text:
Market Application (process com.android.vending) has stopped unexpectedly
I have an HTC Android running 2.2. The market application was running perfectly before I  updated it.
It was when the Google changed Market application "Android Market" to "Google Play".
As soon as I pressed the "accept and download updates" button it started getting "process com.android.vending has stopped unexpectedly".
I research a little bit about this problem, I get the answers like

I have to reboot my phone.
I have to uninstall updates.
I have to uninstall the market application and reinstall it.

I want to know how I can fix this problem.

Have you cleared the app's cache? That did it for me.

Did you try the solutions you found?

i did clear the cache...but it didn't solve my problem....i m badly stuck up with this problem...

Clearing the cache worked for me. settings / applications / manage applications / google play store and then clear data.

Clearing the cache and clearing all of the data are different. There is a "Clear Cache" button below the "Clear Data" button. You may need to scroll down a bit.

That's the most common solution to playstore probs -- works in 75% of all cases :) Just as Al said: Use the "clear cache" button, not "clear data". Guess it's a typo by Tom which he might want to correct :)

Clearing the cache didn't work for me but uninstalling updates did work.

i did not found the uninstalling update...how can i do that...can u please explain me...

@Kri In settings - Applications - Manage Applications - All - Play Store. It's in the upper right corner.

You need to Update to 2.3 for Play Store. Or root you OS , install XDA Assistant and uninstall the bundled Google Market. Now Install CWM , Download and install GAppsS. It will surely help.


text:
How To Stop Annoying "Cellular Network Not Found" Popup Prompt?
I am annoyed by this popup because if my cellular network service provider is unavailable, i don't want to use any others available. I just want to stop this popup interrupting my activity and only use my cellular network service provider.
How to turn off this popup?
Thanks.

HTC Desire S
Android 2.3.3
Don't know my device's firmware

I don't see such pop-ups in my Galaxy S. Can you be more specific about your device and firmware...

@SachinShekhar See my updated question.

The popup you're referring to exists as to alert the device user that the cellular service as become unavailable. If you wish to stick to a specific network, there's nothing you can do.
Options for Mobile Networks are located at:
Settings → Wireless & networks → Mobile Networks

And there's no option to prevent the system from warning you about the lost of network connectivity.
From the above location, under "Network operators", you have an option "Select Automatically", that will allow your device to select another network without disturbing you.
But by your question contents, you don't want this.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Why Browser Tabs Reload After Restoring Back From Multi-Tasking?
When i have tabs opened no matter in which browser and restore back to that browser due to previous multi-tasking, i get all tabs reloading (or would it be more correct to say, loading again from scratch?).
I thought when multi-tasking, tabs are supposed to leave at state they previously were in. So when certain websites were already loaded, why would they reload again and consume bandwidth?
UPDATE: Here is my device's memory status (sorry for bad quality but until Android implements screenshot feature in stock ROM or until i decide to ROOT, i will be capturing with another device's low quality camera):

Where are the rest of 499MB of memory? My device notifies me of low memory but what about the rest of 499MB? And did i mention that HTC Sense force closes when i multi-task?

After your update: The reason is same what I mentioned in my answer. If your calculation is unable to explain memory usage, there are memory leaks of app(s).

@SachinShekhar Then how do i find apps that leak?

It happens when tab is unloaded from memory.
Your thinking for multitasking is right, but just for multitasking, Android can't let device crashing happen, for example (device hardware resources are limited). There are many things which should be given higher priority than a background app. When foreground app needs high amount of memory, background apps are unloaded fully or partially from memory. Technically, when free memory drops below certain level, attack on background apps is performed. In fact, foreground app can also be attacked when kernel runs out of memory.
When it comes to websites, web browsers often make request of removed things of website (which aren't available in disc cache). To re-construct a web page, its better to reload webpage.
You can check it with Dolphin Browser HD: Send it to background & disconnect from internet. Then, re-open it. Webpage will be reloaded, but using cache (mind it, there's no internet connection).

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


text:
Is There A Way To Be Notified About Google Play (Android Marketplace) Discounts?
Is there a website or even Android app that keeps its subscribers updated of any possible promotions/discounts going on at Google Play (previously Android Market)? I hate to miss the train.

Really, it could be useful.. great question!

As is all-too-typical of app recommendation questions, this one is attracting one-line, spammy answers.

Your best bet would be to follow Google Play on Google+. They always post any kind of news, including promotions for apps, music, movies...

I think he means discounts for individual apps in not the likes of the 10cent sale.

Well i got CameraZOOM for 50 cents and i am glad i did. I am interested in productivity, organization and tool apps.

I use AppSales. It works well for me.

I use this too, and I believe it is the most popular application. It even shows a graph with past prices! It works very well.

I've never used it, but this app seems to be what you were looking for: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.echolu.android.apphunter

Link is now bad.

You can set up an alert for the Google Play store at http://dealnews.com. It will email or text you new deals come up.


text:
HTC Desire S - Number Unknown Is Shown?
My question is similar to this one, however what would be appropriate solution for HTC Desire S device because it does not allow you to change your phone number on SIM card like Samsung Galaxy does? Here is what it looks like on my phone (sorry for bad focus):

Here are other topics with same problem:
http://miuiandroid.com/community/threads/desirehd-my-phone-number-unknown-please-read.6002/
http://www.htcsensationforum.com/troubleshooting-htc-sensation-4g/phone-number-unknown/
http://androidcommunity.com/forums/f8/my-phone-number-39390/

possible duplicate of In my Samsung Galaxy S under Settings - Status - Phone number is says 'unknown' : why?

Did you try the solution(s) in the other question?  You need to explain why this question is different.

Because my device is HTC Desire S and not Samsung Galaxy S. There is no option to change or set number.

The bad news is that some phones (like yours) don't support setting your own phone number. The good news is that this information is not stored on your phone but on your sim card.
So if you put your sim in another device and set your number there than you can put it back to your phone and voila, your number will show.
Some devices that support setting your phone number:

Apple iPhone (Be aware that newer versions have microSIM slots!)
Samsung Galaxy series (Read here on how to do it)
All ICS devices (Info)
Some custom roms (Including CyanogenMod)
Some Sony Ericsson dumbphones (e.g: C902, K550i)

If you don't have access to any of the above you can ask your carrier to do it. It is possible that they can do it OTA.

Some suggestions of phones that do allow the changing of the number could be helpful here.

I tried with Motorola dumbphone, had options of setting 4 personal numbers, set all 4 with same number but HTC Desire S still showed "Unknown".

@Boris_yo that sets numbers on the phone not on the SIM. Try it with an iPhone or  Samsung galaxy. Those are the only ones where I've seen this setting without custom ROM. CyanogenMod supports this too.

@Boris_yo updated with some devices and an option to have your carrier do it.

@RichardBorcsik Tried ##786# but got "Unknown Application". Do you think there supposed to be additional # at the end?

@Boris_yo the ics link was for the answer above that, not for the one with the code. That doesn't work either on 2.3 or 4.0. Have you tried calling your carrier? It might be your best bet if you can't get access to a phone that can set it.

This answer is very old and I'm considering asking again because it is outdated. I suspect that contacting the carrier is the only method, but in my case, I can't contact the carrier directly. I have asked my provider to contact the carrier. My provider said the phone# was supposed to update automatically within 90 days of service, but I've had my SIM in service for 5 months already.

this happens on some network sims because they do not store the number onto the sim.
You can add the number to the sim by using a device that allows you. These devices normally do:

Older (non smart) devices
Most custom roms
ICS Devices
iPhone (below ios 5)
Some other stock roms


text:
Does the Samsung Galaxy S2 support WPA2 with AES?
I'm trying to connect my Samsung Galaxy S2 to my TP-Link WA801ND Access Point. This works when I disable Wireless security but when I enable WPA2, the mobile refuses to connect.
Does the S2 support WPA2?

I can't tell for sure, but I would expect that the SGS2 supports WPA2 AES. Try an minimal example for the SSID and paraphrase without any fancy letters.

No game :-( My iPhone 4 also can't connect, so it's probably a bug in the WA801ND :-(

The original SGS supports WPA2 with AES, so I would bet that the SGS2 does.  There seems to be a glut of routers that don't play nicely with non-PC devices when using WPA, for whatever reason, so I would suspect that's your issue.

Yes. My Galaxy S is also connected with WPA2 with AES...


text:
How to stop com.seven.Z7.Social Hub from keeping my phone awake?
com.seven.Z7.Social Hub is regularly keeping my phone awake for hours and hours. How do I stop it from doing so?
Thank you

Is this still of interest to you? If so, please provide a few additional details: Is your device rooted? Is it a pre-installed app (as described in that one answer)? Is it an app you are using/depending upon?

I eventually just stopped using the app. Not worth my headache. Thanks for the help.

If you are using Yahoo, and have recently changed your yahoo account passowrd, then this will cause the social hub app to get caught in a loop and drain the battery
Delete the yahoo account and recreating it should fix the issue (you may need to reboot and use the phone offline before it will let you delete the account)
Regards
Ian

This app is a Russian application erroneously installed as a "system" app (same package name as the Email hub). If you're rooted you can use something like Titanium Backup to remove the app. Otherwise you can try these instructions from an Android Authority article:

Removing the application on un-rooted devices seems much harder,
  however success has been reported by clearing the Play Store’s data
  and cache from Settings>Applications – Afterwards, just launch the
  Android Market application to re-acquire the current market state and
  Google Play application.

Yes it is, but the asker has a problem with the original.

It seems kind of unlikely that this would be the issue, though. The incorrect app was put on the Google Play back in March; the OP would basically have had to never use the Play Store since then in order to still have the erroneous app installed. More likely, the actual email app is misbehaving.


text:
Can't run any Python script on my Android phone
I have an Acer Liquid Metal, Gingerbread...
I've tried installing Python on Android (and s4la: http://code.google.com/p/android-scripting/) but when I run the hello world script I get:
dlopen libpython2.6.so
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "compass.py", line 2, in <module>
droid = android.Android()
File "/sdcard/com.googlecode.pythonforandroid/extras/python/android.py", line
34, in __init__
self.conn = socket.create_connection(addr)
File "/home/manuel/AptanaStudio3Workspace/python-for-android/python-build/output/usr/lib/python2.6/socket.py", line 498, in create_connection
socket.gaierror: [Errno 8] hostname nor servname provided, or not known."
Any ideas?

