text:
Can I safely downgrade an encrypted Asus Transformer TF101 from 8.6.5.21 to 8.6.5.19?
I want to root my encrypted Asus Transformer TF101 (Firmware 8.6.5.21; Serial B80...) and install a custom ROM. I read that the only way to do this is by downgrading to stock 8.6.5.19 and then using Razorclaw.
I know that using tablet encryption with Custom ROMs is a big no-no, so I will have to wipe my data (factory reset). However I do wish to keep some application Data (such as save games) to which I only have access via root.
So my question is, can I:

Safely(!) downgrade to 8.6.5.19 on my encrypted tablet
root
backup
unencrypt the tablet (factory reset)
install custom ROM

or do I have to:

factory reset (losing all my precious data)
downgrade to 8.6.5.19
root
install custom ROM

Update:
I found out that Asus already includes an app which allows to save application data without root (aptly named "App Backup"). So I will go with the second option. I'll leave the question open though as I still don't know if I could have downgraded without doing a factory reset.

I know some tablets can be upgraded while encrypted, so it would make sense if downgrading was possible also.  Is there an "official" method to downgrade, though?

not really, the downgrade itself is a hack of sorts, it gives the old firmware with a higher version number (see first link). The process should be similar to a regular upgrade so I am hoping it works, Id just rather someone who knows confrims it ;-)

Interesting.  Speaking personally, I'd risk it.  You don't have much of an option unless your current firmware is rootable, right?

Well I could go with option 2... I'd rather loose my save games than brick my tablet.

Fair enough.  Hopefully you get an answer.

So any progress on this? Would be nice to know whether one of the solutions worked (flawlessly). You could answer your own question and accept it -- the community will appreciate this :)

sure thing - I dont want to mess up the statistics ;-)

I ended up doing a factory reset on my tablet (after doing a backup of my data with "App Backup"). As far as I know the downgrade would probably have worked, but I decided not to risk it.


text:
Keeps loading on startup
My Samsung Galaxy Gio keeps loading when I turn on my phone. I've installed a custom rom, in the recovery mode, and I think I did something wrong. I don't know what to do, because the only thing I see is the startup screen. How to fix this? This is my only phone, so I have to fix this quickly. Can someone please help me?

Please be specific about what you did.  If you have a custom recovery, try doing a factory reset and flashing a stock ROM.

Sounds like you are in a boot loop. If you are sure that you installed a ROM that is supported on your device, go back in to the recovery and make sure you wipe the DATA and CACHE. If you reboot after doing so, and you still get the boot loop, then I would do as Matthew Read suggests and flash the Stock ROM back.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
OpenVPN with Android 2.3.x - security concerns
I need to use my Android 2.3.x phone to access an OpenVPN server. I have CM 7 with built in support for OpenVPN and tun. My main concern is that I don't know where to put the keys in. If my phone gets in the wrong hands, I'm leaving the keys out in the open and I can't have that.
If I had an ICS phone, I'd have full file system encryption and I'd be safe(r). So is there an alternative or some technique I'm not aware of that can store the certificates and the key securely on the phone?

OK, I've jumped the gun here and asked a question without trying things out first. The solution is simple and very secure. First, you create a PKCS12 combo-key on the server that combines the server certificate, the client certificate and key with openssl pkcs12 -export -in android.cer -inkey android.key -certfile ca.crt -name android -out certs.p12. During that you hafta issue a decrypt password. You're perfectly safe transferring that combo-key to the SD card. Next, you import that in the Android secure storage and then you can delete the PKCS12 key.
After that, you're good to go, the keys are in a password protected vault and thus inaccessible to anyone else. It goes without saying that you need to protect your phone with a unlock password.

If you maintain the OpenVPN server, you can generate keys that require a password to be used. The technique is described at http://openvpn.net/index.php/open-source/documentation/howto.html#pki.
Scroll to the section titled Generate certificates & keys for 3 clients. You will want to use the build-key-pass script to generate a password-protected key. This will prevent your key from being used maliciously if your phone falls into the wrong hands, though I am not entirely sure if CM 7's OpenVPN implementation supports it.
If you don't have the ability to use build-key-pass to generate and register your own keys, then there is really no practical way to ensure the safety of your key without full-device encryption.

Another option, though not as foolproof: use a remote wipe app to remotely wipe your phone if it is stolen.

First thing any thief/finder does is get rid of the SIM card.

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


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Transformer Primetouch screen response: is this normal?
I recently got a transformer prime and just want to check whether the odd responses in the touchscreen are normal or not.
Below I have attached a screen shot from Photoshop touch. The odd snakeing down the diagonal strokes makes me think something is not quite right about the tablets touch screen. Is this normal on other primes?

I'm assuming you're moving (or think you're moving) your finger in smooth curves?

Yes, as smooth as I can. I have also had the same results using a wacom bamboo stylus. Also the tablet was running in its "performance" mode, to ensure it wasn't CPU skips that were causing the issue.

Obviously not a scientific test, as I used my hand and not yours, but Photoshop Touch on a Xoom I get far smoother lines, with none of that odd wobblig on the big strokes.

I can confirm this same issue. It happens there are several people complaining about the same exact thing. When the lines are diagonal, you get waviness, for some reason. Example #1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1440092 Example #2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1441180 I'm wondering if Asus knows that this problem is around.

THIS IS the ASUS answer I received!  Really, sweep it under the carpet.  I cannot return this unit, is already over the return period time....
I own a TF 201, I installed SketchBook Pro.
I also have an Ipad 2 (from work) with the same same software.
My issue, is the Transformer Prime, does not respond very well compare to the Ipad.
I truly wonder if this is a problem with the Transformer since all application even Skitch do not produce very smooth response be it with finger or capacitive stylus. Rendering drawings on the prime, results in broken lines, circles which are not complete and always feel like the line has to "catch up" to your finger or stylus. This is not a problem I experience on the Ipad.
Can you please advise if this is "working" as designed or is this a case of a screen not working to par (and how to resolve or exchange)? This is truly proving to be a disappointment has drawing is a very important feature to me. More so since this works flawlessly on the Ipad.
My unit, has the latest firware updates;
IML74K.WW_epad - 9.4.2.15-20120221
Touch Panel : MXT- 2.0 build -170

Thank you for choosing ASUS products.
We apologize for the late response. It is only till your email sent to
  Satisfaction-CA, I have picked up the case. Regarding to the problem
  that you were/are having, I ams afraid ASUS will be limited to support
  your product since this is a third party software, and you might have
  to contact the vendor for technical support. Given the fact that iPad
  and Prime are equipped with different OS, it is possible that the
  experience of using a complete identical software might varies. We are
  very sorry for the inconvenience induced in this matter. Please let us
  know if further questions and concerns raised. Your kind understanding
  is greatly appreciated.
Tom Wang
ASUS Canada 802 Cochrane drive, unit 2 Markham, Ontario, L3R 8C9
  Canada Fax: 905-489-2717

Tom, are you kidding?
This is the same with ANY drawing apps, or note taking application.  The ASUS screen is not as responsive and not responsive enough.
I'm using Android designed software for ICS, other users are doing the same and having the same issue.
You cannot really tell me this is working as designed?
Even user with the original Transformer are saying their older screen was more responsive compared to the new one!
Come on ASUS be responsible and add this to the list of must have fixes!
Thanks,

Take a look at these tests,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHpfkI6l1-0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk9nwIRngvk&feature=related
it is normal for touchscreens to respond like that.
iOS devices have some kind of secret algorithm that "knows where you meant to touch", therefore, the test seems smoother on the iPhone...

There is a chance that this issue can be softened at an application level. (Changing the device's reported position itself would be better but not possible without changing the kernel as far as I was informed).
This is an example of some diagonal lines I've drawn myself (can't post image):
http://s9.postimage.org/9hr2fsddb/primedef.png
I tried to simulate this deformation effect (left), and then I applied a function to every "detected" point to try to put it in the right location (right). This is the outcome:
http://s9.postimage.org/6ctxtdmkv/primedeformation2.png
I posted this idea in forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1516716 .
The writepad app dev said he would try this but he has been really busy so I still haven't any reports on whether this works or not.


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How to hard reset a Samsung Galaxy GT-i5800?
My Samsung Galaxy GT-i5800 has had the wrong pass entered too many times, and now it's not opening up. So how do I do a factory reset on it, since all the workarounds I've tried (phoning it, mashing keys, putting 'null' as the password') haven't worked?

A few questions: You don't get a button pop up in the bottom-right allowing you to enter your Google password to unlock the phone?  Or a timeout before you can try again?  Do you mean the i5800 rather than 15800?  Have you rebooted the device?

I'm pretty sure it's the 15800. When I enter my Google account, it comes up with an error, despite me entering it correctly. It's permanently locked. I have rebooted it.

the GT-15800 is the galaxy apollo; GT-i5800 is the galaxy 3

@RyanConrad According to Samsung the Galaxy Apollo and some Galaxy Minis are i5800 and the Galaxy 3 is the i5801, all three just variants of the same thing.  15800 is just a misreading, that's why I always lowercase the i.

Reboot into recovery, where you can select the option to factory reset (scroll up/down with the volume keys, use power to select).
Two ways to get into recovery:

Install the Android SDK on your computer and run adb reboot recovery
Power off the phone, hold down both volume buttons and (while holding) click the power button.  Release the volume buttons when recovery appears.


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How do I get back to the regular camera?
I hit something by accident and now whenever I use the camera app it's using the front facing camera evey time.
How do I switch it back?

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/17549/how-do-i-use-my-front-facing-camera-on-my-galaxy-s/17552#17552

Open the camera app and press the button that looks like a camera with a circular arrow under it.

(original picture from this article about ICS on thetechlabs.com)


text:
I forgot my lock pattern, how do I reset it?

