Let my friend check my locations while I am taking a stranger's car? I am thinking about taking a long-distance rideshare offered by a stranger on Craigslist.
For safety, I would like my friends to track my location, until I reach the destination and tell them that I safely arrive.

Is it possible to use my Android phone to

share my location with others during my travel, and
then stop sharing my location after I arrive?

If yes, does it depend on the signal strength of my mobile carrier along the way? Or does it only rely on the GPS, which isn't affected by mobile signal strength? My mobile carrier uses Sprint network, which usually has worse signal strength than other networks in remote areas.

Thanks.

As there's no on-board feature covering your needs, I'd recommend taking a look at Glympse. With this app you can decide when to start or stop sharing your location, you could even set a timeout. Only you would need to have the app installed, and those you've shared your location to can watch it on any web-enabled device:

Glympse is a fast, free, and simple way to share your location safely using GPS tracking in real time with friends and family!
No sign up required! Only those you share with can view your Glympse from any web-enabled device.

For alternatives, please take a look at my Location Sharing list.
Any solution will depend on your phone having internet access: it can't work with GPS alone. GPS is only a way for your phone to find out where it is: it doesn't itself allow anyone else to know your location. If you go outside of data coverage, your location will stop updating.


Android version compatibility I would like to know a tablet with following specifications support Android 4.3 (or 4.2 or 4.1)? It currently runs on 4.0.4.

Specifications Summary:

DISPLAY (800x444)
    Size: 800x444
    Refresh Rate: 59.69 Hz
    Density: 120 dpi (Low)

PROCESSOR (ARMv7)
    Processor: ARMv7 Processor rev 2 (v7l)
    Cores: 1
    Max Frequency: 1008 Mhz
    Instruction Sets: armeabi-v7a, armeabi
    SIMD Instructions: NEON

MEMORY (353 MB)
    System RAM: 353 MB
    JVM Max Memory: 48 MB
    Internal Storage: 617 MB
    External Storage: 3785 MB

OPENGL 1.X (Mali-400 MP)
OPENGL 2.0 (Mali-400 MP)
GRAPHIC MODES (RGBA 32bit)
GRAPHICS
    OpenGL 2.0

Full details of spec is available here : https://gist.github.com/abidrahmank/6913200

353MB is probably too little for a proper 4.1+ experience.

Besides this, there's no generic Android installation media, each device needs its firmware tailored and adapted by the manufacturer. If the manufacturer has put it end-of-life, you're hosed unless you find someone who ported it or you port it yourself.


How can I get ViewRanger to keep recording my track on my tablet even when the cover is closed? I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 running Android 7.0 and have ViewRanger 9.0.6 (3rd September 2018 update) installed.  The tablet is in a (3rd party) cover.

ViewRanger has no problem showing me where I am as I wander around, but recently I've gotten interested in having it record my track.  However even in track recording mode it seems that as soon as I close the tablet's case ViewRanger stops tracking my position.  It'll re-find me again when I reopen the case, "Swipe screen to unlock" and enter my PIN to get back to the app... but it has no information on where I've been while the tablet has been closed up and ViewRanger will consequently just show a not very useful straight line between the points it knows about.  I'd like it to keep recording the track my position even when the device is closed up.

I've read ViewRanger's documentation here and here.

In ViewRanger's GPS settings I have "GPS Mode: Continuous" and "GPS Auto Disconnect: 30s" (although docs claim this is ignored while recording a track).

In the device settings, Location is ON with method "High accuracy" and in the Device Maintenance’s Battery section Viewranger is in the list of "Unmonitored apps" which won't be put to sleep.  Power saving mode is OFF.

I'm puzzled as apps like the BBC Radio Player seem to have no problems continuing to stream and play audio while the tablet is closed up.  What do I need to do to get ViewRanger to keep accurately record a track while the tablet is closed?

Bear in mind I'm pretty much an Android n00b.  Lots of desktop/laptop/server experience but mobile platforms are relatively new to me (and I'm probably missing something obvious).

Update:

I queried ViewRanger's support about this and got a swift response:

  This will be some form of power saving setting on the tablet,
  affecting either ViewRanger or Location services.  The power saving
  varies quite a bit between devices, versions and manufacturers, which
  is why I can't be more specific than that.

  Also check for any power / task management apps — these used to be a
  common problem, but are not so common now that manufacturers have
  power saving in their main Settings apps.

Investigations continue (although it's quite hard to research this one sitting indoors at a desk... after you change something you have to go out and walk around a bit to see if it's made a difference!)

I got track recording to work while the device is closed:

In the device Settings app, go to "Apps" and on the "..." menu select "Special Access" then "Optimize Battery Usage".  Use the drop-down to make "All Apps" visible and then switch OFF the slider next to ViewRanger.

Source for that is here; it's the manual for a different mapping app.  The page opens with

  More and more users have been reporting issues with losing GPS signal
  during track recording when their device goes stand by...

and includes instructions on how to rectify the situation for various vendors and Android versions (the manufacturers all seem to have different ways of exposing this to the users).


What's a quick way to turn on the torch? In my accessibility settings on my Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus (GT-S7500), there is an "Assistive light" option that "Turn[s] on torch to see better". It activates the light on the back of the device.

Is there a way I can activate the light quickly without having to go through the accessibility settings?

ps: If someone could tag this with "torch" and possibly also "gt-s7500", that would be great.

Theres a Torch app in the market that toggles on open.

Do you want a single button on home screen? Then you need to shortcut it.

Do you need it on your lock screen: swipe for widgets.

Do you need it on voice activation? "Ok google, open app flashlight/torch"

Do you want it on your shortcut bar? Drag it from programs.

Im not really sure what you want.


Does the auto factory reset reset the counting of 15 wrong attempts? I just set up a PIN to my device when I saw the option of enabling auto factory reset after 15 wrong attempts to unlock my phone and I now wonder: for how long are these 15 attempts valid? One hour? Day? Ever?

The failed unlock counter will reset when the device is successfully unlocked.


Can't get android 7 on galaxy s6 I have tried manually updating my galaxy s6 but it says I have the latest (6.0.1) but I know this isn't true! My friend has practically the same phone but with android 7. How do I update mine?

This is a screenshot of the manual update:

Updates are always rolled out in batches to different regions (even the same exact  model could be sold around the world). For your region (G920FBTU5DQA2 - BTU - United Kingdom), as SamMobile states, 6.0.1 is indeed the latest.

You could always manually flash firmware for the same model but for another region (listed on the same page) via Odin, at the cost of potentially losing your data (back up first) as well as certain region-specific optimizations.