Easy peasy:
I was using adaway (an app that blocks ads) and somehow its tweaking of my hosts file was not accepted by Python.
Yay! :D


text:
Trouble updating Android Market to Google Play on Logitech-Revue (Google-TV)
When I try to go into the Android Market on my Logitech-Revue it says it needs to update, but never does. On my Acer A500 tablet the Android Market updated to Google Play, so I assume that is the update that my Revue is attempting, but failing.
Anyone else successful with the Google Play update on Logitech-Review or Google TV? Any suggestions for a work around?

It finally updated. Not sure what the hang up was before.


text:
Show Unread Messages on email shortcut?
On my old phone* my gmail shortcut would list the number of unread messages I had in my inbox.
I can't figure out how to do this on my Razr. Is there a good app/widget I can use for this if there is nothing built in?
*An HTC Incredible.

Perhaps you had the Google Unread Mail app on your old phone?

Nope. And I just tried it on the new phone, but it crashes when I try and put it on the "desktop".

There is another app from the same author; a paid sequal, $0.99. You might want to see if that later version works where the other failed, if you're willing to spend a dollar.


text:
My Android device with USB host does not recognize my WiFi Adapter dongle. Is there a way I can install a driver or do anything else?
I bought an Android device that doesn't come with WiFi but comes with USB hosts and, as stated in the site, supports Wifi dongles. But mine is not working.
I successfully plugged in a USB mouse, keyboard, hard-drive and a bluetooth dongle but specifically the WiFi dongle doesn't even turn on (the light doesn't turn on).
Is there anything else I can try?

You need to find a WiFi dongle with a chipset the device supports. Each chipset requires different drivers, so you'll have to find one that's supported. There a discussion thread on the site you linked to about exactly this.

Thanks.. I didn't even know this site had a forum for each product. I already ordered a compatible dongle for $10


text:
Is there a way to temporarily disable hosts and flush the DNS?

Possible Duplicate:
How can I flush the DNS Cache?

In order to visite some websites, i modified the hosts in the system/etc/hosts. But sometimes, the IP i write in the hosts file maybe invalid, but i don't want to remove it and restart the android phone again.
So how can i temporarily disable the hosts and reflush the DNS. Is there an app, or any other advices will be very appreciated.


text:
How do I merge contacts based on phone numbers?
I have been using 2 SIM cards in 2 separate phones and until recently I bought the Alcatel OT-918N Glory, a dual SIM Android phone.
Since I had 2 phones before, I am expecting to have duplicated contact numbers. I will be importing numbers from my 2 SIM cards and I need to know the best way to handle duplicate numbers in Android.
Is there a way to merge contact numbers based on the phone numbers?

If you can pull both sets of contacts into the Google Contacts app on the phone, and let them sync with Google, you might then be able to merge duplicates via the web-based contacts page: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#contacts  Click the "More" button, then choose "Find and Merge duplicates".

It'd be nice if there was a non-google option.


text:
Motorola USB Drivers on Windows 8
Is there any way to install the Motorola USB drivers on Windows 8? I downloaded MotoHelper, but it won't install, saying that the OS Version is unknown. Is there some other way to get ADB to see my Droid X, or can I somehow extract the drivers from the installer?
I am not worried about stability - just playing around with the OS for now. Unfortunately, not being able to do Android development is making it less than fun.

You might want to check to see if [SU] has any posts on getting drivers to work in Windows 8.

Cross posted to Super User. Thanks!

Oh, you might want to tweak that a little -- mobile device questions are off-topic there.  Just to make it clear that you want to get PC-side drivers working.  I'm not sure of the best way to do that since it seems there might not be a general solution.  Maybe something like asking how to trick the installer into thinking it's Windows 7, or something ... in the end it's up to you :P


text:
How can I search the Google Calendar from the Android phone?
I would have thought that Calendars would be searchable, but opening up the Calendar, and clicking on the search button searches websites via Google web search, but does not search my Calendar.
This is on a Motorola Photon 4G Android version 2.3.4 (not rooted).
How do I do it on the phone (it is possible from a desktop browser).
I have installed the Google Search app, and tried to add Calendar to the list of applications it would search, but there is no entry for Calendar.

Consider yourself lucky -- on spiffy shiny brand-spanking-new Android 4.0.4, the search button does nothing.

On Ice Cream Sandwich, the search button is in the "..." menu:

offby1's comment on my main post says the above does nothing.  Are you able to use that search feature to find your own calendar entries from your phone? And if so, what is the make and model of your phone and specific Android version?

@bgoodr: the search works perfectly, I think offby1's comment was referring to that in many handset with Android 4.0, like in my Galaxy Nexus, there is no dedicated search button as in previous versions.

@bgoodr: offby1 could also be referring to older Android handsets like Nexus S or Galaxy S that gets updated to Android 4, it's certainly plausible that some of those handsets have a poorly tested upgrade that broke the hardware search button, but that would probably be the exception rather than the rule.

Ok thanks.  I'm out of luck on this handset.  I'm puzzled by Google has dragged their feet on something as basic as searching Calendar on the Android for versions of Android < 4.  I mean, can it be that hard, really?

It looks like you have to launch the Calendar app, then you can open the Options menu and choose Search.  Then you can search your Calendar.  If you've got a Search hard key, you should be able to press that as well once you're in the app.
Note that on Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich, the Search is going to be in the overflow menu.
I looked and there's no Search Provider for Calendar for some reason, which is necessary if you're going to be able to search that app's data from the main search box on the home screen.

Well, I'm sure that works for you on your phone, but it does not on mine. First, clicking on the menu button shows Settings, and not Options. Second, when Settings is viewed, I see no entry for Search at all.  I'm conclude that there is no single "Calendar app" that has the same look and feel across all Android phones.

Disclaimer: I couldn't make the following method work on my Android 4.2!
At least nowadays it limits offline search for a few weeks. If you want more, try something like this...
But first, if you have auto sync enabled, disable it for as long as needed to finish all steps:

On the device, set the date back to January of 2000 or some old date.
Go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> All
Find "Calendar Storage" and hit "Clear Data"
Go to Accounts & Sync and choose your google account
Hit the Sync button in upper right corner. Let it finish
Now at this point reset your date back to the actual date
Perform the Sync again

It will take longer this time depending on how much calendar data needs to be transferred.


text:
plain text editor that can delete lines
I keep to do lists on my computer using plain ASCII text (.txt) files that I sync with Dropbox.
I just got an Android tablet and I'd like a text editor that I can use to edit those files.  I need only two features above the basic text editor:

Ability to delete a line (the ability to select a single line would also work)
Ability to move a line up/down one line (this one is optional)

Any Android text editors good for lists?

I find Epistle a useful text editor that syncs with a Dropbox folder, it's not the most advanced editor but can handle both plain text and Markdown formatted plain text (as used here). It uses the built-in Android text selection features, so you can select a line by dragging the text selection arrows to both ends.


text:
Is there a way to preview RAW photos on an Android tablet from a PC over a network?
Is there a way to share RAW (Canon) photos over a network and preview them on an android tablet (Kindle Fire)?
I want to be able to quickly preview new photos without having to convert them to JPEG and copy to the tablet.
One potential possibility I can think of is exposing the photos as an RSS feed and using an android app like Just Pictures to consume the feed, but I don't know of a way to create the feed in Adobe Bridge or Lightroom.

There are Apps which allows you to connect to your PC and control it with your Android device. These are generally referred as Remote Desktop Applications.
For Android, there are many remote desktop apps, one that I have tried is called Splashtop. I know LogMeIn, which is quite famous among remote desktop softwares, also has Android/iOS version available.
However these Apps are usually not free.
While these Apps can do exactly what you want, it can also do much more than just viewing RAW photos, basically it enables you to use your Android device as your PC's LCD monitor, so you can run any programs, open any files etc. Therefore these Apps tend not to be cheap.

Interesting approach.  I doubt it would be an android friendly experience though. E.g. a way to show the photos in full screen mode and navigate by swiping .

you should check RawVision:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.caketuzz.RawVision
It will allow you to check your photos without converting to JPEG, but there is no way you will check pohtos without sending them to the tab first. Now there are several means to have the photos on the tab, it mainly depends on the tab itself and its connectivity.
Usually, you will want to share the photos after checking them, rather than the other way. So that's what the app will allow you.

Thanks! This may be an option if I find a way to mount an SMB share no Kindle Fire.


text:
Got mail from Google: Google Mobile Maps Location Reporting Reminder. How to I stop location reporting?
I just got the following mail:

Google Mobile Maps Location Reporting Reminder To protect your privacy
  we would like you to know that Google Mobile Maps is running on your
  mobile device and reporting your location. This is just a privacy
  reminder - if you did not enable this or want to stop reporting your
  location, disable location reporting in Google Mobile Maps location
  settings. Thanks, Google Mobile Maps Team

And I also got a broken link to how to stop that. So my question is, how do I stop that? Searching google wasn't really helpful.

Open Google Maps on Android and select Latitude to disable Latitude. :-)

Thanks, is there a why to check that its really not reporting?

@Martin No. Either you trust Google that disabled really means disabled or you don't. In that case you should go with an Google free Android version, which also exists. I would be more concerned by the fact that someone has enabled Latitude without your knowledge and approval. That is why Google sends these periodical reminders. BTW: Latitude itself allows fine granulated control about which location is reported to whom.

If you prefer to use a desktop client, go to Google Latitude and hit the gear icon to go into "History settings". There you can disable keeping of your location history. To delete past data, you'll need to go to History management, where there's an option to "Delete all history". (There's a link from the "History settings" page.)
Note: They say:

Your history will not be visible publicly or to your Latitude friends.