Possible Duplicate:
Recovering from forgotten lock pattern

I have a Toshiba Thrive Android Table and I forgot what I used as my pattern lock. How do I reset it? Someone please help!

Please see these previous questions for more on unlocking a pattern-locked device: Pattern lock screen on Froyo, what should I do if I forget the pass? and Recovering from forgotten lock pattern

Let us know if none of those work for you.

Enter wrong pattern until you see "Forget Pattern?" button on bottom-right. Tap this button  and you'll get pattern reset instructions in your inbox (default email attached with default Google  Account will be used).
If there's no default Google Account attached with device, you'll need to factory reset your device from recovery mode. To save data in this case, create Nandroid backup of your device and restore using Titanium Backup app.


text:
Galaxy SII not reporting Signal Strength
I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy SII which in general has worked perfectly for me. My only issue is that the phone won't report the signal strength. If I get to the phone information (using the * # * # 4636 # * # code) the system reports the signal strength as zero which is impossible (since I have loads of reception issues in my home). My guess is that the information is being blocked, but I don't know why or how to unblock it.
The phone is running in GSM/WCDMA (Auto Mode) with the stock ROM

I'm confused by "loads of reception issues in my home" - are you sure 0 signal isn't accurate? Otherwise, what are your network stats in About Phone > Status? Specifically Service and Mobile Network States.

The signal is measured in dB and the more negative the number, the worse the signal is. Therefore, the fact that the phone is reading zero is in itself an issue, since a signal strength close to zero would mean an excellent signal.

I believe it is related to this issue: onSignalStrengthsChanged returns unknown signal strength where android return wrong strength on Galaxy S2.


text:
Market enabler not working (anymore??)
I own a MIUI-powered HD2 and a Chinese tablet on which I would like to install a couple of free apps that are intended for Italian market. I can see these apps from an A500 tablet but not from these two devices.
I tried Market Enabler (all are already rooted) on both the devices but it seems that it doesn't work. I can still see Chinese apps on the tablet and I'm still on an unknown market from the phone. I would actually like to install Skype on the tablet.
Does somebody know if Android Market now prevents Market enabler to do the trick? I also tried a couple of other enabler apps, but one said that operator change failed.
I understand that my question may look duplicate because lots of people ask how to install other-countries apps, but I'm asking if Google implemented some countermeasures.
Thank you.
[Update] I tried the following

Clear Market data from Settings\Applications\Manage\All\Market
Ran Market Enabler, set current market to Italy - TIM (should be 22201), said NO to prompt to switch to market at once. Checked that status bar reported "Current market: Italy"
Rebooted
Checked that ME ran on startup by su notification
Started ME, noticed that current market is Unknown
Switched again to Italy from list, chose YES to boot market
Accepted Android Market license, still saw Chinese apps and no trace of Skype or other apps that I need

Hmm, interesting.  I wonder if it's something to do with a value in your build.prop file, or perhaps the Market app was modified for China?  What version is the Market?  ( Past comments cleaned :) )

Market is 2.3.6

By the way, I'm currently workarounding by downloading apks from several sources, including filestube.com and my tablet using ES File Manager's backup feature

Ah, definitely try the new Market.  I usually grab 3.4.4 from here, you should just be able to install it over top of the current Market without needing to replace the apk in /system/app.

I had a similar problem with US apps once. I wasn't using the same Market Enabler app though.
I use this Market Enabler. In most cases, I can get apps just using that, but in some cases, I additionally need to use a proxy, such as ProxyDroid.

There appears to be a workaround with this app and the latest version of the Market that may work for you:

There's a trick. Go to Browser, look on Google for "APPNAME android
  market", click on the Google link and select "Open with Market".
  However, paid apps still cannot be bought. But you can get the free
  apps (some of them don't appear because they have an in-app payment
  system).

There are alternate market enabler apps that might work, like this one:
https://market.android.com/details?id=ch.racic.android.marketenabler
It can be downloaded directly in case you can't get it through the market.
If that doesn't work, you could try different versions of the Android Market, starting with the latest, like Matthew Read suggested.  You could also try older versions of the Market Enabler app itself.  You'll have to Google around for those.
If none of that works, you could always contact the developer:
https://plus.google.com/110853353138524936530


text:
How can I configure an unlocked HTC Sensation XE for 3g connectivity in USA?
I bought this phone in India and brought it home to USA. In India I had no issues in connecting to 3G network but after coming back to USA I am no longer able to connect to 3G network (AT&T). I know the phone operates in a different frequency but I wanted to know if there is a way to tweak this.
I got excited when I saw a similar link posted on another forum but that did not work on my phone.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks...

AT&T's 3G works in the 1900 MHz and 850 MHz frequencies.
Even though HTC Sensation XE is listed as supporting the 850 MHz frequency, it is only using it for slower 2G (EDGE) speeds.  For 3G it's using T-Mobile's HSDPA bands 900/1700/2100 MHz.  Unfortunately no amount of tweaking in the phone's software will make it work on AT&T's 3G bands, since this is a hardware difference in the phone's modem.
There are very few phones that work on both T-Mobile and AT&T's 3G frequencies - those are called "penta-band".  The new Samsung Galaxy Nexus is one of them, along with older Nokia models E7, N8 and N9 phones, for example.

Fun fact, the T-Mobile Vibrant only uses 1700/1900/2100 for 3G and works on AT&T as well.  It's quadband 2G though.

Interesting!  I haven't seen other phones that are in both 1700/2100 AND 1900 3G frequencies.  Do we have a community wiki question on carrier bands for 2G/3G/4G?  If not, we should definitely start one up.

So that I understand it correctly... If I change my service to T-Mobile I might get 3G speeds on my phone.

@logik6 Yes, you should be able to get 3G speeds on T-Mobile.  I would suggest trying a friend's T-Mobile SIM card or walking into a T-Mobile store and asking them to confirm by using one of their cards.


text:
Any software to block all calls and all SMSes allowing only 3G internet?
My dad gave his other dual-sim card to me, which has internet service that he does not need. I do not want to get his calls or SMSes, I only want to use his internet.
I have tried to do this unsuccessfully with Mobile Manager. I selected the option to block all calls and SMSes with the software, but I can see missed call notifications. I do not want to see them at the top bar. The internet connection works nevertheless.
Is there any way to solve this problem?

Wouldn't it be easier to just change the contract on the SIM card to a data-only contract and let the phone company do all the blocking for you? It would also save you paying for services you're not using.


text:
How does C2DM work?
I'm currently developing an App and as I implemented the C2DM feature it got me thinking how does this work?
Does it work via polling? Is there a hidden SMS? How are they pushing the Message on my device?

Development questions are off-topic here.

That's not a development question, the question is how Google does implement it. It's a background question - you're able to implement C2DM just fine without knowing how Google did it.

Fair enough, my mistake.  AFAIK C2DM takes advantage of the Google Talk service, or used to, but I'm not familiar with the details.

Based on this document: And this is basically how other push notification services work as well...

The application requests a token for the device
C2DM responds with the registration token for the specific device
The application sends the token to your server on the web.
Your service can now communicate with C2DM (after authenticating), and using the registered device tokens, C2DM will send the messages to the devices.

On the C2DM side, the token is associated with a specific device. When you send a push notification through C2DM, the Google servers send that info to the device. C2DM libraries on the device "listen for them" and pass them on to the intents as needed.

How do the libraries "listen for them"? Is there a polling service running? Does the provider play a role?

It's not polling, the point of push is so it doesn't have to poll for updates. its more of like a socket that is open for the data to come in, like a broadcast receiver.

@schlingel Looks like you need to ask "How does push technology work?".. Its independent from this Android question..

I don't see why Google has to implement it the same way Apple did. I just want to know how this "email push type technology" works. I would bet money that Apple, Google and Blackberry have different solutions.

Actually, apple implemented it the same way google did. Google has push notifications before Apple did. And for the record, Windows Phone basically works the same way too. There is really no other way to implement push, you need a way to "identify" the device, and the app registering for the notification gives sort of an "authentication token" for the app.

Android provides system-wide intents for such type of app triggering. For C2DM, there's a whole class of intents looks like com.google.android.c2dm.*. To use these intents, you'll need to add broadcast receivers in your app and register it with system.
To make it really work, you'll need remote push service too. Your software on server must be capable of messaging to Google's C2DM server using HTTP/HTTPS.
Now, whenever a push protocol based communication from C2DM server is established, Android system triggers app based on intents registered at the time of app installation...
Update:
More clearly, when your application push server pushes message to Google's C2DM server, Google checks token attached with message. Mind it, this token was generated by com.google.android.c2dm.intent.register if user had logged in with Google Account. So, using this token, Google comes to know exact delivery location. Then, Google makes use of Google Services Framework to push message in raw key-value pair format...
Polling or not?
No. It utilities same email push type technology in which connection between server & client is kept open. So, no need to run polling service..

Yes, I'm aware of this but how does Google creates this intents on my device?

Still unable to understand you, but tried again with update.. See my update & argue again please..

I want to know how this "email push type technology" works. How often do they poll? In the end, they have to - or am I wrong here?

There's nothing to do with poll here. In polling situation, server is unaware of client. It's responsibility of client to check data stored on server. But, in push situation, it works like SMS delivery.. client just keeps it's connection with server open and it's responsibility of server to send data. Server do it again and again unless it receives delivery status.. So, we start getting old emails when we turn on our device... There's no need to poll here...

How server sends something can be understood as point-to-point POST if you know HTTP 1.0 protocol RESTful API or form POST method offered by ASP.NET/ PHP..

If you've listened somewhere.. it may be about this: To keep connection open with server, clients need to do something like polling, but its not technically polling..

I don't like your tone and I think you're wrong. I think you're mixing protocol implementation and technical implementation. Just because you're having a logical connection it doesn't mean you're having a real connection all the time. I found the exact question on so (http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7293296/how-does-cloud-to-device-messaging-c2dm-work) (Sorry Matthew, you were right in the first place ...) And they are talking about a google polling service, I'd love to find information about that on how that's implemented.

