# Question
Title: My Galaxy Nexus can't hold on to a signal
I have an unlocked international-version Galaxy Nexus on the German T-Mobile network. It's only about a week old, but more than once in that time I've seen the signal drop completely out, and won't come back until I reboot -- and sometimes not even then. In the same location, my old AT&T Captivate (rooted, running a custom ICS ROM) gets 2-3 bars of signal, around -100dBm. I've read a lot of Verizon users complaining about the GN's radio, but I haven't heard of people having problems with the International version.

Is this fixable? Are there newer revisions of the phone where this issue is fixed? If not, does it vary between individual handsets? Would exchanging it for an "identical" handset stand a chance of getting better hardware?

# Answer
It look is like this is a pretty widespread problem. It doesn't answer my shopping question (should I return it) but at least I can say with confidence that it's not just me, so it should get addressed eventually.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I'm not sure what the process is for it being a vanilla developer phone, but I know many Samsung devices can flash a radio package through the Recovery mode, to potentially improve signal and speeds. For the Nexus, there seems to be plenty of dumps available here to install which might help your signal problems.
**Note** however that this is a purely trial-and-error process which can, in some circumstances, cause unforeseen side effects so be careful about it.
> 0 votes

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-nexus, network-signal
---


# Question
Title: How to localize Android OS for new locale
I've been looking for the Android "localization project", assuming that there is one (like you have for LibreOffice or Mozilla) but so far, I have only found thousands of pages about localizing apps, but nothing about the operating system itself. Which suggests it's more complicated than I expected...

* Assuming that it can be localized, anyone know if end users can then download and install such a new locale on their phones? I'm under no illusions about Scottish Gaelic ever getting shipped by default :/
* If the answer is yes, then does anyone know how the localization process for Android actually works and where I need to go?

Thanks!

# Answer
You'll need a copy of the OS with the needed locale. Since it's part of the OS it can't be added by a simple app download or anything. You can Spoof your locale string on any device but that app doesn't actually offer localizations beyond what shipped on your phone; it won't translate system text ect unless your phone has those localizations native.

As per the Android SDK docs:

> Note: The Android platform may support more locales than are included in the SDK system image. All of the supported locales are available in the Android Open Source Project.

You'll have to reflash your device with a system image that has your locale; the Android Open Source Project includes more locales but you/someone would have to actually compile them into a working system image/ROM. Making it work on your device is also another matter; ideally if your manufacturer has another official ROM out there with the locale on it you want, you should find that ROM and use it.

Unfortunately I don't know of any sites that have ROMs by supported locale.
> 2 votes

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Tags: languages, localization
---


# Question
Title: Is there a music player that can play music from the Google Music Store as well as Amazon MP3?
It's getting really annoying that the music I "buy" in the different music stores on Android (Google Play and Amazon MP3 specifically) aren't visible to other music players even when I make them available offline.

Are there any players out there that know to dig into these areas and make this music playable? It's really obnoxious to not have all my music in one place and have certain tracks tied to players I don't especially like.

The only solution I've come up with is to abandon getting new music when I'm out and about and download the tracks on a PC the old fashioned way and then add them to my music folder on my phone by hand. Surely there's something better that I haven't thought of yet.

# Answer
Have you tried CloudAround yet? It's a music app that lets you listen to everything on your device as well as sync/stream from a few cloud storage providers. This includes offline music you saved from Amazon MP3. The app scans your device for all music files and gives you a handy list of everything available. Once you login with the various cloud services, your music stored will show up too.
> 3 votes

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Tags: music, mp3-player, amazon-mp3
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# Question
Title: How can I save contacts on the SIM card alone by default?
Using ICS, is it possible to store and use all my contacts on SIM only?

If it is possible I don't really want to copy all my contacts to the phone and I would prefer all the new contacts to be stored only on SIM card.

# Answer
You haven't mentioned which phone you use.

Unsure about ICS, but on Gingerbread, go to Contacts - press MENU \> MORE \> SETTINGS \> SAVE CONTACTS to - SIM

This is available on newer versions though, YMMV.
> 1 votes

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Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, contacts, sim-card
---


# Question
Title: Why did the Market app disappear on its own, and how can I get it back?
The Market application recently disappeared from my device. I did not install any OTA updates or other system upgrades to cause this. Why has the Market disappeared on its own, and how can I get it back?

# Answer
Google officially renamed the Market (and its associated products) to **Google Play**, which they announced on March 6th. Google Play encompasses all of the content distribution/sales services previously provided by Google such as music, movies, and apps. Due to this rebranding, the various Android apps have also been renamed:

* Google Music is now Play Music
* Google Books is now Play Books
* Google Movies/Videos is now Play Movies
* **The Market is now the Play Store**

The last one I've bolded because it will update itself, meaning that the Market will suddenly seem to "disappear". In reality, the application has simply been renamed, so open your app drawer and look for the "Play Store" app instead of the "Market" app. The icon will resemble the same shopping bag as the Market icon, but it will be white:

The other three will **not** update on their own, but can be updated from within the Play Store as per usual. The functionality and visual design of the Play Store app is almost identical to that of the most recent Market app versions (3.4+ or so). Again, it is simply a renaming/rebranding of the original Market app.

However, if the Market did get completely uninstalled for some other reason (not associated with the Play Store update), you may need to look at Android Market disappeared! How do I get it back? which also discusses how to re-install the Market.
> 13 votes

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Tags: google-play-store
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# Question
Title: How to check success status of opened URL in Tasker?
In Tasker, I have created a profile to open a URL when I visit certain place during certain time. It works.. When conditions are met, my default web browser (Dolphin) is opened to handle that URL visit.

I have setup another profile to kill Dolphin when I leave that place or time duration ends (whichever comes first).

Now, I want to make logic flow more complex: If URL fails to load, don't kill Dolphin.

How to check that URL was opened successfully or not? The rest I can do by myself.

# Answer
You could use an "HTTP Get" action to query the site. The response code sent back by the website is stored in the %HTTPR variable. So %HTTPR = 200 means the site loaded sucessfully. You can then make the rest of your task conditional on that variable, eg. IF %HTTPR = 200 THEN Go Home (or however you are "closing" Dolphin). I know that %HTTPR is dependent on the mime type of the HTTP Get request so you'll have to tweak that a bit, and you may choose to look for different response codes to trigger different actions.

There's probably other ways to do it but it would depend on the site you are trying to reach.
> 6 votes

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Tags: tasker
---


# Question
Title: is it possible to mask esn of a smartphone?
On a computer, it's possible to trick a server that you are using a different computer by masking MAC address.

Is there something like that for android? Rooted phones have full access. So I'd think it should be possible. I don't mean wi-fi mac address, I mean 4g/3g alternative to mac, I assume it's ESN.

If that is possible, than there is a security problem. Someone can pretend that they are using your phone. Of course, there is still Google account password but still, is this possible?

# Answer
Since the nature of your question is simply "is this possible", the answer is yes, there are ways to spoof your ESN. Often this is a form of phone cloning, which is also simply referred to as ESN cloning. The concept is that you take one phone and then configure it to broadcast using the ESN of a different phone, effectively "cloning" the second as far as the network is concerned.

However, it's important to note that in most Western countries (and possibly elsewhere) doing this is illegal. In the US it is considered "cell phone fraud" or "subscriber fraud" and is covered on the FCC's website in some detail. I believe it's similar across much of Europe.
> 5 votes

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Tags: 3g, 4g
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title: Prevent apps being uninstalled

text:
# Question
Title: Prevent apps being uninstalled
My kids love playing with my Android. However, they don't always understand what they are doing, and occasionally I find that they have deleted some of my apps (strangely, never the ones they play).

Is there any app that can make uninstall more difficult, or make access to the apps menu more difficult (e.g. require a password)?

# Answer
Install Smart App Protector with its helper app (for enhanced reliability). Make sure to make it device administrator. Then, lock `Package Installer` and `Play Store` using it (lock down other market apps too). With one tap, the app can lock all apps which could uninstall it. The app facilitates this for its own security, but its solution of your question.

And, I can bet... after that your kids can't uninstall an app without developer level expertise.

**Update:**
After your comment, looks like your app launcher is capable of uninstalling apps directly like Play Store. So, lock your Launcher too. From your screenshot, its Samsung TouchWhiz launcher having package name `tw.launcher`. Lock this package with Smart App Protector. But, it'd lock your app drawer too.
If you don't want to lock your app drawer, best way is to switch your Home Launcher app & lock `Package Installer`, `Play Store` etc. Done!
Alternate launcher apps have more features as well as memory efficiency. So, its better in all other aspects. If you don't want to spend money, I'd recommend you Go Launcher EX. If you can spend money for this, I'd recommend you ADW Launcher EX.
> 4 votes

# Answer
There are quite a few apps in the Market which will lock certain apps behind a password, a search in the Market for "applock" should find most of them.

I haven't actually used any, so can't give you a recommendation, but these should allow you to lock the Market and Settings apps behind a PIN number, to keep your kids out of them.
> 7 votes

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Tags: applications, uninstallation
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# Question
Title: How can I wipe data with no display ( e.g. magnet )?
I dropped my phone and broke the LCD. Now I *can* turn the phone on ( I feel the little quick vibrate that happens when you power the phone on ) but I have no display at all.

I got a replacement with the insurance plan, but I need to send the broken phone back. How can I wipe my data? Can I just rub a magnet all over it? How big a magnet?

Any other options? I thought about trying to navigate to the bootloader's reset function without being able to actually see what I'm doing, but I won't know if I succeed or not, and there are a few menus to navigate.

I also was going to ssh to the phone, but apparently I never made it so sshd starts automatically ( doh! ).

Any ideas?

# Answer
Assuming USB Debugging is on connect it to the computer via USB and wipe it with ADB. If that doesn't work you could throw it in the microwave.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Go to recovery mode of device and wipe data from there. In recovery mode, you need to work with physical keys (touchscreen doesn't work in this mode even in normal situation). Generally, volume keys are used for navigation and home key for Enter/OK.

**How to click wipe data option when I can't see it.**
See YouTube video of your recovery mode or check it in your friends' device. You can really do it after learning series of keys which needs to be pressed. E.g. down key 5 times, then home key, then down key 3 times and again home key.

