Cant open tar.md5 files to view the .img files Im trying to open my stock rom file that i downloaded from sam firmware and when I try open it with winrar it says: The archive is either in unknown format or damaged. so i tried taking the .md5 extension away and still no luck? Other people have managed to do this besides me?

Generic Samsung Firmware MD5 Information:

You can flash an MD5 file via Odin for Samsung Devices.

An MD5 file is just a .tar file with a checksum included. Odin can recognise both, and you an even just remove the .MD5 and have .tar on the end, rather than the usual .tar.md5 extension Samsung software has. A tar file is just a *NIX archive file to all intents and purposes.

Note: MD5 cannot be flashed by CWM or TWRP or any other custom recovery.

For example:

Lets say I download a new Modem called MODEM_S6102DXLC2_REV01.tar.md5
Open ODIN
Place MODEM_S6102DXLC2_REV01.tar.md5 in the 'Phone' or 'CP' section (Depending on Odin Version)
Flash Modem.

Opening Tar Files:

To open a .tar file you can use 7-Zip in Windows.

Link to 7 Zip Page note it mentions Tar explicitely on the page.

Here is a list of free archive software for windows many of which can open tar files.


Really know what is using internal storage Possible Duplicate:
  What can I do to manage my phone’s internal storage?

I am constantly running into the "Low Space" warning so I would like to know what is really consuming the phone's internal storage.

I've checked and removed app after app, moved them to the SD card and done everything else I can think of but can't seem to figure out what is really consuming the phone's internal storage.

I can see the storage used per app but it seems like this not entirely correct numbers or something is not attached to an app and hence invisible to this app list.

So, is there a way to see what is really consuming the storage?

Disk Usage provides a way to find files and directories which consume a lot of space on phone and SD card


Disable sharing of playlists in Spotify App On Spotify for Windows, there is a setting "Automatically make new playlists public", which I disabled, since I don't want to do that.

In the settings on the Spotify Android App however, this option is missing. Or at least I am not finding it.

Does anyone know a better way to keep my playlists private than manually clicking "Unpublish" for every new playlist I add?

Just go to settings and enable "Private Sessions" That will disable sharing of the songs you listen to.

Steps to enable Private sessions-

  Step 1: Go to the Android Market and update your Spotify app.

  Step 2: Launch the Spotify for Android app, then in the lower
  right-hand corner, tap on "More," then "Settings."

  Step 3: Check the box next to "Private Session."

  Step 4: When you go back to your playlists, you'll see the "Private
  Session" indicator at the top.

  That's it. Now you can listen to Spotify without advertising your
  playlists to your Facebook friends. Keep in mind that after 6 hours of
  idle time, Private Session will automatically disable itself.


"Improve Location Accuracy" question won't stop coming up Immediately, no matter if I hit "yes" or "no", it will pop up one second later when I'm on Tinder. No matter how many times I answer, it will just come right back up immediately. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app, and figuring with my wifi settings. Solutions?

I use an app callled "automagic premium"

I created a flow that launches whenever "network" appear in "System.secure.location_providers_allowed"

It pops up a message box causing the prompt we both hate to go away - and never be agreed to.


When I plug in earphones into my HTC Desire S, it dials the phone Every time I plug in my earphones into my HTC Desire S, it  starts calling the last dialed number automatically and starts the music after short interval.  Does anyone know about this problem?

HTC Desire HD Android 2.3.5

I had exactly the same problem, would plug in standard headphones/ earphones/ aux cable to speakers... all of these would register on the phone as earphones with a mic built in for some reason.  it would cut music tracks short and play the next one or start ringing a call.

strangely, as i was searching for this thread, the problem has self corrected.  All that is different is that I updated ALL of my apps on google app store today.  This is the only factor that I have changed.  Try this!  I hope it works out for you as well as I know how frustrating it was!

best wishes


how can i restore loosing system applications I remove some system androids apps(that i dont konw which app) from my phon whith system app safe remover. and now my phon cant open any docx file whith any program. how can do i found the lossing app?
my phon: samsung galexy not N7000 rooted
android: 4.1.2
rom: n7000JPLSB   (rooted)

You probably removed some bloatware which opened word (docx) files. To fix download a docx reader like this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=couchDev.tools.DocxParser&hl=en


How do I move the voice input button to the numeric keyboard in KitKat? In Android 4.4. KitKat, how do I move the voice input icon, i.e. the one with the microphone icon, from the alphabetic keyboard (next to the spacebar, at left) to the numeric keyboard?

At least up to Android 4.3 It used to be possible to do that via an option in the settings. I checked several times the settings of my Nexus 5 with KitKat, especially the Languages and input section, but I cann't find the option.

Is moving the button still possible? What input method and settings options are required?

If you are running ASOP keyboard, and are on the num pad, you can press and hold the SPACE bar to get the text imput method select. There you can choose Google voice typing.

Esentially
Keyboard -> NUM key -> Long press on space bar -> Google voice input


Locking individual files on micro sd card I have Galaxy S2 running on android 4.0.3. I have a number of photos, videos, pdf and word files stored on the micro sd card.

I am just wondering if there is a way to password protect individual files.

Many thanks

Short answer:

Maybe.

Long answer:

The SDCard is formatted with the legacy MSDOS FAT16 filesystem, which enables compatibility for the most part, largely majority with the Windows platform, not to mention Linux and others. It is for that reason, there is absolutely zero mechanism within that filesystem from a security standpoint. That is the trade-off with legacy filesystem and interchangeability with different desktop systems.

However, the alternative may be, is to format the SDCard to use one of the variety of Linux only filesystems where you can put permissions on each directory to prevent it from being browsable. Notably, ext3fs or ext4fs (Extended Filesystem 3rd and 4th edition respectively). That you might get away with but could induce side effects with the stock Android applications such as Gallery, Music Player.

The one thing that springs to mind, albeit from a technical view-point, would be, to have a Android service running in the background that is monitoring file access to those files in question and the service could trigger a rudimentary dialog box prompting for the password based on the list of files the service can monitor based on your choosing.

A bit of quick google-fu yielded this hit on this app that might be the very thing you're looking for.

  With VeryAndroid File Protector, you can pick files and folders on
  your android phone or computer to protect with password.

Actually, that is what I have mentioned above! Well, reading the reviews, some disgruntled people felt they were cheated out of it, its free for 48 hours and having to pay a premium price - 19.95 accordingly to the review!


Dark statusbar/quicksettings theme on Oreo? I've updated my Google Pixel to Oreo. Now the statusbar and quick settings area have a light theme. Is it possible to change that back to the dark theme, like on previous versions of Android? The white background is way too bright... I didn't find any option in the settings.

Sony helped Google in implementing native support of RRO layers in Android O. This was previously used in many Xperia phones for a better system-wide theme support. In android custom rom and root community, Project Substratum is used for same. It also uses RRO layers thus provides better and more consistent theme than previous option CynogenMod Theme Engine (CMTE).

Till Oreo RRO layer patches and root were necessary for Substratum to work but as Oreo has native RRO layer support so it can be achieved in stock rom.For detailed method see this and this xda article.
@Tony Chiboucas has also mentioned the method in his comment.

P.S. For unrooted devices, this is a paid process.


Reliable way to set DNS I have an LG P880 phone on 4.2 and a 2013 Nexus 7 on 4.4. I use 2G, 3G and Wifi for the phone. I am experimenting with changing the DNS to Google's. I do notice that the ISP (Wifi of course) DNS performance is unacceptable.

Which is an app that allows me to set DNS with minimum drama: no random failures, no need of root, no interception of traffic (one app creates a VPN)?

Go into WiFi Settings > (Press and hold) the preferred network connection > (Click) Modify network config > (Check) Show advance options > (Select) Static (instead of DHCP) > [Under DSN 1 and DSN 2 enter your choice) > (Click) Save

This will work for wifi.  I don't think it will change the DNS provided by your phone carrier.

When you specify static you are overriding the DHCP distribution of the router.  You would have to specify an IP address outside of the specified automatic range pool


How do I stop my phone from auto completing numbers (samsung galaxy s3)? I like predictive text generally, but whenever I am texting a number (address or phone number or whatever reason to use numbers) it auto completes from something normal, such as 123-456-7890, to something completely ridiculous, 12th0132. Is there a way to turn off predictive text/auto complete/ auto correct just for numbers? or is there a better predictive text keyboard I don't know about?

It's a limitation of the Keyboard app on your phone. If it have a that feature, then you can. I suggest to download another keyboard app, for example Google Keyboard. Hope this helps.


How can I fix this time-zone problem with calendar events that started after installing Android 2.3? I'm using a Nexus One on T-Mobile in the US. A couple months ago my OS was updated to Android 2.3. Since then I've had a weird problem with my calendar events.

I can view calendar events just fine, and the calendar syncs with my Google Account bi-directionally without issue.

When I create a calendar event, the "time zone" option defaults to my current time zone, "GMT -4, Eastern Standard Time", just like it did on Android 2.2. However, when I touch the time zone option to select a time zone, there are two time zone entries that match mine. One is "GMT -4, Eastern Standard Time", the other is "GMT -4, Eastern Time".

The problem happens when I edit an event. Frequently, when I edit a calendar entry, the event jumps 4 hours ahead unless I manually edit it back down. For example, if I create a calendar event and set the starting time to 1:00pm, when I edit the event I've created the edit screen will show a starting time of 5:00pm. It still shows the correct time zone, but it adds the 4 hour GMT difference into the event's starting time. If I save the event without adjusting it back down, the next time I edit it it will say 9:00pm. This happens regardless of whether the event was originally created on the phone, or if it was created on my desktop PC by visiting http://www.google.com/calendar. It doesn't seem to matter which of the two "US Eastern Time" options I select when creating an event on the phone. This problem did not exist before I installed Android 2.3. It doesn't happen with every single event, but I haven't been able to figure out what the common element is between the unaffected events. It does seem that events that are freshly-created are less prone to this problem (possibly the problem starts after the data's been synced a few times?)

