text:
Samsung SII rom update
I'm a big fan for RR (Resurrection Remix rom) and I'm following it's news and updates since V.1.8.1
But there is something I don't like with rom updating in general, each time updating the rom I need to wipe cache, applications and user details. I hate reinstalling apps. and configure my phone from zero.
Is there a way to relaunch the same settings and apps. after updating the rom.
thanx for your advises.

Well-
Things have changed-
As of today, all you need to do is backup the .apk files to your SD card using the backup app of your choice (there are free ones like Astro-)
And then get an app called "App Installer" --
When you Update the ROM- you can re-install all of your apps with the App Installer--
App Installer hasn't been around too long-- I personally use Titanium-- it has some good features, but it costs money. Worth every cent, IMHO.
ALSO- You may not actually need to wipe the data and system before you update the ROM--- so long as you are upgrading the ROM and not switching to a different ROM.
(if the chef says wipe, then wipe--)
But a lot of times, you can get away with only wiping davlik+cache


text:
Calendar app from google not available
I just upgrade my Samsung Galaxy s2 and was expecting to use the new Calendar app from Google itself. Here is a screenshot
http://cdn.pocket-lint.com/images/4zGC/google-android-ice-cream-sandwich-review-14.jpg?20111121-150627
It seems not to be included in the upgrade and strangely enough not downloadable from the play store.
I searched the net but it seems everyone can use it cause I see no similar reports. Is it available on your ICS android phone?
Thanks, Tom

Was this an official over the air (OTA) update from your carrier or Samsung, or did you manually install a leaked ROM?

It was an official update with kies on the desktop

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


text:
Does Swype Beta collects typed passwords?
Their FAQ doesn't mention this, but when I enable Swype on my Galaxy S2, I get a notification warning me that it can collect all info, including credit card numbers and passwords.
Does it collect such data?

That's a standard Android warning. You get that warning when you try to install any keyboard.
Nope, it won't collect any such data.

How do you know it won't?

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


text:
How do I cancel a half completed email configuration?
Phone is trapped trying to encrypt my device against my wishes.
On my Nexus S I was recently upgraded to 4.0.4 and decided to try adding my work email to my personal phone. This previously didn't work because Android didn't have the proper security settings. I previously did not have any other email accounts setup.
Did an manual setup for an Exchange server and it prompted me to give the email app additional permissions (enforce lock screen, full device encryption etc.) I accepted and configured the lock screen as requested. The full device encryption page popped up and it informed me that once encrypted I would not be able to decrypt the device without a factory reset. I was not interested in that, but there is no cancel button on the encryption warning page.
I quit to the home screen, but now the phone constantly reminds me to complete the account setup.
Is there a way to cancel the account setup? What are my options? I'd prefer not to have to do a factory reset.
Did Google really place the warning page in a time where it's already too late to do anything or have I missed some other way to cancel? Every time I open the email app it says that the email account requires I change my security settings. I can cancel and the app closes or accept and the encryption page appears.

Naturally, I figured it out 10 minutes after posting. Can't answer for another few hours because I'm a new user.
Under the security section of the settings, there is a Device Administrator page. I deactivated the "Email" app as an admin. It warned that it would delete all my mail and stuff and I accepted.
No factory reset required.
Thank you Stack Exchange for allowing me to express my question so I could figure it out myself :)

I'm sure that you're not the only who has been caught by that, or will be in the future. Yes, please do add your findings as an Answer and accept it so future readers can benefit.

Glad you found something that worked.  I'd have recommended finding the Email app in the "App Settings", forcing it to stop, then clearing its data.

Reposting answer for future people!
Naturally, I figured it out 10 minutes after posting.
Can't answer for another few hours because I'm a new user. Under the security section of the settings, there is a Device Administrator page.
I deactivated the "Email" app as an admin. It warned that it would delete all my mail and stuff and I accepted. No factory reset required.
Thank you Stack Exchange for allowing me to express my question so I could figure it out myself :)


text:
Disconnected by openvpn server in first two hours
I have setup the openvpn server and client. The client could connect to the server. Then, the server will aways disconnect the client after around two hours(refer to the log of server). And to my surprise, the client shows the connection still on. But I can't send any data from client to server at that time.
Here is the config of server(part):
duplicate-cn
keepalive 10 120
nice 3
verb 0
mute 10
reneg-sec 0

Here is the log of server:
Feb  1 07:59:32 OpenVPN server: peer xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (client) connected - local IP: 10.8.0.2
Feb  1 09:33:34 OpenVPN server: peer xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (client) disconnected, sent: 55 KB, received: 56 KB
Feb  2 07:59:08 OpenVPN server: peer xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (client) connected - local IP: 10.8.0.2
Feb  2 09:34:56 OpenVPN server: peer xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (client) disconnected, sent: 56 KB, received: 57 KB
Feb  3 07:58:12 OpenVPN server: peer xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (client) connected - local IP: 10.8.0.2
Feb  3 09:58:20 OpenVPN server: peer xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (client) disconnected, sent: 70 KB, received: 71 KB

Here is the config of client(part):
client
dev tun
proto udp
remote xxx.xxx.net 2222
resolv-retry infinite
nobind
persist-key
persist-tun
auth SHA1
cipher BF-CBC
comp-lzo adaptive
nice 0
verb 3
mute 10

Here is the log of clinet:
2021-2-3 7:58   VPN profile [client] is connecting to [xxx.xxx.net]. (protocol[OpenVPN], IP[10.8.0.2], interface[tun0])
2021-2-2 7:59   VPN profile [clinet] is connecting to [xxx.xxx.net]. (protocol[OpenVPN], IP[10.8.0.2], interface[tun0])
2021-2-1 7:59   VPN profile [clinet] is connecting to [xxx.xxx.net]. (protocol[OpenVPN], IP[10.8.0.2], interface[tun0])

Hello. Can you show how all of that is connected to Android per se? See [help/on-topic]. You might have ended up posting this question on a wrong Stack Exchange site.

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


text:
Is there no basic mp3 player?
I use Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4. Previously I could play mp3 files with the "music" application. Now I have 10 players but the plain "music" player is gone and no builtin player can play an mp3 file from my memory card. Why? There used to be a player in the android that could do it. Instead I have google play which seems new.

It would help, if you add your phone's manufacturer and model, as well as the players you have install, to your question.

In most players you need to tell it where to find the music files or have the ap scan the device. i use Music folder player its free and does the trick

I found a good one (but it had advertising). I'm going to try and find a more basic player if I ask at software recommendations Q&A. Now it seems that there is no builtin audio player and that I must use a tool.

"In most players you need to tell it where to find the music files or have the ap scan the device." ??? Most music players rely on the media library, which the Android system takes care for (see: media-scanner). The only ones you might need to tell where your files are are those for FolderPlay & AudioBooks. And only very few build up their own library database (so that you must let the app scan the entire device).

authors: Георги Kацаров


text:
Install CA without having to activate screen lock
I have a Nexus 7 (Android 4.1.1) and I want to add a CA (Certificate Authority) to my device to use it for the ssl-connection to my mail server. The CA is self-signed. The Certificate does only contain the public key of the CA (of course!).
I also want to keep my screenlock disabled because on a tablet not leaving my house it does not make sense to have a screen lock.
Now the problem arises: Whenever I want to import the CA, Android wants me to change my screenlock to digits/password which I want to avoid.
Can this behaviour somehow be prevented? There is nothing security critical at a public key of a CA.
I know that when the phone is rooted one can add a CA, but I want to avoid rooting my phone.

I think this was closed because a complete answer to the other question would include a non-root method if one was possible.  In the hopes of getting such an answer we don't want to divide attention between that one and this one.  In this case though I don't think it will hurt to reopen this, consider linking to the other and explaining the difference though :)

Not sure if this has anything to do with screen lock, which I didn't need on my Android 4.3.1. To create & install a certificate, maybe my answer to this question might be helpful.

I've written an article on creating & installing CAcert certificates as Android System Certificates (Android >=4.2), thus allowing you to use your device without lockscreen:
http://wiki.pcprobleemloos.nl/android/cacert
Main part of my article:
cat root.crt > 5ed36f99.0
openssl x509 -inform PEM -text -in root.crt -out /dev/null >> 5ed36f99.0
cat class3.crt > e5662767.0
openssl x509 -inform PEM -text -in class3.crt -out /dev/null >> e5662767.0

Copy the files 5ed36f99.0 and e5662767.0 to /system/etc/security/cacerts/ (and chmod 644 them), reboot and it should work. Check Settings -> Security -> Certificates, it should list both "CAcert Inc." and "Root CA". Note that some browsers might use their own certificate store instead of the Android one.
The Android security model explicitly forces you to have a lockscreen whenever a non-system (user) certificate is installed. There is no configuration option around this.
You can either replace your stock Android version with one which has removed this requirement (I do not think that any exist, but you could theoretically create your own).
The other option is using (temporary) root access for installing this certificate, and then 'unrooting' it, although that sounds a bit silly.

Sorry, root access is require AFAIK. For everybody who has root access and Android 4+, here a detailed description how to add it to Android's system certificate folder:
Assuming your certificate file - let's call it root.cer - looks like this:
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIDgzCCAmugAw[...]
[...]
-----END CERTIFICATE-----

Obtain the name Android needs for it (".0" is appended) and store in variable $name:
name=$(openssl x509 -inform PEM -subject_hash_old -in root.cer | head -1).0

Sample output for: echo $name
00673baa.0

Create the certificate file for Android:
cat root.cer > $name
openssl x509 -inform PEM -text -in root.cer -out /dev/null >> $name

Copy certificate file to SD card:
adb push $name /sdcard

Open Android shell:
adb shell

Become root and copy certificate to Android's system certificate folder:
su
mount -o remount,rw /system
cp /sdcard/00673baa.0 /system/etc/security/cacerts/

Note: For the last command you need to replace the certificate file name!
Now reboot. Make sure that the certificate was correctly installed:
 Goto Settings -> Security -> Show trusted certificates. Here in the system list you should find the name of the issuer of your self-signed certificate (which is equal to the subject). You can print it using:
openssl x509 -inform PEM -issuer -in root.cer -out /dev/null

Now you can delete all certificates (system certificates are not touched) and remove the lock screen.

