Beijing Airport and the Firewall...

An 8 hour stopover in Beijing, not the first time, so I was aware that using things like Google, Facebook could be tricky. I installed NordVPN on my phone as well. In 2019 it allowed me to avoid the firewall and at least I could send some messages. But not so this time at the end of 2023...

By now, also NordVPN was blocked and I couldn't connect to any country. Didn't really think of a Plan B, thought it's just 8 hours, no problem. But then I saw my flight is getting delayed by an hour. Also no big deal, but would be nice to inform my sister who was going to pick me up. 

As Google and Facebook things don't work... I remembered that I still got a Yahoo mail address... But I need a SMS verification code to login - which I couldn't receive there...

Creating a new email address with some German providers ... No, even though these websites generally worked, the providers blocked China from creating new accounts.

Interestingly, despite the firewall I could still receive push messages like from WhatsApp, but of course answering them didn't work.

Then I thought that probably TikTok would work... Well, of course PlayStore doesn't work either.

Since I'm ironically still using a Huawei phone, I could use its specific app store. And then I saw Snapchat.. And I know that my sister uses it.

Installed it, luckily no email verification needed and as the app searched through my phone contacts, I could easily find her. 

Problem solved, but my sister was quite surprised to see me on Snapchat...^^

Why I cannot download Japanese apps?

If you go to Japan and open the Google PlayStore you'll find out that you are unable to install some local apps. But is there a solution to work around that problem?

Let's take the example of 'Dragon Ball Legends' which was released this summer. And in the Google Play Store there is a 'western' version and a Japanese version.

However, if you search for the Japanese version using katakana the game doesn't appear in result list. Just English suggestions.
But why?

The reason is that your Google Play Store account needs to be associated to the country Japan instead of your local one.

If you currently live in Japan it makes to be able to see all the apps.

Therefore, what's the next step?

Change to the country! I would suggest the following way (via browser):

• Login in Google PlayStore website 
• Go to "Google Account" in the upper right
• Select "Payments and Subscriptions"
• "Manage Payment methods"
• Go to setting to see your "payments profile"
• Change it to the "Japan" and add necessary information
• Confirm and wait (can take maybe a few days)

Once it's completed, check on your phone if your are connect to the correct payment profile associated with the country you are living. Now go to PlayStore and see if you can find local apps.

And that's an example an how it should look.

LG K5: 'The file format is not supported'

You want to listen to your mp3 files and just get the error message 'The file format is not supported'? Here's why!

If you are using the LG K5 you get to a point where the local storage is getting close.

To make up at least a little more space you may try to disable some Google services like Google Play Movies.

Interestingly, the internal music player is some sort of connection to Google Play Music. Therefore as soon as you disable this Google app you can no longer listen to mp3 files! So that´s a service you need to let keep running.

So... just let it run...

Pokémon GO 0.69.1: My surprising return after one year!

Around one year ago I played Pokémon GO the last time - apparently in September my account was banned - and could not play again. And now it works again - with the same account!

It did not really play that much last year, mostly in Las Vegas and a bit in Germany - when I was in Japan I could not really test it. A shame. From my old phone back then I used a workaround by installing the apk file manually, since the download via PlayStore did not work, but at one point the latest version at the time - 0.39 - stopped me from logging in.

That was the reason I stayed away from the game and asked to reactivate my account. Nothing happened. After switching from the Samsung Galaxy S3 mini to an LG K5 in June I tried to log in again - still did not work...

Suddenly working again!

Today I gave it another shot: Downloaded the current version 0.69.1 via Google PlayStore, installed the game, agreed to login with my Google Account and suddenly I could see the loading screen seeing the Pokémon Tyranitar from the second generation Johto! And the game opened with my old account. I can still see the history!

After catching my first Pokémon after one year and collecting some items my history looks a bit weird (see above). I am not too much

aware what happened during that year. I know they added the second generation of Pokémon and extending the possibility to catch more different Pokémon and being able to actually have battles which seemed not so easily possible at the beginning.

Therefore for me it´s now rediscovering the game again and increasing my Pokédex. Let's see how it's going to turn out the next few days. I'm currently in Spain and I don't know if there are any rare Pokémon here. Anyway, I could already level up from 5 to 6 which is nothing, but not surprising since I haven't played a lot. 

