Android Advice Part 2

Posted Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 11:00 am by 15 Comments
Android Advice Part 2
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Android Advice™ by AndroidTapp.com is a set of frequently asked and answered questions geared at new Android users.

If I paid for an app and get a new Android phone, will I be able to download those apps again? Will I have to pay again?

No, if you log into the Android Market with the same Gmail/Google Apps account you initially purchased with, you should be able to re-download those Android apps at no additional cost. Google keeps a history of your app purchases in cases like this.

I cannot find some of the Android Apps reviewed and recommended on AndroidTapp.com, why is that?

Unfortunately this is the negative effect of partly Android Fragmentation and saturation limitations in many countries.

There are many phones with different versions of the Android operating system (See Fragmentation Stats by Google). Many Android developers simply many not yet support your Android OS version.

Many countries either do not have access to the Android Market or may have access but to only the free apps and not paid apps.

How do I lock my Android phone?

First enable “Pattern Lock”. Go to Settings Menu » Set unlock pattern. Android locking works by patterns drawn versus a PIN code or password. Draw a pattern you can remember. Every time you lock your phone or it falls asleep the Pattern Lock enables.

I entered the Pattern Lock code incorrectlty more than 3 times… How do I unlock it?

As a backup, Google allows you to retrieve it online using your Gmail/Google Apps account.

I want to Pattern Lock my phone but I don’t want to unlock it every time I wake the phone up. How to delay screen pattern lock even when the screen is black?

Autolock. It’s a simple Android app to delay the pattern lock screen at intervals you choose. If you set the app to activate the pattern lock at 3 minutes, after 30 or so seconds your phone sleeps (the black screen) and you wake it up under the 3 minute threshold, you won’t have to pattern unlock your phone.

How do I lock my text messaging and Gmail apps?

There are a few apps but we recommend Protector as you can protect the whole Gmail app with PIN code password or only certain features of the app like certain folders/labels. Honorable mention would be App Protector.

Can I access my apps through shortcuts without scrolling through the menu?

Yes you can make shortcuts. 2 ways… find a free spot on the home screen, press it for more than 2 seconds (known as Longpress) and a menu appears for shortcuts, or open the list of apps and Longpress an app then drag and drop it where you want it. To delete from the home screen, Longpress then a red trash can appears at the bottom, drag and drop there.

How do I delete pictures, files and video?

For pictures and video it is easier to open Gallery app and delete. For files download and use Astro File Manager.

How do I save a picture through MMS to my phone?

There is a convenient feature to Longpress (pressing for 2 more seconds) and save to SD Card.

How to turn on or off keyboard sound effects?

Go to Settings menu » Sound & display » check/uncheck Audible selection.

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15 Responses to “Android Advice Part 2”

  1. AL7AIR says:

    I can save MMS media files just fine on my Samsung Galaxy running Android 1.5 without a special application installed. I just long press on the MMS inside Messaging and select “Save attached to SD card” from the pop-up, like you described. Android 1.0, the initial OS of the HTC Dream/G1, wasn’t able to do this.

  2. Nonie says:

    You said “For example, (at the time of this writing) most Android phones are running 2.0.1..”

    I’m not sure that’s true. Look at this chart:
    http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html

    Seems like only 1/5 of Android phones are on 2.0.1. This might explain why 4/5 of us are frustrated by reviews for apps we can’t see in our marketplace.

    Just sayin.

  3. eajudson says:

    I am a recent convert from Blackberry, and miss a feature that I have not been able to find in the App Market. Blackberry had a “phone only” setting that muted all notifications except phone calls. I need my phone on at night for emergency calls from kids and parents, but don’t want to wake up every time an email comes through. Is there such an app for my droid eris??
    Thanks to any one that can point me in the right direction!

  4. P Mason says:

    Can I access Mail on android which normally I get via outlook

  5. Scott says:

    how do you download music from Itunes library to droid from mac?

  6. William Richard says:

    Beginner’s questions from a Nokia Smartphone user. I’m frustrated!

    I recently took a huge leap of faith and moved from N95 8GB to HTC Desire, described on the web as “Possibly the best smartphone yet”, and I’m finding it very hard going….

    eg.
    1. Although I had all my contacts in MS Outlook, they won’t transfer properly – the contacts prog in Desire doesn’t seem to have the necessary fields. Are there any better Android contacts progs out there (I can’t find any!), or am I “synching” the wrong way?
    2. I want to transfer all my “Notes” from the Nokia notes program, but I have no idea which Droid prog to use. I have downloaded Astrid, but it doesn’t seem to be what I really want.
    3. I do a lot of podcasting, and the Nokia podcast prog worked well – what’s the best android equivalent?
    4. I’ve turned most everything off (my handsfree in the car requires that I keep bluetooth on, but that’s not unusual), but still my battery won’t last. Are there any other hints for extending battery life?

    Thanks,

    William Richard

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