text:
Why do some Android apps need access to my SD card and fine location?
I understand why apps like Maps need to know my specific location, but is it safe to allow any application to access these things? Are there any clues as to which apps are safe and which aren't?
Also, when I take pictures does it save my longitude and latitude at the time the picture was taken? How can I get to this setting?

Depending on your phone / software, there should be an option somehwere in the camera app, something about geotagging or storing location data (being the same thing).
(Just open the camera app, click menu and scroll through the settings)
As far as app permissions are concerned:
Does your app really need your location?
Most likely not. Maps, navigation, GPS tools, geocaching tools, foursquare and pretty much any app that is designed to and downloaded because of their handling of location data all need the fine location (well, to be fair, foursquare doesn't as long as you don't use it as a substitute for google places).
Just ask yourself: Does the new version of Angry Birds really need to know where I am? Nah. From then on it's just one of two things:
Either you ignore the permissions since your really like that app, or you stick by your principles and don't download the app.
However, to be safe, simply disable GPS when you're not really using it anyway (for navigation or something), once GPS is disabled, apps won't get your fine location, only your estimated location based on last know location or wifi triangulation or whatever is used to get your estimated location via wifi.

is it safe to allow any application to access these things?

No.  There are malicious apps.

Are there any clues as to which apps are safe and which aren't?

Not really, unless you look at the source code.  Generally, you can trust popular, well-rated apps to not be malicious.  They might be collecting your info for use in ads, though, and so on.  If any info is ever sent from an app to a company's servers, they can use and abuse that data.  If you don't trust a company (including trusting their internal security protocols and ability to maintain security, etc.) then don't trust their app.
You can use an app like DroidWall to ensure that apps that don't need it cannot access the network; that doesn't guarantee that they won't delete data on your phone and that sort of thing, but it will guarantee that your data stays private (unless DroidWall is malicious or defective, which I don't think it is, or can be worked around).

Wanted to add that DroidWall will only work on rooted devices, and makes use of some kernel-level libraries that might not be available on some stock ROMs.  While on the subject of custom ROMs, CyanogenMod 7.1 has a feature that allows you to deny any app any permission straight from the management page. Just tap the permission and it will get crossed out, signifying the denial (tap again to undo.)  Keep in mind that while most apps handle denial of Internet or GPS permissions well, denying them other more general permissions (e.g. writing to SD Card) might cause instability or even crashes.

There is a setting in the camera for geo location. Go into the camera settings and there should be an option in there.
As for apps that use fine location and whether it is safe, its not always safe. It depends on the developer. Some developers choose to enable the fine location for location based advertising even if the actual app doesn't require it. You can't really tell if it is safe or not or whether it is necessary it mainly comes down to common sense and whether or not you trust the developer.
A way to stop the app using location is to disable the phones GPS which an be found in the settings.
Hope this helps


text:
User can't download my app after Google Market Update
I have a user that is trying to download my app from a Samsung Vibrant running 2.2. But when she gets to the app page in the android market, there is no download button there for her to download! What's weird is once she resets her phone back to factory setting, she was able to download the app, but once the phone is automatically upgraded by Android, my app no longer is available for download again!
Have others encountered similar problem? I have been searching the web for similar issues, but am surprised to not be able to find it. Seems like a pretty major problem!
Some more background - my app does require 2.2 (which she has), permission wise, my app only require the following:
NETWORK COMMUNICATION - FULL INTERNET ACCESS
PHONE CALLS - READ PHONE STATE AND IDENTITY
Hardware controls - control vibrator
Network communication - view network state
Any help is appreciated!

Make sure that your application manifest isn't making any requirements for hardware capabilities that the device doesn't actually have. It's possible that some capability that you were requesting was taken away in the device's firmware update; if you are requesting any capabilities in AndroidManifest.xml via uses-feature, make sure that you set required="false" for anything that you can use but don't actually require for operation. Common culprits are trackball and certain classes of multitouch support.

Have the user check their Content Rating filtering options. In the Market app they should tap the Menu button, then go to Settings -> Set Level, check the "Show all apps" option and tap OK.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Does a battery with more capacity last proportionally longer?
I recently bought a Galaxy S2 which came with a 1650mAh battery and in a near future the manufacturer will be offering another one with a 2000mAh. My question is: will it last 21% more than the original? Is this just as linear as it seems or is not the case?

This is much broader than just Android but since it's highly relevant to Android users and seemingly off-topic on EE, I'm inclined to leave it open :)

Technically no, the relationship is not linear.
Milliamp-hours (or amp-seconds, coulombs, or any other similar unit) is a measurement of electrical charge, not of electrical energy.  As with all common batteries, the voltage is not constant while the battery is being discharged.  Assuming your phone was drawing as much power as it could the whole time, the current would be constant; coupled with the fluctuating voltage this means that the energy drain from the battery is not linear.  Essentially this means that the first 1650 mAh drained from a 2000 mAh battery will not comprise proportionally the same energy drain as the last 350 mAh, meaning that the battery capacity affects the battery life in a nonlinear fashion.
For your purposes it should give you a more or less linear boost, however.  It depends how much current your phone draws at any given time but you can expect an approximate 20% boost in battery life on a full charge.  I would suspect slightly less than 20% due to the tail end of the battery being longer (more charge stored in the battery after the voltage has dropped too low for the phone to use it) but I don't know for sure.

Your answer is very useful, however the phrase "more or less linear boost" can mean everything. Let's say you change the batter with 20% more capacity. With rough numbers it should last more by 5% of previous time, 10%, 20%, 30%?

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


text:
Locking down an Android device?
I'm interested in locking down an Android, so the user can only access a particular app (bonus points: only allow them to access the browser app, and only allow one website from within that).
How might I go about doing this with minimal work?
(I work for a school, and am considering using some androids as roll-marking devices)

There are a number of apps in the market that allow access to apps only after inputting a password.
For your second problem, i hope there's some way of preventing a user from putting a SIM of choice (either by encasing the device in a lockable case or something) and then configuring your WiFi router to only allow access to the site in question and block all other requests.


text:
Phone response slow, responds 2 - 10 seconds after touching screen or not at all, random lock ups, and power downs
I have a non-rooted T-Mobile G2x by LG running Android 2.3.3. I have had it about two weeks and have noticed several problems.
Randomly shuts down. I go to use my phone and it doesn't come on, I press the power button and nothing happens, unless I long press which makes the phone boot. This has happened 3 or 4 times. The battery has a good state of charge, it's happened just sitting on my desk as well as when I wear it on my belt. It's also done this in the middle of a voice call.
Runs slow. I turn on the phone, the screen comes on, I swipe my unlock pattern, nothing happens for 2 - 10 seconds, then it shows me the pattern and unlocks the phone. It takes several attempts to unlock the phone because it doesn't always see the whole pattern. I swipe correctly the phone just doesn't pick it up.
The phone has locked up a couple of times, the screen is blank, playing with the power button does nothing. The only way I have been able to get the phone to come up is to remove and reinstall the battery.
The only thing I have noticed when it runs slow is I seem to be running out of ram. Less than 10%. If I kill the apps, it runs fast again, until the ram is gone which only takes 2 - 3 minutes before all of the apps using RAM have restarted.
Should I take the phone back to T-mobile and exchange it? If so any tips? I can just imagine the bureaucracy that I will have to deal with to get this accomplished.

Read an article at this location
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4502/tmobile-g2x-review-gingerbread-infused/9
Seems to be a software problem.
Imho root and flash cyanogen or install the ROM after reading in XDA

For random shut downs, that's definitely a loose battery problem.
Stick some dental floss (I used Oral-B Glide floss) in the side opposite the battery connectors.  I used that floss because it's a bit spongy when you bunch it up but at the same time hard.  Used about 1.5 feet of it bundled up in my Nexus S phone.

When you push the battery in, make sure it is tight, but not too tight.
This will force the battery to remain contacted at the pins.  When the battery is loose and can disconnect from the pins (for even a fraction of a second), you get an open circuit and the phone shuts off completely (no power).


text:
Top Grossing Apps on Android Market
I was surfing on Android Market and I found a list of Top Grossing Apps? Do you know what does it mean specifically? Which is the criteria to appear in that lists?

Top Grossing: applications and games generating the most revenue, including app purchases and in-app payments

From Market Help Page

I don't have a reference for you, except maybe the Wikipedia definition of Gross profit, but I assume it means the apps that have brought in the most money.

[price] x [number of times downloaded] - [returns]

(Not an exact algorithm.)

Would assume the same, but bizarrely the top app showing at the moment is a free app? My Country https://market.android.com/details?id=com.gameinsight.mycountry&feature=apps_topgrossing In fact 6 of the top ten in that list are free apps?

Maybe the top grossing app right now wasn't always free?

Your parentheses lock wrong to me.

Or perhaps income from google ads counts too.

@CodeInChaos Eh, it was an attempt to be more accurate in identify variables with the brackets and parentheses. They're correct from a math standpoint... Order of ops would technically be sufficient. The actual algorithm would of course be more complicated, and the prices change all the time and it doesn't reflect that. And the point kind of works either way. You think I should edit to remove them just for readability?

