# Question
Title: I want to prevent Google Market from upgrading to Google Play store
my HTC desire HD wont download from the Google Play Store , but will from the Google Market. How do I stop the phone from automatically upgrading ?

# Answer
If you're rooted, then use an app to freeze the `MarketUpdater.apk` app.

You can also remove that app from the `/system/app` directory.

Without that app, the market/Google Play won't automatically update.

There is no way to prevent market updates without root.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: google-play-store, application-autoupdate
---


# Question
Title: Where do you find the password attempts setting or option in ICS?
I want to either stop this function or at the very least set the number of attempts to a higher number than 3.

# Answer
> 1 votes
There is no way to change the limit on incorrectly entered screen lock codes, unless you make your own custom ROM with this ability.

It should be set at 5 incorrect entries triggers a 30 second wait period - if this isn't the case then the ROM maker has changed this.

---
Tags: security, settings
---


title: Connecting Galaxy S2 ICS to Kies

text:
# Question
Title: Connecting Galaxy S2 ICS to Kies
I tried connecting my Samsung Galaxy SII(ICS) to Samsung Kies 2.0.2 through USB.

But whenever i connect the cable, Kies asks me to switch the phone to Kies Studio mode. But I could not find this mode in USB connection.

How do I connect my phone to Kies?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Setting USB Debugging didn't resolve my issue. I upgraded Kies to the latest version. And it worked well.

# Answer
> 1 votes
1. Under `Settings → Applications → Development` **disable** *USB Debugging*. (In vanilla ICS this option is under `Settings → Developer options`)
2. Plug your phone into your PC via USB **with Kies already running**.

(Found via GalaxyForums.net)

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, samsung-galaxy-s-2, samsung-kies, usb-connection-mode
---


# Question
Title: Want to download an unsupported app, but says it will replace an app
What does it mean when it says it will replace an app?

# Answer
> 3 votes
It means that an app with the same app id is already installed in your phone.

For eg: If there is an app with id com.example.app and you try to install another apk with same ID it will give that message.

---
Tags: applications
---


title: market links to google play in browser

text:
# Question
Title: market links to google play in browser
I just bought a desire HD. I did the factory reset. When I click on Market (old app or at least old icon), it opens a new window in the browser with the policy of google play. At the moment I click, I see the accept and decline buttons shortly but can't click on them, they then disappear.

Basically I can't use market. There is no google play app on the phone either...

Does anyone else have this issue? Does anyone know how to solve this?

# Answer
> 1 votes
I found if I went in and cleared the Market Data (from settings -\> applications), it then let me accept the terms and then started the same browser. The next time after that, that I clicked on Market, it took me to the proper interface.

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


# Question
Title: Install an app on android without SD card
How can one install an app on an android with no SD card? I tried doing so with dropbox but I was unable to download the file. I'm thinking astro file manager might let me but I've been unable to get that app installed. Will that allow me to install an app with no sd card?

# Answer
One method to install an application without SD card is to use **ADB tool** (Android Debug Bridge). It's a tool for development. It will let you install your apk file using console.

What you have to do:

1. Install ADB tool to your computer
2. Connect your device to your computer with a cable
3. Copy apk file you want to install to the folder where your ADB tool is. In this folder you have to find adb file.
4. Start your console - Terminal (on Linux) or Command Prompt (on Windows)
5. From your console you have to go to the folder in #3 - To do this use **cd command**
6. Type command **"adb devices"** \- you have to see that your device is connected.
7. Type command **"adb install myApplication.apk"**
> 3 votes

---
Tags: applications, internal-storage, installation
---


# Question
Title: Trouble with SD card in Prestigio Multipad PMP3370B
I've recently been given a **Prestigio Multipad PMP3370B** (Android 4.0) which I thought would be nice for my daughter to watch videos on. I took an 8GB micro SDHC card from my Windows 7 laptop (NTFS format) and put it into the SD card slot but it wasn't detected.

After a bit of a read I tried formatting it as FAT32/exFat and inserting it but for both formats when going to the system settings screen \> storage screen there is no card listed and no option to do anything.

So I have two questions:

* How can I be sure the SD card is inserted correctly? It seems like it wants to slip out
* How can I get an SD card working with this device

I don't want to go out and get a new SD card until I'm sure it works correctly as otherwise it would be a waste of money.

# Answer
I think the problem is the fact that it is a SDHC card. SDHC cards are rather new, and are not supported yet in most devices. So maybe you could try to find a normal SDSC card (from digital camera, friends, family..) to test if it works with that type.

The reason why SDHC cards are not yet supported in some devices is because it uses another type of Card-Specific Data (CSD) register. This results in some compatibility issues with some (older) devices. But if you want to know more about this, I recommond to use Google.

I would think though that a new device like yours (because it has Android 4.0) would support this already.. I haven't heard of the brand before, so I don't really know the quality of their devices.

**EDIT**: The device should support SDHC cards up to 32GB according to the specs, so that can't be the problem. I suggest contacting the support then, maybe they can tell you what is wrong and what you can try..
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, external-sd, prestigio-multipad
---


# Question
Title: Activate Android app by pressing thumb on timeout / locked screen for few seconds
This might seem like a strange question. Is there some sort of way for an app to launched by pressing the screen for a few seconds on touch screen phones? the reason why I ask is because this would be a great feature for like a panic button. of course the app will have to calibrate to the owner's thumb to prevent accidental pressing from objects in purse or pockets.

Regards.

# Answer
> 0 votes
As far as I know this isn't really possible. But there are apps available in the Play Store that implement a Panic Button where you can place a button on your home screen (and maybe also your lock screen, but I haven't it yet).

One of those apps I found is Red Panic Button. But you can also have a look in the Play Store yourself if you search for something like Panic Button etc.

# Answer
> 0 votes
There are several shutdown apps on the market, they all needed root. You can combine them with WidgetLocker and put their icons on your lockscreen for quick shutdown.

---
Tags: touchscreen
---


title: Update ClockWorkMod

text:
# Question
Title: Update ClockWorkMod
I have flashed my phone with Odin loading hardcore's Kernel with the ClockworkMod Recovery 2.5.

How can I know which is the latest version of ClockworkMod and how can it be updated, please?
I saw there is a Play Store app for ClockworkMod but I am unsure of how it differs from the one installed using Odin.

Thank you.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Download the latest CWM recovery available for your phone from here, put it in the root of your sd card, reboot into recovery (power off and press and hold some key combo, that depends on your phone; Google for instructions) and flash it.

You can also try TWRP, another popular custom recovery.

Let me know if you need any clarification!

---
Tags: updates, clockworkmod-recovery
---


# Question
Title: How can I transfer files from PC to Phone or vice versa without internet
I am using a cloud service (Dropbox) when I am using internet for file transfer. But how can I transfer files between my PC and my Android device without going via the Internet? and of course without using data cable.

# Answer
There are multiple solutions available:

## Using an USB Cable

If you connect your device to your PC via an USB cable, it shares (parts of) its storage to the PC. With versions prior to Android 4.x your device usually identifies as USB storage (like any external disk/USB-stick attached), never Android versions might use MTP instead, which might require special drivers on your PC to be used.

Once connected, you can transfer files easily between PC and Android device.

## Using a card reader

If your device features a slot for sd cards, you could simply remove the sd card from your device (remember to unmount it first via the device's setup menu), put it into a card reader, and attach it to the PC. It should then pop-up on your PC as "USB storage" as described above.

## Wireless solutions (Browser-based)

There are a bunch of wireless solutions available -- and this is not the place to list them all. Principially, you can install any FTP/Web server, and configure it to offer the directories you wish to access.

As this might be too complicated for many users, there are quite easy solutions. The probably most well-known is AirDroid, which offers a nice interface to manage almost your entire device from your PC:

As the example screenshot shows, a file browser is included -- and permits you to upload and download files to/from your device.

A second example for an easy-to-use app would be WiFi File Transfer, which -- as the name suggests -- is specialized to transfer files via WiFi:

There are many more possibilities, just check the playstore. A good starting point are the playstore pages of the mentioned two examples, then lookup related apps.

## Other Wireless Solutions

There are many more wireless solutions available. As Logos mentioned it in his comment, I will add some examples here for completeness:

### Samba

You can use apps like Samba Filesharing to turn your Android device into a Samba server. In short, Samba (or SMB, or CIFS) is the protocol used by Windows shares. Linux also understands this protocol. Using Samba, one thus can access the Android device's file system (without root, this will be restricted to the internal/external sd card) like any Samba-/Windows share.

### WebDAV

Several apps like e.g. DavDrive can share the Android device's storage via the WebDAV protocol. This works via HTTP, but can also be accessed like a "shared drive" using the appropriate software on the PC.

### Bluetooth

Don't forget that we also have this available -- at least on our Android devices. But also keep in mind this is much slower than WiFi. Nevertheless, it can be facilitated using apps like Bluetooth File Transfer.

### FTP

The File Transfer Protocol also is an option. There are several apps available turning an Android device into an FTPServer...

### Other solutions

For completeness, let's just name them in short: SSH Server, Web server, File Synchronization tools (like e.g. FolderSync), and probably several other options I'm currently unaware of...
> 6 votes

---
Tags: file-transfer
---


# Question
Title: Pressing volume keys causes songs to skip
Device: Motorola Defy (MB525), running Android ICS (4.0.4), CyanogenMod 9-20121116-NIGHTLY-jordan

Issue: Whenever I'm listening to songs on any song app, If I press either volume up or down keys when the screen is on, it works fine. However, if the screen is turned off and I press volume keys, it either returns to the beginning of the song (on vol down) or skips to the next song (on vol up).

Apps affected: This behaviour is verified on Google Play Music, Doods Music Streamer, and pretty much any app that has support for skipping songs while the screen is locked.

# Answer
This is a feature of CyanogenMod. Pressing and briefly holding one of the volume buttons when the screen is off will cause the music player to skip forward (volume up) or backward (volume down). The intention is that this allows you to skip tracks and whatnot without having to unlock the device.