If I create a calendar event on my phone, and then edit it on my desktop PC using http://www.google.com/calendar, the PC edit screen behaves normally, and the changes sync back to my phone without issue. Only when editing events on the phone do I experience this problem.

It's very annoying that I have to dial my events back 4 hours every time I make a change to them. I've experimented with different settings but I haven't been able to figure out how to make this go away. Does anybody know how I can fix this?

I had a problem with a secondary calendar which sounds similar. On edit the time zone changed. I went into the calendar and made sure all of them were set to my time zone. Each calendar has changeable time zone on Google calendars.


Upgrade of HTC software hid Nexus 7 from adb adb devices shows my device in its listing up until I installed a new version of the HTC Sync Manager (for my HTC One M7).
I've also tried reinstalling the device drivers and even adding a new %CompositeAdbInterface% with my Hardware ID in: <android sdk>\sdk\extras\google\usb_driver.
Note that: I'm running stock Android 5.1.1 on Windows 8.1 x64.
How do I get my Nexuz 7 to register with adb again?

I definitely suggest using Koush's Universal ADB Driver, rather than a device specific driver set to use ADB. It covers all possible ADB interfaces and generally works well with multiple devices from different manufacturers.


When should I use/not use '-w' for fastboot flashing? When should I use/not use '-w' for fastboot flashing?

Say I were to be manually flashing each img in the zip of a factory image.

Why one way or another? Do certain .img's need to be erased first?

I recently had a misflash where my internal storage was reduced from 64gb to 32gb and I am wondering if it could have been avoided. I resolved my particular problem by using Format Data in TWRP.

You should wipe the data once, when you start.  This may not be necessary if you are (for example) only flashing a recovery, flashing a very similar ROM, etc.

You shouldn't need to erase images/partitions before flashing over them.


Can't access internet but I'm connected to wifi. I have been using my dorms WiFi forever -- but since the latest system update on my S3, it won't get internet even though im connected to the WiFi (status says I'm connected -- but the icons in the notification areas stay white). Its like that all over campus. Other places I can use the WiFi without any problems.

Immediately after the mentioned update, internet worked for one more day on my phone in my dorm, but after that only other WiFi networks seem to work for me.

I have no idea what the reason could be. Any ideas what I should look for?

Have you tried dialing *#*#526#*#*   ?

It fixed a wifi connection problem I had.

I dialed it on the phone, got the "call cannot be completed" message. Hung up, restarted the phone, then went through the whole phone call again.

It worked. My wifi problem is fixed.  I kid you not. Google it. I hope this helps.


Android not syncing anymore My wifi doesn't turn green anymore, just stays grey/white, therefore my google apps do not sync anymore. I have internet. HTC Desire 2.3.7

Any help?

I've had this problem too, but I have found that it is correlated to low internal memory on the phone. Try clearing the cache from some apps and uninstalling the ones you don't use, it helped for me. Nexus One 2.3.7


USB host mode not working on Samsung Galaxy S using CyanogenMod I am using CyanogenMod 10.1.0-RC3 (Android 4.2.2) on my Samsung Galaxy S Plus (GT-I9001). I have read Android 4 supports USB on the go, so I wanted to give it a try.
I bought a USB OTG cable, and connected a USB stick (formatted FAT32) to my phone. Nothing happened. After reading this question, I installed USB Host diagnostics, and my device says:

Android API
Claims support: Yes
Classes found: Yes
Device Detected: No

I bought a new USB OTG cable to be sure this is not the problem, but the result is the same.
What am I missing? I have the right Android version, an appropriate cable, no special hardware (just a USB stick - I tried with different ones). Maybe I need the host mode drivers? But I don't know where to find them, and I am not sure if this is my problem.
What can cause my issue and how can I solve it?

The Galaxy S Plus (i9001) needs an external power source to have a working USB OTG. See this link on XDA for more information (it's for the i9000, but does also apply).

According to GSMArena's spec (USB: Yes, microUSB v2.0) the i9001 firmware doesn't originally support USB-OTG (compare the S3's spec, but 3rd party firmware added this later on. It does however not function without external 5V power.


How I can upgrade my device to latest Android without SD card? I have a HCL Me u1 device that is running the 4.0.3 version of Android. I want to upgrade it to the latest version of Android.

I don't have an SD card. Are there any tricks for upgrading without one? How do I root the device and backup my old files?

I rooted my device with superuser, now I want to know how to upgrade to the latest version of Android. I downloaded the Zip from online but I don't know how it works.

To install the custom rom you need to have ClockWork Mod installed on the tablet/phone. ClockWork Mod is the software tool that installs the custom rom. See XDA Developers for information on how to install ClockWork Mod.


How to unbrick phone when both recovery and system are abcent? I have Lenovo A328 phone, after trying to upgrade to cyanogen it has no system and no recovery, when turning it on there is only loading screen. ADB asks to authorize the phone, but no dialog appears on the phone's screen.

I was a bit wrong, it appeared that i had no system and no bootloader (through which I used to launch recovery). I held both volume buttons and sticked usb cable during this - and it helped.


How do I fix internal sdcard mount failure I/O error? I have a tablet running android 4.2.2. The internal sdcard will not mount and logcat output is - failed to mount via vfat (I/O error). I used fsck_msdos and output is - ** Phase 1 - read FAT (compare skipped) Attempting to allocate 14000 KB for FAT ** Phase 2 - check cluster chains ** Phase 3 checking directories Root directory starts with free cluster Fix? yes ** Phase 4 - checking for lost files Update FATs? yes Attempting to allocate 14000 KB for FAT 1389 files, 1133632 free (2238856 clusters) ***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED ***** But I am still getting the same error from vold. Is there anything elseI should try?

Should have waited to ask but heres the answer - mkdosfs on /dev/(etc.) and vold now mounts no problem.


Can't use Google Account on Android 2.3 I have an LG Phoenix with Android 2.3 and I just recently did a factory reset, and now when I go to add my Google account, it won't let me add it. After I entered in my username (...@outlook.com) and my password, it says that "...@outlook.com does not use gmail". Then it offered me a couple suggestions to create a gmail account. I don't want a Gmail account. I don't understand why I need one when I've already got a Google account. I thought that would be enough info needed.

As noted in this question, there's no special hard requirement for gmail anymore.
But <ics GoogleServicesFramework (or at least I tested version 2.3.7 that can seemingly only be found on some late-gingerbread stock ROMs) still expects that as "principal" one (ie use Play Store and GMS).

I guess like this shouldn't be too hard to solve by tinkering with the apk or accounts.db, but for the moment that's it.

Creating a totally new and dupe account, with your main "official" one as secondary (to keep stuff in sync) should work then. It's not really the most of simplicity or neatness, but if you don't want to dirty your account with gmail face, it's the only other option.

p.s. in 2017 you might get some initial crash here or there, due to very old vanilla applications. Making sure to install this and this solved everything for me.


Which service provides Facebook notifications and how to disable it to use mobile network I'm having a bit of a problem trying to disable services from using mobile data connection on my Galaxy Nexus with Jelly Bean.

I've disabled Facebook to use mobile data connection, but I'm still getting Facebook notifications1 which is very odd. I'd like to disable it on mobile network completely and only have it enabled while on wifi.

My main mobile data connection users are:

Google Services - is it possible to control individual ones because there are many within this one and I can't even see which ones because they're all truncated
Gmail - I want this one enabled on Wifi and mobile network
Facebook (?!?!?!) - should be disabled on mobile
Google Search - what do I lose if I disable this one as well? which app uses this one? I'm not using Google Now on mobile network anyway.
...

I don't want to resort to manually disabling/enabling Facebook app every time I go to work which would hopefully disable these notifications as well.

  1: Those notifications that display Facebook icon in notification area, not those that get delivered to my Gmail and I'd actually get email notifications about emails related to Facebook.

Try installing an app firewall such as DroidWall (needs root) and disallow 3G access for the Facebook app.


Battery Trickle Charging, good or bad? What are the side effects of using apps that trickle charge battery. App like "Battery Doctor". It charges around 30-50 (varies with device) mins after battery is fully charged, which results in a bit longer battery backup as I found out. But is that harmful for battery health? Like damaging the battery? Or should I charge normally up to the device says "Fully Charged"?

especially on a rapid-charger, this is normal charging behavior to achieve complete 'depth' of charge. I wish they wouldn't report it as "charged/100%" if it was still trickling.

Here is a graph of the charge curve. note the voltage on the battery tops out but the current is still drawn.

It's somewhat an EE question, but higher voltage is provided to the battery until the charge rate (current draw) drops to 5-2% of C, with C being the total storage. IE, on a 3000mAh battery this would be a charge rate of 60mA. Lower cutoffs (1%) are detrimental to battery health (IE, over 3-500 charges degrades capacity by, oh, 5-10%), but given OEM replacement batteries are $10-15 FOB from China, it is wiser to consider them sacrificial and not concern yourself with their health.

I know it's a shift in thinking but it's much easier to convert to Qi charging (just get a TPU case too to help hold it on) and just drop it on the pad whenever you are at work or at home. Once you have a phone with Qi you won't be interested in one without. plugging in twice a day (once to top up) is hard.


Is it safe to charge Galaxy j7 using Galaxy A5 charger? A5 has 2900mA battery and a charger with fast charging capability and j7 has 3000mA battery with normal charging.

Can I use that to fast charge the Galaxy j7?

Galaxy J7 isn't rated for Fast Charge support either on Samsung's sites or other sites that host specs, and comes with a measly 5V 1.5A charger (for both the 2015 and 2016 versions). Adding the fact that it targets the lower end of the market, it's safe to guess it does not support Fast Charge. In comparison, A5 is at a higher end and supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0.

