# Question
Title: Open source / trusted rooting app for Android / Motorola Defy?
I found a lot of compiled rooting exploits for Android, but not a lot of source code.

So, how can I trust an exploit able to take SU rights on my mobile device? How can I be sure there is no root-kit/bot/spyware inside?

I'm maybe a little paranoid, but this is a very serious issue for me:

My PDA contain a lot of private/secret informations (personal and professional), so, is there a trusted/secure way to root an Android device? (A Motorola Defy in particular)

---

\[EDIT\]

I insist on this last point:

> is there a trusted/secure way to root an Android device? (A Motorola Defy in particular)

Does anybody know an open source or trusted rooting app for Android, and Motorola Defy in particular?

# Answer
> 5 votes
The source code for the adb exploit used in the superoneclickroot tool is available: http://stealth.openwall.net/xSports/RageAgainstTheCage.tgz.

You would have to crosscompile RageAgainstTheCage.c (after reviewing it of course...) for arm5 and then do the whole adb thing, descibed for example here in thread no. 844966 at xda-dev (my one link was already used up, sorry).

I do *not* speak from experience however.

# Answer
> 9 votes
Perhaps a simple answer but if the author doesn't provide the sourcecode of the App und you know that it doesn't originate of a trusted source, you can't be sure that it's clean.

If it's a high risk for you you probably should not use it.

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Tags: security, rooting, motorola-defy
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title: Android Market Stopped Working

text:
# Question
Title: Android Market Stopped Working
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Sometimes Market update get stuck downloading, how can I cancel?

I have Android 1.6 on original G1. I tried to install Last.FM application and it failed. Since then I always see Last.FM there in process of installation and it can't be canceled or removed or anything.

And what's worse: then installation of new application stopped working at all. Coming back always after a while with "\[application\] failed to download. Try again later".

Any idea, how to "unblock" the market again?

# Answer
> 4 votes
This might help: Go to Settings \>\> Applications \>\> Manage Applications Select Market app and in the details page, press "Clear data".

I had this issue a while back and it got resolved after performing the above.

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Tags: google-play-store, htc-dream, 1.6-donut
---


title: Where to find the MMS settings?

text:
# Question
Title: Where to find the MMS settings?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How can I configure my phone for MMS?

I am using a Samsung GT-I5503 and I can't send an mms. Where can I locate the mms settings so that I can configure it?

# Answer
Settings \>\> Wireless & Networks \>\> Mobile Networks \>\> Access Point Names

That should list the APNs applicable/configured for your network; Once you select the APN entry (click on the name) you should be able to see/configure MMS.

**Update:** Here is another question on MMS configuration : How can I configure my phone for MMS?
> 2 votes

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-5, mms
---


# Question
Title: How can i transfer APK files from my old SD card to a new micro SD card?
I just bought a 32GB micro SD card to replace my 8GB micro SD card for my x10. I have some apps that I've downloaded online (paid APK) and not from the market. They are currently stored in my 8GB micro SD. I don't know how to transfer the files to the new 32GB card. I don't know in what folder they should be placed in. Again, my unit is an SE x10 (eclair).

# Answer
> 5 votes
1. Connect your x10 to your computer with the old 8gb car installed and enable usb debugging
2. With your PCs file manager copy the entire contents of your x10's SD card to a temporary folder.
3. Change the cards so the 32gb is installed.
4. Copy the entire contents of the temp folder onto the new microSD.

It will be an exact mirror of what you had before.

# Answer
> 3 votes
You should be able to use the APK itself to reinstall the app. Create a temporary folder on your new SD card, you can call it anything you like (such as "APK-Install") and copy the APKs into there.

When you plug the new SD card, use a file manager (download something like "ASTRO File Manager" if you haven't got one already) and browse to that folder. Now if you run that APK file it should give you the option to install the app. (I assume that you've already enabled the "Allow install of non-Market applications" option as you say that you've loaded non-Market apps before).

You're running Eclair, so (unless you've rooted) I assume that you haven't moved any of your installed apps to the SD card, but if you have remember to move them back into internal memory before you swap cards.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I am assuming that you want to move the data from the old card to the new one...

Before you replace your old sdcard, connect your device to your computer via USB cable and mount the sdcard so your computer can access the data. Now copy all the data from the sdcard to your computer.

Once that is complete, put in the new sdcard and then mount the new sdcard. Now you can copy the data from your old sdcard (now stored on your desktop) to your new sdcard.

After you copy the data to the new sdcard, unmount it. Then you can use a file manager like Astro, to install them using the apk file as GAThrawn stated...

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Tags: apk, app2sd
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title: Random Music Playback [WinAmp && Cubed]

text:
# Question
Title: Random Music Playback [WinAmp && Cubed]
I've noticed this issue on my Sprint Samsung Intercept running 2.2 Froyo (rooted, custom kernel, etc.) I swear I didn't have this issue on Android 2.1, but someone with a Motorola Droid running 2.1 did, as you can see here: http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=323590

My issue is I love the WinAmp music player. However, when I pause it and leave the app, it will randomly, unexpectedly begin music playback later (both when I am using the phone, and when it's sitting on the ground next to me.) When I navigate to the app, the controls show that it is paused, and clicking on it once will bring it to the normal state (shows as playing, and it is,) and a second time will pause it again (where it should have been to begin with.) This could be a real issue while I'm in class, etc. and I'm forced not to be able to use WinAmp, which I'd really like to be able to do.

With Cubed, the issue is similar. Instead of having it be random though, it plays when I go back to the app. This leads me to believe that it's playing onResume(), without first checking the state it should be in. I'm guessing WinAmp is staying open in the background somehow and doing the same thing.

My question is, is there any fix?

# Answer
> 4 votes
I used to have this problem a lot on my Droid. I believe it has something to do with the headphones and how some music apps react to you plugging them in/out.

My solution? I use tasker to make two profiles:

**Not Headset Plugged**

* Music Stop
* Media Volume 0

**Headset Plugged**

* Music Stop
* Media Volume 5

The volume isn't necessary (just so I don't blare loud music into my ears when I put in my ear buds OR sets it 0 if I unplug my headphones and it somehow is still playing). So in other words every time I plug in or out my headphones, it stops all music. Since I've done this, I've had no more problems.

# Answer
> 0 votes
There was a notable bug in earlier versions of Android ( I can vouch that it exists in 2.1) that music would play out of the loudspeakers at random times or just after you'd unplugged your earphones.

I used Headset Blocker Widget, after someone recommended it and have never encountered the above-mentioned scenario of random playing or music playing once I've unplugged my earphones.

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, music-player
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# Question
Title: Error launching ddms.bat: "Failed to get the adb version: Cannot run program "adb": CreateProcess error=2, The system cannot find the file specified"
I've been following these very detailed instructions to take a screenshot on my Motorola Flipside. When I get to the step #10 where I launch `ddms.bat` I get this error and my phone doesn't show up:

> C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk-windows\tools\>ddms.bat 12:09:01 E/adb: Failed to get the adb version: Cannot run program "adb": CreateProcess error=2, The system cannot find the file specified

(and here I thought the difficulties of taking screenshots on Android were exaggerated)

# Answer
> 7 votes
Try adding `adb`'s folder (`platform-tools`) to your PATH. The `adb` executable used to be in the `tools` folder on versions of the SDK up to v8 IIRC, but it was moved in v9, so ddms.bat is probably looking for it in the wrong spot.

See also this thread on Stack Overflow (accepted answer there courtesy one of our mods here) to see if this is in fact the issue.

**Edit**: If you need it, here's a decent guide for changing your PATH environment variable. It's written for XP but I don't think the process is much different (if at all) for Vista/7. The basic premise is at least the same.

**Another edit**: It looks like it's the same process according to this guide for Win7.

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Tags: adb, 2.1-eclair, usb-debugging, screenshots
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# Question
Title: Show the time an SMS was sent, not received
Scenario is as follows-

* Switch flight mode on. Go into meeting/go to sleep.
* Switch flight mode off. Receive a message.
* Timestamp on the message is the time received.

With my old Nokia, under details it would show the time the message was actually sent. Is it possible to show this on Android?

# Answer
There is an app called **SMS Timestamper** that appends the received time to incoming text messages. Worth mentioning for those not comfortable with fiddling with the OS's internals, or those unsure if it would work on their version of the firmware. I'm on JPO so I didn't want to chance it.
> 1 votes

# Answer
It's a stupid setting of galaxy s sms' app. To resolve this you have to replace the mms.apk into /system/app with that attached in this thread of xda forum http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=891667&highlight=mod+sms If you look all the thread, you can also find the complete installation guide!
> 2 votes

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, samsung-galaxy-s, sms
---


# Question
Title: How can I install official Android 2.2 Froyo in Samsung Galaxy S which runs Android 2.1 Eclair?
How can I install official Android 2.2 Froyo in Samsung Galaxy S which runs Android 2.1 Eclair?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Depends on your model. For most of the international versions such as the GT-i9000, you can get it over the air (a notification pops up, ir you can go to Settings -\> Software update) or through Kies (I recommend getting Kies Mini from Samsung.com). Froyo has not been officially released for some models including the US ones, however. I recommend a custom ROM such as Nero v5 for the T-Mobile Vibrant. The easiest way to find one is to go to XDA and look and the subforum for your device. Note you probably need root and ROM Manager (in the Market) to load a ROM.

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, updates
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title: GPS optimization, is really necessary?

text:
# Question
Title: GPS optimization, is really necessary?
Some android users are experiencing GPS problems; are applications like this really useful and safe for all devices?

http://www.appbrain.com/app/gps-optimisation/com.gps.opt

What do you recommend for a 2.2 device?

# Answer
> 5 votes
It would depend on the device. Some devices have/had some real serious issues with their GPS. The Galaxy S is one of them. It can take 10 seconds for it to get a GPS lock or it could take a minute (or even more).

If you never have any issues with your device, then I wouldn't recommend running an application like this. If you can get a GPS lock within a few seconds or so and it is accurate, then I would say just leave it alone.

# Answer
> 3 votes
No idea what that app does.

If your GPS isn't locking as fast as you like, one option is to redownload the GPS assistance data. An app like "GPS Status" can do this for you. Here's a QR code for it.

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, gps, optimization
---


# Question
Title: HTC Tilt 2 -- possible to get Android on it?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Can I install Android on my non-Android device?