I meant that it should be [price] x ([number of times downloaded] - [returns]) else you're subtracting a number from a price. Or is [returns] something different from the number of returns?

@CodeInChaos: True. I simplified the calculation sample, since it's not really exact anyway.


text:
Can I root locked Droid 3 and flash Cyanogen
Before I purchase a Droid 3 from hong kong , I would like to know if I can apply the recently discovered root exploit on a locked phone that i can purchase there.
Pardon my ignorance in this locked phone area because I have rooted  phones here in india but all were available as unlocked devices.

As far as I am know, CyanogenMod is not yet available for the Droid 3. While there maybe someone working on bringing it to that device, it currently is not "supported". You can look at the Wiki page, I think it is one of the more updated pages for supported devices, but then again, it also hasn't been updated since January.
The "most accurate" sites to see if a device is supported is the CM-Nightly Changelog site and the Download site.
The nightly changelog site may show devices, but that doesn't mean they actually have a "stable" version. You would have to check the download site to see if there is a stable version. But as I said, I don't see the Droid 3 on there right now. I believe the "codename" for the Droid 3 is the "Targa"
I do want to add, that if you know of a way to root then rooting the device should be possible, you just wont be able to flash CM7 (for now).

Thank Ryan.. If I get a locked device can I still root it using the current adb rooting procedure thats floating around

I am not sure what the rooting method is for the device, but I think that just about every device has been rooted one way or another.


text:
Upgrading MIUI when installed on SD card
I have MIUI 1.7.22 Italian installed on my HD2 running from SD card.
I found that there is version 1.8.5 available from the MIUI updater program on the phone. However, even if I download the ROM it doesn't get installed. It asks me to reboot in bootloader mode, so I suppose it works only with NAND-installed ROMs.
Do you know if it's possible to upgrade MIUI to 1.8.5 when running from SD card possibly without erasing all data on the phone?
It took me some time to customize desktop.

Looks like the latest version is 1.9.2.
I found a ROM in XDA Developers MIUI 1.9.2 SD HERE
Instructions of how to update MIUI SD are in the thread
Hope this helps.


text:
Change "contact" photo when making a call
I've started using Google Plus and I want my Android "contact" picture to change to the picture used in G+; a real photo of me. It's currently using an old avatar picture I once set for Google Talk, so when I call them it pops up with a silly avatar instead of my real photo. This shows up as my Phone contact picture as well, not just Google +.
Is there some way to set which image is used either via android, Gtalk or Gmail or something?
I always use Gchat via Gmail, but I don't know where or how I set my Gtalk avatar anymore, and I don't recall setting that picture for myself on my phone ever.
I am on Android 2.3.4.

Turns out I had to change this via the "Mail Settings" menu in Gmail, under the General Menu is a My Picture menu, where you can select the image used for Google +, Google Voice and apparently the icon used for contacts synched with gmail.


text:
Can Android 2.3.4 be rooted?
I have a Samsung Mesmerize and I've recently upgraded to my carrier's official release of Android 2.3.4, but to my dismay SuperOneClick doesn't seem to be able to root the device, it's always worked with past versions.
Does Gingerbreak no longer work with 2.3.4? Is there any simple way to root 2.3.4 yet without reflashing and other device changes? I would like to avoid reflashing the device again or altering the device from stock significantly if at all possible.

Take it to your service provider and ask him to format it for you.

@abhi I'm not sure what you're getting at, the device is already on Android 2.3.4, I'm asking how to root this version, not get updated to this version

The SuperOneClick dev's website http://shortfuse.org/ states on their August compatibility list:

All 2.3.4 devices need a custom root method.

Looking around, there doesn't seem to be a universal one click root method for 2.3.4 yet, most of the root methods for the later Gingerbreads involve flashing custom firmware, etc which is more involved.

Well darn, that's what I was afraid of. Thanks for the info

Do you happen to know if ShortFuse is working on getting oneclick to work on 2.3.4?


text:
How can I create a Wi-Fi network from my Galaxy Tab with no internet access?
What I am trying to do is to connect an iPad to a Samsung Galaxy Tab via Wireless LAN. What I don't need is an internet connection.
I also only have an Samsung Galaxy Tab Wifi. I can access the Hotspot Options via a shortcut, but it tells me that I need a SIM to do that.
Is there any way to create a local WLAN network broadcast by the Tab?

Seems like nobody has any ideas?

The app ZT-180 Adhoc Switcher works with a rooted P1010 tab according to this thread on xda-developers, and as far as I know, iPad can create ad-hoc connections. Haven't tested this so use at your own risk.


text:
How can I compile native applications on my rooted phone?
I'm running Cyanogenmod 7 on my Nexus One, and I wanted to compile and run LAME on my phone. I've already downloaded the source package and have tried to ./configure it, but I'm told that neither cc nor gcc exist on the phone. Is there a way to get gcc for Android? I'm simply looking to be able to compile a few native applications like LAME for use on my ARM device. How can I go about doing this?

Is it necessary to compile on your phone, or would it be acceptable to compile for your phone? (in the second case, the executable is compiled elsewhere - on a PC perhaps - but compiled for the architecture of your phone) This could give you the basic idea: http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=Compiling_for_Android

I can't find a C compiler than runs on ARM, nevermind specifically gcc for Android.  You're probably out of luck -- if gcc is ported it would probably take quite a while.

You can write, compile and distribute native code as an Android Application.
Look here for more info about the NDK.
If you want it done without the official framework and application packaging then you'll need to look into cross-compiling the application for the ARM architecture.

Err...that lets you use native code in your apps, not compile things on your phone, no?

I know that Al.  I never said that it was to compile it on the phone.

Yes, but that is what was specifically asked for (and another, duplicate question, was deleted).

I can't understand why I have to pay $3 for C4droid as it's just GCC with an editor.
Use the new free CppDroid - C/C++ IDE on Android. It has a lot of included C/C++ examples and tutorials. Blog link, Google Play link (needs 190 MB).

Compiling applications does not take considerable processing power in general. I did it on my 286 all the time. The OP wants gcc on his phone.
Look for C4droid (C/C++ compiler) in the Google Market.
Then install the GCC plugin for C4droid from the market. (These do cost a couple of dollars).
From the market description:

It's a plugin for c4droid, that allows it to compile C and C++ source code using GCC. It contains gcc 4.7 with Bionic (Android libc). Source code hadn't been modified, so you can compile it yourself, if you want.

The app Terminal IDE has a built-in GCC ARM compiler for Android. You can install it, move it to another folder and then uninstall it. But make sure you have enough free memory (needs 150 MB).

Android Applications are compiled in a PC and then installed on the phone. In order to compile an Application you will need a considerable amount of computational power and a compiler, in this case, a C compiler.
In other words, you need a Computer to compile the application.
You will need to download and install in your computer the Android SDK, the gcc compiler and other tools and then you will be able to compile the application for your phone.

As an alternative, or if you wish to use 100% FOSS, you can install a native Linux installation on your device using apps such as Linux Deploy, and simply apt-get install gcc.

Install Termux.Then pkg install clang.
Now you can compile and run c/c++ files.

Termux and a linux rootfs, it's even better when you have a rooted phone. You can do whatever you want in there, install gcc, clang, jre, jdk etc... compmiling programs with gcc this is the best option and not very costly like I said if you phone is rooted you can have the rootfs image on your SD card and thus free space from internal memory

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


text:
MAC address keeps changing
My MAC address keeps changing when ever I turn off the phone or turn on/off the wifi card. It's a big deal because I have to register my device on my network at school, and if it keeps changing it doesn't know who I am.

Does it switch between two values or many? (And just to confirm, it's definitely not your IP address that's changing?)

Do the MAC addresses repeat, or are they new randomly generated ones every time? It sounds like whatever ROM you're using has MAC spoofing enabled by default.

Definitely not my ip :) it keeps the manufactor id at the beginning (the first 6 digits) but the last ones are all random

Random, except first 6 digits. I have been on stock rom and had same result thanks!

absolutely sounds like spoofing then to me. the first 6 digits are the company identifier (OUI) I believe, so that would explain why that stays the same.

i mean obviously it is being spoofed. But I have gone back to SBF and installed liberty and apex and they all have the same problem with the mac address

Poking around on google there are a lot of other folks with this problem (MAC address is re-generated on wifi/phone resets).  It seems to mostly be Motorola hardware.
Normally a MAC address is burned into the WiFi device.  So it seems very, very odd to generate MAC addresses on the fly like this.  Too much software (technically incorrectly) relies on MAC addresses as a stable identifier for an endpoint, so this seems likely to cause more problems than it fixes...
Here's a post about the problem from 2010:
https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/38758
The only useful recommendation I saw on the internet was the obtuse 'WiFi Fixer' app, that is known to work around some problems on early Android wifi handsets.   I saw no concrete evidence that it 'fixes' this problem.
Alternatively, you could look into the tools for MAC spoofing (AFAICT, these all require a rooted phone).  Then just "spoof" a stable address all the time.  Here's a highly manual method:
http://blog.thecodecracker.com/hacks/spoof-mac-address-in-android/

Maybe this will help some lost soul in the future.
It turns out, that in the WiFi advanced options (next to proxy and DHCP options) there's now a feature that randomizes the MAC address (enabled by default!!!).
If I only knew this, before I lost so much time diagnosing my WiFi setup...

