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I need help with android
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Uncle Skeleton
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Apr 15, 2018, 11:56 AM
 
I have an old android phone with 2.3.4 and I can't find out how to install any apps. I did a reset through the sys-prefs (was that a mistake?) and now it doesn't have Play Store installed. It has a browser and can reach the web through my wifi, but the browser is just called "browser" and play.google.com says it is not supported. I also can't seem to load any https content from any website. So this means I can't install apps through google play, and I can't seem to find a way to install a newer browser from anywhere.

Is there a website where you can download a new android browser without using the play store or https? Any other ideas?

Thanks

My goal is to install a security cam app like a nanny cam, or Snowden's "haven" (which I realize won't run on 2.3.4, but there are other camera monitoring apps that claim to run on 2.3.4)
     
Uncle Skeleton  (op)
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Apr 15, 2018, 12:13 PM
 
Ok so small progress. I remembered that Amazon also has an app store, and I can view their https pages after agreeing to several security warnings. Now the problem is they keep telling me that apps require android 4.1, even when the page itself says 2.3. Here's an example:

https://www.amazon.com/AtHome-Camera...T11C8C78V0DGKC

When I click through to download from my phone, it shows a "sorry" page naming 4.1 as the required system. (but you can see on that page it says 2.3.3 is the minimum). I tried one or two others (like the app "alfred").

Any ideas?

Thanks
     
Waragainstsleep
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Apr 15, 2018, 07:59 PM
 
Is updating the OS not an option?
( Last edited by Waragainstsleep; Apr 16, 2018 at 03:38 AM. )
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
OreoCookie
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Apr 15, 2018, 08:00 PM
 
Android 2.3 aka Gingerbread is ancient, it was released in December 2010. That's the same vintage as iOS4.While Android 2.3.4 stuck around for a long time, I wouldn't be surprised if support for it in the app stores was discontinued long time ago. (How many apps that you can download today do you think run on iOS4? ) Sorry.
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Nivag
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Apr 16, 2018, 06:49 AM
 
In the time you waste trying to get an app working on an old phone you could have bought a newer phone secondhand and installed the app. Unless the app you want only works on 2.3.4
     
Uncle Skeleton  (op)
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Apr 16, 2018, 11:19 PM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
Is updating the OS not an option?
I'm tentatively optimistic there is an OS update out there, but my main issue is how do I do it? iOS updates go through the app store (right?), but what if you can't launch the app store?
     
Uncle Skeleton  (op)
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Apr 16, 2018, 11:19 PM
 
Originally Posted by OreoCookie View Post
Android 2.3 aka Gingerbread is ancient, it was released in December 2010. That's the same vintage as iOS4.While Android 2.3.4 stuck around for a long time, I wouldn't be surprised if support for it in the app stores was discontinued long time ago. (How many apps that you can download today do you think run on iOS4? ) Sorry.
https://www.amazon.com/AtHome-Camera...T11C8C78V0DGKC

Minimum Operating System: Android 2.3.3
     
Uncle Skeleton  (op)
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Apr 16, 2018, 11:21 PM
 
Originally Posted by Nivag View Post
In the time you waste trying to get an app working on an old phone you could have bought a newer phone secondhand and installed the app. Unless the app you want only works on 2.3.4
ECO-CONSCIOUS
Why throw away perfectly usable devices and buy more equipments when you can upcycle, recycle, and repurpose old devices? Everyone is taking advantage of their unused smartphones by turning them into music players, GPS navigators, or fitness devices. Even VR headsets, smart doorbells or miner of Bitcoins are also possible. So why not use yours as a security camera?
     
OreoCookie
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Apr 17, 2018, 12:35 AM
 
Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton View Post
https://www.amazon.com/AtHome-Camera...T11C8C78V0DGKC

Minimum Operating System: Android 2.3.3
But your second post says that you weren't successful at installing any apps, correct, because you got a message that Android 4.1 and later is required?
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subego
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Apr 17, 2018, 01:38 AM
 
Isn’t the whole point of Android sideloading whatever?
     
Uncle Skeleton  (op)
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Apr 17, 2018, 10:42 AM
 
Originally Posted by OreoCookie View Post
But your second post says that you weren't successful at installing any apps, correct, because you got a message that Android 4.1 and later is required?
Amazon's webserver wouldn't let me download the package; I never got to the step of running the installer. So either the developer's statement of requirements is wrong, or Amazon's webserver is wrong. I was hoping it was the latter.
     
Uncle Skeleton  (op)
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Apr 17, 2018, 10:45 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Isn’t the whole point of Android sideloading whatever?
Thanks. I didn't know the word, and with that clue it led me to search for "apk" and I found this site with some options for cam apps and browsers: www.appsapk.com

Next thing I found out though is that my SD card in the phone is unrecognized (I know it used to work, and I think maybe one day it died). And even though there is 180 MB of internal storage left, it won't let me download files without an SD card. So instead of buying a new SD card I will probably buy an actual camera.
     
subego
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Apr 17, 2018, 11:02 AM
 
Glad to accidentally help!
     
   
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