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Security options grayed out
I have my mobile phone (Samsung Galaxy S2) running on ICS. Recently I activated Microsoft Exchnage ActiveSync to connect to my corporate email. It disabled all the security options like 'Pattern Unlock'. I hated it, and removed my microsoft active exchange account from the phone, but these options are still disabled. How do I get it enabled?

This is a guess, but give it a try. Settings, Security, Trusted credentials, User, and remove anything connected with your corporate e-mail.

@CraigStuntz: I cleared all credentials from security settings..still doesn't work.

As a last ditch effort, you could try this:

Use Titanium Backup to backup all your Apps + Data.
Reset the phone to factory defaults.
Restore all apps and data except for Activesync.

This will definitely fix your issues.  Question is, "Is it worth the effort?"

Just an idea, have you tried doing a full reboot of the phone?  I have been guilty of overlooking the simple solutions before. :)

Yup..rebooted at least thrice after changing various settings..I would really hate to reset to factory defaults..I will still play around with it sometime to see any other solution exists.

Reset the phone to factory defaults and restored..Nothing else worked. Thanks.

Had issue that "None", "Slide" and "Face unlock" were all greyed out.
Went to Security->Clear Credentials and all options became available.

Now, what to do when "Clear credentials" is greyed out.

Okay, stab in the dark, but try this:
From the home screen, press Menu ->Settings->Location & Security->Select Device Administrators and look for something related to the Exchange account, most likely Corporate Sync. You should be able to change settings/disable it from there.
I've never used an Exchange account, so I can't test this :/ But it looks from reading around (here) that this may be your problem, otherwise it may be forced Exchange settings as described on this technet forum.
Let us know if this works, or points you in a new direction!

It says no device administrators in that section :(

rough :/ so i would assume those settings were set by the Exchange servers your company had set up, I would try connecting the account again and looking for some settings within that account that could change things back

Try connecting to the Exchange server first, then delete the setting in Settings > Location & Security > Select Device Administrators, once you delete the settings, disconnect from it... this is a long shot... :)

Stab in the dark was right on target in my case. I am using Moto Razr ICS 4.04, though it deleted all exchange account contacts, calendar events and downloaded emails but I had already deleted my email account. My server policy requires a 6 digit pin with a change every month and the pin should not match last 12 pins...so losing all that info was still worth it.

This is already answered, but here is an alternative that does not require you to remove whatever credential/configuration caused this in the the first place.  After all, you needed the credential/configuration once and you will probably need it again.
This is probably caused by some configuration that installed a certificate on your device (such as a VPN profile, an exchange account, or secure wifi network). It could also could be caused by an app that has administrator privileges.
Here's the loophole: only the graphic interface for selecting these options is disabled.  I was able to get around this using third-party apps.  I used Tasker in combination with the free version of Secure Settings.  In Tasker ... New Task -> Add Action -> Plugin -> Secure Settings -> Edit ... then choose your options.  To make it take effect immediately, just press 'Run' when you get back to the Task Edit screen (looks like a 'play' button).
Please note:

This requires your phone to be rooted.
Encrypting your phone or SD card disables less secure lock options.  I am unsure what effect the method described herein will have in those cases.
This method retains the configuration needed access the culprit account/service, but circumvents its security requirements.  To use someone else words:

There is a specific reason why an administrator configures such a policy, and I would recommend it to everyone. If your phone gets stolen nobody will be able to read your company's email, which is a secret. Lots of industrial accidents occurred because employees lost their mobile devices (laptops included) with sensitive data not protected enough.

I suggest associating the Tasker task with a Tasker profile that is only activated in certain situations (for instance, when you are at home).

I recently ran into the same issue. After connecting to Exchange 2010 I was not able to reset back to a swipe unlock... even after removing the exchange account and clearing the credentials. Turns out that the policy of this Exchange connection required that you have high unlock security of a 6 character password including at least 1 digit and it encrypts your SD card (among other security features). I was not able to change back to the swipe unlock because the SD card was encrypted. At the time I had a 4 digit PIN (medium/high) as the security to unlock my phone, however the security was set to Password (high). Therefore I was able to get into my phone with the PIN, but not able to get to the options to decrypt the SD card.
To resolve the issue and decrypt the SD card I had to go through the Password security setup and create a password. After I created the password I was then able to get to the properties of "Encrypt external SD card" and uncheck the option to encrypt the SD card. Once the encryption was removed from the SD card I was able to change the unlock back to swipe.

Have you got VPN set up? - it requires it. I had VPN set up then decided i didn't it so after i removed the VPN (settings > other > VPN > long press > delete) the 'None' option for removing pin/password got enabled again

On a Galaxy S4 I had the exact same issue. Corporate Exchange policies grayed out all locks screen choices except password and pin.  "Clear Credentials" was grayed out.  After removing the Exchange account all options were still grayed out.  I had to go through the Password Security setup wizard to create a device password.  I then had to go into "Encrypt external SD card", even though I had no external SD card inserted, and turn that off.  I could then, finally, change my screen lock types (I chose pattern lock).  Took an hour of sleuthing, but this thread finally gave me the clues needed.  Thanks all.


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Deny the installation of apps or add new accounts (kiosk mode)
I have a tablet that I want to give to people to go on the internet, but I don't want them to mess with it (install/unistall apps, add new accounts, change relevant options, etc).
Is there a way to lock the device so that it can only be used to go on the internet?

SureLock promises this amongst others, see its entry on Google Play.
With Android's rapid development, this is however a rather quick moving target.
I suggest you search also for 'android kiosk mode' on Google or of course in the Play Store.
Besides this: There's already a question for that on stackoverflow:
Kiosk mode in Android

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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How do I know if my device is rooted?

Possible Duplicate:
How can I tell if I have root?

I am a noob when it comes to android.
I've read a little about rooting, but I still haven't figured out how to know if my device is already rooted or not (I bought it from a questionable store, so I don't want to just take their word for it).
I have a Galaxy S2, but I think this question is relevant for any android device.

I searched for a question covering this topic before I posted, but somehow I missed it. Sorry...

Don't worry - posting a duplicate is really not a bad thing unless the title and content of your post are really quite identical to the original (in which case a search should find it). Having duplicates with different wording will ultimately catch more search terms.

I think the best way to test would be to install an app that requires root access to perform it's main functions. Like ROM Manager, Wi-Fi Tether or most screenshot apps. They will require root and notify you if you do not have root access.

if you have adb access, you can go to "adb shell". if you see # on command line then you are rooted, $ if not.

Check if you have application like superuser or superSU installed, and launched it.
you'll see.

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


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Google Play Music limit amount of space it can take on SD card
Google Play Music has the tendency to totally fill up my SD card with cache files for streaming. Now I do like this as 3g connection when travelling can be flaky and this way you minimise re-streaming of music you have recently been listening too (so unchecking this option in the settings is not a solution).
Problem arise that Google Play Music is taking up all available space which leads to other applications (Evernote in this case particularly) to complain about having not enough space on the SD card (total free space at the moment is 95mb but this still leads to Evernote shouting warnings/errors).
Is there a way to limit an app like this for the total space it can take on the SD card?

I've the same problem, so I suppose it is still not fixed. Am I right or is there any way to set the limit?

Nop, haven't found away so-far to get this sorted/fixed!

Unfortunately, there is currently no way to limit the size of the cache for the google music app. People have been asking for it since it came out though, so hopefully it appears in a future update.

Ok, pity! I was hoping for maybe even a more global android wide solution.... It anyway looks like development for Google Music app is extremely slow :(

I'm actually surprised by the lack of development for Google Music. It's a great service that is a big plus for the Android ecosystem and really fits in with Google's everything in the cloud mantra so I thought they'd be really focusing on it. Hopefully, there are some improvements with JellyBean.

An alternative until Google gets their act together is to use an cache clearing app like Clean Master (I have no affiliation with it). You can set up an app like this so that it will automatically remind you to clear your cache, whether it be by date frequency or by size.


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Remove time-wasting prompts like "data network mode will be deactivated"
I've just upgraded a Galaxy S2 to ICS and when I now toggle data network mode by long-pressing the power button I get these time-wasting prompts like "Data network mode will be deactivated. OK/Cancel?". Any way to turn them off?

No. However, you can use an app like Widgetsoid and then create a custom widget which when pressed will toggle a number of options like brightness, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2G/3G and of course mobile data.
This will happen without any confirmation dialog popping up.

yes, but it's usually quicker for me to use the power button and touch the ok, especially from the lock screen or another app..

You can configure Widgetsoid to show the widget within the notification dock slider as well, so that would work from almost all apps as well. If you use WidgetLocker lock screen, the widget may be placed on the lock screen itself. Other than these methods, no easy way, to my limited knowledge, of removing the prompt.


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Root and then unroot afterwards?
On my device, I have a bunch of stock applications. Some of them I don't need. Some of them are outdated. Here's what I want to do:

Root my device.
Uninstall all my unnecessary apps (no changing of roms).
Install the updates that my other stock apps need (like Facebook). Note: I meant I want to overwrite where the older version will be replaced. This is a common problem with stock applications. You can upgrade them but the older version is still around (possibly because of lack of root access), thus eating up unnecessary internal space.
Add some more other apps.
Secure some of the newly added apps so that they are uninstallable when I go back to being unrooted.
Unroot the phone.

As you can probably tell by now, I just want to overall change the applications on my phone. I also want to secure some new applications that I will be installing (e.g. make them act the same as the Facebook app wherein I can't uninstall it unless I have root). I don't want to install another rom, I don't want to overclock or anything. I just want to change the phone apps then return it back to being unrooted and be on my merry way.
Is this possible?

Absolutely. Well...almost. Just make sure you set the partition from rewritable to read-only once you're "unrooted". However, once you are unrooted, binaries like su and the SuperUser apk will in all probability removed, so you will in effect be dropped to a lower privilege level. This will have the side-effect of having the apps installed in the system partition as being uninstallable.
A workaround is to remove/uninstall apps from the system partition, remove root and then add the apps as user apps - this will ensure that they can be updated in the future without the need for root.

