text:
How to set up tablet to use a local DNS server thru VPN rather than Google's DNS?
I have a Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise server running in our home network. It has VPN functionality installed and fully working.
If I connect with a computer, the computer will get right DNS servers. If I connect with Android tablet (Asus Transformer Prime), the tablet will still use Google's DNS servers.
The problem with this is that I can't resolve local website addresses such as intranet. Getting the access to that site is more than necessary.
I want the (non-rooted) Android tablet to use the DNS servers provided by the VPN server.
How can I fix this?

You can do this from server side. As all DNS queries are going thru server, mapping Google DNS IP with your DNS IP would work..

You can solve this issue either from the Android side or from the Windows side:
From the Android side

Tap your device "menu" button, and select "settings";
Tap "Wireless & networks";
Tap "Wi-Fi settings";
Tap your device "menu" to bring up extra options and select "advanced";
Tap "Use static IP";
Fill in your local network static IP details and dns server details;
Tap your device "menu" to bring up extra options and select "save".

From the Windows side

Open the DNS management;
Add a new Forward Lookup Zone for the Google DNS and set a Host A record to your local IP.

I believe the Android settings you give are valid for Android 2.3+ (which might well be OK for the OP). However, these appear to have changed under Android 4.0 (which I've added in my answer).

This is really a continuation of @Zuul's answer, to cover the DNS settings in Android 4.0+ (ICS), which is a little harder to find IMO. AFAIK Zuul's answer covers Android <2.3 settings.
From the Android side (Android 4.0+ ICS)

Settings
WiFi (click on word "WiFi", not ON/OFF switch)
Press and hold (long tap) your wireless network until dialog pops up
Select "Modify Network"
Check "Show advanced options" checkbox at the bottom
Switch "IP settings" to "Static"
Fill in your local network static IP details and DNS server details
Tap "Save"

(Whoever made long-taps a standard interface feature is a dummy!)


text:
App that can import google maps saved route to use as turn-by-turn navigation
I built a driving path containing several destination points using google maps and would like to use it in a turn-by-turn GPS navigation app such as iGo.
Any existing app/s that can achieve that?
Thanks.

How did you build this path?  What format is it saved in?  I assume you're not using Google Maps Navigation because you're outside the US.

Correct, Google Maps Navigation indeed doesn't work in my area, and I didn't know it's only available in the states (I'll be driving in France and thought it might work there). I used Google Maps: added couple of destinations and moved part of the path so it'll go though several specific roads.

You could try this hacked version of maps: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=630887

I didn't know there's a hacked version to work in my area nice, thanks for that. It seems though it won't let me use my own route, nor can it work offline. I'm going to try MapQuest now.

Osmand Is available on Google Play that allows navigating along a saved GPS log (in .gpx format).
You can export your Google Maps route (from maps.google.com) using http://www.elsewhere.org/journal/gmaptogpx/ to .gpx format. Push the .gpx to your phone (via bluetooth, email or USB) to /sdcard/osmand/tracks/ folder (important! Osmand only searches for .gpx files in this folder).
This is however not very straightforward and requires some steps... but I have used it for preparing motorcycle routes offline in advance for example.
In Osmand then:
Download your desired offline maps (the basic version allows 3 free downloads) and in the map view do: menu button -> navigate -> GPX -> choose your exported .gpx
Osmand is free software it's also possible to get it free of charge from f-droid.org's app store, but please support the author if you like it.

Have you heard of openstreetmap?
Openstreetmap is a croudsource map database where users create a free service to use for navigation purposes.  There are many android apps available that allow you to use openstreetmap maps to display many different things.  You can import a variety of different map types, as well as use different programs, such as josm, to create these maps and routes to import to your choice of android application.
You can even help by contributing new roads and updating existing information.

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Problem with device pairing
I have problem in connecting android with a device. In froyo android 2.2 when I connect android with device it shows me pairing dialogue box and I successfully pair it. When i update my device from android 2.2 to  android 2.3 i.e. ginger bread pairing dialogue box is not showing. I am using Bluetooth chat example of android.
Your help will be really appreciated.

What device are you using? Is it an 'official' gingerbread release or have you installed it yourself?

I am using nexus one. yes it is official ginderbread release

On Inspire 4G and LG P500 there aren't such problem. But they are also bases on 2.3 android. If PIN=0000, devices such as handset is connected automatically. You need only to select it in BT menu of Android phone.

Following similar Q&A might prove helpful: Help pairing bluetooth headset/microphone with Samsung Galaxy Tab & Skype? / Motorola Milestone Android - Bluetooth Issue - Paired but not connected

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text:
Use a USB Controller with Xoom without adapter
I would like to use an X-Box 360 Controller with my Motorola Xoom tablet, however the Controller uses USB to connect and I do not have the required USB OTG adapter to plug it directly into the tablet.
I've searched this site and Google but cannot find information on an alternative method of connecting the controller to the Xoom.
I'm hoping for a solution to pair these devices that involves either connecting both into my computer and bridging them somehow with adb or pairing my Xoom to my laptop using Bluetooth and sending the controller signal over this connection.
I've tried poking around the properties of the tablet and controller while they're plugged in but I haven't had any luck combining the two.  Does anyone have experience/know any techniques for doing either of these things?  Is there some other way for my Xoom to recognize the controller?
I could use either Windows 7 or Linux to make this work.

Can you not use a USB OTG (On The Go) Cable. It will have a connection (microusb) at one end to fit to your tablet and a USB connection at the other (for many peripherals). This should surely connect your X Box Controller to your tablet. They are very cheap as well.
Alternatively, and maybe to be used in conjunction with see the following article from Pocketables entitled "Guide to Game Controllers on Android" written by A. Odegard on May 9th 2012
http://www.pocketables.com/2012/05/guide-to-game-controllers-on-android.html
Its is an excellent read

Damn you beat me too it ;)

@The Andro Nerd - What is this thing about "beating people to it", i've seen that before - is it a race or something lol

people always want to be the first to answer, because they are more likely to get upvoted/marked as the solution. If you post at the same time as someone else, but the other person submitted the response first, they 'beat you to the first answer'.

Ah I see, so the more answers you provide quickly, the higher up the ranks you go - is that right

Thank you @Simon, I appreciate the link.  Very informative.  I've never heard of the OTG Cable.  I was hoping for a solution that didn't involve going out and buying an adapter, but that may end up being my best bet.

@MattDavis I havent used one yet, but they sure are going to of tremendous use in the tablet world....and very cheap too

I am afraid the only way you would be able to connect the controller to your Xoom is to purchase the aforementioned USB OTG (On-The-Go) adapter.

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text:
How can I hide irrelevant contacts in Go Contacts?
When I was using stock contacts and sync with Google, I could put relevant contacts in My Contacts group which is the only group synced by Google. I have installed GO Contacts and it now displays all groups except My Contacts.
What I want to do is to group irrelevant contacts somehow and hide them from my phone contacts or ignore them in sync. Please note that I do not want to mess with My Contacts group in case I decided to go back to stock Contacts.

Not sure if this will answer your question, but there is a Settings (button) called "Contacts Account" which lets you show or hide the following contacts:
- Phone
- Google
- SIM
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Show contacts with phone numbers only

I want to show all these and but I want to only sync selected groups from the ones I defined in Google Contacts.

Where's the problem? Items from "Phone" and "SIM" will never be synced -- so you could place all your "ignore-me" items there. Provided you can change them accordingly...


text:
Is it possible to install a higher Android version on a phone and have it still running smoothly?
I have an LG Optimus One P500 phone which has an official update limited to Android Gingerbread 2.2.3. But I've heard of people installing ICS custom ROMS on their phone even though officially it is not supported.
My phone has the following specifications:
CPU: 600MHz
RAM: 512MB
Current OS: Gingerbread (runs very smoothly with no lags for any tasks)
So I'm just trying to find out what are the minimum requirements for ICS and whether a phone will continue to function as smoothly as it did for Gingerbread.

Jellybean is available for the Zte Blade in the form of a kang of CM's 10.1, and your handset has the identical  spec as the Blade itself.... just saying ;)

As Peter mentioned, the requirements given might apply to stock ROM. Things may look different with special Custom ROMs. Take e.g. the HTC Wildfire, which comes with just a 576MHz single-core CPU and 384MB RAM (see GSM Arena for full specs), and thus wouldn't meet the minimum requirements. But put Paranoid ROM on it, which runs 4.0, and it's reported to run even smoother than before (no big deal, after kicking HTC Sense, I guess ;)
So it very much depends on multiple factors: How close does the device come to the "minimum requirements", and how well was the custom ROM optimized. I'd say with your specs that close (even slightly above) to the mentioned HTC Wildfire/Buzz, chances are good -- very good, indeed:
Head over to XDA, read the topic, and grab your copy of Paranoid Android for the Optimus One (P500):

Android 4.1.2
ParanoidAndroid v2.2
Fully source compiled.

Awesome! This Paranoid Android looks very promising. I'm going to look into this in more detail. Thanks for suggesting about this.

You're welcome! Watch out when reading that XDA thread. For the Wildfire I found at least 2 more ICS ROMs in the signatures of the posters :)

The minimum requirements should be something around 800+ MHz CPU and 256+ RAM/ROM. That should be for a stock ICS ROM. Custom ROMs on the other side, are developed for a specific device, so their minimum requirements may be different. This can be achieved by enhancing the ROM to be able to get almost the same features (or more depending on the custom ROM) as the stock ICS.
The downside of custom ROMs is that not all go as smooth as a stock ROM, since many of them have several core items modified and under certain circumstances they might fail (or don't response in a good manner).
If your phone is rooted and you have a custom recovery, I would suggest you do a nandroid backup to save the state of the phone as it is right now and give it a try to a custom ROM. If you find the custom ROM doesn't meet your expectations, you can restore the nandroid backup and recover your previous phone ROM.
For those who aren't familiar with nandroid backup, it creates an image of the entire phone (like Norton Ghost or Clonezilla), so if you mess something up you can recover your phone from that image.

