text:
Changing the call voicemail timeout period?
I'm running Cyanogenmod 7.  When I call my Android phone, it rings for 30 seconds before timing out and directing to my voicemail.  I want it to only ring for 20 seconds before timing out - how can I change this?  Is there somewhere in the Android GUI for me to set it?

That, I believe, is set by your carrier.

OK, this is indeed a setting which is determined by the carrier.  It can be changed (at least on GSM networks, according to this Tech Recipes article), using an MMI code (Man-Machine Interface code).  Here's the procedure that worked for me:
On your Android phone, go to your Phone app, dial *#61#, and hit the Call button.  Android should briefly display "MMI code started".  Then, it should display your current voicemail number and the delay time.  Note down the voicemail number since you'll need to enter this in next.
Next, go to your Phone app and then the keypad.  Now dial this number from the keypad to change the time your phone will ring before it goes to voicemail:
**61*1yyyYYYyyyy*11*xx#
... and then hit the call button.
In the above code, you will put your voicemail number where the yYs are and the time delay in seconds for the xxs.  Once you hit call, it will give confirmation as to whether it was successful or not.
Delay is in five second increments with the maximum being 30 seconds (ie. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 secs).
So for example, if my voicemail number is 555-444-5555 and i want to set it to the maximum 30 seconds, i would dial this on my Android phone's keypad:
**61*15554445555*11*30#
Apparently, this will work for AT&T, T-Mobile, and any other GSM / SIM Card Carrier and may work on other phones besides Android devices.
Personally I am in the UK and so my voicemail number starts +44, so my MMI code to change the voicemail timeout was more like this:
**61*+447890123123*11*20#
It worked perfectly for me, and set the voicemail timeout to 20 seconds.

Nice find. Spot anything similar for CDMA?

No idea.  It doesn't exist in most countries outside the USA. :-)


text:
Opening Google Search results for music in PowerAMP?
Is it possible to have Google Search open music files via PowerAmp instead of the default player? I have tried to see if there is a default music player, but it's not set. Music is listed under "searchable" items, there is no way to add, but I would love to be able to quickly search for music via the Google Search on the phone.
Or is it possible to have Android Music (default player) not auto-search all music but create an index of specific directories? By defaults it will also include all call recordings and whatsapp voice messages. It would be enough to only have the music on sdcard/Music indexed.

That's two questions in one -- it would have been better to separate them.

If you execute an action which has multiple apps as options -- such as e.g. tapping on a music file in your file explorer when having multiple players installed, Andoid initially asks you for the app to use -- and lets you chose to make it the default. Worked fine for me with the Cubed player. This requires the "additional" app has a corresponding "listener" established as PowerAmp does, in your case.

After an app has been selected as the default, you can easily reverse that choice. Look under System Settings / Apps / All (sweep tabs to the left, if All is not visible).
Select the Clear defaults button (near the bottom) on the App info page for the Android stock music player (Google Play Music in my case, unsure if that one is your Android stock player).
If it asks for confirmation, confirm yes.
The next time you search for and select a local audio file, you will then be offered the opportunity to choose your preferred player app (enable the Use by default for this action checkbox, if you wish).

You can exclude locations from being scanned by the media scanner by placing a file named .nomedia within those directories. The media scanner will then exclude this directory from its scan, and thus contained files will not make it into the library. You still can chose manually to play them by e.g. looking them up with a file explorer.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Can I transfer my phone contacts to my Gmail address book for use on my PC?
I spent a lot of time organizing my contacts on my Galaxy S (Android 2.2) and want to know if I can transfer them to my Gmail address book on my PC. My PC OS is Ubuntu 12.04 and my Gmail desktop client is Thunderbird.

Absolutely. If you've synced your Android device with your Google account, your contacts would automatically show up on Google / Gmail Contacts.
If all your contacts are saved as "Phone Contacts" and not "Google Contacts", however, they will not be synced. You need to export the Phone Contacts and then import them into Google Contacts. It might be helpful if you adjusted your settings from within the contacts app to automatically save new contacts as Google contacts instead of Phone Contacts.

The only export option I have are to export to SD card or Sim card?  How do you export to Google Contacts?  Will I ask a new question here?

you export to the sdcard, then re-import them as google contacts.

If you use Google+, be sure to back up your current Google Contacts from the web before syncing. Contact syncs from new devices can sometimes delete all of your Circles.

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


text:
Install button greyed out on play.google.com
I tried installing an app on my phone from the Play Store website, but the install button is greyed out. What could be the problem?
The phone is a Samsung Epic 4G running 4.0

Just tested. The install button is only greyed out if your device is incompatible. To test this from the device dropdown hover over the phone. It should say that This item is not compatible with your device.

What could be the prob..?Does samsumg epic 4g has something that app doesn't support?

App compatibility is a complicated issue. It depends on what the app developer made it available for. Could be that the app is not ICS ready, could be your carrier or just the phases of the moon.

It works on ICS but not samsung epic 4g.

The install button is greyed out if you have no compatible device linked to your Google account.

I am getting this issue and my phone is compatible. It seems there is some other reasons...

@Loenix, check if you are logged into the same account which is linked to your phone.

@Aayush This is the same account.

It is possible that you searched for the app using google. Somehow the google result links to the US version of the page, which grays out the install link for non-US people.
Remove the "gl=US" at the end of the URL address.

When using google to search for a App, it will append &gl=US to the link, as you are not from the US, the button will be grayed out. By removing ( or simply chaning the US to your country, eg for me Austria = &gl=AT ) it works again.

In my case the button was greyed out when I accessed the google play store by using a web search for an app and then following the link to the play store.
If I went to the play store first and then searched for the app, there was no problem.
The solution proposed by Georgi121270 (remove the "gl=US" at the end of the URL address) solved the problem. It seems that the web search found the US version of the play store, whereas when I went directly to the play store, it took me to the version for my local region.

In my case, it says the app is compatible with all my devices, but the reason seems to be that the app is not available in my region (this is not mentioned anywhere).

ah, that's probably my situation -- being in Canadia.

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


text:
Unsafe certificate protection in Android?
Maybe I'm wrong. If so, please let me know.
Here is my question. I've followed the instructions here and installed my personal certificate stored in a pfx file (PKCS#12) in my Google Nexus (ICS 4.0.4). A little problem here is that it is not listed in "User" tab in "Credentials". It works anyway.
But the big problem IMHO, is the way Android protects your certificates by default. It only requests the user to set a pattern, PIN, or password to unlock the screen. I'm missing a password-protected access to my credentials like IE does in Windows for instance every time your certificate is requested by a site.
Is there a method to enhance security of your certificates in ICS?
Thank you

Did you mean Nexus S? Or Nexus One?

@AleksandarStefanović, it was Nexus S

Not sure if it helps any, but have you seen CACertMan (also on GitHub) yet?

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. Otherwise, your answer becomes useless in case the link dies. For further hints, please see: How do I write a good answer. Besides, the linked F-Droid page explicitly mentions: The app won't work with Android 4+ anyway – so it won't help the OP (he's on 4.0.4).

This doesn't answer the question, CACertMan (as far as I can see) only allows you to disable pre-installed certs which is not what the OP is asking for.


text:
When I plug in earphones into my HTC Desire S, it dials the phone
Every time I plug in my earphones into my HTC Desire S, it  starts calling the last dialed number automatically and starts the music after short interval.  Does anyone know about this problem?

It sounds like some hardware issue. Does your earphone have music controlls? Is the behavior the same with different earphones?

I plugged my earphone to some other HTC phone and this was not happening..Is it issue with the phone?

Does your earphone have music controlls? Is the behavior the same with different earphones?

Check out the default launch application when you plug a hardware like earphone to your device. Some phones has this option. Check out the music player setting which started the playing music when you connect the earphone and also check the setting of the calls.

HTC Desire HD Android 2.3.5
I had exactly the same problem, would plug in standard headphones/ earphones/ aux cable to speakers... all of these would register on the phone as earphones with a mic built in for some reason.  it would cut music tracks short and play the next one or start ringing a call.
strangely, as i was searching for this thread, the problem has self corrected.  All that is different is that I updated ALL of my apps on google app store today.  This is the only factor that I have changed.  Try this!  I hope it works out for you as well as I know how frustrating it was!
best wishes

I had the same issue on my Evo 3d.  I downloaded an app called Headset Blocker and it disabled the phone's headset remote abilities. This solved the problem immediately.

I have this same issue with my HTC desire. My hypothesis is that my headphones or jack have a slight short and is activating the voice commands via the input channel. I am trying to see if there is a way to turn off voice commands on the headphone jack itself or all together without turning off the input channel so I can still use a headphone with a mic for phone calls.

Its definitely a hardware problem. Go to the app store and download Headset Blocker if it  works on your current phone's version. It didn't work on mine so I had to use WizDroid. Open the app then activate it and it should fix the problem.


text:
Disable all non-Wi-Fi Internet connections
I want my phone (running Android 2.3.5) to only connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi.
How can I disable all non-Wi-Fi connections, such as 3G or similar?

Duplicate: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13610/is-there-a-wi-fi-only-mode/29239#29239

This functionality is built into android so there's no need for an external tool/application.
In settings:
Wireless and networks -> Mobile Networks -> Data Enabled

Disable this and you're all set.

I don't have this option on my Droid Bionic  running system 5.9.902.XT875.Verizon.en.US and Android version 2.3.4.

@Gdalya here: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/22906/how-to-disable-mobile-data-on-droid-bionic/22907#22907

You can go on the configurations and disable the usage of mobile networks manually. If you want a more handy tool (i.e. not need to open menus), looks like this app can do it: APN Switch

APN-Switch is a simple widget that allows you to quickly enable (or disable) your data connection (3G/EDGE/GPRS) with a single click.