If you find it annoying then you can disable it completely in your settings: simply uncheck the option at `Settings -> Sound -> Volume rocker music controls`. Alternatively, try to use short presses of the volume buttons when the screen is off and it should adjust the volume rather than skipping.
> 9 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, music, buttons, media-player, motorola-defy
---


# Question
Title: Touchscreen problems with a rk2918 tablet
I have an Evolio Evotab 2 (RK2918) running gingerbread

http://www.gsmland.ro/tableta-evolio-evotab\_2-4090

(sorry couldn't find english site with specs)

When typing fast it repeats the last letter instead of the one I just pressed. (for instance If I type Q and quickly go to K I get QQ )

I tried flashing other roms from similar chinese tablets but couldn't find one where everything worked.

Also it happens more often in landscape than when typing in portrait mode.

Can anybody tell me if this sounds like a software or hardware issue?

This is what I tried so far: -other keyboards than stock -tried typing in different places (browsers,apps) -other rom's -wipe+flash+root and uninstall allmost everything with TB = still happens.

Thank you.

# Answer
Hmmm.. a quick google-fu yielded this linky

To quote:

> GPS: What should I do if touch screen ( display) is not responding? In case that the product is E100, E205, E300 or E400 press the RESET key.
>
> If is S1200, A1700 or Xroad, follow the steps:
>
> 1. Turn on the device and press key Menu M (up left), in case the GPS is turning on rolling an application it will return to the home menu.
> 2. In home menu press key Menu then press 4 times key +( plus, up right) and once key – (minus, down right).
> 3. If the steps were correct executed, on screen will appear a cursor +. Press, with careful, in the center of the cursor using the GPS pencil, marking the screen coordonats, center and four corners.
> 4. After marking the coordonates, touch the screen anywhere for saving the coordonates.
> 5. Next step “Touch Test” will confirm that the settings are right and will have effect on the device, press the center of + and if the 5 coordonates were been set correctly it will pass at sound test, or it will return at the calibrating screen .
> 6. If you executed correctly the steps and you arrived at “Sound Test”, turn off and then turn on the GPS.
> 7. Assure that you executed correctly the procedure and if the problem persist, contact our service.

Try that or use one of the hidden secret Android codes to get at the service menu, there may be an option in there to calibrate the touchscreen?
> -1 votes

---
Tags: touchscreen
---


# Question
Title: SGS2 Replace preinstalled apps in Custom ROM
Is is possible to change / modify the custom ROM you're about to install on your rooted Galaxy S2 (9100)?

Usually, I would install CyanogenMod 10 Nightly build. Then, I'd install GAPPS (google apps). Lastly, I'd restart and it would work.

Now, what I want to do is to replace a default CM (CyanogenMod) apps (SMS, Contact manager/Call manager) with those included in JB 4.1.2 (leaked version).

Is there any way to achieve it?

Thanks in advance for any info and suggestions.

**UPDATED POST**

Here is a pic of apps difference in icons (on left CM10, onright JB)
And here is a snapshot of apps in `system/app/` of those versions

# Answer
> 1 votes
Since you're rooted within CM, its a matter of doing the following, provided you have read the following:

***Caveat Emptor:***

The Jellybean leaked apks are signed with the signature key used to generate the signed leaked ROM of JB, however, it may clash with CM's own signature key which is, and I'll guarantee, different, so may not work at all!

You are on your own from there onwards.

# -------------------------------------

* remounting the `/system` rewriteable as in `adb remount` to make it writeable
* replace the apk's concerned within `/system/app` by adb pushing the appropriate apks taken from JB, as in `adb push name_of_jb_apk.apk /system/app` (Repeat for each apk concerned) - *this will overwrite the apk's already residing in `/system/app`*
* remount the `/system` as read-only as in `adb remount`

Reboot, and go into clockworkmod recovery and clear the data/cache, the reason being is to remove the old cached data that was in use by the old apk's, and thus, minimize the chances of force closes within the relevant apks in question.

I will list the actual filenames for the apk's concerned:

* Sms, the filename is `Mms.apk`
* Contacts, there's two apks involved, `ContactsProvider.apk` and `Contacts.apk`
* Dialler, name is `Phone.apk`, now, beware, this may have a dependency on `TelephonyProvider.apk` also.

Whilst I have mentioned the actual apk's, I am therefore disclaiming any responsibility for anything that may happen on your handset as a result of replacing system apps.

---
Tags: custom-roms
---


# Question
Title: HTC Evo 4g LTe Jellybean (JB) charge only
I just flashed a new stock JB ROM from viper boy over at xda.

What happened to the Connect to PC in the settings window? I can see my HTC Evo 4g LTE as a disk drive and media exchange, but it has no option for charge only. What mode do I need to be in to run cmd commands on my JB phone? Every tutorial for cmd says charge only.

# Answer
> 1 votes
For starters, this shouldn't be here, this should have been asked at the XDA thread itself. With all the tweaks they make to their ROM, it would have been a good idea.

Second, with MTP, there is no need for Charge only. The SD card and Phone Storage is always available when you are connected. "Charge Only" was relevant when you were on ICS or GB and you had UMS (USB Mass Storage).

# Answer
> 1 votes
As it is two questions in one, you need two answers:

1. To **run commands via ADB,** you do not need to set that mode now - you just need to have USB debugging enabled, and the cmd commands will work.
Just remember that having USB debugging enabled could warrant a security risk as it may allow someone that has stolen your phone to access it's data without having to unlock it, but as you seem to have had it enabled previously, then I believe you should understand the risks.
2. Concerning the **USB connection mode:** In the old Android version, that mode caused issues (due to manufacturer modifications), since jellybean, Android uses MTP, so that option became redundant.

---
Tags: 4.1-jelly-bean
---


# Question
Title: How does Google Play determine the region on a tablet without SIM card
I know Google Play uses SIM card to determine the region on cell phones. And I know Market Unlocker and Market Enabler.

How does Google Play determine your region on a tablet without SIM card?

And how to change it? I have access to IP address where Google Play is available. And I own a credit card whose billing address is in a country where Google Play paid apps are available.

# Answer
Google uses your IP Address and visible WiFi networks, as well as the information from the Google Account you used to determine your region.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Your region is determined by your IP address and your account. What you see in the store is determined by your IP's location, but what you can actually purchase is determined by your Google account.

I bought a Nexus 7 from the USA and primarily use it in Singapore with a Singapore Google account and credit card. All of the prices are in SGD and I don't have access to things like books or movies.

I am currently in Japan and a lot of the Play store text and app titles are in Japanese, the prices are in Yen and I can see movies and books. I have bought some apps, but I cannot download region restricted items e.g. books and some games (even free ones).
> 1 votes

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Tags: google-play-store, tablet
---


# Question
Title: Using Amazon Instant Video from Amazon Prime on Non-Kindle device
I have an Asus EEE Transformer, and am contemplating an Amazon Prime membership. One of the nice features is streaming video. You can play it on computer, TV/DVD/BluRay that support it, or Kindle.

Is there anyway to play on plain Android, like my Transformer?

# Answer
Yes, you can play Amazon Prime videos using flash in the browser. See this thread.

Per the thread, you may have to remove the stock Flash and install Adobe's official version from the market, as well as the Dolphin HD browser.

You can rent movies from Amazon, which presumably use the same framework as Prime videos. It would probably be advisable to rent a movie to verify it works before investing in a Prime membership.
> 2 votes

# Answer
As of very recently, this no longer is possible. Flash for Android is no longer supported, upgraded or offered by Adobe.

There are hacks available for installing older versions of Flash, but given the security holes this opens up, installing an expired version of Flash is probably a really bad idea.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: asus-eee-pad-transformer, amazon-video
---


# Question
Title: Why are my photographs not stored with GPS location?
I'm currently on vacation and used my Samsung Galaxy S 2 to take a couple hundred photographs.

I'm running the stable CyanogenMod 9 and have the **Store Location** option enabled in the Camera app. I also kept the GPS activated at all times.

Yet, most of my photographs were stored without location information which is somewhat disappointing.

I kept mobile data deactivated for long periods of time (to conserve battery power) and am wondering if that may have had an impact.

# Answer
> 3 votes
GPS has nothing to do with your mobile network (or Wi-Fi where applicable). GPS basically record the coordinates of the location (precise location) and time information. See the GPS tag or Wikipedia for more info.

About you question, the reason that there is no location information for *some* photos is that the camera did not have time to contact the satellites. It takes some time (maybe 15secs or so) to establish a connection with the satellites and locate you. Did you suddenly opened the camera, took the photo? There is no time to establish a satellite connection. (I'm sure you did this to preserve the battery power). This is also the reason some photos in a row have their location recorded. Another possible reason would be that You might have been in a place where satellites couldn't locate you. (Indoors, thick forests, etc.)

If you really need the locations to be tagged for your photos, you can do it manually with your stock album app or third party app as well.

The reason some apps like maps use data connection or Wi-Fi is that they need it to download map data (road names, traffic info, etc.) So no need to worry about your data, GPS or camera.

Hope this helps

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, samsung-galaxy-s-2, gps, camera
---


# Question
Title: How can I prevent lag when recording video on HTC Desire S?
I have lags after recording and playing back videos on my HTC device. Look at this video capture:

**˃** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmOAr476DHc&hd=1

I thought it had something to do with autofocus but it is only available in shoot mode. Maybe it is still active in video capturing mode but without ability to let user change settings so they can only be changed in shooting mode? This happened with stock Sandisk 8GB Class 4 SD card and happens with Sandisk 16GB Class 4 SD card that i bought recently.

*HTC Desire S*
*Android 2.3.3 (stock)*

# Answer
> 1 votes
Enable USB debugging, plug your phone into a computer via USB for a couple of minutes and disconnect. - source

You can also try a faster memory card, as ^ has adviced.

Keep some reasonable amount of free space on phone memory, move apps to SD card if necessary. Android often suffers performance issues when internal memory is low (much like any OS, really).

If nothing else works, try a factory reset and record it again. If there are no lags, it might be because of any resource-intensive apps you have installed.

# Answer
> 4 votes
Have you tried using Kingston Class 4? If you can find Class 10, even better!

Source

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Tags: video-recording
---


title: TMobile G2X as dev phone

text:
# Question
Title: TMobile G2X as dev phone
I'm trying to use my T Mobile locked LG G2X as a dev phone while I wait for my GNex4. I can't get the phone to be found by ADB. I installed the p999 driver from LG's website. This didn't help anything. I tried adding the VID manually to `adb_usb.ini`. The VID I found in device manager was `USB\VID_17EF&PID_4807&REV_3134` so I entered the line `0x17EF` into the file. This didn't help either.

How can I get the p999 working as a dev phone?