You should still be able to use the charger, just not getting fast charge from it.


"Priority only" as default mode - Marshmallow When I try to change the "Notifications mode" using the volume key, it always defaults to "Alarms only" mode, but I would like this to be set as "Priority only".

I know I can swipe down to access "Do not disturb" and set the "Priority only" mode but I want to do it with volume keys

Is there any way to set "Priority only" as default mode when using Volume keys

Alarm mode  is activated when Vol is decreased progressively reaching silence first, next vibrate and on further decreasing the volume (watch closely and you would notice these steps). OP has clarified that this the behavior expected except that desired end mode should be Priority mode instead of Alarm mode
Since we are talking of changing the default behavior of OS, one way could be to root the device and tweak or use an app. automation may be preferred option, since it doesn't involve rooting & modding. Many apps are available. I prefer using MacroDroid , since it is free (upto 5 macros) and easy to learn. To understand how MacroDroid works and required settings (app guides you through the settings - make sure from the app settings you activate ignore battery optimisations, my answer here. The drawback of automation approach is that it won't perfectly replicate the expected behavior and has snags, which are mentioned at  end
You would need two macros for this
First macro would look like this (Triggers / Actions / Constraints are added by +)
Macro : Vol Silent / Vibrate (name of macro )
Trigger : Volume Button Pressed → Volume Down → Update Volume
Actions:

Set MacroDroid Variable → New Variable →Create New Variable→ Give it any name (here ring) and set type to Integer → Set (variable name) → Value = 0

If Clause → Conditions + → Ringer Volume → Vibrate or Silent . Press this If clause and choose Add Child Action. Next,  Set Macrodroid Variable,  choose the variable name (step 1) and set it to 1

Constraints:  No Constraints
Logic: We need to identify when silence or vibrate is reached by Vol Dn  . In the first action we named a variable and set it to 0 and in the second action, we set a flag (MacroDroid variable =1 ) to indicate that silence or vibrate is reached. Not specifying any Constraints means we want the macro to always run
In the next macro, we make sure that if the Volume is further decreased from silence or vibrate state, we set it to Priority Mode. To ensure that it happens only when this state is reached, we use the flag as constraint and re-initialize the variable to 0
Macro : Set Priority Mode (name of macro )
Trigger : Volume Button Pressed → Volume Down → Update Volume
Actions:

Set Priority Mode → Priority

Set MacroDroid Variable (name you chose, here it is ring) → Value = 0

Constraints:  MacroDroid Variable (ring) → Value = 1

OK , I had mentioned that it isn't perfect, mainly because you are trying to override default OS behavior without rooting and modding. So, here are the glitches :

If you pause decreasing volume on reaching Silence / Vibrate, or if you are on vibrate and decrease volume further - it won't work

Sometimes , even if you decrease volume smoothly without pausing, you would still see Alarm mode instead of Priority mode. Reading the app logs indicates that this is because both the micros require a few milliseconds to kick in and by then OS has done it's job !  Workaround is to increase the volume a bit and then decrease it, maybe a couple of times allowing the app to do it's job

From Priority Mode, when you increase the volume, it still displays the same status (unlike in alarm mode) , so you need to manually click End Now


Gmail for Exchange or Microsoft Exchange Active Sync We are using Office365 Exchange cloud email accounts.

I have configured Samsung Galaxy A3 and there are 2 email apps by default - GMail and E-mail (probably from Samsung?).

I have added Google account and Exchange account to the phone settings but then could not find the e-mail account in the E-mail app and found it in Gmail app. On the other hand the Gmail account shows only in the E-mail app.

When trying to connect the E-mail app to Office365 account, it creates second Microsoft Exchange Active Sync account that presumably synchronizes independently from GMail Exchange account.

It is quite a messy, what would be the most convenient way for the user to configure those accounts and clients presuming that the user wants to save contacts to Google account and view e-mail & calendar on Office365 account?

There are options here.  You can remove accounts in Settings - Cloud and Accounts - Accounts (based on S7 Edge running Android 7.0):

Currently the way you are doing it
Remove all accounts, log into Gmail with your personal Gmail account, open the Mail app and use "Exchange" to connect to your Office 365 account
Use Gmail to access your Gmail account, then also add your Office 365 account to view in Gmail app (Gmail app supports Exchange accounts)
Use only Mail app to access Gmail and Office 365 accounts
Use Gmail and third-party app for Office 365 access (Outlook, Nine for Android, TouchDown, many others)

There's a lot of options here.  It is up to the user how they best organize and use their apps.


Why does Google Location History stay in the same place when I go out? What's happening is that I go out and about and at the end of the day I check the location history and it says that I've been at my house all day when I've been out. I take my phone with me and it stays on, the GPS is on.

I do have a tab that stays at home but there's no location settings allowed for it, there isn't even a glimpse of the location to out of my house. It looks like it's tracking my tab but it's not set for location data to be used for apps. I do not have any apps on the tab that would need my location anyway, but the GPS is off on it so it wouldn't be able to track it besides using the WiFi location.

The location simply does not move, it might go out on the street but there's no indication whatsoever I went anywhere other than my house.

If you are using Google Latitude than sorry it has been retired

Instead use Google+ from here


When I transfer files from computer using USB (MTP), I can't access them on device Trying to set up my shiney new Nexus 7 (2013 edition) I used MTP to transfer files (music and ebooks) to the device from my Win7 PC. It seemed to work, but then when I ejected/disconnected the tablet, it registers that there is space being used in the folders, but doesn't show any of the files (when looking at Storage it says there's 600MB worth of stuff in the folder, but when I tab on it there's no files listed, and my music player and e-reader apps don't see anything either).

What gives?

Thanks in advance for your help!

At Izzy's suggestion, I installed a file manager (OI), and was able to see the files that my Android itself didn't recognize. I used OI to cut-paste them to a new dummy directory and then back to where they belonged, Android recognized them and I can use with the relevant apps (Kindle, Kingsoft Office).


Where can I find SIM settings in Huawei Ideos X5? I want to unlock my SIM card password. I was looking around Android settings, but I couldn't find SIM settings to unlock password.

I have an Samsung Galaxy S4 using a custom ROM. Maybe something like Settings > Security > Set up SIM/RUIM card lock, but it's different for every phone.

For your Huawei Ideos X5, Settings > Location & security > Set up SIM card lock.


How to remove a Virus that installs an unlimited amount of APPs causing the smartphone to stop once an internet connection has been established? Once the smartphone (android 4.4.2, kazam tornado 350) has been booted, is connected to WIFI and an unlimited number of APPs is installed causing the phone to stop, i.e. swipe is stopped, another home screen is installed.

Symptoms

A number of unwanted apps is installed once the phone has been reset to factory defaults
Unlimited amount of unwanted apps is installed once wifi is installed
Phone battery is consumed quickly
Home screen cannot be entered
Popups that ask to install (fake) security updates appear

Attempts

The unwanted APPs remained installed on the smartphone once the phone was reset to factory defaults
The installation of the APPs persisted even after encryption and subsequently resetting to factory defaults
Resetted the phone to factory defaults, disabled wifi, disabled malicious apps, rebooted and enabled wifi installed an unlimited number of APPs again
Tried to install a Virusscanner, but everytime the connection to internet is established various malicious apps are installed immediately
The issue persists as well once the SD card was removed
The internal phone storage cannot be removed. In an attempt to remove it the screen was busted :'(

Discussion

The APPs that are installed do not appear in the downloaded APPs section
After resetting to factory defaults, there seems to be malicious APPs recognized as default APPs, e.g. com.andriod instead of com.android

Question

How to remove this Virus?

As I already mentioned in the comments, here are the primary points you need to be careful about:

Whenever you install an app from the Play Store, you should pay attention to things like permissions, ratings, reviews by existing users, etc. before installing it on your device. One malicious install, and your phone could become compromised. It doesn't matter then, whether you are rooted or not.
When you install an app, it asks you a bunch of questions like what all things it needs access to (like SDCARD, telephony resources, system tools, etc.). Even without root access, a malicious app can do lots of damage to your phone, if you permit them these resources.
As the existing answer suggests, rooting is your only option if the malware has landed itself in the system area. But if you go along that route, proceed with care and caution, as there is a risk of bricking if incorrectly done.
For future reference, make a mental note to double check at least two things before installing an app: 1) The permissions it needs are sane and safe. 2) There are at least 500 million installs already with at least a 3.5+ rating. You can make rare exceptions for popular apps like WhatsApp/Skype, but this is generally what you should do. You may or may not be able to recover this phone, but life goes on and these things will go a long way to ensure that such a situation will never arise.


How can I find app name by UID? In "battery history" I have found that the app with UID 10058 is using a lot of battery.

How can I find the name of the app with UID equal to 10058?

Android assigns each application a UID (User ID) at install time; unlike PID (Process ID) which is transient and keeps changing all the time, UID stays constant as long as the application is not reinstalled. The UID should be unique to each application, except when the application explicitly requests to share a userid with another application (there are security restrictions around this, the two applications must be signed with the same private key, i.e. comes from the same developer).

These applications claims to show UID of applications:

https://market.android.com/details?id=redfishandroid.appexplorer
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.sayhello2theworld.te

EDIT:

Try looking at /data/system/packages.xml (you need root to view this file), each installed application should have an entry there. Say, I have Adobe Reader installed in my phone:

<package name="com.adobe.reader" codePath="/mnt/asec/com.adobe.reader-1/pkg.apk" flags="262144" ts="1300539048000" version="37149" userId="10034" installer="com.google.android.feedback">
<sigs count="1">
<cert index="21" key="... very long random string ..." />
</sigs>
<perms />
</package>

My phone have assigned userId="10034" to Adobe Reader.