What I've done before is to turn on Airplane Mode, then turn on Wifi. Works like a charm on my Galaxy S.

That would disable normal cell phone functionality too, like calling and texts.

Ah, I misunderstood your question then!


text:
How to enable multiple users on Google Talk for Android 2.3.4?

Possible Duplicate:
Use Google Talk with multiple accounts

I always use two Google accounts. One for personal use, and the other for professional-related things. On my phone, I have Android 2.3.4 installed (not rooted). I heard that multiple users have been enabled for Honeycomb's Google Talk app. I need that same feature for my phone but I can't seem to find the latest Google Talk app on the Play Store in order for me to update the one that came with my phone. What should I do?
Note: Google Talk's I need the voice calling feature as well.

You've had a few questions closed as duplicates.  If you aren't, please make sure you search before posting!  If you are, I apologize for how hard it is to find things here sometimes :P

Google Talk is not one of the apps that Google updates via the Play Store. Unfortunately pre-honeycomb Gtalk can only handle one user; the main account of the phone.
Your only option is to use a third-party IM client.

I believe I can't utilize Google Talk's voice call capabilities if I use 3rd parties right?

@Shedo No you can't. I only found one app that claims to support it, but that hasn't been updated in a year.


text:
How can I assign a picture for a name-only text sender
Occasionally, you receive SMS messages that have a company name rather than a reply number.  The network provider, for example, might send texts from "T-Mobile" or "Vodafone" whilst banks might appear as "Barclays" or "Halifax" etc.
I recently got one of these messages from a system at work and was wondering if there is any way to add a contact photo to them?
I tried to do this in the normal way, by adding the message sender as a contact.  I thought this had been successful, however the phone simply created a new contact with an email address of "Sending Company Name", which isn't associated with the texts sent so the picture I added to the newly created contact doesn't show in the message thread:

Yet if you click the view contact button from the message thread:

Then the picture shows - it's really strange!  Has anyone been able to get this working in the past?  I'm using an HTC Sensation on Android 4.0.

I tried everything I could think of to solve this problem over a year ago but came up empty handed.

I know the types of messages you are talking about. I do not have HTC Sense, but I have had Touchwiz, LG (don't know what they call their version of Android), AOSP (CyanogenMod) and here is what I found and have been able to add a picture to these contacts this way.
When these message come in, they do in fact have a number. They have a Short Code. I get messages from T-Mobile every month from 456 to tell me they are going to take money from me.
I added a contact, then set the number to be the Short code. Then I edit the contact as I see fit. Change the user profile image, add additional numbers, websites, etc.

122 & 129 are message that are sent by the T-Mobile Visual Voicemail service

Another way that works on certain phones (I am not sure about the HTC) is to save the Name with the associated number in your contacts. For example, BANK becomes 2256 and BARCLAYS becomes 22725297 etc. Save this with a picture and you should be fine.

This is all possible, but if you are open to a replacement  dialer app, I recommend Contacts+, it can assign pictures independently of numbers to contacts, and these pictures do show up on incoming calls and texts.


text:
Any equivalent to CCleaner for Android?
I found a few questions about freeing internal memory, but they're mainly about deleting apps, moving them to the SD card, or deleting the data/cache. I do that on regular basis so I am looking for something else.
Is there any kind of equivalent of CCleaner for Android? That would help me to find and delete files I can delete?

HTC Desire on CM 7.1

Yes.  SDMaid does an excellent job of finding files abandoned by the system such as interrupted Play APK downloads (cutely called the "basement corpse finder"), shrinking databases and emptying your caches.  It also lists files by size so you can find space hogs, etc.

Hmm, it says that SDMaid is intended for rooted devices. Any suggestions for non-rooted phones?

@ihtkwot Just like how you need administrator privileges on your pc to run ccleaner you need it on Android too.


text:
What does "avoided poor Internet connection" mean?
The connection to my work wifi just failed and below the network my phone is saying "Avoided poor Internet connection". What does this mean exactly? Has the phone detected that it can't get out to the wider Internet or did the network fail to allocate an IP address or something else?
Not sure if it matters but this is on a Galaxy Nexus.

Are you using ics?

@richardborcsik No I'm not using ICS, its just the phone connecting over wifi on its own.

@LukeQuinane ICS means Ice Cream Sandwich, which in turn means Android 4.0 or greater. Since your device is a Galaxy Nexus, you in fact are using ICS :)

@onik I think he understood it as Internet Connection Sharing.

@RichardBorcsik Yeah, I got that, thought that I'd clarify what was meant by ICS in this context.

Poor connection may mean that:

there is either a weak signal from your wifi partner device.
there is much noise from other systems using the same frequency.

Both mean that many data-packets are lost and have to be retransmitted so your overall throughput goes down.
You can compare this with:

somebody is speaking not loud enough
many people are speaking at the same time and it is difficult to understand one person in that noise

If you have interference problems it might help to
change the wifi channel/frequency

Or your device couldn't get a valid IP address and had to fall back to a link-local address, or the connection from the access point to the internet has a high jitter and/or packet loss percentage

TO confirm @onik's comment, I've been seeing "Avoided poor Internet connection" quite a lot in the last week on hotel wifi, before that message appears, if I open the Wifi section of Settings I can see the connection cycle through "Connecting" and "Obtaining IP Address" for a few minutes before the system gives up and says that it has avoided the poor connection. In this case most likely either an over-loaded wifi AP or DHCP server that has run out of addresses, or a flaky connection that keeps dropping while the phone is connecting to the AP.

I'm seeing the same device behavior as GAThrawn, but I also have access to packet traces run against the DHCP server that clearly show that (a) the DHCP server is doing exactly the right thing in response to requests from the Android device and (b) after the DHCP server sends its DHCP ACK, the Android device and the local gateway successfully exchange ARP packets. The wifi connection is quite solid, and there are only two other devices on the network.

This problem has been plaguing me ever since I upgraded my Sony Ericcson Experia Pro ("iyokan") from Cyanogenmod 7.2 (Android 2.3.7) to 9.0 (Android 4.0.3) -- until today when I did some more detailed investigation.
It's pretty clearly a defect related to the DHCP client.  When it manifests, the device fails to obtain an IP address from any access point, even those with which it had previously had no trouble.  Switching to a static IP address works around the problem.
a few minutes ago, I found that deleting the contents of /data/misc/dhcp and then resetting the device cleared the problem.  I'm sure it will happen again, but when it does, I'll know what to do about it.
I hope this information helps someone and perhaps leads to a fix.  I can't report it is an official bug because I'm using a nightly build (cm-9-20120819-NIGHTLY-iyokan)

While @k3b is right in what a poor Internet connection means that's not what's causing the error message to appear. If you actually have connection issues you don't get an error message (pretty counter-intuitive)
It appears that since upgrading to ics people have a problem with this.
Theoretically there should be a setting to switch this off under:
Settings -> Wi-Fi -> Advanced -> Avoid poor Internet connection

I said theoretically because I don't have it. See if you do and if it solves the problem. If you don't or it doesn't, read on.
There's a root only application on xda-developers that's supposed to solve this. If you don't have or don't want to root, you have to wait for Google to fix this.

Annoyingly, I can see the option in settings, but it's unchecked (and I still get the error).

I too had this problem on CM9. And the problem was so bad that I could barely connect to my WiFi. So I decided to fix it myself. I wrote an App which now easily solves this problem. You can get it from Google Play.
Now a bit of explanation:
The problem:
As you might know, when your device says "Poor connection" the connection is not really poor, it's all about Android messing it up. This can be solved by clearing the contents where Android stores DHCP information, for some reason that data is causing the problem.
This information is nothing but lease and pid stuff. As the lease is not human-readable (at lease I don't get it!) I can't tell what exactly wrong that's going on there. But clearing that helps.
The solution:
The solution that I built simply automates turning WiFi Off, clearing DCHP information, and then turning WiFi back On. Simple yet perfect solution! :)

Can you give us some idea of what your app does to fix this please. I'm just curious if there's some way a non-root user could do this through reconnecting/disconnecting etc even if its more painful?

@GAThrawn: Yes, the app clears the contents where Android stores it's DHCP information. For some reason that data is causing all of the problem. As you might know, when it says "Poor connection" the connection is not really poor, it's all about Android messing it up.
Now about non-root devices, I fear this solution won't work as to access that DHCP data you need super user permissions. (And that's why the app needs root access.)

Interesting. What kind of DHCP information are we talking about here? Leases? Or the configuration? How did you know how to fix it? Where can I find additional information? Is you app open source? If so, where can I review the source?

Too many questions.. Haha! Yes, it's lease and pid. As the lease is not human-readable (at lease I don't get it!) I can't tell what exactly wrong that's going on there. But clearing that helps. :) I was Googling around for fixing this problem, somewhere (unfortunately, I don't remember where) I read that it's the problem with DHCP info. So gave try to clearing it manually, and it worked! My app only automates turning WiFi Off, clearing DCHP lease and pid, and then turning WiFi back On. Simple yet perfect solution! ;)

This also occurs if the device is unable to contact the DHCP server.

When I had this issue, I edited the gateway of the WiFi network in advanced WiFi settings to be the same as the proxy address. This solved the issue for me.

Could you please explain How to do this? The question does not say anything about a proxy being used. What settings should that be, and where to find them?


text:
How to change Exposure when it is not possible
If i understand correctly, exposure is the measure of lightness in a picture. In my phone, there are no settings by which I can set it manually (it does it automatically), I use to put my hand on camera and then remove it suddenly and take a shot to get higher exposure when needed. For low exposure I use to face camera towards a lights source then suddenly back to the point and take a shot.
This is an ugly way to do it, is there any software or technique which can do that??

Why don't you try other camera apps? There are tons of them in Play store.

I have tried many and the exposure settings don't change anything

Then I think you should edit your question to reflect the fact that the exposure settings in most of the camera app doesn't work the intended way.

