Series 60 Smartphones - Your Questions Answered

Software for Symbian OS phones is normally supplied using a Symbian installation file (with a .sis extension). This is a single file that contains the components needed to get a piece of software installed and ready to run. A SIS file can be run on a Symbian phone (e.g. from the Inbox or via a file manager. It can also be run via the PC connectivity solution that was supplied on the CD with the handset.

Sometimes SIS files are distributed inside a ZIP file (for compression). See the ZIP section of this FAQ for details of how to extract a SIS file from a ZIP file

Assuming you have a SIS file on your PC/Mac (either downloaded from the Internet or on a CD), the ways to install a SIS file onto your handset are as follows:

• Beaming - Beam the file to your handset from your PC using Bluetooth or IR. If you don't currently have the ability to beam files to the handset via Bluetooth or infrared (either from another handheld device or from a PC), then you may wish to purchase an IRDA adapter for your PC (this means you'll be able to install software, backup and synchronise data between phone and PC) - See our Series 60 PC connectivity page for more.
• Install via PC - Assuming you've installed the PC connectivity suite that was supplied with your phone, look for the "Install software" option. You'll need to have the handset connected to the PC via either USB, serial, Bluetooth or infrared for this to work. See our Series 60 PC connectivity page for more.
• By email - You can also email the file that you're trying to install, typically a SIS (Symbian installation file) to your own email account, and then use your phone to logon to your email (details) and download the SIS file as an attachment into your phone's Messaging Inbox.
• Via memory card - Most Series 60 phones take memory cards (such as microSD, miniSD and MMC cards), and you should be able to transfer SIS files to the handset via the card slot and a PC Memory card reader. Copy files onto a memory card from your PC, and then insert the card into your handset. You'll need to have a file manager on your phone to access the file from the memory card (If your phone doesn't have a file manager, there are loads available from Handango).

When you've copied the file onto your Series 60 phone, it should be a case of selecting the file, and opening it - SIS files are self-installing, and selecting a SIS file will start the installation process. If the file was beamed, you'll find it in the Inbox of the Messaging application.

To uninstall software that was installed onto a Series 60 phone, go to the Manager application from the main menu (in the Tools folder on some models), select the application, press Options, and select Remove from the menu.

If for any reason, the uninstaller doesn't work, you can use a File Manager (such as Handy File or ProfiExplorer ) to delete the program manually. Programs are stored in the \systems\apps folder.

Assuming you're looking to download a Java game from a website via your PC - first, download the Java file onto your PC.

Normally the file will be in the form of a .jar file. Sometimes JAR files are distributed inside a ZIP file (for compression). See the ZIP section of this FAQ for details of how to extract a SIS from a ZIP file.

Next, send the Java file to your Series 60 handset (see above)

• From the phone menu, go Messaging and then to the Inbox
• Select the message containing the JAR file, and press Options > Open

• You'll be prompted to install - Select "Yes"
• You may get a warning that the application is untrusted. Just continue
• For phones with a memory card, you may be prompted to choose 'Phone memory' or 'Memory card'

• Once installation is complete, you'll see a brief confirmation note

The application should now appear in the main application menu, so you can exit Messaging and go and run it from the main menu. once you're happy that the application is running as expected, feel free to delete the JAR from the Inbox to save space.

Looking to use a social networking site such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or Flickr? It should be possible to access the major social networking sites from your Windows Mobile device.

If you're looking for information on social networking on your mobile, or for some screenshots of these applications, check out our Mobile Social Networking page.

Series 60 phones use the Symbian Operating System. To check the version number of the operating system on your phone, type *#0000# as if it were a phone number.
If you have a Nokia Series 60 handset, you can get it upgraded to the latest version of the operating system at approved Nokia Service Centres - If the phone is still under warranty, this will be done free-of-charge. The process takes up to an hour, but service centre policies vary depending on how busy they are, and whether they have the reprogramming equipment onsite. Note that all data is lost when you upgrade, so it's vital to do your own backup first.

Newer Nokia Series 60 phones can be upgraded via downloadable installers, so you can upgrade the phone yourself - check with Nokia's site to see if your handset can be upgraded online.

To an extent, this depends on the phone you have, as they're not always supplied with the same connectivity solution. The common options are detailed below, but these may not apply to your specific phone.

For Nokia phones, you'll need Nokia's connectivity software supplied on CD, or available for download from www.nokia.com.

