# Question
Title: Multiplayer Games and Wifi / LAN
So at work, 2 of my colleagues also have android handsets:

* I have an SGS3 (stock, for now)
* Colleague #1 also has an SGS3 (stock)
* Colleague #2 has an SGS2 (rooted and ROMd)

We have been trying to get some lunchtime android games going, but are not having any luck :(

We have been trying games with local wifi gaming such as Minecraft, Mini Motor Racing, Dungeon Defenders, Guerilla Bob etc. But none of them let us join or even see each others games.

We are all connected to the same wifi. I checked and we had some setting where wifi deices cant see each other, so we switched to an alternate network, still no joy. Also I would of thought there would be some ad-hoc mode available to us if wanting to play in a location without a central AP to connect to.

Using Fing or similar we can see each others devices on the network. Also have tried setting up a wifi direct with the other SGS3 (the SGS2 does not have this feature) but nothing.

Any ideas?

# Answer
It will probably be the fact that games use a port that is disallowed on your work network.try using the tethered hotspot on your SGS3 as an alternative.
> 2 votes

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Tags: wi-fi, firewall, lan
---


# Question
Title: Why is screen sometimes unresponsive when receiving calls
On occasion, my Droid Bionic (4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich) does not react to screen touches when the phone is ringing. The swipe to answer icon appears, but does not respond. After the call goes to voice mail, I can turn the screen off and back on and the phone behaves normally.

I believe this has only happened when the phone has been locked with the screen off when the call arrived.

I don't receive a large number of calls on this device, so I don't have a very large sample size, but it probably happens less than 1 time in 20. The most recent was within a few hours of rebooting the phone, so I don't think it is due to memory consumption by another app, etc.

# Answer
> 2 votes
This problem is quite known for sometime for touchscreen devices. Most of the times this happens when the screen is under some pressure during touchscreen recalibration after being woken up by the incoming call (maybe being inside pocket, etc.).

The only solution for you is to disable the option, power button instantly ends call by going into `Settings -> Accessibility -> System`

If your screen becomes unresponsive to a call, just press the power button (to lock your screen), press it again and unlock the screen (with your pattern or PIN, etc.) Then you will be able to answer the call.

This solution is applicable to *any situation* where the screen is unresponsive.

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, calls, touchscreen, motorola-droid-bionic
---


# Question
Title: Get the first time Android device launched or used
I am about to buy a new nexus 4, the seller claims its never been used.

Is there any guaranteed way to check the mobile first time use?

Thanks

# Answer
Simply go to the handset service menu and check the total call timer. Simple and easy.
> 1 votes

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Tags: call-history
---


title: Broken Camera - Galaxy S3

text:
# Question
Title: Broken Camera - Galaxy S3
The acrylic cover to the camera cracked open while in my pocket, now the camera is degrading. Is it possible to replace the camera on a Galaxy S3?

# Answer
> 1 votes
I don't know about the camera, but the lens and acrylic cover should be easy to change. Here is a replacement I found on ebay. It's quite cheap also.

P.S. I've just seen your comment :). Take this as an extension to your findings.

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Tags: camera
---


title: Open source flashlight app?

text:
# Question
Title: Open source flashlight app?
On my new phone, for security reasons I decided to stick to Open Source apps as much as possible.

Is there an Open Source flashlight app?

The most popular flashlight apps (,) are asking for crazy permissions: GPS, camera, Internet, GPS, SD card...

If no Open Source is available, at least one I would be happy with a very simple one, such as this one (white screen, brightness 100%, lock screen) which for some reason is not available for my new phone.

# Answer
Search Light is open source, has no unnecessary permissions, and has a nice set of operating modes.
> 11 votes

# Answer
OI Flashlight is Open Source, it can use both camera flash and bright screen.
> 2 votes

# Answer
*Kevin's answer is great, but just some new info:*

The **Flashlight** app, which was popular since very early on, has been released as Open Source:

https://github.com/devesh/Flashlight
> 0 votes

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Tags: open-source
---


# Question
Title: Transfer a file from Android to a PC (not in the same network)
If I were connected by wifi in my network, there isn't any problem because with AirDroid I can access the sdcard files using the browser.

However when I am out, how can I transfer a file from my phone to my PC? I can access my PC using SSH, but then from the PC I can't access the phone for get file using SCP.

I guess the question is: Is there any app that allow do such action? I think the only possible thing is install a SSH server in the phone, isn't it? Any free (from Google Play) app? I've seen AndFTP but it only allows ftp in its free version.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I think you should try dropbox / google drive. It will be more flexible than running a separate server on your phone. You will be able to access you file from the cloud at any moment even if you don't have access to your cell or the battery is dead.

