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Help Newbie Account Questions/Problems

Sig32

Newbie
Aug 24, 2010
19
1
FL
Hello to all. Finally wised up and made the switch from BB to a Captivate. I purchased it used and the original owner has quite a few apps that I would like to leave on the phone.

I set up my account but when I try to go to the Market it always refers to the original owners acct, which I can't delete. I searched and found this:

Menu>Settings>Applications>Manage Applications>Google Apps> "Clear data">OK

but I can't find "Google Apps" and when I go down the app list and open them I only see "clear cache" not "clear data".

Can you guys tell me if there is a way to remove his account and still keep the apps that are on the phone? I liked how he had it setup so I hate to have to start from scratch. Thanks
 
To back up the apps, use Astro File Manager.

ASTRO File Manager - Android app on AppBrain

ASTRO File Manager
by Metago
>250,000 downloads, 68951 ratings (4.5 avg)
Free
rating9.png

Then you can do a Factory Reset as mentioned above.

After the FR you can set up the phone with a new Google Account.

Note: Apps that are backed up and then reinstalled using Astro (or any 3rd party app loading method) will not show up in the list of your installed apps when you go into the Android Market. This means you will NOT get notifications for when they are updated. You will need to check them manually, or install them from the market for this functionality.

Check out App Brain (the web site I linked to above). Great resource for Android apps.
 
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Still need a little help. I can't download the app onto the phone because it keeps wanting to log into the google acct. with the previous owners acct. Any suggestions or way around that?

You can get the .apk file from here:

Astro File Manager 2.5.1 APK file? - xda-developers

The easiest way to install it is by copying the file to your SD card and then using a file manager to install it ... yeah, I know, if you had a file manager ... so I found this bit of information:

Install non-market apps without File Manager: Possible? [Archive] - xda-developers

I can't verify it works as I've never done it, but the folk over at the xda forums usually know what they are talking about.
 
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Sig32: can you give us a list of the apps on the phone? Maybe there is already another app that would do the trick with which you might not be familiar.

I was also thinking, if you set up your own Google account on AppBrain, you can then choose on AppBrain all the apps you want to install (the ones that are already on the phone). That way when you do the factory reset, you won't have to remember, or hunt down all the apps in the market. The only app you will need to download is the AppBrain app, which you can use to sync with your AppBrain account, and get back all those apps that way.

Just FYI: If it's _paid_ apps on the phone you're tying t keep, the point may be moot. Most paid apps can not be backed up to SD.
 
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Sorry for not posting sooner, I was tied up with work and class. Most of the apps were paid so I figured I should just reset the phone and start again from scratch. There are still a few things I would like to add/change, but I need to search a little to see if others have info on it. Thanks again for all the help.
 
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Will do. Currently have a thread trying to figure out if I have a problem with searching contacts or if that is how android/captivate is. Also, my email isn't being retrieved. I seem to have to do it manually even though I have it set to check every 5 mins. I am still searching this one, and I hope its just a bug or setting.
 
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I have it set to both, is this a common problem for the Android or the Captivate? Also, I am used to (BB) having my emials downloaded to my phone, but still left on the server so that I can download from my desktop.
Currently when ever I check the email from my desktop it disappears from my phone. I noticed that the email never downloads to the phone, only the headers and when I click to read it takes a few seconds to pull up the email. Is there a way to get it to actually download to the phone and still stay on the server?
 
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