Smartphone and Accessories

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Phone apps:

Carry primary and backup phones, possibly different models. Topo maps should be downloaded to both phones, to allow transition to backup when no internet connection available.

Phones must be unlocked and support both US and European frequency bands.

Phones should be protected by sturdy case, however case will not protect against slamming screen against rock. While hiking, both phones normally carried in neckpurse. Carrying backup phone in backpack risks crushing screen when cramming gear into backpack. Primary phone screen faces stuff sack containing wallet and other soft objects. Backup phone inside backup hanging wallet, with piece of cardboard against screen. When not carrying neckpurse (such as at night in cities), primary phone carried in front pants pocket, screen facing body.

Primary and backup phones identical: Moto G Power 2022, 200g, inside Otterbox Commuter case 60g, for total of 260g. Purchased Nov 2022. Android 12.

!!! IMPORTANT!!! Be very careful about security with smartphones/tablets. If smartphone/tablet NOT password protected, and financial and other critical websites set up to send password resets to email account that is readily accessible from unprotected smartphone/tablet without password entry (email app that automatically logs onto email accounts, browser that remains logged on to web-based email accounts), then anyone who steals smartphone/tablet will have ready access to those financial and other critical accounts.

Accessories

Miscellaneous Smartphone Comments

To avoid damaging smartphone screen while camping, keep it face down against foam pad next to head when in use but not held in hands, such as when listening to music. Before going to sleep, and whenever entering or exiting bugbivy, put smartphone just outside bugbivy, on top of neck purse at side of head of tarp.

To record video inconspicuously, use front camera while facing away from scene being recorded.

Use heavy-duty gear tie (bendable wire inside plastic), to hold smartphone in place while taking selfies.

Use Calibre program on computer to convert kindle format books to epub format, to allow use with Moon+ ereader, which is much better than Amazon Kindle app.

Cloud backup okay for document files, but media files too large for cloud backup using slow wifi connections common in hotels as of 2023. So phone should have either removable microSD tray or support for USB-C microSD adapter. Support for 128GB microSD adequate, since media files total under 80GB currently and I am only slowly adding new media files.

All files should be copied from microSD to internal storage, so internal storage should also be 128GB. If media files under 70GB, this leaves 58GB for operating system, apps, other uses.

Carry several microSDs for backup/recovery purposes. Backup weekly from primary to backup smartphone and weekly/daily to microSDs.

Carry one USB-C microSD adapter in hanging wallet, so available at all times, other adapter and other set of backup microSDs in backpack, in case smartphones and hanging wallet lost and smartphone needs to be replaced while traveling.

Eventually, removable SIM/microSD tray will be replaced by eSIM and internal memory only, so relying on removable microSD not advisable. Following tests performed in 2023 with 70GB transfer to/from Moto G Power 2022. In practice, most of 70GB is unchanging audio/image files, so only necessary to transfer 70GB during initial setup of new smartphone and never necessary to transfer 70GB from smartphone. Backup from smartphone to microSD or computer of new and modified files would typically be under 5GB, so under 15 minutes.

As of 2018, Android 7 "Nougat" had some flakiness with removable microSD cards. In particular, when I used Google Photos to delete photo, it wiped out all user folders on microSD card! Apps must be given permission to write to removable microSD cards, separate from permission to write to internal storage, so possible to avoid problems by never giving such write permission, other than to file manager used to copy from internal storage to microSD card as backup.

Motorola app sometimes messes with font display. Use Personalize option to restore to Android fonts, large fonts, default display size.

Gonemad 3.0 Customization

Add files named custom_browser_metadata.json, custom_plsylist_details_metadata.json, custom_queue_metadata.json to gmmp folder under root. All files should be same: 

[
{
"markupLines" :
[
 ["<typeface=sans-serif><size=15>%ps%. <wrap>%tr%"],
 ["<weight=0.85><align=left><typeface=sans-serif><size=15><wrap>%ar%", 
  "<weight=0.15><align=right><typeface=sans-serif><size=15>%du%"]
]
}
]