diff --git a/client/acct_mgr.cpp b/client/acct_mgr.cpp
index ba5b7e6ac9..dfe78b4299 100644
--- a/client/acct_mgr.cpp
+++ b/client/acct_mgr.cpp
@@ -641,6 +641,7 @@ void ACCT_MGR_OP::handle_reply(int http_op_retval) {
             }
         }
 
+#ifdef USE_NET_PREFS
         bool read_prefs = false;
         if (strlen(host_venue) && strcmp(host_venue, gstate.main_host_venue)) {
             safe_strcpy(gstate.main_host_venue, host_venue);
@@ -664,6 +665,7 @@ void ACCT_MGR_OP::handle_reply(int http_op_retval) {
         if (read_prefs) {
             gstate.read_global_prefs();
         }
+#endif
 
         handle_sr_feeds(rss_feeds, &gstate.acct_mgr_info);
 
diff --git a/client/client_state.h b/client/client_state.h
index 6f36df05e6..007a2c8673 100644
--- a/client/client_state.h
+++ b/client/client_state.h
@@ -602,4 +602,15 @@ extern double calculate_exponential_backoff(
     // min/max account manager RPC backoff
 
 #define ANDROID_KEEPALIVE_TIMEOUT   30
+    // Android: if don't get a report_device_status() RPC from the GUI
+    // in this interval, exit.
+    // We rely on the GUI to report battery status.
+
+#ifndef ANDROID
+#define USE_NET_PREFS
+    // use preferences obtained over the network
+    // (i.e. through scheduler replies)
+    // Don't do this on Android
+#endif
+
 #endif
diff --git a/client/cs_prefs.cpp b/client/cs_prefs.cpp
index 7298576804..0ac9743da4 100644
--- a/client/cs_prefs.cpp
+++ b/client/cs_prefs.cpp
@@ -576,6 +576,7 @@ void CLIENT_STATE::read_global_prefs(
     FILE* f;
     string foo;
 
+#ifdef USE_NET_PREFS
     if (override_fname) {
         retval = read_file_string(override_fname, foo);
         if (!retval) {
@@ -615,6 +616,7 @@ void CLIENT_STATE::read_global_prefs(
         }
         show_global_prefs_source(found_venue);
     }
+#endif
 
     // read the override file
     //
diff --git a/client/cs_scheduler.cpp b/client/cs_scheduler.cpp
index 9a2edba93f..8e85e4fe7a 100644
--- a/client/cs_scheduler.cpp
+++ b/client/cs_scheduler.cpp
@@ -687,6 +687,7 @@ int CLIENT_STATE::handle_scheduler_reply(
         }
     }
 
+#ifdef USE_NET_PREFS
     // see if we have a new venue from this project
     // (this must go AFTER the above, since otherwise
     // global_prefs_source_project() is meaningless)
@@ -704,6 +705,7 @@ int CLIENT_STATE::handle_scheduler_reply(
     if (update_global_prefs) {
         read_global_prefs();
     }
+#endif
 
     // deal with project preferences (should always be there)
     // If they've changed, write to account file,