[Ref] Galaxy Nexus 4.3 tips & tricks with important info to know

Hello everyone, i see here to collect and post some known and maybe unknown tips and tricks with some important information, hoping this will be useful for users.

Any more tips, tricks and suggestions from users are always welcomed. And please feel free to make corrections for any wrong or missed information in this post

The Galaxy Nexus (GT-I9250) is a touchscreen Android smartphone developed by a partnership between Google and Samsung. The phone and operating system were developed collaboratively by engineers from both companies. It is the third generation successor to Google's previous flagship phones: the Nexus One and Nexus S. The Galaxy Nexus has a high-definition (1280 × 720) Super AMOLED display with curved glass, an improved camera and has an unlockable bootloader to allow further development and end-user modification. Nexus devices are the first Android devices to receive updates to the operating system. The name of this smartphone is the result of co-branding between the Samsung Galaxy and Google Nexus brands of Android smartphones. The device is known as the Galaxy X in Brazil, however, due to a trademark on the "Nexus" brand.

The Galaxy Nexus was unveiled jointly by Google and Samsung on October 19, 2011 in Hong Kong. It was released in Europe on November 17, 2011.
It is one of the few phones recommended by the Android Open Source Project for building Android from source.
The Galaxy Nexus is no longer available for sale on the Google Play Store as of October 29, 2012 with the announcement of its successor, the LG Nexus 4.

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Google begins to roll Jelly Bean 4.3 on Gnex which have some notable modifications but not at the level that users expect. Not as usual, OTA begun to roll first on yakju build not takju. Users who already got their hands on the latest firmware update have reported what is new:

- More secured ADB. (as 4.2.2)

- Fix the Bluetooth audio bugs.

- Better battery performance noticed.

- Performance enhancements.

-System UI lag also gone.

-Camera rotation lag is reduced.

-Dial pad autocomplete, can be enabled from call settings.

-you will notice more ram freeing.

-Google Hindi Input is added in "Language and imput".

-supporting of App Ops (optional permissions), see here.

** 4.3 supports now "OpenGL ES 3.0" for High-Performance Graphics and "Connectivity with Bluetooth Smart devices and sensors" and "Optimized Location and Sensor Capabilities", but unfortunately, our devices does not support it.
Support for "Restricted Profiles" is only for Nexus tablets


Did you install Android 4.3 on your Nexus device? Have you noticed anything new in Android 4.3? Please post it.

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Q1) I didn't receive OTA update and i am on unrooted stock firmware?
A Go to Settings > Apps > All > Google Services Framework, clear data, then go to Settings > About phone > System update > Check now. repeat procedure many times.

Q2) Kies program does not recognize my Gnex, i want to update firmware?
A Gnex firmware is not supported by Samsung Kies. it is updated directly from Google.

Q3) Can i make a screen shot on stock firmware?
A Yes you can! user doesn’t need to root the device or employ third-party apps just to take a photo of what's happening on screen. Taking a screenshot is simple, just press the volume down and power buttons together. The device will quickly take a snapshot of the screen and you will find it in your notifications.

Q4) What is Barrel Roll?
A As part of Google's regular antics, it had introduced a "barrel roll" trick for desktop browsers. Type "do a barrel roll" as a search term, and Google would demonstrate the power of modern browsers by flipping everything around on your screen. Your Android device can also do a barrel roll if you speak out the same command. Again, It's great fun to show off.

Q5) How can i uninstall an app. without going to setting?
A Long-pressing on an app within the app drawer pops up a couple of menus along the top of the screen. App Info gives you the boring technical stuff about how much memory it's taking up, or you can fling it off the other way to uninstall it.

Q6) How can i go directly to the quick settings menu?
A expand notification bar by sliding two fingers.

Q7) What is inverted rendering?
A Inverted rendering is a posh way of saying it makes the pages black and turns the text white, so it looks like you're reading the internet from 1997. It also supposedly saves battery, plus is easier on the eyes if you're reading in the dark. It's under the browser's settings tab, within the accessibility area - and there's a contrast slider, too.

Q8) How can i reboot into safe mode?
A Safe mode, the savior of so many Windows PCs! If you are experiencing a problem with your Gnex and you want to determine whether it is being caused by a third-party app, long-press the power button, then long-press the Power off option. Choose OK to reboot in safe mode, which completely disables all third-party apps on your device. If the problem goes away when you’re in safe mode, you should reboot your device and start removing recently installed apps until the problem goes away.

