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Boot custom kernel via phone
I can currently boot a custom kernel (without flashing it) for test purposes by using fastboot on my computer via:
cmd> fastboot boot customkernel.img

Which works great. I've found great kernels that do different things but have trade offs such as an overclocked gpu but the battery life takes a hit or an undervolted kernel but performance takes a hit.
So the kernels are great for different situations. But it would be great to use them for different situations without needing my computer. So if I wanted to use an game emulator I could boot into the gpu overclock or if I need battery life I could boot undervolted kernel.
Is there a way to boot custom kernels via fastboot on the phone without needing an external computer to run cmd commands?
Fastboot is defined as holding both volume up and volume down plus the power key. Not just holding volume up and power.

You should be able to flash kernels via ROM Manager? But this would be permanent until you reverted the kernel.

I was hoping just to find a boot option but I will have to use a rom manager if I can't find a viable alternative. I was unaware that a rom manager could do that, thanks for the suggestion.

My memory is rusty, but I used to switch between different kernels with my OG Droid a year or two ago. I specifically remember flashing via ROM Manager. You may be able to find some further info on XDA Forums


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How do I disable data on my ics xoom LTE?
I have a xoom LTE from Verizon but do not currently have a data plan.
After getting the ics update I went into settings and unchecked mobile data.
I have no reason to believe that I am using Verizon's network, but I am surprised that there is a network strength icon in my notification area that is constantly updated.
Is there a way to turn off signal strength checking for the phone network since I do not even have a contract with Verizon? Will it just always be there now that I have ics on the xoom?

Are you simply bothered by the icon being there, or would you prefer that it stops scanning for signal strength? The latter could be accomplished by leaving it in airplane mode, but then the airplane icon will be in the bar instead. AFAIK you can't hide it, though, unless you perhaps physically remove the icons from your ROM (although then you'd get a blank area, I think).

@eldarerathis I guess I'd like it to stop scanning.  I've disabled mobile data, why should it be scanning?   When I disable wifi it doesn't scan for wifi.  I guess it is just a disconnect between my expectations and the behavior of disabling "mobile data".

It is pretty weird, but I do see the same thing on my Xoom w/o a data plan, so my assumption has always been that it's by design. Definitely a rather counterintuitive design, though...

Disabling mobile data just says "don't transfer anything". I'd think of the icon as kinda "ad", saying "hey, you've got excellent signal strength -- wanna play a bit?" On a phone, signal strength would also apply to the ability of making phone calls, so I guess that's why it's still shown. Some "switcher apps" like e.g. Dazzle Configurable Switcher would allow you to turn the radio off completely (without switching to airplane mode), maybe you want to test that.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Google Play Store on a Samsung Galaxy Ace missing
I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace with Android 2.3.4. The phone came with Samsung App Store not the Google market. I would like to install the Google market or Google Play as there is a better selection of apps. However the play.google.com website has no link to download the store. What can I do?

Are you sure that it's not included? It should be! Do you have Gmail?

Maybe its under old name "Market".

Not under a different name. There are two app stores on the phone, Samsung App Store and Wo Store (Wo is the China Unicom 3G network).

Are you missing other Google framework Apps? Maybe your device has for some reason no Google license and therefore comes without the Google framework (Market, Maps, Talk, etc.).

It has no google apps at all. No maps, gmail, talk or other. There are the networks own branded alternatives.

Ouch... The only alternative I can think of is flashing a custom rom with the GAPPS on top of that http://goo.im/gapps/

That's a problem with Chinese Editions. Please check the following Q&As: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/24768/does-china-mobile-galaxy-s3-model-gt-i-9308-have-google-play-store / http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13081/installing-official-google-marketplace-on-a-chinese-asus-eee-pad-transformer-101

possible duplicate of How can I install the Google Apps Package (Play Store, ...) on my Android device?

The update is OTA - so if you are scheduled to receive it for your device (which I believe you should have) - you should go to Settings >> About >> System Updates - and check for an update.
You may need to update your device to 2.3.5 to receive the update.

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


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Is there a quick-fix for the Galaxy Nexus when it signals "charging" without beeing connected via USB?
My Galaxy Nexus goes into charging mode but when it isn't plugged in. The battery symbol then indicates a charging and when in suspend mode, the display turns on which drains battery rapidly. I am still able to actually charge the phone by attaching an usb cable.
The problem is largely discussed in http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1427539 with different suggested solutions:

send device to Samsung for repair
use a custom ROM
fully drain the battery and charge it over night
replace USB port
clean USB port

I guess it is an hardware problem. But before sending the device to Samsung (and beeing without phone for a while) I would rather like trying to clean the port or other "quick" solutions. Has anybody instructions to do so?

I had a similar problem with my Samsung Nexus S however it was intermittent and eventually went away by itself, other people also had the problem though so it might be worth searching for the issue with the Nexus S and trying some suggested fixes.

If you are familiar with such things, iFixit has a teardown report for the Galaxy Nexus, it's fairly easy to disassemble it to reach the micro USB port after step 7 and inspect it.
I use isopropyl alcohol and q-tips for cleaning normally.
I'd however not suggest you try it if you have no experience with such stuff.

Thanks. I could fix it myself with compressed air without even disassembling.

Having worked professionally in the phone refurbishment industry, I would suggest using IPA (industrial purpose alcohol) for cleaning followed by compressed air.
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BLOW AIR FROM YOUR MOUTH ONTO ANY OPEN DEVICE. This can cause minor water damage from the moisture on your breath or short circuit components.

I was able to fix it just by blowing into the USB port.
Try it yourself before going into rooting and disassemble.

Used a needle to poke around gently at the top of the little tab inside the USB port and compressed air. It fixed it.

easy.  with a very small flathead screwdriver bend the flag towards the screen very slightly in the charging port.  this will fix it.  I literally just did that.


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How to root a Samsung I9070 Galaxy S Advance/S II Lite?
What are the steps to root this phone?
As I understand, Samsung has been using an internal counter that will void your guarantee if you install a custom kernel, I'd like to avoid that.

You have a prety good tutorial right here:

[GT-I9070] [ROOT] Rooting your Galaxy S Advance without increasing the Binary Counter

Solution for at least I9070 / I9070P on Linux:
Flashing only system.img with Odin or Heimdall (use 1.3.1 version) does
not increase the counter.
So download an official stock ROM for your phone, extract it,
convert the system.img (sparse ext4 image) to an normal ext4 image as described here. Loop-mount it, add a su binary to the xbin subfolder with the correct file rights and ownership (06755 root root)  and if necessary add other files which are on your phone in the /system folder but not in the stock rom. Repack everything back to a sparse ext4 image and flash it.
At the end install the Superuser or SuperSu app which belongs to the su binary you added to the system image.


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Internet - How to stop Popup windows appearing in a small overlay
On my HTC Desire phone I use a chess website. One of the links on that website opens a popup window displaying a chess board and other items. On my PC it opens in a new tab of my browser, that is fine.
However, when accessed on my HTC Desire handset instead of opening in a new window accessible from the Menu --> Windows section it opens in a framed overlay on top of the current screen.
I’d prefer it to open in a full-blown Window if possible as I’m losing a little bit of screen real-estate with this overlay. Is there any way to disable this feature?
Rob

Does it do this on any other browser? Chrome, Firefox, Dolphin, etc.?

This could simply be the mobile version of the website. Try selecting the option from the Options menu... "Request desktop site".

@ w3d - I'm pretty sure it's not the mobile version of the site as the appearance is quite different ( I used to use that site on my old phone) . I will double check though.
@Bryan Denny - I haven't tried with any other browsers other than the stock browser. The phone is really tight on storage space so I don't really have room to have an extra browser app installed to clear this annoyance.

What browser do you use on the desktop/PC? Is it possible that your desktop browser is configured to always open new tabs rather than windows (although that should still open a window on the mobile browser)?! Is JavaScript disabled on the desktop??

I use Firefox on my desktop PC's . I do have Tab Mix Plus installed which I think diverts new windows into their own tabs. Is this how it /should/ be appearing on the android browser then, i.e. the default behaviour is to use this overlay?

@Rob I've never seen an Android browser pop a window up in an overlay, it always opens a new tab. It has to be something specific that site is doing for mobile devices. What site is this you are using?

Its a chess site called RedHotPawn.com ( It's chess, honest!) when I press on the Analyse Board link in a game this overlay appears. I'll try to get a screenshot.

Those "Analyze Board" links are coded to open a popup window using JavaScript. Your desktop browser (using an extension) is overriding this default behaviour it would seem, in order to open in a new tab instead.
Those links are not programmed in a particularly accessible way unfortunately - if you don't have JavaScript enabled you get nothing. Under Google Chrome on the desktop for instance I cannot avoid opening a popup window, it simply doesn't work if I choose to open the link in a new tab (I get a blank page).
Having said that, using the default browser on Android 4.0, does open a new tab when those links are clicked - I don't get a floating popup window.
I would have said that the problem is a combination of the website (not being accessible) and of the default browser on your mobile that is unfortunately unable to deal with this situation. Can popup windows be controlled in the browser settings? In some cases you could disable JavaScript on the mobile to get around this, but on this website if you did that you would get nothing!
EDIT: You mention that you don't have much room on your device to install an additional (full blown) browser. Have you considered perhaps Opera Mini (858KB) or Dolphin Mini (1,014KB) - these have a reduced storage footprint.

Thanks for the information. I'm shortly due to be getting a new Android phone ( HTC Sensation XE) which runs ICS so perhaps the default behaviour will be better or failing that I should have more space for an alternative browser.


