# Question
Title: Why does my Samsung Galaxy S crash ("Not enough space in music database") when sorting by artist?
Had my Samsung Galaxy S for a week or so, and my new micro-SD card arrived a few days ago, loaded all my music onto it, listened to various albums no problem.

Now when I go into the built-in Music Player app and select the "Artists" tab at the top, Music Player closes with a "Not enough space in music database" error in the notification bar with a red warning triangle sign.

All the other tabs (All, Playlists, Albums & Genres) work with no problem, but as soon as I hit the Artists tab it crashes out. It's a 32GB SD-card with about 25GB of music on it, the internal SD card is almost empty with no music on it at all. On the PC I'm a SqueezePlayer and Last.Fm user, so I'm pretty sure all my tags are setup right (Last.FM lets you know in your feed if you've got incorrect artist/track info, and SqueezePlayer lives or dies by the quality of your tagging).

Searching for this on the web, all I can find is other people with various sized music collections and SD-cards (8, 16 & 32GB) all having this problem and the only suggestions are to download different music apps from the Market. No one seems to have a real solution. That can't be right can it? I previously had an HTC Magic Android phone with a full 8GB micro-SD and much of the same music with no problems playing.

There must be some way to get the built-in music player app working properly? Does anyone know what file/where is this database and whether wiping/clearing it would help?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Found this thread on the Vibrant section of the XDA Devs forum: Not Enough Space in Music Database? (pretty sure the Vibrant is a US carrier-specific version of the Galaxy, with this weird obsession US networks seem to have for making up alternative names for devices).

> Maybe it has something to do with how the app handles various artists and/or unknown artists.
>
> I added all my music, then deleted tracks from various artist albums until it worked again. I then put back the various artist album track and it didn't work, as expected.
>
> I thought this was artist based, but when I got it working again--by deleting the track mentioned above--and then added a track for a various artist album by an artist that already existed, the app crashed too.
>
> I then thought it might be song based. So I removed that song and then added a set of songs. However, it unexpectantly worked.
>
> The difference with the set of songs added above is that they weren't part of a various artist album. They were a new artist, but the main album artist wasn't Various with a Contributing artist of the actual artist name. Instead, the Album Artist was the artist name and the contributing artist was left blank (or had the same name).
>
> So, it is that the music app doesn't understand how to handle various artist albums?

Plugged SD card into my PC, did a search for files named \*.mp3 with "various" in the artist tag, moved all of them off the card. Plugged card back into Galaxy again, waiting for media indexing to finish, I can now view the Artists column without the app crashing. Still can't Search in the app without crashing, but I have a few more compilation type albums so will try spotting and removing all of them to see if it helps.

**Update Nov 2010**: The Music player included in the official Samsung Froyo (Android 2.2) update, seems to have fixed this problem, or at least made it so that I can have the majority of my tracks on the phone without this problem showing up.

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, music-player
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# Question
Title: On the android Incredible, is there any way to make a shortcut to the "All Photos" view?
The HTC photo-album takes up an entire screen; is there a way to make a shortcut, or is there a smaller widget or app, that would open up the all-photos view?

The easiest method I've found is to go in via a camera, view the albums, and select "All photos"

Surely there must be a better way?

I'm on the HTC Incredible running Froyo (2.2)

# Answer
Do you have an app called Gallery? I have it in my list. I would say just drag that on your homescreen and you should be good to go.
> 6 votes

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Tags: gallery, photos, home-screen-shortcuts, htc-droid-incredible, app-widgets
---


# Question
Title: How to copy a file into Micro SD via USB in Android?
How can I copy a file into micro SD of an Android phone connected via USB to a PC with Windows?

# Answer
```
Settings >> Connect to PC >> USB Connection Type

```

should be set to "Disk drive" (you can set this as a default connection type, but I prefer to do it manually when I need it).

Also, you can set it via the notifcations bar by clicking on the USB connection type as it appears; a selection box of the various options should appear.

Once mounted, you can open on your PC, and drag-n-drop, or what-have-you.

NOTE (from the Incredible manual, p29):

> **Disk drive**
>
> This mode is available only when you have installed a microSD card on your phone. Select this mode when you want to use your storage card as a USB thumb drive, and copy files between your phone’s storage card and your computer.
>
> **When Disk Drive mode is enabled while your phone is connected to the computer, you will not be able to run applications that use the storage card, such as Music or Photos.** For more information, see “Copying files to and from the storage card” in this chapter.
> 7 votes

# Answer
You don't mention which Android phone you've got, depending on which phone (and how much your manufacturer's customised) you've got, it may be slightly different from OtherMichael's instructions.

With stock Android (as on the Nexus One, HTC Magic, G1, etc), when you plug your phone into the PC's USB you should see a USB icon appear in the notification area. Pull the notification area down and you should see "`USB connected: Select to copy files to/from your computer`." Press this and you get the option to "`Mount`". Pressing this connects your phone's SD to the PC.

Other manufacturers customize things slightly with their custom UIs, for instance if you have a phone with Samsung's TouchWiz UI on it, you get a menu up as soon as you plug into USB, with options to select USB Mode, on the you'd pick Mass Storage, and then do as above. I think HTC's Sense UI also customizes things slightly, but I can't remember exactly how that works.
> 2 votes

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Tags: usb, external-sd, file-transfer, file-management
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# Question
Title: Programmable MP3 player with audio recording capability
I'm looking for a device that:

1. Is programmable like the iTouch, Android, devices.
2. I'd rather not go Apple, but the iTouch is a nice device.
3. I want a line-in jack or at least the ability to connect a real mic

What I 'really' want is this:

1. I want to set it to record, put it on the table and whenever something interesting is said, be able to hit a marker button.
2. I want to be able to have a menu of movie quotes, "it goes to 11", "what is your name!?", "How you gonna lose your job,... on your day off?!", "Groovy baby!".... as well as the ability to record my own quotes. Then I can just hit a button and boom, it plays the quote.

That must exist, but if not, I can program it myself.

Web browser/wi-fi would be a bonus.

The Archos devices look nice, but it's not clear that they've got line-in's.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Just buy any Android phone and you can easily have all of the features of an iTouch and more. I'm sure you could find one on Ebay now for $100 or less. Maybe an old G1 or something like that. You can use cell phones just fine without activating them, including Android phones. But you will want an Android that has WiFi in it if you won't be activating it. That way you can still use the marketplace and such.

Update: I forgot that you could also look at devices supported by Rockbox. You won't likely get anywhere near the functionality of Android or IOS, but might be enough for you depending on the device.

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Tags: mp3-player
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# Question
Title: Why do some processes block when my Android phone is connected?
I've been trying to reboot (WinXP) all evening, and Emacs (Win32, v23.something, not important) isn't starting... sometimes... it's locked on `mount.exe` (loads up some CygWin things during launch), I finally notice. Can't kill `mount.exe` via ProcessExplorer, either. Killing Emacs kills emacs, and leaves the child process still hanging around, unable to be task-killed.

Running mount.exe manually in a shell gives the same behavior -- the app is just locked up, no CPU activity, but can't kill it.

After several reboots, I realize that my Android Incredible is plugged in for charging (default connection type is "Charge Only"), \[the connection is ALSO set to USB debugging\].

I unplug the phone... and every instance `mount.exe` suddenly exits (completes what it was doing, I presume).

**UPDATE:** noticed blocking occurring for a few other apps, as well: TortoiseSVN and GoogleTalk, Firefox launch/close; Calibre; FogBugz Screenshot Save-As.

---

The behavior can be replicated by having the phone connected and USB debugging enabled OR disabled, and launching mount.exe in a standard shell. It goes through a couple of drives, then "hangs"

When USB debugging is **toggled**, `mount.exe` will finish (I'm presuming it's a standard exit, as no error messages are thrown).

Using ProcessExplorer I don't see any other apps that are running that appear/disappear with the toggling.

To change the status of USB Debugging: `Home >> Menu >> Setting >> Applications >> Development >> [(un)check "USB Debugging"]`

---

`mount.exe` can be replaced above with any of the number of blocking processes.

USB debugging may be on **or** off initially -- it's not one state that blocks; it is EITHER state, and switching to the other state unblocks.

Any pointers, people? Since this is Android related, I put it in here... but it's also PC related ... so... I can see this question getting bounced from every StackExchange forum on *some* technicality.... Cross-posted at StackOverflow.

# Answer
Did you set the phone to charge only after plugging it in? If not go into settings and there should be an option like "Connet to PC". Click that and change the default setting to charge only. See if that helps. If not power off the phone and computer and disconnect cable. Then power both back up and wait for both to fully boot. Then plug in phone. See if that helps.
> 1 votes

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Tags: usb-debugging
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# Question
Title: How many times can I install an application I've purchased on the Market?
I have just bought an HTC HD2 and I immediately installed a custom Android ROM. I will probably change ROMs often.

If I buy an application from the Android Market how many times can I download and install it?

# Answer
As long as you are using the same Google account, you should be able to download it as many times as you need to. The Android Market keeps track of who has bought which applications and allows them to be re-downloaded.
> 8 votes

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Tags: google-play-store
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title: Android and sim-lock

text:
# Question
Title: Android and sim-lock
I'd like to know if android phones are sim-locked. Given that they are open-source and have community images it should be 'tricky' to sim-lock one but I prefere to ask.

Also - do I need to unlock if I use dual-sim adapter with one legal card in it?

# Answer
> 4 votes
This differs from carrier to carrier. Some will be sim-locked, some aren't. You'll have to ask your carrier. It has nothing to do with the OS.

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Tags: sim-card, dual-sim, sim-unlocking
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to have a phone without a voice plan?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How can I receive phone calls through WiFi on an Android phone?

I have an unlocked Nexus One. I barely use the voice function, mostly just use data. However, I'd like to have the voice function just in case.

Is it possible to use something else (possibly VOIPish) to replace the voice plan that I am currently paying? Perhaps Skype, or Google Voice or something else. Has anyone had an experience with this?

