r/Android • u/onesixoneeight Pxl9Pro • Apr 22 '13
Moronic Monday (April 22nd 2013) - Your weekly questions thread! AKA IAMA Reddit post that can help you with any questions about Android OS and any compatible hardware. Ask Me Anything.
Please upvote this self.post. The more people see this thread the more interesting questions and answers we'll see in it!
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u/houseJr Apr 22 '13
Why are the thumbnails taking up so much space on my Galaxy Nexus?
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u/oskarw85 Apr 22 '13
Maybe you have other folders than Camera with images in them and Media Scanner indexes them all(game data files on SD card for example)? Take a look at this topic.
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u/Elemetrix Apr 22 '13
Looks very similar to my S2. I ended up deleting hundreds of images to keep the size down. At one point it was over 2.5GB.
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u/sylon Apr 22 '13
TouchWiz vs CM 10.1 Battery Life
So, I have been a big fan of CM and have used it on every phone I have had in the past two years. So much so that as soon as I got my Galaxy S3 (i9300 international) I put CM 10.1 on it barely an hour after taking it out of the box.
Lately I got tired of crashes when using the camera in CM and decided to try a Touchwiz ROM and to my surprise I am getting significantly more battery life on Touchwiz compared to CM. Even then Touchwiz is laggier, especially the screen on delay when hitting the power button is annoying.
Am I doing something wrong of is Touchwiz more efficient?
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u/Nosfvel Apr 22 '13
Open S voice app and disable "double press home to open". Your home button will at least be snappier.
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u/Homeaccount1 Apr 22 '13
You also point out that the TouchWiz ROM is laggier. Which means that it's probably not asking as much from your hardware as the CM10.1 ROM was, which means that you're not using as much power.
Generally speaking, the more lag a ROM/Kernel has, the better battery life it will have. So with CM10.1 you're sacrificing battery life for performance. CM10.1 would maybe get better battery life if you underclocked it, which would possibly bring some lag.
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u/zsmb Apr 22 '13
I can't answer your question, but instead have one for you. Where did you get a Touchwiz ROM? Is it exactly the same as the default one?
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u/tppiel Apr 22 '13
Where did you get a Touchwiz ROM?
For the i9300: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1566
If you have another model find the specific subforum for your device on XDA.
The touchwiz ROMs are easy to spot because they are all labeled as "4.1.2" ; the AOSP/AOKP/CM ROMs are all on "4.2.2"
Is it exactly the same as the default one?
No, they are all heavily modified, de-bloated, and have custom kernels that allow for features like overclocking, dual-booting, etc.
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u/Kurt_Vonnecunt Apr 22 '13
Is it okay to go from a 4.2 based AOSP ROM to a 4.1 based Touchwiz ROM? Somewhere I heard if you go back a version it will mess with the files because 4.2 changes how the file system works. Is this true?
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u/tppiel Apr 22 '13
It's safe, I do it all the time.
The ROM installation script will convert the file systems if necessary, but you have to make sure you properly format before switching between AOSP and TW.
When you go to recovery:
Wipe Data and caches
Go to Advanced -> Format /system
Go to Advanced -> Format /preload
THEN flash the new ROM.
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u/tyderian Apr 22 '13
Samsung has access to proprietary information that CM developers do not have, so it's not unreasonable.
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u/GzFighter Apr 22 '13
Yeah, that's true for most phones. Your best bet for battery life is a rom for your phone that's based on stock with most of the garbage taken out
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Apr 22 '13
Does this also apply to the nexus? Or can cm get better battery life because it's open source?
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u/GzFighter Apr 22 '13
No, nexus phones are pretty much the only exception, since AOSP is nexus stock and cyanogemod builds on that.
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u/coonster Apr 22 '13
Perhaps it has something to do with the driver support for the Exynos SoC in the GT-i9300. The NA SGS3s(d2xxx) have better support due to their Qualcomm SoCs and fair quite a lot better in AOSP ROM battery life.
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u/tppiel Apr 22 '13
The TW ROMs use propietary drivers that Samsung has access to.
AOSP ROMs have drivers that are often reverse-engineered or just ported from other devices so they don't play too well. As a result, we get these famous Camera FCs, poor sound quality and poor battery life.
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u/FoeHamr Apr 23 '13
Try a different rom? I had similiar problems with all of the AOSP roms I tried and have now settled down with Wicked 9.1. However, you have the international version so you probably can't use it... maybe you could look for an international version or something but Wicked 9.1 is everything I want out of a rom - great performance and good battery.