**How to ensure I am in Recovery Mode when I miss it many times even after proper key combination?**
After you think you should be in recovery, leave device idle. If you hear boot music, remove battery, re-insert it and try again.

**How about SSH/FTP?**
Its very difficult without working touchscreen because it needs particular app/service running on device.

**What about other physics based methods like magnetic wiping?**
What you see in hacking movies can't be applied in real world. Particularly, powerful magnets can affect data on hard disks. Device storage doesn't store data using magnetic attributes.
Even if you find something which could wipe data such way, I'd strongly not recommend it because there's no reason why it can't damage hardware capabilities if it can wipe data from flash storage. In the last, this part is off-topic on this site.
> 5 votes

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Tags: factory-reset
---


# Question
Title: Bluetooth headset in-call volume doesn't change?
I have a Motorola Droid (the original, A855) and a Jawbone Icon bluetooth headset. The headset does not have its own volume controls, so I've tried adjusting the volume using the volume rocker. While the on-screen display shows BlueTooth volume as what's being adjusted, the volume seems to be exactly the same when turned all the way down or all the way up.

Is this just an issue with the Icon, the Droid, or am I doing something wrong?

# Answer
Try updating your Jawbone's firmware and see if that fixes it. You can also try installing Jawbone Companion and see if that helps. It doesn't have the OG Droid listed as being compatible when I click on Install on the Google Play site, it has my OG Droid as one of the options so it's worth a shot.
> 1 votes

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Tags: bluetooth, calls, motorola-droid, volume-control
---


# Question
Title: Browser pauses a long time before starting to load a page
Whether I enter a URL directly, or whether another app invokes my browser (e.g. Google News & Weather when clicking on a headline), the browser pauses for a while (maybe half a minute, maybe several minutes) before it even begins to load a page.

All that I see during the pause is the part of the URL that fits, followed by an ellipsis, followed by the refresh icon, and the bookmark icon. The page is blank white. Touching the refresh icon does nothing but highlight it very briefly. Eventually the refresh icon changes to an animated dotted circle, and the page starts to load, but it can take many minutes before the browser "wakes up" and starts to load the page.

What's going on here?

This happens on two different models of the same phone that were bought at the same time, less than a month ago:

```
LG MyTouch on T-Mobile (model LG-C800)
Android 2.3.4
software version LGC800-V10d-SEP-19-2011

```

# Answer
I've had that problem intermittently. I started using SetDNS back when the Market would crawl on Wifi, but now I find that simply switching my DNS servers when the web gets laggy usually fixes the problem.
> 1 votes

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Tags: browser
---


# Question
Title: How to import old SIM contacts to Galaxy Nexus?
I would like to import the contacts from my old phone to GN. I read this guide here, but there is no "Menu" in the *People* app. I'm running 4.0.2.

Please, does anyone know how to proceed? Why there is no "Menu" if the manual says there should be?

# Answer
Ok, there has to be at least one other contact, then there are these "three dots".
> 1 votes

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Tags: backup, samsung-galaxy-nexus, sim-card
---


# Question
Title: Disable list "bounce" effect on Samsung Galaxy Mini
I have a Samsung Galaxy Mini (GT-S5570) with Froyo (Build FROYO.XWKE3 in case this is relevant). When scrolling a list it allows the list to scroll past the end, and then slowly scrolls it back. This prevents me from using the technique I've used on other Android devices where I flick a list and let it hit the end in order to select an item from the last screen (it takes about a second for the position of items to settle down, which is *really* annoying, and I'm not accurate enough to select them while they're moving). Is there any way (short of a custom ROM) of disabling this behaviour?

# Answer
> 2 votes
No - as you've correctly ascertained, a custom ROM is most likely your best bet. Also, the bounce effect is a Samsung "feature" - by default Android uses the glow effect to indicate the end of a list. I'm also unsure if this is a Froyo only feature, because IIRC, one of the UI updates was the glow effect, which Samsung did incorporate into their later ROM releases.

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, stock-android, samsung-galaxy-mini
---


title: Access root directory?

text:
# Question
Title: Access root directory?
Assuming that I am not able to start up my phone due to a file that is missing on the file system. Would it be possible to get to my phone's root directory on my computer and to place the missing file?

Maybe by using fastboot?

# Answer
> 2 votes
No.

If you have a custom recovery that supports adb / root, you can boot into it and use adb to remount `/system` as read-write and push the missing file over. But otherwise you don't have access to most of the phone.

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Tags: fastboot, boot
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title: Disable LiveWare manager

text:
# Question
Title: Disable LiveWare manager
I have rooted my Sony Ericsson Neo V by downgrading to .42 and using Zergrush, without unlocking the boot loader. Now I want to remove the LiveWare service. NoBloat and similar apps don't show it. How can I delete or at least disable this serivce?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Look in `/system/app/` for `com.sonyericsson.extras.liveware.apk` or similar. Remove it and any .odex file with the same name if present and that should get rid of it. (Note that I have no idea if this is required by the system or will otherwise screw up your phone, so do it at your own risk.)

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Tags: applications, bloatware
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title: Display data usage by application

text:
# Question
Title: Display data usage by application
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How to monitor the amount of data traffic?

Is there a way I can monitor how much data all the individual apps use? All the traffic monitors I have found only show the total amount.

# Answer
> 6 votes
There's a program on Google Play called Network TrafficStats Lite that does this in most Android versions. If your phone happens to be compatible to Ice Cream Sandwich, consider upgrading as this feature is built in.

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Tags: data-monitoring
---


# Question
Title: How can I get the mobile Version of stackoverflow.com on Evo3D?
I just got a new phone (HTC Evo 3D / Android 2.3.4) and opened `stackoverflow.com` in the browser.

I noticed I got the desktop version of the website. On my old HTC Desire (Android 2.2.2) I get a mobile version, which is friendlier on the device and probably more lightweight.

What can I do to have the mobile version on the Evo 3D as well?

# Answer
> 6 votes
The Stack Exchange sites provide a "Mobile" link in the footer that will give you the mobile layout. It should work regardless of your browser's settings or which browser you happen to be using, so in that sense it's actually a very portable solution.

---
Tags: browser, stock-browser
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title: HDMI mirroring on non-root EVO

text:
# Question
Title: HDMI mirroring on non-root EVO
Is there any way to enable full HDMI mirroring on the HTC Evo 4g that doesn't require root?

I currently don't have the capability to root my phone as my charging port is broken so any suggestion along those lines is not an option.

# Answer
> 2 votes
The newest versions of FullHDMI work without root, but my understanding is that the performance is degraded on unrooted devices (haven't compared myself, so I don't know if that's accurate or how bad it is).

---
Tags: htc-evo, hdmi
---


title: new account for GMail only

text:
# Question
Title: new account for GMail only
I added a second account in the GMail aplication, in order to be able to send/receive mail using that account.

I realized that the account has been added not only for GMail, but the Market (Play Store) also sees both accounts now.

Is there a way to keep the second account only in GMail?

# Answer
You can't do this because:

* There's only one Google Services Framework running for all accounts.
* Google Accounts credentials are stored centrally from where Google Apps authenticate.

But, there's a way to solve your issue: Turn on IMAP from Gmail settings. And, use IMAP in default Email app or K-9 Mail app. Done!
Play Store can't see it..
> 5 votes

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Tags: google-play-store, gmail, google-account, accounts
---


# Question
Title: "share via" doesn't offer me mail as an option in some apps, though it does in others
I want to use the (e)mail rather than the gmail app to share things, but in some apps this is not offered as an option. It is in gallery, but not in business calendar. It is in gtasks, but not in signnow. I use my phone mainly for business, so want to send invites to meetings and send signed documents from my work email rather than my private gmail. Is there a way I can add this back in? Have I got a preference wrong? Any help kindly appreciated. Thanks

# Answer
> 1 votes
This comes back to the individual app developer, you'll have to contact the developers of business calendar and signnow to update their share menu to be compatible with the Email app.

On the mean time though, you can use Gmail to send as your work email. Once you do that, then you can share to Gmail, and pick the alternate From address by clicking on the From field on the Gmail app.

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Tags: email, share-menu
---


title: How can I install a missing locale?

text:
# Question
Title: How can I install a missing locale?
I bought Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 in Hong Kong. The System has some pre-installed languages but I need to install an additional locale (Polish). I tried "More Locales 2" from the Market and it worked but not as I expected. Some text is fully translated, but others are not. Is there any way to localize it correctly? Polish locales are supported by Android 3.2 but I do not know how to install them manually.

# Answer
I believe you should install the European version of Samsung's ROM or any other ROM of choice. This XDA thread lists official firmwares for your device.
> 1 votes

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Tags: localization, 3.2-honeycomb, samsung-galaxy-tab-7.7
---


# Question
Title: How can I make my hacked WPDN run faster?
I have a white Pandigital Novel that I hacked to run Android 2.1. Is there any way I can make it and the apps it runs go faster? It's already overclocked to 800Mhz and I have no home screen shortcuts. Is there anything else I can do?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Using JIT (Just In Time) compiler (e.g. installing Froyo, Gingerbread, or "Frozen Eclair") will typically increase CPU-bound processes by 3-5 times.

If your device use FAT, RFS, or NTFS filesystem, your device might be faster by converting to ext2/ext3/ext4 filesystem. However, if you want to prolong the lifetime of your internal memory, use YAFFS2 filesystem.

# Answer
> 0 votes
in order to use JIT and installing froyo, search cm6 wpdn. its a cyanogenmod 6 hack where you can make all sorts of tweaks, including the ones the other guy gave you

---
Tags: 2.1-eclair, performance, pandigital-novel
---


# Question
Title: What's the risk of installing Cyanogen Mod on unsupported phone?
My device is not listed as supported on website www.cyanogenmod.com/devices. I have ZTE Skate, and some other ZTEs are listed, but not mine.
Is it possible to install the mod on Skate, and what's the risk? If phone is not listed, does it mean, that it was just not tested, or the mod wouldn't work?