Thanks for the info. I'll make sure to use nandroid before I try to root.


text:
Update Droid to 2.2 over wifi possible?
I have a Motorola Droid running 2.1 that does not have Verizon service.  Therefore it does not seem to be getting the over-the-air (OTA) update.  Is there anyway to update this via wifi?

You can manually update your phone by downloading the update.zip file for 2.2, putting it in the root of your SD card and applying the update in the recovery during boot up.
See detailed instructions here.

Is this different from what happens when you root your phone to get an update that the manufacturer/service provider hasn't pushed yet?

Sort-of. What I was describing here is when you take the official OTA update (which comes packaged in a zip file) and drop it in the root of your SD card.  The next time you reboot, your phone knows to look for that file. When you root and apply a non-official OTA update, it is a very similar process but usually involves having to manually flash the zip file to your phone using a recovery (ClockworkRecovery, for example).

Got it. Thanks! I wonder how I could find the official OTA updates' zip files whenever they become available....

...but that's probably its own question. :)

I think I found the answer to my question at http://support.vzw.com/how_to_use/droid_upgrade.html . It says "If you are roaming, you will not receive a system update notice. You will need to enable Wi-Fi and wait for the update notice to appear or as mentioned above you can manually update by selecting 'Home' > 'Menu' > 'Settings' > 'About phone' > 'System updates'."


text:
News and weather app/widget crashes on startup
Over the past couple of days, the news and weather app won't start for me.  I get an error message and I'm asked to force close or report the issue whenever I try to add the widget to a home screen or launch the app from the app tray.  Does anyone know what's causing the issue, and if so, how can I fix it?

Have you updated it to the latest version?

what is the latest version. I searched the store, but could not find it on there. my stock G2 has "Version 1.2.02-RC2(PROD)"

Try clearing the cache and/or clearing app data.

Thanks, worked like a charm.  I guess it just got in a weird states during my vacation travels.

There's always a few things that I try with a truculent app: http://meta.android.stackexchange.com/questions/91/app-x-isnt-working-correctly-how-can-i-fix-it


text:
How can I get Android File Transfer working between Mac 13.2.1 and Android 13?
There are a lot of very old answers to this question, and they are not helping me.

I am running MacOS Venture 13.2.1
I have a Pixel 4a running Android 13 patched to March 2023
I have Android File Transfer 1.0.12 which is the latest stable version available
I have never had a Samsung phone so haven't installed Kies.
When connecting the USB cable I get a notification and can select File transfer/Android Auto
The same USB cable is working fine with Windows.  The USB port on my Mac is working fine with a hard drive.

I am able to connect to the phone using ADB but don't want to use ADB to transfer files all the time when there is a simple GUI that allows this.
I am having the same issue on my Windows computer, so I am wondering if there is some setting on my phone I have missed.
Update - I am able to access files on my phone via Windows fine after all.  I see MTP showing up in Devices, and can see my Phone by it's name in File Explorer.
Update 2: I apologise for not giving more detail about what does happen.  When I connect my Pixel 4a to my Mac Android File Transfer does not open automatically.  When I run it manually, I get a message saying 'No Android device found. The phone detects the connection (hence the USB mode notification, but it seems the Mac does not.

Have you tried alternative apps like OpenMTP? May be the Android File Transfer program is juts buggy or incompatible with the used MacOS version.

What are the symptoms? AFT crashes? hangs? Fails to launch? Gives some error, if so what? Etc.

@Robert OpenMTP and uninstalling Android File Transfer did the trick! OpenMTP's docs were helpful in identifying that Google Drive, OneDrive and other apps (Calibre?) could also tie up the USB connection to my phone.

It turns out that a number of applications can block access to USB connections to my phone - here are the applications I exited:

Google Drive
OneDrive
Calibre

I figured this out through installing OpenMTP as suggested by @Robert in a comment - its in your face documentation was really helpful.
Closing the above apps allowed both Android File Transfer and OpenMTP to access my phone.
I then experimented with running the above listed apps one at a time to see if they interfered with Android File Transfer.

OneDrive definitely causes the issue
Google Drive definitely causes the issue
Calibre does not cause the issue, (and can be configured to ignore USB devices if it detects them - wish that OneDrive and Google Drive could do that!).

I didn't have this problem with my previous phone for some reason.

Use Android Studio instead (Device Explorer).

Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.

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text:
Facebook app requires repeated sign-in
Recently, the Facebook app on my Droid 1 (Android 2.2.2) started prompting me to sign-in throughout the day. I get a pop up that says:
Facebook Sign-in
Please re-enter your Facebook password
It shows my username and asks for my password.
It seems that if I don't use the phone for a few hours, when I pick it up, this sign-in is waiting for me.
Any ideas why? or what changed?

Update - not sure, but http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13331773 says

It seems like the mobile app doesn't
  play nice with HTTPS (secure browsing)
  if you have it enabled on the Facebook
  website. After disabling HTTPS on the
  full Facebook website under Account
  Settings, I was able to log in and
  stay logged in without an issue.

I don't want to give up secure browsing, but perhaps there was a bug in a recent udpate to the app?

do you have any apps that are killing processes and clearing app data to free up space?

Are you using the very latest Facebook app from the Market? Have you tried clearing the cache and/or data?

I can't check from here, but could there be a security setting at facebook.com related to remote/mobile access that you recently changed?

I have no apps running that automatically kill processes. (i have Advanced Task Killer free installed, but AutoKill is disabled.  Yes, Facebook is up to date from the Market.

I don't see any facebook settings on the web site that are related to mobile apps. the Account Settings-Mobile is mostly about SMS messages and cell phone numbers, not iPhone or Andoid apps.

Hmmm...I have my Facebook settings to "always use HTTPS" and I'm not seeing this behavior. Let me look in my settings again.

Have you tried a complete uninstall and reinstall?

Is the Facebook app installed on the SD card?

It might have been. I haven't had this problem in months. They've made so many updates since then and I even have a new phone. Was SD card install a problem?

I had issues with the last Facebook update, the one that came out the past 2 weeks.  I uninstalled it and reinstalled it and now it works correctly.  My issue wasn't quite the same as yours, it kept redirecting to the mobile website (although I do suspect some http vs. https issue), but I would give it a try.  I know the advice seems weird because the update is like a new install, but it worked for me.


text:
Screen lock settings won't change on Ice Cream Sandwich with MS Exchange Email
I have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus running Android 4.0.2. I have a corporate email set up to Microsoft Exchange. My sys admin said we use the default mobile policies for Exchange, but he doesn't know the details.
My phone's Screen Lock setting is set to None and I cannot change it. If I select PIN, it asks me to enter and confirm a PIN, then returns to the Security settings page and shows my Screen lock is set to "None"
After reading http://boingboing.net/2012/03/13/the-scary-consequences-of-a-lo.html I thought it best to at least have a PIN, but right now I can't set one. Any suggestions?
--- update
I just did a test (with my sysadmin's help). We set up a Nexus One with Android 2.3 and the lock screen settings worked fine. Is there something in ICS?

Get the sysadmin to find out the details.  Let him know that it's his problem if your unsecured phone gets stolen with company data on it and it's because he didn't configure the Exchange policies properly.

I'll update the question with some new info

Well. First, I deleted my Exchange account. Then I was able to change the screen lock settings and the change would be displayed in the settings page, but when I locked the screen, no PIN or pattern was required to unlock. Then I power cycled the phone. After that I was able to successfully use Screen lock settings. Then I added back my Exchange account, and the phone continued to work fine.
I have no idea what the root cause of my problem was, but it is all working now.

If you have a VPN set up on your mobile phone, the OS will not allow you to remove the PIN... I installed VPN and it asked me to secure the phone and led me to the PIN settings and I set a PIN... Later, when I wanted to remove the PIN, it won't allow me and it didn't come to my mind that it was because of setting up the VPN.
I had to completely get rid of all the VPN settings to be able to remove the PIN.
However, in your case, the problem is opposite but I posted this for information and this may help.

I read you post with interest as I am having trouble since updating my phone to ICS and getting it to work with Exchange 2003.
Since updating to ICS I can not change my sync settings from hourly of peak and every 15 mins in peak hours if I change the setting the next time a sync happens it get changed back.
The same phone worked just fine when it was on GB so I am thinking there are a few bugs in ICS
What I have noted is if I put on security policy on out Exchange server (meaning I have to put a pin in on the phone) it all seems to work fine.
Odd I know
I am guessing that it will take a long time for google to fix this if they bother at all.

If this is a recurrent issue, perhaps reporting it to Google would be the appropriate solution to let them know and schedule a fix.


text:
How can I configure Android to login to an ISA proxy server?
I see that if I did a long touch over a Wifi network, I can specify some proxy settings. In my company we use a Isa Proxy server, and each user has to login through domain server.
Is there any way to configure that on our tablets? ( Android 4.1)

How is that login done manually? Is it a so-called "captive portal", where you login via web browser?

nop. It is our company network wifi. We connect yo internet through isa proxy server I think, using proxy server ip, 8080 port and our domain user and password

Ah, I see. Android 4.1, huh? Try long-press the corresponding AP in your network list, chose "edit", enable "advanced". Fill in your proxy configuration. Check if that solves your issue, and please report back; if that did the trick, I will set up a corresponding (and more detailed) answer.

Yap, I tried that but there is no place to setup the domain username and password.

Oh, I see. Is your device rooted? Then you might want to take a look at ProxyDroid. Another thing worth a try is using user:pass@proxyserver for the server address (e.g. if the proxy is 10.11.12.1, user joe, password foo: joe:foo@10.11.12.1) -- this is how it works in some browsers for password-protected urls. If that does not work, another page worth reading on the issue is Android-Proxy.Blogspot.DE (don't be irritated by .DE, it's in English).