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Why won't my SGS2 allow me to perform device encryption?
I upgraded my Samsung Galaxy SII with the new 4.0 OS. The option to encrypt my device is enabled, but whenever I try to encrypt it asks me to plug the device in to have at 80% battery charge. I tried that, and waited until it was 100% charged, but it still didn't allow me to encrypt it. I changed the password to a stronger one, restarted the device, and tried again but that didn't seem to help. I was thinking of performing a factory reset, but I'd like to avoid doing that if possible. Does anyone know how I can get the encryption to work?

This is all I can find on it... if it's charged it shouldn't be dim http://support.google.com/ics/nexus/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1663755

When it got to 100% charge did you take it out then try to encrypt it or leave it charging? If you took it out then might be worth trying it plugged in.

Hi it worked using the plugg on it, I´ve tried with usb plug didnpt work, then I swap to the other phone charger and it did work... The only bad thing I see is that once it is encrypted I lost the option of face lock and or other lock options.... but I ll work out. Thanks a lot


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Is Hebrew support built into ICS 4.0?
Need your help before purchase of tablet Asus T300 with ICS 4.0 in USA.
Will I need to put some updates in order to use Hebrew web pages or use hebrew keybord ?

See also: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/989

If you can share a link to a Hebrew website I can check if it works. There're keyboards available in the market for almost all languages - there must be several for Hebrew too.

Hebrew is supported in Android 4.0 (it's there since Android 2.2 Froyo).
You can use it as:
- System language
- Keyboard input language (you can set more than one keyboard to quickly toggle it during use by long pressing 'space' when more than one keyboard setting is active)
Actually, this question has been asked before some time ago:
Is Hebrew support built into Android?


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Will my Kindle Fire still work the same with GO Launcher?
I was thinking of getting GO Launcher on my Kindle Fire, since I want a new look on my Fire. But, I don't want to change it's defaults programs and functionality.
If I get GO Launcher, will I still be able to open my Docs and Books in normal Kindle Fire fashion? Will it change the functionality of my Fire?

The only way I've found is from the ugly old Carousel.  I keep a link to it accessible on my new launcher and go there to open a book or document.  It's not as graceful as, say, a direct link to the book, but it works.

When you open the book, is it still normal Kindle Fire layout?

Yes, it looks exactly as it did/would have without the 3rd-party launcher.  Indeed, at that point, the 3rd-party launcher isn't in use.


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How do I re-use my account information on Kindle app?
I downloaded the Kindle app from the Play Store but I uninstalled it after trying it out because I went tested other ereaders as well. The problem is, when I decided to settle for the Kindle app. I downloaded it and there was no option to log in. Only an option to Register. Thus, when I "Registered" again with the same account information I used before, my device was dubbed "My Name's 2nd Android". I also lost my first @kindle.com email and it has now been appended with some numbers. Is there any way to get around this?

I think "Registering" is essentially akin to logging in, but it attempts to tie your device to your account using some kind of identifier so that Amazon can keep track of how many mobile devices you have accessing your account. You could try going into your Amazon settings (on their website) and removing all of your devices, then re-registering. You can do this from the "Your Account" page by clicking the "Your Apps and Devices" link (it's in the Digital Content section).

Yes, you "Register" the device as an authorized device for your Amazon account

To get back your @kindle email address (assuming someone else hasn't acquired it in the meanwhile), browse to Amazon.com and navigate to Your Account > Manage Your Kindle > Manage Your Devices > Personal Documents Settings (this last link is rather less than obvious, below the panel showing a photo of a KF).  There is a link there to edit/change the KF's email address.  You can do this from any computer; it doesn't have be done on your KF.

Thank you so much! However, what I needed to do was instead, go to Your Account > Manage Your Kindle > Manage Your Devices and Deregister "My Name's Android" which I think I failed to do before uninstalling it before. Then clear the data on the Android app then open it up to setup again. Everything is now back to normal. Your post helped me get to that section of the website. :P


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How to access functions previously assigned to the hardware Search button on HTC Sensation XE
I presently have an HTC Desire handset which has a physical Search button. If I long-press on that search button I get a pop-up screen titled "Complete action using" and then I have three options of programs to run. I have the options of running my AutoRotate Switch program, running the Quick Compose feature of my SMS program or running a Voice Search.
I find this jolly handy mainly for the auto-rotate Switch fast access.
However, I understand that the HTX Sensation XE handset doesn't have a hardware Search button, ( or maybe no dedicated UI search button at all) so is there an alternative method of getting at this list of application short cuts on the new handset?
Alternatively does the version of Android on the Sensation XE ( ICS I believe) have any kind of QuickLaunch feature that applications can be added to?
Rob

The Sensation XE (which is externally identical to my Sensation barring colour) does have a hardware search button, located immediately below the touchscreen, furthest to the right:

I haven't noticed a setting on android 4.0 to allow you to customise the behaviour of the button, however.  The default behaviour is to launch the Voice Search App.

If you're running Android 4.0, you can adjust the softkey buttons at the bottom of the screen to re-add missing buttons such as search: How can I add a search button to my dock on a Galaxy Nexus?
For lower than Android 4.0.... there's the SoftKeys app.
Note: all of the above require root


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How can I get rid of the low disk space notification?
The low disk space notification frequently comes up. I can't get rid of it; the clear button doesn't clear it, and neither does tapping it. It's just taking up space. How can I get rid of it?
I've got 20 MB of free space on my phone, which isn't a lot, but it's sufficient. I already know how much space is available, so a constant reminder serves no purpose, as there's nothing I'm willing to delete to free up space.
This is a Google/HTC Nexus One running Android 4.0. (Quite an old phone to be running ICS, but it was like that when I aquired it secondhand.)
Edits in response to the comments and answers:

I've already moved all possible apps to the SD card, and even a few that weren't supposed to be moved there. Unfortunately, Android insists on keeping some stuff on the phone, even when the apps are moved off. As a Linux user, I can't understand this. By a combination of choosing the $PATH well and manipulating mount points and symlinks appropriately, I can't see why it should make any difference to the system where the app is installed.
I've already cleared the cache. There's not much there, since I've been aggressive in my cache management. I've even cleared out several apps' data.
I haven't yet gotten around to moving my data to the SD card, as I asked about here. I think it'll only amount to a few MB of savings, though.

Can you move apps to the SD Card? That may be your best bet. There are a few other suggestions in my answer to a similar question.

Just as an aside, Android won't let you keep some stuff on the external SD because (1) it's removable and (2) it's FAT32 and so file permissions are an issue.

It is enormously annoying, isn't it?  There's no way to suppress it on an unmodified system that I know of, but you can at least free up more internal disk space by emptying system and app caches using an app like SD Maid or by going into the application management section (Settings->Applications->Manage Applications->All, then click on an app name) and manually clearing out app data for hogs like Google Maps and the like using the Clear cache button (note: don't clear the app data! just the cache).

Thanks for your answer. I've added additional details to my question, but they probably won't change your answer.

Right, I have the solution. Swipe down to get notifications, then hold down on the screen where it says 'insufficient storage'. A little window will appear saying 'app info'. Press that and it will take you to settings of your android system. There is a ticked box saying 'show notifications'
Untick that box and the problem is solved.
( the box can be ticked again afterwards, so you can receive other notifications, but the problem should not reoccur).
(as of 2020, you can no longer uncheck that box)

Run these commands from adb shell or a root terminal (the second may not work on later versions of Android):
settings put secure sys_storage_threshold_percentage 5
settings put gservices sys_storage_threshold_percentage 5

The default threshold is 10%, so you can decrease it to 5% or possibly even lower.

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


text:
Size a Wallpaper for Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0

Possible Duplicate:
What is the default resolution of a wallpaper that fits the homescreen exactly in an Android phone?

I want to be able to design my own Wallpaper for my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0. I have read on various websites what the resolution is via pixels, when I try to design for these resolutions i have to "crop" my picture and once I "crop" it, it looks blurry as if it set the quality lower as well.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0":
http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxytab2/7.0/index.html?type=find
Resolutions:

1024px x 600px
640px x 480px

So, I guess my main question is. What is the correct resolution for this device? Why is it cropping all my images, even if they are set at 640px x 480px?

This is not an exact duplicate, as Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) does not behave as described in either @KenB's answer or the article referenced ..

The screen size is 600 x 1024 pixels in portrait mode.  That's not the same as the wallpaper size, since the wallpaper is bigger than a single screen (try scrolling your homescreens left and right to see this).
Usually you need to double the width, and from what I can see online this seems to be the case for the Tab as well.  So use 1200 x 1024.

Great, I found the duplicate after I answered ... :P

Thank you for answering. Apologies by it being a duplicate.


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ODIN vs. Nandroid backups?
I've been told that ODIN backups are preferred to Nandroid ones, but I've only ever used the latter. What are the features that differ between them, and how is one better than another?
Also, if it is true that ODIN is better, and I want to use it, can I without a Samsung device? It seems to me that I won't be able to use it if I have an HTC, which is a bummer if it's really that good! In that case, is there another utility that is available for sans-Samsung Android users?

I've never seen a reliable way to make an Odin-flashable backup, myself.  Other manufacturers do have similar flashing tools, but they also generally lock their bootloaders, making it hard to flash arbitrary stuff.