There is no way I know of which will achieve this.  I've been looking for a way of doing the same thing for a while now, as my work requires me to use a CA, but have found nothing after a lot of looking.  If you were rooted then it might be possible, but without root I'm afraid you're going to have to just deal with it.
Sorry!

In case you decide to root the phone (you can only root it temporarily to install the certificates, it doesn't need to remain rooted), you can upload the certificates into a directory and the next reboot they will be validated:
adb shell mount -o remount,rw /system
adb push 1dbdda5d.0 /system/etc/security/cacerts/

where 1dbdda5d.0 is your certificate to be trusted.

The author stated that he doesn't want to root his phone. Besides this, I'm pretty sure, that adding just the single file to this directory won't work. The certificate must be included into the /system/etc/security/cacerts.bks key store to be visible for Android. See CACert's howto if you want to know the steps needed.

I found a way to solve the problem, but it requires root and may only work with root, self-signed, or intermediate CAs.
If you have a certificate that is not trusted by Android, when you add it, it goes in the personal cert store. When you add a cert in this personal cert store, the system requires a higher security level to unlock the device. But if you manage to add your cert to the system store then you don't have this requirement. Obviously, root is required to add a certificate to the system store, but it is quiet easy.
Here is how to do it :
1 - Add your cert normally. For example, my cert was called some.crt. It will be stored in your personal store and android will ask you a pin/password... Proceed.
2 - With a file manager with root capabilities, browse files in /data/misc/keychain/cacerts-added or /data/misc/keystore. You should see a file here called 1000_USRCERT_some it's the certificate you have added in step 1.
3 - Move this file to system/etc/security/cacerts (you will need to mount
the system partition r/w)
4 - Reboot the phone
5 - You are now able to clear the pin/password you have set to unlock the
device.
Worked for me with a self-signed cert on Android 4.4.2. Hope it helps!

Interesting, that you didn't mention the original source, neither appropriately credited the author. Follow How to reference material written by others.

There is a way. Just install your certificate the usual way and set "Patterns" as lock screen to do so. Lock the screen. Fail on the patterns 5 times, then click on "forgot pattern" in the lower right corner, login with your Google account and voilà ... the lock screen is reset to "none" and certificates are still there.
Just tested it on Galaxy Note N7000 with 4.1.2

Could you explain further? How does this help me with installing a CA? Do I have to do this everytime the keylock is visible?

There is no "forgot pattern" after failing 5 times on Nexus running stock Android though.


text:
How can I remove my emails from the Gmail app?
On an Android phone, Gmail app is showing emails from my Gmail account despite that I have never authorised that app to access the account.
This started when [EDIT:] I logged-in to Google Play Store [], and then got a new email notification from a Gmail app installed on the same device but never accessed by me. Accessing it shows it has emails of mine.
I tried removing the Google account from the device and disabling the Gmail app following the instruction on Google Support - Sign out of Gmail, but when reenabled it, it still shows my emails.
How can I remove my emails from the Gmail app?

All Google apps use the same Google account registered in Android settings. If you are logged in into a Google app all the other installed Google apps als have access to the account. The only way to avoid that is not install the corresponding app. So in your case you can only uninstall Gmail (or remove the Google account from your device).

Continuation from OP's question on WebApps.SE: How does Android Chrome manage to leak a Google Account log-in to the Gmail app?

"The only way to avoid that is not install the corresponding app." I didn't install it. It was pre-installed. So I take it "The only way to avoid that is not have the corresponding app."

Gmail syncs emails on the device for users' convenience (e.g. offline viewing). To clear synced emails from the device, try clearing the app data from its app info:

Navigate to Android Settings - Apps - See all N apps - Gmail
Select "Storage & cache"
Tap "Clear storage" and "Clear cache"

Based on Pixel 3a, Android 12. Menu might be different on other devices.

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


text:
Where'd the Google camera app go?
I have a Motorola Moto Z but I can't find the official Camera app by Google. Can anyone provide me with the Play Store link?

According to this last reported blog, Google camera app is missing from PS in some regions. This blog has a link for download

As @beeshyams said in their comment, the Google Camera app is not available in some regions on the Play Store. This link is to the listing on the Play Store. If you can access the listing from that link, then you're one of the lucky few countries that can. If you cannot, you will have to download it from a reputable third party website such as APKMirror.
Do take note of the minimum supported Android version when using APKMirror as well as the fact that there are two variants for different processor architectures. If the minimum version is too high, I recommend moving to the most recent one that supports your OS version. If there are two variants available for whichever version you choose and if your first download doesn't install, try the other variant.
DISCLAIMER: You will have to enable Installation from Unknown Sources in order to install from a third party site. This is highly recommended against as it enables the possibility of malicious applications being installed on your device.

@AbAppletic they tend to make the release worldwide compatible then proceed to lock it out of the majority of regions, just the way is unfortunately :(

I think this is the first time that I faced this: I can't search Google Camera on Play Store (browsing all apps by Google doesn't include this too), but I can install it through the link to the Play Store listing you provided. Usually, when I can't search an app on Play Store, 99.99% I won't be able to install it using its direct link to the listing, either due to country restriction or unsupported device. Weird... but true story...


text:
How To Install Custom ROM In LG GT540?
I rooted my LG GT540 now I want to install custom rom but don't know how to do, so I am looking for some easy steps to do this and also share which custom will be best for this device?

A related question might provide other helpful details: Install custom ROM from Linux on a LG GT540

Backup your phone

this is important if you wish to keep any data from your phone. You will have to restore backed up data (such as apps) after you update. The only way to update to the latest software is to erase your device, so backup whatever you do not want to lose.

Extract the .zip file, which you can download from this AndroidForum thread or this XDA thread. Open the folder and install MSXML 4.0 SP3 Parser (msxml.msi).
Once that has finished, install LGAndroidDriver_WHQL_ML_Ver1.0_All_Win7.exe which are the drivers so your computer will recognize your phone. Windows XP Users download this driver, extract the contents anywhere (e.g. desktop), right-click on the 'android_usb.inf' file and click 'Install'.

Now you have set up your phone to connect to your computer correctly. From here on, it depends on which ROM you wish to install. This is an excellent video tutorial that covers installing custom ROMS and rooting, and as said in the UPDATE, many ROMS with instructions can be found on XDA.
Bricking is always a possibility when modifying software that doesn't come directly through the intended channels
That said, the methods here have been proven to work and your risk is significantly less if you perform these steps correctly.
Let us know if you need any help!
UPDATE: this is a method to install updates to your phone. as far as specific ROMS to install, XDA and google can be very helpful. As soon as you find one you like, go for it :)

thanks will check and tell you whether I success or not.

I follow the steps but whenever I do with fastboot -w its hang on waiting for device.

it sounds like the computer cannot recognize your phone, meaning the drivers were probably not properly installed. can you use the device manager to make sure the drivers you downloaded are associated with your phone?

Now it detects the device using adb command but when I am doing fastboot –w its hang on again waiting for device.


text:
Anyone have an alternative dowload site for a fastboot binary?
I'm working on rooting my android kernel and most sites list http://android-dls.com/files/linux/fastboot as the place to look for the fastboot binary. However, I've been getting a 404 (Page not Found) error when attempting to access this site.
Does anyone know of an alternate download location for fastboot?
I'm currently running Ubuntu Linux.

HTC used to have a copy of the Linux binary, but they changed their developers portal and now I can't find that one anymore, either. The only other pre-compiled version I've been able to find is here (link originated from this thread on droidforums.net, which also has a link to a pre-compiled OSX binary).
I checked with readelf on my Linux VM and it looks like it's a 64-bit binary, so I've also uploaded a 32-bit version to my Dropbox public folder, and it can be downloaded here. This is the binary I use on my machine, which I believe I got from the aforementioned HTC site that's now missing.
Aside from that, you can compile Android from source to get it...but that's kind of a terrible solution for a single small binary file.

I'd just use someone else's hard work, someone who makes their builds available - see my answer. :P

The Replicant Project builds tools with every release; you can find their tools here (go down the directory tree in a path like replicant-2.3/preview/0002/tools/), along with notes about which git version was used for the source. Go one directory up and read COPYING for details.
Note: They only offer Linux builds.
Source code is here.

This one worked for me (and it's reasonably trustable).

You want the Android SDK.  From the CyanogenMod wiki:

After installing the Android SDK or ADB Standalone you can use 'fastboot' in addition to the more common ADB.

After installing the SDK you will need to add the Android SDK platform-tools package.

Here it is: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11347040&postcount=105

Can't say I'd trust this binary - it's the right size, but I'm not giving that root access on a box I care about.

@Broam I found what appears to be the source.  Slightly more reputable; you can review the thread and see if anyone else complained about it, at least.

Yes, that is where I found it.


text:
Upgrading MIUI when installed on SD card
I have MIUI 1.7.22 Italian installed on my HD2 running from SD card.
I found that there is version 1.8.5 available from the MIUI updater program on the phone. However, even if I download the ROM it doesn't get installed. It asks me to reboot in bootloader mode, so I suppose it works only with NAND-installed ROMs.
Do you know if it's possible to upgrade MIUI to 1.8.5 when running from SD card possibly without erasing all data on the phone?
It took me some time to customize desktop.