The flow chart is really nice.. but, you can't say me wrong.. yes, you can say I've mixed some unnecessary things in answer. Anyway, you've got answer at last. Cheers!!!


text:
Will any Micro SD card work in an HTC Desire?
I've bought my friend's HTC Desire off him, but it doesn't have an SD card. Should I buy just any Micro SD card, or do I need to get one specifically made for the HTC Desire? Is there anything else I need to know?

See also Does the HTC Desire support 'microSDHC'?, Largest HTC Desire SD card? and What size of SD card can an HTC Desire accomodate?

The spec is simply listed (on HTC's website) as such:

Memory
  ROM:  512 MB
  RAM: 384 MB
Expansion slot
  8 GB microSD™ memory card (supports up to 32 GB)

The above link is for the US Cellular variant, but the C Spire version has the same memory specs (the only real difference between variants is supported bands, AFAIK). GSM Arena also reports "microSD up to 32GB". Generally speaking, Android devices support any SD card that properly complies with the SD spec. There are no "special" cards for devices - any will do.

Is it limited to SDHC though?  Presumably standard SD/SDSC cards will work but I'd be surprised if SDXC cards did.

@MatthewRead: 2.0 is backwards compatible with the original SD spec but not forward compatible with SDXC (so yes to your question). The spec info on Wikipedia specifically notes: "Host devices that accept SDHC cards are required to accept SDSC cards." (they provide this citation)

@MatthewRead: Or rather, "no" to your first question and "yes" to your second statement.


text:
Internet not accessible even though connected to local network using wifi
I have a wifi connection setup at my home. Other devices like my ubuntu laptop and macbook, when connected to wifi are able to access internet. Even my dad's blackberry is able to load websites when connected to internet via our home wifi. My HTC desire is able to connect to wifi, shows a good signal, but is not able to connect to internet. My friend's android phone have same issue. I can access a website running on my ubuntu (apache) using my browser and ip assigned to my ubuntu box, but I cannot open google or any other website. Even marketplace show connection error.
Can someone help me out with this.

Did you try setting manually the IP+DNS, instead of relying on DHCP, as it does by default?
Wireless and Networks -> Wi-Fi settings -> [menu] -> Advanced -> Use static IP

I had a little trouble with this at first. 2 things: First, Wifi Static is a handy free app if you use more than one wireless network. Second, make sure there isn't an IP conflict on the router by pinging the IP you intend to use before you connect to make sure it isn't already taken.

Are you using IPv6 on your router? There was a question here just the other day, that identified an issue with android resolving an IPv4 address when it has an IPv6 address.
Here is the post I am referring to. If you can, set your router to use IPv4 (for now).


text:
Any way to place a link to `/sdcard2` within `/sdcard`?
I have a Sony Tablet S, for which I am not aware of any method of rooting. On this device there is an amount of internal storage (dependant on model 8 - 24 GiB) and an external sdcard slot. The former is mounted as /sdcard and the latter as /sdcard2. My usage of the device would be made a lot easier if I were able to access sdcard2 from within sdcard (when mounted).
I have not found any way to do this without root access (tried ln -s but it turns out the partitions are FAT) - has anyone else got any ideas? It is very annoying as I am unable to access my media on the large external storage card I have bought with many applications - I have found myself buying a music payer that specifically allowed me to type my own search paths for media libraries, but cannot use DNLA to send this media to other devices, instead having to remove the sdcard and put it in my laptop - less than ideal...

Do you know how the internal storage is formatted?  If it's FAT then there's not much you can do.
Otherwise you could do something like this from adb shell or from a terminal on the phone:
cd /sdcard
ln -s /sdcard2 <name>

For example, if <name> was sd2 then you can now access it via /sdcard/sd2/.

AFAIK, internal storage is FAT, otherwise windows would not be able to mount it, so I don't believe linking would be possible. Also, wouldn't creating a sym link require root?

@Ryan Ah, fair point, though I also don't know anything about whether this tablet lets the PC mount the internal storage :P.  As for requiring root: Nope, not if you have user write privileges to the folder where you're creating the link.  For example ln -s /mnt /data/foo works fine for me in an unelevated shell.

Sorry the storage is FAT- was hoping there might be a way such as placing a shortcut from a computer or a command I had not tried.


text:
Why is the same sd-card partition mounted on 7 different mount points?
I created an /sd-ext partition and linked /cache/download and /cache/dalvik-cache to /sd-ext/...  When I boot up the phone and all filesystems are mounted and I start adb shell, "df -h" shows that I have both /sd-ext and /data/sdext2 and they are both connected to the same block device, /dev/block/mmcblk0p2.  In fact that partition is mounted on 7 different mount points!  Is that supposed to happen?
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2    915.2M    394.7M    471.6M  46% /sd-ext
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2    915.2M    394.7M    471.6M  46% /data/sdext2
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2    915.2M    394.7M    471.6M  46% /data/app
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2    915.2M    394.7M    471.6M  46% /data/app-private
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2    915.2M    394.7M    471.6M  46% /data/data
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2    915.2M    394.7M    471.6M  46% /data/dalvik-cache
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2    915.2M    394.7M    471.6M  46% /sd-ext/download

Furthermore, there is /sd-ext/dalvik-cache and /data/dalvik-cache.  They seem to have identical contents.  In fact, ls -ldi shows that they are the same inode!
When I first set up the /sd-ext partition, I added it to /etc/fstab.  But each time I booted, I found that /etc/fstab was overwritten.  Now I can no longer find fstab anywhere on the sd-card!
I also looked in init.rc and found the following:
# grep symlink init.rc
    symlink /system/etc /etc
    symlink /sys/kernel/debug /d
    symlink /system/vendor /vendor
    symlink /mnt/sdcard /sdcard

This doesn't really explain why /data/dalvik-cache and /sd-ext/dalvik-cache are the same inode, and many other things I'm seeing.
There is obviously more going on here than meets the eye, and I'd like to get to the bottom of it so I know what's going on.

The /data/* entries make perfect sense to me since the Android OS expects them to be separate partitions.  Perhaps it's the same for downloads (or because you linked /cache/download/)?  I have no idea about /data/sdext2/ though.  (Side note, I don't get any useful output when running df on my device.  Does CM have a special version included?)

what version of CM are you using? A bunch of those mount points don't even exist in my version of CM (CM7)
tmpfs                   173052        32    173020    0% /dev
tmpfs                   173052         0    173052    0% /mnt/asec
tmpfs                   173052         0    173052    0% /mnt/obb
/dev/block/mtdblock2    192000    146684     45316   76% /system
/dev/block/mtdblock3     81920     35816     46104   44% /cache
/dev/block/mtdblock5     16384     14512      1872   89% /radio
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2   1935192    286276   1648916   15% /data
/dev/block/mtdblock6    176128    156340     19788   89% /datadata
/dev/block/mtdblock4     12800      6756      6044   53% /efs
/dev/block/mmcblk1p2   1874206     32898   1741308    2% /sd-ext
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2   1935192    286276   1648916   15% /cache/download
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2   1935192    286276   1648916   15% /cache/download
/dev/block/vold/179:1  13824672   4444320   9380352  32% /mnt/sdcard
/dev/block/vold/179:1  13824672   4444320   9380352  32% /mnt/secure/asec
/dev/block/vold/179:9  5869368    1714680   4154688  29% /mnt/emmc

There is what i get when i do a df. I did think it was interesting that /cache/download was in there twice though. But, also, if you notice, both /data and /cache/download are on the same device. Really, it is not uncommon that a device could have multiple mounts.


text:
How to remotely share Motorola Xoom screen
Is it  possible to remotely share my Xoom screen over the Internet?  For example, say I was at my house and wanted to share the screen with a friend in another town.  How would I got about it?

Can you check the questions listed as duplicates in this post and see if any of their answers will work for you?

These seem to be helpful, my question differs in the fact that I would like to screen cast remotely.  Thanks!

You can try Android VNC server on your tablet, it should do the work...

This seems like the best choice that I've come across.  I was hoping to find a solution without rooting the device though :/

Please look at CatVision.io, it doesn't require rooting of the device etc. Works with Android 5.0+.
Disclaimer: I'm the author of this software.


text:
Will Android shift Google Calendar events when I go to different time zones?
I'm entering a bunch of events into my Google Calendar on the web interface and am wondering if I should do them all in local time or select the proper timezone.
If I explicitly pick a timezone (e.g. 1 PM PST) and it shows up as 4 PM EST, will it "fix" it when I go out to California?  What about events with different starting and ending time zones?

Yes, at least for me. All of my events are stored as GMT and the time of the event is displayed based on the time of the device (my location).
Now, I don't know what happens if you "specify" the timezone like you mentioned, as I have never done that.

Google calender works with time zones exactly like you hope it would. All events shift appropriately based on your local time zone without user intervention. I particularly like how on the web you can specify a different time zone for the start and end of an event so you can accurately record the time of an airplane trip.

Yes, this will all work as smoothly as you hope.
I recently traveled to a different timezone.  Before the trip I added a lot of events in my Google calendar with an explicit timezone set (of my destination).  Google (and my phone) did the timezone math correctly when I was there.
The only caveat is that if you travel somewhere outside of your phone's cellular service, then it will not be able to automatically set the timezone (assuming you leave that feature enabled generally).  You'll need to use Settings -> Date & time, then un-check Automatic and then manually set the local timezone.


text:
Streaming radio in Android
I like a couple of Internet radios that I'm currently able to listen to using CorePlayer under Windows Mobile, VLC and WMP on PC. I own the .m3u files for both www.radio21.ro and www.vibefm.ro, but when trying to open with different players they won't get played. NSWPlayer crashes, RockPlayer says the file can't be played with System Player.
Any tips?