Q9) What does reset app. preferences means?
A Android gives you loads of different options for each installed app, and on the whole this is a very good thing. Sometimes it can be a bad thing, though: you may find your phone playing up because a crucial app has been disabled, or you've changed the notifications for something important like emails. In the apps drawer, you'll find Reset app preferences under the settings. This resets all your apps on a global level, returning actions and data settings to their original levels.

Q10) What is imojis?
A "Emojis" are the Japanese version of emoticons. You can enable emoji support for the default Jelly Bean keyboard by choosing Language & input in the settings app, then going to the settings for the stock Android keyboard. Here, choose Add-on dictionaries and select Emoji for English words. When you next type certain words (there's a complete list here) you'll see its symbol appear in the predictions bar.

Q11) What is the difference between takju and yakju?
A These android builds are almost the same but there are some differences in terms of their android updates. Takju: Mobiles which brought from Google play store in USA and come with a Google wallet pre-installed. In these devices, android update is pushed by Google itself and they are almost first to receive an OTA update. Yakju: Mobiles which brought from Google store but outside of USA, update are also pushed by Google, but this update might delay by some days or weeks. So, do check your android build if your device is running android build other than takju, then change it in takju build to an OTA update first.

Q12) How do i know what is my Gnex android build?
A Download Android System Info application from play store or you can check it from Maps>setting>about.

Q13) I can not see Developer Options in settings?
A Google hide this option, to enable it just go to settings---->about phone, tap 7 times on "build number" and it will be shown in settings.

Q14) how to make apps, data and sdcard backup & restore?
A Refer to post # 286.

Q15) I received 4.3 OTA update, ADB can not recognize my Gnex. What should I do?
A Download and install Android SDK, if you already have it on your PC just update tools and platform-tools. you must have latest ADB version (1.0.31). If you do not want to install Android SDK, download attached file (thx to xaueious).

Q16) How can i make my Gnex feel snappier?
A By speeding up (or disabling) the animated fade-in effects you see when switching between tasks, you’ll see a boost in performance and faster screen transitions. Start by unhiding “Developer options” as described above. Once in “Developer options,” scroll down to the “Window animation scale” and “Transition animation scale” options and set both to .5x. You can even turn each of these off and transitioning between apps and pages will be almost instant. If you ever want to go back, remember the defaults for both of these settings are 1x.

Q17) How can i improve my gaming graphics?
A If you are a hard-core gamer, you probably already know what 4x anti-aliasing is. First, enable Developer Options as described above, then go to Settings and click on Developer Options and enable Force 4x MSAA. Multisample anti-aliasing (MSAA) is a technique used to improve image quality. Since the Gnex has a GPU capable of supporting MSAA, this setting should make your graphics look more detailed when you are playing advanced games. Keep in mind this will also cause your GPU to work harder and your device may get hotter and consume more power than normal. It’s also possible that all games may not support this.

Q18) I want to see Jelly Bean on my screen, can i?
A Yes you can, go to settings---->about phone tap quickly 4-5 times on android version, you will see a big Jelly bean, touch and hold it, you will see small flying Jelly beans.

Q19) How can i customize my LED notifications?
A A free app called Light Flow Lite allows you to take control of the colors of your notification LED. It also makes your Gnex flash one color after another. This app allows you to set the notification color for over 250 applications and system events including missed calls, low battery, no signal, voice mail, calendar reminders, Gmail messages, email messages, SMS messages, MMS messages, Twitter notifications and more.

Q20) How can i put my Gnex in fastboot/recovery mode?
A Turn off your phone, press and hold down Volume Up and Down keys + Power button at the same time until fastboot (bootloader) mode (image of an Android with Start) appears then release the keys. Press volume up or down and select recovery by pressing power button. (For stock recovery, when you see an android logo with exclamation mark, press power + volume up to see the recovery menu).

Q21) How can i put my Gnex in download mode (odin mode)?
A Turn off your phone, press and hold down Volume down + Power button at the same time until odin mode appears then release the keys.

Q22) Why google voice search is crashing when i press on mic when i am on a custom rom?
A Update google search from play store.

