Related
This thread is to track my dealing with HTC and their service department over the current Twitter Tab (HTC Peep) outage. Please don't PM me about it, I'll just make fun of you for not reading and searching.
The current outage has NOTHING AT ALL to do with the Peep security updates published back in February. For information on the past update, please refer to this post.
I am reaching out to everyone who uses this application to bug the crap out of HTC until they fix this problem. Please read this post all the way through so you can contact them with a bit of information. I originally tried to ask about it as simply as possible, but only got an idiotic response. The communication log will be posted in the next post.
Basically, for anyone experiencing issues with Peep, simply read the post I linked to and the following post. This will give you enough information to be able to contact HTC and make some noise. If you do contact them, please use proper grammar and be respectful. Typing like a pissed off high school girl (no offense to pissed off high school girls) will get us no where.
A brief history of Peep outagesSince the very beginning of HTC Sense, most experienced users have known about Peep's security flaws and have either decided to live with it, figuring that it wasn't very important to them, or simply used another client for Twitter. The problem is that Peep was accessing the Twitter API through use of unencrypted HTTP headers which exposed your username and password to anyone who might be eavesdropping on the connection via cellular data IP or WiFi.
Twitter experienced some headlines last summer where several celebrity and high profile accounts were compromised due to lax security features. This caused them to begin shifting their API towards a more secure end. In doing this, they notified the developers of Twitter clients of this shift and to update their applications accordingly. HTC was one of the few who did not update their applications.
Late last year, HTC's Peep application experienced some outages. HTC, instead of repairing the problem, petitioned Twitter about the outage and, after several weeks, the functionality of Peep was restored through an exception made in Twitter's API. This was the easiest solution for HTC, but the worst solution for the customers, since it still left the user's data exposed to risk and was only a temporary solution.
Then, sometime in late January/early February, the members of Tadong blog released their security information to the general public after trying for months to get HTC to fix the security flaw in Peep as outlined above. Subsequent to the release of the information, HTC finally release the security updates for Peep that corrected half of the problem. The initial log in attempt now used OAuth to establish a secure connection over HTTPS on TCP port 443. This fixed the update Twitter rolled out shortly after where some users got the "Forbidden" errors when trying to use the tab. It did not fix the remainder of the session where Peep would request data from Twitter. The rest of the time, Peep requested data over unencrypted HTTP basic headers just as it always had. This, as most of you know, caused problems with the most recent update to Twitter's API.
Twitter rolled out an update again at the end of April that broke the Peep client again. The problem wasn't really Twitter, though. Twitter has now disallowed any new requests to access it through unencrypted channels. This, of course, blocks Peep again. The sad thing now is that this would not be a problem if HTC had simply fixed the problem last year during the first outage or even produced a secure client in the first place.
This brings us to the present. I have contacted HTC with all the information I could gather about this problem. The conversation is listed in the next post. I encourage everyone reading this to learn a bit here and contact HTC via their support page. Any serial number should work as long in the contact form as it matches the correct device. The only Rhodiums to receive the Sense update were the Euro and AT&T ones, as far as I know. Leos ship with it, and I'm sure there were other devices that got Sense updates as well, such as the Photon and Topaz. I'm not up to speed on the models of those devices that got Sense, though. If you contact them, please post in here your conversations. If you need help crafting a proper response to the HTC support techs, please PM me. I will try to assist as best I can.
Communication log
Log between myself and HTC reps, Douglas and Danielle.
Me said:
I have both a Tilt2 and a HD2. Both are using HTC Sense as the primary GUI. On both of them, the Twitter Tab (HTC Peep) no longer works. I put in the right username and password and it always tells me that it is the wrong username or password. I have done this multiple times, and am absolutely certain that I am typing it in correctly.
After searching around for a while, it appears that I am not the only one to have this problem. I also have the HTC Peep security update installed on both of the devices, but it does not work with or without that fix.
Is HTC planning to roll out an update to fix this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC Douglas said:
understand you are unable to log in to Twitter even with the Peep security update. The link you need to download the update for is different for your two devices.
Use this first link for your Touch Pro 2:
http://www.htc.com/www/SupportViewNews.aspx?dl_id=1085&news_id=874
And this link for your HD2:
http://www.htc.com/www/SupportViewNews.aspx?dl_id=1086&news_id=865
If this does not work you may need to restore your devices to factory settings and re-apply the appropriate hotfix after backing up your information, for example with ActiveSync or the Windows Mobile Device Center to sync your information with Outlook.
Sync software is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/apps/65-downloads.aspx
You can back up your information using ActiveSync or the Windows Mobile Device Center located at the following URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/apps/65-downloads.aspx
Essentially, plug your phone into the PC after installing the software and select Activesync as your connection type. Your computer will walk you through backing up your data.
A factory data reset will clear all data from the phone's internal memory and restore the device to manufacturer defaults. Information on your storage card will be kept. To reset the phone press start>settings>(menu>all settings)>system>clear data and confirm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me said:
I just mentioned that I installed the security update already, and the response I got was to install the security update? What kind of answer is that? Even if the line of thinking was that I perhaps installed the wrong update, how would that even be possible considering the updates require the installation to pass software version checks before installing? I was trying to make this as simple as possible, but considering the response I received, it is apparent I will be unable to do this.
