Android: How to change the Google Account without a hard reset
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@shekharg
I own an Android Dev Phone 1, also called ADP1. The phone prompted to setup a Google Account as the very first step, before I can start using it. For the Google Account, I used my credentials for Google Apps Standard Edition , though I also have a regular GMail account.
I supply my Google Apps credentials each time I wipe off (hard reset) the phone. Though optional, I wipe off the phone’s data whenever I update my phone with a new ROM. Following the official and non official upgrades, I’m currently running CyanogenMod 4.2.14.1 on my ADP1.
Then came a day when I did not want to wipe off the data but only wanted to change the Google Account associated with the phone.This was the day when I wanted to play with Google Buzz which requires a GMail or non Google Apps account. I googled around and found solutions suggesting:
- Clear data for Gmail and Gmail storage under Manage Applications
- Clear data for Google Apps and you will see a message in the Android’s notification bar to setup a new Google account.
None of these worked for me. What worked for me is as follows:
- Goto Home (by clicking on the Home hardware button).
- Click on Menu (hardware button)
- Click/touch on Settings>Applications>Manage Applications.
- Click on Google Apps.
- Click on the button labelled “Clear data”
- When prompted with “All information you’ve saved in this application will be deleted permanently”, click on OK
- Subsequently, click on back button thrice and then click on “Data synchronization”. Alternatively, click on Home>Menu>Settings>Data synchronizaion.
- This will start the wizard which will prompt for a new Google account. This wizard is the same that you would have seen when you first (after you bought it) powered on the phone or whenever you wipe off the phone’s data.
This is what helped me in testing out Google Buzz on Google Maps on my Android phone. In your case, this may simply help you in changing the Google Account without hard resetting your Android.
Update (February 14, 2009): After following the above procedure, I noticed that though my E-mails were syncing, I could not search my E-mails. Whenever I typed in a search keyword in the GMail app and clicked on the search button, I saw a message saying something as “E-mails will sync shortly”. This can be fixed as follows. Goto Settings>Applications>Manage Applications>Gmail. Click on “Clear data” button.
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Tags: adp1, android, cyanogenmod, found solutions, Google, google account, google buzz, hard reset, search button, search keyword
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14 comments for “Android: How to change the Google Account without a hard reset”
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[...] Google account from Apps to a regular GMail account as explained in this blog post – Android: How to change the Google Account without a hard reset. Subsequently, I changed it back from GMail to Apps. Kept flipping the accounts several times. [...]
when i clear data on the apps
will it clear all the data including the contacts
will it lock the unlocked phone
my phone grays out the sync when i try synching with the htc software
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Not at the very moment (I guess), but when you change your Google Account your contacts from the new Google Account will sync, deleting your contacts (on the phone) that belong to the old Google Account.
No
HTC software? I know that many Android phone are from HTC but are you using any custom software from HTC to sync? Which Android phone do you own?
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It says the T MOBILE-googles first model- firmware version 1.6 (hope not obsolete yet)and Im using it in Canada
I want to keep the old contacts which i hv painstakingly added
i was told by using htc sync s/w i can save them on outlook but i dont use outlook and the htc sync portion is greyed out
without losing my contacts info in the contacts can i not change the gmail Shekhar?
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Don’t worry. Its not obsolete. 1.6 firmware is the latest for the first generation phones. Just for information, only very new phones (about a month or 2 old) come with 2.0/2.1 firmware
Why don’t you export the contacts from your old GMail account to your new GMail account. You can do this by clicking on Contacts>Export in your GMail. And import the exported file into your new GMail account (Contacts>Import)
Subsequently, when you change your account to the new GMail in your phone, all your contacts will sync.
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shekhar i dont have the original gmail pswd that the seller had input when selling this to me
i tried yr method but in vain
another qstn
so i cant do all the things that developers can on this one right
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Try ExportContacts which is a free app available from Android Market. It exports your Android contacts into CSV format onto your phone’s SD Card, which you can import into your new GMail’s contacts.
Please note that ExportContacts is not tried and tested by me
If your phone is rooted, you can use it as a developer’s phone
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i was very anxious when i took the steps today after jotting down each detailed i saved …luckily phone works …unfor…like u said all contacts will have to be manually added….
how do i know whether the phone is rooted n which free applications are a must have….i need one that allows me to take note while on a call
and need a compass
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In the Android Market search for “root” and try to install and run any one of the apps which requires a rooted phone. If the app runs, your phone is rooted, else not. Simple
While you can use any notes taking app (found under Productivity category in Android Market), I havn’t come across a free app which will attach the notes to the call and display the notes in the Call Log (ideally)
Search for compass in Android Market and you will find more than one!
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thanks boss
how do i remove the icons after the downloads have 4-5 now taking the whole top screen and why does it show the E bar arrows up and down all the time does it mean that my data plan is getting used
also the gmail that is sync-ed does not open..msg is your msg will appear shortly. on the top it says waiting for sync???
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Didn’t understand this part. Please explain.
Yep it means data transfer is in action.
This happened to me too in the first go – when I tried other solutions as mentioned in the blog post.
Please follow the steps mentioned in the post again.
Do let me know
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Oh my gooooodnesssss, thank you so much for this! I’ve been looking all over for someone to be able to come up with this. Thanks again!
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Hi Bee,
pleasure! Hope it worked for you and glad to know that you found this post useful
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This is fantastic. Thanks alot, I gave my HTC tattoo to my baby and we’ve been looking for a way to insert her own gmail account but of all the suggestions we got, this is the best. Keep it up.
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