I was also wondering about that. Some of the apps such as Titanium backup, will it work if I install it while I'm rooted then I unroot the phone with it still being installed, will it still function the same way? Or is root really needed by it as well as other apps?

@ShedoSurashu. No. I've done it once (by mistake). Titanium asks root permission at every launch. If superuser is not available titanium can't works (or works with very limited features, I don't remember if it closes without root).

You haven't mentioned which device you're running, but as an example Siyah Kernel on my S2 can restore/unrestore root with a reboot. Perhaps there's a kernel or an app that can restore/unrestore root access easily for your device.


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Screenshots with ICS are 0-byte long
ICS does seem to take screenshots successfully on the Galaxy Nexus, but the files are all 0-byte long in "My Computer\Galaxy Nexus\Internal Storage\Pictures\Screenshots".
Has someone seen this? What's wrong?
Thank you.

They show up fine with my Galaxy Nexus attached to Win7. What PC/operating system type are you using? Have you got your phone set to Media Transfer Mode? (to check press the USB icon in the notification bar while connected to check).

Thanks. Yes, it's in MTP mode, and I can see a list of files but they're all zero-byte long. It's on XPSP3.

Did you check the files locally on your device (e.g. with a file manager, or whether they show up correctly in the gallery app)?


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Is there a way to index and search all data on my phone?
After taking a look at my options, I settled for Android-Sync to sync the Nexus with Outlook.
One of the issues I have, though, is that Android-Sync in its Notes and Tasks applications doesn't support...

autocompletion
last modified date

...which means it's a pain to locate items and it forces users to scroll down the whole list and try to find the item they're looking for.
Is there a way to index and search any data on the phone, even apps that don't ship with the Nexus by default?

App recommendations are off-topic per FAQ.

@Flow: Looks like the question has been edited to ask for a solution rather than an app.

Is there a missing link between the introduction and the actual question?

@Flow - I am interested in the reasoning behind no app recommendations, if you can elaborate? Isn't this just asking for a solution, where - like most other questions - there could be more than one?

The close reason is "too localized" not because it's a off-topic app recommendation (which it is not as it stands now after the question got edited).


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change phone properties so I can download an item from Google play?
I have a Huawei u8160(A.K.A Vodafone 858 Smart) which had an original Froyo ROM , Now it's upgraded to CyanogenMod7.2(Gingerbread) and even after upgrading Google play apps are the same exactly.
I was wondering if I can change the properties of my phone so that Google play would understand that I'm running Gingerbread?

Which apps are you expecting to have new versions?

i don't know but goomanager before and after upgrading wasn't compatible but after i installed it manually and it worked

The apps will not just change when your version changes. All Apps have a minimum API Version which is required to use the App. So if your apps all have a minimum API version of e.g. Froyo and there is no special version for gingerbread all will stay the same.
The Properties of the android version cannot be changed, only if you compile your own system and write a different version number in there. But this will not solve the problem of the API Versions: If you Fake an Android 4.0.3 with 2.3.6 Real System Version, some Apps will probably not run because they need to have API Version 15 and not 8.

when i compile an api 10 app using eclipse it runs normally while Froyo's API is 8

as long as you dont use API Calls which are only in 10 it will work of course

here's something: an app called photo art google play on pc tells me "not compatible" while it's already installed it and google play phone says it's compatible so that's what i want to do i want to update the information on their site

okay i dont see any chance to change it... when your google play store on PC does not get the correct information from the phone i hardly belive its not possible at all to push it manually... the market protocol was sometime ago reverse engienered but still then alot changed and i dont know if someone checked it out again... can you install still software from the PC market?

maybe you can just tell the support: https://support.google.com/googleplay/bin/request.py?contact_type=contact_policy&policy=apps but the problem will be that you are not using a google android version...

I'm able to install any app that was compatible with the old version of my phone that was froyo


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micro-usb headset on android 2.3
I have a samsung galaxy ace which I am trying to setup to work with a usb headset. The problem is that the usb headset has a micro-usb connector and my phone does not seem to be recognizing it at all.
I only need to use the headset to activate a phone call. I do not need to hear any audio from it, I just need to be able to press the 'phone' button on the headset and have it answer the phone.
I've read up on the android developers guide and it seems as though a passive usb headset must be communicated with in host mode. It also says host mode is only available on android 3.1+
I was wondering if anyone could tell me if there is any way to get this to work? using the specific speaker output port is not an option.

I believe this is impossible.
The headset requires power from the device. Android versions before 3.1 state that they can not support powering the usb bus.
From the developer guide:

When the Android-powered device is in host mode, it acts as the USB host and powers the bus. When the Android-powered device is in USB accessory mode, the connected USB hardware (an Android USB accessory in this case) acts as the host and powers the bus.
USB accessory and host modes are directly supported in Android 3.1 (API level 12) or newer platforms. USB accessory mode is also backported to Android 2.3.4 (API level 10) as an add-on library to support a broader range of devices. Device manufacturers can choose whether or not to include the add-on library on the device's system image.

unless there is a custom android OS that supports usb host mode, I believe what I'm trying to achieve is impossible


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Disable auto formatting of period in SMS?
When I type a domain like example.com, Android automatically formats it like this example. Com
Is there a way to disable this?

Try going to settings->Language and input
figure out which keyboard is active and look for the settings page for that keyboard.
Look for settings like: "predictive text", "auto punctuation", and "auto capatilize" If you have any of those settings ensure that they are turned off. Once you've done that test again.
If you wish to use some of these features it may be worth it to try flipping them on one by one and figuring out which is the actual culprit that is breaking your links.

I tried them none works although I do not have an "auto punctuation" option in my Froyo.

are you using the samsung keyboard or the stock system keyboard?

Well, there is no other keyboard than Samsung, it's the stock. I am using 3x4 keypad format.


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What is the difference between USB charging and AC charging?
I've recently got hold on an HTC One X  having moved from an HTC Desire.
I noticed that my One X charges very slowly when connected to the USB socket on my PC, whereas the Desire was comparatively fast. When charging the One X from the supplied AC adapter the charge is very fast. So, I purchased a new Mains Adapter to keep in the office.
However, when connecting the phone to this mains adapter the device still says Charging : USB under the battery status tab and it isn’t as fast as I thought it should be
So, is there some difference between the supplied AC adapter and this third-party one I have purchased? Presumably the power supplied s not as high or is there something more?

I would guess the one connected via USB isn't giving off power more than the direct AC. That's the case as well for my Xperia so I assumed it's a normal thing.

To charge at the maximum rate, the charger must identify itself as a charging device by shorting two middle USB pins. This is in the USB specification. Proper chargers come like this. Other chargers can be modified to short the pins together.
I have personally modded a Griffin USB car charger in this manner. Before the change, it would charge in "USB" mode. After soldering together the two pins, the phone charges in "AC" mode.
One caveat: I have not done any tests to see if this changes the charging rate, but it certainly charges quickly after the mod. Everything I have read about this phone says that it will only pull 500 mA in "USB" mode.
References:
Wikipedia entry regarding USB charging spec. Look for the words "Dedicated charging port."
Amazon user review with instructions for modding a certain car charger.

Is there any reference that says they follow the USB.org charger spec?  Apple, Sony, and HP do not.  Do all HTC phones?

In fact the charging time depends on two points:

the output current of the adapter or the USB. The output current of the PC is only 0.5a, it may charge slowly than most of the AC adapters (most of the AC Adapters are 1A or more).
the input current and the charging convert rate of the phone. Different phones have different input current due to Limited current protection for them. For example, the limites current for Nokia is 0.5a, the input current is only 0.5a even you use an ac adapter with 1.0a output. Beside, the charging convert rate is also different according to the models.

Thank you. This suggests that there is a difference in power output between the third-party AC charger I am using and the HTC branded AC charger that came with the device. The third party says it outputs 1000mA, so presumably this will still charge faster than plugging into the USB socket.

@Rob: No, it will still charge at the slow speed. In "USB" charging mode the phone will only pull 500 mA.


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What is this VPN setting good for?
I have a Huawei U8160 (also known as Vodafone 858 Smart) which is running CyanogenMod7.2
There are settings for VPN which are empty. I was wondering if the VPN server setting should be set to a real server?
Or should I just not touch it?

Enter your server's detail.

i don't know i'm asking

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're asking here. It sounds like you may need to simply read some tutorials/documentation about how VPNs work or how to set one up for yourself. That's a bit out-of-scope for this site, if it's what you're looking for.

i've a simple question : does vpn server must be a real one?

What would be the counterpart to a real VPN server be?

I think you stumbled upon the VPN settings and just want to know what it is?

If I'm right here, maybe this question should be edited  to ask 'What are those VPN settings good for?'. Wouldn't that be a legitimate question some unaware (of VPN) users might ask?

@ce4: Sure, I'd think that "What are the VPN settings for?" is a perfectly fine question. OP: I'm still not clear on what you're asking. As Flow noted, what would be the alternative to a "real" VPN server? What would you enter into those settings otherwise? Do you actually need to set up a VPN or are you simply asking what those settings do? Please try to clarify.

Its not an Android issue.. So, I am voting to close.

A VPN is a virtual private network.
Your device connects to a VPN server through a public connection and tunnels a second virtual and private (to you) connection through the VPN server to see all devices that are protected behind the VPN server (such as a company's whole network infrastructure for example).
This feature is mostly used for road warriors that want to connect to a company's internal network resources like email / internal web sites and so on. Other uses are: Securely connect two different company sites virtually, working from a home office...
It's generally not for normal users (Cyanogenmod includes it for some power users that also connect to a VPN).
See Wikipedia for more.
Regarding your question: Leave the setting empty, you just don't need it most probably.


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What determines whether something requires wifi vs network internet traffic?
Most tasks can be done using the network's internet connection (3g for me) like uploading photo to facebook or downloading a new app. But sometimes I end up having to wait to find a wifi connection to say, upload a video to youtube or download a game for my Xperia Play.  Why do these tasks require wifi?  Are these software restrictions placed by my provider?