The problem is that the Peep Security Update did not fix the problem all the way. Originally, the Twitter account information was sent via unencrypted http headers upon login which reveal both the username and password to anyone who happens to be eavesdropping on the connection, whether it is by cellular data or wifi. Also, when sending tweets or receiving them, their is a continuous authenticate request sent which exposes the username and password again in the same manner.
The security update is not a 100% fix. After installing the update, it seems that while the initial session is now being sent over https using TCP port 443 (sending against the api.twitter.com domain), during the rest of the session, Peep switches back to HTTP basic. This still leaves the whole session after the initial login vulnerable to hijacking based on the Twitter's session ID through cookies. Because this was not fixed properly in the first place, Twitter has blocked the application from accessing its api. Twitter has increased its security measures and disallowed new authenticate requests from unsecured clients. So any device that is currently authenticated in Peep will not be affected, but once the user logs out of Twitter, does a hard reset, or a ROM upgrade, the Oauth token will be invalidated or removed and will not allow Peep to log back in.
This is the position I am currently in, along with hundreds other users. It affects every user on HTC Sense as it will break the Peep client as soon as they log out. Since these devices are still being sold as brand new, HTC should still be providing support for them, since it is the HTC software that is not functioning as intended. Now, what is HTC prepared to do for every single Sense user? All that needs to be done is to FINALLY secure the Peep client and force it to use HTTPS instead of basic HTTP. The Twitter api will refuse all new auth requests that are unencrypted.
I have attached an eavesdrop of the timeline update request that is sent when the client refreshes. Notice that the username and password are UNENCRYPTED and shown in plain text. One more time I will ask what HTC is prepared to do to solve this problem. Please don't give me a cookie cutter response again. Thank you for your time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The previously mentioned log is attached to this post.
HTC Douglas said:
Thank you for your reply. If you have performed the security update after performing a factory data reset please let me know and I can escalate this issue within HTC.
These are standard troubleshooting steps required to identify an issue and would be required before Escalations can review the case. I appreciate the additional data and log you included, as well.
Also so that I can escalate this issue, please reply with the following information:
Mobile device number:
Alternate contact number
Time zone:
Preferred contact time:
Current ROM version: (Start>Settings>about phone>software information on the HD2)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me said:
As I mentioned, this is problem is persistent through hard resets and ROM updates. Anytime you log out or clear the Peep auth token in any way, it will not allow any further logins due to the (lack of) security of Peep. The only way around this currently is to back up the registry data associated with the Peep client in [HKLM\Software\HTC\HTCAccountManager] as well as the entire folder [\Temp\TwitEng]. If these are imported into a new flash of a ROM update or after a hard reset, the client will function again, as no new initial auth request will be needed. This still does not fix the problem of the client exposing usernames and passwords during EVERY update attempt. Nor does it allow less savvy users to use the Tab after having to hard reset or update the ROM.
The Tilt 2 is running ROM version 2.10.502.4.
The HD2 is running ROM version 3.14.531.1.
You may contact me via e-mail (email removed). I prefer not to be called.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC Douglas said:
Thank you for your reply. I have escalated the issue for further review. An escalations agent will reach out to you soon. Escalations contacts are performed in the order they are received so it may take a few days for us to review this information and get in touch with you.
Thank you for the detailed information about your analysis.
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Click to collapse
HTC Danielle said:
The previous agent has forwarded your email request to the next level for further review. The escalations team will be getting back with you as soon as they have any information for you. I hope you have a safe holiday weekend.
If you need any further assistance, you are welcome to send another inquiry through the HTC website by going through the Support page (http://www.htc.com/us/support) then tapping ‘send us an email’. You should input all the necessary information requested on the page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me said:
I will be awaiting further reply. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC Travis said:
Thank you for provding us information about the shortcomings of our PEEP security update. I have verified that you are correct and have alerted our corporate office of this fact. They are researching the root cause in terms of the programming and will look into providing an update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me said:
This is great news. I'm having trouble seeing that I'm the first person to bring this to HTC's attention, though, seeing as this has been an issue for right about a month now. I figured someone else would have reported the problem before me. Please do keep me informed as this progresses. It should be as simple as forcing Peep to use secure HTTPS over TCP port 443 during the session as it does during the login procedure that was updated in February. Currently, it uses OAuth over HTTPS to establish the initial login, but switches back to HTTP basic for the remainder of the session. This allows the username and password to be seen in plain text every time the application requests an update from the Twitter API. Using this method also has another side effect. Twitter updated its security measures to disallow unencrypted requests. This means that Peep is no longer able to establish a connection since it moves from OAuth over HTTPS to HTTP basic during the initial session. If I can be of any other assistance, please let me know. I look forward to updates in this matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC Travis said:
You are not the first person to tell us they are having a problem with Twitter. You are the first person to provide us with this level of information and we thank you for that. Please reply to this email in a few days and someone should be able to give you more information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me said:
I see. I'm just doing what I can to benefit the dwindling Windows Mobile community. I will check back later this week. Thank you for the updated information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Retain Twitter Tab/Peep functionality through a flash or hard reset
Before you ask, I don't have first hand experience with this. This is based on successful attempts by other members of the community.
