[Q] Lots of Captivate Questions - Captivate Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So after looking around through the forums I have learned a lot, and I have appreciated every piece of information I have been given, but there have been some things I have either not found answers to, or have not found complete answers (ie: someone only asked part of what I'm asking).
*Phone info listed in Signature*
When giving an answer, please number it according to the question and/or Quote the question, Please do not quote the entire post.
1. IMEI Device ID: Can I change it? and How?
- After Flashing and Rooting, my email exchange account no longer recognizes my phone and asks me to validate the Device ID. I did get Exchange to work when I had 2.1 and I'm not doing anything different from before. (Note: Android Device ID and IMEI Device ID are 2 different things)
Answer: Your IMEI Device ID is located on the back of your phone. You can find it by removing the battery and then it is the number above the first barcode. Your IMEI ID is something you neither can change nor want to. If a problem occurs trying to get Exchange to work again after messing with your phone, try connecting to the network at the location of your exchange account. Make sure your phone is registered, if it's not, register and wait a day before attempting to connect to exchange again. If that still doesnt work, contact their IT dept and have them manually add your phone. Also, see Post#4 or Exchange Thread
2. Android Device ID:
a)Is the number/letter sequence located on my battery, my Android's ID?
b)In the app "Android ID Changer", when I change it to said ID on battery and click "Save" nothing happens, the ID that the App gives me is still listed at the top.
Answer: If you flash and root with what I've given in my signature, your Android Device ID should be the same or there shouldn't really be anything you need to worry about that requires it. Your IMEI ID is the important one. Also Reference the Device ID Thread, and please make sure you write yours down before flashing and rooting!!!!
3. Sounds Sounds Sounds!!!!!: OK, so I know everyone wants to have their own custom tones right? Well, after looking around for a little while, I haven't really found full solutions as to what I want:
There are 6 Different Kinds of Tones, and a 7th Tone Type I would like added:
- Voice Call Tones: As main ringtone and per contact(As Title)
- Notification Tones: (Text Messages, Email, etc)
- Music: Your media, the only files that should show up in "Music Player"
- Alarm Tone: In the Default Clock App, under Alarm Creation
- Smart Alarm Tone: In the Clock App also under Alarm Creation
- Screen Touch "Pop" Tone (When you click an app)
- Reminder Tone: Reminds you that you have a text or missed call(Not included on phone currently)
a) OK, with that list, when I go in to choose for each one, you get a menu (for example Voice Call gives you: Silent, AT&T Tone, Bird loop, ..., Samsung tune, ...). I would like for my custom sound files to show in the Default list of each according Tone type as listed above. How do I do it?
b) How do I differentiate the Text message tone from the email tone? How do I make make text message tones & settings individual/separate from Notification Tones and Settings?
c) Reminder Tone: When I had a motorola back in the day, if my phone rang at me and I was too busy or not around it at the time to look at it, about every 5 minutes, it would beep at me telling me that something happened while I wasnt paying attention. Is there a way that I can add this feature to my Captivate?
4. ASTRO vs. My Files(on 2.2-Froyo): It seems like "My Files" has everything that ASTRO has, yet I've seen a lot of people saying to get ASTRO. Is there any reason to have it?
Answer: If you have enabled the Side-Loading of apps, there is no real difference between these two other than their appearance since you can bring up the .apk installer that's included in both programs. Other options to using these to programs are: Root Explorer
5. Default Samsung App: Daily Briefing: There has got to be something better than this out there, any suggestions?
- Also, I already have a big clock that has weather(Fancy Widget), so I dont really rely on Daily Briefing for it
Answer: If you are looking for something in terms of a
Widget NewsReader: try Feedr for news, Auto Express for Car News, and ScoreCenter for Sports News
Non-Widget news readers include: Google Reader, gReader, & NewsRob.
6. Tethering/I'm Tethered, What Now?:
a) I know that my laptop can access WIFI via MobileAP, but how can I connect with my Laptop via USB Tethering. I have Windows XP Pro SP3
b) Is it possible for me to use my Laptop to send Txt Msgs?
c) Assuming I have hundreds of Contacts, Is to possible to keep ALL Contacts on laptop while keeping only most used contacts on phone?
Answer:
a) USB Tethering can be accomplished through apps like EasyTether or PDANet, but most ROM's for the captivate do have it standard. It would be under Menu > Settings > Applications > USB Settings > PC Internet.
b)
c)
7. Removing the Default "Latitude" App (2.2-Froyo): I already have Maps, Navigation, and Places. Why would I need "Latitude"? What is the purpose of it?
I use Titanium Backup Pro to "Freeze" most of the default apps (freeze meaning hide them w/o deleting them) but I cannot seem to find "Latitude" in the list of Apps, is there a way to freeze it with Titanium?
8. Allshare Default App 2.2: What does it add to the phone? Do I need it or should I "Freeze" it?
I'm looking for a way to play my media from my computer to my phone, however Windows Media Player doesnt recognize my phone as something to share to, how can I change this? (I use Windows XP Pro SP3)
9. FM Radio: Is there a way I can listen to my favorite channel without using up any data? And if I listen to the channel for about an hour, how much data will I have used? (So far, I've only seen Last.FM and TuneIn Radio)
Answer: Best thing to do if you want to listen to the Radio on your phone is to do it via Wifi. Unfortunately for us, our phone originally had plans to have a FM Chip installed allowing us free FM Radio, but that's just not how AT&T rolls. Another App besides Last.FM or TuneIn Radio to try is iheartradio. Furthermore, if you are wanting to watch your Data Usage, I suggest trying 3G Watchdog, I don't know how accurate it is from month-to-month, but it is an App(and Widget) that does watch your data usage.
10. Is there a way to rename the apps in my App Drawer? Some of them have strange/long names which will break a work so that it is on both lines or the whole title doesnt fit. This bothers my OCD so I was wondering if there was an easy way to do it.
11. Random Reboots When I don't have an Alarm enabled, sometimes my phone seems to go and sleep/hibernate/reset. Meaning I pickup my phone and for some reason it has gone and turned off on me. What's the deal? Does anyone else have this problem and is there a way to fix it?
12. Save Texts: What is the best way to save your text conversations to your computer besides using KIES?
13. Save Contacts What is the best way to Export Contacts to your computer for editing and later Importing back onto the phone besides using KIES?
- I want to have a back up of all my numbers so that I can remove some from my address book, but still have them on my computer in case I need them later.
14. GPS 2.2: Many have commented about fixing the 2.1 GPS, does the 2.2 GPS also need a fix?
15. Editing the System: Where Can I find in-depth threads that tell me how to change things in the system(thread links accepted)? I would like some that cover it in general, but I'd also like ones that also include adding and removing custom ringtones to the default as well as SetCPU and other functions.
16. The Lock Screen: Is there any way in which I can change the Default Lock Screen so that it includes a message on it like "This phone belongs to _______"?
Is there any other themes for the Text Message "Puzzle" Lock Screen?
17. Contacts:
a) Sorting Method - First I would like to sort my contacts by Group, then by Alphabetical Order. Is there any way that I can do this? Basically I want my girlfriend listed first, then all my Family Contacts, then all my friends. Is there a way I can do this other than adding symbols or prefixes in front of everyone's name?
b) Once while on the facebook app, it gave me the option to set a picture to one of my contacts(without saving the image to the phone), however I havent figured out how to do it since, does anyone know how?
c)How do I sync contacts with Gmail? Ive tried clicking Sync Contacts in Contacts under Gmail, and it shows the refresh icon for about a second but when I go to my gmail contacts, nothing is there. What's the deal?
18. Way too Awesome: So we've all seen what phones can do in the movies, hacking into computers and whatnot. Is there anything that our phones can do like in the movies? I personally would love to have a phone that Tony Stark or Sam Flynn would die for. ......Is there at least a way I can use my phone to unlock my car? I'd enjoy turning my phone into a trapper-keeper lol.
19. Custom Sound Settings: Media Volume can only go down as low as 5% before going to 0%, is there any way I can make my phone lower that 5% like when it's late at night but I still want to hear an app's crappy music, just really really quietly?
20. Phone Accessories:
What is the Best phone case for Captivate that utilizes a belt clip (w/screen protector)?
In terms of a 2nd battery, are there any batteries out there that have more battery life than the stock one that comes with the phone?
If I had a 2nd battery, would it be safe to leave it in my car throughout the year in case I need it, or would temperature be a problem?
21. Data Plans: Any chance of AT&T Coming out with a plan that's between 100Mb, and 2Gb?
I'm on Wifi most of the time, so I don't use most of my 2Gb, but I can easily use 100Mb, is there any chance of there being a 1Gb plan?
As I get answers to my questions, if the answer isnt too long I will edit the OP with the answers or link a post below the question for people who might stumble upon this thread with the same question.
EDIT: (Last Edited 1/17)
Added Answers to questions: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9
Added Parts B and C to #6
Added Questions: 15,16,17,18,19,21