@roxan I read somewhere that my phone and many other does not support manual exposure settings, I was wondering if some app can still do that

If you can't adjust the exposure even with third-party camera apps, the only solution would seem to be adjusting it in post-processing. For example Photoshop Express can do this right on the phone. Or you can use your favorite image editor after you move the photos to your PC.

Try downloading Pudding Camera.
There is a little wheel on the left side you can turn to change exposure.


text:
Does ADB push and pull work on non-rooted phones?
I just discovered about the command adb push and adb pull which supposedly lets people push and pull data from within the internal memory. Now my question is, can this be used on non-rooted phones? For example, i want to change the default camera shutter sound found on /system/media/audio/camera/, can I use adb to push and pull the audio files? And also, is this an act of rooting that could void my warranty? The main reason why I'm holding back on rooting was because I still had a full year before my warranty runs out.

ADB commands work without root. However the /data partition is only accessible by rooted users* and while /system can be read by anyone, it's a read-only partition and root is needed to remount it as writable.
*There's one exception. The/data/local folder is accessible by non-root users too. This folder is primarily used for temporary like when you install an app via ADB.
The only practical use for this folder is that you can use a custom bootanimation by pushing a bootanimation zip file here.

But how can this guy pull off replacing his not-rooted phone's boot animation? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79F7hZkui6U (that's a tutorial)

@Shedo it seems that folder is exempt from this. Updated answer.

While adb does work without rooting - why are the pushed files owned by root? This seems to imply that adb is capable of doing more - even without rooting.


text:
Is there an ICS ROM for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that has camera support?
I'm keen to upgrade my Galaxy Tab 10.1 to Android 4, ICS. My Tab is already rooted and running 3.2.
However, it seems most ICS ROMs, for some reason, don't support the camera, which is a deal breaker.
As time goes on, it seems that ROMs and the places they are available multiply and it gets harder and harder to keep track of what's the latest and where to get it.
So is there an ICS ROM for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with camera support? If not, where should I be paying attention in order to be made aware of it?

I'm voting to close my own question, as I don't want to start any controversies, and it seems that this question can be taken differently than I had intended.

Have you checked http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1050

I fail to see any controversy in this question. Rather, I voted the question up. It's a pretty simple yes/no answer at a high-level, and any more detailed discussion should hopefully provide a positive answer.

The canonical question for finding Custom ROMs is here: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/17152/where-can-i-find-stock-or-custom-roms-for-my-android-device

A ROM with camera support is now available. I found it on the XDA Developers forum.

I cannot lock down a feature list, and I don't have a tablet to try it on, but I've found that the AOKP ROMs are pretty far along. I think it may have camera support, but you'll have to let me know.

I just recently sold my Galaxy Tab 10.1, but I kept up withe Roman's AOKP ROMs. The latest build (37 I think, as of just a few days ago) didn't have camera support still, but oh well. I'm sure they will get it working soon.

Build 40 is out now, but good info. Not likely to have support then :/ Hopefully someone else has tried this new one?

Samsung have started rolling out the official ICS ROM now (at least it was applied to mine recently), I'd be surprised if that doesn't support the camera.


text:
Opening URLs in Tasker and get HTTP response and content successfully
I am currently doing an automation in Tasker wherein I can open URLs on browser one by one. So far, I have successfully opened URLs by putting the URL list in a text file and have Tasker access it. My problem is, I want to know if each URL has been successfully or better, get the site content? How do I do this? Even if a site has been successfully opened, HTTPR still returns -1. I don't understand why. I also don't know how to use HTTP Get. I'm using Android Emulator by the way. Please help! Thanks!

Possible Duplicate: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/21475/how-to-check-success-status-of-opened-url-in-tasker

There's a nice German tutorial on AndroidPIT (same page using Google Translate), explaining this in detail. Moreover, you might want to check with the Q&A How to check success status of opened URL in Tasker?.

I suppose you must have been a new user when you posted this answer. Would you consider revising it or converting it into a comment? Thanks!

To prove your assumption, check my profile – and find out you've hit the mark: today - 3y7m makes something around June 2012 :) As for the second part: I've never worked with this, so I prefer to refer to the suggested duplicate :)


text:
Connecting to VPN forces having secure screen lock

Possible Duplicate:
Transformer Prime, VPN and password protection

I noticed that creating a VPN connection in ICS forces me to use a secure screen lock. I want to have Slide method for my screen lock, but it's disabled when I've set up a VPN connection. Is there a way to use a slide lock with a VPN configured?

Phone: Google Nexus S
  OS: Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4

I had the same problem, but I found a solution.
I just chose Pattern, turned off the screen, turned it back on and clicked on Forgot in the lower-right corner. After I gave in my Google password it changed automatically back to slide.
In the settings the option "none" is still grayed-out but it's selected anywhere and it works.

thanks, it worked! but it seems to be a bug, because in privacy settings, Slide and Face unlock is disabled, but my screen lock is Slide.

There's no "forgot" in in my android 4.0.4 phone

This is for security reasons: If you lose your phone with VPN set up, anyone can log into your network. Having a pin lock mitigates this threat.
If you happen to have CyanogenMod 7+ installed there's an option called Profiles. You can setup your default profile to have no screen lock at all (not even slide lock). That's the closest I got. Hint: This feature is for things like in car usage where you don't want a lock at all (using your phone while driving is illegal but people still do it).


text:
Problem installing ubuntu on Galaxy S2 ICS
The Error:
when running the ubuntu install script (ubuntu.sh) I get:
ubuntu.sh[11]:cut not found
This script requires root! Type:su

what I have done so far:
Installed a custom kernel that roots the phone:
[KERNEL] SpeedMod SGS2 ICS [K3-16 CIFS ROOT / NO-ROOT CWM5]
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1574218
I installed it using Odin using the following instructions:
http://touristinparadise.blogspot.com/2010/11/samsung-galaxy-s-how-to-install.html
that all seemed to go fine.
Installed "Ubuntu Installer Free" from market place.
I then installed busybox:
tried Stephen (Stericson) and JRummy16 apps from market place.
I installed the VNC viewer as recommended by Ubuntu installer app.
I also installed Android Terminal Emulator (Jack Palevich)  as recomended by Ubuntu installer app.
Downloaded and de-compressed the image and script as per links from Ubuntu installer app.
I decompressed them to my external card initially but then moved them to the "internal" sdcard folder.
I also tried to establish that I had loopback device capability.. I found this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1425888
And the folders mentioned are present.
I think that is all i have done so far ;-)..
I had a look at the script and the failing line and it seems to me if the "cut" command was not found then it would report that i didnt have su privelages even if i did.
I have many times ofer forgotten and approved su access for terminal emulator and busybox..
When I type su in the terminal emulator the symbol for text entry changes from $ to# ..
Anyone got any ideas?

Try running su from the terminal first, then run ubuntu.sh again.

I am running su (I think)  how can I test that it is working?

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13335/how-can-i-tell-if-i-have-root/13349#13349

Open the script up using an app, such as root explorer, and add the line su to the beginning, and try again.


text:
How can I get the fastboot command?
I'm trying to root my KF 6.3 following this article.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1568340&page=1
Now I'm in Kindle Fire screen (fastboot mode) but fastboot is missing.

hieund@hieund:~/Downloads/KF/RestoreRootFor6.3$ fastboot -i 0x1949 flash bootloader u-boot.bin
fastboot: command not found

I am on Ubuntu 12.04 and have adb installed.

Getting quick answers to problems is not one of this site's strengths. It works best for questions that have an answer and which will help future readers.

Fastboot is a binary and protocol used to communicate with Android devices in the early boot stage. It allows to change of the boot target and therefore is often used to install custom boot-loader (TWRP, clockworkmod, etc.) and ROMs.
The binary often comes with the Android SDK, for example on my linux system it is installed at /opt/android-sdk-update-manager/platform-tools/fastboot. There are also build instructions for fastboot on the official android page.

My AndroidSDK doesn't have fastboot. I checked all directories. It seems that they removed it in the latest release on Ubuntu (tools rev19, platform-tools rev11). Where can I get fastboot without building it? I'm still stuck in KF loading screen.

Everything's OK now. I updated SDK using SDK Manager and fastboot appeared! O.o

@Emerald214 If I'm not mistaken the Linux version of the SDK didn't come with fastboot until recently, so that's why the update helped :)

I had a problem with the fastboot command not working on Mac. Turns out the binary files needed to be included in the $PATH variable. Here's the info I found that helped me resolve this.
On Mac OS, you'll need to add the "Platform Tools" directory to your $PATH variable. That means opening up a terminal, typing "sudo nano /etc/paths," entering your password, and adding the path of the "Platform Tools" directory to the bottom of the file. Then hit "control+X" on the keyboard, "y" and then "enter" to save, and you're done. Then you just need to run "flash-all.sh" from the terminal.
Rather than adding the path, I just copied the adb and fastboot files to the usr/bin folder since that path was already in there.
Source: http://androidforums.com/threads/problems-trying-to-flash-factory-image.948151/


text:
WEP Wifi Connection Problem
I am new to this forum and would really want to please help me get this problem solved. I just bought a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and tried connecting it to my internet at home (Belkin N1 router - 64-bit WEP encryption) but it does not connect at all. It catches the internet connection and says its in very good range, I put the key but it never connects. I have tried all the different things possible via this forum, googling for answers, etc but haven't found a solution yet.
Stuff that I have tried:

Tried accessing it via a static i/p technique.
I cannot change the WEP encryption to WPA-PSK because the internet
is set up by my landlord and I am not allowed to change it. I can
check the settings and it shows access to all b/g/n configurations.
I have another phone i.e. the new Sony Xperia S, even that is not
able to connect to my wifi.
I am able to connect both these phones very easily to other wifi's
having WPA-PSK connectivity but just not my home network.

