40
votes
1answer
13k views
Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?
There are several reasons to be looking for a ROM:
Upgrading or downgrading your stock ROM
Looking for firmware from a different region/language
Flashing a custom ROM for different features, ...
191
votes
1answer
135k views
How do I root my Android device?
This is a common question by those who have want to root their phones. How exactly do I root my Android device?
54
votes
1answer
33k views
Can I install Android on my non-Android device?
Many people want to try/use Android without buying a new Android phone. How can I install Android on my current phone or device running Nokia Symbian, Maemo, or MeeGo; Microsoft Windows Mobile or ...
23
votes
1answer
7k views
How do I update the OS on my device?
This Community Wiki question is designed to be the "canonical question" for questions asking how to upgrade one's device to a new operating system.
I want to get a newer version of the OS for my ...
89
votes
2answers
13k views
When will my device get the Android 4.0 update (Ice Cream Sandwich)?
Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) was officially announced on October 19, 2011.
(You can review the high level SDK changes in Android 4.0 or the official changelog at the official Android Developer's ...
73
votes
1answer
58k views
When will my phone get the Android 2.3 update (Gingerbread)?
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) SDK was released on December 6, 2010. (High-level user highlights)
Of course, not all devices will get this update right away and others won't get it at all. Each ...
47
votes
1answer
19k views
When will my phone get the Android 2.2 update (FroYo)?
Android 2.2 (FroYo, short for "Frozen Yogurt") was released over the Summer 2010, however not all of the devices that will get this update have received it yet. Each manufacturer and carrier needs to ...
14
votes
4answers
34k views
Cannot unlock tablet as have no internet connection?
I have an Arnova GBook, which is running Android 4.0.3 (or something like that).
My little brother decided to try and guess my lock screen pattern the other day, and ended up locking me out.
I have ...
98
votes
17answers
44k views
What can I do to increase battery life on my Android device?
What can I do to get better battery life on my Droid? Battery life seems awful. Less than 15 hours or so on normal usage.
20
votes
1answer
33k views
How can I stop applications and services from running?
When my phone starts up there are several application/services running in the background that I would rather not. And when I press the Home button while using an app, that app usually goes into the ...
38
votes
6answers
57k views
How can I uninstall applications that are locked by phone vendor?
I'm using a Samsung I9000 and I have some annoying apps that came pre installed by the phone vendor, like a music store, a custom web browser and other memory leaking apps.
Those crappy apps can't be ...
44
votes
1answer
22k views
When will my device get the Android 4.1 update (Jelly Bean)?
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) was announced at Google I|O 2012 on June 27, 2012.
(You can review the high level changes in Android 4.1 and/or the official changelog at the official Android Developer's ...
138
votes
2answers
133k views
I've rooted my phone. Now what? What do I gain from rooting?
This is a common question by those who have just rooted their phones. What apps, ROMs, benefits, etc. do I get from rooting? What should I be doing now?
45
votes
4answers
23k views
Full Backup of non-rooted devices
I know I'm asking for the close-to-impossible -- as a real full-backup certainly requires root permissions. But still there are many folks around not wanting to root their devices -- afraid of voiding ...
57
votes
3answers
36k views
How to set up reverse tethering over USB?
My HTC G2 phone is rooted and running Cyanogenmod 7
I don't have a data plan.
Sometimes I want to connect the phone to the Internet when there isn't Wi-Fi, to update Market apps, backup SMS messages ...
49
votes
11answers
84k views
What can I do to manage my phone's internal storage?
If you're not used to seeing the 'low on internal storage' notification, what is it that you're doing to keep your phone's internal memory from filling up so quickly?
The 'SD Card and Phone Storage' ...
17
votes
2answers
13k views
How can I install the Google Apps Package (Play Store, …) on my Android device?
I have recently installed a custom ROM and cannot find the Play Store. It seems like all apps that belong to Google are missing.
How can I install the Google Apps Package (Play Store, ...) on my ...
36
votes
6answers
4k views
Is there a way to easily record a phone conversation in-progress?
I do not own an Android device. I was thinking about getting one, and an important feature for me is the ability to record a phone conversation which is in progress - meaning, while I am in the middle ...
60
votes
3answers
11k views
Are there any risks to rooting a device?
I see lots of tutorials telling me how to root my phone (Motorola Droid), but none of them mention any potential "side effects."
Aside from a few relatively minor issues that seem to require rooting ...
45
votes
5answers
6k views
How to backup an Android device?
Can anyone recommend a good way to backup Android devices?
Ideally I would like to do this wirelessly and, not only backup my data, but also my user settings. Is it possible to backup an image of an ...
70
votes
17answers
13k views
What are the alternative Android app markets?
How many competing Android markets (other than Android Market itself) are there and are they any good?
I know that there are at least two others: SlideME and AppBrain which I have looked at and seem ...
11
votes
2answers
12k views
How can I circumvent regional restrictions in the Android Market?
I'm travelling to country X. I want to install an application which isn't available in my country, but is available in country X; but I prefer to download and install it in advance, while the data ...
64
votes
7answers
37k views
What does “to root a phone” mean?
I heard this phrase or the variants (rooted phone, rooting, etc.) in android forums but I don't know what it means. Can you explain it in simple terms?
5
votes
1answer
7k views
My device is getting slow, apps start misbehaving/crashing. What can I do?
Everything was working fine for a long time. But suddenly the device is getting slower than usual (e.g. apps react slowly when starting an action -- like the RSS reader takes "ages" to open an ...
13
votes
1answer
19k views
How do I add a new language?
The aftermarket ROM I use seems to have the language list parred down to just a couple selections, probably to save space.
I would like to add a language back into the system. I can already set the ...