1.) IMEI ID is on the back of the phone and don't think you can change that.
4.) Astro also lets you install third party apps that are loaded onto your SD card. My files just lets you browse.
5.) If you dont' need daily breifing, don't use it. I don't use it either.
6.) PDAnet will let you tether via USB and there are a few others.
10.) when you add a app to your home screens, you have the option to change the name. Doesn't help with your app drawer OCD but keeps your home screens under control.
11.) There are multiple threads about random shutdowns. Read them all if you want. So far, increasing the sleep speed minimum to 2000 (in setCPU) has worked for me. Granted it's only been a few days but no shutdowns since doing that.
14.) Reading all the GPS threads will show you that it's not locked into a particular OS. Nobody really knows what the problem is. Some have great GPS, some don't. Some get it working better with fixes, some don't.

axis01 said:
1.) IMEI ID is on the back of the phone and don't think you can change that.
4.) Astro also lets you install third party apps that are loaded onto your SD card. My files just lets you browse.
10.) when you add a app to your home screens, you have the option to change the name. Doesn't help with your app drawer OCD but keeps your home screens under control.
11.) There are multiple threads about random shutdowns. Read them all if you want. So far, increasing the sleep speed minimum to 2000 (in setCPU) has worked for me. Granted it's only been a few days but no shutdowns since doing that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4. My Files has a package installer if you have enabled sideloading of apps and seems to work the same as ASTRO as far as I can tell.
10. I havent seen an option to change the name on the homescreen either, I usually just drag them from my app drawer though.
11. Could you define what the sleep speed minimum is?
EDIT: ANd big thanks on where the IMEI was. I was kind of avoiding taking the battery out, but the number on the back matched the number in the phone info so I was happy. And for some reason my phone now works with exchange. I think my phone was waiting till I knew what it knew lol.

Oh man. I'll see if I can answer them all. LET'S DO THIS!
1. Before you left 2.1 stock, shoulda backed up nv_data. If your Device ID and produce code get messed up, check out http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=881162 and http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=880223 Use these threads to try and restore it; but if that doesn't work you might be SOL without a nv_data backup.
As for exhange, check out http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=821297
I work for AT&T, so me and IMEI's are best buds. You can't change your IMEI as it's a number issued directly for AT&T. AT&T uses these IMEI's to determine what type of phone is on your account. Should you change the IMEI, it would appear to AT&T as "Unknown GSM", and you would cease to get data.
2. Read #1
3. It depends on the apps you use to accomplish said tasks. I would imagine very few of us use the stock e-mail client, i would imagine most of us use K-9 or something along those lines, in which case you can specify a sound file in said apps settings.
As for having them show up in the default menu, throw them into /system/media/audio/ringtones and they should show up in default.
I'm not sure about the reminder, although I can't see an app for this not existing. As stated above, some e-mail clients such as k-9 or SMS like handcent may have this feature. If the stock ones don't, what can ya do?
4. Don't get either, get Root Explorer.
5. If you already have a clock, I suppose all Daily Briefing offers is news and a calendar. There's plenty of awesome news readers for the Captivate. If you like the widget variant, i would go with Feedr. If you prefer non-widget news readers, Google Reader, gReader, NewsRob; all good choices.
6. It depends on the ROM. USB Tethering can be accomplished through apps like EasyTether or PDANet, but most ROM's for the captivate do have it standard. It would be under Menu > Settings > Applications > USB Settings > PC Internet.
7. Latitude is bundled in with Google Maps. Not sure how to remove it, or if you can..maybe.
8. You don't need it. It's just a global way to share pictures and videos to multiple sources. I never use it.
9. Connect to WiFi!
10. Aside from decompiling the APK, i don't think so. Maybe NinjaMorph can do it, but I don't think so. You can hide apps from the drawer though, or hide the text, with alternative launchers.
11. The captivate stock firmwares seemed to have a problem with randomly rebooting. I work at AT&T and I sell these phones daily so I can safely say it's just the stock, even the 2.2 stock seems to do it. You can use SetCPU profiles to work some magic, but it's easier to just install a Custom ROM, as I personally no longer have this problem UNLESS i am on stock. Use http://romkitchen.org from your phone, easiest way. Make sure to donate if you use it frequently, it's an awesome service!
12. Can't answer this one. I imagine there's an app to back up texts to files on the phone directly though, if not it wouldn't be very hard to make!
13. From your contacts on the phone, menu > (possibly More) > Import/Export. It will save EVERYTHING about your contacts(Ringtone info, pictures, birthdays, etc) to a .vcf file. These can be altered, edited and saved on the computer.
14. 2.2 stock needs a fix I'm pretty sure. Check out this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=881941 , all you gotta do is flash one file, so do it anyway just to be safe!
Phew. Hope this helps!

geokhentix said:
Oh man. I'll see if I can answer them all. LET'S DO THIS!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Big thanks
As for my Android ID, I didnt know about it until afterwards. The posts that inform people about flashing and Rooting should mention this, because I didn't see it anywhere until after I was worrying about my phone not being able to connect to my email, but for some reason this morning when I tried it miraculously worked.
As for #3, where is my system folder? is it: I:\media\audio\ringtones ?
with my "system" being "I:"
I recently discovered setting custom sounds for my email accounts, but I am curious about all the default tones.
Are all the ones listed in different setting all just the same file with the exception that they only play for "X" amount of type depending on menu your are in?
And can the captivate not play MIDI files?....you know, old school polyphonic files........
And how the heck do I change the text tone for while my phone is plugged into the USB? omg it is the most annoying sound in the world, why does it not use the tone I have my texts set for? (I forgot this one on my list)
Thanks for your answer to #11. My phone hadnt done it at all until I dropped it down about 10 feet at a concert screen down 6 days after I got it. The next day the phone did the reset thing and I just about cried cuz I was just like I know it's because I dropped it. On the bright side when I picked it up after it fell, it didnt have a scratch on it or nothin'.
How do you alter a .vcf file?