Update:
I have been able to partially solve the problem but it is not the exact solution that I am looking for. Here's what I have tried:
I have tried the WPA-PSK approach (AES encryption) and it does somehow make it work on my Xperia S (it did not connect to it instantly). Basically, there is an option of WPS (Wifi-Protection Setup) in my Xperia S which allowed me to do a Push Button Configuration (PBC) i.e. holding the router button for 3 seconds to allow my phone to access it. It assigned me an i/p address and thus made it work but spoiled it for my other housemates, so I had to get the setting back to WEP.I know it is more secure to use WPA, but I cannot change it without asking my landlord. Anyways, the point is that somehow my other phone connects to the router not instantly but via some route as given above. My question again is: Is it really not possible to connect it via WEP?
Kindly help as I have been struggling a lot to find for a proper solution over the internet.

Do you mind telling the length of you WEP key?

8 digits is the length of my WEP key = 03C004E1 (something like that). Dont exactly remember now.

Currently wireless channels are 6 and extension channel is set to 10.

Original key is: 0e39c004e1

Does the phone Wifi require Hex key or ASCII key?

Probably hex, but it shouldn't hurt to try both.

The problem is, it can see the network and try to connect it but it just cant get an ip address. It keeps looping on trying to connect and never does. When I checked the ip address section of it, it says 'Unavailable'.

Have you tried connecting without a password? ie, turn off WEP and any other encryption of wifi?

You should definitely avoid WEP because the algorithm is broken. Your network can be cracked, in the worst case, in a couple of hours and in the best case in minutes. Your landlord cannot force you to keep an insecure network in your house as well as he cannot force you to keep a broken door lock for it. Remember that if someone breaks into your network and does something nasty, you are in charge of proving that you are out of it.

@Power-Inside: Yes, I have tried connecting it WPA-PSK - AES and it has worked but then it spoils the internet connection for others and they are trying to connect it via WEP (Added an Update section just below my question). I know it is not the best thing to have a WEP connection as it can be cracked, but while its still there can I not access internet via that?

@Nerds.Dont.Swear No, what I meant was try to make your wifi access point an open one (without either WEP or WPA) and try connecting. If it connects without any problem, then it'd be certain that there is a problem with the encryption.

Ok, I'll give that a go.

64-bit WEP key in ASCII mode is 5 characters, and since you've said your WEP key is 0e39c004e1, you have to enter it in HEX mode. I'm not sure if your phone can handle HEX input, so if I were you, I'd try to (temporarily) assign some other WEP password, which can be entered in ASCII mode (5 random characters, letters or numbers), and see if that works from your phone.

Since you've mentioned that both your phones, Xperia X10 and Xperia S have the same problem with this router, it might be a good idea to invest about $30 in small WiFi router, which can connect to your home network and serve internet to your phones and other wireless devices. I use TL-MR3020 and it works perfectly in many situations.

Nope, I tried it and it doesn't work unfortunately.

you have mentioned "Xperia S" in you question, is this a different phone? if you have access to the different phones and different routers, it might be a good idea to check and see which phone can connect to which router. this might help to isolate the problem, be it with your phone or with your router. from my other experience, Sony devices can be quite picky about connecting to some type of routers, while everybody else does not seem to have any problems. had to change my router once because of this.

I have added an Update section just below my question telling what I have tried with the Xperia S and how I was able to kind of solve the problem but I am sure it is not a phone problem and more of a wifi issue. Both these phones work absolutely fine on any other WPA-PSK router. I have tried both of them at work and other places. No problems as such. Its only the WEP connection that has created these problems.

do I understand correctly that both your phones, Xperia X10 and Xperia S have the same problem with this router?

Yes. That is correct.

amended the answer, since additional comments do not display anymore.

The funny thing is, when I tried connecting my iPhone 4S to my wireless connection.. it connected straight away... Does it look like an Android problem?

from my experience, sony products are a tad picky about wireless connections, so I would not blame Android, more likely it's the problem of the particular phone model/brand.

But considering the fact that the Xperia S quite a recent release, why should that not work? By the way, just to mention the fact that I have faced exactly the same problem with a HTC Hero as well.

I think this is most likely a problem with the Android platform itself. My own LG P500 phone won't connect to any WEP secured network even though the key is 100% correct. In that case it was an iMac desktop with connection sharing through WEP, as that was the only option available for sharing.
It's not ideal, but perhaps finding a good compelling article about the benefits of WPA over WEP and presenting it to your landlord might be the easiest fix here.

I just thought of posting my solution here as well in order to help others that might face this problem in the future.
After troubleshooting the problem for over two months, I have finally been able to resolve the problem with the help of a Belkin technical support engineer. Just for clarification, the problem is neither with the phones nor the router. It is to do with the Wifi settings that can be accessed via the gateway i/p address (In my case it was: 192.168.2.1). I have followed the below steps that made it work for me (Please note that this solution may not help all the other WEP problems, it just seemed to help in my case. The best idea is to check up with your router's technical support department unless there is a problem with your phone).
Wifi settings changed:

Disabled Firewall
Disabled WAN Ping Blocking
The most important part:
Under Security, I changed the Wireless channel from '10' to '9'.
Changed the Configuration from "802.11 b/g/n" to "802.11 g only".
Changed the SSID name from say: "Belkin-Router" to "Belkin".
Applied changes and hurray, my phones got instantly connected.

Hope this helps others as well.


text:
Duplicate contact storages
I use Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread).
When I go to Contacts > [MENU] > Display options, I see duplicate entries as "bud***@gmail.com Phone-only (unsynced)". (1) See left image.
And when I try to add a new contact, I face the same issue. (2) See right image.

Why does this happen? This wasn't there earlier and I noticed this right now. I didn't visit contacts app recently though. I noticed this when I tried to add a new contact.
Adding more to the issue, I can create new contacts and save them inside one of these places, but it'll always display in the bottom duplicate. Even if I select the top duplicate when saving, it'll only display in the bottom one.

The weird problem had a weird solution. I turned the phone off and turned it on again, and the problem was gone.
I can't give any reason as to why the problem occurred and why it got solved. Might be a bug.

On a side note, I look silly here, not doing a turn-off-on at the first place. But why all that happened?!


text:
How to hide (to my carrier) the use of VoIP?
I plan to use Voice over IP with my android phone (Android 2.3 via Skype, Fring, JaJah, Line2 etc.). As I've read that my carrier is filtering VoIP protocols, I wondered if there are some protocol wrappers available as a workaround of packet/protocol filters? Thank you for any suggestions.

What exactly do you mean by filtering?

Carriers are able to detect data packets belonging to VoIP applications and block the calls. I guess they are doing this either at the level of communication protocols ((Deep) Packet Inspection) and/or port blocking.

You could use a VPN to "mask" all your traffic. This way your provider would still be able to count the amount of data transfered -- but he would no longer be able to see its contents.
VPN requires a client (which comes already integrated with recent Android versions -- but additionally, there are a lot of apps available for this on the Google Playstore) and a server. The latter you can establish on your own hardware (software is available for most operating systems -- even some routers have this capability built-in). Alternatively, there are providers available offering VPN as a service.
The TechRepublic has a quite detailed article on this topic: Securely connect your Android smartphone via VPN. It describes what can be done this way, and also includes the necessary steps to set up everything. So if this approach sounds good to you, follow the link for more details.
Other good sources can surely be found following the vpn tag here on ASE.


text:
Can I install Ice Cream Sandwich on my HTC Wildfire?

Possible Duplicate:
When will my device get the Android 4.0 update (Ice Cream Sandwich)?
Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

Please, I want to install Ice Cream Sandwich on my HTC Widlfire, can I do?
If I can, how?
Thanks so much.

I doubt it, but take a look at the new CM9 release of CyanogenMod and see if the Wildfire is supported. I have the HTC Desire and haven't bothered checking as I'm happy with CM7 (Gingerbread) but I think the Desire is missing some needed hardware features and as the Wildfire is lower specked than the Desire it is probably not going to be supported either.

It's not missing any features. As far as I'm aware everything except camera and HW decoded video playback is working on the desire. It's more than capable of running ICS.


text:
Empty spaces in ADW Launcher dockbar
I use the standard ADW Launcher that ships with CyanogenMod 7 and have noticed a problem with the dockbar. NOTE this is the "hidden dockbar" you can reveal with a swipe, not the normal Android dock (LAB/RAB).
There is enough space for 6 icons on my dockbar but I can only add 4 before they start flowing off-screen to the right. In other words positions 1 through 4 have icons but positions 5 and 6 can't be used (first screenshot). Dragging a new icon onto them places it at position 7, which can only be revealed by scrolling the dockbar sideways (second screenshot). It's as if ADW thinks there are icons at 5 and 6 already but there aren't.
I have tried using Reset ADW in the settings but while it reset many ADW features it did not reset the dockbar, or solve the problem.
There was a time when only position 5 was locked as blank and position 6 held an icon, but in dragging icons around to try an get one to go into position 5, position 6also became locked as blank.

I suggest you try a different launcher. Adw is old and buggy.

Richard, flagging your comment would be harsh, but it isn't helpful.

I know it doesn't help with this issue, but I really this that you'd be better of with a different launcher. The bundled version of ADW hasn't been updated in ages. Basically any launcher in the Play Store is more feature complete and is less buggy. I meant what I wrote with the best intentions.


text:
How does rooting work?
Or, how do I root my device without a rooter?
Rooting instructions for Android devices that I have seen are typically of the following form:

Download Gingerbreak.apk
Run Gingerbreak, click “root device”
Observe that Superuser.apk has been magically installed, possibly along with busybox and other things, and enjoy your rooty goodness.