ProxyDroid works perfectly but you have to be root. I also try with user:pass@proxyserver and seems to work (without proxy droid) Thanks!

Thank you for the feedback! I converted my comment into an answer, so you can "accept" it and other users can identify this post as "issue with a solution" :)

There are multiple solutions. As you have Android 4.x, long-pressing on a WiFi APN in Settings→Networks & Wireless→WiFi lets you edit an APN. Check the "Advanced" box, and you can configure the proxy. Though this form does not offer separate fields for username/password, here's a trick how to do it:
For the server name, enter user:pass@proxyserver (e.g. if the proxy is 10.11.12.1, user joe, password foo: joe:foo@10.11.12.1) -- this is how it works in some browsers for password-protected urls. In case this makes trouble (should not, but who knows), further details can be found at Android-Proxy.Blogspot.DE (don't be irritated by .DE, it's in English).
Another possibility would require your device to be rooted: ProxyDroid offers some comfort in connection with proxies. Next to supporting multiple profiles, it is also capable of handling different authentication methods.

The WiFi APN won't allow me to save any changes to the proxy when there is a '@' character in the server name. I'm using Android version 4.1.1.

What has an "@" sign to do in a server name? I'm not 100% sure (would need to check that with the corresponding RFC), but I don't think it should be there. Could cause confusion if that server shall act as part of an email address: johndoe@m@il.example.com: Which part is the user, and which part the server name here? I'm tempted to say it's the fault of the person naming that server ;)

Sorry, I meant doing user:pass@proxyserver does not work for me when setting up the proxy in Android. It won't allow me to save the modified WiFi settings when I type that in the server name field ("Save" is faded out). When I remove the '@' symbol, then it allows me to save the settings.

Ah, OK. First time I hear that. If there are no dedicated fields for user/pass, I have no idea what to do in such a case then, sorry.

You can use the Drony application to authenticate with your proxy.

Would you mind including a link to the app you're recommending? I cannot find any app with that name.


text:
MyTouch 3G Slide screen went Blank?
I have contacted Tmobile and they are going to be resending me a replacement.  But I am wondering what all is stored on my phone that I am losing access to?  And is there potential for when I send it back to Tmobile that they will be able to access my private calendar, files, emails, etc?  I can't do a reset of any kind because it won't respond to anything.  But I hate that I had text messages on there saved with information for future reference and my reminders from my calendar my alarm, etc are all still working because I'm getting the vibrations and music to alert me of these, I just can't view them.
This seems like a common problem with the 3G Slide, as they didn't even hardly question me about a replacement, just told me to try reset it, when it wouldn't reset they said they'd send me a new one.
Basically just wondering if there is any possible way to access my info on  my old phone.
Thanks

If you install the Android SDK on your computer, you can connect the phone via USB and use the adb tool to perform a factory reset on your phone.  That will erase all your data.  You can also use adb to retrieve files and data before doing the wipe.
To retrieve files, type the following at the command prompt / terminal on your computer (make sure it's running in the directory where you have the SDK):
./adb pull phone-file backup-file
For example,
./adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/myphoto.jpg C:\backups\myphoto.jpg
And to wipe the phone:
./adb wipe data
You might need to try some variants of that, and on some phones you will unfortunately need to be rooted.
More info on adb: http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/tools/adb.html
Edit: There's a better way to do a factory reset!  It's harder without a screen, but not impossible.

Power the device off. If the device is unresponsive and does not turn off, remove the battery and then re-insert it.
Press and hold the Home key and the red End key for 30 seconds, the release.
Wait a few seconds, then press the Home key and the Power key again.
Wait 30 seconds, then press Volume Down twice.  Click the Power button once.
Give the phone a few minutes to do the factory reset.

With-screen instructions are here.

Note also, some guides say VolDown + Power for step 3 and to skip step 4.  Perhaps try both, since you don't know what will succeed if you have no screen :(

Your personal information like Contacts, Tasks and all this kind of stuff are synced automatically with your Google account by default and when you login at your new phone all this information will get pushed into your new device.
I don't know, but maybe T-Mobile will transfer your files from the defective unit to the working one, but I'm not sure about this possibility. I suggest you to ask them if they can transfer your files from the old to the new one, but remember that your private stuff like Contacts will get synced OTA.


text:
Why can't I find Firefox in Android Market
If I search for Firefox in the Android Market on my phone I can't find Firefox! How can I install it on my Phone??

Thanks.

Can you find it when you search at the Market website?

FWIW, the direct URL for it is: https://market.android.com/details?id=org.mozilla.firefox

What phone and OS do you have?

If you cannot find an app in the Market that means your device is not supported. You can still try to install if you get the APK and sideload the app, but it is likely to be a suboptimal experience (or even not work at all!!).

Can you visit this link with your phone?
market://details?id=org.mozilla.firefox

Also you must note that: Firefox is available for Android phones (2.0 and above) and the Nokia N900.
The official page of Firefox Mobile gives also a list of supported devices that have been tested.

What model/OS/screen size do you have?
Firefox is not supported on all platforms. For example, I can get it on my Nook with Gingerbread, but can't find it on my Froyo Ideos with a tiny screen.


text:
Use something other than finger that can be sensed by a capacitive touch screen
I have some crazy ideas about some stuff lately but to make it tangible I need a bit more information over the capacitive touch screens.
Is there a way to create an object that can be sensed by a capacitive touch screen without the touch of the human skin?
I mean, imagine a tiny piece of something that you can just lay on the screen and the screen thinks is a finger or a stylus.
I've heard about the stylus that can be sensed, but I think that the skin has to be touching it in order to work.. is it true? Can I maybe create something out of ordinary house stuff that can do this, without the need of the skin to touch it?
Ahh, and by the way, it need to be capacitive because multi-touch is needed.
Thank you all and best regards!

I know this isn't what your looking for, but I found (by accident) that a banana (with the peel on) is recognized. :)

Voted to close since this is only tangentially related to Android (it equally applies to Windows Phone 7 devices with such screens, for example).  It's more of a physics question, though possibly too basic for the Physics SE?

I'd hate to see a question of such obvious relevance to using android devices closed!  Where I live, we wear gloves part of the year - having to decide between cold hands or seeing what is going on in the world, or carrying around yet another overpriced, easily lost object such as a purchased stylus is not a great set of choices.

@Chris capacitive touch screen compatible glove reviews: http://www.brighthub.com/mobile/mobile-accessories/articles/90129.aspx ;)

Rumor says, the South Koreans (which also happens to be Samsung's home country) used sausages stylus so they don't need to put off their gloves in the freezing winter.

Yes, capacitive screens just need something that alters their capacitance: something conductive or a dielectric.
As per usual, Wikipedia has more information.

Here's a video on how to create a capacitive stylus for free (as long as you have an anti-static bag laying around).
From the page:

In this video we show you how to create a free capacitive touch screen stylus out of a common piece of antistatic film. As many people know capacitive touch screens use an electrical impulse created by the operator's body to register a touch point on the screen. The only problem with this is that if you are wearing gloves or need to make a precise touch point, capacitive screens do not work well. Most likely many if not all of our tech-savvy readers have a piece of antistatic film lying around. Simply cut the film to the desired length, roll it up, and (if you want) attach a piece of tape to hold it in place.

I'm finding the rolled up film does not work very well - it seems the film really need to be parallel to the screen, which is unfortunate as it makes it hard to get a smaller-than-pinky-finger point.  The commercial stylus I saw was also quite fat.  Still thinking...

I tried various metal (pins, tubes and foil) and plastic (antistatic bags and foam). I found nothing that was satisfactory. You have some level of control but it is not the same as your bare finger. My advice would be to keep it metal and keep it short. Not all screens are equally sensitive so you have to play around.
I have not tried a commercial stylus.


text:
How do I run network spoofer on S4?
So, I got myself s4 and rooted it. I've tested the root access with several different apps, and all of those work.
But now I tried Network Spoofer. The app seemed to download and install successfully, but now, when I try to actually do something, I get this:

Screenshot: chroot: can't execute 'spoof': Permission denied (click image for larger variant)
How do I fix this?

The app's homepage at http://digitalsquid.co.uk/netspoof/ lists the requirements needed for the app to work:

Requirements
Network Spoofer runs on Android devices with the following requirements:

Which are rooted (‘su’).
Have an SD card (or internal storage) with >450MB spare space.
Which has Wifi

So I'd start by double-checking how much free space you have on your device. Then it lists the currently supported (and unsupported) models:

Supported devices
Currently Network Spoofer has been thoroughly tested on these devices:

Samsung Galaxy Nexus
HTC Nexus One
T-Mobile G1

It is reported working on these devices, as well as working on most
  other devices:

LG Optimus 2x
Huawei u8150d
HTC Hero
Droid Bionic
Samsung Galaxy S / S II
Samsung Infuse 4G

However, Network Spoofer doesn’t currently work with:

Droid / Droid 2 / Droid X
Motorola Atrix

Many other devices should and probably will work, but please
  report any odd behaviour or crashes, so I can get this working
  with more devices.

Your device unfortunately isn't on the list of currently supported devices, which means that the app's author doesn't guarantee that it will work for you.
If you follow the bug reporting link there are ways there for you to provide the dev with more information, so that they can try to get things working on your device. But before you go there, have a look at Network Spoofer's FAQ page which does list some common problems, and some ways to get round them, or what additional information you can provide to help get the problem fixed.
Finally there is currently an open bug report about Network Spoofer not working on an S4, with the same error message that you're getting, that does list how the reporter of the bug got it to work:

I had the same problem when trying to run bt5 on my phone using the
  Complete Linux Installer app, but solved the problem by changing the
  script from the file bootscript.sh (attached) to the combination of
  the 4 other files (installbt first, then startbt, and bt, then stopbt
  to unmount everything). The chroot command is located in the bt
  script.