This only works if the Twitter Tab/Peep currently still work for you. If it doesn't, then you are out of luck, and this will not work for you.
To retain the functionality of the Peep client through a flash of a new ROM or a hard reset, you will need to follow the steps listed below.
1. Stop Sense and soft reset to make sure that Sense doesn't continue altering information while you are backing up data.
2. Back up the entire key of "HKLM\Software\HTC\HTCAccountManager." You really only need the Twitter strings, but it's easier to just back up the whole thing.
3. Backup the entire folder of \Temp\TwitEng. This is where the Twitter authentication token is stored.
4. Flash the new ROM or hard reset, whichever you need to do.
5. Once the new ROM is stable and working, stop Sense and soft reset.
6. Restore the registry key and backed up directory.
7. Soft reset and then enable Sense. The Twitter tab should now continue working for you without any trouble.
EDIT: JVH3 made a pair of posts about this HERE and HERE. The second one talks about authenticating another device with the backed up data.
Great initiative ! I'm very curious to hear about HTC's reception of the issue, and see if they will take the initiative to fix it...or imagine a way to justify how not doing it
majorasshole said:
Great initiative ! I'm very curious to hear about HTC's reception of the issue, and see if they will take the initiative to fix it...or imagine a way to justify how not doing it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please use this thread to contact HTC about the problem. Please don't link them to this thread, though. I started this with the intention that others would use the information I have gathered on the issue to contact HTC in an informed manner to get it resolved.
Basically, the more noise is made on this issue, the better chance there will be to have it fixed.
HOLY $ |-| 1 +, it worked!
Ok, so I received official word that Peep is being looked into by HTC. I would still encourage anyone reading this to contact them with the information I have provided here. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, as they say.
HTC Travis said:
Thank you for provding us information about the shortcomings of our PEEP security update. I have verified that you are correct and have alerted our corporate office of this fact. They are researching the root cause in terms of the programming and will look into providing an update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me said:
This is great news. I'm having trouble seeing that I'm the first person to bring this to HTC's attention, though, seeing as this has been an issue for right about a month now. I figured someone else would have reported the problem before me. Please do keep me informed as this progresses. It should be as simple as forcing Peep to use secure HTTPS over TCP port 443 during the session as it does during the login procedure that was updated in February. Currently, it uses OAuth over HTTPS to establish the initial login, but switches back to HTTP basic for the remainder of the session. This allows the username and password to be seen in plain text every time the application requests an update from the Twitter API. Using this method also has another side effect. Twitter updated its security measures to disallow unencrypted requests. This means that Peep is no longer able to establish a connection since it moves from OAuth over HTTPS to HTTP basic during the initial session. If I can be of any other assistance, please let me know. I look forward to updates in this matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC Travis said:
You are not the first person to tell us they are having a problem with Twitter. You are the first person to provide us with this level of information and we thank you for that. Please reply to this email in a few days and someone should be able to give you more information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me said:
I see. I'm just doing what I can to benefit the dwindling Windows Mobile community. I will check back later this week. Thank you for the updated information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cajunflavoredbob said:
Before you ask, I don't have first hand experience with this. This is based on successful attempts by other members of the community.
This only works if the Twitter Tab/Peep currently still work for you. If it doesn't, then you are out of luck, and this will not work for you.
To retain the functionality of the Peep client through a flash of a new ROM or a hard reset, you will need to follow the steps listed below.
1. Stop Sense and soft reset to make sure that Sense doesn't continue altering information while you are backing up data.
2. Back up the entire key of "HKLM\Software\HTC\HTCAccountManager." You really only need the Twitter strings, but it's easier to just back up the whole thing.
3. Backup the entire folder of \Temp\TwitEng. This is where the Twitter authentication token is stored.
4. Flash the new ROM or hard reset, whichever you need to do.
5. Once the new ROM is stable and working, stop Sense and soft reset.
6. Restore the registry key and backed up directory.
7. Soft reset and then enable Sense. The Twitter tab should now continue working for you without any trouble.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks alot like what I posted here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13790743&postcount=34951
Your thread is a better place for it though.
I also posted this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13520319&postcount=34836
Which is helpful if you have another device that still is authenticated with the Twitter tab and transfering the info to another device.
Real glad you got things going with HTC to finally work on this.
JVH3 said:
Looks alot like what I posted here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13790743&postcount=34951
Your thread is a better place for it though.
I also posted this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13520319&postcount=34836
Which is helpful if you have another device that still is authenticated with the Twitter tab and transfering the info to another device.
Real glad you got things going with HTC to finally work on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I already knew the key and file that needed to back up, but I forgot where I saw the bit about turning on and off Sense. Thanks. I'll add some credit for you.
Yea, there's a bit more that I can't post due to personal or sensitive information, but it's looking good so far. I'll keep updating this as more info rolls in. I'm hoping that other people contact them about it as well.
Very good afford cajunflavoredbob .
Lets hope Peep developer team in HTC are getting ready with new client
Thanks.
prabhat said:
Very good afford cajunflavoredbob .
Lets hope Peep developer team in HTC are getting ready with new client
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a bit more to update tonight. They have sent the information onward and are working on a fix right now. No ETA was given, however.
Ive just suffered this problem today - logged out of peep and now i cant get back in again. As i didnt know about this issue, obviously dont have any backup! Thanks for pursuing this!