Link if interested - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1804260
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u/Quolli Apr 22 '13
Does anybody know why I randomly get things highlighted in the lockscreen? It's always the clock getting highlighted (I guess because it's the first tappable thing) and it happens randomly.
Picture examples:
I also posted this to r/AndroidQuestions but I didn't get many responses.
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u/the_helpdesk Apr 22 '13
The only time I've ever seen android highlight anything is when a bluetooth keyboard is paired, powered on, and an arrow key is pressed.
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u/Quolli Apr 22 '13
Strange... this is just on my phone and I don't have any bluetooth devices connected to it.
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u/ICThat Apr 22 '13
Does it only happen when you have it plugged to charge?
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u/Quolli Apr 22 '13
Sometimes. Since this highlighting thing happens so randomly it's a bit difficult to keep track of minor details like whether the phone is plugged in or not, but I do believe there was an instance where I noticed it happening while plugged in.
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u/ICThat Apr 22 '13
Well if it is only sometimes this probably is not the issue, anyway I might as well suggest it.
If you use a different or faulty charger it can sometime cause ghost touches on the screen that do things like that, however in this case it does not really sound like the problem.
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Apr 22 '13
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u/Quolli Apr 22 '13
If what you say is correct, can you explain why in the Power Settings image "Power Off" is highlighted? I actually tapped my phone to "Silent Mode" that morning and haven't turned my phone off in a while.
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u/dieyoubastards Apr 22 '13
No, I have this a lot too, they really are highlighted for no apparent reason and without touching anything
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u/lulkatz Apr 22 '13
This happens in cellphones sometimes when the screen is warmer than usual. I have observed in my cheap phone many times. Believe, might be hardware defect but, it usually goes off once you lock the screen and unlock it again.
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u/Brickman100 Apr 22 '13
Finally getting a new phone, ordered my nexus 4 yesterday. 2 things.
How reliable are cyanogenmod nightlies, are they stable enough for day to day use, or should I run an M release instead?
The N4 doesn't support USB OTG, so how do you connect a Sixaxis PS3 controller to it? Is it Bluetooth only, or am I getting completely mixed up...
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u/Dukko Apr 22 '13
Regarding the first one, they are stable. Like I'm using them right now and I have zero issues.
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u/Dukko Apr 22 '13
Ok, one issue, compatibility with light flow is spotty, as in both me and a friend of mine can't get out work. It's not a big deal since CM decided to offer a similar functionality, but if you're a power user you could be upset.
Before someone start saying it's our fault, no, the Dev told me it's a known issue in CM since it changed the way out handles drivers.
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u/mattsatwork Apr 22 '13
I'd like to parrot what u/Dukko said, the CM10.1 nightlies are very stable and I use them with no problems. You should be good to go. I'd like to answer your question about the OTG cable but I just use bluetooth, sorry.
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u/ProtoKun7 Apr 22 '13
Usually nightlies are stable enough, but you can always check the feedback first just in case.
Yes to Bluetooth though.
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u/Zuxicovp Apr 22 '13
If you plan to use nightlies use cyan delta. Also, the N4 apparently uses OTG when it has a external power source
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u/yellams Apr 22 '13
In order to use a PS3 controller with the Nexus 4 you'll need to root your phone to enable Sixaxis Controller to work over Bluetooth. Very easy process to do so, I used this guide to root my Nexus 4 for this exact reason.
Hope that helps1
u/missTimedFart Apr 22 '13
How reliable are cyanogenmod nightlies, are they stable enough for day to day use, or should I run an M release instead?
There were a lot of instances where after flashing the latest nightly build, either the data did not work, could not connect to wifi, etc. But nightlies are mostly stable and even if some major bugs show up, they are fixed within the 2-3 nightly releases.
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u/Brickman100 Apr 22 '13
This goes against everything I've heard this far. How long ago was this and was it on a nexus device ? I've heard they are a lot more reliable on nexus devices...
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u/missTimedFart Apr 22 '13
This is for the Galaxy S2X (T989D) and yes they are lot more stable on Nexus devices.
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u/pandapanda730 Apr 23 '13
For nexus phones especially, the cm10.1 nightlies are rock solid. You're guaranteed to have a near perfect experience.
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u/EpicRageGuy Apr 22 '13 edited Apr 23 '13
Will I lose any of TouchWiz features if I install Nova launcher? Mainly I'm worried about the ability to run two apps simultaneously.
Thanks guys.
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u/ProtoKun7 Apr 22 '13
No, Nova is just an alternative launcher. Your phone is still running the same software. You'd only lose that by flashing another ROM.