---
Tags: file-transfer, ssh
---


# Question
Title: Saving battery life: pressing home button or back button
My friend said when using an app, pressing the home button saves battery life instead of pressing the back button. He thought by pressing the home button, the app stays in RAM so that when you reopen it it just open, android doesn't need to create the app and store it in RAM, which costs battery. Is it true?

# Answer
> 1 votes
That's basically what Android does in many cases, yes. But I don't think it's true that it will have all that much of an effect on battery life. Most apps don't take long to start up at all — it would take repeatedly opening apps that take multiple minutes to start to noticeably affect your battery life, I would think. Android does automatically close apps when needed, and apps normally can't run in the background (just services), so there is not much reason to back out of an app rather than just using the home button.

# Answer
> -1 votes
When you click the Home button, it keeps the app in background, which means it's running. When you click the back button, it kills the app (but not always; it depends on how the developer implemented the app).

I'm not really sure about it's effects on the battery, but the more services / apps you have running in background, the more battery it eats up. It's running after all. And if you're dealing with games, I would suggest exiting it properly (the back button will usually ask you if you want to exit the program; again, it depends on how the developer implemented it).

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Tags: battery, battery-life, ram
---


title: How do I remove delay between ringtones

text:
# Question
Title: How do I remove delay between ringtones
My new Droid Razr, and Razr Maxx phones put a small delay in between each ring. Some of the factory ringtones are designed to be a continous loop. for example "medieval jaunt", "romancing the tone", and "Crayon Rock" are designed to be looped with no delay, and sounds odd with the short delay in between rings. I saw I similar question from about a year ago, which there seem to be no answer, but that was someone with the opposite issue, of wanting a delay. Thanks!

# Answer
Assuming you have one specific ringtone picked out: take the audio file and loop it yourself (using something simple like audacity) and make it the length of a ring (typically 30 seconds).
> 1 votes

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Tags: ringtone
---


# Question
Title: Backlight flickering at low brightness levels
I noticed my phone's backlight would start to flicker/pulse intermittently when I switch my brightness level to something low (est. between 1% to 15% brightness). The flickering or pulsing is as if the power supplied to the light is fluctuating.

My phone is a HTC Desire, OS used to be stock (Froyo 2.2) when I experienced this, now it is on CM7.2 (GB 2.3.7), still has this problem. I have not tried any other ROMs on this phone, and not sure if it is a software or a hardware problem.

Is there any way to prevent this flickering, other than not setting the brightness to such levels?

# Answer
> 1 votes
You could try this fix

> Those running the cynogen mod on their HTC Desire and experiencing problems with auto adjustment of brightness would be happy to hear that a fix has been developed to tackle it.

If it doesn't work you could try another rom to determine if its a software or a hardware issue.

# Answer
> 1 votes
If you really want the brightness that low on your device, try an "overlay" dimmer which displays a dark layer over the screen to simulate darker brightness. To you it will be the same.

Try Lux. It will let you pick how low to let the brightness goes (just before flickering), then it will activate the overlay beyond that.

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, backlight
---


# Question
Title: SD card won't format on my Samsung Galaxy S3
My Samsung Galaxy S3 tells me that I have used up all of my memory. So, I bought a brand-new 32GB SD card, and placed it in the phone. I went to storage settings and followed the instructions to format the SD card. Then, it tells me it's updating memory and my total space available is 32GB remaining.

However, nothing is happening. It still says I have ran out of memory. I have turned off the phone and turned it back on several times. I have also restarted phone. I have formatted SD card many times, but nothing is happening.

This is frustrating, because I deleted so many apps because it's not letting me download or open anything because it's full.

Please help.

# Answer
If your device talks about "low memory", it is not evaluating the sd card -- but rather means *internal memory*. So it doesn't help to buy a bigger sd card: what you have to do is to free up internal storage.

This is an issue coming up here frequently -- so for details please look at the solutions already present:

There are many more -- just follow the tag and watch out...
> 1 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-3, internal-storage, formatting
---


title: Am I consuming "roaming" services?

text:
# Question
Title: Am I consuming "roaming" services?
I've borrowed an Android phone so I can decide whether to buy one. I have a GSM SIM without a data plan, but I am using Wifi that is broadcast from my other smartphone which does have a data plan.

**The phone's GSM signal icon has a tiny "R" that indicates that I am roaming -- why?**

My phone is an HTC Desire Z with (I think!) Android 2.3. Under `Settings > Mobile Networks` I have these settings:
Data enabled = unticked
International data roaming = unticked
National data roaming = unticked
Use only 2G networks = ticked

The notification list sometimes shows me a message that is too long to be displayed, but some googling tells me that this is the complete text:

> "You have lost data connectivity because you left your home network with data roaming turned off"

The notification list also shows that I am in fact on the correct network: My SIM card is from the provider "bob" and the phone shows that I am on the "bob" network.