This has been my ongoing encounter with HTC Support for the Touch HD / Blackstone
Simon Lee Reply
Ok, could you keep me notifed if the touch HD will get the update or not ?
Thanks 2011/06/08 18:04:45
Bjorn [EU team] Close Pending I'm not saying it won't happen, I'm just saying that at this point I can not guarantee taht the touch HD will get such an update as it is an older device. I'm not saying it won't happen, I'm just saying that at this point I can not guarantee taht the touch HD will get such an update as it is an older device. 2011/06/08 16:15:10
--
Simon Lee Reply How come thou ? If theres no fix then that might meen i will have to buy a new phone, and am quite happy with the Touch HD ?
--
2011/06/08 10:57:55 Bjorn
[EU team] Close Pending I can not guarantee That a fix will be released for the Touch HD when te issue is resolved. I can not guarantee That a fix will be released for the Touch HD when te issue is resolved.
--
2011/06/08 07:59:10 Simon Lee Reply
Yeah, i realise its an Unoffical ROM, but thats beside the point, When tyou fix the HTC peep, will the Touch HD get a Upgrade for 6.1 with the HTC Peep fix?
--
2011/06/07 17:15:23 Bjorn [EU team]
Close Pending As your device is runnig an unaproved ROM we are unable to support it and can not guarantee that any applications will work properly. We have how ever had reports regarding this and are looking in to it on our approved ROM's, As your device is runnig an unaproved ROM we are unable to support it and can not guarantee that any applications will work properly. We have how ever had reports regarding this and are looking in to it on our approved ROM's,
--
2011/06/07 16:14:50
spikeyl said:
Ive just suffered this problem today - logged out of peep and now i cant get back in again. As i didnt know about this issue, obviously dont have any backup! Thanks for pursuing this!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theres some kind of solution floating around here somewere
- Edit -
you could try this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=708770
Thanks - i found this earlier and tried all these but none of them work! Having read through the thread above I can see why though - it is related to the security authentication issue, so currently no fix.
spikeyl said:
Thanks - i found this earlier and tried all these but none of them work! Having read through the thread above I can see why though - it is related to the security authentication issue, so currently no fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, and HTC are planning on bring out a fix, but wont say which devices, will get the supported fix,
Simon_WM said:
Yeah, and HTC are planning on bring out a fix, but wont say which devices, will get the supported fix,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only devices that will get the fix are the ones that have official Sense 2.5 ROMs. There are only four of them.
1. Leo
2. Rhodium
3. Photon
4. Topaz
My recent communications with HTC contain personal information regarding the fix. It is being worked on, but there is no current ETA that they have provided. I am keeping in touch with them and working with HTC to resolve the problem. I'll update this thread as more information is provided to me.
EDIT: Please don't post here about possible fixes. There is no fix for this error. The problem is with Peep and has nothing to do with Twitter. Logging in and out of Twitter on the desktop will have no bearing on the Peep application. No applications are allowed to access Twitter's API though unsecured connections, thus Peep is excluded.
My Twitter also stopped working sometime last week, but I don't ever remember logging out. However when I scrolled past the peep tab on my HD2 this morning it read "no tweets" instead of the click to login screen (or whatever it said). I clicked the screen and now have tweets going back to sometime yesterday. Is this any way connected?
jools5431 said:
My Twitter also stopped working sometime last week, but I don't ever remember logging out. However when I scrolled past the peep tab on my HD2 this morning it read "no tweets" instead of the click to login screen (or whatever it said). I clicked the screen and now have tweets going back to sometime yesterday. Is this any way connected?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is unrelated if you did not log out, as far as we know. Twitter isn't yet blocking anyone from their API who already has a connection. They are only refusing new attempts.
HTC knows the problem, is working on it, but still no ETA
Just to add my story:
Originally Posted by Me
After flashing a new row to my HTC HD Mini, HTC Peep cannot sync with Twitter anymore.
I have flashed this rom: http://www.htc.com/europe/SupportDownload.aspx?p_id=314&cat=2&dl_id=980
And updated it with this update: http://www.htc.com/europe/SupportDownload.aspx?p_id=314&cat=0&dl_id=1085
When I enter my account and password, HTC Peep tells me: "You entered an incorrect username or password".
The account and password are OK, since I can use them via the web and other Twitter-applications.
I tried revoking HTC Peep as a Twitter-application and then re-adding HTC Peep.
But the message is still "You entered an incorrect username or password".
From an old backup I have retrieved registry settings at HKLM\Software\HTC\HTCAccountManager and the directory at \Temp\TwitEng.
After putting these settings back into the new rom I get a message: "The account was forbidden to access the twitter server!"
This is logically because I revoked HTC Peep as a Twitter-application at the Twitter website.
So, the HTC Peep client does not recreate the connection to Twitter.
Please provide a solution or update so that the HTC Peep client will work again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Originally Posted by HTC
Thank you for contacting HTC Support.
The problems you are experiencing is because of a change in the Twitter API's that Peep has not yet adapted to.
Unfortunately I have no ETA for when this might be.
Until then I can only recommend using another Twitter client.
I hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Originally Posted by Me
Thank you for the answer.
I am already using another Twitter client, but miss Peep...