Feel free to comment on your experiences and what happened during that year! I'm now outside checking out the area.. ;)

Repair damaged videos from your Android phone

I was recording a few videos recently and during the recording I could no longer press 'Stop'. Video wasn't saved properly and couldn't be played at all. But there was a *.tmp file left...

Using my old Galaxy S3 mini my recording ended up with having no more space on the internal SD card and that's why the video couldn't be finalized and the phone also started rebooting afterwards.

At first, I couldn't really see if there was a temporary file or not, but the phone indeed created a 'mp4.tmp' file. From that point on I was sure I could save the video...

Some research...

At first I tried putting the file into video editing software, but no chance! Using Internet search engines you'll find a lot of software with that feature. I tested an app in Google PlayStore called 'MP4Fix': You first chose the damaged file and then another undamaged video file in order that the app can take the video header from it to repair the corrupted mp4 file.

The process was successful and then the app offered the option to 'Play' the video. It worked, it had the actual length and also the sound was working. But now the downside: If you chose 'Save' you'll get the offer to upgrade the app to 'Premium' for 3.99€. Of course that's an option and an easy an quick solution, but for me it was rather a challenge to find a free solution.

Some Windows software were using the same 'freemium' model like a software called 'Remo'. Fixing and watchng within the software works, but no free way to save or export it. Through further researching I actually saw a few times the same good solution by 'cheating a bit' while using a demo version of another repairing tool...

A little workaround...

Here's how it goes: Google for 'Video Repair tool Grau' and you'll find a demo version of that useful piece of software. The thing is that you can save 50% of your video with the free demo version! And if you cheat a bit, you can even save 100% of your video by converting 50% of two copies of your damaged file. But let's put into an order:

1) Download the tool
2) Copy your damaged file into an 'easy-to-reach' folder
3) Rename it simple (it chose just 'V1.mp4')
4) Copy 'V1.mp4' and name it 'V2.mp4'. Now you have two files with the same size.

5) Open command ('cmd') as administrator and go the folder with these two video files
6) Use this command to merge the two files:

copy/b V1.mp4 +V2.mp4

7) V1.mp4 is now twice as big as before. 

8) Open the 'video repair tool'

9) Select the new 'V1.mp4' file and another reference video file from copied your phone. Click 'Scan' and the video will be created (because of the trick even in full length) in the 'repaired' folder as seen in the screenshot.

It's a quite simple workaround, but it works perfectly. My video was saved and I hope yours will be, too!

Top 5 Japanese Language Learning Apps for Android

As you may noticed through the topics of my articles about certain anime games or language-related stuff - I am a fan of Japan and their language and this article shows you my Top 5 apps to learn that language.

Some of these apps I'm using for a longer time, some not even a year. But altogether they're quite helpful while being on the run or waiting for someone/something to repeat vocabulary, gain new knowledge or remaining connected with the Japanese language.

1. AnkiDroid

I'm using AnkiDroid for a longer time already, even for other languages. It's an app with large vocabulary lists which you can either download or create yourself. After seeing a new word you can decide if it's easy to memorize or not and thus you decide when you get to see it again - in a few minutes or even in a few months or years (just if you saw it quite often already).

In terms of Japanese you should start to learn hiragana and katakana at the beginning. I can say for me AnkiDroid played a big part in learning these first around 100 characters. And you should also create your own deck with Japanese words you collect through going through books, watching anime or hearing in video games.

2. Jsho
'Jsho' is an app named after the Japanese name for 'dictionary' (じしょ), because IT IS an dictionary. The app is an offline version of the famous Japanese dictionary website 'jisho.org'. 

This application is already quite helpful at the beginning because you can search for words by using our characters as well as Hiragana or Katakana. And this app has also a connection to AnkiDroid: Once you've found a certain word you can send it to your Anki deck.


3. IQQI Japanese

After being able to memorize the first characters it would also be helpful to actually write them. That's why you need IQQI Japanese! It's an alternate keyboard with included Japanese characters. You can easily switch from our Latin letters to both Hiragana and Katakana - even Kanjis can be chosen after putting the right characters together. 

With that you can type new words into your Anki decks by yourself and write messages to someone in Japanese.



4. Memrise

Another great learning app, but even more developed in many ways. There are several decks in any language available, so also in Japanese. The apps even has a points scoring system included where repetition brings you more points than new words. 