That could be worth trying (you'll need to visit the bug report to see the attached files).


text:
Fixing water damage in phone
I dropped my phone into some water, immediately removed battery and soaked in rice (all I had at work). The phone dried, but the keyboard (G2) had some bad keys that have never corrected, and there seems to be some kind of residue on the screen, and the backlight is not uniform across the whole thing.
This all happened 2 months ago, but I would like to fix it.
Question is:
Do you think I could soak the phone in alcohol, and then dry it in an airtight container with Damp-Rid or silica gel or something similar to help fix the existing problems?
Some people seem to think this would cause more damage, I would love to hear the reasoning why though, as alcohol evaps clean...

How I remove consequences of water damage?

Disassemble device. You need to disconnect every power supply such as batteries.
Carefully look on every component.
Wash plastic details with cleaning agent likes 'Fairy', 'Mr.Muscul' and so on in water. Dry them.
Wash PCB in water as plastic details before. I use toothbrush. You need to take off any sign of corrosion. Then I wash PCB in isopropyl alcohol. After that I take air pump and blow compressed air on every electrical component on PCB. In such way I remove water. Then it is good idea to give ability PCB to become dry by natural conditions. If there are some troubles with traces on board, I repair them with special soldering equipment (beginning from common soldering iron and ending with BGA soldering station because ICs on PCB is soldered by such way)
Assemble device.

If you have troubles with your LCD, the only quality way is to replace it entirely. LCD is a set of number of transparent films. So it is very difficult to reassemble it without issues.

Most people recommend removing battery as soon as it happens and barry it in a bowl of dry rice for a day or two. I have never personally had to try it but I know of people who have and it has saved them from having to replace there phone...

Ricing won't fix old water damage.

The reason that water damages a phone is because water conducts electricity and this causes short circuits; pure alcohol is non-conducting so it should not harm electric circuits. It is possible to create a computer cooling system by soaking a whole computer in a non-conducting mineral oil (and the computer runs great soaked in oil), they do not choose alcohol probably since alcohol evaporates quickly (which is undesirable for permanent cooling system).
However, I doubt that soaking an already damaged phone will fix it. There is no reason that a burnt circuitry will magically unburnt because it is soaked in alcohol. Alcohol may help to clean the circuitries and the residual materials, but it is unlikely it will fix the phone.
Disclaimer: This is not an encouragement to soak your phone in alcohol, do it at your own risk; be prepared to buy a new phone if you decided to do it.

pure water is not conductive either ;)

There aren't pure alcohol. It acts as silicagel: takes as much water from environment as it can. And then it will be solution. Also there are different types of alcohols. Most common is ethanol (or pure alcohol, drinking alcohol etc). But for technical purposes isopropanol is better (isopropyl alcohol).

I think you'd be fine doing that. Next time, try to vacuum out the water by holding the vacuum in the same spot (in the back where batt. was...) for 15 minutes, then moving it again for 15 minutes...

I wouldn't recommend this (don't have enough rep to down vote, though). Once there's water in there, you don't want to encourage it to move around any further, as that can cause further damage.

The whole point is to get the water (and moisture) out the way it came in... Check thiese out: Popular Mechanics article and (check out step 7 of this) WikiHow


text:
How do I check who is connecting to my hotspot?
Is there any way to check who is connecting to my hotspot? I am using a rooted Samsung Galaxy SII.
I use the SII's tethering feature in: Settings > Wireless and network > Tethering and portable hotspot > Portable Wi-Fi hotspot settings > Portable Wi-Fi hotspot to create my hotspot.


text:
Does the default email app support IMAP?
Does the default email app in Android 2.2 support IMAP rather than just POP?

Default email app on my G2 supports IMAP, including encryption. I personally use K-9, which is free.

Do you use GMail? Or the default "E-Mail App"? Which device you own (Samsung has another than stock google).
But I remember, that both of them support IMAP.


text:
Good non-developer Android emulator?
Personally, I own an iPhone. However I would love to see the Android UI. I know a person who does have an Android, but never see it enough. I'd really love to have a good emulator that non-developers can use just to test out the Android UI. Is there any sort of apple app, Mac app, or non-developer tool out there to run the Android UI? Thanks!

Just Wondering, What's wrong with the SDK's emulator?

Maybe its too slow.

Try Android x86 as a virtual machine on Virtual Box. this is by far the best working android I have seen...

It has the basic, default Android UI.
It is fully functional.
It works 4 times faster than my HTC Sensation

Android X86 ISO files: http://code.google.com/p/android-x86/downloads/list
How to install it: http://dev.blogs.nuxeo.com/2011/10/speeding-up-the-android-emulator.html

Can you connect this to the Google or Amazon App Stores?

You can install Android Market, just google "android vending apk", download an apk, in console type "adb install filename.apk".  This is not certain to work without crashes since the market apk was designed to work with ARM processors, but if you'll be persistent enough you can find a stable enough market version.

KitKat version only works on Intel PC's, not AMD.

Have you given the Amazon Appstore's Test Drive feature a try? Super simple, runs in most browsers - simply find an app in the store for which Amazon has Test Drive available then click the big green Test Drive button (a list of Test Drive apps is here). Once you have a Test Drive session open click the home button on the bottom of the emulator to access the homescreen then voila, Android!
FWIW I personally don't think the SDK emulator is a bad choice even though it is developer-focused. Quick and easy instructions are at How To Geek if you're interested.

Yeah, you don't need to be a developer to install the Android SDK and run the emulator. Most of it's done through a GUI, too.

Genymotion is an accelerated emulator, which may let you get a better feel for the UI and graphics applications.
I believe it paravirtualizes graphics (OpenGL) calls, using the host's graphics processor to accelerate the emulator.

If you are still searching the best solution would be Bluestacks. Its vey fluent and does not lag.

Lags on every computer I've installed.

There's an iOS app called Dreamboard that allows you to use the Android UI on your iphone/ipod . It's just a launcher that changes the theme so as to give you a feel of how the Android UI looks like. Please note that, inorder to download this app, you should jailbreak your iOS device. I currently have this app on my ipod touch, downloaded from AppCake(which i downloaded from Cydia after jailbreaking my device)
Here's a video link: Dreamboard in action
Hope this helps.


text:
Is there any way to save a raw image from my phone's camera?
I have an Android mobile with a 5MP camera. Is there any way to save raw images (similar to Canon CR2, Nikon NEF, etc.) from my Android device?

Unfortunately, unless someone (almost certainly the sensor manufacturer in conjunction with the camera manufacturer) has provided methods to get RAW data from the sensor level all the way up through the Android stack, it's going to be somewhere between very difficult and impossible.
Even if you did get RAW data, most processing suites probably aren't going to know enough about the sensor data to do a good job of processing it into a decent image.

There are camera reverse-engineering efforts, but they're focusing on the HTC Dream/HTC Magic camera, which isn't 5MP.


text:
Is it possible to delete my Facebook account and not lose the info synced to my Evo?
Last weekend I turned off the automatic sync feature on my phone and deleted my Facebook account. It appeared that all of the info on in my calendar was still there so I thought I did all that I needed to do. By this weekend all of my birthdays and events were deleted from my calendar - except 3 that were linked to Facebook - and all the ones that I manually entered (not linked to Facebook) were gone! I tried to reactivate my Facebook account, and re-sync everything to get the info back, but its not working.
How do I get the info back into my calendar, and delete my Facebook account/remove the Facebook app and sync stuff from my phone? Is it possible?

Assuming your phones calendar is syncing with a Google Calendar, then the easiest way to do this may be to export your friends' birthday info from Facebook and import it into Google Calendar.
Our sister-site Web Applications has more info on doing this:

How do you extract friends' birthday and contact information from Facebook?
Import birthdays of friends from Facebook into Google Calendar?


text:
Is there any way to disable the camera beep when I start recording video?
I have an Xperia Ray mobile phone and I wanted to get one of those spy camera applications so as to film undetected.
I tried a couple and the best so far were Ninja Cam and Hidden Mobile Camera. However, all of them have one problem: when I turn out the camera there is a beep (regardless if the sound is off or on).
Is there any app that doesn't have this problem? Alternatively, is there any other way I can delete that sound? I don't really need it anyway.

It may be worth noting that disabling the camera sound can be illegal in some jurisdictions. I know in the US it can vary by state, but this can fall afoul of concealed recording laws since a phone is not considered an obvious recording device in many cases, whereas an actual camera typically needs no sound since it is considered unconcealed. Note that I'm not taking a stance on these laws either way, but if you're uncomfortable with taking that risk then you may want to look up your local laws.

There are several "silent cameras" available on google play, as e.g. Silent Camera and Silent Camera (and many more) for photos. I remember there was some settings app to completely silence the camera (regardless of the camera app used), but I currently cannot find it.


text:
No USB Storage Mode on GalaxyNexus running 4.2.2
I have a GalaxyNexus running Android 4.2.2
I just want to quickly backup some data files to my PC. I'm pretty sure I've done this many times before, but I guess not on this phone.
I have the Android SDK and tools installed on my PC.
I attach the phone by USB
I run monitor.bat and go to the File Explorer tab
Now, I can see and explore the file system.
I believe the folders I want to back up (like DCIM and Download) are under /storage/sdcard0
When I run a file explorer app on my phone, I see the folders under this path.
However, when I run the File Explorer from my PC I don't see the folders.
Do I have to do something to unmount the folders first before I can access them through USB? Do I have to shut off MTP and put the device in USB storage mode?
What am I missing?

Normally you would put the device into storage mode. When the phone is normally booted without storage mode you'll only be able to see internal, then when switched to storage mode you'll see the sdcard as well.
But VerizonWireless says the Galaxy Nexus doesn't come with USB storage mode. According to them you would transfer your data/files to PC across MTP.
So having the external SD card not show in PC explorer, can be bypassed by inserting it into a card reader on the PC. A little inconvenient, but will accomplish your task.