I sincerely hope that Peep will be adapted soon.
Is this problem (already) sent to the development department?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Originally Posted by HTC Thank you for your email.
Yes, HTC is working on solving this issue as soon as possible.
If you have any further queries please don't hesitate to contact HTC again.
Have a nice weekend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, HTC knows the problem, is working on it. But still no ETA.....
wensing said:
Just to add my story:
So, HTC knows the problem, is working on it. But still no ETA.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's good to hear someone else's experience. I will ry to get back in touch with the HTC rep I've been communicating with this evening or tomorrow to see if there are any updates.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have looked and looked at the forums here and cannot find an answer. Forgive me if this question is already here somewhere.
Anyway, down to business. A few weeks ago, my phone was lost/stolen. I called it in as lost and got all that taken care of. However, I am now getting emails for Android Market purchases that I am not making. Obviously, I need to cancel that card and get a new one.
I am wondering if I can see which device these purchases were made from, so I can see if it is my lost/stolen phone.
I know that my ex-wife may have the information, and my girlfriend has used my account to make purchases from the market. But, neither of them have made these purchases.
Thanks for your help in advance.
Not that I know of.
Have you changed the password on your GMail (or other connected Google account) for that phone? That should be the very first thing you do.
I also recommend going through the GMail security checklist (Google it - can't post links).
Thanks, Mica
Hello xdadevelopers,
I've been having a heck of a time accessing the market to get U.S. apps that I'm otherwise entitled to owning. Being outside the country doesn't allow me to download these.
I then came across:
http://www.abtevrythng.com/2010/10/how-to-download-android-apps-which-are.html
As you can read from the instructions, it states that you must hand over your Google username and password.
Humm.... Isn't that exactly what one should not do????
I have not used AppBrain myself, but it is a huge and very popular portal.
I doubt it will misuse your google credentials and i probably would have heard of something like that happening.
But i can understand your worries and it is good to ask before just entering ones passwords and account into random sites.
Lets wait for another answer, maybe from someone using appbrain, as i don't plan on signing up there .
try VPN,pls.
I don't use appbrain myself, but I know people who do. Very good app, from what I've heard.
GhostElves said:
try VPN,pls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What? Spam?
Hello all,
I apologize if I'm in the wrong section.
I'm trying to get a hold of the Garmin Pilot app, but it's not available in Canada and thus it won't let me download it. I'm not actually sure if it would work in Canada, since they might not have the data for Canadian airports built in, but I still think it's worth a try, since there are no other good pilot apps on Android.
The app is a 30 day trial (free install) before having to subscribe to their service, so I imagine that all someone in the US would need to do is download the app, find the apk, and copy it. But I don't know too much on that subject.
Here's the Play Store link.
I would super appreciate if someone could help me out.
Thanks in advance
So, I am not sure if that is against the XDA rules or not - seems like a gray area and all. I am not taking the chance, but I will give you a way to do it yourself.
http://www.phnworld.com/android/download-apks-from-googleandroid-play-store-apps-using-computer/611/
This link shows you how to use Chrome to download apps from the market. I have used it quite a bit to have backups without having to use the phone. Kind of neat if you want to theme an app as well.
Hopefully this will solve your issue without having to ask others to possibly break a XDA rule.
Good luck!
That will actually would work perfectly. Thank you for showing that to me. I didn't mean to bend any rules here, I figured it would be alright since it's a free app (isn't the same thing being done with the Google Play Music app?)
Anyway, the only problem with that is that apparently chrome no longer allows you to install extensions outside of the web store -_-
Do you work around that somehow?
Good Morning,
I have tried multiple ways to access this app from the market but continue to receive the "not available in yoir country" error (I am also in Canada).
Any help in obtaining the apk is greatly appreciated. The current version is 2.4.1.
Thank you kindly,
- Audi.
Canadian Solution Garmin Pilot
Audi!
Took me few tries but i finally got it working. The IPad was much easier to set up as you only needed a ITunes account with a USA address. That was pretty easy to do, setup the account and ensure your ITunes on your apple product is setup using that account. From there it was no issue to download the program.
Now the harder one was to set up the Android. I just got an Asus Nexus 7 yesterday. First, the service from these guys was pretty minimal to say the least. The problem with the Nexus is that it automatically picked up my location through my IP address. I called Asus to remove the regional setting and they were no help. They basically were unable to change this setting. I have tried many different options including removing the GPS and locations access but it did not worked.
The trick was to drive over to a friend which has a setup with a US IP address to get US Netflix content. The moment i logged into his network, I had the ability to download the Garmin Pilot. I will travel next week to Montana and Idaho and will be able to see how the system works. The only way I was able to add different airports in Alberta and Saskatchewan was to add them one at a time under user waypoints.
Hope this help.
Hom
Audi2Audi said:
Good Morning,
I have tried multiple ways to access this app from the market but continue to receive the "not available in yoir country" error (I am also in Canada).
Any help in obtaining the apk is greatly appreciated. The current version is 2.4.1.
Thank you kindly,
- Audi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, I've made a big blunder. I was able to create a vivo account with a virtual Chinese phone number. Unfortunately, I was not able to create a password and I cannot access the phone number anymore. So, my phone is stuck on "my" Vivo account. Is there a solution to remove this account ?