IIRC, one difference is that ODIN can change the filesystem to a different "format". for example, there are ROM for the Galaxy S devices that would change the filesystem from RFS to ext4. if you did a nandroid of the device, before you flashed the ROM, then decided to go back to the "Stock ROM", your filesystem would still be ext4. This could cause issues if it is not a filesystem that the Stock ROM can deal with, or expect.
As for, "Is it better", it does make it easy for Samsung owners to go back to complete stock, but Nandroid is still a full backup of your device at that time and could, essentially, work just as well.

and I assume from your last statement that ODIN is strictly a Samsung tool?

@jlehenbauer Yes, it's one of Samsung's internal tools in fact.

Ah, that makes sense then. Thank you @MatthewRead !


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Apple connectivity with Android devices
I am considering a new phone and right now my choice is between iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy S3. I'm not overly concerned about apps since most of the stuff I use is available for both environments. I like the Samsung for its larger screen (4.8" vs. 3.5") because I use the phone to read email and web sites quite often, but I use a Mac at home and so I'm a little worried about connectivity / compatibility.
What I'm looking for is a worry-free, as automated as possible, solution to the following questions. I'm not afraid of spending some time setting stuff up, but after that it has to work reliably and automatically. I don't want to spend half an hour daily to manually connect USB cables, copy or convert files and sort out duplicates.
If there are third party apps that do all or most of this (e.g. SyncMate, MissingSync, etc) that you have personal experience with, please share it. I know these apps exist, but I don't know how they perform in practice, and they don't say whether the Galaxy S3 is supported (yet).

Calendar sync: AFAIK, works if you sync iCal to Google and Android to Google. Right?
a) How about multiple calendars?
b) How about recurring events?
c) How about reminders, notes attachments to events?
d) How about multiple participants and their acceptance / refusal replies?
EMail sync: I do not use GMail and don't plan to, mainly because I run my own mail server which can do IMAP. Is it possible to use your own IMAP service under Android, without losing any other functionality?
Contacts sync: The most important feature (this is what brought me to get an iPhone originally). Has to be 100% reliable, I have >500 contacts in OSX's Address Book, all with multiple phone numbers, addresses, photos, and notes. Is it correct that you can only sync your Android address book with Google if you use GMail for your email?
Data backup: ITunes takes care of backing up your whole iPhone setup when syncing so you can restore everything to a new device when necessary with a single mouse click. Also, there are apps that can restore and extract infos (like SMS, addresses, etc) from the backups on your Mac. How does the Galaxy, or Android in general, handle backup of data, apps, settings and the like?
Tethering: When I'm on the road I want to go online with my Macbook using the phone. With my iPhone 3G, this works beautifully. How does Android handle tethering and is it usable with OS X?
Notes and todo sync: Is there anything that can sync with the default Mac Note and Todo list or suitable third party apps?

Any other things I might miss when switching from iPhone to Android that I might have missed?

First, I am an pure Android user. I have never owned an MAC, so I can't comment on everything.

Since both use iCal, some kind of sync should be possible. But I wouldn't recommend that.
IMAP is no problem and you lose nothing. IMAP is supported by Android's mail client and K-9.
You don't need GMail for contact sync. I would recommend using Google contacts.
Android's philosophy is much about cloud backup and restore, therefore it's a feature of Android. But since Google can't fore the Apps to use that or even force the manufactures to enable the BackupAgent it's not 100% available for non-Google Apps/Devices. But if you have root and TitaniumBackup, the device can easily be saved and restored completely.
No problem at all here. It should work with any modern Android device.
Can't comment on that

I think that if you buy an Android device you should also use the Google services (besides GMail in you case, but that's no problem. I also don't use GMail, but everything else). So for 1. 3. and 6 that is Google Calendar, Google Contacts, Google Docs (now Google Drive, good for notes) and Google ToDo. If you ok with having your data within the Google cloud. But the synchronization is just awesome. You can use every Google service with the Google WebApps (or Chrome Apps) from you MAC
Other solutions are most likely some 3rd party tools that try to build a bridge from the Google world to Apple. Which may or may not work, may needs to be purchased, etc. There are just to many pitfalls that impair the experience.

Thank you for your answer! I'm not afraid of using Google's services to sync my devices, I just don't (really) want to resort to web based apps for everything since I'm still offline too often to do that. Regarding 4: Does the "cloud backup" work like iCloud, in that you can basically restore everything to a new device from the cloud when necessary? Regarding 5: Is tethering a standardized feature? I had the impression that between iPhone and Mac, it is somewhat of a private protocol, but that might just be me.


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Android versions without DRM?
Since smartphones have become "the thing", it has somehow been decided that locking your phone to a particular primary e-mail address and having DRM is "okay".  Android, despite being open-source, is somehow not the exception.
Since Android IS open-source however, it would seem that a developer would be able to customize it to remove the primary-email restriction on the phone and to unlock all purchased applications to be available to whomever is using the phone at the time, only requiring a sign-in to purchase new applications or when using certain applications.
I don't currently use Android, and bought a Windows 7 Phone only to find that it does the exact same thing as Android (and most other phone operating systems)  Are there any Android projects that are attempting to move Android towards a DRM-less environment?

Paid Apps are tied to an Google account. But this is because of the Google Framework and not because of Android. No one needs to "remove DRM from Android" because there is no DRM within Android. Only support for it. If you install free (as in beer) Apps, everyone can use them.
There is only one imitative that goes one step further then being DRM-less: Android FOSS Apps @ http://f-droid.org/

Strictly speaking, you don't have to use Google's services if you don't want to.
Newer Android OS versions (2.3 and above, if I'm not mistaken) allow you to bypass the initial sign-in with a Gmail/Google account.  You lose the synchronization with Google's services, but otherwise the phone will be functional.  You can then use other services (e.g. Amazon, GetJar, SlideMe, etc.) or simply side-load apps directly to your device if you can get them from other sources.

There is an alternative to the AOSP/CM which frees you of any closed source versions of Android along with @Chahk's answer called Replicant.
And it incorporates F-Droid into it as in, free open source software without DRM.
It would be quite easy to port to a device that has a known working CyanogenMod device tree for the said device in question.

Android has a built-in DRM framework from multiple companies aligned under the Open Mobile Alliance.
Your phone is bloated with:

Widevine DRM framework
Microsoft Dx DRM framework
Open Mobile Alliance DRM framework

Hummm... FYI you can compile AOSP minus the DRM bits (which I have done successfully)


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Where can I get the stock Android Kernel  configuration for Galaxy S3 running ICS?
Question: We are trying to find the kernel configuration on a currently running Samsung Galaxy S2, with Android 4.0.3 (Ice-Cream Sandwich). We do not wish to root the phone. We checked /proc/config.gz as well as looking for config-* under /boot (which did not exist). We have downloaded the Samsung kernel git repository and are browsing arm configs. What is the kernel config that matches our phone. If it is not one of these which one will work with out phone? What is the specific configuration for the kernel?
Specifications:
Build Number: IML74K.UGLD3
Kernel version: 3.0.15-I9100MUGLD3-CL377577se.infra@SEP-74#3
ls samsung/arch/arm/configs(running on the computer we downloaded the repository on)
acs5k_defconfig
acs5k_tiny_defconfig
afeb9260_defconfig
ag5evm_defconfig
am200epdkit_defconfig
ap4evb_defconfig
assabet_defconfig
at91cap9adk_defconfig
at91rm9200_defconfig
at91sam9260ek_defconfig
at91sam9261_defconfig
at91sam9263_defconfig
at91sam9g20ek_defconfig
at91sam9rlek_defconfig
at91x40_defconfig
badge4_defconfig
bcmring_defconfig
cam60_defconfig
cerfcube_defconfig
cm_x2xx_defconfig
cm_x300_defconfig
cns3420vb_defconfig
colibri_pxa270_defconfig
colibri_pxa300_defconfig
collie_defconfig
corgi_defconfig
cpu9260_defconfig
cpu9g20_defconfig
da8xx_omapl_defconfig
davinci_all_defconfig
dove_defconfig
ebsa110_defconfig
edb7211_defconfig
em_x270_defconfig
ep93xx_defconfig
eseries_pxa_defconfig
exynos4_defconfig
ezx_defconfig
footbridge_defconfig
fortunet_defconfig
g3evm_defconfig
g4evm_defconfig
h3600_defconfig
h5000_defconfig
h7201_defconfig
h7202_defconfig
hackkit_defconfig
herring_defconfig
imote2_defconfig
integrator_defconfig
iop13xx_defconfig
iop32x_defconfig
iop33x_defconfig
ixp2000_defconfig
ixp23xx_defconfig
ixp4xx_defconfig
jornada720_defconfig
kirkwood_defconfig
ks8695_defconfig
lart_defconfig
loki_defconfig
lpd270_defconfig
lubbock_defconfig
mackerel_defconfig
magician_defconfig
mainstone_defconfig
mini2440_defconfig
mmp2_defconfig
msm_defconfig
mv78xx0_defconfig
mx1_defconfig
mx21_defconfig
mx27_defconfig
mx3_defconfig
mx51_defconfig
mxs_defconfig
neponset_defconfig
netwinder_defconfig
netx_defconfig
nhk8815_defconfig
nuc910_defconfig
nuc950_defconfig
nuc960_defconfig
omap1_defconfig
omap2plus_defconfig
orion5x_defconfig
palmz72_defconfig
pcm027_defconfig
pcontrol_g20_defconfig
pleb_defconfig
pnx4008_defconfig
pxa168_defconfig
pxa255-idp_defconfig
pxa3xx_defconfig
pxa910_defconfig
qil-a9260_defconfig
raumfeld_defconfig
realview_defconfig
realview-smp_defconfig
rpc_defconfig
s3c2410_defconfig
s3c6400_defconfig
s5p64x0_defconfig
s5pc100_defconfig
s5pv210_defconfig
sam9_l9260_defconfig
shannon_defconfig
shark_defconfig
simpad_defconfig
spear3xx_defconfig
spear6xx_defconfig
spitz_defconfig
stamp9g20_defconfig
tct_hammer_defconfig
tegra_defconfig
trizeps4_defconfig
u300_defconfig
u8500_defconfig
usb-a9260_defconfig
versatile_defconfig
vexpress_defconfig
viper_defconfig
xcep_defconfig
zeus_defconfig

That question sounds like it would get a better answer at http://stackoverflow.com as opposed to here.  This site is geared towards questions about using Android.

