Database Info

[Q] Lost/Stolen Phone - track after the fact?

I did some search and didn't find anything, this may not be possible since it's a security risk but...
Now that installing apps remotely is available through the web browser android market. Are there any phone tracking apps that automatically work with default information?
So I remotely install it from the app market web page, and then track it instantly without having to set anything up on the phone itself. Any Ideas?

Try this one: market.android.com/details?id=com.lookout.labs.planb

I do not thave OT's problem yet...but i downloaded and gave it a try.
Amazing app, even turned my GPS on automaticaly and located the very exact position of my phone. (HTC Desire)

Well all good android anti virus software come with this feature
Like plan b available only from the market website
Some can even sound loud alarms!
Try avg and lookout
Both are nice

Great App.
Although I tested it first on my phone which is not lost and it did not work, but then tried it on the lost G2 and it worked well.
That's one thing Apple will always lack, an environment where developers can create applications quickly when an opportunity arises, such as the android web app market.

[Q] Android startup services control - like windows AdminTools/Services option

Hi,
I'm a newbie to Android phones. After installing a few apps, I was wondering if there is a way to:
a) keep apps from running on start-up
b) have better control over which apps run in the background
For a), I couldn't find that option at all. I have a few apps (Amazon app store, TeleNav Navigator, podcast client, etc...) that all start up on boot, and they don't get used most of the time.
For b), there is a "Auto-end List" in the task manager, but it doesn't seem to do what it's suppose to do. Either that, or the apps that it kills are some how resurrecting themselves during the day, even when I've made sure I didn't run them. It's true even if I kill them manually via the task manager.

Hmm.. Im using Startup Manager.. I think it works?
It's just a weird thing, really.. Why on earth couldn't they just implement something in Android that easily lets you control something as basic as what starts up with the phone?

URINUDNK said:
Hmm.. Im using Startup Manager.. I think it works?
It's just a weird thing, really.. Why on earth couldn't they just implement something in Android that easily lets you control something as basic as what starts up with the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could understand that Android devs didn't want lay people messing up stuff that need to run...but at least let us stop Amazon App Store place from running all the time.

"Autorun Manager" is the best I have found. Use the advanced, not basic mode.

Parental lockdown

Over at Random Blame's Sero 7 Pro Jellytime thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2474673&page=20 there was a brief discussion about creating a locked down kid-safe rom for kids with known internet-misuse issues. My basic idea was to turn the Sero into a glorified media player, with no access at all to communication capabilities, including browser, facebook and such, but still permitting youtube and some other niceties.
There are "apps for that" in the store, but at least the free apps have security holes in them bigger than the Titanic, post-iceberg. The largest hole is the easy workaround of accessing the play store through an ad, then simply uninstalling the PC software. If the kid remembers to put it back later, you might never know it was done.
Here's what I came up with, rolling with several of the ideas proposed in that thread. I'm no dev, and no ability to create a rom, all I did was butcher an existing one In theory, you could do this with any custom rom for any rooted device. It's a one-way trip, so make sure you save the original image someplace in case you want to return to full functionality.
As always, proceed at your own risk.
So for my Sero 7 Pro I did as follows:
1. Root and install XboxeXpert's custom rom, from post 3 here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2297246
2. Install any apps you want on the device from Google Play. Do NOT install from Amazon, they won't work without the Amazon App store installed, which defeats the entire purpose. Trust me, I blew hours on this.
3. Install titanium backup and save everything thus far. Move the save files to a secure laptop so you can reinstall and update later, as needed.
4. Use an app manager like App Master and start stripping out everything related to communications. I blew away Messenger, Browser, Email services, and a number of others. Use your imagination.
5. Lastly, in direct opposition to almost everything XDA stands for, remove Play Store.
* App Master has a backup function, and you may be tempted to use this to preserve Play Store in case you want to install something else later. I found it does not restore correctly and Play Store was unusable, and had to re-flash and start all over again. You may have better luck with Titanium, but I did not try it.
Without a browser, the kid cannot get on any inappropriate sites. Without an app store, they cannot replace the stock browser / messenger or add Facebook / Snapchat to the tablet, even by clicking on an add. The free game apps I installed worked fine, but the ads went nowhere.
This is pretty efficient, about the only thing the kid can do at this point is install a new rom fresh, for which they would need access to a computer, which you would also control in your own house. Can it be beaten? Sure, some of these kids give the NSA night-sweats, but unless your kid is an aspiring dev, it's about as secure as you can hope for.
Best of Luck,
TM