To clarify, the native MAC randomization was added since Android 8.0.

Did you know that you can long press the connection?  It was just that simple.

Go to Settings and tap on Wi-Fi.
Turn on the Wi-Fi and connect to a network.
Long press on the connected network and select
Modify Network.
Check Show Advance Options.
On IP Settings drop down menu, select Static.
Assign IP of your choice but leave other variable
untouched.

This may not be a total fix for businesses and educational establishments, because an IP address with need to be assigned. But for personal devices, this is a life saver!
For further information on this see, visit the article How to Fix Failed to Obtaining IP Address Error in Android.


text:
Auto-delete messages from a certain contact when received
Is there an app or any other way to auto-delete specific contacts/numbers' text messages when received?

Why don't you just block them through your carrier?  It'll save you the hassle (and SMS charges if you don't have a text plan).

@MatthewRead blocking through your carrier is far from something you can expect in every country. In Sweden I know for a fact that several major carriers do not offer the service.

When you block a number, it automatically blocks all incoming calls and messages from that number and also deletes all of the conversations you have had with them. This is so they won't be able to reach you at all and no matter what they do. they won't be able to contact you.
When you block a person, it also erases their phone number. If you try to call or text them, it also won't go through since you have already blocked them. There will be no problem since neither of you can contact each other. It is the best way to go.

For anyone using a Samsung mobile phone, unfortunately the phone keeps the messages from the number blocked and stores them finding blocked messages in settings. This is a seriously strange idea and not helpful if you are trying to not see messages that are upsetting or aggravating you. It also shows when a blocked number has called you.

Currently you don't need an external app for this, it has been a feature of Android since long time. Messages from blocked senders are deleted upon arrival so they don't even appear on your device.
Go to Phone -> More -> Settings -> Call blocking -> Block list and add the number you want to block.
Alternatively, go to your phone log or SMS list and select More -> Block number.

You can just download an app from Play store - it can block text messages and even phone calls.
Try Truecaller, add the contact to the Blacklist which will lead to the block.

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


text:
Easytether and Gingerbread?
I use a nifty little app called Easytether to tether my Andorid to my Macbook Pro so I can use my Macbook's browser, and get full websites.  Will the Gingerbread upgrade affect the operation of this app?

What device and carrier?  Normally your carrier decides whether tethering is enabled on a device, and some have turned it off via updates.

@JohnFretz Just a note: Before Gingerbread, I had EasyTether, however my carrier would no longer allow me to update the application in the market. With Gingerbread, I noticed the market had another version of EasyTether (also by Mobile Stream) so I uninstalled the old one and installed the new one.

Nope, not at all. I use easytether pro on my evo4g, which has the gingerbread update, and I use it for my pc, and my ps3, If im over a friends house.


text:
DroidX data encryption - which algorithm and how strong?
I have a follow-up to the question posted here. I recently got a 2.3 DroidX phone, and noticed that it as well has data encryption option. I pulled an SD card from device, and noticed that folder structure is intact. I tried reading file from the SD card, which was produced by a photo application, and it was unreadable, however the file itself contained some data which was not random, which to me indicated that not the whole file was AES'ed. I was also able to put an unencrypted file on SD card which was readable afterwards.
So, the question is: does anyone know what encryption methodology is being used here, what algorithms are in place, and how strong they are against experienced attacker?
EDIT: My friend got a droid2, which also runs gingerbread 2.3.3, and it has data encryption feature too. So... is data encryption an android feature or specific to Motorola devices?

Apparently, DroidX uses ecryptfs
Following are mount options on /data/data:
rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,ecryptfs_sig=****************,
    ecryptfs_cipher=aes,ecryptfs_key_bytes=32,ecryptfs_passthrough

I would imagine this means that encryption key here is 32 bytes, which is 256 bits, which seems pretty good to me.

Good find!  Any pointers to the Motorola DroidX source code that shows the ecryptfs bits, specifically?  I'm an eCryptfs upstream developer looking for it.

As a followup to my last comment, I broke it out to its own question here: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/20105/motorola-droidx-ecryptfs-related-sources


text:
The application Text Messaging (process com.motorola.conversations) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again
Picked up the Photon 4G for my wife about a week ago, and she's been getting this notification periodically ever since. Sometimes, it won't show up for days... Other times, it'll show up whenever she opens up the messaging app, or sends a message, or receives one, or lets it idle for a bit, or looks at it funny...
So far as I can tell, messages are sent and received without any trouble... Apart from this annoying notification. I have no idea where to even begin troubleshooting this. Any ideas?

I don't have a moto phone yet, but the first thing I'd try is going to Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications -> Text Messaging and hitting Clear data (may or may not delete the messages).  Motorola's stock apps seem to be pretty buggy, though.

As @Mathew Read already said, since your starting again clear the old app data.
Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Select the Messaging App
Choose 'Clear Data' and also 'Clear Cache'.
If not you could also factory reset the phone.

Ah, I'd forgotten about this question... A factory reset ended up doing the trick, though it's a shame it took that.


text:
Android Backup and Restore
I have rooted android phone. I backed up a application, uninstalled the application from the phone and restored it back the way it was there in the phone(using backup including changes to packages.list and packages.xml). The restored application is not showing up immediately but shows up after reboot of the phone.
Is there any service that has to be restarted to recognize the presence of the app immediately?

Which phone do you have?  You might have to kill/restart the launcher in order to see new apps in the app drawer.

Oh, great! I've posted that as an answer, then.

If it'll help, an app like Titanium Backup (sounds like you're probably already rooted) handles pretty much everything for you.

You might have to kill/restart the launcher in order to see new apps in the app drawer.

You want Titanium Backup.  Just backup the user apps and not the system.
Titanium Backup in Market


text:
Replace notification bar
The default notification bar in Nexus S is very basic. It doesn't have any toggle buttons like others do. Can I replace it?

From what I've seen this is not generally very easy to do. I know that replacing the icons and such requires modifying the underlying framework-res.apk file, and I've never really seen anything that modifies the functionality of the bar itself (aside from custom ROMs with custom frameworks and the like). I'm not completely positive on this, however.
If you just want to get the toggles, though, you could try an app like Notification Toggle. It says that it's a little bit hit-or-miss depending on the device, but I'd imagine that the Nexus S would be on the better end of the scale.

If you are just looking for toggle buttons in the notification bar I would check out Widgetsoid, it's a very full-featured app that will let you create widgets or notification toggles of whatever you want.
If you are looking to change the way the notification bar looks, you will need to have root access and install a theme, which would void your warranty and is only for the highly technical user.

If you want to change the status bars colors and icons, this video shows you how by modifying framework.apk. This video was done on a windows operating thus the particular method used may not apply to all operating systems.
Alternatives is downloading Super Status Bar or Status Bar+ from the Play Market. They are both free but also have a paid version. For the toggle in the notification bar you wanted, heres Notification Toggle, and heres another free toggle buttons app called Toggle Settings.


text:
How can you set a default calendar to use for new events on a LG Android 2.2.1 phone?
My wife bought a LG-P350 phone running Android 2.2.2.
Is it possible to set the default calender to use when entering new appointments using the agenda application ?
She added the google account of my son to her accounts, and now , every time a new appointment is created, the last agenda of my son's account is selected.
I have found no obvious way to change this default.
I don't know if this is the stock application of Android.

Same with my LG-P920 with Android 2.2.2, is this an LG specific thing?

As no one is answering this question, I presume it is not possible.
So I looked for another solution and found the Business Calender Free edition. This program not only displays a very nice monthly calender, but , most important, let you choose which colour you want to use for each agenda you want to display.
Very impressive indeed.
Just thought I'd let you know ...

Thanks! I was looking for a way to prevent accidentally adding personal events to my shared work calendar. Ironic that the app that enables me to do that is called "Business Calendar" :).


text:
How can I remove trusted CAs on Android?
From the current fallout around DigiNotar (in short, a Root Certificate Authority that has been hacked, fake HTTPS certificates issued, MITM attacks very likely), there are some parts concerning Android (see yesterday's interim report in PDF):

fraudulent certificates for *.android.com has been generated (which would include market.android.com)
there may be other such fraudulent certificates signed by this CA in the wild (currently nobody knows for sure, one way or the other)
this could happen to another CA in the future (Comodo had a similar problem a few months ago)

So, how do I remove a CA I no longer trust from my Android phone? (I have root and CM6 on my specific phone, if that's relevant)

CM team are working on a fix according to https://code.google.com/p/cyanogenmod/issues/detail?id=4260

Lookout Mobile has blogged about this due to the DigiNotar events, and provided some pretty good (read: lengthy) instructions which you can find here.
The gist of it is that you need to pull /system/etc/security/cacerts.bks and then remove the CAs from the store, then push the store back to the device and reboot. Their instructions require that you have Bouncy Castle (for decrypting the store), root access, and a working adb connection. I'm not sure if this applies to all versions of Android or not, but my guess would be that the location of the CA store hasn't changed in quite some time (if ever).

In your list of requirements of important entry for some devices is missing: You need an unprotected system partition (also known as "S-OFF"). If an S-ON system the command "adb remount" will not work.