Adding (and exporting) tags to pictures I am trying to find a way to organize picture metadata in my Android phone. By default, it adds location and time data, so that the photos are easily searchable on the phone. I can also tag people and the software recognizes faces and suggests people name.

Unfortunately, it seems that both people name and location data are not available when I donwload the photos on my computer. The metadata should be written in the photos in EXIF, IPTC and/or XMP format, so that other tools on my computer will recognize them.

Also, I can only tag people when the software recognizes that there is a face, and many photos of people are not correctly recognize as such.

Is there some way I can tag and organize pictures, storing the metadata correctly in the photos themselves?

Is there some application that can help me tag and organize pictures,
  storing the metadata correctly in the photos themselves?

I do not know any android app that can do this.

But maybe you can help implementing this feature

Unfortunately the android internal media database/media scanner does not support "tags" for photos
so an android app has to implement the tag scanning/management on its own.

I also donot know a ready to use android java library that can write jpg iptc-tag infos.

currently i am thinking about adding tag-support to https://github.com/k3b/AndroFotoFinder/
using a pc generated csv file to transfer tags

For details see https://github.com/k3b/AndroFotoFinder/issues/25

[Update 2016-11-09]

Implementation is under way using a seperate xmp - sidecar file for every jpg to store the iptc-tags.

There is much work ahead for this hobby project.

On the pc side you have to use an exiftools based batchfile to transfer between non-android-standard-jpg-fields and xmp-sidecarfile/csv

[Update 2016-11-09]

Implementation is done :-) with tag write support in jpg-exif or external xmp file


How to migrate app data when switching the app source Say I have "FunnyApp" installed from Playstore, now it turns up at F-Droid – and I want to replace the Playstore version by the F-Droid one (same issue vice-versa). Trouble is, I cannot simply update the app from the new source as the signature doesn't match (F-Droid signs with their own key). FunnyApp doesn't offer any "export" functionality, but I don't want to lose its data.

What would be possible approaches to perform a proper switch?

Traps:

Simply updating/installing from "the other source" does not work (signature mismatch)
performing a data-only adb backup doesn't help, as the restore will fail for the same reason

I have some vague ideas on root-based solutions which I haven't tried yet (e.g. Titanium Backup might be able to restore data despite of the changed signature, and there's also some XPosed module (InstallerOpts?) offering to "suppress the signature warning"). But before "messing up big" I thought to ask here if someone might already have successfully tried some solution.

Non-root solutions preferred (so more people can profit from), root-based solutions acceptable, XPosed as requirement OK as well.

Some reasons why one might want to "switch sources" (aka "cross-update"): Getting rid of proprietary dependencies, app no longer updated at original source …

Rootless

Sorry but AFAIK it's not possible :( I've never seen any app/tool/utility successfully modifying other apps' data, not even reading!
Alternatively you could do that in a custom recovery, but who uses a custom recovery without rooting? So read below.

Simple Root (Manual way)

Don't take it too hard. Just move its original data away, uninstall the original app and install the new one, then move the data back and chown. Sample shell commands are below.

# mv /data/data/com.example.foo /data/media
 * UNINSTALL_ORIGINAL_APP
 * INSTALL_NEW_APP
# ls -ld /data/data/com.example.foo
 * take note of the user (e.g. u0_a123)
# mv /data/media/com.example.foo /data/data
# chown -R 10123.10123 /data/data/com.example.foo

Explanations for each step:

Move original app data to an alternative place. Because Androis automatically delete irrelevant files in certain directories, we need a safe place as the Alt. AFAIK unknown files are ignored in /data/media so that is chosen.
Replace app. No explanation.
Obtain the UID of newly installed app. Wrong UID will make Package Installer delete app data.
Move data back and change UID.

A small note: The builtin chown command does not accept option -R (recursive) by default in Android L or lower. You need BusyBox in that case. In Android M and up it just works fine.

Root Utilities

Titanium Backup

With TiBu you can easily back up existing data, then safely remove the old app and install the new app. Then as long as both packages have the same package name, you can restore the data for the app with TiBu, intact!

However, this solution is essentially a data-backup, so it will not be maintained here. If you want to learn more about backing up & restoring data, check out our tag wiki for backup, under the App-based backups section.

Xposed Modules (Easiest, Recommended by iBug)

XInstaller and its successor, InstallerOpt, can hook Package Installer to allow packages with mismatching signatures to be installed (by skipping sig check). Then all your data is preserved and you can easily switch to different versions. This is the method I am currently using and it has been working fine. Sad that Xposed isn't officially available for Android N (so far), so this solution is only for Android M and down.

Theoretically, they should not cause anything wrong because all they do is hooking the signature checking function and change its return value to a truthy value, bypassing the check. If the replacement package have any other defects than mismatching signature, the installation will still fail, so no faulty packages can be installed even if you skip signature check.

  Important Notice
  It is not recommended to leave that option (skip sig check) enabled all the time. Leaving it enabled will create a big security flaw as hacked apps (almost always use a different signature) can also be installed. I personally enable it only when needed and disable it as soon as I finished my package replacement.


How can I hang up on only one party when using call waiting? I have an HTC Thunderbolt. When I use call waiting, I can't hang up on one line without the phone hanging up both calls. How can I hang up on just one party?

Switch to the call you want to end, hit end. A few seconds later the other caller will "call you back", which is actually just the other call resuming. It's weird, but that's how cdma signaling works. "it's not a bug, it's a feature"


Can not swipe touchscreen in micromax bolt a064 model i can't able to swipe micromax bolt ao64 smartphone , means touch screen not work most of the time.... i bought this before 2 years....

I tried below things until now :

1)washed hands & cleaned touchscreen and tried

2)Restarted phone

3)Done Factory reset [ lost apps & other data ]

4)Removed all unwanted videos, images & freed up space.

I am using 3rd party charger from last 4 months , Is that caused issue ?

No, using a 3rd party software is not a problem. It can be due to poor touch screen offered by Micromax which doesn't have long life. Or it can also be happened due to any accident with your phone. You can get a new Touch Screen from any Local shop or from the Micromax Service Center.


Change own phone number in ICS I've change the SIM in my Galaxy-Nexus-S. Under Settings -> About phone -> Status there still is the old phone number and I cannot manage to change it.

I've seen this answer which is outdated. The menu option Own numbers discribed in the answer is not there in ICS.

The navigation terms might be called differently, as I manually translated the names from German.

