Android

Links

• Google: Dashboard
• Google: Device Manager
• Google Support: Configure Sync Options

On this wiki

• Android apps

How-To

Sync phones

For instance to sync old and new phones.

Contacts

• Sync via Google Account.

Calendar

• Sync via Google Account.

Color Notes

• Sync via Google Account.

SMS/MMS/Call logs

• Use SMS Backup & Restore app.

Photos

• Sync via samba share (using for instance ES Explorer app).

Backup with Helium (ClockWorkMod Carbon)

Do not use backup to Internal SD since the internal files cannot be exported. Copying these files from another phone, or as a backup restore, does not work. This method of backup save/restore is not supported, as indicated in the Helium Wiki.

Instead to do the backup:

• Start Helium.
• Start the PC server.
• Connect via the PC, select the set of applications and start the backup.

Advices and troubleshooting

• Exclude MoboPlayer. Backup fails when the app is selected.
• Exclude GBoard. Huge size for little gains.
• Exclude Translate. Huge size for little gains.

Privacy

• Delete backup synced to Google account

Upgrade the device

Odin

Flashing tool on Windows. Meaning of BL, AP... [1]:

• BL means Boot Loader.
• AP means Android Partition. Was PDA before.
• CP means Core Processor.
• CSC means Consumer Software Customization. This specifies the features your Android device gets according to its geographical location and carrier.

Upgrade Samsung Alpha

I used Odin on Windows. Probably it was possible to do it on Linux via Heimdall.

• Download the latest firmware for Samsung Alpha:

   * Updato.
   * Alternative link
   * More links on firmware.mobi.

• Install Samsung device drivers.
• Download and start Odin
• Extract (unzip) the firmware file
• Open Odin v3.12.7
• Reboot Phone in Download Mode (press and hold Home + Power + Volume Down buttons)
• Connect phone and wait until you get a blue sign in Odin
• Add the firmware file to AP / PDA
• Make sure re-partition is NOT ticked
• Click the start button, sit back and wait few minutes

If we rooted the device, we get a FAILED message in Odin. Now we follow this guide:

• Follow the same procedure as above, but flash the CF-Auto-Root image for rooting the device (add the file to AP / PDA in Odin).

Root the device

• How to root with Heimdall on Linux.
• CF-Auto-Root repository — Now deprecated.
• firmware.mobi — Build auto-root firmware automatically.
• How to root samsung Galaxy Alpha

Root Samsung Alpha

From this guide:

• Download the CF-Auto-Root files corresponding to the current build.

• In my case, I have a Samsung Alpha G850F, with firmware G850FXXS2CQD3. Pick the file corresponding to that build number.

• From downloaded file, extract the files cache.img and recovery.img.
• Install heimdall and heimdall-gui, then run sudo heimdall-frontend.
• Power off the phone. Press Volume down, Menu and Power button. Press Volume Up to proceed at warning message.
• Go to Utilities tab, click Detect to make sure device is detected.
• In the same tab, click Save As to start downloading the PIT. Save the file locally, next to the other .img files.
• Go to the Flash tab, click Browse, and open the PIT file that was saved previously.
• Click Add to add a partition file, and select RECOVERY as Partition Name, and select the file recovery.img as the File.
• Click Add to add a partition file, and select CACHE as Partition Name, and select the file cache.img as the File.
• Select No Reboot.
• Click Start. On Success, you should get a message Flashing successful or similar. If not, and instead get a detaching device from interface or such, restart the process, but don't reboot the mobile phone.
• While pressing Volume Up, unplug the Usb cable, then keep pressing on Volume Up + Power button to force an emergency restart.
• Wait for device to update.

Troubleshooting

Frozen widget

• Try restarting the launcher. On Samsung, Force stop TouchWiz in the application manager (TouchWiz is apparently Samsung's custom launcher).

Enable developer mode

• On Samsung, go to Settings → About device → tap 7x on Build number. [2]

Get android log

• Enable USB debugging phone (see developer settings)
• Connect phone to USB
• Run

adb logcat

WiFi troubleshooting

• GUIDE - Troubleshooting Wi-Fi Connection Problems - Android Central

Popup : Currently unable to download. Please try again later

Got the message for years when leaving plane mode. Turn out to be an MMS message that I couldn't download [3]. To fix, find the culprit MMS (the one with a Download button), and delete it!