Disable location Caching on Android- These devices are provided with an opt-in feature for tracking one’s location. This option may or may not enabled and one can decide it when one’s phone is being set up for use. If one wants to disable the tracking then Go to Settings menu>>> location and security>>> uncheck use wireless networks. With this, Google would not be in a position to either collect the information about one’s location or it stores the same in the phone but the app of Maps helps it to grab the info but it cannot be rendered accurate. However if one wants to erase all the previously stored cached locations then rooting of the device must be done(that means one can run more apps like backup,tethering, a flash custom’s ROM etc.,) After installing the free ‘cache location app‘,one can get a view of a map filled with tracked locations, clear them finally by disabling the cache with one tap.


text:
How can I get the old version of Google Authenticator?
I have an older phone (Motorola Cliq). Motorola refuses to update this version so I am stuck with Android 1.5 until I buy a new phone.
I had to wipe my phone clean and when I went to reinstall the Google Authenticator, it did not appear to me in the Android Market since they upgraded the app and it now requires a phone with Android 2.0 or higher.
How can I get the old version of the authenticator back?

Off-topic... CyanogenMod7 supports the Motorola Cliq. Perhaps it's time you looked at moving from Android 1.5 Cupcake to Android 2.3 based Gingerbread as offered by CM7.1

Unfortunately, without a backup of the app (Android 2.1+ needed for Authenticator app after 0.62) that you had earlier, you'll need the app APK from someone who still has it or hunt around for this old version.
You can still use 2-step verification by opting to receive the verification code via sms or by using the One Time codes that were generated when you originally signed up for 2-step verification.

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


text:
How to increase speaker volume of HTC Evo 3D
I have just bought HTC Evo 3D and as much I am inspired by phone, its speaker performance is giving me equivalent dissatisfaction, the speaker sound is very low for ringtone as well as for music playback. Hardly can hear sound if its kept in another room. I have done few workaround example installing volume+ and also downloading loud ringtones. But no difference, is it possible I can increase its speaker sound.
Thanks

This method can be used to increase the maximum speaker output on your HTC EVO 3D, but bare in mind, if you set the output level to high, it might be possible to blow out your phone's speakers.
Preparation
Note that this method uses software only available for Windows.

Install HTC Sync on your computer.
Get your 6-digit MSL code, using one of this two methods:

Androidforums: Easy way to get MSL without calling Sprint or using CMDA Workshop. You will need to install aLogcat (free from Google Play Store)
XDA Developers Forum: Retrieve MSL CDMA Workshop Method.

Install Qualcomm Product Support Tools (QPST).

Connecting to the Phone and Adjusting your Levels

Put phone into Diag mode:
dial this code: ##diag#
Start the QPST service programming:
Access your start menu, select the "QPST" folder, then "Service Programming".
If your phone was successfully set to diag mode it will be listed on the first screen. Select it and press ok to continue.
Press Read from Phone to connect to your phone and enter the code obtained from the second step of your preparation process when solicited.
Click the Sounds tab:
Change each level to whatever you want it to be. Level 4 is the loudest
After the necessary adjustments, press Write to Phone.
Some read errors may be presented, don't worry, its normal.
Writing process is done, reboot your phone and try the new settings.

Credits to XDA Developers forum thread: How To Use QPST to INCREASE the volume on the Evo 3D.
Some issues are discussed on the thread if you run into trouble.

Hi if anybody tried this, please tell me if there is no side effects

@Samidjo If you don't exaggerate on the settings, other users have been satisfied with the results. I don't have an Evo anymore, but didn't had any problems in the past.


text:
Wifi Doesn't connect to internet in my i5801
in my phone i can connect to any wifi but when i start browser or market or any application that requires internet. It shows no network connection.
I have tried following things
Tried several different wifi network,
forget network and connect again and enter password,
restart device
Following is my Device information
Device : Samsung Galaxy i5801,
OS : android 2.2,
Baseband version : I5801DDJP2,
Build Number : FROYO.DDJP6,
Kernel Version : 2.6.32.9
any help is appriciated

Are you rooted? Check in WiFi advanced settings that port/proxy settings are blank or as required by the router.

hey thanks .... you almost solved it as i go to setting's advance option i noticed i have checked use static IP address and given some fix ip address ... that's why wifi was not working

as i go to setting's advance option i noticed i have checked use static IP address and given some fix ip address ... that's why wifi was not working. removing that everything works

Are you rooted? Check in WiFi advanced settings that port/proxy settings are blank or as required by the router.
UPDATE: Converting comment to answer.


text:
Google play error after updating 4.0.4?
I have some problems with google play after updating to 4.0.4 on my Motorola xoom. The store doesn't open and gives Server error!!

Unbind the gmail account.
Clear Google Play data.
Bind the Gmail account.


text:
Samsung Galaxy 3 (GT-i5801) is not being detected in Kies
Whenever I connect my device to my PC, it asks me on connection for the type of connection I want. If I select Samsung kies in the device it shows me connected, but in the kies it keeps connecting (with spinner...).
I have tried the solutions described on this question answers, but no avail.
The problem from the mentioned question is different from what I'm experiencing, so I ask your ideas about this?
Relevant details
Device

Device : Samsung Galaxy i5801;
OS : android 2.2;
Baseband version : I5801DDJP2;
Build Number : FROYO.DDJP6;
Kernel Version : 2.6.32.9.

kies Information

Interestingly when i go to help section of kies and click on kies information it freezes with some semi transparent layer on it so cant find its version (need to close it from task manager)

PC Information

Microsoft Windows Xp Service Pack 3

is your device rooted?

You could try to do a factory reset and then try to check out your trouble with Kies.
Note: Backup all your data before the reset!

I strongly doubt a factory reset of the phone will solve the OPs problem. It's more likely just Kies malfunctioning  which happens a lot, it's just not a very solid piece of software.


text:
How to simulate long press home button?
I'm running ICS on HTC Desire. Long pressing the home button brings the list of recently opened apps. Is there a way I can launch this without using the home button?
Please note that I want to do what long-pressing home button does, i.e. bring the stock opened app list not any third party one.

Related: How can I make a shortcut to the "Recent Apps" dialog?

You can open the recent apps list  using adb.
Setup ADB in PC, connect the phone into PC, enable USB debugging in phone, launch a shell on PC, and enter:
adb shell input keyevent --longpress 3

3 is a KeyEvent to call Home. See more of them here. Also, if the recent list isn't bind to long press Home key but to another key like Menu/Overview key then the command wouldn't result in any visible activity on device. In that case, look for the KeyEvent associated to your key.
The parameter --longpress isn't available to Android versions prior to Kitkat release so the command would give you error on ICS or JB.
Alternatively, in my devices I found that the activity responsible for bringing that list is managed by SystemUI. You can call that activity using ADB to show that recent apps list.
adb shell am start -n com.android.systemui/.recent.RecentsActivity

(Add --activity-clear-task at the end if the activity doesn't show up in front. Space is important before --.)
This worked on Android 4.2.1, 4.4.2 and 5.0.2. For Lollipop, use com.android.systemui/.recents.RecentsActivity to show up recent apps list in 3D, otherwise, you would see a 2D list which is usual for Android 4.x.
As for launching it within the device without entering the commands, simply use QuickShortcutMaker or Tasker to make home screen shortcuts for the said activity.

One can consider this answer too : http://stackoverflow.com/a/20537408/4720957


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Shortcut to enable / disable VoIP/SIP on Gingerbread?
Gingerbread comes with a cool SIP / VoIP integration. However, this feature drains the battery quite a bit.
So I'm looking for a shortcut to enable SIP. So far, I always have to go deep into Settings to disable/enable it.
Is there a cool shortcut, widget or app which helps to enable/disable the native SIP/VoIP-Feature of Android 2.3?

From where you have got in-built SIP client?

It's part of Android, IIRC since 2.3.

No...it's not. Either you're using custom ROM or it's OEM's work..

It is. I've got stock ROMs in HTC Desire S and Samsung Galaxy Nexus S, and both have SIP functionality. See also here: http://www.voipvoip.com/android/sip.html

As I did not find any suitable solutions I decided to write my own widget.
It's available on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.siebeck.sipswitch
I also made the source code available: https://github.com/robert7k/sipswitch


text:
Gift app on Google Play

Possible Duplicate:
How to buy an app for a friend?

I want to gift a Google Play app to some people. For the iOS version I can "gift this app" using iTunes. How can I gift the app to the mail adresses I have got?

See also http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13461/how-to-gift-my-paid-application-to-some-people and http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3163/how-can-i-give-away-a-free-copy-of-my-paid-app

If this is your app, send him/her apk file.. I think, you've proper distribution right.

Yes, this is my app. I find sending file unprofessional, certainly with the idea that most "normal" users do not know how to use them. ANy other way? I'll check the links.

Sorry, this site is only for end users.  You'll have to contact Google for any publishing/developer-account issues.

@MatthewRead I do not have any publishing/developer-account question, I would have used stackoverflow.com if so. Just because I own the app it doesn't mean I can't wonder how to gift apps (e.g. this app). Its a general question.

Questions like this are off-topic on [SO] as well. You didn't ask the question generally, you said "I have an app out on Google Play and I want to gift this app to some people."  See the question eldarerathis linked for the general version.

I could just as well have written "There is an app out on...", yet the question remains the same... how to gift "it" (whomever might own it). Hence, the question is about gifting it... not whom gifts it. Yes, its off-topic on Stack Overflow... hence I wrote it here.. where it is not.

It's still a duplicate, so I don't understand what the problem is.  If the other question doesn't have an answer to your satisfaction then offer a bounty on it and/or spread the link around so that it will get a better answer.  And stop abusing the flagging functionality.


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How do I upload multiple photos at once to Picasa (Web)?
Is there a way to select several photos and upload them all to Picasa?

Solution found!

Open GALLERY Select My Library Open up the album that has the photos you want.
Press the MENU key ( the one that is left of the home key)
Push the 'SELECT MULTIPLES'
Then select the photos you want to upload (the pics selected will have a green box with a white checkmark displayed on it).
Press the MENU key again, choose QUICK UPLOAD to upload to Facebook Or choose SHARE to upload to Facebook, email, Picasso, print to retail, text messaging, etc.

Voila, your multiple pics are sent!


