text:
How to offload browser audio links to background player for continued listening.
Is there an Android audio app that runs in the background and can have audio links offloaded to it (i.e. be the target of the intent) so the user can continue listening when the browser or foreground app that launched the audio link is closed? Or another way to configure this?
I'm on Jelly Bean and the built-in audio player sits in the foreground stopping the sound when I transition away from the foreground app.  For example, an MP3 podcast link.  The  issue occurs in Google Reader app too.

Is this a browse 'feature'?  Or, part of the 'design document' for Android app. design?  It seems odd that both browser and reader app. have the same issue.

The browser plays MP3s using one player and Google reader another but they both suffer me the same issue by not allowing me to leave the app without breaking the audio stream.

I have found BSPlayer to be able to play some internet audio streams in the background.
One unique (?) feature which also I liked is that it has an intent filter for youtube links, i.e. clicking a Youtube link will offer BSPlayer as a choice - unlike the Google's Youtube app, with BSPlayer you can adjust the playback speed - I found it useful for listening to lengthy talk-only videos and presentations where you need to quickly get the gist without wasting too much time.
ps. I'm not affiliated in any way is the app developers.

I've switch to using BSPlayer too - it's advanced, suffices all my requirements.

I finally came across ServeStream, a free app in the Google Play store. It offloads podcasts and the like nicely into the background while you continue to use other apps on the device.
One great thing about ServeStream is it's open source, so you can play with the code if you wish.


text:
Google Voice free calls on a Tablet
I recently bought a small tablet - a Samsung Galaxy Player. I've been using Google Voice to text all my friends for free. However, I would like to start being able to call my friends as well, and have them be able to call me.
I see on the Play Store that there is an app called GrooVe IP that allows me to do such a thing, but I would prefer not to pay $5 for this app. My goal, then, is to find a free alternative that works just as well.
I've checked out SipDroid - but I can't figure out how to use the dialer. I'm not entirely sure there is one. You see, there are billions of tutorials on the internet to help set up SipDroid on a "real" phone, but I only have a tablet with no calling capabilities, so I can't use the built in dialer because there isn't one. One thing I could do here is to find a third party dialer that works with SipDroid.
I have also looked at 3CX for Android, but I can't figure that out either. It assumes you have a VoIP Provider, which I don't, unless I can use the Google, which would be very nice.
So, in this case I have three questions:

Is there a free alternative to GrooVe IP that works just as well?
Is there a third party dialer that works with SipDroid?
How do you set up 3CX with Google Voice, if possible?

I only need one of these three questions answered, not all three.

You did see that there is GrooVe IP Lite, no?

Thanks, exactly what I was looking for. I should have thought to look for something like that.

Not sure if Skype is free, but it might do what you want.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Can over charging damage battery?

Possible Duplicate:
Does constant charging harm my Android cellphone?

Indeed, this is a duplicate of: Does constant charging harm my Android cellphone?
Just for the record -- let's say I leave phone charging for 8 hours, it will charge to 100% in 2 hours, so for the last 6 hours would be over charging.
I used dumb phones (Nokias) this way for years, and nothing bad happened. I did it few times with Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, but after I heard some rumor it could damage the phone I try to disconnect the phone once it reaches 100%. Yesterday after 5 minutes of over charging the battery dropped from 100% to 77% in few hours in pure stand-by mode (no net, no gps, no calls, nothing, just waiting for action).
No wonder I am now afraid of the battery life and also interested in getting facts. So far I found only just statements -- in case of iPhone "overcharging means no harm", in case of Android "oh God, no, it will ruin your battery".
So -- can over charging damage battery? I am only interested in facts (no "no/yes" answers please, explanation "why" is needed here) and/or also long-standing experience.
I am interested in this issue, because as developer I will connect phone to computer for longer than 2 hours, and charging is unavoidable.

@roxan, good call, I leave the question though, because it is better to avoid duplicates in future, than delete it, and repeat the scenario again ;-) I hope I don't get any negative points for that.

Don't worry this question will automatically get closed  once it gets enough close votes.

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


text:
USSD attack official notification
I have an HTC that is vulnerable to USSD attack. I am trying to tell the HTC helpdesk about this issue, but they tell me that unless there is an official news from android team about this, they will ignore the huge amount of articles from blogs and websites that talk about this.
There is any official android article about this that I can link to them?

https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=37982, star the issue and forward to htc...

Look at Full Disclosure for HTC response to such issues.  eg. http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2012/Aug/100

That's dangerously ignorant. I just checked today with a trustworthy site, and indeed, my Milestone² was affected as well. The source is known to be the stock dialer, so HTC phones are affected as well (at least unless they're running Jelly Bean already). I'd tell them to please give this statement in written form on company paper (with the HTC header), so you can go with that to some boulevard press to have it printed in the daily news. Maybe it's more convincing to them to read the fact there than in known reputable sources.
Meanwhile, the main issue is to get yourself protected. I recommend to install NoTelURL, which in its latest version runs on all Android versions from 2.0.1 up. I can vouch for the developer as a trusted person: he's a member of the AndroidPIT community with high reputation. Having this app installed, all USSD actions triggered by an app will open a pop-up to select the app the action should be performed with: the dialer (which was the only one registered for this before) or NoTelUrl. Then you can decide: Select the dialer to really execute, or simply press the "back" button. Just don't make anything the default here ;)


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Custom recovery and Google OTA
Will I receive Google updates for my Galaxy Nexus if I replace stock recovery with CWM (like explained in Why isn't Clockworkmod Recovery “Sticking”)?

Having CWM installed won't prevent your phone from noticing that an update is available, but it may prevent the update from installing in the usual automated fashion.  The update process actually works by creating a special file with a "script" for the recovery to run, then rebooting to recovery; CWM will just show its menu instead of running the script.  It may be possible to apply the upgrade through CWM as an ordinary update zip, but if you want to make sure the process is seamless, it'd be a good idea to flash back to the stock recovery before installing the update.
BTW, the JRO03O update for the Galaxy Nexus removes the automatic stock recovery flash that you linked to.  You no longer have to do anything special to keep CWM installed when running stock.


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Nike+ Running App
So, I've got Nike+ Running on Android, and I would not like for the whole world to see where I'm running.
Is it possible to still track distance, calories, speed etc without enabling GPS? Is the built-in accelerometer itself enough?

GPS is a reciever, not a transmitter. Unless you upload your results, you will not be broadcasting that to the world.
I don't believe 'inertial guidence' on phones is that good. In addition, this is off topic here, unless you are running with a tablet strapped to your arm.

@JourneymanGeek Nike+ is a social app that automatically shares your runs. So if you have GPS enabled it will share your path letting everyone know where were you.

Nike+ lets you select privacy options for your sharing.
Public, social, private


text:
How does the typical Android boot process work?

Possible Duplicate:
Can somebody explain the boot process of an Android device?

Windows follow some specific way to boot:
Start System > BIOS > Load Boot loader > Load WIN Kernel > Load WIN Shell > User > Application.
How does the typical Android boot process work? When comes the "Dalvik VM" into play?

Boot process of embedded system is similar to PC from overview level, but slightly different from microscopic level.
Here's the boot process of an Android device:

PC-BIOS/BootMonitor, MBR and GRUB/LILO etc are all combined in one Boot Strap Firmware called Bootloader. Its init.S initializes stacks, zeros the BSS segment and calls _main() in main.c. The main.c initializes hardware (clocks, board, keypad, console) and creates Linux tags which in turns loads Linux Kernel image in memory.
Linux Kernel sets up the system, loads drivers and starts running the first process init.
The init process involves setup of File System (mount points of /sys etc are created at this point) and execution of init.rc.
Execution of init.rc: It is boot-up script which uses Android-Specific syntax. Zygot process in init.rc brings up Dalvik VM and starts the system server.

All these are happened before Boot Animation is displayed.
For more details of processes, check out this article: http://www.androidenea.com/2009/06/android-boot-process-from-power-on.html


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How to run a specific app's action via terminal?
I need to run my Android app from a remote computer via SSH, but I'm not a command-line expert.
So I would like to know: how to run a specific action (not just open) of an app? Which implies: how to KNOW the exact syntax of possible actions of an app?
Example: I want to start an audio-recording app on my phone from my computer, AND start recording from a remote. Is it possible?

Use this:
am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n <package_name>/<full_class_name>

To control an app, you'll have to put correct values of <package_name> and <full_class_name> in the command. For example, you can use com.google.gmail/com.google.gmail.check_mail (Hypothetical names) as last part of command.
Obtaining package name of an app is easy, but obtaining class name of action isn't. There are two problems:

Many app developers keep class info private.
Not all developers do smart modular programming. Its good habit to divide an app in multiple classes which could be triggered by intents, but not all developers are smart.

Solution of 1st problem: Decompile the app using apktool and see all info. There are also other ways, but this one is always-working method (unless app is based on NDK instead of SDK).
Solution of 2nd problem: Nothing.
Don't worry, most of popular apps follow best programming practice and they provide Public API from which you can get class info.

@Izzy Here's my problem: I'm unable to launch this Activity of Settings app: com.android.settings/.Settings$StorageSettingsActivity. Try it yourself. Actually, what is that string after $ sign ? Is it like a sub-class in the Settings activity?

@GokulNC you might need to quote the entire thing (single quotes), or $StorageSettingsActivity might be seen as a variable and "expanded" to an empty string (unless there's a variable defined by that name).

Ooh, I didn't even realize that.. Thanks BTW :)

Like Sachin Shekhar said, you must use the following command :
am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n <package_name>/<full_class_name>

See a concrete example :

getting the apk file from your Android device or any Market places
running this command :

aapt dump xmltree com.android.settings*.apk AndroidManifest.xml
I would like to start "tethering" menu, so I search an activity in the output :
(...)
   E: activity (line=190)
    A: android:name(0x01010003)=".TetherSettings" (Raw: ".TetherSettings")
(...)