Try TuneIn Radio, it has both stations, and it's great (and free)!

M3U files store playlists. The M3U files you are trying to run just have a list of URLs to the radio stations. You can only play M3U files on your Media Player if the player supports playing them.

You can use VLC for Android.
Click the "More" button with three dots in the lower right corner, click the "New stream" button and paste in your URL and you are done.
The main benefits are that VLC is free, open-source, has no ads and on top of that can play just about anything (video or audio).

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


text:
Why do the "Successfully updated" notifications disappear?
I noticed a weird behavior when updating applications with the newer Gingerbread (2.3.5?) and now Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.3) builds. It might also be the case with other versions, but I have not seen it with 2.3.3 and lower on my Nexus S. EDIT: As Chahk pointed out below, it might not be related to the Android OS version but rather to a recent change in the Market App.
I have a lot of apps installed (currently around 160). Now when I go to the Market after a couple of days there are usually several updates available (say 10).
The way it used to be:
I hit "Update 10" and let the device download and install the updates. After that I had 10 separate "Successfully updated" notification messages in my notification window.
The way it is now:
During update installations the "Successfully updated" notifications seem to randomly disappear or not show up at all.
Why is that? Is there a way to get the old behavior back? Otherwise there would be no way to tell which apps have received updates without first making a list of all the apps prior to pressing "Update".

Don't you get the "10 applications successfully updated" type notification, I thought that was standard from Honeycomb onwards, rather than notifying you about every app?

I don't think this is limited to Android OS version, as I'm seeing the same behavior on both my Atrix 4G that's running stock Gingerbread 2.3.4, and Galaxy Tab rinning a beta ICS build.  This change must have been introduced in the recent version of the Market app itself.

@GAThrawn: I do not get this type of notification. Also if possible, I want the old behavior back (separate notification for each updated app).
Chahk: It might in fact be related to the Market app. Thanks for your comment, updated the question.

This is a new 'feature' in market version 3.x, which got pushed out some time last year to gingerbread devices. If you have a rooted phone and really want the old behaviour back, uninstall the 'market updater' and install android market 2.3.6 Here's an apk of it from my dropbox https://dl.dropbox.com/u/2302883/com.android.vending-5cbc09eeba96ab104fe111e029312f42.apk.gz


text:
Cannot get Lynx browser to work
I downloaded a compiled lynx binary from XDA and everytime I start lynx it tells me that it is unable to connect to remote host. I changed the lynx.cfg to use localhost and it loads, but when I enter an URL, nothing. I tried it with 3G, 2G, and WiFi, and had no luck. What should I do to get it work?

Firstly why? I can remeber using Lynx back in the mid-90s, not something I'd ever want to go back to! Secondly, a few of the people on that XDA thread also mention that exact error, have you tried asking there, the user that created the Lynx binary seems to be trying to help with the problem but no one's taking him up on it.

I am using vim in Terminal IDE and need to copy some URLs.  I am unable to copy the URLs from android into Terminal IDE.  So my only other alternative is to use lynx, links, or elinks.  I found this lynx, but if you have a better option, I am all ears.  Also, my phone is not rooted.  I tried registering with xda but I need to answer other people's questions before I can reply in that thread, and seeing as I do not know anything about this stuff, that option is sadly unavailable to me.  So my options are learn how to copy into Terminal IDE or get a bash based browser.

"copy some URLs"?  Do you mean, paste the literal URL ("foo://bar/etc") into the terminal?  If so, just select and copy the URL in some other app, and use the menu in TIDE to paste them.

Yes, the developer added that feature.  Works great!

I'm afraid this has become an XY-problem. This question is valid, but the accepted answer is in no way answering the question, but to the question in the comment. Meanwhile, from a recent answer, it seems that TIDE itself has links-2.7, which seems to be the alternative method. Consider to update the accepted answer if it helps you.

The problem is that DNS binding support is different on Android. Lynx, wget, etc, if statically compiled by standard GCC under Linux, will not be able to lookup the domain name, but would work with a numerical ip address. You can see that problem in many of the busybox implementations for Android.
There is some discussion of this at Kevin Boone's KBOX2 Project

I found it !
Download Terminal IDE, it is an awesome shell for Android.
Installs the additional packages from within the app to get :
GCC, make 3.82, ssh, sshd, telnetd, bash, busybox, vim, mc, htop, TMUX, links 2.7, rsync, git, and more !

So much good in this software. rsync on my phone is plain awesome for backups.


text:
How to extract .zip through ADB shell
Exactly what the title says.  I've got a 1.5 gb zip file on my sdcard that I would like to extract via adb (not pulling to pc and pushing back).  Is there a simple command to unzip a file?
Thanks!

Yes and no. As far as I'm aware, a typical Android install will not contain unzip. You can, however, install busybox for Android, which provides the unzip utility. Then a simple:
adb shell unzip /sdcard/archive.zip

Would do the trick. If you're rooted you can use a busybox installer from the Market like Stericson's. If you're not rooted then you should be able to manually push a busybox binary (one here on Github, for example; click "raw" to download it) to somewhere like /data/local and then invoke it. It should be something like:
adb push /path/to/busybox-android /data/local/busybox
adb shell chmod 0755 /data/local/busybox #Make it executable
adb shell /data/local/busybox unzip /sdcard/archive.zip

Alternatively, many file managers will unzip files for you. I personally use File Expert but there are a lot of others. Usually you just need to long press on the archive and it will present an "extract" option or similar.

Awesome answer. busybox is a powerful tool.

I had to change directory first: adb shell; cd /sdcard; /data/local/busybox unzip archive.zip

The shell user doesn't have permissions for /data/local on my phone — a Galaxy S4 running Android 5. I had to push busybox to /data/local/tmp.  Not sure yet if that directory's contents persist across reboots.

I was able to use /data/local/tmp as well and able to chmod also. I was not able to do was unzip the zip file I created in windows.
To overcome this, i created the tar file using 7zip and used busybox tar -xvf myzip.tar destination to successfully unzip the file.


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

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

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


text:
How can I prevent hyphens causing text input to break in the Android Browser?
I have a Verizon Motorola Droid Pro (Android 2.3.3), and a persistent aggravation with the browser application.
Whenever typing in an input field and using a dash - that is adjacent to its preceding character, the next character I type is placed before the dash, and then the cursor placed before the dash. That is, assuming I'm trying to type android-browser:

I type android- At that moment, the cursor is correctly after the dash.
I type b The b is placed before the dash, and the cursor is now located after the b, before the dash. So if I kept typing I would end up with androidbrowser- with the cursor still before the dash.

This only happens in the Browser application, when I am inserting a dash that is adjacent to its preceding text. So if I were trying to type android - browser it would work fine. In order to get around this, I have to type android- and then manually move the cursor (although the end location is exactly where it already is at the end of the text!)
This happened before the Android system update a few months ago too, and I had hoped that the update would fix it... but, no dice!
I've considered that an alternate browser could be a solution, but I'd prefer to stick with the Android browser, I think.

Have you tried a different keyboard app?  Even though Droid Pro has a physical keyboard, alternate input methods may change its behavior.

I agree with Chahk, this sounds like an issue with the keyboard app that handles the software side, like auto-complete or spell corrections. Not to mention this device runs BLUR which has always been rather buggy.

@Chahk I'll look at that option some!

It seems that, as noted in the comments, changing my keyboard app has solved this. I was having trouble with my default kb app going to 100% cpu when entering text lately, so that prompted me to try a new one, finally.
I have tried multiple times while typing this answer to get the behavior to occur again, and it won't. Yippee!


text:
Can't add Samsungdive Account
My Mobile device is "Galaxy s5570-mini", I want to secure it if it's lost -God forbidden- so I signed up in Samsungdive.com with my Gmail account then I have to add "Setting>Accounts and Sync>Add account>samsung account" in my mobile but I can't find this option !! what's wrong?? any thing is missed ?

Samsungdive.com has nothing to with the "Accounts and Sync" options. Samsung Dive consists of a background App (called uTrack), an Website (samsungdive.com) and an Login/Password, which allows you to remotely locate, lock and/or wipe some Samsung devices.
To pair your device with the Samsung DIVE, enter your login data under
Settings -> Location and Security -> uTrack

(Not sure if this is true for the Galaxy Mini, but that's where the setting is on the SGS)

Thanks Mr.Flow for your help :), but still can't find a way since two days of searching :'(....I can't find the option you mentioned.Then should I use an app would do the same ?

Well, not every Samsung device has uTrack/DIVE support. I am not sure about the Galaxy Mini. But there are alternatives in the market. See this question

But as you notice they described that it's available for these devices included mine :("http://v2.samsungdive.com/help/guideRemoteControlsClear.do#"

FYI on my SGS (UK Gingerbread) it's under Settings -> Location and Security -> Mobile Tracker unfortunately I'm pretty sure that it's also possible that your network, or or your regional Samsung may not distribute it.

I tried entering a password into the mobile tracker.
When I did this, the window came up.

If you are unable to get it working Cerberus would be a very good alternative.
I use it, and it is flawless.


text:
How can I set Froyo's screen timeout to "Never"?
I have to keep my Skype running all night on my mobile. I am using a Motorola MB200 Mobile which I have today upgraded from Eclair to Froyo. Now the Screen timeout option has a maximum of 30 minutes and there is no "Never" option, causing my mobile to automatically disconnect my wifi after and Skype. Previously using screen timeout set to never solved this problem for me.
How can I fix this?

Seems like what you need is to set the "wifi sleep policy" to never...
You can find that in the Advanced Wi-Fi menu.
Then you could let your screen shut down and still be able to talk with no interference with skype.


text:
timestamp on messages is wrong

My phone is turned off
11:00 - My friend sends me a text message/sms
2:00 - I turn my phone on.
2:01 - I receive the text message/sms, the timestamp is 2:01
But I want the timestamp to be 11:00

How do I get this to happen? I am on a ZTE Racer on giffgaff in the UK. I have Android 2.1, Eclair.