WandererTJ said:
Big thanks
As for my Android ID, I didnt know about it until afterwards. The posts that inform people about flashing and Rooting should mention this, because I didn't see it anywhere until after I was worrying about my phone not being able to connect to my email, but for some reason this morning when I tried it miraculously worked.
As for #3, where is my system folder? is it: I:\media\audio\ringtones ?
with my "system" being "I:"
I recently discovered setting custom sounds for my email accounts, but I am curious about all the default tones.
Are all the ones listed in different setting all just the same file with the exception that they only play for "X" amount of type depending on menu your are in?
And can the captivate not play MIDI files?....you know, old school polyphonic files........
And how the heck do I change the text tone for while my phone is plugged into the USB? omg it is the most annoying sound in the world, why does it not use the tone I have my texts set for? (I forgot this one on my list)
Thanks for your answer to #11. My phone hadnt done it at all until I dropped it down about 10 feet at a concert screen down 6 days after I got it. The next day the phone did the reset thing and I just about cried cuz I was just like I know it's because I dropped it. On the bright side when I picked it up after it fell, it didnt have a scratch on it or nothin'.
How do you alter a .vcf file?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, all Custom ROM threads should have a little blurb about it for people installing their ROM from a new stock device. But it seems to be fixable even if you didn't with a little work, so it's not too bad.
You can use Root Explorer to copy them to /system/media/audio/ringtones, but I think they may have to be in .ogg for them to work out of this directory. I'm not entirely positive, but all you would have to do to test it is push a non-.ogg ringtone over and try it. To copy your ringtones over nice and easy like;
Download the Android SDK and extract the android-sdk-windows folder to your desktop for easy copy pasta!
And enable USB Debugging (Menu > Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging)
Open a command prompt!
cd %USERPROFILE%/desktop/android-sdk-windows/tools
adb push [ringtone] /system/media/audio/ringtones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's in a perfect world where it won't complain about permissions. if it does;
cd %USERPROFILE%/desktop/android-sdk-windows/tools
adb push [ringtone] /sdcard/
adb shell
su - at this point, accept superuser request on the phone; make sure the screen isn't locked when you hit enter, prompt should change from a $ to a #
mv /sdcard/[ringtone] /system/media/audio/ringtones/
exit
exit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if the Captivate can play .MIDI files for notification sounds. Only one way to find out though, right?
And i have no idea why your text tone is different when plugged into USB...mine sounds the same.
Late edit: forgot to answer one of em, you can edit .vcf files in MS Outlook!

# 9 - unfortunately our phone doesn't have FM radio. Another one to try is iheartradio. They have a number of radio stations. Although you're still using data unless you're using wifi like mentioned above.

Are there any better phonebook editors other than Outlook express?
I am looking for something so that I can have multiple phonebooks such as one with all my contacts I've ever had, and another for just the contacts I want on my phone

if you have a custom ringtone set for something and you have the phone plugged into usb, the phone can't access the the SD card where the custom tone is stored, thus you get that annoying (and loud) built in tone.

Re: myfiles: it does indeed let you install apps, but I'd recommend estrongs file explorer. It allows you to not only browse you're phone, but your pc files too (assuming it's on the same network, of course.) And let you open, copy and edit between the 2 devices.
Re: allshare: out of the box this great app let me browse and watch all of the video files off of my PC. I didn't have to configure anything special, except that my PC was already configured to share media with my xbox 360.
But I didn't do anything on my pc after buying the phone. Just connected to wifi and everything showed up. I haven't tried sharing the other way though (watching media from my phone on my PC)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App

#12. I've used Wifi Android Manager Wifi, I think it backs up text messages. It seems to back up everything else, that's for sure.

Hey, I've been working on adding answers to the OP, it's going, but I'm not done
Anyways, UPDATE 1/17/11 - I've Added Questions 15-21, please try and answer these when you get the time.
Added Answers to questions: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9
Added Parts B and C to #6
Added Questions: 15,16,17,18,19,21