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Google Docs - Spreadsheet - Row selection issue
I have an HTC Desire and I'm using the Google Docs app to edit some spreadsheets.
Most of the times, when I click (touch) on a row to begin editing, the application opens the row immediately below (and sometimes the one above).
This is pretty frustrating and it happens even if I zoom in so much that it's obvious I'm not touching the adjacent rows.
Has anyone else had this issue? If so, is there a fix?

I get this when at default just because they make the default size so small, but zooming way in I was 100% accurate so I think it's just a usability issue, not something there's a work around for.


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How can I turn songs from Google Play Music into ringtones?
Is there a way to easily use music from Google Play Music as ringtones on my phone?

Download the song.. Stock ringtone picker should display it..

This is probably covered by How to set MP3 ringtone in Android (Nexus S), which also refers to Google Music specifically.

You can only set songs that are actually on your sdcard... music from the cloud on google music are saved in a database, so you can't access them without using root and special apps (or command line sqllite if you're that savvy)

It's surprising that not more people are interested in this question.

Download the song and use something like Audacity to edit it. Save to your ringtones directory on your phone. Nothing else out of the ordinary needs to be done.

You shouldn't even need to edit it with Audacity unless you want to cut it to a specific portion of the song or loop it. There are a bunch of ways to set an unmodified MP3 as a ringtone (as covered in a previous question).

I've got a way to do this that is really simple and doesn't require needing to download to your computer every time. I recommend using the music manager from google play to upload your existing collection of music, first. Otherwise, any track you want to make into a ringtone will need to be purchased first.
From your phone using the chrome browser,  navigate to music.Google.Com. Don't follow the prompt to download the app, instead hit your menu button in the browser and look for the option to "Request desktop site." The music store should load the way you see it when at your computer. Tap next to the name of the track you want, in order to get the three dot menu to come up. If you own it download it, otherwise buy it. Now when you go to find it it'll be in your download folder. This is really just for convenience so you don't have to use your computer at all.

download the song on another device
use makeownringtone.com to cut the ringtone and download it
move the ringtone to dropbox
open dropbox on your phone and export the ringtone Ringtones or Notifications folder

Why would you want this done externally (server), when it can be accomplished internally (native, within the device). Plus it involves more work.

Could you explain how?

Most androids sold on the market today come with a ringtone editor/maker already pre-installed on stock ROMs. So even if you had no internet access, you still can "design" your own ringtone.

I think the problem with that is that Google Play Music is not directly accessible on the phone.

You don't have to use Play Music, there are other apps that come bundled in the ROM. What do you mean  - not directly accessible? You use a file explorer to locate the songs, then import them in the editing app that the device has and make your ringtone. All localized.

I really like the app Rings Extended. From their Play Store description:

Replaces the standard ringtone picker with a new one that makes it easy to select from installed music tracks & other sounds. Just go to Settings or an application's settings for a ringtone and you will be prompted to use Rings Extended.

Please include a link to the app you referenced.


text:
When I search for apps, what determines the order in which they are ranked?
When I search for apps in the Google Play Store, what is the determining factor of the order in which they are presented to me?
Is it the number of downloads? Or reviews? Or total star rating?
Thanks!

It is probably a complex algorithm that google uses. It is probably based on a number of factors, including all the things you listed, and things like your device type. knowing google, it could even base it on the types of apps that you use/install.

@RyanConrad has the right idea (It's hidden from us), but I've noticed that "Top Developers'" apps are consistently above all others.

Its a combination of the three, plus more. Google play store factors in what you like (e.g. the "like installed apps" tab) the popularity (which is also the only factor of the "top [insert catetrgory that's not grossing here), how much money the app is making and its overall rating. Apps marked as editors choice have their own tab, but don't get shoved up to the top of the other categories unless they should be there for whatever reason applies.


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How can I find a saved Wi-Fi password?
I have an Android phone which is connected to a secured Wi-Fi hotspot.  How can I find out the password of the hotspot from the phone?

Those looking for a non-root solution, see Retrieve WiFi password

On my phone, the credentials are stored in /data/wifi/bcm_supp.conf.  You'll probably need root to see it directly on your phone but you may be able to use adb pull (requires the Android SDK) from your PC to get the file.
As noted in the comments, the location may vary based on your ROM or device (specifically the Wi-Fi chip; mine's a Broadcom).  Check /data/wifi/, /data/etc/wifi/ and /data/misc/wifi/ for relevant config files if you don't find the ones suggested by eldarerathis or me.

Hm, interesting. What type of phone are you using ATM? I don't have that file, but I was just about to post an answer saying to look for /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf. Maybe WPA Supplicant is just a CyanogenMod thing...

The name and location of the file vary per device, but it should be either one or the other.

On CyanogenMod devices, and possibly other AOSP ROMs, you should be able to grab it from the /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf file. On a non-rooted device I don't think this is possible since you won't have permission to read the /data directories where the settings are stored and the Settings menu simply displays (Unchanged) if you go into the network configuration.
This is what I see on my CM7 EVO (network name and password redacted):
# cd /data/misc/wifi/
# ls
sockets              wpa_supplicant.conf
# more wpa_supplicant.conf
ctrl_interface=eth0
update_config=1

network={
        ssid="SomeWifiNetwork"
        psk="MyPlaintextPassword"
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
        priority=1
}
#

My phone is rooted. I have 'superuser' app installed. But how can I get 'adb shell' with root accessed.  I tried '$ adb shell
shell@android:/ $ su
Permission denied
1|shell@android:/ $ cd /data
shell@android:/data $ ls
opendir failed, Permission denied
255|shell@android:/data $ su
Permission denied
1|shell@android:/data $

Ah, this is actually a new setting in CyanogenMod. You'll need to use su to get a root shell, but first check in Settings->Developer Options (your phone's main settings) to see what the "Root Access" setting is. By default it is "Apps only". You'll need to switch it to "Apps and ADB" in order for su to work from the shell.

@michael I always do adb root followed by adb shell.

In Android Oreo and Pie (tested on OnePlus 6), the file seems to be /data/misc/wifi/WifiConfigStore.xml which stores your Wi-Fi credentials. I do not know of a good XML parser, but the file can be opened in a text editor (requires root access). Search with the name of your Wifi (SSID) and locate the line containing:
<string name="SSID">"YOUR_SAVED_SSID;</string>

One of the following lines would show the password. It would be mentioned as "PreSharedKey". Example:
<string name="PreSharedKey">"SAVED_PASSWORD;</string>

This PreSharedKey doesn't seem to contain plain-text version of the password on Android 8

@Ruslan your OEM might have kept it encrypted. Samsung especially is known to do it. Mine is not encrypted.

For me it worked. Thanks.

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


text:
False "low on space" (internal storage) warning on HTC Incredible
A while ago, I posted another question here when I had plenty of free internal storage but was getting the following warning:
Low on space: Phone storage space is getting low.

The problem was apparently a bug during the upgrade to Gingerbread, and following the steps in the accepted answer to get the hotfix resolved the issue for several months.
However, recently I've been getting that same message again. Even though it complains about low internal storage, clicking on the warning brings me to a screen that shows me:
Internal storage: 348MB used, 400MB free

I'm using a Verizon HTC Incredible running Gingerbread. I have followed the steps in the other question (clearing system cache) and rebooted the phone several times. I have moved many apps to the SD card which seems to resolve the issue for a few days, but then the warning comes back. It seems like 47% full should not be triggering a low space warning (which has other ramifications, like my email not refreshing).
Any ideas what's wrong this time?

This error could be from your /cache, /data, or /datadata partitions being almost full. Even though you have 400MB free total, these locations do not have access to all that space. YOu can try moving some of the larger apps to the SDCard, but if it is /cache or /datadata the only solution would be to remove some of the apps or deleting their data.

@RyanConrad: Is there any way to figure out the used/available space on each of those partitions without being rooted?

@jrdioko - To my knowledge you must be rooted to see storage on those partitions. On my dinc I've got chronically low space in my /datadata partition. I use DiskUsage and a terminal command to keep track of space (both require root to see /datadata).

@Mr.Buster: What exactly is stored on those three partitions? I believe I've already cleared /cache (using the steps given in the other question linked above), what about /data vs. /datadata?

@jrdioko - Found a fantastic guide to Android partitions and basics here via WIW's XDA post. /data is all your personal settings, messages, and information, while /data/data is specifically for your apps' private data. My guess is that wiping /cache as described above does not wipe /data or its child directories (otherwise you would've lost all your apps and settings).

@Mr.Buster: Interesting, thanks. So I wonder when you click on the low space warning and see used/free what exactly that is reporting (and what percentage triggers the warning). I just don't see why I'm getting the warning (despite having moved almost every app possible to the SD card).

@jrdioko - I don't believe I've ever run against that particular error - when mine has trouble I just get tons of force closes :-/. However, my app settings screen shows me what must be the /data usage (never close to full, numbers match /data size reported by DiskUsage) even though my apps are actually constrained by the much smaller /data/data (where I run out of room often). I think it's giving you an error because of /data/data but showing you details from /data instead. That's confusing as hell.

@Mr.Buster: Ah that probably is it. Do you have any idea how big /data/data would be on a HTC Incredible? That would at least help me figure out where the mystery limit is.

@jrdioko - My dinc's /data is 748 MB and my /data/data is 149 MB. Sounds like that should be the same for yours (and others').

@Mr.Buster: Thanks! You should work all these comments into an answer :)

@jrdioko - FWIW I was just fighting again with this same issue and found that telling Dolphin (my browser of choice) to Cache to SD Card really helped free up some space.

To consolidate comments:
I've found a fantastic guide to Android partitions and basics here via WIW's XDA post. /data is all your personal settings, messages, and information, while /data/data is specifically for your apps' private data. My guess is that wiping /cache as described above does not wipe /data or its child directories (otherwise you would've lost all your apps and settings).
I don't believe I've ever run against the particular error you're seeing - when mine has trouble I just get tons of force closes :-/. However, my app settings screen shows me what must be the /data usage (never close to full, numbers match /data size reported by DiskUsage) even though my apps are actually constrained by the much smaller /data/data (where I run out of room often). I think it's giving you an error because of /data/data but showing you details from /data instead. That's confusing as hell.
My dinc's /data is 748 MB and my /data/data is 149 MB. Sounds like that should be the same for yours (and others'). Until you give in to the dark side and root your Incredible (and are then able to see specific usage) you'll want to keep things below 149 MB (ish). FWIW, my biggest disk-hogs are Facebook and Dolphin Browser.

if you have rooted then what's the solution?