62
votes
7answers
14k views
What is the difference between: Rooting, Jailbreak, ROM, Mod, etc.?
What is the difference between:
Rooting
Jailbreaking
ROM
NAND and Nandroid
Operating System
Mod (e.g. CyanogenMod)
Recovery (ClockworkMod, Amon Ra)
Custom Kernel (e.g. LeshaK's kernel)
Firmware
...
26
votes
11answers
95k views
HTC Desire low on internal storage, I'm clueless — Any help?
It's been bugging me for a while but getting quite bad lately. I get warnings that my internal storage is full, I have about 13mb left of what I believe is 512mb worth of rom. I have checked with the ...
60
votes
7answers
5k views
Do I really need to install a task manager?
Does one really need to install a task manager? My phone does slowdown on rare occasions but it's not something that hampers regular usage.
17
votes
5answers
5k views
How can I view and examine the Android log?
There is a lot of interesting stuff in the Android system log, that is helpful in many ways
find root causes of problems
identify misbehaving apps
How can I view and examine the Android log?
78
votes
16answers
7k views
How to take a screenshot with an Android device?
Is there a way to take a screenshot of an Android device and save it as an image file?
28
votes
9answers
7k views
How do I disable the 'click' sound on the camera app?
When I take a picture it makes a 'click' sound. As this is default behavior, I would like to turn it off. Is there a setting to do so; or if I find+delete the sound file, will there be repercussions?
...
28
votes
6answers
32k views
Is this red star icon malware? How to get rid of it?
Every now and then a red star icon appears on my brother's notification bar, as shown below. The message related to this notification is some advert like "Turbo Boost Your Battery". He has been ...
13
votes
4answers
26k views
How do I project the screen of my android phone for a presentation?
How can I project my Incredible screen so I can demonstrate the smart phone to a room full of people?
Does anyone know how I can link the phone to a PC? To a TV?
138
votes
4answers
14k views
Does constant charging harm my Android cellphone?
I usually disconnect my cellphone from the charger some time after it's fully charged because I'm afraid the battery could lose capacity over time if I don't. However, I believe modern electronics ...
38
votes
9answers
46k views
How can I download an APK file from the Play Store?
I can't download apps from the Play Store on my Android device (maybe due to a network issue), so I'm wondering how could I download the APK file of an app on my PC from http://play.google.com/store?
9
votes
4answers
4k views
How can I recover a deleted file on Android?
I just deleted a file on my Nexus S that I really need back. (It was actually part of an app using a sqlite database that did a drop table when upgrading to a new version.)
Presumably I need to root ...
6
votes
1answer
582 views
App X isn't working correctly. How can I fix it?
I have an application that isn't working correctly. Either it's not launching, or not responding to commands, or some of the functionality isn't doing what I expect.
What are some simple steps I can ...
16
votes
1answer
777 views
Can I use my device on a different carrier?
Sometimes it's desirable to use a device on a carrier that does not officially sell it. Often this is due to regional differences and travel (for example, using a US phone in Europe) but also because ...
12
votes
1answer
1k views
Why are some apps on the market incompatible with my device?
I own a Motorola Flipout, Android 2.1 stock ROM. According to the market the app "Handyticket Deutschland" is not compatible with my phone. The required Android version is 1.5 or above. How can I tell ...
28
votes
5answers
5k views
How can I install an app given only its APK file?
I downloaded the APK file for an app to my PC. How can I install it on my phone?
38
votes
5answers
3k views
14
votes
3answers
8k views
How to deal with (orphaned) WakeLocks?
I guess most of you at least have heard about WakeLocks. Many of you will have experienced them already -- wether knowingly or not. Some may know how to deal with them in general -- but only few know ...
11
votes
3answers
12k views
Something is secretly eating up my tablet memory and I need help finding it
I've been a happy owner of an Acer Iconia A500 for a bit over a year now but a couple of weeks ago it started to complain about its internal memory being full.
I was a bit surprised as I keep movies, ...
29
votes
11answers
30k views
How do I send SMS from PC through Android Phone or to Android Phone?
I'm looking for an app that will let me type text messages on my PC and send the SMSs directly from the PC through my phone, or save the messages to the phone for later use.
I'm basically looking at ...
16
votes
1answer
18k views
What is *Cell standby* and how can I keep it from eating my battery?
Looking up my battery statistics, I almost always find Cell standby amongst the top consumers:
I never thought that "idle" would use so much energy. I saw that other people encounter similar ...
14
votes
8answers
1k views
Complete Dropbox implementation for Android
I'm looking for a method to retrieve all my files from my Dropbox account and download them to my SD card.
This should download everything with no user intervention. There are a couple of Dropbox ...
46
votes
6answers
1k views
Is it possible to install an app and exclude some of its requested permissions?
Occasionally I want to install an application which requires certain permissions that I feel it really shouldn't need. Can I install the app without giving it these permissions? For example, GPS ...
26
votes
3answers
4k views
How do I perform a full pre-rooting backup of an Android phone?
The question arises because the best-rated backup application (Titanium Backup) requires root. So what would one use instead when getting a really complete backup is essential? Is there a file ...
46
votes
2answers
20k views
What does it mean when the connectivity icons in the status bar go white/gray?
The connectivity icons (Data, Mobile Signal, Wifi) in the status bar on my Nexus S are normally green, but sometimes they go white. I can't seem to figure out what this means, as I still have a signal ...
9
votes
1answer
6k views
Data Recovery - How to Restore Deleted / Formatted Files on HD Micro SD Card
Background:
I put in a friend's SD Card to format it because it was having problems. Then I put mine back in and I think my phone formatted my SD Card. I had a ton of pictures on there that are now ...
