Android Questions Answered: Bloatware, Rooting, Netflix and Nexus Updates

Removing bloatware without rooting

A reader with an HTC One S wanted to remove pre-installed apps without rooting. Apps cannot be uninstalled without root, but on Ice Cream Sandwich they can be disabled. Open Settings, then Apps, pick the app and choose Disable. You may need to swipe between the Downloaded, Running and All tabs to find it.

Changing the default music player

If you have two music apps, Android should ask which one to use for an audio clip in an email. If it does not, either you only have one player or you already chose a default. To reset it, go to Settings, then Apps, open the player, scroll to Launch by Default and tap Clear Defaults.

Netflix errors

For the message about connection trouble, the writer found a reboot or force close usually fixes it. Keep pressing Back to reach the app’s main menu, then hold Back until it offers to exit. If that fails, go to Settings, then Apps, open Netflix and try Clear cache, then Clear data, which means signing in again. The writer used the app daily and needed the fix only a few times in seven months.

Battery trouble on a Galaxy Nexus

A reader reported a phone that kept switching itself back on at about 50 percent battery. The writer could not reproduce it on another phone with the same version and suspected a background app. The suggested method is to uninstall apps one at a time, test, and reinstall, or do a factory reset and test before installing anything.

Why rooting looks harder than it is

Guides list many steps because the authors do not want you to miss one and damage your phone. The writer said it mostly looks like more than it is, and watching someone do it once helps. The basic steps are usually:

1. Unlock the bootloader and gain root, often with a one-click tool.
2. Flash a custom recovery.
3. Flash a new ROM.

Before the one-click step you need the right computer drivers for the phone and the Android bridge tools (adb).

Other answers

• Pay-as-you-go: You should be able to use your current phone. A newer flagship such as the Galaxy S III would have to be bought at full price. Ask the carrier.
• Bluetooth and the headphone jack together: The writer tried Bluetooth headphones, then plugged in wired ones, and the wired pair took over. No way to run both was found.
• Google apps and services in Canada: Some services, such as magazines and music, need content licences, and Google said it was working on them.
• Next Nexus timing: Earlier Nexus phones had arrived about eleven months apart, but the estimate was uncertain.
• Staffing: The blog had a new lead writer for day-to-day posts, while earlier writers posted less often.

Left open

Several questions were left for readers: Nexus or Galaxy S III for updates versus hardware, duplicate songs on an SD card, and which carrier’s updates apply to an unlocked phone used on another network.