One of my friends recently got an HTC Touch Pro 2(US Cellular) and I really like it. It has Windows Mobile on it, but somehow he downloaded a special program to his SD card so that he runs some Windows program and it will boot Android. To get back to factory settings, he just has to turn the phone off and on.

I looked for a similar phone for my carrier(AT&T) and the closest thing to it is the HTC Tilt 2. I'm aware of some of the changes including different keyboard and no 3.5mm jack. Is it crippled in anyway which would prevent me from doing the same thing my friend did though? Also would it void the warranty or anything like that? Also, one last question. When running Android like that do you have "root" capabilities? Like can I install unofficial applications and/or get to a root terminal?

# Answer
It is possible, however as you mentioned it is not completely compatible yet. Some hardware pieces like the camera (and I think speakerphone) will not work for the ATT T2.

Check out the XDA-Developers forum, specifically rhodium (what our phones are) for more info on the Android developement & cooked winmo ROMs.I don't recall of the top of my head if you need to run Hard-SPL or not to boot into Android off the card of or not, but if you do need to, that'll void the warranty.

Although, in my opinion it's worth it to at least go with a cooked Winmo ROM or Android... even if it voids the warranty.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You don't need HardSPL, as you cannot flash Android yet. It just boots from WinMo via Haret, and after a reboot WinMo returns. You might want to backup your SD card contents just in case.

There is work underway in the flashing area, so we can replace WinMo completely and get a nice performance boost to boot. I already have it on the Kaiser and love it, but with the newer MSM based phones it is not there yet (actually AFAICT the problem isn't the flashing itself but initializing the hardware without the help of WinMo).
> 0 votes

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Tags: windows-mobile
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# Question
Title: How to sync all my Exchange files (including Notes and Tasks) to my Nexus S?
I need to find a way to sync my Outlook notes and tasks to my Nexus S.

I would also like to have all the fields I use in my contacts in Outlook available in my Nexus S.

I rund on Exchange and the mail, contacts, and calendar syncronize OK with my Nexus S, though some fields are not available in Gingerbread and can't decide how long back I want my appointmens and emails to sync...

# Answer
> 1 votes
Try NitroNote \- it offers syncing for Outlook Notes. You'll need to install apps on your desktop as well as the device.

There's also the more powerful TouchDown client which will sync email / contacts / tasks from an Exchange server.

Finally, lots of users claim to find gSyncit to work well for them, but YMMV.

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Tags: sync, 2.3-gingerbread, samsung-nexus-s, exchange, notes
---


# Question
Title: My Samsung Galaxy 3 (GT-i5801) is not being detected by my PC -- What should I do?
I have a Samsung Galaxy 3 (GT-i5801) Android phone. Currently, my phone is not being detected by my PC. Initially, when I purchased this phone, I was developing applications and I was able to run the applications on my phone. I have purchased a new cable as I thought the data cable may have been damaged, but that did not solve the issue.

What can be the possible solutions or what do I need to check for in order to connect my Samsung Galaxy 3 to my PC by using a data/USB cable?

I have Windows XP installed on my Dell Inspiron laptop.

# Answer
> 14 votes
After searching for a long time and trying a lot, I found a solution:

## Resolution

1. Unplug the USB cable
2. On the cell phone, dial the number `*#7284#`. Once the last `#` is hit, the PhoneUtil application is launched. Choose *USB* -\> *Modem* and then *USB* -\> *PDA mode*. The good mode should be PDA. Even if the mode is PDA, switch to Modem and then back to PDA.

1. Also choose **UART** -\> PDA and then **UART** -\> MODEM mode. The good mode should be MODEM for **UART**. Even if the mode is MODEM, switch to PDA and then back to MODEM(**UART**).
3. Plug in the USB cable.

## Note:

This is not only for Samsung Galaxy 3 - Android phone, but it is also used to repair the USB connection for any Samsung Android phone.

# Answer
> 2 votes
1. Make sure your device is not connected to your PC.
2. Uninstall any drivers you currently have installed for it.
3. Reboot your computer.
4. Install the appropriate drivers from this XDA post (supports more than Galaxy S) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7238660&postcount=1
5. Install Kies from Samsung.com's Galaxy 3 page http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/detail/supportPrdDetail.do?menu=SP01&prd\_ia\_cd=23020100&prd\_mdl\_cd=GT-I5800DKAXEU&prd\_mdl\_name=GT-I5800
6. Connect your device to your PC.

# Answer
> 2 votes
If you were previously developing on your PC, do you have USB Debugging enabled on your phone? That uses a whole different set of drivers than the normal USB drivers, these drivers are available as part of the Android SDK download.

To check if you have USB Debugging enabled, go into **Settings** -\> **Applications** -\> **Development** -\> **USB Debugging** and take the tick out of the USB Debugging box.

If you turn off USB Debugging, then it should be able to connect to your PC using the standard USB mass storage device drivers.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Per userguide after you connected the USB cable on Mass Storage mode, you need to go to the shortcut/notification/USB cable connected then mount.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I had a similar problem when I still had my PALM synchronization software installed. For some reason or another, it used COMM port 4 for it's communication ( don't know why but it did ), and that conflicted ( probably behind the scenes ) with the communication with my Galaxy S.

Once I uninstalled the PALM synchronization software, the connection went fine.

So please check if on your pc some sort of other communication device is installed.

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-apollo, usb-connection-mode
---


# Question
Title: Best software to enable speech-to-text on HTC Desire
One of the notable features missing from the HTC desire that is found on the Nexus one is the speech to text.

I am using google voice search and am impressed therefore what is the best software (free or paid) to enable the dictation of emails and text messages.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Have a look at Vlingo: http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.vlingo.client

It learns over time and many people find it more accurate than google's voice recognition.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I have an HTC Desire and speech to text works fine. Are you holding down the microphone keyboard button to the left of the space bar?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Full text to speech is only hidden and can be re-enabled in older HTC versions of android through a keyboard hack. Alternatively you can install goggle voice search just to enable search via voice.

Text to search is fully supported by HTC in the Froyo software update and can be accessed via the keyboard or holding down the search key.

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Tags: applications, htc-desire, voice-command, voice-recognition
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# Question
Title: Is there a way to get Android Market on galaxy s?
How can I get the android market on a Galaxy S on on the Turkish carrier Turkcell. I think that Google's absence in Turkey as a tax paying entity may be why the android market is missing.

Is there a way of sideloading the android market? If not, can you direct me to a ROM that does (preferably Gingerbread)?

P.S. It have 2.1 installed, and the phone model number is GT-i9000

# Answer
> 3 votes
The Android Market **is** on the Galaxy S, it's a Google-approved device.

**Edit:** Since you aren't on Froyo already I recommend getting it through Kies Mini, download from: http://samsung.com/uk/. That should have the Market since it's not through your carrier. You have a GT-i9000, so you could also try a JPX-based ROM like this one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=854799

# Answer
> 2 votes
I believe it is a carrier specific issue. Try the solution suggested here or here.

# Answer
> 1 votes
First you need to make sure that you have backed all of your data up, because the next process **WILL HARD RESET YOUR CELL**. There will be no rooting or anything in the following steps.

1. if your phone is set to 12 hours format, alter your settings back to 24 hours format (Settings--\>Date and Time--\> check 24 hour format)
2. Go to your keypad, as if you are going to dial a number, then dial \*#272\*XXXX# PLEASE MIND that those Xs are not letters they represent time, for example if it is 23:15 then you dial \*#272\*2315#
3. right after the previous step, and without hitting any key, you will get some options after that, make sure you choose **XSG** then install the market.
4. Right after the market installation, you cell will automatically hard reset itself and all of your data will be wiped.
5. Reboot your cellphone you will have your stock firmware all over again but with Google's market and that is it.

I've tried this before btw, and it worked just fine.

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, google-play-store
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# Question
Title: Is there a way to trick the Android Market into thinking I'm using a different device do I can download protected apps?
I have an unrooted Archos 70IT with the market add-on app and there's a number of apps that I can find in the Market on my Droid but not on my Archos. They are likely "protected apps" which can only be installed on devices approved by the apps dev.

To get around this I just download them to my Droid, save to Dropbox then install on my Archos. These apps work just fine, so rather than be "protected" from "incompatible" apps and having to do backflips to get the apps I want, I'd like to trick the Market into thinking I'm on a Droid or some other ubiquitous Android device.

Is there anyway of doing this a) at all, and b) on an unrooted device? If so, how?

# Answer
> 12 votes
Yes, it can be done but it requires root. You edit the device fingerprint in the build.prop file. Here are details: http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-spica/98024-protected-app-market-fix-tutorial-build-prop.html

Edit: For a more complete answer, see How can I modify the phone model in build.prop to get unsupported apps?

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Tags: google-play-store, archos-gen8, protected-apps
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# Question
Title: ZIP+4 ZIP codes in Contacts for Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S)
I have a Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S) running Android 2.1-update1. I have ZIP Codes for many of my contacts in the ZIP+4 format (e.g. 99999-1234). However, the field for ZIP codes does not allow any character except numbers. Without being able to add a dash it makes it difficult to read (e.g 999991234).

I would have thought that it would auto-format the number they way it does for phone numbers. Is there anyway to have the default Contacts program accept ZIP+4 ZIP code format? Are there any alternative Contacts programs that provide the correct formatting for ZIP+4? Is the Contacts program standard across manufacturers (e.g. part of the OS)?

# Answer
It seems that entering ZIP Codes directly in the Contacts app in the ZIP+4 format under Android 2.1-update1 is **not** possible. However, I just updated to Froyo (2.2) (T959UVKA6). Not only can the Contacts/ Storage app natively import and export contacts to and from the microSD card, but it also allows directly entering ZIP+4 *with the dash* in the ZIP Code field!
> 4 votes

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Tags: contacts, samsung-galaxy-s
---


# Question
Title: How do I change the default Complete Action With?
The handler select dialog mentions a setting in settings under `Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications` but I can't find it.

Here's a list of actions for each app under Manage Applications:

* Force Stop
* Uninstall
* Clear Data
* Move to SD card/phone
* Clear Cache
* Clear Defaults

And this is the application info for Firefox, which I know for certain is a Complete Action With app.