Most apps do this now to protect the user's mobile data usage. Knowing that most data plans are limited (200 MB a month, in the case of my roommate), developers prevent users from, say downloading a 45 MB game from the Play Store/Amazon App Store via mobile network, as this would not be beneficial, seeing as it would take almost 1/4 of your data and would take a significant amount of time and battery. Same goes with uploading.
Most apps do this as an option, though some (in the case of the Amazon App Store) will block you completely from performing these actions without Wi-Fi. But no, this is not an issue with your carrier. I have Sprint (and unlimited data) and I am still forced to download certain apps and upload pictures through various services only through Wi-Fi.
NOTE: I have found that some apps that prevent Wi-Fi-less downloads (i.e. Amazon App Store) allow me to do these on my network as long as it is over 4G. If you have this option, try it and see if it works for you as well!

Most of the time it's because Battery Saver Mode is on. 3G is (often) slow compared to Wifi, so it takes a lot longer to complete large downloads and drains the battery a lot more. Turning battery saver mode off will allow you to download via 3G on many phones.
Another possible (app-specific) reason is that it just uses up too much bandwidth and wouldn't be practical on a limited-transfer 3G connection; if this is the case there's not much you can do about it.


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Close app as opposed to letting it run in the background
I'm not sure whether this is a Galaxy Nexus question or an ICS question, but here goes:
Suppose I'm using some app and then I move to the home screen, rather than shutting down, the app is left to run in the background. Is there a way of exiting an app such that it gets closed upon leaving it rather than being left to run in the background?

Would someone also be able to clarify whether this is an ICS or galaxy nexus question?

This is really a question about Android in general, and is based on a misconception of how Android handles background apps. Check out this XDA post for a nice explanation of why processes sitting in memory in the background really aren't a bad thing. You should only worry about exiting/force-quitting/killing an app if things start misbehaving.

Usually, holding/tapping on the BACK key should "exit" an app. Of course, the best way is to use the Exit button if an app provides it.
THat's how one would gracefully "exit" from an app. In order to force an exit or kill it, you'd best look at a Task Killer and forcibly kill the process.

On the galaxy nexus, "holding/tapping on the BACK key" does NOT kill the app.

Correct - note that I said gracefully exit and NOT kill. In order to kill, you need a task killer.

In AOKP ICS ROMs, and a few other's I have used, there is an option that you can enable that will allow you to kill (close) an active app by holding down the Back button. I do not know if this was a feature of ICS or the CM9 ROM family, but I will let you know if I find that out.


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Problem syncing MS Exchange after ICS update
After updating my T-Mobile Galaxy SII to ICS last week my Exchange account no longer will sync.  I have gone through the process of establishing it as a new account several times both with a T-Mobile tech and my organization IT tech.  It appears to get stuck at the point of downloading and I get a which screen with a circle in the middle and the word Loading underneath.  Nothing comes in: email, calendar or contacts.  When I try to send an email it gives me a connection error.
It worked fine before the update and my wife's phone, an unupdated twin, continues to sync with no problem to the same exchange server.
Does anyone have a solution to this?


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Flashing an official Samsung galaxy tab kernel
I have a Galaxy Tab 10.1 (GT-P7510) with Android 3.2 and kernel 2.6.36.3 installed. I'm building a customized kernel using Samsung's official kernel source code for research purposes. I do not need to install any third party hacks or do fancy things. I just need to flash my own kernel to test it on the device.
I have been searching around the web for a clean way of flashing a modified Samsung kernel build on this device, but I'm not able to make sense of the results I'm getting. I'm not sure if my device has an unlocked bootloader or not.
Would anyone clarify how things work with regard to flashing a new kernel?
Thanks a lot..

First off you will need to root your tablet. This is relatively easy, especially with the galaxy because it's so popular. Head on over to the XDA Forums (www.xda-developers.com) and navigate to the galaxy 10.1 section. This youtube video also will do it for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krQDP7xYlWg
BE CAREFUL. Follow the steps exactly. You don't want to brick your device.
After that, you'll have ClockworkMod. So first things first: zip up your kernel, then copy it to your device. Most of the time, tablets require sd-cards in order to install things from recovery, so pop in an sd-card and copy the zipped folder here.
Then, reboot into recovery (turn device off, then hold up volume button and power at the same time). You'll want to wipe your cache partition and davlik cache first. Once this is done, go to install zip from sd-card, find your folder with the kernel, and that's it!
BEFORE YOU DO THIS, do a backup of your current system, just in case your kernel really messes up your device. Hope this helps!

This is great answer. I'm going to try this and see what happens. By the way, will I be able to use the kernel from Android's open source or I should stick to Samsung's kernel?  Thanks a lot.

what files from the kernel source need to be in the zip file?

I would stick to the Samsung kernel. That way you can be sure your firmware will still all work correctly (you don't want your wifi to suddenly not work anymore). I've never made my own kernel, so I can't tell you that, but it should be on the XDA forums. I'm guessing you include all the files needed for building the kernel.

I'm replacing zImage in a working kernel image with my custom zImage from my kernel build and it looks like working.

good, glad its working out for you, let me know what the final outcome is

I'm trying to test if my custom kernel is really the one that is running. I used kernel manager pro to flash it and it flashed it with no errors.. but I'm still suspicious about it. Do you know if there is a clear way to test it?

It should tell you what kernel you're running in settings->about phone->kernel

Update: My kernel is not installed. Actually the issue is more complicated than I thought. I had to install it through recovery. Once I install it, the screen goes scrambled! No one is answering me on xda-developers either :P

Woah. I'm not real sure what that means... I would maybe post this as another question, I'm not going to be able to help you out much with this one. The only thing I can thing of is your kernel isn't decoding the picture that's on the screen correctly. Are you using the samsung or the android kernel?

I'm using a stock Samsung kernel.

What did you do to the kernel to change it?

Very minor changes. Putting a few printk to see if my kernel is up. I have not really change it yet. I'm starting a new question on this.


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Known issues when installing official google ICS on Galaxy s2
I know Google issued out an official ICS rom for the Nexus S devices and I'm wandering if the same rom (or any other Google official variant) will properly work on my Galaxy S2 or will there be any notable issues?!
I'm asking because I'm quite fed up with the Samsung's stock roms (both GB and ICS) and I really want to avoid 3rd party roms such as CyanogenMod.

It's probably not too hard to adapt for example the CyanogenMod build procedures for the S2 to use plain Google sources, but I haven't tried.

Unfortunately, that's not how it works :/
Though we would all love the official ICS versions rolled out to the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus devices, they are designed specifically for the hardware of those phones; thus is the nature of Android.
So, if you want something similar, the only way you will be able to get it is a 3rd party ROM. The only official OS versions for each phone are the ones rolled out by each provider, in your case, Samsung.

I was afraid of that, Samsung do roll out nice devices, but they stuff so much garbage and bloatware in them it's painful.

If you like Samsung hardware, I'd recommend getting one of the aforementioned phones (Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus) if you're getting a new one soon. They are Google's brainchildren, but Samsung produces them.

In the end I've found a rom for the S2 compiled from the source code FOR THE Nexus S and it works like a charm :) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1601518


text:
Toshiba Thrive, changing system font
I am currently running the Favum 1.1 ROM on my toshiba thrive, and I tried to use Font Installer to install a new system font. For some reason the font will install, but the actual font on my thrive won't change even when I restart and wipe the davlik cache. Is there any way to change the system font?
I can't find the system/font folder anywhere either.

In GB 2.3, the fonts folder is located in /system/fonts, how it works is this, for a font face, it copies the fonts to the original droid fonts names at the same time retaining the pre-defined font names in place.
In my rom, I have this, from adb shell,
sh-4.1# cd /system/fonts
sh-4.1# ls -l
-rw-r--r-- root     root         4824 2012-06-13 16:49 Clockopia.ttf
-rw-r--r-- root     root        86784 2012-06-13 16:49 DroidSans-Bold.ttf
-rw-r--r-- root     root        74656 2012-06-13 16:49 DroidSans.ttf
-rw-r--r-- root     root      3725920 2012-06-13 16:49 DroidSansFallback.ttf
-rw-r--r-- root     root       119380 2012-06-13 16:49 DroidSansMono.ttf
-rw-r--r-- root     root       185228 2012-06-13 16:49 DroidSerif-Bold.ttf
-rw-r--r-- root     root       190304 2012-06-13 16:49 DroidSerif-BoldItalic.ttf
-rw-r--r-- root     root       177560 2012-06-13 16:49 DroidSerif-Italic.ttf
-rw-r--r-- root     root       172916 2012-06-13 16:49 DroidSerif-Regular.ttf

Notice how the names are retained but are in fact Roboto fonts! :)
Sounds like the fonts are installed into a different name in which the ROM is not picking it up. For example, suppose the font's name is 'MyFont.ttf' and that gets copied over, but is not copied into 'DroidSans.ttf'... just a guess.
BTW, what Android is that ROM you're referring to?
Edit: It has been ascertained that this is Honeycomb (Android 3.2.1). Do the following:

Plug in cable to Toshiba Thrive
From command line, issue this, adb shell ls /system/fonts
Select all the text of that output, copy to clipboard, and go to http://www.pastebin.com and create a new paste, paste in the contents and it will create a linky for everyone to see, put that linky into the comments below and will look at it :)

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.

I use Rom Toolbox for this. Swipe left twice to get to the Interface section and chose Font Installer. If you're rooted, you'll see the new font after a reboot/hot restart.

That still didn't change the font... I granted it superuser permissions, installed a font, the restarted. Still no change.

hmmm.. a conundrum. Perhaps Favum ROM uses fonts from a different than default location? Will look..

Or maybe I could add a font folder..?

you probably have to locate the existing one.

Have you tried actually looking for font files .ttf, etc? By issing find / -name *.ttf in a shell?

I have not, will try that now


text:
I get no ping repsonse to my phone. Why?
I went to www.whatsmyip.org and got my public IP address for my phone.  Just for kicks and grins, I tried to ping it, but didn't get a reply.  Is ICMP turned off on my android phone?

Was that the same IP address your phone had locally? If not (which is very highly likely), you're behind NAT and won't get unsolicited packets.

Either your phone silently drops pings, or the router it's behind, either your wifi router, or the 3G network's router that NATs your phone drops them.