I was never able to find a solution. That is, I never found a way to fix the small /data/data partition. Rooting gives you access to see the usage of that partition that is otherwise hidden, which is helpful in trying to manage things, but it doesn't solve any problems. When I wrote this back in 2012 I researched the idea of enlarging that partition but decided it wasn't worth the risk.

Check this answer to a similar problem. Basically delete from /data/log. Before you do, if you have the chance (phone still operational) then check the files to see what the errors being logged are.

The total space shown in memory is not all being used for apps. Android might have allotted a part of your internal memory for installation of apps. When that allotted space is over you can't install new apps and get low memory warning. You can try following:

Uninstall Apps
Move apps to external storage or money card. You can do that by going to app settings. You may be able to move some apps by app settings option.
If you're still getting low memory issue, then you use This app. This is only app I found on play store which can move those apps to SD card which android app settings couldn't. But to use this, you need to be rooted.


text:
HTC Legend 2.2 not recognized on windows 7
My HTC Legend is not recognized on Windows 7,

I installed the last version of HTC Sync
I added the following lines on the android_winusb.inf
;HTC Legend
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_0BB4&PID_0C97
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_0BB4&PID_0C97&MI_01

But still, my HTC can't be recognized
any idea ?

did you add that before you installed the drivers? just adding that to the file will not help. you need to add it, then install the drivers.

I added it after. I will try reinstalling the drivers,thank you !


text:
profile picture appears in gchat but nowhere else
Has anyone else had problems with their gmail profile pictures only appearing in the gchat message threads, but NOT when sending text messages through the Google Nexus S to other cell phones??
I thought that I had my phone synced up with my gmail account, so I don't know if I've missed a step.

When I send SMS to another phone, it's not sent as my Google profile, eg. example@gmail.com, but as my number, eg. +123456789.
If you add your own number to your contacts, and then add profile picture, you will see it in SMS chat.

Dont think the gmail profile picture and the sms picture will sync up. When you are in an sms chat try pressing your own picture and updating it with a picture of you.


text:
If I root my phone, can my service providor tell if I am using my phone for USB tethering or as a WiFi hotspot?
Looking at the responses to this question, it seems that a mobile service provider can't automatically detect whether or not a phone user is tethering their phone or not. Though they can infer it by the type of activity a user does.
However, my service providor charges extra for both USB and WiFi tethering. They can provide accurate usage statistics and charge by the data packet, so they must have some deliberately set up way of monitoring this. I believe the most likely way of doing this is they likely have some kind of software built into my installation of Android that reports whether or not I'm tethering.
So, does that mean if I root my device, and then presumeably that software is gone, they won't be able to tell anymore?
I'm weighing the risks and rewards of rooting my phone, and whether or not I could bypass their nickel-and-diming by charging extra for tethering would be a deciding factor.

It won't make much difference for the scenario to whether your device is rooted or not; the service provider will have the same inspection level of observation (http headers and User-Agent fields, etc.) to detect your device being tethered or not, which is- as stated- a rare possibility.

@SamSPICA: I don't think that's quite accurate. I don't think my service providor is currently just analyzing usage. I believe they have a specific process on the phone which manages the tethering process to monitor it. They can monitor it by the data packet and charge accordingly.

The tethering app that the carrier provides is modified to call home and keep track of your usage (or validate if you're even allowed to tether, depending on the carrier). If you root then you can install a different tethering app. Is that actually what you're asking?

@Dave M G: eldarerathis may be right. The tethering app itself might be monitoring your usage, with statistics being sent to the service provider. Try using a different tethering app- if that might help. But again, I say, it might not make a difference whether the device is rooted or not.

@eldarerathis: Ah... I'm starting to see this a little clearer now. I guess at least part of what I'm asking is whether or not it's possible to use a different tethering app without rooting the phone... which is something I hadn't thought of until your comments, but I think that is an essential part of the question.

@SamSPICA: As per my comment above, I hadn't started out thinking in that direction, but nonetheless it's a good suggestion to use an alternate tethering app that might circumvent the carrier's monitoring software and charges. You should put that as an answer, and even if it's not a direct answer, it would at least get you some rep. :)

If you're rooted install SSH Tunnel to route all your traffic through it. they can't detect anything from your encrypted tunnel.

Encrypted VPN tunnel would be fine too.

Technically they can inspect the HTTP Headers and look at the User-Agent field to determine browser and OS; but imagine the millions and millions of HTTP requests for web pages and applications in a given day.
They can do trends, and data mining techniques to find out - but is it worth all that effort for them just to track down someone using a few more MB of bandwidth? Probably not.

Some tethering solutions may also allow you to alter the headers, besides of course that you can change your user agent in many browsers :)

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I hope they wouldn't want to make an example out of me... ;)

Their firewall can block such traffic without any hassle..

eldarerathis may be right (from his comment). The tethering app itself might be monitoring your usage, with statistics being sent to the service provider. Try using a different tethering app- if that might help. But again, I say, it might not make a difference whether the device is rooted or not.

My current search seems to indicate that most, maybe all, tethering apps require a rooted phone. If anyone knows one that doesn't, please post a link. :)

@DaveMG: Check this one: ClockWorkMod Tether. However, this app needs a virtual network adapter to be set up on your system. Another one you may try is this one: FoxFi. Let me know if it helps. :)

Nice tip! I'd give you another +1 if I could.

Is the app from the carrier itself? If you root your phone and install a custom ROM you are erasing the phone and anything that was pre-installed by the carrier. It should work fine after that, or if you have a international version of the phone. Also, they can only see how much data you're using, and they just make it slower if they see you're using too much.


text:
Poor performance on Wifi compared to 3G

Possible Duplicate:
How can I prevent my WiFi connection from glitching?

I have consistent hanging/speed issues with my Apps when I use WiFi compared to 3G.
For instance, last night, I played a move with Word With Friends and the app said "Sending Move...".  It sat there for a while so, out of curiosity, I just turned the display off and went to bed.  When I turned the display on that morning, I still saw the "Sending Move.." screen.
I closed the app, turned off WiFi (thereby enabling 3G) and then loaded WWF.  The move sent instantly.  Other WiFi apps do the same thing; Facebook for instance hangs constantly on WiFi.  Also, there are times I open up the browser and it responds with "Can't connect"...even though the icon at the top of my screen says I'm connected to WiFi.
Usually, if I take the battery out, put it back in, let the phone reboot, WiFi resumes back to normal.  However, this is cumbersome.
I realize it could be a router issue though I have other devices connected to my router and they work fine 100% of the time. (One of the other devices is my wife's iPhone :P)
Is there a way I can pinpoint what the issue is?
Or, even better, have you had this problem and have a fix for it?

is your router set as 802.11n? The galaxy s devices don't support 802.11n, even though they claim it does. Try making your router use 802.11g and see if it resolves the issues.

This is a known issue with the original Galaxy S series.  See the answer to my question for a partial solution, but I'm still looking....

Thanks @MatthewRead Got it installed.  Fingers crossed.  I searched this site before asking, but I did "title:wifi" as opposed to "title:wi-fi" and missed your post :P

Actually my title had "WiFi" until I edited it after seeing your post :P but it's pretty difficult to search on this site.  Using tags can help -- e.g., [wi-fi] in search.

haha...ok...well, I just have no excuse then. :)  Point noted.


text:
Any reason why Swype isn't in Play Store?
Have developers of Swype keyboard ever told anywhere why they haven't added their app in Play Store yet? As Play Store is easiest way of installing and updating apps, it'd be nice..

In short, they get their money from OEM sales. The beta is still relatively easy to get into though.

Not a technical reason, most hardware supports it. Part of it might be the fact that manufacturer installed versions would conflict with an "official" Play Store version, much like the Beta version. The PR response: "This eliminates confusion and allows us to deliver the best Swype experience possible..."

@above commenters - is there other versions of Swype that aren't Beta?

They have here but doesn't give a clear reason.

How can I buy Swype? / When will Swype be on the Android market?
We have considered a direct-download sales model, but there are two challenges to that approach:

Customer Support - Providing Swype users with the level of professional support they deserve is a priority for us. We're still a small (but quickly growing!) company, and we don't have the resources necessary to support a full end-user sales model. It is much more efficient for us to focus on improving Swype and to partner with large organizations like Samsung and T-Mobile who already have customer support structures in place.
Device integration - Swype isn't just an app; it's a keyboard - the most widely used piece of software on a device. It interacts with nearly every single application on the phone. As such, it's more like a system component than an application. For each device release we do a tremendous amount of testing and we always find issues due to the varying components - the OS version, the device hardware, the OEM UI implementation, etc. In addition, some features can't be implemented without an OEM's engineering assistance. We end up doing a large amount of work on each device to be sure that you have a great experience entering text using Swype. So, we appreciate your enthusiasm, but we are not ready to do direct-downloads at this time.


text:
Is there a real "Gmail Tap" app?
Gmail Tap, one of Google's April fools, would give the phone a three-keys Morse keyboard. Is there a way to get this functionality for real, preferably for input to any fields?

Yes, there is: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rgam.morsekeyboard

There is another one: Morse Code Keyboard

I couldn't get it to work: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/88828/how-to-enable-morse-input


text:
Can I add external devices to an Android device?
Can we add external devices to an Android device? For example, can I add a CD player or a power antenna (to detect wireless from long distances) to my Android device? Des Android let us to create our own drivers for our devices?

There's nothing stopping you from writing device drivers; and some devices support USB Host mode... so it's probably possible.

@DylanYaga Thanks for answer, a second question.. My boss gave me a Windows CE installed devices and asks me to install Android on this device. Is it possible to look at these mobile platfors as kind of operating systems? Can i install Android on a 'normally windows' device?