Thanks

# Answer
> 2 votes
Since the cell network was originally built for voice, the cell companies kind of have a focus on voice. While this might be technologically possible, I can't imagine how you'd convince a cell phone company to sell you a data-only plan for a device that supports voice. I'm not sure it makes business sense for them to do so - after all, why not rip you for at least a little voice, along with the data. If you don't use it much, then so much the better because they save on capacity.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You could buy a plan for a data card (T-Mobile sells PCMCIA cards that pick up a wireless signal, or maybe a 3G iPad plan with AT&T) and swap the SIM card out. Haven't heard any stories about this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

AFAIK, Google Voice doesn't support VOIP.

# Answer
> 1 votes
This isn't really an option unless you're deaf or hard-of-hearing, but there are plans like this that do exist. On AT&T, it's called the Text Accessibility Plan (TAP) 1, and it offers you unlimited messaging/data while still having calls at 40¢ per minute.

1. These plans are not exclusive to the iPhone; I don't know why it lists those phones as the only options.

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Tags: voip
---


title: Manage Contact Groups on Droid X

text:
# Question
Title: Manage Contact Groups on Droid X
On the Droid X I'm able to create contact groups. However I don't seem to be able to add/delete group members. What am I missing?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Well I just did the OTA update so I'm not sure if it was there before, but now when viewing a group I can see the Edit Group button when displaying a group in the contacts.

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Tags: contacts, 2.1-eclair
---


title: Help with Google Marketplace

text:
# Question
Title: Help with Google Marketplace
How can I contact Google in regards to an issue that I am having with the marketplace? I am trying to buy an application and it is not working. I tried to buy another one and that didn't work, so I need Google's help at this point.

# Answer
I'm pretty sure that the standard way (that Google want you to go through) to do this is to start by going through the Android Market Help (also available by going to the help menu within the Android Market app) going into the Buying Apps section, a lot of sectsions there have Contact Us links that you can fill in with your problem and details.

If that doesn't help you then can search the Market support forums.
> 2 votes

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Tags: google-play-store
---


# Question
Title: Activating wifi hotspot tethering on a Verizon Droid with Froyo 2.2
I rooted my Droid and got Froyo working on it (Bugless Beast).

What is the best way to enable Wifi Hotspot on this thing?

I tried an app "Wireless Tether" which allows me to connect my Mac via Wifi, but it doesn't assign a valid IP address to it.

# Answer
That app is really your best (and maybe only) choice. Try resetting (or maybe reinstalling) the Wireless Tether app and try again.

If that doesn't work, you may need to set a manual IP on your Mac.
> 2 votes

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Tags: wi-fi, 2.2-froyo, motorola-droid, tethering, wifi-hotspot
---


title: HTC Evo's Facebook Sync Reboots Phone

text:
# Question
Title: HTC Evo's Facebook Sync Reboots Phone
After a week's worth of troubleshooting, I have discovered that enabling any sort of account synchronization for "Facebook for HTC Sense" will cause the phone to randomly soft-reboot. I believe this happens if either "Sync live feed" **or** "Sync contacts" is checked in "Accounts & sync".

I would like to have my facebook feed available to the facebook widget and I like having my contacts' pictures automatically updated when they change their profile picture. However, the random reboots are extremely annoying and it also causes a ridiculous amount of battery drain. One last symptom is that the stock messaging app will continuously scroll you to the bottom of a conversation when you attempt to scroll up. Is there any way I can get the best of both worlds?

I am running 1.47.651.1 (Android 2.1). Will upgrading to 2.2 fix this issue? I haven't upgraded yet because currently their isn't a way to root 2.2 and I'm still on the fence about that.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Good work on not upgrading to 2.2 yet for purposes of rooting!

As for your specific issue, you mention it happens when attempting to sync with facebook and then mention the reboots are random. Are they random or a cause of a specific action? My guess is they would be more random since as far as I know few people have problems with FB. Although there was an issue on HTC servers that caused FB sync to stop working awhile back. I do not think that issue caused any phones to reboot though.

Where did you buy your phone and did you get it brand new or used or refurb? With random reboots I would think you could take it into Sprint and have them look at it if you bout it new, since the likelihood you caused the reboot issue is slim.

Have you looked at the XDA Forums for help? There are a lot of Evo users there and they may be able to help, even if you aren't rooted.

Also I would recommend rooting, check the XDA forums. I don't think a single custom ROM has any issues with FB syncing. Not that rooting will necessarily fix your issues.

---
Tags: 2.1-eclair, htc-evo, facebook
---


title: How can I root my device?

text:
# Question
Title: How can I root my device?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How do I root my device?

What is involved in rooting an Android phone? I am thinking of rooting my Motorola Droid.

# Answer
this is more or less the procedure I followed for rooting my motorola droid on android 2.1

http://www.droid-life.com/2010/05/06/guide-to-rooting-android-2-1-on-a-motorola-droid/

It was straightforward and error-free. That said, unless you have a compelling reason to root your phone (like upgrading to a pre-release rom), I don't see why you should bother (go volunteer your free time to community service instead).
> 1 votes

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Tags: rooting
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# Question
Title: Droid Eris CELB Rom compatible with ROM Manager?
I've got a Droid Eris that I've loaded the CELB Froyo 2.2 Rom, which is based off Cyanogen Mod 6. I know before that ROM Manager was basically useless with the Eris but I was wondering if it works now.

# Answer
Depends on the Rom developers. Unfortunately no one but someone with an Eris or someone that develops for Rom Manager could answer this question. Just download it and see what you get.

The way Rom Manager works is the developers have to contact the Rom Manager team with the appropriate information that can then be added to the app. So Rom Manager team can only do so much to get Roms in it. Plus there are a lot of side conversations about how well clockwork recovery actually works when wiping, but I have never had a problem with this. And the issue of some Roms do not play well with Clockwork recovery either.

On the Evo Cyanogen is very good about keeping the ROM up to date in Rom Manager. Which is nice since it is updated nightly. I say try it again.

Remember that paying for it will give you access to all the Roms, so if you haven't paid for it you might not see some Roms that you would otherwise see.
> 1 votes

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, custom-roms
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# Question
Title: HTC HERO OTA update to Android version 2.1 firmware deleted the Calibrate Touch Screen feature from the menus. How do I get it back?
HTC directly updated over-the-air (OTA) from 1.5 android to 2.1 android firmware on my handset. Since that time, the touch-screen (which is miscalibrated) can no longer be recalibrated, because the menu item has disappeared.

I have, of course, requested support from HTC via email, but I doubt that they will find an answer here, and I suspect my phone is now junk, unless some enterprising Phone-savvy person can figure out how to restore this thing. There is sadly no backup that I know of that I can use to restore this phone, and going back to Android 1.5 has a host of issues associated with it.

How can I get this working again? I could use any technique that will let me recalibrate the touch screen, even if it isn't the built-in menu item, maybe there is a way to bring that up indirectly somehow, or through an add-on app?

Incidentally, HTC HERO's seem to be famous on internet cell-phone forums for glitchy capacitive touch screens.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Unfortunately I'm pretty sure this isn't possible. How long have you had your phone? If it's still under warranty/insured, you should be able to get it replaced and can make sure that the new one has a good screen. Sounds like a hardware problem to me.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Saw this on SDX Developers forum. You might want to try it out

=============================================================== http://forum.sdx-developers.com/android-1-5/htc-hero-virtual-keyboard-on-moment/

This is a quick guide on how to get the htc hero vk onto your moment.

(1) You will need to go onto the android market and download an app installer. 'appmanager' should work.

(2) Download the HTC virtual keyboard apk

(3) Connect phone to computer, mount the phone, then move file onto a folder on the sdcard. unmount.

(4) open appmanager -\> press 'menu' key -\> select 'Install from SD'. There you can install the .apk file. If the file is not visible, press menu again, and select 'Whole SD' so that you can see the file.

(5) Go to your home -\> go to 'Settings' -\> 'Locale & text'. Select 'Touch Input'.

(6) Go to someplace where you input text, such as messaging. Long-press on the text input field, and select 'Input Method'. Select 'Touch Input'.

If you would like to calibrate the htc vk, download this file: calibration apk

(1) follow steps 3 and 4 above.

(2) to calibrate: go to 'settings' -\> 'Locale & Text' -\> 'touch input' settings -\> 'text input' -\> select 'calibration tool'

Thanks to bjb\_nyj101 for locating the htc vk; and hokansoc for locating the calibration tool.

Also note: the calibration tool isn't necessary for it to work, so you should be ok even if you can't get it to install.

=============================================================

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Tags: 2.2-froyo, touchscreen, htc-hero
---


title: HTC Delivery Report

text:
# Question
Title: HTC Delivery Report
Is there a way to turn on the text message delivery report on the HTC Desire?

Does it even have a delivery report functionality?

# Answer
> 5 votes
1. Open the "Messages" app
2. press menu
3. choose settings
4. enable "Delivery reports" (4th option from the top)

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


title: HTC Evo - Can Wi-Fi Radio Sleep?

text:
# Question
Title: HTC Evo - Can Wi-Fi Radio Sleep?
I've noticed that when actively downloading a lot of data, the Wi-Fi radio uses much less power than the 3G radio. However, when the phone is not being used much, the 3G radio will sleep but the Wi-Fi radio will not. This actually means that if I leave Wi-Fi on, my battery will drain about 2.5 times faster than if I were using 3G.

Is there a way to get the best of both worlds? When in range of a Wi-Fi signal I'd like it if I could leave Wi-Fi on and it would sleep in a similar manner to the 3G radio. Is this possible?

Settings \> Wireless & networks \> Wi-Fi settings \> Menu \> Advanced \> Wi-Fi sleep policy \> After 15 min doesn't appear to do what I want. Basically, Wi-Fi will always be on and then if not used, will turn off after 15 minutes and turn on the 3G radio. And then the 3G radio won't sleep at all! Which is really horrible and not what I want at all.

# Answer
Presuming that you normally only want your Wi-Fi switched on in certain locations (e.g. Home and Work), then an app like Locale that can change profiles and switch power-hungry components like Wi-Fi on and off based on your location might do the trick for you?

(note that this is not a free app)
> 1 votes

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Tags: wi-fi, battery-life, htc-evo
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to use an Android phone in "disk mode"?
If I connect an iPhone to a PC it is not possible to copy files between the PC and the iPhone. I would like to be able to do this because it would be useful.

What happens if I connect an Android phone to a PC? Do I see it as a disk or is it similar to the iPhone?