In previous versions of Android (mine is 2.3.7) you can set this setting in the Additional call settings. In Android 4.0 the Additional call settings screen is located here:

Open the Phone app -> [Menu] -> Settings -> Additional settings.

I have not verified this on a physical device yet.


Is it possible to mount .iso files (virtual optical drive) on Android? First of all, I am not sure if my question should be here as I couldn't find a place to shoot it. So please direct me to the right site, if I am barking at the wrong tree..

Question : In our normal PCs/laptops we have the ability to install 3rd party softwares to create a virtual CD/DVD drive and mount .iso files to it.

For the sake of mobility, (as I am on the go 90% of the time) I want to buy a tablet. So I am wondering if I could do the same in either Asus or Samsung tablet 8.0?

If above tablets can't perform this function, can someone point out why and which tablets would do it?

Underneath Android is Linux kernel. So if you install a custom rom with a custom kernel on any of tablets you can do that. The kernel should have loop device support + CONFIG_ISO9660_FS module or built-in. Then you will need root+busybox. Install some terminal emulator and type this commands:

su
cd /sdcard
mkdir mountpoint
mount -t iso9660 image.iso mountpoint -o ro,loop

Also if your iso contaions UDF file system you will need kernel UDF support.


How can I group apps together in the menu view? The menu view of the phone lists all of the apps I've installed.  All of them.

The phone came pre-installed with 2.5 pages of apps, and I'm up to 5.  I've had the phone for 3 weeks...

Is there any way to group them into folders in order to reduce the clutter?

Note (1): I am using a Samsung Galaxy S with Froyo

Note (2): My phone's GUI is in Hebrew, so I may be getting the terms wrong.  This is what I mean by "menu view":

That screen is meant to be just a list of your apps. As you're using Samsung's built-in TouchWiz interface, one thing you can do is move those apps around, so that they're in an order you like and related apps are on the same page. Just press the Menu button, and press Edit and you should see little (-) signs appear on the apps, now you can drag them around to change their order, or drag them to the left or right edge of the screen to move them to a different screen.

However the better way to do this, is by arranging the apps on your home screen, rather than the apps list.

You can have up to 7 home screens on a Galaxy S, and you can add things like Folders to the Home screens to further organize your apps. Think of the home screen as being a bit like the Windows desktop, you can add/remove/organize shortcuts to apps here and even delete them as much as you like and it won't cause any problems.

To copy an app's icon from the App list to the Home screen, just long-press on it for a second or two and then the view should change from the APP list to the home screen, and you can drop the icon wherever you want. Add folders to the Home screen by long-pressing on an empty bit of the Home screen, then select Folders, New Folder. As long as the folder was open when you left the Home screen, you can drag an icon from the Apps list to there the same way. To move an app around the Home screen, long-press on it, and then drag it to where you want, or drag to the Remove bar at the bottom to delete the icon.

On a Galaxy S with TouchWiz you can add or remove Home screens (up to 7 of them) by going to the Home screen, pressing Menu, sleect Edit and then either press the (+) sign if available to add, or drag a screen to the Remove area at the bottom to remove. If you have Froyo (Android 2.2) you can also do a pinch zoom out on the Home screen to swap between screens, or add/remove screens.


Google account not saving Wifi passwords, apps, etc My favorite part about Android is how Google backups almost everything for you without you actually really noticing. I just got a Nexus 5 and logged in to my Google account right away. I noticed it did not start installing all my apps right away and now when I go over to friends' houses their wifi passwords aren't saved from before. This is really annoying cause they all have default router passwords that are extremely long.

I installed a few ROMs just to play around with the phone, and each time I did the initial setup and signed in to Google, it would not sync anything...

I have "Back up my data, Backup account, Automatic restore" all set in settings.
Any ideas why this is happening to my Google account?

That's a pretty well known "feature". Don't worry, your data is backed up there – it only does not restore. And you cannot even really delete it there. So in some way, it's "safe"...

Things you might want to look up in this context:

What exactly is synced with Google?
Underlines what I've said before, and also shows you ways to check what's "synced"
Google Backup: Multiple devices using the same account - what happens on Restore?
Plenty of details on how that "Google Cloud Backup" works (and sometimes fails)
What info does Google backup?
Well, the title says it all :)
Issue 17354: "Automatic Restore" rarely works, and then only partially
What I already indicated above, and most likely the answer to your current issue. Note that this ticket was opened in June, 2011 – and still has the status "New". One of the comments also includes a possible work-around:

  Here's what I did that worked. I factory reset the device (again), and then at the very first screen (where you choose the language), I turn it off. I put in a difference sim card, turn it on and then proceed with the normal setup. This worked for my Nexus 4.

Heise on undeletable WiFi Passwords (German)
If you don't believe me about "undeletable backups", this is my reference. The article is in German, and the publisher (Heise Verlag) is one of the most famous and most trusted sources here in Germany, concerning IT topics.

There are many many more references I could give, but that would be a bit much for here. So a last hint: check the "Linked" and "Related" question links on the ASE Q&As I've linked here.


Android Install button inactive, cancel works Unable to tap on the INSTALL button for an app (that I created). Cancel button works fine.

I have looked into other answers and they all seem to be talking about screen dimming / blue light filter apps - I am not using any screen dimming or blue-light filter app/tool, or have any such settings on (that I am aware of).

My phone is an Honor 6X. Its a phonegap/ cordova app that I created for my personal use. Have been using it for months, and have installed updated versions many times with no issue. Few days ago, while using the app - it got stuck (it was writing a lot of data into an SQL database) when it sorta hung up for a long time. So I closed the app - and after that it stopped working. It just won't start again. (I guess the SQL file got corrupted because I forcefully closed it when it was still writing data)..

I uninstalled it, and when I tried to reinstall again - the INSTALL button won't work - seems to be inactive.

I then changed the app ID (reverse domain id), app versions etc - and tried to install it as a new app - but that didn't work either.

Finally, I downloaded another third party app - (which I had successfully installed on my phone before) - and same issue - unable to tap the install button. So it looks like I am unable to install any kind of third-party app, not just that app. Can somebody help?

Anurag's suggestion worked for me. From the install screen lock your phone with your power button then unlocked and voila there's the install button


Android 5.0 (Lollipop) music equalizer? First of all, I'm rooted. So since I have Android 5.0 on my Nexus 5 I wonder if there still exists the option to change the music equalizer.

In KitKat it was like:

I wasn't able to find any option like this in the settings, maybe someone of you knows how to get this. I don't want to use the Google Play music equalizer.