# Answer
They have an **Unofficial** version of CyanogenMod for Skate here. I don't know what would happen if you tried to install version for another model.
> 5 votes

# Answer
It means that in all probability it won't work. There are a lot of factors at play, but if it installs correctly there's a good chance it won't boot. Problems that could occur include:

* Your hardware will likely not have proper drivers. If it shares drivers with other devices then it may work, but otherwise various parts of the hardware will simply fail to function.
* The partition layout may be different, which could cause the install itself to fail if partition sizes are very different.
* The kernel from another device may not run on your device's processor.
* The boot image may not be configured and packaged properly for your device.

If the above all manage to be identical, then the system may boot and function, but it's generally pretty unlikely.
> 19 votes

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Tags: cyanogenmod
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title: Does the HTC One X support GLONASS?

text:
# Question
Title: Does the HTC One X support GLONASS?
I'm looking to buy the brand new HTC One X (Tegra 3 version) but I want to know if it's compatible with GLONASS (Russian GPS satnav equivalent).

I already know that the Snapdragon S4 version supports it but does the Tegra 3 support it as well?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Acccording to this XDA thread, it does NOT support GLONASS

They ran GPS tests on both Galaxy Note and HTC One X, the former of which does officially support GLONASS; and the former showed 2x the amount of detected satellites.

---
Tags: gps, tegra, htc-one-x
---


title: Can't install Google Apps

text:
# Question
Title: Can't install Google Apps
I'm using an Allview Alldro P2 phone with Android 2.3.5. Fresh out of the box it worked like a charm. After a factory reset from Settings I couldn't install any apps from Google (Gmail, Youtube, etc).

Later edit : Gmail failed, Youtube failed, Google Maps worked... odd right?

I'm getting an error like "Problem parsing package" but if I download other apps, they work like a charm.

Any ideas? It's the first time I'm having this issue. Meanwhile I will be exploring this site for any clues.

Thank you.

# Answer
This problem is taking place when you install Google apps APKs directly on phone.

The solution is installing Google apps image in ***Recovery mod***.

You can always get the **latest GApps** for any android version such as Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.x), Honeycomb (Android 3.x), Gingerbread (Android 2.3.x), Froyo (Android 2.2.x) and Eclair (Android 2.1.x) from this address **Latest GAPPSS**
> 1 votes

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Tags: 2.3-gingerbread
---


# Question
Title: Gallery app crashes when trying to view photos or videos
The Gallery app on my phone does not show any of my photos or videos. If I try to view them from the camera app the screen just goes black and exits to the home screen. I have an Xperia Mini Pro. Is there any way I can troubleshoot this?

# Answer
Try clearing the **data** and **cache** of the gallery from App Manager of your phone's setting.
> 3 votes

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Tags: gallery, sony-xperia-mini-pro
---


# Question
Title: Can't boot my Htc Wildfire S after deleting Sense
I wanted to free up some internal space. So I decided to delete some pre-installed apps. Then I accidently removed an app called HtcSense.apk. As I rebooted it didn't manage to start anymore.

I would assume I could download the app from somewhere, but how will I be able to put it back on my phone?

# Answer
I have finally fixed my phone. Thank you @Matthew Read @ctt for your help!!!:) I am really sorry that I asked more then one question about this. I was just panicking that my phone wasn't working.

I have managed to install a custom rom to my Htc Wildfire S. This is the rom I used.

I had to to a factory reset and I had to delete all the cache.

Thanks again for all your support! :)
> 2 votes

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Tags: boot, htc-wildfire-s
---


# Question
Title: Is CyanogenMod available in several languages?
Vanilla Android works in so many languages (including mine). What about Cyanogen? Are there language packs? I have not found any on official site, but maybe anything unofficial?

And if there is/isn't any, then

* Is the translation device-specific?
* Will some parts of system, that come from original (vanilla) Android work in my local language?

# Answer
CyanogenMod ROMs are multilingual and you can select the language the first time your phone boots or in `System settings-->Language & input-->Language`(ICS 4.0.4) at any time.

I can say it supports all languages in the world from The far East to South America including right to left languages like Farsi.
> 5 votes

# Answer
All officially supported languages are listed on their changelog: https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android\_vendor\_cyanogen/blob/gingerbread/CHANGELOG.mkdn
> 3 votes

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Tags: cyanogenmod, languages
---


# Question
Title: "incompatible" apps through google play market
Just a quick one here, I've recently installed gingerbread to my HD2 using cyanogenmod 7, previous to this I was running froyo through a different mod. My problem is this, many of the market apps that ran fine on my phone before are now listed as incompatible and Google play refuses to let me download them. I know that they are compatible, because like I said, I ran them perfectly well on my froyo mod. Is there a way around this problem?

# Answer
It's really hard to say without knowing specifically what previous ROM you were using, but there are two possibilities I can think of:

1. The apps in question were updated to require some new feature that your device doesn't have.
2. (Probably more likely) Your previous ROM had different information in the `build.prop` file than your current one does. This can include specific hardware like GPS, NFC, accelerometer and such or things like screen density.

The `/system/build.prop` file contains a lot of information about the hardware of your device (among other things), and it's what the Play Store will use to determine if your device supports the hardware requirements of a given app. It is fairly common for ROMs to use `build.prop` entries to masquerade as other devices or pretend to support nonexistent hardware for the sake of app compatibility. I would suggest trying to find a copy of your old ROM in zip format then extracting the `build.prop` from your old ROM and comparing it to your current one. If they are different then you can consider editing your current `build.prop` to include any missing entries from the old one (there are apps to help you do this). This is also covered in some detail in Is there a way to trick the Android Market into thinking I'm using a different device do I can download protected apps?

For screen/LCD density specifically there are a handful of apps that will help you modify it. Based on Chahk's comment, values of 160 and 240 may be good to try if it is set to something different than that.
> 6 votes

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Tags: applications, cyanogenmod, htc-hd2
---


# Question
Title: replace the HTC unlock system for a keyboard combination in Android 2.3.5?
How can I replace the HTC-sense ringy swipy unlock mechanism for an unlock mechanism that only requires to enter a keyboard combination in Android 2.3.5? I find myself not able to do it easily on one hand and since I have a physical keyboard, I would like to be able to unlock the screen with a keyboard combination.

# Answer
Let me know if this helps,

No Lock
> 1 votes

---
Tags: keyboard, lock-screens, htc-sense
---


title: Are firmware updates secure?

text:
# Question
Title: Are firmware updates secure?
Now that mobiles are being used for payment systems, I'm more concerned about the security on my Android device.

I would rather not be the first to be vulnerable to some malicious code that happened to get slipped into the firmware update that the carrier is installing on my Android mobile.

I'm presuming they occasionally are sending fixes/patches over the air (OTA) without me having to give approval before they are installed -- perhaps I'm wrong on that though.

Are firmware updates secure and I'm just being paranoid? Is there any way to block new firmware updates from getting installed right away when everyone else's is?

# Answer
> 10 votes
To detect tampering, firmware updates are signed and (if you're using the recovery program that shipped with the phone) the signature is verified before install. After a mandatory confirmation from you that the installation should start, after a reboot, the recovery program will first verify this signature and only then install the new firmware.

Note that you will always get a prompt for a ROM update. Besides allaying security concerns and giving you a bit more control over the proceedings, this gives you the opportunity to:

* Make sure the battery is charged or that the phone is plugged into the mains.
* Back up any data you fear may be lost should the upgrade go wrong.
* Do a bit of research into the improvements in this firmware version, and decide whether it is worth your time.

So yes, firmware updates are secure and even if you are concerned, an update to the actual OS will not be installed without your confirmation.

# Answer
> 2 votes
The updates won't be installed automatically. The system will only notify you that the update is available. You can download and install them at your convenience.

---
Tags: updates, security
---


# Question
Title: How to buy application previously downloaded from GetJar?
I have Agenda Widget Plus downloaded from **GetJar**. Now I would like to pay for it, because I find it very useful and I would like to reword author of this app. On **Play Store** it is listed as already installed and I cannot pay for it.

Any idea how can I do it?

# Answer
> 4 votes
You will need to uninstall the app from your device and after that the Play store should allow you to purchase it.

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: How can I go back after flashing an unsuccessful file with no backups in HTC EVO 3D GSM?
I have accidentally flashed a file (http://www.box.com/s/k8ch8jjne6y2aa5g4lg9) that allows full arabic in HTC EVO 3D **CDMA**. When I reboot, the phone stops on the HTC white screen.

The problem is that I haven't made a backup in recovery before. I don't know how to go back. I have wiped all dalvick, data and cache but the problem persists.

My device is on Bootloader Unlocked + CWM recovery + S-ON

# Answer
> 1 votes
Simply flash any compatible GSM ROM to your phone (look for one on xda-developers forums) via recovery console after performing another round of wipe. Whatever incompatible drivers and radios were introduced by the CDMA version will be overwritten, and the phone should boot successfully. After that you can continue searching for the ROM with full Arabic support.

---
Tags: htc-evo, rom-flashing
---


# Question
Title: how to find application that is opening proccesses
When running `ps` as root within my device (HTC Desire HD) I see the following line:

```
app_132   18584 13586 0      0     ffffffff 00000000 Z ratc

```

Repeating hundreds of times.

How can I tell which app is "app\_132" ?

UPDATE: O.k. I actually found out which app it was based on the class names listed at the end of first lines in the output of the ps command where app\_132 is listed.

```
ps | grep app_132 | more

```

but even though this solves my immediate situation I still would like an answer to the original Q.

# Answer
The numbers in "app\_XYZ" name will be different on every device, since they depend on the order of installed apps.