In Android Lollipop 5.0
Settings → Security →  Trusted credentials →  User tab →  Select your certificate →  Scroll down, Click on Remove button →    Done.

Good to know if you're on a recent Android version, thanks. (I understand this is a feature introduced in 5.0, correct?)

It's a shame how this is implemented. Distrusting all CAs I don't deem trustworthy (why should I trust some random Chinese/Turkish/SouthAmerican company?) takes about 1 1/2 hours of clicking and scrolling. Tedious to say the least. On the other hand installing my own trusted credentials is nearly impossible.

On Android 8.0, this moved to Settings → Security & Location → Encryption & credentials → Trusted credentials

lock screen and security.
other security settings.
view security certificates.
users.
Then remove it.
S7 Edge 2016-07-14

What Android version is this?

You might want to include screenshots - makes it easier for most users to follow the instructions :)

You have to remove them one at a time. Typically there is a large number so researching each one is impossible. Just disabling them one of the time takes a very long time.

Click on the name of the credential, scroll down and then press turn off.

I think you meant "Disable" instead of "turn off". However, please also indicate the Android version and brand since not all version have this feature.

I think this would be in "System settings > Security > Trusted Credentials". At least this is on my Android 4.1.2.


text:
Can I charge Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 from USB?

Possible Duplicate:
Galaxy Tab is not being charged through USB Cable

I can't charge Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 from my USB. Is this a malfunction or intended behaviour?
I know that the mains charger supplies four times the power of a single USB port, but I'd assume the tab can at least be maintained if not charged with the 500 mA of USB.
However, when the tab is plugged in, I see a red cross over the battery icon and the phone status screen says "Discharging".

How do I fix it?

The most concise answer from that other question "The Samsung Galaxy Tab has a loading current of 2A, but the USB-Specificication only allows about 400mA (or was it 500mA?) at the whole bus." So, Tablets have bigger screens and bigger batteries, need to be given more power than average phones, and the USB spec only allows a PC to give out a (relatively) small current for USB charging.

Actually I just noticed that the tables IS slowly charged from the USB, even though the battery status+icon say that it's not. Also, the linked question refers to the previous generation tab, not the Honeycomb one, so I thought that things might've changed since the devices have fairly little in common.

Some explanations of what is going on can be found at http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/21144/how-much-power-does-a-galaxy-tab-10-1-charger-need-to-supply

There's no way to charge a Honeycomb tablet by USB, sadly.
Update: Most tablets can't be charged by USB, but some can be charged by USB - an example would be the Nexus 7.

This is not true for all Honeycomb tablets. IMHO many of them are able to charge the battery with an standard USB cable.


text:
Looking for an app to update/sync all services on demand
The problem: When I goto the toilet at work, there is no signal at all, so my  smart phone isn't particularly useful at the times it should be.
The solution: Run an app via a button/shortcut/widget that forces Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, Google+ etc to update before I go so I have some reading material.
Does such an app exist?

You want to update it after your done with your toilet business? Din't quite understand when you want this button!

Sorry, meant before I go; clarified that now.

i can't think of anything but tweetcaster, one app jus open it once and it updates your fb and twitter.

Settings -> Accounts and sync -> Sync All (bottom left). This will sync every app that register there, like Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and Google+, but not all the apps.

Some shortcut needed!


text:
Cyanogen: add homescreen shortcut to Notifications
I'm using Cyanogen 7 on an HTC Wildfire.
I find swiping the top of the screen to get into Notifications a bit hit and miss, and too tiring : )
Is there some way to get a notifications shortcut onto the homescreen (or the menu for the homescreen).
For example, the Sense ROM had a shortcut to notifications in the homescreen menu, and that was pretty handy.

If you're using the default version of ADW Launcher that comes with CyanogenMod 7 then you can add a shortcut to your homescreen fairly easily. Long press on an empty space on one of your home screens and then select Launcher Actions->Open/close notifications to add the shortcut.
On older versions of ADW you can also do this, but you have to use a "custom shortcut" instead. Specifically, you long press on an empty space and then select Custom shortcut. Then on the dialog that appears you press the Pick your activity button and select Launcher Actions->Open/close notifications.
I'm not aware of any way to make it appear in the homescreen menu, unfortunately. It's one of the only features I miss from Sense.


text:
Can I link between android devices

Possible Duplicate:
2.1 as a secure access point?

I use huawei 8600 phone android 2.1 to use internet for cdma 800 evdo network.
I want to use glaxy tab 7" for internet using with wifi linking together.

Knew there were previous similar questions, but couldn't find one before! See also http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/43/how-do-i-share-my-wifi-with-my-ipod-or-netbook

Potential duplicates: 2.1 as a secure access point, How to share internet among 2 android devices?


text:
Will I lose root access on my Incredible if I install the Gingerbread OTA update?
Basically what the title says. I rooted my phone with unrevoked (I am not sure if I used the "forever" version or not). Will installing the 2.3.4 Gingerbread OTA update from Verizon remove my root? I'm not running any special ROMs if that makes a difference.

You almost always lose root when installing an OTA update. I would keep an eye on RootzWiki or DroidForums for someone to confirm that it can be rooted or someone to release a rooted update.

Now that I think about it, I seem to recall installing an OTA update several months ago which didn't remove the root. Is there any reason why one update would remove root and another wouldn't?

@wawa - Yes. Note that the key words here are "almost always". There's always the chance that it will work out fine just like there's the chance that you can brick your phone beyond usability. Most updates only replace certain files making assumptions about what's leftover. If your root setup fits those assumptions, then you'll be fine. However, if you changed something and you make the OTA's assumptions now become bad assumptions, then you're likely going to be doing a lot of Googling figuring out how to get your device usable again.

Yes, what Cheuer said.
Installing an OTA while you're running a customized ROM in any way (even just rooted) pretty much always screws up root, sometimes even having a high risk of bricking your phone. NEVER install an OTA update while running customized software. If you ever want to go back to stock software, you need to go find the thread for your phone/ROM that tells you how to do this. Only after reverting back to stock should you attempt an OTA install.
Lastly, note that after an OTA update, you aren't always guaranteed to be able to root your phone again. Sometimes you're stuck unrooted.

I would recommend not installing the update while you have root. The manufacturer of the device could have changed something in the update which stops the root from working either intentionally or unintentionally. If this is the case there is a risk that the phone will be bricked (i.e. stop working). I would recommend seeing if you can unroot the device then perform the update and then put the root back on if you can.


text:
GPS reboots the phone
When I use a GPS-intensive app (like Sport tracker or endomondo), if I turn off the screen, the phone reboots within one or two minutes.
What is the problem? What can I do?
How can I check the temperature to know if it's overheating? What can I do in this case?
(My phone is a Nexus One on Videotron (Canada))

You should also mention which is your device and os version :)

the phone might be overheated?

Overheating.
You may have used it intensely and when you lock the screen you then put it in ur pocket?
Your phone will be overheating and restarting itself to stop damge to the circuits/processor.
Similar user issue here

You can check the battery temperature with "System Info widget"


text:
How to un-install HTC's gingerbread ROM for Desire
I installed HTC's official (developer-only) Gingerbread ROM on my HTC Desire, but I'm not too happy with it, since it keeps running out of internal memory. So I've been searching for a way to revert back to the original FroYo firmware, but I couldn't find it.
Also, I tried to root my phone so I could install CyanogenMod, but that didn't work: apparently, my firmware is too new.
So, what's the best way to revert back to official FroYo? Or, failing that, to root my phone?
UPDATE with some context: I never rooted, or tried to root, my phone before this failed attempt, and I only did it because I couldn't find an official means to go back to FroYo. I tried both Revolutionary.io and Unrevoked. The latter complained that my firmware is too new; the former just got stuck while "waiting for fastboot".
UPDATE 2 I just tried to install a RUU, but it complains about the boot loader being too new. So no help there, either.

I was able to root my phone using Revolutionary.io after all, following the steps described here. However, instead of running ./revolutionary as described on the page, I had to use sudo ./revolutionary to make things work.

The best known option for the HTC Desire is to use unrEVOked - http://unrevoked.com/recovery
unrEVOked has the added benefit of flashing in a version of Clockwork Recovery. That way you can just boot into recovery, do data wipes, and flash Cyanogenmod.
Note that there is a chance that Gingerbread could prevent unrEVOked from performing its usual processes. In addition, your previous rooting adventures could have placed an alternate recovery into the phone as well. I believe you can press Power+Vol-Up when starting the phone to invoke recovery mode. If Clockwork is present, you may proceed to flash away.

Unrevoked was the one complaining about the firmware being too high. Revolutionary.io just didn't do anything at al... so no dice. Also, I never tried to root my phone before this failed attempt...


text:
Tethering Droid 2 Global with Wireless Tether after 2.3 Gingerbread update
My D2G updated to 2.3 today, and I'm no longer able to tether.
Prevously, I had no problem using Wireless Tether 2.0.7 with Android 2.2.
Now that I'm on 2.3:

Wireless Tether 2.0.7 will start up and I'm able to connect my laptop to its WiFi network, but Verizon redirects me to the self-provisioning page; I have no internet access.
Wireless Tether 3.1-beta6 doesn't work.  It says tethering is enabled, but the WiFi network does not show up on any other devices.