That option is removed in Lollipop. If you want to use other equalizer, you have to disable default equalizer from Settings -> Applications-> All -> MusicFx -> Disable.

When you opens the equalizer from music player, it will open a chooser by showing other equalizers in it.


How much privileged GMS Core is in the Android Stack? The GMS Core has a ton of capabilities and doesn't seem to perform like a typical application (as in an Application living in the 'Applications' layer shown below). I would assume it would have more privileges and potentially live in the Android Framework layer or the same place as the 'Core Libraries' mention. However, I noticed a u0_a12 UID (not root or system) was attached to the com.google.android.gms process indicating that it's a user owned application. Can someone elaborate on this a little?

Android reserves UID range 10000 to 19999 for apps - user, system or framework. u0_a12 doesn't indicate a user owned application, it simply means UID 10012 which can be assigned to any app. On Android every app is assigned a unique non-zero UID. No app can run with root privileges, including system apps.

UID 0 (root) is the privileged user in Discretionary Access Control (DAC) but be noted that even a process running with UID 0 can be non-privileged or one with non-zero UID can be privileged. Refer to Linux capabilities, particularly Ambient Capabilities.

However Android's Java framework doesn't rely directly on DAC very much, it has its own privilege control mechanism through permissions e.g. Storage, Camera, Internet etc. Manifest permissions have different Protection Levels. Some are granted without asking user, some others require user's approval to be granted or denied and some are reserved only for system use. For more details please see this answer.

Google Mobile Services (GMS) make use of both; application layer and some features only available to framework/system/privileged apps. For instance Play Services has android.permission.INTERNET which is granted to every app that requests for it. But it also has android.permission.READ_LOGS (1) which has protection level signature|privileged and can't be granted to user installed apps. Similarly GMS Core has unrestricted internet access even in Data Saver and Battery Saver modes (2) which is also possible only for framework apps.

RELATED:

What is the “u#_everybody” UID?
How Android's permissions mapping with UIDs/GIDs works?


App Data Not Restored After Copy From Nearby Device When installing a new Android 7.0 phone I chose the option to Copy From Nearby Device. All the apps on the older Android 4.4 device were copied and seem to be working but only 4 actually have any data in them: Gmail, Calendar, Hangouts (but not Hangouts Dialer) and Contacts. Every other app is an a cleanly freshly installed state: No accounts, no data, no saved games, etc.

What happened and how can I correct this? The older device is not rooted and neither is the new one yet (but I intend to do so once I figure out why).

Two possible reasons

From Nexus help

  When you set up your phone, you can quickly import Google Accounts, backed-up apps, and data from your current Android device to your new Nexus phone by using Tap & Go.

(Emphasis Supplied)

Kit Kat didn't have the cloud backup, IIRC, so it can't be whereas whatever is backed up is Google account stuff

Again from Google help, of you scroll down the long list of complaints, you will notice problems when both the devices were not of same version. This cannot be concluded as the main cause as it is not documented officially, but the first one is more likely IMO.

On a side note, transfer from Huawei device on KitKat to Lollipop worked but not KitKat to Marshmallow (personal experience), that's why I was sceptical about it in answering your earlier question


Samsung Galaxy J1 will not play music from my sd card I have purchased a samsung galaxy J1 and it will not read any of my music from my sd card. My photos show up but no music. I have tried to download music players and mp3 conversions but nothing works. Staff at spark said that they have no idea what to do. Please help. sd card worked okay in last phone.

Copy the songs to your sd card, while connecting your mobile to the pc and try to play these songs. Also try using ttpod music player as the inbuilt samsung music player won't support the different formats.


Notification of new label e-mails Possible Duplicate:
  Can gmail notifications be customized by label?

I have a filter in gmail that sets some of the mail to skip the inbox and be archived (unread) under a specific label. On the desktop Gmail, this label is shown alongside my regular inbox, which makes everything nice and organized.

Unfortunately, on my Gmail android app, I don't get notified of any of these e-mails that skip the inbox and go to this label. I have already set this label to be synced by the app, but I'm still not getting notifications. How can I get notified of e-mails that skip the inbox and go straight to a specific label?

So far I've only found Gmail Label Notifier, but I don't need all this customization and I was hoping to find something free.

Don't know quite how you've got it configured to show your non-inbox mail alongside your main mail in the web interface, but if you're using the Priority Inbox features of GMail then you can set up separate alert settings on Android for mails detected as priority messages, see this Google Mobile blog entry: Gmail for Android: better Priority Inbox support and improved compose

  Ever wanted to know that you got an
  important message without taking your
  phone out of your pocket? Now you can
  set up your phone to notify, vibrate,
  or ring on just your new important
  mail (check out Menu > Settings >
  Priority Inbox).


How can I open an HTML file I have copied from PC to SD Card of Phone? How can I open an HTML file I have copied from PC to SD Card of Phone?

I've tried opening it with the default application which is HTML Viewer but I get a "Web page not available" system page.
The URL that the browser shows is:
content://com.android.htmlfileprovider/mnt/sdcard/Documents/To%20Read.html?text/html

Any ideas?

Thanks.

You should be able to point the browser at the file you want with a URL of the format file:///path/to/file.html. For example, I just did this on my EVO with a file I saved to the root of my SD card as post.html by launching the browser and entering the URL file:///sdcard/post.html.

Alternatively, my file manager lets me open an HTML file with "HTML Viewer". This is not as feature-rich, though, and didn't seem to render images for me (whereas the browser way loaded everything properly). My file manager does not give me the option to open the file with the browser, or either of the other browsers I have (Firefox and Opera Mobile).


What is QuadRooter? Are 900 million Android devices vulnerable? What actually is QuadRooter and how does it work on Android devices?

It is currently in the news that 900 millions Android devices are vulnerable:

  Serious security flaws that could give attackers complete access to a phone's data have been found in software used on tens of millions of Android devices.

  The bugs were uncovered by Checkpoint researchers looking at software running on chipsets made by US firm Qualcomm.

  Qualcomm processors are found in about 900 million Android phones, the company said.

The article also said that it is something at the chipset level.

Is this true?

And how does this work internally?

What is QuadRooter?

Quadrooter is a name for a set of security vulnerabilities including

CVE-2016-2059
CVE-2016-2504
CVE-2016-2503
CVE-2016-5340

These are weaknesses in Linux/Android system software provided by chipset manufacturer Qualcomm.

They could be exploited by an app that you download, even one that does not ask for any special privileges. Such an app could exploit these vulnerabilities to gain higher level control of your phone, including access to any private data you have stored on it.