# Answer
The one you want is 'Clear Defaults' - once clicked, the 'Handler Select' dialog will pop up next time you invoke that particular action.
> 10 votes

# Answer
I believe they are talking about the "Clear Defaults" option. I'm not a dev but I believe that when you install Firefox the default Complete Action for all the "Browser" related actions and intents is cleared and so when a user clicks on a link or a bookmark, they are given the "Complete Action with..." dialog. From there they can choose Firefox as the default. Once this is done, in order to undo it, you'd choose the "Clear Defaults" option.

To the best of my knowledge this is all that is available from a "user" standpoint, anything beyond that is in the "development" territory which is off-topic here and better suited for SO.
> 7 votes

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Tags: settings
---


title: Upgrade unlocked Motorola Droid

text:
# Question
Title: Upgrade unlocked Motorola Droid
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How do I update the OS on my device?

Is it possible to upgrade unlocked Motorola Droid to any Android OS version. Can this be done through wifi or does it has to be pushed through Verizon?

# Answer
If you unlock (or root) your Droid and upgrade it using the official OTA (Over The Air) update. Your phone will sure be unrooted again. But for Droid, it is pretty easy to root it even with the latest Verizon OTA update.

Go to droid-life.com and click root in the menu bar. You will find many easy-to-follow instruction. Just one advice, please you start rooting your phone, read the comments to see if there are any major issues.

Once your Droid is rooted, install ROM Manager. It will let you back up your existing ROM and install many different ones, including the latest Android version, on one click.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/rom-manager/com.koushikdutta.rommanager
> 2 votes

# Answer
well yes and no.

Yes: Your unlocked phone will continue to receive updates from Verizon (though those updates may re-lock your phone depending on how you unlocked it, requiring you to unlock it again).

No: You can't just upgrade to any android OS version. The stock android open source project wouldn't have the drivers your phone needs.

Kind of: You can find a community rom for your phone that is based on the android open source project or customized versions of the motorolla rom. For the moto droid I believe that the "Bugless Beast" rom is the most popular. Another popular rom is CyanogenMod
> 1 votes

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Tags: motorola-droid, updates
---


# Question
Title: Stop droid x from security locking during a call
I have noticed that when I am on a lengthy call on my Droid X, the phone locks itself. This seems to happen within the expected timeout period, so I don't believe that the phone is malfunctioning. Instead, I just think that just bad design (if I am on the phone making a call, I would expect that to register as an activity and keep the handset from locking).

My question is whether there is any way to keep the phone from doing this (other than setting the timeout to off before I take a call). I have Tasker on the phone, so I have been toying with the idea of setting up some workaround, but does anyone have any other options?

**UPDATE**: To be clear, I am talking about the phone locking (requiring you to re-enter security PIN or pattern to unlock) during a call, **not** the screen turning off when the phone is in proximity to your face. So basically after a 20 minute phone call, if I want to check my mail, I need to enter my PIN. I find this annoying and would like to avoid it if possible.

# Answer
Maybe Screebl can help - it enables/disables your phone's power saving features depending on the orientation (how the phone is held in your hand in relation to the ground).

Originally designed to keep the screen awake during a call, the PRO version also includes Tasker / Locale integration.
> 1 votes

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Tags: security, motorola-droid-x, lock-screens
---


title: Shutting down Android phone from PC

text:
# Question
Title: Shutting down Android phone from PC
The screen of my Android phone sometimes automatically shutdown and cannot reshow again.

Can I shutdown my Android from PC or other ways?

# Answer
> 10 votes
You can do this with adb (Android Debug Bridge).

1. Enable "USB Debugging" on the phone (Settings \> Applications \> Development \> USB Debugging)
2. Type `adb reboot` in a terminal in the directory where you installed adb platform-tools

# Answer
> 0 votes
1. Hold the power button down until it shuts off.
2. Pull the battery out.

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Tags: shutdown
---


# Question
Title: If I pull the battery out, the sd card file system crashs, all file lost!
Is this normal? Did it happen in your phone?

# Answer
Some file systems are pretty robust, if you used ext3/4 and yaffs2, the chance of getting caught in situation where the filesystem cannot recover is scarcer than winning a lottery. These file system utilizes logging to revert inconsistencies; At every startup, Android will check the filesystem's log, if the log is not empty that means the file system is not unmounted cleanly and it will automatically perform a quick recovery (you usually won't notice anything, just a 3-5 seconds longer startup). There is small chance that the last data that have not been "committed" may be lost, but it is -- for all practical purpose -- impossible to lose the whole file system.

Unfortunately, some filesystems commonly used in certain Android devices are not so robust, many manufacturers partition their SD cards as FAT, and with FAT every time your device crashes, you are playing a game of Russian Roulette. Samsung phones had a proprietary variant of FAT, which they called RFS (Robust File System), they claim RFS is compatible with FAT but is robust in the event of crash; so far, I hadn't observed any data corruption on my Samsung phone, though it is still better to be wary since Samsung is bad at writing software.
> 8 votes

# Answer
There's always a risk with not cleanly unmounting a file system.

By pulling the battery, you're not allowing the system to finish up what it's doing on the SD card, and if you catch it at the right time, it can sadly screw things up pretty badly.

With some luck, you may be able to run a diagnostic on the file system and recover some of the data, but it all depends on the specifics.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: sd-card
---


title: Determine HTC Desire screen type

text:
# Question
Title: Determine HTC Desire screen type
The first HTC Desire devices used to have AMOLED screens, before HTC switched to SLCD. How can I tell whether my handset has an AMOLED or an SLCD screen?

# Answer
> 11 votes
Try looking at a black picture in the dark. With AMOLED the picture should be pure black. With SLCD you should see the backlight making the picture look greyish.

---
Tags: htc-desire, screen
---


# Question
Title: Error message when upgrading Galaxy S to Froyo
So I finaly got a copy of Windows and installed VMWare on OS X After fidling with driver issues etc. etc. I got the Kies software to recognize the Gallaxy S

After Kies had downloaded the upgrade files and started (an image of the Android raking leaves on the phone screen) this message pops up

"failed to convert to upgrade mode"

Does anyone know what the problem is? and how to get around this?

# Answer
The picture you got on your phone was upgrade mode (also called download mode). The phone disconnects and then tries to reconnect when it goes into this mode. My guess is that the reconnect failed; it happened to me when I tried upgrading through a virtual machine. I suggest borrowing a friend's computer running Windows natively to do the upgrade.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, samsung-galaxy-s, samsung-kies, virtualization
---


title: custom rom for galaxy 5

text:
# Question
Title: custom rom for galaxy 5
I am new to this Android stuff. I would like to know the easy way to install a custom ROM on my phone. I have already rooted my phone.

# Answer
The easiest way is through ROM Manager (you can find it in the Market). After installing it, open it and select the .zip file for the ROM you want to install. The phone will reboot into Recovery mode. Hit "Reinstall packages" or something similar to replace this recovery with Clockworkmod Recovery from ROM Manager (may have to do this twice). Then your phone will go into this new recovery and install the ROM.

Note you can also use a Windows tool call Odin, but you must have a ROM specifically designed for Odin. You might need to flash a "Clockwork compatible" ROM through Odin before ROM Manager will work.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: custom-roms, samsung-galaxy-5, installation
---


# Question
Title: What is ClockworkMod Recovery and what is it for?
What is ClockworkMod Recovery and what is it for?

# Answer
> 19 votes
ClockworkMod Recovery is a "custom recovery image" which is installable on many Android devices. You can install it in order to replace your device's "stock recovery image" with something more useful. Specifically, it can be used to backup and restore your current ROM and data, as well as to install new ROMs.

You can use ROM Manager to manage which ClockworkMod Recovery is installed (you need one specifically for your device), to easily boot into ClockworkMod Recovery, and to install ROMs.

---
Tags: clockworkmod-recovery
---


# Question
Title: Search result scrolling / paging on Android Market?
I am confused: if I use search on the Market app on Android 2.2, it tells me often that there are hundreds or even thousands of matches, but shows exactly 10, no more. Is there a way to scroll / page / whatever that I've overlooked? 8-}

# Answer
When you scroll to thr bottom of the list it should automatically load more results. Mine sometimes gets hung up and shows the "thinking" symbol for a few seconds, but then loads more.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Based on your question here, I see you're using a tablet. You may need to rotate your device to landscape mode in order for the paging in the Market to work correctly. I have to do this with my rooted Nook Color.
> 0 votes

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


title: How do I see my sent SMS messages?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I see my sent SMS messages?
How do I see my sent SMS messages? I can search my text messages, but it's not obvious how to simply see a list of my sent messages ordered by time.

# Answer
Check out SMS Composer \- it has non-threaded Inbox and sent message views which I believe is what you're looking for.

Also, it's freeware.
> 3 votes

# Answer
One way to do this would be to use something like SMS Backup+ which syncs your SMS and MMS messages to a particular tag in Gmail. You could then use normal gmail filtering to see your outgoing messages.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: sms, htc-desire-hd
---


title: Duplicate entries in 'All apps' list

text:
# Question
Title: Duplicate entries in 'All apps' list
I started to have for some reasons duplicated entries in 'All apps'. For many apps it was not a problem but one of apps is Google Maps - how to get rid of the problem without:

* Restoring to factory defaults
* Uninstalling Google Maps permanently

**Edit**: My phone is HTC Wildfire from 3 (to respond to comment).

# Answer
Uninstall one of the duplicate apps
> 1 votes

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: Do bright wallpapers spend more battery than dark ones?
I started wondering about this when I realized most websites I visit have white backgrounds, and I know that the screen is usually responsible for most of the battery usage. Since I can't change the background in those sites, I might at least switch my wallpaper to a black one.

Most (all?) phones need back-lighting to brighten the screen when needed. Since that back-lighting consumes battery, **is it correct to state that a white screen consumes energy at a faster rate than a black one?** *(assuming the same brightness level in the settings)*

I'm assuming that a white screen needs stronger back-lighting, but I don't know if it's the case.

# Answer
On OLED, AMOLED and Super AMOLED screens: Yes

LCD screens: No
> 43 votes

# Answer
This depends on the screen technology.

For instance, (it was said that) Android 2.3 Gingerbread has dark theme since Google's latest flagship device Nexus S uses (Super) AMOLED display which consumes less energy when displaying dark color since AMOLED produces its own light and darker color emits less photons. Contrasts with LCD display which uses a backlight (a fixed number of photons) and the LCD crystals filters those colors it needs. The crystals on an LCD displays though, actually consume slightly less power when displaying white since it takes more power to strain the crystal to block more light.