What I am wanting to know is this: how does the rooting actually happen? What does Gingerbreak do?
I understand the end result of rooting:

su is present and working
Superuser.apk is installed and controls access to su
Various utilities are present, provided by BusyBox (optional?)

I also think I understand the basic idea of how Gingerbreak gets started — it exploits some local privilege escalation vulnerability and uses its new-found powers to deploy Superuser and whatever else is necessary.
So, unless I am wrong in some of the understanding I laid out above, the core of thing I want to know is what the root installer does to deploy and activate Superuser. It seems that just putting Superuser.apk in the right place wouldn't be enough — how does it get allowed root access? How does it get hooked up to moderate that access for other applications?
What does Gingerbreak do post-exploit to enable and secure root access?

See also: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/236/what-does-to-root-a-phone-mean

After much digging, I finally figured it out. I was wrong about where the magic is - it is not in the installer script; all that has to do is put the su and Superuser.apk binaries in the right place and set their permissions. So it really is as simple as dropping files in place and setting permissions. No magic wiring.
The magic happens in the su binary (see the source and also this question). I was (incorrectly) thinking that su was a standard su, and that things were somehow wired up to moderate access to that binary through Superuser.apk.
Wrong. What actually happens is far simpler: Superuser provides a custom implementation of su that authenticates access through Superuser and its authorized application database.
So the process of rooting is as simple as @Sparx said. The deployed software contains the magic.

I think this misses one important thing: the su is itself not magic at all, the only magic about it is that the OS treats it specially. All it has to do is return "OK" or "Not OK" when asked by the OS whether to allow a particular application to elevate permissions. If it's missing, or always returns "Not OK" then normal apps can never get root. So rooting is basically the process of placing an su binary that can sometimes return "OK", into the protected location on a system which isn't supposed to allow this to be done.

all that has to do is put the su and Superuser.apk binaries in the right place and set their permissions as if this would be easy without an exploit, the exploit is the magic.

@Alex Not quite. I was specifically trying to figure out what a rooter does post-exploit. In this case, because I had root access via ADB, so I didn't want to needlessly run an exploit.

@RomanSt not quite right, it simply has the setuid bit which allows it to run as root even though the user that invoked it is not

What the APK and exploit do (usually) is as follows:

The APK puts the right files in the right place to run the exploit
The APK runs the exploit
The exploit attempts to attain root access
If it succeeds, the exploit remounts /system as read-write and runs the installer script
The installer script attempts to install the su binary and superuser APK, and reboots

As an example, this page details how the rageagainstthecage exploit attempts to gain elevated privileges.

Thanks. I think this narrows my real question further - what exactly does the installer script do? Or where can I find a copy of one to read? Most of the docs I see are very opaque — “download this APK, it works” with a link to some random file sharing site.

su allows elevation of privileges in Unix-like environments (what Android is based on). When the su binary is installed, apps/scripts can then use the su and sudo commands to run and access parts of the file system that are normally restricted for ordinary users. In essence, that is why one roots a phone - to be able to gain access to "restricted" parts of the system and to be able to carry out commands that an ordinary user is disallowed to perform.


text:
Change "me" picture
I literally have no idea how to change my "me" picture. I have tried many things, but none worked. I tried to add myself to my contacts, but that didn't work.
Device: Huawei Ascend II

We need some more information. Where do you see this "me" picture? Is it possible it's attached to your Google account?

If you use Google+ and have your Google account connected to your phone, your profile picture will be used as your "me" picture.


text:
Does the Samsung Galaxy S Plus support moving applications to the SD card?
On my Samsung Galaxy S phone, I cannot move applications to the SD card. It seems to be some configuration file error which you can only solve when rooting the phone.
Does anyone know if this has been fixed in it's successor, the Samsung Galaxy S Plus?
Model Number: GT-I9000
Firmware : 2.3.3
Baseband version: I9000XXJVO
Kernel version:  2.6.35.7
Build number: GINGERGREAD.XWJVH

What FW version do yo have?

@Flow Added the info in my question.

What is the version of your OS in S1? If you are at least on Froyo, that should be doable for some applications. Note that not all can be moved to SD.
If you are on Eclair I believe you can't do this.
S Plus is on Gingerbread so it should work fine.


text:
Has anyone ever made a plugin for the stock Android browser?
Based on this StackOverflow question, there's a possibility to develop for the native/stock Android browser. But it doesn't seem developers are latching onto creating at least some plugins for it. So for my question, I want to know if there exists some stock browser plugins already?

At least one plugin exists. Adobe flash.
Note that plugins and extensions are not the same. The default AOSP browser doesn't support extensions.

Ahh thank you for clarifying my confusion. I essentially thought they're the same but only had varying terms.

I don't know if it's what you're after as it's a big commercial plugin that's unlikely to tell you much, but the Flash Player springs to mind as the only browser plugin that I know of.


text:
Restoring original 2.2 firmware on Samsung Galaxy Tab GT-P1000L
I've originally asked this question on stackoverflow, and I was suggested to ask it here.
I'm currently in trouble with my samsung Galaxy Tab GT-P1000L GSM+WiFi model from Brazilian's Vivo carrier.
The problem was: Whenever I try to open most apps (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others -- but not all) the Tablet would vibrace once, then twice, then display an error message saying that the "application stopped suddenly" and I'd have to try again.
I've noticed that there were a bunch of apps installed and I deleted them all. After reboot, they came back. If I install any new apps, they would work (even Facebook), but after reset, they were all wiped out and replaced with the previous versions (like it was restoring an old "backup" of the system with those apps installed).
I've managed to use adb to see the filesystem and deleted the contents of "/sdcard" which was mounted like:
/dev/block/vold/179:1 /mnt/sdcard vfat rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime,uid=1000,gid=1015,fmask=0002,dmask=0002,allow_utime=0020,codepage=cp437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro 0 0

/sdcard was a symlink to /mnt/sdcard. Note that there was no sdcard on the device. When one was put, a directory "external_sd" was created inside /mnt/sdcard and the contents of the disc would be there.
I've tried to manually delete everything inside /mnt/sdcard but it all came back upon reboot. (Note: I don't have root access to the device.)
I've managed to mess things up for good when I tried the command ./fastboot erase recovery. Now the main interface keeps "rebooting" -- it displays the carrier name, then the lock screen, then vibrates once, then twice, then carrier name again...
It is running android 2.2 and I'm trying to prep it to give it away (my wife is trading it for an iPad), so, I'm trying to restore everything back to where it was when I purchased it. I can't seem to find a firmware file to download (other than Cyanogen).
Samsung's Kies app (I'm using a Mac) can't seem to detect the device (with USB debugging mode off, it doesnt even try. When on, it says that it can't recognize the device).
Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Download the firmware from: http://hotfile.com/dl/146491093/3b7d6c9/P1000LVIJR2_P1000LZVVJR3_ZVV.zip.html or www.sammobile.com
After that follow this "how to" to install the new firmware:
http://androidromupdate.com/2012/02/26/how-to-install-p1000xwjq8-android-2-3-6-firmware-update-on-galaxy-tab-gt-p1000/

Make Preparation before flashing:
  - Back-up all important data stored in your device (this is important to keep all your data in safe, if something went wrong)
  - Ensure that the battery is fully charge (power lose may interupt the process and might brick the device in no time)
  - Galaxy Tab USB cable wire – a good conditioned USB wire.
  - A PC/laptop with working USB port that runs in Windows OS, this will not work on Mac users)
  - Install Kies on your PC just to get the driver of the TAb, or grab the driver.
  - Disable any antivirus program, and also Kies if you have it installed.
Download tools and stock ROM:
Odin Downloader with pit and Driver
  for Galaxy Tab Stock ROMs:
  Choose the right P1000XWJQ8 stock Firmware
  according to your country or carrier providers. The build number
  is the same on each packages but varies with different CSC file on
  each specific countries, so you should choose the right firmware for
  your device to avoid any functionality issues. These stock
  ROM’s can be found in at sammobile.
Odin Flashing Procedure
  1) Once you downloaded the right stock firmware for you device,
  extract it using winrar, 7zip or any other program to have the single
  .tar.md5 file.
  2) Run Odin on your desktop.
  3) Check the PDA checkbox
  and tick the PDA button and then load the extracted
  P1000XWJQ8_P1000XXJPZ_P1000DBTJQ1_HOME.tar.md5. (No pit repartition
  necessary if you have your device runs in original firmware) (Pit file
  is only needed for advacne users who installed their device with any
  custom ROMs and getting an error flashing official firmware. Grab the
  Pit file here, if you needed it)
  4) Ensure that the “REPARTION”
  checkbox mark empty, just only the Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time
  remains to be checked.
  5) Set the Galaxy Tab into download mode – Turn
  it Off first then gently Press and Hold the Volume Down And Power
  Button together at the same time.
  6) Once the tab displays in download
  mode screen, connect the USB cable. Check Odin if the ID:COM turns in
  yellow color and message say ‘Added!’ (it means that the device is
  properly connected and already recognized with Odin)
  7) Hit the
  “START” button to begin flashing or installing the firmware.   DO NOT
  TOUCH the phone while in flashing process, just wait until it
  completely finishes.
  8.)  A word “PASS” on Odin window will then appear as if the flashing succefully done. Wait until the tablet completly reboots., before
  removing the USB cable.
Do a factory reset, *2767*3855#  to regain a full fresh firmware
  installed. Then confirm the newly installed firmware *#1234#.
  That’s it..

Tried with Heimdall (on my Mac) and it didnt work (the firmware is updated, but the old data is still there, and the crashing is still happeninig). I'll try with Odin once I get to a Windows desktop.