The US National Vulnerability Database gives the following description for the  vulnerabilities listed above

2059

  The msm_ipc_router_bind_control_port function in net/ipc_router/ipc_router_core.c in the IPC router kernel module for the Linux kernel 3.x, as used in Qualcomm Innovation Center (QuIC) Android contributions for MSM devices and other products, does not verify that a port is a client port, which allows attackers to gain privileges or cause a denial of service (race condition and list corruption) by making many BIND_CONTROL_PORT ioctl calls.

2504

  The Qualcomm GPU driver in Android before 2016-08-05 on Nexus 5, 5X, 6, 6P, and 7 (2013) devices allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka Android internal bug 28026365 and Qualcomm internal bug CR1002974.

2503

  The Qualcomm GPU driver in Android before 2016-07-05 on Nexus 5X and 6P devices allows attackers to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka Android internal bug 28084795 and Qualcomm internal bug CR1006067.

5340

  The is_ashmem_file function in drivers/staging/android/ashmem.c in a certain Qualcomm Innovation Center (QuIC) Android patch for the Linux kernel 3.x mishandles pointer validation within the KGSL Linux Graphics Module, which allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions by using the /ashmem string as the dentry name.

You can download an app named "Quadrooter Scanner" from the Google Play store - it will tell you if your phone is vulnerable. The app was written by Checkpoint Software Technologies Ltd. I have installed it, ran it and uninstalled it. Other than that, I cannot say if it is reliable in any way.

Qualcomm have issued software fixes to manufacturers

Google have addressed a couple of these in their security bulletins for July and August

Issue                                    CVE            Severity    Affects
                                                                    Nexus?
Elevation of privilege vulnerability in  CVE-2016-2503,  Critical   Yes
Qualcomm GPU driver (Device specific)    CVE-2016-2067

...

Elevation of privilege vulnerability in  CVE-2016-2504,  Critical   Yes
Qualcomm GPU driver                      CVE-2016-3842

...

Elevation of privilege vulnerability in Qualcomm GPU driver

An elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Qualcomm GPU driver could
enable a local malicious application to execute arbitrary code within the
context of the kernel. This issue is rated as Critical due to the
possibility of a local permanent device compromise, which may require
reflashing the operating system to repair the device.

CVE References  Severity    Updated Nexus devices   Date reported
CVE-2016-2504    Critical   Nexus 5, Nexus 5X,      Apr 5, 2016
A-28026365                  Nexus 6, Nexus 6P,
QC-CR#1002974               Nexus 7 (2013)

I suspect owners of vulnerable phones have a number of options including some or all of

wait for manufacturer to provide an over the air update to fix this.
don't download any new apps
prevent apps from being updated until vulnerabilities are fixed
uninstall all superfluous apps
power down the phone until sure a fix is ready

I guess many people would regard at least the last item as overkill.

  Are 900 million Android devices vulnerable?

Worldwide sales of smartphones are of the order of 1 billion each year.

Qualcomm are a major manufacturer of integrated circuits used in smartphones. They sell a variety of ICs including the popular "Snapdragon" range of ARM-based CPUs. Their annual revenues are of the order of USD 25 billion.

According to Forbes

  According to ABI Research, leading chipset maker Qualcomm remained a leader in the LTE baseband chipsets in 2015. The company held a massive 65% of the LTE baseband chipset market in the year.

There may be 2 billion smartphones in use in 2016. Of course, a lot of these will be IOS devices. There may still be one or two Windows phone users out there :-).

The average lifetime of a smartphone might be two years or might be four years. There is certainly a market in second hand smartphones. It seems plausible that many smartphones older than one year are still in use.

Of course, there are Android devices that are not smartphones. Google estimates there are 1.4 billion active Android devices worldwide. 65% of 1.4 billion is 910 million. This might be how journalists arrived at this figure. If so, it isn't at all accurate.

However, assuming that the vulnerable drivers have existed for several years, it seems plausible that hundreds of millions of devices might be affected. 900 million seems to be the extreme upper end of possible estimates.

Related

2016-08-10 "Google says most users 'protected' against 'Quadrooter' - Play Store should spot exploits"
2016-08-08 QuadRooter vulnerability: 5 things to know about this Android security scare


Is power consumed from battery to run the phone when charging? I want to download torrents while keeping the device plugged to charge. My device is made by Samsung.

Is the power consumed from charger, or battery, to power the device when charging? Will my battery take a hit?

Of course your device requires power to run – whether you've set it for charging or not. Question is: Does it use more power than it gets by charging? Which depends on multiple factors:

Your "power source". USB only charges with 500 mA (USB2) resp. 900 mA (USB3), A/C with up to 2 A.
Your devices power consumption. Depending on what it's doing. Display turned on max brightness already uses more than USB can provide, recording/playing HD videos takes bit bites, and even a WiFi download might exceed that (see the table in my answer here for some example values).

So in your case, all depends on the power source. If it's USB, it might just "hold the charge", get a "trickle" or lose "a trickle" or more when downloading on WiFi – or probably constanly lose charge when on mobile data.1

Btw: Your device might get quite hot in either case :)

Edit: Reading your question again after the discussion in the comments, it looks like I've missed a major part of it. Asking whether the "battery will take a hit", you most likely wanted to know if "torrenting while charging" causes any harm to your battery. Hard to say absolutely, as it depends on device an battery; but a good indicator is "temperature". Batteries used today are mostly Lithium Ion (LiIo), seconded by Lithium Polymer (LiPo). Both have in common not to like "extreme temperatures". So if in the process the device gets hot, that's an indicator your battery might not like that for long.

For details, please also see our battery tag-wiki and charging tag-wiki. Both give general information on them.

1: Note that the values in the linked post are exemplary only; your device might differ, but relations will be comparable.


Wireless doesn't work on college campus I can connect to the school's campus wifi, but when I try to get on Opera, it will not let me connect to any website. Apps that use the internet do not work. I get bars on the wifi. Usually, on the first connect from a new device, it will ask me to register my device. I am guessing that since I haven't registered with the new device, I cannot access the internet with any apps. The problem is that I usually get the page that asks me to register my new device when I try to connect to a website. Opera doesn't take me to that site, though. The wifi works on all other devices.

Edit: When I connect to the home wifi, it works.

You didn't specify whether you're using Opera Mini or Opera Mobile, Opera Mini uses compression proxy server to optimize the page for your device; and this almost invariably breaks in-browser wifi authentication page since the browser will try to connect to its proxy which it can't do because the gateway blocks access to the proxy until you authenticate. Opera Mobile by default do not use the compression proxy, but if you turn on the Turbo feature then it will use the proxy.