Q23) My Gnex screen is turning on by itself, what is happening?
A It is caused by an application, usually by live wallpapers, try to find it and delete it, or install an antivirus app., i recommend Dr.Web Anti-virus, scan, delete, wipe cache and dalvik (optional).

Q24) sometimes i lose packet data (3G) when i turn it off then on, i turn off then turn on my Gnex to enable packet data again?
A There is no need to turn your phone off and on to re-enable packet data, just long press on power button, enable airplane mode for 3-5 seconds then disable it.

Q25) I rooted my Gnex, what to do next?
A It is recommended to make a nandroid backup immediately.

Q26) I rooted my Gnex 4.3, made a nandroid backup, but i can not find my backup folder?
A Use a file manager, enable root option, your backup folder is located in data/media/clockworkmod or mnt/shell/emulated/clockwordmod.

Q27) The kernel does not support PGM, is there a solution?
A change the kernel, or install intellicover application.

Q28) Do i need to wipe cache partition when flashing a new rom?
A No, there is no need to wipe cache, because when you wipe data/factory reset, cache is wiped automatically. Some said to wipe cache and dalvik after flashing a new rom to prevent any potential conflict.

Q29) I rooted my Gnex 4.3, flash custom recovery, but when i reboot into recovery, it shows the stock recovery!?
A Every OTA update places two files on device system (that are not there on a non-update stock ROM) that re-flash the stock recovery on EVERY boot. The two files are /system/recovery-from-boot.p and /system/etc/install-recovery.sh. You need to make sure that these files are either deleted or renamed, or else custom recovery will disappear when you reboot. These files serve no purpose other than re-flashing the stock recovery on every boot. So, by using something like Root Explorer, delete or rename them, and re-flash your custom recovery.

Q30) My Gnex won't start, i can not get into fastboot mode, only i can get into download mode?
A Use odin to flash stock firmware here.

Q31) What is the easiest way to install samsung driver?
A The easiest way is to install Samsung Kies.

Q32) How can i flash stock image on my Gnex?
A See efrant thread.

Q33) What about governors, I/O schedulers.....?
A See droidphile thread.

Q34) How to properly post a kernel bug (LAST_KMSG)?
A See ciprianruse88 thread.

Q35) What is the best kernel for my Gnex?
A There is no something called "best kernel". You must try many kernels and decide what suit your rom and your need.

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Rooting is often performed with the goal of overcoming limitations that carriers and hardware manufacturers put on some devices, resulting in the ability to alter or replace system applications and settings, run specialized apps that require administrator-level permissions, or perform other operations that are otherwise inaccessible to a normal Android user. Rooting is similar to jailbreaking devices running the Apple iOS operating system. On Android, rooting can also facilitate the complete removal and replacement of the device's operating system, usually with a more recent release of its current operating system. Rooting enables all the user-installed applications to run privileged commands that are typically unavailable to the devices in their stock configuration.

Legality: The Free Software Foundation Europe argues that it is legal to root or flash any device. According to the European Directive 1999/44/CE, replacing the original operating system with another does not void the statutory warranty that covers the hardware of the device for two years unless the seller can prove that the modification caused the defect.
On July 26, 2010, the United States announced a new exemption making it officially legal to root a device and run unauthorized third-party applications, as well as the ability to unlock any cell phone for use on multiple carriers.

Safety: I Have always said that the person should learn the Android OS before rooting. It is a good idea to have an idea of what rooting is doing and what it will affect. I would say spend your time really learning the OS which is not a small task. Then, if you still feel like it, go ahead and root. While rooting can help you learn many things about your device, it also can reap very bad consequences, such as:
-Bricking your phone (or in an easier way to explain, making your phone a pretty paper weight).
-Corrupting core files.
-Stopping OTA updates from going to your phone.
-Voiding phone warranty.
-Have your phone open to malicious software and applications that can do serious harm to your phone.

As you can see, it can reap very negative things. I have read/seen people who have literally had to buy brand new phones because they tried the latest and greatest rom. Rooting is essentially something that you must take at your own risk & caution. Generally, if you follow exactly the procedure of rooting made by developers, you will be more likely on the safe side.

Root process: See jabakuba thread.

What to do after rooting?: 1) make a nandroid backup via custom recovery 2) backup efs partition (save your IMEI and NV_DATA):
Install "terminal emulator" from play store, open it and type the following (enter after each line):

Code:

su
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p3 of=/sdcard/efs.img

Then move efs.img to a safe place on your pc.