In adb shell or terminal emulator perform the following command:

```
ls -l /data/data/

```

This should return a listing of installed apps' directories that contain their data and settings, like so:

```
drwxr-x--x app_1    app_1             2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.backupconfirm
drwxr-x--x app_2    app_2             2012-04-04 09:37 com.android.bluetooth
drwxr-x--x app_3    app_3             2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.browser
drwxr-x--x app_4    app_4             2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.calculator2
drwxr-x--x app_5    app_5             2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.calendar
drwxr-x--x app_7    app_7             2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.camera
drwxr-x--x app_8    app_8             2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.certinstaller
drwxr-x--x app_70   app_70            2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.chrome
drwxr-x--x app_0    app_0             2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.contacts
drwxr-x--x app_10   app_10            2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.defcontainer
drwxr-x--x app_11   app_11            2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.deskclock
drwxr-x--x app_12   app_12            2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.development
drwxr-x--x app_14   app_14            2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.email
drwxr-x--x app_15   app_15            2012-03-28 09:07 com.android.exchange

```

The 2nd and 3rd columns list the app's owner, while the 5th column contains the app's package name. Find the line corresponding to the "app\_132" from your logcat entry, and the package name will help you figure out the responsible app.

Once you have the package name, try searching for it in the Google Play Store. Just use the link `https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=xxxxxxx`, where "xxxxxxx" is the package name you found. For example, on my phone "app\_70" corresponds to "com.android.chrome", which corresponds to Google Chrome browser in the Play Store: `https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android.chrome`
> 6 votes

---
Tags: processes
---


title: How to add contact from email?

text:
# Question
Title: How to add contact from email?
Someone sends me an email with a phone number, address, etc. I want to add it to my contacts. I'd think it would be somewhat simple, but it is quite difficult.

I can click on the phone number, call it, hang up before it rings (ick!), go to call history, long click on the number , then add to contacts.
Of course then I still have to manually type in the address, etc. Going back to the email and cutting and pasting as multiple operations isn't so nice either.

Is there an easy and efficient way to do this? Some app maybe? Or am I just doing it wrong?

If relevant, my device is a T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide with Android 2.1

# Answer
If you long-press the phone number, you'll get prompted to add a contact. Unfortunately you still need to manually enter a lot of information.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Try this app "Contact adder". First you copy the signature and then open this app. It allows you to Simply map these fields with contact book. It also auto detects email address if it is in the signature.

Contact adder, Trial version and Contact adder, Pro version
> 1 votes

# Answer
Its majorly dependent on your launcher, you could replace your default dialer with GO! dialer or something of that sort. Most stock launchers have this functionality, once you click on the number in the email, it would open it in the dialer there press the option button and you would have add contact. If not, try alternative dialers as mentioned.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: contacts
---


title: Deleted Google Talk on accident

text:
# Question
Title: Deleted Google Talk on accident
Okay, got a bit carried away in Root Explorer and deleted GTalk. Cant access Google Play. I tried reinstalling versions online, those crashed instantly. Then, i grabbed my ROM zip and pulled out Talk.apk and put it into system/App and installed it. Google Talk doesnt crashes anymore, but play still does. Any ideas? I am using a Virgin Mobile WFS.

Sorry for the lack of ' characters, my autocorrect on my phone is being weird.

# Answer
I was just browsing around for this issue and found this,

> ```
>     I had exacly the same trouble with Google Play and I have managed to revert it
>     back to original working version of Android Market. In Options (Android system
>     settings) go for Applications. Choose Google Play. Clean cached data. Remove this
>     application. After these steps Google Play dissappeared from my droid and I could
>     put back Android Market icon onto my desktop and I can use it for installing new
>     programs.
>
> ```

Link to source : Link to forum
> 1 votes

---
Tags: google-play-store, apk, uninstallation
---


title: Truecrypt on Android 2.2?

text:
# Question
Title: Truecrypt on Android 2.2?
Has Truecrypt been ported over to Android yet? If yes, where can I get it from as I can't seem to find it in the Market unless it's named something different. If no, is anyone developing it? If no again, any reason why no one is developing it?

# Answer
> 10 votes
A lot of people are asking that question. Here's one.

Some people are offering bounties. Like at XDA-Developers.

Some people have suggested alternatives. AxCrypt looks like an alternative, and there's an alpha product that works with it (and Dropbox) called BoxCryptor.

But I've not found an actual port of Truecrypt to Android, nor any information about plans to do so.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Recent versions of Cryptonite include an actual port of the TrueCrypt code to Android. The following restrictions apply at this time:

* No GUI - command-line access only.
* Requires FUSE. Most CyanogenMod ROMs except of Motorola builds support FUSE.
* Requires root.
* Only works with local volumes. No cloud storage support.

It's available on Google Play as well. To get started, select the "expert" tab, click "Start root terminal", then use truecrypt from the command line.

---
Tags: encryption
---


# Question
Title: How and when is Android's default browser updated?
I am used to browsers having exploits found on them being fixed and having new versions of the browser with the fixes.

In the Android native browser it seems there is no such process.

Does this mean that exploits found for the native default Android browser are never fixed until you upgrade your ROM?

Is there a version history for the native browser?

When I look at my user agent info for my Froyo 2.2 Galaxy S I9000 I see Gecko version 533.1, which is very old. Does it mean exploits exist for this and there is no way to patch them?

# Answer
> 17 votes
You are correct. The built-in browser is only updated when a full new ROM is installed. If there is an exploit, the only thing to do is wait for a new version of the OS to be released. Alternatively, you can use a third-party browser such as Opera or Google Chrome. Those are installed as apps and can receive updates independently.

As far as I know, there is no documented version history for the native browser. The best you could do is look at the GIT revision history for the browser.

---
Tags: updates, browser
---


# Question
Title: Traffic of Opera Mini vs Mobile with Turbo
How much traffic does Opera Mini user compared to Opera Mobile with Turbo enabled? I suppose it's less but I haven't seen any numbers.

# Answer
I have found some numbers on Opera's website: They claim that Mini compresses webpages by "up to" 90%, Turbo compresses them by 80%.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: data-monitoring, opera-mini, opera-browser
---


title: What is the best pre-stealing practice?

text:
# Question
Title: What is the best pre-stealing practice?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Is there a way to block access to or wipe my Google data for a lost/stolen phone

I would like to know what is the best/recommended practice to prepare myself to the day when my smartphone (Samsung Galaxy Ace) will be stolen.

In the ideal world I would like to be able to accomplish (in order of importance):

1. Secure my personal data stored on the phone. In particular, by personal data I mean emails accounts, calendar etc. Furthermore, by *secure* I can live with remotely *permanently erase* the sensitive data.
2. Enhance the chances of retrieving the phone. This can be accomplished basing on:
    * Physically locating the phone (using GPS)
    * Communicate with the finder/thief
    * Turing my phone into as unique one (making loud noises or blinking screen)
3. Remotely manage/access the phone

These are the main things I could think of as important in this future case. If you think I missed something, feel free to correct me. If I used non standard terminology please let me know.

Thanks.

# Answer
> 1 votes
There is an app named lookout that can track your device for you using geo - coordinates, and can remotely wipe all data from your device, using mylookout.com from your pc.

Wheres my droid will make your device ring (if not on silence). For more information, you can visit this link. If you have anymore questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them.

# Answer
> 0 votes
The app Prey Anti-Theft is made for exactly this purpose:

> Prey lets you keep track of your laptop, phone and tablet whenever stolen or missing -- easily and all in one place. It's lightweight, open source software that gives you full and remote control, 24/7.

Application available from Google Play Store.

---
Tags: security, remote-wipe
---


# Question
Title: How can I show someone's name instead of their number when someone calls?
I want to hide the number when some calls me and just display their name. How can I do that?

# Answer
> 10 votes
Put their names and number in your address book.

---
Tags: contacts, caller-id
---


# Question
Title: My Sensation is running 2.3.4, why hasn't this updated?
I've got a HTC Sensation 3G, and I'm waiting for the Android 4 Update.

I understand this update might not be available for my handset yet, but I checked my `Android Version` and I'm currently running 2.3.4.

Shouldn't this be 3.x at the moment?

I've checked for updates, but my device can't find any.

# Answer
> 4 votes
Android 3.x is reserved for Tablets, and so would never be running on an actual phone. As for 4.x, it's basically a waiting game. If there have been assurances from HTC that the update will eventually be available for your phone, you'll just have to wait until your phone tells you it's available. The only way to speed things up would be to monitor the forums and see when others have gotten the same update. Then you'll have a chance to download it yourself and tell your recovery to install it. Even then its still a waiting game.

---
Tags: updates, htc-sensation
---


title: i7500 Unlock Button Broken

text:
# Question
Title: i7500 Unlock Button Broken
My i7500 doesn't unlock anymore (the screen unlock). I have a feeling the actual, physical button is broken, because the phone is on and responds to the power button being held down, but won't unlock.

Things I tried that failed:

* Rebooting does nothing.
* I tried the sqlite thing (updating one of the settings so that the phone doesn't lock by default or whatever), but my phone is not rooted, so I only got "access denied."
* I tried using adb shell to send the command `input keystate 82`, which supposedly unlocks the phone, but nothing happened.
* Sending `event send EV_KEY:KEY_SOFT1:1` via adb (I get `access denied`).

If I can figure out how to unlock it once, I think I'm game. The phone runs a non-local version of Android 1.6. It's not rooted, sadly, and I really want to avoid formatting it if possible.

Here's what I'm doing right now:

* Install NoLock via adb: `adb install E:\download\NoLock1.05.apk`
* Run NoLock via adb: `adb shell am start -n org.jraf.android.nolock/org.jraf.android.nolock.activity.MainActivity` (prints `Starting: Intent {cmp=org.jraf.android.nolock/.activity/MainActivity }`)

So, if I can only unlock my phone now, and configure NoLock, I think I'm good.

How can I get my phone to unlock, and how can I then unlock it without the unlock key? Is the current path of nolock going to work?

Why doesn't sending `input keystate 82` unlock the screen?

Why doesn't NoLock automatically unlock the screen?

# Answer
> 0 votes
This happened to me again. The process of unlocking was as follows: \- Call the Android phone from a normal phone \- Pick up the phone \- Press the options button \- Click the button to add someone to the call \- Press the "go back" button

It should return you to the home page.

After that, setup Pattern Unlock. It only uses the touch-screen, so it works with a broken lock button.

---
Tags: lock-screens, samsung-galaxy-i7500
---


# Question
Title: How do you enable shuffle on the Spotify Android app?
I have been unable to find where shuffle is enabled in the Spotify Android app. Does it have the ability to shuffle?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Yes. When playing a song you open/slide the tab (sliding drawer) at the bottom center, which displays the album cover and play/previous/next buttons. If you click the **info (i) button** for displaying artist/album information there is an option for shuffling.