How can I fix this?

Edit: This appears to be a reported issue.

are you running a custom rom, or just a rooted version of the stock one?

@jlehenbauer: Rooted stock.

hmm. this same kind of thing happened to mine, but it ended up being that the ROM i was using (not stock) had this functionality built in, and the wifi-tether app interfered. but obviously, this doesn't quite fit your problem. sorry :/

I was able to solve this, but it's not pretty.  Following the advice in this thread, I applied a hack to the radio that gets Wireless Tether working.

Edit: I can confirm this exact procedure will also work on a Droid X.

Download and install RadioComm.  It worked fine on Windows 7 x64.
Open Radiocom.  This was the first time I opened the app, and a splash screen asked for me to "select which MA to use."  I couldn't find the MA mentioned in the thread in this list, so I just selected 3G All Others (or something like that).
Open the Main menu, select MA, Common, MDM 6x00 Chipset Base.
Open the Settings menu, select USB, PST USB Driver.
Connect phone to computer via USB.  Change the phone's USB connection mode to PC Mode.
The Radio Detection icon on the right side of RadioComm will turn green.
Scroll to the P2K 4 tab.
In the STELEM / RDELEM section, tick the Dec Entries radio box.
In the text boxes, enter:
Element ID: 8040
Record #:   1
Offset:     0
Length:     128

Press RDELEM.  It will turn green and the following data should appear:
40767A7733672E636F6D00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Change Element ID to 8041.
Press STELEM.  It will turn green.
Change Element ID to 8091.
Press STELEM.
Change the phone's USB connection mode to Charge Only.
Reboot the phone.
Install Wifi Tether 3.1-beta6.
In Wifi Tether's settings, change the Device Profile to Motorola DroidX (CDMA).  (Droid2 does not work.)  This is a good time to set your SSID and encryption as well.
Done.  You can now tether.

In case you need to revert the changes we just made, here's the original values:  (these are the same on a D2G and Droid X)
8041:
4064756E2E767A7733672E636F6D000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

8091:
40767A7733672E636F6D00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

I guess I had the WiFi Tether still running in the background so I had to do this twice. For others who already have WiFi Tether 3.1-beta6 loaded, reboot your phone first then follow josh3736's instructions. Worked great on my Verizon Droid 2 Global after the 2.3.3 OTA update.

Since the 4.5.605 update to Droid X, this seems to be doing the trick so far (10 minutes in). Thanks for the hack! josh3736 FTW

This is awesome. Worked great!

We have here two situations colliding. For Wireless-Tether to have worked in the first place, it means that you were rooted.
It is typical behavior of OTA updates to remove root access. You must re-root your device in order to ensure that Wireless-Tether will work properly again.
The root access portion of Wireless-Tether is what helps it work its magic that prevents that Verizon hijack page from coming up.

Yes, I was rooted.  Before the update, I manually unrooted (z4root) to ensure the update went smoothly, and after the update, I re-rooted with the Droid 3 one-click root.  I am rooted properly (Titanium Backup works).

The Droid X has a similar issue with this, make sure that you set the device profile to Droid 2 in wifi tether.  This is a setting that was added in the Wifi tether 3.0+ versions.

Setting the device profile has no effect.


text:
How do I improve photograph quality on my HTC Desire?
I think that I have my HTC Desire on the highest quality settings for taking pictures, but the quality of the photographs is awful. Is that a weakness of the Desire, or is there something that I can do to improve things?
In response to @George_Gaal's comment below I have uploaded two pictures. The top one was taken quite a long time ago and the quality is fine.

This one was taken last week and is completely out of focus. I wonder if I haven't inadvertently changed some settings? My phone did have to get a new board after it overheated. Could it be something to do with that?

Could you give us examples of this "awful photos"? Also, generally, more light sources give better photos.

Is it just my failing eyesight, or do corners of the "bad" photo look fine?  Not to sound condescending, but have you tried the obvious things like cleaning the optics and the transparent plastic covering it?  In addition to distorting the photos, smudges on the optics could cause the camera to not focus properly.  A microfiber cloth that everyone recommends for phone's screen also does wonders for the camera.

one thing I would check is that the camera lens is clean of smudges/scratches.

Ryan and Chahk, you should make your comments answers. I can't vote your comments up or thank you properly.

I've given everything a very good clean and still have the same problem. I suspect that the damage was done when the board was swapped out.

have you seen this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=990596
Battery cover couses focus loss there is a youtube video on the post which makes a comparison, also sample pictures. hope this helps ;)

I love this answer, but in my specific case I don't think it s the solution tom my problem. I tried what the video suggested and it made no difference. I suspect my lens was actually moved in the repair process.

Sorry to hear that, if you see no change when the battery cover is removed, then, as you suggested, you may have issues with the lens. I still use my desire, but thinking about a change. HTC has stopped supporting this phone long ago.


text:
How to turn off media search?
I have a Samsung GT i5800 and every time I turn it on, or just put a new SD card in it it says "Media search  is running" (@the notifications) - How can I turn this feature OFF? Is it needed? What does it do? Android 2.1update1

The media scanner "indexes" the music, videos, images, etc on the sdcard so other apps don't have to scan the entire sdcard to know about them. another feature that uses this is the ringtones/notifications, if it does not scan, you will only be able to select the ringtones/notifications that are located on the device, not ones that are on the sdcard.
you can prevent media scanner from indexing a specific folder by creating a file called ".nomedia" in the folder you want ignored. I do not believe that this file is recursive though, so if there are sub-folders, and you dont want them scanned, you would have to create it there too.

ty 4 the info, I hope it works :)

seems to work recursively on my DInc 2.2, YMMV


text:
How to see additional email folders from corporate account email?
I have access to my corporate email that is viewed using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 on Windows 7.  In my Outlook, I have filters that move some emails into folders, however, on my Android email account view of my corporate email, I only see the emails in my 'Inbox' folder.
Is there a way to get some or all of my other folders visible on my Android running Cyongenmod 7?

related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2536/native-exchange-email-app-does-not-synchronize-folders-properly

The folders are already there, by default your Inbox is shown, while inside your Inbox, choose Menu => Folders and you will see a list of all your corporate folders.  Pick one to switch to viewing it.


text:
Deactivate Talk Messages on Samsung
On my Samsung Galaxy S2, I am using Google Talk. I also use the preinstalled messaging app for SMS. This messaging app seams to read my Google account and shows Google Talk messages. Therefore I get Google Talk messages twice. Once in each app.
How can I deactivate receiving Google Talk messages in the preinstalled messaging app without deactivating the whole Google account on my phone?

Are you getting SMSes for the Talk messages, or is the Talk conversation just being linked from the Messaging app?

No SMSes. The messaging app "talks" Google Talk. Can not find any option to deactivate :-(

After the latest update, the Samsung messaging app provides an option to disable Google Talk messages. Exactly what I was looking for.

If you just want to disable the Talk notifications and use Messaging for everything, it should be as simple as opening Google Talk, going to its settings, then disabling IM notifications.

I want to disable IM notifications in the preinstalled messaging app. I still want to have the IM notifications in the Google Talk app. Because now I have always two notifications for the same incoming message. One from the messaging app and another one from the Google Talk app.

Why not just have all your IM happening through the built-in messaging app?  I haven't used Samsung's, myself, but it can't be any worse than the Google Talk one. :)

Samsungs messages app is buggy. After opening from notification bar, sometimes it jumps into wrong conversation. And it is very ugly. And it obviously does things I do not want. Samsung creates nice hardware, but should stop forcing their bad software on users.

Hm, then maybe there's a way of just replacing Samsung's messaging app with the standard Android one. That would kill two birds with one stone.

I think, the preinstalled apps can not be removed without rooting. And installing another messaging app does not stop the original one from running in the background and notifying about Google Talk messages.

@Witek You could try using auto-kill task managers to keep killing that preinstalled app until you find a better solution.

@Power-Inside Unfortunately, if the messaging app is getting the notification via broadcast intents, there's not a whole lot you can do to prevent the app from responding to them, due to the way intents work in Android.


text:
How to put a shortcut to a settings submenu on a home screen
Use case: I would like to change the input language for voice input without having to click through  "Settings/voice input and output/voice recognition settings/Language"  And I have a couple of similar ones resulting in the same question:Is there a way to place a shortcut to a particular submenu of the settings on a home screen?Another (even better) option would be to tie a praticular setting to a custom keyboard shortcut.
Am I expecting too much?
Thank you

You could use Manual Intent Shortcuts.
It offers to add a custom launcher widget that sends intents defined by you.
To launch the VoiceSearch Settings window, do the following:

add a new "manual intents shortcut" widget to your home screen
enter a name
Action = "android.intent.action.MAIN"
Component Package = "com.google.android.voicesearch"
Component Class (FQDN) = "com.google.android.voicesearch.VoiceSearchPreferences"

Leave all other fields empty, uncheck "broadcast"
You now have a shortcut to the settings window you want.
PS: I used apktool to inspect the AndroidManifest.xml in VoiceSearch.apk (system app, you need root to access it) which lists this Activity.

This is the only working solution and the only one with a real explanation. Many thanks, ce4.