**Am I consuming anything related to roaming? How can I ensure that I will *not* use roaming?**

# Answer
> 4 votes
Maybe this post from XDA will answer your question.

> This isn't an APN problem, it is a SIM problem.
>
> Your provider has one set of numbers on your card, and another set of numbers that actually identify the network, and they don't match. Technically, from the phone's point of view, you *are* roaming, even if it is the same provider. From the provider's point of view, you *aren't* roaming.
>
> Up until cupcake, we had that same problem here in Canada when using the "Fido" network (which is owned and operated by "Rogers"). The network identified itself as "Rogers", the SIM cards identify themselves as "Fido", the phone think's its roaming.
>
> So; you don't need to worry about roaming charges when you are actually connected to the correct network.
>
> BUT; You don't have an easy to read display to tell you when you are *really* roaming, nor can you make configurations that are based on whether you are or are not roaming.

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, roaming
---


# Question
Title: While listening to music on head set: How to avoid sound playing from phone speakers when push event occurs?
I use my Android phone to listen to music at work with standard headset. Yet once an event occurs, e.g. e-mail recieved, the phone switches to standard speakers and plays the music and event sound over it, and then returns back to headset.

I want all my sounds to only play over the headset. How do configure my Huawei Honor to do so?

# Answer
While not 100% the desired *solution* (I don't know if there's any way to force Android playing sounds to a specific output device), as a work-around it is possible to *silence* undesired sources.

### Background

As you mioght have noticed, Android has multiple "channels" for different kind of sounds, where you can adjust volume independently -- such as alarms, notifications, ringer tone, etc. So this can be used in the way of turning down unwanted types to zero, while keeping the once you want turned up. Of course, doing so manually can be a hazzle (and one might forget to reverse changes afterwards, especially when in a hurry). So let's look for an...

### Automation

There are several "automation apps" on the playstore which might handle this, such as Llama - Location Profiles or Tasker. Using the latter, I can for sure say it can handle this in the following way:

**Condition:** App running (select apps you want to match)
**Task:** (Volume adjust: chose which ones you want to change to zero here, but keep *media volume* on)

What will happen now? Once an app from your selection comes to foreground, the rule will match and the volumes will be adjusted accordingly. As soon as none of the apps you chose is running in foreground any longer, volume settings are reverted to what they have been before.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, settings, huawei-u8860
---


# Question
Title: How can I check the firmware version of my ONDA V712?
Is there an easy way to check the firmware version (not Android version)?

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can use either the way geff\_chang suggested or use android service menus

In the service menu, it is located at `Software info -> Phone info`

You can always use third party apps as well.

---
Tags: device-firmware
---


# Question
Title: Private keys cannot be verified in recovery
I am trying to sign zip packages before flashing them in recovery. By using the test keys by Google, the zip can be verified and flashed successfully. However, when I try to sign using my private keys, the signing process is OK but the verification always fails.

**First method:** Using keytool and jarsigner

Generating private keys:

```
keytool -genkey -v -keystore test.keystore alias zippack -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 1000

```

Signing:

```
jarsigner -verbose -sigalg MD5withRSA -digestalg SHA1 -keystore test.keystore test.zip zippack

```

Result:

```
E: signature verification failed

```

**Second method (a):** Using OpenSSL and SignApk.jar

Generating private keys:

```
openssl genrsa -out key.pem 2048
openssl req -new -key key.pem -out request.pem
openssl x509 -req -days 9999 -in request.pem -signkey key.pem -out certificate.pem
openssl pkcs8 -topk8 -outform DER -in key.pem -inform PEM -out key.pk8 -nocrypt

```

Signing:

```
java -jar -w signapk.jar certificate.pem key.pk8 test.zip test-signed.zip

```

Result:

```
E: failed to verify whole file signature
I: verify_file returned 1
E: signature verification failed

```

**Second method (b):** OpenSSL and SignApk.jar (changes in commands)

Generating private keys:

```
Same as above

```

Signing:

```
java -jar signapk.jar certificate.pem key.pk8 test.zip test-signed.zip

```

Result:

```
E: signature verification failed

```

That's about what I did. The methods above works for APKs, but not for zips. Anyone can help on this? Thanks in advanced.

P.S. I managed to get a look at the source code for recovery, and found that my errors are generated by this part of the code: https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android\_bootable\_recovery/blob/jellybean/verifier.c Maybe it might help answering.

# Answer
> 1 votes
From the code comments:

```
// ... Verify it matches one of the given public
// keys.

```

You can't just use any old signature, that would defeat the purpose. APKs, on the other hand, are intended to be created and distributed by anyone and the signature is ostensibly to *verify* the source rather than *limit* the source.

---
Tags: recovery-mode, signature-error
---


# Question
Title: How do I make JB use my external sd card (/storage/extSdCard)
I have a Samsung Note2 with 4.1.1 on it. I have what appears to be a virtual sd card called `/storage/sdcard0`. It uses phone memory. When I installed my new 32gb sdcard it was mounted as `/storage/extSdCard`.