So the final command is :
am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.android.settings/.TetherSettings

The aapt command is part of the Android SDK

Just .TetherSettings in the command wouldn't work. Its not FULL class name..

No, you can ommit the com.android.settings PATH, that's why I said it's relative. Test it on any app you'd like.

I didn't say that it'll not work with other apps. The dot before class name does the magic. But, this shouldn't be encouraged.

You said that's luck, this is not. Do you have sources for your assertion ? Why this shouldn't be encouraged ?

For an Android developer, its certainly not luck. But, on broad scale, I'd say Android supports relative paths by the luck of user. This shouldn't be encouraged to non-developers due to error prone nature.

Use a general purpose logging app (just search logcat on playstore). The logs should show you the app name, class and intent.
Following that run the command in an adb shell or from inside a terminal application in your device:
am start -a <intent> -n <class>

Could you expand the answer? Suppose I have gotten the app name, class, and intent from the logcat, then what should I do to "run a specific app's action via terminal" (as per the OP's main question)?

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


text:
Installing Google Now on Verizon Galaxy S3 (SCH-I535)
I'd like to get Google Now on my (rooted) Verizon Galaxy S3 without flashing Jelly Bean on my phone.  Is this possible?
Although I'd love to have Jelly Bean, I want to avoid flashing ROMs (and unlocking my bootloader), because I don't want to lose all of my apps and settings every time I do an upgrade.  So I'd like to continue to receive stock OTA updates so that I can keep my settings intact while upgrading.
I did find this method, but I'm not sure I understand the implications.  It mentions flashing a Google Now ROM to your phone.  Does that mean I would lose my current settings?  Does it mean I would have trouble later doing an OTA upgrade to Jelly Bean?  Would I need to unlock my bootloader?

You would have to unlock your bootloader, get root and replace your ROM (operating system). This will almost certainly void your warranty. Know this before continuing; there's plenty of guides around the web on how to install custom ROMs on your S3.

If you follow the method found in the LifeHacker article, you would indeed need to root your phone, which would mean that you wouldn't be able to receive OTA updates, unless you were to later un-root your phone, going back to the stock firmware (ROM).
You wouldn't necessarily lose your current settings, but you would have trouble upgrading to Jelly Bean via an OTA upgrade unless you un-rooted, as mentioned above.
I'm sure you would have to unlock your bootloader as well, prior to rooting, although I'm not really familiar with your particular model of phone.

Thanks! I previously bricked my phone, and unbricked it by flashing a rooted stock ROM (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1840030).  I guess that means I'm going to have trouble going to Jelly Bean OTA anyway?

If you're back on a Stock ROM (albeit rooted), you still may be able to flash an OTA update, but you will likely need to reset your binary counter. Being rooted won't necessarily keep you from getting OTA updates, but you will most likely lose root when the update is applied. See link below for information regarding the binary counter.
link

I just wanted to make this clear. I didn't intend for you to follow the instructions in the link I posted. I posted it because it explains rather well how Samsung uses the binary counter. Don't follow the instructions, because they are not for the S3. :)


text:
Handsfree profile sniff mode
I recently connected a bluetooth module (BTM511) to my Android phone (SG2 running android 4.0), using both the handsfree and the headset profiles.
I notice that the Bluetooth device never goes into Sniff mode to save power. As far as I understand only the master (the SG2 in this case) can put the slave into sniff mode. Is this not implemented in the handsfree and headset profile implementation on Android? Or do I not understand the master/slave role in sniff modes? I sure cannot force the BTM511 in sniff mode, it is nowhere to be found in the datasheet.


text:
How to change video brightness?
Whenever I watch any videos, either through the Gallery, Play Movies, or YouTube, my screen becomes substantially brighter. After searching online, I suspect there's a separate video brightness setting, but there's no apparent way of accessing it. It doesn't show up in system or any of the app settings. Does anyone know how to find and adjust this video brightness setting?
If it's of any concern, I have a Huawei Ascend P1 running almost-stock Ice Cream Sandwich, with auto-brightness enabled.

You may refer to this answer if the device is rooted.


text:
Receive calls on Wi-Fi via Google Voice
I don't have good cell reception in my house and I'd to have my Google Voice number forward to my phone on Wi-Fi when I'm home.  Can I just use Google Voice or do I need a third-party app to do the connection?

You need a third-party app to recieve Wi-Fi calls.
Two popular apps are GrooVeIP (paid & free) and Talkatone (paid). You could also set up Sipdroid (free), which will set up the SIP forwarding using pbxes.com. Or you could use a number of other SIP apps and set up forwarding yourself, but that gets a bit convoluted.

@Sachin Please don't make sure minor, irrelevant edits.  Hat or not.

Yes, you can.
But the only GV function on Wi-Fi alone without some SIP server help will be texting and getting voicemail just like you can also get email over Wi-Fi.
I tried what you're doing last year just to get it to work.  Using a free pbx service over the internet and GV, I was able to make calls over Wi-Fi.  You need a SIP server or some VOIP server to 'find' your number over IP communication.
You could use Skype to do that also.

third party call apps for receiving calls via google voice have now been disabled. maybe GV will make an update to this. but with buzz about them phasing voice out.. who knows.


text:
Cloud app to handle grocery list over Android/iPhone & Windows/Mac
I am looking for an app or service that would let two different users view & update a shared shopping list from an Android phone (Galaxy Nexus running 4.1), iPhone 4S and laptops (Windows and Mac).
I was originally planning on using a text file via Dropbox, but I don't think that can be updated on the iPhone (maybe I am wrong).
Any other ideas?

"I'm looking for an app that does X" questions are not a good fit for this site. Please review the [FAQ].

That said there are dozens of ways to accomplish this. A shared document on Google Drive, for instance.

Google Drive (née Google Docs).
Just create a simple document. There's a Google Drive app for Android, of course, but even without the mobile web version works pretty well (which I'd expect you'd use with the iPhone). Windows and Mac can use the desktop browser version of the web app.

Create a new task list just for groceries in your google account at calendar.google.com.
There are several apps that will sync the google tasks on android and iPhone.
One downside is that each device must be logged in to the same google account. They don't have a way (yet) to share task lists.

Use Astrid. Its native app is available for both Android and iOS. You can access your to-do list on PC/Mac using web.
Collaborative sharing is allowed with unlimited no. of users. Users can also  leave notes on tasks for other users.

There are about one bazillion apps like this.  I've got a (somewhat outdated) list at Google Docs.


text:
Can't delete any files in my download folder
asus sl101 slider running cyanogenmod 10
This problem actually started around when I upgraded to cm9.1 and I think I got an error that my android profile had changed or something. from that day forward I have been unable to delete anything in my downloads folder.
The following did not work

rm /sdcard/download/filename
removing with rootbrowser
adb shell> rm /sdcard/download/filename
remounting the sdcard

I get the error that the folder is read only and when I try to change permissions it wont let me.
I was able to
mv /sdcard/download /sdcard/download.back
mkdir /sdcard/download
but still cannot delete from the old download folder.
Eek!

can you paste here the output of ls -ld /sdcard/download; mount | grep sdcard ?

u0_a37@android:/ # ls -ld /sdcard/download; mount | grep sdcard
drwxrwxr-x root     sdcard_rw          2012-09-30 00:27 download
/dev/fuse /storage/sdcard0 fuse rw,nosuid,nodev,relatime,user_id=1023,group_id=1023,default_permissions,allow_other 0 0

is it possible that a program like titanium backup is somehow rotecting them even above root?

Did you try the full real path ? rm -rf /mnt/sdcard/download

I just tried it now and got the error, "read-only file system" the trouble is, it's not true. other things on sdcard delete fine.

What is the output of df /mnt/sdcard/download ?

I think the only fix would be to somehow reformat the sdcard and somehow nvflash a rom, but the sbkey is not available for my device. it is rootable but not nvflashable. I can boot ubuntu on it but for some reason inside of ubuntu im not able to mount the sdcard

Any reply to my question ? =)

255|u0_a37@android:/ $ df mnt/sdcard/download
Filesystem             Size   Used   Free   Blksize
mnt/sdcard/download     26G    25G   762M   2048
u0_a37@android:/ $

Just an update but I'd never found a solution to this problem. Ended up wiping the system and starting from scratch. Problem files , gone.

I'm not sure if you're still having this issue or not, but a couple of things that come to mind:

In the output you paste in your responses, you mix terminal output with $ and #. You need to be root all the time which means that you should always see a #.
If I were you, I would first check the permissions on the old download directory with something like ls -alh | grep <foldername>. Who owns the directory, what group?
Try changing ownership with chown, changing chmod to 777 recursively (just throwing stuff at the wall here to see what sticks). After setting yourself (root) as the owner and giving everyone full rights to the directory recursively, I would try rm -rfv <foldername> and see what output I got.

Hopefully this might help someone else. Also, when you do ls -alh it should show you if it's a symlink, and if so to where. If it's a mounted folder, I would run something like mount | grep <foldername> to see what's going on.

Thanks for trying to help. The -h flag does not work in the android terminal. All the files already belong to root user and group seems to be 'sdcard_rw' . chmod 777 * returns no errors but does not change anything at all. Permissions remain rwxrwxr-x

You have a special mount point* for /mnt/sdcard/download, so

umount it with umount /mnt/sdcard/download
remove the directory rm -rf /mnt/sdcard/download

And try to figure out what cause your Android to use this special mount.
If you just want read-write access, run this command : mount -o remount,rw /mnt/sdcard/download and then you will be able to rm anything inside.
*figured out by the discussions in your question thread

u0_a37@android:/ $ umount /mnt/sdcard/download
failed: Invalid argument

1|u0_a37@android:/ # mount -o remount,rw /mnt/sdcard/download
Usage: mount [-r] [-w] [-o options] [-t type] device directory
1|u0_a37@android:/ #

i wonder if some parental software i installed a long while back or titanium backup or some software is causing this. but i deleted all the data and cache before flashing this rom. several times...