You see the word in English and you have several hiragana/katakana/Kanji characters and you have to put them together in the correct way - or the other way around. Or you listen to three Japanese words in order to find the correct meaning. Or putting sentences together in the right order. And everything brings points - as well as knowledge and experience of course.

If you have friends using the same app you can compare who of you did the most points during the last week/month or even in total.


5. LINE

With WhatsApp nowadays being the the messenger with the most users in the world, there are still other similar apps. Like LINE which is really big in Japan and a few other Asian countries. So if you want to communicate with Japanese people in order to improve your language skills it's quite important to have that messenger. 

Like in WhatsApp you can also do calls and video calls - which were introduced way earlier than in WhatsApp. 

And like in Facebook you can post pictures on your timeline and others can comment. And the PC application is way more secure and better than the WhatsApp version. 

Summary
So these were the five free apps which were and still are quite helpful for me improving my Japanese. Of course there are also apps teaching you the grammar better and so on, but this overview is great if you are 'on the run'.

Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below.

Old Galaxy S3 mini with CyanogenMod - Experience report

Five months ago I changed the OS of my three year old Samsung Galaxy S3 mini in order to be able to play Pokémon GO, here's a little experience report about CyanogenMod 12.1.

Generally it's running faster and better than with Android 4.1.2 which was the latest official version for the Samsung Galaxy S3 mini. 

This CyanogenMod is an Android 5.1.1 version and it really brought my phone 'back to life'. Although my primary plan was to be able to play Pokémon GO to be part of the summer hype.

By now, I even can't play Pokémon GO anymore, I was obviously banned for using an too old phone. Despite having Android 5 I couldn't download or update the app by a simple PlayStore download. No, I had to find the apk and install it manually.

Other important apps don't have a problem with that. You just have to be cautious, the total space of the phone is just 4.65 GB, so for too many bigger it could be an issue without an additional card. 

Another advantage from Android 5 is that you do not longer need to do a certain trick to get a language change done. For example you can change your phone system language to Japanese without an issue.

There's a funny bug, let's say every 1-2 months that you can't select WiFi anymore (see picture above). Do a reboot and it's back again.

Else there's nothing else worth to mention. Let's see how long it's going to run...

WhatsApp: Phone date inaccurate

You want to start WhatsApp, but you can't because a message pops up that your phone date is inaccurate? The solution should be quite easy.

The message is the following:
'Your phone date is inaccurate! Adjust your clock and try again.' So selecting 'Adjust date' doesn't solve the issue in the most cases - but sure, sometimes it's THE SOLUTION. 

But what if the date is correct and you're trying to change it all the time and it doesn't work? It's luckily just a bug having an older WhatsApp version installed.

So just go to your app store and update your application.
Following that the app will start regularly. Maybe you just have to confirm your phone number and username, but that's it.

I've heard that if you have this problem with an iPhone you may have to reinstall the app completely. I've only seen it on Android devices so far.

Pokémon GO 0.39: Unable to authenticate - damn!

I was trying to update Pokémon GO to 0.39, the latest version, but a message stops me from doing it.

Using an older device with Pokémon GO can sometimes be a burden. The game itself freezes or stops more often.

Also having an unofficial Android 5 version installed means that you have to do every update manually, because Google Play Store doesn't allow a download for your device.

So you get your apk package mirror from other sources, but so far it wasn't a problem for me to install the latest software version. It was a working 'workaround'.

But my attempt to install version 0.39 didn't turn out to work. I also have to admit that I haven't started the app for a few days. So I did the update manually and the message 'Unable to authenticate. Please try again.' appeared. 

I deleted the app, cleared cache & data and also made a reboot before trying to install the app again. No chance. Same error.

While finding a solution I found a video where someone mentioned that he could make it work trying to start the game with flight mode and no Internet connection. Didn't work out in my case.

So.. Is my account maybe banned for some reason? I filled out an ban appeal to find out if something's wrong with my account. Maybe they'll unlock it and if they keep it locked I may decide to use another email address.

Galaxy S3 mini and Pokémon GO

Pokémon GO has made a big impact during the last week. So big that I also wanted to be a part of it, but with a Samsung Galaxy S3 mini and Android 4.1.2 it wasn't possible... Although...