Related

Android Vogue port Help desk

My Android's X wont Y! Ask your questions here and we will try to answer them.
SMS bad encoding
I get sms bad encoding every time i get a text
this and the camera and browser sd card not found error
are the only problems keeping me from running
this latest version as a daily driver any help
is appreciated.
Sorry bout my english im typing this on my work
break on my touch
If you get an incoming call while online via Togga (with Sprint, if it matters), will the call always and invariably go to voicemail, or will it sometimes/always ask whether you want to terminate the data connection and take the call (the way WM6/6.1 does)?
Likewise, if you get a text message while running Android, is that message going to be forever unknown to Windows Mobile? Or is there a window of time where the message is retained on Sprint's server, and if you boot WM during that window it will see the message and fetch a copy for itself?
pknyo said:
I get sms bad encoding every time i get a text
this and the camera and browser sd card not found error
are the only problems keeping me from running
this latest version as a daily driver any help
is appreciated.
Sorry bout my english im typing this on my work
break on my touch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're using the most recent files from DZO's site? What version radio firmware is your phone using?
miamicanes said:
If you get an incoming call while online via Togga (with Sprint, if it matters), will the call always and invariably go to voicemail, or will it sometimes/always ask whether you want to terminate the data connection and take the call (the way WM6/6.1 does)?
Likewise, if you get a text message while running Android, is that message going to be forever unknown to Windows Mobile? Or is there a window of time where the message is retained on Sprint's server, and if you boot WM during that window it will see the message and fetch a copy for itself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android knows when you are in a voice call and suspends the data connection. Also, I've never had an issue receiving a phone call when connected to the ppp internet connection. It's pretty seamless, at least for me on my touch.
You're text messages get routed to whatever OS it is running. If my phone dies, I plug it in start up winmo and it i will receive all the text messages and store them in its own database. Once I boot android it will receive any messages the radio receives and store them in its database. So text messages will never go across OS'es ever as they are considered received after any one OS receives it. Hope that helps.
Alltel
Anyone know of the Alltel Username and Password?? Thanks
Hello,
what,s that mean:"wizard login:" it appered when I was installing Android
and then it just stop there.Could anybody tell me what elements I need ?
Or give me a full pack Please!!!!!!!Thank you !!!!!!!!
Sorry for my poor English
Landon I also have Alltel use (your number)@alltelmobile and leave the password blank. ext I have been using the latest files from dzo I probably had the togga connected at the time when i was getting texts, but it never seemed to happen on ealier builds when connected via PIE. Also as some suggested it is not carrier specific this happens on GSM AT&T and CDMA Sprint and probably my own Alltel.
Battery
I asked this in the other forum but I'm asking again.
Is it ok to leave the phone on the charger overnight while running android.
AdamWill said yes but it gets hot and he was on a titan.
htc tech support said it's probably not a good idea because the charger circuit is software controlled.
So does anyone leave their phone overnight and what results have you seen.
LOU
Alltel
I tried the afore mentioned username and pass and no success, anyway I can get the script line? Or am I doing something wrong?
LouKohley said:
I asked this in the other forum but I'm asking again.
Is it ok to leave the phone on the charger overnight while running android.
AdamWill said yes but it gets hot and he was on a titan.
htc tech support said it's probably not a good idea because the charger circuit is software controlled.
So does anyone leave their phone overnight and what results have you seen.
LOU
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've left my touch on the charger overnight a number of times and it seems to be fine.
Authentication for Sprint
Just loaded this onto my Sprint Touch and it works great (after fooling with a bad SD card). My only other stumbling block was getting logged into the data network. Turns out that I couldn't leave the username null -- in default.txt I had to specify
set cmdline "[email protected]"
Replace "3525551212" with your cell phone# (starting w/ area code). I'm in the US.
-david
I am trying to install two apk's, IOfilemanager and VideoPlayer.apk...
I put both file in the root of my SD card in a file named AndroidApps
I have the latest vogue-android release, and my sound works so I know I dont have a problem with my radio
I tried putting the file both in the root of sd card, and the phone's memory, but it keeps on showing the glowing android, doing around 3 blinks then restarting, and its a never ending cycle...
I do not have a data connection so I cannot download it via browser...
EDIT: I replaced the files and it worked, mightve been corrupted...
Does anyone know how to get your contacts to work? Thanks
michd43 said:
Does anyone know how to get your contacts to work? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what do you mean by work because if you mean that there are no contacts when you boot Android then that is normal because android has no access to the phones memory only the SD Card you can use a few different programs to tranver the contact from WM to Android the best is Funambol.com it has a an app for both wm and Android to sync them via its website and its very easy to use just check out this link for a how to http://www.myhtcphone.com/import-contacts
There's a couple of things I'm still trying to figure out about this whole android thing. My apologies if these questions have already been asked, I could not find them.
1) Why doesn't the "Edit Sync Groups" button do anything? All my contacts are in gmail so I'd like to sync there. I'd also like to sync my google calendar.
2) The screen calibration is a bit off -- how do I re-calibrate?
3) I thought Android had an online app store (think it was called the "Marketplace") --- is this available on the vogue or no? What is the best way to install apps if no.
I apologize in advanced for what are probably ignorant questions.
Thanks!
nokry56 said:
There's a couple of things I'm still trying to figure out about this whole android thing. My apologies if these questions have already been asked, I could not find them.
1) Why doesn't the "Edit Sync Groups" button do anything? All my contacts are in gmail so I'd like to sync there. I'd also like to sync my google calendar.
2) The screen calibration is a bit off -- how do I re-calibrate?
3) I thought Android had an online app store (think it was called the "Marketplace") --- is this available on the vogue or no? What is the best way to install apps if no.
I apologize in advanced for what are probably ignorant questions.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) this is more of an issues with Google because the Vogue is a port and Google has not opened all parts of the Android OS, or at least that is how i understand it if i am wrong someone please give a more information
2) The screen calibration is kind of a work in progress but there is a way to Calibrate
dzo said:
I've just updated the release on my site.
Screen calibration should work again, press the cam button to display the onscreen kbd, then while pressing the end call button tap opposite corners of the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3) Marketplace is not available for the Vogue port because it is a closed system the best way to get apps is to down load the apk to you desktop and move them onto the phone through wm for more info check out this link
http://www.myhtcphone.com/node/19
good places to find apk
http://slideme.org/
http://andappstore.com
evilclosetmonkeynate said:
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for answering those questions. Definitely helps me out. Its really unfortunate that the google syncing doesn't work... all my data is on there :[
At the present time, if I'm booted into Android, and the files needed to boot Android are on the storage card, is there any good way to get an .apk file built by Netbeans (using Undroid) onto my Vogue to test/play with WITHOUT booting back into WM6.1 first? As far as I can tell, Bluetooth isn't implemented, nor is mounting Android's filesystems as USB drives on a tethered PC... and I'm taking for granted that everything will go down in flames if I remove the storage card with Android running ;-)
If I did something slightly Rube-Goldberg-esque, like run a FTP server on my desktop PC with my router redirecting the port to it, then launched a FTP client on the phone to connect to it over the internet and download the .apk file into the "Android Programs" directory on the storage card... would it do any good? Or do .apk files in the folder ONLY autodeploy if they're physically present in that folder when Android itself boots up from WM6.1?
Similarly, if I boot with a .apk file in the directory, launch it and play with it, reboot into WM6.1, rebuild the .apk file, copy it to the storage card's Android Programs subdirectory, relaunch Android, and try IT... then repeat a few dozen or hundred times over the span of a few weeks... will each new version leave crud and residue in Android's equivalent of the registry (assuming it HAS one)? Or will everything related to the previous .apk file be cleanly purged? God forbid, does Android not actually deploy apps AT ALL, and just run them "where they lie" directly from their .apk file?
So far, I'm on chapter 6 of the "Busy Coder's Guide to Android Programming" (v2.0), but I haven't been brave enough yet to try running anything on my real phone since at this point I still have no real idea what's happening "behind the scenes" when Android (or DZO's bootloader?) finds .apk files in the directory on the storage card.
Question:1
I put meebo on my phone, IM. Will this cost data, how will this work?
Question:2
my plan covers unlimited webbrowsing, so on when I go on internet explorer it doesn't charge me, will surfing the web on android cost money?
blasteryui said:
Originally Posted by ~David View Post
Any internet activity should be covered under your unlimited browsing plan. I have the same thing with Bell, and it covers it all (IM, browsing, email, GPS data, etc). You can even watch YouTube videos if you want. Any "Internet Activity". The only thing you can't do is tether your phone to your computer, using you phone as a modem.
It's the same when you're running Android. You can still browse, IM, yatta yatta, all under your plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hope that answers you question

XT890 Android Expert Required! Donation offer!

Would anyone be interested in finding the solutions to the problems below as a "job" and giving me a price for the solutions?
(1 - Data Roaming Nag)
Recently upgraded from HTC desire running 2.2 (I think?) to Razr I which is now running 4.12, before if I'd be abroad I'd simply get a text from my service provider about the rates, I always had data roaming enabled as it's a business phone and only €2 for the first 50mb which is more than enough for a days use. So I set the razr up in much the same way, albeit on 4.12 but I had data roaming enabled and when I first got connected to a foreign network it prompted me about data roaming, which I thought would be just a once off for the first time since I already had it enabled, I clicked yes to acknowledge it anyway and continue using data roaming which was fine, but then it seemed as soon as I dropped out of coverage and came back, the notification would come up again. It actually got so frequent that the notification was on my screen almost every time I unlocked the phone and it got pretty annoying.
Has anyone else experienced this and found out a way to disable the popup? I'm not sure if it's android or motorolla related?
(2 - Enable USB Mass storage)
I've seen mods of this but I don't think they are compatible with 4.12, if anyone has a solution or could edit the settings.apk to enable it and post it that would be great
(3 - Contact Sync Issue)
My contacts are not syncing properly. I've over 2,700 contacts as it's a business phone. I save all to my gmail account under different groups (my contacts/business/sport) and never had sync issues on my old desire but I'm having issues with this. When I check the account in settings, sync is fine for everything (calendar, gmail etc) but contacts and the last successful sync is days and days ago. The error just reads "Sync is currently experiencing problems, it will be back again shortly", which obviously isn't the case. I've tried "contact sync fix" app and although it works, I don't like using such a solution and would of course much rather it to just work as it's supposed to. Also I'm getting a "Sync - too many contacts deletions" notification sometimes that I'm not sure what to do with, when I click it it comes up saying "Deletion limit exceeded" and then says there are 8 deleted items for contacts account [email protected]. What do you want to do?" giving me the options: Delete the items - undo the deletes - do nothing for now. I don't know what to do so just choose "do nothing for now" contacts seem to be still intact but I'm very worried about losing any.
(4 - Space between numbers)
I'm not sure if this is a new thing with the newer androids, a dialler issue or what, but the phone is automatically adding gaps between numbers when I try and save. I've a lot of numbers and prefer to keep them all the same formatting, which is, for example, +353871234567, if somebody rings me, sometimes it comes up as +353871234567 which is grand, other times it might come up as 0871234567 so all I used to need to do was delete the 0 and add a +, now when I edit the number, spaces are automatically added and it shows up something like 087 123 4567. This used to only happen with landline numbers and then sometimes if you tried to delete say the space between 3 and 4, it would delete the space AND the 3!
I thought it was an issue with Go Contacts/Dialler EX but it's happening on EX Dialler too even though I've clicked off the area code setting, so I'm thinking it might be an android issue? Anyone managed to sort it out? I may have found something to do with it from Android Development, but I haven't a clue if that can be changed as a mod for a specific phone?
http://developer.android.com/refere...I'm having on an otherwise pretty good phone.
#2 dont work on JB..since "moto" and "ms" had together trouble on the mass storage thing..
pangyaaaaaa said:
#2 dont work on JB..since "moto" and "ms" had together trouble on the mass storage thing..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for letting me know. Do you think there will be a solution, ever?
I think I solved the contact sync issue, I chose the "undelete" option and then I noticed 8 new "my contacts" groups in gmail itself (from desktop) so I deleted them groups from gmail and I think it's ok now. I also sent Go contacts/dialer to system app (because of a missed call issue) so I'm not sure if this contributed, I also deleted the "contact sync fix" app. Hopefully the issue doesn't resurface.
OP this>>>>Job/Payment offer! Is not what XDA is about, now you willing to "donate" for items you are looking to resolve it different. BTW moved as this does not belong in the Development Threads.
That's fair enough, thanks So, donations offered for solutions folks!