You should be root to do it

sorry, copy pasted the wrong line.     -----------------------
u0_a37@android:/ # umount /mnt/sdcard/download
failed: Invalid argument

Strange, no idea.

thanks for all your help sputnick. If I ever find the answer I'll pass it your way. I've had nothing but trouble with this device since day one and will never recommend it to anyone ever again. I wish I'd gone with the tf101.

Note that /sdcard is just a link. You may need to make your changes in the actual location of the data at /data/media. An answer to a similar question was given here.


text:
What exactly gets wiped when unlocking Galaxy Nexus?
I've seen a few guides on how to unlock the Galaxy Nexus to prepare it for rooting, and they say that the fastboot oem unlock command will "wipe your personal data".
I'm a little unclear on what gets wiped during this step. Is it just the /sdcard area? is it everything but /system? Something in between?
I know that adb backup can (at least theoretically) back up everything except /system while unrooted (see a recent question of mine). But I wonder if I would need to do an adb restore of everything after the unlock step in order to keep all of my data and settings.

Both /data and /sdcard are erased when you do fastboot oem unlock.  So you lose not just files on the "SD card", but all installed applications and their internal settings and data.
Yes, you can use adb backup to backup your data and then restore it later, either with adb restore or Titanium Backup Pro.  However, when I did this (using adb restore), my MMS messages were lost; it seems that the backup didn't save them, though maybe I just did something wrong.
There's also a way to root without unlocking your bootloader.  Once rooted, you can use BootUnlocker to unlock it without wiping data.

That's really good to know! I thought there was only a "root without unlocking" method that worked with 4.0.2. Maybe I will try this.. I don't care about unlocking the bootloader or installing custom recoveries/roms at the moment.


text:
Wi-Fi Direct on Galaxy Mini
I have already Googled a bit, but I haven't found a list specifying the supported devices.
Is it possible to use Wi-Fi Direct on Samsung Galaxy Mini (GT-S5570B with Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread)? Is there a hardware limitation?

Questions about how to develop/write apps are expressly off topic on this site (see our [FAQ] for more). However, a question simply asking whether or not the Mini supports this seems fine, and I have rephrased your question as such.

WiFi Direct can be used on all Android devices. Android 4.0 and higher comes with this feature pre-installed.
If your device runs an older version of Android, you can find many apps in the Google Playstore to enable direct file sharing service over WiFi. Go for SuperBeam, Fast File Transfer, WiFi File Transfer, etc.

Hotspot is not WiFi Direct. While the latter clearly is a 1:1 connection, Hotspot is 1:n, as multiple WiFi-enabled devices can connect to the Hotspot simultaneously.

@Izzy actually WiFi direct supports more than 1:1. But it is uncommon. After 5-6 nodes it becomes impractical as they all have to be in range of the "AP" device. But you are right that hotspot is not the same.


text:
CWM Backup / Contact Recovery
So I just rooted using mobile odin lite and the Entropy512 kernel that has CWM recovery. Then I performed a CWM backup. Stupidly, I forgot to backup anything except for my camera data before doing this.
Long story short, I lost several of my most recently added contacts when I flashed a new Jelly Bean ROM and stuff.
Now I thought to myself: no problem, I'll restore using my CWM backup, save said contacts (or sync them with my google account at this point), and then next time I flash a new ROM I can just copy em over.
However, when I restored using CWM like nothing on my phone works anymore. I can't view my contacts or anything to sync them. Anyone have experience with this or know of a way I can extract my contacts from the backup I made?
I'm relatively new to Android so I'm not sure what information I should provide but heres a try:
AT&T SG SII (i777)
Steps:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1311081&highlight=how+to+root+without+incrementing+flash+counter
Backup using CWM
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1574718 (Flash ROM
    zip and GApps zip)
Attempt to restore using CWM

Thanks for your help, and let me know if there's other information that could help.

This is really awkward to fix, I know because I've been in your exact situation. It depends a lot on just how different the contact storage on your old ROM was from how it is now. Obviously your contacts are there somewhere in that CWM backup, the problem is just how to get them out.
I don't have a very specific answer on how to solve this (just asking for the contact info again will probably solve your problem faster), but here are some pointers: The file system is most likely yaffs2, so you need to read this file system somehow. One of the first things I found on Google was Yaffey - Utility for reading, editing and writing YAFFS2 images - you could probably use this to access your backup image and from there extract your contact data. Depending on your current and old format, this might be easy or hard.
What do we learn from this? Extracting contacts is an absolute pain from system images created in CWM. Use Titanium Backup and/or always make sure your contacts sync against the cloud.
Local contacts are the devils work.

Couldn't agree more with your last two paragraphs. As for the file system, I believe it's actually ext4. When I copied the backup image (data.ext4.tar) from my sdcard to my desktop computer I was able to view all the folders etc and even view/edit some of the .xml files (after untaring and digging obviously). However, I had no idea where to find the contacts or even if I found them what format etc. theyd be in.


text:
How to hide events in Google Calendar
The company I work for likes for us to use Outlook to schedule everything. If we aren't going to be at work at a specific time, they ask us to create an event spanning that time, and mark it as "Out Of Office". That way, if anyone attempts to schedule a meeting with you, or checks your schedule, it will inform them that you won't be there.
I am working part-time to fit a schedule around my school schedule; as a result, I have a lot of blocked off events on my calendar. Basically, all the times I'm in class are blocked off. I am syncing my Outlook and Google Calendar to my Android phone.
Now, all of those blocked off time slots are rather annoying to me because it causes everything else during those times to be scrunched up. It's hard to just look at my calendar on my phone and tell what is going on next. Basically, I want the "Out Of Office" events removed from my Android's Calendar display, without removing them from Outlook.
So far, I have tried to delete the event from my phone, but that syncs with Outlook, and causes it to be deleted from my Outlook account. I then tried to create a new calendar in Outlook called "Out Of Office" and add all of the events to that, then hide that on my phone. However, when I do that, it won't block people from scheduling meetings with me. I guess Outlook only uses your main calendar for that.
Hiding the whole calendar from my phone isn't really an option; I still need to see the other events on my phone, such as when I have to be in meetings.
Basically, my question is: How may I hide select events on my Outlook Calendar from my Android Calendar?

Do you use a different Gmail for personal and work?  Why not just tell your Android phone to not show your work schedule?  Many of the Android calendar apps let you add more than one account and filter items out by account.

Yes, I do use a different Gmail for personal items, such as classes, group meetings, etc. However, my work calendar does have events in it that I would like to also see on my calendar, such as meetings with my team, unit meetings, etc. I would like to be able to view events from both my personal and work calendars together, excluding the "Out Of Office" recurring events.

What device and version of the OS? Are you using the stock calendar app?

Device: Motorola Atrix 4G. OS: Android 2.3.6. Yes, I am using the stock calendar app, I also downloaded and tried Business Calendar, and Jorte. But neither of them seemed to have the feature to hide select events.

I'm interested in a solution because I have the same issue.   I ended up not syncing my work, outlook calendar to my phone and just sync them up once a week.  Far from optimal.

Propably this could give you a hint:
we have 3 accounts:

company@gmail.com
buddy1@gmail.com
buddy2@gmail.com

buddy1 and buddy2 added company@gmail.com's calendar as an external calendar (granted by company@gmail.com)

buddy1 adds an event and sets it as "Private" & "Available" --> company & buddy2 see nothing!
buddy1 adds an event and sets it as "Private" & "Busy" --> company & buddy2 see the appointment but can't read it's title or content, buddy1 of course can see his own appointment!

That looks like it might work. Maybe I could write a program to connect to my work email, download the calendar, and add all of the events to a calendar. Then, any of the events I don't want to see, I could post them as "Private" (or, maybe simply not even put them on the new calendar). That should like it would work, maybe as an app if I am able to access Google Calendar API from the phone, otherwise i may make it a daily running program on my computer. Any recommendations for this approach?

You can go inside the Google calendar , either through a PC or a Mobile and click 'Display Calendars' above settings, and then choose which one(s) to show. If it is unchecked, it means you are going to hide the specific calendar.

Hiding an entire calendar is not the goal (and, besides, it has been suggested). The goal is to be able to hide individual events.

I mean to hide all events in a specific calender set you don't want to see not the whole calender. Your google calender itself can have many calender sets such as birthdays of your friends, working schedule and so on .

Yes. I know. That is not what the question asker is looking for.


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Allowing a computer to connect to wifi from android  already connected to wifi. A unique situation
writing from my phone so sorry for typos.
I recently fixed my laptop but the wireless network in my house doesn't work on it (its probably router configuration problem-or at least could be fixed with configuring the router, but I have no access to the router since I am renting).
The network works fine on my sanyo zio which has no money on the account and no plan (so the only thing I can use this phone is for internet if I have wifi access). I want to use my phones ability to connect to the home wi-fi network to connect my laptop to that network (so transfer the home wi-fi to the laptop through my phone). Usb connection or wifi will do as I am pretty sure its input this home wi-fi that doesn't work. So if I turn my zio into a hotspot it should work.
Is there any way to do that?
To make situation better I have vista 64 so kyocera divers for this phone don't work.
Update:
I forgot to mention that for some forsaken reason (I suspect murphy's law) the bluetooth internet  connection on my computer fail s when I try to connect it with my phone. (following instructions on fifox and manually connecting with the blue tooth dial up option which just times out. I'm missing some peripheral bluetooth driver ;/) I can connect to my phone through bluetooth just the internet option fails @.@
.
And I don't think my phone supports the wifi option through fox fi.
Although I have no way to be sure. When I turn on the hotspot option the internet connects but with limited access (just like my home network but I think its because my phone doesn't tether right not because of my laptop. Ofc I could be wrong) it says that might happen and to just automatically get new ip to fix this problem but that doesn't work also says many phones are not supported for wifi and I don't think this one is.
update
I Recently rooted my phone. I tried the apps for the rooted phones but they just want to use 3g network connection. Since I want to connect, through wifi they are quite useless. Anybody has an idea what I could download or do to make this work for me?