When I go to settings->Storage and then pick the menu and then pick "USB Computer connection" my only choices are MTP or PTP. I don't have a "storage mode" option. I looked at the suggestions in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2350542 but none seem to work for me. How do I put my device in Storage mode?

Take a look at http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1aqjd0/why_do_new_versions_of_android_not_support_usb/. I don't think my phone supports USB Mass Storage as described in this post. They suggest just using MTP which seems fine.

Just saw the reddit link. Interesting workaround for the galaxy notes.

MTP from Windows works, but I see why people in the Reddit thread are complaining. It does not behave like a drive or partition under Windows. I usually use Microsoft RichCopy, but it doesn't look like RichCopy can see the MTP device (it doesn't have a drive letter or UNC path). Windows Explorer can see the file system through MTP and I can get to the DCIM folder, but my file copy hung for no apparent reason and I had to restart it.

Nothing ever wants work right ;) Try "teracopy" for PC. Works when copy seems hang. You can also do CRC validation after copy and other things.

Would you consider re-titling your question? Something to reflect the lack of USB storage mode, just to help the rest of the community. If not, that's fine.


text:
How to identify and remove a looping sound?
I have a Nexus 4 running Android 4.4.2 (not rooted, but with developer options enabled), and it keeps developing a stuck looping sound (I guess part of a notification sound, looping approximately every second). It survives shutdown / restart, and I've been through killing processes and services, and apparently at random at some point after killing everything, it sometimes seems to stop (sometimes it keeps going no matter how many you kill)...
...but it keeps coming back. I'm at the 4th or 5th time in 24 hours where I think it is fixed, only to find it bleeping away later. Obviously this makes it hard to leave the volume on!
So: any ideas on identifying the offender? Maybe some tool that can display the sound buffers by originating process? Or just flush them...
Note: it also survives a reboot into safe mode, continuing to play in a loop while in safe mode.

Do you have few enough notification-enabled accounts that you could disable notification for a bunch of them at a time until you found the culprit? Not ideal, I realize...

@Jon to be clear: do you mean the "show norifications" box on an app-by-app basis?

Yes. I realize that's somewhat painful...

@Jon not a problem: I can try that - while investigating there's only a handful of things I will have been using...

@Jon all apps notification-disabled; all processes/services killed; rebooted - still beeping at me. This next might sound crazy, but I noticed the sound "stalled" (but continued) when tilting the phone. I shook the phone (gently-ish) and now the sound has stopped. Only thing I did was shake. Confused.

Hmm. The fact that the beeping survives a reboot is pretty concerning, to be honest. I don't know enough about Android to give more than "onlooker suggestions" but it does sound grim. Have you tried a hard reboot (shutdown, wait a bit and then turn on) rather than just a soft reboot?

@Jon yup; turned it off hard overnight etc

@Jon more info: unrelated to notification. Starts when using power button to turn screen off, then back on. I'm wondering if "thy 'phone is knackered" is the prognosis

@Jon and after it starts, shaking the phone is definitely the thing that makes it stop. I wonder if it is something like a dodgy usb / audio cable detection switch

@Jon and just to prove me wrong, it also just started and stopped with neither power button nor shaking. Just at random. All apps still notification-disabled.

Your prognosis sounds unfortunate but correct to me - definitely sounds hardwarish rather than software :(

From a purely diagnostic perspective, the only other worthwhile test I can think of would be completely wiping the device (system, data, and cache) and re-flashing it with factory images. If your issue persists through that, I'd say it's almost certainly a hardware problem. You'd lose all of your data, in the process, though.

@eldarerathis yeah, that's towards the "last things to try" end of the list, but it is on there. For now I'm trying a deep clean and air-can. So far, so good.

You mentioned that it stops for a short while when you kill many apps. Try killing one by one and see which one it is that way.

Hard to say what could cause this problem.
Maybe you're able to tell what happened before the sound started? Could be a hint to address the issue.
I would recommend start with uninstalling any unecessary apps and going through every app that is/was ever generating notifications for you. Check their internal settings (if there are any) and also check notification settings in app manager.
If you're using developer mode I suppose you can also try to turn it off, just in case.
If it's reacting on shake in a weird way I'd also recommend to run all possible updates, alternatively reinstall apps or in the worst case: reinstall the system. Can't tell more about what could cause the bug.


text:
Changing number to new phone but keeping chat history
When I tried to restore up my old chat backup from Google Drive to my new number on a new phone, WhatsApp didn't detect it. Does this mean I can only transfer chat history if it's the same number? If so how can I move my old chats to a new phone with a different number?

I don't think this can be possible. First you need to swap numbers. Log in with your old number then swap to the new one.

Chat history backup and restore feature can be used only to change the mobile device. Because the backup will be taken for the particular mobile number and can be restored in the same number.
How do I change my WhatsApp number without losing my chat history?
There is an inbuilt option in WhatsApp Messenger to change the phone number without losing the chat history. Please read the official documentation to do the same.

https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/android/27585377
https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/android/28030001/?category=5245246

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
How can I merge my friend's new phone number in WhatsApp without losing all the chats history (merge chats from two different numbers to one number)
I've been using WhatsApp with my best friend for years and he swapped his prepaid simcard (old phone with with number = X) with a new prepaid simcard (new phone with number Y) recently.
When he sent me the first message using the new phone with number Y, I received a new chat window because his number Y was not registered on my phone contact's list.
When getting this new chat, I blocked the number because it was unknown to me.
When he gave his new number Y, I added it to his contact record on my phone but chats didn't merge together and this is not what I had expected, because now I have our two separate chats: the old one and the new one.
How can I merge the 2 chat windows together and keep only the one with the whole chat/calls/medias history?
Thank you,
Bruno
Summary : Is there any way to Merge two different WhatsApp chats into one single chat ?
Practical issue being someone used two different numbers to text.

You can't. Accounts are mapped to numbers. I have heard of rooted means to achieve this but not always successful


text:
Fastboot connection problem
I am trying to install Lineage OS 16.0 on my Moto 4X. I unlocked the OEM bootloader. But when I enter the command 'fastboot reboot bootloader' it shows
'< waiting for any device >'. There it stays until I break.
The next day it suddenly worked and I booted TWRP, install Lineage OS, G-Apps 9.0 micro and started the phone following the instructions at https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/payton/install.
Lineage seem to work fine, but the G-Apps are nowhere to be found. I remember during the installation there was an error like 'can't access date/media., such a Directory does not exist' but it worked, or I thought that it did. I wanted to reinstall it all. Now I have the same problem again.
C:\adb>adb devices
List of devices attached
ZY224KGGGC      device

C:\adb>fastboot reboot bootloader
< waiting for any device >

USB debugging is enabled, the drivers on the PC are the newest from the Motorola website.
I used every USB port on my PC.
I tried my PC and two other laptops, all Windows 10.
Also I tried CMD, Powershell, and GIT-Bash for the commands. It’s always the same response. So I don't know what to do right now.
Does someone know where that problem came from?

You are mixing up adb and fastboot.
When a device is booted and visible via adb it can't be accessed via fastboot (and the other way around). Fastboot is only active while the bootloader is active.
Hence if your device is visible via adb devices you have to access it via adb.
If you want to switch to fastboot mode have to boot boot to bootloader mode by executing adb reboot bootloader.
Then you can use fastboot - if your phone has a fastboot mode. A lot of phones, don't have a fastboot mode or a very limited that has next to no functionality (e.g. on most Samsung phones and phones using a MediaTek/MTK SoC).


text:
Do I need to downgrade my Xperia J to ICS before installing a custom ROM?
I would like to install a Custom ROM in my Xperia J and its named AVD ROM. To install that ROM do I have to install the ICS first or no need?
Please help me. thank you.

If your device is rooted/unlocked, and you already use a custom recovery (like clockworkmod or twrp), there's no need to downgrade first. flashing the custom-rom will either replace the complete system, regardless of the installed version: usually, the images contain complete "disk images" for all relevant partitions.
If, on the other hand, your device is not rooted, and there doesn't exist any rooting solution for the currently installed Android version, but only for ICS: then yes, you might need to downgrade so you can gain root access to your device, and flash a custom recovery.
On some devices it might be sufficient to simply unlock the bootloader in order to install a custom recovery or flash a custom rom. If that applies to your device, I must leave for someone else to answer.

May I keep the stock kernel or must have to install new kernel ?

The kernel is part of the image, so you won't keep it either: the custom ROM will bring its own.

Not necessary...
No need to downgrade...


text:
Android terminal not able to nslookup?
Every time I try to telnet to a domain on my LG Ally it fails, but it works if I use an IP address. So I tried to use nslookup telehack.com and it returns:
Server:       0.0.0.0
Address 1:    0.0.0.0

nslookup: can't resolve 'telehack.com'

I have Android Terminal Emulator and BusyBox installed,
It wasn't working with the default dns, so now I've got my dns entries set to OpenDNS, and it still won't resolve.
is there anything I can do to resolve this, or is it a limitation on the Ally?

I have no issue doing an NSlookup on that domain or any domain for that matter.

What's your network setup like?  Do you have ports blocked or forwarded?

I'm having the same issue.

This is a known design problem  when using statically linked libresolv and glibc.
You have 2 options:

Use Google Android's native libc Bionic library instead of glibc.
Build busybox to search libraries in /system/lib (or make the necessary links e.g. /usr/lib -> /system/lib ). Place ld-linux.so.3, libc.so.6, libresolv.so.2, libnss_dns.so.2 in your /system/lib.

So you want me to haxxor the gibson? what?

enter your terminal, then type 'su' and press enter (note only works if you have a rooted phone)
$ su
#

then enter the following (replace x.x.x.x with your dns servers ip)
# echo 'nameserver x.x.x.x' > /system/etc/resolv.conf
# echo 'nameserver x.x.x.x' >> /system/etc/resolv.conf
# exit

Now test to see if it worked correctly
$ nslookup google.com

It should resolve now.