I am fine with the question. Some experienced users may want to compile their own kernel. Also I am not sure if it's good fit for SO.

It's also useful information on its own. For example to see if netfilter modules required for droidwall are included and so on

Recently helped someone figure this out for another device, and the same method will probably work here:
grep all of the configs for CONFIG_ANDROID to select only those configs that enable the various android kernel customizations.  Rule out any that have substantially fewer matching lines than others.
Then examine those that match (hopefully only a very few) to see which mention Samsung, or the codename of the device or something like that.

Have you tried http://opensource.samsung.com? There is usually a readme file in the zip that will yield the clue :)
Also, is it CDMA/4G/LTE/GSM version? And the specific model name? those two are important to ascertain before downloading the right source from Samsung's site :)
I downloaded GT-I900P_ICS_Opensource.zip from there and the config file was u1_nfc_defconfig in arch/arm/configs. However I realized I downloaded the wrong version as the clue is in the existing Kernel version - 3.0.15-I9100M.... which is the GT-I9100M is what you're looking for :)


text:
Can widgets with settings be moved from one launcher to another?
I want to switch from ADW.Launcher to GO Launcher Ex but want to maintain my desktop layouts and widgets. Is there any way to move or copy widgets from one launcher to the other so that they have the same configuration?
I've found that my Circle Launcher widgets could be copied easily as they have their own configuration backup and restore mechanism, so I could back a widget's config up in ADW.Launcher then simply add a new widget in GO Launcher Ex and restore the configuration and the widget was just as it was in the other launcher. Unfortunately other widgets don't provide a nice mechanism like this.

As you mention GO Launcher EX as your target launcher, you are lucky: There's a complete description on how to migrate your screens, which you can find at AddictiveTips.
Basically, this involves an app called Desk Migrate, which claims to copy home screens from one launcher to another launcher. According to the linked article, it seems do do a nice job. Just one thing to keep in mind:

Desk Migrate has been developed to work only with GO Launcher EX and supports copying from only a handful of launchers.

OK, another lucky point for you: Looks like ADW.Launcher was one of the 7 launchers the addictives successfully tested to migrate from -- lucky you!

Thanks for this, it looks promising. I am however not using GO Launcher EX anymore. It didn't provide much that I needed over ADW.Launcher and was thus removed in my quest for memory to keep my tired old Desire going until I am able to upgrade in December.

Understandable. To save memory, you'd better take a look at Zeam Launcher -- small, but nice. But no "conversion helper" for this, I'm afraid...


text:
When Abroad, How To Stop Annoying "Cellular Network Not Found" Popup Prompt?
"Cellular Network Not Found" is that annoying message I get when out of range of my carrier, but what will I do if I am abroad and don't plan on using roaming? I don't want this message popping into my face every 10 seconds. How will I use phone's camera if this annoying message will keep on persisting? Switch "Airplane Mode" you say? Well what if I decide to access internet through Wi-Fi? Still I will probably see this popup.
Is there a way to disable annoying message without enabling "Airplane Mode" still being able to take camera shots and surf the internet?

HTC Desire S
Android 2.3.5

On most phones you can still enable Wi-Fi while in airplane mode. In fact, many airlines now have Wi-Fi in flight. Airplane mode might be a more viable option than you think ;)

@jlehenbauer that should be an answer...

On most phones you can still enable Wi-Fi while in airplane mode. In fact, many airlines now have Wi-Fi in flight. Airplane mode might be a more viable option than you think ;)

At least with Cyanogenmod it's: Enable airplane mode, then switch back on wifi (or bluetooth)

I believe it was on my Stock Sense as well.

Turn on airplane mode then turn on wifi is standard on the devices I've seen.

You can turn off just the cell radio by using the Phone Info feature: dial *#*#4636#*#* and press Turn off radio.


text:
How to do backups and updates properly with full device encryption?
I think about the following use cases:

'Perfectly' reverse encryption without losing settings
Update ROMs. Even if /system, /data, /sdcard (internal) are encrypted
Low level Backups with CWM. When SDCARD partition is also encrypted.
Emergency access to my data (screen broken, soft bricked...)
How to mount crypted dumps on linux (knowing the passphrase)

Is there some salt value going into the key together with the passphrase stored on the device?
I currently use a tmpfs mount to /sdcard and 'adb push update.zip' on my Nexus S to update the ROM. I've been told that the Galaxy Nexus also has an encrypted /system which would prevent all that (see Nexus S solution here: Broken screen while debug mode was disabled. How can I re-enable adb? )

For the record: I will investigate and answer myself as soon as i find the time

CM9 nightly here: updates work fine when encrypted. Backups need to backup /data which is encrypted so they don't work. The way I have been doing it is to use Mybackup Root to create a backup of my apps and settings and restoring that after I move from one major revision to another (such as I will be doing soon from ICS to JB).

I use a tmpfs mount on /sdcard and 'adb push update.zip /sdcard' ATM for updates (the normal /sdcard partition is also encrypted on a Nexus S, so that doesn't work!). I'm mostly interested in accessing data post-mortem (aka. how does the enc work, how could I mount it using standard linux and access my data in emergencies and so on. Just for knowing what I could do if something goes titsup)

I had this issue right now: broken screen but device functional. I managed to decrypt and backup my data with TWRP recovery, with a little help from the TWRP IRC channel: http://android.stackexchange.com/a/125155/130726

I don't know of any implementation for non-android devices for accessing the data, although it should be fairly easy to port / implement. For an explanation how the encryption works I recommend reading the following article:
http://nelenkov.blogspot.de/2014/10/revisiting-android-disk-encryption.html
I really doubt the Galaxy Nexus has an encrypted /system. And starting from Android 5.0 it could be almost impossible to read the data on other devices than the android device itself because parts of the key are stored in otherwise unaccessible DRM areas of the system board / SoC --- not the eMMC flash (on Qualcomm devices and possibly also Intel).

Download the latest cwm philz touch recovery{Install} and then look in philz settings or recovery options for the clone current rom to zip option then do that, or could be complicated to get that kind of backup from a dead or broken device so just clone current rom to zip file or modify your rom on computer to your liking then save to sdcard for safe keeping, hope this helped.

I think encrypted device backups will work on that device only as long as the used passphrase does not change between the backups. If this is not the case, I think adb backups are the best, at least for apps and settings. Google remembers system settings, and backing up apps via MTP or adb or TB,etc. is possible. Keep your personal data in an encrypted archive backup. If all this is a bit too complicated, use TWRP, I'm pretty sure the latest versions support encrypted partitions in Nandroid. The encryption format has to be understood before the image backups can be decrypted on Linux.


text:
Change Sim Card Number Galaxy S3
I have a new Galaxy S3 which I ported my old number to from across networks. I now have my old number, but Settings -> Status still shows the old number!
Is there any way to change this on ICS or the Galaxy S3? I also have access to an old HTC Desire running Cyanogenmod 7 if that helps :D

When did you port the old number? it depends on your carrier in porting the number over, it could take 24 hours up to a week, I would think. BTW What carrier? If its USA orientated, then that would be best answered by someone else as am European :)

BTW to clarify you stated which I ported my old number to from across networks. I now have my old number, but Settings -> Status still shows the old number! Did you mean the new number?

possible duplicate of Sony Xperia Arc S, changing the "my number" in contact list?

If you are referring to the "My Number" field then I answered the question here.

The "My Number" isn't actually stored on the phone, it is stored on
  your sim card. Stock android can't edit this data. CyanogenMod can, so
  can iPhones and BlackBerrys. If you can get your hands on one of these
  then just pop your sim into it and edit the "My Number" field and Bobs
  your uncle.

+1 - I had to use a loaner Blackberry to change mine. Technically, this field on the SIM card is called your MSISDN.


text:
Is there a sound picker app with file browser and audio previews?
In android (at least in Xperia) when you want change a ring-tone (SMS, call, ...) it show you a list of all available audio files in your mobile and SD memories. Choosing a ring from a list of thousands of files is not easy at all. Some apps make it a little easier but not prefect.
Is there any app that:

Let me choose ring-tone via a file browser
Audio clips can be previewed quickly in its file browser.

On Samsung Galaxy S II (and possibly other similar phones) the stock Music Player app can do this. Just open the MP3 in any file manager, choose to play it with the stock Music Player, hit menu and select Use as... and Ringtone.
Another option is to use doubleTwist Player to show the music by artist/album and long-press the song you want, then select Use as ringtone. This way you don't have to select from one long list, but the downside is you can't use your file manager to browse, you're stuck with artist/album grouping.
Also, you could check out Ringtone Maker, you can browse files in menu -> Browse.... This also has the ability to play, chop and edit volume/fade.