Very 1st Things to do After Activation?

Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
What are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away? (different keyboards, apps, etc)
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?
Hey I would use smart switch to get your things from iPhone to your new phone but that is after you have it activated
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
XiphoneUzer said:
Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
My N3 arrived Wednesday evening, and it's STILL not activated, (and its killing me).
The reason being, I wanna know if there is anything I should do BEFORE I call ATT and activate it.
(I do NOT want to close any windows, so is there is anything you folks recommend I do before I activate it)?
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by call ATT and activate it? All you have to do is put your SIM card in and it is ready to go with a few account setups. After that it is up to you except for rooting and modding. Cant be done right now without voiding your warranty.
First thing you do is scratch off the att emblem since they locked the bootloader
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
XiphoneUzer said:
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the keyboard, i prefer the google keyboard over the samsung one. It provides functionality similar to the iphone and is easy to switch between the iphone and android if you use them both in daily life.
As for apps, here is a small list of apps i like to have on all of my devices.
GOOGLE CHROME. Its much better than the built in browser and is able to synchronize with my desktop browsers favorites, etc.
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Facebook & Twitter: If you need an explanation, you shouldn't be useing these apps.
Battery Doctor by KS Mobile: Simple app, but is helpful to save battery life and know exactly how much you have left.
Google Music: I have most of my library stored on google so it makes my life easy to have this.
Google Books: The book equivalent of my music library. Syncronizes what i have read across devices and browsers.
Kindle for Android: For the ebooks you buy on amazon.
Google Keep: Great for taking quick notes and having them on all your devices.
Dropbox: Great cloud file storage. Comes with free storage and you can pay to get more.
Google Drive: Google version of dropbox.
MX Player: This video player will play any video format you throw at it.
Google Maps: A must have for all smartphone users.
Zedge: While its quality has gone down a fair bit from what it once was, its still a great place to find ringtones and notification sounds for your android device.
GPS Status: Great for calibrating your devices sensors and ensuring that it works properly.
Now for the ROOT ONLY apps.
Titanium backup
SuperSU
Triangle Away
Hopefully this is a useful list to get you started. I have all these plus many more installed on my devices, and I find I use them all fairly regularly.
djdelusional said:
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer Hangouts to Skype because Hangouts features free video multi-chat.
But I use Google Voice for SMS because it provides free unlimited texting. Hangouts insists on using the phone's native number rather than your Google Voice number, so you have to pay extra for a text plan or for individual messages.
Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?
XiphoneUzer said:
Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your new to android I'd stay away from root for a while.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I467 using Tapatalk 4
XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel like for every-day typical phone use cases, there aren't that many gaps that stand out as needing to be filled by a third party app. You'll probably need a new music player, the defaults are crapola - but I can't be much help here; I keep my music as folders full of MP3 files (like God intended!) and play with Music Folder Player, and shun the dirty S&M ("sync and manage") apps.
There's a big list of stuff that I did when I first got the phone to get it to where I'm happy with it, but all of this was root required stuff. There are apps that come pre-loaded on android devices and can't be removed or disabled without root. Also, customizing stuff that can't be customized without root. I couldn't abide by some of the not-changable-without-root defaults. Getting rid of the "screen turns on so you can unlock it when you hit the home key" behavior is probably the most glaring example for me; my ass* was unlocking it constantly - but coming from iPhone, you probably view that as the Right Thing for home button to do.
I think most people use a custom keyboard. Swiftkey and Swype are the most popular. The phone comes with Swype, but it's an ancient version with limited support for changing the dictionary, you want the newest one.
I use Hangouts for gchat, but not for SMS. I actually prefer default app for SMS..
Settings:
Pull down status bar, long press on wifi, WiFi -> menu -> advanced settings, uncheck auto connect to AT&T hotspots (unless they don't suck where you are. Around here, they often don't have internet behind them, and just break your connectivity for the 30 seconds or so it takes for the phone to connect to them, determine that the wifi is no good, and fall back to 4G. At least this phone does that; Original note would just sit there like a fool trying to use non-functional wifi... I've also yet to find a hotspot that performs better than the 4G does. But I live in a city, so the situation may be different elsewhere).
Pull down status bar, long press on GPS. Uncheck "Use wireless networks" - on newer versions of android, this drains battery while idle; the damned thing wakes the phone periodically to check the networks around it - if the phone is nearly idle, this can halve battery life (!!!)
Pull down status bar, swipe to the left along the options at the top (woah, did you know you could do that?), tap multiwindow to enable multiwindow (this was a headline feature for the note 3, but comes disabled by default). If I long-press back button, that makes the multiwindow tab hide or unhide (once it's enabled), but I don't remember if I had to do something to get this behavior.
General must-have things:
AppOps Starter (to kill permissions from apps that request permissions you don't want to give them)
Battery Monitor Widget (gives you a realtime readout of battery usage)
ES File Explorer
If you want to pretty-ize clock + weather widgets:
DigiClock
Eye in Sky
If you work in IT or have need of these (if you aren't sure what these mean, you don't need them ):
ConnectBot (telnet/ssh client)
AndFTP (ftp/sftp client, supports scp if you pay)
RDP Client (remote desktop and VNC client)
FEAT VPN (OpenVPN client)
Hacker's Keyboard (you'll tear your hair out trying to use swype/swiftkey for terminal sessions or RDP)
If you want to root the phone:
Root it, then immediately install titanium backup and "freeze" AT&T software update, so it won't update your phone (breaking root) while you're not looking
Titanium Backup - freeze all the useless bloatware that AT&T and Samsung included (there's a list of what apps you can freeze here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmzC8GFarItSdGpOZzBfWlR4MC03aDMyZ1BDUFNqU0E - not my work)
Root Explorer
Pen Window Manager for adding apps to the pen window feature
Xposed Framework
Wanam - general huge amount of customization, including selecting apps for multiwindow.
Keyboard Manager (almost a necessity if you use ConnectBot/RDP frequently - keyboards designed for messaging and such are garbage for doing administration of non-phone systems, while hacker's keyboard is garbage for messaging and everyday phone stuff)
Terminal Emulator (gives you a command prompt on phone. Doesn't require root, but there are very few use cases for terminal on android that don't also need root)
*Well, I keep it in my front pocket, so technically it wasn't my /ass/ unlocking the phone....