Note that it is likely that the resolv.conf will be overwritten on every connectivity change by the system.

actually, i have NEVER had this happen on any android device... It just doesn't change (i know this because i have my private dns server (local) hardcoded into the resolv.conf and I have to actually manually set it for other networks (using the advanced dialog))

Check that your terminal emulator environment has DNS set correctly by running getprop net.dns1 and if necessary set it with setprop net.dns1 [yourdns]. The commands may differ by device, some use net.eth0.dns1 or net.gprs.dns1, run getprop without parameters to see all set properties for hints.

the dns is set, I changed it from the default to openDNS and it still doesn't work...

does nslookup now give the correct server address or does it still show 0.0.0.0?

still shows 0.0.0.0

getprop exists and return an IPv6 address for DNS servers, despite the fact that the DHCP server is handing out an IPv4 address for them.  But setprop does not exist.

I've copied (and slightly changed) my answer from a comment I posted on an issue on the Google code page for Terminal IDE, however, it should be the same:
If you are rooted, you can install the latest version of busybox (you may be able to compile it). Then find out where you updated busybox is and run the following commands: (I'm assuming the new version is in /system/bin and the old version is in ~/system/bin)
PATH=/system/bin:$PATH
cd ~/system/bin
mv busybox busybox.old
ln -s /system/bin/busybox busybox

Now domains will be resolved properly.
Please note: due to the way busybox works, you have to be root to be able to use ping (although things like wget and nslookup should be able to resolve hosts properly now). The busybox developers are working on this issue.
I personally used this application to install the latest version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stericson.busybox

Which network are you using?
If it's Wifi, can other machines on your network contact it?
If it's carrier data plan...is it being blocked?
Update: 0.0.0.0 seems like a hosts file block to me. Any ad blockers? Adblock plus? Hosts file modifications?
Try USB networking - if you post a comment here asking for it i'll update the question & put in a tutorial (it's involved, and I only know how to do it on GNU/Linux machines)

It doesn't work on 3g(verizon) or on WiFi, same 0.0.0.0 can't resolve.

0.0.0.0 seems like a hosts file block to me. Any ad blockers? (Updating answer.)

I used to have one but it didn't really work... /system/etc/hosts has a bunch of spammy looking URLs pointed to 127.0.0.1

I use this in android from adb.
Maybe there are better ways.
ip=$(ping -c 1 -W 1 example.com|grep PING|cut -d "(" -f 2|cut -d ")" -f 1)


text:
How can I get Google Maps on Android to show metric units?
Google Maps always shows me distance values for direction results / navigation in miles, although it does show me a scale on the map itself in metric units. I rather prefer to get my direction distances in metres/kilometres. Is there any way to achieve this in Google Maps? I searched a bit for this and suggestions seem to be to change locale in Settings > Language and Keyboard. Mine is currently set to English UK.

It's 2015. In Android I can choose distance units for Maps. It defaults to automatic. For some reason, automatic gives my results in miles (I live in Australia). Navigation is metric. But anyway, if I choose Kilometres instead of automatic, I get kilometres.

I'm in Canada and recently made a road trip to the states.  When I'm planning a trip starting in Canada, the whole trip is in km, even if it crosses into the US.  If the trip starts in the US, however, it shows everything in miles, even if it crosses into Canada.  It appears that it's not the location set in your phone but rather the location of the phone itself (if using "my location" as the departure point - otherwise it's just the departure point).
You can try this out by plotting a trip from a "miles" country to a "km" country and then clicking the reverse trip.  The units changed with me.

UK is weird then because despite technically being a "km country", miles are commonly used for driving.

Unfortunately, I saw no way to post a comment to your question though this is not really an answer:
I am spanish and therefore my Samsung Galaxy Tab is configured for my country. When using the measure ruler from the labs tab of Google maps I get all the distances in metres/kilometres instead of miles.
So it seems that changing the locale might help

But that's only for the labs direct measurement tool, isn't it? Does it work for working/driving directions too?

@AnkurBanerjee - there is a system-wide Locale setting.

@TomG: Correct, I've set it to English UK, but that doesn't get me metric units in the map.

Open settings:

There is a parameter to configure the distance units:

You can just change the language for example from English US to English NL, a country with different metrics.

On Xiaomi poco M3 settings there is no option for units in settings.
After changing language, Maps still showed distance in ft miles. I had to go to settings / apps /maps /storage and delete data. After that distance changed to m / km

I am Spanish and therefore my Samsung Galaxy Tab is configured for my country. When using the measure ruler from the labs tab of Google maps I get all the distances in metres/kilometres instead of miles.

Try changing in the Google search bar: Settings -> Google now ->  Weather -> Change from Fahrenheit to Celsius.

What does this have to do with length? And pointless for Maps anyway.


text:
Pasting text into Android emulator
I need to paste text into the Android emulator for testing. I'm running Android 1.6 on the emulator on Mac OS 10.6. Any idea if this is possible?

Also on Stack Overflow: Paste text on Android Emulator.

Not sure if it is possible as I do not work with or use an Android emulator. What you can do however is place the text you want to copy in a text file and push it to the emulator. Once there, open it and copy the contents that way.

If you're testing on >= 2.2 emulator, then you should be able to use chrometophone or foxtophone to send text into the clipboard.

What a pain, I know... same thing on Windows, Linux, etc. too I think...
My solution... (after a little bit of preliminary set up, but after that it's very fast to use every time after that for the most part) - Really wish I didn't have to do all this setup in the first place and "it just worked" like the iPhone/iPad iOS simulator does with this kind of stuff, but (grumble, grumble...)
I run the free version of the Abyss web server (starts up in about 1 second on a fast computer) on my Mac.  I'm usually running it anyway as a test server and if it's not running, like I said its starts up in about a split second and it has extremely low overhead on CPU, memory, etc. - It's also nice that you can see that it's running in your Dock so you notice to shut it off when you don't need it.
BTW, I you can also do this with the built-in Apache web server (sudo apachectl start, etc.), MAMP, etc. but I don't do that with this for a variety of my own reasons.
Anyway, within the Abyss server (inside the root htdocs directory) I keep a basic html file called "clip.html" with the proper head tags, etc. so it can display via web browsers.
I then keep the "clip.html" file open in a text editor like BBEdit and paste whatever text I want to transfer to the AVD into the "clip.html" file's body area.
I can then pull up the "clip.html" file on the AVD through my local IP address (because currently the AVD doesn't work with the "localhost" address... sigh).  For example while my iOS Simulator iPhone is perfectly happy with localhost:8000/htdocs/clip.html , for Android's AVD's I have to instead quickly check to see which local DHCP IP address my computer is assigned to by my router and use that instead (CowTip: find it with Terminal: ipconfig getifaddr en1). If you move around a lot with a laptop and it changes a lot, it might be good to use a different method with an external web server with a domain name and user/pass or use some other advanced techniques I won't get into here)
Anyway, aside from all that stuff, for example, this works where I'm located right now with my Abyss web server up and running:
192.168.0.69:8000/htdocs/clip.html
I then type that URL into the Android AVD's browser URL window, go to it and save it as a bookmark for future use.  As you probably already know, you'll need to config the AVD so it works with your keyboard to type it in.
From now on (as long as my internal IP address doesn't change with my location), I just click on that bookmark and there's all the text that I've pasted into the body of the "clip.html" file.  If the text changes, I refresh the AVD's browser and there it is.  I can of course select it and copy the text within the AVD at this point. It even works with really old Android platforms as well (if they can access an URL with the browser, it'll work!).
CowTiP: If I'm testing websites or various local URLs with the AVD's browser, etc. I can of course also add html links into the "clip.html" file that I can simply click on within the AVD's browser and go to their locations.  (Not as cool, easy and quick as simply dragging an URL's favicon from your Safari browser to the iOS simulator's iPhone, etc. but that's the beauty of using Apple's stuff, isn't it?)
CowTip #2: Be sure and make the text size in the "clip.html" file large for mobile.  Just do that in the CSS style in the head code of the "clip.html" file.
CowTip #3: If you change locations, be sure and update your IP address in the URL and AVM's bookmark.
I have some other proprietary methods that automate many steps above with custom scripts I wrote, but I have to charge for my time to customize it for some else's setup, sorry.  But, even without the scripts, everything above works great overall.
Hopefully, some day Android will make their emulator as good as Apple makes the iOS simulator in this regard.  There's other ways to do this, but I like this way the best because of its compatibility with older Android Platforms and the ability to click links, etc.
Disclaimer: I'm not responsible if you don't know how to protect your server from getting hacked, etc. with proper configuration/firewall/etc. and if your computer explodes, etc.
Regards,
Cowicide
P.S. If someone knows a better way, please share!
P.S.S. I should note you can also do this with Google Drive and set up a document, but then you're sharing your data with a third party and if they get hacked (so does your data).  And there's chrometophone, but then again, you're sharing the data in the cloud with a third party with that as well.  If you work with sensitive data such as classified government/corporate stuff, etc. you should use my method since all the data stays on your machine.  I work with sensitive data, so I can't use those easier methods except at times when I'm working on things that aren't involving sensitive data.

If you are connected to the internet and regularly need to paste text into emulator, then one nice way would be to create a Dropbox account. Link it to a dropbox folder on your Mac. Install dropbox on your emulator and link it to your account.
Thereafter, make any text you want, put it in a text file and paste it into your dropbox folder on your Mac. Then all devices linked to your dropbox account get synced automatically. Open dropbox on your emulator and retrieve the text file.

Or you can just email the text to yourself in gmail or something and pick it up from there.

The emulator doesn't come with Google apps, so that wouldn't help. And given how slow the emulator is, it would be quicker to retype almost any length of text.