Looks like the latest version is 1.9.2.
I found a ROM in XDA Developers MIUI 1.9.2 SD HERE
Instructions of how to update MIUI SD are in the thread
Hope this helps.


text:
What is preventing my Android phone from going to sleep? It is eating through the battery quickly
My phone is the Motorola Droid 1, rooted and modded with CyanogenMod 7. This problem did not occur before I modded it. When I check the battery stats, the awake bar is always solid, so something is preventing it from going to sleep. On some advice, I ran dumpsys power through adb. Here is the output:
dumpsys power
Power Manager State:
  mIsPowered=true mPowerState=0 mScreenOffTime=3537164 ms
  mPartialCount=1
  mWakeLockState=
  mUserState=
  mPowerState=
  mLocks.gather=
  mNextTimeout=198995292 now=202518891 -3523s from now
  mDimScreen=true mStayOnConditions=0
  mScreenOffReason=3 mUserState=0
  mBroadcastQueue={-1,-1,-1}
  mBroadcastWhy={0,0,0}
  mPokey=1 mPokeAwakeonSet=false
  mKeyboardVisible=false mUserActivityAllowed=false
  mKeylightDelay=6000 mDimDelay=47000 mScreenOffDelay=7000
  mPreventScreenOn=false  mScreenBrightnessOverride=-1  mButtonBrightnessOverrid
e=-1
  mScreenOffTimeoutSetting=60000 mMaximumScreenOffTimeout=2147483647
  mLastScreenOnTime=0
  mBroadcastWakeLock=UnsynchronizedWakeLock(mFlags=0x1 mCount=0 mHeld=false)
  mStayOnWhilePluggedInScreenDimLock=UnsynchronizedWakeLock(mFlags=0x6 mCount=0
mHeld=false)
  mStayOnWhilePluggedInPartialLock=UnsynchronizedWakeLock(mFlags=0x1 mCount=0 mH
eld=false)
  mPreventScreenOnPartialLock=UnsynchronizedWakeLock(mFlags=0x1 mCount=0 mHeld=f
alse)
  mProximityPartialLock=UnsynchronizedWakeLock(mFlags=0x1 mCount=0 mHeld=false)
  mProximityWakeLockCount=0
  mProximitySensorEnabled=false
  mProximitySensorActive=false
  mProximityPendingValue=-1
  mLastProximityEventTime=230765884
  mLightSensorEnabled=false
  mLightSensorValue=-1.0 mLightSensorPendingValue=-1.0
  mLightSensorScreenBrightness=70 mLightSensorButtonBrightness=0 mLightSensorKey
boardBrightness=0
  mUseSoftwareAutoBrightness=true
  mAutoBrightessEnabled=false
  mScreenBrightness: animating=false targetValue=-1 curValue=0.0 delta=-5.0

mLocks.size=1:
  PARTIAL_WAKE_LOCK              'com.commonsware.cwac.locpoll.LocationPoller' a
ctivated (minState=0, uid=10069, pid=14026)

mPokeLocks.size=1:
    poke lock 'PhoneApp': POKE_LOCK_IGNORE_CHEEK_EVENTS

Is a particular app locking my phone awake?

I got an answer on another forum. The part keeping the phone awake was shown here:
mLocks.size=1:
  PARTIAL_WAKE_LOCK              'com.commonsware.cwac.locpoll.LocationPoller' a
ctivated (minState=0, uid=10069, pid=14026)

and by grepping the process id like so:
ps | grep 14026

I found the name of the app that was causing the problem.

Don't leave us in suspense. What was it?


text:
Why have some of my apps started coming up as tiny shrunken windows
Sometime in the last week a few of the apps installed on my Galaxy Nexus are coming up as tiny shrunken windows that are completely unusable. Here's an example:

Very boring picture, the point being that the little white rectangle halfway down the left side is the rendition of the application that should be taking up the whole screen! I can click on the little detail that is visible there and the little white rectangle changes a bit. It seems the application is running but it is obviously unreadable and unusable. And it doesn't respond to resizing gestures. Tapping on the options button brings up a bar at the bottom of the screen with tiny unreadable icons.
FWIW, the apps that are doing this are zipcar (the one I first noticed; perhaps the installation of that app caused the problem?), a banking app and Ibird Pro. Both the banking app and the bird program worked fine in the past.
I'd be delighted to hear from anyone who has seen this, or better still know what caused it and how to fix it!

I assume you've done the usual: power on/off the device, clear app cache and/or data, remove and re-insert the battery

Let me guess... you turned on GPU Rendering in the developer options? Some apps that don't properly support it will do that. Try turning that off.
Also, on an unrelated note: you can take screenshots by holding power and volume down.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S2 Wifi Hotspot Toggle Widget
I have upgraded to ICS on an i9100, from GB.  Both of these provide wifi tethering by default.  Under GB many of the widgets available could toggle the wifi tethering on and off - a simple switch.
These toggle widgets do not work under ICS on this device - either they do not work and error, or they open the settings / Tethering and Portable Hotpot page rather than directly switching the status.
If I look at the shortcuts available in Settings, this is as deep as it goes - even with AnyCut or llama intents.  Does this mean it simply isn't possible to get a wifi tethering toggle any more, or is it possible there is an unadvertised intent that will trigger it?

I believe this should work  -   Widgetsoid2.x on Google Play
(I have verified that this allows you to create a toggle widget on ICS which does not go into settings app and does it work directly. Although since Wi-Fi Hotspot is not working on my custom ROM of ICS yet, I can't verify the actual working.)

Yeah it does work, thanks!  Now I need to know how it is working if there isn't an intent it can call :)


text:
When a Google account is used to access the Android Market, what information is captured by Google?
When I use a Google account which then becomes the primary account on the device, what information is captured by Google e.g. device make, model, IMEI, etc?
Am I able to access any of this information and if so where?

Google Play is covered by the terms of Google's privacy policy, and in fact links you to it when you first launch the app or visit the link in the Play website's footer. The very brief summary is that they divide it into:

"Information you give us" - Any info provided during registration
Device information - Noted to be "...your hardware model, operating system version, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information including phone number"
Log information
Location information
Unique application numbers
Local storage
Cookies and anonymous identifiers

Since Google's apps are proprietary I doubt you'll get much more definite information than that unless you ask Google directly. You can read the full text of Google's Privacy Policy to see how they use the information they collect (among other things).

Thanks. So what happens if you perform a factory reset of the phone and use a different account i.e. what happens to the historical data? Can they be linked, etc? So for example I sell my phone after performing a factory reset, the person who purchased the phone uses a different Google Account. Is there a way for them to know the previous details in any form or shape?

@PeanutsMonkey: If you're asking if Google can create a link then I'd suspect yes (using a hardware identifier like IMEI) but I'd imagine they wouldn't link two separate accounts like that in practice specifically because people often sell used phones and the like. If you mean can the new owner get at your historical information then no, unless they somehow obtained access to Google's servers and data. AFAIK there's no way for an end-user to establish such a connection.


text:
No numbers on default keyboard
Just bought a SE Xperia Arc S phone and it's keyboard does not have numbers or symbols like $,@ on the keys. When I press and hold "r" for example it prints a weird "ṛ" character instead of the number 4.
Is there a way to have a keyboard like in Galaxy S, with symbols and numbers (and still have swype)?

Check what input methods your device has by following the screen shots-

You should be able to see all installed keyboards by following the guide, and select the one which suits you. Or if you don't have much options there, install a new keyboard input method from Market or install Swype beta by registering here.


text:
Does ICS Gmail display unread message counts for labels other than Inbox?
Up to Android 2.x, in the labels view the Gmail app of my Nexus S displayed the number of unread messages next to labels with unread mail. I recently upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 on the same device and now Gmail no longer displays unread counts for labels unless I access the list of messages for a certain label. Is this a new Gmail feature? Is there some way of viewing those unread counts in a way similar to Android 2.x?

Yes, at least 4.0.4 stock image on my Galaxy Nexus does, though if more than 999, it just displays 999+ (same as inbox).

My Galaxy Nexus with stock ICS 4.0.2 does show unread counts on my labels, like this when I click the labels icon at the bottom of the screen:

Possibly more important than the version of Android you're running, is the version of GMail that you're runnning. The GMail app was last updated on 4th April 2012, I'm running v4.0.5 which I'm pretty sure is the latest version. Check which version you have by going into Settings -> Applications and finding GMail in the list. Visit the GMail page in the Play Store (on your phone) to update, if not.

I've played with my version of Gmail a bit and found that it does indeed display unread counts like yours and ewanm89's. It looks like by default Gmail doesn't sync labels, hence it can't show how many unread messages there are. To activate syncing, I had to tap MANAGE LABELS in the screen you posted and manually enable syncing for the labels I'm interested in.


text:
Why is my Kyocera Echo taking 6 minutes to boot?
I have a Kyocera Echo that now takes about 6 minutes to boot. I haven't rooted it or tried to perform any 'hacks' on it. I've had it for a few months now. It's running Android 2.3 if that helps. I am not sure if it is meant to take this long to boot. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Backup your data and perform a factory reset( settings > privacy > factory data reset). Then restore the data.


text:
Route bluetooth tether through VPN?
With an adb prompt or, failing that, a root prompt, how can I alter default behavior to root traffic through the VPN connection in Android 10 so that this behavior remains when unrooted?
In the case of an Android phone connecting to another Android phone running a bluetooth tether, neither can apply any security precautions to the tethered traffic and this is a bit of a security risk. I need to fix this hole.

Your question mixes up technologies and is therefore a bit confusing. Hotspots are always Wifi based. I think what you want to describe is "Bluetooth tethering". As far as I remember Bluetooth connections should always be encrypted, the difference is the pairing procedure and therefore how you identify to which other device the connection has been established.

Got it. I've edited the wording. The VPN is not for encryption. It's for adblocking and generally getting Android to do anything to the connection, like Wireshark, for example, or adguard, or noroot firewall, or NextDNS


text:
Google apps not working on mobile data, although non-Google apps are working
I have a strange problem on my Samsung J2 Android phone. Although apps like WhatsApp and some games which require Internet work, none of the Google Apps like Google, Chrome, YouTube and Play Store are working. Whenever I open the Google apps, it shows "Check your internet connection"  although my mobile data is on. But, on connecting my phone to a Wi-Fi network, these apps work. How can I fix this?
P.S. One more important thing: When I open Chrome, I get a message saying ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED.

Your carrier might be blocking Google domains. Do a ping and/or dig on few of the commonly accessed Google domains. Also check logcat to see what errors Google apps throw when a connection fails.

@irfanLatif how do you do that?

Does anyone else have a solution? I will definitely award the bounty to the one who solves my problem.

In which country do you live and which mobile network provider do you use? If there is a man-in-the-middle attack (e.g. by your government) on the mobile network then Google services will not work because they use certificate pinning. Other apps will as ling as the used server certificate is trusted by the device.

I live in India, but I don't think that's the case.