First week with Windows

Hello
And happy new year to everyone!
This is my first week on Lumia 735 after being 6 years with Android.
I like very much it's desktop, but there are some simple things that I thought until now I would figure out but I cannot find a solution....
1. How can I download a PDF from an email and then attach it to another email?
2. Is there a way to have a shortcut on notification bar for data connection?
3. Is there a way to remove Bing and get Google as default engine?
4. Is there a way to tide up settings? I feel that are randomly scattered...
5. Is there a way to open a new tab in internet explorer, but open in background? Cause we are always transferred to the new tab.
Thanks!
I'm on the same phone since about 4-5 days, so I have not yet answers for you, but another question to add:
- why on some apps the keyboard doesn't turn in landscape mode when I flip the phone? I found it working on some apps only, but in Bing search (just an example) it remains in portrait
EDIT: a bit of googling partially answers to 3: I'm a newbie so I don't know if I can link external sites here, but it seems you can change the default search engine in Internet Explorer in the browser settings (so when you type words in the address bar, it uses Google instead of Bing). Regarding the phone search button, maybe the trick is not so easy...
1. did you see download in email message? click on that link to download file to your phone.
2. with latest WP OS 8.10.14219.341 you can add mobile data shortcut in action center
or use Quick Launch app from store
3. settings - applications - internet explorer, select advanced settings and change to google
4. no... latest updated is always at end of list...
5. not exactly... try UC Browser 8.1, maybe you like it better than IE
Download a app named File attacher,it can help you to attach any files into outlook client.
Sent from my AT&T Nokia Lumia 920 using Tapatalk for Windows Phone
1) Download the file to your phone. You can then open it from the email (which will let you choose what PDF viewer to open it with, if you have more than one installed; some of them directly support sharing) or you can then switch to a file manager app (Files, Pocket File Manager, Aerize Explorer, etc.), go to the Downloads directory, and share the file from there. When "sharing" the file, one option will be to use email; this will attach the file to the email. This approach also works for other file types, by the way.
2) As dxdy says, you need to be on a new OS version (you may need to be using the "Preview for Developers" app) to get the ability to add mobile data specifically to the Action Center (swipe-from-top notification area thing) but there are lots of other ways (tons of free apps, for example) to pin a link to it on your Start screen. You can also have both WiFi and Airplane Mode toggles on the Action Center, even in less-than-newest versions.
3) Not unless you're in Russia, I think? You may be able to change the IE default search engine using the method dxdy posted above, but if you want to change the search button behavior, that's trickier. I think in Russia (or possibly just tell your phone you are), if you have the Google app installed, it may run that... haven't tried, though.
4) Settings are, unfortunately, not directly orderable. The default order for Microsoft-provided settings is basically "what MS has found people use most often", thus things like visual and audio customization are at the top, WiFi is on the first page, and stuff like Backup requires scrolling down a bunch. There's also OEM customizations, which are technically just Store apps that are pre-installed and use the Settings hub instead of the normal app list; those are always listed underneath all the Microsoft settings, and (as dxdy says), the one that was most recently installed/updated is at the top of that section ('top of the bottom of the list' if you will).
5) Doesn't seem to be any such way in IE, but there's lots of other browsers. Most of them just wrap the IE rendering engine, so pages will look the same as on IE but the UI can be totally different. This includes changes to tab management. They won't sync with your other devices, at least not by default, though. There's also a beta of Opera for WP8; it still has some bugs but mostly works and has a very different UI from IE. Annoyingly, though, Microsoft doesn't allow any of those apps to be set as the default browser (you can't change the URI association for http:/https: for example).
@axxel84: It depends on whether the app supports landscape mode. That requires work from the developer, since they have to change the layout of everything, so a lot of apps don't support it. If the app doesn't support it, then it will be locked in one orientation no matter how you turn it, keyboard included. Some apps (mostly games) are also locked in landscape mode only, and don't support portrait.
Hi guys, thanks for the help but I am still finding difficult to compose with windows after coming from fully updated Android phones.
- pdf attachments, not possible. You can see that you download files but no where to be seen in order to attach them in another email! What????
- the option to change Bing to Google was in the past, but they don't have it on new phones. And this is the company that wants to increase market share? With these kind of acts I don't think they will last many years...
- I found a way to have a shortcut on desktop that takes me to settings and there to click on for data. But why don't they include this in notification option? How difficult is this?????
- the other frustrating thing I am feeling, is that most other times when resuming an app when I go out and then in, it starts the"resuming" screen and takes 5 seconds to load... For example viber, I can't chat instantly with someone, I have to leave the program on continuously to do this
- no led notification. I should have known earlier by reading reviews, but there is no led notification!!
- no major apps as official pinterest, dropbox, instagram, sms backup to gmail. My biggest disappointment is Dropbox... I am thinking of selling the phone now and going back to Android. Having two small twins, I take continuously videos and photos, and I don't want to think about backup. I found another application but doesn't sync videos automatically. And also the backup app of windows doesn't do automatically the job... If I was windows I would hire people to help these companies develop the "big" apps...
- notification center doesn't always work. for example when a new app is downloaded, nothing comes app on notification. Or in viber you might get 10 messages on notification, if you click one and then in viber you read all, they remain on notification
Nobody seems to have emailed me a PDF recently, but I can download them from the web and they show up in my Downloads folder (on my SD card, since that's where I told Storage Sense to put new downloads). From there, I can see it in Aerize Explorer, select it, Share it, and choose an email account; a new message is created with the file attached.
Some new phones have the option for Google search, but it's not in all regions.
As you have ALREADY been told, the option to toggle data service from the Action Center is available in the latest version. It's also largely un-needed; Data Sense and related settings should give you enough control over your data usage to make it fairly unimportant. Mind you, I agree that it should have been there from the start, but asking rhetorical questions isn't actually helpful.
The "Resuming..." screen can come up for two reasons (or a combo thereof):
1) Badly-coded app that does a bunch of stuff immediately on resume, before it lets you use the app.
2) Your phone ran low on RAM and removed the app from background execution ("tombstoned" it, sort of like hibernating a laptop), so it needs to be restored from the Flash storage and then resumed.
Lots of phones don't have notification LEDs. That's not a WP8 thing, that's a "if this feature is important to you then you ought to buy a phone with that feature" thing. My HTC has a notification LED, my Samsung did not. Both are/were WP8 devices.
Automatic backup of photos and videos is included in the OS, has been included since WP7 actually, but it goes to OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) instead of Dropbox. Microsoft software uses Microsoft services; this isn't really surprising.
SMS is automatically backed up as well, just not to Google. Why would Microsoft include a feature to back up your messages to a competitor's service?
Lack of official apps is somewhat annoying/disappointing, but you could have easily enough checked that before buying, and the apps will come in time. In the meanwhile, there's usually third-party versions of those apps.
App downloads are fast, and you know when you started them. Why would you need a notification for that? As for the thing with Viber, it's not the OS' fault that the app doesn't report when a message is read. Notifications are really easy to clear though, just swipe them to the right and all notifications for that app will clear (or hit the "clear all" button to get rid of all of them at once).