Yep can do this in stock ICS as well.

Thanks, I am looking for app similar to "Ringtone picker", with mentioned abilities.

Ringtone Maker is feature-rich. I prefer a simpler app that just can be used for setting sound by browsing. For now I check your answer accepted. Thanks.


text:
Why I have problem downloading iso file in android?
Background: Our company monitor the network data usage and give warning to employee with high internet data usage. What I want to do is download the big file in my android phone because I have a unlimited data usage plan for it.
I wanted to download some linux iso from the internet but I want to do it in my phone. I had downloaded some big files ( 200-300mb, exe files ) back in some weeks and they are successful. I just click the link inside Dolphin Browser HD and it automatically popped up a prompt-to-save.
Today I tried to download some linux iso files ( 600-700mb ) and they were not successful either by clicking the link directly or put the link into a downloader app. But I can download them from my PC without problem ( of course I didn't download it actually ).
Dolphin Browser HD's progress bar stopped at about 1/10 and keeping loading, finally said "Web Page not available".
And the downloader said cannot connect to the server.
Do you have any idea? Here is one of the file I need to download:
http://download.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/releases/17/Live/i686/Fedora-17-i686-Live-Desktop.iso

Phone networks aren't reliable for large file transfer.  Considering torrenting or using a download manager to guard against network errors.

It's entirely possible that your carrier's network has noticed you downloading large files and throttled or shaped your bandwidth - particularly if that file put you over 2GB of data for the month, which it sounds like it would have.

If you're trying to download DVD images, you probably hit the 4GB size limit of the FAT32 file system. This can only be circumvented by using another file system, such as NTFS or ext2/3/4. But, unfortunately, the odds are your phone doesn't support these formats, so you can't download files this large if you can't find them split into smaller parts.
Of course you can try to reformat your SD card as NTFS and see if the phone recognizes it, but don't hold your breath.

The files are just 600-700mb. Are there other possibilities?

Hmm, maybe the apps use the phone's internal memory as a temp location and it runs out of space. I'd suggest trying different apps and browsers, I read somewhere that Opera has a good download manager. Other than that, can't think of anything.

Install Astro File Manager . Go to its Preferences from Options menu and check Enable Browser Download. Ignore warning and tap OK (the warning is fake; it has been patched). Now, you can download any type of files from web using Dolphin Browser HD.

This sounds like it's enabling download of arbitrary content, rather than having anything to do with large files.

@Matthew It also supports resuming, man..

It didn't solve the problem. Astro won't pop up.

@gunbuster Astro works silently..


text:
How do I make "Groups" the default view for my contacts?
I am using the default contacts app that came with my Android 4.04 device.  When I open the Contact app, there are 4 tabs. Phone, Groups, Contacts, and Favorites and by default it opens the Contacts.  Is there a way (a setting) to opening the  "Groups" view as default instead?
If not is there a another compatible Contact management application that can be recommended to give me more control over groups etc.  The primary purpose of this question is to answer about the settings, not to provide me with a long list iof Apps.
Thanks in advance


text:
Is there any study on how which services/sensors consume the battery?
I am looking for some study/comparison on how battery-consuming are specific services/sensors (3G, Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth, accelerometer) in Android devices. I know that the exact answer might differ depending on a phone but the question is general - which sensors are more consuming than others.
Has anyone stumbled across something like that?

On my HTC One X, the screen is by far the biggest drain.

Of course GPS consumes the most.

If you look at this video from the Google I/O conference and the slides you can see that they show how much WiFi, the CPU, screen, GPS, accelerometer etc. use in a device.
Here is the video and the slides.
A quick summary in case the links go down:

This shows the amount of battery used by the components in milliamps (mA). Another unit needed is milliamp hours (mAh) which is what battery capacity is measured in, a typical smartphone might have 1600mAh capacity. Having just the screen on we can see how long the device may last by dividing the capacity (1600 mAh) by the usage (~100 mA) giving us 16 hours of use with just the LCD screen on.
It's an interesting video if you take the time to watch the whole thing. It discusses wake locks, where an app will wake up the device to update itself, and how they affect battery life which is an aspect I don't usually consider about applications.

For the actual sensors (accelerometer etc) they report there nominal power consumption in the api.  There are apps that let you see this, I use Z-DeviceTest for this.  In practice the values for the sensors are normally dwarfed by the cpu which has to be active to do anything with the data and you often have the screen on which is of course even worse normaly.


text:
Web browsers returns blank pages. Apps are fine
My Samsung i9000m running 2.3.3 stock ROM from Virgin Mobile Canada (unlocked) suddenly won't display web pages.  This happens on all websites.  It sends the request, waits for about 5-10 seconds (at about 1/5 of the progress bar), and returns a blank page (clearing the progress bar).  No error is displayed.  It behaves as though the operation has completed.  It leaves a white screen and no scrolling.  (Like an empty HTML page.)
All other apps are fine.  e.g. Google Maps downloads all its data AOK.  I can even tether wirelessly to my laptop and browsing is fine there, too.  So I deduce that the data is getting to the phone.
I installed Dolphin to see if it was specific to the default browser.  Dolphin behaves exactly the same way.
I'm also a beginner Android developer.  Could this be a failure in WebView?  It sounds to me like any data received is ignored.
Short of rewriting the stock ROM is there any way to fix this?  Has anyone else seen this behaviour before?

This may obvious, but have you tried turning it off and on again? I doubt that it's a WebView issue. You could try Firefox or Chrome Beta which AFAIK use their own renderer.

Have you tried clearing the data of the browser app?

I had this issue on the default browser on my Nexus S except it only happened intermittently, the upgrade to ICS fixed it.

Yes, I have "tried turning it off and on again" (in my IT Crowd voice) and cleared all the data.  The only thing I haven't done that's data-related is to wipe the ROM and start again.

@Peanut I can't see why ICS would make a difference.  This is 2.3.3.  Do you think 2.3.3 unstable in this regard?  Besides, I'm looking for ways to fix it without reROMming the whole thing.

I have no idea sorry, merely telling you my experience with a somewhat similar issue. I had the same issue on 2.3.3 before the upgrade but only on the default browser, not on opera mobile although I only used that occasionally, and as I said only it only happened intermittently, since the ICS upgrade I haven't seen it.

After months being annoyed by this, I rerommed the device and it was ok after that. So I can only suppose that something core had become corrupted.

You cannot check now anymore, but a factory reset might have solved it. Stupid as it sounds, but that's why support staff always tells that if they don't know anything else to try. Sometimes something gets messed up where this is the only solution (except re-flashing, which would include all which factory-reset would do). Besides: Thankx for provideing your solution!


text:
Notification bar key-binding?
I have a bluetooth keyboard that I've set up in such a way that I can essentially use every function on my phone using just they keyboard, with home and menu and arrow keys and such. The only major thing I still can't do is look at my notifications! I have to reach up to pull the bar down, and I can't find a key binding to just pull the notification bar down. Does anyone know of one?
In other words, is there a command in the format:
key ###    NOTIFICATION_PULL          WAKE_DROPPED
or does someone know of another way I could accomplish this?

A workaround at least while in the main launcher home screen is to press MENU and then NOTIFICATIONS.
Else get HelloStatusBar and assign it to a shortcut key. You can also try Status bar Expander which uses a long-press on the menu key to drop the bar wherever you are.
Naturally, YMMV as certain devices don't support these apps.

unfortunately, ADW launcher doesn't have that option, and Status bar Expander works with a long press of the search button, which I like to use for Voice Search :/ Trying HelloStatusBar now though!

and now I'm getting Error Processing Purchase on HelloStatusBar :(

Status Bar Expander is a little classier, and the app acts the same as HelloStatusBar in that I can map it to a key-combo shortcut. Two buttons rather than one, but better than none! Thanks @Sparx !!

In Android 6 (aka Android M and Android Marshmallow), Win+N works.

Working all the way to Android 12, you rock big boss


text:
How do i correct my far-too-sensitive proximity sensor?
The sensor that turns the screen off in my pocket or at my cheek is suddenly turning the screen off when my thumb is within two inches of the top of the screen. It is difficult to grab the notification bar without triggering it, and holding my phone sideways is now an exercise in frustration. Is there a way to fix this? Did some update recently come out for the Galaxy Nexus (GSM)?

I'm seeing the same behavior on my Moto X, except it returns a while after rebooting.

The problem ended up being transient; I rarely restart my phone. Somehow it got stuck in 'on call' mode, so the proximity sensor was enabled despite nothing being running. A reboot resolved the silly issue.

Z-Device test may show your sensor output: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=zausan.zdevicetest
Possible reasons:

some aftermarket display protectors may cause that
an earlier Android release only switched the screen off via proximity sensor when held vertically. This would have prevented your described problem. (See http://www.guytechie.com/articles/2012/1/22/galaxy-nexus-slow-proximity-sensor.html). Maybe this behaviour has been reverted.

If you updated just before noticing this problem, you might have to switch back or wait for another update to fix that again. Installing a 3rd party update like Cyanogenmod9 might also fix your problem.