ERR_PROXY_CONNECTION_FAILED.
This obviously has to do something with proxies. Either you set a proxy through your cellular data setting or some application has put phone in tunneling (VPN etc).
And obviously google services are highly sensitive to proxy IPs. Check if your IP is what your ISP has provided. Google services are often buggy with cache so try clearing some cache as well.
Changing APNs might also work, sometimes Google might get sensitive of your real IP. Do a hotspot sharing and check google services with that IP on other devices.

Hi, thanks for your help. I am guessing that resetting my APNs will do it, but what does resetting an APN mean? Will it cause any problem in my phone?

@AD-1 Hey,APNs are literally pre-sent configs which are sent by providers, most of time(at least in my country) you can prompt your ISP to resend APN through USSD. I highly recommend you to make a contact with ISP for this purpose. Ports,Protocols and proxies are set in APNs

Do you know about the same in India? What should we do in India about this?

hey, I awarded you the bounty. Congrats!

@AD-1 Hey! Thanks for that, this might be of a help check

Thanks for your help, @iBUYPOWER!

Check if google domain is not blocked by the network you are using , also try resting network settings , and try to delete the configuration settings that has been provided by your service provider automatically and call the help line ask them to resend you the internet settings.

You can turn off data saver mode. And try to use Google apps.
Your other apps are working. But you can reset network setting. You can change APN.
Go to setting / mobile network / Access point name. Every carrier has APN. You can try all APN.
Force stop google app and than start again. Clear cache and storage for apps.

Can you elaborate more?

i think auto sync is turn off, go to accounts and turn auto sync on

Chrome, YouTube and Play Store don't need sync to work. Plus, if sync was the problem it should be exhibiting when Wi-Fi was being used. The problem with OP is only when the device is using mobile data.

This is definitely not the problem. This is a recent problem for me, but my auto-sync has always been turned off.


text:
Make notifications vibrate
I have an S9+. How do I simultaneously enable vibrations for notifications and ring volume for calls? When the phone is in vibrate mode, if I make the ring volume nonzero then the vibration mode is ended, disabling notification vibrations.


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How To Charge Android Phone In Fastboot (Bootloader) Mode?
My Android Phone Is Not Charging. Bootloader Shows The Warning Battery Low. I Accedentaly Erased /Boot /Recovery /System Partition. And Because Battery Is Low I Can Not Flash Boot.Img And Recovery.Img.
Is This Happening Because I Erased /Boot /Recovery If Yes Then Why ? When I Connect The Phone With My Laptop On Fastboot Mode It Starts The Charging [AND THAT TO VERY SLOW ] Not In Wall Charger.
I Did Not Find Any Working Solution On Xda , Stackoverflow Etc. Can Anybody Help Me To Solving This Plz.

What happens if you shut down the phone and then connect it to the charger?

Firstly It Does Not Shutdown , When I Hold Power Button To Switch Off The Phone Nothing Happens.When The Battery Gets Discharge Fully Then It Switch Off.
And Then I Plug It With Charger It Starts Charging Only For 2-3 Min (The Chargin Notification Light Turns On ) And Then It Starts Up Automatically And Go Into Bootloader  And It Stops Charging.(Charging Notification Light Turs Off )
Bootloader Gives Warning Battery Is Low.

If Some How My Phone Dont Start After Pluging  Charger Then I Guess It Can Charge.
I Dont Know I Think Bootloader  Is Stoping My Phone From Charing.

for flashing in preloader or edl mode, no battery is needed at all


text:
Android 11 October Security Update drastically drains idle battery usage
EDIT
Ever since I installed the latest security patch available for my Phone (October 5 patch), there has been insane idle battery usage. More like 1% dropping sequentially whenever I'm sleeping
It's worth noting that, this doesn't happen when the phone is in Airplane mode, or switched off.
I picked up the Paid version of Accu Battery, it doesn't show background battery usage. Better Battery Stats (BBS) was recommended and I went for it but it doesn't work most of the time (shows No stats have been collected yet).
But I slept for the past 4 hours and it worked, but I need someone the translate it's output for me, so I can recognize what's draining my battery.
Attached are the screenshots
Model: TECNO KF7j
Android Version:  11
Device name: TECNO SPARK 7P

At least edit your post to include make/model of Android device. It would help to know if it is a carrier version for possible bloatware. I would also check for any battery/background restriction settings to see if anything got toggled.

The dotted gray is the estimated projection that at that time, it's about 4 hours left until it reaches 0%. It's not static and will change depending on the recent usage. You might try BetterBatteryStats for more detailed info about the battery usage.

On unrooted devices because of the down-grade protection you can not go back to the old version. Updates on Android can never be uninstalled (unless the update itself was installed as temporary update which is only supported by some newer devices for testing out beta releases which are released as such a temporary update).

claim it to customer support and wait for next release. or download older ROM and install with SP Flash Tool from PC (you will lose all data)

Thanks @alecxs, I think this has to be on the manufacturer then. I'll wait for the next security patch. I'm just a month into a 1yr warranty btw. Will the older ROM option void my warranty? Hope it doesn't require root coz I don't have root access

Thanks @Andrew T. I have tried the Google play paid version of BetterBatteryStats, it initially worked well but now it isn't anymore. All I see all day is, no stats have been collected yet. AccuBattery on the other hand doesn't show background battery usage


text:
Where can I find the Google Assistant "Use screen context" on/off switch?
Despite this:

https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/7393909?hl=en-GB&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
this Samsung does not show this on/off switch. Instead, "Use screen context" is a button which goes to a page of switches, none of which have this label.
So, where can I find the "Use screen context" on/off switch?

Please add more details about the phone and android version. Also are you looking at the right place?

Could you post a screenshot on the question? I have Samsung Galaxy M12 on Android 13 (also Google Pixel 3a on Android 12), and following the above procedure shows the expected option (whether it's working or not on a Samsung device is a different matter)

Am I looking in the right place? I doubt it. But I sure am looking in the documented place.

Andrew, could you post a screenshot showing where it is prresent? All I could post is where it is missing.

Within the assistant settings, the Use screen context option takes you to a settings page titled Digital assistant app. If you disable the Use text from screen toggle, this will have the effect you're looking for, and you'll notice the two following toggles are disabled to show the entire feature has been turned off.
Example:

I dont think this answers the question. Anyway lets wait for him to reply

"the Use screen context option takes you to a settings page titled Digital assistant app". Not here. It takes me to "Device assiistance app" which is unlisted on Settings > Apps.

"If you disable the Use text from screen toggle" I get nobsuch toggle (on/off switch).

Thanks for the suggested alternative but note this does not answer the question.

Would you mind posting a screenshot showing what you're describing when you navigate to these options? This was the answer to the question on my Pixel 6 Pro, but may need to be expanded to include options for your Samsung device.

https://i.imgur.com/I5VmZt9.png

Perfect! These are the same options, just with different titles. This would indicate that your "Use screen context" setting is currently on.


text:
How to partial sync Dropbox contents to my device?
Is it possible to sync only some folders of Dropbox?
I have 5GB+ files on Dropbox cloud, but only want a few folders to be synced to my Galaxy Tab 7.7.

When were you able to do full sync with official Dropbox app??

Like Sachin implied: as far as I know, the Dropbox app doesn't automatically sync the contents of any files except those that you mark as being a "favorite".

You could use a different account for the phone, and just share the folders you want to sync to the phone account.
15 Oct
Saw a down-vote, so perhaps it was not clear.
It is quite easy to share files between Dropbox accounts.
Of course this is only relevant if you use a DropBox app that doesn't allow selective syncing.
(There are many DropBox apps)

In the Dropbox app, you can press and hold a file, then choose "Favorite". This will store it locally and make it available for offline access.
The option is not available for folders, so if you want access to a new file you'll need to sync, then mark each new file for download.
Jeepers, though, they didn't make this easy to find!!

I have a Galaxy Tablet (GT-N8013). In the dropbox application, you can 'star' specific files or folders to download to your device. This is useful if your tablet will be offline (no wifi) for a period of time. Changes that you make to the document on the tablet will be saved to your dropbox folder,and when you re-connect to the internet will become available almost immediately.
If you are going to be somewhere that has wifi, the dropbox folder allows you to open the documents from dropbox, use them, make changes or notes, and save back to dropbox. This makes it very easy to take documents to meetings via the tablet using the dropbox folder.


text:
How to play already transfered music with 'Music' app?
I just bought Galaxy S2. Its really cool, but I have one serious problem! I transfered few MP3 files using USB and copied those files to usbStorage/. When I open 'My files' app on S2, it does show those files.
When I open the 'Music' app, there aren't any clue of new files. Only the default music.
It there any way to somehow add that music to 'Music' app? Maybe I need to get other app to play music?
If relevant, I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 running Android 2.3.3 and my computer has Debian 6.0.2.

Is there a /media/ folder or similar? I would try moving them there.

sometimes you have to scan from the music app. Otherwise, i would get an app like DoubleTwist, that and Google Music are really good at finding all the music on your phone, regardless of where it is

The answer is NOT to copy to the directory named usbStorage. Probably, just for Galaxy S2.
Create new directory named Media in / and move your music in it. Then, reboot (optional).

Remount SD card or even restart will also work or just browse using any file manager type of apps and play using Music app...

Just move your mp3 files to the Media folder on the phone and Music players will see them. You will also be able to assign the files to the contacts from your address book as personal ringtones.

For syncing music to your device I use Songbird and find it throughly good, and a great iTunes alternative.  I would suggest you run Songbird, then let it find all your music files, take the original files off your Samsung, and then sync Sonbird with the Galaxy device.  Good luck!
Builds can be found here

The easiest way to do this is install winamp on both your computer and your phone. It is a free software and app, so no purchase is necessary. This will do exactly what itunes does with i* devices.
Winamp will discover your phone on your computer and allow you to literally drag and drop your music files to your phone within winamp. It also imports all your songs from your itunes music folder, so it's a very simple process. It even updates the library if the itunes music folder is updated (songs are deleted or added).

Winamp will not run on Debian Linux.

Didn't see that part. I can't help you here then :/


text:
Will an Android phone connect to Wi-Fi and download apps without a subscription?
I wanted to get an iPod, but hate Apple and like Google. I was told that the android equivalent of an iPod is any phone without a subscription.
Would an Android phone without a subscription be able to connect to Wi-Fi and download apps anyway? If not, what would be a real equivalent?