The OS only seems to use sdcard0 for SD-like storage (like apps). I know this because SuperBox is reporting apps on my SDCard and they are really on `sdcard0`. The only way I can use my external card is if I tell some application to use it for storage.

Since `sdcard0` is just eating up precious phone RAM is there a way I can safely convince JB to start using `/storage/extSdCard` instead?

# Answer
If you're rooted, a simple, though kinda brute force, solution is simply to swap the mount points around. Root External 2 Internal will do this automatically at boot for you. This app is strictly intended for the GS3, but reviews report success with the Note 2 also.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 4.1-jelly-bean, app2sd, external-sd
---


title: "Find my iPhone" for Android

text:
# Question
Title: "Find my iPhone" for Android
There are a lot of "Find my phone" type apps out there for Android and I am finding it difficult to find one that has the features I want without being too bloated. My wife and I are primarily looking for a solution to let us know where the other one is when we are out.

The most important thing for us is to be able to view each others location from our phones (Android, though iOS and Android would be great) and via the web. We would also like to find a solution that is as close to real time as possible so we could link up when we are both out.

Though not critical, it would be nice to find a solution that also would be able to lock/ring/wipe the device in the case that it was stolen. This way I could run just one program instead of several. I know it's iOS but "Find my iPhone" is an example of everything I want in this type of app ...

1. Can track/view devices from other devices and the web
2. Close to real-time updates
3. Can lock/ring/wipe device remotely
4. All in one program

However, I prefer Android to iOS. If there was a solution that worked for both iOS and Android that would be even better. Thanks for any suggestions.

P.S. I am running a VZW Bionic while my wife uses the VZW Galaxy Nexus

# Answer
> 9 votes
If you simply want to find each other, I would use Google Latitude, included in Google Maps, which allows *almost* live updates (about every five minutes-ish, usually), and gives all the options of Google Maps, including just a few clicks to see a map or use the built in turn by turn Navigation to find each other.

See this similar question for some other options for the latter options, but I personally use Android Lost. This is their website, and they offer a long list of options for lost devices, including, but not limited to:

* **Read SMS'es** Read the latest SMS'es from your phone and send them to your email.
* **Remote control alarm** Have you ever misplaced your phone which was put on silent mode? Now you may sound the alarm on your phone from your PC!
* **View on map** Find the location of your phone on a map. With AndroidLost you can find your phone with GPS precision. Even if the phone is indoor you will get a nearby location by network accuracy.
* **Send SMS'es from your PC** You can send SMS'es directly from your phone by typing them on AndroidLost. All replies will still go to your phone.
* **Lock the phone** You can lock and unlock the phone from the web. If you forget your pincode you can simply overwrite it or remove it by entering an empty pincode on the web.
* **Wipe the phone** Don't want your personal messages in the hands of anyone else? With AndroidLost you may wipe the entire phone so all SMS'es, contact and google setup is removed.
* **Pop up messages on the phone** Send a message to the friendly guy who have found your phone so you may let him know where to give it back.
* **Forward your calls** You can send keys to the dialer of your phone. That way you can forward your calls from your mobile to a nearby phone.
* **No battery use** AndroidLost will not use any battery since it does not poll any server to find out if it is lost. It uses the latest technology from google to send messages to the phone.
* **No pre installation required** You didn't install AndroidLost on your phone? No problem! You can push the AndroidLost app to your phone from google market and initiate the connection to googles servers by sending an SMS with the message "androidlost register" to your phone.
* **Read status** Detect how much battery is left, display IMEI, SIM card ID and much more.
* **SMS commands** You can set up a phonenumber which can control you phone, i.e. start the alarm by sending an SMS to your phone.
* **Erase SD card** Click a button and your SD card will be erased! Very useful if you have some naughty pictures on your sd card.
* **SIM card changed** When the SIM card is changed an email will be sent to the owner of the phone.
* **Hidden SMS** When the phone receives an SMS it plays a sound and displays an icon in the notification bar. But if it starts with androidlost it will not play any sound and not display any notification.
* **Call list** A list of incomming and outgoing calls will be sent to your email.
* **Camera** AndroidLost can take pictures with the front facing camera in case the phone is stolen. Only for android 2.3.
* **Tablets Honeycomb** I think I have fixed it so AndroidLost works on tablets. The call functions will obviously fail if the tablet have no phone installed.
* **Text to speech** You can make your phone speak out load. Suppose you have lost it on a café then you can make the phone say: 'I am lost - please pick me up!'
* **Multiple phones on the same account**

**NOTE**: AndroidLost will do all of the things you ask in one application, but Latitude is simpler for your primary usage.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Well, you can try using avast! Anti Theft, but you must first install avast! Mobile Security because it comes bundled with it. Can be considered as bloat because you don't seem to need the anti-virus features. But avast! Anti Theft is integrated online, which means that you can control your phone using the avast! web site, apart from controlling the phone with another phone via SMS commands (which many others can too).