• Cable. Most newer Series 60 devices are supplied with a USB cable that connects from the PC to the handset. When connected, you have to option to use the Nokia PC Suite to interact with the phone, or make a direct connection and access the filing system using Windows 'My Computer'.
• IR connection. From handsets with Infrared, select 'Connect | Infrared' to turn the phone's IR on. Line up the phone with the PC infrared port, and Windows should detect the phone. Then, use the Nokia Connectivity package to select the file you want to send to the phone. For more on IR, see our PC connectivity page
  There are several IR adapters available, including the pictured 'USB-IRDA Adaptor' from Maplin Electronics (Cat no: RV88V).
• Bluetooth connection. From the phone, select 'Connect | Bluetooth'. Turn Bluetooth 'On', then move to the second tab by moving the joystick to the right. This should show you all Bluetooth devices in range. If your PC isn't shown, select 'Options | New paired device' and let the phone search for the PC connection. When the phone and PC are paired, use the Nokia Connectivity package to select the file you want to send to the phone.
  If your PC doesn't support Bluetooth, then you can add it cheaply and easily using a USB Bluetooth adapter. We recommend the Belkin USB Bluetooth adapter available for around £15 from amazon.co.uk.
  For details of Bluetooth, see our Bluetooth page, and for help connecting, see our PC connectivity page
• Memory card reader. If you don't want to beam files from your PC to the phone, another option is to make use of the memory card slot in the phone, assuming it has one. Get hold of a Memory card reader for around £20 and copy files onto an memory card plugged into your PC. Find out more on our Memory card page.

Files beamed to Series 60 phones can be found in the Messaging application, in the Inbox folder

If in the course of normal operation, you start seeing messages about low memory, you need to remove some files from the Internal drive to recover some space. Note that 'memory' and 'storage' are effectively the same on a Series 60 phone.

• If you're not sure what's on your phone, go to Tools > File Manager > Options > Memory details to see what's using your precious memory
• If it's your memory card that's filling up, go to Extras > Memory > Options > Memory details, or consider getting a larger memory card from one of our recommended stockists
• To free space, use the File Manager app to either delete files, or to move them to the MMC card

For more on memory, see the questions below...

We sometimes hear from users of Series 60 handsets that they're unable to start their phone, or that the phone freezes on startup. Sometimes this is associated with the phone's memory being full. If you can't start your phone, here are a couple of things to try:

• First, try a soft-reset of the phone - Do this by pulling the battery out for a minute, then reinserting it. When the phone restarts, it should close down all running applications, which may free up some space. It's also worth removing the memory card, if your phone has one.
• If that doesn't help, try to restart the phone in "safe mode" - This causes the phone to load as few apps as possible at startup. To do this, take the battery out and reinsert it (to perform a soft reset), then hold down the ABC (or pencil) key, and while holding it down, start up the phone.
• Sometimes, startup problems are as a result of a battery/power problem, so try starting with your phone while it's powered by the charger lead

As a very last resort, you can format the phone and start again - This will remove all data, and you'll have to restore your phone's information from a backup.

If you still can't get into the phone, the final option appears to be to take the phone to the nearest Club Nokia shop (or your retailer), who should be able to re-flash the phone to factory settings.

• Amazon - Always a good choice for reliable delivery at good prices
• eBay.co.uk - bid for new cards at low prices!

For more details, see our Memory Card page

Hotmail and AOL use proprietary email systems, as opposed to the more common POP email systems - this makes it tricky to access mail on a Series 60 device. For email on the move, consider using a standard POP3 provider such as BT Yahoo (see setup details) that offers free email accounts that can be configured on a Series 60 phone.

If you want to access your Hotmail or AOL email, there are several options:

• General: Try using a web browser on your phone (such as the Opera browser) to access Hotmail / AOL's service via their webmail interface.
• Hotmail: Use the built-in Web / WAP browser and from 'Services', enter the URL http://mobile.msn.com , and you'll be able to access your Hotmail mail via WAP. There are some complications with this option, which we've detailed on our WAP page
• AOL: We've also been directed to an AOL Mail FAQ that suggests that a suitable email program can be configured to get email access via IMAP (as opposed to POP3). Some Symbian phones support IMAP (check in the email section) for those phones that don't - Download the ProfiMail email application
• AOL: A posting in our forum suggests another option: Open AOL. Go to AOL Keyword. Type 'AOL Mobile' . Open AOL on your Mobile. Under Get Started, Open 'Sign up now'.

For more help, see our Connected? page

On many mobile phones, there's an automatic keypad lock that can be set to kick in after a certain period of time to prevent accidental keypresses while the phone's in your pocket. Oddly, this handy feature isn't supported on many of the Nokia Series 60 handsets.