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u/EpicRageGuy Apr 22 '13
How about this http://youtu.be/yqaAKGSnGEQ?t=1m2s on the left edge of the screen is a tiny button which launches multiwindow apps, it's probably a part of TW launcher?
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u/OmegaVesko Apr 22 '13
That's part of the OS itself, not the launcher. You've got nothing to worry about.
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u/ICThat Apr 22 '13
I don't think it is part of the TW launcher, anyway you can always switch back to the TW launcher if you regret it.
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u/tyderian Apr 22 '13
The only thing you will lose is Touchwiz-specific widgets, like the Samsung clock/weather widget.
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u/P357 Apr 22 '13
you lose some of the widgets. The nice weather one is gone in nova. I don't know why. I'm sticking to touchwiz and it's enjoyable.
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Apr 22 '13
Some of my questions:
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Is there a way (or an app) to determine what stock ROM elements you can strip from your phone without losing any functionality? For example if I got the GS4 and decided I didn't like Samsung's video player, would I not be able to use the air view to preview video track on Youtube if I got rid of it?
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Is there an app that allows you to stream music from sites like Grooveshark while you use other apps/record video/or don't keep your screen on at all?
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Does any other phone with an IR Blaster use Mobeam besides Samsung? I plan on getting the GS4, but it's good to keep options in mind.
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Does rooting your phone in of itself remove any stock functions, or is it just when you replace the ROM?
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How much tethering can you reasonably do on an unlimited data plan (without throttling) before you get caught?
Thanks, any help appreciated!
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u/Oweneds Apr 22 '13
I use Dood's Music Streamer to listen to music from the Grooveshark servers, you can also download songs for offline listening. It got removed from the Play Store but if you give it a Google you can find the archives for the .apk.
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u/weedhaha Apr 22 '13 edited Apr 22 '13
4) Rooting alone won't change anything about the stock ROM. Completely safe.
5) I've averaged maybe 5 hrs or so of emergency tethering a month with just normal net use during the time (no large downloads) on ATT and haven't had issues. I'm not sure what the ceiling would be on it but small amounts like that don't seem to be an issue. Be careful is all I can say, I only use my tethering as a last resort.
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u/mejogid Apr 22 '13
Not familiar with Touchwiz, but if you're on 4.x then you can just disable the app in Settings --> Applications and see. Shouldn't take long.
There's an official Grooveshark app but you need to be a premium member. You can, however, just use the mobile site in Chrome Beta and will work as you want.
Not yet.
Only replacing the ROM. Many ROM replacements keep all stock functionality and only make tweaks/additions on top of it (although many are cluster-fucks).
Completely depends on your carrier, your best bet is to search for carrier specific forums. In theory, they can catch you with a single MB because each packet will show that it's been forwarded once before entering their network. ClockworkMod Tether avoids the latter problem if your carrier is restrictive.
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Apr 22 '13
Awesome, thanks for the responses! I'll be using a Sprint MVNO with my GS4, so I'll probably end up using that app.
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u/jigglebling Apr 22 '13
2) http://html5.grooveshark.com in Android browser, keeps playing even with phone locked.
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u/GzFighter Apr 22 '13
you can disable apps in application settings, and if nothing blows up, it's safe to remove
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u/domeforaklondikebar Apr 22 '13
For number one, does AirView even work on YouTube? I thought it was only for stuff in the video player app.
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u/R_Spc Apr 22 '13
Not sure about the other questions, but your root question is simple so I'll answer it. Rooting doesn't remove any functionality at all. It's kinda like having an Administrator account on a PC vs just having a regular user account. You'll get to install apps that require admin access, but nothing at all will be lost.
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u/CroSsFiRe2009 Apr 22 '13
2.) Tinyshark is what I use. It's not pretty but it works well. Just beware of high data usage as it streams the high quality version.http://exigocs.com/
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u/EvoBrah Apr 22 '13
In Google Now, how do I bring an old card, that I accidentally wiped away, back?
Few times now, I was suggested a few things, which I accidentally wiped away. I didn't know any way to bring it back.
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u/oskarw85 Apr 22 '13
See this thread on xda. Maybe it will be helpful.
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u/EvoBrah Apr 22 '13
I appreciate it, but none of that worked. As one user said "Google Now isn't as smart as it should be".
In the next update, there should be an option to bring back dismissed cards. Like a drop down menu of all your cards or something.
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u/gandhi11 Apr 22 '13 edited Apr 22 '13
Hi, I'm new to android, I will receive my GS4 by the end of the week (Old iPhone user). I want to know what rooting my device can give me? Is it like jailbreak(Android isnt supposed to be free...)