While I was in Toronto last week the Internet was already filled with stories, screenshots and all sorts of stuff about Pokémon GO. You couldn't avoid it. Even the Toronto Metro had three articles about Pokémon GO, with one about the advantages for the children like learning to use GPS and managing mobile data ('Parents should make most of Pokémon Go', July 13).

Anyway, at the same day after my arrival in Chicago on the way to my accommodation I met a guy playing Pokémon GO while waiting on the sidewalk before the lights turned green. He caught a wild Gastly. At that I point I thought: 'You need to have that!' 

Unfortunately installing the app wasn't even possible with my three-year-old Samsung Galaxy S3 mini. At least Android 4.4 would be necessary. But I couldn't go further than 4.1.2. I found some tutorials and saw that it's possible to run a modded version of Android 5.x on the Galaxy S3 mini.

I already wanted to try some Android mods earlier, but up until now there was no need because every app I used was still running properly. With Pokémon GO I finally got the motivation to upgrade.

Custom Recovery and Custom OS

So the first thing I needed was a Custom Recovery. The integrated Recovery Mode within my branded phone doesn't have the option to install a custom OS. Of course not. In order to install this recovery system you need to use Odin on your PC and connect your phone via USB cable. Turn off your phone and press Volume Down, Home and the 'Turn on' button to able to install a Custom Recovery via Odin.

Possible Custom Recoverys are either Clockworld or TWRP. After my first attempts using TWRP failed, which meant that the old recovery mode started instead of the new one I tried Clockworld which could boot without issues, but after reading that it would be better to use TWRP for Android 5 on this phone I tried to install TWRP again. Starting the Recovery Mode is possible by starting your phone with Home button + Volume Up.

This time it worked. In the next step I had to copy the Android 5 image (to be found on http://novafusion.pl/downloads/) and a Google Apps package on the root folder of my phone, After starting the recovery mode I was able to select the images, first the OS, then the Google Apps package. I selected the little basic one.

OS: aosp5.0_golden.nova.20141106

Apps: pa_gapps-modular-mini-5.1-20150315-signed

After a reboot the configuration for the Android Lollipop 5.1.1 started. It went flawlessly through. After installing some basic apps, I could finally install Pokémon GO, but without using the Play Store, because my phone isn't listed for being able to run this game. So I downloaded the apk file (com.nianticlabs.pokemongo_0.29.2-2016071201_minAPI19(armeabi-v7a)(nodpi)_apkmirror.com) and installed the app manually.

While being in Las Vegas I could finally start catching Pokémon through the hotels WiFi. It was quite fun running through the casinos looking for the monsters.

By now I could catch 14 Pokémon and I'm about to reach Level 5. It's far from being a master and was just getting started.

And as a side effect it feels like having a new phone. Faster and better, it's the best what could happen to my phone from 2013.

For those who need more information upgrading their S3 mini - feel free to comment below. 

Is LINE better than WhatsApp?

(c) LINE (c) WhatsApp

LINE is a messenger and especially in Japan often used. But is it better than the even more popular WhatsApp? Here's what I found out.

Recently, I wanted to know how the messenger works and if LINE has some things better solved than WhatsApp. Interestingly, there're a few things.

But from the beginning: I downloaded LINE from Google Play Store and after starting I could already see who from my phone contacts also has this app installed. Quite WhatsApp-like. The chat itself is as easy as it should be.

The emojis are in comparison to WhatsApp really different. The emoji list starts with white-colored heads, but there are also some of the already known yellow faces. LINE also has more animal-referring emojis. So basically it's different. In addition LINE has stickers (bigger, moving icons) like you may know from Facebook, which WhatsApp hasn't included.

Like in WhatsApp there are also free calls included, but LINE already has the video call feature. Video calls are expected to be added in WhatsApp in the future, but in terms of that LINE lies ahead by now.

I also saw that there's a PC version for LINE. With an email verification - which includes a few exchanges of numbers to make the connection more secure - it's also possible to login on your computer. It's somehow reminiscent to the classic ICQ. A real messenger software installed on your PC.

And everytime you connect with your PC your phone gets a message. So in case of an inauthorized usage you'll be informed. And your phone don't have to be online to use LINE on your PC. Unlike WhatsApp Web where your phone needs permanent Internet connection to be used.