This has been reported as a bug in the Android source but no particular action seems to have been taken. You can follow and star the issue on the Android bug tracker.
Alternatively, one comment on the bug tracker notes some potential workarounds you an take a look at:

Just an additional comment for all those still waiting for this bug to
  be fixed: current version of Handcent saves the "sent time" of the
  messages. It can be seen on "message details". It's not the perfect
  solution but it's the best solution that we have right now.
"SMS
  Timestamper Fix" from andrperk worked for me most of the times but not
  always.

Additionally, some commenters have reported that certain handsets do not suffer from this bug, presumably because the manufacturer patched it themselves in their messaging application or SMS framework.


text:
Install Android APK as Mac OS X app
Is there a tool to package a particular emulator/SD configuration + APK as a Mac OS X application so that it can be distributed and run with a simple double-click? Something like Fluid for web apps... applied to Android apps on Mac OS (or Windows).

What's the problem with emulator of Android SDK?

Or virtualbox either and use the Android x86 project (which is what I imagine is how BlueStacks work) and install the apk on it, and distribute the virtualbox's image (size wise, I would think it would be about <512Mb so obviously would not be a good idea either!)

BlueStacks for Mac is currently in "alpha" testing, and is probably your best option at this point, although I don't believe it provides any kind of simple per-app packaging.


text:
Running older windows versions on Android
Read about running Windows 95 (blog post seems to be 9-12 months old) and 98, XP (XDA has few threads) on Android. I'm interested (because of mind mapping software I use on Windows) but don't really have time and 2nd device to test this. Has someone here tried this and can give a overview of what's possible. Do these versions just run? Or can you

easily install and run  a .exe
swap data from android filesystem to Windows
use internet connection

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is about running a different operating system on Android hardware.

I guess you could try running windows 95 or older versions inside DosBox.
Of course this would require some knowledge on MS-DOS stuff and some patience and skill..
Here's a good tutorial on how to boot win95 on DosBox. http://vogons.zetafleet.com/viewtopic.php?t=24936 I would suggest you try this first on a desktop machine with dosbox.
Another way would be to run it using QEMU for android http://www.mobilephonetalk.com/showthread.php?63990-QEMU-for-Android-Runs-Any-OS

I've managed to install and run Windows 3.1, 95 and 98 on Android via the BOCHS emulator. I believe QEMU would work as well.
I've never managed to get the network connection to work. But I can swap data from my Android partitions to Windows partitions and run the EXE files. So in practice, I have to download everything on native Android and then copy it across.
By the way, it is really slow. It took me about a day to install Windows, and then to actually boot Windows it generally takes about 10-20 minutes.
I'm really interested to know how far people have got with this - whether anyone ever managed to install Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1?

authors: ديناصور الأمة


text:
Do the front buttons on the Droid X turn on the screen?
I had an LG Optimus V phone and the physical buttons on the front could get pressed when it was in my pocket, which would turn on the screen.
I'm considering a phone (Droid X) with physical buttons b/c I like the physical buttons easier to see and feel when using).  But.... I don't want the screen turning on all the time (and draining the battery).
Does the Droid X's  row of menu/back/search buttons turn the screen on?

Yes, the Home button (and possibly the Volume buttons) turn on the screen.
Found a fix on: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/drod2169-x/132091-ocd-stop-home-button-waking-screen-save-battery.html
Have not tested yet, but it's mentioned in several places. Not sure if it works on an unrooted phone.
GINGERBREAD

Open /system/usr/keylayout/sholes-keypad.kl
remove "Wake_Dropped" And/or "Wake" after any entries for:
HOME
MENU
SEARCH
BACK
VOLUME UP
VOLUME DOWN

FROYO

Open /system/usr/keylayout/cdma_shadow-keypad.kl
remove "Wake_Dropped" And/or "Wake" after any entries for:
HOME
MENU
SEARCH
BACK
VOLUME UP
VOLUME DOWN


text:
How do I fix the permissions on /system/app on my Kindle fire
I attempted to root my Amazon Kindle.  That seemed to go well, but when I tried to add the Google App Market, I apparently made a big booboo, because now I am in "constant reboot, 'kindle fire' screen of death". That is, the fire won't boot, and it just stares at me with "kindle fire".
I've googled around, and found people with my exact problem, but no way to fix it.  And my problem is this:
The permissions on my /system/app folder are as follows?
d--------- root     root              2012-01-28 13:26 app

Yeah, I know, not good.
So, how can I fix it?  I've tried the various methods out there, but basically, because the directory is so hosed on permissions, I can't do anything.  For instance, I can't run
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock2 /system

because I get
mount: Operation not permitted

and when I try
adb root

I get the cryptic
adbd cannot run as root in production builds

So I am dead in the water.
Can anyone help me fix my permissions on /system/app?

Do you have a custom recovery and/or bootloader installed? If not then you may be stuck unless you can make yourself a "factory cable" (or find one made by someone else).

Agreed with eldarerathis.  The cable may also be called a "jig".

Actually, another important factor is what firmware version you have. If you have 6.2.1 or lower you may be able to use adb to get into fastboot.

Wow -- thanks for the tip about "Factory Cables".  Interesting stuff.

I have 6.2.2 as my firmware.

If you want you could try this method for getting into fastboot. It's only tested against 6.2.1, but I suppose it's possible it could work on 6.2.2 (though I have no idea). Otherwise I think you'll need to use a factory cable or the "shorting trick", which requires physically opening the Kindle Fire (and Linux).

Amazon is graciously sending me a new one, and I'm sure when I return mine they will be using a factory cable to reset it.  But I have 30 days to return it, so I may take the time to try to build a factory cable myself just for the experience.

Let us know how the factory cable goes.


text:
How can I root the GT 10.1 (running 3.2)?

Possible Duplicate:
Rooting Samsung Tablet GT--P7510 Android 3.2

I've tried using Odin to get root access, but when I finish the process, I still don't have root privileges. Seems like all the tutorials about how to root are assuming the tab is running 3.1 or lower... did the update to 3.2 break the root methods? If so, how can I root this darn thing? ;)
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

With 3.2 Google fixed the exploit that allowed most current methods to gain root on 3.1 version.  The only way to get root on Galaxy Tab 10.1 running Android 3.2 is to flash a pre-rooted ROM via Odin (or Heimdal) utility.  Take a look at the appropriate section on XDA-Developers forum for more details.
This completely wipes all data off the device, so it's recommended to back up anything you need first.  Also, be sure to pick the correct ROM for your specific version of the Tab, since
different versions (WiFi-only Vs. 3G) will require separate ROMs.


text:
Change language ICS spell correction (red dotted line)
I've upgraded my i9000 to Android 4.0 using CM9. I've found a major annoyance though. I've enabled spell-checking on my phone (the fancy one, with the red, dotted lines), but it appears to be available only in English, and 4 other languages. See this image:

When I switch my entire system language to Dutch, the dotted line just disappears. I've Googled around and learned that Android.com officially states: "For specialized features or additional languages, you can now download and install third-party dictionaries, spell-checkers, and other text services."
However, I haven't been able to find language packs like these. I'm dying for one, and find it hard to imagine that months after the launch of 4.0 not a single language pack has been made.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Much appreciated!

did you try: Android keyboard settings > Add-on dictionaries > Nederlands .. ?

Yes I did, but the setting wasn't really there up until a week ago or so (CM9 4.0.4). My stock Transformer 4.0.3 still doesn't have it.

I am currently on Cyanogenmod 4.0.4 and Dutch has been added. I don't know where it came from, but it works like a charm.


text:
The meaning of 3 axis values of magnetometer
Could someone explain to me the meaning of 3 axis x, y & z of Magnetometer

This isn't Android-specific, and general reference.

The magnetic field of a certain point is directional and has magnitude. The x,y,z returned by the sensor is a vector that describes the strength and direction of the magnetic field relative to the device measured in microtesla.
For example, a value of (x, y, z) = (50, 50, 0) means that there is a magnetic field sqrt(50**2+50**2+0**2) ≈ 70.7107 microtesla strong in the direction of 45 degree to X-axis and Y-axis of the device.


text:
andLess .flac "Decoder Error"
I try to play a .flac audio file on my htc sensation with the andLess player, but every time I try to open a file it just shows a "Decoder Error" with no further explanation. The .flac files work fine on my Creative Zen X-FI 2, so the files should not be the problem. I use android version 2.3.4.
Does anybody know this issue and/or have a solution for this?
Update:
Is it possible that I have to install the necessary codec on my own? From the description of the app, I assumed that it is delivered with the app.

I would suggest reporting the issue on the andLess issue tracker. I didn't see anything that relates to exactly what you mention but the developers may know what your issue is or they can correct it.

I want to make sure that I did not forgot to install anything or made any other fault before I bother the developer with this issue.

from what i have read, there is a liblossless.so that looks to handle the decoding, but it is distributed by the application.

Since the .flac files were ripped with custom settings, I will perform some tests with other files. (Like I said, the files work fine on other platforms) If that does not solve the problem, I will report the issue and accept your answer.

My files seem to be normal 16 bit 44,1khz .flac audio files. Therefore I will report this problem, thank you for answering.


text:
Network operator says "Registered on network" but Why can't I connect to the internet?
Good afternoon all,
I was originally using a GSM iPhone and I've switched to an android Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830L. I've got some problems connecting to the internet and was wondering if someone could help me resolve the issue.
These are the steps I took from Settings >> Wireless and networks >> Mobile networks >> Network operators:

I've selected SGP-M1-GSM and it says "Registered on network" but I still can't seem to connect to the internet.

What do I have to do to enable internet connection?
I'm currently using v2.3.4 if that matters.