-Does rooting remove the waranty of my device?
-If I restore, will it remove the rooting?
-what good app required rooting?
Thanks
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u/Zagadoria Apr 22 '13
IMO, you wouldn't really need to root your GS4 so soon. Feel free to play around. You can customize Android much further without rooting than you'd think. If you want to push the boundary after a while, you can certainly do so.
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u/oskarw85 Apr 22 '13
Does rooting remove the warranty of my device?
Usually yes. It depends on device, how root is achieved and what policy service have. If you don't need it, don't do it.
-If I restore, will it remove the rooting?
If you make factory reset then it probably won't remove root (because its binaries are on /system partition). To remove it you will need to flash factory image or format /system from recovery and install ROM again.
-what good app required rooting?
Titanium Backup comes to mind. But if you don't flash new roms weekly, then it's hardly needed. Wifi tethering apps are other example (that should be available in stock ROM). Some alternative launchers (like Nova Launcher) require root to display Widget tab in Applications (Strange limitation from Google. Without root you can add widgets from long list like in Android 2.3).
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u/ickboblikescheese Apr 22 '13
You can add them from app drawer without root starting 4.1. It was only a limitation in ICS and before.
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u/N0V0w3ls Apr 22 '13
If you re-flash a factory image, you can remove all evidence of root and custom ROMs, and 99% of the time you can still use your warranty.
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u/playbass06 Apr 22 '13
Except, for those reading, on HTC phones. You cannot remove all evidence of unlocking the bootloader. It will show as "re-locked."
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u/treyf711 Apr 22 '13
I can add to the list of root apps. Adaway for blocking ads. Greenify is an app that automatically hibernates apps that you haven't been in for a while. I use it to keep maps from using more battery since I don't get good location based services in my area. That's actually pretty much it. Android doesn't have near the restrictions in applications like iOS. I had an impulse buy of an iPhone 4 back between android phones and when I use my girlfriend's I get reminded why I stopped using it. Like someone else sais, you probably won't need to root at all. Most normal things you can do without it.
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u/R_Spc Apr 22 '13
Regarding good rooting apps, see this, and the previous articles mentioned at the top. There are a lot of great apps that require root.
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u/natecopt Apr 22 '13
Brand new to Android (HTC One) and had a question about NFC - Can I use my phone to program a NFC chip or do I need a separate device? Secondary question - I was thinking about using NFC in my car. Can I have it turn on bluetooth, open Spotify and start playing music? Thanks for the help!
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u/notso1nter3sting Apr 22 '13
It is mostly common to program from the device itself. And you most definitely can do all those things at once with an NFC chip.
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u/neo7 Apr 22 '13
How can I get the clock in the middle (instead on the right) of the statusbar? I see this on some themes but it seems it requires more than just a theme switcher to move the clock..
I am rooted by the way (and there is my next question: unrooted phones cannot change themes, right?)
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u/oskarw85 Apr 22 '13
Such thing requires changes to framework, so it's only possible if given ROM explicitly supports it.
Unrooted phones can change themes if they support it. Usually manufacturers provide some example themes but in proprietary format etc. so that's probably equals to "no, they can't" ;).
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u/neo7 Apr 22 '13
Thanks. I use CyanogenMod 10.1.. does it support that? If it does how can I do that with the clock/time?
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u/oskarw85 Apr 22 '13
Unfortunately CM10.1 does not support centered clock because it is against their user interface guidelines. There are however mods that enable that functionality for various devices in CM10.1. You need to check thread for your ROM on xda or Modaco and probably there would be such modification. Usually it is flashed through recovery and contains modified framework.apk. Be sure to flash correct one because phone would not boot without correct framework.apk.
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u/KaliKot Apr 22 '13
AOKP and other AOKP based Roms like ROOTBOX support it.
However if you get alot of notifications going it looks messed up with the center clock :P
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u/Come-back-Shane Apr 22 '13
My original Galaxy Note is apparently from South Africa (according to the code listed under settings). According to the news, South African Notes recently received their update to Jelly Bean. Unfortunately, when I go into Kies and check for an update, it says there isn't one available. I'm confused because that's how I found out about my ICS update, and successfully downloaded it in this same way.
Any ideas on what's going on?
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u/oskarw85 Apr 22 '13
Was your phone branded? Maybe different South African carrier got an update? OTA updates depend on IMEI to differentiate between carriers.
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u/Come-back-Shane Apr 22 '13
Good point. I don't believe my particular phone was branded; I bought it off of someone through Amazon, and it doesn't have any carrier markings on it anywhere.