# Answer
Absolutely, and it's very easy. This is the procedure for my Samsung Galaxy S; other phones may be different:

1. Plug in the USB cable and a USB icon appears in the notification area at the top of the screen.
2. Pull down the notification and tap "USB connected".
3. Tap "Mount" on the dialog box that's displayed.
4. Two removable drives show up on my PC; one for the built-in flash memory, and one for the expansion SD card.
> 13 votes

# Answer
On my HTC Desire you choose "Disk drive" mode although you only see the SDCard not the internal memory.
> 2 votes

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Tags: sd-card, files, disk-drive
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title: Kindle Android - Refresh a book cover?

text:
# Question
Title: Kindle Android - Refresh a book cover?
I use the Kindle app for Android. I had 'bought' one of the classic titles which they have - *War and Peace*, which, like many of the classics, had no cover image.

They have since updated the title on the Kindle store with a picture for the cover. I would like to update the title on my device so that it shows the cover art. How can I do this?

I tried "deleting" the title (it then goes to "archived items") and then redownloading it but this did not work. I also checked in *Quick App Clean Cache* to see if there was a cache I could clean, but Kindle is not listed. I also tried doing a 'sync' from within Kindle. None of these steps has helped.

My device is a Samsung Galaxy S Captivate, running Eclair yet (I think I'm getting my Froyo sometime this month).

If possible, I would certainly prefer to do this in such a way as to not lose my positions in the books I'm reading.

# Answer
You could try deleting the app cache. Go to Settings \> Applications \> Manage Applications and find the Kindle app. Click on it and then hit the button that says "Clear Data". This will clear cache and start you off at square one again with the app. Then see what happens.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I recently "bought" a selection of the classic, free books for Kindle a few days ago. On Amazon (UK)'s webpage they were showing with full colour book covers, when they downloaded to my Android's Kindle app a few minutes later they came down with blank, default covers.

Have tried a lot of playing with it too, and can't see a way to get the covers for these books to download. Maybe they just don't send covers for free books to the Android app?
> 0 votes

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Tags: images, ebook-reader, kindle-for-android
---


# Question
Title: How can I send SMS messages from my Google Voice number without using the Voice app?
I would like to send text messages via Google Voice, as it is the number I give out for voice calls. However, I find sending SMS through the Voice app to be a bit cumbersome. The new widgets improve this somewhat, but it is still awkward.

I would prefer something with an interface more like Handcent or ChompSMS.

Are there any other apps that support sending SMS via Google Voice?

# Answer
> 2 votes
This isn't the cleanest solution, but it's an option:

If you set up your google voice number so SMS messages are forwarded to your phone, every time somebody texts you, you will receive that text from a 406 area code phone number. If you send a message back to that number, it will reach your that person, and appear to them as if it came from your google voice number. So you can save the 406 number for each contact as a secondary phone number, and set it as the default number to use for SMS.

(if you think the Google Voice app is cumbersome, you should try doing it from an iPhone ;) )

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Tags: sms, handcent-sms, google-voice
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# Question
Title: Is a phone's ROM and Firmware the same thing?
I have heard of Custom ROMs and Custom Firmware, are they the same thing? If not, whats the difference?

# Answer
It's probably the same thing although ROM is supposed to be the area / location where stuff is only ever written once (during manufacture / initial flashing).
> 4 votes

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Tags: custom-roms, rom, device-firmware
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# Question
Title: My HTC Hero Upgrade to Android 2.1 has slowed it down!
I went ahead and let my phone update itself and since then it's been realllly SLOW. Phone calls take 5-45 seconds to connect, which is beyond aggravating. Apps don't run as fast as they use to. And I am constantly reconnecting the Mobile network because it keeps losing it. Anyone have similar and get around it??

Thanks,

# Answer
> 1 votes
A brief post about speeding up a HTC Hero.

Are you with Sprint by any chance?

This thread and this thread have at least one suggestion: Have a look in Menu \> settings \> About phone \> System updates \> HTC Software update. Apparently there is a .6 firmware patch. Unfortunately, most of the posts are not reassuring. Perhaps time to upgrade/change phones?

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Tags: performance, updates, calls
---


# Question
Title: Is there any way to get Swype on my Moto Droid?
Is there anyway to get Swype from outside the Market? Its not available there, and I see its already running on Droid X, so I was thinking it'd probably work on Droid as well.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Check this out:

http://www.droid-life.com/2010/03/08/swype-beta-apk-file-for-those-who-missed-it/

There is a download link, and step-by-step instructions for installing the beta.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Swype has just released a second beta, but I believe this is only for those who were on the beta before.

Nevertheless, you can try it here: http://beta.swype.com/

To install Swype, you install the "Swype installer" which will authenticate you as a valid user and then download and install the actual Swype APK. They are keeping tight control over the actual Swype APK.

# Answer
> 0 votes
There is no lawful way - you can download an apk of the production version on the internet but this is piracy and so unlawful and the beta has expired. You either need to have it preinstalled on your phone (like with the samsung galaxy s) or buy it from their site (which I can't see how to do - it is not on the market, at least not for my htc desire).

There are many other free swype alternatives on the market but I can't remember them off the top of my head.

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Tags: google-play-store, motorola-droid, swype
---


# Question
Title: Do HTC widgets not work with ADWLauncher?
I've just installed ADW.launcher, which is a lot cleaner than the original HTC Sense homescreen, but I can't seem to get my Clock/Weather widget back. It's not appearing in the list of widgets.

Is it just me, or do none of the HTC widgets work with ADW Launcher, or is it that the HTC widgets will only work with the HTC home screen?

Alternatively, is there a decent clock app that displays digital time, and maybe weather too?

# Answer
HTC Sense widgets do indeed only work with the Sense homescreen. There are knock-offs, but these are usually pulled off the market by HTC very quickly. Beautiful Widgets comes quite close though.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: app-widgets, adw.launcher
---


title: Skinning the Android emulator

text:
# Question
Title: Skinning the Android emulator
I need to have mobile skins for the Android emulator, specifically for testing apps, for which I have referred this site: http://teavuihuang.com/android/.

I would like to have HTC 4G EVO skin. Where can I get one?

# Answer
> 5 votes
you don't need an official "skin". You just need to figure out what screen dimensions and memory capacity the device you want to test has and create a deployment target file.

---
Tags: android-emulator
---


title: What's with the Donut/Froyo?

text:
# Question
Title: What's with the Donut/Froyo?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> What are the names of the various versions of the Android OS, and how are these names chosen?

What the heck is Froyo?

Are android trying to be cool with the naming conventions?

.. oh wait, they.. they're alphabetical, right? Just like Linux?

# Answer
> 10 votes
They haven't publicized how they came up with why the version naming scheme they did. There has been speculation about what future names would be and more speculation. All of this could have something to do with obesity, but we may just never know.

After Froyo it looks like it's Gingerbread and then Honeycomb. The original name for Froyo was apparently going to be Flan. I think speculation about what the next names will be helps generate buzz and adds a playful element to the product.

# Answer
> 3 votes
The updates have been:

* 1.5 Cupcake
* 1.6 Donut
* 2.0/2.1 Eclair
* 2.2 Froyo (Frozen Yogurt)
* 2.3 Gingerbread
* 3.0 Honeycomb
* 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
* 4.1 Jelly Bean

Each codename has been a sweet treat.

---
Tags: android-versions
---


# Question
Title: Can I Update my T-Mobile G1/HTC Dream so it runs Android 2
Can I Update my T-Mobile G1 (Also known as the HTC Dream) so it runs Android 2? Is it possible to do this without rooting the phone?

# Answer
No. You must root your phone and install a mod such as CyanogenMod to get your phone running a semi-equivalent of Android 2.1+. There is no stock rom for Android 2.1+ for the G1. Additionally, if you do go with CyanogenMod, not all features are fully supported due to hardware limitations, such as LiveWallpapers.
> 4 votes

# Answer
You can run CyanogenMod 6.0, which is Android 2.2 aka FroYo.

A few tipps of mine: If you don't want it to be terrible slow, disable dithering and all effects in the settings. Maybe enable the just in time compiler (jit). With the app titanium backup you will be able to remove some "garbage" apps which come with the cm release which is also helpfull.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, updates, htc-dream
---


# Question
Title: Does juice defender randomly drop your data connection?
Does it drop your data connection? I have experienced that since I installed it a week ago. Sometimes it will randomly choose to drop your data connection.

# Answer
> 1 votes
If its dropping your data connection, why haven't you uninstalled it already?

Seriously, there are things you can do with stock applications to improve your battery life, like turning off wifi, gps, data connection manually, all of which can be down easily with the Power Control widget.

Also, I noticed that there's a beta version of the app that is noted as being frequently unstable. Is this the version you're using? If so, buyer beware.

---
Tags: applications
---


# Question
Title: Why isn't gmail listed as a recent app when I long-press the Home button?
This would be helpful at times... I usually just end up pressing home and selecting the gmail widget from there but I've gotten used to long-pressing home to get to recent apps.

Could it be due to the fact that I get to email using the widget? Does it work with the native email client or other email apps?

Thanks in advance...

# Answer
If you haven't opened the application in a while, it will naturally disappear from the list of recent apps. Try opening it with the widget and then going back to the home screen. If gmail is once again under you list of recent apps, you just haven't opened it in a while. If it doesn't appear at all, then the widget you are using doesn't add gmail as a recent app.
> 4 votes

# Answer
You have to actually open the app from the launcher icon to get it to show up in your recent apps. Another case of it not showing up is when you access it via the notification bar when you click on your email notifications.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: email, gmail, app-widgets, recents-screen
---


title: How do I root my Android device?

text:
# Question
Title: How do I root my Android device?
This is a common question asked by those who want to root their phones. How exactly do I root my Android device? Are there risks involved?

# Answer
**DISCLAIMER: ROOTING YOUR DEVICE WILL PROBABLY VOID YOUR WARRANTY FROM BOTH THE CARRIER AND THE MANUFACTURER. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO ACCEPT FAULT FOR ANY ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ROOTING, THEN DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. *HERE BE DRAGONS*.**

---

# Questions?

Before rooting, you might have some questions about it. Fortunately, they've already been answered! Refer to the handy list below:

# How do I do root?

Note there is no known method that will root all devices, nor is there any guarantee that any mentioned program or method will actually work. This is because there are many variables at play and device OEMs have no incentive to make the process easy.