Does anyone know the right VID entry for the p999?

Also, when I plug the phone into my Windows 7 computer, the phone charges, but does not prompt any sort of device discovery message from windows... does this indicate some other problem? My USB ports definitely work.

# Answer
My suspicions from the last part of my question were correct... Unbeknownst to me I was using a micro-usb "charge only" cable (I snagged it from a friend)... I didn't even know they made such a useless thing. Some of these are actually MORE expensive then a normal cable.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: adb, lg-optimus-2x, t-mobile-g2x, lg-p999
---


# Question
Title: Contacts with and without international extensions
I'm in the UK. My Nexus S received its update to 4.0.4 yesterday, and I now have the following problem.

If I have a contact with (say) the number 07123456789 and I receive a text from this contact, it comes up as +447123456789. However the phone no longer seems to recognise that these numbers are the same (i.e. one is with the international extension, one without) and the contact name is not displayed with the text. Is there a setting or anything that will fix this?

# Answer
> 14 votes
This is a known problem with ICS (up to 4.0.3, I think) :

If you follow this link you'll also see a solution to the problem (I'd recommend backing up your contacts first, just in case):

1. Assuming your phone is synced with Google Contacts
2. Disable contacts syncing. From the home screen: Press Menu -\> System Settings -\> Accounts & sync
3. Erase all contacts from the phone: From the home screen: Press Menu -\> Manage Apps. Scroll down to Contacts Storage and press Clear Data.
4. Restart the contacts sync as in Step 2.

I also have a Nexus S and am in the UK and have just had version 4.0.4 rolled out to me yesterday, I haven't had a chance to download it yet BUT 4.0.4 should have 'Improved phone number recognition' according to the Android team, I'm assuming that's a reference to the problem we've been having and should fix it. Here's the link to statement from the team:

Here's another solution, that's been posted on the top link I gave you, I haven't tested it personally but others in the thread seem to have and have said it works. Try the first shorter one before this though. Here it is:

```
    1- menu --> people
    2- option --> import/export
    3- export to storage --> OK
    4- option --> import/export
    5- import from storage --> after searching
    6- import one vCard file --> ok
    7- choose the file which you exported early (00001.vcf) --> wait for import
    8- now your issue is solved and you can try if it works with you. but we got another error of duplicated names here.

    if you want to solve the duplication on names here. follow the below:
    1- menu --> settings
    2- accounts & sync
    3- enable the sync and choose to sync your gmail account
    4- after finishing the sync. go to your laptop and open your gmail email.
    5- press on the contacts tab on the left side
    6- select all the contacts --> more --> find & merge duplicates

```

# Answer
> 1 votes
It might help installing an Android app called Right Number (source available). It reformats the numbers of all your contacts to the international format, and then automatically adds the local prefixes whenever you do a call.

In other words, keep all your numbers in a common, sane format, and then stop worrying about those prefixes.

Disclaimer: I know personally one of the authors of that app.

# Answer
> 1 votes
OK, nothing works for me but I found something in the web that could help mitigate this problem. It consists of editing "/system/build.prop" and adding this: "ro.phone.min\_match=8". Of course, you should replace the length "8" to a value more convenient to you. (in fact, 8 is the best number)

Then, you need to restart the phone. Some phones put the cell on hibernate when you power down. So try to restart instead.

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, contacts, sms, samsung-nexus-s, international-prefix
---


# Question
Title: Cannot turn Nexus 7 on after locking the screen
My Nexus 7 had been performing without any issues, however, I locked the screen by pressing the power button as usual and then tried to turn it on several hours later but it was unresponsive.

How can I fix this?

# Answer
I've managed to deal with this problem by performing a "soft reset".

Hold down the power button for around 30 seconds, the device should start a soft reset (*i.e. you don't lose any data/settings etc.*) and reboot.

**--**
Why it blocked and prevented me from performing a screen unlock remains to be explained.
> 5 votes

# Answer
For those that tried the soft reset to no avail: some tablet covers have magnets in them used to toggle the screen on and off. If your cover is poorly made, it may trigger the screen to turn off at inopportune times, e.g. when you have it folded back like a book cover and it's turning your screen off as soon as you get past the lockscreen.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: nexus-7, screen, system-freeze
---


# Question
Title: How to prevent buttons from activating screen
When I take my Android phone from my trousers pocket the screen is often activated since any press to the search, home, back or menu button activates the screen. Of course, this is a major battery drain. Even worse - sometimes the phone takes or rejects an incoming call while being in my pocket without me noticing. 8-(

So: is there any way to prevent these buttons from activating the screen? Only the power on button should wake it up, since it is much better hidden and cannot be accidentially pressed in the pocket.

In case that matters: my phone is a LG-P500 with Android version 2.2.2

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you did not find anything related in the settings, a solution could be to install a custom ROM (such as CyanogenMod). They often provide a much wider set of settings, and I remember having seen something like "Menu button wakes phones on/off" on some of my older devices.

# Answer
> 0 votes
When your phone is locked and you press any key, the screen only lights up for a few seconds. Even if you accidentally press home or search, nothing will happen until you unlock it. There is no reason to have a dedicated button just for waking up the screen.

EDIT: It's about time, buddy. Get a Nexus device.

---
Tags: lock-screens, buttons
---


# Question
Title: how remove duplicate entries in music list (after reset)?
How remove duplicate entries in music library (music player). i have factory restore (reset) still double entries of songs list, albums.

I am using android-2.2 Foryo (Samsung Galaxy 551 - GT-5510).

duplicate entries not working... :(

# Answer
> 1 votes
I got solution Backup your data (note : dont take android data on sd card)

--- Or ---

Or remove your android data folder on SD card

---
Tags: 2.2-froyo, music, music-player
---


# Question
Title: Easy question: How do I search for apps on my S3?
I know (N00b) but I see the Google search bar for performing internet searches. But I don't see where a quick search for my phone's content is, like you would find on an iPhone by moving to the search screen. (Which searches through all of the phones content-contacts, apps, email, etc.)

# Answer
> 2 votes
Press and hold the menu button (button to the left of the physical home button). It will launch google now and if you enter the first letter of the name of an app it should start listing those apps, at least it does it on my galaxy s3.

# Answer
> -1 votes
If you pinch inwards on the app list then the app lists minimize and can be rearranged.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Found an app, this allows you to search your device for apps: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.startapp.quicksearchbox&feature=search\_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5zdGFydGFwcC5xdWlja3NlYXJjaGJveCJd

---
Tags: search
---


title: Samsung Galaxy S2 stops during boot

text:
# Question
Title: Samsung Galaxy S2 stops during boot
My S2 stops at the Samsung logo screen during boot. When I restart it, the same thing happens. My phone is using Android 4.0.4 (ICS), and it is not rooted. Please help me with this. Thanks in advance.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Sometimes android goes into Fubar mode and the only way to get past it is to make a hard reset. This unfortunately deletes any data stored on the device but anything stored on the memory card will remain. Luckily there is a hardware hard reset mode.

A hard reset can be accomplished by doing the following things:

1. Turn the power off. If your Samsung Galaxy S II is frozen, pull the battery out and reinsert it
2. Hold the Volume Down button
3. Press and release the Power button
4. You are now presented with a menu that allows for Fastbook, Recovery, Clear Storage, and Simlock
5. Select Clear Storage by pressing the Volume Down button
6. Press and release the Power button
7. Now simply confirm your decision: Volume Up for YES and Volume Down for NO

Some versions of samsung galaxy s2 require that you need to hold down volume down AND volume up to get into the menu.

Youtube video showing how it's done

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, samsung-galaxy-s-2, boot-loop
---


title: Clockworkmod Backup/Restore Feature

text:
# Question
Title: Clockworkmod Backup/Restore Feature
So last week, I decided to flash a custom ROM to my 2 year old Desire HD. I used the all in one, one-step, "rooting" tool called AAHK (It doesn't just root the phone, it does a whole lot like S-OFF, Goldcard, etc).

My DHD is now running Jellytime R30. Everything is good.

Now, I would like to try other ROMS. I did a backup of my current system via Clockworkmod in Recovery.

Question: Is this a full "image" snapshot? I mean, will I be able to restore the entire system including the ROM when I restore this backup? Or do I have to flash the ROM in the snapshot before I restore the backup?

PS: I'm new to this custom ROM thing but I've done my fair amount of research. :)

# Answer
CWM backups are full system backups, so they restore it to exactly how it was when you took a backup. Everything including apps, settings, preferences, even call log is saved.

You don't have to flash the ROM before restoring a backup. The backup files contain a boot.img and system.img that have the ROM, kernel etc in it.

When moving to another ROM, you might also want to take a backup of all your apps and app data with Titanium backup, this is helpful to restore them on the new ROM.

If you flashed a new ROM without using Titanium Backup, don't panic, App Extractor can extract apps and data from a CWM backup. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.handyandy.appextractor

My usual flash routine is: backup with Titanium, sync all data on wifi, backup sms, reboot to recovery, do CWM backup and then wipe, flash new ROM, reboot and restore apps, and sync.

Hope it helps!
> 2 votes

# Answer
What ClockworkMod does is a so called Nandroid Backup. Basically, this contains an image for each of the file systems of the device (i.e. one image per file system) -- and thus it *is* a full backup/"image snapshot". The format of the snapshot might differ and depend on the device and ClockworkMod version being used; for my *Motorola Milestone 2* most of the file systems seem to be captured as YAFFS2 image, i.e. the image uses the same file system used on the device. So it is comparable with using `dd` on Unix/Linux (see Wikipedia), at least in my case.

Newer versions of ClockworkMod Recovery (6.0 and up) also do "incremental updates" to save space on the backup medium and allow for faster backup (see e.g. this TechieBuzz.COM article). For this, you might also want to check our question How can I tell CWM to perform a full backup instead of an incremental backup?

More details you can also find by following the tag.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: custom-roms, backup, clockworkmod-recovery, htc-desire-hd
---


title: Unable to connect my Nexus 7 to a PC

text:
# Question
Title: Unable to connect my Nexus 7 to a PC
I searched a lot over the Internet and tried all the advice I found.

I have installed drivers from the ASUS site and changed `C:\Windows\inf\wpdmtp.inf` so it now contains

```
; Nexus 7
%GenericMTP.DeviceDesc%=MTP, USB\MS_COMP_MTP
%GenericMTP.DeviceDesc%=MTP, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E42&MI_00

```

both in `[Generic.NTx86]` and `[Generic.NTamd64]` sections.