You can try to flash with VirtualBox's USB pass-through by installing VirtualBox Extension Pack, give it a try!


text:
Is it possible to use a GIF as my wallpaper?
So it has come to my attention that Live Wallpapers are not actually images but more of like, applications that are active in the background. This causes it to be a bit of a battery hog. So I was thinking, if I can just use a GIF instead (like how I did on older Nokia dumbphones), then that would at least decrease the battery usage while still having my wallpaper do some activity.
When trying to set a sample GIF as wallpaper, it is asking me to crop it which I guess, in turn, removes its animation. How do I make it so that a GIF of my choice is used as the wallpaper on my phone while still retaining its animation?

Why would an animated GIF use less battery than a well programmed application? Something will have to animate the GIF!

Because if the OS supported it by default, it would require less processing power than a whole new 3rd party application?

There is no native way to do this, as Android simply does not support it. Any wallpaper which is not a live wallpaper will be displayed as a static image. Specifically, Romain Guy notes in a comment on the Android issue tracker that all regular wallpapers are saved as PNG images after cropping. There is no way to change this behaviour aside from modifying the Android source code.
There are some third-party apps that will allow you to use an animated GIF as a wallpaper, such as AnimGIF Live Wallpaper. The downside, though, is that I believe all of these will be live wallpaper applications, which sort of defeats the purpose.

Oh, well that's a downer.. :/ It's amazing and at the same time, sad how some simple things aren't readily available on such an advanced environment.

If your still wondering I figured out a way. Download the app live wallpaper maker free, and it allows you to select gifs saved in your gallery and add them as your wallpaper.

Can you provide a link to that app?

Strangly enough I was able to use a live wallpaper on my old phone, the Alcatel One Touch Fierce, but not on my newer Moto X pure edition.
Maybe it was because I had a third party program downloaded on the side but I never used it. On the Alcatel I was able to set full mp4 files as my wallpaper. Probably something in the phone's unique GUI allowed this idk, wish I knew


text:
Way to send a barcode via SMS with as little user interaction as possible
I would like to set up a bar code reading app (such as ZXing Team's Barcode Scanner) on an android phone in such way that it would send with as little user interaction as possible (preferably none) after the barcode was scanned the result in an SMS to a predefined phone number.
I have tried Tasker but without success and I don't have the skills to write an app of my own.

would you prefer an app that would do this explicitly?

What do you mean by explicitly? That the user has knowledge of the barcode being sent? (Yes)

barsent
....................................Weird name, I know right!

barsent is a simple and free app that lets you set a predefined number in the
  options and then any subsequent BarCode scan results will be sent to
  that number instantly without any prompts.

The barcode reader by ZXing Team is however required for this app.
Get it here!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE BARSENT APK (not available on market)
Remember to turn on "install from unknown sources" in your options!

Btw, the app is made by me when I got some spare time and I thought while it may be too simple, it could be helpful to a few people. Your question inspired me to make such an app (lol I know im such a sucker for bounties) ; anyway, it was fun getting this done in the MIT's App-Inventor
The app is not well tested because I did not have much time. If you find bugs or want to request for a feature, maybe we can do it over the chat here on android stack exchange or via email preferably. Comments are probably not the right way.
A few things I'd like to say

Its simple and will always be free
If its slow or crashing, I might not be able to do much really since its made using appinventor, do tell if those things happen though.
If you don't like this, you can modify or build your own or ask me for features. Also, there could be potentially some apps in the market that does the same in a better way. I simply made this app for fun.
I don't know if I can support app2sd or crunch the size of the app.. its just appinventor and I didn't include any fancy media into this app.
There are no obtrusive ads, background services or airpush junk
Permissions are exaggerated by the appinventor I guess
Don't hold me responsible for anything
If you like this, you can upvote this, share it using the small and cute buttons to the left of this post.
Oh and after installing the app, I recommend scanning the barcode that's above in this post using the app. ;)
Screen Shots.. maybe later but the app's really ugly in terms of looks. :D
Exclusively for the stack exchange community! That's why I am posting here!

Oh, did that feel better! :D

Thank you very much! I never would have dreamed that somebody would write a program just for me! I would very much appreciate it if you could make the source code available because I'm a bit reluctant to install an apk from somebody I don't know without checking the code first.

@Andris I don't have a source code, but I do have the AppInventor's Project files. And you can build your own apk from it. I'll post it in a few minutes from now.

@Andris Here's the source files http://db.tt/PfYm9vJh Simply log in to App Inventor and in the projects menu, just upload this zip file on a whole.

Thank you! I will only be able to check out the project in a few days but in the meantime I will award you the bounty. You have definitively earned it.


text:
I can't update my Nexus S, shows error screen. What to do?

Possible Duplicate:
can't update, can't do a factory reset

My Phone (Nexus S) keeps pestering me to update the OS. But, every time I try, it restarts, displays the cute robot error screen and doesn't come back on until I take out the battery and restart it. I would just leave it but I'm still running Android 2.3.4, and it's time.
Any way of updating the OS other then clicking OK when it asks?
I'm not really sure what more info I can give you guys, ask and I will tell

Have you ever not pulled the battery out and just left it overnight attempting to update?

When you see cute robot with the red triangle, press power + volume up together to get to the recovery menu, and select "update from /cache" or something similar you'll see there. Then the update process starts and, most probably, gives you some error messages about what's wrong with your phone.
If you have ever changed any system files, update process might require you revert them to the original condition before upgrade, otherwise patches cannot be applied properly.

If you don't mind a factory reset, you can flash the latest factory image from the bootloader (fastboot).
If you're on Linux, instead of installing the SDK, you can use Replicant's build of fastboot.

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

Download one of these two files:

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

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

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

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

Some of the Nexus S come with locked bootloaders and cannot be upgraded without rooting because of this.


text:
How to disable mobile data on DROID Bionic?
I tried this, but there's no such option. I suspect that it might be because of Motorola's customizations.
The device is a DROID Bionic.
System version: 5.9.902.XT875.Verizon.en.US
Android version: 2.3.4.

From Verizon:

Open settings.
Select Battery & data manager.
Select Data delivery.
Select Data enabled to enable / disable.

What were they thinking?  I can't imagine why this wouldn't be under Wireless & Networks.

@TomG I can :) We're used to Android but this is the droid! It should be more droid-y! I mean how else would they keep their customers? They have to make other phones look too different to learn so once you droid you never go back :) Honestly I have no idea who in their mind does some of the modifications. They must be rerarted or something.


text:
Selecting multiple photos on the HTC One X (AT&T)
I just received the HTC One X from AT&T. How can I select multiple photos in the Gallery?

Have you tried long-pressing (tap and hold) on an individual photo? On the vanilla Gallery that will enable multi-select mode.

@eldarerathis That doesn't actually work.

My experience of the One X in order to be able to select multiple items in the gallery you need to first give it a task to do.
For example,

Open Gallery
Hit 'Share' in the bottom left, you'll need a service which takes multiple uploads, such as Facebook
Then you'll see the 'multi-select' grid with tick boxes next to each image which you can then select.

As far as I can see from playing on my device for 10 minutes, there isn't a general 'multi-select' feature. You might try a different gallery app though. I would recommend QuickPic

Try any Third party Gallery apps like QuickPic Gallery.

I think multiple selection is (Programmatically) supported in KitKat and newer versions of Android as given in this link.


text:
Can deleting stock web browser cause problems?
I want to disable or delete stock web browser because I don't use it. Can it cause problems? For example, if its used as embedded rendering engine in other apps (like IE is used in Windows apps), they'll fail to load web pages.

Incidentally; I would disable, rather than delete. Just in case...

How do you delete the stock browser?

@Michael Root and nuke.. With root privilege, you can do anything which includes deleting stock apps. See this: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/20746/ive-rooted-my-tablet-now-how-do-i-get-rid-of-this-bloatware

Applications use a Webview to display web content. But it's not dependent on the standard browser.apk rather the browser uses the same webview as all other apps.
If your apps are well behaved than no it doesn't cause any problems. If they aren't than instead of calling a general INTENT to launch a web browser they could call the built-in browser.
One example of an that does this is Google+. If you set it to open its links as default, but it fails to load one than it starts the default browser.

Yup; I've had the stock browser 'disabled' on my ICS tablet since day one, and never had a problem using Dolphin or Opera Mini.

@Andrew plus opera uses its own rendering engine.

@Andrew Dolphin & Opera have their own engines. I was talking about other apps. For example, there are many news apps which open tapped links on its own. Such apps are less likely to keep full-featured engine.

Like Andrew Barber, I disabled the stock browser and have been using Chome exclusively, since it became available; no problems at all.

@SachinShekhar Good to know.

The stock browser can safely be removed. However, if you factory reset your android and are in a public institution or other such place that requires you to open your browser to finish connecting to the WiFi, then you will not have a browser available to open and will not be able to finish initializing your WiFi connection.

Worth noting that disabling (as the OP said he'll be doing in the comments) is perfectly safe, as factory reset re-enables any previously disabled apps.

Some devices like the Motorola Atrix HD will not allow you to update your firmware if you have removed any system apps. Now that the bootloader is unlockable this is no longer a problem.
With other devices like the SamsUng Galaxy S3 International unlocked GT-I9300 you can remove many system apps. Not everything, but browsers no problem. I deleted Google+, Facebook, Google Chrome and the stock browser with no problems at all. If you are unsure DO NOT DELETE -- try freezing and see if anything wierd happens.
Good luck!


text:
CyanogenMod 7 - can I hide the status bar on the lockscreen?
I am using a Google Nexus One and have just flashed CyanogenMod 7 onto it.  I noticed that the lockscreen shows the status bar on it, as shown on the image with this post.
Is there a way to hide the status bar on the lockscreen?  You can see what I am trying to achieve in this case, which is a lockscreen that only displays the wallpaper (CyanogenMod gesture to unlock).  I have been able to hide the sliders as well through the CyanogenMod settings but could not find a way to hide the status bar when the lockscreen is active.