A final caution: Your warranties *may* be voided, you may screw up your device, and there may also be other adverse effects. **If you do not want to risk it, stop now.** If you are not confident in what you are doing, please do not deviate from the guides and read carefully.

The easiest way to root your device is via "one click" methods, most of which are developed for more popular devices. Examples include applications (`.apk` files) you can run on your device, or software you have to run on a PC while connecting the device with USB. Other methods may involve many steps or manual editing of files.

Methods typically vary between models and even between firmware versions of the same model. **Check your rooting method is compatible with:**

* Your device model/brand (e.g. Samsung Note)
* Your Android version (e.g. 4.4 KitKat vs 5.1 Lollipop)
* Your firmware version (e.g. European vs. USA vs. Verizon telecom provider)
* Your hardware version (e.g. 32GB model with antenna vs. 16GB without one)

# Rooting Guides Index

These are links to questions on this site that have been asked for specific devices. If the question for your device hasn't been answered, don't post a duplicate — you can attract attention to the question by offering a bounty on it, sharing the link, posting in our chatroom, etc.

## Acer

## Amazon

## Archos

## Asus

## HTC

## Huawei

## Karbonn

## Lenovo

## LG

## Micromax

## Motorola

## Nook

## OnePlus

## Prestigio

## Samsung

## Sony

## SpreadTrum

## Xolo

## ZTE

## Other

# Methods/Apps

# I've rooted my device. Now what?

* We have another question about that!
* If you have another method or know how to root a device that's not listed, feel free to add it to the list! Just follow the same format.
> 450 votes

---
Tags: rooting
---


# Question
Title: Sometimes Market update gets stuck downloading. How can I cancel?
Sometimes when I update an app through Market the download gets stuck at 0% or 100% and won't finish download or finish installing. The only way I've found to work around this is to uninstall the app, then reinstall from Market. Is there a better way to fix this situation?

# Answer
On the "downloads" screen, long press the app in question and click "Cancel download." Then try to update the app again and see if it'll complete this time.
> 4 votes

# Answer
If you have a lot of downloads stalled change the connection type between 2G and 3G/4G within

Settings \> Wireless & networks \> Mobile networks \> Use only 2G networks \> Klick the checkbox

or turn Wifi off and on again. Also this keeps your stalled downloads in queue.

Also logging out and back into GoogleTalk has proven a successful solution to this issue sometimes.
> 1 votes

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


# Question
Title: What functions are in the ROM of an Android phone?
I would like to get a clear picture of what is in the ROM vs. what is in the OS. This will help me understand what those custom ROMs are all about.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Well, the OS is in the ROM, to start with.

You're suffering from a terminology problem: "ROM"s these days are all typically Flash memory, which is erasable and rewritable, but not byte-by-byte. So the OS may even live in the same physical ICs as the 'main' phone memory.

Basically, custom ROMs can enhance/modify/break EVERY aspect of your phone's operation. There is a separate 'radio rom' which includes the low-level drivers for the wifi/gps/3g/gsm/bluetooth functions, and these typically aren't 'customised' but you may still find newer versions available that can improve certain aspects of your phone.

# Answer
> 1 votes
ROMs are still mostly compiled official Android source code (or apps, etc. ripped from dumps of newer phones backported to older phones) with tweaks and some minor custom utilities or features that are not included in the stock ROM for a specific phone.

The biggest point of ROMs is getting newer versions of the Android operating system (or as much as the phone's hardware can support - see the G1 as limited device example when it comes to Android 2.1+) on older phones. This is perhaps the main point of the CyanogenMod.

ROMs also may be very similar to stock ROMs but are of different "themes" that change the colors of the notification bar, etc.

---
Tags: rom
---


# Question
Title: How can I create a settings shortcut for always on data?
I have always-on mobile data set to off most of the time to conserve battery, but I find the need to switch it on every once in a while - using Pandora, the odd large file to/from Dropbox, etc.

The question: Can I make an easy on/off icon (much like the WiFi or 4G widgets preloaded by HTC) so I don't have to go through the settings menu every time? App recs or how-tos appreciated.

I've got an Evo with 2.2.

# Answer
HTC doesn't have a data one for that? They used to. I believe CurveFish has one on the market. I think it is APN OnOff. Or search for other APN widgets.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, htc-evo, settings, home-screen-shortcuts
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to disable "call from" when I use Google Voice?
I love Google Voice, but I don't want people calling me to be asked to say their name and I don't want to be told to "press one" to accept their calls. I just want to get my calls. Is there a way to disable that feature?

# Answer
> 5 votes
Go to voice.google.com. Top right, click on Settings -\> Voice Settings. Go to "Calls" tab. Turn Call Screening to "Off"

---
Tags: google-voice
---


# Question
Title: Switch between ringer and vibrate based on schedule?
Certain times of the week I would like the phone to be on vibrate and other times of the week I want it to be on ringer. I would like to setup a schedule for these changes to happen automatically. Can this be done? If not natively is there an app that can do this?

# Answer
> 5 votes
Check out Locale (more expensive, but easier to use) or Tasker (less expensive, more complicated to use/more configurable).

# Answer
> 1 votes
For a simple and free app to schedule changes ring tone/mode based on time of day and day of the week I recommend SoundManager.

Another free app that does this is Profile Changer. I've looked at it but haven't actually used it.

For full featured automation including time based, location based, app based... I'd go with Bryan's recommendation of Tasker.

---
Tags: calls, profiles, automation
---


title: Copying applications between phones?

text:
# Question
Title: Copying applications between phones?
Is it possible to easy copy applications between phones (eg. two HTCs via bluetooth) and get them running fine? Or apps just need to be downloaded from AM each time because of some installation routine that comes right after downloading?

# Answer
> 6 votes
Android 2.2 introduces the App Sharing app which is installed by default. I think this might be what you are looking for, however you will need a FroYo device.

For earlier versions you could use the app "Bluetooth File Transfer" to share the APK files, if you have these available on your memory card for example.

# Answer
> 2 votes
I use an app called App Manager by Amazing Droid (search pub:"Amazing Droid" on market) which is free and allows you to do batch backups to SD and batch installs from SD (and also batch uninstalls). The backup places the .APK files into a known location on your SD card so you can copy them off to another device.

---
Tags: applications, sync, backup, restore
---


# Question
Title: Is there an Android PMP equivalent of the iPod Touch?
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Are there any devices that are like an iPod Touch, but run Android?

In other words, is there a piece of dedicated hardware designed (or shipped with) Android that is meant as a media player, so that I wouldn't have to pay for a phone, and just not use the phone features?

# Answer
> 2 votes
There's also the Archos 28 which is a little smaller and a little cheaper than the Archos 32. Again, they're both referred to as tablets but the Archos site (links previously) both say "Excellent multimedia player".

Also, MP4Nation may have some Android PMPs.

# Answer
> 2 votes
The Barnes & Noble Nook is based on Android, has no monthly fees, and includes the ability to playback music. It probably isn't what you have in mind as a media player, but I think it fits your description.

# Answer
> 1 votes
The Archos 32 sounds like it's the closest, so far. Although it is bizarrely referred to as a tablet.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Samsung has a Galaxy Player 50 PMP, which will be coming out soon.

---
Tags: mp3, pmp, hardware
---


title: desktop shortcut to phone options?

text:
# Question
Title: desktop shortcut to phone options?
can I have shortcut to

* airplane mode and/or
* phone options (power off/airplane mode etc)

I do not like the current way of holding power on/off button for some time

# Answer
The Quick Settings app puts that at your fingertips and, by default, is launched with a long-press on the search button.
> 4 votes

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Tags: home-screen-shortcuts
---


# Question
Title: custom arrangement of favorites in default (HTC) browser?
can I arrange my favorites in default HTC Desire (2.1) web browser the way I want? Not only by newest, mostly used, alphabetical?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Yes, one solution is the Bookmark Sort & Backup app. Visit here from phone or search for "bookmark sort" on android market. (Pro version comes without ads.) Hope it helps.

**EDIT:** Bookmark Sort & Backup Free and Bookmark Manager Free on appbrain.com.

---
Tags: browser, bookmarks, 2.1-eclair
---


title: How do I limit 3g speed on my Nexus One

text:
# Question
Title: How do I limit 3g speed on my Nexus One
I have 1gb of traffic per month. Internet speed is 2.2mbits, so it's pretty easy to waste all gb in a few days. I don't usually watch youtube from my phone, and 500-700 kbits would be pretty enough for me. Is there an application or way I can manually limit 3g speed manually, without rooting the phone?

# Answer
If all else fails, you could set the “Use only 2G networks” option...
> 3 votes

# Answer
3G Watchdog is capable, when coupled with APNdroid or JuiceDefender, to automatically disable mobile internet connections when you reach a configurable % of your quota.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Try NetSentry or 3G Watchdog.
> -1 votes

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Tags: 3g
---


# Question
Title: Two Google calendars on my Android (HTC)?
I can access my personal Google calendar.

Can I also access my work Google calendar (we use Google Apps)?

Can I

* Merge these two, but not share my personal calendar with work mates?
* Set it up not to receive work emails?

**EDIT:** HTC Desire on Android 2.1

# Answer
Yes you can add the eMail adress from your GApps account via

Settings \> Accounts & Synchronisation \> Add Account

Then enter your credentials and you can access your accounts eMail, contacts and calendar without automatically sharing information from your private calendar with your colleagues.

But you need to watch out which account you use creating new calendar entries from now on.

After that you need to open your calendar application and press Menu \> Calendar \> Select the calendars you want to see.

If you don't want to see your work eMails you can easily decide which items you want to synchronize with your device.

Merging the calendars is not really necessary since you can view many different calendars in the calendar application.
> 7 votes

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


# Question
Title: Using LauncherPro lost usb connection notification
In HTC Sense you get a little widget that indicates that you have USB connectivity to a computer and lets you change the mode (charge/storage/etc) is there a similar tool that is not part of HTC Sense which can run in LauncherPro?

# Answer
> 2 votes
If you mean that thingy in the **notification bar** that upon touching let's you chose your desired mode -- that's still there with Launcher Pro as it has nothing to do with Sense and Launcher Pro has nothing to do with your notification area (unless of course you decide to disable it)

---
Tags: htc-sense, usb-connection-mode
---


# Question
Title: shutting down takes ages (HTC Desire 2.1)
I wanted to reboot my HTC and it was shutting down for more than 10-15mins so I removed the battery...