My device is in MTP mode.

Computer sees it in PTP mode.

USB debugging is on.

It was said that I need Windows Media Player 11, but I have Windows 7 so it should be included, although I don't know where to check the version.

Here is what I see in device manager after all failed attempts:

# Answer
> 2 votes
For some reason, MTP and ADB are incompatible. Try turning USB debugging off, I've never been able to get it to connect right with it on.

---
Tags: connection-issues, nexus-7, mtp
---


# Question
Title: Galaxy Note and stock Google Calendar app
How can I install stock ICS Google Calendar app to a Galaxy Note with original ICS ROM? I found `Calendar.apk` and `CalendarProvider.apk` on the net and tried to install. According to the install these are system apps and I was not able to replace the existing ones that I can't understand because there's no stock calendar on the phone.

# Answer
Google has released Google Calendar as separate app officially on Google Play.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I've found a slightly modified, adapted version on Google Play that works well:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.concentriclivers.calendar
> 2 votes

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, installation, google-calendar, samsung-galaxy-note
---


# Question
Title: Why is the com.android.browser process draining my battery?
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note with stock 4.0.4 ROM. The battery drains very fast and the phone is often warm. Reboot doesn't help. Settings says that com.android.browser (Internet) uses most of the battery. I never use default browser, I only use Chrome.

I suspect that some background process it creating a heavy load and using the internet connection. I think browser is used by other applications, but I'm not able to figure out which application is related. I suspect maybe ad supported applications are the root of the problem.

Is there any solution or app to figure out the origin of the problem?

# Answer
The root of the problem is Internet sync related. The system is not able to sync internet settings.

http://blog.abrah.am/2011/12/sync-is-currently-experiencing-problems.html
> 1 votes

# Answer
While I can't speculate as to the exact reason, you may find the app Better Battery Stats useful in working out where the battery drain is coming from.

The app is able to define kernel wakelocks, partial wakelocks and cpu states etc. Very useful in helping myself pinpointing problematic applications and extending battery life.

The app can be installed as a .apk provided for free by the developer over at xda-dev or supporting the author by purchasing the paid app from the Play store
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, battery-life
---


# Question
Title: Trying to use Xbox controller on Nexus 7
I just got the Asus Nexus 7 and I am attempting to play the N64 emulator (Mupen64 plus, AE). I have my wired xbox 360 controller plugged in to the otg cable, but the light does not stay on the controller and the Nexus is not reading it. Only when I press it does it flash for a second. Help?

# Answer
> 1 votes
This very comprehensive article entitled **"Guide to Game Controllers on Android"** published on 9th May 2012 maybe greatly beneficial to you:

http://www.pocketables.com/2012/05/guide-to-game-controllers-on-android.html

You may also be interested in this video (approx.45 mins duration) entitled "Gaming On The Nexus 7 With A PS3 Controller"

http://revision3.com/hak5/how-to-bluetooth-a-controller-to-nexus

---
Tags: nexus-7, 4.2-jelly-bean, game-controllers
---


# Question
Title: How to import contacts from symbian mobile to android mobile?
I had Nokia 5610 ( S40 v5 ) mobile, and recently i got a new Android mobile ( HTC Desire S ). Now, when i put my sim card in my new phone i get all contacts which were saved in SIM memory, but there were lots of contacts in phone memory. I would like to import those also. How can i do that?

# Answer
> 6 votes
You will need the Nokia PC Suite tool but here is the easiest and fastest way.

1. Connect Nokia to PC using the PC-Suite
2. go to Contacts - press CTRL+A (select all)
3. go to Desktop/Subfolder - press CTRL+V (paste)
4. that will create a .vcf file for each contact
5. from a command prompt run the following command in the folderon your desktop where the files are saved: `copy *.vcf contacts.txt`
6. open http://google.com/contacts
7. choose "Import" link in google contacts.

# Answer
> 4 votes
If your old Symbian Phone have Bluetooth you can go to address book application, select all contacts and send them through Bluetooth to your new phone.

This will send a vcard file for each contact to your new phone and then you can import this data to your Android Phone.

I think the option to send a given contact via Bluetooth to another phone is: Select the contact and the **Details \> Options \> Send business card**

# Answer
> 0 votes
If you save a backup of your contacts onto your Symbian phone's SD card, it appears as an NBF file. This is a zip file, which contains all your contacts in VCF format -- if you concatenate them all together, you can upload them to Google Contacts in one go.

For more details about how I discovered this, I wrote a blog post at the time.

# Answer
> 0 votes
Try using the Nokia PC suit to move all the contacts from the phone to the SIM card. This works in Samsung's Kies.

---
Tags: contacts
---


# Question
Title: ADB 'su: permission denied' in recovery mode on rooted device
ADB 'su' command returns 'su: permission denied' on a fully rooted device in recovery mode. I can modify folders and files that require root access on phone (when it's booted). ADB also works when it's booted - I only need to confirm a superuser pop-up on the phone.

USB debugging is enabled.

What can the problem be?

Thanks!

# Answer
Most recoveries don't work in root mode - and root mode cannot be acheived, as the SU binary calls your superuser app to gain permission to use root mode.

As the `su` binary cannot call the app, it stops you using SU mode.

It could also be due to the fact that the `su` file used in recovery is the stock `su` file found in Android, and this doesn't let you switch to the root user (as if it did every device would be rooted).

Some recoveries allow root to be used - you will have to search for one for your device.
> 2 votes

# Answer
You are not going to get a popup superuser confirmation from within a rooted recovery.

That popup superuser confirm dialog only happens in a fully booted *normal* Android environment.

Sounds more likely that the ramdisk used within the recovery, has the setting `ro.secure=1` in `default.prop` by accident thus preventing the su binary from getting executed with a error `su: permission denied`.

Had it being set as `ro.secure=0` then adb would allow the **s** witch **u** ser to root function as normal.

**OP:** Please give more details such as make of handset, what version of recovery, is it clockworkmod or stock?
> 1 votes

---
Tags: adb, recovery-mode, root-access, file-permissions, superuser
---


# Question
Title: Prevent runaway threads and ultimately physical overheating and battery drain on Android
I was wondering if there is a system monitor app that will raise (audible) alerts and offer app closure if it detects runaway threads on Android that cause physical overheating and battery drain.

E.g., I just had to turn my phone off because there was a runaway thread that I think was constantly trying to refresh FB where there was very poor connection, so it was going in a virtually endless loop. But I get that with other apps too and not just Facebook.

I'd like to actually shut apps down when they're detected.

I am not kidding, I nearly burned my fingertips when I touched my phone -- it was on for only 2 hrs and the battery was almost dead. It is because 4G is very poor inside my office building and I checked Facebook walking between my vehicle and the building this AM. After that, the app kept trying to refresh continuously without success and overheating the phone.

# Answer
> 3 votes
As noted in the comment, "battery drain" and "overheating" are not necessarily connected: not everything that drains your battery causes overheating. Overheating is most likely caused by excessive CPU hogging (which of course also leads to battery drain).

You might want to take a look at the app DrainGuard, which keeps a log of battery consumption, always informs you how much was consumed since you turned the screen off last time, and -- here it comes -- it can start an alarm when some app causes excessive battery drain. Values are configurable:

The free version only works from 100% charge down to 70%, which is fine for testing. Once you decided the app serves your purpose, the DrainGuard PRO Key is available on the playstore for less than an Euro.

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


title: Why is bricking possible?

text:
# Question
Title: Why is bricking possible?
No matter how messed up a desktop is, you can always format it and reinstall of a live boot. Why can't you do the same thing with a droid?

# Answer
The risk of really "bricking" a phone is not that high as it may seem, at least with more recent models, as there are multiple levels of safety-guards in place: If you break your regular system, there's a fallback possible to the recovery mode. If that's broken as well, there are things like Fastboot in place. Only if you break the lowest level, and e.g. flash an incompatible radio image (the radio image is the layer bridging the hardware to a software layer, to simplify the explanation -- see also Al's comparision with the PC's BIOS in his comment to your question: if the BIOS is broken, you no longer can start your computer), your device is really "bricked".

To understand the difference, you should also see what is different between installing your "desktop OS" on a computer and flashing your Android device: Installing your desktop OS works on a file level. That is, you boot from e.g. a DVD, and then copy files to your harddisk. On Android, flashing a ROM means to copy the entire file system at once. And you cannot boot a live system from DVD or the like -- especially when newer devices like the Nexus 4 come without even a sdcard slot.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: unbricking
---


title: Prevent update prompt

text:
# Question
Title: Prevent update prompt
Is there a way *without* rooting to prevent galaxy nexus devices from prompting that there is an update available. We have several devices at work that we would like to keep on a particular android version for development reasons and it is somewhat of an annoyance being informed repeatedly of the same update.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You are looking for FOTAKill.apk, it kills the Firmware Over The Air (FOTA). "Prevents GoogleServicesFramework from downloading OTA updates"

It's a fairly standard apk used and provided with some gapps packages (google apps package, when you install a custom ROM you don't get the google apps, need to install a gapps package).. It works for both stock and rooted ROMS

The XDA forums have more information about it and download links of the apk, it originated from the CM ROM (cyanogenmod) but works on stock as well as custom ROMs.

Source code: https://github.com/zinx/FOTAKill

Download etc for example from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1832496

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


# Question
Title: My Beats Audio icon is no longer being displayed during playback
I bought an HTC One X and when I first started using it whenever I played audio I would have a little red Beats Audio icon shown in my notification bar. When you pulled the bar down it would list the item and say "Beats Audio enabled" and when you touched it, it would turn it off and on.

Recently it seems to have stopped being displayed. This is on all audio, so music from the htc music app, Youtube, and Deezer (a music streaming app).

Does anyone have any ideas on what's happened to it, if it's a known bug or if there is an obtuse setting hidden somewhere that I can try to see if I've turned it off by accident.

I have had a poke through the settings and can't see anything obvious. I am running TasKiller but I would assume that running an audio app would kick off the app.

# Answer
I got a reply from HTC technical support. Make of it what you will, I've asked the lady to clarify what she means as I don't understand her Engrish.