However, third-party application Handy Keylock is available to fill this gap. The functionality is also included as part of Psiloc Extended Profiles application.

If you need to receive faxes, but don't have access to a fax machine, take a look at efax.com. They'll give you a fax number, and forward faxes direct to your email account as an attachment. You can then use the messaging application to retrieve your faxes on the move. You can also use this service to send faxes, either by email-to-fax, or via their web interface.

Also, consider Mobile Fax - this is a small application for Series 60 phones that supports sending and receiving of faxes. For more details of this clever package, see Mobile Fax

Some mobiles come with a built-in FM radio. We're often asked whether software is available to add a radio to a phone that doesn't have a built-in FM radio. Unfortunately, it's not that simple, as it's not just a software issue. Phones that have built-in radios contain dedicated hardware in the phone to do this (an FM RF tuner)... and if your phone doesn't have this software, then you're out of luck. If you're really desperate to listen to radio from your handset, note that it is possible to listen to streaming audio over the Internet via GPRS (using an application such as Avec Radio), although don't expect the results to be up to much!

There are some Nokia headsets available with an FM radio, such as the Mikomi portable radio from Argos , which is small enough to carry around, and capable of good FM reception on the move.

• Infrared - Series 60 phones with Infrared have a 'Modem' option under 'Connectivity'. Selecting this option allows another device (such as a Pocket PC or Laptop) to connect to the Internet using infrared. If the equipment you wish to connect to doesn't have infrared, consider a 'USB-IRDA Adaptor' from Maplin Electronics (Cat no: RV88V).
• Bluetooth - You can also use the handset as a modem from a Bluetooth PDA, or a PC with Bluetooth connectivity (such as a Belkin USB Bluetooth adapter). For more, see our Bluetooth page.
• Cable - Some phones that support a USB connection can also be used as a modem

Some Nokia Series 60 phones require you to have the Nokia PC modem driver installed. For phones such as the Nokia 6680, the driver installation is part of the Nokia Connectivity Suite installation. Check the PDF manual supplied with your phone for instructions on installing an using PC modem drivers.

Once you have taken a picture, there are three ways to get the files from your phone to other people or computers:

1. You can copy it to your PC with the software supplied on the phone's CD . Depending on what your phone supports and what your computer has, this can be done with Infrared, Bluetooth or USB cable. Set your PC to receive files (using the IR or Bluetooth software supplied with your adapter), select the photo to send (from Images), then from the Options menu, select Send.
2. You can use the Messaging application and email the picture to yourself (or a friend)
3. Send the picture to another mobile using MMS. Costs of sending pictures by MMS differ depending on which network operator you're with. Take a look at our MMS page for more.

Here's how to change the default wallpaper image used in the phone application:

• Press Menu
• Go to the Gallery application
• Open the image you're after
• Press Options > Set as wallpaper

On older versions of Series 60, you could also do this from Tools > Settings > Phone > Standby mode > "Background image" > Yes

Copy Contacts from SIM to phone

• If you're looking to transfer all of your names and phone numbers from your SIM card into the phone memory, here's what you need to do: Contacts > Options > SIM Directory > Options > Mark > Mark all > Options > Copy to Contacts

Copy Contacts from phone to SIM

• To transfer names and numbers from the Contacts address book to the SIM card, here's what you need to do: Contacts > Options > Mark > Mark all > Options > Copy to SIM direct.

• To have new messages and beamed objects stored onto memory card, and not the phone's internal memory, do the following: Messaging > Options > Settings > Other > Memory in use
• There's also an application available called msvdriveE that lets you play around with saving messages to Internal or Memory card. Try a Google Search for msvdrivee.sis
• You could also consider using Oxygen II to copy text messages onto your PC
• If you're looking to copy files onto a memory card, you may find that the best option is to get a PC memory card reader and copy files directly from the PC onto the memory card.

Copying/moving Contacts data to memory card:

• As far as we know, your Contacts data has to stay on the Internal drive and/or the SIM card (so that incoming calls can look up the number in the Contacts database) - so you can't move your phone's address book to a removable memory card.
• If you want to back up your phone's address book, you're advised to use the supplied PC software to 'sync' your address book to a desktop computer for safekeeping.
• Another option for keeping a copy of your Contacts safe, is to look at the Smart Backup solution. This backs up your important data over the Internet to a secure location, so your data can be restored if your phone is lost or damaged.