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-Stuck into a Bootloop: Bootloops are mainly caused by system files interfering with each others which cause instability and/or crash at the boot sequence. so what to do??
Pull out battery then reinsert it, boot into recovery, wipe cache and dalvik, reboot. If not, format data, system, cache using recovery and restore stock firmware (supposing that you did a nandroid backup before). if you don't have a backup to restore, flash any custom rom from your sdcard after formatting system & data & cache. If you don't have a custom rom in your sdcard, push one from your pc using adb (supposed that you have adb file or sdk on your pc): boot into recovery, connect your phone to the computer open command prompt and write the following command then hit enter (supposing that your rom is placed on D):

Code:

adb push D:\name of rom.zip /data/media/

Or

Code:

adb push D:\name of rom.zip /sdcard/

Then

Code:

adb reboot recovery

once done, go to your phone and install the rom.zip from recovery, reboot.
If none of above methods works, then flash stock image for your Gnex using fastboot commands here.

-Phone-Triangle-computer: If your phone can not boot, can not boot in fastboot or download modes, maybe after a bad flash, and screen shows phone--triangle--computer pic, so it is sort of download mode, use odin to flash stock firmware using this tutorial.

-Nexus is quietly dead: If your phone did not respond to anything, it won't turn on, can not boot into fastboot or download mode, black screen, try "OMAP FLASH", it can save your Gnex.

For 4.2.2 only:
-AOSP Rom incompatibility: After supplying all needed hardware drivers by AOSP, developers has updated AOSPA. So you absolutely need to be up to date regarding Google Bootloaders and Radios, which are not part of the Rom. Or else your device will be incompatible, unable to make calls perhaps and maybe other issues.
Regarding Bootloader, it still the same build for 4.2.2 (primelc03) but the Radio has changed to xxlj1. So you must flash Radio to the latest build using "Fastboot" or through "Recovery":

Fastboot method:(I prefer this)
Unzip "fastboot-radio-maguro-i9250xxlj1.img.zip" (attached), put unzipped image (in the file) into fastboot folder (attached), enable "usb debugging" option, boot into fastboot mode, connect your device to your PC, open a command prompt into fastboot folder and type:

Code:

fastboot flash radio radio-maguro-i9250xxlj1.img

Hit "enter"

Code:

fastboot reboot-bootloader

Hit "enter"

Code:

fastboot reboot

Hit "enter

Recovery method:
Put "cwm-radio-maguro-i9250xxlj1.zip" (attached) into your sdcard. Boot into recovery and flash the zip file.

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-Enable Auto Brightness: Brightness can lure a lot of battery if not changed intelligently with time to match the surroundings, Jellybean in this case brought the “Auto Brightness” function which uses the accelerometer within the device to detect the amount of light in the surroundings and then act upon the brightness level according to it. To enable, go to Settings > Device > Display > Brightness, and tick “Automatic Brightness“. And if you want to save more battery drain, set brightness manually at low level depending on the external amount of light.

-Remove Live Wallpapers: Using a live wallpaper is another battery sucking feature. If you turn out to be truly saving battery, make sure not to use any live wallpaper. A wallpaper with a black background uses less power than a wallpaper with a light-colored background.

-Disable Location and GPS services: Keeping GPS ON at all times, decreases your battery life, so its better to disable it while not in use. To disable, go to Settings > Personal > Location access > and switch it off.

-Disable Wi-Fi or Mobile Data when not in use: Try to avoid situations when you keep your Wifi or Mobile Data ON even when the phone is set in standby.

-Manage Sync carefully: Keeping the Sync ON all the time is another reason for decreased battery life. Enable it anytime you want, manage your emails or services and again turn it off. For those who are on work and want real-time push notifications are advised not to follow this tip.

-Turn OFF Haptic Feedback and screen sounds: To save a little more on battery, its better to switch off the screen touch sounds and vibrations. To do so, go to Settings > Device > Sound and untick Dial pad touch tones, Touch sounds. Screen lock sound and Vibrate on touch.

-Turn OFF bluetooth and NFC: Disabling bluetooth and NFC when you are not using it, is another way to save battery juice.

-Follow the method of full charge and full discharge: Don’t put your phone on charging when there is the battery remaining it for another few hours unless it’s very important. Charge it when your battery is about to get totally discharged and when you put it for charging, let it get charged totally.