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How do I run a web application "offline" on my Android?
I have a web application written using HTML5 that leverages the application cache for "offline" access.
On my iPod touch, I can go to the web while online, click the "+" icon, and set a shortcut on my home screen. This will launch the web application full screen and run the app, even when there is no Internet connection.
Is there a similar process to use on my Android device, or will it vary by maker?

This sounds like a question for StackOverflow

hehe, first SU closed it, now AE is going to bounce me to SO? I thought it was simpler than this! 8^D

Offline data saving is supported on Android, you can see this if you go into your browser, select Settings, Advanced Settings, Website Settings and you can see which websites are using your offline cache, as well as which are using other advanced access like GPS.
To create an icon for a website on your home screen: once you've created a bookmark in your browser for the page, you can go to your home screen, long-press on a bit of spare space, select Shortcuts, Bookmark and pick that one. That should give you an icon straight to that page.

Thanks! The "full screen" mode might be an iPhone only thing, but I was able to verify the app worked from the icon while the phone was in airplane mode.

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

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

@GAThrawn I was able to check that, and I verified the app worked in "airplane" mode on a Samsung Fascinate last night. I was looking more for how to get the "home page screen" link to work and if there was a way to have it open the app in a "full screen mode" like it does on the iPhone/iPod touch.

@Dillie-O Once you've created a bookmark in your browser for the page, you can go to your home screen, long-press on a bit of spare space, select Shortcuts, Bookmark and pick that one. That should give you an icon straight to that page. Not owning an iPhone I'm not sure what you mean by full screen, all web pages are full screen aren't they?

@GAThrawn You should migrate your comments to an answer. This is what I've been looking for. As for the "full screen" mode, it functions similar to the "web app" mode in Chrome where it strips the navigation header/footer elements and just runs the app that way for you.


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How can I manually add memory to the Android emulator?
I'm planning to buy an Android phone, but I want to try the applications in the Android Market using Android Emulator. I have downloaded many applications and reached the maximum apps I can download because of low memory. My questions is how can I manually add memory to the emulator?

+1 on Al Everett; and also i'm not sure that Kyle knows that default android emulator can not access market

When you create a new AVD (Android Virtual Device).
Under Hardware, click New:
From the drop down list of Property, select Device ram size.  Click OK.
You can now put a value beside of Device ram size of how big you want it to be.
Note: You have to create a new AVD.  You can't edit them as far as I know.


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I'm looking for a way to work offline with Google Tasks
Is it possible to work offline with Google Tasks and then sync it back when online? My connection is not stable over here.
Please share if you know how to. Thank you!

GTasks allows you to work with you task list offline on your phone and then sync when you have internet as do most task managers that sync with Google Tasks.  I've never tried any of the others but I can say from experience that GTasks works well.

Astrid works fine with Google Tasks. It syncs with Google Tasks and can work offline.

Tasks works great for me. It has a free and paid version.

One of the most reliable Android apps I've ever used.

Virtually any of the apps in the Play Store which interact with Google Tasks will have this functionality.
That said, I have been using and quite happy with Google Tasks Organizer. (There is also a free "Lite" version.)

I've been using iRT GTasks Outliner that gives you an offline outliner that syncs with GTasks. It's currently in Beta but have been quite stable for the month or so I've used it.


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If I install a leaked ROM on my device will I be able to receive OTA updates?
Specifically, I'm interested in flashing a leaked build of Ice Cream Sandwich on my Nexus S 4G. I'd like to get in on the action early, but this is something I'd like to know.

If you are installing a custom ROM that is not a "carrier leak" then you probably will no longer receive OTA notifications/updates.
In the custom ROMs they remove the OTA settings that the carriers use. I don't know exactly what is changed/removed, but I can't even tell you the last time I have had an OTA notification.
But if you use tools like ClockWorkMod Rom Manager you can get notifications for updates to the ROM you install if it is added to Rom Manager by the developers. This is how I get my update notifications for CyanogenMod.


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How can I disable or password protect my device's 'factory reset' function?
Is there any way to prevent a factory reset, like password protection? I would basically like to protect my phone from resetting if it gets stolen.

I'm doubtful this is possible... as they say "physical access is root access", if they physically have your device they will most likely be able to get around any measures that protect it.

Even if you somehow render the phone useless to a thief, I doubt you're going to get it back.

You will always be able to get ADB access to the device if you have physical access by going into recovery mode, which means that no, you can't stop someone from doing a factory reset.

I would assume that it's by design. The encryption is there to protect your private data not to brick your device in case you've lost the encryption passphrase.

Not possible on any stock recoveries that I have seen.  A custom recovery would be needed for something like this, although there would be nothing preventing someone from flashing a different Recovery that doesn't have password protection.
Honestly though, factory resetting your device is probably the best thing a thief can do, since this wipes your personal data (at least the portion that's stored on the phone's internal memory.)

"Device Protection" or "Factory Reset Protection" added in Android 5.1 can prevent your device from being usable by a thief even if they factory reset it.  Essentially, it keeps the device locked after a factory reset until you enter the Google Account credentials that were on it before the factory reset, locking out the thief (unless they know your account password).  See this article for more details.
Note that if your bootloader is unlocked, or if you have the "Enable OEM unlock" developer option checked in Settings, the thief may be able to flash a ROM and evade this protection.  Note also that it does not preserve the Android Device Manager, so this is merely to deter/frustrate thieves and not to help you retrieve your device.

I believe it's possible to protect your phone from the hard reset in case it's stolen from you or something related to that.
I would recommend avast! Mobile Security for your mobile phone. It contains a lot of features including the "anti theft" provision. In case your phone is stolen, you can remotely control it using other phone numbers. You can also activate the hard reset protection on your phone and thieves won't be able to activate the hard reset or factory reset on your phone. You can also decide how your phone should behave after the SIM has been changed. For example, the app can close all access to the phone settings, hence closing all acts of trying the factory reset and the hard reset protection simply recovers all data if a hard reset is attempted.
It has worked for me, and I have recovered my Android phone twice now.

Partially correct, read the answer provided by Chahk (wrote 13 months earlier). Also check out Matthew's answer. Your solution is merely an app installed in userspace, read the comments by Firelord in response to user52240's answer.

Apart from using the Anti-virus which might or might not work, I think you should try applications that can protect certain area of your Android while allowing access to some.I use applock to protect access to my messages and gallery, I think you could also use this application to lock access to settings that lead to factory reset.I think that's the only way for now.There are other applications too that can work much better if you do some research.

But this app will work only when the system is running. You can still go into Recovery and do the reset, thereby removing the app itself as well. Of course, if this app or any other (for that matter) uses encryption on the files, then reset from recovery won't do any good for thief to recover the data.

Also, as mentioned clearly by OP that the situation is when the device gets stolen. The thief doesn't have to be tech-savvy. Go to some local phone repair shop and ask there to flash the OS. (If the device is a typical Mediatek phone, then all your app security measures will fail against "SP Flash Tool". )

@Firelord Great comments, +1 on that second comment.


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How do I increase audio sound on my app for recording phone calls?
I have an Echo phone and downloaded an app for recording phone calls, both received and made myself. When it records, my voice is very loud, but you can barely hear the other line unless it is on speaker phone. Is there a way of increasing there level without using speaker? I record phone interviews I do and it is much easier just using the headset and not using the speakerphone...cuts out parts of our conversation.

You're going to need to be more specific. This is almost certainly something that would need to be controlled within the app, so we can't really help you if we don't even know which app you're using.

The app I currently use is Record My Call https://market.android.com/details?id=com.record.my.call&hl=en

The recording works by using the microphone.  You're talking straight into the mic and thus are much louder than the sound that reaches the mic from the ear speaker.
You'll need to use an app that actually records the incoming call and not simply what it picks up from the mic.  Check out this question, I believe it includes a couple such apps in the answers.

I think I found a solution of this problem. I'm not sure why the call recordings cannot be recorded over phone calls, but only through the microphone of your smartphones, but I believe this one will help solve the problem. The app is called "Call Recorder - Cube ACR" by Cube Systems at Google Play.
I'm not sure what's the cause of these problems, but I found a solution. I share this app with the all of you and I believe it will help at least for now if they don't change any settings in future. I had problems with recording the phone calls and I couldn't hear the other side,  only my voice and if there was something heard it was very, very low as a volume because apps are working directly with the microphone of your smartphone and most of them  don't record when the loudspeaker is off. But this one does finally! Good luck!

Hello. Can you please link the app?

settings -> additional settings -> clear speaker setting -> clear speaker toggle

My phone, a Samsung, does not have this setting, even through settings search. Is this a limited-use setting of your specific device manufacturer (which you do not name), and, is this suggestion appropriate to the Echo phone specifically asked about in the original post?

You could also employ the services of Google Voice. It has an option to record phone calls, and you could also make them directly from your computer, which can be nifty.


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Do custom ROMs like CyanogenMod modify your bootloader?
Does a custom ROM like CyanogenMod come with their own bootloader or does it just overwrite the /boot  kernel and /system? Does the bootloader take responsibility to lock your SIM card on a carrier?
Basically, I'm interested in SIM unlocking my Huawei U8180, and would like to know if CyanogenMod will unlock the device.

CyanogenMod - in a vanilla or official build - will not typically contain a bootloader. On many devices there is really no good way to even overwrite the bootloader because it is on protected memory (the bootloader is "locked") and cannot be overwritten. It installs a boot image and a system image (i.e. writes to the /boot and /system partitions). I've heard that some builds will also come with a recovery image, but I have never seen one that did this.
Unlocking your SIM is unrelated to your firmware, and CM will not perform a SIM unlock for you. CyanogenMod's wiki itself states:

CyanogenMod, however, does not "unlock" the device. Most carriers
  "lock" their handsets to prevent customers from buying a handset and
  moving to a different carrier. Carriers depend on these "exclusivity"
  agreements to bolster revenue. For example: if you buy an iPhone in
  the US, you are stuck with AT&T or Verizon, whichever you bought from.
  To use the handset on another carrier's network it would be necessary
  to "unlock" the handset. This is done with a code based on the IMEI of
  the handset that can be provided by your carrier or firms on the
  internet that are slightly more reliable than a Nigerian Prince.
Unlocking cannot be done by installing CyanogenMod, or any other
  firmware for that matter.