This option is also available on the options menu, after pressing the \[MENU\] button, while this sliding drawer is open.

---
Tags: spotify
---


# Question
Title: How can I install the vanilla Gingerbread launcher?
Is there any way for me to install Gingerbread's vanilla launcher application? So far, I prefer the "stock" Sony Ericsson launcher but I do want to know what the actual Gingerbread launcher is like.

# Answer
> 1 votes
There are several versions uploaded to the Play Store. I cannot personally attest to the safety or nature of them, but they generally all claim to be "pulled from the SDK" or similar.

One exception is that I do recall trying the one named "Android 2.3 Launcher (Home)" briefly in the past and it worked fine and wasn't doing anything shady (it's review average is ~4.2 stars at the moment).

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, launcher
---


# Question
Title: How can I find out what causes "Android OS" to consume battery?
The issue is that I see a high percentage on the "Android OS" item in the Battery Usage, and I want to find out what is causing it. But let me say that I'm interested in diagnostics techniques and tools, rather than increasing the battery life, as you will see in the below figures that the battery isn't drained much faster than expected.

Here's the situation with the phone right now:

* Last charged 13 hours ago
* I restarted the phone after charging it
* I have switched off everything (such as GPS, WiFi, Data network)
* I was on a 2G network all the time
* My only use from the phone during the day was a few minutes of WiFi, receiving two SMS messages, and a call that lasted less than a minute.
* I have auto-sync turned off

And here's the battery usage stat:

* Android OS: 67%
* Display: 10%
* Cell standby: 9%
* Phone idle: 6%

The Android OS shows 1 hour and 30 minutes of CPU time, but the total time that the phone was turned on was less than 30 minutes, and I don't have anything active in the background.

The battery level isn't bad at all (80%), but considering that I haven't done anything with the phone (and that the phone has a 2500 mAh battery) I am curious to find out what is causing the battery usage.

Obviously, this should be caused by some background tasks that aren't listed in the battery usage. I am looking for ways, tools, and methods that enables me to diagnose this further and relate the 67% of the usage to actual applications.

Some additional information:

I have a Galaxy Note, with Gingerbread 2.3.6 installed. I have "Usage Timelines Free" installed (which wasn't running during the day), and it doesn't show any excessive CPU usage by any app that can lead me toward who's consuming the battery.

Related question (helpful, but didn't answer my question) : What can cause "Android OS" process to use high percentage of battery?

# Answer
Use an app such as "Better battery stats". This app provides detailed information about all the services running. This is way better than the stock app for diagnostics.

Additionally, a lot of the core services for the system are attributed as part of the "Android OS". There is a very particular bug in Samsung Galaxy S II devices relating to the TouchWiz calendar that keeps doing a lot of unnecessary checks which prevents the device from sleeping properly when the screen is turned off. This causes a huge drain in battery life. Since the TouchWiz on an S II is very similar to the one on a Galaxy Note, you might have the same inherent bug.

These links might give you a better idea:
> 9 votes

# Answer
I think you should re-read the related question.

This is likely down to either OS services or apps left running in the background. I suggest you try something like taskkiller or the taskmanager itself and check which apps are still running in the background. Even if you think you haven't started any, it is likely that the device managed to launch some sync services before you stopped it from syncing.
> -2 votes

# Answer
I am using Samsung Galaxy R for more than 5 months. Such a wonderful Device, of course the issue is battery life. I have tried many of resources no use. I did factory rest 2 times still no use. After full charge it is draining suddenly to 45% in 4 hours(there was no 3G, wifi,GPS). I was totally frustrated, finally i got a chance to read this forum. There i started to think about GPS wake lock, finally i found the solution Go to Settings, Location and Security, and disable "Use GPS satellites" (make sure your connected to internet)then try to observe. Now please be noted my observation below, from 1am 99% to 6am 97%(fone was in sleep) from 6am 97% to 6pm 85% (normal use). Try this, if it is helping help others to get away from the frustration.
> -2 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, battery, battery-life
---


# Question
Title: How does ICS deal with Menus on devices with physical buttons?
ICS removed the need for the Menu key with always visible action bars, but also has support for phones which come with hard keys. Traditionally the menu button brought up a context menu.

I've got a device with hard keys, if I upgrade to ICS will the Action bar always be visible, standard ICS style, or will it be hidden under the Menu key? What will the menu key do in ICS?

# Answer
> 3 votes
The menu button will display the action overflow menu, and the action overflow "soft" button should not appear on the Action Bar. The Action Bar itself, however, will still be visible as it normally would (provided the app implements it, of course). The Android Design guidelines for the Action Bar state (emphasis mine):

> **Action overflow**
>
> The action overflow in the action bar provides access to your app's less frequently used actions. **The overflow icon only appears on phones that have no menu hardware keys. Phones with menu keys display the action overflow when the user presses the key.**

For the sake of clarity, the "action overflow button" is the little three dots icon shown at the far right here:

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, buttons
---


# Question
Title: Can someone explain how the android GPS Navigation works?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How does the GPS work on Android phones?

I have a Galaxy Player 5.0 (A.K.A Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0) which as you're probably aware is not a phone, but an android-powered MP3 player.

The other day I decided to test out its GPS and it worked flawlessly. But that got me thinking about how that's possible.

It can't triangulate my position from cell towers because it doesn't connect to any. It can't triangulate my position from WiFi hotspots because it knows where i am even without hotspots around.

Does it actually connect to a satellite to get my location like normal GPS units?

**Note:** This questions is different from the one posted here: How GPS works in android phone because he was concerned with locational privacy whereas I'm actually concerned with functionality. The answers on his question did not answer my question.

# Answer
> 2 votes
The Galaxy Player 5 specs straight from Samsung indicate that the device has a receiver for standard GPS satellite signals, which is sufficient for navigation.

Cellular triangulation and WiFi location are examples of *Assisted GPS* or *aGPS*. As its name implies it is a supplementary system designed to speed up location finding, because because it can take time to lock onto GPS satellites, and locking onto enough to be reliable is not always possible.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Most of the Android phone has GPS receiver and most of them uses aGPS system.

---
Tags: gps
---


title: Why are my network icons blue?

text:
# Question
Title: Why are my network icons blue?
I've got a Motorola Electrify on Android 2.3. Sometimes my network icons (3G and the cellular network bars) are grey, and sometimes they're blue. They seem to be blue when I have a good connection and/or when my connection will work.

What exactly do the colors mean? I've noticed when I have a grey 3G icon, my wireless tether doesn't work at all and I often can't get web pages to load right, regardless of signal strength.

# Answer
> 2 votes
In my stock Ice Cream Sandwich, the icons turn blue when there is Internet connectivity and grey when there isn't. I'm not sure on Gingerbread though.

---
Tags: notification-bar
---


title: Lock screen clock cut off?

text:
# Question
Title: Lock screen clock cut off?
I have a new Samsung Epic 4G which has a clock on the top of the unlock screen. For some reason, however, most of the date gets cut off. So what I see is "Fri May." and the time. It seems like a font problem, but the phone is brand new.

I'm not even sure where to look for fixes or insights.

# Answer
> 1 votes
This was resolved. Unfortunately, I don't have any recollection of *how* it was resolved. Presumably a software update?

# Answer
> 0 votes
You could download a third party customizable lock screen such as magic lock or go locker, both free.

---
Tags: lock-screens, clock, samsung-epic-4g
---


# Question
Title: What kind of app optimizations do newer Android versions do at the first reboot?
I received from my phone carrier, Vodafone IT, the official OTA Google update to Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 on my Nexus S. When automatically rebooting for the first time after the update, the system displayed a notice stating that it was optimizing the installed apps. What kind of optimization does Android 4.0+ do at the first reboot?

# Answer
Digging into the PackageManagerService class on grepCode (warning: this class file is huge, your browser may chug a fair bit when rendering it), the optimizing message is displayed in the following context:

```
public void performBootDexOpt() {
    ArrayList<PackageParser.Package> pkgs = null;
    synchronized (mPackages) {
        if (mDeferredDexOpt.size() > 0) {
            pkgs = new ArrayList<PackageParser.Package>(mDeferredDexOpt);
            mDeferredDexOpt.clear();
        }
    }
    if (pkgs != null) {
        for (int i=0; i<pkgs.size(); i++) {
            if (!isFirstBoot()) {
                try {
                    ActivityManagerNative.getDefault().showBootMessage(
                            mContext.getResources().getString(
                                    com.android.internal.R.string.android_upgrading_apk,
                                    i+1, pkgs.size()), true);
                } catch (RemoteException e) {
                }
            }
            PackageParser.Package p = pkgs.get(i);
            synchronized (mInstallLock) {
                if (!p.mDidDexOpt) {
                    performDexOptLI(p, false, false);
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

```

Here the value of `com.android.internal.R.string.android_upgrading_apk` is the string "Optimizing application". In layman's terms, it loops through each application on the device, updates the message on the screen by calling `showBootMessage()` and then calls `performDexOptLI()` on the application. So naturally, the next question is "What does `performDexOptLI()` do?" Well here's what that looks like:

```
private int performDexOptLI(PackageParser.Package pkg, boolean forceDex, boolean defer) {
    boolean performed = false;
    if ((pkg.applicationInfo.flags&ApplicationInfo.FLAG_HAS_CODE) != 0) {
        String path = pkg.mScanPath;
        int ret = 0;
        try {
            if (forceDex || dalvik.system.DexFile.isDexOptNeeded(path)) {
                if (!forceDex && defer) {
                    mDeferredDexOpt.add(pkg);
                    return DEX_OPT_DEFERRED;
                } else {
                    Log.i(TAG, "Running dexopt on: " + pkg.applicationInfo.packageName);
                    ret = mInstaller.dexopt(path, pkg.applicationInfo.uid,
                            !isForwardLocked(pkg));
                    pkg.mDidDexOpt = true;
                    performed = true;
                }
            }
        } catch (...) {
           //I've trimmed out a bunch of exception handling here, it basically just writes to
           //the log and sets the return value
        }
    }

    return performed ? DEX_OPT_PERFORMED : DEX_OPT_SKIPPED;
}

```

So this invokes the `dexopt` utility on all of the applications that need it. It's difficult to find any simple documentation regarding `dexopt`, but there's a high-level overview here. Suffice it to say, it's being used by the Just In Time (JIT) compiler to create optimized .dex files that help improve the performance of the apps on your device and it outputs them into the VM cache. The reason it stores the .dex files in the cache is because otherwise it would have to *re-extract* them any time you want to run the app (the .apk is just an archive, it is not an executable file!). Thus, it makes sense to just keep them in the `/data/dalvik-cache` directory to reuse them, and `dexopt` performs some optimizations during the initial extraction while it's at it.