@illis Don't ask two different questions in the same question. That said, your question is covered in http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/3521/is-it-possible-to-install-android-on-a-pc or http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6849/can-i-install-android-on-my-non-android-device

I've removed your second question from this post. As Flow noted, please limit each post to one question, otherwise answers posted for your original question will become irrelevant.

Most Android devices aren't set up for peripherals; it would take quite a bit of hacking away to get them to recognize them.  That being said, since Android is Linux based it's entirely possible that Linux drivers might work for your device out of the box.  I'd rate the chances of such as being very low, however.
Writing your own drivers is certainly possible, but again you'd also need the internal framework in place for the kernel, etc to accommodate peripherals.  And reverse engineering drivers is NOT easy!
As for your Windows CE device, it's very rare for an other OS to be ported for a device (an exception to the rule: the HP touchpad).  There's all kinds of major issues with reverse engineering from hardware specs, etc that generally keep that from happening.  XDA Developers would be your best bet for something like that if it exists at all.

If you want to build external devices for Android, look at the IOIO project as a starting point - it has libraries, etc for doing USB stuff.
The SparkFun guys have a board all setup and ready to go as a starting point.

do yu have any idea about porting a Windows device with Android? I have a NAvigation device, installed Windows CE, but i want to install Android(any version). Where should i get started with?


text:
Can I restart Bluetooth from the terminal?
I have a rooted Galaxy S 2 (I9100) and was wondering if I can restart the Bluetooth on my phone via the terminal client on my phone.

The following terminal command should enable Bluetooth via adb shell or Terminal Emulator app:
su
am start -a android.bluetooth.adapter.action.REQUEST_ENABLE

On most versions of Android, this command will present a pop-up window to the user asking to confirm request to enable BT.  I believe this was done for security purposes whenever an app that is not system is toggling BT.
I haven't found a way to disable BT via a shell command unfortunately.
With WiFi it's a lot easier, and does not prompt user for permission:
su
svc wifi enable

will turn it on, and
su
svc wifi disable

will turn it off.

Thanks for the answer. I'll try the same. Could you also list the same for WiFi?

Edited my answer with the WiFi info.  I haven't found a way to disable BT via a terminal command though :(

in android.bluetooth.IBluetoothManager, there some parameters

TRANSACTION_registerAdapter = (android.os.IBinder.FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION + 0);
  TRANSACTION_unregisterAdapter = (android.os.IBinder.FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION + 1);
  TRANSACTION_registerStateChangeCallback = (android.os.IBinder.FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION + 2);
  TRANSACTION_unregisterStateChangeCallback = (android.os.IBinder.FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION + 3);
  TRANSACTION_isEnabled = (android.os.IBinder.FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION + 4);
  TRANSACTION_enable = (android.os.IBinder.FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION + 5);
  TRANSACTION_enableNoAutoConnect = (android.os.IBinder.FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION + 6);
  TRANSACTION_disable = (android.os.IBinder.FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION + 7);
  TRANSACTION_getAddress = (android.os.IBinder.FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION + 8);
  TRANSACTION_getName = (android.os.IBinder.FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION + 9);

android.os.IBinder.FIRST_CALL_TRANSACTION=1
SO, with rooted device,
if you want to turn off bluetooth
in adb shell super user mode (su)
service call bluetooth_manager 8

if you want to turn on bluetooth again
service call bluetooth_manager 6

device I use is HTC One with android 4.4.2

Confirm, that this is working on Android 4.2.2

Service bluetooth_manager does not exist on Android 4.1.2

Enable bluetooth:
service call bluetooth 3
Disable bluetooth:
service call bluetooth 4

Negative voter: could you help identifying the issue with this answer (after edit)? These worked in my rooted phone after su - so technically nothing wrong AFAIK.

Enable bluetooth:
service call bluetooth 3
Disable bluetooth:
service call bluetooth 5 is working on my HTC Desire X

service call bluetooth 5 works in my Android 4.2.1 to disable bluetooth.

On a "Galaxy Fame GT-6810P", the correct numbers are 3 and 5.

This works from a shell:
am start -a android.bluetooth.adapter.action.REQUEST_ENABLE &
input keyevent 20 & adb shell input keyevent 21 & adb shell input keyevent 23
Basically it causes the dialogue to appear and then sends keystrokes to accept the command

My solution works.
am start -a android.bluetooth.adapter.action.REQUEST_ENABLE
sleep 1
input tap 872 1072

Notice that when execute first command, it jumps out a window ask you to select ALLOW.
So you need the auto click command.
You can get the X,Y position by enable Developer options->Pointer location, then touch the ALLOW button.


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Rooted HD2 shows unrooted as status
I have successfully installed Android Gingerbread 2.3.2 on my HTC HD2 device. While installing the DSTV app, I first  tried to unroot it for sometime using the VoodooOTA Rootkeeper app. The problem is that the status of HD2 shows unrooted when using the VoodooOTA Rootkeeper  but rooted when trying the DSTV app.
Is anyone having this kind of problem and how to go about it? Thanks
Anyone?
Any help?

Try SuperUser and see what it says.  You'll also want to check /system/bin/ and /system/xbin/ for su (one may be a symlink) and remove it if the unrooter didn't do so.

Thanks for the quick answer. The supersuser shows 0 entry. Trying now to figure out how to access the system files. Will get back to u soon

I am using Droid Explorer to access the root file of my phone. I found the su file in systems/bin but not in systems/xbin. I realize that su is an executable file. Is there any way to check why my phone is recognized as rooted by some apps and unrooted by others?


text:
What is Ghost Mode of Superuser Elite?
Superuser Elite (paid) provides a premium-exclusive feature: Ghost Mode!
What is it?
As I haven't purchased it, I don't have option to test it..

The Superuser website explains it as such:

Ghost mode – Hide Superuser from your app tray and home screen. With
  ghost mode activated, the only way to launch it is by dialing a secret
  code into the dialer. The default secret code is *#*#787378737#*#*,
  but it can be set to whatever you want. Note that this feature will
  probably be disabled if your device does not have a dialer (tablets
  specifically).


text:
How can I sync Chrome's bookmarks to Dolphin?
I have Android and iOS devices, so I use Dolphin's browser for the bookmark sync. Is there any way I can get my Chrome bookmarks to sync into my Dolphin bookmarks at least once?
I'm aware of Chrome to Phone, etc. but so far all solutions I see either keep my bookmarks in a separate app (useless for Dolphin Sync) or they only copy them to the default Android browser which I don't use.
My phone's Android 2.3.3, so I can't use Chrome for Android yet.


text:
How to rename catalog of ADW Launcher EX?
In Setup Catalog option, I can only choose apps, but can't rename the catalog. Is there any way to rename a catalog?

My ADW Launcher has just been updated to 1.3.3.8 which features App Group renaming...

The only way I've found to do this is to edit the XML file that stores the name directly. It should be at /data/data/org.adwfreak.launcher/shared_prefs/APP_CATALOG_Index.xml:
# cd /data/data/org.adwfreak.launcher/shared_prefs
cd /data/data/org.adwfreak.launcher/shared_prefs
# ls
ls
APP_CATALOG_1.xml       APP_CATALOG_Index.xml   adw_ex_preferences.xml
# more APP_CATALOG_Index.xml
more APP_CATALOG_Index.xml
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8' standalone='yes' ?>
<map>
<string name="GrpName1">First Group</string>
</map>

Edit the value within the GrpName# tag that corresponds to the group you want to rename and then restart ADW Launcher. AFAIK there's no way to do it in the ADW UI itself (aside from deleting and recreating it, but that's inconvenient, too).


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Why is the Google Calendar website showing my calendar as a guest on events added from the phone?
I have noticed a strange behavior in the Google calendar app. When ever I add an event from my phone on a calendar that is not the default one, and later view it on the computers browser, I see a "person icon" indicating a guest. And when I enter that event I see the name of the selected calendar as the guest (technically I'm my own guest).
Is that a result of settings which I can correct? (Or is that a bug?)
I'm using Android 2.3.5

Same for me, I didn't change any of settings in the calendar app.

What kind of device, is it rooted, and are you using a custom ROM? Since this is an old issue, have you since updated the device to a newer version (and seen the problem stay/go away)?

I'm using a rooted Galaxy S 2, haven't updated or changed anything. The problem is still there just as described (I just tested that again)

I had the same problem. But it disappeared. I am not 100% sure why, but I suspect that either Android 4.0 (CM9)  fixed it, or the new separately released official Calendar app on Play Store.

Thanks, unfortunately the site states that this app is not compatible with my phone... :-\

Did you checked that it's your Google profile in the calendar app when you create an event? I mean , when you create an event, next to the color change you need to checked that it's your mail there, your calendar.
I have a bunch of calendar in one account (personal, work, school, etc) and i can separately add event to each of them..
Here is a pictures from my device to show you what i mean:

It's the only thing i can think of, so i hope it's helpful!

It is my account, when I do it right from the first time there is no problem. Only when I edit an entry. I didn't really understand what you are saying in this answer... What do you think is the problem? What is the corresponding solution?

@Martin never mind, the solution i was think of didn't taken into account that if you do it in the first time it's fine, and it's happening just when you edit an entry. I think it's happen all the time, but just from the smartphone/tablet (ie the application) and from the web is fine. So, sorry man, I can not think of anything that causes this problem..

Most likely because when you're adding to your phone, you're adding to a different account which is synced with your Google account. I know my phone has its own "samsung" calendar which syncs with Google's. Have a look in your calendar's settings to see if you can establish this. Also check you don't have two linked Google accounts.

This is not the case. I have given my google account + pass in the phone, and it automatically started syncing. And if I choose the right calendar from the start, this doesn't happen.

perhaps you are trying to add stuff to a shared calendar? - to see this go to your google calendar online and check the left side for others' calendars


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How to convert pcm/wav to mp3?
I'm using a virtual recorder to record voices and it records in the .pcm file format. I found an app freemp3droid to convert it to .mp3 but there are some bugs in the app and it has not been updated recently. Is there any other app to convert the file into .mp3 or, should I look for a new voice recording app that doesn't use .pcm?