What you're referring to is called tethering - using the data connection of your phone to share internet connectivity to another device.
Look for tethering options in the settings > Wireless menu or other locations in case your manufacturer has placed it elsewhere.
Failing that, consider using an app like FoxFi or some other tethering app.
Also, a search on Android.SE reveals a number of similar questions - please use the provided functionality. Here's an answered question that might be relevant - Can I use my Android device as Wi-Fi Adapter for my PC (i.e. Tethering to PC through USB, but using Wi-Fi not Phone Network)?

OP isn't asking this. He doesn't want to share his mobile data. But, he wants to share his Wi-Fi internet.

That's why I referred him to the question - using WiFi NOT Phone Network. The term "tethering" is technically accurate, even though in this case he wishes to tether his device to his PC.

Look for tethering options in the settings > Wireless menu or other locations in case your manufacturer has placed it elsewhere. ~> It can only share Mobile Data in Android.. And, MobileAP always turns off Wi-Fi adapter mode. So, Wi-Fi internet can't be shared by that..

Without using extra software or rooting your phone (which I am not fully educated about, and could not advise you how to do with with root), there are not many options. I would try either of these options:
You asked to share your device's WiFi connection with your computer. To share this you could do it in one of two ways:

Bluetooth - You can tether the WiFi connection to your computer via Bluetooth, which can be found under your device's network settings menu.

or:

USB Cable - You can also share the WiFi connection with your computer via a USB cable, which will make your computer think your device is a USB Wireless adapter and connect to the internet in this way.

Due to the Android Software limitations, your device will be unable to share a WiFi connection with another device using the same WiFi device (in your phone). It cannot both connect to one device, and host a network for another using the same 'network card', without some advanced software. Using root, you may be able to find an application that allows you to do the above, or you could use an OTG cable to connect a secondary WiFi adapter to your device which means your device will have access to more than one adapter and a software alternative may be more easily found (if there are hardware limitations in place).
Good luck!

You want your Android device to re-broadcast an existing Wi-Fi network to act as a Wi-Fi Repeater. Technically, its possible from Software layer, but such implementations aren't available for Android yet.
You can do any of following things now:

Do it with pure Linux way (Android is a Linux distro) using Hostapd type software. Installation and configuration wouldn't be easy, by the way.
Share Wi-Fi internet using Bluetooth DUN. Its the easiest way. I don't know what difficulties your PC bluetooth is facing, but try PdaNet or Open Garden .
Turn off Mobile Data and do USB Tethering. It starts to share Wi-Fi internet on some devices. Its not universal method, but see if it works for you or not. You can also use PdaNet for better USB Tethering.

I guess I'm stuck with option number 1. The option 2 is out because bluetooth dun doesn't work for some reason and I don't think option 3 will work since all the usb tethers that I know of require usb driver. and there is no driver for vista 64.so unless I code one or find a usb tether that doesn't require one then I can't use that option.


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How can I disable mobile data connectivity on my Sanyo Zio?
I have a pay as you go Android phone. I only pay 10 dollars per 3 months (or something like that). That means that every cent counts before I run out of money.
I want this phone for emergency reasons only and for internet so I don't use it to call. Yet my money on the account still runs out. When I check my statement I see a lot of charges for few to as much as 30 cents. I use my internet when I'm connected to wifi only but I think I'm still getting charged for connecting through my 3g network.
Is there any way to disable the connection with the data plan so the only internet that will work is wifi? This way I will not get charged.
I have tried changing the apn under settings and with apps. My phone seems incapable of even doing that. I wonder if it's some scheme to get me to pay for data without me noticing. I would still prefer a solution that allows me to call and receive calls at all times since I might receive emergency calls or need to make them.
.
Update
I downloaded an app called easyswitch and it allowed me to disable the 3g network the problem is that it's a trial that lasts a week. if anyone knows a free app that will do it please let me know. I also rooted my phone but don't really want to install a whole new rom on it.
After using easy switch for a while i realized that it keeps allowing 3g sometimes (sometimes it doesnt) I dont know what its depended on maybe if my phone restarts the easy switch settings restart as well? I think i will just install a new rom.

"Data Roaming" just refers to using data when connected to a foreign network (i.e. not your providers "home network").
There should be another option available for "mobile network" or "mobile data" (the phrasing may differ between devices), as the following screenshot shows:

Look out for the red frame at the end. If you find something similar, remove the checkmark. If not, simply remove it everywhere where it sound similar. Remember which ones you removed, then enable them again one by one until you find the "evil doer".

There is no such option on my device. At least under wireless and networks settings.

So maybe you add some screenshots to your question, so we don't have to guess so much?

I would but I can't install the driver on my pc for my phone because I have vista 64. And all apps that allow you to take screen shots require you to do that (at least to my knowledge)

I never did that (maybe since my devices are all rooted). You could also check out apps like AirDroid or Remote Web Desktop, which would let you do this even wirelessly from your PCs browser.

Dial *#*#4636#*#*
Go to Phone Information and click Disable Data Connection.

That does seem like it would work if only there be an option called disable data connection under phone information menu. It's a pretty interesting hack though, thanks.

You haven't mentioned what version of Android you're using.
In Android's settings, go to Wireless and Networks > Mobile Networks and uncheck the option to use Data.
You will still be able to use WiFi.
EDIT: As an alternative, get an app like APNDroid which effectively renames your mobile data APN (access point name), thereby disabling the data connection.

I'm using android 2.2 under mobile network settings I see: data roaming (unchecked as soon as I got the phone) data roaming guard (which is on) and system select (no idea what this is left it as default)

The app you suggested switches the mobile data option to on as soon as I switch it to off. I only click the button once so it's not because I'm double clicking. I tried to do out multiple times and it always switches back :(

Have you tried others? In a pinch, manually edit your APN (after noting down the correct config) to something else - that will disable your mobile data connection.

Ok I have tried a lot of apps and none of them work. I also tried setting apn manually but there is no option like that in my settings (google says there is but my phone doesn't have it)

I think Sanyo has altered the UI and available settings far too much from what you're saying. See if it's possible to flash an alternative ROM like CyanogenMod and things like this become much, much simpler.


text:
What is system partition? How its size is fixed? Can it be resized?
I have rooted LG P500 (Optimus One) running stock 2.3.3. I recently updated to unofficial CM10 (Android 4.1) and observed few serious issues.
I observed that Google's My Location service was not working. Many apps like My tracks, Endomondo etc which were compatible with other phones with 4.1 were said incompatible. All microphone related apps were not working.
After several hours of breaking my head, I understood that my /system partition was absolutely full. It had only 4kb of free space out of 190MB total capacity. With my investigation I found that few files were not copied to the /system partition during the ROM installation and Gapps installation.  Many troubles are the result of such missing files.
My questions:

/system partition: it is 190MB in total size. Who or how it was fixed as 190MB?
Can the size of partition be increased? I tried a tool but did not help. After all the process completed without any errors, I still see no change in the size.  Are there any other ways to do it?
Hephappy, a ROM developer had commented in XDA page as "No space: P500 has 190MB for system partition." and hence he withdraws the plan of developing JB ROM for P500. Is it then a hardware limitation?

After all these issues, I switched back to my stock 2.3.3 and I still see my /system partition as 190MB but with lot of free space.  Does this mean that 190MB is sort of hardware size/limitation?
If it is so, then this would be one of the serious factors that are to be considered while buying the phone as the hardware in other means can accommodate the needs of JB except the /system partition size, which is a real shame.

Update:
Few screenshots carrying frequently asked info taken in CM10 ROM:
Free internal storage = 47Mb:

/system partition size = 190Mb.
Ext2 partition on SD card created to create symbol link for few apps that cant be moved to SD card:

This will not change the partition size of /system, but uses another approach: Limit the data placed on that partition. So here's what I did before flashing CM7.2 on my Milestone²:

download the file to flash. This is usually a .zip file (otherwise, the following won't work)
open the .zip with your favorite archive manager (alternatively: unpack to an empty folder)
look inside the /system/app folder of the .zip and remove apps you can live without (make sure not to remove any app that's really needed by the system, like e.g. the launcher). This could e.g. be the Calculator, LiveWallpapers, GooglePlus etc. Copy those .apk files to a separate folder outside the .zip
if unpacked to an empty folder, now zip it up again

As you removed a lot/couple of apps from /system, flashing will require less space there, and no essential parts should be missing any longer. Now if you still want to use e.g. GooglePlus, you can install it via the Playstore (which should place it below /data, so no prob) or, if not found there, use the copy created in step 3 to install it manually (for this, make sure install from other sources is enabled in your settings).
If in doubt whether a file is really needed by the system itself, better leave it (or at least ask first). But I'm pretty sure you will find enough "easy removables", so you won't need to touch those. Before flashing, you could unpack the .zip to an empty folder and check the size of /system (best: make a "before" and an "after" check). It should occupy less than 190MB (better give it some additional safety margin, say "less than 180MB") for your action to complete successfully.

Who or how it was fixed as 190MB?

The manufacturers decided that. They probably expected that that size would be sufficient during the expected time they will continue official support for the phone.

Can the size of partition be increased?

If you're rooted and installed custom boot loader, yes partitions can be resized, although not in a way that will satisfy everyone since it takes space away from internal memory and many people also have exhausted their internal space; it involves a lot of work to test and debug and since P500 has very little internal memory as well, at some point developers had to decide that it's just not worth the effort.

I tried a tool but did not help. After all the process completed without any errors, I still see no change in the size. Are there any other ways to do it?

What did you try?

Hephappy, a ROM developer had commented in XDA page as "No space: P500 has 190MB for system partition." and hence he withdraws the plan of developing JB ROM for P500. Is it then a hardware limitation?

Pretty much. All newer phones comes with much larger internal memory, you should consider an upgrade if you really wanted JB.