Screen color does not affect the backlighting. There are certain display technologies in TVs that tries to give dynamic backlighting by dimming the screen when displaying darker image. I'm not aware of any device that actually ships with that type of screen though.
> 18 votes

# Answer
Hey, I just ran a load of test to figure this out. They are vaguely scientific tests! I figured out that I was saving 20% battery by switching to dark wallpaper and dark themed apps. Have a look through my write up, you should be able to work out the saving on your phone:

http://blog.stevemould.com/phone-battery-save-black-wallpaper/
> 17 votes

# Answer
If your screen has an older standard lcd then this doesn't help at all. The backlight is still shining behind all those darkened pixels. You just can't see it.

If you have oled, amoled, super amoled, LED lcd, or I think even plasma then it does help to darken the screen because the light is generated specifically where it is needed.

BTW there are fire fox plugins that reformat whatever page you are on to be dark. I don't remember the names, but I needed it when I was living in a studio apartment with my girlfriend and I was up all night on my computer while she was trying to sleep 20 feet away in the same room.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: battery-life, screen, wallpaper
---


# Question
Title: Is 150 MB / month enough for limited use?
I've been thinking about getting a pre-owned Samsung Fascinate from Verizon for $40. I can't afford a $30/month unlimited data plan, but I was considering the $15/month 150MB data plan.

I'm planning on using it primarily as a phone/PMP, without heavy use of internet-related features. Most of my data usage will probably come from these things:

* Downloading apps
* Occassionally checking weather, maps, etc.
* Texting through Google Voice. I plan all cancelling my texting plan and moving all my texting activities to Google Voice. I only use around ~300 texts (sent and received) per month.

Is it reasonable to expect these activities to remain within 150MB/month? On a related note, I am usually on my university's campus, which has wi-fi. Can I use the wi-fi network to avoid suffering data charges?

Update: Verizon ran a promotion this weekend. For upgrading to a smartphone with unlimited data plan, you got a $10/month credit for the next 24 months. So the $30/unlimited data plan effectively becomes $20/unlimited, and I went with that instead of the $15/150MB plan.

# Answer
> 4 votes
**Yes**. I agree with everything that Bryan has said but want to add...

You can use an app like Phone Usage that helps you monitor your network traffic. The Pro version ($2.35) also allows you to set data limits that will send you a notification if you go over. So you could set it to 125 MB and you'd know when you are getting close and you can throttle down your usage. Verizon has a 30 day return policy (although I think they are changing it to 15 days) so you can monitor your traffic and if you find that you are using waaay too much you can always cancel and go back to what ever you had before.

Another useful app (if you've rooted your device) if DroidWall which lets you set which apps can access your 3G connection. This would be useful if you identify that an app that requires background sync and uses a lot of data. It would also be good if you are getting close to you 150 MB limit and want to lock down your data usage.

Finally, many apps let you set a wifi only rule. For example BeyondPod has a setting in the apps that says "Only download podcasts when on Wifi" but if you really want to take control of your phone you can download Tasker and set an almost unlimited set of rules for how your phone operates.

# Answer
> 6 votes
Using wifi == not using your data plan. So that will help reduce data usage from your provider.

So long as you are not streaming (music/video/youtube/etc) or downloading large amounts of data (podcasts, for example) then you should be fine. Or at least save those activities for when you are on wifi.

Downloading apps: each app can be anywhere from 100kb to 10mb+ in size. Save these for your wifi unless it is an update you really need then and there.

Weather/maps: shouldn't be too heavy of data. Same with Google voice.

# Answer
> 2 votes
**Get a prepaid** and leave your phone with no credit most of the time (if you hunt around, you might be able to find operators that will keep your number for a year after expiry). With no credit, you can still receive calls. Carry a recharge card in your wallet (or in a Notes app in the phone) just in case you really need to make an urgent phone call.

If you're almost always in a Wifi covered area (in home and in school/work), then you can do all your messaging using Google Voice, IM, VoIP, etc. You should not need to download apps over data connection, download them over Wifi. Check your weather before you leave, and if you want to use Google Maps, cache it in the phone before you leave a Wifi-covered area (alternatively, find a mapping software that uses offline maps).

With this, your phone can live off electricity almost exclusively.

---
Tags: wi-fi, data-monitoring
---


title: How to root a Samsung Spica

text:
# Question
Title: How to root a Samsung Spica
How do I go about rooting my Samsung Spica?

# Answer
> 3 votes
The main reference resource site for modders and "cookers" of **Samsung Spica aka i5700** is at Samdroid forum board, here.

It contains all information you need to upgrade your firmware version, root your phone, etc.

# Answer
> 1 votes
This rooting tutorial is much easier to follow than Samdroid's (it still uses Samdroid's method, but the tutorial is much less terse and have pictures): http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/root-samsung-galaxy-spica-i5700-with-leshaks-kernel/

---
Tags: rooting, samsung-galaxy-spica
---


# Question
Title: How to do USB tethering with an Android Froyo and a Mac OS X?
With Android Froyo (OS 2.2), how can I do USB tethering with a Mac OS X?

# Answer
PDAnet: http://www.junefabrics.com/android/mac.php
> 4 votes

# Answer
EasyTether Lite works for me. I've used it on an XP machine as well as a Mac. I love that it's cross-platform.

> Shares your phone Internet connection with computer/laptop/notebook (Windows 7/Vista/XP 64-bit/32-bit, Mac OS X 10.4/10.5/10.6, Ubuntu 10.4+). EasyTether works via USB.
>
> Does not need root access.

There's also EasyTether Full.

> Full app allows https - access to secure sites such as facebook, gmail, online banking etc.
>
> Full app allows you to tether ps3, xbox 360, wii via your PC - enable Internet Connection Sharing on your computer for that.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, tethering, macos
---


# Question
Title: Can I get a notification of failed WiFi connection for secured network?
I have an HTC Hero running Android 2.1. My work has a secured wifi network that we're allowed to connect our phones too. We also have to change our account passwords every so often. When this happens, my credentials are incorrect when trying to connect to the wifi from my phone. But the phone doesn't tell me that, it just keeps trying, which ends up locking my account because of failed logins. Is there a way to get the WiFi app to notify me when the connection fails so I can update the credentials, rather than continuing to try to connect, locking out my account?

# Answer
> 4 votes
The best way I know is to use an app called Tasker. Its price is a little steeper than most, but it's very useful once you start playing with it. Check out lifehacker to see some other examples of what Tasker can do.

Here are the steps for what you want to do:

1. Open Tasker
2. Select "New"
3. Name it "wifi alert" (or whatever)
4. Select "OK"
5. Select "State"
6. Select "Wifi Connected"
7. Enter the SSID for your network
8. Make sure the "Invert" check box is checked
9. Select "Done"
10. Select "New Task"
11. Name it "disconnect" (or whatever)
12. Select "OK"
13. Select the "+" icon
14. Select "Alert"
15. Select "Popup"
16. Enter some text (wifi disconnected or something more ominous)
17. Select "Done"
18. Select "Done"
19. Select "Apply"

You could also make your phone vibrate or play a sound if you prefer. If you're worried you won't see/hear the notification in your pocket, you can also automatically disable wifi until you have the correct credentials. Just add another action to the task by going to "Net", selecting "WiFi" and setting it to "Off".

Tasker is great fun to nerd out on and isn't nearly as complicated as my numbered list might imply.

---
Tags: wi-fi, notifications, security, htc-hero, 2.1-eclair
---


# Question
Title: Can video recording on an Android smartphone be paused?
I've got an HTC Wildfire with Android Froyo 2.2. When I record videos with it, I want to be able to pause the recording, in order to pick up recording at the exact place where I paused.

This is not supported by the built in video recorder. Is this common for Android phones, or are there phones out there that support pause in video recording?

# Answer
> 3 votes
It looks like this is either specific to the hardware of the camera or even the software the manufacture using on the device.

I have a samsung galaxy s (Vibrant) and I can pause and resume video recording. My previous device, the HTC Dream (ADP1/G1) could also pause and resume (from what i can remember).

---
Tags: video-recording
---


# Question
Title: The installation steps of android package
I just want to know the full steps.
Does Android just copy the application package to another location?
when to run the application, the android unzip app package every times?

# Answer
> 6 votes
No, it does not unzip the package every time. The dalvik-cache is where is stores the cache of the the dex (The dalvik executables) files.

I know system apps are cached when the device is first booted, if the cache does not exist. User apps, if I had to guess, would be done when installed or first launched.

After it is cached, it will not have to update that cache until the application is updated, which is why I think it happens in the install process. But it is also possible to just read the Manifest from from the APK and see what version it is when it is launched. If the version is different then the version in the cache, it could re-cache it.

**edit**
I want to build on this a little. I just cleared my dalvik-cache and rebooted my device. Watching the device logcat through DDMS while it booted shows that it does system apps and "users" apps at boot up.

The PackageManager "collects" the certs of the apk. then it unpacks the apk. The PackageParser stores any permissions that the APK has.

So these steps are done when the device boots (if the apks changed since the last boot, or the dalvik-cache was cleared). But this same process would be completed when the APK is installed, since the PackageManager & PackageParser are the ones that handle the process.

**edit2**
This isn't just the "run" process, this is what happens when the app is installed. The dalvik-cache acts as sort of the "registration" of the application. But during install, the app also registers with the system any "receivers" that it has. These are like the listeners for specific actions that happen, what type of links it handles, things like that. There is not a registry like the windows registry, but yes, the OS keeps track of the applications that are installed, and the actions that can launch the application.

---
Tags: installation
---


# Question
Title: Deleting emails in the online GMail list, does not delete them on my Android 2.2 Samsung Galaxy S, is this normal?
This morning I decided to **clean up my emails** list in my gmail account using the Windows wb browser.

However when I **opened the gmail application on my Samsung Galaxy S** running Froyo 2.2, the **emails I deleted online where still present**.

Is this normal behavior or is there a setting which controls this.

I looked around for some setting, but found none. I also looked at the help on Gmail where is explained that you can clear the gmail's application data, but was just wondering whether there wasn't an easier way. All in all, this seems to be a logical operation no?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Aha I have found it : the emails were still in the trash. Once I viewed the trash, highlighted them all, and than choose the 'Delete permanently', than when syncing on the device, the 'deleted' mails were gone too.

GAThrawn was so convincing in his reply that they should have been deleted, I investigated some more ... thanks.