Text messages sent and received on your Series 60 phone are stored in the /system/mail folder on your phone. These are stored in a Symbian-specific format, so can't be transferred wholesale over to another phone, or transferred using a SIM card. If you wish to transfer text messages from your phone, you have a number of options:

• Download and install an application called MessageStorer. This can be used to convert your text messages to a standard text file (.txt), that can be copied, beamed or emailled from your phone to be opened on another computer
• Use Oxygen, a PC package, to connect to your phone from a PC and transfer your Messaging inbox to your PC - More on Oxygen II.
• An application called Desktop Message is available for some older Series 60 phones - this can be used on the PC to download SMS messages from the phone
• Open each message individually, and select Options > Forward, to forward a message either via SMS or email

For help on sending text messages from your PC via your Series 60 phone to the PC, see our Series 60 PC Connectivity SMS FAQ

Sometimes, after formatting the phone, or by accident, your phone may be in the wrong language. Here's a quick guide on how to change to one of the phone's other languages:

Start the phone. From the menu, go to the Tools folder, then go to Settings (a picture of a wrench). Select the first option, 'Phone' (a picture of a phone and a wrench). Select the first item on the first tab ('General'). The first option in the list should be 'Language'. Press the Enter key to open the dialogue, and pick your language.

Note that if your language isn't in the default list of languages, you will need to re-flash your phone with a firmware version that supports your language. A Nokia Service Centre in your area should be able to help

If you've beamed a file to your Series 60 phone, it will be received to the phone's Inbox. If for any reason, you're having a problem with a beamed file (or an email attachment in the Messaging application), here's how to get access to that file to change, open, rename or delete it.

• You'll need a File Manager - the built-in File Manager on many Series 60 phones hides access to key folders, so may be of little use. Instead, download and install a third-party application such as Handy File or ProfiExplorer (Help on installing)
• You need to browse to the Messaging folder... Select C > System > Mail
• You'll see a list of mail folders. The folder for Inbox is 00001001_s - Select this
• Under this folder are a number of subfolders (up to sixteen).Go through these one by one. Where you see a single file with a single folder (as pictured below), it's a message with a file. open the folder to get to the file, and then use the file manager to open, rename or delete the file as appropriate.

A great feature of Series 60 phones is the ability to add a thumbnail to a contact.

Take a picture of a friend with the camera, then open the person's contact, edit it, and add the image as a thumbnail. The photos are in JPG format, so you can use images from digital cameras or scanned images. Build up a mini-library of pictures, and get a name and face to appear when a call comes in. Mobile phones identify callers using a service called CLI. For more details, see our CLI page

Another common question we get asked, is from users asking if it's possible to get to see a bigger photo of the caller while the phone's ringing. There's nothing built-in to support this, but a third party application is available to fill the gap - Full Screen Caller. A free trial of this software is available from www.handango.com

If you're finding that only the person's number is being displayed even though you have the name entered in Contacts, this is probably because you have the number in the phone twice (perhaps once on the phone memory and once on the SIM card - in this case, the phone doesn't know which entry to use, so defaults to neither - Check Contacts > Options > SIM Directory.

We accept no responsibility for use of this code. It is undocumented, not supported by Nokia or Symbian and should be used at your own risk.

The soft-format code for Series 60 phones is *#7370# . You enter this code as you would enter a phone number in the Phone application. It performs a format of the Internal drive - All data will be lost if you use this feature.

The method of performing a hard-format, i.e resetting it completely to factory defaults and removing all data, is as follows:

1. Switch off the phone.
2. Hold down the following three buttons: Green (call answer) button, * button, and '3' button
3. While holding these buttons, press the power button and switch on the phone
4. When the message 'Formatting' appears on the screen, release all of the buttons

Note that you shouldn't switch the phone off or remove the battery when performing either of these operations, and it's advised that the handset has a reasonable amount of battery charge before performing a format/reset. As data will be lost, you are advised to perform a backup first

Rather than the software that came as standard with the phone, there's a rather useful third-party application called Oxygen II - This application supports Contacts, Calendar, Messaging and file management.
For details of how this works, take a look at our Oxygen page

If this message keeps popping up for no reason, it sounds like your Series 60 phone is trying to connect to the 'Net using GPRS and doesn't know which access point to use. Reasons for this are likely to be:

• You've installed a piece of software that needs to connect to the 'Net (such as Activemail)
• You have an email or MMS in your Outbox that's trying to send
• You have GPRS set to "When available" (See Tools > Settings > Connection > GPRS)

May also be worth looking at the settings of your access points (Tools > Settings > Connection > Access Points).