---

**TL;DR** (or non-programmer summary, I guess): It's rebuilding the Dalvik cache.
> 40 votes

---
Tags: applications, dalvik, art, optimization
---


# Question
Title: Where do these strange contacts come from?
I recently noticed that in my phone contact list (which is synchronized to the Gmail contacts) there are many contacts that I don't remember adding and that I don't even know.

Has anyone else experienced this? Do you know what could be causing it?

# Answer
This is often caused by linking other social networks (via the appropriate App) or third party E-Mail providers to the Android device. This will cause the contact lists or address books to be synced and shown in your device.

This includes for example

* Last FM
* Yahoo Mail
* Skype
* etc.
> 10 votes

# Answer
Besides the source mentioned by Flow, since Gmail may, depending on your settings, automatically add people you send messages to to your Other Contacts list, that might also be a source of unexplainable contacts in your contact list.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: contacts, sync, google-account
---


# Question
Title: How can I save notes taken in the Galaxy Ace's Notes 2.0 application to restore after a system reset?
I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 running 2.3.3 and I took a lot of notes in the default Notes 2.0 application. I want to reset the system and I need to back them up somehow before I perform the reset.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Install Titanium backup \- (this requires root access) from Play store and you can backup thinks like sms/call logs/apps and app data. In your case, you might want to backup the app and the app data for that particular app, save your backups. Once you restore the phone, you can use Titanium to restore that app and data.

---
Tags: backup, samsung-galaxy-ace, notes
---


# Question
Title: How to check how much battery the data network is using?
How do I check how much battery the data network is using? When I enter `Settings->About phone->Battery usage` I get the following:

* Voice calls
* Android OS
* Display
* Android System
* Dialer
* Cell standby
* Phone idle

Which one is hiding the data-connection part? Is there a way to figure out how much the data connectivity was?

I barely use Wi-Fi, but I'll be also happy to know where that is (if its separate from the connection through the cellular company). Using Android 2.3.5 on Galaxy S 2

I tried searching google, but it just gave me stuff about how to make the battery last longer, nothing about how to check that.

# Answer
A bit of a hack, inconvenient and I'm not even sure if it would work: Download Juice Defender, set it to always keep data disabled and later check how much battery it claims to have saved you.

As for the Wifi, on my Phone (Xperia Neo V, 2.3.?), it's a separate entry on the battery usage panel. Maybe you used it so little that it isn't even displayed (probably \<0.5%)?
> 2 votes

---
Tags: battery, battery-life, data-connection
---


# Question
Title: How can I save a thread from Go SMS Pro to my SD card?
I have tried several things, but haven't found one that works. How can I save a message thread from Go SMS Pro to my SD card?

# Answer
> 7 votes
From the main screen (list of threads), long click on the thread and choose the option to "backup thread." This will save the thread to your SD card as an xml file.

---
Tags: sms, sd-card, go-sms
---


# Question
Title: What is the HTC account you sync on the One X?
I just got my HTC One X and was just going through the registration process of the HTC Account in the 'Accounts & Sync' settings, when someone asked me to show them something. Without thinking I pressed back and now when I try and register again, I'm told I can't as it exists.

I'd like to know, is there a matching web service for this which I can use to get my password back? What account is it? I had assumed it was for HTCSense.com but it doesn't seem to be.

Anyone have any idea's please? Otherwise I'll just have to try and login to it repeatedly which I'd like to avoid.

# Answer
I have rebooted my phone and when I tried again it let me register. The account is linked to htcsense.com which seems odd as there is a message there saying that it's closing down its services!
> 3 votes

---
Tags: htc-sense, htc-one-x
---


title: SMS-Email Gateway App

text:
# Question
Title: SMS-Email Gateway App
Is there any combination of android applications which can connect to a POP3 account and:

1. transfers emails to SMS (by phone number provided in the subject of the email)
2. transfers SMSes to an email?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Not sure how much reliable this is, but I found this app: SMS Gateway

Their description says that e-mails via POP3 can be sent via SMS, while SMS can be sent via HTTP GET request.

---
Tags: sms, email
---


title: Galaxy Nexus NFC Verizon

text:
# Question
Title: Galaxy Nexus NFC Verizon
Does the Galaxy Nexus have NFC on Verizon? I remember reading about the phone being delayed because competing carriers wanted to avoid Google Wallet and that some carriers had even disabled the NFC chip to avoid that.

But I don't know about the outcome of that situation.

Do all US versions of the Galaxy Nexus have NFC enabled?

# Answer
> 8 votes
The Verizon GNex has NFC, it just doesn't have Google Wallet pre-installed. It's pretty trivial to sideload it, though, and it's worked just fine the 2 times I used it.

Another thing to note here is that the NFC antenna is actually on the battery, not in the device itself. This means that if you get an extended battery you need to make sure it has an NFC antenna in it as well, otherwise it won't work.

The T-Mobile USA and Sprint versions haven't actually been released yet, so I guess there's no guarantee on those at this point. Sprint supported NFC and Google Wallet for the Nexus S 4G, though, so I can't imagine they'd stiff the GNex. For T-Mobile you could just get the existing GSM version and it should work fine since it's pentaband HSPA+ (it should work on AT&T for the same reason, though you wouldn't get their LTE service).

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-nexus, verizon, nfc
---


# Question
Title: application to restore/download all market applications after new rom is installed
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How to recover apps from a factory reset?

the AndyX Rom has a wonderful feature that grabs all applications previously installed from the market once you do all wipes and new rom setup.

ONLINE AndyX ROM™ v6.0 - XXLPH - Samsung Galaxy S II I9100 | forum.xda-developers.com

unfortunately any other custom rom I used does not have this feature so I have to go to the market again and download all app one by one like skype, whatsapp and so on.

is there an app that would work on all the roms which I could use to grab all what I had installed before regardless in which rom I installed the apps? Thanks !

# Answer
You can use AppBrain to sync the list of your apps to the service, flash, reinstall AppBrain and sync your device again to reinstall your apps.

The only downside is that when you resync your device you have to accept every app install separately. Or at least this was the case when I last used it (ages ago).
> 1 votes

# Answer
You could use a backup application (I use My Backup myself, requires root access). Actually, Google has some kind of backup and in case you reinstall your ROM or something goes wrong, it immediately download all the apps you had before from Google Play Store (at least it does so for me).
> 1 votes

# Answer
Titanium Backup can do this. You'd just want to be careful to only do a restore of non-system apps, as your new custom roms apps are likely to have data incompatibilities.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, custom-roms, factory-reset
---


# Question
Title: Nexus S 4.0.3 (OTA) missing icon in the phone app
How can I solve missing icon issue? Restarted couple of times doesn't help.
Note: It was fine for a couple of months back. When it start happening, I just need to reboot, but now it's permanent.
The action buttons in the phone app should look like this:

But instead my phone app screen look like this:

# Answer
> 1 votes
Are you sure that that isn't the way it should be? Today I recived a 4.0.4 system update for my Nexus s. Try updating yours from 4.0.3 to 4.0.4.

Edit: That is the way its ment to be. Me and many people I know have it like that. Where did you get the first image of the dock bar from?

---
Tags: applications, samsung-nexus-s, 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, calls, home-screen-shortcuts
---


title: How does Android contact linking work?

text:
# Question
Title: How does Android contact linking work?
I'd like to understand how contact linking in Android works - or to be specific I'd like to understand it pretty deeply, **almost from an algorithmic point of view**.

What I've observed on my phone is that some contacts were linked automatically, some were not (even though when you go to manual linking screen Android will suggest pretty good matches) and I'm confused about this.

So my specific questions are:

1. What is the trigger for automatic contact linking? When does it occur?
2. Say that the answer to 1) is "when new contact is added, either manually or via account sync". So when this new contact is added what will happen? Will Android go through all existing contacts and try to find out if the new contact is just a linked contact?
3. When will Android recognize the new contact as a linked contact? When names match? Phone numbers? Emails? Some combination of those?

Any insight would help clearing this up for me, thanks.

# Answer
> 10 votes
See the section on **Automatic Aggregation** of Contact Data in the Using the Contacts API from the technical resources on the Android Developers site.

As the article explains:

> When a raw contact is added or modified, the system looks for matching (overlapping) raw contacts with which to aggregate it. It may not find any matching raw contacts, in which case it will create an aggregate contact that contains just the original raw contact. If it finds a single match, it creates a new contact that contains the two raw contacts. And it may even find multiple similar raw contacts, in which case it chooses the closest match.
>
> Two raw contacts are considered to be a match if at least one of these conditions is met:
>
> * They have matching names.
> * Their names consist of the same words but in different order (for example, `"Bob Parr"` and `"Parr, Bob"`)
> * One of them has a common short name for the other (for example, `"Bob Parr"` and `"Robert Parr"`)
> * One of them has just a first or last name and it matches the other raw contact. This rule is less reliable, so it only applies if the two raw contacts are also sharing some other data like a phone number, an email address or a nickname (for example, `Helen ["elastigirl"] = Helen Parr ["elastigirl"]`)
> * At least one of the two raw contacts is missing the name altogether and they are sharing a phone number, an email address or a nickname (for example, `Bob Parr [incredible@android.com] = incredible@android.com`).
>
> When comparing names, the system ignores upper/lower case differences `(Bob=BOB=bob)` and diacritical marks `(Hélène=Helene)`. When comparing two phone numbers the system ignores special characters such as `"*"`, `"#"`, `"(", ")"`, and whitespace. Also if the only difference between two numbers is that one has a country code and the other does not, then the system considers those to be a match (except for numbers in the Japan country code)
>
> Automatic aggregation is not permanent; any change of a constituent raw contact may create a new aggregate or break up an existing one.