*I will keep my answer here, since it might help others in the future.*

---
Tags: gmail
---


title: Does MMS support PNG format images?

text:
# Question
Title: Does MMS support PNG format images?
I'm just wondering if android mms supports png files? I've tried sending an image, a png format, through mms. Sending is successful. However, the recipient recieves an error image. My question is, does android mms supports sending and receiving PNG format images?

Samsung Galaxy 5

# Answer
> 4 votes
Yes MMS can send png files. Even if they change the extension, it shouldn't matter as long as the mime type is in tact. and even if that is different, the image has a specific "header" that should be read by the MMS app. AFAIK, android does not change the extension, or the mime type. (at least the stock MMS app, and the Galaxy S app)

But that doesn't mean it will work with other phones. They might not have the ability to view the file type.

---
Tags: mms
---


# Question
Title: How feasible is it to use Google Voice for all calls and texts?
I'm considering getting an Android phone, and one thing that I'd like to do is drop my texting plan, and do all texting over wifi/data using Google Voice. If I do this, I need the following things to be true:

* It must be easy to send texts over Google Voice.
* It must be easy to receive texts (and notifications of new texts) over Google Voice, without them actually coming to me by SMS (so I don't get charged for them).
* It must be easy to place calls using my Google Voice number (it doesn't have to be VOIP, but the person I'm calling has to see the call as originating from the Google Voice number, so that I don't have to get them two numbers).
* It must be easy to receive calls using my Google Voice number (again, I only want to give out one number).

Are all these things possible with Android?

# Answer
> 9 votes
## Yes!

I use Google Voice for texting. It's great. Notifications are reliable, there have been no delays in receiving messages (or others receiving mine), and of course you can access it from your computer as well. Super handy, and no SMS charge.

As for voice calls, I also used to use it for that. The app manages everything nicely for outgoing calls -- you can set it to make every call "from" (show up as) your Google Voice number. And you can set it up to forward all calls to it to your "real" number -- so no one needs to know it except Google and you can give everyone your GVoice number. Plus, every call to the U.S. and Canada only uses your local minutes (or charges you a local rate if you don't have a plan).

Note: You can't receive texts from services such as Facebook that actually email you via \[yournumber\]@\[yourcarrier\].com or something similar, you cannot text short codes such as FBOOK (32665), and you can't send MMS messages (but that's what email's for amirite?).

# Answer
> 0 votes
I use Google Voice for all SMS communication but I don't use it for outgoing calls unless I'm calling Canada or something. I don't like the delay of "double calling" where Google Voice calls a local number and then calls the number you want to call from there.

I can't turn SMS off with my carrier and that's okay because most people get it when I respond to there text from my GV number.

To me, the best feature of GV is how it also sends the message to my email account and I can write responses in email that go to their SMS number.

---
Tags: sms, google-voice
---


# Question
Title: How to install the application in SDcard (android phone)?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How to install APK files on SDCARD.

I would like to install the .apk file into the SD card. Can I do this? If yes then how could I able to perform this in my HTC hero android phone?

# Answer
This can "officially" only be done if you are running android-2.2-froyo and you set the app to install on the sdcard.

If you are not running android-2.2-froyo then the only way to do it is with some "hackery", which involves partitioning your sdcard, symbolic links and some other things. There are some custom ROMs that would have this built in

The non-froyo methods also involve having your phone rooted.
> 7 votes

---
Tags: applications, sd-card, app2sd
---


title: How do I Switch off NFC?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I Switch off NFC?
My Nexus S alerts me when it is close to my Oyster season ticket. It says New Tag Collected. Unknown tag type.

Can I stop it doing this.

# Answer
> 10 votes
According to the Gingerbread User Guide, under **Settings** -\> **Wireless & networks**, you should have an **NFC** option that you can remove the tick from to turn this on or off.

---
Tags: samsung-nexus-s, nfc
---


title: SD Card not working

text:
# Question
Title: SD Card not working
I have bought a new samsung 16 GB yesterday. and installed Froyo. I plug my 4 Gb SD card which I was using in my previous Nokia Cell Phone. but SGS is not picking it up. I detached it and put it back in Nokia its working. can anyone tell me whats the problem. any difference in file system.??

Thanks & Regards Imran Zaidi

# Answer
Does it say that it does not recognize the sdcard? Where are you looking to see if it detects the sdcard?

for froyo on the SGS, i believe the sdcard is mounted to /sdcard/external\_sd (that's where mine is anyhow)
> 3 votes

# Answer
Don't know what file system your old phone used as Nokia use a few different phone OS (Linux, Symbian Series 40, 60 & 80 and possibly others), but Android will read a standard FAT32 file system on an SD card, which is what most phones use.

A lot of Nokia phones have the option to password protect or encrypt the SD card, it's very easy to forget you've done that, and Android won't be able to read the card if you've done that. I can remember swapping an SD between my ancient non-feature-phone Nokia and a friend's almost identical model and not being able to work out why it wouldn't work in his phone, until I remembered that I'd set a PIN number on the card.

The easiest way round this is probably to put the card in the Nokia phone, copy the entire contents on to a PC, then plug it into your Android phone, format it, and then copy the contents back (if you want to keep the contents).
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, samsung-galaxy-s, external-sd
---


title: Wifi goes off on screen lock?

text:
# Question
Title: Wifi goes off on screen lock?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How do I keep my wi-fi on in sleep mode

It seems to me that the wifi on my phone goes off when the screen gets locked. That way it's not syncing and I don't get notifications. Can this be changed so that it stays on all the time except when you manualy turn it off?

(htc hero, android2.2)

thank you

# Answer
Yes. `Settings -> Wireless and network -> WiFi settings -> (menu button) Advanced -> Wifi sleep policy -> Never`
> 5 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, lock-screens
---


# Question
Title: How to get root privilege in recovery mode?
I have copyed the 'su' command to /system in adb. but i cannot run the 'su', 'su' says: Permission denied.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I'm not sure what device you are using, but z4root will allow you to root Droid X (as well as Droid I believe). It should provide temporary and permanent root access. **As always, you use this at your own risk.**

# Answer
> 1 votes
Install the Superuser app from the Market and reboot. Then try running su from adb with your device connected to your computer -- Superuser should pop up a notification on the phone asking if you want to allow it to run. Then you can use it. Note your phone must be rooted.

---
Tags: rooting, usb-connection-mode, usb-debugging
---


title: LG-Ally won't charge

text:
# Question
Title: LG-Ally won't charge
My LG Ally is out of battery and won't charge at all. I know the outlet is working. It's charged in the past just fine..

I gave it like 30 minutes plugged in, and power wouldn't do anything. No type of light or indicator.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Try a different USB cable. Or try plugging it into a computer to check if it's the cable.

---
Tags: battery, charging
---


title: Can i mount loopdevice in Android?

text:
# Question
Title: Can i mount loopdevice in Android?
I have rooted my android phone and get a shell thr adb. I wanna mount a ROM image in android. But I always fail:

mount -o loop /sdcard/myimage.img /mnt
mount: can't setup loop device: No such file or directory

# Answer
Try: `mount -o loop /sdcard/myimage.img myimage`. "myimage" is where you can view the contents afterward.
> 5 votes

# Answer
You would need to compile a custom kernel that is capable of mounting loop devices, or find a custom kernel for that device that already has that feature built-in.

After a bit of digging, I found this guide on my phone's support forum. It's a bit dated, but the information is still relevant. It shows how to boot a Debian .img file. Unfortunately, it doesn't really detail EXACTLY what's needed for loop support, just that loop support is needed. But it is definitely possible, as I've personally run this on my phone for a short amount of time.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: shell, mount
---


# Question
Title: What's that little button with the squares called?
On my Motorola, it has four squares and the top-left square is solid. I'm not sure if all Android phones have it. "Home", "back", and "search" all seem pretty straightforward. Does it have a specific name or is it just "menu"?

(can you tell I'm new to Android?)

# Answer
> 11 votes
Yes, it's called the **Menu Key**

# Answer
> 2 votes
I found some great info on the phone's buttons from AT&T's site too: Motorola Flipside Tutorial

> **Closed View**
>
> 1. Earpiece: Lets you hear the caller and automated prompts.
> 2. Power/Sleep: End a call / Turn off the device / Sleep mode.
> 3. Micro USB: Charge the phone or connect to a PC.
> 4. Menu: Press to access sub-menus with additional options for different features and applications.
> 5. Home: Press to return to the Home screen.
> 6. Microphone: Captures audio.
> 7. Trackpad: Use to select small items in the display, or control a game without blocking your view. Just flick across the pad to scroll or move, and press the pad to select.
> 8. Back: Press to return to the previous screen.
> 9. Search: Press for text search; press and hold for voice search.
> 10. Camera: Use to take pictures and shoot videos.
> 11. Volume: Use to adjust the volume.
> 12. 3.5mm Headset: Allows you to plug in a headset with a 3.5mm connector.

> **Open View**
>
> * 13..Shift: Capitalizes letters during text entry.
> * 14..Alternate: Inserts alternate characters.
> * 15.. Menu: Press to access sub-menus with additional options for different features and applications.
> * 16..Back: Press to return to previous screen.
> * 17..Search: Press for text search; press and hold for voice search.
> * 18..Space: Enters a space into text.
> * 19..Symbols: Opens a table of symbols.
> * 20..Scroll/Select: Use to navigate up/down and right/left on the screen.
> * 21..New Line: Start a new line; sends message when text messaging. Also known as the Enter key.
> * 22..Delete: Press to delete text.

---
Tags: buttons
---


title: Does rooting require a custom ROM?

text:
# Question
Title: Does rooting require a custom ROM?
I've noticed that some apps say they require a rooted phone. Is it necessary to install a custom ROM in order to root a phone?

Edit: I should mention that I've seen this answer, but my phone isn't listed.

# Answer
> 10 votes
No. For the most part, custom ROMs are just cosmetic changes to official ROMs and may come pre-rooted, but nothing about rooting requires a custom ROM.

---
Tags: rooting, custom-roms
---


# Question
Title: Does flashing a custom ROM require root access?
It was recently brought to my attention that it does not. Can someone confirm this and explain what the determining characteristics are that dictate whether or not root its required to flash a custom ROM?