The equivalent of an iPod in the Android world would be one of these two:

A handset with no telephony at all, this will be WiFi only

An example of this is the Samsung Galaxy Player.

A prepaid handset phone, this will still connect to WiFi, but later on if you wanted, you could connect it to a phone network

An example of this is the LG Optimus V on Virgin Mobile.

As long as the manufacturer supports it (check the product page, but I think most do nowadays), you'll be able to download apps from the Google Play Store.  You will also be able to download from alternate stores depending on the device.  Finally, I think all Android devices can download from the Amazon AppStore.

Which one would you suggest? Are there any other models like the Player? Does it do as much?

Although the device can technically download apps from the Amazon App store, what matters is the user's location and where the Amazon account is registered. As an example, the Amazon app store doesn't allow users in India to download apps - free or otherwise - even if one has a valid Amazon account + credit card linked.

It depends on your budget.  If you look for sales on Amazon, Radio Shack, etc - you'll probably find the best deals on the prepaid phones since the carriers are competing with each other to get customers.  LG Optimus Elite is a good handset right now from Virgin Mobile for $130 USD if you're ok with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).  If you want 4.0 or 4.1, you can consider the unlocked Galaxy Nexus direct from Google for $349 USD or if you want a bigger device, get the Nexus 7 direct from Google for $199 USD.  The Nexus 7 would be my #1 choice right now, although it would be more like the iPad Mini.

Is it possible to root the Galaxy Player so that it runs Jelly Bean?

Glycan: That's a different question altogether - please ask it is a separate question.  Here's how to root the Galaxy Player: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/31895/how-do-you-root-the-samsung-galaxy-player  Not sure about Jelly Bean.  I'd get the OS level you want pre-installed when you buy the device.


text:
My internal storage capacity is running low,  what can I do?
Currently, my internal storage is running low on space.
What can I do besides moving applications to the external memory, as to free up more space, but preserve my current applications and avoid uninstalling?
(Some of them won't be moved)

Take a look at the FAQ of our internal-storage tag.

Your right (I searched for "memory", not storage)

Then I assume the ram tag is incorrect

More related questions/answers: Not enough storage on android device, Why does my phone keep telling me it has low storage ?, What will be faster when moving to sd-ext via A2SD+ Data or Dalvik-cache? (or can I move both with no extra-penalty), and Something is secretly eating up my tablet memory and I need help finding it.

The only way to do this is linking apps to SD card.

First : Rooting.

How do I root my Android device?

Disclaimer : I'm NOT responsible to any damage you do to your phone ,Although it is very rare for someone to damage his phone while rooting (or a myth), and Rooting might void your warranty , some warranty policies void if rooted and some other void when unlocking bootloader (i.e installing custom mod) ,I did both actually.

Second : Partitioning SD card.
Linking apps to SD card requires a second partition on SD card.

XDA Developers - Partitioning SD card

Third : Activating Link2SD or S2E.
You can use one of these apps to link apps to SD card(I prefer Link2SD) :

Link2SD
S2E

If you use link2sd you must choose the type of your ext partition at the first open of the app ,then restart ,if you restart and the app tells you the same message see BONUS section of my answer.

Fourth : Linking apps to SD card.
This is using Link2SD (I didn't experience with S2E) :
After activating Second Partition of your SD card you should now link apps to SD card.
NOTE : an app must be on internal memory before it can be linked , if you try to link an app while it's on SD card it will be moved to internal then linked ,so make sure there is enough space to move it.
when you long press on an app ,a context menu appears ,press Create Link to link the app.

Bonus : Manually mounting second partition :
first you must install this app to mount it:

Terminal Emulator

then open the terminal emulator(and make sure you give it root access),and type the following (each line standalone):
su
mount -t ext2 /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 /data/sdext2

now open link2SD and Menu > More > Quick Restart it will restart your android system (not your phone),However you must do these steps every time you restart the phone (not via Link2SD)

Cant the restart that is mentioned in bonus section be avoided or automated by any means?

unfortunately not,but when I installed usb host mode zip (cm7.2) ,it does it by itself(without even writing anything).

Works :-)
Something else i should do?

I don't quite understand why you would manually mount?  And why a reboot is a problem?  (It should be only once?)

One useful additional technique is to backup and uninstall apps with Titanium (Then they can quickly be re-installed)

Removing the contents of /data/log/ worked very nicely for me. It was around 1.5 GB.

is there some way to make it automatic? or may be use su command to link that folder to sdcard (is it safe)? or tweak the logs to have a quota or just do not generate logs?

for me it was /data/log_other_mode for some reason

If you have an Acer A-series tablet (like this Iconia A500 description), it may be the Acer GPS-log leak:

The bottom line is that when the GPS is used, the GPS driver for ICS
  4.0.3 on the Acer a-series tablets apparently writes numerous gl-YYYY-MM-DD-HHMMSS.txt files into the /data/gps directory. The files
  are apparently not automatically deleted, and so over time will
  consume most of the internal storage space.

There is a patch to clear the GPS log data, which you download from the Acer drivers site.
You can download it and copy the Update.zip from it to an empty, FAT32 formatted microSD card.  My card wasn't empty, and it still worked.
Restart the tablet while holding the “Volume Down” key until an message (something like Erasing cache before SD update...) appears in the upper left corner of the screen.  (I interpret this as: "erase and update", so it should cure the symptom and the cause.) It will continue to start up afterwards, and you will be good to go.  (No root access needed.)
There is a nice .pdf in the download, describing the above steps in detail with screenshots. (It talks about an accompanying user_cleanGPSlog text file, but I didn't have it and did not seem to need it.)

Many people have that kind of problem and I have the same one. I finally figured out and it works great. I have a Galaxy Tab 7 but many android devices will experience that. There are 2 important folders. The one called /data is actually not really just data but it is where Android install the application apk and some of the data related to it. If you force the apk to install on SD card, it will still use some of the /data space (small amount) for some data. Be aware that there is a confusing "sdcard" name usage. Most Android devices have a "sdcard" that is an internal flash configured like an SD card but the real external SD card is often name external_sd or something along those line.
the problem I discovered is in /data/tombstone, you will find 10 files named tombstone_0#. These are debugging info collected by android. These files build up over time. You don't need that for a normal user. Delete all of them. These 4 files were using 1.4GB of my 1.89GB internal tablet storage.
To do so, you will need to root your device. Yes, you must. And it won't explode don't worry, I've done it and many others too! Then get a program like "Root Explorer" to browse and delete the junk. It will request and be granted root privilege if you rooted your device before and you will be able to do whatever you want.
To root your device, just google "root android my device model" and you should find quickly how to root your device.
This problem is a design flaw. When there is a low internal storage, Android should start a background task to clean up that junk. (haven't seen such idiot unfriendly behavior on IOS devices yet, except may be the new maps ;-) )

shouldn't it be better to use a memory cleaner app?

Type *#9900# on your dial pad, then go to "dump logcat", which will be the third or second line in the list. Select this and your SD card will then clear and fix the SD card full problem.


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Will a Custom Recovery work with an encrypted device?
I wanted to know whether using Android's built-in encryption (introduced in 3.0) would affect my ability to use a custom recovery (Clockwork Mod in my case).
More specifically if I will still be able to perform Nandroid backups/restores and flash new files and updates?

ce4's answer did not work for me on my Galaxy Nexus GSM (Maguro) using CWM 6.0.1.1. I kept getting errors from CWM telling me it couldn't mount /sdcard even after I mounted a tmpfs there and used adb to push the update.zip there.
After reading a thread at XDA I found out that unlike CWM, TWRP is capable of mounting an encrypted sdcard partition. So I downloaded TWRP for the GNex and flashed it using fastboot. When I booted in to recovery it asked me for the password for the encrypted sdcard partition and I was able to flash the update normally.
Links:
TWRP
XDA Thread

Make a synthesis of the steps in the thread who helped you, don't just give a link.

If the link dies, this answer will be less than helpful.

Please let me know if the above edited answer is more helpful.

Reason: You have to adapt some minor things to the GNexus as it has a different location (/data/media) for the (with JB introduced) virtual sdcard. Solution: create the tmpfs mountpoint at /data and 'mkdir /data/media'. I'll include this into my answer too. Also see the update in my answer (on adb sideload).

Yes, custom recovery works with encrypted honeycomb device. The built-in encryption doesn't touch ROM & firmware at all. It just encrypts accounts, settings, downloaded apps & their data etc. which can be located on phone memory, internal SD or external SD. That's why encryption is no longer present after factory reset because there's no encrypted data available.

Files for custom recovery environment live on ROM as firmware. That's why they survive factory reset. As Flashing files/updates has to do with ROM, you'll be allowed to do it. When it comes to Nandroid backup, you can do it too, but the chunk of encrypted data will backed up in that form which can't be restored using Titanium Backup. Yes, you could do Nandroid restore flawlessly.

I Just got around to encrypting my device. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like I'm going to be able to use Clockwork Mod with my device encrypted. When using Clockwork Mod it doesn't seem to be able to find the SD card partition. I assume this is because my device (Galaxy Nexus), doesn't support MircoSD external storage. So the /sdcard partition is encrypted with everything else.

You are still not out of luck if your device doesn't support external SD. Decrypt device & do a partition of internal SD. Mount one partition on /sdcard so that it could be used by system & leave other one (Clockwork Mod can do mounting too). Then, encrypt device again (It will not touch other partition). This will make a usable space on internal SD to work with Clockwork Mod.