It is very likely that the provider's network and the phone's configuration itself both block incoming connections of any sort, except any that the provider specifically wants open. +1

Your phone can have a lot of different IP's on different interfaces but that one is not yours. It's internet gateway of your mobile operator.
If I'm wrong consider the point of describing to customers why they should pay for some pings or face the hell of ICMP incapsulation of freebies masters.

Not entirely sure what this answer is saying, but it seems to have originated from a very naive idea of what IP addresses are and how they are assigned and used.


text:
Has anyone flashed an Android build (i.e. a Crespo build) onto a Nexus S phone manually before? How does one do this?
I need to find a way to manually add in the system.img file of the Crespo build for Android onto a Nexus S phone.
Has anyone flashed a Crespo build image (I think it boils down to a system.img file) in a way different than the manual?  Such as flashing to the device directly on a Windows 7 machine?
I cannot use the commands as found in the directions at http://source.android.com/source/building.html, such as "$ adb reboot bootloader" and "$ fastboot flashall -w" given that my Android build tree exists on a virtual machine (made via VirtualBox) that resides within a server computer (I can access this via RDP and VRDP, though VRDP isn't quite working at the moment to allow me to use the local USB ports of my remote computer).
(A relevant and linked question I have just asked which is also making figuring this out for myself very difficult and if anyone can answer that one as well that would be helpful:  https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11090473/how-to-get-nexus-s-version-4-0-4-icecreamsandwich-to-register-as-a-device-on)

It's possible to inject your system.img into a previous nandroid backup done from clockworkmod and then restore that backup with the new system.img.
Prerequisites:

Installed clockworkmod recovery
desired system.img saved onto sdcard
do a fresh nandroid backup

To install the new system.img:

boot to recovery
create a nandroid backup to let's say /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/[currenttimestamp]/
replace /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/[currenttimestamp]/system.img with your new one
compute the md5sum of your new system.img
update the md5sum in the system.img line in /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/[currenttimestamp]/nandroid.md5 file with the value from [4.]
restore your altered backup
if needed, do a wipe

These sites also proved quite helpful in learning to manually flash a ROM to an Android phone device, in case anyone ever has to that him or herself:
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Nexus_S:_Full_Update_Guide
http://wiki.yobi.be/wiki/Android#Restoring_.28most_of.29_factory_ROM_.282.3.3.29_with_fastboot
The first is particularly useful for learning some critical "./fastboot" syntax and the second one is primarily useful for learning that to flash a complete Android system, you must, after backing up your old one, flash the system.img, recovery.img, and boot.img that are created from the Android code buidling process.
Note:  From my quest to learn how to do this, I learned there are actually many ways to actually flash to your phone (including the solution presented by ce4)


text:
How can I disable shortcuts from being created after install from Google Play?
I own a Galaxy S2 with the Samsung ICS stock, and I've noticed when I download an application from Google Play (Market) it installs it and automatically places the app shortcut on the first free space it finds on the launcher front.
Is there any way to disable this feature?

Open the Play Store, go into its settings, and uncheck the 'Auto-add widgets' option. The option also applies to shortcut auto-creation (which makes the name rather misleading).

thanks, didn't knew shortcuts were technically considered widgets

@svarog: I think the name of that option is just misleading for some reason, although I suppose it's possible that they are considered "widgets" by the system. I actually don't know if they're technically widgets or not.


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How to bypass lock screen in Cyanogenmod 7.2
I set up my phone to use a gesture based unlock, and told it to hide the unlock button.  Now the gesture isn't working and I can't get past the lock screen.  For the standard Android lock screen, there is a feature whereby if you enter the wrong pass code 5 times, you can press a button to enter the username and password of your Android account to reset the lock screen.  Is there any way to do this, or any other way to bypass the lock screen on Cyanogenmod 7.2?  I have adb shell access to the device.

I'd think it would work similarly provided that you have the Google apps package installed (as described in Recovering from forgotten lock pattern). Is that option unavailable to you?

That's correct.  The Cyanogenmod gesture lock screen has no such button available.

Havent tried yet, but search for 'lockscreen adb settings.db'. best answer i found: http://rootzwiki.com/topic/8576-cm7-disable-lockscreen/

Right idea, slightly different method.  See below.

The answer to this question is hideously complex.  It requires ADB set up on your mobile and PC.  Cyanogenmod enables adb on the device by default.  Instructions for setting adb up on the PC can be found here.
With the phone connected to the PC, using a command prompt go to the directory containing adb, and start a shell.  On my system the command to do this is as follows, but it may be different on yours.
cd "\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools"
adb shell

You will then get a prompt consisting of a single # if all is well.  Enter the following command:
sqlite3 /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db

The prompt will then change to
sqllite>

Enter the command
select * from secure;

This will produce a list of parameters.  The one you are looking for will be something like:
440|lockscreen_gestures_disable_unlock|1

The number on the left hand side is an <id> which varies from phone to phone.  The next command is then
update secure set value=0 where _id=<id>;

So in this example the command would be
update secure set value=0 where _id=440;

Reboot the phone, and the unlock button will have returned and you will have access to the phone again.

Not that complex.. but good to know.

@user606723 - Given the time between the questioner asking the question and answering it themselves I can only guess that while the answer doesn't look very complex, it took some considerable time to work out that relatively simple solution. Shame that you weren't around earlier to answer the question sooner.

@MarkBooth, obscure would be a much better adjective. In fact, hideously obscure would be quite accurate. :)

On my Cyanogen 7.2 device I also had the key 360|lockscreen.lockedoutpermanently|1 which needed to be set to 0.

@Mark Complex would be having to compile a modified version of the framework and pushing that. This is just plain obscure.

That key doesn't exist on android 5.1 (CM 12), so I set lockscreen.disabled to 1 but that didn't work.

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/22142940/set-lockscreen-to-none-programatically helped me unlock my device :)

Here's how I cleared the screen lock password on my phone running CyanogenMod 11:

Boot into TeamWin (or other adb-enabled) recovery,
Connect the USB cable on the computer, then perform:

sudo -i
adb -d shell
mount /data
cd /data/system
rm gesture.key
rm password.key

reboot

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


text:
Vibration Intensity
I have a Galaxy S2. This morning it sent me an alert saying that I could get an update, so I did. Ever since then the phone isn't the same. It works fine; the only thing that is different is that the lock screen is different and it has a long vibration when I receive a text message. I can't tell the difference between a call or a text message. It used to vibrate only twice but I don't know how to change it back to that. How do I change it back the previous behavior?

You should be able to go into settings->sounds and change the vibration intensity along with what vibration pattern is used for calls and text messages.
If this doesn't work, there is an app called Custom SMS Tones on the market, download that and you can change your SMS vibration patterns. It just won't work for e-mail.
Hope this helps!


text:
Maintaining apps and setting of one device in sync with another
Is there some way of passing on settings and apps from one device to another on a regular basis?

There is no way I know of to pass on settings to one device or another unless 1) They are the same model of phone and 2) Both phones are rooted. You can back up your current system settings using ClockworkMod backup if rooted, then flash that onto the other phone through ClockworkMod as well. This will share all your apps you had at the time of the backup.
As far as sharing apps, your google account will transfer your apps from phone to phone. Just sign in with your google account and re-install from the app store. You don't need root access to do this.
For either option, to use most paid apps you need to be signed in to your google account when you use them, otherwise they won't work.


text:
Enabling WiFi Monitor Mode on HTC Inspire 4G
Is it possible to enable WiFi Monitor Mode( promiscuous mode ) on HTC Inspire 4G? Or is it possible on any android phone?

I had an android for a long time before I got my windows phone (still prefer android), and I used an app called Network Monitor.
Here's the link to it:
http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/tools/network-monitor_biuf.html
I had a htc inspire as well, and it worked perfectly.

OP want to turn on promiscuous mode not monitor wifi usage.


text:
I can't connect wifi tether network with tablet
I used wifi tether application to share internet connection in rooted xperia x8 android 2.1 version. It is work for my laptop.
I can connect this network correctly with my laptop. But I can not connect this network with another android phone or tablet.
Because this network does not appear in another android phone or tablet. What setting should I change?

Most likely, your X8 is broadcasting the wireless network in ad-hoc mode rather than infrastructure (AP) mode. Android does not natively support ad-hoc wireless connections, which is why your tablet cannot see or connect to the hotspot.
Your options depend largely on the state of your devices. If your phone is rooted then you can try a custom ROM or kernel that is built with support for infrastructure mode. XDA's X8 sub-forum would be a good place to start looking for a ROM/kernel that suits your needs. Custom ROMs may list infrastructure or wifi tethering support in their features, though you may have to skim the ROM's thread as a whole to find out.
If your tablet is rooted then you could try to find a wireless module that has been built to support ad-hoc mode. There are modifications for many mainstream tablets that will enable this functionality, usually consisting of a patched version of the wpa_supplicant binary that would need to be installed on your device.
If neither device is rooted then there is probably not much you can do. You may want to look into other alternatives, such as perhaps Bluetooth tethering.

The wifi-tether app supports running in infrastructure mode.

Make sure you have the app called wifi-tether (Not wireless-tether or anything)
Use of this app requires a rooted phone and netfilter compiled into your kernel (which may or may not come stock)

X8's stock kernel doesn't come with netfilter included, sadly.


text:
Auto-rotate setting disabled permanently on Toshiba AT100
About a week ago, the setting for auto-rotate on my Toshiba AT100 (running stock 3.2.1) got permanently disabled somehow, and I am unable to change it. It says it is "on", but the setting is grayed-out, and the screen does not rotate with the device.
Does anyone know how to re-enable this setting?

Based on this do you have some switch near volume button? If yes, try changing it.

I'll try this when I get home!

Bahh, I feel like a wooper now, but it works! Thanks @roxan :)


text:
Where does Voice Actions store my "Note to self" recordings?
I've been messing around with Android's Voice Actions. I tried recording various jibberish notes to test it out. However, I noticed that with each "Note to self" that I send to myself, the attached .amr recording has a suffixed number. For example, RecordedMessage2.amr, RecordedMessage3.amr and so on. It therefore occured to me that the recordings may have been saved on my phone and thus, the reason for the increment. I tried looking for those files via OI File Mnager but failed to locate it. Can anyone help me figure out where it's being stored? I'm not rooted btw.