Nice to know you appreciate it and got it working (some  time has passed since you asked it, hehe)! Alas, it's not easy to find the params (needs serious power user skills) but once you got them it's easy.

@ce4 Any idea how to get to SIM management/SIM INFORMATION/{specific sim} and switch to turn it on/off (I have dual sim phone)?

@Piotr: Alas, no. I don't have a dual-sim phone. Maybe look at logcat output?

Yes, it's possible to add a shortcut to a settings menu, but probably not as "deep" as you'd like.
Long-press on a screen and select "Shortcut" in the menu that pops up. Then choose "Settings" and then the settings menu you want.

Unfortunately you're right. The "add shortcut" method features only a ridiculously narrow selection of settings...takes some wind off my sails, but thanks anyway. Could one do it programmatically? I could whip up an app doing exactly that then.

Check the market for apps/widgets that make it easier to get to your settings. "Quick Settings" was one that I've used in the past.

Another possibility: Gesture Search
It searches contacts, apps, bookmarks, files, and settings. By the time you scrawl out V O I you should probably see the voice setting you need.

Nice idea, but the deepest setting i get proposed is the "voice input and output". I experimented for some time...so I'm afraid deeper settings just dont make it into the index. So it even takes me half a second more to reach the language settings. But GS is still a very useful app I wasnt aware of, so +1

Supplemental answer to @ce4's answer which is correct. In Android Marshmallow 6.0, it would be these values for Manual Intent Shortcuts:

Action = "android.intent.action.MAIN"
Component Package = "com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox"
Component Class (FQDN) = "com.google.android.apps.gsa.velvet.ui.settings.VoiceSearchPreferences"

I would just add these to his comment, but I don't have reputation to do that.

I was with a similar problem. I was trying to launch the Adapt Sound configuration. Samsung removed the Settings widget from its phones, so you won't find it.
I solved using the Shotcut Maker app. My desired shortcut was inside the "Activities" options. Now I can quickly get to this sub sub sub Settings option.


text:
Is Adobe Air available on sony ericson xperia mini pro
I'm planning to buy a Sony Xperia Mini Pro, with the physical keyboard, not the x10 mini, but the latest one.
The sony xperia mini pro is not listed on Adobe's flash compatible devices list
I plan to use it for development and I also plan to develop apps in Adobe AIR, can somebody with a Sony Xperia Mini Pro confirm they are able to download and install Adobe AIR from the market, and run AIR and flash apps on this phone?
Thanks

The official Sony page says it has Flash preinstalled (look on the "In business" tab, "Fast and full Internet" section).
The Xperia Mini Pro meets the specs for Adobe Air, so I see no reason to believe you couldn't download Air as well.

this is also what I believe, but as AIR availability is most important for me, I'd like to have confirmation from an actual user of this phone.

@Smugrik If I can find it, I'll spoof the XMP's device fingerprint on my phone and see if I can download AIR.


text:
Verizon Droid X - phone won't vibrate
I've got a Droid X that's been operating fine since a did a hard reset on it a couple weeks ago. Recently however the vibration function has completely ceased. I can't seem to find a setting to set the "strength" of the feedback- is there such a setting? The phone is running Gingerbread (2.3.3) build 4.5.602.

On my Galaxy S, the vibration settings are under Settings -> Sound.  The Vibrate option has 4 choices (Always, Never, Only in silent mode, and Only when not in silent mode) and when the Haptic feedback option is checked, Vibration intensity can be set to 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 but I don't think that affects regular vibrations.


text:
How can I root my Pandigital Novel 7" Tablet?
I have a Pandigital 7" that is updated as far as the firmware updates go. However, I do not have access the Android Market and I do not have root access.
I am trying to install a SQL reader that I found on SlideMe.org and it says to update my ROM, but I have the most up-to-date firmware from the Pandigital Website.
I also found a link for a firmware update Android Open Source Kit here: http://www.pandigital.net/?PageID=335
Does anybody know if this open source kit will give me root access?

From what I understand there hasn't been a way found to root the Novel, but you can install apps over USB via adb if you do some other hacks.  I doubt the update you link to will give you root, but a newer version of Android is probably better than nothing.  Related: Market on Novel

Slatedroid and its Wiki is IMO the best resource for the Pandigital Novel. The Novel does not do any signing checks of its firmware and it's running Android 2.0 so it's rather easy to root.
EDIT: I have learned that the bootloader is encrypted; my previous sentence about "not checking signatures" may be incorrect. (It may only be that the bootloader cannot be replaced.)
Latest community-modified firmware as of this writing
Flashable a-la-carte enhancements (including root)
I notice you posted over there too, so this is really for anyone else that has a PDN 7" and wants this information.
As of note, the White and Black versions are different; the White is regarded as better.


text:
Cloud music apps won't sync from device to computer?
I have a free Spotify account and can very easily sync music files that are on my computer to my Android device via wifi. But I can't find a way to sync files that are on my Android device back to the computer.
I've looked for a way to do this using Google Music and can't find it. Same with Amazon MP3.
If I download an MP3 on my phone, I'd like to add it to my computer's library and be able to easily sync it and then play it with Spotify, Google Music, Amazon MP3, etc., regardless of where I'm playing it.
Is there some reason the various cloud services allow you to sync from computer to device but not from device to computer?
Any suggestions on easy ways to accomplish this with some other software? Or am I missing something?

As for "why" it's probably an effort to reduce piracy.

@Al - that's the same conclusion I had come to. But still, it seems far more people would be pirating on their computer than on their mobile. But who knows...

It isn't possible to DIRECTLY upload songs from your device to Google Music, but there's an alternative way I can suggest you. Advice: is kinda a long process for something so simple, but, hey, Google's fault.
You need Dropbox, Dropsync (free for one folder on the market https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ttxapps.dropsync&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS50dHhhcHBzLmRyb3BzeW5jIl0. but we don't need the PRO key for this, even if it's a great program and I suggest you to use it :P) and, sadly, a PC with Google Music Manager and Dropbox installed. It kinda defeat its purpose this way, but it's the only automatic way to do this, as far as I know. Otherwise you'd have to manually transfer every song from your phone to your PC.
You simply start installing Dropbox and getting it to work. When it's all set up, you open Dropsync and select the folder with your song inside and a folder on Dropbox, which shall contain only your music files. Done? Now you fire up your PC and launch Google Music Manager. Select the folder you synced with Dropsync and check "Automatically upload new song". What happens now? Everytime you download a song in your device, in the folder you selected, Dropsync copies it on your PC, which triggers Google Music Manager to upload it to its servers. So yeah, Google Music should implement a way to do this, definitely, but here's this workaround ;)


text:
How can I upload a fresh photo to Facebook on Android?
How can I upload a fresh photo to Facebook on Android?  One take with the camera of the phone.  I have Android 2.1update1.

Using the official Facebook app, a third party app, or the browser?

through the web browser it uploads it to a dir named: mobile uploads, and I can't place it elsewhere.

If you want to use your browser to upload the image, try switching out of mobile view from the page footer. Then you should be able to upload it the same way as on a desktop browser. You could also use the apps (either official or third-party) for more upload options.

Using the official Facebook app you can upload a picture, either from the gallery, or live straight from the camera, it then allows you to pick an album to add the picture too.
Open the facebook app and click the camera icon in the top-left corner. you're now given a choice to either go to the camera and take a picture, or go to your gallery and select a picture to upload.

While the picture is uploading, there is a text box that allows you to enter a caption for the picture, and there is an icon in the top right corner that will show you a list of all of your icons and pick which one to upload the picture to.

Once your picture has uploaded, you can go into the Photos section of the Facebook app, go into the album you picked, open the picture, and you should now be able to read/leave comments, or change the caption.


text:
How can I get the Android to use wallpapers sized to my screen resolution?
When I only have one "desktop" on my Android phone and I select one of my photos for the wallpaper, it asks me to crop the image.  The cropping tool only allows an aspect ratio that has nothing to do with the real aspect ration of my phones screen resolution. Why?
I have a Samsung GT i5800 running Android 2.1update1.

related: What size should images be for Android wallpaper?

Pretty sure this was present in Eclair (but it's possible I'm mis-remembering and this was a new feature in Froyo)  but when you select a picture in the gallery, at the cropping stage it should give you a choice of screen resolution/aspect ratios to use. One of them should be the resolution of your screen, the other one is for the side-ways scrolling multi-screen wallpaper.
I've ringed round the two selection options in the screenshot below, tap the wide option on the left for the multi-screen wallpaper and the one on the right to crop to a single screen. You should then be able to drag the crop box out to be the full picture (if you've got the aspect ratio right on your image).

Edit: This appears to be a Samsung TouchWiz feature, rather than a stock Android feature, it should still be present on OP's Samsung GT i5800.

That's interesting. I've never seen that before, and I don't seem to have them on my phone (CM7). Did you take that screenshot on your device or did you find it online somewhere?

@elder That's a screenshot from my phone, stock Samsung Gingerbread on an Galaxy S, but it's been in there the last few versions. I did think this was part of core Android as I only noticed it after reading about it on another site, but after a browse through Youtube wallpaper related videos it seems this may be a TouchWiz thing? Luckily the OP's on a Samsung device so should still have this.