What can I do next time? Is that ok to be shutting down for ever?

The mobile is almost new one. Not much stuff installed. Primarily used for web browsing.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Has every subsequent reboot taken just as long? If so take the phone into a local store or call your carrier support line and ask them to wipe your phone so you can start out fresh. See if a fresh start helps.

---
Tags: htc-desire, reboot
---


# Question
Title: Why don't some widgets work on Cyanogen?
I have a HTC Hero CDMA that I upgraded to Cyanogen 6. I'm on version 6.0.0-Heroc-testing2. Before installing Cyanogen, I had the official Twitter widget and official Facebook widget on one of my screens. Ever since upgrading, I have not been able to add the Facebook widget or Twitter Widget. Both of the apps work fine, but when I go to the list of widgets I can add, neither of them is there. I'm using the default home screen/launcher that comes with Cyanogen. Other widgets such as Beautiful Widgets work just fine.

Is this a problem with Cyanogen, the home screen, or something else? I have a hard time believing these widgets are only compatible with HTC Sense.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Can you download another home launcher like LauncherPro (I highly recommend it) and see if the widgets also don't work there? It could be a problem with the launcher you are using (ADW or Launcher2). Or you could re-flash CM6 with the other launcher than the one you chose.

If these are the official Twitter/Facebook app widgets, then I doubt it is because of HTC Sense no longer being available.

Additionally it sounds like you are running a test build of CM6, so it may be a bug. Check out their forums to see if anyone else has your problem or to report the issue.

# Answer
> 0 votes
The version the OP is running should not be a test build. 6.0 is their stable, but checking out their forums is not a bad idea.

Changing the launcher is a good troubleshooting step, but shouldn't make a difference in this case since CM ROMs do not have sense running. So if a widget works with LP it should work with the default launcher of CM and vice versa.

The OP should follow GAThrawn's advice and make sure the official widgets from the marketplace are being used. Since the OP has a Hero it is possible they might have a sense version of one of those apps installed and sense anything will not work on a CM ROM.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I'm not able to reproduce that. On my g1, with actual cyanogen mod 6.0 i'm able to add the facebook and also the twitter widgets (both, big and small).

---
Tags: app-widgets, cyanogenmod
---


# Question
Title: HTC Sense crashing often on Incredible since update to Froyo (Android 2.2)
Since I upgraded my Incredible to Android 2.2, Froyo, the HTC Sense UI has been crashing often, but always when I am in an app. In other words, sometimes when I exit an app, I see that the Sense launcher is restarting. Anyone know why that is happening and/or how I can fix it?

# Answer
It could be a memory issue. How much memory is available on the phone? (Settings -\> SD card & phone storage -\> Available space under Internal phone storage)

Additionally, do you have too many unnecessary services running? (Settings -\> Applications -\> Running Services, look at the memory bar at the bottom of the screen)
> 1 votes

# Answer
This happened to me when Sprint updated the Hero to 2.1. I assumed Android was killing Sense due to memory constraints. I've rooted and been much happier since.
> 1 votes

# Answer
If memory isn't the issue, try going to Settings \> Applications \> Manage applications \> All and then find "HTC Sense" about half way down and click on it. Click Clear data and Clear defaults. Then reboot your phone or shut it down and power back on. Then see if that helps.

If you are still stuck you will need to wipe your phone, start from scratch, and then install apps in batches, a few at a time checking the apps and playing with them to find the culprit. Once you find the trouble maker, uninstall it and have a happy phone.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: htc-droid-incredible, htc-sense, 2.2-froyo
---


# Question
Title: HTC Magic with OpenEclair: Factory reset doesn't work!
today I got an old HTC Magic phone with OpenEclair (Android 2.1-update) installed on it. Unfortunately there is still the Gmail account of another person linked with it, which I'd like to remove. However, for doing so, you need to do a "factory reset" on the phone. So did I, the phone rebooted, but the data (apps, settings and the account) was still there. Nothing had been removed!

Anyone has an idea what could be the problem and how to fix that?

Thx a lot!

# Answer
You didn't do a factory reset then, but probably a soft reset. To perform a factory reset from the Home screen press Menu \> Settings \> SD card & phone storage \> Factory data reset \> Reset phone \> Erase everything. That should take you back to square one. Reply back with a comment if not.

Update: Boot into the bootloader: Completely power off the deivce. Then hold down the Back button and press the Power/End Call button to restart your phone. Keep the back button held down till the bootloader menu appears. From here do you have an option to wipe, reset, or factory reset (or something along those lines)? If so try it.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: 2.1-eclair, factory-reset, htc-magic
---


# Question
Title: How can I stop Android from automatically searching a term when I choose it from my search history?
Currently if I search for something like "Why am I so awesome," then at a later time I want to elaborate on that search and start typing in "Why am..." my search history will show the previously searched term. When I click on the term it automatically searches for it. I don't want it to automatically search for it, I just want the term I click on to populate the search field so I can edit as I please before actually searching, for example, I'd like to be able to click on the aforementioned search term "Why am I so awesome" and add "everyday" without having to retype the whole things. It's not that big of a deal in a google search because I can just wait for the results and edit the search field, however on a market search, the search field disappears when it searches and I have to start all over again.

**Edit:** To me this seems to be an Android issue, not a hardware issue but to preempt any more hardware specific solutions that don't apply to me, I have a Moto Droid 1 on 2.2.

# Answer
The anonym with the vague answer is correct, just not nearly complete. For keyboard-less phones (like my N1), the trackball or trackpad can be used to scroll down the list of suggestions, and that will enter them into the text field for editing. For most phones with a hardware keyboard like your Droid, use the d-pad next to the keyboard to select the suggestion for editing (some of them still retain a trackball or trackpad). Once you have the correct entry in the search box, tap it to continue editing.

BTW, I just discovered this, and it's going to make my life a lot easier.
> 8 votes

# Answer
If you update to the latest version of "Google Search" in the Market, it includes a pencil icon next to each item in the search history, for this exact problem. Tapping the pencil loads the search term into the search box, but doesn't initiate a search for it.
> 7 votes

---
Tags: search
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to customize the services in the direct contact shortcut?
I added a contact shortcut to my home screen, and I noticed that the Messaging icon in the pop-up changed to Handcent when I changed the default messaging app on my phone. One thing that's always bothered me is that there's a Facebook icon in the pop-up. Is there any way to customize what pops up when you press on a contact shortcut?

# Answer
If you stop syncing Facebook with your phone book, that option will disappear. I realize this isn't an answer to your question about customizing the pop-up but it may just serve your needs until a more skilled Android ninja happens upon this question.
> 0 votes

# Answer
What phone make and model do you have? What version of Android? What are you doing to add the shortcut for the contact?

If I go to add a shortcut after long clicking on the homescreen I get an option for "Person". Then I choose the individual to make a shortcut for and I have the option of some things to add for that shortcut. If you choose contact card or quick contact you get a decent amount of options. Contact card gives you everything for that contact. Not as many options as you might want sure, but whatever you select from the contact card will use the phone default.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, customization, contact-shortcut
---


# Question
Title: How do I install the new Gmail app on Cyanogen?
The same thing is happening with the new Gmail as happened with Voice Search. This again?

adb remount

adb shell rm /system/app/Gmail.apk

adb uninstall com.google.android.Gmail

# Answer
I installed it simply by going to the market and updating to the new version. I know I have it installed correctly as it popped up a "What's New" dialog on first run.

I have a HTC Magic 32A with CM6.
> 4 votes

# Answer
You need to install the Google apps for Cyanogen. Download the signed zip from the link below, there is one for the ROM (you don't need) and one for Google apps. All you have to do is install it from recovery just as you would a custom ROM. Should solve your problems...

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=691366

UPDATE: The link above is for the HTC Magic. The one below is for Nexus One. Not sure if there is a difference in the zips, but just in case use this one for Nexus One.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=723844&highlight=google+apps
> 1 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, gmail
---


# Question
Title: Can I have notification sounds repeat every few minutes?
Is it possible on a Droid X to repeat the notification sounds on a regular basis (perhaps every 5 minutes or so)? When I get a voicemail, I want it to beep every few minutes to remind me to check it.

# Answer
Missed Call will do repeat vibration patterns/notifications for SMS (per contact), missed/incoming phone calls (per contact), Battery, Calendar events, device storage, etc.

Unfortunately this doesn't do voicemails, but if a missed call is good enough for you, then give it a shot. You can also set it up to do different patterns/notifications per contact for missed calls (so alert you differently for a VIP than everyone else).
> 3 votes

---
Tags: motorola-droid-x
---


# Question
Title: Is Google Earth available for Android phones?
I saw a list of top free apps in a magazine. Yeah, one of those old fashioned things with glossy paper made from dead trees. Anyway, the SPARQCode yielded an app not found message from Android Market. I'm guessing that means it used to be available? Do you know if it is available, was available, or will be available in the future?

# Answer
> 17 votes
Google Earth is definitely available, I can see it in my Market right now, however it needs Android 2.1 as a minimum to work, so if your phone is running an older version of the OS, then you won't be able to see it as the market hides apps that it knows definitely won't work on your phone.

See the note at the bottom of this page, where it says that it requires 2.1 http://www.google.com/mobile/earth/

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


title: swap space for performance

text:
# Question
Title: swap space for performance
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> How will a swap partition/file affect the system?

so what do you think, is it better to use swap space or not for small memory phone such as T-Mobile G1 to increase responsiveness and overall performance?

# Answer
I found it better to use compcache rather than swap. Basically -- a section of RAM is reserved and used as a swap space with compression. Even with the performance hit from compression, it was sufficiently faster than conventional swap that it was a clear-cut winner in performance.

CyanogenMod supports it (Settings \> CM Settings \> Performance, I believe). I'm sure other mods include it as well, but I am not familiar with them.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: performance
---


# Question
Title: Why does my Xperia X10 spontaneously reboot?
Several times a day I find out that my Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is waiting for PIN entry, probably because of a soft reboot. It annoys me to no end, and I end up missing calls beacuse of this. Is there a tool or another way to help me find out what actually happened, when, and what caused that?