On my encrypted Nexus S I use a temporary tmpfs mount on /sdcard in CWM. It has enough RAM to hold the new ROM in memory during the update:
Download your ROM to /tmp/update.zip and boot into recovery. Then log in via 'adb shell':
## on the host machine do:
me@workstation:/tmp$ adb shell
## now on the device in 'adb shell' mode...
~ # mount -t tmpfs none /sdcard/
## the following command is not needed, it only shows the newly created mount point
~ # df -h
Filesystem                Size      Used Available Use% Mounted on
[...]
none                    172.4M         0    172.4M   0% /sdcard
~ # exit
## now back on the host machine again
me@workstation:/tmp$ adb push update.zip /sdcard/
5567 KB/s (131676307 bytes in 23.097s)

Then do the usual update steps 'install zip from sdcard'.
EDIT: Starting with ICS/Jelly Bean there's the new adb sideload <filename-of-update.zip> method
It works with CWM from version 6.0.1.5 onwards and you need the Android SDK platform-tools v16 or better. If you're in CWM you can see a new entry install zip from sideload if it's supported.
The old method still works:
If sideload doesn't work, you can still use the tmpfs method. CWM expects /data/media as the location for the update.zip now, the mountpoint has however to be /data so you have to do this now:
me@workstation$ adb shell
~ # mount -t tmpfs none /data
~ # mkdir /data/media
## Go on with 'adb push update.zip /data/media' and then like above

Reason:
Starting with ICS+ the proposed partition layout has changed. There should be no FAT formatted sdcard partition any more but the external storage now resides within /data/ (/data/media). To remain compatible, a FUSE mount emulates the old FAT properties (access rights and such). You can see this when there's a fuse mount on /storage/sdcard0, it looks similar to this:

shell@android:/ $ mount | grep fuse
  [...]
  /dev/fuse /storage/sdcard0 fuse rw,nosuid,nodev,relatime,user_id=1023,group_id=1023,... 0 0
  [...]

In the middle of exams so I can't try it yet. But I might see if I can use a USB OTG adapter to mount a flash drive. No idea if it would work, but might try it later.

@Richard: /system is not encrypted. That also works on a GN. Could you delete your comment?

This isn't working for me. df doesn't understand -h. However, I carry on anyway and when I'm done /sdcard/ contains the update.zip.
When I restart the phone into Recovery mode, however, the sdcard cannot be mounted - presumably because the  temporary filesystem is now gone.

@Gausie: You did it in the wrong order. First boot into recovery and only then do the above steps ('mount ...' and 'adb push ...').

I realised this following this post. However it still doesn't work, saying that it Failed to mount /sdcard when I ask it to update from /sdcard/update.zip. Any ideas?

Hmm, I do this with my Nexus7, no GN here.... Can you see something via log cat or dmesg, that's how I found out the right mount point


text:
How do I share files on my mobile over WiFi?
I have an Android phone. Can I share files on my smartphone with all devices on the home network? Which app will let me do this?

Are you willing to go through the internet "cloud", or do you want all communication to stay within the home network?

@zdan: I want it to stay within the network

Some phones come with a builtin app like samsung kies over air or allshare... What phone do you have?

File expert app can do this using both HTTP and FTP.

This app can share files over wifi by providing access through a browser WebSharing

Easy and simple way is just download application Wifi file Explorer which is free in android market. It enables you to connect to your phone via WiFi. The app gives you the local ip and port for your phone that you can type into your browser from your computer.
For example:
if ip is 10.0.0.1 and port is 8080, write down "10.0.0.1:8080" in your browser
Then you can view your files over your wireless! And with the paid version, you can download whole folders and send files to your phone :)

The easiest way in 2023 is to use Nearby Share  which all Android phones and tablets have.
Have you used the Nearby Share app on Windows?
I'm able to send a 1.2GB file from my phone to my PC at 60MB/s and I'm about thirty feet and four walls away.

Nearby Share uses the fastest possible connection it can establish with both devices. If it is not possible to establish a stable or secure proprietary Wi-Fi Direct connection, then it may fall back to using Bluetooth only. That will always be a magnitude slower.

Nearby Share uses Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, WebRTC, UWB, and peer-to-peer Wi-Fi to allow users to share files and links between devices. It was first released on August 4, 2020

authors: Ярослав Рахматуллин


text:
What is the difference between running/installing cm7 off SD and EMMC for Nook Color?
I'm trying to decide whether I want to run CM7 off a SD card or run it off the EMMC (internal memory) for my Nook Color. I'm just not getting what is happening when I run off an SD card and when I run it off the EMMC. Also, the install instructions are confusing me. Here are two popular ones that people are using, I am wondering if someone care to explain to me what is actually different between the two. Thanks.
SD:
http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/nook-color-technical/13156-how-cm7-bootable-sd.html
EMMC:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1030227
Thanks!

Since the SD Cards are slower than internal NAND memory, by running a ROM off the SD  you will be sacrificing on the speed.  Things like booting up and launching apps will be noticeably slower.  The class rating of your SD Card will play a large role in how much slower your NC will feel when running in such configuration.  It's generally recommended to buy at least a Class 6 card for this purpose.
By running custom ROMs from the SD Card you will be able to easily keep the original manufacturer installed firmware intact.  In Nook Color the SD Card is set as a primary boot device, so if it contains a bootable ROM image, it will be used instead of whatever is installed on EMMC.  By just inserting such a card into the microSD slot and turning the NC on, you will be running a custom ROM.  Boot up without this card - and you're back on the EMMC ROM, be it stock or a different custom one.  This can be quite beneficial for quickly testing out new experimental ROMs (e.g. Honeycomb builds) without blowing away your main one.
Although it's possible to multi-boot off EMMC without utilizing the SD Card at all, it's a lot more complicated to set up and maintain.  This involves re-partitioning the internal memory, using a custom boot image, and modifying the start-up scripts for each ROM you'd like to have installed side-by-side.  Needless to say, this type of installation is not for a novice.

Thanks for you help. I have a class 10 micro sd card, which should be fine. I've considered installing it via emmc but after reading so many tutorials, it seems like a hassle to upgrade and things like that.

Class 10 should give you a very good performance.  Overall, NCs are notoriously hard to brick.  Even if you manage to mess up all the partitions, you can always burn a bootable SD Card with an image of ClockworkMod recovery, stick it in and turn it on.  Once in Recovery, you will have ADB access and can restore it to a working condition.


text:
Trying to get a PC to boot off a bootable SD card that is inside an USB attached Android device
First, I'd like to make myself look less a madman than I may have appeared to be.
I wanted to have a bootable USB stick with me at all times, but it's less convenient because it's an extra object and it's easier to lose, forget etc. Then I thought, I have an Android phone, and it has a micro SD in it; perfect.
Not all PC's can boot off a card reader, but the phone itself is a card reader when attached as a disk drive.
Or at least so I thought. Turns out that my netbook BIOS (tested on Asus eeePC) refuses to see it as an external harddrive; it only recognizes it as a generic USB device and doesn't offer an option to boot from it.
The device has a name "Android phone" or smth, so it seems to me that it doesn't work as a "pure" card reader, and instead still manifests itself as a phone.
Can it be somehow overridden?

This looks like it might be a duplicate of this question: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2351/optimal-linux-distro-to-install-to-sd-card-to-use-as-usb-bootloader-for-pc

Al Everett, yes, in essence they are the same; I wasn't aware of its existence because I originally posted mine on SuperUser. But the question you are referring to doesn't ask outright how to overcome the issue; the issue was found out only during the discussion. Mine sort of does ask.  I'm a complete novice at SE, so I don't know if it's mauvais ton to edit the title of my question to make it even more prominent.

See my answer to this question.
Short answer: Yes, it's possible, with a custom recovery, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it due to my experience with my phones not charging in recovery.

No, it can't be done with an Android phone due to the driver installation requirements that Android has before it will connect the SD card to the PC as removable storage. The Android OS requires basic (charging/connection) drivers to be installed before it will act as removable storage.
Because these drivers can't be installed in POST, the phone will not offer the SD card as a storage medium.
There might be a way to do it in Android, but I suggest you flag your question for moderator attention and request migration to Android SE if you want a possible Android solution.

For Linux distros, it can be done with an Android app called DriveDroid.

Holy mother of... THANK YOU. I don't think this app was around when I first asked the question, and frankly, I abandoned the idea soon after. Two and a half years later, now that you've shown me the way, the game is on again! I will check this and approve your answer if it works.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/


text:
How do I unlock an Optimus T? Is there a "vanilla" firmware I can use?
I'm an experienced iOS developer, and I just bought my first Android phone, used, on eBay. The phone is carrier locked and I'm looking to swap in my iPhone SIM card. (I have an adapter.)
The phone is carrier locked. Is there a way to root or erase the firmware to unlock it, or must I use an unlock code? If so, what are my options for obtaining said code?

Unfortunately it appears your only option is an unlock code, I've just done a search.  This XDA thread has a couple ways to get into the unlock screen so you can enter the code.
Your options for get the unlock code are to ask the carrier the phone is locked to -- they might give it to you if they're feeling nice -- or to buy it online.  There are no reputable sellers of unlock codes online, of course, but you could search around and find someone whose experience seems reliable and use the same service that they did.

I have this phone, and I have T-Mobile.  I called *611 and told them I was going to be traveling in Europe and needed a SIM unlock code.  They agreed and it arrived about 12 hours later.

You can use unlock code to unlock your LG Optimus T which is the safe and easy way. You can get the unlock code from the service/network provider. But,Mostly they will provide the unlock code if your phone if off contract . In that case you can get the unlock code from online vendors like MobileUnlockSolutions.com for a price .They will give you the unlock code along with instruction on how to unlock.

Simple solution for you. Get your LG Optimus unlocked by obtaining an unlock code so that you will be able to swap in your iPhone SIM card. Just google for cheap LG SIM/Network Unlock codes. Be careful about sites that betrays you. You can also find some code vendors on ebay too.


text:
How do I enable call waiting notification when I am calling another person?
When I used my previous phone, when I am calling someone, I used to get a notification if the party that I am calling is in another call and I am waiting. I usually don't like to disturb people when they are in another call so I promptly hang up. But I've noticed that my HTC Desire S does not tell me that information.
Is it by design ?
Is there anyway I can enable this feature?
An app perhaps?
Or are all the phones running Android have this feature turned off ?
Just to clarify, I am NOT looking for activating call waiting on my phone so I get an alert when another person is calling me. I want to know when a call I initiated is in call-waiting on the other end.

It's maybe a provider feature on the side which get's called. I think that there is no setting for this in Android.

Unfortunately, most (maybe all) of the Android phones don't have this option. Check this issue: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=7048

All complaints seem to be by HTC and Motorola users. I've never bumped into this problem on Samsung phones (Galaxy 3/S/S2/Tab), so it's not all Android phones that suffer from this.

The setting is under Dialer. Just click on the Dialer, got to settings -> additional settings and then select the check box opposite to Call Waiting option.
This option was changed in ICS update I believe.