# Answer
Methods I know of:

1. Use a carrier/manufacturer tool such as **Odin** for some Samsung phones (I've done this -- it's easily the most feasible method). It connects to the phone and writes to the phone storage when the phone is in Download mode. A knowledgeable person could probably write their own tool as well.
2. Sign the update.zip file, so that the recovery/bootloader thinks its an official update. That's really the only way most phones can distinguish them (not sure if an encrypted bootloader makes it harder).

*"Has anyone actually done this?"* That I don't know -- it's probably incredibly difficult to fake, but realistically someone could gain access to the signing software.
3. Use a jig (an electronic setup that connects directly to parts of the device) to write directly to the storage. Imagine the phone as a PC where the BIOS prevents writing to the hard drive -- if you don't boot up the computer, the BIOS can't interfere, so you could just take out the drive and write to it with something else. Chips are just not as removable as drives, hence the jig. This would probably require custom software to do the writing, again possibly taken from the manufacturer. And if you don't overwrite the bootloader you might run into problems depending on what checks it does, I'm not sure.

At a previous job (a phone manufacturer) they used a similar tool to Odin to replace the bootloader, sometimes with one that didn't require the ROMs to be signed. Access to a tool like that makes a lot of problems go away.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: rooting, custom-roms, rom-flashing
---


title: Streaming video to Android

text:
# Question
Title: Streaming video to Android
Does Android natively support any type of streaming video similar to m3u8 on iPhone? Looking for a solution that handles HTTP Streaming or Progressive download with an option to deliver multiple quality of streams and change between the different quality levels while playback. Thanks.

# Answer
Android supports the RTSP protocol (I believe using VideoView), I'm not sure if this has everything you're looking for.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: video
---


# Question
Title: How can I de-brand my phone? (install vanilla Android?)
I bought a cheap handset (XTE San Francisco, 2.1) from the Orange provider.

I'm not a regular Orange customer so I had it unlocked so I could use my existing SIM.

Orange seem to pre-load their devices with a bunch of useless stuff. Which is now even more useless since I can't access any of them.

Is there anyway I can remove these? I would prefer not to "root" my device if possible.

What about installing the vanilla version of Android, such as the flavour which the SDK emulator has?

# Answer
> 3 votes
You have two options I know of to 'de-Orange' the San Francisco. You can use something like Titanium Backup (requires root) to remove the Orange apps, or install a custom ROM.

On my San Francisco I rooted the phone (see first part of this video, full details and file downloads here, or alternatively you could use Super One Click) and then used Titanium Backup to uninstall the Orange apps (list in this thread). If in doubt, TB lets you 'freeze' apps so you can make sure everything still works before uninstalling fully.

Alternatively, you can install a custom ROM (see full video) which I haven't done yet (waiting to see if FroYo ROM becomes available).

# Answer
> 2 votes
There's a full on guide to installing android 2.2 here orangesanfrancisco.co.uk

---
Tags: vanilla-android
---


# Question
Title: What is the Practical difference between the Home screen and the Launcher screen?
It seems that on my Nexus One, the home screen and launcher screen essentially serve the same purpose: Host application icons, allowing you to launch them.

Are there any other differences, other than the names and the way to reach these screens?

For example, can the launcher screen include widgets?

# Answer
The main difference is that the launcher screen contains all installed apps on your system. You cannot order it nor do anything but using the icons to access any application.

In the main screen you can:

* Add shortcuts to applications (icons like the ones in the launcher screen), you can place each icon in the place you want.
* Add widgets that provide rich functionalities like clocks, calendars or weather access.

If you want to compare your phone with a computer, launcher screen is the equivalent of “start menu” in windows, while the main screen(s) are the equivalent to the desktop.
> 6 votes

---
Tags: nexus-one, home-screen, launcher
---


title: Why can't I Sync Picasa Web Albums?

text:
# Question
Title: Why can't I Sync Picasa Web Albums?
Device: T-Mobile G2 (UK) / HTC Hero OS: 2.1

I would like to Sync Picasa Web Albums, like on this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIfjt3pye5c. However, the option is not present - only contacts, Google Reader, Google Mail, calendar. I've tried visiting Picasa Web Albums site on my phone browser, and re-starting the phone, but it's not there. How can I enable it?

Edit (28th Jan) - I raised a ticket on support.htc.com about this a while ago. Here are their responses...

* "Dave": "Do you have the Picasa option showing in the accounts and sync folder of Settings on your phone, please?"
* "Dave": "Can you confirm you are running at least Android 2.1 on your handset?"
* "Richard": "Christopher, your email has been passed to myself for further action as there has been no activity on it since the 22nd Jan. Picasa is a 3rd party application and you will need to install additional software from the Android Market to enable this functionality. (Picasa Album Sync is not pre-installed on your phone.) "
* "Richard": "The picasa sync is not pre-installed on any of the HTC handsets running Android 2.x. I have checked several android phones running 2.1 and 2.2 that we have here and none of them have a Picasa sync option. I will pass on this information to the developers and inform them that a customer has asked for this function to be included on the phones. This may lead to it being implemented in a future update. In the meantime if you want that functionality then you will need to obtain 3rd party software which can provide it."

I'm not sure why Dave asked those questions, when Richard is adament that the functionality doesn't exist. Does anyone have any examples of Picasa working on HTC handsets running Android 2.x?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Here's what you have to do:

1. Go into the Gallery
2. Long click on a photo, choose "Share" and then choose "Picasa"
3. On the "upload photo" screen add a new album, then upload the photo (it doesn't matter what album, you just need to add one to create a new folder in Picasa. This is the trick to linking your phone and your Picasa Web Albums).
4. After it's done uploading (check on the web to make sure it worked) from the home screen hit the menu button and go to Settings \> Accounts & Sync \> Click on your gmail address that is associated with Picasa. Now you should see "Sync Picasa Web Albums" in the menu.

If that doesn't work. Try restarting after that process, and then if that still doesn't work... :o(

# Answer
> 3 votes
You need to install the Gallery 3D app. It's not available on the market but here is a link for the APK which you will need to download to your SD card and install manually (use Astro, or similar).

(Dmitriy already gave this answer but I had the link & wasn't sure you'd seen my comment so I've added this as an answer too)

# Answer
> 2 votes
I have a T-Mobile Vibrant and when I was running the Stock Samsung 2.1 TouchWiz I did not have this option to sync to Picasa. But I am now running a 2.2 ROM and I can sync it. I would say to try to log in to picasa via your PC first, and maybe upload a photo, create a gallery, things like that. Then go back in to your device and see if you can sync it.

You will go in to your google account in Accounts & Sync and it should have the option in there to sync. you do not have to add another account on the main Accounts and sync screen.

It will also work with Google Apps accounts, if they have been upgraded to the "full google account" by the apps administrator.

# Answer
> 2 votes
There is an application called 3D Gallery. This application supports using Picasa from the google account. After installing and launching it will ask you for permission to access picasa and then you will browse the online library as if its local with options to copy.

---
Tags: sync, htc-hero, picasa
---


# Question
Title: How to exclude certain folders from getting scanned by music player?
I have some audiobooks on my phone, but I don't want to hear these when I play "All music". Is it possible to exclude some folders from getting added to the library? What are the file types that automatically get added?

# Answer
> 27 votes
You should be able to create a file called ".nomedia" (without quotes) in the folder you don't want scanned. It is supposed to tell the media scanner not to look in there.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Using Astro (available in the market), you should be able to create a folder on your SD card. Prefix the name of the folder with a dot (".") and the folder will be considered hidden in the Linux/Android file system. This will keep it from being included in the library.

---
Tags: files, music-player, media-player
---


title: What is the filename for my contacts?

text:
# Question
Title: What is the filename for my contacts?
What is the filename for my contacts on my optimus M running froyo?

# Answer
> 3 votes
It's contacts.db but it's not a normal file or directory, it's a SQLite3 database in the following location which you'll need root to access:

```
data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts.db

```

# Answer
> 1 votes
Contacts are stored in a database. If you mean the filename of the app, it's probably Contacts.apk in /system/apps/.

---
Tags: contacts
---


# Question
Title: Why does my EVO Android phone screen keep turning on?
I have an HTC EVO and I can be sitting around doing nothing, when all of a sudden the screen comes on and stays on. I try to turn it off, but it keeps turning back on - sometimes after a second, sometimes after a few minutes. If I just leave it, it will not turn off by itself, as it would if I manually turned it on but didn't enter the password. This is killing my already horrendous battery life!

I have killed almost all background processes except some of the ones by HTC that looked important.

I have also turned off application refresh, wifi, blue tooth, tried rebooting ... even put it into Airplane mode. Arghhh! Nothing helps!

I thought I hit pay dirt last week - I replaced the factory 1500mAh battery with a 3500mAh for obvious reasons. For a few days the auto-turn-on seemed to be cured but now it has started happening again.

Any ideas how I can get this paper weight to be more obedient?

Thanks, Victor

# Answer
> 1 votes
First, killing background processes will do nothing; they'll just be restarted. Instead, focus on apps. You could use an app like Titanium Backup (requiees root) to "freeze" an app, and see if the problem stops. If it does you know what app is the problem. Then uninstall it, or turn off background sync for it or something if that might be the problem. TB can uninstall system apps, but be careful which ones.

I had this problem when I had SipDroid installed -- every time its connection dropped and came back up, it would turn on the screen.

---
Tags: battery-life, screen, htc-evo
---


# Question
Title: What can I do to my Droid 2 to prevent random calendar irregularities?
I am in recent possession of not only my first Android handset, but my first smartphone, a Motorola Droid 2. As a Computer Science major, I have elected not to immediately go the nuclear route of making drastic modifications to it, but have instead tinkered with it gradually over time. This is not entirely relevant in a material way, but helps put into context that which follows.

The issue I am attempting to explain frustrated me very quickly, rapidly culminating in a factory reset, which has not solved the problem. It is (Android Version 2.2) (System version.2.3.20.A955.Verizon.en.US). There are very few apps currently installed on the phone. I first installed "Pandora Radio" by Pandora, "Droidlight LED Flashlight" by Motorola Inc, and "Easy Profiles (Pro)" by SmartDyne.

The first marginally complex task I required of my phone was for it to keep track of dates and times for my college classes, as well as making note of when I receive advance notice of a class cancellation. In this regard, it seems to have failed me quite spectacularly.