If it is then I think I might actually have a reason to be a little jealous of TouchWiz. That's a convenient feature.

it's not in the GTi5800 :( - a version update hopefully will solve the problem later...

@Lance sorry to hear that, hope they update you from 2.1 at some point.

If I remember correctly, the aspect ratio is always for a 5 desktop scroll. If you have enabled only one desktop, the you'll see just the middle part of the wallpaper.

This is correct.  One way to force a picture in portrait orientation to display without cropping is to add black bars to the sides of the photo, turning it into a landscape image with the content you want in the middle.


text:
Are there any "compact" themes for Android?
So that I can only see the desktop icons, not the ex.: messaging, applications, call icon in the bottom..Are there any compat'er views for the Android Desktop?
Android 2.1update1 Samsung GT i5800

One option:

Install ADW Launcher as your home application and set it as default
From your home screen press Menu Button->More->ADWSettings to open ADW's settings
Select UI Settings->Main Dock Style->None to hide the bottom bar
Optionally, you can also select Screen Preferences->Hide StatusBar to hide the status bar at the top, which effectively makes your home take up the entire screen.


text:
How can I record high quality audio with my HTC Desire?
I would like to record interviews, edit them on a computer and include them in a podcast. There is a 'voice recorder app' built in, but the sound quality is awful, much worse than a dictaphone.
It also records in .amr format, but I want a lossless format (either, flac or wav).
I would also like to record up to an hour, which should be possible as the SD Card is nearly 4GB.
Is there a solution for this?

Rehearsalassistant
Is what I ended up using.  It's ok for now.

This app hasn't been updated in 2.5yrs (last update was 2010-03 as of 2012-08), and I encountered some crashes under some circumstances (rotate screen, etc.)

You can use the TapeMachine Recorder (it's a paid app), it can record in high quality audio format.
Here's the link to market

Also tape-a-talk works well and has a free version.

Dictadroid full or lite is also a good choice, here's the advertisment text from Google's play store:

Dictadroid turns your Android phone into a professional, high-quality dictation machine and voice recorder. Use it to record voice dictations, notes, meetings, music, or any other audio and share it via email, MMS, Box, or Dropbox.
  Dictadroid is very simple to use and has many unique features, including:
  - Pause/Resume while recording or playing
  - Insert/Overwrite recording modes
  - Record/Play in the background or while screen is off
  - Save audio files in WAV format
  - Share via email, MMS, Box, and Dropbox
  - Bulk delete/share operations
  - Assign new or existing photo to a recording
  - Use in any orientation (Portrait/Landscape)
  - Sort recordings by date or title


text:
There is an Android equivalent to Microsoft's CTRL+Z?

Possible Duplicate:
Is there any undo command when editing any field

Today I just make a mistake when typing a text on a box over Android's browser and then I realise that I was missing the "back to past" CTRL+Z Microsoft Windows feature, which allows you to step back anything you made on Windows. So, there is such thing on Android OS?

The back button serves as Undo or Cancel (or Back) in many apps, but won't help with a typo in a text box, it's more likely to lose everything you've typed in there than undo the last bit of typing.
I don't believe that there's any standard, central Undo function in Android at the moment. As very few devices have a hardware keyboard, and many devices are starting to drop even the four hard buttons, I'm not sure how Undo could easily be invoked/shown to the user. Ctrl/Alt etc key combos obviously aren't practical on a soft keyboard on a 4 inch touchscreen, and I'm not sure how else it would be done except with a dedicated undo button on the phone or the soft-keyboard.


text:
Android 2.2.3 - long delay after phone call end
There's a long delay between the call end (even when I press "End Call" button) and when I can use the notification bar again for example.
The in-call green phone icon stays in the notification bar for another few seconds.
Is there anything I can do about this, please?

Dunno, but I think yours is typical. I have to wait at least a few seconds before my DROID is "released" after a call. Fortunately I don't make too many phone calls.

Haha, make / receive it's the same thing. Also, the 2.3.3 distribution is not rooted or touched in anyway. Well... except what Samsung did to it...

Same here on a Sensation...

This is usual Android disconnection response.
It's to do with your phone checking in with the closest Antenna when you end a call.
Perhaps this will help explain the speed a little:
http://images.cellphones.org/cell_phone_calls.jpg
p.s. I just hit end call then home or lock screen and put it in my pocket :-)

I do hit End Call, well, not hit, but gently touch, but the screen stays for a while. I just want to make sure the call is closed so I can say bad things about the person that just called. :)

Hehe yeah the 'call is closed' i.e. your mic is not taking input as soon as you gently touch end call.


text:
Is there anyway to bypass the Verizon Wireless block of the tethering?
I have a rooted Droid X (v.1). I used to be able to use Wifi tether to connect my computer to the Wifi from my phone. Now Verizon is automatically blocking that and taking me to a page where they ask me to pay for the Wifi. I don't use the connection that much so I really don't want to pay an additional $25. Is there a way to get around this and activate Wifi tethering again or am I hosed?

So, you're asking us to abet your circumvention of Verizon's Terms of Service?

Not that I have any love for Verizon (I don't) but I don't think we (as a community) or Stack Exchange (as a corporation) want to encourage that sort of thing.

Covered at Lifehacker recently: http://lifehacker.com/5850476/how-can-i-tether-without-my-carrier-finding-out

Get pdanet. Screw Verizon.  Lifetime use is $14 and you'll never be charged another dime. It works well.

I've heard (anecdotally) that the carriers are getting smarter about detecting tethering traffic. PDANet's days as a workaround for corporate greed may be numbered.

Switch Carriers to one that is more tether-friendly. (There may not be one.)


text:
How can I get the new Google Talk on a Droid Incredible running 2.3.4?
I have the original Droid Incredible (hardware rev 0003) with the new Market. I just got the Gingerbread OTA but it didn't include the new Google Talk. I know I could manually install the new apk from some random website, but I'd rather get it the "official" way, if such exists.

Without having a custom recovery, such as Clockwork Mod, I don't know of any way you can get the new talk.  If you have a custom recovery (which I don't think you do), you can install two zip files through ClockworkMod


text:
Music App changes track after 40 seconds on rooted phone
I recently rooted my htc desire and installed cyanogenmod 7.0.3 and now whenever I use the music app it will play the first 40 seconds of a track then there is a long pause and the next track starts.  This happens both with and without headphones plugged in. Can anyone suggest what might cause this and how to fix it.
EDIT after upgrading to cyanogenmod 7.1 I started to get Force Close after 40 seconds on DSP manager.
EDIT 2 I have cleared the data on the music app and tried alternative music apps and the problem persists, also as I said it happens with or without headphones so it's not headphone related.
EDIT 3 This problem seems to be specific to ogg files.
EDIT 4 The problem occurs with winamp, songbird and the built in music player but not PowerAMP

This could be way off, but I know many music players have an Intro mode that will play first part of song.

Have you tried clearing the data for that app?

Possibly similar: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/11607/problems-with-music-playback-music-file-corrupt

Do you have the same problems with video files?

I haven't got any video on my phone to test with.  I'll see if I can find something appropriate.

Col, without some additional information, I can only give one real suggestion.
Did you install CyanogenMod correctly? Whenever installing a custom ROM on a phone when coming from a stock or older / different custom ROM, you need to wipe:
-Cache
-Data
-Dalvik Cache
If you go to the CyanogenMod Forums, you'll see this is question/step 1 in remedying any bug/glitch caused by CM.
The best way to do this is to go into your phone's Settings menu, go to Privacy (or wherever HTC puts it - maybe Storage), and do a full factory reset. If you moved from stock, CM6, or another ROM to CM7 without conducting a FULL wipe, there is no point in attempting to troubleshoot this problem until you have. Make a Nandroid backup in ClockworkMod, and perform a full factory reset (whether in the Settings menu or in the Clockwork Recovery UI), please. Please note that I am not saying return to the stock ROM, just wipe everything. If this doesn't work (which I'll be surprised if it doesn't), then there may be other issues.

I'm afraid I did do the wipe when I installed, I actually did the update again just to make sure after I first found the problem. I went straight to CM7.0.3 from the stock rom at which point I did the full wipe and then from there to 7.1-RC1 when I did the dalvik wipe but not the full wipe.

Well, what format are the songs you're attempting to play? MP3? Bitrate? Do the files play fine on your computer?

They're ogg files, at 128kbps. They play fine on a PC and were fine on the phone until the upgrade

Does the problem happen with MP3 files?

The problem doesn't seem to happen with mp3 files.


text:
Media volume issues
I've a Samsung Galaxy i551 with Android 2.2, not rooted and with stock rom. I'm having two volume issues (don't know if they have anything to do with each other):

When using the external speacker, not headphones, sometimes I have "normal" volume, but some other times even max volume is unhearable. I really NEED to put the phone near my ear (like if it was the headphone) to be able to hear it. I think, not sure yet, after reboot it turns back to normally, but I don't know what makes it fail again.
When I'm listening music with the headphones some times the volume just changes. It is really crazy, I don't touch any key or the screen, don't even touch the phone and the volume cahnge. I have already checked and it's not because of the audio file if anyone was thinking so. It is like if the phone has two different volumes and change between them whenever it wants.