Installed Z-Device, but it has no active test of the sensor. It just indicates that it works and has a Max range of 5cm. I have no aftermarket anything on the phone. And I don't want to void the warranty installing Cyanogen. Any other ideas?

strange. proximity behaviour is not configurable. i tested on my nexus s with zdevice: the proximity always works but only trggers screen off when a call is active. Seems like your device does not check that condition any more. I guess it might be fixed by a wipe. If you have CWM recovery installed you can do a backup, wipe, test and restore in 10min to find out without too much trouble. Using Titanium backup before/after wiping is more work. I don't know a better easy enough solution.


text:
"Find my iPhone" for Android
There are a lot of "Find my phone" type apps out there for Android and I am finding it difficult to find one that has the features I want without being too bloated. My wife and I are primarily looking for a solution to let us know where the other one is when we are out.
The most important thing for us is to be able to view each others location from our phones (Android, though iOS and Android would be great) and via the web. We would also like to find a solution that is as close to real time as possible so we could link up when we are both out.
Though not critical, it would be nice to find a solution that also would be able to lock/ring/wipe the device in the case that it was stolen. This way I could run just one program instead of several. I know it's iOS but "Find my iPhone" is an example of everything I want in this type of app ...

Can track/view devices from other devices and the web
Close to real-time updates
Can lock/ring/wipe device remotely
All in one program

However, I prefer Android to iOS. If there was a solution that worked for both iOS and Android that would be even better. Thanks for any suggestions.
P.S. I am running a VZW Bionic while my wife uses the VZW Galaxy Nexus

I have tried Glympse (www.glympse.com) and though it is a nice program I don't want to have to remember to activate/create a Glympse each time I go out. I would rather just have something in the background all the time.

Google Maps has Latitude built into it which does tracking of location (of people/devices).

If you simply want to find each other, I would use Google Latitude, included in Google Maps, which allows almost live updates (about every five minutes-ish, usually), and gives all the options of Google Maps, including just a few clicks to see a map or use the built in turn by turn Navigation to find each other.
See this similar question for some other options for the latter options, but I personally use Android Lost. This is their website, and they offer a long list of options for lost devices, including, but not limited to:

Read SMS'es
Read the latest SMS'es from your phone and send them to your email.
Remote control alarm
Have you ever misplaced your phone which was put on silent mode? Now you may sound the alarm on your phone from your PC!
View on map
Find the location of your phone on a map. With AndroidLost you can find your phone with GPS precision. Even if the phone is indoor you will get a nearby location by network accuracy.
Send SMS'es from your PC
You can send SMS'es directly from your phone by typing them on AndroidLost. All replies will still go to your phone.
Lock the phone
You can lock and unlock the phone from the web. If you forget your pincode you can simply overwrite it or remove it by entering an empty pincode on the web.
Wipe the phone
Don't want your personal messages in the hands of anyone else? With AndroidLost you may wipe the entire phone so all SMS'es, contact and google setup is removed.
Pop up messages on the phone
Send a message to the friendly guy who have found your phone so you may let him know where to give it back.
Forward your calls
You can send keys to the dialer of your phone. That way you can forward your calls from your mobile to a nearby phone.
No battery use
AndroidLost will not use any battery since it does not poll any server to find out if it is lost. It uses the latest technology from google to send messages to the phone.
No pre installation required
You didn't install AndroidLost on your phone? No problem! You can push the AndroidLost app to your phone from google market and initiate the connection to googles servers by sending an SMS with the message "androidlost register" to your phone.
Read status
Detect how much battery is left, display IMEI, SIM card ID and much more.
SMS commands
You can set up a phonenumber which can control you phone, i.e. start the alarm by sending an SMS to your phone.
Erase SD card
Click a button and your SD card will be erased! Very useful if you have some naughty pictures on your sd card.
SIM card changed
When the SIM card is changed an email will be sent to the owner of the phone.
Hidden SMS
When the phone receives an SMS it plays a sound and displays an icon in the notification bar. But if it starts with androidlost it will not play any sound and not display any notification.
Call list
A list of incomming and outgoing calls will be sent to your email.
Camera
AndroidLost can take pictures with the front facing camera in case the phone is stolen. Only for android 2.3.
Tablets Honeycomb
I think I have fixed it so AndroidLost works on tablets. The call functions will obviously fail if the tablet have no phone installed.
Text to speech
You can make your phone speak out load. Suppose you have lost it on a café then you can make the phone say: 'I am lost - please pick me up!'
Multiple phones on the same account

NOTE: AndroidLost will do all of the things you ask in one application, but Latitude is simpler for your primary usage.

Thanks for the information on Android Lost. Do you know if the web portal for viewing location can be viewed using a mobile device?

I don't know for sure, but I know you can set it up to have it send the location to your email, which you could obviously view from your device. As far as within the website, I don't know at the moment. I'll test this!

you can! viewing the page on your phone and sending the "Send GPS status" option will poll the phone's location and send it to your email AND give you a popup on the webpage that shows you a map.

Well, you can try using avast! Anti Theft, but you must first install avast! Mobile Security because it comes bundled with it. Can be considered as bloat because you don't seem to need the anti-virus features. But avast! Anti Theft is integrated online, which means that you can control your phone using the avast! web site, apart from controlling the phone with another phone via SMS commands (which many others can too).
If you like simplicity, try aeGis because it works through SMS only, while a lot of similar apps are dependent of data/internet connection. I personally recommend this because it contains all the core features that an anti-theft app should have, yet small in size.

Look into Cerebrus and its volume license options.  Does all of these things + scary stuff like remotely recording sound and video.

Any idea how much power and CPU Cerebrus takes running in the background?

Also, does the Cerebrus website support mobile clients so you can track your phone from another device?

@webworm I've never noticed any lag with it running, and yes I've had no problem tracking using the android browser :)

If you want to see where each of you are, and send messages in case you need help or to see if you're all OK, then Life360 Family Locator is the free way to go.
For security, like locking phone, taking pictures, an all-in-one, then download Android Lost.
If you want to password protect your apps (e.g. connecting 4 dots), then so far I've been using Smart App Protector.


text:
Device rooting fails, but doesn't brick?
I've was trying to root my Vodafone 858 Smart (Froyo) using super one click but it stopped in the middle of the operation and the program was non-responsive so I closed and it was closed while installing super user and it couldn't install it due to low phone memory.
So I tried rooting it again after clearing some phone memory it roots but I don't have super user or busy box but I can access super user capabilities from adb so how can I root my phone properly?

You should be able to install super user from the market https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noshufou.android.su&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDMsImNvbS5ub3NodWZvdS5hbmRyb2lkLnN1Il0. Busy box... I know  you can download it via TitaniumBackup, I can't remember where else.

@Bryan  thank you it worked with the super user but i just wanna know what does busy box do?

I don't know exactly what all it contains, but it has tools, etc. for developers to use that are beneficial to them in their root apps

You can install Busybox from the market too: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stericson.busybox&hl=en
And to your other question

i just wanna know what does busy box do?

taken from market description:
BusyBox is a software application that provides many standard Unix tools, much like the larger (but more capable) GNU Core Utilities. BusyBox is designed to be a small executable for use with the Linux kernel, which makes it ideal for use with embedded devices. It has been self-dubbed "The Swiss Army Knife of Embedded Linux".
The official BusyBox website about page has some more info about what it is too.


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What does the app "Eduroam fixer" do?
I can connect to my university's eduroam network but very often I lose the connection and cannot reconnect until I reboot the phone. Now I found an app called "eduroam fixer" in the market. What is this app supposed to do exactly, what does it differently to the built-in WPA enterprise support? I cannot properly test the app right now as I'm not anywhere near my campus.

I use the eduroam network in Erlangen without any problems or extra Apps. You should ask the developer about the App.

so someone can actually connect to eduroam? I have never been able to do it

I should add that I'm running ICS and the people I have asked who have Gingerbread cannot connect at all either.

Judging by the reviews on various sites, this app is unlikely to solve your need to reboot after the connection gets screwed up; users report the same thing occurring with the app.
This thread is particularly relevant.  It seems that "Eduroam Fixer" is just a configurator.  In particular it allows you connect to Eduroam by changing config files for you; this is useful on some ROMs which (for whatever reason) don't allow you to properly set the certificate through the interface.  I'm not 100% clear on the details, but the people in that thread consider it a security risk.


text:
How can I make an Google Talk voice call without hands-free mode?
When you call someone who is online via Google Talk, it use the back speaker in loud mode. Is there a way to use GTalk for calling like a regular phone call?

This may no longer be relevant since Voice is being replaced by Hangout, and you can only make video calls with Hangout. You could look into using a Google Voice number with a VoIP client, like Groove IP, to make calls. This is a great tutorial if you need some help getting started.


text:
How can I set custom notifications?
I have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus running ICS, and I want to be able to set individual sounds for various notifications (Gmail, Facebook, texts, etc).
How can I go about making that happen? I looked in the sound settings, and that only allows me to change the default notification sound and my ringtone.

Typically the apps themselves will need to provide a setting wherein you can pick a notification sound to use. I am not aware of any global settings that will allow you to set per-app notification sounds.
As an example, in Gmail you can go into the settings (use the overflow menu - the 3 vertical dots - and select "Settings") and select an account from the list. Then within the account's settings tap on the notification setting right under the "Email notifications" checkbox. This will allow you to pick a different ringtone for emails on that account.
You can then repeat this process for any other apps you have installed.


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can't update, can't do a factory reset
I have a Nexus S running Android 2.3.4. For a while now it's been trying to prompt me to install newer versions.  Every time I try, it restarts, displays the cute robot error screen and doesn't come back on until I take out the battery and restart it. Pressing power+volume+/- doesn't help.
I also tried to do a factory reset. Same result.
Before I got this phone (it was a gift), the shop did something to it "to enable Hebrew." Not sure what exactly but I suspect they dinkied around with system files and that's what is causing this.
Anyone have suggestions for what to try next?

did they root it or is the software modified in any way after "enabling Hebrew"?

no idea. How do I found out?