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Apr 22 '13
What is the red icon in this image? I've isolated it here if that helps. I can't find what app it belongs to. It seems like it would be a good YouTube Icon. A lot better than the current one, anyway, and it even closely resembles the YouTube's web icon. If you open YouTube in a browser tab on your desktop, a very similar icon will be on the left side of the tab.
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u/jigglebling Apr 22 '13
It is meant to be Youtube, Google's designers don't all use the same assets for everything. I wish that was the icon too.
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Apr 22 '13
How much effect does the ROM/Kernel have in relation to battery drain caused by the screen? I rooted and loaded a custom version of CM10.1 for my SGS3 (Japan). Unfortunately, my battery life went from about 3.5 hours of on-screen time, to just barely over 2 hours.
But it could also be weird drain from some weird CPU settings. I don't have any comparison with before, but it does seem like apps are eating up a higher percentage of battery now.
Nothing is keeping the phone awake. And when I leave the phone alone, it only drains about 2% an hour, which doesn't seem overly terrible.
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u/Zuxicovp Apr 22 '13
Front what I've heard touchwiz roms have better power usage due to Samsung optimizing the ROM and CM not having the same device drivers
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u/N0V0w3ls Apr 22 '13
None, unless the ROM turns the brightness down or uses darker colors on an AMOLED screen. Otherwise the screen drain will be exactly the same.
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u/PeanutButterChicken Apr 23 '13
Which SGS3 do you have? The regular one, the crappy one (Progre), or the Alpha? I wanna see what there is for ROMs, since I have the Alpha.
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u/pint_of_ale Apr 22 '13
sorry for the dumb question,but its a Moronic Monday! ) I bought Motorola Razr Maxx in the online store , but Moto is not supported in my country. Is there a way to get updates? How can I bypass the region check? Thanks.
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u/rubsnick Apr 22 '13
Root
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u/hashi_lebwohl Apr 23 '13
Sorry to butt in, but can you elaborate? I'm in the same situation (Verizon phone, using in Australia). I have rooted it, and for the most part it works fine - but I can't, for instance, do wi-fi hotspot, because it apparently thinks I'm on a Verizon plan. Very frustrating.
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u/Anonee_Mouse Apr 22 '13
Why is Google Maps always running?
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u/iamapizza Apr 22 '13
Can you elaborate a bit, where do you see it always running? And do you back out of it after using it?
Keep in mind that Google Maps is also a 'provider', so if it's running even if you didn't invoke it, another application may be using it.
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u/Anonee_Mouse Apr 23 '13
When I check the memory usage or the running apps it is usually listed. Not all the time just a lot.
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u/Pushkatron Apr 22 '13
There's some sort of network location blah blah blah thing and because of that maps are always running. You can hibernate maps by using greenify, but it requires root.
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Apr 22 '13
Any app that requires location (a lot of them) will call upon Google Maps for it.
Google Maps also pings every so often to update your location history.
IIRC, Google Now also uses Maps for location and such.
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u/Relaxed_Rage Apr 22 '13
Is there any way I can access Pandora on my note 2, outside the US?
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u/Clark-Kent Apr 22 '13
A guide I wrote a while ago. Should still work
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/xzvaj/guide_to_getting_american_netflix_and_pandora/
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u/meet-your-maker Apr 22 '13 edited Apr 22 '13
Ha I am listening to Pandora on my tablet right now in India while going through this thread. I can't post links sorry but here are two easy solutions. Rooted: get Orbot Not rooted: get hola unblocker and accelerator
They are both in the play store. Basically DL and start these programs and then open Pandora
Edit: holy shit stupid app tells me it didn't post then posts anyways lol
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u/Relaxed_Rage Apr 22 '13
Wow, tried out hola and it worked like a charm! Managed to get the pandora apk and I'm hearing pandora on my note as I type.Thank you! :) Glad that there's a way to do this without rooting, as I still haven't gotten around it yet..
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u/cris9696 Apr 22 '13
I use a VPN and it works really good. Look for Hotspot Shield VPN on Google Play Store.
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u/jigglebling Apr 22 '13
Not the exact same, but works great in browser on Android:
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u/weedhaha Apr 22 '13
There may be a more elegant solution but one way would be to sign up with a US based proxy service (costs monthly albeit they are fairly cheap, the benefit being you'll be able to appear as a US connection to every site you go to on any device you use it on) and download a proxy app (will require root).
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u/clvfan Apr 22 '13
Can all micro USB charges be used interchangeably? I have chargers from my phone, tablet, headphones, etc and I've always wondered if it's safe to use any charger with any device.