The LAME encoder is useful for converting such files. PC applications  can be found here:
http://lame.sourceforge.net/links.html
You can try another recorder, like Hi-Q MP3 Recorder. This will record it immediately in mp3 format.
you can use an online converter to do the job. Try for example http://www.mediaconverter.org

+1 - if you need to convert I'd do it off-device on a PC/Mac. Audacity is my personal favorite go-to audio tool. Should import PCM files just fine.

However I had the software to convert it on PC but I was looking for an app for my device but my luck. Only one feature I'm missing it has not Pause option when you start the recording while other has.

@avirk Hi-Q MP3 Recorder now has pause button and still records directly to MP3.

@yuku updated it.

As far as I know, there are no built-in audio converters in Android. Your best bet is to use third party library, maybe even a c/c++ one.
Look at this question for more info: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3641920

This doesn't really answer the end-user question of how to convert a .pcm file to an .mp3 file, though. The OP certainly doesn't seem to be asking for a way to implement this in code (as well he shouldn't be since it would be off-topic).

To convert PCM/WAV to MP3, I know a step by step guide here:
http://www.bigasoft.com/articles/how-to-convert-pcm-audio.html
This guide helps:
Convert RAW PCM to MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, AC3, AIFF, M4A and etc
Convert recorded PCM to WAV, WMA, MP3, AAC, AC3, AIFF, and M4A and so on
Convert WAV PCM to AC3, AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, M4A, and WMA...
Convert PCM audio from CD or DVD to any other audio format like PCM to MP3, PCM to WAV, PCM to AAC, PCM to AC3, PCM to WMA, PCM to M4A, PCM to AIFF, PCM to FLAC and etc
Convert between FLAC, OGG, CAF, AIFF, CUE, QCP, AMR, APE, Apple Lossless ALAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, AC3, M4A, RA and etc

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference.


text:
Alternative ways to factory reset?
My Android 2.3 system  my PMP3384 tablet somehow crashed so seriously that I cannot even do a factory hard reset, because I cannot get to settings, only the following message appears again and again:
"Prestigio Home (process com.prestigio.android.launcher) stopped unexpectedly."
Actually this comes first and then a lot of other things, like calendar I have to force closed.
When I finally get to my Home screen this repeats itself.
I cannot get to bootloader because I dont have got hardware volume buttons...
Edit1: Oh yeah, I used it as a mass storage device before this happened. And a few power cycles before also used app2sd.

I got it!
I originally got a feeling that this happened because of the insufficent space on the device. But since I could not get into any apps I could not delete anything.
The solution: pulled down the pull-down menu, where there where a warning about insufficient memory, tap on that and now I could delete apps.

According to the instructions in the device's manual there should be a "reset" button on the back.  The manual does't have any information on how to use it, but I'd try pushing the button while the device is on, or turning it on while having this button pressed.

Try starting it in safe mode
If you have a HOME button - try keeping it depressed as you power up the device.

Enter into recovery mode by pressing HOME button while powering up the device .
It will show you an option as factory reset use volume buttons to scroll up/down and home button to select.
and select yes and yes to all always.


text:
Searching for Android apps
Searching an app on the Play Store for new apps results in a failure most of the time. By failure I mean we don't find the desired app although the name matches exactly. Popular examples are Temple Run (1st week after release) and Instagram (right now too). Searching on Google for terms like "Instagram for android" results in an immediate hit. Is this is a problem only in India or is it everywhere? And why is the Play Store search so backward compared to Google Search which has better success over a bigger search pool?
edit1
To clear up things, I was able to download the apps from http://play.google.com onto my phone.

I don't see a question here. What exactly is the problem you're hoping we're going to help you solve?

The general opinion everywhere is that the Web marketplace is much better with search results than the marketplace app (it is really puzzling as to why is such the case). And no, the problem is not India specific, it is faced everywhere. The same opinion holds for other stores as well, including Apple's AppStore. The good news is, there are a few companies trying to make it better, namely Chomp and Tapjoy:
Chomp has been pretty successful and has been solving a truly-existing problem, which is evident since Verizon now includes Chomp in its tethered phones.
For more info, see xconomy.com news article discussing the search issues in the mobile market places and apps like Chomp and Tapjoy.

Alright, thanks for that answer, but why is it that we need a 3rd party search provider for this ?

Maybe your phone doesn't support the app you're searching.
Also, some apps only can be install from certain locations(example Google Listen is available in a few countries).
From Google Play website all apps are going to appear, but when you try to install this apps its gonna say "this app is not compatible with your device".

Did you even read the question? I said the search is not showing up results, plus did you read the answer provided above by another user?

@AadiDroid From what I understand, sometimes apps don't show up in results if they aren't supported; you didn't mention that you were able to install it from the website until your comment on the other answer. Regardless, no need to be so hostile.

alright my bad, sorry about that!


text:
nanddump vs fastboot
I have two identical phones. On one of them I've managed to corrupt the system partition and it won't boot. I have fastboot, root (on the one that boots), but I don't have ClockworkMod --- my phone isn't supported. Instead I have the world's most unhelpful vendor recovery, which supports update.zip and nothing else.
I'm trying to copy the system partition from the working phone to the non-working one via fastboot. But I cannot successfully reflash the partition. I always get a failure, and the only message is 'flash write failure'. I've tried erasing it first.
My suspicion is that I'm somehow not taking the image from the working phone correctly and the OOB data is incorrect.
I'm using busybox's nanddump to do this:
nanddump -f /sdcard/backup/mtd7 /dev/mtd/mtd7

Is this correct? The resulting image is larger than an image taken with dd, so it does appear to contain the OOB data, but fastboot won't flash it. Does fastboot require images in some exotic format?

Out of curiosity, how much RAM is in the non-booting device and how big is the system image you get from nanddump? I know on the Kindle Fire, for instance, flashing the system partition can be problematic because an image pulled by hand is too big to fit in RAM, so fastboot balks when you try to flash it (no idea if that's the case here, just a shot in the dark).

...good question. MemTotal from /proc/cpuinfo shows 152784kB, and the flash image is 129MB, so it could be running out of memory. OTOH the minimal diagnostics I'm getting say that it is transferring correctly, and is only failing when it tries to write it.

What device do you have?

One of these: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elurstoidi/4626364634/in/set-72157624105177402 The actual model reported varies depending where you look. I think it's vaguely Z71ish inside. If I want ClockworkMod, I'd have to port it myself!

Take the image of the phone that's working by the following code

First find out the dev block of the system partition

cat /proc/mounts

Search for the system partitions and note down the corresponding /dev/block/ partition
For example for my phone it is /dev/block/mmcblk0p12
Now make the exact copy of the partition using dd command

dd if=/dev/block/***** of=/sdcard/system.img

Copy this system.img from your phone to PC
Connect your other phone in fastboot mode
Run the following command

fastboot flash system <path-to-system.img>

Depending on the device you have, the android version it runs and the phones manufacturer, you may not be able to do what you want.
Copying the /system partition is unlikely to work anyhow as your working device has assigned the ESN to the crucial system files already and it may not be allowed to flash because of dmverity checking.
Your best bet is to find a stock image of the devices ROM and use your manufacturers flashing program (ie.. Samsung uses Odin, Sony has their program, etc...), or dump an OTA update.zip and flash that in your stock recovery.


text:
Dual booting mobile

Possible Duplicate:
Can I use dual boot in my Android mobile phone?

Is it possible to dual boot my android mobile(HTC Sensation) with window mango? So that I can use either one of them. I'm not feeling secured with android OS right now.

There have probably been many attempts to deploy Windows Mango into Android Phones, but it hasn't been possible, with the same going to your phone (XDA-Developers: Windows mobile on HTC Sensation). So, even though Dual Booting with Android OS is possible on any Android phone (LifeHacker: Dual Boot Multiple ROMs on Android phone), using Windows as the other OS has not been made possible.


text:
Disable screen compatibility mode as a user
My phone (HTC Sensation) has recently been updated updated to Android 4.  An app that I already had installed now expands to fill the whole screen but looks very pixelated.  Is it possible to disable the auto screen resize for this application?
Looking at the SDK docs (http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screen-compat-mode.html), the developer of the app can disable it in the manifest file, but as that's not me I'm wondering how I can do it as a user of the app?
Any ideas?

Your only option is to contact the developer of the application via the contact email in its Google Play page.  The only compatibility option ICS has is a way to force accelerated rendering.  This can be found under the Developer Options section of the Settings app.  Based on your description, though, this probably won't resolve the scaling issue you have, besides possibly speeding the app up a bit.

Thanks for your answer.  I will wait a couple of days and see if someone else knows a way (I'm not holding out much hope!) and then you'll get the bounty.

I used spareparts+ to set compatibility mode off, it really works.
but, in 4.2.1, spareparts+ seems not working.
I'm still finding some way to set compatibility mode off in 4.2.1

Please add a Google Play link. :)


text:
My Galaxy Nexus can't hold on to a signal
I have an unlocked international-version Galaxy Nexus on the German T-Mobile network.  It's only about a week old, but more than once in that time I've seen the signal drop completely out, and won't come back until I reboot -- and sometimes not even then.  In the same location, my old AT&T Captivate (rooted, running a custom ICS ROM) gets 2-3 bars of signal, around -100dBm.  I've read a lot of Verizon users complaining about the GN's radio, but I haven't heard of people having problems with the International version.
Is this fixable?  Are there newer revisions of the phone where this issue is fixed?  If not, does it vary between individual handsets?  Would exchanging it for an "identical" handset stand a chance of getting better hardware?

Parts of your question make this off topic and more of a shopping recommendation. - If you have what you think are hardware issues, then i would exchange it for another unit.

If a factory reset doesn't fix the issue, then it's likely a hardware problem and you should exchange the phone.

Swapped GNex handsets twice last month for this issue.

I've tweaked the question.  It should still solicit the info you need and help you make your shopping decision without bringing up the shopping decision :P

Thanks, Matthew.  I had a similar issue with the Captivate (the GPS, in that case) where some advised swapping out handsets for a better receiver, but I waited too long and got stuck with a bad one.  I want to avoid doing that here.

There is currently a 4.0.4 update in a phased roll out to GSM Galaxy Nexus's source, that does apparently have a new radio baseband version in it, this may (or may not) make things more stable.