You still can use Opera Mini or Opera Mobile with Turbo if you authenticate using the regular Browser then switch to Opera.  If you're using Opera Mobile, then switch off Turbo temporarily for the authentication page.


How can I disable voice commands when double pressing the home button on the Galaxy S 2? On Samsung Galaxy S2 (not rooted) everytime I accidently double press the home button, the voice command app comes up.

How can I disable this?

For a non-rooted phone, this is the best I have found:

Double-tap, select Menu, Settings
Voice Talk Seetings -> Speak Prompts: uncheck

Now if you double-tap, a short sound will be heard, but you won't hear the "What would you like to do?" anymore.


How Should I Handle This Suspicious App? While traversing the 'installed' list of Google Play, I noticed a very odd app named SOUPER ANDROID DEVELOPMENT.

What's so suspicious about it is:

It does absolutely nothing to explain what it is, what it does, or permissions required
There is no option to open/uninstall
I cannot find it by searching for it
It is dimmed in the list with the other apps
It is not listed when I browse play.google.com/apps
Nobody (in the comments) seems to know where they got it.

Notice the app is dimmed (grayed out)

I was scrolled to the top of the page during screen capture.  Notice how many standard features are missing

I have no idea where it came from.  I imagine it was either part of the humongous set of bloatware provided by Verizon or, what I'm thinking is more likely, the method used to root my phone: Pete's Motorola Root Tools.  I have scanned my phone with Lookout but it hasn't found anything.

Can anyone provide any insight as to what this app is?
How should I remove this app?  I am having difficulty locating it in System App Remover.
Should I be suspicious of the rooting tool I used and take any action? I have been told this is legit.  Whether it is or not, it's doesn't seem to be in any way part of the problem.
How can you trace a market app to its package name?

Update

While searching other complaints on this app, I dug up:

A link to it on Google Play(removed).  I'm still curious as to how someone obtained this link, I couldn't find it in a search or any references to it.

It says it's not compatible with any of my devices but it's installed.
No one has found any traces of it on their phone (probably because it's 'linking ' to com.motorola.contacts.preloaded)

It seems to only be affecting Droid 3 users.

Update 3/28/2012

Final update/Brief summary:

3/26: App showed up without user approved install under name "Brett Henderson" with no option to open or uninstall.  Later renamed "Souper Android Development".
3/27: Clicked the app's "share" button to view its link to app on phone (com.motorola.contacts.preloaded).  This confirms Richard's suspicion that it was merely sharing its name with a legit system app as apposed to installing junk on the phone.  Further reading revealed that each app has a unique ID to prevent one app from providing "updates" to another with the same name.
3/28: The app was removed from the app market place.  As pointed out by Matthew Read, a similar bug happened not too long ago.  As of now, I haven't read anything official on this instance.

There's nothing malicious here. A developer uploaded an app to the play store that has the same package name as a system app from your phone.
The new play store update tweaked the detection of system apps and it linked the apps. This will probably resolved soon. No need to bring the big guns.

Lookout and other "antivirus" tools don't show anything malicious because they couldn't tell angry birds apart from a nuclear bomb. They are completely useless against any sophisticated attack.


Why is there no app from Google like LastPass? I am asking this because Google is already managing password in Google Chrome password manager. Having a dedicated app like LastPass would make everything easier.

Google offers "Smart Lock for Passwords" service in Android. This service is part of the whole android suite on your android device.

Using this, google offers to save passwords for services offered by your apps. This passwords are synced to your google account and are accessible(and auto suggested/filled) on corresponding mobile app, Chrome desktop app or Chrome mobile app. The only catch here is that you cannot see the passwords directly on your mobile phone natively. However, You get a link in Google Services "Smart Lock for Passwords" section to access your passwords, which redirects you to the google account web dashboard portal. After logging in to the above portal you can view and manage your saved passwords.

You can turn this service ON/OFF from "Google Services" option in your Phone Settings.


Google voice not checking for messages Just recently I've missed a few text messages via Google Voice because the alert hasn't come through.  As soon as I open the app the backed up messages arrive and trigger the alert.

I have background notifications turned on (or at least I think I have - Background data is "enabled")

Any ideas?

I'm having the same problem here.

Check running services under Settings --> Applications --> Running services.  Is the Google Voice update service stuck on restarting?

If so, you might want to try and remove apps that are running services.  In other words, uninstall apps that you aren't using that are causing excessive amounts of services to run and eat up your free memory.

You can also try Al's suggestions.


Add language to Google Keyboard I have a Huawei G8 and hate this phone. Can't use Google Keyboard because on this phone it is not supporting Georgian language. Is there any ways to add Georgian keyboard in Gboard? Thanks and sorry for my English :)

Open your keyboard and to to its settings (tap on "Google" icon at the top, then on cog icon).
Then go to "Languages" and you'll see a list of all available languages there. My phone has two variants of Georgian keyboard (QWERTY and Typewriter).


Nexus 5X can't connect to internet over cell connection; X on signal strength indicator I have a Nexus 5X, which I've had for 2 years and used without any serious problems until today. It is now running Android 8.1. I have Ting as my carrier.

I'm having a strange issue. Most of the time, I see an X over the signal strength indicator, and if I try to connect to the internet, it takes a long time and then tell me the site can't be reached (see the first screenshot).

Here is the strange part: if I connect to a WiFi connection, everything works fine and the X goes away (see the second screenshot). If I disable WiFi, the X comes back and I can't connect. I can't stay connected to WiFi everywhere I go all the time, so I'd like to fix this problem.

I tried googling for problems like this and tried everything that was suggested: I restarted my phone multiple times, I removed and reinserted my SIM card, and yes I'm sure I have mobile data enabled.

Does anyone know why this is happening or how to get my internet connection working like before?

I figured out what was causing the problem. I had been using my phone as a hotspot, and it used an unusual amount of data, causing Ting to cut off my connection. I called their support number (1-855-846-4389) and talked to someone, and they re-enabled it.


Samsung Galaxy Ace doesn't see sdcard My Galaxy Ace was working fine until this morning. it's now failing to read any sdcard. I have tried factory reset but still it doesn't recognize the sdcard.

Try connecting the card to a laptop or a PC via a card reader and see if the card is working correctly.Also format the card from the mobile and see if that works.