I know it's possible to do it when it's a Google account....
Edit 07.13 : Just to inform you that I found a way to fully reset the phone. If someone is interested, just contact me, I'd be glad to help.
I will tell you what happened to me, and I'm afraid it will not please you. Certainly not help you. At least it will tell you where you are and what is your only option left. Creating an account by adding a (Chinese) tel number, sends a verification code to that number. With the verification number you can confirm the account/password that you created, and starting that moment it is your account, and the one you need to confirm from time to time (by inserting the password) to change specific settings in your phone. It happened my phone also asked me for the password while installing some apps. Not on a really regular base, but simple and straightforward. So I got my new NEX, and I discovered very quickly like everyone else that it needed a VIVO account to set things up as needed. Based on reviews, I contacted the shop in China where I ordered my NEX, and confronted them with this vivo account fact. They said they were aware of the need of a VIVO account, but this only needed a Chinese tel number for people living in China. I was confident. So when my NEX arrived, it was an unpleasant surprise to find out it needed indeed a Chinese tel number to create a VIVO account. When I contacted the seller, I was hoping they would show me the way to register an account without living in China, like they had answered me before. They admitted they had been wrong about that Chinese number, so they offered me to use their tel number for registering my VIVO account. I was a little upset by the fact I had been mislead by my seller, so I didn't immediately grab their offer for creating an account based on their number. In the meantime, I had read about the public account spread by the VIVO support team, and based on this I registered the account on my NEX. After a few days, I began to feel uncomfortable about this 'public' account, as I really wanted my phone to be mine, without any restrictions whatsoever, as we are told to 'not try to change the account information and don't save any personal information in this account'. It's my phone after all! So I started thinking: if my seller allows me to use her phone number, then i shall have my own account and I will be able to use my phone however I like. So I contacted my seller again, and created a VIVO account with their tel number. That was easy: register a new account, and wait for PM from my seller to get the verification code. Peace of cake. I had my own account. Well... Not really. Was this a good way to do this? Is this safe? After all, it is not MY tel number, but from some 'anonymous' seller in a shop in China... I started to doubt. I thought, no worries, I can always go back to the public account when needed. And how do we change account? Looks so easy, I tried to do it, just in case. For changing the VIVO account, you need to log out from your actual account. And to log out from your account, you need the... password. When I introduced the password, I got the 'incorrect password' message. Several attempts later, I was thrown out of the 'next try' options, and asked if I wanted to retrieve my password. Hell no! My password not being accepted any more proved that it had been a bad idea to trust this 'anonymous' Chinese tel number to base my account upon. So I decided to throw everything of my phone again, hard reset, start from scratch, and resign myself by accepting the public account registration with its restrictions. To my surprise, my NEX didn't allow me to do that: after starting up from scratch, it showed the message: 'this phone is locked, and registered to this <Chinese tel number> account, please insert the password... I was stuck! When contacting VIVO support, explaining the situation, they said they couldn't help me, as it was not their account, and I had to contact the account number owner. Well, thank you for the support. Ok, I suppose this is a security matter, and they have their rules. Meaning I really needed to contact my seller again to retrieve my password, by requesting a verification code to be send to them. I had no choice, so I did it. I waited for a reply. And waited... No reply. No reply for a day... I slightly started to panic. Jeezz... are these people really that bad? Did they change the account password on purpose? Are they going to ask for a ransom to unlock the account? Ransomware? Will I have to buy a new device? (It will sure be a NEX again, despite the account troubles - which are my own fault - it is a wonderful device, that I discovered in the mean time)... I was really desperate. Untill the next day my seller simply messaged me that I could do a new verification code request to retrieve the password. So I did, and a few minutes later I got the code, retrieved my password, removed the account, and registered the public account. After that... enlightenment! Setting up a new phone is one of those things I love so much. It took me a few hours to get everything installed and set up so it felt again like 'my' phone, and I haven't stopped to get amazed about its performances and possibilities since that day.
Meaning, in the end, that you should be aware that whatever (Chinese) tel number you use to register your VIVO account, you always should be sure that the owner of this number is a real person, that you trust, and that you always can rely on should account troubles occur.I presume my seller didn't have any bad intentions when letting me use their number, but having no experience with this VIVO account they also allowed other people to use it for registering their account, without mentioning 'not try to change the account information', and someone did...
That's why I want to excuse myself toward any Chinese shop about reflecting here any doubt about their honesty. On the contrary, we live in another part of the world, in another time zone, and we sometimes forget shops in China have holidays too. In the end, they were very helpful, not really expert on the new NEX device (who is?) and they stay in my contacts/friends group. The shop is named HongKong Telling Communication Store
China (Guangdong) (Pp) (link: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/gr...765.html?spm=2114.12010608.0.0.31151860rkjiWg). They are friendly, they are simply good people and correct. I forgot to tell you they added some presents with my phone: screen protectors, a silicon case, and 'Lord of the rings' gadget which I don't really know what it is used for.
Thanks for reading.