[List] Working Sideloaded Android Wear Apps (Not Maintained anymore)

THIS DOC IS NO LONGER ACTIVELY MAINTAINED!
Sorry for this, but real life took over and managed to take so much of my time up that I’m no longer able to verify and test stuff on my own. Besides, since Android Wear 6 a lot of things changed and I’d have to test all of these apps again.
Greetings dear Android Wear users!
Today I got my LG G Watch and I'm just amazed by the capabilities of that watch so I thought I'd create a list of all working sideloaded apps.
For everyone who doesn't know: Sideloaded Apps are .apk files installed directly to the watch via ADB.
Since Android Wear is technically the same and the specs for every watch are also kind of in the same range this list will most likely apply to your own Android Wear watch too, even when it's not an LG G Watch.
Please report any weird behaviors here with the keywords mentioned below to make things easier for me to search and add to the list.
--------------------
Useful Links:
Apps2Wear - Directly install APKs onto your watch via your SmartPhone
How to Sideload Apps onto your Android Wear device (YouTube)
Easily download any APK file directly from the Google Playstore
Easily launch apps from your watch
Un/Install Android Wear apps (Google Docs)
--------------------
The list of all sideloaded apps working on Android Wear can be found on Google Docs (to make things more simple for me to update).
------------------------------------------------------------
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIST (Google Docs)
Will be updated over time
------------------------------------------------------------​
Want to help?
If you want to help making this list bigger and better please write the following keywords into your reply/report so I can find things easier and faster:
"Tested & Working" - App install works and application is running and starts without a force-close.
"Tested & Crashing" - App installed but crashes/force-closes at start up.
"Tested & Report" - App installed and runs fine but is unusable (e.g. GUI is too big, example would be Temple Run 2)
This makes my work a whole lot easier and my thankfulness for you even bigger
And now: Have fun testing!

Can you make to work the SwiftKey and WhatsApp in a smart watch?

iannolsen said:
Can you make to work the SwiftKey and WhatsApp in a smart watch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably not SwiftKey (minuum is probably best suited to wear anyway), and definitely not WhatsApp. If you look at the guide by Corbin Davinport on pushing APKs to android wear, he says that he found that apps that require internet connection do not work. Therefor, WhatsApp wont be able to directly connect, as you would design the app so that it works through the devices Bluetooth connection to connect to the internet. However, I believe the developer of Wear Messenger has an app that lets you access WhatsApp through text messages, which then allows you to use WhatsApp from wear messenger.
The second point of this post is directed at OP,
In the google docs, it lists "Don't tap the white tile" as partially working and intermittently crashing in certain game modes. Once again referring to the guide by Corbin, the crashes arise whenever the app try's to show an ad. If you go into the settings and disable banner ads and only allow popups, you can get to the end of the game without the app crashing. It probably will crash at the end though if it tries to show an ad as this tries to connect to the internet, and that causes apps on wear to crash. One would probably be able to fix this by decompiling and recompiling the application to remove ads.

thejonnyd said:
Probably not SwiftKey (minuum is probably best suited to wear anyway), and definitely not WhatsApp. If you look at the guide by Corbin Davinport on pushing APKs to android wear, he says that he found that apps that require internet connection do not work. Therefor, WhatsApp wont be able to directly connect, as you would design the app so that it works through the devices Bluetooth connection to connect to the internet. However, I believe the developer of Wear Messenger has an app that lets you access WhatsApp through text messages, which then allows you to use WhatsApp from wear messenger.
The second point of this post is directed at OP,
In the google docs, it lists "Don't tap the white tile" as partially working and intermittently crashing in certain game modes. Once again referring to the guide by Corbin, the crashes arise whenever the app try's to show an ad. If you go into the settings and disable banner ads and only allow popups, you can get to the end of the game without the app crashing. It probably will crash at the end though if it tries to show an ad as this tries to connect to the internet, and that causes apps on wear to crash. One would probably be able to fix this by decompiling and recompiling the application to remove ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for this tip! Will correct it as soon as I'm in the office again
That guide I know, even know the guy who made it. I'll probably create a tiny little program which will make pushing, installing and initializing the connection easier.
Sent from my Xperia Z1 Compact via XDA mobile app