Great answer. The tool I tried is referred me in android forum, hyperlinked in my 2nd question.

Here is a program that will supposedly do it.
http://androidforums.com/optimus-gt540-all-things-root/436600-easily-resize-system-data-partitions.html
I don't know about system partitions on Android phones but normally partitions can be resized but it means that you lose everything that partition contains. If the partition contains the OS it would mean that after resizing the partition your phone wouldn't turn on. If you're not willing to take the risk I suggest finding a source that says that won't happen. Else I suggest looking at the ROM apps in the Play Store (there are many good ones and they can probably do what you want). Also how much internal space you have on your phone? Is the system partition the only internal partition?
You can also partition your SD card which makes it work more efficiently. So your phone works faster but you have to do it with a new SD card because you lose everything when you partition it  if there is not enough internal storage on your phone that possibly might be something to look into as a solution but I don't think placing a whole OS on SD is possible because it would be just too slow, so unless the OS has some files it can read from the SD card and you can place them there manually specifying the path, you are out of luck. That's why I ask how much internal space your device has.

Thanks @Xitcod13, the link you had mentioned was already tried and said it was not working for me. :) I had updated my question with two images that would answer the questions that you asked for.  AFAIK, the /system partition and internal storage are different. Any way as you see I had created a partition on my SD card to hold few apps to save internal storage space.


text:
MIUI rom fails to install on HTC Desire
This is my first post, so apologies if I don't make things as clear as they should be.
I'm trying to flash MIUI_0.8.1-2.9.7zip on HTC Desire. I'm doing this through goomanager. I wiped data, cache and dalvik cache and installed the zip from a sd card. While installing I get the following message on screen...
E:missing file
 system/media/audio/ringtones
 argonavis.ogg

E:verification failed

Then it aborts installation. Do I need to partition the sd card? If so, what would be the best way to partition it? Through Rom manager or Gparted? Currently I'm using MIUI GB version 2.3.7, I have S-ON
Many thanks in advance for any advice.

I'm doing this through goomanager.

First of all, you're rooted right? Also, this might seem obvious but I'm going to suggest it anyway: have you tried installing it through CWM Recovery? That seems to be the normal way to install/wipe ROMs, so I'd try that first. See Howto: Using the Recovery.
Also, your ROM installation ZIP might be corrupt. Double check the md5 sum on it, if it doesn't match, try redownloading it. Try another ROM, might be a corrupt version of the ROM (if it's a nightly for example).
If you have any questions or additional details, comment and I'll update this answer.

Hi, thanks for taking the time toreply, yeah the phone is rooted right, i have installed a number of different roms succesfully, i have tried to instal the ROM through CWM, i have downloaded and tried to install a few times but get the same error codes?? I did have cm10 ics ROM on the phone about a month ago, some how i bricked the sd card but i did manage to unbrick it, all is working ok now, do you think this could have anything to do with it?  please can you explain what md5 sum is, and what you mean by "nightly" many thanks again for your time.


text:
How can I make direct phone-to-phone VoIP calls without Internet (on LAN or Wi-Fi)?
I'm looking for a way to make VoIP calls between two Android devices without having any intermediate server (SIP server) or an Internet connection. Is this possible?

Why do you want to do this?

@unforgettableid It would be useful in emergency situations try reading this -> http://www.slideshare.net/altaiar/mobile-crossplatform-peer-to-peer-p2p-data-sync

@unforgettableid "Because it isn't there".  This feature is potentially so versatile and useful that not wanting it seems inconceivable.

@RussellMcMahon:  Fair.  It could be useful in remote locations, such as a secluded hiking trail or campground where there's no signal available.

@unforgettableid I'm hoping to implement this on phones we use so I can eg talk to my wife "around the property" without making a PSTN call. Serval also allows use of poweramps / external modems in some cases to allow substantrial direct range extension. The phone then is more a useful hardware element in a network than a phone per se. And Open WRT and Serval can be integrated in manners which I have not yet my brain properly acquainted with. ....

@unforgettableid ... I've just got two daisy exchanged TP-LINK 'Range extenders' daisy chained from my  home WiFi router and sometime "soon" I want to try phone access point to range extender chain. This does not quite meet the original request but is a logical superset of it. Two short range linked smartphones with no other hardware could be used as eg door camera to house interior, car backing camera, hiking group or cycling group connection - with voice video and data, maybe car to car intercom, search and rescue snake chain linkup, ... .

While I've not tried to use my phone like this myself, I found the question interesting enough to do a little googling.  The best search term seemed to be android wifi|bluetooth walkie talkie.
The most promising free candidate I found looks to be Android Intercom - direct phone to phone communication over wifi or BT without an intermediary server or telco.  The most promising paid for app seems to be WiFi Talkie.

The OP indicated "without having any intermediate server (SIP server) or an Internet connection" which is going against the OP's requirement and question :)

How is "direct phone to phone communication over wifi or BT without an intermediary server or telco" going against the OP's req of "without having any intermediate server (SIP server) or an Internet connection", exactly?

The linkys to your answer referred to using a Wifi mechanism, the OP did not give any indication of using intermediate server which includes SIP and presumably the OP wanted zero third party support, i.e. no wifi, no internet, no connectivity, no SIP.

BOTH links are peer to peer solutions, though the second one does make use of any local wireless LAN (which doesn't require an internet connection.  And you can use SIP without a third party - it's just a protocol, like TCP/IP.

Logos> How do u use sip without a third-party (like a sip server) - any example code?

@jasper: this isn't a programming forum - coding isn't the point of the Q/A here.

Meshenger seems to be doing what you ask for. It is also available via f-droid.
It works on LAN and needs no Internet or intermediate server. No DHCP server is needed, because it can work with IPv6 link local addresses.
WebRTC is used as a transmission protocol for audio and video.

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


text:
How can I track my app usage?

Possible Duplicate:
How can I track app usage?

If you're not familiar with the late Wakoopa app for desktop, it's a small utility that runs in the background and monitors what application / website I go to along with a graph of how long I've spent using said apps / websites. I have found it a valuable asset to monitoring my app usage behavior. It also helps me trim down on the applications that I hardly ever use.
Is there something like this for Android? Root-needed answers are all welcome. There was supposedly something like this already before at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.muzikant.MyTopApps but as you can tell, it's no longer available on the market. Plus, it didn't have the monitoring of frequent visited websites.
It doesn't matter if it enters the log onto the cloud (like Wakoopa did) but I would honestly prefer if it stored them offline so that I keep my data private.

Shedo, I took the freedom to re-phrase the title of your question, to prevent it from being closed as "off topic" (see [FAQ], "is there an app" belongs to OT). And as it turned out, at least for a part of what you want, you don't need another app :)

What are my most frequently used apps? might cover at least some of what you're looking for.

You're welcome! eldarerathis recommendation (Spare Parts Plus! now) is also worth a look, as it also offers additional settings. As for your web tracking, there are some "parental control" apps around which could do that.

If you only want to know what app you started how often, this is easiest accomplished via your dialer (no kidding!). Just dial the "magic code" *#*#4636#*#*, which will open a menu like this:

Here you simply press "Usage statistics", and it will present you with a list of your apps and how often you started them.

Is this over the device's lifetime or is there some way to do last month etc?

@Bar I'm not entirely sure. AFAIK it's based on statistics from batterystats.bin. Definitely not device lifetime (once you perform a factory reset I guess they are gone, if you "clean flash" a ROM they are definitely gone). As the file however survives reboots, those do these stats.

RescueTime is a service I used long ago that seems to fit your requirements. It has plugins for desktop browsers and an app for Android. It ca break down your usage according to app, time, and different criteria (e.g. Productivity, Entertainment, etc..).
You can get the Android app from here.
Note: It won't be able to measure time spent on specific sites on mobile browsers.


text:
Changing settings values in an Android ROM
I have just started to cook my own Android custom ROMs, and I am wondering how I can change the settings values in the "About" screen in the default Settings app.
I have taken Cyanogenmod 7.2 and I am modding it. So how can I change the mod version, for example, from "cyanogenmod 7.2.0 p990" to, for example, "mymod 7.2.0 p990"?

While not expressly off-topic, I don't think your question will do well here. This site is primarily for users of Android devices. You'll probably do better at a site more geared toward Android modding.

You need to modify the ro.build.display.id= field in the file called build.prop within your ROM.

Thats problably the line i have been looking for, thanks, i'll check it out later today


text:
Google Now voice calling feature only searching local contacts, not businesses
In Google Voice Assistant on ICS I could, for example, say "Call the closest Dominos" or "Call CompUSA West Palm" and Google Voice Assistant would start to dial the correct business almost immediately.
Since I've upgraded to JB, Google Now only seems to search my contacts and sometimes brings up map locations of businesses I wish to call. This is extremely disappointing and would really like to know if anyone else is having this issue and if it can be resolved.

Also, if anyone could comment just to let me know this is not only happening to me. I would be much obliged.

I don't know whether or not this is going to help in your case, but a friend told me that if you set your language to English US (as opposed to English GB, CA, AU, NZ etc.), you get a different/better voice recognition engine.

Unfortunately, English (US) is what my phone is already set to.


text:
Remove bloatware on Galaxy S2 - what are my options?
My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S2 flashed with stock ROM - ICS v4.0.3, carrier is Virgin Mobile (model #GT-I9100M). There is some bloatware installed by Samsung, which causes minor problems, such as

being listed in the apps list, so it takes more time to find the app I need
asking for updates every now and then.

I've read on the internet - there are several ways to solve the problem with bloatware, but I am not sure which one addresses both of my concerns. All of them require rooting - so I booted into recovery mode and tried to proceed according to this article: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1501719. I got the error "failed to mount /sdcard", googling for it resulted in some vague answers. I believe this is showstopper - so I cannot do anything about bloatware without rooting - please correct me if I am wrong.
Supposing I managed to root the phone somehow, there are couple options:

remove bloatware (many apps on the market can do it, even for free).
freeze bloatware (something I can do, for example, using Titanium Backup).