> Thank you for providing me with the additional details to enable me to resolve your enquiry. It’s always our aim to ensure that our customers’ issues are resolved first time and I’m sorry that this has not happened in your case. Thank you for performing the steps outlined in my previous email. I can confirm this has been removed in the 1.28 update for your device, Headset setting they have now are gone and turns into “Other”. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you. I look forward to hearing that this has resolved your enquiry, to close your email or alternatively to reply to me please follow the links below. You will shortly receive an email asking you to submit your feedback, I would appreciate if you could take the time to let me know about the level of service I have provided you with.

Apologies for the formatting, the HTC support portal strips everything! :facepalm:

So, in order to see the icon again.

1. You need to plugin a headset/headphones
2. Drag down your notifications bar, and hit 'Settings'
3. Click on 'Sound'
4. You'll notice the 'Sound enhancer' menu is now not greyed out
5. Tap this and you'll then get a choice of 'Sound enhancers' to use

Confirmed as working for me.
> 2 votes

# Answer
The htcbeatsnotify app is what shows the beats notification. If you disable it the notification doesn't show up.

Check that you have that app in all apps and it's not disabled.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: audio, htc-one-x
---


title: Clock to use when giving presentations

text:
# Question
Title: Clock to use when giving presentations
When I give presentations, I have to keep an eye on the clock to make sure my speech does not take more than alloted time, or in the end to know whether I can take more questions.

Looking at my watch is inconvenient, I would prefer my Android phone's large screen to:

* Just display the time (for example 14:28).
* Not go into standby mode.
* Hugest font possible, black on white, landscape.

Sounds trivial. Is there such an app?
*Priority to free apps, biggest priority to open source apps.*

# Answer
> 9 votes
Digital Clock does *almost* everything you ask. Ignore the rubbish picture from the page, it is a full-screen clock with white text on black and it's free.

To configure it as you need, launch the app, then open the settings (tap the screen to open the options then tap **Settings**) then set:

* **Clock**-\>**Screen timeout** to unchecked.
* **Clock**-\>**Orientation** to **Landscape**.
* **Time & Date**-\>**Show date** to unchecked.

You can also adjust the time format and colour if you wish. The time is about half the screen height, but I can easily read it on my phone from more than 20ft away so that may not be a problem.

# Answer
> 3 votes
I use Ovo timer: a minimalist app to set your timer by dragging an arc on your screen. Also, you can set time by voice (it needs Internet connection for this). It runs on Android 2.1 and up. The only con I've found is that it only supports times not greater than 1 hour.

About what you're asking for:

* *Just display the time (for example 14:28).* **Check**.
* *Not go into standby mode.* **Check**: You can configure it to do so via Preferences.
* *Hugest font possible, black on white, landscape.* **Close enough**: It rotates as your device does. Also the red/white arc animation gives you a clue about remaining time.
* *Free app.* **Check**.
* *Open source app.* **I think not**.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I use Stopwatch & Timer Goes full screen when you change into landscape orientation, also I used the lap times when we had to give a team presentation.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I use Flow Timer for this, it displays the (countdown) time in the largest possible width in black on white (default). Furthermore by default it just dims the screen but doesn't turn it off (in the settings there is a choice to keep it at "bright", that is, to not even dim the screen a bit). Landscape mode (even tablet) as well.

You can also add several timers after each other for different parts of the presentation. No interaction required, it just makes a small beep (configurable) and continues/finishes.

Full disclosure: I'm the author

---
Tags: clock
---


# Question
Title: What is "Detach from Market"? What does it do?
What is "Detach from Market" in Titanium Backup? What does it do?

# Answer
> 2 votes
As Titanium Backup Technical FAQ states: This option tells the Market that you do not want to update a specific app.

This option is especially useful if you need to unlink wrongly linked Android apps from Play Store, as this article explains.

---
Tags: titanium-backup
---


# Question
Title: Does Huawei Honor support silent camera mode in Ice Cream Sandwich?
I use the app `Camera Zoom FX` for taking photos. On Gingerbread, I was able to mute its sounds via the settings. After updating to Ice Cream Sandwich, I always hear a sound when taking a photo.

Since I updated the app too, I was wondering: Is this a bug in `Camera Zoom FX` or doesn't ICS for Huawei Honor allow to mute its camera?

# Answer
> 1 votes
No, your phone needs to be rooted ( as confirmed by the developers ). You may want to try Camera ICS + however which has as many features but remains silent.

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, camera, huawei-u8860, mute
---


# Question
Title: Google play fails to install application with RPC:S-5:AEC-0
Someone has reported me that he cannot install or upgrade applications on Google Play. It fails with error RPC:S-5:AEC-0

What does that mean? How to fix this?

# Answer
I found this working answer on Androidcentral: Remove and re-add the main Google account
> 6 votes

# Answer
User @rds has given the correct answer about how to fix this problem, but I can tell you that this issue happens mainly after stopping **Google Services Framework** (this is a practice that some people recommend in order to be able to get OTAs when delayed to be available for your phone).

I had Android 4.2, but I was trying to get a recently released bug-fixing 4.2.1 update, so I just did this (stop Google Services Framework), but after updating Android and restarting my smartphone, I got that infamous `[RPC:S-5:AEC-0]` error when trying to get some updates for my apps.

First I tried, unsuccessfully, what @Anthony says. Then I did what @rds says (removing/adding my Google account) and the problem has gone!

Let me add: this is not the first time I get that error, but it is until now that I realize both the reason and the solution, so I'm sharing this with you.
> 5 votes

# Answer
Go to Settings\>Apps\>Google Play Store\>Uninstall Updates

Then reboot phone.
> 1 votes

# Answer
1. Go into SETTINGS
2. Select Apps (select the 'ALL' tab)
3. Select 'Google Framework Services' and Clear Data (please only clear data; *Do not delete Google Services Framework completely*)
4. Select Google Play and Clear data there too (the same process as above)
5. Reset your tablet by switching on and off

Try resetting your home router just to be on the safe side.
> 1 votes

# Answer
The server error `RPC:S-5:AEC-0` can be worked around by going to the 1Mobile App Market and downloading free apps only via that service. Not ideal, but at least it's enabled me to get BBC News, BBC Media Player and Skype.

I've done a fair bit of searching and just can't find an answer for this server error problem.

The SO-question Android error while retrieving information from server 'RPC:s-5:AEC-0' in Google Play? might provide some help. Several of the answers suggest removing and then re-adding your Google account to the Play Store will fix the issue (a reboot may be required).

A similar advice can be found at AndroidCentral:

> added my second Google account. I then went to the `Play Store > [MENU] Accounts` and selected the new account I had added, followed by switching back to the previous account. This resolved the issue for me.

Alternatively it's just waiting for Google to fix the issue.
> -1 votes

# Answer
I have this issue with my tablet and found that saving all my important info and factory resetting the tablet. once I had done this I set up a new g-mail account. so basically starting a fresh. this worked and did not show the error msg any more (RPC:S-5:AEC-O). HOPE THIS HELPS
> -2 votes

---
Tags: google-play-store, installation
---


# Question
Title: Nexus 7 is stuck in reboot loop after full discharge
I have a few day old Nexus 7 tablet, unrooted, bootloader still locked, and otherwise in factory condition. This morning, it ran its charge out. When I plugged in it, this happens:

1. Google Logo appears.
2. Nexus Logo appears.
3. Lock screen which shows charging: 0%.
4. White screen, device powers off.
5. Repeat.

What is happening? Thanks!

# Answer
> 5 votes
Some devices (I don't know about the Nexus 7, but I think it will be about the same) only charge when they have still a little charge left on their battery, because - believe it or not - charging happens electronically. So it can be that your device has absolutely no juice left to run. An example of such a device is the BlackBerry PlayBook (not Android) where this trick works when your tablet doesn't want to boot.

But there is a simple solution for that, which can take some time. Try to keep your device awake for as long as possible, even if that means you have to restart it a couple of times. Of course you do this while your charger is connected. After you have restarted it a couple of times, it should normally boot up. I expect it will take about 7 or 8 boots for the battery to be charged at minimum level again. After that, make sure you keep the device connected long enough so the battery is fully charged (have a look in your user manual how long it is recommended, most tablets need about 8 hours).

**Another option** is that your device just needs a little more juice to start. In that case you should leave it plugged in for some time (I recommend at least an hour) before booting.

tl;dr: Two options you could try: 1) Just keep restarting it, after a while it will start as normal. Recharge the battery for a long time (probably around 8 hours). 2) Leave it plugged in for a long time before restarting

# Answer
> 5 votes
If you've just plugged it in to the charger, leave it a while before you try to turn it on. The boot sequence uses power faster than USB can provide it, so you will need a little juice in the battery in order for it to boot up all the way.

---
Tags: nexus-7, boot-loop
---


# Question
Title: How exactly does operating system update work on Android devices?
Today I have received my first Android device, to be more precise a GOClever Tab A102.2 tablet. I have noticed that it runs as operating system Android 4.0.4 so I though why not update it since the latest one is 4.2? I went to Settings \> About \> System Update however it asks for a update.zip file which I have to place in NAND or SD card.

Searching through the internet I have found that some devices connect to the internet and check for updates when prompted while others need to be updated with vendor specific versions (I guess that's the case for me).

Now I wonder, why do some devices need to be updated with vendor specific versions? The way I see it, Android is just an Operating System and thus not tied to the device so theoretically if I wanted I could ditch it in favor of some other operating system (say a linux distro) so whether the update comes from the vendor or not should be irrelevant.

Also, can vendor specific versions of Android be updated (through some other means) even though the vendor didn't release an update for it?

# Answer
Most vendors/manufacturers modify the Android source code to ensure full compatibility with the devices hardware - if you were to update to a clean version of Android, it just wouldn't work properly (and it it even booted, most things wouldn't work at all).

Some manufacturers implement an OTA update feature - whereas some don't. Those that don't sometimes make you connect your phone/tablet to the computer and use their 'helper' program to do the update.

Even the devices that do connect to the internet and download the update are vendor specific - device specific even, it is just that the manufacturer let you do it that way.

As to your final question: Yes, through a custom ROM. Custom ROM's are versions of Android that have been modified by the Android community, based on the stock Android code, to work on your device. You should search google, or look at forums such as XDA-Developers for more info about ROM's, or to look for a ROM for your device.