If you like simplicity, try aeGis because it works through SMS only, while a lot of similar apps are dependent of data/internet connection. I personally recommend this because it contains all the core features that an anti-theft app should have, yet small in size.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Look into Cerebrus and its volume license options. Does all of these things + scary stuff like remotely recording sound and video.

# Answer
> 1 votes
If you want to see where each of you are, and send messages in case you need help or to see if you're all OK, then Life360 Family Locator is the free way to go.

For security, like locking phone, taking pictures, an all-in-one, then download Android Lost.

If you want to password protect your apps (e.g. connecting 4 dots), then so far I've been using Smart App Protector.

---
Tags: gps-tracking, lost-phone
---


# Question
Title: "Low on space" message on an android tablet
I just got a Agptek 9" tablet. It's running android 4.04, ICS with 8GB storage and 512MB of RAM. It generally runs great. After a few days the tablet is getting a "*low on space*" error message in the notification bar.

In the storage area of settings, it shows over 800MB not used. Because of this error, it will not allow downloads, including updates and the tablet very runs slow. All downloaded apps have been moved to the SD card. All cache has been removed.

The only software in the internal storage is android files and apps that came with the tablet, which can not be moved or removed. Yet, the notification bar shows "*low on space*". I did a "*factory data reset*" and the problem was resolved for a while. But, the problem shorty returns.

Can you give me assistance in how to fix this. Or steer me in the right direction for help.

# Answer
Even if you move apps to the SDcard, the apps will still use space in /data/data/ this is where the user data is stored for the application. this includes things like the database, additional application specific files, other cached data.

Devices that do not have large a /data/data partition are very troublesome with a lot of current applications. Applications like Google+, Chrome, Gmail (just as a couple examples) can use a lot of space in /data/data/.

To see if the issue is /data/data/ you can try and clear Data for some applications and see if the notification goes away. Not just the cache for the application, actually clearing the data.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Seems you RAM usage is on higher side. Install XDA Assistant from Play Store and do some cleanup of your tablet. Its an all in one and comes handy with lots of utility. It has:

1. Document explorer
2. If rooted, you can remove bloatwares.
3. RAM Booster
4. Wifi Explorer
5. App2SD
6. Remove Programs from startup and lot more utilities in a single app.

It works well when you have root permissions on your device.Also I would recommend History Eraser to clean any sort of cache.

\** Please note , I am just a user of this app not the representative of its company.\**
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, internal-storage, insufficient-memory
---


# Question
Title: How can I sync my Outlook calendar with my Android phone calendar?
I have Galaxy Europa GT-I5500 Android phone with me. The problem I am facing is I am able to Sync my Contacts and Notes with my Outlook 2007, but I am not able to sync my my phone calendar with Outlook 2007.

I'd appreciate if anyone can help me with the problem I am facing.

# Answer
You will probably find MyPhoneExplorer quite useful. It does not only sync your contacts etc. with outlook, but provides a lot of additional useful features, such as managing your SMS, Calllists, Apps, Files, handling Calls, create backups...

You might want to visit the products page for more detailled information.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Is this a local Outlook calendar? If so, you might want to migrate your appointments to your Google account's calendar, then add your Google calendar to Outlook (pretty simple to do). That way it will sync automatically, as well as being available on the web.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: sync, calendar, outlook
---


# Question
Title: How do I enable Google Now on my Galaxy Note 2 (NT-7100)?
I go to Google Search app but no Google Now "cards" are showing.

I do the ff:

1. Long-press Menu soft-key to bring up Google Search
2. Press Menu -\> Settings
3. Under settings, I only get 3 entries: Voice, Phone search and Privacy & accounts (no Google Now)

My friend, who uses an HTC Sensation with MIUI ROM, and Google Now works nicely.

Question is, how do I enable it on my Note 2?

**I am suspecting that this has to do with my Privacy settings or Location settings but I still haven't gotten it to work despite changing those settings...*

# Answer
> 2 votes
The language setting was my key problem - after changing the OS language from Croatian to English (U.S.), Google Now is miraculously ready to go!

Watch the video How to get Google Now talking to you... for an instructional guide on changing your system language.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You must be running at least Android 4.1 to use Google Now - please ensure this is true.

If you *are* running at least Android 4.1, then ensure you have the latest Google Voice Search update from the Google Play Store - be aware that it is listed twice (at least on my old device).

# Answer
> 0 votes
Have you checked that you are running the latest version of Google Search? The easiest way to update is to visit the Google Play Store page for Google Search and check to see if it will allow you to install or update the app.