# Answer
> 3 votes
I read similar reports lately, related to Titanium Backup.. When it runs, it kills apps to back them up, causing the phone process to restart. If you aren't running something similar, I would recommend using USB debugging and the SDK to capture log data.. Known as "logcat" in the Android world.

Oh -- Here's an easy way to capture and review log data on the device without the SDK --

Is it feasible to disable the SIM pin requirement to avoid the problem in the meantime? Could replace it with the Android pattern lock to retain some security.

---
Tags: reboot, sony-ericsson-xperia-x10
---


# Question
Title: How can I install additional audio/video codecs on Android?
Does android separate the module between video player and video codec? If so, how do we install more codec to the system?

# Answer
The video codecs are limited to what is supported by the device. This suggests that the codecs are in firmware and not software codecs like you are used to on the computer. This means you will probably need to use something like Handbrake to convert your videos to the phone. Unless there are in the h264 or 3GP formats that all android phones support.

Reference: Act1 Video Player FAQ
> 1 votes

---
Tags: audio, video, media-player, system
---


# Question
Title: What are the advantages of a custom ROM over rooted stock?
What can a custom ROM provide beyond rooting that I can't get by downloading an application?

# Answer
# Advantages

A custom ROM can be as little as a pre-rooted stock ROM, and with root you can do virtually anything. Thus the main advantage over just rooting is that the work has been done for you already if you grab a custom ROM with features you're interested in. For example, a custom kernel with better support for overclocking may be included in a custom ROM.

As the name implies, a ROM cooker has a lot of freedom to customize. But, in general, the "well known" custom ROMs have:

* Custom themes, or at least wallpapers or widgets. This might include modified system colors and icons, startup screens, etc.
* Root, of course (see the advantages of rooting).
* Less bloatware (e.g., removal of T-Mobile's "My Account").
* Useful utilities for the kind of person who flashes custom ROMs (e.g., ROM Manager).
* A mishmash of modems and kernels, selected for best battery life or performance. Modems are usually stock but kernels may be stock or custom.
* Additional options in menus (e.g., CyanogenMod allows a user to reboot to recovery or fastboot mode instead of just rebooting the device normally).
* Additional user interface tweaks (e.g., CyanogenMod allows users to place on/off controls in the status bar instead of using widgets).

Finally, custom ROMs don't have to be stock-based to begin with either. This might enable extra system-level features (built-in tethering, for example) or allow you to upgrade to a version of Android that hasn't been or won't be released for your device. It can also free you from hard-to-remove bits of stock ROMs, such as their custom UIs / launchers that often cannot be removed.

# Disadvantages

* Custom ROMs, especially those not based on stock, are often a bit experimental. They may not be as stable as stock, especially with custom kernels or when not stock-based (drivers are hard to get right).
* A custom ROM can include virtually any apps the creator wanted to include, and you may consider them bloatware.
* Custom themes may not be what you want; many ROM cookers aren't designers.
* Something unsavory or malicious could be included in the ROM.
* Bricking your device is always a possibility. Make sure you know what you're doing when you flash a custom ROM, and never use a ROM designed for a different device.
* Like rooting, flashing a custom ROM will almost certainly void the warranty of a non-"developer" (e.g., Nexus) device.
> 18 votes

---
Tags: custom-roms
---


# Question
Title: How to remote control using Droid VNC Server via USB?
I have installed Droid VNC Server on my Android phone 2.2 (CyanogenMod), but it is not clear how to control now my phone via USB.

When I start the server on the phone it gives me an IP but I cannot ping to it. I cannot neither connect using the browser at the specified address nor through VNC client.

I have root access.

Can someone explain me the steps to follow?

# Answer
There's no manual or FAQ I've found for the program so I'm not certain if this is the way they intended it to be used. It does work, though, and I can't see an alternative method of using USB.

1. You need ADB installed along with the proper drivers for your device. This varies with platform and phone, so check Google or XDA.
2. Enable USB Debugging on your device -- Settings \> Applications \> Development \> USB debugging
3. Plug in, start droid VNC server
4. On a command line, run these commands:
    * `adb forward tcp:5801 tcp:5801`
    * `adb forward tcp:5901 tcp:5901`
5. Visit http://localhost:5801 with a browser or point your VNC client to localhost:5901

I do notice that performance isn't any better over USB vs a 802.11g, so I'd only recommend going to the trouble of this if accessing your device via WiFi isn't feasible.
> 9 votes

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, remote-access, vnc
---


# Question
Title: How usable is the Android browser on "average" web sites?
I'm thinking about buying an Android phone to use for light web browsing while traveling. How well does the Android browser work on average web pages? Besides the smaller screen and lack of flash are there other limitations? I'm particularly interested in using it access my bank accounts which has a kind of complicated log in system. Anyone had any experience here?

# Answer
> 5 votes
I'd say it's highly usable, I have for the most part stopped using a PC outside of work, my phone is now my primary browsing device.

On the rare occasion a site doesn't render properly, or a particular video is not available on mobile (this happens a lot on YouTube) you can email a link to the website to yourself to check when you are on computer in 3-4 clicks.

# Answer
> 1 votes
FYI, Samsung is coming out with a Galaxy S device that has a 7" screen. Might want to check it out if all you want to do is browse Internet.

As far as browsing on the phone, I don't mind so much. I have an Evo with the 4" screen and its not bad, but not as good as a netbook for high use Internet browsing. My recommendation would be to get an Android tablet or netbook for extended Internet browsing.

That is of course unless you are planning on consolidating devices. In that case I'm sure you will enjoy the experience, but don't get a phone with a screen smaller than 4". It sounds big and huge yes, and I thought that too, but seriously worth it for the extra viewing space.

With Android 2.2, viewing flash sites is really easy now, you essentially select the flash to run as they appear on sites, flash does not automatically load. That is what I get with Dolphin HD browser. Pinch and zoom makes viewing sites fairly easy as well, use a browser that supports it.

If you go this route you might have to find a setting that makes the website think you are browsing from a desktop system. Otherwise there are some sites that will detect a mobile device and present you with that site. This might limit you ability to surf.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Apart from the screen size, the thing that bothers me most is that it allows you only to open 4 tabs (windows) at most. For example, if I am browsing a news site, I first skim the main page and open the interesting headlines on new tabs, without losing the focus on the main page. I am so used to tabbed-browsing on Firefox, it disturbs me not being able to do that on my phone. Also, there should be an easy tapping gesture or shourtcut or something like that in order to navigate easily between tabs.

But from rendering point of view, I think it definitely deserves five stars!

# Answer
> 0 votes
This is a very 'personal' question. Some websites can be a dealbreaker for you (the banking website) while most sites just work (for me anyways).

I'd suggest to create a list of your most visited websites and check how they look from a mobile browser, and do test a couple of them.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I think for mobile browsing in general, a lot of sites now have mobile versions which make surfing on your phone a lot easier. So, regardless of what device you're using, the mobile site is optimized for a small screen.

Now, in regards to the Android browser (or any other browser available in the Android Market), you can easily zoom in on areas of interest on the site, either by double tapping on the area you want to zoom, or by pinch zooming. And, I've never had any problem loading websites. So, issues with general browsing should be minimal.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I heavily use the android browser. Offhand, I can't recall visiting any sites that Froyo/2.2 hasn't been able to handle - even sites with mobile versions that I've switched to non-mobile. EXCEPT video. There have been sites for which videos have been a problem. Sometimes flash video, definitely the unsupported Silverlight video.

If anything, the device limitations of screen size or on-screen keyboards have been an issue - not the browser itself.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I too have found the browser to be quite capable. Examples of sites I've used recently: nytimes.com (including annoying flash ads); Outlook web client (requires zooming in before almost every "click" due to small controls); Admin interface for Squarespace.com (have not tried everything, but can reset user passwords, and other minor changes); priceline.com; weather.gov and probably more. If you don't mind panning and zooming, it's quite tolerable, espcecially for something you can put in a shirt pocket. I have a Moto Droid with 2.2/Froyo.

---
Tags: browser
---


# Question
Title: Is there a way to create groups of contacts?
On my old Nokia phone I was able to create groups of contacts. I found this very useful and had groups such as Co-workers, Neighbors, Doctors, Friends, Family, etc.

Is there a way to do this on my Moto Droid? The only way I've found to group contacts so far is to mark them as Favorites, or create custom folders with direct contact shortcuts on my home screen.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Sunpech is correct about that. However, it doesn't quite work in the way you are envisioning it. Your groups in your Google contacts don't sort your contacts in your phone, instead you are simply able to specify to Android which of those groups you want synced. When you are in your contact list (in Android) you can hit Menu and go to "Display options" and choose your preferences there. The actual appearance of the "Display options" screen will vary depending on your version of Android, but ultimately, you will be able to choose which groups to include in your contacts, and even specify to only display those with phone numbers.

I hope this clears things up for you.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I don't know of any way to do that on the Android device directly. But you can create groups within your contacts in Gmail, and it will sync down to your device.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Matt, Contacts GroupU is a free app that let's you create groups and sync w/ gmail groups. I stopped using it months ago because it turned out seperating my contacts wasn't that impoertant to me afterall. I do recall that it was a little quirky at first which caused some duplicate groups. Play around with it and figure out the difference between groupU groups and synced groups before you spend time getting things organized.

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, contacts, motorola-droid
---


# Question
Title: Low on internal data storage - looks like the some apps use a lot!
So, looking at the Gmail, Twitter, and Facebook apps for example, the apps themselves only take up 3-4 MB each, but then the app data is like 10+ MB for each. Is that stored data the synced copies of my email inbox, or my twitter feed, or FB feed? And, if so, is there a way for me to limit how much of my phone's internal storage each app gets allocated?

# Answer
> 3 votes
There really isn't much control you can do over limiting storage. Most likely the data is from the apps using local SQLite databases to store information their apps use.

You can pretty much only do these things:

* Move the app to the SD card if you have Android 2.2
* Clear the data cache every now and then (but it's going to grow again)

# Answer
> 3 votes
For limiting GMail storage, at least --

Fire up the GMail client. Click Menu \> Settings \> Labels From there you can select how many days worth you want synced overall, and per label. Reducing the number could help cut down on the clutter.