My instinct: take it to a more reputable shop :-|

not even sure where the original shop is:)
Surely there must be some way to restore the phone to its original state though?

I've closed your previous question as a duplicate of this one, since this contains some additional information (such as the Hebrew patch/modification). In the future, please try not to re-post questions. It is preferable to simply edit the original with additional info, which will bump it to the top of the active list, thereby getting it more attention.

This a solution to bring your device to a stable, stock, factory default state.
NOTE: this will wipe your device (not the SD card) and return it to stock, unrooted factory defaults.

Download one of these two files:

This file if you want to restore to Gingerbread
and this zip file if you want to restore to the OTA 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) latest update.

Extract the file you downloaded to your computer, in a location you remember.
On your phone, enable debugging

this is usually found by going to the home screen, then pressing Menu and choosing Settings->Applications->Development and check the USB debugging option

Plug your phone into your computer
Locate the run.bat file in the location where you extracted the .zip file
Run this file and wait for the process to finish.
You're done! Reboot and enjoy!

is it .. safe?
Kind of hesitant about something so framed in ads.

The ads are a product of cheap file hosting. This method and these files have been used and recommended by others on reputable Android forums and websites, and the file has been reported genuine by those users, by statement of use. Though the site will try to coerce you with flashy ads, rest assured the file you seek is pure.

If you don't mind ending with CM9 follow these steps:
http://oldwiki.cyanogenmod.org/wiki/Nexus_S:_Full_Update_Guide

Google has the official system images available for download here. You'll need to be familiar with the fastboot tool or learn how to use it :)

This is really old, but I just needed and found working instructions for the factory reset of a Nexus S. They are at https://developers.google.com/android/ota, the relevant steps are:

... use the key combination for your device (Press and hold Volume Up, then press and hold Power), and then select the Recovery option from the bootloader menu. The device is now in recovery mode and an Android logo with red exclamation mark should appear on screen.
To access the recovery menu, hold the Power button and press Volume Up once. The recovery text menu will appear.

From the recovery menu, you can do a factory reset that will wipe all your data.


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Why does the Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7.0 have a built in phone app?
Why does the Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7.0 have a built in phone app?  It does not have a phone.

I think 3G one can make phone call.

There are 2 versions of Galaxy Tab2 7 - WIFI only and WIFI+3G.
3G version just has a slot to insert your SIM card (near SD slot) and turns your tablet into really big smartphone :)
I've also read, that 3G version is available only in Europe.


text:
How can one access hidden apps on the Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7.0?
There are many apps loaded on the Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7.0 that do not appear on the applications icons page.  Phase Beam 1.0 is an example.  It is not a "Samsung App".  How do we find and load these hidden apps?

These apps are not hidden. They were not meant to be launched.
The example you mention - Phase Beam - is a live wallpaper. To use it long-press on your homescreen and select live wallpaper.
There're many others that can't be accessed by the end user. They're meant to be used by another. Usually to provide a feature in a plugin form.

The Minimalistic Text widget app allows you to launch any Activity (Android speak for program UI module) when you press it. Within the settings for the widget you can get to a list of all Activities in the system.

Where would I find the Minimalistic Text widget app?

On the Play store.


text:
An FB Contact name not displaying while calling, Only number shows up
I have a couple of contacts in my Samsung Galaxy S i9003 which runs Android 2.3.6, which are retrieved from my FB contact list. That means, those names and contact numbers are not saved in my SIM/Phone, they are only in FB. Since I have synchronized FB account, I can see those contacts from my contact-list. Whenever I call them or they call me, their names are not showing up and only numbers as if they are not in my contact list (And I don't have a clue on who is calling). But if I check my call logs later, I can see their number along with their name.
I want to see their names while they are calling. How do I do it in my case? Thanks a lot for your help.


text:
How can I get my compass pointing the right direction?
On my Samsung Galaxy S2 running ICS 4.0.4, my compass is off by 90 degrees. It shows west in the north position.
I had a similar compass problem before, and had solved it by applying this patch. Unfortunately, I've since discovered that this patch breaks my WiFi.
I have tried calibrating the compass by moving the phone in a figure 8 pattern, as well as rotating on all axis. The compass is still pointing the wrong way, though.
Is there a safe solution for fixing my compass?

I've read that you can calibrate your compass by rotating your phone a few times around each of its three axes.  (This advice comes from the fine app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2, by the way).  I can't guarantee that it helps, but when I've tried, it seemed like it might have maybe sorta kinda helped :)

I know that for tablets the compass is actually oriented differently from phones, perhaps the app you are using is detecting your phone improperly.  Have you tried a different compass application?

North is north, yes, but the software has to know how the detector is orientated compared to how it is going to be displaying the information.  The detector is a dumb "this is how I am orientated" type device and if it is rotated differently as it is in tablets then the program makes the wrong assumption about how the sensor is physically orientated and shows the wrong information. "Device north" is in landscape mode for tablets while phone "device north" is in portrait.  This generally results in the kind of problem you are seeing but the other way around (correct on phone, wrong on tablet).

Have you tried 1) Different apps 2) Different locations?

I've discovered over time and with much frustration and experimentation, that getting all features to work is always a matter of first finding the latest ROM and kernel that are the most problem free, then seeing if any patches exist to handle any remaining issues.
In this case, I found that I after upgrading to the latest kernel and ROM, then applying the tweak in this answer, and then also applying the compass patch I had used before, I finally got all my features working. Note it was important to go in that order.
At the moment, my GPS, WiFi, USB, and compass are all working, so hopefully I can be done with playing feature-whack-a-mole for now.

Thanks for the hint, only did that once so far (I don't ask much here)

This "fix" will soft-brick your phone. The SC-02C compass fix doesn't work on the GT-I9100G.

@DenisGuy: Well, it worked for me, so you can't say that it will automatically soft-brick a phone. You can, however, say that's what it did to your phone. As always, one should be cautious with free advice gained from forums on the internet.

Rotating around each axis clockwise then counterclockwise got the compass working on my Samsung Galaxy Victory. This particular phone's compass works correctly with the phone flat or upright.


text:
Where are my Apps gone? Not shown under all apps, in my phone
I have a nuumber of Android apps installed.
When I use them from desktop shortcuts of phone, they work normally but in "All apps" (having up arrow symbol) section, it only shows 4 apps: Latitude, Local, Maps and Navigation. While all other apps are not there but still installed.
So I am wondering that why and how that happened? I saw some other similar titled questions but they are different. I didn't hide any thing intentionally but not sure if I set some thing.
Please note that I am not a layman, I am a developer so when I am doing some thing then I understand what I am doing, so I think it is some thing that did automatically, may be after and because of updates of apps.  I also have app2sd card so not sure if it's related.
So please some one tell if you know that how can I have my apps again under that apps section and can use it normally. My Android version is, Froyo and I'm using an HTC Wildfire.

This calls for investigation via adb. Maybe one of your apps causes the listing to fail: Run adb logcat and try again. You can also use the commandline package manager: pm list packages and if you suspect one uninstall it pm uninstall <pkg-name>

are you using a stock launcher? or something like ADW or Go launcher?

@jlehenbauer I think these were not installed.

@ce4 also please note that in my settings, I go to manage applications, and then they are under "running applications", in running applications, there are all those applications present.

You mean they are missing in the Play Store app? I have a similar problem: no apps under INSTALLED and few under ALL, most are missing.

@DavidBalažic this is 4 years old question so I don't remember clearly but I think it was missing from play store but it was missing from my phone but was marked as installed on play store that's why I wasn't able to install them.

I solved the problem myself. I had a game installed on SD card named, Hambo, I shifted it to phone and all apps, came back to their place, what else change I did earlier was to remove updates of Android market app. So google play was removed and then I did the only change of moving one app. from SD card to phone and my problem was solved. I don't know actual reason of problem but based on what I read some where I think it was may be waiting for some update or change in some installation after the uninstallation of play update. So when I shifted an app to phone, all old things restored at their place.

I solved my problem by clearing data & cache for the "Google Play services" and " Google Play Store" apps. (I had apps not showing up under MyApps in the PlayStore app, I have a Nexus 5X with Android 6.0.1)


text:
Vibrate-before-ring
Is there a way to have an android phone vibrate first before it starts ringing?
Note that I'm looking for a clean solution, i.e. I don't want to modify the ringtone to include a few seconds of silence at the beginning.

I've heard good things about Tasker. I wonder if it can help?


text:
HTC Desire sticky power button
I have an HTC Desire that is 2 and a bit years old and in the hands of my wife and baby, now has a power button that barely works. Luckily the ROM I'm using allows the device to wake with the select button, but when the battery dies it is a real pain to power up.
Does anyone have any tips to fix it?

can you add what happened to it? Spilled soft drink? Take it apart &clean it.  Dropped the phone onto the pwr button?

@ce4 - no idea, could be baby dribble, dropped, thrown... anything.  Phone was mint conidtion after 2 years, then I gave it to my wife and now it looks like a bomb's gone off beside it...

ok. its maybe best to have so. look at it at a local store that also repairs phones and see if it can be fixed for a reasonable price.


text:
What does "awake" mean?
I obsessively check the battery info on my ICS phone, and I've noticed that I get the best battery life when the phone hasn't been "awake" much.  But I realized I don't really know what "awake" means.  I have not found a definition for it, and frankly am too lazy to download and grovel the SDK docs.
So ... what precisely does "awake" mean?