This problem does not exist in Samsung Mobile. I dont know much about HTC. You can consult to servie centre. May be there can be any setting issue.


text:
"Charging paused. Battery temperature too high" while connected to car charger
I have a Galaxy S2 with ICS.
When I use it in my car, while it is charging from a car charger, I occasionally get this popup:
"Charging paused. Battery temperature too high"

Also Waze is running while this happens.

Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening?
Does this indicate that my car charger is defective?

The car chargers I use gives 1 A. What does your wall charger for that device specify as max Ampere?

The stats on my wall charger are 0.15A for input and 0.7A for output.

I wonder if you can measure the Ampere of your car charger. The Galaxy S2 may not be able to handle this.

Your charger is fine. Only your phone is running hot due to heavy usage.
Your phone has a few components that dissipate heat if heavily used:

The processor when used heavily by an app (yours has 2 cores)
The graphics chip when your app uses OpenGL (also for screen composition)
The display when lit (depending on the brightness)
The battery itself (when charged or discharged heavily)
The modem also needs rather much power for 3G/4G/LTE data transfers

If this all above leads to a high battery temperature a safety mechanism kicks in for security reasons (LiIon battery technology needs this supervision, you may have heard of burning or exploding consumer tech)
Reasons: It's mostly a mix of all things above. Maybe it's also a bad programmed app (requires too much computation, keeps CPU awake, etc.).
What you can do:

lower screen brightness
underclock your CPU via SetCPU
Is Force GPU rendering in the developer settings enabled? If so, disable.
Try another app or file a bug report for waze (maybe)
Does the app work also when the screen is off (I'm not sure what it does, maybe it has speech output that doesn't require you to look at the screen)
maybe it's due to your model (I heard the i9100G generates more heat)
Switch to 2G only in the mobile networks settings:
Settings->Wireless&networks->more->Mobile networks->Use only 2G networks (saves battery)

Also checking for other simultaneous activities (I currently can only think of e.g. a streaming music player running in the background) and disable them, if possible, might help. Highest consumers would be 3G/4G up/downloads, video recording/playing, very bright screen (combining all these with a charger attached would get the device really hot -- so if in winter you've got cold fingers... ;)

Indeed Waze consumes battery heavily.
I suppose I can try lowering my screen brightness.
I don't have root access so I can't use SetCPU, but even if I did won't that hinder the app from working properly?
I wouldn't like to use the app while the screen is off.
I don't think my carrier supports 2G.
Thanks for all the advice, I guess I just have to learn to live with this problem.

You could try some alternative like OsmAnd or ask waze' support for help: support (AT) waze.com

You might want to check the temperature of your phone when this happens. Touch the phone to feel whether there's any abnormal heat. Waze is a battery intensive application because it uses the GPS, radio, screen, and GPU, it is normal that the phone would warm up a little when running resource intensive apps but it should not be too hot to the touch.
You would also want to put the phone away from the car's heater on winter, and shade it from direct sun light and turn on the air conditioner when it's summer.
It's probably not the car charger, but not charging while using Waze may also help a little because charging causes the battery to warm up. This may not be practical though, since Waze uses lots of battery while running.
If there is an option in Waze to turn the screen off on long roads, then use that, the screen is also a major producer of heat.

I don't think Wave has such an option. The device is under direct sun sometimes, but I don't see how I can change that because I have nowhere else to attach the dock but the windshield.

Your battery may be defective due to overheat. You may be charging the battery when it's not necessary (possibly full).
I have another phone which has this problem. I changed the battery, and that solved the problem. So, try to change your battery.


text:
How much does an LCD's backlight drain the battery?
The screen tends to be one of the biggest consumers of electricity. How much of this is for the backlight vs the actual screen, particularly in the case of an LCD?

I don't have hard numbers, but it should be nearly all the backlight.  That said, I don't think this is an Android question.

Not strictly, but similar to this question it is still relevant in my opinion. However if there is a more fitting site we could move it too, we definitely should.

Erik, you're right.  I've brought this up on Meta and re-opened this in the meantime.

I think it's one of those edge cases which is valid. Sure, every smartphone has a battery, but maybe there is something peculiar to the way Android uses the display that would come to bear here (although, frankly, it's almost certainly hardware-specific if anything). That said, it's a really open-ended question and I doubt there's a single, correct answer.

Not only the screen is a main consumer. Based on the Motorola Droid, I can give you some data to compare:
Video recording         1557 mW
UMTS Upload             1410 mW
UMTS Download           1349 mW
EGDE Upload             1179 mW
WLAN Download           1158 mW
Video play (fullscreen) 1135 mW (already minus the display)
UMTS phone call          983 mW
Camera                   934 mW
EGDE Download            853 mW
Bluetooth receive        751 mW
Display (at max)         730 mW
GPS Search               550 mW
GSM phone call           511 mW
Bluetooth send           487 mW
WLAN Upload              479 mW
Display (at min)         310 mW
MP3 play                 160 mW
UMTS Standby              18,3 mW
GSM/EDGE Standby          11,6 mW
WLAN Standby               7,8 mW
Bluetooth Standby          2,8 mW
GPS Standby                0,4 mW

As you can see, there are clearly compontents/actions with a much higher energy consumptions -- but the display gives you good potential to reserve some.
Data source is an article at Heise.DE called Energiesparplan (google translate version here).


text:
Aborting Bootloader process
I wanted to superroot my Samsung Galaxy Nexus I9250 and then I got to the bootloader and couldn't solve my problem.  The problem was that the driver installed on my computer was an unknown device and wouldn't read my phone or something (code 43).
How can i abort the bootloader process and just my phone get back to factory settings?

So are you basically just looking to reboot your device?

well now I am, just so I can use it and superroot it later

Hold the power button for a few seconds or remove the battery.  What does this have to do with factory settings?

well doesn't the bootloader erase everything?  and wouldnt removing the battery destroy information or something?  If removing the battery is a safe way or returning the device back then ill do that.  and the holding down the power button won't work for some reason

If you're literally sitting at the bootloader screen, the volume buttons will scroll between boot options and the power button will select. Simply use the volume buttons until it has "Start" selected and then press the power button to select it. This will boot your device normally.
If for some reason it's stuck at the bootloader and won't accept input, removing the battery should be fine provided that you aren't in the middle of executing a fastboot command of some kind. Note that if you're getting a response of <waiting for device> from fastboot that it is not doing anything on the phone's side. That means that it cannot communicate with the phone, and as such the bootloader itself is basically idle at that point.
Since you noted in a comment that you were concerned about the bootloader erasing things: the bootloader process in and of itself doesn't do this. The purpose of the bootloader is to allow you to boot into various different modes of the phone (such as recovery and a normal boot). In the PC world a bootloader is often used to dual boot two different operating systems, with the bootloader menu being what allows a user to select which OS they want. The only time that your data will be erased is when you execute the fastboot oem unlock or fastboot oem lock commands or if you explicitly erase a partition in some other way (fastboot erase, for example). Simply booting into your bootloader does not affect your data in any way.


text:
What does "Locked Messages" mean?
When I try to delete a message, I get prompted to select whether to "Delete locked messages".
There doesn't appear to be any difference if I check this option or leave it unchecked.
Does anyone know what that means?

You can lock a particular message in your conversation so you don't accidentally delete that. The check box is for those messages. See following screen-shots -

First Long tap on the message you want to lock, and select Lock.
The message should be now locked and a lock icon should appear at the bottom.
Now when you delete the conversation the message was in, the locked message would not get deleted if the check-box is not selected.

You can lock messages that you want to retain in your phone. IIRC long pressing the message will give you the option to lock the message.


text:
How to establish a LAN directly between an Archos G9 (Android 4.0, WiFi) and a linux box?
I am buying an Archos G9 (Android 4.0). And a Raspberry Pi. I'd like to take them along for trips, and they need to be able to communicate over a network so I can use stuff like VNC etc.
How do I do this?
AFAIK ad hoc WiFi is annoyingly unsupported on Android, but can I connect to the Raspberry Pi if I manage to set the latter up in Master Mode with a usb wifi dongle? That might be hard though.
How about LAN over bridged usb cables? Does Android support that?
Any other ways of getting a network between this device and a generic linux box? It has WiFi, Bluetooth and Usb connections.

I would doubt LAN would be easily doable without a custom kernel, Android has never really provided drivers or support with it. Tangentially: has the G9 received an ICS update that is not reflected on the Archos site? The model you linked to is listed to run Android 3.2, not 4.0: http://www.archos.com/products/gen9/archos_101g9/features.html?country=us&lang=en&#d

The makers of Archos officially stated Android 4.0 would be on G9 in February 2012, so I thought I might as well base my question about that. Also, your comment about LAN is interesting but also leaves me clueless. Surely communicating with other devices is no problem via a WiFi access point? Which methods of LAN, specifically, are you saying are not supported at all?

Sorry, I meant your idea of using a USB cable for LAN. Android has never historically supported any kind of meaningful USB networking capabilities, AFAIK.

I've recently bought an Archos 101 G9 Turbo (running ICS 4.03) with the intention of using it for work purposes to replace my slow Windoze netbook. The only shortcomming I though I would experience was having access to an ethernet port on the device.
I found an old USB LAN adapter that's been lying around in a drawer for a few years and out of curiosity. I thought it can't do much harm to try it. I plugged it in the the micro-usb port via a host cable and much to my surprise a grey Ethernet icon immediately popped up in the tablet's system tray. I plugged in an Ethernet cable from my network switch into the adapter and lo-and-behold it picked up an IP address via DHCP and connected to the net! No software, no configuration - true plug-and-play!
The Ethernet icon 'lights up' when connected so you can see it's good to go. The only thing I can't find is any configuration options under settings, so it looks like it might only work with DHCP and default settings (if anyone can throw any light on this It would be appreciated).
Even better, these things are still available and really cheap to buy, the host cable (micro USB male to USB A female) was GBP £1.99 and the USB ethernet adapters can still be bought for less that GBP £2.50 online. The USB ethernet adapters are available from the usual online sources. The one I have uses an SR9600 chipset if that's any help.
FWIW I've just tried this on my old Archos 7c G2 tablet running Froyo 2.3.3 and it doesn't work with that. I've tried it on a Samsung, Galaxy tab running Honeycomb 3.2 and this too doesn't recognize the device so I guess it's just ICS it works with.


text:
Install system.img on Android Phone
I have made some modification in the android source codes recompile sources and now I have system.img, but I don't know how I can install that image on Android Phone. Have anybody do something similar ? Can anybody provide me some links or information how I can do that ? I am using HTC Amaze Phone.