When I did the "Note to Self", I was sent an email with the attachment (I assume this is the function, I've never used it before!). The attachment is the *.amr file that you can then download, and it will save it to download/RecordedMessage#.amr.
After some searching, the original file is stored in phone memory, not external, at /data/data/com.google.android.voicesearch/files/RecordedMessage#.amr
Note that you could not find this file because you weren't rooted, I used File X-Plore and did a search in the entire Root section to find them.
Note: If you would like to delete them:

with root: navigate to the aforementioned folder and delete them with your favorite root browser or adb
without root: from the home screen, press Menu, select Settings then choose Applications->Manage Applications and select Voice Search from the list. On the app info page select Clear data. This will delete all data associated with Voice Search, including any recorded "Notes to self", but keep in mind, it may also erase any data recorded to better results on a user-by-user basis.

Is there a way to delete them though? Surely they couldn't have made it a one-sided approach wherein data only gets written and not deletable.

@Shedo updated my answer, see NOTE


text:
Internal and External SD card paths on Optimus 2X
When running the stock Optimus 2X ROM my "internal" SDCARD was mounted at /mnt/sdcard and my external SDCARD was mounted at /mnt/sdcard/_ExternalSD
I have now installed CM7.2 and the "internal" card is now mounted at /mnt/emmc and the external SD card is mounted at /mnt/sdcard
As a result, my restored apps (via Titanium) are looking at /mnt/sdcard for files that are at /mnt/emmc
My questions:
1) why do the two ROMs treat the cards so differently?
2) the stock LG way seems "better" as the "internal" card was actually being used by apps, now it's tucked away at /mnt/emmc how will it be used?
3) what's the ideal way to resolve my "apps looking in the wrong place" problem?
a) just copy the files from /mnt/emmc to /mnt/sdcard?
b) something else

This is a small bug in cyanogenmod. You can mount /emmc to /sdcard/external_sd by folowing command:
 su
 mount -o bind /mnt/emmc /sdcard/external_sd

You need to install a terminal emulator (e.g. Android Terminal Emulator) in your mobile for excuting command. It's 100% working.

This is a simple guide, howto fix the emmc Bug on Cyanogenmod.
1.At first install Rom Toolbox.
2.Open Rom Toolbox and scroll Down to Scripter and open it.
3.Click on add and make a script named "Emmc bug"
4.Put " busybox mount /mnt/emmc /mnt/sdcard/external_sd."into the Command field and save.
5.Press on the created script and check run on Boot.
6.Reboot
Also you can look at this post(useful)


text:
Can't mount sdcard from Recovery Mode/Clockworkmod

Possible Duplicate:
Why can I not access the cyanogenmod zip on my sd card?

I'm trying to install a custom ROM on my rooted Galaxy S2, I've been following this guide:
http://www.theandroidsoul.com/android-4-0-4-for-galaxy-s2-i9100-flash-the-f1-galaxynexus-rom/
I've placed the rom inside an external sdcard, entered Recovery mode (clockworkmod CMW-based Recovery) and clicked "install zip from sdcard" then "choose zip from sdcard", after that the console presented me with an error "E:Can't mount /sdcard/".
The sdcard works fine and I'm able to read/write from/to it without any issues.


text:
How can I use passthrough/reverse-tether on the HTC One V with Ubuntu?

Possible Duplicate:
How do you set up internet pass-through (reverse-tether) on linux?

I read that the phone needs to be connected to HTC Sync, thats not available for Linux. Has anybody been able to do a passthrough?

Create wifi hotspot in Ubuntu and connect your Android device with this..

I cant make a hotspot. Using 12.04. Phone cant detect the AP.

Look for how to create hotspot in Ubuntu 12.04. Ask at superuser.com if necessary.

There are several Q&As already available here which probably help you in getting started. The probably most usefuls include:

How do you set up internet pass-through ( reverse - tether ) on linux?
Use USB as network access for an Android device ( reverse tethering)?
How to set up reverse tethering over USB?

There are also some apps available on the Playstore which could prove helpful, e.g.:

Reverse Tether (requires root)
USB Reverse Tethering (requires root)

As far as it looks to me, reverse tethering alsways seems to require root. Also, if your computer just provides ad-hoc network -- without root (and some special tricks) most Android devices are not able to use that.


text:
Is there a workaround to add recently *used* apps to my recently *launched* apps?
If I long press home, I get a list of the last six apps I've used, but if I open a web browser from another app (eg. by following a link in Tweetdeck or email) the web browser never shows up in my recent app list. This seems to be expected behavior -- I'm wondering if there is any workaround to this.
It comes up in answers to other questions:
Why does Google Talk never appear on the "Recent Applications" list?
Why isn't gmail listed as a recent app when I long-press the Home button?

I think you'd better ad a tag for your OS. The recent apps behavior in ICS is completely different.

Done (gingerbread)

Alas, most probably the answer is: No.
Reason: Android's App model.
An app exists of rather loose coupled components (Activities here) that may be launched independently from each other. Only when the main activity is launched as a separate task an entry in the recently launched list is created.  Other apps can also launch an external activity (of another app) that does not count towards that list then.
This happens mostly when you dont launch an app from the launcher:

You click a notification (missed call, sms, calendar event, ...)
An app opens another app (twitter app -> browser)
follow a link in an sms -> browser
select an image in an app -> open in gallery
open youtube from a browser link
...

All those 'opened' apps count as part of the opening app and not as a separate instance (most likely)
I answered a similar question here: Function of back button after opening URL from (Twitter) application
Info about the underlying architecture: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/fundamentals/tasks-and-back-stack.html


text:
My Android device has been splashed/soaked by (sea)water
My Acer Liquid got wet with seawater. I didn't notice that right the moment, but after an hour it made a couple of vibrations and the screen doesn't turn on. Connected to power and nothing happens, no LED lights and it does just nothing. Trying to turn it on doesn't give any result.
Is it gone forever? Can I try anything? Can I make it repair?

The information below will help, but there is now additional information on rice baths and using water vs. alcohol to clean electronics. Please read more from iFixit for more detailed information.
DON'T ATTEMPT TO APPLY ANY POWER

Separate the phone into as many parts as you can (i.e. take the battery out, back cover off) without taking screws out.

Cover the device fully with dry rice. Try three days, this gives the water time to evaporate, hopefully, aided by the rice.

Reassemble and try the device again.

If this doesn't work, there are a few more things to try, but chances are you're out of luck :/
IF YOU WISH TO BE EXTREME, or have spilled corrosive material (soda, juice, etc.)
Note, I have a friend that has done this successfully several times, and even though it sounds scary, it has worked for many people:

First, take out the battery

Second, check to make sure you took out the battery

Next, submerge the phone (without the battery) completely in  deionized water (distilled should be fine). Leave it there for 24 hours.

ALTERNATIVELY: washing the internals with 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol will clean the device just as well, and evaporate much quicker, without the need for a rice soak.

After waiting such a time, remove the phone, scrub the board with alcohol to remove any corrosion,  still, do not replace the battery and cover it completely in dry rice for three times (or a week, to be safe) the amount of time you had it in the water

This process should clean the inside of your phone and hopefully remove any salinity, and should not harm the phone as long as there is no power applied to the device, i.e. the battery

I would not leave the phone in water for a day or two. This sounds like it'll create more problems than it'll solve. I would do the same thing except leave it in there for 30 minutes max.

I edited it down to 24 hours. I know it sounds psycho, but I've seen it work wonders, and have a friend that has done it to several devices, and has never been unsuccessful. I did title the section appropriately ;)

I dropped my MP3 player in the ocean once. Afterwards, I took it apart, washed it in the sink, and let the pieces dry on a bit of paper towel. It worked fine, and I used it for another year (until I upgraded).

Tried this. After just drying no signs of life. After I disassembled everything (screws boards etc) and soaked in water for 30 minutes. After that I dried the phone in rice. It kinda worked after that, but still I will buy a new phone.

how long did you dry it?

What if the battery is not removable ?
http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/47898/what-to-do-when-mobile-gets-wet-and-the-battery-is-not-removable

This answer is a myth. It's pseudoscience. https://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/Don%27t_Put_Your_Device_in_Rice._Here%27s_Why...)

24 hours in water is insane.  You need to rinse off the salt, not saturate the device.  This should take seconds.

Literally insane. But it's worked. After reading LateralTerminal's link though, I may modify the answer to include cleaning with alcohol. This being said, as iFixit also points out, cleaning with distilled water (as stated in the answer) is also acceptable, though it will take longer to evaporate - hence their preferred use of alcohol.

It sounds like you're screwed at this point.
However, this is what you should do if you happen to drop an electronic device in salt-water:

Immediately remove all battery and power sources and do not reconnect them for several days and after following the steps below.
If the exposure is quite high. (ie submerged in salt water for several seconds), then you will want to flush the device with distilled water. OR if possible, disassemble and clean all electric surfaces with alcohol.
Dry the device by surrounding it in dry rice for 2-3 days. (And maybe put it near something with ambient heat)
Only when confident the device is dry, should you reapply power.

The hope here is that when it shorted out the first time, it didn't damage anything.
Attempting to apply the power while device is still wet will certainly cause damage.
Salt water is known to cause damage, and therefore it might be best to try to flush the salt out with distilled water Or disassembly if possible. (Water itself will not cause much damage unless electricity is applied during the process.)

This is the correct answer. The saltwater needs to be flushed out completely with distilled water and then the distilled water needs to be flushed out with technical grade 99.9% anhydrous alcohol. A desiccant is going to work faster than the rice, so use a desiccant and dry the phone completely.

Rice does not solve water damage.
(Source: iFixit)

When we put a phone in rice, it is the same thing as doing nothing. It
  just FEELS like we're actively trying something. Corrosion is instant
  when a phone hits water. Sometimes the corrosion hits important
  components, sometimes not. If we resist turning the phone on until it
  dries on the counter, in the rice bag, or anywhere else, sometimes we
  get lucky. If we had the phone in the rice bag, we think the rice
  saved the phone. But it didn't! Even if the phone seems to be working,
  it will have oxidized solder joints that are weakened and brittle.
  Corrosion will continue to spread inside the phone. We have done
  nothing but experienced temporary luck.