-Set sleep time: Check the Sleep setting (under Display) and make sure it is set to 1 minute or less.

Keep calls short: This is obvious, but how many times have you heard people on their mobile phone say, "I think my battery’s dying," and then continue their conversation for several minutes? Sometimes, the dying battery is just an excuse to get off the phone (and a good one, at that), but if you really need to conserve the battery, limit your talk time.

-Turn OFF mobile network when not in range: Its very often that you lose the mobile network when you are travelling, so its advisable to turn OFF the mobile network by switching ON Airplane mode. Go to Settings > Wireless & Networks, tick Airplane Mode.

- After each month remove your battery from mobile phone and let it rest for an hour, it will give battery a breath and it will last longer.

-You should not have to turn off your phone to charge it. Most battery chargers deliver more than enough current to power your phone and charge it at the same time. Doing so will not lengthen the charge time, and leaving a phone on allows the user to be aware of its fuel gauge, so that you can remove it when the battery is full.

-When using a car charger, do not charge the battery when the inside temperature of your car is hot. Wait until the car has cooled before you plug in the phone.

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*#*#4636#*#* Testing menu(Phone, Battery & Wifi Info, Usage Statistics).

*#06# MEID number(Display's your IMEI).

*#*#2432546#*#* Checkin(Manually check for System Updates).

*#*#8255#*#* For Google Talk service monitoring.

*#*#786#*#* Hard Reset(Wipes/Resets Data/Profile & internal storage!) (think before you do it! no warning, no go back).

*#*#1234#*#* or *#*#7873778#*#* Open superuser application.

*#123# then press dial. Shows you if you are in your home network or not (only across networks in USA/Canada).

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-Too loud wallpapers may sometimes disturb the look of your home screen and make the icons quite invisible, simple or a less-colored wallpapers are always suggested as to be the best choice. But your choice is what matters.

- Use only essential widgets on your home screen - each widget consumes memory and processing power which can slow your down your phone.

- Uninstall apps that you don't use - after awhile your phone can get cluttered as some Apps are designed to always run in the background. If you rarely use an App, then uninstall it to free up memory and CPU resource.

- It is best to avoid task killers such as Advanced Task Killer. Android is designed to automatically pre-load certain applications, even if you don't load them yourself. If it starts to run low on memory, it will smartly unload the oldest running apps automatically. Manually killing tasks will only mean they get loaded in memory again. Task killers can make the phone slow, laggy, or drain battery life more quickly.

- Always use latest CWM or latest TWRP recoveries.

- Disable USB debugging when it is not in use. Leaving USB debugging enabled makes your phone vulnerable (e.g. lock pattern can be reset).

- Avoid putting your Gnex in direct sunlight, it may affect touch screen & your battery performance.

- Learn how to use ADB & FASTBOOT commands instead of using toolkits, the last could not function properly.

- Flash stock firmware using fastboot is preferred than using odin.

- Check rom/kernel.zip md5 before flashing if it is convenient.

- Always update applications, if available, for better performance.

- Make a backup of your data, applications, contacts...always ready to restore from your computer.

- Read, read and read before you mess with your Gnex.

- Always be sure that you are flashing the right thing for your Gnex variant.

- If you do not know what you are doing, so don't do it .

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anarkia1976 said:

I love this type of thread ... When my mind goes off here I have all infos

Xda with AK Kernel inside

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k786 said:

great thread bro...will be very helpful to new users :good:

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anarkia1976 said:

I'm impressed the majority of best contributor of ak thread create a new place with him experience for help users .....



Keep up the good work

Xda with AK Kernel inside

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anarkia1976 said:

Hi guy can you add to your guide reference for resolve problem Like sk8 battery .... :thumbup:
Thanks a lot for your great guide ....
I hope every user read this make a thanks to you

Xda with AK Kernel inside

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anarkia1976 said:

Hi guy can you add to your guide reference for resolve problem Like sk8 battery .... :thumbup:
Thanks a lot for your great guide ....
I hope every user read this make a thanks to you

Xda with AK Kernel inside

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jrgilbert79 said:

I have found out how to fix low volume phone wide and give you a reason to buy quality headphones....Guide here. http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2117648

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dmourao said:

That was really helpful... Thanks!

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