(Click image to enlarge)

Switch to custom lockscreens. Many provide a way to hide status bar. I use WidgetLocker Lockscreen which supports this feature.

My main reason for sticking with CM7 is the gesture based lock screen.  Does WidgetLocker Lockscreen allow for gestures/drawings to unlock?


text:
How can I increase the lock screen delay?
On my HTC One V (Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich), I can use "Settings / Security / Lock Phone After" to set the time, after which entering the PIN is required to unlock the screen. The maximum setting here is "15 minutes".
Practically, this means I have to enter the PIN every time I take the phone out of my pocket, too often for my liking. Can I increase this time span to something > 1 hour?
PS: I have encrypted my phone. I understand that I am taking a risk, when someone should steal my unlocked phone.

Try using Delayed Lock - works with ICS but you need to be rooted ONLY if you want Pattern Lock. PIN and password lock do not require a device to be rooted to use this app.
There's a trial version which I highly recommend you try and use before making a decision. There are also available free plugins to automatically keep the device unlocked while connected to a specific WiFi network / Bluetooth device or at certain locations.

This appears to work, even with ICS and full disk encryption. Thank you.


text:
How can I re-install the stock Android 2.2 calendar?
I mistakenly deleted the stock Google Calendar application from my Android 2.2 phone (Samsung Europa GT-i5500). My phone is rooted. I can't recall what program I used for the deletion, but I have backups of 4 files saved on my desktop PC:

com.android.calendar-[big number].apk
com.android.providers.calendar-[big number].apk
com.android.providers.calendar-[big number].properties
com.android.providers.calendar-[big number].tar

How can I reinstall this application using these backups?

Looks like the files you have were created by Titanium Backup, so I'd start there.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that. I did try but I couldn't get it to work. Is there another way please?

You can restore the calendar from your backup files. Two of them should be of interest to you.
com.android.calendar-[big number].apk
com.android.providers.calendar-[big number].apk

The first one is the actual calendar, while the second is a helper app for it that stores it's data.   To reinstall either use Titanium Backup, a file manager (there're plenty in the play store) or adb. With the latter type:
adb remount
adb push /path/on/pc /system/app/Calendar.apk
adb push /path/on/pc /system/app/CalendarProvider.apk

into the terminal. Now reboot.


text:
How to install Google Music on a non-US phone?
I am trying to install Google Music on my phone from outside the US. After using Market Enabler Play Store correctly displays and even downloads the app, but then aborts with "this app cannot be installed in your country". It still doesn't work after rebooting my phone. Is there any way around this?

I had no trouble getting it myself, but that was a while ago.  Have you tried using a US proxy or sideloading the app?  Another option would be to switch to data or Wi-Fi for the download, whichever you weren't using, to see if it's just the particular network that the Play Store has a problem with.

Any idea which of the direct download links is legit? I don't recognize the sites, and I don't want malware.

@ripper234 Android Police uploads to the sites, it doesn't post unverified links from other sources.

Both links in that article are now 404 (removed due to copyright)

Please reopen my question - it is not an exact dup. I'm not asking about the technical "how to", but just where can I find a trusted apk. This question does not contain this information.

@ripper234 This answer contains a link to a post with an .apk that I trust. We don't handle questions that only ask for shopping help or links, so this "how to" is the closest you'll get. And this isn't the place to discuss your other question.

I know that this has been marked as answered, but I wish to add this:
Most apps like that tell which country your from from your locale setting. This can be changed from the settings menu, or using the app locale switcher.

Seriously? What about those who live in a "foreign" (relative to them) country but still want to use their phone in the mother tongue?

Where in the Setings menu? (For Samsung S2 with Android 4.0.3)

@ripper234 Language and Input. But it doesn't work, you need something like market enabler.

I am not 100% sure but I believe that the Play Store determines the country with help of the SIM card.


text:
Remove Account Without Resetting Phone
I have a Galaxy Nexus. However, I know someone that is having the exact same issue that has an older Android phone.
The account I want to remove is not the Google account. We have Lotus Notes Traveler installed. Recently there was an update and that's when the problem started. I am unable to uninstall the app because of the account it uses. When I try to remove the account it says that I cannot remove it without factory resetting the phone.
Neither one of our phones are rooted.
Is there some way to remove the account without resetting the phone?

I doubt that it's possible without root. With it it's literally one line from adb shell.

Off topic, as it really has zippo to do with Android.  You need to talk to the app dev.

Short answer: No.
The app dev must have made it like this. You could email the dev, to ask them to sort it, but otherwise there is no option.


text:
Backup Samsung Fascinate running ICS, make ODIN-flashable image
I have Samsung Fascinate running ICS. It's very easy to break the OS, such as: by improperly booting into recovery. I want to make a backup, which I could flash using ODIN.
Does anyone know what exactly partitions do I need to backup and what files do I need to put into ODIN tar, in order to get a correctly booting phone immediately after ODIN-flashing?
Here's my mounts:
root@android:/ # mount
rootfs / rootfs ro,noatime 0 0
tmpfs /dev tmpfs rw,nosuid,noatime,mode=0755 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts rw,noatime,mode=600 0 0
proc /proc proc rw,noatime 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs rw,noatime 0 0
none /acct cgroup rw,noatime,cpuacct 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/asec tmpfs rw,noatime,mode=0755,gid=1000 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/obb tmpfs rw,noatime,mode=0755,gid=1000 0 0
none /dev/cpuctl cgroup rw,noatime,cpu 0 0
/dev/block/mtdblock2 /system yaffs2 ro,noatime 0 0
/dev/block/mtdblock3 /cache yaffs2 rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime 0 0
/dev/block/mmcblk0p1 /data ext4 rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,barrier=1,data=writeback,noauto_da_alloc 0 0
/dev/block/mtdblock4 /datadata yaffs2 rw,noatime 0 0
/sys/kernel/debug /sys/kernel/debug debugfs rw,noatime 0 0
/dev/block/vold/179:9 /mnt/sdcard vfat rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,uid=1000,gid=1015,fmask=0702,dmask=0702,allow_utime=0020,codepage=cp437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro 0 0
/dev/block/vold/179:9 /mnt/secure/asec vfat rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,uid=1000,gid=1015,fmask=0702,dmask=0702,allow_utime=0020,codepage=cp437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure tmpfs ro,noatime,size=0,mode=000,uid=0,gid=0 0 0

and all block devices:
root@android:/ # ls -l /dev/block
brw------- root     root       7,   0 2012-05-11 11:33 loop0
brw------- root     root       7,   1 2012-05-11 11:33 loop1
brw------- root     root       7,   2 2012-05-11 11:33 loop2
brw------- root     root       7,   3 2012-05-11 11:33 loop3
brw------- root     root       7,   4 2012-05-11 11:33 loop4
brw------- root     root       7,   5 2012-05-11 11:33 loop5
brw------- root     root       7,   6 2012-05-11 11:33 loop6
brw------- root     root       7,   7 2012-05-11 11:33 loop7
brw------- root     root     179,   0 2012-05-11 11:33 mmcblk0
brw------- root     root     179,   1 2012-05-11 11:33 mmcblk0p1
brw------- root     root     179,   2 2012-05-11 11:33 mmcblk0p2
brw------- root     root     179,   3 2012-05-11 11:33 mmcblk0p3
brw------- root     root     179,   8 2012-05-11 11:33 mmcblk1
brw------- root     root     179,   9 2012-05-11 11:33 mmcblk1p1
brw------- root     root      31,   0 2012-05-11 11:33 mtdblock0
brw------- root     root      31,   1 2012-05-11 11:33 mtdblock1
brw------- root     root      31,   2 2012-05-11 11:33 mtdblock2
brw------- root     root      31,   3 2012-05-11 11:33 mtdblock3
brw------- root     root      31,   4 2012-05-11 11:33 mtdblock4
brw------- root     root      31,   5 2012-05-11 11:33 mtdblock5
drwxr-xr-x root     root              2012-05-11 11:33 platform
brw------- root     root       1,   0 2012-05-11 11:33 ram0
brw------- root     root       1,   1 2012-05-11 11:33 ram1
brw------- root     root       1,  10 2012-05-11 11:33 ram10
brw------- root     root       1,  11 2012-05-11 11:33 ram11
brw------- root     root       1,  12 2012-05-11 11:33 ram12
brw------- root     root       1,  13 2012-05-11 11:33 ram13
brw------- root     root       1,  14 2012-05-11 11:33 ram14
brw------- root     root       1,  15 2012-05-11 11:33 ram15
brw------- root     root       1,   2 2012-05-11 11:33 ram2
brw------- root     root       1,   3 2012-05-11 11:33 ram3
brw------- root     root       1,   4 2012-05-11 11:33 ram4
brw------- root     root       1,   5 2012-05-11 11:33 ram5
brw------- root     root       1,   6 2012-05-11 11:33 ram6
brw------- root     root       1,   7 2012-05-11 11:33 ram7
brw------- root     root       1,   8 2012-05-11 11:33 ram8
brw------- root     root       1,   9 2012-05-11 11:33 ram9
drwxr-xr-x root     root              2012-05-11 11:33 vold

EDIT: I am aware of following methodology, I could use to restore phone:

ODIN froyo or gingerbread image,
ODIN clockworkmod with ICS fix,
Install firmware from zip file
Restore nandroid backup

My question is specifically, how do I avoid having to go through all of this, and just make ODIN-flashable restore.

You need to back up everything that isn't on the data partition if I'm not mistaken.  You can skip the bootloader though since it's generally a very bad idea to touch that.  In fact I'd say this is a bad idea in general -- you want to be darn sure you're flashing good stuff with Odin, which means not something you might have screwed up before backing it up :P.