You have to take it to a repair shop that has an ultrasonic cleaner or follow the advice from iFixit.

What you want to do is first displace the water—or more specifically,
  all the conductive stuff in the water. You can do this best by using
  90%+ isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol and a toothbrush. Open your device as
  soon as you can, take out the battery, and get scrubbing. Submerge the
  whole motherboard in alcohol, and scrub away. Only then, dry it and
  see where you stand.  This is your best strategy for liquid damage.

-

You'd be hard pressed to find any experienced professional in the
  repair industry that doesn't roll their eyes when they hear the word
  "rice." We see the sad result of phones/devices that have been
  carefully placed in the Mahatma bag with fingers crossed.

How is rice supposed to remove this damage? Imagine even rubbing the rice on the circuit board. Would that do anything? NO. So that's why putting your phone in a bag of rice would NOT help.

Chip after rice cure (click to enlarge)

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


text:
Personal Dictionaries
I use swype beta on my galaxy nexus (ICS). When I type some word that is not in the dictionary, swype prompts me to add the word to its "personal dictionary". However, even after I go along with that, the word does not get added to the system's underlying personal dictionary and so I get a spelling error indication which prompts me to add the word to the system's "personal dictionary".
Is there a way of avoiding this two-step process. Is there a way of configuring swype to use the underlying personal dictionary?

No.
Swype, just like other similar keyboard apps use their own dictionaries. The spelling correction, and the underlying dictionary that you're referring to was added in 4.0 and none of the 3rd party keyboards apps integrate with it just yet.
At this point we need to wait.


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Motorola Triumph - how to decrease internal memory (clear log files)

Possible Duplicate:
What can I do to manage my phone's internal storage?
Something is secretly eating up my tablet memory and I need help finding it

I am wondering if there is a way, without root, to analyze the details of the internal memory on a Motorola Triumph and clear some extraneous (if they exist) log files. Many thanks in advance.


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Root Motorola Defy XT
I am still trying figure out how to root the new Motorola Defy XT. It runs Gingerbread 2.3.5. Can someone help me with this? Last time (many years ago) I rooted a phone using Z4root however, as I read on the net now, Z4root does not support this version (of Gingerbread).

There are a few methods that exist presently;
This website offers a .zip file that contains a "one-click-root" type file, that you simply run while your phone is plugged into the computer to get it rooted. As usual, you will need to make the appropriate backups of your data.
XDA also has a how-to that is a bit more involved and uses some adb commands which will require the SDK. You will have to download the file on the page and then follow their method:

Put the phone in Debug Mode: Go to Settings > Applications > Development and check USB debugging box.
Extract the files from the zip below, connect the phone via USB, and copy them to the phone via ADB like this:
Code:
adb push Superuser.apk /sdcard/Superuser.apk

adb push su /sdcard/su

adb push busybox /sdcard/busybox

adb push exploit.bin /data/local/tmp/exploit.bin

Now we enter the phone's internal shell, also using ADB:
Code:
adb shell
Then we take advantage of the "fake" root exploit:
Code:
cd /data/local/tmp
chmod 0755 exploit.bin
./exploit.bin
Now after that last command you should be back to your normal console, not the phone one, so we need to connect to it again, and doing so we should now see that we have root permissions since the "#" symbol is displayed instead of "$".
Code:
adb shell
Now we mount the /system partition as writable and copy the necessary files there, and set them with the right permissions:
Code:
mount -o rw,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
cp /sdcard/Superuser.apk /system/app/Superuser.apk
cp /sdcard/su /system/bin/su
cp /sdcard/busybox /system/bin/busybox
chmod 4755 /system/bin/su
chmod 4755 /system/bin/busybox
mount -o ro,remount -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
exit
Restart the phone and check if you have ROOT in a terminal by typing the "su" command, or by installing any other app that requires ROOT, and seeing it the SuperUser app pops up.


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Enabling Wi-Fi disables 3G service  (ZTE Warp running Shinjitsu 1.5b)
I just started using this ZTE Warp (on Boost Mobile) yesterday. I rooted and ROM'd it with Clockwork Mod and Shinjitsu 1.5b (1.5.1c and 1.5.1c-beta2 did not work, for some reason).
Everything is pretty awesome so far, but whenever I enable Wi-Fi, I lose all 3G service - not just data, I can't send or receive calls or texts - the phone says 'No Service'.
Any ideas? I'm pretty new to Android.

Just disable wifi. I have 1.5.1c Beta 2. Look for ccrusher1 on the forum, and message me if you need more help.

Alright, thanks. I don't mind running without Wi-Fi, but it's nice to have, as I'm replacing my iPod Touch and cellphone with the Warp... so I use it as a mini-tablet and media player, too.

Well, I went over to the Android forums and asked... apparently, it's a known bug in all overclocked versions of Shinjitsu. I installed the non-overclocked kernel (as an update.zip from the SD card, with Clockwork) and it's been almost two hours and everything is working perfectly!


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Issue with Touchpal Contacts
I just downloaded the Touchpal Contacts app to my Galaxy Nexus (ICS). Under Settings->Contacts and Lists, I have 'Contacts without phone' unchecked, and, indeed, the contacts displayed are only those with phone numbers associated with them. Yet,  when I use the provided search bar to find contacts, it brings up all contacts even those without phone numbers. Any advice?
If it's relevant, my contacts are coming from Google Contacts.

That would seem to be by design, no? You're only displaying contacts with phone numbers. It doesn't necessarily follow that those are the only contacts being synced.


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Can I use (via wifi only) my original VZW Droid without a voice or data plan?
I have a situation similar to Can I use an Android phone without an Internet access plan? but with one key difference, I don't even want to use it as a phone. Just a PDA.
I have an original VZW droid, the phone powers up and I can start apps etc; however, I cannot even connect to WiFi (it tries and fails with an error that just says unable to connect, try again). Is this a limitation of the phone being not activated? I used to use this phone as my every day driver, but I've since upgraded to a new phone, but would still like to use this droid as a wifi web browser around the house.

Don't know why it would prevent you from being on Wi-Fi. Try putting it in Airplane mode then turning on Wi-Fi and connecting again?

@jlehenbauer Thanks. That sounds like a good test. I'll try that and report back.

stock motorola's usually want you to log into motoblur but apart from that it should just work

@ce4: The original Droid did not have Motoblur.

I use my Droid for wifi-based apps without any problem.   It's been off contract since last October.   Perhaps try a battery-out power off; if that doesn't work, try to forget your Wifi network and then re-add it.

Does your droid use a sim card? If nothing else works, try pulling the sim and see if that has any effect.

@MichaelKohne: VZW og Droids don't have SIMs.

Yes you can, there shouldn't be any problem for using your phone as PDA only.

There shouldn't be any problems using WiFi without having an active account on your og Droid.  There's a pretty good discussion of this same question on the thread "repurpose old android phone".

I had the same issue with my HTC Hero. Even though I could toggle Wifi on and off while in Airplane mode, it would fail to connect. Turning Airplane mode off solved the problem.


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Can I put an HTC flip clock on the lock screen?
I have an HTC One X and it has the typical HTC flip-clock/weather widget loud and proud on the home screen.
I don't really want it there because it's a bit bulky but it would be nice on the lock screen for when I'm just taking my phone out my pocket to check the time?  Is this possible?  I can find setting to customise the clock on the lock screen but, for some reason, the only clock that list doesn't include is the flip-clock I'm after!

Install WidgetLocker Lockscreen. It allows to add homescreen widgets on lockscreen.
Update:
HTC widgets can't be added to WidgetLocker, but third-party general widgets can be. So, install Beautiful Widgets app, first. It has exact HTC flip-clock alternative.

Thanks for your answer Sachin.  I'm new to Android.  Perhaps you can explain to me the difference between the clocks it does allow me to add and the one it doesn't.  Are these not all widgets?

@thehouse I am unable to understand what you are asking.. WidgetLocker Lockscreen allows you to add homescreen widgets on lockscreen. Flip-clock/weather widget is a homescreen widget. ICS (Android 4.0) has introduced drawer widgets which can't be used by WidgetLocker Lockscreen.

Default lockscreen of HTC sense doesn't allows you to add homescreen widgets. So that I am suggesting to replace it with WidgetLocker Lockscreen.

The flip clock is a sense widget that can be only added to the sense launcher. ( The Widgetlocker tutorial mentions this too). Also what are drawer widgets? ICS only added a new way to add them not a new type.

So it turns out WidgetLocker doesn't solve the problem.  I can put widgets on the lock screen but still not the HTC flip clock one

@thehouse Updated the answer.


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Arnova 10 G2 won't start
I recently got a Arnova 10 G2 in my workplace for testing. But unfortunately this device doesn't start up at all. I have charged it now for more than half a day. The Green led glows while I connect the charger. And sometimes I can see a home screen showing "ARNOVA" and that's it. It goes off. What could be the problem?

Most likely, the culprit is the faulty hardware. Send it back for replacement or repair, if it's still on the warranty. There's nothing you can do yourself.


text:
Any Android phones that don't support Bluetooth?
Does anyone know of any current Android phones that do not have Bluetooth? We are trying to test our application on phones that do and don't support Bluetooth, but having a tough time finding any phones that don't have it.
Any pointers to sites that may help me track this down would be appreciated.

I would guess that you can't find that on the general marketplace but instead, on knock-off stores where they sell cheap and highly low-end phones just so people can have the "Android experience". Typically, those phones aren't even supported by Google and probably runs Froyo.

why do you want to spend time testing your app on a configuration that is so uncommon you can't even find it??? Put your efforts somewhere else :) !

@Stefano, answers here suggest that there may really be no non-Bluetooth phones to worry about, so you're right it may be a moot point. We are trying to set our app permissions to the minimum needed and wanted to test this combination.

@BrianC sounds like a wise choice :) !