The whole identification with your email address is something WhatsApp also needs in the future. Also in this point is see that LINE is ahead.

Another interesting feature in LINE is the included timeline - something we all know from Facebook and that's something WhatsApp doesn't have. Anyway, it gives LINE users the opportunity to share content with anyone they want from their list. Ok, WhatsApp has broadcast messages and the profile status - the last one LINE also has - but it's a entirely different way to share a message. In the privacy settings you can also decide which one of your friends is allowed to see it and who not. I wouldn't say WhatsApp should have that but it's an interesting approach.

Also interesting is the 'KEEP' feature: LINE offers every user 1 GB of cloud space to save pictures, messages and so on. So you can touch a message and chose 'Save to Keep' in order to move it into the cloud. Same as WhatsApp LINE has also the search option to find special messages with keywords.

Additionally LINE has also included a coins system in order to purchase more stickers or even games and apps.

So let's take a look at this overview to see the important points:

Where LINE is better 

- video calls included
- login with email address or ID (not just phone number)
- a PC software version and the phone doesn't need to be online 

Where WhatsAPP is better 

- no in-app purchases

Where both can improve 

- a better chat backup as an HTML, not just a colorless text file

Conclusion

Comparing to WhatsApp LINE has a few features which the worlds no.1 messenger doesn't have yet. But I expect these to be added to WhatsApp soon - especially video calls. A possible email verification is also on my wish list. Same as independent usage from other devices.

The only advantage I see in WhatsApp is that there are no in-app purchases. Even the subscription has been changed to 'forever free'. Else it's worth to mention that WhatsApp has more than a billion users and LINE just around 220 million, but it only looks less in comparison. It's still a lot. Else, they're pretty equal in my view.

But there's one thing where I see both can improve: The chat backup and export. Both WhatsApp and LINE only have an export option as a colorless text file. I'd like to have an HTML like with in 'MyPhoneExplorer'. That tool made it possible with SMS exports in a nice website file.

But anyway. It's worth to test and use LINE, but you just need someone to communicate with. You usually find more WhatsApp  than LINE users, but in Asia it seems easier. Just give it a go and you'll see.

Change Android system language to Japanese WITHOUT rooting!

Usually it's quite easy to change the system language of your Android device to another one. But how can you proceed if the language you want isn't even listed?

In my case it was a Samsung Galaxy S3 mini with Android 4.1.2 and I wanted to change the OS language to Japanese, but unfortunately there was no option. There was Korean or Chinese, but no Japanese...

I read something about the app 'Language Enabler' (available in Google PlayStore), which is able to enable hidden languages within Samsung devices.

But as I read this app would only work with rooted Android phones - which I didn't have. Nevertheless I downloaded the app and started it.

After starting this app a warning message about this showed up. But: As you can see in the screenshot on the right, 'you can still apply a default language'.

And then I tried exactly just that. The list within Language Enabler luckily included also Japanese. For applying the default language there was a phone system restart necessary, but that didn't happen. So I confirmed the change to Japanese again.

It took like 20 seconds and the language was changed to Japanese without even restarting the phone! But to be sure I restarted my phone and after a reboot the system remained in Japanese.

And that's how it looks in Japanese

So it worked as it wasn't planned. I don't know if the same scenario would work with other devices, but you can may comment your experiences about that.

The next goal would be to understand the OS language. Good luck with that!

Google Play Store error: 'Insufficient storage available'

Installing apps on android-based systems can sometimes be a problem. The download works, but then... 'error'

After WhatsApp failed to work another time yesterday evening a message appeared that my version is too old and I should install the latest update.

So then I did what they wanted: I went to the Google Play Store and selected 'Update' to download the latest version.

After the download the software started to install. Or better it attempted to install. In the end it failed with the message 'Insufficient storage available'.

I remember having the error once before, I guess one and half years ago. Probably the error isn't only a WhatsApp problem.

Last time also the Facebook messenger failed to install.

So let's fix it: I deleted some files from the internal storage to get some space. I also removed some apps I don't need with the application manager.

After that I made a reboot of my phone and tried to install the application once again. This time the update worked and WhatsApp was running again.

Last time it didn't worked that way: After all attempts failed I decided to make a factory reset to 'solve' the issue.