If you create a normal Nandroid backup, the steps to a full restore are Odin to stock / install CWM / restore backup, which doesn't take much longer.  I would tell you how to do this anyways except that I don't know which partitions are mapped to which Odin images :P

@MatthewRead Thanks for the answer, but my question is specifically about making ODIN flashable restore image. Although you think differently, it does take a long time to do all the steps you brought up here, and it is a lot of manual work, and many chances to forget something. I want to make a package I could restore without having to remember details

I have the same idea once,but its hard to achieve.
if use gingerbread ,you can reference the official rom,and make replacement,
but for ics, there different partitions,you  maybe hard to suceess.

What is it you're trying to say?

@AlEverett I think what he is trying to say is that with ICS it is challenging to make ODIN-flashable image because of different than GB partition structure.

@HenryWu I am not sure why would anyone give you a -1 for the answer, and it really bothers me that someone -1'ed this thread. I see no reason why asking questions, or posting answers about android recovery is considered inappropriate on this site. Even though you didn't answer my question I will +1 you anyway

@galets: There is nothing inherently wrong with questions about recovery or Odin on this site. This specific answer, though, could likely have been downvoted because it is very poorly-written and difficult to understand, or because (by your own admission) it does not answer your question. I encourage you to consider not upvoting posts unless you find them genuinely useful, though ultimately you are free to vote however you wish.

@eldarerathis it might be poorly written, but it's possible to understand what he is trying to say, and he clearly has a valid point. What makes me wonder is why in the world is someone so insistent on keeping his answer at -1. What about my question? Is it also poorly written? I have a feeling this site is being manipulated, no wonder you can't get any good answers here.

@galets: Downvoting poor content hardly qualifies as "manipulation", it's the entire purpose of the voting system. I have no idea why your question was downvoted - only the person who cast the vote could tell you - but they are under no obligation to do so. It's annoying sometimes, sure, but anonymity is core to the voting system and extremely unlikely to change anytime soon.

@eldarerathis that might be true, but follow me. My question sits with "-1" on it, so it's pretty much buried. Rating pretty much blocks most wanderers from checking it out. The HenryWu guy is obviously a new account. Nobody is paying extra attention to his comments. So, the moment he posted, somebody opened a buried, several-days-old thread to downvote him. Coincidence? maybe. So, time passes, nothing happens. I upvote him, and almost immediately after that someone gets him back to "-1". Under which scenario would you say such thing would normally happen?

@galets: The /review page has a tab that displays "First Answers" posted by accounts. This is this user's first answer, and it was how I landed on this answer. I would not be surprised if other people did as well since /review is visible to anyone with >=200 rep. Answering a question also bumps it to the top of the active list.


text:
How can I format my thumb drive so that I can be read by Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet
I have a  Samsung Galaxy Tab with an usb adapter.
how can I format my thumb drive so that it can be read by Samsung Galaxy tablet when attached?
And it also need to be readable by Windows OS so that i can transfer files between my tablet and my desktop?
I have tried 'FAT32' but Galaxy Tab can't read that format.
Thank you.

What version of Android? What happens when you plug it into the tablet, does it not recognize it at all or say the filesystem is unsupported or something else entirely?

Have you tried FAT16?
As far as I am aware, the standard format for all SD CARDS is FAT16, so it should work for tablets as well.
Also, could it be that the system that you use to connect your drive to your galaxy tab is broken?

FAT16 is way old, though. The usual format for mass storage devices nowadays is FAT32 as the OP appears to have tried.


text:
Voice Commands vs Voice Search
What is the difference in Voice Commands and Voice Search? Are they both by Google?

Voice Search is the name of the voice interaction app created by Google. It allows you to search your phone and the web using your voice.
Voice Actions is a specific feature of the Voice Search app that allows you to perform actions on your phone using your voice (such as calling someone, launching your music player, getting directions, etc). Voice Search supports a variety of locales but the Voice Actions component is only available for a subset of those (originally US English only, though I believe it has since expanded).
If you have a separate app named "Voice Commands" then it is most likely developed by a third-party. I know some Verizon phones, for instance, ship with an app named "Voice Commands" and bottom of the app displays Nuance Communications copyright 2003-2011.

In my list of app I have both Voice Search and Voice Commands. Are you saying the Voice Command app is really just a frontend tie-in to voice actions?

@Homer: Sorry, I think I made my answer more confusing that I intended. If you have a separate app named "Voice Commands" it's probably made by a third party. Google only has Voice Search (with Voice Actions) as far as I know.

And to add to the confusion there's also a "voice dialer" that's part of aosp.


text:
Why does my HTC Android phone's screen switch on and then off again?
The screens on my HTC Wildfire and Desire will just switch on and then off for no apparent reason.

Some badly developed apps can cause device wakes.
Try uninstalling or freezing suspicious apps.
Check the logs to see what is causing this.


text:
How to use XMPP/Jabber while switching between networks?
When running a Jabber client what happens (or what should happen) when switching networks (or when losing connectivity and the GSM/UMTS modem reconnects)?
Can a mobile Android Jabber client (e.g. Jabiru) be smart about such situations?
Worst case scenario I can imagine: Client does not care, TCP (over TLS) connection to the Jabber server is lost, the Jabber status (displayed remotely) is bogus and there is a time window where messages (from buddies) are lost.
I observed such a worst case for example with a stock Jabber client on a Laptop using an unreliable UMTS connection.
When using a Laptop I can easily shield my Jabber session like this:

connect via autossh to a system with a stable network connection and directly run screen -Rd
start a console Jabber client inside screen

Thus, when losing the mobile internet connection the connection to the Jabber server is still fine. And autossh automatically reconnects and re-attaches to the running screen session when a new mobile connection is up.
Is a setup similar to this necessary when using Jabber on an Android device?
Or are there Jabber protocol extensions for mobile clients that actually help to avoid losing messages etc. in network on/off situation (while being connected to a Jabber server)?

Not sure if this question is on-topic on Android Enthusiasts. But I work with XMPP and Android, so here is my answer:
As Lie Ryan already stated, a handover from one mobile cell to another is almost always transparent to the TCP stack on Android devices. But there are situations where the IP of your Android device will change. This are typically GSM/UMTS <-> WiFi switches, which will cause the TCP connection to become unusable by the XMPP client.
On Android the standard XMPP library that most clients use - besides having their own proprietary one - is (a)Smack: Clients that use (a)Smack with the default configuration will not notice a connection change in a timely manner. But there is hope: XMPP Ping support is in Smack trunk and will be shipped with the 3.3 release. Most aSmack apps already use an aSmack version that has support for it, and just need to implement according measures.
On the other side it's the XMPP servers job to set your presence to unavailable (offline) after a (server defined) timeout for reaching the last client of the JID in question.
So it is not necessary to build workarounds if you are using a proper XMPP client, but you may have to live with ghost status situations that should resolve after a few minutes.
There is a nice XEP (XMPP Extension) that would be the silver bullet for mobile XMPP Connections: XEP-0198 - Stream Management. You can read about it in Ge0rg's Blog.
It's being worked on for (a)Smack. But it will take a while until it's stable and you need also server support for XEP-0198.

I'm not an expert in mobile networking, but AFAIK the TCP stack should handle mobile handover transparently, application programs should not need to be aware that the mobile network layer are switching from cell tower to cell tower. From the application program's perspective, there is just one continuous connection.
The only reason I can think of about what you're seeing in the laptop jabber client is that it did not use keepalive when opening a long running TCP connection. When there is a long period of no transmission, one of the intermediary nodes in the network (usually the firewall) may decide to terminate the connection (usually to save resources to serve other active connections) and the server therefore didn't have the chance to tell the client to terminate cleanly. Not using keepalive for a long running connection will make it impossible for the client to detect that the connection has been dropped because the only way for a client to detect a dropped connection is if it tried to send a packet and failed permanently.
Keepalive will cause the TCP stack to periodically ping the server with zero length ACK packets, therefore intermediary nodes will consider your long running connection to still be active and not terminate it.


text:
"PC Sync" is disabled again in calendar after locked screen
I sync my contacts and events over my pc with thunderbird on it.
My phone: HTC One S, Android 4.0.3 with HTC Sense 4.0 and using GO Launcher EX 2.87.
Problem is that after enabled the calender checkbox to show me "PC-Sync"-data in calendar-app it does always disable this again after screen was locked.
Any suggestions what is wrong here?

So, i have figured out myself what caused the problem, thanks anyway:
I tried uninstalling some apps i installed before and looks like "Business Calendar Free Beta" caused this problem. After i removed it, it works just fine and normal.
And i didn't liked it anyway and i think the standard app is good for me.


text:
Problem unlocking HTC phone using their  fastboot program
According to HTC, my Amaze 4G is fully ready from the factory to be queried for its identifier tolken, but when I run the appropriate command, it doesn't work. I get:
$ fastboot oem get_identifier_token
...
(bootloader) [ERR] Command error !!!
OKAY [  0.010s]
finished. total time: 0.010s
$

Note that someone reported the same problem, but their phone requires updating firmware and running "RUU". You can read about that here.
Same problem, different cause. Note that I did update the SDK prior to trying run fastboot - I wonder if I shouldn't have!
It's worth mentioning that I called HTC and asked for help and they were of no particular assistance; "You know more about it than I do." "How do I report a bug on fastboot?" (No useful reply to that!)

[ERR] Command error !!! is a generic response from fastboot. In effect it means "invalid command arguments." Check that you are writing the command correctly, in my case I made a typographical error and this was the result.

i copy&pasted from their website and get the same error. what was your typo?

Exact same issue and you were right. I just copied and pasted from the site and it fixed it, thanks!

I got this error, solved it thanks to this thread
http://androidforums.com/desire-s-all-things-root/444571-unlock-using-htcdev-com.html
Basically, this page http://www.htcdev.com/bootloader/ruu-downloads
is slightly misleading. If your device isn't listed, you might still need to update the RUU anyway.