There's probably not a single one.
The reason is that initially (or still?) Google had requirements for handset makers if they wished to include the Google apps in their phone like: handset needs to include 3G, GPS, Bluetooth support (and probably more).
All recent phones will have bluetooth, so if you really find one without: It's probably outdated and runs on an old version of Android.
You might try an Amazon Kindle (that's really stripped down), but that has also no Google Apps, no GPS and no GSM and is a tablet.
Last resort if you really want to get one without bluetooth support:
Get a model with good CyanogenMod support and build your own ROM with bluetooth patched out (Seems like you do development, so you might consider this).
EDIT:
Here's the Android Compatibility Definition Document
You might find more information here why every device nowadays has Bluetooth integrated:
Due to the Oracle America vs. Google lawsuit some of the contracts ("Mobile Application Distribution Agreement") between Google and handset manufacturers HTC and Samsung were published:
http://www.benedelman.org/docs/samsung-mada.pdf
http://www.benedelman.org/docs/htc-mada.pdf

GSMArena lists several devices without Bluetooth, see my answer :)

@ce4 is there a place where I could read such requirements from Google?

They were secret initially however due to the Oracle America vs. Google lawsuit at least some of the "Mobile Application Distribution Agreement" contracts between Google & HTC and Google & Samsung have been published by the court: see the edited answer

Due to no licensing cost and cheap hardware, its difficult to find a smartphone without bluetooth.
To test your application, you can disable bluetooth hardware in any rooted Android device. To do this, use Hardware Disabler app. But, make sure you have selected correct driver of bluetooth to disable. To find correct driver of bluetooth, you can either Google or find it using Android Sensor Box app.

You should try the phone finder @GSMArena. These search results give you a list of candidates with Android and no Bluetooth -- according to the data available at that site. I'm not 100% sure if some of the results are just listed because it is unknown to the site whether they support Bluetooth or not, but it at least gives you a good start.

Wasn't BT one of the requirements (besides gps) to get & ship the phone with Google Apps?

That might be -- but who said all Android devices ship with GApps installed? One example you gave yourself, mentioning Amazon's Kindle (which does not ship with GApps for "some other" reasons). Neither were GApps part of the question :)


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Is it possible to use my SD card as ROM and my internal ROM as an additional RAM?
I've read somewhere that I can do some certain things to partition my SD Card specially to allot some part or all of it to trick the phone into thinking it's the "internal" ROM. For the life of me, I can't seem to locate that article anymore. I'm looking forward to rooting my phone and this has been on one of my to-do list once I get around to rooting.
The next issue I want to bring up is that, once I've achieved the above procedures, I typically won't be using my phone's original internal ROM anymore and was thinking if it was possible to allot that unused internal ROM as additional RAM. So in essence, my phone's internals will only be used as RAM and the ROM will be the SD card's burden.
That way, I can hopefully maximize my phone's usability. Can anyone shed some light on this?

I guess you mean "RAM" rather "ROM"? RAM: Random Access Memory; ROM: Read-Only Memory. Does not make sense to turn your SD into a ROM. In any case, what are you exactly trying to achieve?

@stefano He means what he wrote. For some reason (possibly historical) the internal flash memory is called ROM in the android community.

@RichardBorcsik , I am no expert of Android Community Vocabulary, but do you have any pointer to support your claim? To my knowledge, ROM is used mostly as a short for "ROM Image" - not for the Internal Memory itself as a whole. My personal opinion is that using ROM for Internal Memory is wrong and source of confusion. The internal memory is a Flash one, eg. (E)EPROM

Related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/9767/other-than-portability-are-there-any-other-advantages-or-disadvantages-to-sto

Calling the internal Flash a ROM isn't so wrong. There are /boot, /system and radio sections that won't be written to usually. Nowadays, real ROMs don't exist any more. Almost everything moved to Flash (NAND or NOR) since the late 80's (replacing (E)EPROMs).

@Stefano, I'm not sure how the term got defined but as far as I know, in the world of Android, RAM = the space where apps are while they are running; ROM = the internal storage space on the phone.

@ShedoSurashu I agree that RAM isn't correct in this case either, sorry I added confusion with that. Internal Memory still sounds much better than ROM to me. But hey, I come from a different world ;-) @ ce4 real ROMs indeed have almost always been write once or write few; still find confusing calling the internal memory a ROM. These are pointers I found: what is a rom, ROM and Kernel, and of course wikipedia

I think you are referring to a hack commonly known as "Apps-to-SD" (a.k.a. "apps2sd" or "a2sd" on some forums).  This is where you re-partition your SD Card to have an Ext2/3/4 partition after the main Fat32 one, and then use a custom ROM/kernel combination that allow moving certain parts of OS to that partition.  Namely, all 3rd-party downloaded apps, phone's cache, and in some cases app data and dalvik-cache.
Also keep in mind that as with all custom ROMs and kernels, this needs to be built for a specific device, so you will need to find a ROM with built-in Apps-to-SD support for your specific handset.
This trick does free up a portion of internal memory for use as RAM.  However, as with most such solutions there are many cons to be aware of.

SD Card needs to be re-partitioned in a very particular way (data will be lost during partitioning, so back it up.)
Speed rating of the SD Card will play a large role in the system's overall performance and stability.  Slower cards will cause delays in apps starting up, for example.
The phone will not be able to function if you remove the SD Card, since the 2nd ext partition is now used by the phone as if it was part of its internal memory.
Extra wear and tear on the SD Card from excessive writes.  Unlike the EPROM in Flash memory, the SD Cards aren't really designed for many write cycles, so as time goes on you will find the card wearing out sooner than usual.
Device will not be as stable.  You may see ANR (application not responding) messages more often, as even the fastest SD Cards are still much slower than the internal flash memory.
Data corruption on the SD Card is a real issue, and can render your phone inoperable, requiring a complete re-flashing of the ROM and loss of all data.  So have recent backups always, and preferably not on the SD Card itself.

Well, to be honest, I just wanted to make it so that all apps I install will be placed on the SD card. I'm sure you are aware that if I do the "Move to SD Card" approach, some parts of the app still remain on internal memory, (Facebook, for example, still leaves around 2 or 4mb on internal storage.) So I want to make it so that all applications I install will be contained on the SD, thus making my phone only limited by the size of the SD card. As of right now, I'm limited by the ROM so being able to move it all to SD would be a great since I can always upgrade to a bigger one. (32gb)

And also, I plan on using a class 10 microSD. Will that be of any good?

In that case I must refer you to this question: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/9767/other-than-portability-are-there-any-other-advantages-or-disadvantages-to-sto


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How do I remove delay between ringtones
My new Droid Razr, and Razr Maxx phones put a small delay in between each ring.  Some of the factory ringtones are designed to be a continous loop.  for example "medieval jaunt", "romancing the tone", and "Crayon Rock" are designed to be looped with no delay, and sounds odd with the short delay in between rings.  I saw I similar question from about a year ago, which there seem to be no answer, but that was someone with the opposite issue, of wanting a delay.  Thanks!

So the problem is on the stock ringtones or on the ones that you try to use?

Assuming you have one specific ringtone picked out: take the audio file and loop it yourself (using something simple like audacity) and make it the length of a ring (typically 30 seconds).

And apart from from setting the length, trim the low or silent zones which could be at start or end of the ringtone. You can preview it in Audacity itself by looping the play before transferring the file to phone.

Or some avconv action: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18552901/how-to-merge-videos-by-avconv


text:
Is there a way to create new files in Astro FM
Astro File Manager has a text file editor built right in. Is there a way to create new text files in the app and edit them directly in it?
I am not looking for other apps (I know they exist) - specifically if and how it can be done in Astro File Manager (or the Pro version if that has the feature).
I should clarify - I mean plain text - not rtf/doc or something.

In folder view can't you click Menu and select New?

Gives me a new directory, but not new file.

After looking through the Help file and through Astro quite a bit, alas, I believe the answer is no. While it does allow for editing, the only option for creation is Directory (Folder) creation, as you pointed out.
That being said, I think this would be an excellent feature, and might be worth suggesting to the developers.
I know you said you didn't want other apps, but to show one directly with the feature...
this is X-plore File Manager

While not quite it - this is a really well put together answer. I will examine X-plore FM as perhaps an alternative, and hopefully it will run on my device (a little underpowered as Android devices go). I will also make the suggestion.

You can copy an existing (save a blank master somewhere easy to remember) and edit that.  A little cumbersome, but effective.

well, astro is not designed to do so.
should you need to create / edit docs, you had better go for other apps, i.e. quick office pro, docs2go, etc.

Text editor != Word Processor


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What happens with the installed apps when you switch Google Account on a phone?
I am going to buy a new Android phone.
I would like to give my current one to my wife when I do this. She already owns an Android phone so she has her own Google account.
I am just wondering what happens if I switch Android account to my current phone. Will she be able to use the installed apps or only the ones she bought also?
Or does she lose the ability to upgrade the apps, but can she still use the ones already present?

You can leave your original account on the phone, and simply disable all the sync options (Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, etc.) to have the best of both worlds.  This way you'll retain all apps that you've purchased previously.  As an added bonus, your wife's phone will be able to use any apps you purchase with your account in the future.

Apps are linked to the account that downloaded them, but Android has adapted, and will recognize the apps that are installed, regardless of which account is on the phone. This means:

Your apps will not be deleted from the phone if you switch accounts
You will still be able to update apps
You will not be able to use any apps that were purchased through the other account. They will remain on your device, but most apps check for validation in the Play Store when they start, and will not allow you to run them if you have removed the account they were purchased in.

ALTHOUGH: You can use them if you leave the other account logged in on the device, they will just be managed by that account in the Play Store. You can switch accounts to manage apps for either by pressing Menu in the Play Store and selecting Accounts and choosing the account with the apps you wish to manage. Then choose My Apps from the Menu after you have switched accounts.

As said earlier, you could add an additional gmail account in addition to the existing gmail account and make it active for your Play Store access.
In case if you want to have just a new account and remove the old Gmail account, obviously you will lose all your data.
But if you want all your data, back up all your data and apps on the phone.
Because sometimes it will be frustrating to have whole of a lot of the old contacts and other stuffs that you dont need.
You can use Go Backup Application, the best backup app I have found so far for this purpose.
You can even restore your application with the its previous state, with all of its data.