Guy1731 said:
I will tell you what happened to me, and I'm afraid it will not please you. Certainly not help you. At least it will tell you where you are and what is your only option left. Creating an account by adding a (Chinese) tel number, sends a verification code to that number. With the verification number you can confirm the account/password that you created, and starting that moment it is your account, and the one you need to confirm from time to time (by inserting the password) to change specific settings in your phone. It happened my phone also asked me for the password while installing some apps. Not on a really regular base, but simple and straightforward. So I got my new NEX, and I discovered very quickly like everyone else that it needed a VIVO account to set things up as needed. Based on reviews, I contacted the shop in China where I ordered my NEX, and confronted them with this vivo account fact. They said they were aware of the need of a VIVO account, but this only needed a Chinese tel number for people living in China. I was confident. So when my NEX arrived, it was an unpleasant surprise to find out it needed indeed a Chinese tel number to create a VIVO account. When I contacted the seller, I was hoping they would show me the way to register an account without living in China, like they had answered me before. They admitted they had been wrong about that Chinese number, so they offered me to use their tel number for registering my VIVO account. I was a little upset by the fact I had been mislead by my seller, so I didn't immediately grab their offer for creating an account based on their number. In the meantime, I had read about the public account spread by the VIVO support team, and based on this I registered the account on my NEX. After a few days, I began to feel uncomfortable about this 'public' account, as I really wanted my phone to be mine, without any restrictions whatsoever, as we are told to 'not try to change the account information and don't save any personal information in this account'. It's my phone after all! So I started thinking: if my seller allows me to use her phone number, then i shall have my own account and I will be able to use my phone however I like. So I contacted my seller again, and created a VIVO account with their tel number. That was easy: register a new account, and wait for PM from my seller to get the verification code. Peace of cake. I had my own account. Well... Not really. Was this a good way to do this? Is this safe? After all, it is not MY tel number, but from some 'anonymous' seller in a shop in China... I started to doubt. I thought, no worries, I can always go back to the public account when needed. And how do we change account? Looks so easy, I tried to do it, just in case. For changing the VIVO account, you need to log out from your actual account. And to log out from your account, you need the... password. When I introduced the password, I got the 'incorrect password' message. Several attempts later, I was thrown out of the 'next try' options, and asked if I wanted to retrieve my password. Hell no! My password not being accepted any more proved that it had been a bad idea to trust this 'anonymous' Chinese tel number to base my account upon. So I decided to throw everything of my phone again, hard reset, start from scratch, and resign myself by accepting the public account registration with its restrictions. To my surprise, my NEX didn't allow me to do that: after starting up from scratch, it showed the message: 'this phone is locked, and registered to this <Chinese tel number> account, please insert the password... I was stuck! When contacting VIVO support, explaining the situation, they said they couldn't help me, as it was not their account, and I had to contact the account number owner. Well, thank you for the support. Ok, I suppose this is a security matter, and they have their rules. Meaning I really needed to contact my seller again to retrieve my password, by requesting a verification code to be send to them. I had no choice, so I did it. I waited for a reply. And waited... No reply. No reply for a day... I slightly started to panic. Jeezz... are these people really that bad? Did they change the account password on purpose? Are they going to ask for a ransom to unlock the account? Ransomware? Will I have to buy a new device? (It will sure be a NEX again, despite the account troubles - which are my own fault - it is a wonderful device, that I discovered in the mean time)... I was really desperate. Untill the next day my seller simply messaged me that I could do a new verification code request to retrieve the password. So I did, and a few minutes later I got the code, retrieved my password, removed the account, and registered the public account. After that... enlightenment! Setting up a new phone is one of those things I love so much. It took me a few hours to get everything installed and set up so it felt again like 'my' phone, and I haven't stopped to get amazed about its performances and possibilities since that day.
Meaning, in the end, that you should be aware that whatever (Chinese) tel number you use to register your VIVO account, you always should be sure that the owner of this number is a real person, that you trust, and that you always can rely on should account troubles occur.I presume my seller didn't have any bad intentions when letting me use their number, but having no experience with this VIVO account they also allowed other people to use it for registering their account, without mentioning 'not try to change the account information', and someone did...
That's why I want to excuse myself toward any Chinese shop about reflecting here any doubt about their honesty. On the contrary, we live in another part of the world, in another time zone, and we sometimes forget shops in China have holidays too. In the end, they were very helpful, not really expert on the new NEX device (who is?) and they stay in my contacts/friends group. The shop is named HongKong Telling Communication Store
China (Guangdong) (Pp) (link: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/gr...765.html?spm=2114.12010608.0.0.31151860rkjiWg). They are friendly, they are simply good people and correct. I forgot to tell you they added some presents with my phone: screen protectors, a silicon case, and 'Lord of the rings' gadget which I don't really know what it is used for.
Thanks for reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing your experience, still it won't help me a lot, because my problem is that I used a virtual phone number to create my account, and this number is no longer active. I would never have considered creating an account, but this was the only way to change the launcher for good. This was my first Vivo phone and probably the last one.
Have you tried a factory reset?
I hope that the futur global rom will permit us to create an "international" Vivo account.
if anyone reading this message created a Vivo account using a virtual phone number ending with 61508, please contact me in private. Thanks
evenshop said:
Thanks for sharing your experience, still it won't help me a lot, because my problem is that I used a virtual phone number to create my account, and this number is no longer active. I would never have considered creating an account, but this was the only way to change the launcher for good. This was my first Vivo phone and probably the last one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My message was that you should get in touch with the shop where you bought your NEX, and acquire an agreement for returning your phone and have it Factory reset by VIVO. I'm afraid that's the only solution.
