Database Develop

[Q] Preserving apps on a 'clean' install.

OK, so my mom insisted that she needs a Nexus One, and that I need to root it for her and put a custom ROM on. She lives in a country where Android phones are not very available. Anyway.
I know what you're thinking - I'd be stuck doing tech support for my mom. Well there was a week of that, and then she ran around bragging about her phone to all her friends, and now THEY ALL WANT ONE.
So I agreed (read: got guilted) into setting another one up for a Close Friend of the Family. Now when I did my mom's she pretty much gave me her google account info and I just set it up for her. What I'd prefer to do is install a bunch of apps and then wipe all the userinfo so they have to put in their own google account info. But when I go into recovery and do a wipe, of course, all the apps go, too.
Is there any simple way of doing this?

jethro1138 said:
OK, so my mom insisted that she needs a Nexus One, and that I need to root it for her and put a custom ROM on. She lives in a country where Android phones are not very available. Anyway.
I know what you're thinking - I'd be stuck doing tech support for my mom. Well there was a week of that, and then she ran around bragging about her phone to all her friends, and now THEY ALL WANT ONE.
So I agreed (read: got guilted) into setting another one up for a Close Friend of the Family. Now when I did my mom's she pretty much gave me her google account info and I just set it up for her. What I'd prefer to do is install a bunch of apps and then wipe all the userinfo so they have to put in their own google account info. But when I go into recovery and do a wipe, of course, all the apps go, too.
Is there any simple way of doing this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the apps you're installing are free and non-protected, you can back them up with AppMonster, copy those .apks over onto the new phone, and install there. No need to set up an account for most of those.

codesplice said:
If the apps you're installing are free and non-protected, you can back them up with AppMonster, copy those .apks over onto the new phone, and install there. No need to set up an account for most of those.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're all free apps, so that's not a problem. I figured I could adb install, or something like what you're describing, but my concern is whether or not they'll be auto-upgraded through Market (or rather whether they'll get notifications saying updates are available).

Yes, they will be. If you use Titanium for backup, for example, you'll be able to restore the apps before logging in to Market. That's what I do when I change ROMs.

Jack_R1 said:
Yes, they will be. If you use Titanium for backup, for example, you'll be able to restore the apps before logging in to Market. That's what I do when I change ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's pretty cool... except I realise I still need to do the initial login to the phone to run titanium backup. I want to send this to people so when they turn it on they get the "Welcome to Android!" screen, so they get the little tutorial and get to set up their account directly over there without me having to tell them "Ok click menu, then settings..." etc.
Also, I'd like to setup some applications for them - set up browser homepage/bookmarks, some ADWLauncher settings, and preferably which icons/widgets are on the desktops. I know Titanium can do that (though I'm not sure which setting is the desktop) but again, I'd have to login.
Is there maybe something I can wipe to make it rerun the intro screen?

jethro1138 said:
Is there maybe something I can wipe to make it rerun the intro screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure if this will work but...
could you install everything you wanted then go into settings, accounts & sync click on your old account and select "remove account"
let me know if this helps

jonesy420 said:
not sure if this will work but...
could you install everything you wanted then go into settings, accounts & sync click on your old account and select "remove account"
let me know if this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think if you do that it just starts with no account, like if you start it and skip entering n account.

Just build your own gapps-style package with everything you want included, then flash it without even logging in.
Alternatively, using your own phone, backup the apps and settings, and use App Monster out similar to backup Titanium as an apk. Then you can install everything without ever having to sign in...
You can skip the initial sign in by touching the four corners of the screen when the android appears, starting top left and working clockwise...
So if you have already signed in, just follow these steps:
Wipe all data
Boot up and skip sign in
Install apps (Titanium if rooted, App Monster if not)
Make whatever settings you want
Power off
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

[Q] restore help please..

Am new to Android two weeks ago. I had to have my new SGS replaced and thought that all the phone settings and apps were being synced with my google account (I've always had Background Data and Auto-sync checked on as well as my google accounts set to sync on for Gmail, Contacts and Calendar). Having powered on the new replacement and entered my google account settings I was expecting it to recognise that the new device was not in sync with google and offer to push everything back down to the phone.
All that has happened is my Contacts, Gmail and Calendar are in sync but the phone settings & previously installed apps through the market place are not.
If I go into the Android Market Place on the phone and look at one of the previous apps I had installed such as BBC iPlayer it shows my rating and comment so it knows its me but only offers the option to reinstall the app again from the market, i.e. finding each app manually and reinstalling. Is it not supposed to restore the apps you have previously installed? I reinstalled this app from the market but it hasn't restored the user data associated with the app.
Having dug a little further whilst writing this, I notice that if I log into the Android Market through a web browser on the PC I can see in the "Orders" screen the apps that I previously downloaded. However, on the next tab "Settings" shows My Devices with the old and new phone listed. There doesn't seem to be a way to remove the old phone from my account or tell it that the new phone actually replaces the old so just give me the old data to the new device.
Being new to Android I did think that this was meant to work slicker than this, I hope someone can help out a newbie please?

If you go into the Market and look at My Apps, you should be able to redownload them all (I think an option exists to download them all with a single click "update all" or something like that). Most people backup their applications etc using Tatanium Backup so that they easily restore user apps after ROM upgrades etc. You can also backup SMS messages using an app from the Market.

When you first enter a new Google account into your phone, there is a check box to restore your apps from the Market. This actually is usually best NOT to use since it can cause a sudden massive download.
It is in all ways safer and smarter to just go into MyApps and reinstall the apps one by one. It may take a little longer, but it is a better method.
Titanium Backup is a good option for restoring apps after you flash a new rom, but it won't do you any good if you change phones.