I elected to save my classes in my Google Account's Calendar, which my phone is capable of automatically synchronizing with. I assumed this was a task for which Android would be innately well-suited, but it appeared that the only Home Screen widget available to show Calendar events was a last-mile addition by Motorola, in the form of the "Calendar" app/widget, marginally effectively but very genuinely unimpressive. I access it via ...

```
(Home Screen) -> [App Tray] -> "Calendar"

```

... and the correspondingly disappointing widget, accessible via ...

```
(Home Screen) -> [Menu] -> "Add (+)" -> "Motorola widgets" -> "Calendar"

```

I elected to initially add all of my events in via my desktop running Firefox, for which Google has a satisfactorily robust interface. It allowed me to quickly and easily add in my classes, which repeat at their characteristic times, such as "Every Monday and Wednesday", which must be specified by hand. I then assumed my Droid 2 would be capable of synchronizing these events, displaying them via the Home Screen widget, and should a professor cancel a class, I presumed I would be able to delete that single occurrence of the repeating event from the calendar. If only that were the case.

I am quite plainly unable to trust my Droid 2's Calendar's ability to remain accurate and up-to-date, an embarrassing shortcoming for a smartphone. When slight modifications to my calendar are made, such as the deletion of a single event from a repeating series, undefined behavior results, such as the disappearance of other events from the series. Deleting Monday's iteration of a class from my desktop will not remove it from my phone at all, while removing Monday's iteration of a class from my Droid 2 may result in Wednesday's corresponding class disappearing as well, only to spontaneously reappear the following Monday.

I first sought to troubleshoot that it wasn't simply the "Calendar" app/widget distributed by Motorola, and installed another third party calendar app/widget, electing to try the "Android Agenda Widget" by "Everybody all the time" from the Market. The two existed side-by-side for a while, and it was interesting to note that the inconsistencies continued in both widgets, and the two calendars always displayed identical data.

I have discovered a way to very plainly view all of these inconsistencies in real-time as they occur. I can access my Google Account's Calendar data through the mobile browser, by navigating to " https://m.google.com/app#~calendar ". This view, while grossly inefficient for any real work, has always remained free of any of the inconsistencies seen elsewhere on the device, and has always remained accurate to the view from a desktop browser.

> I have reason to believe, at this point, that the error results in an inconsistency between the way Google delivers my calendar information to the phone, and the data structure my phone currently uses to store the information, and that this single data-structure is the sole source of calendar data for any Calendar app/widget I might install from Market. I believe that the structure was designed very specifically for the then-current iteration of Google's Calendar data, which has since widened. This is, however, purely speculative based on the behavior of the interfaces, and backed by no hard data.

As I've said, the inconsistencies are wild, and the issue, while prevalent, has proven difficult to reliably reproduce. In addition to the issues listed above, using my phone to adjust a classes' start time by 15 minutes once caused the entire repeating series to disappear forever, while another time, using the "Calendar" app by Motorola to add a fifteen minute warning notification for a specific occurrence resulted in *every. single. Calendar. event. period.* to spontaneously disappear from my phone.

I am at my wit's end as how to bring the behavior of my phone back into line, and appeal to you for help. Before bringing my objections to light, I was willing to try a nuclear option, such as flashing a different ROM, but my inexperienced Google searches have yielded no more than one or two walkthroughs for flashing the Droid 2, and none of the available ROMs seemed particularly impressive, rife with their own bugs and misfeatures, and there is no available distribution of Gingerbread for my hardware, which was exceptionally disappointing. The locked bootloader of the Droid 2 seems to be the primary cause of this unavailability. It is genuinely discouraging to see the open nature of Android compromised by such hostile hardware design.

EDIT: @Matt asked me about my Autosync options. We have ...

```
(Home) -> [Menu] -> "Settings" -> "Data Manager" -> "Data Delivery":
[x] Background data
[ ] Data Roaming
[x] Data enabled
    -> Social Applications:
    [ ] Sync over WiFi only

```

and

```
(Home) -> [Menu] -> "Settings" -> "Battery Manager" -> "Battery mode":
Presets:
[ ] Maximum battery saver
[ ] Nighttime saver
[o] Performance mode
Custom:
[ ] Custom battery saver

```

# Answer
> 1 votes
It sounds to me like a syncing problem of some kind. I have on occasion read examples of people having different sync problems with the Droid 2. If all your sync settings are set correctly as I outlined in the comments above and you are still having problems you can try the following. Some of them involve setting up and using another Google account. Im not recommending that you abandon your Google account, they are just steps to finding the problem. You can always switch back later:

**Clear the calendar's data...**

From the home screen:

* `Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Calendar` \- Click "Clear Data" & "Clear Cache" if it's not grayed out.
* `Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Calendar Storage` \- Click "Force Stop" then "Clear Data" & "Clear Cache" if it's not grayed out.
* `Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Calendar` \- Click "Force Stop" then "Clear Data" & "Clear Cache" if it's not grayed out.

Now open the calendar. You may need to set it up again. If that doesn't work then move on to...

**Add a second Google Account...**

From the home screen go to `Menu > Setttings > Accounts & Sync` and choose "Add New Account" and go through the steps to add another Google account and then sync that accounts calendar. See if that one can reliably work. Also, see if your original calendar is working right now. Now try removing the 2nd account and see if the original is working. If that doesn't work then...

**Reset the primary Google Account...**

Check out this post. First try resetting it and using the same info, then try changing it to a different Google account. If that doesn't work...

**Reset back to the factory state...**

Perform a Hard Reset then set everything up from scratch. I don't really know what else to do if that doesn't work.

**Alternative Calendars...**

For alternative calendars I have tried Touch Calendar and Pocket Informant. I haven't tested them extensively but I have not seen any problems. That being said, I don't have any problems with the native calendar. Also, I have read that users do experience sync problems with both of those apps so I think it's going to be a matter of trial and error for you to find an alternative that works.

---
Tags: calendar, motorola-droid-2
---


title: HTC EVO Does Not Sync Google Calendar

text:
# Question
Title: HTC EVO Does Not Sync Google Calendar
I'm an experienced Android user and recently my Dad picked up a HTC EVO. I set him up with all the Google services and apps like Gmail, Contacts and Calendar. I exported all of his contacts and appointments out of Outlook to CSV and uploaded them to Google so they can sync down to his EVO. Unfortunately when I go to his Google account sync settings, his phone does not show the option to sync his Google Calendar. The exact option I'm talking about is under (from the home screen) Settings -\> Accounts & sync -\> your Google account. The phone shows Books, Contacts, and Gmail but the option for calendar is missing. Is this the case on all EVO's?

I have a screen capture of my phone (HTC Incredible) that has the option below that I'm talking about. His HTC EVO does not have it for some reason. Is this a Sprint restriction? Any ideas on how to add it?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Matt

# Answer
I'd make sure that he's done something with Calendar through the web interface, such as add a custom calendar, and then try to add the account to the phone again. To do this you need to clear the data for all Google apps -- Accounts and Sync, Gmail, Google Framework Services, etc. -- and then re-add the account.

I don't believe this is EVO-specific, it seems sometimes Google just doesn't correctly link the accounts sometimes (for example, this question has the same problem except for Picasa: Why can't I Sync Picasa Web Albums?).
> 1 votes

# Answer
I had just read today about this same problem on a Galaxy S but can't find the post. The post claimed that after adding a second Google account the "Sync Calendar" option appear for both account.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: sync, calendar, htc-evo
---


# Question
Title: How to fix Telstra network dropouts on Gingerbread Oxygen ROM?
It's a long shot, but figured i'd give it a go.. I've installed the Oxygen RC6 ROM on my Telstra HTC Desire. It's pretty much perfect - better than this phone has ever been. It's fast, great to use, no space issues (you can force any app to install to the SD Card which solves my biggest gripe with the desire - minimal internal memory for app storage), and is just all round brilliant.

But there's one problem, and its a doozie. Every now and then (at least a few times a day) my phone drops its network connection. When i go into settings and try search for networks, it can't find anything.. its as if the radio turns off completely. Rebooting the phone more often than not fixes it, but still sometimes takes a while to sort itself out.

Its really annoying cos there'll be times where its off and i wont even know it.

The ROM i've installed is this one: http://android-roms.net/desire/2011/01/06/oxygen-v2-0-rc6/

I've tried installing a new radio (32.46.00.32U\_5.10.05.17\_2 on the following page): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=687464

any suggestions how i can fix this? Try a different radio? Advice on the best one to try?

Thanks heaps Greg

# Answer
> 1 votes
Check your APN settings. Make sure it's pointing to the right one, http://www.t-mod.org/?page\_id=72

# Answer
> 0 votes
32.54.00.32U\_5.14.05.17 seems to be latest radio; This may help..

# Answer
> 0 votes
I think i've found the solution... I upgraded my ROM to the latest version (just released recently):
http://android-roms.net/desire/2011/01/22/oxygen-v2-0-rc7/

It's now perfectly stable and hasn't dropped out in 12 hours.. lets hope it stays that way :)

---
Tags: 2.3-gingerbread, htc-desire, connection-issues, cellular-radio
---


# Question
Title: Why do I have to set lots of my settings again after a phone reboot?
For examples:

1. I have to set Input Method back to SwiftKey
2. I have to set what application I'd like to use when I clicked sms icon (I'm using ChompSMS)

All these happens after a phone reboot.

# Answer
Do you have either app moved to the SD card (using Froyo)?

If yes, then you need to move then back. The apps aren't loading when the phone boots, so the phone is reverting to what is currently available on boot (stock SMS/keyboard).

You have to remember: with Cyanogenmod, it will let you move *any* app to SD card, regardless of whether the app is set to allow you or not. I made a similar mistake with Swype.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: nexus-one, cyanogenmod
---


# Question
Title: How do I run a web application "offline" on my Android?
I have a web application written using HTML5 that leverages the application cache for "offline" access.

On my iPod touch, I can go to the web while online, click the "+" icon, and set a shortcut on my home screen. This will launch the web application full screen and run the app, even when there is no Internet connection.

Is there a similar process to use on my Android device, or will it vary by maker?

# Answer
> 7 votes
Offline data saving is supported on Android, you can see this if you go into your browser, select Settings, Advanced Settings, Website Settings and you can see which websites are using your offline cache, as well as which are using other advanced access like GPS.

To create an icon for a website on your home screen: once you've created a bookmark in your browser for the page, you can go to your home screen, long-press on a bit of spare space, select Shortcuts, Bookmark and pick that one. That should give you an icon straight to that page.