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Galaxy S II - USB debugging not turning off
I have a Samsung Galaxy S II. Instead of Samsung Kies, I have installed MyPhoneExplorer to use for synchronization. This required me to enable USB debugging.
After I turn it off and connect Kies again, it still tells me I am in the wrong mode. Please note that:

I have made several tries, with reboot(s)
Even with debug off, when I connect a cable I get the "USB storage" screen
the only running processes are those that I cannot kill (system processes and some watchdogs, that existed while I could connect).
If I try to run MyPhoneExplorer again, it will then complain that no device is connected to USB (so Kies thinks I have USB debug on, and MyPhoneExplorer that I have it off...)

Is there a solution?

have you tried to reinstall MyPhoneExplorer?


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Performing key combinations in connectbot?
Does anybody know how to perform key combinations in ConnectBot?
Examples:
Ctrl+Z
Ctrl+F2
Ctrl+Alt+Del

The ConnectBot developers recommend Full Keyboard to issue keyboard shortcuts. But there are also other keyboards.


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Block unknown callers at work, but let them through if they try again
I have Tasker for Android but I don't know enough about it to be able to implement this.
I'd like this to occur when I am connected to a specific wireless network:
If someone phones who isn't in my contact list, reject the call immediately (straight to voicemail).
If they call again within a certain amount of time (say, 30 seconds) allow the call to come through.
Frankly, I can't even get the first one working. I know it's possible. The time thing is a kind of added bonus

First time I've ever heard of someone greylisting phone calls.  Intriguing.

Related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/17529/how-can-i-distinguish-important-calls

Have you tried browsing the Tasker's wiki? There are some good pre-made profiles there you can use.
The easy way to block calls with Tasker is described here:

Open Tasker, create a new Profile and name it "Blockr". Select the "State"
  context menu and the "Incoming Call" context from that menu. Keep this
  screen open and follow the instructions below to indicate which calls
  you would like to block on your phone.
Programming the Blocked Telephone Numbers
You have the option to enter a single number, multiple telephone
  numbers, any number that is not listed in your contacts, or any number
  that is not listed as a favorite in your contacts.  Any combination of
  the above options can be included in the blocked call list.  Multiple
  numbers are separated by the / symbol which indicates "or" in
  Tasker’s pattern match.  You can also use the * symbol to indicate a
  match with any number of characters in the telephone number to create
  area code (or country code) call blocks.  Here are examples of what
  you need to enter in the Caller field of the Incoming Call context
  dialog box in order to create each type of call block list:
To block a single caller with the number 123-456-7890 enter:
1234567890
To block two telephone numbers, enter the telephone numbers with a / symbol between them:
1234567890/1234567891
To block three telephone numbers, enter all three telephone numbers with the / between them:
1234567890/1234567890/1234567892
To block calls from individuals who are using a caller ID blocking feature enter the number zero:
0
To block calls from individuals who are not in your contact list, a pre-configured variable that matches all numbers in your contact list
  is used (C:ANY) with the exclamation point.  The ! indicates "not" and
  is literally interpreted as all callers that are not the number that
  you enter.  In this case, all numbers that are not part of your
  contact list:
!C:ANY
To block calls from both callers with caller ID blocked and those who are not listed as your contacts enter:
0/!C:ANY
To block a number of a specific caller and individuals with caller ID blocked enter the number, the / separator, and zero:
1234567890/0
To block calls from all numbers except for one caller, enter an exclamation point before the number of the caller that you want to
  allow.
!1234567890
To block calls from all callers except those who are in your favorite list, enter:
!C:FAV
To block all calls from an area code, use the * symbol to indicate that any number of characters can be matched following the first three
  digits (US area code) that you enter.  In the following example, any
  telephone number from the 123 area code would be blocked:
123*
Block all calls from two area codes.  Simply use the / symbol to combine the area code match in example 10.  In the following example,
  all calls from numbers with area codes 123 or 321 will be blocked:
123*/321*
Attach the Call Blocking Action
Click Done on the "Incoming Call" context window. Select "New Task" from
  the top of the "Task" selection window that is displayed. Name the task
  "CallBlock". Click the (+) button at the bottom left hand of the screen
  to add a new action.  Select the "Phone" action menu.  Select the "Take Call"
  action from the Phone action menu. Click Done Click the (+) button at
  the bottom left hand of the screen to add a new action. Select the
  "Phone" action menu.  Select the "End Call" action from the "Phone" action
  menu.  Click Done. Click Done again on the "Task Edit" window. Make sure
  that the green check mark is displayed next to the "Blockr" profile on
  the "Profile" screen. Click Apply.
Tasker will close and "Blockr" will begin
  to actively watch your incoming calls for those numbers in your call
  block list.  When an incoming call with one of the matched numbers is
  detected, the call is disconnected and your ringer is silenced.  You
  set the actions up to briefly answer and immediately disconnect the
  call so it is not sent to your voicemail.

You can modify these instructions to add another condition which checks the WiFi network you are connected to.

Is there a way to do it when your device cannot use the Take Call action?

Thanks for pasting the contents of the post; the source site is no longer operational. :)

You don't need Tasker. There is a dedicated App that does what you want: Harass Me

This does not block calls. It takes your phone off silent if you get 3 calls from the same number.


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Android 4 for Galaxy S Advance (GT-I9070)?

Possible Duplicate:
When will my device get the Android 4.0 update (Ice Cream Sandwich)?

Does Samsung provide an update to Android 4 for GT-I9070 Galaxy S Advance?

Both Techzek and Slashgear have stated (in semi-recent articles) that Samsung has not said if the device will get the ICS upgrade or not, and Samsung seems to be ignoring the issue judging by the amount of ignored questions on this topic in it's own forum.


text:
Unlock samsung galaxy s2 too many pattern attempts and failed to login in gmail account then reset
My samsung galaxy s2 is locked, after restart, I see following welcome screen only

Here was my fault :(

Exceed to many pattern attempts
Then system asked for associated google account and password. Lack of internet connection I was failed to  login.
Then restart the galaxy sII by thinking that I would have chance to give pattern one more
But no lack I see ' S(logo) Samsung Galaxy SII ' on screen. I can not nothing to forward

Please help
Thanks

Likely you will need to try a factory reset from Recovery mode.

Based on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szecTSVAWl8 I have following options 1. reboot system now 2. apply update from external storage 3. wipe data/factory reset 4. wipe wipe cache partition 5. apply update from cache
I choose 3. wipe data/factory reset and yes -- clear all user data
after reset I have same thing now luck :(

That's unfortunate.  Do you have a warranty?  You might want to send it in, if not you could try flashing the stock ROM with Odin.

I do not have warranty. have any side effect of flashing? Edit: I have tried 3. wipe data/factory reset + clear all user data again. NOW WORKS !!!!! thanks a lot Matthew Read

Great, glad to help.  Since we don't really know what happened here I'm going to go ahead and close this question.


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Repeated 'Force Close' and no signal - my device is unusable
I have an Android Galaxy S2, running CyanogenMod 7. I was normally using my phone, in a middle of using Waze while driving when suddenly I started getting 'Force Close' messages like this:

Sorry!
  The process com.android.phone has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again.

I get bombarded by these messages, for lots of different processes like com.android.phone, android.process.com.acore. If I try to run an app (in the milliseconds of intervals between these messages), they usually close immediately with their processes generating more 'Force Close' messages.
In addition, the phone has no signal at all.
Tried to find solutions online, but couldn't come up with anything other than trying to remove my SD Card, but that didn't help. Resetting obviously didn't help. I would appreciate any suggestion you can offer.

why are you still using CM7? CM9 has been stable for ages now.

Your mention of 'reset' is a little unclear, if it's:

You did a reboot and it's still broken:
it might be broken settings, but that's not easy to debug and fix manually
BACKUP via recovery first!
Do a Wipe Dalvik Cache via Recovery
Else, reinstall your current ROM & Google Apps, maybe this helps
See what adb logcat outputs during boot/runtime, maybe this sheds some light
(hacky, via adb shell) You can also forcibly rename /system/app/Phone.apk to Phone.apk.off and reboot, then do a backup of all needed stuff and then reinstall your rom & GApps
If all that doesn't help, consider wiping.
Titanium Backup Pro allows extracting backups from your saved Nandroid dump (from step 1)
Fully wiped and still not better:
has to be something different than settings, either a faulty Rom or a hardware issue
BACKUP via recovery first!
Install CM7.2 (see last sentence), wipe cache & dalvik cache via recovery

PS: CM7.2 is out since June 16, 2012.

Wiping caches is completely useless. Renaming the phone app can cause FC too.

Yes, renaming will cause that, but my recipe here 'to just use the phone to do a ti backup' is to render that apk inaccessible for the next boot (renaming does the job here). No FC's will happen from this the next start and you can calmly do all ti backup stuff that's needed

Ended up wiping and installing CM9.

mine was simple (droid razr), i unistalled root tools and i had a pulldown banner. i reinstalled root tools and redid my bannerand its fine now

Given that the OP didn't mention any of this, it seems extremely unlikely that his issue and yours are related.  Processes can crash for lots of reasons.

true mine was same problem just the file wasnt present, thanks tho


text:
Can "adb remount" be used on a stock phone (unrooted)?
Is it possible to use adb remount with a standard firmware and without having rooted the device? If not, is there another way to force the system to make /system writable without rooting the device?

I believe this is the purpose of rooting...

Wait, actually... while I'm installing an app, /system has to be unlocked, right? Because there are .apk files of all installed apps at /system/apps...

No, those are only the system apps.  User apps are stored in /data/apps/.

@MatthewRead: Oh, right.

even updated versions of '/system' apps don't overwrite their original versions in /system/app

Without root: No, for security reasons this command is only accessible for the superuser.
Standard firmware, rooted: Yes, if the partition you like to remount is not in a locked flash region (HTC calls that S-on/S-off)

Thanks. Well, I guess what I was trying to do won't work. :(