Remember: All the hardware in phones are different. Only the manufacturer knows how to code for it, so that is why default Android code won't work with it - it would need propriety drivers.
> 7 votes

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


# Question
Title: How can I see what kind of car charger I have?
I noticed that when using navigation plus GPS my phone (Galaxy S2) still discharges a bit even so its connected to a car charger.

While googeling, I found out that regular USB chargers only charge with .1 amp but since a car battery isn't drained so easily, there are also car chargers that charge with .5 amp.

Is there a way see on the phone how much its beinbg charged with ? My phone only displays "USB" or "AC".

I'd like to find out if buying a "fast charger" would make any difference or if I already have a charger that supplies .5 amp.

# Answer
Look on the charger for where it says "output". It'll say 5V, 0.5A or similar.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: samsung-galaxy-s-2, usb, battery, charging, car-dock
---


title: How to backup&restore Android device?

text:
# Question
Title: How to backup&restore Android device?
i have a new Nexus 4 (i.e. Jellybean 4.2.1), and i want to backup my current Nexus 4 and restore it onto the new Nexus 4. How can i do that?

---

i've tried going into **Settings** -\> **Backup & reset** -\> **Back up my data** to ensure my phone is backed up. When the new device is first setup it automatically tries to restore settings from Google's Servers:

Screenshot (click image to enlarge)

Except that not everything was restored. Amongst the things that are not restored are:

* applications are not restored (a new version is downloaded from the store)
* application settings are not restored
* pictures, videos, camera, videos, saved files are not restored
* wallaper is not restored
* unlock pattern is not restored
* preferences are not restored
* icon layout is not restored
* **Messaging** conversations are not restored
* **Talk** conversation history is not restored
* recent calls are not restored
* custom ringtones are not restored
* custom notification sounds are not restored

---

i've tried downloading an application called **App Backup & Restore**. But because there is no external storage on the Nexus 4, there is no way to copy the backup off the phone.

Also, **App Backup & Restore** cannot backup app settings for me. From the web-site:

> Notice: App Backup cannot backup data or settings of apps for you

Neither can **Quick Backup**.

---

So my question remains:

> How can i backup and restore my Nexus 4?

**Note**: i have no interest in *rooting* my phone, as that is now a criminal offense in Canada. And even if it weren't illegal; i'd still prefer the option that doesn't void the warrantee, risk voiding the warrantee, is irreversible, has the possibility of being irreversible, or changing the phone away from the original, stock, intended version of Google's own Jellybean.

# Answer
As I already pointed out in multiple places, the integrated "Google Backup"...

* does not backup everything (apps have to explicitly support it)
* is unrelyable on restore (sometimes it works, sometimes not at all, when it gets interrupted e.g. by a network outage it cannot be resumed...)
* not everybody likes to have personal/sensitive data backed up somewhere in a cloud

In no way this "Google Backup" can be counted as a complete solution.

At least with Android 4.0 and higher, there is a possibility to do complete backups (and restore them successfully) -- see Full Backup of non-rooted devices. But this also has some disadvantages:

* You can do a full backup -- but then you only can do a full restore (not selectively pick parts)
* You can do "selective backups", but if you want to do that for all your apps etc. separately, it's not an easy task (but rather excessive work)

Other options for complete backups require root access on the device, e.g. Titanium Backup as the best and most famous variant. Same applies to other full backups like Nandroid via a Custom Recovery (such as e.g. ClockworkMod Recovery, mentioning the most famous example) -- and again, these can also be restored only completely (except you use just mentioned *Titanium Backup* for restore, as it also can read Nandroid backups).

All other solutions are not complete, but only cover parts. There are lots of apps to e.g. backup/restore single components like SMS, call logs, contacts. There are also apps which claim to create "full backups" -- but without root, that is impossible for an app. Still, one might succeed finding solutions for the most important data without requiring root access on the device.
> 3 votes

# Answer
I have used Wondershare MobileGo with good reults. Ther eis a free version and a paid version. Other usefull tools as well.WonderShare MobileGo How To
> 1 votes

---
Tags: backup, 4.2-jelly-bean
---


# Question
Title: How to uninstall ice cream sandwich update on huawei ascend g300?
I have an ascend g300 from vodafone which I have unlocked and moved to another provider.

Yesterday I updated the os to ice cream sandwich following these instructions.

Since then the phone intermittently does not recognise the SD card when it wakes up from sleep. Sometimes it "prepares the SD card" and sometimes it says blank SD card or unrecognised format. Often if I restart the phone it starts working again.

The phone has also twice spontaneously restarted itself when it was supposed to be asleep.

I tried formatting the sd card in the phone and then reset to factory defaults. The phone was reset, but it didn't reformat the sd card, all my data was still there.

I'm now thinking I'd just like to uninstall the update, but how would I do that?

# Answer
> 1 votes
There is an official Vodafone Gingrbread downgrade here. http://www.huaweidevice.com/worldwide/downloadCenter.do?method=toDownloadFile&flay=software&softid=NDY4ODE=

# Answer
> 0 votes
It would be quite difficult to do this.

Reason being:

1. It is *very* difficult to replace the new ICS bootloader
2. You would have to find the old original firmware
3. You would have to be rooted to be able to flash it

You would have to search forums such as XDA-Developers for the stock firmware. You may be able to find rooting instructions there as well.

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, external-sd
---


# Question
Title: Can't take screenshots on a rooted device
I can't take screenshots on my **rooted** Android 4.0.3 tablet. It's a Genesis GT-1230 running some modified ROM, and apparently the power + volume down combination is disabled.

The screen is 10.1", 1024 x 600 pixels.

* I have GoLauncher installed on it, and its screenshot feature produces a result like this:

(resolution 600 x 988, not resized or edited in any way)

* However, if I deny root permissions for GoLauncher, the screenshot result goes like this:

(resolution 249 x 410, not resized or edited in any way)

* I installed this screenshot app, it requires root, I give root permission, and it displays an error message, something along the lines of "*error on fb0*".

# Answer
> 1 votes
I was able to take screenshots after rebooting the device and running the same screenshot app with root permissions.

The GoLauncher screenshot feature gives the same results, corrupt image when ran as root and very small image when ran as non-root.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Why are you doing it that way? Not surprised that the app that was downloaded failed to work!

Android 4.0.4 has native screenshot facility in place - hold down Power button and press the volume down key simultaneously.

A screenshot will be captured and stored on `/sdcard/Screenshots`

---
Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, system-error, screenshots
---


# Question
Title: How to 'record' a trip - places I visited?
I am going for a trip for 3 weeks and I want to record all the places I visited using my Android mobile.

I most likely I won't have data connectivity - only GPS. If I don't find anything else I will use Endomondo, but I'm open to other solutions, including third-party apps (preferably free).

I am using an HTC One XL running CyanogenMod 10.

# Answer
> 2 votes
The best option is Google's My Tracks

Follow the link and see the features yourself. Everyhing you want is there. And the best part is it's free!!

Hope this helps

# Answer
> 1 votes
You could use Trip Jounal. It records your gps track log and combines photos/videos/notes you've made along the way and can display it all on a map.

---
Tags: gps, gps-tracking, maps
---


title: Backup and restore CM10 on broken razr

text:
# Question
Title: Backup and restore CM10 on broken razr
My problem is a little bit complicated, I have a Razr (XT910) motorola phone, the screen is cracked and unusable, the tech support of my carrier (in Mexico) is unable to get the display from motorola...

However, what I want to do (since I need a phone...) is sell the broken display phone I have on eBay (since Motorola USA has the display) so the buyer can repair it and have a "cheap" razr, and I can buy a phone also in eBay or here in Mexico.

But to do so, I need to factory reset the phone (and if possible get my information backed up), but since the screen is cracked I don't know how to do so (The phone receives calls, and maybe the touchscreen is functional, but I'm not sure).

The specific details of my phone:

It's rooted, it has safestrap 2.x installed, it has the ICS stock rom, and CM10 (beta).

# Answer
You can use Droid@Screen to see the screen on a computer.

Since you have stock ICS, Droid@screen should be enough to boot into stock, remove the CM10 install and/or do a factory reset.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: cyanogenmod, backup, factory-reset, stock-android, motorola-droid-razr
---


# Question
Title: How to force phone to switch to faster mobile data network during file transfer
For some context, I am downloading Dragon Mobile Assistant which is a 40+ mb apk from the Google Play Store.

I have an unreliable connection to Verizon Wireless' 3G mobile data network. If I am a few inches too far to the right of a sweet spot, the signal quality will degrade and I will be passed off to 1X. If I am in the middle of a download, it'll just pass me over with no interruption. However, it will not pass me back to 3G during the transfer once quality to that network is "good enough."

This is highly annoying, because if I am downloading a big file, it basically comes to a screeching halt on the horrible 1X network. Sometimes it is even better to cancel the download, wait to be passed back to 3G and restart the download.

Is there anyway on a Droid 3, rooted stock android 2.3.4, to have my phone continue to poll the 3G network and switch to it even while it's transferring data on 1X? It already allows me to go down during a transfer, why can't I go up?

# Answer
> 1 votes
I hate when that happens. It happened to me more times than I could count while I was traveling through western Maryland (and it's even worse when the phone mysteriously switches from 4G to 1X and refuses to go back to 4G or even 3G)...

Anyway, there are three things you can try.

The first, obvious one is to relocate the phone to somewhere that you get a better signal. This may not help much at all if you're in a fringe coverage area and in a residence, but it's definitely something you should attempt.

Next, to force the phone to reconnect to the network, just toggle airplane mode on and off. (BTW, don't bother with any of those so-called "network signal booster" apps. All they do is toggle airplane mode on and off, hiding the notification bar so you can't see what it's doing.) This is probably your best bet. In my experience this will get your high speed connection back most of the time, but you still aren't guaranteed to keep it long enough to finish your download.

Your phone also has a secret menu which can be accessed by entering `*#*#4636#*#*` into the dialer. In this menu you can view various statistics about the mobile data connection, as well as change which network types the device will try to connect to. (The exact types vary by device and firmware revision, and I don't have a Droid 3 on hand, so you'll just have to look and see for yourself.) In my experience, though, this didn't help much; the phone would just give me no data service instead of 1X, or refuse to connect to 3G/4G, or to any network at all. Also, be careful in this menu; if you change a setting and don't know what to change it back to, you could completely kill your ability to connect to the network, requiring a factory reset.