For applications that have requested to share user id with another application, say Handcent:

<package name="com.handcent.nextsms" codePath="/system/app/HandcentSMS.apk" flags="1" ts="1217592000000" version="373" sharedUserId="10064">
<sigs count="1">
<cert index="17" key="... very long random string ..." />
</sigs>
</package>

then the attribute you're looking for is sharedUserId="10064"


USB debugging option greyed out in Samsung Galaxy J5 runing Android 5.1.1 As per the rule with a new Android, I have tapped build number 7 times for enabling Developer option. However, USB debugging is shown as greyed out and I cannot start it. Samsung Galaxy J5 comes with latest Android 5.1.1. I have also updated the software to latest version.

Can anyone suggest me what to do?

Here is a screenshot:

(Click image to enlarge)

OK, here is I got the solution! there wasn't any bug or error in Android. It is because I have installed Samsung My Knox in my phone. Knox give an extra protection to device and also for some security reasons, Knox disabled USB debugging.

according to Samsung My Knox :

  If you are using My KNOX, you cannot enable USB debugging mode while the container is installed.

I have uninstalled Knox and now  USB debugging is working properly!

There is another application named Samsung Knox Express which give you option for enabling USB debugging, but only System Administrator can install this application.


Advertising on website opens Google Play Store. How can I prevent that? A website I recently visited on my Android device (http://forums.mtgsalvation.com) has code on the page (likely in the advertising banner at the top) that forces my Android's Google Play Store application to open up to Candy Crush. The link it's using:

market://details?id=com.king.candycrushsaga&referrer=ACID155-1378233900389-90097883

This is an unwanted action. Other than no longer visiting this site on my Android devices, is there a way to prevent this from happening?

I had two thoughts on the matter. Changing the agent to something that would not indicate that my device was running Android, or to disable the Play Store by deleting the vend app from a rooted device.

I'd like to avoid such nuclear options if possible.

Better way - block it on that site.

Try installing Adblock Plus for Android. According to Adblock Plus official website it
"Blocks banners, pop-ups and video ads - even on Facebook and YouTube".


How can I achieve operator agnostic call barring? so, I've got a rooted Samsung G800F.

My objective:

The phone has access to mobile data (not WiFi). (Intended for
streaming Amazon and Youtube and maybe a bit of surfing or
tethering.)
The phone can not be called. Ideally the phone can not call or get/send sms and install other applications.
The calls do not get blocked. (They are intended for a second cell using the same
number/contract.)

What I tried so far and deem useless:

Call Barring (My operator does not support this.)
Call Blocking (My
other phone has no chance to answer the calls.)
Do not disturb/silent
mode (It could still be answered and the calls are still visually
signalled.)

What I'm trying now:
Fiddling around with the phone app.

And here I'm absolutely lost and hope you can lend me a helping hand.

So, I tried Titanium, but couldn't identify the correct app. I froze and killed some suspiciously sounding/looking ones, but calls still went through and the ringer went uninterrupted.

Next I installed "Root Uninstaller"
Here I found com.android.phone and had some partial success with killing this or some services.

There are two problems though:

I do not know what I'm doing. Not a clue. So, can you tell me what service to disable?
When I reboot the device it has problems and constantly displays an error message/is almost unusable.
(Falling under the "ideally"-category: can I just freeze some "Play"-App to prevent installation of messengers - relying on the phone number - and such?)

(Just FYI: I'm from Europe and might read and respond at odd-seeming times.
 I wanted to include the tag call-barring, feel free to add this.)

That's probably not possible at the moment, as you'd have to forward the calls using VoIP. This is way too complicated to implement on your own, as these features are already builtin to the mobile network.

Alternatively your MNO may have some USSD codes for automatic call forwarding, so you need to look if those are available to you.

Unconditional Call Forwarding is usually activated with:
*21*[phone number]# and cancelled with ##21#. For other options, check the link.

Call Barring:

  If you wish to restrict calls that can be made or received by your handset then this is referred to as "Call Barring". All Call Barring codes are specific to your network, so you'll have to ask your service provider

Also check this


Moto G5S Plus File Manager is not showing any items Moto G5S Plus File Manager is not showing any items.

I used another File Manager like ES Explorer.

I see all items but Moto G5S Plus File Manager is not showing any items.

This is most likely because it's permissions are not enabled and/or you do not have the storage areas checked.

In Settings - Apps, press the 3 dot menu and select "Show System" then scroll down to File Manager and select it. Select Permissions and verify "Storage" is enabled.

In the File Manager app, swipe right to open the menu and make sure "Internal Storage" and "External Storage" are selected at the top of the page.

If you have a lot of small (under 50k) pictures, they will not show up by default. In the app's Settings menu there is an option called "Hide small pictures" which you may need to turn off.


Transfer all data files from internal memory to external SD card I would like to know how to transfer entire internal drive to external micro SD card on  the Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen?

The reason is my phone is saying it can't update because there is no space left. So I bought an SD card of 4GB in size. But even after transferring what it said it did, it still was not enough. The SD card only show kb. Had been transferred over and that didn't make sense. So maybe I did something wrong.

You can transfer files like audio,video and pictures and small portion of your downloaded app(as i can on my sony xperia e3). But you cannot move all of your app data to SD card. In order to do that you have to root your phone(it is quite risky if you haven't done that before).


Disable link previews on Android Messages app Android Messages app can show the preview of the link in an SMS.

I am trying to figure out a way to detect if the request comes from a preview so I don't get false positive visits.
Is there a way to disable the link previews?

To disable link previews on Android/Google Messages app:

Tap the overflow menu (3 vertical dots) at the top-right corner
Select Settings
Select Automatic previews
Tap either Show all previews and/or Show only web link previews to disable


Open attachment that contains forwarded email (MIME type message/rfc822) When I forward an email with Mutt from my laptop, Mutt adds the forwarded email as an attachment with MIME type "message/rfc822".
Unfortunately, Android's stock email client "com.android.email" version 8.1.0 displays the received email like this:

Two things are wrong with that:

It doesn't show the forwarded email's content.
It doesn't show the content of the non-forwarded email, the body of the email I wrote in Mutt.

The email displays properly when using K-9 Mail.
Is there a way to make the email app show the email and its attachment?

I'm on a Samsung Galaxy J5 running LineageOS.

Gmail cannot support this as I understand from FairEmail discussion on XDA (outlook mail client has related limitations).
There is a workaround, in case one is willing to have the forwarded email as text and not attachment.
OP had set mime_forward because they wanted to forward attachments per default
. If this is unset as per mutt documentation (to ask-no or ask-yes), the forwarded email is just text (not a message/rfc822) and the stock email app shows it fine as confirmed by them.


Trying to Root my phone I have a Samsung on7 phone which works on android 6.0.1 marshmallow. I want to root my phone but I'm not able to root my phone with any third party software. I always get the error message "root permission acquiring unsuccessful." Is there any other way I could root my phone?

First of all, install a suitable and supported custom recovery on your phone then try flashing the popular SuperSU's zip.. this would successfully root your device... (this worked on my Samsung J2 Pro '16 edition)


My android phone instal app on it own I use Evercoss AT1A and I have problem with my phone.  It installs applications on its own, without my permissions.

Can someone tell me how to fix it?  It doesn't update any applications, it installs new application,  that I don't know and don't want to install.

Some trojan/viruses do those kind of things, once they got the superuser privilege on your device they will auto install applications from playstore without any intervention from you, try to scan it with Malware bytes or Dr Web Antivirus to check if you are infected. I so far encountered 2 phones behaving same as what you described and found out it is infected. By the way those two phones are never rooted and all applications installed on it all came from google playstore.


fastboot check password failed I try to unlock OEM, using command fastboot oem unlock. My device is Huawei MediaPad Т5 tablet. I got the error:

...
FAILED (remote: check password failed!)
finished. total time: 0.014s

Why?

You need a unlock code from Huawei. Unfortunately they do not provide unlock codes anymore. Your only chance is buy one from third party seller


Moto E is not switching on after changing runtime to ART I changed the runtime option from Dalvik to ART. It asked for a restart.

When I did the restart, Moto E has been stuck in boot time.

When I hold the power button for sometime, it starts again.

It is stuck at a point where Motorola 'M' symbol comes and the footer says "powered by ANDROID".

Please help, I am not able to switch on my Moto E.

You could try using adb to change the device back to Dalvik. However, you will need to have had USB Debugging enabled. If you can't do the below, a factory reset may be your only option.

  Android Debug Bridge (ADB)
  A prgram made by Google for Programmers and developers. Its based on command line and basically communicates with your Android to respond to certain commands.

Setting up ADB

Pre Requirements:-

PC
Java Runtime environment or Java Development kit
Your Device Drivers
An Android Device

USB Debugging MUST be turned ON in the device for ADB to see it.

If you are having trouble completing Pre-Requisites, there are several guides featuring them.

First  Download Android SDK.
There may be any compressed zip file or exe file
If zip file, then extract it to C:\android-sdk
If exe file then double click on it and install it in C:\ Drive(or any other drive you want)
Now to get adb and other tools, you need to download 'Platform Tools'
To download them, go to the android-sdk folder and double click on SDK Manager
It will ask you which package to download? However, it is your choice which package to Download, but here, we will only talk about platform
Tools. So, simply tick on Platform Tools and click on install. Once you have done it. Go to the platform-tools folder in the directory where you installed android-sdk. You will find several files there like adb, fastboot, aapt, etc
Now, you can backup the whole folder of android-sdk to any external storage that will make you not download package
again if you want to. You can have it placed in any computer and run it as it does not require registry to work
Now, you are just one step away from using adb. Next step is SKIPPING SETTING ENVIRONMENT VARIABLE (If you however want to set environment variables. Click on Show Content)
You can easily append the sdk platform-tools and tools folder to your systems environmental path variable directly from command line(cmd) by simply issuing one command and performing a system reboot:

SETX PATH "%PATH%;SDK_Install_Path\platform-tools;SDK_Install_Path\android-sdk-windows\tools" -m
Just replace the "SDK_Install_Path" in the above with the proper path of your SDK installation. Example: C:\android-sdk-windows
Type cmd in the search bar. Copy cmd.exe from there. Go to the directory where you have installed android-sdk. Go to platform-tools folder. Paste cmd there, right click on it and in the settings, select Run as Administrator.