This is a power consumption thing. Most time when you're not using a smartphone it's in suspended state. I.e, as many as possible components are off and don't consume power. Awake means the CPU is in the running state. This usually means you're using it and the screen is also on.
Android devices also regularly wake up to check email, push notifications and so on even when thescreen is off. Also playing music or using navigation both with screen off forces the cpu to be awake.
Hence your finding: More awake -> more battery drain


text:
After ICS, Touch screen is not working when mobile is overheated
I have Sony Xperia Mini pro, i recently updated it to ICS. But now when the phone is overheated (especially during recharging). The touch screen becomes unresponsive, even if i restart my phone, it stills that way.
It goes back to normal by itself after some period of time.
What should I do to fix the problem?

Here's some more info. In short: the touch sensors are too sensitive and trigger by themselves when the phone is hot. I found that updating to newer Sony firmware does a recalibration, best have your phone a little overheated when you upgrade and the recalibration is OK afterwards.

Your touch screen needs to replace now. Please contact nearest Sony Service Centre.

CPU can also be an issue...

@SachinShekhar That is a known issue with some Xperia Mini's - and is acknowledged. The answer given by chancal1987 is the correct answer.


text:
How do I automatically save Downloads to a Dropbox folder?
The thing with the Dropbox internal folders is that Dropbox doesn't store its starred files as exact duplicates of the original file. So a starred PDF file on Dropbox isn't stored as a PDF file (although I haven't tried renaming it to see if it still works as a PDF).
I'd like to auto-save my PDF downloads to Dropbox so that when I annotate them, I'll be able to access them frictionlessly on my computer as well.

The dropbox folder does not sync so what's the point?

Actually it does sync. I know since I annotate the Dropbox PDFs I read on my tablet and I can see my annotations on my computer.

Is this behavior documented somewhere? It doesn't work for me if I put a random file into the folder.

@RichardBorcsik I get the same behavior if I open PDFs from the Android Dropbox App and annotate them. I think it's because the PDF was opened with Dropbox. If you just place a file within the Dropbox folder it won't get synced.

Yeah I use ezPDF


text:
Does moving an app to external (SD) storage also make it write application data and cache to external storage?
I have very little internal storage installed on my Nexus One. Almost every app I am installing fires a system low on internal storage notification. I moved all applications to external storage but it seems like the application is still using internal storage for application data and cache. Is it possible (on a non-rooted or rooted phone) to make an application run completely from external storage?

It does not make the app use external storage. The built-in move to sd functionality only moves the application package file itself to the external storage.
If you want the app to not use the internal storage you'll need to root (and possibly install a custom rom.)
Depending on your rom you'll have several options to do what you want but virtually all of them require you to partition your sdcard in a special way (usually the custom recovery can handle this.)

Thanks for replying. Can you provide a reference to a tutorial or a walkthrough for the method you suggested involving a custom ROM and partitioning of the sdcard?

Just to give some hints: take a look at Root # All Data2SD card. and S2E (simple2ext)


text:
Swedish language on my Android (Samsung Galaxy Ace)?

Possible Duplicate:
How do I add a new language?

Just bought Samsung Galaxy Ace! I love it but the only thing I haven't been able to figure out yet is if and how can I have a language that isn't in the Input Language list, like Swedish for example?

That's odd, I have Svenska (Swedish) on my Galaxy Nexus. I'm not sure how you can add additional languages... If you are rooted, maybe you could find a ROM (Cyanogenmod?) that supports Swedish?


text:
No external storage available - Storage gone
While I organizing files on my Galaxy Nexus via PC (USB), Gallery app kept saying No external storage available Then I restarted the device, and whole storage was gone..
What could possible cause this? And how can i prevent this happening in the future?
Using stock 4.0.4 (IMM76I)

It looks like the phone can no longer connect to the SD card. Since this survives a reboot, it's most likely a hardware failure.
If your phone is rooted, adb shell su dmesg should contain messages that confirm this.
The “external storage” in a Galaxy Nexus is actually some non-removable flash storage. I don't think you can replace it (but I could be wrong).
It is possible that the filesystem is merely corrupted, in which case reformatting would work. You need to have a rooted device for that, and to install some additional tools from a Linux distribution.


text:
How can I fully factory reset an Optimus 2X P990 with ClockWorkMod?
I think I forgot to wipe my cache and something else when I installed Cyanogenmod 7 - which I could reboot into just fine. However, when I went to go back and switch to my vanilla Optimus 2X backup (using the ClockWorkMod Recovery - backup, not advanced backup), I reboot and I get the LG loading screen with the police-line loading bar, but after a couple of seconds that loading bar stops moving and the whole thing is frozen.
So, I take out the battery and go back into ClockWorkMod Recovery using the Vol Down + Power shortcut (which only works in about a third of the start-up attempts, for some reason). Where can I go from here to restore to a factory-reset version of the Optimus 2X's 2.2 Froyo?
Update 10/06/2012 6:54PM +8 UST:
If, in CWM Recovery, I clean the cache and wipe user data, then install CyanogenMod7 from .zip again, it boots and runs fine.

After restoring your backup of the original firmware, in recovery select
Wipe Data/Factory Reset

This way you have the original firmware (except for the recovery partition) but without any user data.

Well, I never got around that specific method - maybe others will need the data on their original backup - but thanks, anyway!

I ended up being too reluctant to downgrade again! Apparently LG have finally released an Australian update so I just downloaded a stock P990 Froyo ROM, installed it via CWM, wiped data and cache, and everything works fine now! It even fixed a bunch of issues I was having with USB drivers.

I have experienced this problem myself.
When you install cyanogenmod it changes the filesystem type to EXT4.  However, your stock 2X backup almost definitely used the EXT3 filesystem.
If you want to revert to a stock ROM on the 2X after trying cyanogenmod then the following tool can convert your filesystem type back to EXT3:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1021549
Just download the zip and apply it like a normal ROM in NANDROID or Clockworkmod.  Once it's done just restore your backup as normal.

I had the same problem. Turn off your phone and then press both the power button and the volume down button at the same time and it will do a factory reset.


text:
Is there a way to use an Android tablet as a wifi handsfree device?
My situation:

Android (4.0.3) tab hooked up to my car stereo using the headphones connector.
Android (2.3.5) phone (HTC Desire HD), which I use to call, text, browse, etc.

Since my car stereo's Bluetooth device died I thought I could use the Android tab as a audio relay device. Problem is: the tab has no Bluetooth. It has wifi though.
Is there any way to use an Android device as a handsfree adapter over wifi? Some kind of wifi relay between the phone and the tablet, perhaps?

Am I right that you basically want to make phone calls from you tablet that are relayed to you smartphone?

I think he wants to connect to the tablet using Wi-Fi, and control the tablet (music choice, volume, etc) as if it were the bluetooth head-end of a stereo. So the tablet plays the music, but the phone controls the tablet's audio.

no. both wrong. I want to make a phone call with my phone, but in my country it is illegal to hold your phone at ear height. That is why I had a car stereo with bluetooth, so I can hear the person I am talking to over my car speakers.

EDIT: I need to replace that function and I already have a tab in my car directly connected to my stereo. I want my outgoing audio from my phone over wifi to my tab. phone-> wifi -> tab -> cable -> car stereo. If I can dial from my tab that would be an extra.

Does the tab has USB port. How about adding an external custom BT device. BT device talks to android app on tab via any serial library for example scm (http://www.embeddedunveiled.com/scm-wiki).


text:
Turning off cell broadcast messages in Ice Cream Sandwich
The phone is a stock HTC One X.
The settings menu does not include a checkbox to enable/disable CB messages. They just keep popping up.
Update: Halfer already gave the link to the wikipedia article about CB, which should explain it in more detail than I ever can. What it means to me is that I get location information as I move around in town.
The screenshot here shows the checkbox for this feature on what I believe is Gingerbread:

Update 2: And this is the extremely boring message. This particular one just shows the carrier name, so it's even more useless and annoying than if it were showing location information:

Pardon my ignorance, but: what is a "cell broadcast message"?  What do they look like?

@offby1 I haven't heard about them either. Could you share a Screenshot/description?

I think these have been around for years - on non-smart phones also - but depend on the carrier. I think the idea is that the network works out roughly where you are via tower triangulation, and sends local info or traffic reports. I always turned them on out of curiosity, but (in the UK) never received anything :(. Aha, here's a reference.

After some investigation and asking around, I have been told that these settings might be under Settings -> Call -> Other Call Settings, and indeed they were.
However, the owner of both a stock Samsung Galaxy S3 and an ICS updated Galaxy S2 told me that those two had the CB settings under Messages -> Settings.
I have not been able to find out which one of these two the default location is. It is possible that HTC has moved them.
What I have found out is that other manufacturers (Sony is one example I've come accross) are also placing CB settings under general settings rather than messaging settings, so there might not be a one-size-fits-all answer for this question.

On S3, open up SMS/Text Messaging.
Press the Menu key - bottom left of phone.
Press 'Settings'.
Scroll towards the bottom of the screen.
'Cell Broadcast Activation' will be about 4 items from the bottom of the menu list.
Uncheck/Remove tick.
Bingo - no more Cell Broadcasts!

On HTC ONE X you should go to
phone → [options button] → settings → cell broadcast
or
settings → call → cell broadcast

Settings -> Phone-call -> Other call settings -> Close CB messages

Just go to a messages, go to menu, scroll down and uncheck CB.