What's freezing? Does it remove the app from everywhere, like it never existed? How stable is it, i.e. can any action cause them to accidently unfreeze? What are the risks associated with going along each path? Will I be able to upgrade my ROM, when the new version comes out (ICS 4.0.4 and then Jelly Bean - 4.1.1)?
Do I need to backup my phone and what are best ways to do it? Just so I can restore if something happens, without paying for the fancy features I don't need. There are a lot of backup solutions out there, my main concern is reliability and, for some of them, it suffered in the latest versions and people started complaining in the reviews.

A backup never is a bad idea, so right after you get root access, you should:

Do a full NANDroid backup (which creates images of your partitions, so you always can revert to this state by simply restoring them)
Use Titanium Backup to make a full backup of all your apps and their settings (so you can re-install a selection when needed)

Freezing does not remove anything, and it is fully revertible. I always recommend to first freeze a single app, then check for potential side-effects, and only remove it if there were none. Titanium Backup even offers to create a homescreen shortcut to freeze/unfreeze an app (like a toggle: If frozen, the app gets unfrozen and vice-versa), which is nice for apps you rarely use but which always annoy you (for me, this is Google Maps, which I need maybe 2-3 times a year but is running permanently in background -- so I freeze it when not needed, and simply unfreeze it when I need it).
Basically, freezing an app simply hides it away from all activities. I'm not sure how that works technically, but I compare it with the "execution flag" of a Unix/Linux binary: If not set, the binary does not get executed. So no background services or any other activities from this app, though it is still installed.
In short: Freezing is the safe variant, as it easily can be undone. It also doesn't touch the apps data. Removing an app is final: without a backup available, it's simply gone, including its data.

Additional ressources you might want to look up for this topic:

Unistall a system app without root?
How can I uninstall applications that are locked by phone vendor?
How to Remove / Disable the Bloatware Apps in the HTC One X
Bye-bye, bloatware: Disable system apps in Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Thanks, Izzy - you seem to be the only one hanging in here on android.stackexchange. I managed to remove all Samsung apps in question without rooting, so hopefully they will no longer bother me with updates. Some garbage apps needed "uninstall updates", for Disable button to appear, and some cannot be disabled at all, although I don't believe they are critical. Still, a good workaround - 100% safe and covered with warranty.

Glad I could help! And I'm not the only one around here, just happened to be the first :D


text:
How to return to the home screen with a terminal command?
Is there a terminal command to go to the home screen?
I need to do this via ssh, so I cannot just push the "home" button, I need to send a command-line action..

am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -c android.intent.category.HOME

More info about shell commands: an archived version of the AndroidWiki page

Actually you can just push the "home" button
adb shell input keyevent KEYCODE_HOME

KEYCODE_HOME

Key code constant: Home key. This key is handled by the framework and is never delivered to applications.
Constant Value: 3 (0x00000003)

Consider taking at look at the following link:
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/view/KeyEvent.html
input keyevent KEYCODE_HOME

FYI, KEYCODE_HOME is 3.


text:
Galaxy Blaze reboots upon power off
I have T-Mobile Galaxy S Blaze, running 2.3.6. I rooted the phone months ago, uninstalled T-Mobile bloatware (using Titanium Backup Free), and have been enjoying using it for a while.
Recently however, I haven't been able to power it off. Everytime I hold the power button and select "Power Off", it goes through the motions but then reboots immediately. I can't think of anything I changed during that time that would cause this, other than software updates. I couldn't tell you which software updates, because I didn't try to turn it off in a long while.
Removing the battery and re-inserting it keeps it off. It's just using the "Power Off" command. Is there anyway I can get a log of what's happening during shutdown? I'm new to Android but not so much to Linux.


text:
How does Google Maps Navigation know you are in a tunnel when it switches to night mode?
I suppose this isn't exactly a new feature but it is new to me since I don't travel through tunnels very often.  What exactly is the software using when it decides to switch over to night mode when in a tunnel?  GPS Location? A light sensor? A combination of both?

simply from rich google map data.

I don't think the map data on its own explains it--I travel all the time on the roads directly above without it switching.  But yes, you couldn't do it with poor map data...just ask Apple!

So, I think it uses also altitude value from GPS to determine whether you are in the tunnel or the road above it! As in its new feature, In-door navigation through some buildings, It uses altitude to determine in which floor you are (I'm not sure!).

The last time I used the in-building navigation, you had to manually select the floor.  I don't think it is using altitude, either that or I never have a lock on enough sats to derive an altitude value.  I park below I-95 and I'm always being routed directly from I-95 instead of the city streets that are underneath it (where I start).  I guess thats why I initially assumed altitude wasn't used.

Hard to say without knowing which device and firmware version we're talking about, so what follows is my speculation.
I have a Garmin Nuvi which continues navigating in a tunnel, turns and all, despite losing its satellite reception.  Mine doesn't switch to night mode, but it clearly knows it is in a tunnel from the map data. Since loss of reception is a given in a tunnel, the device must be dead-reckoning while it's in there. (Re-broadcasting is out because it would affect the signal timing which is key to calculating a fix).  In fact, I have tested this by entering a tunnel fast and decelerating once inside it.  The device alerted that it had lost reception and continued to display my entry speed, "passing" turnouts and the tunnel exit before I did.
From that, I inferred that the firmware was using map information, possibly cross-checked with loss of satellite lock, to know when I've entered a tunnel.

Hadn't thought about the satellite lock.  So would it switch to night mode even if the tunnel was lit (I don't have a lighted nearby)?  I guess I could put a flashlight on it.

Recently I was driving in Italy and I realized that this Google Maps feature works more precise in Italy than in my home country Germany.
I tested it a little bit in Italy and I found the following:

it does not matter if the tunnel is lighted or not, it always goes into night mode
drive into a tunnel and keep the speed constant through the whole tunnel and it will work perfectly
accelerate in the tunnel, then it will turn off the night mode too late
reduce the speed in the tunnel, then it will turn off the night mode too early
stop in the tunnel for several minutes, then it will turn off night mode after a while and won't turn it on again

From these observations I conclude that in Italy it relies entirely on map data and approximates when you leave the tunnel only by the speed you drove before the tunnel.

Perhaps it uses the ambient light sensor in your phone and changes to night mode when there is less ambient light.

AFAIK, Google Maps doesn't use light sensors for tunnels and night mode. Sometimes I put my phone inside a bag or car compartment and it doesn't turn to night mode despite the darkness.

Easy solution to force night mode that I found.

go to settings
go to date and time
disable automatic date and time.
set your time to 7pm or later.

That should set the app to night mode you can change the time back when you're done traveling
(Galaxy S7. Version 7.0)

This doesn't answer how Google Maps detects when the user is inside a tunnel though.


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Google Japanese Input/Simeji warning about inserted data
I've recently bought a Samsung Galaxy Pocket with Gingerbread (Android 2.3).
I expected Japanese not to be there as an input method, although Korean is there (why Korean and not Japanese and Chinese?), and anyway, I looked for apps that allowed me to type Japanese.
I found Google Japanese Input and Simeji. Both look wonderful... in the screenshots. I haven't tried any yet. The reason is that every time I try to turn them on, a warning appears that says (translated from italian):

Attention: this input method can gather all digited text, including password, credit card numbers and other personal data. Continue?

I didn't accept, but this means I cannot type Japanese. What is the exact meaning of this warning? I mean, other than the literal meaning that I can understand. Why should it take my credit card number, if and when I type it? Or my passwords? Or am I missing something?

Basically, it's saying that the app could potentially steal your information, as it's a keyboard and therefore processes what you type. For instance, if you typed your password in and it was malicious, it could potentially record that (and everything else you type). Of course, you could trust Google wouldn't do that...Android is simply reminding you of the risk.
Further reading: The FAQ for the Hacker's Keyboard
The warning can be found in the Android source (see line ~2687).

Is there any official document (like a FAQ or something similar) that I could consult about this? I couldn't find anything, except general FAQ or similar things.

Researching, I found a disclaimer in another app that said that the "collecting data warning" is standard on 3rd party apps on Android.

@Alenanno: see http://code.google.com/p/hackerskeyboard/wiki/FrequentlyAskedQuestions#Why_is_there_a_security_warning_when_I_activate_it? and https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/apps/Settings/+/8272edba7d10b508cbbedfce5504862da6ec9acd/res/values/strings.xml line 2687.

Great thanks. Maybe you could add that to the answer so other people see it (in case comments get deleted in the future). :D


text:
How do I run Windows or Linux as a virtual machine on Android?
I would like to run Windows XP as a virtual machine on my Android tablet.  Since Android is based on Linux, is it possible to compile VirtualBox to run in Android?  If not possible, is it possible to run WinXP as a virtual machine in any way on an Android tablet?

Related:  Can I virtualize Windows on an x86 Android device?

None of the emulation options are even capable of smooth and usable W95/98. You might've overestimated the power of the phone and emulators.

Not all processors are equal. There is a thing called ARM.

Related: https://android.stackexchange.com/q/84359/218526, https://android.stackexchange.com/q/55376, https://android.stackexchange.com/q/174938

Have a look at qemu. Apparently it's known to run on ARM.
Running XP (if it even works) is probably not going to be a pleasant experience due to what's noted by Chris Herbert and the probable lack of a screen/pointer driver.
If you really want to do it maybe wait for the Intel Atom (x86) based tablets. There should be some Atom based Windows 8 tablets about now. The androids are coming soon.

VirtualBox uses virtualization, which isn't possible when the host device (Android tablet) uses a different CPU architecture than the guest device (x86 PC running windows XP). Since your android tablet almost certainly has an ARM CPU, the x86 CPU would have to be emulated, which is massively slower than virtualization. It doesn't seem like it would be practical at all.

Thank you for that explanation. I've been working with Google TV forgot that the Tablets don't use x86.