Ok, so I found how to turn on Google Now on my GN2. If you have the Google search widget, it is as simple as hitting the settings button (left light-up one) while inputting a query for the search widget. This brings up a menu, hit settings then you can turn on Google Now.

I accidentally opted out when in early setup, and now I am curious.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Ok, I think this is how you do it.

Open Google Search from the app drawer. Tap on menu and then settings, then tap Google Now - you should be able to toggle it on from there.

---
Tags: google-now, samsung-galaxy-note-2
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to reinstall stock Android on the Nexus 7
I'm new to rooting my phone, but I was thinking of trying out the KDE tablet interface on my Nexus 7. I'm probably not going to keep using this, since I like the huge app ecosystem on Android, so is it possible to reinstall stock Android on my tablet?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Yes. One option would be to use the images distributed by Google at Factory Images for Nexus Devices. Download the appropriate package (the 4.2.1 Nexus 7 archive is what you'd presumably want) and then either flash the images manually or use the included `flash-all.sh` script (if on Linux). Manually running the commands will be of the form:

```
fastboot flash <partition name> /path/to/image.img

```

So, as an example, you'd flash the system partition with:

```
fastboot flash system /path/to/system.img

```

You'll need to have the `fastboot` utility configured for this, but it will work regardless of what OS or recovery system are installed on the N7 at the time as long as you don't modify the bootloader. You'll also need to use `fastboot oem unlock` to unlock your bootloader if you haven't already, which will wipe your personal data.

---
Tags: linux, nexus-7, stock-android, vanilla-android
---


# Question
Title: saving route while still connected to wifi
In Google Maps is there a way to save a route while you're still connected to wifi so that it saves your data plan? Does scrolling through the map while still connected to wifi help because then the points get cached?

# Answer
You could just cache the route portion of the map using the `Make available offline` feature. Then, all need afterwards is the GPS, which doesn't use your data plan.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, internet, google-maps, cache, data-plan
---


title: Weather Calendar No Longer Syncing

text:
# Question
Title: Weather Calendar No Longer Syncing
I have the standard Weather calendar added to Google Calendar, and I can see the weather for today on goocal in my desktop browser just fine.

I noticed that the weather was no longer showing up on my calendar. It was showing the weather for last week - Mon-Tue-Wed, but there was no entries for this week. So I deleted the weather calendar completely. Verified it was no longer showing up on my Android. Then I added it back again. Now I can (still) see it on my desktop in the browser, but in Android the calendar no longer shows up at all. The Weather calendar is quite definitely selected as "Synce, Visible" in the calendar settings. I also tried another calendar app that uses the Google Calendar database (Business Calendar); again, the Weather calendar is selected to be shown, but it does not show up.

Before you ask why I don't just use the weather widget, to be honest I don't particularly care about the weather, I just like having something on my calendar every day - it makes it more obvious in "Agenda" view that I have nothing going on today

UPDATE: I just tried the "Day of the Year" calendar and that shows up just fine. My speculation is that the weather calendar requires your current location, and that's the source of the problem. I'd rather see the weather, which is at least marginally useful, than the day of the year though.

# Answer
Well the answer seems to be to use Weather Underground's iCal subscription. It shows up and it gives you more complete weather info. Only downside- it doesn't automatically pick up your location, it's hardcoded to a specific location.
> 3 votes

# Answer
Having precisely the same issue on HTC evo v Virgin load and current updates Also seems ""google contacts and events" works on neither calendar app or widget. And "google US holidays" works on both (right now?)

Got the answer. I went to: Home, Menu, Settings, Apps, All Apps, Calendar Storage. Clear Data in Calendar Storage. This should erase the Exchange Calendar from your phone. Weather reappeared.

But there's more. It quit again. Seems to be some conflict between the exchange calendar and the pop calendar. Deleted the.calendar memory and settings again, Disabled the pop calendar, deleted and recreated the exchange calendar. Now its stable.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: calendar, weather, google-calendar
---


# Question
Title: Does rooting your phone always involve installing/using tools?
I want to know if tools are the only mean to root an android phone ? can it be done using only a root terminal ?

edit: by tools i mean apps to install like https://www.google.be/search?sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&tbo=d&site=&source=hp&q=root+android

# Answer
Not to say a root terminal, most of such methods are utilising ADB (Android Debugging Bridge) to push root-related files and binaries into your phone to get it "rooted".

Sometimes, there are also methods where you are required to boot into recovery to "flash" zip packages that contains those files, but this method is mostly device specific.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: rooting
---


# Question
Title: Problem after updating Galaxy S3 to Android 4.1.1
After updating my Galaxy S3 to Android 4.1.1, I started to experience some problems.

For instance, while listening music or 'surfing' in the phone, suddenly phone starts to 'nearly' freeze for a 1 second and turns to normal life.