As a last resort - Another poster in this forum has fixed the problem by backing up their contacts and other vital info, then performing a hard-reset - losing all data.

If you've got an old mobile phone handset that you're no longer using... do your bit for the environment, and recycle it safely. You'll also make some money when you send your old handset back.

Don't leave it in the back of a drawer - see if it can find a new lease of life, and pocket you some cash.

For a summary of the best deals on making cash from your old handset, try the comparison search tool at www.sellyouroldmobile.co.uk

Some Series 60 phones support MP3 playback, and some don't. If you try to play an MP3 file and get the message "Unknown File Format", then your phone doesn't support MP3 files.
If this is the case, then there are a few applications out there that support playback of MP3 files for Series 60 phones - Most popular of these is the impressive UltraMP3!- this has no problem playing mp3 files, has a built-in playlist editor, and supports 'skins' to customise its player. Two quick FAQs on UltraMP3:

• To open a file with UltraMP3, open the UltraMP3 application, select Menu, then select Edit Playlist. A list of all MP3 files on the device will be displayed. Move to an MP3 file, and select it. You should get a menu with a "Play" option.
• To check the version number of UltraMP3, go to the phone's Application Manager, scroll down to UltraMP3, press Options, then press View details

If Ultra doesn't suit your needs, there are some others at handango.com

If your Series 60 phone is misbehaving, there's nothing in our FAQ to help, and you've tried all of the obvious things to resolve your problem, here are a few other options to consider:

• Perhaps you've installed some software that causing problems? Remove any applications that you're no longer using, or that you think might be causing you a problem
• Got enough free memory? Some applications can't work properly if they don't have enough room to breathe. Delete any files you don't need, or see our FAQ on memory
• Try taking the battery out, forcing the phone to soft-reset (killing any running applications). Also, try taking out the memory card if your phone has one.
• Back up your phone to a PC, remove the memory card, then try performing a hard-reset. This formats the Internal drive and gets your phone back to its original factory defaults. In almost all cases, this action solves most software problems we've heard of with Nokia Series 60 phones.
• Virus? Possible, but fairly uncommon. A hard-reset should get you out of trouble, or you could consider buying a virus-checker from Handango.
• If you're still having problems, even after a factory reset, then it could be a bug in the phone's firmware. If using a Nokia, you may find that a newer version of firmware is available. A call to your nearest Nokia service centre should reveal whether there's an update available.

• Length: 5 digits
• Detail:Used to prevent unauthorised access to certain functions on the phone
• Set from: Tools > Settings > Security > Phone & SIM
• Default: The default lock code for Nokia Series 60 devices is 12345.
• Lost? - If you've changed this code and forgotten it - you will need to visit an authorised service centre, who will be able to reset the lock code for you. This security lock prevents thieves from being able to make use of stolen handsets, which is why it can only be unlocked by authorised service centres.

• Length: 4 digits
• Detail: This is an optional 4 digit code to protect your SIM
• Set from: Tools > Settings > Security > Phone & SIM
• Lost? - If you keep trying, you'll eventually get locked out and need to contact your network operator for a PUK code (see below)

• Length: 8 digits
• Detail: You'll be asked for this 8 digit code if you've entered the wrong SIM code more than the allowed number of times. You'll need to contact your network operator to get this lock lifted. PUK code help.

• Detail: This alphanumeric code is used to gain access to the secure data store for the Wallet application, where you can save bank and credit card information, plus other private data, securely.
• Lost? - If you've forgotten the wallet code, enter the following string as a telephone number: *#7370925538# - this will allow you to delete the existing wallet and create a new wallet code. You will be prompted for the phone's lock code to proceed (Normally 12345, unless you've change it).

• If your phone was fixed to work on a specific network (for example, Orange), this lock may prevent you from using another SIM in the handset. You may see "SIM card rejected" or "SIM card unaccepted". This lock can be lifted for you by contacting the network operator in question (there may be a fee for this).

Memory Card lock code

• Our forum often gets messages from people that are seeing "Memory card locked". This means that your MMC card has had a password set on it. If you know the password, and want to remove it, go to Extras > Memory.
• Lost? - Sorry, but we don't know of a way to remove this code. The advice we've seen via our forum suggests that you may want to format your memory card either from the Extras > Memory > Options > Format mem. card, or using a PC Memory Card Reader. If you know of a better solution, please pass this on via our forum to help others that have managed to lock themselves out of their cards!