I've been reading a lot of issues with the volume, but haven't get any luck yet. Has anyone had any of this problems? Solutions?
Thanks! Diego
Update: Now I'm rooted (in case someone has anything to offer that needs root).
Update: Assuming the up-voters are having the same problem, are you using the same phone or even another Samsung?
Update: I've recently discovered that youtube app uses the speaker used on regular calls (the one on the same side of the screen). And its volume was actually very low. So when I'd that trouble again with some app (Navigation in this case) that should use the speaker (on the back of the phone) I realized that it was using the other speaker, and that's the problem. Who decides which speaker use each app or when is used each one? I e, my navigation app sometimes uses one and some other times uses the other.. Why?? Can we change it to force it?
Please if someone understands this last paragraph it would be very helpful to edit it using the right terms that are unknown by me because english is not my native language and my phone isn't in english. Thanks!
Extra info: I've a friend who have the same phone I had (the Samsung Galaxy i551) and is also having this same issues. Also the phone I had was stolen from me and now I bought a Samsung Galaxy Ace and again the same issues. So this is not an issue from my particularly phone or model, this is from Samsung or from Android. In the second case it is happening in FroYo and in Gingerbread!

Are these the same apps and same sorts of sounds (like always playing music with a music app) that result in the different volumes? Some apps may be using ringer/system volume rather than media volume or as you said, may be attempting to use the "phone" speaker rather than the "speakerphone" speaker.

I can't really tell because I'm not even able to reproduce this, it just "happens sometimes" (each time I discover anything new I update my answer). But I think the answer to your question would be yes.

looks like this is a bug with the front and back speaker routing, maybe you can try this app https://market.android.com/details?id=nl.powerbase.speakerswitcher and switch to speaker whenever you have problemm.

That app seems to be what I need, however I can't test it because that phone was stolen from me and now I'm not having those problems. If the people up-voted the question starts up-voting the answer I'll assume it is correct and accept it.

This seems to solve the issue. I've finish testing it yet. Sorry but I can't reproduce it whenever I want, I have to wait this to happen.

If you hadn't rooted your device i would tell you to take it to your carrier's tech support center. I have had problems with my volume almost like your current issues and the i=only fix was to order a replacement.
I do know what you are talking about with certain apps using different speakers [front internal speaker and external speaker]. This is based on the programming they have done and you should talk to the developers about the issue or look closely at the permissions of the app to see if they have access to both speakers or if your phone is indeed randomly selecting which to use.
I hope this helps!


text:
What does the blue 0 mean in the top right hand corner of my camera?
I have a Samsung Galaxy s II and recently a 0 in a white box has appeared in my camera on the right hand corner. Why is this? What does it mean? How do I get rid of it?

I don't suppose you could get us a photo of it?

The user manual (p.58) only shows one possible display of a number, which would be the number of photos you can take given the available space (No. 4 in the below screen example). It is in the top right, below the button to switch between front and back facing cameras. Zero would imply that you cannot take any more photos.

If you still have this problem, please try get someone else to take a photos of the screen as suggested if you don't have another phone or camera.


text:
How can I force-link a Google contact with a Facebook profile?
Back when my HTC Desire had its stock Sense, there was an option to link Facebook accounts to Google contacts, by selecting them from the Facebook friends list.
This created fields for my contacts such as:
<HTCData>
<Facebook>id:02394985720/friendof:2103910923|id:123768123/friendof:09812387</Facebook>
</HTCData>

Now, my phone is on CyanogenMod 7. I've added a Facebook account under Synchronization settings, but it seems it only matches contacts who have the same name as their Facebook counterpart. Those who are matched get a Facebook profile link:

The other ones aren't linked. Therefore: How can I force link a Google contact with a Facebook profile? This would allow me to link contacts even if their names are different.
I'm aware of this question: how to link contact with facebook, gmail etc?, but there is no "Join" option for me, and it isn't really answered as well. I'm also aware of SyncMyPix.

Related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13533/how-can-i-merge-contacts-in-cyanogenmod/29153#29153

First, in the Facebook app, under its Settings, enable synchronization for all contacts.
Open up your contact list and select the Google contact you would like to merge. Then push the menu button and select "Edit Contact". Then hit the menu button one more time and select "Join".
Choose which contact you would like to merge it with and you should be good to go.

For those using Sense, you also can add the link manually (I found that Sense doesn't always add the notes tag to Google Contacts automatically). You can get the Facebook "id" by going to graph.facebook.com/username instead of www.facebook.com/username (i.e. after you click on a friend on the Facebook webpage, replace "www" with "graph"). Then just paste into Google Contacts notes:
<HTCData><Facebook>id:12345/friendof:67890</Facebook></HTCData>

where 12345 is your friend's id and 67890 is your id.
Sense picks up the link on the next sync with Google Contacts and the Facebook link is added permanently.

FOr making this process simpler, use go contacts. One click joining. Just open go contacts and open the menu, at the menu click on merge, it would give you sort options. Sort based on name, email and phone number. Choose an option and it would cluster the contacts it feels are duplicates together and ask you for confirmation. You can review and decide what to merge and what not to.

Can you elaborate on this?

Glad you asked, download go contacts, once you do this go to menu and you will have an option called merge. Here you will get options like merge by name, number, email etc. Then it will club all results and show, all you have to do is click on each contact once and they get merged.

This doesn't work at all. Neither criterion delivers any results. The problem is that the contacts I want to merge don't have the same name, and most Facebook contacts have no e-mail address or phone number given.

i spoke from my experience, i managed to merge most using go contacts and a few i merged manually using join. Sorry it din't work for you!

done ! I was just trying to tell you what i did hoping it would help.


text:
How to increase call log archive to longer than 30 days?
Is it possible to increase the time length covered by call history records? I think it's currently fixed to 1 month, older entries will be deleted by the log rotator. Is this hard-coded?
I know there are some utilities exist to backup / archive call logs, however archiving takes the functionality away from the dialer history. So I take archiving methods under another topic, for an even longer or a permanent call history.
Info: Using Samsung Galaxy S, not rooted, I can root if needed.

You might be interested on applications to backup call logs:

Call Logs Backup & Restore

thank you lie, I'm aware about this kind of software, however I consider archiving as a second step. I've updated the question with a note.

You can create a phone call log using Google Calendar using the CallTrack app which has the option to send it to your Google Calendar.

thank you dghughes, I'm aware about the application you mentioned, however I consider archiving as a second step. I've updated the question with a note. what I need is to increase the coverage so I can see the records in people histories / central call history.


text:
Media Storage: what is it, and why is it using all my data?
I am only 5 days into my Billing cycle, and noticed that already like 1/3rd of my data has been used (thanks to My Data Manager)... So I looked to see what has used all this data, and it says it is "Media Storage" that has used up most of my data (it's used up over 35 MB!). This is a system process if i'm not mistaken, so my question is: is this in fact a system process? And why would it be using up so much of my data? What exactly does this process do? Would it be safe to deny it network access?

Streaming any music or video? In the Google Music beta? Using the Amazon cloud player?

Nope. No Amazon, no google, no Pandora, and maybe 1 or 2 small youtubes a year... Nothing recently at any rate.

My phone was also using too much data for this process, and the solution for it was to restrict background data. You can find this option in Settings -> Data usage -> Menu. Just tick the checkbox.

Yes, it's a system process. Other apps may use Media Storage to download, play, and stream audio/video. I don't know specifically which media apps actually uses them though. You might try to block it, and see if any functionalities in the media player you regularly uses stops working.

Hmmm... Well, I don't actually use my phone for media playing. once in a blue moon, a YouTube, but almost never. Would there be anyway to find what is utilizing its services?

I had this same issue and i managed to resolve it. here's how:

Download the app "GlassWire" from Google play.
Go to the options button in the top-left corner and select "Usage".
Select "Downloads, Media Storage...".
Once it is open, select the settings icon next to "permissions" and clear data.
Do this for both "Downloads" and "Media Storage".

This fixed the data consumption made by Media Storage which happens as a result of uploads rather than downloads, and i have no idea what was uploading.
Unfortunately, you will have to do this every time the device is restarted.
I hope this helps.

google photos Picasa may be syncing.


text:
How to bookmark an automatically redirecting link on the Android?
I am on page_1. There is a link_1 to page_2 that redirects to a random URL page_x. I cannot go to page_2 because I will not see its URL in the address bar (it redirects to page_x)
I want to bookmark link_1. On a non-mobile browser, I would right click link_1 and bookmark it.
I am using the pre-installed "Internet" browser that comes with the Android. How do I bookmark link_1 on Android?

I'm not sure I entirely understood the scenario you're describing, but a similar function to right-click->bookmark on Android would be to do a long press on the link, then choose Bookmark link. This should bookmark the link as it exists on the page, regardless of where it eventually sends you.

I don't see that option on 3.1 Honeycomb's browser.

I don't see a "Bookmark Link" option on 3.1 Honeycomb's browser. An alternative would be to:

Copy the URL link by long pressing the link you need to bookmark and choose "Copy link URL"
Create a new bookmark by clicking on the star on the location bar on any page
Replace the label and location in the new bookmark options with the URL you just copied and the title of the page you need to bookmark