The article then goes on to explain the various modes that an application can assign to the *raw contacts* that it creates. Depending on the mode, the system will either:

* Automatically aggregate the contact as similarities are found with other contacts. Where similarities no longer exist, these aggregations will be removed.
* Never aggregate the contact with any other.
* Perform no further aggregation on a contact, even if that contact changes such that it would be taken out of an aggregate group.

Aside from this automatic aggregation, applications are also allowed to manually set up aggregate contacts. In these cases, the algorithm depends on the application.

Finally, you may manually join contacts in the *People* app by editing one of a pair of contacts, and selecting `Join` from the overflow menu.

---
Tags: contacts
---


# Question
Title: Voice commands, bluetooth, double press home
Is there a way to improve the voice recognition command when you press the bluetooth button or double press home? It's terrible. I've already 'trained' it or 'adapted' it. This isn't the same as Google voice search. The settings \> about says

Nuance, VSuite 3.2, Version 3.2.55, Build 4.5.102

I tried going to manage app to see if I could share and look it up in the market for an update, but no luck. The phone is Droid2WE.

# Answer
Although we may not be referring to the same program, I had issues with Android's built in *Voice Dialer* app. There are a few replacement voice dialer apps on Google Play, including Choice Dialer. In many of these alternative voice dialers, there are options for controlling the confidence threshold before taking an action. In the case of Choice Dialer, if a command cannot be understood with a configurable level of confidence, it asks you to confirm with a simple *yes* or *no*. I found that this alone made it a lot better than the built-in voice dialer.

So, to answer your question, consider getting a replacement voice dialer.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: bluetooth, voice-command
---


# Question
Title: How do I cancel a half completed email configuration?
Phone is trapped trying to encrypt my device against my wishes.

On my Nexus S I was recently upgraded to 4.0.4 and decided to try adding my work email to my personal phone. This previously didn't work because Android didn't have the proper security settings. I previously did not have any other email accounts setup.

Did an manual setup for an Exchange server and it prompted me to give the email app additional permissions (enforce lock screen, full device encryption etc.) I accepted and configured the lock screen as requested. The full device encryption page popped up and it informed me that once encrypted I would not be able to decrypt the device without a factory reset. I was not interested in that, but there is no cancel button on the encryption warning page.

I quit to the home screen, but now the phone constantly reminds me to complete the account setup.

Is there a way to cancel the account setup? What are my options? I'd prefer not to have to do a factory reset.

Did Google really place the warning page in a time where it's already too late to do anything or have I missed some other way to cancel? Every time I open the email app it says that the email account requires I change my security settings. I can cancel and the app closes or accept and the encryption page appears.

# Answer
Reposting answer for future people!

Naturally, I figured it out 10 minutes after posting.

Can't answer for another few hours because I'm a new user. Under the security section of the settings, there is a Device Administrator page.

I deactivated the "Email" app as an admin. It warned that it would delete all my mail and stuff and I accepted. No factory reset required.

Thank you Stack Exchange for allowing me to express my question so I could figure it out myself :)
> 6 votes

---
Tags: email, encryption
---


# Question
Title: View just the "App" apps, without the games?
The Android Market / Play Store is structured with three main headings at the moment (at least in Australia, might be different elsewhere):

* Apps
* Games
* Books

However, when you delve into the "Apps" section, all the games are still present in the list, taking up an awful lot of the volume for something that has its own separate subcategory.

Is there a view of the market that does not include apps marked as "Games" in the "App" section? Either in the on-phone version or a separate website.

# Answer
> 4 votes
I don't know of an app that shows just the non-game apps, but I thought I'd weigh in since you've not received any answers yet.

The best approach depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you're looking for new apps to download, the featured apps are not often games (since they're covered in their own page). If you're browsing for apps, you could do it by category.

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


title: Google play error after updating 4.0.4?

text:
# Question
Title: Google play error after updating 4.0.4?
I have some problems with google play after updating to 4.0.4 on my Motorola xoom. The store doesn't open and gives **Server error**!!

# Answer
> 1 votes
1. Unbind the gmail account.
2. Clear Google Play data.
3. Bind the Gmail account.

---
Tags: google-play-store, updates, motorola-xoom
---


# Question
Title: How can I check which mobile frequencies my phone supports?
I received a Samsung Galaxy Nexus as a present (in Australia), however I'm not sure where it came from so I'm not sure what mobile frequency bands it supports. Is there a way to check which frequencies it supports so I know which mobile networks I should be looking at?

# Answer
Wikipedia and the XDA-Developers Wiki should be a good resource:
> 4 votes

# Answer
I don't think there is such option in Android, but if you know your phone's model you could always google it. For instance, if you look at Wikipedia article about Galaxy Nexus, you would see that it supports all four GSM bandwidths (850/900/1800/1900).

Just have a look at "Compatible networks" section in the box on right side.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: 3g
---


title: Do most devices support side-loading?

text:
# Question
Title: Do most devices support side-loading?
I've googled about application side-loading (i.e., installing an application on an Android device without having to go through an app store), and most instructions mention that the device *might* need to be rooted to do that.

I am looking for an Android tablet to host a custom-built application, but I don't want to root the device (for reasons of warranty, stability and support). Do most devices officially support sideloading of applications? I've tried googling but only found results related to particular devices.

# Answer
Usually sideloading is not prevented by the manufacturer, but by the operator. All the tablets I've tried had no operator customizations and supported sideloading. Of course, this depends on your country and operator.
> 8 votes

---
Tags: side-loading
---


title: Upload and tag video to facebook

text:
# Question
Title: Upload and tag video to facebook
Is it possible (using the native facebook app) to upload a video and tag it?

I know they recently included the ability to tag people in photos, but I'm not sure if you can do it to videos as well.

# Answer
I don't believe you can tag the videos themselves. You cannot actually view them in the native app either, when viewing it takes you to a video player of your choice.

As far as creating a post with a video and tagging a post I am not sure about.

Hope this helps.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: video, facebook
---


title: All portrait pictures are upside down

text:
# Question
Title: All portrait pictures are upside down
All pictures that I take in portrait mode with the stock camera app are upside down. I assume this is because when I take them I still hold my phone like a camera, not like a mobile phone.

I could use Camera 360 which has the option to adjust the orientation. It takes a couple of seconds to start up and is generally too bloated for my taste, though. Is there either a way to fix the orientation in the stock app or a more lightweight alternative that has this option?

# Answer
> 1 votes
I now use Camera ICS which has all the features I need.

---
Tags: camera, photos
---


# Question
Title: ICS App Drawers, how to give them a name?
I own a Samsung Nexus S and Yesterday I was able to upgrade to Android 4.0.4. When I upgraded, I saw that Google had created an app drawer full of Google apps, and it has the Word Google underneath it. I know it is possible to create app drawers by dragging app shortcuts on top of one another, but is there a way to give an app drawer a name the way Google has done with the Google drawer?

# Answer
If it's done like on the Galaxy Nexus, just open the folder, tap the text `Unnamed folder` and write your own label :)
> 5 votes

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, launcher, home-screen-shortcuts
---


# Question
Title: What is a tool to sort apps by their data size?
During development, internal storage size is severely needed. Cache cleaner is ok, however, apps have another component called data which can be cleared. Is there an app out there that organizes by an app's data size ? I'm not interested in app size, I'm interested in app's data size.

# Answer
I know this answer's a bit late, but you haven't received a good one yet!

In Titanium Backup, you can do Menu -\> More -\> Overview of app storage use, then order by data size. Not only will you have your apps sorted by data size, TI shows you the size with graphical bars, so you can compare apps at a glance and see what's huge vs. tiny. See the last screenshot on the market (the free version) for an example.

Another option: App 2 SD by Sam Lu. Not as pretty, and the apps are split over 3 screens, but it is possible by doing Menu -\> Sort by -\> Data size.

Finally, if you have a rooted phone and an ext partition, you can move some or all of your data to the ext partition and gain tons of space!
> 2 votes

# Answer
**1Tap Cleaner** is capable of that, I use it all the time to clear data-hogging apps.

Once in the app choose **Cache Cleaner** then bring up the **Settings** \> **Sort by Size** \> **Data size**.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Check out DiskUsage. It'll let you see what is consuming the most space on either internal or SD card.
> 1 votes

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Tags: internal-storage
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to sort apps in Google's app store by size?
Is there a way to sort apps in Google's app store by size? I would like to know what are the heaviest apps and the lightest apps from a search result. For example, to search for a lightweight RSS reader.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I don't know of any third-party app or site that does this. I did look around a few months ago and found nothing, but something might have come up since then.

However, if the reason you're looking for this feature is because of limited app space, AppBrain (both the app and the website) has a feature to view only apps with App2SD enabled.

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


# Question
Title: Backup files from an application for which I forgot unlock pattern
I have forgot unlock pattern for an app on my Galaxy S II. I have emailed the developer but he said he cannot help me.

I am wondering if there is a way I can take backup of the files in the app's folder \[ if I can see it :( \] without rooting my phone. There might be some hope of using the data again.

Kindly guide me how can I take the files if this is possible in the first place.

# Answer
Accessing the files in the app's protected storage directory will not be possible without root because you will not have proper permissions to access the directories. If the app saved any data to external storage (SD card, for example) then you can get it, but not knowing the app in question it's hard to say where it would be. Generally speaking it would likely live in `/sdcard/Android/data` somewhere assuming the standard APIs are used, but it doesn't have to use that directory.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, backup, password
---


# Question
Title: Where are drafts saved in gmail android app?
I wrote an email in gmail android app and saved as draft. Then I accidentally pressed send, although I have no connection (roaming). The gmail android app annoyingly doesn't allow the message to copy anymore. Now I need to access this message. Is there a way to copy it? If not, where can I find it in the file system?