Does "ifconfig wlan0 dhcp status" work for Android? I cannot get any response from an Android device (Android 4.2) to command "ifconfig wlan0 dhcp status"

Command "ifconfig wlan0" returns the following:

wlan0: ip 192.168.0.14 mask 255.255.254.0 flags [up broadcast running multicast]

Does Android support "dhcp status"?  If not, how can I find out through a command whether DHCP is enabled?

[How] can I find out through a command whether DHCP is enabled?

Provided that adb is setup in PC, execute:
adb shell dumpsys wifi

In the output locate the string Configured networks. Following that would be the info on all the saved Wi-Fi networks in your device. For each network, inter alia you would see a line with the string IP assignment. Based on your configuration for that netowrk, it would either show STATIC or DHCP.
Note that you must have root access if you intend to run dumpsys wifi on a device through a command-line app since ordinary apps are usually not privileged to access a dump of WifiService.
Here's the relevant screenshot captured for Android 4.2.1:

The findings are valid for stock Android 6.0.1 as well.
Aforesaid information however doesn't query whether the router itself is capable of running a DHCP server.


Is it possible to backup data from a locked android phone? So i forgot the PIN number on my old phone which was not rooted, had no recovery software (Cwm, Xrec, etc.) installed on it, and has usb debugging and auto-mount disabled. We don't know the google account associated with the phone. Basically all I have is the phone and a usb cable. Is there a way to get the user data out of it? Adb won't recognise the device btw. I do apologise if it's a stupid question. The phone automatically connected to the wifi, and I'm on Linux, if that helps. But I managed to get into recovery but adb only recognises the device in sideload mode. The files inside the phone is extremely important to me because it contain photo of my family member that were passed away.
Phone: Vivo V7 Plus
I wanted to try brute-force the PIN with program but unfortunately the phone will cool down for 7000 second (3hours+)
Info
My phone model: Vivo 7 Plus
USB debugging: Not turned on

So i found a way to unlock my phone (Vivo V7 Plus) without losing any data !
Special thanks to @alecxs for guiding me through the process !
In order to unlock the PIN lock, I open my phone case and short the test point in order to get into EDL mode (Note: Different phone have different test point, search where is your phone test point before proceed. )
After successful short the test point, I can see the "Qualcomm port 9008" is open !

When Qualcomm port 9008 is visible from device manager, I proceed to run the software. So, here is the MAGIC part! I used a tool from MRT but its cracked by a developer called officialroms. The different between cracked and original MRT software are cracked version doesn't have to buy additional hardware to make it work.
I clicked on start and the program run until it show all is done, after that I restart my phone and everything worked !

Here is the instructions link that i follow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUOFvRkmBMc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enm-8CvGqIY&t=189s


How to edit update.zip to prevent fastboot removal and recovery reverting to stock? I have an Alcatel Idol 3 (6045Y variant) with TWRP and yesterday i received the Marshmallow update notification. As other users noticed, this update also removes fastboot commands and reverts the recovery back to stock. Now, i have downloaded the update.zip file and transferred it on my PC in order to edit updater-script (possibly other files?) so i can keep fastboot and/or TWRP. If this is my updater-script content, am i safe with removing this line and keep TWRP?

package_extract_dir("recovery", "/system");

Please note recovery folder contains file recovery-from-boot.p and bin folder which contains this script.

Also, some devs at XDA reported we can't have both fastboot commands and a working Marshmallow system, why is it so? Can't i simply remove the line where it flashes the new aboot partition (which, i'm not sure, contains fastboot commands)?

It usually requires a new boot.img which contains your kernel..
If you flash the update, it should flash all images, Network, Boot, System, Recovery and even sometimes the Cache..
 I would imagine that you need to Patch the boot.img to work with TWRP, or other custom recovery...
Sometimes it's a simple as changing SElinux permissions off enforcing ...

You can try to edit the recovery script because it does work on some devices, but you will most likely hit some sort of " checking update.zip is valid "... ( this usually makes a md5 and then calculates the update.zip md5 against the original )


TWRP saying no OS is installed Device information:

Motorola Moto G5 16GB (Cedric)
Stock firmware, android 7.0
Custom recovery TWRP 3.2.1-0 (previously 3.1.0-0)
Bootloader unlocked (obviously)
Rooted, Magisk v15.0

I was just going to install Xposed framework, but there normal Xposed installer didn't work. I tried to flash the file using TWRP but I got error code 1. No /system partition. When I try to flash other zip files, I get similar error messages. When I exit TWRP it warns me and say: 'No OS installed, are you sure you want to reboot?' When I reboot to the normal system partition, it just boots back into TWRP, same thing when I turn the device on. If I boot into the bootloader and start the device from there it does work and turn on. Once turned on everything works like it's supposed to, including Magisk. I can't find anything about this online, but I do know I once messed up my phone and flashed stock firmware using adb and fastboot from my computer.

Before going back to stock, I soft bricked my device by installing PixelExperience ROM twice, first in December, the 12-11-2017 version, later in January I installed the 01-21-2018 version. This one however, didn't work at first. I installed a 64 bit version of TWRP and tried again, after which it worked. After installing it, my device didn't boot. Maybe it could, but I was sceptical since it automatically booted into recovery. But after flashing the stock firmware, it still didn't boot. I figured out on accident that booting via the bootloader did work. Possibly the custom ROM did work, but just didn't boot normally, just like the stock firmware.
Link to xda thread for the ROM:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/g5/development/rom-t3710800
If you would like to look at the specific versions I installed, I still have them on my computer and will share them if asked. I completely reverted to stock and but it still wasn't fixed.

Edit:
I just saw this in TWRP, it says the system partition I've been having problems with is 17592186044369 MB, which is about 16777216 TB or 16384 PB. That's not correct of course. Can't seem to find anything about this only, though.

Oh and for my English, it isn't my native language and I'm only 14, so if you have trouble understanding it, please say it so I can explain it in another way.

When you just flashed the os, twrp will tell you sure you want to reboot with no os installed, even if you just installed it , i dont know why but reboot system after flashing the OS and your device should boot normally!


What keyword will help me search for music player app that plays by folders? I used to own a galaxy s3, and the default music player had that feature. Then I upgrade to a nexus 5, and it seems like it's missing it.

I'm huge fan of organizing my music by folders on my phone's hard drive, so I need an app that can do that, or figure out how google music app does it.

How can I search for these kinds of apps?

A good keyword combination is already given by your question: a music player which should play folder-wise should be found using the keywords "folder play", "folder player", and similar combinations. In fact, there are even some players named exactly such, e.g. Music Folder Player, Folder Player, and many more.