[REQUEST] Waze Module to allow use of Old Voice Packs

Waze uses celebrity voices for navigation occasionally but they are only available for a limited time.
This was the previous method of getting the voices to work once they were removed from the app: https://www.reddit.com/r/waze/comments/57t2ue/waze_voice_pack_archive/
It seems the old method of downloading a voice then replacing the .mp3 files in the folder now either result in no audio at all or just a glitchy experience.
It would be great to have a module that allows users to replace the voices with one of the old ones.
Here's a list of celebrity recordings in the new .mp3 format vs the reddit archive that uses .bin files: http://www.mikeyip.com/2016/04/celebrity-for-waze.html
Anyone willing to help out the community and make a simple module to do this? I know a lot of people would appreciate it!
Bump
How to get Waze celebrity and other voices back onto your Waze app
Hey, Merry Christmas everybody! I finally cracked the code - I hacked the waze celebrity voices back onto my Waze app!
As most of you have figured out, Waze recently disabled the ability to use whatever voices that you copy into the "sound" folder. With older versions you could do so, but now they just won't play when you choose the folder you dumped the voices into. Instead, you'll be greeted with the frustrating sound of silence anytime you choose that voice in settings. Add to this the annoying fact that new celebrity voices are updated onto your voices menu as a promotional thing, only to be automatically deleted after a certain amount of time, and you'll see why I was this close to downgrading my Waze version just to be able to get whatever voice when I could get it! However, after ages of poking at this I finally figured it out: it's just a simple file flag change.
SHORT/GEEK VERSION
*I'm assuming you're rooted.
*Download whatever celebrity voices you want (the folders and their mp3s) into a desired location on your phone for copying and/or backup
*Using the Waze app, download a useless foreign voice and make a note of the name
*Copy all the mp3s of your desired celebrity voice
*/data/data/com.waze/waze/sound/[The useless foreign voice folder]/Paste (overwrite) the desired celebrity voice mp3s over the mp3s already there
*Long press any mp3 you just pasted in/Select all/3-dot menu icon/"Change SE context"/"Enter context manually"
*Manually type in:
Code:
u:object_r:app_data_file:s0:c512,c768
*Press OK
*Change all mp3 permissions to "rw-------" (0600)
*Rejoice!
THOROUGH/NON-GEEK VERSION:
*I recommend being rooted, since you have to be able to access, copy, and edit Waze system files with a root explorer app. How to root your phone is beyond the scope of this short tutorial. Good luck.
*Using Root Explorer, make a separate folder to hold your downloaded voices wherever you want in your file system (I just made a folder called "Celebrity Voices" within /data/data/com.waze/waze/sound, and Waze doesn't screw with it, but it will delete any other celebrity/promotional folders it wants from the "sound" folder on your next update).
*Download whatever celebrity voice you want onto your phone, and copy/paste it into the folder you just made.
*Now do the following: [your new folder]/long press any mp3 file/3-dot menu icon/"Change SE context". You should see a popup window that has something like this under the file name:
Code:
"Current value: u:object_r:app_data_file:s0" (This is why the files DON'T work)
*Now do the same in your Waze "sound" folder /data/data/com.waze/waze/sound/(Any currently working Waze voice folder like "eng_nathan" or whatever)/long press any mp3 file/3-dot menu icon/"Change SE context". Now you should see something like this:
Code:
"Current value: u:object_r:app_data_file:s0:c512,c768" (This is what the files have to be to work)
*Waze won't allow you to just make your own folders you can choose within the app voice menu, because it's not programmed to (this is why it won't screw with the folder you created- it doesn't know it's there!). So, you'll have to copy your desired voice files into an already existing voice folder that you know you won't use and paste them over its files- something like Serbian or another foreign language you don't speak and know you'll never need. Basically you're hijacking the folder Waze uses and replacing it with voices you want.
*First you have to go get those voices on your phone: Waze app/left swipe screen/gear symbol(preferences or settings)/Voice directions. Choose a voice you know you won't need (Example: I use "Deutsch - Mica" for my Arnold Schwarzenegger voice), and tap it to start downloading. This should take you back to the main screen where you'll see the red text showing you the download progress. Wait until it's finished.
*Now go back to your downloaded voice folder: Long press any mp3/Select all (a little square icon)/COPY
*Go into /data/data/com.waze/waze/sound/[the folder of your new Waze voice you just downloaded]/PASTE (choose "yes" if asked to overwrite existing files).
*Long press any mp3 you just copied over/Select all/3-dot menu icon/"Change SE context"/"Enter context manually"
*Manually type in:
Code:
u:object_r:app_data_file:s0:c512,c768
*Press ok. Watch the magic happen. Congrats, you just "hacked" your Waze voices. And also, you just earned a geek point. Score!
*Double check under the mp3 file names that the permissions are set to "rw-------". If not, do the following: Long press any mp3/Select all/3-dot menu icon/Permissions/Only check "Read" and "Write" next to Owner, and set all others to unchecked/Press OK.
*Now go to Waze and see if your celebrity of choice gives you directions.
NOTES:
*Highly recommended- make a text note somewhere on your phone to keep track of what voices are the same as the celebrity voice you hacked in. Download enough voices and you'll find yourself saying "Dammit, was C3P0 the "Gabriela" voice or the "Shahdan" voice?"
*Create a text file somewhere on your phone with the correct SE Context code pre-written into it so you can copy/paste it into any new voice's SE Context Manual entry line(cause that crap's just a pain in the butt to type out on a phone).
*Don't bother screwing with the SE Context of the files BEFORE you copy them into your Waze "sound" folder, because the copy/paste process breaks the changes and you'll just have to do it over again. This one took me a while to figure out.
*I personally never had to reset my phone- I found I could use my new voices immediately.
*Individual mileage may vary, and the folders may not be labeled exactly as written here. Use your imagination, and good luck.
*Don't worry if you change your mind about someday needing some foreign language as originally provided by Waze that you replaced with Morgan Freeman or something. Who knows, you might want to learn Spanish someday! You can always just delete that folder, go back into Waze, and download it as before, and it will start fresh. Just don't forget to back up Morgan...
*You can manipulate these voices in a sound editor and do whatever you want with them as long as the mp3 filenames stay exactly the same as before. If you're a sound geek this can be way fun.
*Anytime a new voice shows up on your phone, copy and paste it over into your personal celebrity voices folder and label its folder so you can identify it easily later on, because they'll just hijack it away from you when its promotional period is over. Just copy them into another foreign language folder as above and it's yours whenever you want.
*I have tried to find all the voices you can download from other websites, but I know there are others out there. I just received and nabbed Santa Claus ("Coca-Cola shill" version) and Liam Neeson (promotion for "The Commuter") on my phone as well. My all-time favorite: T-Pain...
*I am using:
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 running Lineage OS 14.1
Root Explorer 4.1.6
Waze 4.25.0.2
Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year!
Regzim
Hi Regzim
I used your method on a rooted phone (which is not mine!) running Kitkat and it worked like a charm.
My own phone isn't rooted and runs Nougat in which there is no access to Waze files. So, I'm looking for a method to use the voice recording feature in Waze on a rooted phone to use an old voice pack and then share it with my non-rooted phone (take a look at this thread)
Any idea?
P.S:
I'm testing a stupid workaround. I installed Waze in Bluestacks and tried to record prompts one by one using stereo mix. The problem is that there's a weird noise on the recordings in Waze. However, there's no noise when I used a voice recording app (Easy Voice Recorder) in Bluestacks.
Do you have any clue why it is so?
Thanks
Making this work on non-rooted phones...
Hi Sedhadi!
Awesome, I'm glad it worked- I was holding my breath wondering if this was a "my phone only" kind of thing or that maybe they changed the file flag differently for different phones or something. :laugh:
Hmmm... making this work on a non-rooted phone? That's a tricky chestnut to crack. I think I've seen that thread before in my quest to figure this out, but it seems like most of those methods they mention are older pre-Waze update methods that don't take the SE context into account and are thus no longer useful to newer Waze versions...