# Answer
> 0 votes
There are some games around that use over 80+ megabytes of space. Cleaning those up first should give you some breathing space.

---
Tags: internal-storage
---


# Question
Title: I have rooted my phone, but why can't I Telnet?
I have a T-Mobile G1 and rooted it using AndRoot. I've confirmed that I have root by using Wireless Tethering, I get all the required request superuser permission dialogues.

However when I go to the Telnet application and try to telnet it refuses to let me, I get:

Error While connecting to server localhost/127.0.0.1:23 - Connection Refused.

I've tried various different connection strings (e.g. just 127.0.0.1, 0.0.0.0)

I read that you might need to reboot the phone after rooting so I did and then confirmed again that I still have su by using wireless tether and superuser permissions app.

Is there anyway I can get this working as I'd like to flash Amon Ra's Recovery mod and start playing around with the Roms again.

# Answer
AFAIK, mostly port 1-1024 on android phone are reserved for system, so the application other than system must use port \> 1024.

I never use telnet, but I used ssh frequently to remote my phone, I use SSH server on phone using http://teslacoilsw.com/quicksshd maybe you can use ssh as an alternative to telnet.
> 1 votes

# Answer
First off, read this thread on XDA Forums to make sure you are properly rooted. If you are positive you are properly and fully rooted then what app are you using? I have never heard of the app Telnet. Try SwiFTP. It is easily configurable and has always worked on my rooted devices.
> 0 votes

# Answer
Digital,

You need to be more clear about your intentions. What are you trying to telnet to/from? If you want to telnet to your phone, it's not as easy as running telnet on your computer by entering your phone's IP address. You have to run a telnet server on the phone -- otherwise the connection is refused. The **best** way to tell if you are actually rooted is by using Terminal Emulator. When you run Term you will see a "$", this is a user prompt, where you type in commands. The "$" means you are a normal user, not root. **HOWEVER**, if you type "su" and hit enter and you end up with a "#" prompt, that means you are superuser (root). If you can successfully get a superuser prompt, you are properly rooted. (You might get a superuser permissions request for Term when you first run "su").

Once you are on a superuser prompt you can run a telnet/SSH server (telnet is not recommended, as it is insecure).

To see if you have an SSH server installed on your phone (you should already if you run a mod, otherwise you will probably have to install one manually), type the following command (as root) in Term:

```
find / -name dropbear

```

It should return "/system/xbin/dropbear", unless your mod has a slightly different filesys structure, in which case it might return a slightly different string, or error out altogether.

If you do have dropbear, you can continue reading (otherwise install dropbear first, then continue from here).

Now, as root in Term (make sure you have the "#" prompt, or type "whoami" to see what your username is), enter the following commands one at a time (stop if any give an error). Be **VERY** cautious when entering commands as root! Make **SURE** you type everything **exact** including proper case.

```
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock4 /system
mkdir /system/etc/dropbear
cd /system/etc/dropbear
dropbearkey -t rsa -f /system/etc/dropbear/dropbear_rsa_host_key
dropbearkey -t dss -f /system/etc/dropbear/dropbear_dss_host_key

```

**IF THE ABOVE COMMANDS WERE SUCCESSFUL** enter the following commands to complete the process:

```
sync
mount -o remount,ro -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock4 /system

```

You now have SSH server capability on your Android device. Note that this does **not** mean you are **running** and SSH server at this point, only that you are capable.

To run your SSH server, first enter the following (again, as root) in Term:

```
dropbear -p WANIP

```

(Replace "WANIP" with the external IP of your phone -- the IP you want to SSH in to)

Your SSH server should now be running. You can check this by typing:

```
ps|grep dropbear

```

It should return a line that ends with the word "dropbear"

**NOTE** Depending on your version of Android or mod, some of these steps may vary. If you encounter a problem (dropbear doesn't run, or you can't SSH in), first check if dropbear is still running (above command) and then run "dropbear -E" to see why it won't start if it is not running.

I'm more than willing to answer any further questions you may have. Happy hacking!
> 0 votes

---
Tags: networking, root-access
---


title: Stock Android on Nexus One?

text:
# Question
Title: Stock Android on Nexus One?
Is there a good place that documents how to compile Android from source and put it on Nexus One? For instance, I would like to checkout the source files of Froyo from the official repository and put it on my Nexus One... Any suggestions?

# Answer
> 3 votes
I believe this XDA forum post will give you a good head start. Note: this is written for the Sapphire.

Compiling and flashing a Kernel for the N1.

Another guide from XDA forums.

Compiling systems apps.

---
Tags: nexus-one
---


# Question
Title: Android: An app failed to download/install - what do I do?
Sometimes I download an app but it fails to download or install. The message just says that, no further details. It generally seems that the app never installs after that. Is there anyway I can find out more details about why it failed? Is there any good way to get stuff to install after this has happened.

I am using Android 1.5 on a T-Mobile Pulse/Huawei U8220

# Answer
Can you get any app to install? First thing to always try is to reboot the phone.

If that doesnt work, try downloading aLogCat from the market (if you can install it). If it installs, then go to the market and try to download the app you're having issues with. If it STILL wont download, then open aLogCat and look at the system log entries. Then you should be able to glean a little bit of info of why its not installing. I know this is not a 100% answer of what you're looking for, but it does help and has helped me before.
> 3 votes

# Answer
When this happens to me there's one thing that helps every time:

Open the Market and go to the Downloads section, then perform a long click on the stalled download. Cancel the download from here. Now you should be able to reinstall / update the app.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Are you out of internal storage for apps? Have you tried a hard reset? Can you upgrade your phone to a newer Android release? Personally I would try upgrading your device first then see if you still have problems.
> 0 votes

# Answer
Does the OS actually tell you it failed to download, or do you just notice? When i was running 2.0.1 i noticed a particular problem with trying to update/download multiple apps at once. If you are doing synchronous dls try one at a time.

Another option MAY be to try using Appbrain. It is an alternative installation app that hooks into market. (http://www.appbrain.com/)

Speaking of which, you could also try your QR reader and try to install via the internet using the programs' QR codes.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: applications, google-play-store
---


# Question
Title: Contact or application-specific vibration "tone" (pattern)
> **Possible Duplicate:**
> Is there a way to customize vibrate patterns?

I want a custom vibration "tone" (pattern) for different callers or applications.

Does Android have any facility for this? Can contacts hold custom information like this?

Thanks

# Answer
> 0 votes
Using the app, Locale, you can use the Contact condition to spot the caller and the Notification plugin action to use a vibration pattern.

There does not appear to be a contact-specific configuration built-in, even in Froyo.

---
Tags: contacts, customization, vibration
---


# Question
Title: Browser to use in 3G with optimized (in size) content retriaval
I need a browser to use when running in 3G due to the fact that its speed in my country is far for nice especially in some areas.

My wish it to have a browser that does not download images, video, ads by default but only text. It should still keep a decent pagination.

Then, if I see an image description that interest me, I would like to click and allow download only that image.

Do you know if does exists a browser with these options?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Try using the Opera browser. It compresses the webpages before sending to your phone.

EDIT: Here's a test done by PC World that Engadget featured showing the Skyfire browser being slightly faster than Opera Mini.

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


title: What controls the 3G radio sleep time?

text:
# Question
Title: What controls the 3G radio sleep time?
Is there any way to control how/when the 3G radio goes to sleep?

Is that, in fact, what it is doing?

# Answer
JuiceDefender allows you to turn your radio on and off and to set triggers for this.

Tasker will also do this.

One thing to note, the "3G" radio is the same radio that you use to make voice calls, at least it is on CDMA phones. By controlling the APN you can turn on and off your 3g data and reap gains in battery life without turning off the radio.

I'm not 100% on this but I believe for phones that aren't yet on Froyo (2.2) an app is required to control the APN like APNdroid or QuickSettings. I'm not sure how well these work with the automated trigger apps mentioned above.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 3g, data-monitoring, standby, apn
---


# Question
Title: How do I quickly change the default action of a contact in the favorites widget?
I see no obvious way to change the default action of a contact that's added to the Favorites widget. I have to remove that contact from the `Favorites` group, and re-add that contact (which then prompts me for the default action, like `View Contact`, or `Send Mail`). Is there an easier way?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Finally tried this, it's quicker to do the following:

1. Select the contact name from the Favorites widget (the icon performs the action, the name shows you their details).
2. Select Menu \> More.
3. Select Set widget action.
4. Select call, text, etc.

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, htc-droid-incredible, app-widgets
---


# Question
Title: Wifi won't connect when SSID has space character?
When trying to connect to a WPA2 network from an HTC Hero running 2.1, I can't connect if the hidden SSID has a space in the name.

Has anyone else encountered this problem? Is it known to be an Android issue?

# Answer
Yes and yes. http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=8035

I haven't seen any resolution to this except changing the router's SSID if you have access to it.
> 7 votes

---
Tags: wi-fi, wpa2
---


# Question
Title: Is there a better sync application for Windows than HTCSync?
I'm running HTCSync 3.0.5422 on Windows 7 Ultimate but I find it just a bit unreliable. One one PC, sometimes the application doesn't see my HTC Desire (bought as an unlocked SIM free unit) and on another computer it just won't connect/sync at all.

Is there an alternative?

# Answer
Given android phones just run as USB drive mode for syncing:

Just for music:

All Media:

Will also sync outlook contacts, files etc.

\*Syncs over Wi-fi
> 3 votes

---
Tags: htc-desire, sync, htc-sync-3.0
---


title: Samsung Moment telephone through AUX

text:
# Question
Title: Samsung Moment telephone through AUX
I have an iPhone, and while in my car, I can connect to the radio through my AUX jack and use the phone that way. The iPhone microphone picks up just fine and I hear the person through the car speakers. While I don't **think** Apple intended for it to be used this way, it works just fine.

My mom has the Samsung Moment, and when we tried that in her car, I couldn't hear her at all. Does Android disable the microphone when an aux cable is plugged into the headphone jack? If so, is there any way around it? Has anyone had success with using an Android phone in a vehicle radio like this?

Thanks!
Thomas

# Answer
> 1 votes
I have a Motorola Droid and I plug in a FM transmitter into the headphone jack and my mic still works (because I use this to make calls while driving).

Does the AUX cable also have a mic on it? If so, maybe that is overriding the phone's mic input.