To change back to Dalvik:

adb shell 'echo libdvm.so >/data/property/persist.sys.dalvik.vm.lib'


Only automatically connect to certain Wi-Fi networks I have an HTC Desire with Android 2.2.

My problem is that there may be open Wi-Fi networks nearby that require a password once connected, e.g. hotspots at coffee shops. My phone connects to these, thereby blocking the 3G connection.

What I want to do is always use 3G unless I'm in range and connected to a list of certain Wi-Fi networks.

Go into your Wi-Fi settings. Long press on the networks that you don't want to automatically connect to and tap 'Forget'.


Titanium Backup stuck during backup On my phone, a OnePlus 3 running Marshmallow, I have Titanium Backup configured to run automatic backups twice a week. When it runs, it gets stuck. The notification displays "Skipping   96% - Wi-Fi access points." This notification sticks around until I force quit Titanium Backup or reboot the phone, and I presume that the backup never completes.

Google searches have revealed nothing that appears relevant. Any ideas what's wrong?

You need to create a filter to exclude the 2 WiFi Access Points.
In Titanium Backup, Goto Menu > Filters (under General) > Create Label (At the bottom right) > Add/Remove elements > Select all and then Uncheck the 2 WiFi Access Points at the bottom of list and Save (check mark at top right)
Click Load/Save filter to save it as a filter
In scheduled backups, edit and select the Filter name and save


Can I mount /data/data/(app_name)/ on external sd card? Can I mount /data/data/com.termux/ folder on external sd card? My phone is rooted Android 10 and running low of internal storage.
As I read from How to bind mount a folder inside /sdcard with correct permissions? mounting to /sdcard requires permission to mount because /sdcard is emulated from /data/media/0 and /data/data/ is not.
And from Can the Termux environment be put on an external SD card? it can mount /data/data/com.termux/ using ln -s because ext4 support links while fat doesn't.
I don't know how /data/data/ directory works but is it possible to mount /data/data/com.termux/files/home/ directory to external sd card without formatting it as adoptable storage or making ext4 partition?

create a file in MicroSD Card. make sure the file is not too large for fat32 file size limitation
busybox dd if=/dev/zero seek=4294967295 bs=1 count=0 of=/mnt/media_rw/6DE8-1BC6/loop.img

create a file system (confirm with y)
/system/bin/mke2fs -t ext4 /mnt/media_rw/6DE8-1BC6/loop.img

loop mount the file to existing directory
mkdir -p /data/data/com.termux/files/home/ubuntu20-fs
busybox mount /mnt/media_rw/6DE8-1BC6/loop.img /data/data/com.termux/files/home/ubuntu20-fs

UPDATE:
that works only for busybox with largefile support. according to user Jtnqr and user Hmm you may still facing some trouble. the following is exactly the same example like above but with screenshots
* * * stop reading here * * *
only one extra step is copying files/usr into loop file before mounting

create a file in MicroSD Card
ls -la /data/data/com.termux/files
su
mkdir /storage/26B7-11F7/com.termux
cd /storage/26B7-11F7/com.termux
busybox dd if=/dev/zero bs=1M count=4095 of=usr.img

create a file system (confirm with y)
/system/bin/mke2fs -t ext4 usr.img

copy files/usr into loop file before mounting
mkdir -p tmp/usr
busybox mount usr.img tmp/usr

df -h | grep /dev/loop
grep termux /proc/mounts

busybox cp -acv /data/data/com.termux/files/usr tmp
df -h | grep /dev/loop

loop mount the file to existing directory
umount tmp/usr
busybox mount usr.img /data/data/com.termux/files/usr
df -h | grep /dev/loop
exit
ls -la /data/data/com.termux/files/usr

the same can be repeated for other directories. you can loop mount another home.img file into files/home to extend termux storage
reason for splitting into multiple files is fat32 file size limitation < 4 GB


How to avoid looping the album/playlist automatic? I use the default "Play Music" music player app (v4.3.605.398337) for listening to music. Whenever it gets to the end of an album/playlist it automatically replays it.

I would like to avoid that behaviour but I can't find where/how to: does anybody know?

If relevant, my device is Galaxy Nexus.

You could try clicking the bottom right "repeat" icon, i.e, if you haven't tried that already.


What is rooting? How to root an android phone? Explain what is rooting? How to do it? Does rooting affect the phone's performance? Can samsung galaxy fit be updated to present android version?
can anyone refer sites that explains the inside of android?

Did you tried Google Android rooting?

Is there something in the articles that your don't understand?

Rooting means allowing an application to gain root privilege. This is usually done by hacking the existing kernel or flashing a new kernel.

Some devices locked the bootloader, you have to "unlock the bootloader" first in order to flash a new kernel.

As for updates, enthusiasts port the latest AOSP to various devices. Xda forum is a great source for these custom ROMs (and rooting/flashing info).

WARNING: Rooting, unlocking bootloader and flashing custom ROMs may void your warranty.


Samsung Galaxy 3 (GT-i5801) is not being detected in Kies Whenever I connect my device to my PC, it asks me on connection for the type of connection I want. If I select Samsung kies in the device it shows me connected, but in the kies it keeps connecting (with spinner...).
I have tried the solutions described on this question answers, but no avail.
The problem from the mentioned question is different from what I'm experiencing, so I ask your ideas about this?
Relevant details
Device

Device : Samsung Galaxy i5801;
OS : android 2.2;
Baseband version : I5801DDJP2;
Build Number : FROYO.DDJP6;
Kernel Version : 2.6.32.9.

kies Information

Interestingly when i go to help section of kies and click on kies information it freezes with some semi transparent layer on it so cant find its version (need to close it from task manager)

PC Information

Microsoft Windows Xp Service Pack 3

You could try to do a factory reset and then try to check out your trouble with Kies.
Note: Backup all your data before the reset!


Official statement regarding call recording I have been searching for a while and have not found any official statement about the call recording issue in Android (i.e. that it is not possible to reliably record calls on all phones). It may have the same lawsuit-fright induced reasons as a limitation of call recording in Google Voice (short notice here), but as mentioned, I could not find anything official.

Is there really nothing all over the Internet? And whom can I ask for more information? Google?

There is no call recording issue in Android. As you've seen, not all phones support it. Android supports call recording just fine, but this can only work if (1) the phone hardware can be told to send the call audio to the application processor of the phone (the main processor that apps run on), and (2) the baseband firmware (part of the phone's drivers) also supports this.

Some phones don't even have the hardware set up correctly for this, so there's no way call recording can ever work on these phones. Others have the right hardware, but no driver support. These phones could possibly work, but the SoC manufacturer would need to provide an update to the drivers, and the phone manufacturer (the OEM) would need to package this into a new ROM.

The bug report you linked to is completely pointless, which is why there's no comment from Google on it. Android already has a working API for call recording: it's now up to the remaining SoC and phone manufacturers to make it work on their phones.


Whatsapp and changing SIM In a while I will be changing operator and SIM card, but not number. I backed up contacts, SMSs, even call logs. But I have no idea how to back up Whatsapp conversations. Do I need to worry? In other words, when I do such a change, do I risk losing my Whatsapp chats or are they linked to the number, implying they will get transmitted to the new SIM with the same number? Or perhaps they are linked to the device, which will also stay unchanged?

No. If you are keeping the number, then you need not worry about your Whatsapp account.

To backup conversations, go to whatsapp settings -> Chat and Calls -> Chat Backups.
You can use Google Drive to backup to your Google account on Android devices.

Although you use your phone number as your account Id, the account is tied to device. You changing carrier has no effect on the account.


How can I edit values in memory? Is it possible to edit values in memory used by an app?  I would assume this requires root.

That may be possible without root if the app you want to manipulate allows debugging via Android Debug Bridge (ADB). If an app can be connected to an debugger is specified in it's AndroidManifest.xml in the android:debuggable entry.

If the app is enabled for debugging you can enable the USB debugging mode on your device and connect to it via adb. Then you can connect an standard Java debugger to the app and inspect/modify variables.


How do I Save the password to a friend's router on my LG REALM Smartphone? Each time I try to connect to this router it requires me to enter the (very long) password.

I do not have to do that when I use my own router; I get connectivity without entering a password each time.

What's going on?

Thanks. batpark

Or also, as rjt.rockx said,
you can use the WPS recovery tools for connect to router directly.
some apps can do that for find the WPS password :
WPS Connect - Google Play
With this feature, you can easily connect to any Router if WPS have it.(without need to entering again the password)


Creating app shortcuts on main screen will consume lot of memory? Latest android devices have enough RAM and Storage so when I was using 512 MB of RAM android phone customer care advised me to do not create shortcuts on main screen.

Now I'm using 3GB of RAM and 32 GB of ROM android device running on Android 9.0
So may I know is it same for latest devices.
Does it consume much space on RAM?

What consume memory are the apps that sit in memory. Shortcuts are just links to apps, there are not the "main" programs themselves and are not running.  Many launchers are efficient and can handle a lot and lot shortcuts.

You have enough RAM and should not worry too much about how many shortcuts you have on your screen. Even if you only have 512MB, you should only worry if you had opened too many apps or apps such as games that might require a lot of memory thus reducing RAM and potentially slowing down the device.