# Answer
Menu -\> Go to labels -\> Drafts. It's really just a label.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, gmail
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to "re-link" all contacts using some button or other procedure?
My contacts come from 3 sources:

1. Google account
2. Facebook
3. Skype

Some of those contacts were automatically linked together so "Joe Smith" appears as one contact instead of three. However, some contacts were not linked automatically.

Is there a button or some other way to tell Android "go scan all contacts from all accounts now and try to re-link them"?

# Answer
> 3 votes
I did this a few months ago by downloading a third-party contacts app, using its (much smarter) merge function, and then uninstalling the app. I can't remember for sure, but I think the app I used was either Contacts by Contapps or GO Contacts EX. There's also Contact Analyzer 2, but there are some reports of it deleting all contacts instead of merging!

# Answer
> 1 votes
As far as I know you have to do it manually, by going into the contact, pressing Menu, and then Join, and select the contact you want to join it with

# Answer
> -1 votes
I don't think there is a way to do this on an Android device, but in the desktop contact manager there is a way.

Log into GMail in your desktop, switch to the `Contacts` view. Under `More` select "Find & Merge duplicates ...".

This will present a list of all the "duplicates" that Google found. Handily, you can check/uncheck which ones you want it to merge now, and which to skip.

This assumes that all of the contacts that got slurped into your phone from Skype and Facebook got pushed up to google.

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, contacts
---


# Question
Title: Is there a desktop / web app to manage Android contact linking?
Contacts on my Android phone come from different sources (Google account, Facebook, Skype, Windows Live etc.) and I can link them manually using the People app or how it's called. The user interface is not too bad but still, if there was a desktop / web application for this I think I would prefer that. Is there any?

Things I've tried and that *don't* support this:

* Google Contacts (only supports Google account contacts, not Skype, Facebook etc.)
* Samsung Kies
* Remote Web Desktop
* Airdroid

# Answer
Unfortunately, no, there is no sort of cloud service that will handle this for you. Since the *combination* of contacts from the various apps you have installed only exists on your phone, no one of the services you use will be able to make global changes to your contacts.

This is not to say that it's technically impossible to do what you're asking: Since it's possible to write an app to make changes to contacts, and since it's possible to write an app that could act as a web server, there's nothing preventing a program from providing a web-interface to the contacts on a phone.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I don't know about a desktop/web app that will do this. However, I did this a few months ago by downloading a third-party contacts app (for Android, not desktop/web), using its (much smarter) merge function, and then uninstalling the app. I can't remember for sure, but I think the app I used was either Contacts by Contapps or GO Contacts EX. There's also Contact Analyzer 2, but there are some reports of it deleting all contacts instead of merging!
> 0 votes

---
Tags: contacts
---


title: Samsung GT-I5500 hangs after boot

text:
# Question
Title: Samsung GT-I5500 hangs after boot
After booting I receive this message:

```
Process system is not responding:
1. Close
2. Wait

```

Whatever I choose I got only black screen. I'm using official unbranded latest rom -\> 2.2. List of installed apps.

# Answer
How long are you waiting? Sometimes it can take a *really* long time to load.

What you'll probably have to end up doing:
Turn off your phone, then start up in Safe Mode by pressing and holding the big black dpad key plus the power button. Keep pressing them until you see "Safe Mode" on the screen. Uninstall any apps you've installed since your last restart. If you're rooted, do a nandroid backup first.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, boot, samsung-galaxy-5
---


title: Recognize and tag mp3s

text:
# Question
Title: Recognize and tag mp3s
Are there any Android applications which will recognize my mp3s from a directory and tag them automatically?

Some of my mp3s have wrong file names and tags. I want to organize them correctly.

# Answer
> 1 votes
There are many PC apps that will do this. You could simply plug your phone into your computer, mount the SD card, and configure the app to search the sd card.

I haven't tried this myself, but I found an app on the market called DroiID3Tagger that appears to automatically tag mp3s. There are plenty of others that allow you to edit the tags manually.

---
Tags: music, mp3
---


title: Nexus S OTA 4.0.4 problem?

text:
# Question
Title: Nexus S OTA 4.0.4 problem?
I get 4.0.4 OTA with my Nexus S today. After downloaded the update package, i click "Reboot to install", but unfortunately the phone did't reboot successfully, so i boot it by myself. I checked the `android version` in the settings, it's still 4.0.3, and the system update never noticed me to update to 4.0.4 again. Does this means i can't get the 4.0.4 later? How can i try to install it again?

My phone was rooted before, Any help will be very appreciated.

Anyone got the same problem as me? it frustrated me.

# Answer
I unroot my Nexus S (If you don't know how to unroot Nexus S, you can see this), then received the OTA again and upgrade to 4.0.4 successfully.

> When updating the android, the screen maybe dark for a while, just be patient and wait it
> restart automatically.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Try going to \`Settings -\> About phone (at the bottom) -\> System updates. If there's nothing there try the 'Check now' option and this should make the phone check for new updates.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: samsung-nexus-s, ota-update
---


title: Preinstalled SNS Application

text:
# Question
Title: Preinstalled SNS Application
I have deleted the SNS application and now im not getting any of my Facebook notifications. Is there a way of getting this appplication back on my phone? I have looked in the app market and cannot find it. Cheers

# Answer
You either have to restore it from backup if you have one, or reflash the phone, either with a third-party ROM or an official one from your phone manufacturer. Can't go into specifics unless you mention your phone model.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: Remote path to Angry Birds Space savegames
I'm following this answer on how to backup Angry Birds settings and hi-scores using Android Debugging Bridge. The command:

```
adb pull /data/data/com.rovio.angrybirds/files/highscores.lua C:\ab_highscores.lua

```

works perfectly for Angry Birds original, Rio and Seasons. The paths I need to change are:

* `angrybirds` for original Angry Birds
* `angrybirdsrio` for Angry Birds Rio
* `angrybirdsseasons` for Angry Birds Seasons

Now, what is the path for Space? The most obvious one, `angrybirdsspace` is giving me error "Remote object not found".
Alternatively, how can I list content of `/data/data` folder? I think it's not possible with ADB.

# Answer
`adb shell ls -l /data/data` command will get you the file and directory listing you are looking for.

Specifically for Angry Birds Space, try `adb pull com.rovio.angrybirdsspace.ads/files/highscores.lua C:\abs_highscores.lua`
> 4 votes

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Tags: angry-birds
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# Question
Title: Will upgrading my Unlocked, Rooted (fastboot + superboot method) Galaxy Nexus from 4.0.1 to 4.0.2 brick the phone?
I can re-root if necessary, but we just paid $700 for the phone, and I don't want to brick it.

From what I can tell, upgrading will cause me to have to re-root and unlock the boot loader, which I can do again using the instructions I orignally used to root 4.0.1 (These Instructions)

Will this upgrade brick my phone?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Well, doing the OTA update to 4.0.2 from 4.0.1 did not brick anything. Superuser is still installed and apps that require root supposedly have root permissions, but they claim they do not.

I will attempt to re-root it, as I don't see why that will be an issue.

Thanks.

# Answer
> 1 votes
You can unlock the bootloader before re-rooting your phone, but the phone will wipe (this is unavoidable!), so back up first...and **COPY YOUR BACKUPS OFF THE PHONE**

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Tags: rooting, 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, samsung-galaxy-nexus
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# Question
Title: I'm trying to put a ROM onto my SD card in my phone through USB storage?
But i cant find the folder for my SD card anywhere, does anyone know where i need to put the ROM?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Easiest option is to shut the phone down, remove the SD card, and put it into an SD card reader in your computer. You generally have to reboot into recovery or a bootloader anyway, right?

Typically the folder is /sdcard on the phone's filesystem. If you can put the phone in "Mass Storage" mode (as opposed to Kies or MTP mode or whatever stupid your manufacturer does), it should just be the /sdcard folder.

If you have to flash a recovery or a new bootloader first, you can flash from /data/local as it is supposed to be user-writable.

If you have adb set up, you can use the `adb push` command.

# Answer
> 0 votes
For my samsung galaxy ace phone, i had to install samsungkies to be able to mount the sd card in the pc, didnt work alone. Maybe is the same with you

# Answer
> -1 votes
You should be able to drop the ROM image anywhere on the SD Card and then use, for instance, ROM Manager to install it; Just open ROM Manager and select 'Install ROM from SD Card' and browse to where you dumped the ROM **REMEMBER TO BACKUP YOUR EXISTING ROM BEFORE PROCEEDING**

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Tags: external-sd, rom
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# Question
Title: Is it possible to use an AT&T phone for android development without rooting?
This question seems to say that it's necessary to root an at&t phone (like the samsung captivate) in order to install apps from unofficial sources.

My question is a bit more focused: if I'm working on my own android app, will I be able to load it on my at&t phone for testing (via the android SDK, etc.) without first rooting the phone?

# Answer
The Android Compatibility Definition Document (direct pdf) says that “Device implementations MUST support the Android Developer Tools provided in the Android SDK.”

Any device which isn't “compatible with Android” according to this document isn't going to have the Google services, and in particular would not have the Google Play Store. Such devices do exist, but if you have one you'd likely know it.

(Lack of official compatibility doesn't mean you *can't* use the standard development tools, either, just that they're not obligated to allow it. The Amazon Kindle Fire is an example of such a device.)
> 5 votes

# Answer
> This question seems to say that it's necessary to root an at&t phone (like the samsung captivate) in order to install apps from unofficial sources.

That is not true. While you cannot download apps from the Web, you can install apps through the development tools, or things based on the development tools (like the Sideloader Wonder Machine).

> My question is a bit more focused: if I'm working on my own android app, will I be able to load it on my at&t phone for testing (via the android SDK, etc.) without first rooting the phone?

Yes.
> 12 votes

# Answer
Update:

AT&T has finally seen the light and allowed unknown sources on most of its devices; you should get an update.

If you want a real "developer phone" you can get the Nexus S (right now it's exclusive to Best Buy, so you'll have to go there. Make sure you get the AT&T variant if you want HSPA+). I have only booted stock once on mine - and it was not the first boot.
> 0 votes

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Tags: applications, side-loading
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