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, hardware
---


# Question
Title: How do I use the emulator with AppInventor?
How did you enable an emulator for AppInventor? I want to test out the junk that I created on a emulator, before using it on my phone.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Check out this page on the App Inventor website on how to use App Inventor with an emulator.

---
Tags: android-emulator
---


# Question
Title: My Google Voice services keeps getting stuck on “restarting”
The "UpdateService" for Google Voice constantly keeps getting stuck on "restarting" and therefore I miss out on receiving SMS messages from Google Voice. I've already been trimming down on some unnecessary services and it doesn't seem like it has helped a whole lot. Any other suggestions or thoughts about this problem?

I'm currently running CM6, but it happened before on stock too.

# Answer
I haven't seen this particular issue before, but Kevin Purdy's "Holy Trinity" of steps to take with apps that just aren't working properly is:

From Settings | Applications | Manage applications | \<application\>

* Force stop

if that doesn't help

* Clear cache

if that doesn't help

* Clear data

and if that still doesn't help, try the nuclear option:

* uninstall and re-install
> 2 votes

---
Tags: google-voice, services
---


title: Application Always Downloading

text:
# Question
Title: Application Always Downloading
I notice sometimes an app (in this case Dropbox) is always downloading when I go into Market \> Downloads. I even uninstalled it. So it doesn't appear in my application list but it still says Downloading in the Market. The progress bar is empty.

I couldn't find anything on the web. Has anyone else experienced this?

# Answer
I had trouble downloading the latest update. What I did was from the list of applications in the Market, I did a long press and **Cancel download**. After that I was able to select it and download it successfully.
> 6 votes

---
Tags: applications, google-play-store
---


# Question
Title:  Samsung Galaxy S : Why can't I set cursor position in text boxes in browser?
When using the default browser on my Galaxy S, I can't see a cursor in text boxes that have focus. With no cursor I don't know where letters I type will appear. This seems to occur on all sites I have tested. Can someone with this phone confirm there is something wrong? Note that the address bar at the top is fine and behaves as I would expect.

Input method is the Samsung keyboard. No third party apps or firmware installed. Feel free to ask questions if you need more info. Thanks

# Answer
> 5 votes
Press and hold the **?123** key at the bottom, left corner of the standard Samsung Galaxy S keyboard. The keyboard switches to a four arrow cursor pad that you can use to move around a text field. There's also a delete key, select, cut, copy, and paste; click the *Text* key to switch back into keyboard mode.

This works with just about all text fields in all applications that I use.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Just tried on my Samsung Galaxy S with the search box at the top of this page in the built-in browser and I get a flashing cursor all the time I'm not typing (it disappears while I'm typing but comes back if I pause for a moment) I'm using the built-in Swype keyboard.

Also tried switching back to the Samsung Keyboard (by long-pressing on a text field, then selecting Input Method and selecting Samsung Keyboard) and still see a cursor in the search box on this web site.

My Galaxy's running the standard Samsung version of Android 2.1, pretty sure I don't have any apps installed that affect the keyboard or browser.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Try using a different browser. Also you could try going into settings, apllications, manage applications, find the browser you are using and clear data, if that option isn't there, try cache. Reboot and see what happens.

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


title: What is assisted GPS?

text:
# Question
Title: What is assisted GPS?
This site describes the Galaxy as having "Assisted GPS". What does this mean?

# Answer
> 8 votes
> Assisted GPS is a system which can improve the startup performance of a GPS satellite-based positioning system.

Wikipedia has your best answer.

---
Tags: gps
---


# Question
Title: How can I increase the size of the Google Maps cache?
Currently the size of the Google Maps cache on Android is very small in comparison to the IPhone Maps application. A bigger cache would improve the maps application significantly by helping the maps appear a lot quicker than they do now.

There is an issue raised on Google Code with some further details (link) but wanted to raise it here just in case anyone knows a solution.

# Answer
The Brut Mod can cache map tiles on SD card. So you get large cache. Caching feature is by default disabled, you need to turn it on in setting.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: google-maps
---


# Question
Title: How can I access the /android_asset/ folder on my phone?
or in other words:

1. Where is it?
2. Can I access it without root access?

I've been searching in ASTRO file manager but I can't find it. What is the full path?

# Answer
> 3 votes
> Where is it?

It is inside an APK file for some application.

> Can I access it without root access?

You can download the APK to your desktop and unZIP it.

> Dolphin HD...points to file:///android\_asset/new\_tab.htm

Since Dolphin HD is not open source (AFAIK), you have no way of changing this behavior. You also cannot modify this file unless you sign the resulting modified APK file with your own digital signature, in which case you would never again be able to get an update to Dolphin HD.

You may wish to contact the Dolphin HD developers and suggest a feature that meets your needs.

---
Tags: files
---


title: Useful or cool Tasker recipes

text:
# Question
Title: Useful or cool Tasker recipes
In a similar vein to this question, I'm interested in finding any useful recipes for Tasker.

I've found several profiles and "Step Throughs" on their wiki, but would be interested in any others that people have found helpful.

# Answer
> 7 votes
Here's a good one I found on Lifehacker a while back.

http://lifehacker.com/5611003/build-a-find-my-iphone-clone-for-android

I changed a few things when I did it, like allow the text to come from any phone and send the reply to that phone, and making the SOS text a passphrase so that nobody accidentally sent it to me.

I also made one that turned my ringer up and played a song for when I lose my phone around the house. I can just text my phone 123findme and it will play a song even if I left it on vibrate mode.

# Answer
> 6 votes
Launching ConnectBot remote commands in answer to another question.

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Tags: applications, tasker
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# Question
Title: How can I change the Icon of a Shortcut on my Home Screen?
I have a couple direct dial to landline shortcuts that I use at work regularly. There are no avatars associated with those contacts and the Homescreen icon just shows a generic Android Avatar so they are indistinguishable. I have a couple other contacts whose avatars are still indistinguishable because they are so small. I'd like to be able to set a shortcut icon instead of having to mess with making custom avatars. Any apps to do this?

# Answer
Desktop Visualizer does the trick (and a little bit more)
> 3 votes

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Tags: customization, home-screen-shortcuts
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# Question
Title: The loud speaker on my Samsung Captivate stopped working! Is my phone broken or can I fix it myself?
The speaker at the back of my phone, used for ringing and playing sound without headphones, is completely silent. Do I need to have it repaired?

# Answer
> 6 votes
The Samsung Captivate's speaker can work its way loose, usually after the phone takes a hard knock (like being dropped). In most cases you can fix it yourself by opening the back and pressing HARD on the speaker with your thumb. You should probably power the phone off to do this.

# Answer
> 3 votes
It sounds like you're up to fixing it yourself. Here are TechRepublic teardown links in case you need them. Just make sure you have the proper tools (and patience). Good luck!

TechRepublic Teardown - Main

Speaker Assembly - Front

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Tags: samsung-galaxy-s, speaker
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# Question
Title: Why do certain apps run even when I don't use them?
I've found that certain apps (Amazon MP3 and Stocks, for example) will occasionally be running in the background even when I've never once opened them. Why is this? This is not desirable - those CPU cycles are mine, not theirs!

# Answer
Those apps come with the phone and can't be turned off or removed unless you root. Blame your carrier. There's really nothing you can do about it non-rooted. I feel your pain.
> 6 votes

# Answer
This goes with another post I made about a slightly different issue.

Background apps usually just respond to events. Events they care about, which is usually nothing for these sprint apps.

They take up RAM. HOWEVER unlike a desktop, when android wants ram it will remove anything in the "background" that it wants (older first) to free up space.\

The only exception to ram freeing up is when it sends notifications (a permanent icon in the notification bar... like a downloading icon from the market while the item is downloading).

So don't worry so much about it. These bloatware apps don't harm your android unless they do anything because batter is a big concern. Careful with facebook/twitter as they ping the service every few seconds, you can disable the "pinging" by just disabling the behavior, they won't do anything then. Even the messenger app might get removed from memory, when the system does a background synch it wakes up, loads, runs, and goes back to inactive.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Most of my background is with iPhone, and there are certain launch daemons that run when the phone starts up. Sounds like this is the case here too. Dennis from this post says

> The only thing I know of, like I point out, requires rooting the phone and voiding the warranty. Go to /etc/rcx.d and remove the associated file with the executable. (This, of course, assumes that the filesystem follows the same hierarchy as every other Linux distro I have run.)

Hope this helps!
Thomas
> 0 votes

# Answer
Before rooting your phone, a not-so-easy operation, you should have a try to disable the auto launch when the phone restart.
> -1 votes

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Tags: applications, auto-start
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# Question
Title: HTC Sense restarts frequently on Hero 2.1 - can low memory cause this?
Often when I return to the home screen from using an app, the HTC Sense UI (running 2.1) restarts. It seems to be worse when more apps are running. Does it shutdown to free memory, is there a stability problem or something else?

# Answer
Whenever android needs more ram, it will kill anything in the "background" the HTC sense is background if you are playing a video game or any other app. So when android sees that it needs ram, sense with it's fairly large memory footprint is a prime candidate. Think nothing of it. If it crashed you would get a "force close". Some launchers do tricks to force them to not be killed by android BUT that has a negative effect on ram availability for foreground apps.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Most likely you have too many services running at once that are eating up all of your memory.

Check running services under Settings --\> Applications --\> Running services. Look at the colorful memory bar at the bottom of how much free memory there is.

Look for services that are high on memory usage and that you don't use anymore. Ask yourself if you *really* need that service running or not. If you don't, remove it. See if that helps. You'll probably see a better performance boost everywhere if you are being bogged down by excessive amounts of services.

Additionally, you could try out a new Home launcher such as LauncherPro.
> 1 votes

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Tags: htc-sense
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# Question
Title: How to drag in the web browser without moving the page?
With the stock browser when using a web page has a feature that requires dragging, how do you drag without moving the page?

For example, cropping an image on the Gravatar site requires dragging the boundaries, but whenever I try to, I end up moving the page... but not dragging.

UPDATE: I did notice on a third-party page with Google Maps embedded that the map did drag correctly. However, the above example still holds.

# Answer
> 1 votes
With sites like Gravatar or Twitter's image cropping, I've found that the two finger "pinch" gesture works.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Double tap to enable drag?

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Tags: browser
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