If I am listening to music, naturally music stops for 1 second and then continues. I do not know if this is a performance issue, or another thing.

Can someone help? Thanks!

# Answer
> 1 votes
Most probably it looks like a OS issue, might be firmware related, might be kernel related. Have you tried a factory reset? Or sometimes even a reboot might clear things up. If 4.1 is not working well for you, you can always downgrade by flashing an older firmware via ODIN. Get you firmwares from http://samfirmware.com. You will need to register in order to download files from there.

---
Tags: 4.1-jelly-bean, samsung-galaxy-s-3, music-player
---


# Question
Title: Titanium Backup Locks Up When Trying To Restore System Upates (com.samsung.apk)
Okay, so in an attempt to stop the OTA notification, I un-installed **System Updates 1.0.0** (**com.samsung.apk**) using **Titanium Backup**. Well, that didn't help, so I'm trying to restore the app in-case I ever need to update my Profile or PRL. But, when I try to use **Titanium Backup** to restore this app, it just sits on the "Restoring..." screen and I have to use the task manager to kill it in order to ever do anything.

* I've tried both restoring "App only," and "App+Date"
* I've tried pushing the **com.samsung.apk** directly to my phone (**/system/app/com.samsung.apk**) using **ADB**.

The only idea I have left is to re-flash my phone. Is there anything I can try before reflashing?

**Phone Information:**

* Samsung Epic 4G (SPH-D700)
* Android 2.2.1 (FROYO.EC05)
* Kernel 2.6.32.9
* Titanium Backup 4.6.7 (Free version)
* Rooted using One Click Root v2.5.5

**Answers to questions I know are going to be asked:**

* Q: Why don't you just update?
A: Because there is something wrong with EI22, and every time I do I lose service until I flash back to EC05
* Q: Do you have trouble restoring any other apps using Titanium Backup?
A: No, I tried restoring two other system apps and they restored fine.
* Q: Did you make sure Debugging Mode was on?
A: Yes, I tried with it both on and off
* Q: Why didn't you just "Freeze" it instead of uninstalling it?
A: Because, the free version of Titanium Backup doesn't allow Freezing, and I just felt like using a GUI method at the time. I didn't really think that un-installing it would be much different than freezing it.

# Answer
If your device is full rooted (not just shell rooted), try using Root Explorer app. Mount `/system` with read-write permission and then paste `com.samsung.apk` file in `/system/app/`.

Reboot the device... Done!

Remember to set permissions of the app to rw-r--r-- before rebooting.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I don't think so, sorry :( but since you have titanium backup, reflashing shouldn't be a very big deal :) There are also some free apps on the market that can freeze other apps https://market.android.com/details?id=com.anttek.am
> 0 votes

# Answer
Based on your situation, if all means does not work, just reflash the firmware via ODIN. You do not have to factory reset (i.e. your data will still be there), but you will lost root. Just perform the steps you used to root your phone before this. I suggested this because certain apps cannot be restored even though you push it via ADB or paste it in the system partition.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: apk, samsung-epic-4g, titanium-backup
---


# Question
Title: Does the Bluetooth/Google Now "Initializing" bug exist on Razr Maxx HD?
There is a pretty severe, widespread Android Jellybean bug that causes Google Now voice search to not work over bluetooth audio (it gets stuck saying "Initializing"). I've personally dealt with this on a Galaxy S3 and a Galaxy Note 2, both running 4.1.1.

I'm curious whether the Razr Maxx HD has this bug - is there any credible information on which phones are affected by this bug? Or can anyone vouch from experience whether this is a bug on the Razr Maxx HD as well?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Verified that this bug does indeed exist on the Razr Maxx HD (running 4.1.1)

---
Tags: bluetooth, 4.1-jelly-bean, motorola-droid-razr, google-now
---


# Question
Title: Can you actually determine the mAh of a battery?
You can skip the story part but for better reference, please read it:

**A Little Story**

My phone claims it has a battery of 4000 mAh that lasts for 3 days. I got the phone, really psyched because of the battery. When I bought it it has 50% left on the battery. I did some texts and some first time testing on the phone, but no heavy usage. The phone lasted 19 hours before saying it was now low on battery (5%).

The next day, I charged it for six hours, turned on the 3G and used the Facebook app, Opera Mini, and Google Play for four hours before I removed the 3G. The battery read 29%. I was disappointed. Most of the people who bought this phone reported that it should last 10 hours with 3G on and heavy usage. Most people even say that with heavy usage their phone lasts 2 days, using the internet, apps that require it, and gaming with the phone.

Now I'm on the process of claiming the warranty and I called some service centers to determine where I will take it to. The first service center claimed that all Android phones last for only one day, the second one claimed that even if only a Messaging app is on, if I leave it open even if my screen is off the battery will be drained quickly. The third one basically told me to go to the Play Store and download a Task Killer. The last one I called told me to bring the phone to the service center so they could "observe it". That doesn't sound good to me.