I am not sure if this would work, but worth a try. Some mobile phones and some cell phone service providers require the use of APN. Contact your cell phone service provider for the APN.

Heys cool it's working now (instructions from http://www.unlockit.co.nz/mobilesettings/settings.php?id=220) but it seems to be really slow, like 1 minute per page load. Do you know what may be the problem ?

@Pacerier That sounds more like a network problem than an Android problem.

@MatthewRead But its slow yesterday and its still slow today.. (I don't get this problem on the iphone) is it possible that I have my settings set wrongly? Like do I have to turn off/on anything?

Not sure but see if caching helps.


text:
How to install Whatsapp on Android 1.6
I am interested in installing Whatsapp on Android 1.6 (Cyanogenmod 4.2) on a rooted HTC Dream G1. Is there any way to install it?

From the whatsapp site, the minimum requirements are Android 2.1, so even if you managed to find the APK and side-load it onto the G1 running 1.6, it probably will not work.
Stable releases of CyanogenMod 5 (Android 2.1) and 6 (Android 2.2) are both available for the G1.  You can install Whatsapp if you upgrade to CM 5/6.

I already tried out CyanogenMod 5 but its too slow and hangs a lot. So, I shifted back to CyanogenMod 4. I was just curious if there was a work around for Android 1.6


text:
How to keep Apps, that are banned from the offical market, up to date?
Sadly, a few fine Apps are banned from the official Market by Google (e.g. Transdroid): How can I keep those Apps up to date, without visiting the project sites regularly?

I usually sign up for an RSS feed on the project's website, and add the feed to a separate group in Google Reader.  Since I sync up with Reader twice a day, when an update to an app I'm following is available I know about it the same day.
For sites that don't provide a native RSS feed, there are some services that can generate an RSS feed on-the-fly, like Feed43 or FeedBeater, for example.


text:
How can I determine the cause of random device reboots?
After being annoyed with my previous ROM, I thought I'd install ICS on my SGS2 (until CM9 comes out). But, sadly, it now reboots several times a day without any real reason. The device is just lying there on the table doing nothing and every now and then the screen turns on and I can watch it reboot.
So, how would I start to analyse this issue? Obviously I could try to flash different ROMs like a mad man until the issue resolves itself, but I would prefer a more sensible approach.

You can install the android SDK and use DDMS to monitor the logcat. The thing with a logcat, it is cleared when the device reboots, but you may be able to get an idea of what is crashing if you are monitoring it before it reboots.
You can probably also find unofficial CM9 nightlies for the Galaxy S2, but I am not sure what issues still exist for that device.

To my knowledge, these are the current CM9 alpha issues: http://teamhacksung.org/wiki/index.php/Experimental:GT-I9100:Known_issues

I had a similar random-rebooting problem, and after one such reboot, I hooked up the phone to my laptop and ran "adb bugreport" on it.  I got what looked like useful information, and attached it to the bug.  So I think at least some log information survives a reboot.
Here's the bug, btw: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=24118

Oh wow, that generates a TON of output. I'll run it again after the next reboot and see what it spits out.

I've been going crazy trying to figure out a random reboot on one of my test phones. I'm not the OP, but this is extremely helpful, thanks for posting it!

My answer is three years old.  Since then, Android has gotten a built-in way of submitting (what I assume are) crash reports: Settings / About phone / Send feedback about this device.  I used that a number of times on Android 5.0, and when 5.1 came out, I got a little note from Google saying "thanks for helping us make 5.1 more stable" ... and it hasn't rebooted since I upgraded to 5.1!

The first thing I would try to do is to retrieve the logs of the errors via ADB, and/or crash dumps.
Retrieving the logs is tricky, since the log cache gets erased on reboot.  If the phone reboots even while sitting on a charger, try running adb logcat continuously (you will need Android SDK and USB drivers installed and configured on your PC.)  When the phone reboots, look at the last several pages in the command prompt window for any errors or abnormalities.
If you can't reproduce the reboots while the phone is hooked up to USB, I suggest installing an app like aLogcat, and setting it up to write logs to the SD Card on an interval.  Hopefully you will get lucky and catch the errors that way.
You can also try pulling out the crash dumps via the following commands:
su
cat /proc/last_kmsg > /mnt/sdcard/last_kmsg

This should create a file named "last_kmsg" on your SD Card that contains last few debugging messages from the kernel.  Open it with any text editor and see if anything obvious shows up.

Either I'm using the ADB shell incorrectly or /proc/last_kmsg is non-existent on my phone.

@OliverSalzburg have a look at https://stackoverflow.com/a/10525021/529977 /data/dontpanic

@DerHochstapler Not sure if it's the same thing and I realize your comment is 9 years old, but my Android 11 device has /proc/last_log/kmesg (can't read it, have to figure out how to get su lol.  Wish android was linux)

In order to use su you first have to root your android device. I would check for non-root options maybe the mentioned /data/dontpanic

You can try aLogrec, and if you like it, the donate version. Written by the same programmer that wrote aLogcat, it continuously records the log (logcat) to your SD card. I haven't tested it for how it reacts with restart from a crash, but I tested with a manual restart and the recorded log survived the restart and could see the shutdown sequence being logged. One downside is the log does not include timestamps.
My T-mobile S II had been crashing (restarting) when using basic features - ending a call (once), taking a picture (once) or using navigation (3 times). I upgraded from ICS 4.0.3 to 4.0.4. So far it has been good. I wish I had known about aLogrec while I was having these restarts.

supposedly doesn't work in 4.x according to the reviews

Logcat Extreme works in 4.x though. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=scd.lcex&hl=en

I had the same problem but in the few minutes it gave me each time I experimented and found that it stopped crashing if I went to the network update in the settings, even though there is no update available. It now works but I'd annoying needing to do that every time.


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Flashed ICS i9020T image onto AT&T I9020XXKI1 baseband phone now intermittent WiFi
I flashed a Nexus S i9020T Android 4.0.3 package image onto my AT&T Nexus S.  The flash was a success, but the wi-fi is intermittent.  It will come on for a bit, but then lose connectivity.  In the top notification bar, the wi-fi icon goes away, but the system says that wi-fi is still on.
Could the wi-fi problem be caused by my not flashing the correct radio image after I flashed the ICS ROM?  This warning/error message is showing up in LogCat every 1 second.

01-31 09:49:18.824: WARN/wpa_supplicant(2202): wlan0: Failed to initiate AP scan
01-31 09:49:18.824: ERROR/wpa_supplicant(2202): ioctl[SIOCSIWPRIV] (cscan): -1

As that's the wrong stock image for your phone there's something in it that doesn't work correctly, such as a baseband or radio image that's incorrect.
You may have luck updating the drivers: http://code.google.com/android/nexus/drivers.html#crespo

I flashed a new radio image and i can make/recieve calls and get 3g data.. wifi is flaky.  I can try that thanks


text:
Why does my phone slow down after using internet and installing apps?
I have Samsung Galaxy Y. I think that when I use wireless and installing apps, not immediately but after a while the phone slows down considerably.
When it happens I must restart and when it turn on, then continues to operate normally.
I don't know if this is caused by some applications I have installed or some other problem. When it occurs I try to free RAM memory with Samsung's task manager or fast reboot, but it doesn't help.
After I read some of your topics, I don't use task killer anymore. It happens to me two or three times a day!
Why my phone slows down, and only turning it off/on seems to solve the issue?

Sounds like it could be a memory leak.

How do I resolve the problem without rebooting?!

Don't be impatient, we don't even know what the problem is. When you try to free memory with samsungs task manager, does free memory increase? How much do you have free before and after the samsung freeing?

"Getting slow" can be caused by a couple of different things -- separately or combined. It could be an app hogging your CPU, or the system running low on free RAM. It's even possible that some service runs havoc, blocking resources (though this one would be a bit harder to track).
Easy tracking for beginners (and for free)
There are several possibilities to find out what's going on. The easiest is to install e.g. OS Monitor and, when the device gets slow, starting this app and taking a look at the running processes. First order them by CPU usage: Is there any app constantly using 50% or more CPU? If so, you probably found the evil-doer. Next order them by RAM usage: Any app "eating" extra-ordinarily much?
Don't worry to much about how much RAM is free. There's no such thing as "unused RAM being a good thing" -- neither on Android nor on Linux. Free RAM will be used to speed things up, e.g. by caching files. Of course, if more RAM is used, those caches get freed.
Monitoring the system
If the easy approach does not help, you need heavier armament -- and a little background knowledge to use such. There's e.g. SystemPanel which can monitor your system. More useful is the paid version, which can do so in the background, and also saves its monitored data -- so you could even check after a reboot. An alternative helper-app is System Tuner (here again the paid app is more useful). Also, Tracing Memory might be worth a look (can't hurt, it's free).
Found it?
When you found out the bad app, actions depend on what it is. Is it an app that came pre-installed, or even belongs to the Android system, you e.g. could not simply remove it. Check the app's configuration, contact the developer, or search the web for known trouble with the evil-doer are always good steps to take. Of course, once you found the culprit, you can always come back here and ask a more specific question -- and with the background information you collected, we probably can give you better hints to solve the issue.


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How can I make a change language shortcut for voice recognition in android 2.3.4?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 Phone, I work in English, Spanish and French, and constantly have to change from one language to the other, making a shortcut to change the language of the voice-recognition would make this the perfect, perfect phone, I would prefer to dictate my email and WhatsApp messages instead of typing them all the time, but going in to the home screen/menu/voice-recognition settings etc... just defeats the purpose... it takes more steps than to just type it...
By default It should be that: when I swipe to change the language of the Gingerbread keyboard it should also change the language of the voice recognition...
Please help, anyone... I would gladly pay for any app or script that solves this... does anyone know where can I find this?