What about running another Android (or Debian ARM)?

@f.ardelian Yes, apps such as Nonroot Debian and Complete Linux Installer let you run GNU userland on Android without emulation.

Actually, many Android devices are now x86, so it's now technically possible. @f.ardelian

I disagree with the premise that virtualization requires something about CPU architecture at all. I mean, there's x86 emulator in javascript and it can run w98 and MSDOS.

Well, you could try DOSBox, a MS-DOS, Windows 95/98/XP capable emulator based off QEMU. It will emulate something close to a 1st-generation Pentium, so don't expect it to be fast even if you run it on, say, a Nexus 9 (but it could be usable). XDA has some tricks to up the performance somewhat.

The best you can do is to run full windows applications under wine on android.  It supports some applications it is an emulator originally for Linux desktop and ported also for android as its also Linux. They list applications that can run on xda-developers

You can use Limbo emulator or Qemu. but i don't think that your phone can handle windows 10. i've tried windows xp though and it worked pretty well.


text:
Is there a way to launch app via terminal in the background?
Is there a command to launch an app via terminal and have it start in the background?
Something like the "&" in Linux...

Android is a Linux too, so a simple example :
am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.android.settings/.TetherSettings &


text:
Does Bluetooth tethering not work, or am I doing it wrong?
I carry two Android devices: my Nexus S phone, and a Nexus 7 tablet (both running Android 4.1 "Jellybean").  The tablet has Wi-Fi, but no cellular radio; so in order to use the Internet with it when there's no Wi-Fi hotspot nearby, I have the phone set up for Wi-Fi tethering: it effectively becomes a Wi-Fi hotspot, and the tablet uses that for Internet access.  This works perfectly.
However, I recently discovered what appears to be an alternate method of tethering: Bluetooth.  Both devices have menu options that seem to allow it; here's screenshots of how I configured both devices:

Options on Phone and Tablet (click images for larger variants)
I tested this by turning Wi-Fi off on both devices, then opening the browser on the tablet and refreshing the page that happened to be loaded.  I saw a message that said
    Unable to connect to the Internet

I was, of course, hoping to see the page reload.
It's a shame that I cannot get this to work, because it promises one advantage over Wi-Fi tethering: easier security.  I want to prevent other people from stealing my bandwidth; with Wi-Fi, this requires that I set up a WPA password, and then get that password onto the tablet somehow (which is quite tedious).  But with Bluetooth, all that's required is that I "pair" the devices, which I've already done.
So I am wondering if I'm doing something wrong, or if this feature simply doesn't work.

On my JBed galaxy nexus it works between desktop and phone no problem. This could be that the tablet isn't setting up routing information properly or similar.

I haven't tried recently, but I think my Mac laptop can use the phone's Internet connection via Bluetooth ... so that certainly would implicate the tablet.  But it still doesn't tell me if the tablet is buggy, as opposed to me somehow misconfiguring it.

Out of curiosity, I tried again: now it's working.  What's different is that the tablet is now at Android 4.2, and the phone is Cyanogenmod 10.  Here's the tablet's settings screen: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ud44bvj1cd3e7mp/Screenshot_2012-11-18-14-38-15.png?m  and here's the phone: https://www.dropbox.com/s/b88ezz4ucan7hsz/Screenshot_2012-11-18-14-38-41.png?m

I was able to make a Bluetooth tethering connection between my Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus without trouble (both on 4.2). I noticed that the BT icon on your N7 screenshot hasn't turned blue (which indicates a good connection). Could be a basic BT connection issue. If you continue to have trouble, try testing a different kind of connection, like sharing a file via BT.

Figured I'd check in again :)  My phone and tablet are both running 4.2.2; bluetooth tethering has been working perfectly for months.  There must have been a bug in 4.1 that got fixed in 4.2.

Maybe this is too late for some of you but this is a solution for Android 4.2:
Basically you need TUN module since the standard configuration does not include it:
Google Play - TUN.ko installer
Bluetooth thethering - fix solution

Some Background.

There are two distinct modes for WiFi.
(1.) Using WiFi between one or more devices and an Access Point (AP).
  This includes what happens when setup a device as a WiFi hot-spot for other devices.
(2.) Using WiFi as an ad-hoc network, between two devices.

By default, Bluetooth operates like (.2), and allows for sub-devices (keyboard, speakers, microphone, etc.) to be attached or 'paired' to a different device.
You need to identify whether you can have your non-cellular capable device pair with the cellular-radio service of the other device. This would first require that device to 'publish' this as a Bluetooth sub-device (or 'service'), and then for the other device to be able to 'discover' it.
None of this is impossible, but some of the pieces may require extra drives or settings not currently available (or configured).  Good Luck.

On my stock Transformer tablet (running ICS 4.0.3) and my Galaxy Nexus phone (running JB 4.1.2), I first had to pair the two devices, then enable internet sharing on the phone, then in the Bluetooth settings of the tablet touch the phone's item in the paired devices list. This activates the internet connection sharing. It seems that the sharing doesn't happen automatically; that is, the tablet doesn't automatically fall back to the bluetooth device even if there is no wifi available.

I did all the steps you mentioned.

@offby1: And? It works for me every time. Are you sure the phone is sharing its connection over BT, AND that you started the connection on the tablet?

I wonder whether you're confused - as I was - with the presence of the tick and the wording 'Use for internet access' on the profile page?
Once the devices are paired - when it asks you to confirm they're both showing the same numeric code - you have to set one phone to offer a bluetooth tether, and then on the other press the 'Use for internet access' line - with the tick that looks like it means it's already working. It'll show 'Connected to device for internet access' and the tick will stay on. The tether-offering phone will say 'sharing this phone's internet connection' on the tether and hotspot screen.
Sometimes I find the connection refuses to stay connected for more than a second or so. I have no idea which phone isn't cooperating, but when they're in that mood it generally means I have to disable both bluetooth interfaces and start the tether one again, first.
I've raised a bug report with Google about the fact that the language should read less ambiguously: 'Will use for internet access' or 'Not connected to device for internet access' or similar, to emphasise that it's not currently being used. I've raised a similar complaint about the tick remaining ticked whether the connection is active or not.

I had the same problem . Finally, I figured it out. It's a bug. The JB device fails to register the connection parameters (DNS) for Bluethooth network after connecting to tethered device and uses DNS of default wifi connection to connect, so the request fails with a timeout.
Rooted users can fix the issue using a set of commands in terminal, either using ADB or Terminal emulator.
Terminal Emulator/adb

Connect the Bluetooth tether and uninstall Terminal emulator .If you are using ADB, connect device to PC through USB (in USB debugging mode) and run the command
adb shell

to enter into the shell.
Enter su grant super user permission to Terminal emulator when prompted.
Use the command netcfg to list the available interfaces. You can find the Bluetooth interface in the list. It may be btn0 or btn.
Set the network status of btn0 (Bluetooth interface) to up by entering:
netcfg btn0 up

Run DHCP to get an IP address:
netcfg btn0 dhcp

Set the DNS of your choice:
setprop net.dns1 8.8.8.8;
setprop net.dns2 8.8.4.4;

on my device the interface is bt-pan but... this dont work :P


text:
Root EVO 4G stock ROM?
I've got a Sprint HTC EVO 4G Wimax.  I want to get rid of the Sprint Apps to free up some space on the internal storage, but otherwise leave the phone stock for now.
I followed the instructions at the HTCdev website to unlock my bootloader and I installed Superuser from the Play Store.  If I can get an su binary installed, I can give root to Titanium backup and remove the Sprint Apps.  There is a zip file at androidsu.com that I think I can flash, but that's the bit I haven't figured out yet.
Since I've got an unlocked, but otherwise stock phone, I guess I don't have a recovery image, since if I boot into recovery mode, I get a red triangle with an exclaimation point.
What are my options for recovery images?  Is there anything besides ClockworkMod or Amon Ra?  If I go with either one, how do I get it installed?
Or is there a better way to get this done?
Update:
I Installed Amon Ra and used it to flash the su zip file.  I removed the apps that I could without breaking anything.  I didn't free up any space I could use at the moment, but I'm happy to have them gone.

I want to get rid of the Sprint Apps to free up some space on the internal storage - just to note, removing built-in apps won't give you more internal storage space. Uninstallable "bloatware" apps are on a separate partition from user-installed apps, and the space of one doesn't affect the other (unless you repartition your device entirely).

@eldarerathis  Sadly, it seems that you are correct.  Deleting a built in app does not free up any internal storage.

What are my options for recovery images? Is there anything besides ClockworkMod or Amon Ra?

A third popular option is TeamWin Recovery Project, usually referred to as TWRP.

If I go with either one, how do I get it installed?

Since your bootloader is unlocked, you can use fastboot to install a recovery if you download it in .img format. You do this by downloading the recovery image to your computer, plugging in your phone, and executing:
fastboot flash recovery /path/to/recovery.img

from a PC command prompt while your device is booted into fastboot mode.
Alternatively, ClockworkMod and TWRP can both be installed from apps on rooted devices. For ClockworkMod you can use ROM Manager and select the "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery" menu option. TWRP can be installed using GooManager by selecting the "Install OpenRecoveryScript" option in the app's settings menu.
A third option is to get a copy of the recovery you want in a bootloader-flashable zip file. For the EVO it will be a file named PC36IMG.zip. You put it on the root of your phone's SD card and then reboot into your bootloader and it should flash it for you. I know that Amon Ra has been distributed in this format, but I'm not sure about the others.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S3 Wi-Fi problems
My Samsung Galaxy S3 has major Wi-Fi problems.  It will connect to Wi-Fi for a few seconds, then it quits and won't connect to anything.  It happens at home, work, or anywhere else with Wi-Fi.  It's not the router. My laptop and other phone works fine with it.
If I turn off the Wi-Fi and then turn it back on again, it will work for a little while, but then, nothing, no connection to anything. I've researched the problem for days and seems like a lot of people are dealing with the same thing.
There are some supposed 'quick fixes' but none work for me. (dialing *#0011# on the phone to turn off power save mode, downloading a Wi-Fi Fixer app, doing a factory reset, trying to set a static IP - phone won't let me, and everything else, NOTHING WORKS!).
Is this a problem with the phone or the software?  Do I need to exchange the phone for a different one?
I even called Samsung and they claimed that no one else has ever reported a problem with this, even though there are hundred and hundreds of posts online about the issue.
Is Samsung doing anything about this or should I just give up and get a different phone all together?  By the way, it always says that I am connected to Wi-Fi. It just doesn't actually work.
I've read about having to set the router to G or N but I have no idea what the means or how to do it?  And besides, why should I have to do that?  Shouldn't the phone's wi-fi just work?  And how would I do this G or N setting at work?  Not gonna happen, so I'd be outta luck there.
So frustrating!!