EpicLPer said:
Hey, thanks for this tip! Will correct it as soon as I'm in the office again
That guide I know, even know the guy who made it. I'll probably create a tiny little program which will make pushing, installing and initializing the connection easier.
Sent from my Xperia Z1 Compact via XDA mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be incredibly handy if you made that, I am surprised no one has so far.
Maybe one to add to the list would be Es3, its handy having a file manager on the device.

thejonnyd said:
That would be incredibly handy if you made that, I am surprised no one has so far.
Maybe one to add to the list would be Es3, its handy having a file manager on the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I tested ES File Explorer (if you mean that) and it's pretty well useable actually but some parts would require a back-button sadly. Means via ADB faking a key input.
Sent from my Xperia Z1 Compact via XDA mobile app

EpicLPer said:
Well I tested ES File Explorer (if you mean that) and it's pretty well useable actually but some parts would require a back-button sadly. Means via ADB faking a key input.
Sent from my Xperia Z1 Compact via XDA mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep thats what I mean, strange that that happens, I haven't had any issues with needing to get back. Swiping from the centre of the screen to the right has gone back for me in all of the menus :s

Anyway to get c25k free or Nike running app working?

I will let you use many more apps on your wear device
hi,
for information i'm the developer of a companion app for android smartwatch.
SWApp Link
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/108675494963196634299
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.preiss.swapps.link
Since yesterday i'm working on adapting it for wear.
Besides it's own feature, it has a specific feature that could make many more apps working on wear: it has a remote clipboard feature that allow to set the clipboard on the wear device from your phone.
They are many apps that don't work on the wear because they need text entry: this would allow you to type the needed text on your phone and paste it in those apps.
Cyril

cyrilp said:
hi,
for information i'm the developer of a companion app for android smartwatch.
SWApp Link
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/108675494963196634299
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.preiss.swapps.link
Since yesterday i'm working on adapting it for wear.
Besides it's own feature, it has a specific feature that could make many more apps working on wear: it has a remote clipboard feature that allow to set the clipboard on the wear device from your phone.
They are many apps that don't work on the wear because they need text entry: this would allow you to type the needed text on your phone and paste it in those apps.
Cyril
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, awesome! This would make such things far easier
Sent from my Xperia Z1 Compact via XDA mobile app

"Tested & Crashing" All in one Gestures
"Tested & Crashing" All in one Gestures
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phoenixstudios.aiogestures

tonydd said:
Anyway to get c25k free or Nike running app working?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nike wouldn't side load but c25k free did but never worked. Still looking for comparable running app.

Nokia Here maps works offline on watch, but only Sony smart watch has GPS atm. And change of density required to be able to start navigation.

I tested Terminal emulator and it is working well with minuun keyboard.

So far I have the following sideloaded and working on an LG G Watch
NES-FC Lite (NES Emulator)
QQplayer (video player WITH BLUETOOTH SOUND!)
ES File Explorer
Astro Bluetooth Module (to transfer files from phone->watch)
v1_Bluetooth_Arduino (to control my garage door connected to an arduino/BT Shield)

wolfebaine said:
So far I have the following sideloaded and working on an LG G Watch
NES-FC Lite (NES Emulator)
QQplayer (video player WITH BLUETOOTH SOUND!)
ES File Explorer
Astro Bluetooth Module (to transfer files from phone->watch)
v1_Bluetooth_Arduino (to control my garage door connected to an arduino/BT Shield)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Added

cyrilp said:
"Tested & Crashing" All in one Gestures
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phoenixstudios.aiogestures
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Added but can you please tell me which Watch you used?

EpicLPer said:
Added but can you please tell me which Watch you used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sure: LG G W R

Just got my LG Watch G and I tested all sorts of apps after installing the "Ghoma rom", below are some of the apps not on the list I tried.
Tested & Working
Retry
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rovio.retry&hl=en
Game complains about missing Google Play Services but if you "ok" the prompt the game will load and seems to be fully playable. The built in "ad" button that opens a ad to view and earn coins does not work. You must earn coins the hard way in game.
EDIT: The game seems to be usable once every boot, in my case I had to reboot the watch to play the game again.
Tested & Report
Speedtest.net
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.zwanoo.android.speedtest&hl=en
The app loads but doesn't do anything because there isn't system wide internet access.
Tested & Crashing
Youtube
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.youtube&hl=en
Crashes and fails to load anything.
Keepass2Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=keepass2android.keepass2android&hl=en
There are two versions of this app, regluar and offline. I tested the regular one and it crashes and fails to load anything.
8-ball Pool
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miniclip.eightballpool&hl=en
Crashes and fails to load anything.
NHK World TV Live
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.nhkworldtv.android&hl=en
Starts to load but crashes complaining about internet access.
Starbucks
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.starbucks.mobilecard&hl=en
Crashes and fails to load anything.
ICE
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.queader.ice&hl=en
The game doesn't even seem to try loading, no crash message. But it causes the screen to rotate till it silently crashes in the background.
Angry Birds Friends
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rovio.angrybirdsfriends&hl=en
Loads to a black screen and just sits there. Required putting the watch to sleep with the palm gesture to exit.