---
Tags: data-connection
---


# Question
Title: First time with Android, need help with adding media
For Christmas this year I am getting a 16GB (really 10.6 GB) Galaxy Note II, which will be my first Android device after having a slew of iDevices. I have ~12 GB of music in iTunes and Google Music, and am looking for a way to sync it to my SD card (it doesn't fit in internal memory).

So far what I've looked at:

-dragging folders from my mac's Finder into the phone's raw file system

This would work, but when I get new songs it seems cumbersome to have to go back into the filesystem to sync them

-Google Music

This is what I was planning on using, until I found out that it only can save to internal memory (there's bad coverage where I live, so I can't rely on streaming)

-DoubleTwist

From what I've seen, DoubleTwist is an iTunes replacement, and doesn't sync from the iTunes application (so if I get new songs I would have to add them to iTunes then DoubleTwist)

Is there some amazing solution that I'm missing, or do I have to make do with one of these (and if so, which one would you recommend)?

# Answer
I guess since no one else answered, I'll post what I ended up doing as an answer.

The solution that worked best for me was **iSyncr**. It's a Mac/PC app that acts as a middleman between iTunes and your device, so you can sync all your iTunes music, playlists, and song data.

It wasn't perfect or free, but it was what worked the best for me.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: music, storage, google-play-music, doubletwist
---


# Question
Title: What is the installation size of a clean build of 4.2?
This is a pretty simple question, but one that I have not been able to find the answer to. How much disk/storage space does an installation of Jelly Bean (bonus points for other versions) take up? I am not looking for a super-accurate answer, as installation size varies from device to device, but more of a ballpark answer in the gigabyte/gibibyte range, such as 1.7 GB. Or does Android's size vary drastically from device to device?

# Answer
Well, to put this another way:

For Gingerbread, storage space weighs around 95Mb, give or take, including Google Apps, source code 6.5GB, compilation taking up approx 14GB space.

Android's storage space for ICS, weighs around 160Mb, give or take, including Google Apps, source code 9.5GB, compilation - takes up approx 20GB space.

As to JB, have not yet built it, but source code is 12.5GB, compilation takes up around 25GB space, various official JB images hovers around 200Mb mark.

The above ball-park figures above, reflects from GB, ICS and JB. As for the future versions of Android, only time will tell how much more space will be taken up, it will increase, no doubt!

As for the final image build output, this would be dependent on handset, as ROM developers/manufacturers love to add their own bits, hence the inclusion of the "*give or take*" in the above sentences, not to mention carrier bloat-ware so the mileage will vary.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: 4.2-jelly-bean, storage
---


title: Nexus 7 screen is flickering

text:
# Question
Title: Nexus 7 screen is flickering
My 16 GB Nexus 7 arrived a few days ago. It's my first mobile device, believe it or not, and I've already found it to be incredibly useful. It has performed flawlessly, but there is one small issue that's an annoyance, nothing more. The screen flickers.

It happens in dimmer light, and only for a second or two at a time. I suspect, though I can't prove this, that it occurs during WiFi transmissions. Has anyone else encountered this? Is there a fix for this, even if it has to be some sort of warranty thing?

# Answer
There just was a Blog on Land of Droid covering this issue. The author summed up a few conditions under which this "flicker" occurs:

* back-light is dimmed under 30%
* a weak WiFi signal
* the device is accessing the net

According to that report, these 3 things are "AND-connected" (i.e. the flicker occurs when all of the 3 conditions are met). He's also hoping for a fix to come soon.

You might as well want to read the comments there, some seem to indicate possible solutions (including flashing a new stock ROM), but so far none of them are yet confirmed.
> 11 votes

# Answer
Sounds like this is one of two things to me.

Either a faulty screen / hardware. OR depending on the severity of this flicker it may be that the device has a light sensor that is *trying* to change the screen brightness based on the ambient light surrounding the device.

You could rule out the second option by going to your screen brightness in the settings and make sure that it is set to a static amount and that "Automatic brightness" is turned off. If after you do this you still notice the flickers I would lean more towards faulty hardware.

I have seen on some devices (don't have Nexus 7 so never on that) that the automatic brightness feature will sometimes cause the brightness of the screen to flicker somewhat wildly from all the way low to all the way high within a few seconds.
> 5 votes

# Answer
Turning off auto brightness worked for me.
> 2 votes

# Answer
As a recent (Christmas time) buyer with a new device, I can acknowledge this issue with Android 4.2. As per the bug report and the user tests here (under brightness heading), it looks to be a hardware problem rather than software.

1. New devices `even` after warranty and replacement have shown the same issue (4 out of 4 replacements)
2. Disabling wifi optimization/keeping brightness above 30% is seen to fix it `only temporarily` which is disappointing.
3. As per report update, 4.2 made it worse which could also mean that a software patch can fix this for good in future. But on the other side, there are users who never faced this issue with a fresh buy and 4.2 update.
4. New nexus 7 users may be better off with 4.1 until there is a fix.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: screen, nexus-7
---


title: What is the drop control on Instagram?

text:
# Question
Title: What is the drop control on Instagram?
There's a control that looks like a drop of water. What does it do?

# Answer
> 5 votes
It is the blur tool. You can apply linear or radial blur with this tool.

(More details in the Instagram Help Center)

This tool is mostly used to simulate **tilt-shift** effect (used by photographers to highlight a plane or exaggerate a minimal depth-of-field).

---
Tags: instagram
---


# Question
Title: I lost all my contacts on Samsung Galaxy S GT-I9000
Yesterday I lost all the contacts on my GT-I9000. Nothing strange happened, there was no warning, suddenly they were just.. gone. This is the second time this happens. Is there any method to get the lost contacts back?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Do you have contacts on your Google account? If yes, re-login, and load from Google.

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


# Question
Title: Replace audio cable with wireless solution
I want audio from my Nexus 7 to play through my amplifier (without replacing it). I think this would be possible with the iPad/AppleTV combo.

I don't want to be locked to a specific app that only plays certain files etc, but more like being able to select another Audio Out destination. Also, I'd rather not use Bluetooth, since it needs to compress the audio.

You could probably say I want Miracast, but for audio.

Sorry, lots of demands. Is there a device/protocol to make this happen?

# Answer
I can think of 2 ways you could do this.

1. Bluetooth audio adapter, like the Antec BXR100. These are generally used for headphones, but should be able to simply connect into your amp.
-Pros : Simple, cheap
-Cons : Bluetooth, limited range, A2DP appears to have issues on Android 4.2, possibly non-optimal audio quality
2. DLNA renderer (mini computer (raspberry pi (Raspbmc maybe. There's a topic on the use of raspbmc as a DLAN renderer here on their forums.) or similar perhaps), specialized unit (Like the (discontinued, though still findable if you don't mind buying used) Netgear MP100 series), or maybe a cheap Android device) attached to your amp, getting your audio pushed from one of the several DLNA server apps available for Android. This is essentially the same as Apple's Airplay system, only a different, more open standard which will work with more manufacturers' devices.
-Pros : Almost as simple, will work anywhere you can get a wifi signal, possibly better audio quality than the bluetooth, could potentially be used to move video if you wanted to in the future if your chosen receiver has that capability.
-Cons : More complex, possibly expensive, new audio-only DLNA renderers seem to be rare nowadays.
> 3 votes

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


# Question
Title: Is there an Android app that can use the GPS to track my location, distance, and time traveled on a map?
I have a few use cases for this - running or walking to track distance and time, hiking to know if I'm backtracking on myself, and driving aimlessly (well, when gas prices are cheaper than they are now) around an area to explore it so I know places that I've already been.

I did a quick look around the market and nothing stood out. Does something like this exist?

# Answer
I've used My Tracks while walking, and a cyclist friend of mine is fond of Sports Track Live
> 17 votes

# Answer
I am using Runkeeper for recording my sport activities.
> 6 votes

# Answer
I am using free version of Endomondo
> 1 votes

# Answer
Try GPS Logger for this purpose.

EDIT: GPS Logger is a free app for recording GPS Data. You can log in KML/GPX, upload directly to Dropbox or Google Drive.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: gps, maps, gps-tracking
---


# Question
Title: Can the on-board ADB Server find the device itself?
I know that Android devices have an on-board adb server. I am able to start the server through the terminal emulator and run adb commands, but the device itself does not show up in the device list. The ultimate goal is to capture a logcat and store it locally, as I am having crashing issues that don't occur when it's plugged in, so I need to capture the logcat without plugging into USB.

I want to ultimately be able to run `$ adb logcat -v time > /sdcard/logcat.txt` and have it create the logcat text file that I can retrieve and view the next time the device crashes.

I'm running Jelly Bean 4.1.2

**EDIT**

I managed to track down a solution to my specific problem:

Locally, adb is not required to gather a logcat. From within the terminal emulator, you can simply execute `logcat > /sdcard/logcat.txt` to gather a logcat. However, I'll leave the question up in case someone figures a way to get adb to recognize itself, as it might be useful in the future.

# Answer
I don't think you can access the device directly from ADB on the device. but you can access the logcat if you need to in `/dev/log/`.

Just about anything you would need to access via adb should be accessible directly on the device, one way or another.

For example, adb gets screenshots from reading `/dev/graphics/fb0`
> 1 votes

# Answer
I have tried multiple times, and have never found a way for the build in adb client to recognise itself.

I think it is due to the fact that it checks it on USB etc - I could be wrong however.

It is safe to say though that there is no way for the ADB client in Android to recognise it's server self - sorry!
> 0 votes

# Answer
Might be best to attempt download of aLogCat from the Google Play Store.

There is an option in there under Menu \> Preferences \> Periodic Save from within the same application, that can be set, which activates the frequency of periodic saving, which gets saved to the SDCard.

That should make things easier somewhat to get the log without having to plug it in via USB.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: 4.1-jelly-bean, adb, logging
---


# Question
Title: If I put mkfs.ext3 file from another Linux system on my android ,will it work?
I want to know if I take the `mkfs.ext3` file, or any other mkfs file, from another Linux system like Ubuntu, and put it with my `mkfs.vfat` and `mkfs.ext2` located at `/system/xbin`, Would it work?

And how can I call them from terminal emulator?

If relevant, I have a Huawei u8160 running Cyanogenmod 7.2.

---

**EDIT:**

I realized that it cannot be taken from Ubuntu or any non-ARMv6 built system ,so my question now is: Where can I find binaries that are built for ARMv6 phone? (at least mkfs ones(except mkfs.vfat and mkfs.ext2,I already have them) ).