Are you working from HTC's source or the AOSP?  The latter is highly unlikely to boot, or work in general if it does boot.

If you have a fastboot-enabled bootloader then it should be pretty simple. Just put the system.img file somewhere on your PC, connect your device via a USB cable, reboot into your bootloader's fastboot mode and then:
fastboot flash system /path/to/system.img

If you don't have fastboot then you'll have to jump through some more hoops. One option would be to use something like unyaffs to extract the contents of the system.img (if it's an ext2/3/4 filesystem then just mount it) and then package it up as a zip file that can be installed from a custom recovery. There are some tutorials floating around that explain the syntax of the installer script file, but the easiest way to figure it out would probably be to download a custom ROM for your device, unzip it, and look at the updater-script file (should be META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script in the archive).
You may also be able to get away with simply using dd on the device, though I'd be careful if you decide to try it, and make sure you're booted into recovery:
adb push system.img /sdcard/
adb shell
dd if=/sdcard/system.img of=/your/system/partition

Alternatively, you can often build the source so that it creates a zip file instead of raw images, then install the zip from recovery. I'd suggest checking to see see if you have something like make otapackage available to you.

♦ I have run fastboot flash system /path/to/system.img command and it successful install system.img on my phone HTC Amaze but when I try to switch it on, only HTC screen come up and my phone do not turn on :((( Can you help me.

@ViToBrothersApoyan: There's a lot of reasons that could be happening, unfortunately. Where did you get the source code from? If it isn't from HTC then you may be missing necessary proprietary drivers to get the device to boot.

♦ no I get that sources from Android official site http://source.android.com/source/initializing.html

@ViToBrothersApoyan: You're probably missing drivers, then, among other things. You could start with a porting guide (like this one) and then work forward from there to see what exactly is failing, but there could be a variety of things that are causing problems.

and can you provide me some information how I can backup my phone ?

or where can I find working system.img and patch it again to repair my phone.

@ViToBrothersApoyan: The best method is probably to grab a custom recovery image (like ClockworkMod) and flash it from fastboot: fastboot flash recovery /path/to/recovery.img. Then you can use that to make a backup and/or flash a ROM of your choice. Flashing a new ROM should get your device into a bootable state, and you can get ROMs from XDA.

Okay and what do you mean saying grab ? I just  download custom mod from http://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager/device/ruby/developer/xboarder56?manifest=http%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.clockworkmod.com%2Fdeveloper%2Fxboarder56%2Fmanifest&name=Xboarder56&deviceName=HTC%20Amaze but it is .zip file.

how I must grab >

@ViToBrothersApoyan: Download the appropriate recovery image for your device. There are links for a bunch of different devices on the page I linked to. Then boot into that recovery image, copy the zip file onto your phone, and use the recovery to install the zip file.

You should probably mention that your system.img partition can be found using the recovery.fstab or vold.fstab files. Or you can call mount /system && df -h && umount /system if you don't know where the fstab file is.

So, as far as i read, from your comments i understand something else. You have an HTC Amaze, that you are trying to flash a system.img file compiled from the AOSP branch. that is not possible. Your phone is a HTC phone so you need to compile it with their sources. You will never be able to flash the system.img of an AOSP rom, without flashing the entire partition list. You may want to read more about Cyanogen and TWRP. For now, you need to find the RUU file for your device, which will allow you to flash the system as it was. Not sure if data will be kept.


text:
Any way I could use a USB monitor with my Droid?
The Droid doesn't support video out but I'd like to have a bigger screen sometimes.  The Mimo would be cool but their they don't seem to have Android drivers (or even linux drivers).  Any way to do this?  (Note: I do not want to have to run it through an existing computer)

AFAIK, the original Droid is completely hardware incapable of providing video out via usb. The Droid Incredible does provide this functionality, but it has a USB port specifically designed for it (extra pins).

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/


text:
Force widgetlocker theme's default image?
I'm trying to get WidgetLocker to work with an "Xperia ICS" theme. So far the theme looks good but I have a bit of issue about the right slider.

As you can see above, the right Camera slider looks just fine. However, instead of launching the Camera app, I want it to instead run a Tasker task that captures images instantly. I have the task already setup and its working fine.
But when I select it to be the action for the right slider, it obviously uses the icon I set to it by default.

So I went and extracted the right slider image from the theme zip file in an attempt to restore the slider back to how it looked like on the first image. However, when I selected the right slider image, it doesn't fit nicely and thus makes it look smaller than the left slider.

And so my question is, how do I make it look like how it was on the first image while opening a Tasker task instead of launching the Camera app?


text:
Blue arrow pointer in Google Maps won't update whichever way I'm facing?
On the Google Maps app, I see a blue arrow pointer. I've seen this on a previous version of maps back in Gingerbread. I think at some point in time, they removed this feature and made it look simply like a circle. But now I see that it's back. However, it seems to be stuck on the same direction regardless if I rotate my phone in whichever way.
Android reports on the notification bar that the "Location set by GPS" already so that rules out the possibility that it's still waiting for GPS data. The weird thing is it will sometimes change direction but on random occasions only. Is there a way to force it to re-calibrate or something? I find it really useful back then for navigating places where I'm not familiar with and would like to use it again now.
I'm now on Ice Cream Sandwich. Same phone.
EDIT:
I have downloaded 3rd party compass apps from the Play Store and they work without problems. The phone is ST17i.

Can we know the model of your phone? The blue arrow points your direction on the map using the magnetic compass and maybe your phone does not have one even though it has GPS.

I have downloaded 3rd party compass apps and those work. Plus, it worked fine back then on Gingerbread. I've updated my post above.

The hardware that is in use for your need is the digital compass rather than the GPS. Can you try compass related apps (like GPS Status & Toolbox which has a compass like view) with which you can make sure the hardware is working and is accessible by apps.

@Narayanan, tried both GPS Status & Toolbar and Compass. Both work and both point at the same north direction so I think that nulls the possibility of it being a hardware problem.

@Propeller What does GPS Status & Toolbox say under mag. field?

had same problems b4 i tried calibrating the magnetic compass by the x ,y ,z axis here 8s the simple steps keep in mind all the rotations are clockwise directions first put your phone in a flat surface for me i placed it in a table and rotate it 3 full rotations clockwise then pick up your phone and face it on your left with the but part nearest to you and rotate it 3 full rotations clockwise and finally face your phone towards you like ussing it normaly and rotate it 3 full rotations clockwise and thats it ,for me it solved my prorblem reg the pointer in my map do this while your map is active ,hope this will help someone .

Please improve the quality of this question by using proper English, including capitalization and punctuation. As of current, it's hard to understand your answer.


text:
Android mail client not deleting emails on IMAP server
I have a new Samsung Galaxy S2 SkyRocket and the native mail program doesn't delete my IMAP mail from my server. When I view my mail on my PC, I'm still seeing the emails I deleted on the phone.
The Samsung tech told me I needed to uncheck the "Leave a copy on server" option in my mail client on my PC; however, Thunderbird 12.0.1 doesn't have that option (and personally, I fail to see how that has anything to do with my phone's mail client.)
Does anyone have an idea on how to set my phone so that it deletes those emails?
Thanks!

As mentioned in my comments below, "Leave a copy on server" is normally associated with POP3 accounts, not IMAP. There is no corresponding setting on Android mail. Are you able to check your mail on the server (via webmail)? Is it really still on the server? Or is it just stored/cached by Thunderbird?

Also, when you send email (from Android mail), does it appear in the Sent folder on the server? ...And in Thunderbird?

@w3d - Yes, I can check my mail via webmail and the mail I delete via Android mail is still on the server. Also, the mail I send from Android mail is not appearing in my Sent folder on the server nor in Thunderbird.

It is behaving like a POP3 account?! Do you have an "IMAP path prefix" set on Android mail? It is like your mail server is not responding to the IMAP requests (a guess)? Just to confirm... I have an IMAP account set up on Android mail (Version 4.1) and Thunderbird and all appears to work OK.

@w3d - I would say it's behaving like a POP3 account. I don't have an IMAP path prefix set, because I don't have that option. I deleted the account and walked through the automatic setup, without being offered the option to set the path prefix. So, I deleted the account again and walked through the setup manually. It allowed me to setup a path prefix, but sent mails still don't appear in the sent mail online, and deleted emails only appear read in Thunderbird. (I have v3.0.0.1 of Android Email.)

If you delete emails in Thunderbird (IMAP) do they delete from the server (often just moved to the Trash folder)? And sent mail to sent items?

On Thunderbird, deleted mails go to Trash folder. Sent mail goes to local sent mail folder.

CORRECTION - Sent mail goes to sent folder on server.

let us continue this discussion in chat

Unbelievably this bug is still outstanding as of Android 4.0.4.
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=1029
The only fix for this is to use a different email app. Most people end up switching to GMail.
Not happy. I miss my Nokia N900.

Android 2.3.6. has got this bug too. It's unbelievable!!! In 2013 you buy a new Android 2.3.6 phome (Samsung Galaxy GT-S7500) and the default email client does not delete messages. Google don't you have other ways to convince people using Gmail?! To whom it may be interested, both K-9 Mail and AquaMail are two cool apps that do not have this ominous bug.

Only App that handled imap well I could find was K-9

You change the "Leave a copy on the server" option on the Android mail client.

@rm-vanda - That is what I would have thought, but that is not what he typed. We were on chat, so had to read it twice to make sure I wasn't just imagining things. Which is why we got into the discussion on how to change it on my Thunderbird client.
Now, supposing I have that option on my Android client, do you know where I can locate it? Thanks!

-1 "Leave a copy on the server" is a setting normally associated with POP3, not IMAP. And neither Thunderbird nor the Android mail client has this setting under IMAP. The Android mail client does not even have this setting under POP3 either.