2FA apps
Was disappointed to see these crash on start:
Google Authenticator
RSA SecureID
Not really surprised, but it would have been nice
babelmonk

General What can your smartwatch do?

Hello community!
This is an idea gathering exercise.
For a while since I purchased it, I never bothered with my Galaxy Watch4 (my first smartwatch). But as I'm now tinkering with it, I find it quite interesting. Here is a list of what my watch can do:
01. Show me a whole lot of information. I have 3 favorite watch faces, each configured to give me a different set of information. All I have to do is simply change the watch face and they tell me much of what i want to know. Actually, this one watch face tells me pretty much everything I need to know.
02. Navigation on the wrist.
03. Notifications from my phone.
04. Managing phone calls.
05. Wirelessly transfer files among all my devices like watch, phone, laptop and NAS. I use the following two apps for this purpose:
1. File Manager
2. WiFi Pro FTP server
06. Listen to music using Samsung Music app. I haven't had the need to install another music app.
07. Watch videos using the watch companion of this app: Sun Player. You don't need this app on your phone.
08. Stream YouTube videos using NewPipe.
09. Manage my emails. I have installed Microsoft Outlook, Samsung Email, FairEmail and K-9 email apps. But I haven't configured any yet, except for Microsoft Outlook.
10. Browse the internet using Samsung Internet browser.
11. Read PDF using built-in PDF reader of X-Plore File Manager.
12. Read e-books using AIReader.
13. Control the basic functions of my Samsung TV using SmartThings app.
I know I have left out the single biggest thing that most people use a smartwatch for: Health Tracking. I don't use it because much of that is gimmicky stuff and one must not rely on the number game when it comes to health matters. Things like an app reminding one to drink water is one of the most absurd things that people would use.
Some of the apps are Android apps meant for the phone. But they are quite usable on the watch too. I sideload them using one of the following apps:
1. Easy Fire Tools
2. Bugjaeger
The following tutorials illustrate how to sideload apps on watch running Wear OS:
How to Sideload Apps on Samsung Galaxy Watch Wear OS - DroidWin
How to Sideload Apps on Samsung Galaxy Watch Wear OS
In this comprehensive tutorial, we will show you detailed steps to sideload any app on your Samsung Galaxy Watch running Wear OS.
www.droidwin.com
3 Ways to Install Apps or APK on Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 - wearablestouse.com
3 Ways to Install Apps or APK on Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 & 5 - wearablestouse.com
Want to download or sideload apps on your Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 smartwatch? Here's how to install apps and APK on Galaxy Watch 4.
wearablestouse.com
What are the things you use your watch for?
RELATED POSTS
You'll find more info and related links here:
Wear OS - Facts
Hello community! In this post, I am giving you info on some aspects of Wear OS, which you may or may not know. All the details presented are based on my experience with Samsung Galaxy Watch4 (WiFi model), running on Wear OS 3.x. So they may not...
forum.xda-developers.com

Telling time... after all, it is a watch.

see the date, time and weather

Start my car, open the garage door and control all alexa enabled devices plus all of the usual stuff...

It does so many things. But my life is also just fine without it.

TacoDeMuerte said:
Telling time... after all, it is a watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have edited the title of the post to now read 'smartwatch'.
AwaKeN said:
see the date, time and weather
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have edited the title of the post to now read 'smartwatch'.
larryk said:
Start my car, open the garage door and control all alexa enabled devices plus all of the usual stuff...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me guess: you have setup Alexa or Google Assistant on your phone and use voice commands on your watch. These things are quite impressive, but personally I'm not comfortable in allowing apps to constantly keep listening to my conversations.
Virgo_Guy said:
It does so many things. But my life is also just fine without it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely. They are just too far from being a necessity. On the contrary, they are more of a distraction and contribute to loss of application of human faculties.

I shut off the listening part in both Alexa and Google Assistant, and just use the buttons to start the app...