# Answer
> 2 votes
From my HTML5 knowledge, offline content and access, even though implemented by the website, will only work if the browser the client is using supports it. The iOS browser seems to support offline applications, but the Android one does not yet, based on what you said. So you will jsut have to wait until the browser is updated.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can use this app: Offline Browser link: you can download a portion of a web site in your sd card and then read it offline

---
Tags: browser, offline
---


# Question
Title: Android Froyo (2.2). Why I cannot put letters on bluetooth PIN?
Please, I have a device wich I connect via bluetooth from my Samsung Galaxy S. The bluetooth device have a alphanumeric PIN. When I try connect it ask for PIN but my galaxy only let me to put numbers!. Android 2.1 let me put numbers and letters. Any suggestions? PD: Impossible to change the device's alphanumerical PIN.

Thank you.

02/02/2011. Question solved. It was as I thought. Update 2.2.1 allow to put numbers and letters in bluetooth PIN(like in 2.1 version).

# Answer
Looks like its device related issue than Android OS issue.
If its a firmware related issue, vendor may be able to offer you a patch.

Meanwhile if you see an option to switch between Number mode and ABC mode on your keypad, you can try that..

Refer page 29 of device manual.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Here you could see a video that shows this issue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3MV7m-KZHM

***Update from comments***: Question solved. I have already update my Galaxy S to 2.2.1 and It allow put numbers and letters in bluetooth PIN !!!
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, bluetooth
---


title: Android 2.2 - Visited Links Color

text:
# Question
Title: Android 2.2 - Visited Links Color
I just got the 2.2 update for my T-Mobile MyTouch 3G (3.5mm) and while playing around with the browser discovered that, unlike with the previous version, visited html links on web pages are now purple. I understand the purpose this serves, but I personally HATE having visited links display with another color.

Anyone know of a setting that will disable this?

# Answer
I don't see anything in the settings for the default browser on my phone (Droid, Android 2.2.1). You're almost certainly going to need to try an alternative browser. I don't know if any of them offer that functionality either, though.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, browser
---


# Question
Title: Why is voice-to-text input not working when disconnected from the Internet?
As you know, on Nexus One you can use voice input to enter text by speaking.

Unfortunately, if you are disconnected from the Internet (even temporarily), this feature is unavailable.

Why?

On my Windows laptop I can do this without being connected to the Internet.

Can you explain?

# Answer
> 14 votes
The Android implementation of Talk-To-Text sends your voice to Google's servers, parses your speech into text, then sends the text string back to the handset. Without access to the internet, it's unable to transmit your voice data to their servers.

---
Tags: voice-recognition
---


# Question
Title: How do I avoid problems when going from Wi-Fi to cell data connection (3G)?
I have my phone (Droid X) connected to my home Wi-Fi network, but when I leave it can take applications (Google Maps, Rhapsody, etc) probably 10-15 minutes before they function normally without either doing nothing and/or giving data connection errors.

Something that may be telling (or meaningless) is that the little "3G" icon on the notification bar doesn't appear for a good long while.

Disabling the Wi-Fi on the phone after the fact doesn't seem to help, and the fastest method seems to be just power cycling the whole device. Is there some better/cleaner/faster way?

# Answer
> 4 votes
You could try using Quick Settings to toggle the 3G connection. It has seperate toggle switches for 3G and Wifi but when wifi is on it automatically turns off 3G. When I click the toggle to turn on 3G it automatically disables the wifi.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Matt's answer is great, but you could also try:

1. Shut off WiFi
2. Turn on flight mode (`Settings -> Wireless and network`)
3. Turn off flight mode
4. Hopefully you should get a 3G connection within seconds

Here's another method (might be device-specific or 2.2+ only, not sure; it works on my Galaxy S):

1. Shut off WiFi
2. Hold your power button for a second to bring up the power/network menu
3. Click "Data network mode" to deactivate 3G
4. Click it again to reactivate 3G
5. Hopefully you should get a 3G connection within seconds

---
Tags: wi-fi, data-connection
---


title: How do I tether over USB in MacOSX?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I tether over USB in MacOSX?
How do I tether over USB in MacOSX?

I plug the phone in, pick up:

> USB tethering
>
> Share phone's mobile network with PC

which causes the computer to *discover* a new network interface, but it doesn't just work and the configuration looks like this:

Which telephone number, account name and password is it asking for? I've never got those details from the ISP. I did ask the ISP and the details they gave me made no sense and didn't work.

I'm running the stock Android 2.2 on an HTC Desire, the carrier is Swisscom in Switzerland. I've been told by someone that has the same phone, that plugging it in Windows and doing the same just works without asking for any number or password.

# Answer
> 2 votes
According to this thread, you need to use software like PdaNet to get it to work.

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, htc-desire, tethering, macos
---


title: How does "Angry birds backup" app work?

text:
# Question
Title: How does "Angry birds backup" app work?
"Angry Birds Backup" seems to be a third party app that modifies other application's data.

This should not be possible from security point of view, as it enables you to create malicious software.

So how does that backup program work?

It works on my nexus one, but phone is not rooted. Application only asks for the network and sd card access. the former could be required for ads only (have not checked the paid version yet)

# Answer
> 2 votes
According to the Android Dev Guide, files written to the internal storage such as the Angry Birds data cannot be accessed by other applications by default. I'm guessing that Rovio used MODE\_WORLD\_READABLE instead of the default, however. Maybe this was a mistake or maybe they plan on having future apps being able to read your progress and unlock sometihng, or whatever.

Of course, this doesn't bar the possibility that an Android exploit is being used to bypass the file privacy, but who really knows besides the author of the backup app?

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Tags: backup, angry-birds
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# Question
Title: Does Android 2.1+ support the ARM9 processor?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> What are the minimum specifications for Android?

I want to load Android 2+ (i.e 2.1 or 2.2) on an ARM9 processor, is it possible? If I could have a comparative chart of which ARM processors are supported by which versions of Android it would be helpful.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Android does not have a fixed minimum processor requirement, it's just recommended that the device be "fast enough". See http://static.googleusercontent.com/external\_content/untrusted\_dlcp/source.android.com/en//compatibility/android-2.1-cdd.pdf

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, 2.1-eclair, hardware
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# Question
Title: Activating and upgrading HTC G1 w/o a data plan or a sim?
So I got myself a used G1 from a local guy. The main reason for purchasing this phone was that I needed a quad-band GSM phone for my visits abroad. Then, I thought why not put a few more $$ and get a smartphone that I can use as a PDA when in the US (as I don't have/want a cell phone nor an active voice or data plans).

The 1st problem I encountered was that in order to turn on the phone, I had to activate it by registering my Gmail account. But, in order to get to that point, I had to overcome the "No SIM card" screen, and to activate the WiFi connection. I was able to use my foreign Sim to pass the first screen, and found instructions on the web for activating WiFi before registering Gmail. The problem is (or at least was at the time - a couple of months ago) that this method required the installation of the RC29 system version.

So, my question is - is there a readable walk through or tutorial that explains, step-by-step, what is required in order to upgrade my system to something more modern - without a local voice or data plans?

# Answer
Most updates won't erase your data. The kernel and /system partition can usually be updated without the filesystem needing to be wiped, so your data folders aren't damaged. If the WiFi network data isn't erased, then your phone should connect to WiFi after the upgrade, and you're good to go. I can't find any info on what happens when upgrading to RC33, for example, but official updates usually don't wipe data. The update might also eliminate the No-SIM-so-you-can't-do-anything problem.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Thanks to @Matthew Read, the phone was updated. So, it happens that updating the firmware through the automatic updates popup does not erase the user data, which means that my WiFi definitions remained in the phones memory, and it connected to the network automatically, as well as maintained the Google registration information, once the update took place.
> 0 votes

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Tags: htc-dream
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# Question
Title: Sound from browsers with javascript buggy on HTC Desire?
I'm trying to stream music from The Hype Machine on my HTC Desire.

When using the HTC Sense stock browser I can press play, go to

menu → ... → settings → site specific settings → back out until l I arrive at the site again

Only then the music will start playing.
If I activate the key lock or take the focus away in any other way, the sound will stop.

When using Opera Mobile I can't seem to get the sound to work at all.

Looking at the site's source the streaming is done with Javascript (mootools). On my desktop I don't get any javascript errors and the site works perfectly fine.

Can anybody tell me why I have to jump through such hoops with the stock browser to get the sound going, how I can have the browser keep playing in the background or with the key lock on or why the sound doesn't seem to work in the otherwise nice Opera Mobile?

# Answer
> 1 votes
This is to prevent page ads fron draining your battery when you're not using the phone (for example), page execution is stopped.

As for Opera, I believe they have their own JavaScript engine, so maybe it's not standards-compliant. Or maybe it doesn't interface well with the Android sound system. Or maybe the page's JavaScript isn't standards-compliant.

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Tags: htc-desire, htc-sense, browser, audio, javascript
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# Question
Title: How can I copy all or a portion of an SMS conversation?
The built in SMS app only allows one message to be selected at a time. I would like to copy the entire conversation or select a range and copy it so that it can be pasted into an email. How can I do this on Android?

# Answer
SMS Backup+ will backup (and can restore too) your sms messages to your gmail account (you have to enable IMAP in gmail)

The nice thing about it, it does it automatically. It can also backup your call log too email too.
> 6 votes

# Answer
In the stock Android messaging app, you can hold your finger on a message for a few moments and then select the "Copy Message Text" option, then paste it into any app you'd like.

That would work fine for individual messages, as far as entire threads go, that I'm not sure. I'd probably go the geeky route personally and open up the .db file that contains all the text messages with an sqlite3 binary and manually peruse the database, copying what I need out of it.
> 5 votes

# Answer
I'd also like through my own answer into the mix - not as an android app but as a service you could potentially use if you are an Android/gmail user. http://voice.google.com is a great tool that lets you send and receive texts through the browser as well as sending you transcripts via texts to your phone when people leave voice messages.

You are given a phone number (of your choice) which you can keep forever which in case you change phone numbers, you can always be contacted through that number (but you can block people by phone number and it says the number has been disconnected).

The idea here is that if you give that google voice number to your friend and they send you a text to that number, you will receive it in your google voice inbox as well as your phone and it keeps conversations grouped like you would expect google to do.
> -1 votes

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Tags: applications, email, sms
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