Does not exactly solve your problem, but might provide at least an easier work-around: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/20599/is-it-posible-to-change-the-locale-of-my-device/28245#28245

I believe if you hold the microphone icon it brings up a menu that allows you to change those settings. It may be the comma icon on your phone however. Previous versions allowed you to swipe the keyboard. Otherwise there are many alternative keyboards you can download from the Android Play Store.


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How to transfer SMS message store to new phone which does not have an SD card

Possible Duplicate:
How do I backup and restore SMS Messages?

There have been many duplicate questions asking about transferring SMS messages from one Android phone to another. The agreed answer recommended using SMS Backup & Restore.
However, it involves the use of an SD card.
My old HTC T-Mobile G2 has an SD card. The new Samsung Galaxy Nexus does not have an SD card slot.
Can I transfer the message store through USB mass storage on a computer? I have access to Windows, Mac and Linux boxes and will use whichever is easiest.

you can use SMS Backup+. It syncs your sms messages with your gmail account and allows you to restore. If you have deleted the messages though, they are gone and if they are not already backed up then they are lost in the nothing for ever.
I have never use SMS Backup and Restore, but if this backs up to the sdcard, you should be able to pull them off the sdcard on your computer (using mass storage) and then transfer those backups to the galaxy nexus. If memory serves though, I don't think you can use Mass Storage on the nexus, it uses MTP (Media Transfer Protocol).

I think you can see the necessary files over USB if you switch the device from media device (MTP) mode to camera (PTP) mode. Do this by plugging in the device, pull down the notification bar and tap on the Connected as a media device notification and select Camera (PTP)


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CM7 GPS works randomly, no rhyme or reason, is there a fix?
I have the Incredible and here are the specs:
CyanogenMod 7.1.0 Stable
Baseband: 2.15.00.07.28
I can't seem to get my GPS to run in a stable manner. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
I've installed all the diagnostic GPS apps: GPS Essentials, GPS Status, GPS Test, GPS Fix, and doesn't make a difference. Cleared the AGPS, d/l new AGPS, etc...
When I use any of those, or my speedometer apps - Speedview and UlyssesSpeedometer - the GPS icon doesn't even blink. It's as if it can't hook the GPS command to turn on.
When it does work, it's great, a fix in about 3 seconds and 10 or 11 satellites.
I've run Fix Permissions in Rom Manager, and that seemed to help right away, but nothing since then, and I've ran that after I've installed new apps unrelated to anything GPS, and still to no avail.
How can I fix this to get a stable GPS on my phone?? Any help would be greatly appreciated, so frustrating.

Alright everyone, I think I may have found something, so if anyone is having this problem, hopefully it can help.
I believe it's a problem with google maps. For me, sometimes, when I launch maps and the GPS icon flashes a few times without locking and disappearing, that's when the problem starts.
Well i had the Google Maps Traffic Widgets active, and I would use those all the times and didn't realize it wasn't locking the GPS, But my speedometer apps wouldn't work, or even maps wouldn't work
I uninstalled maps, and reinstalled, didn't help.
This is what i found that works - don't use the traffic widgets, just open maps and look at traffic if you need to.
The second is, if you open maps and GPS doesn't lock, exit maps. Open up GPS Status, let it lock - for me I don't even need to clear or update AGPS info, but you may need to.  Exit GPS Status, not open your speedometer app or Maps, and it should work.
I have been able to 'fix' the GPS issue this way over the last few days with multiple reboots and intalls/uninstalls of maps.
Hopefully this can be helpful or at least a start to troubleshooting. Good Luck!

I had this very same issue with my Incredible! I did everything you described and even flashed a newer Radio version to no avail. I got so frustrated I broke down and did a factory reset - for some reason it magically fixed my issue. I know it's the nuclear option here (as well as a popular catch-all answer) but I honestly think it's worth a shot. This also might be an excuse to bump up to CM 7.1.0 Stable.
FWIW I've had various strange and inexplicable issues with Cyanogenmod on my Incredible, this GPS trouble being just one. If you're up for a slight paradigm shift I've come to really like MIUI and haven't run into anything terribly strange (...yet).
EDIT: Just in case, here are some great instructions for performing a factory reset from the helpful MIUI HTC Incredible Installation Guide (these steps are applicable to performing a factory reset in any ROM as long as you're using ClockworkMod Recovery).

3) Open Rom Manager and select "Reboot into Recovery." (Yes, we're
  assuming you have already flashed the latest "Clockworkmod Recovery."
  If you have not, please do so now via Rom Manager by selecting "Flash
  ClockworkMod Recovery" from the Rom Manager options before trying to
  reboot into recovery.)
4) ...from the Main Clockworkmod Recovery
  menu, select "Backup and Restore." Then Select "Backup." This will
  create a Nandroid Backup in case anything goes incorrectly during or
  you get a bad ROM, you can always load your backup and return your
  phone to EXACTLY the way it was before you began making changes in
  Recovery. You may also Restore your Backup from here, but only after
  performing a Full Wipe of your phone to eliminate any trace of the old
  data that may corrupt your "restore" process. For more info on
  performing a "Full Wipe," see the next step.
6) Now to do a clean wipe of your phone. Note: At this point you
  will lose everything on your phone that you have not backed up to an
  alternative storage space, via cloud, PC, SDcard. This will basically
  return your phone to a straight out of the box setup. Select
  Factory Wipe/Data Reset from the list of options (On the HTC
  Incredible, you may move your selector up and down with the trackball
  or the volume buttons, the press the trackball to enter your
  selection.) After your selection scroll down through the Nos to the
  "Yes" and select it, and your phone will begin to clear out its
  memory. When it completes, you should be back at the menu to Wipe
  Data/Factory Reset.
7) After your Full Wipe, scroll down to the "Advanced" menu, and
  select it. The next list of options should display "Wipe Dalvik
  Cache." Select it, Scroll down through the Nos to the "Yes" and select
  it. It should only take a second. This step may be redundant after a
  full wipe, but if you ever need to "Update" a ROM, its important to
  know where this option is, so good practice.
8) Press the "Power" button on the phone to go back to the main
  Clockworkmod Recovery options.
...
13) Select Reboot System Now, and your phone should reboot.

Crazy! Yeah I've thought about that...doing a complete reset.
When you say 'factory', you mean back to the stock ROM? Or you mean reformatting and reflashing cm7?
I had a typo, I am currently on 7.1.0.

I mean 'factory reset' as in wiping everything from it an putting it back to the condition it was in when you first flashed your current ROM (I don't mean going back to the stock ROM). See my edit above. As always, make sure to backup your ROM (even if you don't like how it's performing) before making serious changes like this one.

Thanks for the reply. I think a reset is probably in the near future, or maybe even a try at the Gingerbread Inc Deck Rom.
I was on MIUI for months until it started sapping data like crazy. I guess it was something to do with the build prop #, not exactly sure. So that's when I switch to CM7. I really liked MIUI though, might go back eventually.

To each their own. Best of luck!


text:
Phone is finding every wireless access point except mine!
I have a Samsung Galaxy S using the default firmware (version 2.2).
Unfortunately, it can't seem to find the wireless at work.  When I click "Scan" on the list of WAPs, it continues to appear as a "Remembered" access point rather than connecting.
The laptop is finding the SSID with full bars, so it's just the phone being tetchy.
I've tried rebooting the phone and the router with no change.

Maybe related to wifi channels http://android.stackexchange.com/q/13015/4403

another thing that could cause it to not see the network is if the network is using 802.11n. The galaxy s, even though samsung claimed that it supports 802.11n, it does not. If you can switch the AP to use "g" as the "default", you might be able to see the AP.

@phunehehe: Add as answer (not just comment)

It was indeed Wifi channels (as per phunehehe's comment) - setting the router to use band 11 suddenly brought the access point back into being detectable.  Excellent.

Note: Only channels 1-11 should be used, using 12 or 13 might render your network "invisible".

@bigbadonk420: that advice is valid on the US, users on other country should check local regulations on which channels should be used in their country.

I don't live in the US and networks on 12/13 have disappeared for me multiple times, so I just tend to avoid them.


text:
Phone not mounting as a drive when "Connect USB storage" is clicked
I have a Samsung Galaxy S, using the default firmware (version 2.2).  It is configured to select "Mass Storage" when plugged in via micro USB.
When I plug the phone into the cable, I receive the "Click here to connect via USB" button.
However, when I click it, the phone thinks for a bit and then tells me that it's connected; yet Windows makes no mention of it and the drives are not accessible from the computer.  It has worked in the past, but has apparently decided I am no longer worthy or something.
I have rebooted both the phone and the computer with no change in behaviour.
What am I doing wrong?  Is there something obvious I've missed?

Yes I used to have this problem, where the phone connects once and then again I connect and face the same problem as you, then again I restart my phone and it is ok. This happens if you disconnect your phone with out ejecting the drive properly, one remedy is reset. But mine is ok after a few times, hope yours will be too.


text:
Is it possible to use the GMail "Call Phone" functionality on Android without Google Voice?
I'm outside the US so don't have access to Google Voice.
On the GMail web page, if you enable chat, you can see a "Call Phone" option which allows you to call land line phones from the web page.
Is there any way, to make use of this functionality to make outbound calls on Android?

I haven't been able to get it working in the browser, I'm assuming it and/or Flash doesn't have the necessary functionality.  Maybe a third-party client would work.

Yeah I have a feeling you have to install a plugin to get it working in the browser on the PC. I was thinking a 3rd party client too but can't find one.

It may not be the ultimate approach -- but you probably could use Clipboard Dialer (left picture) to achieve this:

This little tool enables you to extract all phone numbers from what ever text is in your clipboard. It will present a list of all numbers it finds giving you an easy way to call, SMS or create a new contact.

So as long as the numbers are visible on the screen, you could copy them to the clipboard -- and then let this tool kick in. Or, using the same principle: CopyNDial (picture to the right):

Dial from everywhere browser, message apps


text:
How to install vanilla Android OS on Kindle Fire?