A good point made on the comments is that launchers fetch shortcuts' icons, create a string for their names, etc, and that increase the memory used. However even then, it is argued that the memory usage won't have noticeable effects on the device.


Goclever Hybrid 3G Update will I lose any factory apps and settings I have very recently bought a Goclever Hybrid 3G tablet/combi.

When going on Goclever web site I saw that there was a new update which is to improve power system problem? It says that if I download the update without back up of apps and data I will lose all, so to back up externally to a PC. I am not too clever on things like back ups so I was hoping that if I download the update without backing up the apps and data would the apps and data that came with the tablet remain on board only losing stuff that I have put on or will I end up with an empty shell.
Please help.

Barry.

That very much depends on the update. The manufacturer/vendor might have made only "bug fixes" with this update -- but he might as well have decided to replace the entire system. In neither case you end up with an "empty shell" (I wish that would be the case!), as manufacturers/vendors are rather known to add stuff nobody really wants (see: bloatware) rather than to remove apps that ship with Android by default -- but it might very well be that some apps got replaced or will simply be removed.

What surely will be gone, according to the description you gave, are all your data and the apps you've installed yourself, as obviously the update implies a factory-reset. If your device is already running Android 4.0 or higher, you might wish to take a look at Full Backup of non-rooted devices for how to make a good backup. At least apps+data should be restorable to a newer version of Android then; for other things (SMS, call logs, etc.) you might rather prefer some dedicated tool -- or rely on your Google-Cloud-synced data and pray they will restore automatically (if they start to, don't interrupt them: you cannot re-start the restore, which is one thing making it so unreliable). See also the backup tag and especially its tag-wiki for details on available backup methods plus hints for recommended readings on this topic.


Using Android without Google account I don't like the idea that my personal information are gathered and by some company that make profit out of processing and selling it (or even when it has a possibility to do so). And yes, that's the reason I don't use Facebook and gmail (after reading their TOC).

I wonder if it's possible to use the Android smartphone without Google account at all in a long time?

So far I know that:

I don't use gmail/google+/chrome, so I don't bother about it.
I cannot download application from Google Play without Google account, but I can download most of them as .apk and install manually.

Did I miss something? Or it's possible to live with Android without Google account?

p.s. Does Google still collect any data about me, even when I just use Android, without Google account and without gmail/google+/youtube?

Of course you can, in fact, the only reason a lot of people connect their Google account is to use play store and get apps easily.

I suggest you to install F-Droid: it is the best source for open source Android apps, where you can find a "copy" of all g-apps.

For the last part, technically, if you answered No to all google's attempt to get you accept their therms and conditions, they can't. But keep in mind that a lot of applications are based on Google API, so, they would use things like Google Play Services to get some jobs done. (I'm not sure, but I believe they pass all information directly to the app without saving anything on their databases about you if you did not accept TOC)

If you really want to avoid Google, I suggest the use of a custom ROM


AnkiDroid: Reset TTS language of a single deck I am not able to find the correct way to reset the TTS language of just one deck (as opposed to resetting all TTS assignments by using Menu > Preferences > General > Reset).
I have seen this question, but I can't work out what's meant by

  Reset specific deck assignments on deck picker

I am really feeling dumb right now... The "deck picker" is the list of "decks on the AnkiDroid "home screen" right? If so, where is the option to reset TTS for one deck?

I tried the menu by "long-pressing" on one item, but that just gave me the option to collapse, rename or delete the deck.

Opening one deck and then going to Menu > Preferences > General > Reset yields the same as going there from the "home screen", all assignments are reset.

I am lost, can anyone shed light on this for me?

You can try resetting all the settings in the deck.

In 2018, there is a feature for setting TTS language for AnkiDroid starting at 2.6alpha6 (please edit if mistaken).


Apps list on Galaxy Tab 10.1 On the Galaxy Tab 10.1, is there a way to see a list (not grid) of all apps, or to search for an app by typing other than via the main Google search widget?

You can see a list of all apps in Settings -> Apps (or Applications) and then select the All tab to see factory-installed apps in addition to downloaded apps.


Change SMSC on dual-sim phone I've got a Wileyfox Swift with two SIM cards, running CyanogenMod 13. I can only send SMS from one card/carrier, not from the other.

My guess is that is has to do with the Short Message service center setting.

Changing the SMSC as described on the CyanogenMod wiki only allows me to set one SMSC - but I think I would have to set both.

Is that correct, and how can I set the 2nd SMSC number?

Others have similar problems: ilogik@reddit

Came across this when I had the same issue. A bit late for the OP, but another thing to look out for.

If you go in to:
Settings> Sim Cards> Preferred SIM for SMS messages> Select SIM card> Ask every time


How can I add a calender to my Android tablet? How can I add a calender to my Android tablet? In Settings>Accounts& Synch I can only create Exchange account. There is no option to create any calendar. I do not have android market, google calender, gmail android apps. I standard calendar pre-installed - but I can do nothing because I have no calendars to save events. How to fix it?

Seems like you have an Android tablet without the Google APIs. This are devices that use Android but without a Google branding ("with Google (TM)") and Google Services Framework (Google API) to avoid paying fees to Google.
Android itself is open-source so every manufacture can use it without charge on their devices, but if they want to have the Google Services like Market, Maps, Navigation, Google Calendar and so an, they have to pay a license fee to Google. You can recognize devices with Google Services based on the "with Google (TM)" branding on the back of the device.

AFAIK there a ways to install the Google API when you have root on your device.


What is "srv_listen" permission used for? I've noticed (by using XPrivacy) that many applications (and some that has nothing to do with location, such as TextSecure) require the following permissions:

Location: srv_listen
Phone: srv_listen

(These permissions seem to be linked)

I failed to find any info on what are these permissions used for, neither what functionality may be harmed by blocking them.

I'd be glad if anyone here with some android programming knowledge can spill any light on it...
What are they used for? What info may be accessed by granting those permissions? Is it actually providing any location info?

Thanks!

I can't explain what 'srv_listen' really does but to find more info you can use the infobutton in Xprivacy next to the permission name.

There you will find that the actual permission is called ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION and you'll find a link to the Google documentation.

I'm sorry that I can't help more.


How to copy the phone number of the sender of a text message in Android default messaging program? How to copy the phone number of the sender of a text message in Android default messaging program? Does one have to go through "create a new contact" through the + menu, or is there any faster way?

I use unrooted Android 6.0 on LG4.

I don't see any "people & options" in the menu:

Does one have to go through "create a new contact" through the + menu, or is there any faster way?

You can copy the phone number without selecting "Create a new contact". I don't know if there is a faster way but here is how to do it:

On the default messaging app, open the text message (SMS) whose phone number you want to copy.
Click the 3-dot, then "People & options".
Long press the phone number. A message "Copy to clipboard?" will appear, click on "Copy".

Edit: The answer is probably more useful if using Android 7 and above. I deleted, then restored it based on the comments. If it is against the rules, moderators please take the appropriate action(s).


Does the Google Play app always updates automatically? I use Android 4.0.4 (Cyanogenmod) and I have the habit of disabling automatic updates for all my apps. I have noticed the Google Play app seems to update itself automatically -- when there are updates for any other app, I'm shown a notification mesage from the Google Play app, and I have to use it in order to update the app. But when there are updates for Google Play, it seems to autoupdate itself. Is it true? Is there a way to disable this?

According to the Section 3 of the Google Play Terms of Service you consent to Automatic Updates:

  Updates. You may need to install updates to Google Play or related Google software that we introduce from time to time to use Google Play and to access or download Products. Products originating from Google may communicate with Google servers from time to time to check for available updates to the Products and to the functionality of Google Play, such as bug fixes, patches, enhanced functions, missing plug-ins and new versions (collectively, "Updates"). By using the Google Play store and installing these Products, you agree to such automatically requested and received Updates.

*Bolding added for emphasis.


How to only get Gmail notification with certain tag(s)? I get too many Gmail notifications so my phone beeps too often and is annoying. How to only get Gmail notification with certain tag(s)?  For example, only "Important" ones as I'm using Priority inboxes with Gmail.

You don't mention what version of the app you're using or which OS version, but this is how I do it on my Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.0.

Open Gmail app
Open the overflow menu (three vertical dots) and choose Settings
Tap the email account you want to use
Under "Data Usage" tap "Manage labels"

You'll see your labels there, including "pseudo-labels" like "Starred" and "Important"

Tap the label for which you want notifications (in your case, "Important")
If not already on, turn on Sync messages (either last 30 days or All)
Tap the checkbox for Email notifications

Choose your options (ringtone, whether to vibrate or not, whether to notify once or not)

You can have different notifications per label per account, which is nice, but if you overdo it you'll have way too many notifications in your notification bar.


What is a safe CPU speed for the HTC Dream? I know that T-Mobile clocked it down to 384 to extend battery life on the G1, and I believe that the processor was designed for 528. With all that said, does anyone have experience with what a good, safe speed is?  I'm new to Android (less than 1 week), so all this is new to me.  Thanks!

Update: the processor is the MSM7201A.

It depends on your needs:

Do you want to conserve battery?  Then underclock the CPU
Do you want better performance?  Then overclock the CPU

Typically there are different kernels that you can flash for your device.  Different kernels offer different clockspeeds.  Some of them will also under volt your phone to consume less power.  The disadvantage of undervolting is that the phone may not be able to run faster clockspeeds.

Additionally, your phone may not overclock to the same speed as another phone due to one processor being physically different than another processor (no two processors are made 100% exactly alike.  When overclocking you are stepping beyond the bounds and specifications that your phone was designed to run at).  What will happen is your phone will enter a boot loop if it is unable to run the kernel at a specific speed (you'll have to flash a new kernel or revert to a previous Nandroid backup).