Yes, actually I'm the shop , but I will return it to my supplier. If only the rom.bin was available, I could flash it myself...
Hello, I was able to obtain the Update file : https://mega.nz/#!5I4hxaQD!FBdmF9C8q8AWfOmb0qlFvIrvP2BI1JgXNBHdpyABjlE
Can anyone help me so that I can flash it with SP Flash Tool ? Thus I may be able to fully reflash my device and get rid of this Vivo Account...
evenshop said:
Hello, I was able to obtain the Update file : https://mega.nz/#!IBoSBCKK!jxb8Bsfm1z_nFm2GjA8dSrnGQXDarpCTLtE_oybIQSA
Can anyone help me so that I can flash it with SP Flash Tool ? Thus I may be able to fully reflash my device and get rid of this Vivo Account...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I've read,this SP Flash Tool may not be compatible with the VIVO NEX:
The flash tool is intended for use with phones equipped with Media-Tek processors,the VIVO NEX has a Qualcomm SnapDragon 845 processor.
If it may help some people here is a link to the full update : https://mega.nz/#!5I4hxaQD!FBdmF9C8q8AWfOmb0qlFvIrvP2BI1JgXNBHdpyABjlE
As for me, I'm fed up with Vivo. It's unacceptable to force poeple to have an account just to use an alternative launcher.
evenshop said:
If it may help some people here is a link to the full update : https://mega.nz/#!5I4hxaQD!FBdmF9C8q8AWfOmb0qlFvIrvP2BI1JgXNBHdpyABjlE
As for me, I'm fed up with Vivo. It's unacceptable to force poeple to have an account just to use an alternative launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nobody force you to buy a chinese phone that is not sell natif with google play store.
t7gc7 said:
Nobody force you to buy a chinese phone that is not sell natif with google play store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not the problem. Google Play Store can be installed very easily (just download it from VivoStore....) What doesn't please me, is that you have to have a Vivo account just to use another launcher. That's my opinion and of course, you can think differently.
In other country if you want Nova you need Gapps and a Google account ... In China, they need a ViVo account for Vapps. Wait for a global version if you dont want this kind of problem.
evenshop said:
If it may help some people here is a link to the full update : https://mega.nz/#!5I4hxaQD!FBdmF9C8q8AWfOmb0qlFvIrvP2BI1JgXNBHdpyABjlE
As for me, I'm fed up with Vivo. It's unacceptable to force poeple to have an account just to use an alternative launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bet by holding down power, volume down, and volume up you can boot into fastboot. Then go to recovery. You get a menu with a bunch of Chinese options. I bet one of them would be update from phone storage. Probably something you can try...
Maybe nobody gives a damn, but I am glad to inform you that I was able to fully reset my phone and get rid of the account it was blocked on, without knowing the password of the Vivo account and without being able to receive text message on the phone number linked with the device. If anyone is stuck in the same situation, I'd be glad to help. But I won't tell the process here, because I don't want Vivo to know how to do it (if they ignore it)
evenshop said:
Maybe nobody gives a damn, but I am glad to inform you that I was able to fully reset my phone and get rid of the account it was blocked on, without knowing the password of the Vivo account and without being able to receive text message on the phone number linked with the device. If anyone is stuck in the same situation, I'd be glad to help. But I won't tell the process here, because I don't want Vivo to know how to do it (if they ignore it)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same problem here... pm sended!
evenshop said:
Maybe nobody gives a damn, but I am glad to inform you that I was able to fully reset my phone and get rid of the account it was blocked on, without knowing the password of the Vivo account and without being able to receive text message on the phone number linked with the device. If anyone is stuck in the same situation, I'd be glad to help. But I won't tell the process here, because I don't want Vivo to know how to do it (if they ignore it)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course i want to know how to full reset this phone! Pm send. :good:
No feedback from @evenshop i have sended it back to china, to unlock it on a Vivo support center..
Miyagi said:
No feedback from @evenshop i have sended it back to china, to unlock it on a Vivo support center..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, sorry but I'm not connected 24/7. I am going to tell you how to do it. First let's me explain again in what situtation I was in :
I performed a hard reset with the recovery. So I was stuck at startup screen (even not able to access home screen). My phone was linked to a Vivo the password of which I didn't know + had no access to the phone number it was linked with.
How to do it (sorry if I'm not 100% accurate, because I did many things, and I was dead tired).
1) When you are connected to your wifi, go the first screen of the gallery : https://imgur.com/a/ePeIhtT
2) Press on the left button on your phone to access "Jovi"
3) Then you go to "Vivio find my Phone". To to so, follow each of the screen you'll find here (in the right order) :
1) (click on the head)
2) (click on the head again)
3)(click on Vivo, last link at the bottom)
4)(click on Vivo cloud)
5)(click onfind my phone)
6)(click on the link "findphone.vivo.com)
Then you'll be redirected to the Vivo find my phone screen. From there, choose the toogle "erase". It's a brush. You'll probably get an error message.
Then find the restart button "circle with a small bar", at the buttom right corner if I remember well. You'll have to scroll down to find it.
Then your phone will restart and fully reset.