Possible Duplicate:
How can I install vanilla Android on the Kindle Fire?

I have a Kindle Fire device and I want to install the vanilla Android OS on it.
Please help me how to flush out the original ROM and how to install new vanilla Android on it.

Do you have a custom recovery currently installed, or the stock one? Also, do you really mean "stock" in the sense that you want the original ROM that came with the Fire, or do you actually want a "vanilla" (unmodified) Android install?

I actually want vanilla(unmodified)android I have the Custom Os on my Kindle with version 6.2.1_user_3103920

Rooting the Kindle Fire (necessary for installing a new system, see tutorials below)
Installing CyanogenMod on the Kindle Fire (I guess it is pretty much the same with other Android systems)
Installing the Android Market on the Kindle Fire (may also be helpful)
! Warning !
The Kindle Fire is known for having hardware compatibility issues with systems other than the pre-installed one!

"Stock" usually refers to the ROM that ships with a device (as in, the ROM it was "stocked" with by the manufacturer). CyanogenMod would typically be referred to as "AOSP" or "Vanilla" Android.

I am sorry for this, it should be better now.

I updated two of your links to point to our local questions here, hopefully that's OK.  We want information to be as self-contained as possible and avoid link rot.


text:
Is it possible to modify files on sd from PC without unmounting?
Motivation:
As I currently got started to put some media (music,ebook,etc..) I need to organize (add,modify,move,rename) files often but also see if the android apps are still recognizing my files properly.
As file transfer and organization is much faster on PC I plug in the USB cable and do what I want. Unfortunately android unmounts the sd memory so my apps e.g. Gallery wont be able to see the data. So I have to unmount on my PC and then nasty long media scanning takes places, and finally I can see the files within android. What me disturbs is the tedious mounting/unmounting process.
Question:
Can't I just simply alter files on sd memory over USB/Wifi or whatsoever while leaving the sd memory mounted? That would be awesome.

Ahh, I should have known, ssh is the solution. Therefore install an ssh server e.g. SSHDroid then you should usually have sftp and ssh to your phone. As command line tools like sed echo and basename are available even renaming is really easy :D.
The really great thing is you even don't need a wifi around, you can make your own with wifi thetering and SSHDroid will still work, though you have to disable the presence of a network in its options first.
You don't need to root the phone.

You can use adb (android sdk) to open a shell from the device on your computer. You can connect over wifi or via a usb cable (wifi is a little more complicated then using the usb). Root is not required.
Once set up you open a command window and do adb shell then you have a shell from your device.

Yes, SSHDroid states to give me a adb shell too, while root is also not required. Furthermore SSHDroid gives me the possibility to transfer files easily via sftp and sshfs. But thanks for your note.


text:
Clockworkmod sd-ext partitioning + link2sd mount = Where is my ext partition mounted?
HHi all...
I am desperately trying to locate my sd-ext partition in android terminal...
Where is it located?
Or, if the location changes from smartphone / rom...
How can I locate it?
I've tried fdisk -l without luck (the command doesn't exist in android)

It's in
/data/sdext2
Now I just need to understand how to mount it manually.


text:
Battery Problem in Samsung Galaxy Tab GT-P7510
I have a Galaxy Tab 10.1 (GT-P7510) with Android 3.2 and I have the following problem:

I can´t turn on the tablet. I tried all the different ways with the power button, pressing 5, 10 , 100 seconds, nothing happens.
If I plug in to the power the tablet shows me 100% of the battery charged.
The only way to turn it on is with the tablet plugged into the power and press the power button plus the Volume +, then in the Android system recovery I have to choose reboot system now.
If I unplug it the tablet shuts down.
If I plug it in to the USB port the tablet doesn't work because the USB port doesn't have enough power to turn the tablet on. The tablet only turns on with the wall power supply.

I tried with the factory default in the Android System Recovery option, nothing happens.
Finally, the tablet shows fully charged when it's working and gives me the message "Battery full charged, please unplug the charger" If I do it the tablet will shut down.
Can anyone help me?
Is it possible that I have to calibrate the Battery? How can I do it?

This sounds like it could be a hardware issue. If it's still under warranty you may want to take it in for repairs or an exchange.


text:
How to track device locations in an office

Possible Duplicate:
How can I make my phone/tablet ring remotely without a SIM card?

There are many Android devices in our office which we use for application development and QA.  Finding a particular device is sometimes necessary, but requires walking around asking who has it.
Is there some way to track where a particular device might be in an office environment?  Either an app on the device or some way to listen on the computer it was most recently plugged in to (via ADB), for example.  Hopefully something with minimal user interaction, otherwise nobody would ever actually do it.
I haven't tried anything specific yet.  Just looking for ideas on which way to go.  I'm pretty sure GPS is not nearly accurate enough for such a setting, and that's the only real idea I've had.

Assuming these are phones, have you tried just ringing it?

Unfortunately, we don't have phone plans for all of the devices.  We only have a few SIM cards which get swapped out as necessary.

Phone-grade GPS definitely won't be accurate enough.  This sounds more like a people/process problem -- you should have a signout system.  adb devices gives per-machine names, I believe, so that's not overly useful.

Do you have Wi-Fi connections active on these devices? If so, you could create a service that allows a remote web application to cause the device to chirp/make a sound similar to a ring.  That web application could contain a list of phones and potentially even allow you to checkout devices etc through the same interface.  Not an entirely trivial solution, but you could probably whip something up in a day or two.

Well, this is the best solution I've seen so far.  I hadn't thought about having the device make a sound.


text:
Why isn't Clockworkmod Recovery "Sticking"?
I've tried multiple times to flash ClockworkMod recovery onto my unlocked Galaxy Nexus (LTE\CDMA variant "toro" build) device. Each time I can boot into recovery and ClockworkMod displays. However, if I completely reboot my device (boot into Android and then reboot), when I try to run recovery, my phone shows an android with a red exclamation point and refuses to boot. I've tried flashing from both Linux with the fastboot tool as well on the device itself with ROM Manager. ROM Manager reports that ClockworkMod 5.5.0.4 is flashed.
What am I doing wrong?

I had the same problem and I found the solution is to rename a file in the system folder:

remount /system in read/write mode (use something like the Root Explorer app or ES File Explorer; both have root modes (check the app's settings) for remounting /system as writable)

rename the /system/recovery-from-boot.p to /system/recovery-from-boot.p-bak

(note: you could delete it, but renaming is much safer since its easily reversible)
you could also do this manually in an adb shell or on-phone Terminal session:

mv /system/recovery-from-boot.p /system/recovery-from-boot.p-bak

after you've renamed the file, you might have to re-flash your CWM if it had been missing previously

http://androidforums.com/galaxy-nexus-all-things-root/470831-how-all-things-root-samsung-galaxy-nexus.html#post3712027

The logic here is that flashing a known working recovery every boot reportedly keeps the phone operational. shrug

The problem is that once you have flashed CWM recovery, the recovery-from-boot does not actually work, so you can't boot into recovery at all, you just get the annoying red triangle of doom.

The so-called "annoying red triangle of doom" is the stock recovery. In older versions you could enter the stock recovery menu using volume-up + power.  Post-ICS the stock recovery doesn't have much that it can do, and later devices and versions have a "dumb" version that requires external commands or instructions from an OTA, without any manual on-device interaction possible.

@greg in other words you need adb to handle the old-style stock recovery? and is this only with the stock nexus ROM or do all ROMs (including community ones) do this irksome auto-flash-recovery-on-boot?


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

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

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

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

I've actually contacted Samsung about the fact you can still factory reset devices even when there encrypted, they said they would let the "hire up" security team know. Otherwise, just dont lose your phone or anyone could reset it like its new!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


text:
how to prevent accidental factory reset in android?

Possible Duplicate:
How can I disable or password protect my device's 'factory reset' function?

is there any way to prevent the factory reset? like password protection? I basically need to protect my phone from resetting when it lands on thief's hand.


text:
How can I control a list of applications in "Share" pop up in Android built in browser?
I'm using Android's built in stock web browser (Froyo 2.2 if it matters), and when I choose "Share page" from the menu, I get a list of like 15 different apps.
Of those, I only ever use 2-3, and 99% of the time I use Gmail, which happens to be near the end of the list.

How does Android browser compile that list?
Is there a way to:

Control which applications appear in the list?
Sort the list the way I would want to?

The phone is rooted, so I'm perfectly fine if the answer is "Get a file from filesystem in this location and edit its contents".
Also, I don't necessarily need the answer to be 100% permanent - meaning, that if installing an application update will re-add the app to the list, I can live with that.

This list is generated (on every boot) from the installed apps that have registered themselves with the system to handle this function.  The only certain way to remove an entry from this list is to  uninstall the corresponding app.
You can try de-compiling the app, removing the share intent from its "manifest.xml" file, and re-packing it.  However, this will most likely cause issues with Market updates because of signature mismatches.

Is the data read straight from the app's manifest.xml file? Or copied to some central DB?


text:
How do I set Wi-Fi sleep policy to Never on Froyo 2.2 Droid X without Advanced Wi-Fi Settings menu?
I've encountered the following instructions on a forum about battery drain

Set Wi-Fi sleep to Never in the Settings > Wireless & Networks > Wi-Fi Settings > Advanced >Wi-Fi Sleep Policy menu.

However, my Droid X (Stock rooted Froyo 2.2) doesn't have "Advanced" option in "Wi-Fi Settings" menu!
How do I set Wi-Fi Sleep Policy?

possible duplicate of How do I keep my wi-fi on in sleep mode

Not a duplicate. The answer to that question mentions an "Advanced" option, which the OP says is missing.

Those instructions sound incomplete. You need to press the Menu button on the Wi-Fi Settings screen. Advanced will be in the menu.