I would further assume that the bootloader on your device does not have any kind of bearing on the SIM lock. HTC allows bootloaders to be unlocked on certain devices, and their website specifically states:

Please note that unlocking your bootloader does not mean that you will
  be able to unlock the SIM lock. Unlocking your SIM lock is at the
  discretion of your operator/carrier and is not part of the bootloader
  unlocking scope.

I would guess this is likely similar on other devices, though I'm not specifically familiar with Huawei's hardware or software.

Usually the easiest way is to call the carrier and ask for the Unlock Code. If you are a customer for a length of time (say 6 months+ or so) and tell them that you need it unlocked (maybe to travel outside the country) they will usually give it to you.

i'm pretty much interested to know what's bearing the SIM lock ?!... if it's not the bootloader so what would it be ?!    .. i've already unlocked the bootloader  of the phone, downloaded CM 7.2 but that didn't work out, i have no direction to go unless i specifically know how the phone is locked to a certain carrier !!!

@MuhammadGhandour: As Ryan noted, the easiest thing to do is probably to contact your carrier. I don't know exactly how SIM lock works on a technical level, but my understanding is that's it's built into the modem or SIM reader's firmware at some level, which is not modified by custom ROMs.

No, CyanogenMOD and other custom ROMs rely on your device's bootloader.  In general you don't want to mess with the bootloader since doing so is an easy way to brick your device.
The bootloader doesn't really have anything to do with the SIM lock usually.  I don't know of an Android-specific way to unlock this phone, which means you'll probably need to use a paid service, which are generally pretty sketchy.  A quick Google shows that some people have had success with this tool.

The answer could stand true in the past but certain ROMs like CM 12  overwrites the bootloader with their own, thereby, making it difficult for Android 4.x ROMs to work with it. However, I must add (for the reader) that an unclocked bootloader is always required to perform any such action.

@Firelord That must be only for a very limited set of devices, though.


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Turn off Wi-Fi Power Saving?
Is there a way to turn off wi-fi power saving mode on Android, i.e. have the wi-fi radio stay on at all times?  I'd rather have a stable, low-latency wi-fi connection and slightly less battery life than a flaky wi-fi connection and longer battery life.  In other words I'd like to enable constant active mode for my wi-fi.
EDIT:  To clarify, I'm talking about the millisecond time scale power saving mode that's part of the wi-fi standard.  This is where the radio wakes up on every beacon, not the minute time scale power saving where wi-fi is disabled completely.

What exactly do you mean by power saving? Are you referring to when your screen is off (the wifi "sleep policy")? You may want to look at How do I keep my wi-fi on in sleep mode

Settings -> Wireless and network -> Wi-Fi settings -> (Menu) Advanced -> Wi-Fi sleep policy -> Never.


text:
Android audio input
I know that on the iPhone you can plug in your guitar and other audio devices but can you do this on Android? Can any recording application do this?

This question should not be tagged with "input-method", as it's about audio input and not text input.

The headphone jack of many android devices will accept audio input.  A few caveats:

Audio input using this method is mono only.
This will vary by device as some may not accept audio input, and others simply don't have headphone jacks.  If a particular device came with a headset with a built-in mic, odds are it will accept audio input.
This method does not support the use of an external mic while recording video.
You'll need to use a special adapter that will split the input/output of the jack.  Something like this or the adapter mentioned here would probably work.

It seems like audio input through USB would be possible, but this feature request suggests it isn't yet implemented.


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My messaging application sometimes closes itself while typing - How can I fix this?
When typing an SMS message, the messaging application will automatically close and the typed text is deleted, causing me to have to retype the text. It seems to happen after two or three messages. I have clear data of Messaging software from Manage Applications->All->Messaging->Clear Data but the problem persists. Is there a way I can fix this?

The Android log will most likely show the cause for the close, which should help you to find a solution.

Does it force close, or just close onto the home screen?

it close on to the home screen.

You can try to investigate this issue more deeply based on system logs. Install some application to grabbing logs from device (for example SendLog). When you application crashes, then grab system log in which should be placed callstack started in your application.
Getting logs should be done asap after crash, because these files rotate.

You should probably try looking at what processes are running, you probably have a game or application with some services maybe even something with an SMS intent grabber to read when you have messages & alert you or whatever.
Avast is good for monitoring applications resources & uninstalling them if you don't like doing it in the settings. It also puts up applications by permissions which make it easy to see if something is grabbing SMS messages off the intent. It's free, you don't need to root, and as long as you don't do the admin mode easy enough to uninstall.

Just leave the damn app alone, it's black and uninviting anyway, and install a more appealing SMS app, try Go SMS or Handcent SMS.

It is possible, but unlikely, that it is being killed by the android automatic killer to free up ram, but as the Samsung Galaxy S2 has 1 GB of ram this is unlikely.
One other explanation is that you are accidentally pressing the home button while you type, or are pressing something on your keyboard that has the same effect.
If possible, install the drivers for your device, download adb + required dll's, and type into a command prompt:
logcat >> logcat.log

Then make it happen. This will dump all of the logs to the logcat.log file. You could then paste this into pastebin, for us to have a look at.

This is old question however answering now since I found solution on my device. It might help for anyone still facing the issue.
There is Android system app "Aries" you need to give all permission to this app.
After that none of the application are now minimizing for me.
My device is running on Andorid 7.

I would try going in to Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> All and select the Messaging app. Then the Clear Data for the application. There may be something in the data that is corrupt and causing an issue.
I know this doesn't necessarily solve the problem, but you can try using another SMS application, like Handcent SMS for example. I personally never liked the Messaging application that comes in TouchWiz (Samsung's additions/changes to Android), which is why I moved to a custom ROM as soon as a stable one was made available. That is not the answer for everyone, but replacing the messaging app with a 3rd party app is "the next best thing".

Don't forget to clear cache, too.

Dear Ryan i have done your solution. but after a week same problem occurred but now time span of its occurrence is reduced. what should i do now?


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How do I boot my Samsung Nexus S into safe mode?
I have a Samsung Nexus S with Android 2.3.
I somehow managed to set the Zoodles application to start up with laucher. As a result, whenever I boot my phone, I see the Zoodles app and cannot close it or access any other applications.
I searched and understood that if I can boot the device in safe mode, I can remove the Zoodles app. How do I boot into safe mode?

Try booting the phone while holding down the power button during boot. I have also read people saying that holding the menu button during boot works.
Once you are in safe mode, you will see "Safe Mode" at the bottom left of the screen.


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How to disable secure credentials password?
On DesireZ running android 2.2 I've run into a rather annoying problem. The phone forces me to make a credentials password for WIFI, and then I have to enter it before the phone will connect to a secured wifi network.
I don't care about the security of my wifi passwords being compromised in the event of my phone being stolen, so I would like to disable this annoyance.
I cannot find any setting or way of doing this, however. Is it possible? Or is there an app which can remember and automatically enter the password on boot-up?
Thanks.
[edit]I can uncheck the "use secure credentials" option, but that simply prevents me from connecting to any wifi connection which requires a password. Attempting to enter a password for the wifi connection first prompts me for a new secure credentials password...[/edit]
The minimum password length is 8, so it won't let me leave it blank.

or leave the password blank

@LieRyan It won't let me leave it blank, minimum is 8 characters. :(

You can try Keystore Unlocker if your phone is rooted and Keystore Notifier if it is not.

Have you tried disabling the "Use secure credentials" option in Menu -> Settings -> Location & security, under "Credentials storage" section?

Did you uncheck "Settings > Location & Security > Use secure credentials"?
EDIT: or leave the password blank

Besides disabling the "Use secure credentials", if it still asks for the password upon joining a Wi-Fi network, make it happy by going back to Settings => Security => Set password (Under "Credential storage"; applicable to HTC Desire device). It won't bug you anymore after that


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Help Uninstalling Stubborn Application
I have the original Motorola Droid. I recently installed Lotus Notes Traveler on it (we use Lotus Notes at work). The application is giving some issues, so I was going to uninstall it and re-install it. Unfortunately, when I try to do that I get a message the message "Uninstall Not Succesful". Is there any way to uninstall an app that does not want to uninstall through "Manage Applications"?

Are you rooted?

No, I have not rooted this phone.

Apparently the Lotus Notes Traveler app makes itself the Device Administrator on the phone.  You need to disable this before uninstalling it.  The following quote is from Lotus FAQ:

You should uninstall Lotus Notes Traveler by launching the Lotus®
  mobile installer application, then selecting the Lotus Notes Traveler
  application and choosing uninstall.
If you choose to uninstall
  manually and your device is running Android 2.2 or above, you must
  first disable the device administrator. To do so, select Menu >
  Settings > Location & Security > Select device Administrators. After
  you have disabled the Lotus Notes Traveler device administrator, you
  can use the operating system to remove Lotus Notes Traveler, by
  navigating to Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications.
You can uninstall Lotus Mobile Installer using the normal method for uninstalling
  applications on your Android device.

I would install the Android SDK on your PC and attempt the uninstall through ADB:
adb uninstall packagename
packagename is probably something like com.ibm.lotusnotes, I don't know the exact name since it doesn't appear to be publicly available.

I managed to finally uninstall using Titanium Backup's Force uninstall feature

If you have ROM Manager installed, try doing a "Fix Permissions"

Fix Permissions from ROM Manager requires root.  According to OP, his phone is not rooted.