I guess there is some problem with the hardware... nothing to do with the software

Strongly recommend looking at: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/29291/wifi-connection-dropping

If you're using the Sprint version of the S3, see if Sprint Connections Optimizer is turned on under Settings > More Settings > Mobile Networks. Make sure it's turned off, as it can cause Wi-Fi to be a little funky sometimes.

The sprint connection optimizer is probably the worst most useless app of its kind.  It is truly horrific.


text:
How to keep phone powered down while charging with ClockworkMod Touch Recovery?
In the course of setting up CyanogenMod 7.2 on my T-Mobile G2 (also known as the HTC Desire Z), I installed ClockworkMod Touch Recovery. My usual practice before that was to power off my phone and plug it in to a USB cable, attached to a wall socket, for recharging. However, with ClockworkMod Touch, trying to do this results in the phone always booting to the recovery mode, whether I plug in the cable before or after shutting off the phone.
This is a nuisance; in effect, I have to leave my phone powered on at all times, and turn off the sound when I'm sleeping. I suppose I could just leave it at the Recovery menu, but leaving the phone at a menu where two accidental touches to the screen could wipe the phone seems like a bad idea.
If I recall correctly, I initially had an earlier version of ClockworkMod Recovery installed, which had a menu option for powering off the phone. I only had that version installed briefly.

Just leave your phone up&running while charging. There's no technical reason to power it down. Charging time will be (almost) identical if you switch off the display. PS: The charging screen is also shown by a running system (while the device is powered on).

I don't like having the phone advertise that I am available to communicate when I am not, along with a long list of other features of the phone that aren't really useful or meaningful when I am sleeping. I could disable things piecemeal, but it seems like it would be simpler to just shut the phone off when I am asleep.

When you see that charging screen, Android is running in a special charging mode which is not too different from Airplane mode. So just keep your phone powered and switch to airplane mode atomatically: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alfray.timeriffic

You are stuck with this. This is the way ClockworkMod Recovery works. I did a search and the devs on xda say if you dont like it unroot your phone.
It is indeed a nuisance since powered off chargin charges faster. Though, oh well!

You're not stuck with this. Most phones show some special 'charging screen' however this is also a full running system consuming power too. If the modder takes the extra time to also implememt this, it'll work too with mods.

@Passingby, can you provide a link to that comment by the devs?

Put your phone into airplane mode before going to sleep.

This is not a solution to the problem described - the OP is asking for a method to keep his device completely powered down while charging. Airplane mode is an entirely separate function.

To be fair, the OP stated he wants the powered down because that is simpler than "disabling things piecemeal", and airplane mode would appear to be the best of both worlds.


text:
Selective syncing with Google?
By default if you sync with Google, contacts, calendar, app data and wifi keys are synchronized. Is it possible to synchronize only some of these things, e.g. only calendar and contacts? Thanks :-)

Please see your other question on the topic: What exactly is synced with Google?.

I think this is different.  The other question is about backup, this one is about sync.

System Settings -> Accounts & sync ->  Select your google account -> Make use of the checkboxes.

sync settings (click for larger image)

If the checkboxes aren't visible, it's likely because you have sync disabled completely.

Thank you. Absolutely correct. Will not see the checkboxes if sync is off.


text:
What exactly is synced with Google?
If you enable syncing to Google, what exactly is synced in a more technical way? E.g. about syncing app data, I guess there is just one standard path synchronized? Has anyone seen a more technical documentation of the synching, that describes, what exactly is synchronized?

Google Dashboard is a service for accessing a simple view of the data associated with a Google account. With Dashboard you can also get a list of your Android apps that store data in the Google cloud, the dates of their latest backups, the amount of storage they use, and some additional data such as the date you first registered the device. To access this information:

visit Google Dashboard at https://www.google.com/dashboard
enter your Google username and password, and log in
scroll down to section "Android devices"
click the "More data stored about this device" link under your
device names's entry

You can check this e.g. in the Honeycomb User Guide. Basically, it sums up to the following:

Android Settings, as WiFi networks incl. passwords, user dictionary, etc.
Settings of many Google apps, as e.g. browser favorites
Apps downloaded from the Playstore

Additionally, app developers can use this API to have their apps data backup'd along -- but only few do so. Furthermore I wouldn't rely on this backup -- there are many reports that, while the backup works, the restore not always does: It seems there's no way to manually trigger it, and on initialization after e.g. a factory reset (or with a new device) it often fails. also, as far as I know, it's an all-or-nothing thing: You can have it let all your backed-up data restore (as described before), or not.


text:
Changing the numbers format when entering phone numbers in the dialer possible?
I'm using a Sony Live With Walkman. The Android 2.3 is in English, and I rather leave that way... But, I find kind awkward the mask input of numbers when I am typing.

Is there any way I can change that?
I would prefer something like 9999-9999, or at least no mask at all.

That is built into the dialer in the Sony's Android ROM and baked in. Try an alternative dialer!

Possibly related: Is it somehow possible to change MANUALLY the format of a telephone number?

Well, as it may seen, there's no solution without relying on third-part softwares.
Instead, I (partially) solved it by changing the language for English UK, where the numbers format are without separators. Ex: 99999999.


text:
Leaving work profile for Tasker
I'm using Tasker, and maybe I'm just trying too hard, but I can't seem to set up multiple conditions in the way that I want to. Here's what I'm trying to do:
From M - F (8AM - 5PM), set the phone to silent mode... which is pretty easy. After 5PM rolls around though, I want to kick on the GPS/Network location listener.
If I have left the office, then I want to go ahead and switch off the silent profile, and back to normal. If I haven't yet left the office, I'd like the task to sleep for 15 minutes, and then try again (sometimes I work late).
It's the combination of these two separate tasks that I cannot seem to make work together. Can anyone help me out here?

First, you might have problems kicking on GPS without root. Is your device rooted, and if so, what ROM (stock or custom?) are you running? Everything else shouldn't be that hard to do. I could give you a raw skeleton after you provided these details, so you only would be left with the fine-tuning afterwards. PS: I took the liberty for a little re-formatting of your question to make it easier to read -- hope I got it right. If not, feel free to correct it again :)

Thank you for updating my question, it is a bit more straight-forward now. My phone is rooted. Running a stock JB that's deodexed (GSM Galaxy Nexus)

Now with your latest details, a raw approach. As you are on a stock ROM, switching GPS might not work out-of-the-box. In case it doesn't work, take a look at the Secure Settings plugin, which should be able to help out.
I assume your raw concept is: 8am to 5pm is work time, and you want different settings during work hours and after leaving work, considering eventual late-work issues. So this should preferably turn out as a single profile: At work do... and After work switch to.... So here's what shoud basically work:

Profile "Work":
Condition:

Time from 8am Till 5pm

Task:

Audio -> Silent Mode: On

Exit Task:

Misc -> GPS: On (might need to be replaced by Secure Settings, see above)

Now we enter a second profile, and you probably do not even need GPS:
Profile: "AfterWork":
Condition:

State -> Tasker -> Profile Active: "Work" [x] Invert
State -> Phone -> Cell Near: (Scan your work cells) [x] Invert

Task:

Audio -> Silent Mode: Off

So you see you neither need GPS nor the 15min wait loop. At 8am the "Work" Profile gets active, and switches your phone to silent mode. As you do not really need GPS, you can define some dummy Exit Task here (e.g. again switching Silent Mode on), as otherwise Tasker would automatically revert to the "before" mode.
The second profile does not even check conditions before "Work" has completed, as Tasker remembers which Profiles are active. After that, it starts monitoring the surrounding mobile cells -- which are either known by the phone as needed for telephony. If none of the surrounding cells match any of the scanned cells, the attached task is executed and Silent Mode turned off.
But why so complicated? Much easier done like this:

Profile "Work":
Condition:

Cell Near (Scan your work place mobile cells)

Task:

Audio -> Silent Mode: On

Done. No matter what time you are at work, your phone will be silent. And no matter whether you leave work early or late, Silent Mode will be switched off.

Great answer and explanation. If I could accept this twice for the extra rep, I would. Thank you for the help and the concise answer

That looks like I hit home with it -- glad I could help, anytime again :)

@RyanInBinary I just discovered one could award bounties to already existing answers, if one feels it earns extra points... xD Honestly: I'm not begging, just mentioning it in case you happen to receive an extra-ordinary answer some day ;)

Although this question is already answered, and accepted, I would like to add to it.
Sounds like what you want is pure location-based profiles.  Tasker is very powerful, but if you are willing to try an alternative, there is Llama.  It is roughly the same as tasker, except that almost every action is location-based. It 'learns' a location you want to set up (like home), by scanning the antennae of the mobile network in the immediate area. That is a lot more energy-efficient than using GPS.
For the things you want to set up, Llama will be much simpler to configure.  Let the phone learn the places you want to use in your conditions, and add one or more actions.  E.g. "leave home" -> do "enable bluetooth" "disable wifi".
You won't have to worry about timings, as the profiles only change when you physically, actually move to or from a location.
Give it a try.
PS: I am not affiliated.