Unfortunately that isn't the case.
If I go into the Android Market Place on the phone and "My Apps" I don't see the apps that were installed on the old phone and thus no option from My Apps to reinstall them.
The only apps that are present in My Apps are those that were I guess added by Three's flavour of this 2.2 OS, which are the Three app plus Google Maps and YouTube.
Their seems to be something wrong with market place if it is meant to work how your suggesting. If I log into market place through my PC that google account sees both the old and new phone but doesn't on the phone offer the old apps to the new phone.
I'm pretty sure that when I entered my google account details earlier that there was no option box to restore as I would have taken that option as I have an unlimited data plan.
I wonder if I should do a factory reset and re enter the account details again but I fear that it will just see this new phone in the market place and not the old one as they obviously have some sort of device id.
Unfortunately it looks like Titanium is just for rooted devices and am not ready to go down that route (no pun intended) just yet.
If the apps and app data are suppose to sync with google then it seems like an unnecessary duplication of work to redo something outside of what should be part of Android natively.
If I have to install a backup app then I would want to find one that backs up all the phone settings, apps and app data to the SD card which I can then move over to the PC where there is obviously more storage. It would be nice to find such an app that provides a selective restore so that it would also be compatible with a new different model phone so that only the apps and app data could be restored.

CM7 nightly 240, gapps install "no reliable connection to data server"

I just installed CM7 nightly 240 on a fresh nook color. The CM7 install to SD went fine, I set wifi connection to my router, browsed the web a bit to make sure it works. Then I went ahead to install gapps, but when I want to sign into my account it complains it "can't find a reliable connection to data server"
I checked that the wifi is on and connected... the signal is strong as I'm working right next to my router... don't know where to go from here.
Help please?
(edited to say: ) I have just tried again and again... wifi is on, I can browse the web but signing into google account times out every time. Because of that I don't have access to market etc.

On your NC, can you log in your gmail account? (using web browser)

Yes I can. But signing in to setup gapps still doesn't work (same "no reliable connection" error)

Hm now I have a whole new problem... I was playing with all kinds of settings trying to make this work... somehow I did something and now the nook is unresponsive. It's on, with a screen that says "setup wizard" at the top, won't respond to any buttons or screen gestures.
Do I have any option to reboot it besides letting the battery run out?

I had to hold the power button down for a good 20 sec before my NC turned off. Then I could restart.

Thanks that helped. I was giving up after 10-15s.
But the google login/gapps setup problem persists.

Actually I think the gapps package is just not installing correctly. In recovery it doesn't give me any errors, inflates all the apks etc then shuts down. But when I get back into CM I can't see any of them (market, etc) in the apps screen.
I have downloaded the gapps packet again and went through the install procedure, with the same result. No sign-in possible and no google apps showing up in the apps screen.
(Edit: to show that wifi is on and working I'm posting this from the nook/cm7)

If you can log in into your gmail account directly from the NC then wifi isn't your problem.
It must be a Market or Google Framework. Try to clear cache and data of both and see what happens next.
But when I get back into CM I can't see any of them (market, etc) in the apps screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You not gonna see Market if you not successfully set up an account first.

Where are the caches on the NC? I tried looking in /data and a few other obvious places and can't find them. (/data for instance is empty)

jh1523 said:
Where are the caches on the NC? I tried looking in /data and a few other obvious places and can't find them. (/data for instance is empty)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go into Menu... Manage Applications... select the app you want to clear data and cache for and click clear data (this also clears cache)

So I cleared data and cache for google services framework. Market had data and cache already empty.
Still no go. Same error.

Reboot yet? Give it a try

Rebooted, no go. Cleared data and cache again, rebooted, same error.

Silly me. Please someone mark this thread as solved.
I found the problem. Here is the solution just in case someone has later on the same problem. Don't disable "background transfers" before you set your google account and the market. Afterward you can disable it if you want, but if you do it before you won't be able to correctly install gapps even with a good wifi connection.
Problem solved. Thank you everyone for helping me troubleshoot. I'll now go enjoy my dual-boot nook/android tablet.

We learn new thing everyday.
Glad your NC up and running.

[Q] Trying hand at kitchen, some questions

I'm taking an existing rom and removing some bloatware i don't want to run. Since this will not be a published thing, i want to personalize it some.
Is there a way i can have it set to have me logged in to google, and other apps as soon as it flashes? Maybe install few select apps and their settings, like live wallpaper.
I use dropsync paid app to sync entire memory card, say i have to replace device suddenly. That would be one of a few apps i want to have login and settings restored so when i flash rom on a blank phone, it just starts syncing and putting things back where they were on old phone. Also gCloud backup and set it to restore backups?
I could also do full wipes and never really loose anything.
Thoughts, rants?

Samsung Account didnt back most things

Updated yesterday to Pie from Lollipop. Did a Samsung and Google Backup, since i was not rooted to use titanium for apps and settings.
after restoring though it seems lots of things are missing. I got all apps restored, but most settings and app data are gone. Good thing i got a cloud sync, from ones that support it, like viber/whatsapp and my expense tracker app. But lots of things have gone missing. I copied the entire filesystem (the part that is available without, rooting at least). Maybe i can get something back?
Most importantly i'm missing my samsung notes data, calendar entries that were stored on phone (google calendar entries got synced back succesfully), and camscanner data. I forgot to sync that last one to the cloud. Also been missing save game progress from the games i got installed
Also novalauncher layout got wiped. I even made sure to create a backup, but after the restore it wasnt on the options. If the backup file is not stored on the rooted part of the filesystem, maybe i can get it back from the full disk copy ive made
Will post once i remember something else of importance.