# Answer
> 4 votes
Native binaries (as the `mkfs.*` tools are) need to be compiled for the platform they should run on. So if you take the `mkfs.ext3` from your Ubuntu workstation, which probably is either x86 or x86-64, it will not work on your Android device, which most likely uses ARM architecure.

# Answer
> -1 votes
Since I think there aren't reliable sources for these binaries you could prefer to compile it (statically) using busybox with a cross compiler.

You are using cyanogenmod so should be also easy to compile it using the cyanogenmod source code (search on their site since I can't post more link :)), busybox is in the `external/` directory.

---
Tags: linux, terminal, huawei-u8160, armv6
---


title: Will I have to reset my Nexus 7?

text:
# Question
Title: Will I have to reset my Nexus 7?
I have a Nexus 7 running Jelly Bean. I was downloading a file and somehow I managed to remove a tick mark some were. Now I can not download anything from the net without Chrome stops working. Then I tried to download a backup program from Play Store, that mad Play store stop.

How and where do I add the tickmark again? Will I have to reset my Nexus 7? If so are all the app I bought then lost?

# Answer
> 0 votes
If youre talking about applications (.apk) downloaded from google chrome and not the play store then you need to go into Settings \> Security \> Unknown Sources

# Answer
> 0 votes
**Q**: How and where do I add the tickmark again?
**A**: Who could possibly know what you need more than yourself?

**Q**: Will I have to reset my Nexus 7?
**A**: Follow below steps, you'll be fine.

**Q**: If so are all the app I bought then lost?
**A**: As Flow said, you can recover them from Google Play store later on. If you feel not safe, use AppSaver to back them up.

## Resetting your android phone

Before resetting your phone, you have to save your data (pics, music, movies, contacts...).

* If you have a google email account, saving your contacts is not needed, you can just sync it to the cloud.
* Concerning your apps, as Flow said, you can recover them from Google Play store later on.
* Backing up pics, movies and music is necessary. I recommend you to back up your entire data storage, it contains apps private files, office documents, few stuff that you could easily forget to back up otherwise...

When those steps are done, you can safely reset your phone, it will be like a second life for it :-).

---
Tags: browser, nexus-7, chrome-for-android
---


title: No Service on Galaxy SL GT I9003

text:
# Question
Title: No Service on Galaxy SL GT I9003
I have a Samsung Galaxy SL running Android 2.3.6.

I bought a new battery and it was working perfectly until I put on recharge. Immidiately after I put it for recharge, it started showing "No Service". It does not receive any network coverage.

Everything else is working fine.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I can't comment due to limited experience.

* Where is your question?
* Try to insert the old battery and see if it improves the network coverage?
* A Izzy stated, try to turn it off, remove the battery and turn it on again.
* You can also try to turn on airplane mode for 1min, turn it off and check whether your network coverage gets back to normal. That's what I used when my 3G connection seems lost, it is faster than rebooting.
* Try with another (a friend's) SIM card,
* Change location where coverage might be better. The subway has no coverage, you know :-)

---
Tags: mobile-network, samsung-galaxy-sl
---


# Question
Title: Links from Gmail all open in same Chrome tab
I just noticed that when I open a link from the Gmail app (in Chrome), then go back to Gmail and click another link, it replaces the first one in Chrome. I end up with only one tab open. Is there a workaround?

I'm not sure what to search for on crbugs, or whether this would be an Android bug or a Chrome bug.

This is pretty much the same question as this one, but it was answered with "use Opera." I like Chrome and would rather not change browsers over this, and mainly have two questions:

1. Is this intended behavior?
2. Is there an open bug against it, and if not does anyone have enough of a hunch about the root cause to point me to the right place to file it?

# Answer
**Q: Is there a workaround?**
**A**: Open a link from the Gmail app (goes into Chrome), open a new tab and leave it empty, then go back to Gmail and click another link, it does not replace the first one in Chrome. You end up with two non-empty tabs open. Is that a satisfactory workaround?
> 1 votes

---
Tags: gmail, intents
---


# Question
Title: Is it possible to have the same apps from the same amazon account on 2 different devices?
My kids have an android tablet each both linked to my amazon account. When I try to put the same app on both it tells me it's not possible.

How can this be fixed?

# Answer
Did you register the devices with Amazon? You can install amazon store purchases on multiple devices, but they must be authorized. When you are in the app store, looking at an app, there should be a list of your devices, under the purchase button, with a notation on which devices the app will work with.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You could try to extract the app's `.apk` file using a helper app like AppMonster, which would store it on your sdcard. Following this step, copy the `.apk` to the other device, and "side-load" it there (i.e. try to "start" the `.apk` on the second device, which would install the app).

You might need to enable "unknown sources" for app installation in your settings for this to work.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I do this sort of thing all the time. In fact I wrote an app to help me out with this. I uninstall and re-install applications for testing a development all the time. I need to easily be able to make copies and move ".apk" files all the time.

Please take a look at the free app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=burrows.apps.appmanager.

Simple install the app, "backup" your application of choice and then share/send the application(.apk) to another phone.

Regards,
> 0 votes

---
Tags: applications, amazon-appstore
---


# Question
Title: Phone Shuts Down, Apps Force Close Since New SD Card
I've got a Sony Ericcson Xperia Play that comes with an 8GB microSD card, which is definitely not enough for me as I like to put a lot of music on my phone (streaming is very poor on my network). So I bought a **Sandisk 32GB MicroSDHC Class 4 Memory Card** which is a MicroSD card like any other, right?

Ever since I put the card into my phone, my phone keeps shutting down and nearly all apps have a Force Close error. I've not installed any new apps since installing the new MicroSD and I've even uninstalled a bunch to see if it would help. **Why does my new MicroSD break my phone?**

If it helps, I'm running Android 2.3.3 stock.

# Answer
Formatting the SD card on the phone itself seemed to do the trick. My apps are finally running and my phone longer keeps shutting down with the new SDHC. :)
> 1 votes

# Answer
I would try switching back to the original SD card and see if the issues still continue. At the least, that would help you figure out whether or not the SD card is really the problem. Also, did you move any apps that had been moved to SD back to your phone before switching cards?
> 0 votes

# Answer
It happens on my Android 2.3.3. Every week, I backup of all my data. In my Class 10 MMC, it crashes the app backup folder and hides (or deletes) the .apk files.

I have solved the problem by not installing battery backup software or free antivirus.
> 0 votes

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Tags: external-sd, crashes, force-close
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# Question
Title: How can I view only one task list in Jorte?
Suppose I'm at the store, and all I want to view is my "Stuff to Buy at the Store" list in Jorte. How can I view only that list instead of all the tasks on any list?

# Answer
> 0 votes
In the application, click on the 'Tasks & Memos' area. There should be a `Task list` button; click on it.

There, you can select and deselect the lists you want to show. If you only wanted to show a single list, you can uncheck the rest of the lists and click `Close`.

Now, this isn't designed to be used to quickly show and hide lists. Rather, it seems more like a preference. If you want multiple lists and the ability to quickly load just one on demand, I would recommend an app designed specifically for lists, such as List Master.

I use Jorte, but only for my calendars. It isn't well suited for separate lists, but rather a simple todo list.

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Tags: task-management, jorte
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title: Gmail for programmers

text:
# Question
Title: Gmail for programmers
As a programmer, I really despise any email not written in plain text (MIME type `plain/text`) and not wrapped at 80 chars width.

However the default gmail app only sends the emails I compose as `text/html`.

Is there any way, setting and/or app to get my favourite formatting?

# Answer
Kaiten Mail lets you send emails in these formats:

* Plain text (images and formatting will be removed)
* HTML (images and formatting are preserved)
* Automatic (plain text unless replying to an HTML message)

I'm not sure about the the width though. I haven't seen any setting where I can set it to 80 (or any other value).

By the way, I sync my GMail and Yahoo mail with Kaiten.
> 1 votes

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Tags: email, gmail
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# Question
Title: Phone restarting over and over after rooting Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830i
I rooted my Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830i from the link given below- http://theunlockr.com/2012/11/22/how-to-root-the-samsung-galaxy-ace-s5830/

However after rooting it, it is restarting again and again. I unrooted it but still the same problem exists.

I even factory reset my Android phone. But still the phone restarts!

# Answer
> 1 votes
If you have a bootloop (samsung logo looping), it is because you messed up the rooting procedure. I had this problem when I tried to root a relative's Ace.

Since you've tried factory reset and it doesn't work, enter recovery mode and do factory reset. (recovery mode: press and hold volume down + power button for 15 seconds, navigate up/down by volume button and power button to select). Reboot and see if it fixes the issue.

If it does not, there are two options: flash CWM from recovery (here's the CWM zip file to flash from stock recovery), then reboot to CWM and install a custom ROM. This is what I did, as I wanted to load CM7 anyway.

If you want stock, download Odin, get stock firmware from sammobile.com or XDA forums (look for Developmet section under your device specific forum) and flash it.

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Tags: rooting, samsung-galaxy-ace, boot-loop, unrooting
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title: How to voice command a music player?

text:
# Question
Title: How to voice command a music player?
I would like to know if is that possible to voice command music actions, like **next track**, and even **delete track** would be very nice.

My sport, rowing, doesn't allow me to interact with smartphone through hands, so, these voice commands would be extremely helpful.

In my tries, I just found **listen to**, which is not that interesting.

*I am using Android 2.3.7 - Cyanogenmod 7.2 for Defy*

# Answer
> 2 votes
I don't think you can do this with your stock player.

After some digging I found a good app for you. It's called Voice Action Music Player

See if this suits for you.

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Tags: music, music-player, voice-command
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# Question
Title: Is there way to install ICS on Galaxy Pocket?
I have Samsung Galaxy Pocket - GT-S5300.

Is there a way to install ICS and it will work properly? Will overclock be needed?

If so, how to do so?

# Answer
This device will never officially get ICS, as it only has an Armv6 processor. ICS needs an armv7 processor to function.

The only way to get ICS would be if someone ports it to your device - but it would be difficult. I suggest you look at XDA-Developers to see if someone has ported it, or is trying to.

Be aware that it would be buggy if it is ported.
> 1 votes

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Tags: 4.0-ice-cream-sandwich, installation, samsung-galaxy-pocket
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