I don't know of specific kernels for the G1, but for example there is a set of kernels by ChevyNo1 for the Droid1.  The general steps are:

RUN A NANDROID BACKUP
Choose a voltage: ultra low, low, or normal
Start with the kernel with the lowest overclocked speed
Flash that kernel.
Use SetCPU to set the clock speed to the max.
If the phone remains stable, then choose the next kernel with the same voltage with a slightly faster clockspeed and try to run it at its max speed.
If the phone does not remain stable, then revert to your last Nandroid backup or the last kernel that ran stable on your  phone


Build kernel module on locked bootloader I have an device with locked bootloader, but i have the kernel source and prebuilt kernel. I have two questions:

Do i need the kernel to be built to get a module working?
Can i get an module to be built on the prebuilt kernel?

To shortcut your two questions: you can't load a module you've compiled yourself without unlocking the bootloader.

Technically you can compile a kernel module without compiling the kernel yourself, if you have the kernel sources and you know what options were used to compile the kernel; it's just easier to compile the kernel and modules at the same time. But that doesn't matter anyway, because you need to be able to sign the kernel and/or sign a system image containing your kernel module, in order for that module to load. You need to unlock the bootloader to avoid the signature check.


Can't mount Android device in recovery mode using MTP I have a rooted Samsung Galaxy S5, (SC-04F), and unfortunately there was some error when installing a new ROM. Now, it only boots into recovery mode.

I am trying to connect by USB so I can copy over a new ROM file, but, the device will not connect to either my Ubuntu or my Windows computer.

The only available connection option in the recovery mode is MTP. I can successfully connect Odin, and I even successfully flashed a new recovery mode from there.

The one thing I can't seem to do is transfer files. Is there any way I can access the disk on my phone in order to transfer some files to it?

While in recovery, connect your phone to PC and you can transfer files to and from phone using ADB Commands, provided it is installed in your machine.

adb push and adb pull are the commands to send and receive files.

Instructions to install ADB on Ubuntu.

ADB commands to transfer files.


How to use tmux copy / paste in Termux? I installed Termux and using the pkg system installed tmux.

However, the tmux that installs doesn't appear to support copying and pasting.  I can enter copy mode, but I can't select text and copy it to the clipboard using the spacebar and the enter key.  Is there any way to go about this?

Try having this line in your ~/.tmux.conf file:

set-window-option -g mode-keys vi

This enables a set of vi key bindings that seems to work fine. I used the Spacebar and Enter keys to copy that line from within a tmux session running in Termux and pasted it into this textbox in Chrome with Ctrl+v.


Blocking specific applications from accessing the network while not active or on screen Is there any applications out there that can let me selective limit network access when i put a program into the background?

Hmm, difficult problem
Your only bet is rooting; and app like droidwall which is front end for iptables.
And then you would have to add rule that states block any app that is running in background.
That I'm not sure how to achieve.


Unable to communicate to a local WiFi with mobile data enabled I'm developing an app that should work on a private WiFi network without Internet access. It's a controller for an interactive digital sculpture. The IP address of the server it should talk to on the private network is hardwired into the app.
I found that the app is unable to talk to the server on the WiFi as long as mobile data is enabled. As soon as I turn it off, everything works as expected. I guess for some reason it still tries to contact the server on the mobile data interface.
Here's the kernel IP routing table when both the WiFi and the mobile data is connected and the app doesn't work:
10.229.237.220/30 dev rmnet_data0 proto kernel scope link src 10.229.237.221
192.168.26.0/24 dev wlan0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.26.102

With mobile data disabled and the app working correctly:
192.168.26.0/24 dev wlan0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.26.102

This seems all correct to me.
Are there any special settings (default gateway, nameserver, etc) I need to add to my network configuration so that the traffic from the app is routed to the WiFi interface? Any other ideas why it's not communicating with the server?

Android has an option to switch to cellular data if the wifi connection is low speed/signal. I suspect that the same mechanism triggers when the WiFi network does not have a default gateway defined, so all outgoing connections by default choose the source IP corresponding to the cellular interface.
To ensure you can talk to WiFi hosts where there is no internet connectivity, first query for the WiFi IP address then use it explicitly as the source IP in the app.
If you leave it default, ougoing connections would happen with the cellular IP address which then would go to the cellular gateway.
Alternatively, if you can root the device, you can then copy the tcpdump binary and capture the traffic over the WiFi and cellular interface to confirm the source IP of packets sent by your app. Instructions for this fall out of this question scope but here is a good how to: https://www.andreafortuna.org/2018/05/28/how-to-install-and-run-tcpdump-on-android-devices/


Using a different account for writing reviews on Play Store I'm not sure if this is the correct site to ask this, but when I download an app from the Play Store, I use a different account for writing a review after using the app. I wanted to ask if what I'm doing is allowed or not, and if it's not, then I'll just stop writing reviews from another account. I'm feeling kind of bad thinking what I'm doing might be wrong. I know this question is a bit weird, but I just wanted to ask. Thanks.

Google Play write a review does not say that your review account has to be the same as the account on the phone. You can have multiple accounts on your device.

So I would conclude what you are doing isn't wrong, but I see no advantages of doing so. On the contrary, it may cause confusion. Let's say a developer responded to your review saying that a paid app isn't working and asks you for app logs, they would see a different account


S2 randomly restarting / draining the battery For the past month my S2, SPH-D710, Android 4.1.2, will randomly restart throughout the day.  I took the battery out for awhile and that didn't change anything.  Sometimes it happens when I'm looking at it, sometimes it will happen as soon as I plug it into a charger.. at which point it appears to completely drain the battery.  Seems to be only one of my chargers though.  Other charger is fine.  There is no clear pattern to all this.  These issues don't happen all the time.  Sometimes I'll go through an entire day with no problem. Warranty expired on the phone. I have never installed a custom ROM on here.  Is this something that might be fixed with a custom ROM or is it completely hardware?

Should be an hardware issue.
In my case was the oxidation of the motherboard cause by the sweat cuase i kept the phone on my arms while I was running.


Adb can't see my device - PAP5400 When I connect my Prestigio PAP5400 DUO to my PC, ADB cant find it.

I think the driver is wrong but I can't find right one. I have tried installing many drivers.

PS: I have debugging mode activated. I'm using Windows 8.1.

PPS: Sorry for my English.

your device manager is showing that the adb drivers are not properly installed. If properly installed there would be no question mark by the left of the icon.

I found the following steps in this article here

First of all you have to Enable the USB Debugging in the Developer settings.
Connect your tablet to the computer USB port.
Select MTP connection instead of Mass Storage (you can find it at Storage -> USB computer connection)
Right Click on Computer->Manage->Device Manager,  search for PMP5080C and update driver with Google USB Driver.
Download USBDeview. In program search "PMP5080 C PRO USB Device" and remember the Vendor ID for me it was 0x2207.
Open %UserDir%.android\adb_usb.ini a write there the Vendor ID (2207) without the leading 0x.
Open command line at %android_sdk%\platform-tools\
adb kill-server
adb start-server
adb devices

Now the adb devices will display your device.


Suddenly my phone does not detect my SIM while it detects service providers' names I am using rooted but stock Nexus 5 D820 with service provider Airtel in India.  When I occasionally glanced my phone it said that the SIM is not detected.

I soon discovered by various means that my phone is accepting the SIM while there is no problem with the SIM and the network. I isolated these by trying other working SIMs in my phone and my SIM works on other phones.  Also switching from 4g->3g->2g also tried.

IMEI is okay and not changed. EFS folders are backed up.  This issue did not happen during any tweaking operation, rather should have happened after few minutes after receiving the call.

Service center staff said they had to replace the entire board.

Question: If you are still reading, though my SIM is not detected, the phone can still search network providers when I choose manual option for network selection.  When I choose my service provider manually it fails to register.
My question is if the hardware or the SIM has gone defective, how it can scan for available networks but not register with my network?

The SIM card isn't actually what allows your phone to connect to a network, but it has your subscriber details (i.e. the information that links the phone with your account with the phone company). If you think of it like the Amazon website, you can load the site and look at goods without logging in, but you need your login details to actually place an order. Typically you can connect to any network without a SIM card, but the network will only let you make emergency calls.

As you suspected, there might be a problem with the hardware of your phone reading the SIM card, in which case you'll have to replace the parts as the phone company suggested. One other possibility is that the SIM card is slightly loose in the tray, and it's worth looking at this first. This is especially likely if it works sometimes, and if (as you say) it's only this combination of SIM and phone that doesn't work reliably. I had a similar problem once with a SIM I'd cut myself to micro-SIM size: it was slightly too small, and any impact to the phone would knock it loose, putting the phone into "emergency calls only" mode.

If the SIM card is too loose, a piece of tape or stuck over the side without the contacts might help to keep it in place, or use a small piece of paper inside the SIM card tray (if you have one).

Also, if it's only this SIM card that doesn't work with the phone, it's worth asking your phone company for a replacement. Typically they'll send a replacement for free, and if there is a charge it'll be much smaller than a phone repair. There might be some nuisance about getting the new SIM card associated with the old phone number.


Different ROMs need different GApps? I am currently using  ParanoidAndroid rom and I am switching to Cyanogen 10 on my Galaxy Nexus.

Do I need to download/install a new Gapps .zip file?

It depends on the actual android version of the ROM you flashed. it the ParanoidROM and Cyanogenmod ROM are both Android 4.2 then you don't need a new set of gapps, if there aren't then if might just be safe to get a new set of gapps


Calculate which app use more internal space among my link2sd moved apps That's my problem:
I use, happily, link2sd and after installing a lot of apps I got my internal memory full again.

Now I'd like to delete apps but I have no clues on how internal space they use since I've moved them with link2sd...

Any apps/hints?

Use Disk Usage app. It draws nice graphical diagram with directories proportional to their size. There's a dedicated lookup option for apps too.