**Question**

My question is can technicians actually tell if the battery has the capacity it claims it has and if the battery is healthy? I want to go prepared to that service center if the observation they'll be doing will be to look at my "Battery" setting only and asking me what I've been doing only for them to say that's what been draining my battery.

Also can 3G drain a battery within 4 hours if a battery has 4000 mAh?

Note: My phone is a rebranded Innos D9, it's a Cloudfone Thrill 430x.

# Answer
Multiple things with your issue:

1. I would *never* trust a tech who recommends a Task-Killer for this problem. Disqualified 100%.
2. Same for the one claiming *all Android phones last for only one day*. That's bogus. It always depends on usage. I have one lasting 7 days (well, no SIM card inserted, not WiFi activated -- it's rather used as a stand-by computing device for some apps -- but it's a phone, and it runs longer than 10h ;), and my "standard phone" ends up at ~75-80% after 14h usage.
3. tech #2 and #4 sound more reasonable: any app (especially if "consuming push services") can be the cause for such a problem (see below), and monitoring battery usage is a generally good idea (that tech I would trust most from the ones you mentioned)
4. Different kind of usage causes different battery drain.
5. Sometimes processes go havoc and drain the battery quite fast. I had that "big surprise" multiple times already, last time yesterday: went down from ~80% to 5% and "emergency shutdown" within ~2h while in my pocket -- I only noticed that by the "beep" on shutdown. But this should not be a *regular* (daily) issue; I experienced this maybe 4-5 times in a year with my current device.
    * recommendation: Take a look at the battery statistics (usually found in *Settings → About Phone*) to determine which app(s) are causing the most battery drain. Maybe you've got some "bad egg" on your device, if this happens regularly.
    * second recommendation: Take a look at How to deal with (orphaned) WakeLocks? -- maybe that's what affects you. Again, this could be a mal-functioning app.
6. battery only lasting for ~10h is nothing rare with heavy usage. Remember these are no longer "dumb-phones", but rather "pocket-computers which also can make phone calls".

Useful resources also include:
> 5 votes

# Answer
How far can we trust on the battery capacity that these manufacturers mention in their devices and in their product specification? This is one important question which we can't overlook during such debates. Also, the battery capacity is at its best during its first charge cycle and it actually drops with every successive cycle, though the rate of drop varies from type of battery to number of cycles and many other factors included.

So, the only true way to measure the current battery performance is to monitor how many amps being drawn during a particular operation/duration. Unless you are doing for a research purpose this kind of investigation doesn't pay off in any way.

BTW, if your 4000 mAH battery drains in 4 hours from full charge, the current handled is around 1 Amps and I think that is too much for these kind of electronics.

In your case, I would lay all my suspicion on the over optimistic battery rating of your manufacturer.
> 1 votes

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Tags: battery, battery-life
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title: Force VPN usage?

text:
# Question
Title: Force VPN usage?
On an android phone, stock or modded rom, is it possible to force the use of VPN? E.g. only allow traffic tunneled by VPN, don't allow traffic without using VPN to make sure that no unencrypted traffic leaks. Thanks for any hint!

# Answer
> 11 votes
Answering an old question, I know, but Android 4.2 has "Always-on VPN" in the menu on the VPN Settings page: setting a VPN profile under this will maintain the VPN connection, and only allow network traffic when connected to it.

More info: http://support.google.com/nexus/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2819573

(It may have been added in an earlier version of Android, but my Nexus 7 auto-updated before I got around to setting up the VPN :)

# Answer
> 1 votes
You could install Orbot on your phone and install a bridge on your server.

* Depending on your needs, you might want to restrict bridge access via a whitelist. **(Please see comments)**
* This isn't a true VPN, but provides the same functionality.
* Orbot can force **ALL** traffic or app-specific traffic.

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* Orbot \[02/20/12\] 0.2.3.10-alpha-orbot-1.0.7-FINAL.apk

# Answer
> 1 votes
# SSHTunnel

SSHTunnel is an ssh tunnel/vpn solution for Android. When I first found SSHTunnel, users were forced to use an application's settings to use SOCK5 proxy, but now sshtunnel can handle *per application* and *global* use on its own. Just like rooting is required to get the *full functionality* of Orbot, you will need a rooted device in order to get what you need from SSHTunnel.

Although this is not a VPN, this is a much simpler setup that will give you an encrypted tunnel to your server. You can interact with your server through this connection directly, or use it to receive or bounce traffic outwards.

* Note: **Unencrypted traffic sent to your server (ie http) will be encrypted through your ssh tunnel, but it will still be clear/unencrypted once it leaves your server.**

# Links & QR

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Tags: security, vpn
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