@GAThrawn There are multiple reports that the radio in 4.0.4 makes this issue even worse on GSM Galaxy Nexus.

It look is like this is a pretty widespread problem. It doesn't answer my shopping question (should I return it) but at least I can say with confidence that it's not just me, so it should get addressed eventually.

I'm not sure what the process is for it being a vanilla developer phone, but I know many Samsung devices can flash a radio package through the Recovery mode, to potentially improve signal and speeds. For the Nexus, there seems to be plenty of dumps available here to install which might help your signal problems.
Note however that this is a purely trial-and-error process which can, in some circumstances, cause unforeseen side effects so be careful about it.

I appreciate the idea, but this is my wife's phone -- she specifically doesn't want to (her words) "fiddle with it" and if that ends up being necessary to get a working device, she's just going to return it and probably buy another operating system :/


text:
Samsung Galaxy S 2 Kies update problem: "does not support initialising"
I've been fruitlessly trying to get the new Android OS update for my s2 for quite some time now and I finally thought my troubles were over when I saw an update for Samsung Kies pop up earlier today but now I'm just even more confused. Before there just wasn't an option to update (the update button was greyed out) but now the firmware update and initialisation button is no longer grey but comes up with the error notice:

GT-I9100 does not support initialising

What does this mean? I've spent quite a long time trawling through internet forums trying to find my answer to no avail; it seems no one out there has my problem. What does this error mean? Am I unable to update at all?

I've had and heard of plenty of strange Kies problems. First,  the basics; did you try 1) restarting your phone, 2) restarting your computer, and 3) reinstalling Kies?

Which update? Can you be specific? (Help out future readers, eh?)

Yesterday I had the "firmware upgrade" button available and working (begins to download upgrade components etc) but my internet was playing up, so I tried again today and all of a sudden Kies was telling me "'GT-I9100T' does not support initialisation" (and upgrade component downloading window did not appear).
As suggested by Sparx, I checked my debugging setting. It was already unchecked, BUT I found that when I checked it, then unchecked it (the phone will prompt you to remove USB cable before you can toggle this option) it restored the "firmware upgrade" button.
Frustrations which remain:

The process began again but stopped half way through, telling me that "phone battery is low, charge phone battery" (phone was plugged in via USB and charging already from computer). When I clicked OK, the process aborted and I am back at the Kies screen without a "firmware upgrade" button again (so will have to toggle the debugging option again - annoying, but faster than rebooting computer and/or phone).
Kies doesn't tell you the download size - I have dialup
broadband with a small bandwidth allowance and cannot afford to be
downloading excessive amounts. It would be really helpful if we
could discover the sizes of these upgrade downloads.
Kies re-downloads firmware update process files (the ones before it
starts downloading the actual upgrade files) each time I attempt to
upgrade firmware - even if this was done 1 minute ago. I would think
Samsung would have the programming prowess by now to cache these
files rather than re-download them (for me, this also relates to
issue #2).

I hope this helps others.

For comparison I set up a VM of windows xp 32 bit and installed kies, it recognized the firmware without issue (both an ACE2 and a Galaxy S3), kies on win 8 64 bit tells me both phones do not support initialization and the firmware cannot be upgraded (despite repeated re-installs and troubleshooting) !?!
My feeling from reading other posts and the above is KIES has problems with 64 bit environments

Also, make sure USB debugging is set to off. Find it in settings > Applications > Development

I was having the same issue, download the latest version of Kies (from the Samung website) and then retry.
This worked for me

This is the same situation as my own S2, I think that option becoming available is simply a bug in the latest Kies update. In all probability the Android 4.0 update (I assume) you are waiting on has not been released for you version of the handset yet.

On the same day you were having the problem mentioned on your question, a CNET article was being published covering the reason as to why you have the update option available but can't just wet perform the update.
Essentially, you'll be getting that message while operators are finishing tests to the update package, in order to make sure everything will work properly, as mentioned by Simon Stanford, VP of Samsung Telecommunications and Networks for Samsung UK and Ireland, speaking exclusively to CNET UK:
Galaxy S2 SIM-free owners last to get ICS, Samsung admits

Additionally, this is covered at Vodafone forums, and linked on page 15.


text:
Droid RAZR MAXX encryption downgrades max camera resolution
After submitting my DROID RAZR MAXX to the whims of my company's OLA for getting access to work mail, calendar, and contacts, it was encrypted, including the storage.  Encryption notified me, before proceeding, that my HD video recording resolution would be downgraded from 1080p to 720.  Sure enough, after it was complete, the max video recording resolution option was "DVD (720 x480)".  However, my front-facing camera can still do 720p.
Was this documented anywhere? Or is this something an ActiveSync admin can push? This cuaght me by surprise.

It is the result of encryption, unfortunately I cannot find any documentation.
My device (Razr) showed the same message when I enabled device encryption on setup, before I had any ActiveSync accounts added.

This forum post suggests that it may be related to your company policy.
If not, it could be that some of the camera hardware could be used for encryption, however that is highly unlikely.


text:
Photoshop: how can I access other directories beside DCIM?
Screenshots apps store their images in different locations. For example:

ShootMe uses SD card/ShootMe
The native screenshot tool in ICS uses SD card/Pictures/Screenshots
etc

I am wondering, is the Photoshop for Android able to access other directories beside SD card/DCIM, because all the pictures I can see are the ones taken from the camera? Obviously this makes screenshots editing (e.g: cropping) difficult.

There are two very different Adobe PhotoShop apps for Android, the free, limited PhotoShop Express that lets you slightly tweak pictures, and the full (paid) Photoshop Touch. Which one are you having problems with?

Asssuming you mean Adobe Photoshop Express it is set by default to only show you Camera pictures. You should be able to change a setting to make it look at the rest of your phone's storage.
Open Photoshop Express, press Menu (on ICS press the ... in the corner of the screen), select More and then Settings and scroll down to near the bottom where you should see the option Show camera photos only in Phone view, take the tick out of the box and press Back to get back to the main Photoshop Express window where you should already see it filling up with all the pictures it can find.

Ah I forgot to mention that I'm using PhotoShop Express. BTW, it works. Thanks :)


text:
SD card not detected after re-partitioning it, FAT32 + EXT4
I followed the steps here to add an EXT4 partition on my 8gb sd card:
http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/properly-partition-sd-card-for-app2sd-android-roms/
Now I have 6.xGB FAT32 as the primary partition, and a 1GB EXT4 logical partition.
But my Samsung Galaxy Ace (running on CyanogenMod-7.2.0-C1-cooper, official nightly build) doesn't recognize the sd card anymore.
Please help. Thanks.
Update: I gave up and reformatted it back to a single FAT32 partition, copied my backup into the sd card, now the apps don't get recognized. Please, please help me. :(

I just tried re-partitioning it in Windows using Partition Wizard, it didn't work.

Small note.  The original instructions call for partitioning the card using a reader.  If you are doing this on a laptop, it is essential to use an external USB card reader. Most built-in ones found on most laptops do not properly write partition tables (even if software packages like GParted or Partition Wizard report success.)  That will make the newly created partition(s) unreadable in the phone.

Good to know. Although I used a card reader for the process. It's attached to a usb hub, I don't know if that may have caused anything.

If your phone is rooted and got ClockworkMod installed, then try formatting and creating an EXT partition in ClockworkMod. Its the most simplest and easiest way to do it. It will automatically take care of your Fat partition too.
For more info, read this article

I will try that next. Say, do you have any idea why my apps weren't being recognized?

did you copy .android_secure folder to your sd card too?

Huh, I think when I did a ctrl+a on my ubuntu installation, hidden files were not shown, thus, .android_secure wasn't copied. I get it now, thanks. Also, that method with CWM worked. Thank you so much.

When you format your SD card to have multiple partitions, you need to change the Android system files to reflect this.  CWM does the modifications for you automagically :)

I see, that might be the reason I had trouble in the first place. Thanks.

Minitool Partition Magic did not work for me. Instead, I formatted and partitioned the card directly through adb in CWM recovery using this guide on xda-developers forums. Am using Link2SD (similar to App2SD) fine now on CM 11 KitKat 4.4.2

I had the same problem. Use minitool partition magic and set your card partition to primary partition. Apply changes and that's it.

Is minitool partition magic an Android app? Can you provide a link to it?

I had the same problem and I found a solution for another SD card
Partion the SD card using minitool to one FAT32 + one EXT2
Make them primary and non-active
Works on Samsung Ace duos GT S6821, Huawei Y625-U32 and some Sony device


text:
Cable to send audio from iPhone to android phone via TRRS
This is a follow-up to https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/29099/designing-a-cable-for-bidirectional-communication-between-2-iphones-via-trrs-he
The cable in the above link successfully transmits audio from one iPhone to another.
But for some reason it fails on my Android device.
I noticed that on my iPhone if I go into sound recorder and make some noise the spectrograph lights up.   if I then plug-in one end of the cable and make some more noise it has now gone silent. So it has registered that a microphone has been connected.   if the resistance across the microphone si 100 ohms, it will fail to detect the microphone. However setting it at 200 ohms it successfully detects the microphone.
however if I repeat this experiment with the android device (Samsung Galaxy S2), the device never registers that an external microphone has been detected.
I have tried resistances between 50 and 800 ohm, and the spectrograph on the recorder app steadfastly picks up audio from the inbuilt phone microphone.
can anyone shed some light on this problem?

...
Why do this with a cable when there are free PTT apps out there?

We do have a few previous questions on people connecting external mics to various Android hardware models, this one looks like it could be the most relevant to you? How do I use an external microphone with my Galaxy Nexus?

@rm-vanda Think of the possibilities! The audio data can be modulated for file transfer to take place for example..

I understand this question has long since been asked. However I have useful information for Google-fu students and teachers.
From what I understand, iPhones by default have the TRRS 4-conductor jack. Androids, on the other hand, vary in specifications.
Quoted from here:

I'm sure android and apple are the same kind (I've used them interchangeably) though samsung android phones have two rings swapped.

More specifications related to Android, specifically the Nexus One, can be found here (with wiring diagrams). However, the application is different than what you are proposing. Still, this may help.