Low resolution album artwork? Why does Google Play Music and other music apps display album artwork with such terrible quality? This occurs even when high resolution images are embed into the audio files. How can we fix this?

There is a solution, but unfortunately it is a bit tedious. This issue occurs because Android caches the album art at a low resolution. It also generates file names for the thumbnails in a weird manner (apparently by the value of the system clock the first time the album appears). This means that the fix will be manual unless you employ some computer vision software.

Navigate to Internal Storage\Android\data\com.android.providers.media and copy the albumthumbs folder to some local directory.
You'll see files such as 1345139729376, 1345139731350, etc in albumthumbs. These files have no extension but are actually just jpegs. You can just edit these files if your image editing software supports it, but we could add .jpg to make it easier. In Windows this could be done via the command-line with ren * *.jpg.
Now if you're on Windows you'll probably see image thumbnails instead of the generic file icon and it will be easy to edit the images. I'm sorry if you have a lot of albums, but since the file names are as good as random we need to actually look at each image and replace it with its high resolution counterpart.
If you changed the file extension we can change it all back with ren * *. (note the period at the end). We can then paste our modified album art back into the original albumthumbs folder on the device.

The result:


Phone Radio uses 80% of my battery I have GSam Battery Monitor, and it says that my Phone Radio is using about 80% of my battery. Why is this so high? I usually unplug my phone in the morning at 8AM, and I usually need to plug it back in between 2PM and 4PM. Maybe this is normal, but it seems very high to me.

this sounds like you move in and out of data service alot. 4G was very new in ICS and radio handoff wasn't very efficient. even if you have a newer version of android, what i'm about to describe will still help. if you are in a location with secure wifi access and little or no 4G signal, turn off your mobile data to keep the device from using battery by trying to find a signal. the radio firmware will chew thru power searching for signal, even with the screen off. turning off mobile data has helped me save a lot of battery in the past. you will still able to call and text, as 4G is a data-only band. if your device supports VoLTE, turn that off as well. doing that will force the device to route calls over another band that uses less power and hopefully has better signal strength.


Seeing Wi-Fi password on Android 6.0/EMUI 4.0 I couldn't find nothing on Google, nor Stack Exchange, sorry for duplicate.
So, I want to see a password to an connected Wi-Fi, without rooting my Huawei P8 Lite (ALE-21).
 Is it possible to access /data/wifi/ using Ubuntu 16.04 or Windows 10, if I can't directly from the phone? A friend, told me something about giving full admin rights to a root explorer app (sideload)
 If nothing is possible, can someone explain me how to root Android 6.0/EMUI 4.0, accessing /data/wifi then delete the root and get back to the normal, like nothing happened? I don't want to damage my phone, I just want to access that section.

Simply back up your Wi-Fi settings using Huawei Backup application.

Save the backup to SD card
Navigate to this folder: /sdcard/HuaweiBackup/backupFiles/xxxxxxx/wifiConfig.db (where xxxxxxx is a folder with a date on which backup was performed.
Using a file manager open the file wifiConfig.db as text (you need a text reader here try RB text editor -works even if not rooted)
In that .db file there is a list of wireless SSIDs with thier corresponding passwords and choose the one you wish to know the password an you are done.


What is the difference between twrp-[version]-[phone].img and twrp-installer-[version]-[phone].zip? I know I can flash the image and boot it. But what are the zips used for? I'm asking this because I noticed that images are often accompanied/listed with corresponding zip files - not just for TWRP. And I'd like to understand how they relate and how those zips are applied and when.

For example: https://dl.twrp.me/enchilada/

The answer becomes clear once you read the install instructions:

You will need both files to install, as your device (OnePlus 6 aka enchilada) is an A/B device and thus has no recovery partition (recovery is part of the boot image there) – which means you cannot simply flash the recovery image using fastboot. So you download (or push) the ZIP to your device, then temporarily boot TWRP (fastboot boot *.img) and from there flash the ZIP.


my phone hit a pavement and 3g/4g stopped working. next step? As I was cycling, my htc rezound fell on the pavement. The battery popped out.

There are few scratches but no visible damage.

I start the phone and it's fine as long as I don't use data.
Once I use data, the phone uses "1" may be it's ev-do. speedtest shows 129 kbps down rate.

I tried flashing and installing a leaked ICS. that didn't solve the problem.

I would think that the damage was because of the physical shock of hitting the ground (nothing broke). so is there a way to diagnose it? to check if 4g is still working?

In the HTC Dream (G1) the UMTS radio (3G) is a separate board from the rest of the phone. While this is a Desire Z and I haven't had the opportunity to take one apart, it's probably very similar.

The 3G/4G daughterboard (or if it's connected, antenna) could have failed, cracked, disconnected or sustained damage in some other way. Software won't fix it. You have damaged hardware.


Google Latitude History is telling me that I'm living on the next block Today was looking over the statistics on Latitude history and I noticed that it registered another place as my home, it is actually one block away from the adress it says.

Is there a way to change or set my home's location manually?

You can manually set the location using an iGoogle gadget or through Firefox.  What you are probably seeing when the location is "one block away" is that GPS is not actually turned on on the handset.  The phone is probably using positioning that is determined used cell phone tower location, so it will get you in roughly the correct place, but not the exact location you would expect if GPS was turned on.


Android Lollipop/Marshmallow full granular control of system app permissions I'm shocked this question hasn't been asked. I want an app preferably, but doesn't have to be an app. I need a way to be able to control all permissions on android Lollipop/Marshmallow. If you say Appops or in Marshmallow 'its built in the GUI', thats not an answer to this question because I'm asking for ALL permissions, not just some of them.

If this is the wrong place to ask the question, please direct me to the right place.

You'll need root to be able to do anything like that (beyond what's built-in to android).

Look up XPrivacy, a plugin for the XPosed framework. It can do a lot of privacy-specific control of permissions.

Or check out Privacy Guard in CyanogenMod Roms. Requires an unlocked bootloader to flash custom roms.

Autostarts only requires root, and it can prevent apps from responding to certain events.

Android isn't currently capable of what you want it to do. These mods may help, but in the end, it just isn't designed for full user control. While much less walled-garden than iOS, it still locks things down for the end user in many places.


Is it possible to skip confirmation on app restores? i'm using Titanium Backup to restore my data and apps,but clicking "install" and "done" is driving me crazy. Is there a setting for that?

"0-click" batch restore (as the Market page describes it) is one of the features of the Pro version. You cannot do it in the free version, but purchasing a key for the Pro version allows you to perform a batch restore unattended.


What happens with my messages and contacts after factory reset Lately i'm having some problems with my HTC EVO 3D.
It freezes all of a sudden, sometimes the screen doesn't respond well to touch etc, and i have to do a hard reset.

Since i believe it is due to a lot of apps i've installed etc, i decided to reset everything, and do a factory reset.

I don't care about the data of my apps or the data on my SD card (video and pics).

One thing i would like to backup is SMS and contacts. So, i'm guessing all my messages and contacts would be deleted when i do a factory reset. But, can you recommend a way to backup my messages and contacts, so i can restore them after the factory reset.

You're absolutely correct with your assumption a factory-reset will delete all your apps and data (as you also can find in the factory-reset tag-wiki).

If you want to backup your contacts and SMS, I'm afraid there's no native way. While the contacts you could sync with Google, the same cannot be said for SMS. But if you take a look at google play, searching for the string "sms backup" you will find a lot of helpful apps. Depending on your preferences, they can backup to your GMail account, or do it locally. Putting both things together, a good choice seems to be Super Backup: SMS & Contacts, which cares for both and can save the backup to either GMail or your SDCard. And of course it has a restore function as well.

Btw: On most devices, you easily can backup your contacts with the native Contacts app. It supports Export to/Import from VCard (.vcf) files (just open its menu from its main screen). No cloud involved. So you'd only need to check for something similar for your SMS, if you're concerned about privacy and want to avoid having them in the cloud.


Droid RAZR MAXX encryption downgrades max camera resolution After submitting my DROID RAZR MAXX to the whims of my company's OLA for getting access to work mail, calendar, and contacts, it was encrypted, including the storage.  Encryption notified me, before proceeding, that my HD video recording resolution would be downgraded from 1080p to 720.  Sure enough, after it was complete, the max video recording resolution option was "DVD (720 x480)".  However, my front-facing camera can still do 720p.

Was this documented anywhere? Or is this something an ActiveSync admin can push? This cuaght me by surprise.

It is the result of encryption, unfortunately I cannot find any documentation.

My device (Razr) showed the same message when I enabled device encryption on setup, before I had any ActiveSync accounts added.


How to remove screen lock? I don't know why, but the swipe, and none options have been greyed out.

How to enable them (without factory reset)?

Note: I have unchecked all device administrators (google find my phone, microsoft authenticator etc.), cleared all certificates and restarted my phone. The issue still persists. I don't use any VPN service either.

As far as my knowledge goes, this will happen when you have security credentials or certificates installed, or when another app has administrator access and is preventing you from removing the lock. You can try going into your certificate settings to check if there are any certificates installed and make sure you don't have any apps requiring that you have a lock screen. If I recall correctly, there is a way to see a list of apps using administrator privileges as well. Good luck!


Diagnostic Codes Disabled In Dialer? I have a Huawei Ascend Y300 running on Jelly Bean and I can't get any diagnostic code to work on the dialer... The only thing that works is the code for displaying the IMEI: *#06#

Every time I enter a diagnostic code like *#*#4636#*#* or anything else, it merely continues to display the dialer. :-/

I've tried looking for the stock Jelly Bean dialer but I haven't had any luck. How do I fix this?

It's possible that your phone does not support the code. If you look at one of the comments in the askvg link you shared in the comment, one user says: LCD TEST Does not work for Galaxy S2. However, another user replied that it is supported, but with a different code.