I don't have time to sink my teeth into it thoroughly at the moment, but my mind immediately goes to ADB (Android Debug Bridge) push/pull. Basically it allows you to poke around and manipulate files in your phone through a terminal interface on your computer using command line prompts. I'm not sure off the top of my head whether you need to be rooted to use ADB as well. Ironically I don't have any non-rooted phones around to test this out on, so I can't help you there without a thorough web search. However, I couldn't find anything on how to change SE context using ADB, and since getting this to work hinges completely on the SE context, the prognosis doesn't look good. Do a search for "all things android se android commands" for now and see what you can find, but when I get some free time I'll poke around and check out what I can discover as far as method goes.
Also FWIW, there are some apps out there that root your phone for a limited time, so you may be able to get that going just long enough to manipulate the files as needed, but you'd have to work fast, and have Root Explorer ready to go. Disclaimer: some of the temp root apps can be adware bombs, so caveat emptor...
As for the weird sound, I'd need to hear it to be sure but I'm thinking it may be the normal "noise floor" problems (electronic interference, background noise, crappy mouthpiece, etc.) that come with recording anything using your phone's built-in microphone/mouthpiece. Is it a buzzing, a hiss, or what? For those reasons I'm not a big fan of the "record your own directions" function on Waze, as the sound quality mostly comes out pretty crappy in the end because of the technical limits of the mouthpiece.
Regzim
---------- Post added at 03:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:21 AM ----------
P.S., just realized I didn't know what Bluestacks was until I looked it up- since it's an emulator, you might be getting weird noises because of your COMPUTER'S microphone/ audio input device. What kind of mic do you have?
Regzim
Hi Regzim
Thanks for taking the time to answer.
In that Reddit thread, it was suggested to replace a recorded voice files with a celebrity voice pack instead of doing so to a useless foreign voice. I tested that method and it worked and I could hear the prompts while navigating but the share button didn't activate (which means Waze realized I manipulated the files).
If we find a workaround (like changing SE context (which I tried to pull off on these files as well but failed)), then there will be no need to come up with a solution for non-root phones because we can share the celebrity voice as a recorded voice.
P.S: I didn't use any real mic. I used Stereo Mix (aka What You Hear) feature of Windows. I played the celebrity's voice in VLC and started recording in Waze in Bluestacks. So, no extra noise actually adds up to the source sound. But the result in Waze is awful.
It seems there's something wrong with Waze while recording.
Regards
Another bump. Would love to have an easy solution for non-rooted phones.
Waze voice packs
Did you guys made any progress on this?
I have a non rooted Samsung s8 so I am interested as well. Please find a work around! Thank you.
This is not the right section. It needs to be posted in the module section. However what you're requesting doesn't need Xposed AT ALL.
Is this still working for some?
I downloaded the bottom three voices in Waze and followed the instructions (not for the first time, new phone).
The permissions and SE context are correct, but still no sound.
joekeee said:
Is this still working for some?
I downloaded the bottom three voices in Waze and followed the instructions (not for the first time, new phone).
The permissions and SE context are correct, but still no sound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still works!
But for me it only works when I choose a language that doesn't contain a _ in the foldername.
Like Croatian, Swedish, Turkish.
Regzim said:
*Long press any mp3 you just pasted in/Select all/3-dot menu icon/"Change SE context"/"Enter context manually"
*Manually type in:
Code:
u:object_r:app_data_file:s0:c512,c768
*Press OK
*Change all mp3 permissions to "rw-------" (0600)
*Rejoice!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for putting this up. I was bummed when they changed it and would love to get celeb voices back. I'm rooted and got up to copying and overwriting the files into the foreign Waze sound folder, but I don't get anything like "Change SE context". I originally copied the files with ES File Explorer and didn't see anything like that, so I specifically tried Root Explorer free version and still no option like that. I also can't see the rw permissions (I CAN see and modify those permissions in ES). Is that something that's only in the paid version?
No "Change SE context" in menu
raulrocks said:
Thanks for putting this up. I was bummed when they changed it and would love to get celeb voices back. I'm rooted and got up to copying and overwriting the files into the foreign Waze sound folder, but I don't get anything like "Change SE context". I originally copied the files with ES File Explorer and didn't see anything like that, so I specifically tried Root Explorer free version and still no option like that. I also can't see the rw permissions (I CAN see and modify those permissions in ES). Is that something that's only in the paid version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm... I wonder if this is a "my phone/OS only" thing. But this doesn't make sense since the SE context thing is within Root Explorer, not exclusive to my OS. Not quite sure if I've got the free version of Root Explorer (Version 4.1.6) as well, but these options were in my version when I long pressed the files/3-dot menu/Change SE context near the bottom of the drop-down menu. At the time of writing this the free version is up to 4.4.3 FWIW.
Gotta admit I'm flummoxed on this one. There's just too many variables from phone to phone to explore here, but an app is an app - either it has the same menu items on every phone or it's not the same version or app!
Some ideas off the top of my head that may be worth chasing down:
*The free version may not provide the SE context option (to be honest I can't remember whether I am on the free version, or if ages ago I cleverly "got hold" of the paid version if you follow my meaning). Maybe bite the bullet and buy the app (or "get hold" of it somehow)?
*An upgrade to Root Explorer somewhere along the line maybe broke or eliminated this option. This is not out of the question since I read all the time about loyal users *****ing about how their app used to "be perfect" until the latest stupid upgrade changed everything for the worse. I never have this problem since I sideload every app into my phone manually and turn off automatic upgrades on all apps, because I can't stand upgrades breaking and/or ruining perfectly good working apps. Sure, my apps are sometimes a little behind the times, but they freaking work and keep working until I outgrow them or something better comes along. Maybe find version 4.1.6 somehow and see what happens?
Sorry if none of this works and if I can't be of more help than this. Bummed to think only an elite few may be able to do this, because I hate it when software nazis lock up options that allow us users to customize.
Hope you crack this, and please share if you do!
Regzim
Thanks for the additional info, especially the version!
I had installed the first "Root Explorer" that was free, but it has different version numbers. Based on your info it looks like the one you have (by Speed Software) call their pro version Root Explorer and their free version simply Explorer. And yes indeedy do you need to the paid version to view/edit root files. I happened to come across the current version and everything you said fell into place.
Even though it was 3:40 am, ran down to my car (3 flights) and was ELATED and did a happy dance when 3PO said "In 0.1 miles turn left master"!
HOOOOO-raaaaaayyyy!!!! And thanks, triple thumbs up! :good::good::good:
Hi
I rooted my Xperia Z5 (7.1.1) yesterday. This method doesn't seem to be working on my phone. All I get is silence.
Any idea what the problem may be?
Sedhadi said:
Hi
I rooted my Xperia Z5 (7.1.1) yesterday. This method doesn't seem to be working on my phone. All I get is silence.
Any idea what the problem may be?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hai,
this method still work for me.
i use 1+5.
Regards
barani kumar said:
hai,
this method still work for me.
i use 1+5.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
What's your Android and Waze version?
Sedhadi said:
Hi
What's your Android and Waze version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hai
I'm using 1+5 with OOS beta 35 (Pie)
Waze 4.52.3. 4
Im been using this method for long time.
And I do clean install every few month.
So Im very confident this method work for latest ver.
Regards.
Do I have to be rooted to do this?
I have a s8 and can't find the Waze file can someone help

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