Xposed module for expanded volume panel I own a Nexus 5, running stock Android 5. I'm looking for an Xposed module which allows me to adjust all types of volumes (ringtone/media/alarm) when I press the volume keys.

I've seen an extended notifcation panel in other ROMs where you could exactly do this.
Is there something similar available as a module?

The feature you have requested (Expandable Volume Control) is present in GravityBox (Lollipop).

You can find it at the Xposed Repository .

You can download it directly here (3.54 MB).

However, do note that the Xposed Framework is still in Alpha, so some features of the module might not work properly. If you find any, do report them at the official XDA thread for this module. Any discussions can be done there too.


Open Outlook links in Chrome Using Outlook version 4.2041.3 on my Samsung Galaxy A30s with Android 10.
If I receive an email with links in it

And then click in the link

it opens up in a weird browser.
I would like for it to open in Chrome instead. How can that be done?
Already contacted support.

According to Support

This is a new Edge webview experience with the Bing search
capabilities which is expected. There is no way to disable this at the moment. However, if you want to open a link in the default browser,
you will need to click the link, then tap on the overflow menu at the
bottom and choose "Open in Browser".


Subfolders and files ignored when copying from sdcard to PC through USB So I have a music folder that I'm trying to copy from my sdcard onto my PC using Windows Explorer. For some reason, when I attempt to do this, it 'completes' really quickly and I only end up with a few folders inside the main folder that are missing most, if not all of their contents as well. The weird thing is if I go into all of these individual subfolders and copy them one by one, it works fine.

Anybody know what's going on, and what I can possibly do about this?

Seems I just needed to wait a little longer for the "Copying..." dialog to pop up again. Windows is weird sometimes.


Use an application automatically Is it possible to first automatically open an application and then automatically click on a few buttons within that app ? Is creating such a profile possible?

There is app called automate which probably achieve what ur saying like following examples like

sending message on specific app is running, when like battery percent is n% then do this, etc.

More description on there website


What is the best way to turn my old Android tablet into a 100% VNC client? I have a very old Android tablet that I barely use.

It's a Zipy MID Fun (8GB) with 256MB RAM DDR2, an old Rockchip at 660MHz with a DPS 600MHz runnind Android 2.1. The wireless module is a very weak IEEE 802.11G module.

Since my other tablet broke (someone decided that it was a nice doormat), I decided to use this one as a 100% VNC client.

The problem is that this is SO SLOW it is almost unusable. Using 256 colors is the only way to use it somewhat properly.

The VNC Server is a Windows 8.1 computer, which is connected over cable.

What should I do to use this tablet as a decent VNC client?

(RDP is also fine, if it is possible with such an old tablet)

Possible Solutions for Android 2.1 enabling VNC protocol are :

VNC Viewer
VNC Viewer for Android
Remote VNC Pro
Remote Ripple: Fast VNC Client
VNC Client Free
Remote VNC w/Ad
In-Hand VNC
Remote Ripple PRO (TightVNC)
vmwViewer
abtoVNC Viewer
VNC4Droid 1MA

Apps Enabling RDP protocol are :

Remote RDP
im Remote Desktop, RDP +

Note :- All the aforesaid apps are available on Google PlayStore. 1MA implies app available on 1mobile.com only. The answer has been overhauled on the basis of comments received.


Lock-screen information lost calls etc At my company we use Sophos MDM solution, witch forces all user to set a PIN on their lock screen. I use a Samsung S3 (android 4.1.2) and the lock screen is only a huge numeric key pad. The oterones using iPhone can have their phone to show lost cals, incoming mail, sms etc as a banner on the lock screen.
Is it possible to have the same features on my Samsung device? Is it possible to customize the lock screen?
Have tried to download some apps, like GO Locker, but they appear before or after my lock screen so it doesn’t work as intended

Dashclock widget is an amazing app to let you view missed calls or notifications right from your lock screen for Android 4.2 and up. Since you're still on Android 4.1.2, install WidgetLocker lock screen and use it.


Stop Android connecting to external USB storage device I have a car adapter with 2 USB ports, 1 of the devices is a continuos recording camera (with an SD card in it) and the other device is my Android phone (Sony Xperia, Android 4.3). However, when I connect both devices to the adapter the continuos recording camera stops recording and shows 'external storage' on the screen, and there is no way to stop this behavior on this device. In my Android device I can see no messages, but can indeed see the other device's SD card. There are no popups in Android when I connect to it. Is there any way to stop Android from detecting this other device?

Use a needle or a pair of needle-nose pliers to break the data pins on your adapter, so they won't connect to the device. Breaking the data pins doesn't inhibit the adapter's ability to supply voltage across the power pins. Alternatively, it might be easier to cover them with a small piece of insulating tape; the easiest way to do it will depend on the shape of the adapter and what tools you have to hand.

Of the four pins inside a USB plug/socket, the middle two are the ones you want to cut off or cover. Be careful not to damage or cover the two outer pins. It should go without saying that you should do this while the adapter is not connected to anything.


Ordered i9300 from eBay - need help to understand what's going on I've ordered a new, unlocked i9300 from eBay, and I had some adventures with it:

I've unpacked it, inserted my SIM, powered it on, and found out that the phone always thinks that I'm roaming. Instead of trying to understand what's going on, I though: "I'll just install CyanogenMod and everything will be good".
I've installed CyanogenMod 10.2 (latest stable build), only to find out that my SIM is not being detected at all. It says that Baseband is unknown, IMEI and related are unknown as well.
After trying lots of stuff, I gave up and decided to return to stock ROM (4.3). While trying to do that, I bricked my phone, and the only thing I could do is enter Odin mode.
After reading dozens of tutorials and trying lots of stuff, I ended up flushing GT-I9300_mx_20120329.pit, and that unbricked my phone.
I successfully flashed Android 4.3. This version detected my SIM, displayed the Baseband/IMEI, but it didn't connect to the cellular network. I could scan for available networks, but when I chose my network manually, it said "Selected network not available ".
I tried to flush alternative modems, but all it did is making things worse. Usually it made the phone behave like with CyanogenMod, i.e. Baseband/IMEI are unknown.
Again, after trying lots of stuff, I tried to flush Android 4.1.2. That made no change until I've stumbled on this thread. Flushing Patched_Modem_I9300XXEMG4.zip made my networking work again, and restored it to behave exactly like it did initially. Again, the phone thinks that I'm roaming all the time, but at least it works.

So currently, I have two issues:

My phone always thinks I'm roaming. Is there a fix for it?
And more important: currently, I cannot install anything other than Android 4.1.2!

Could you please shed some light on the situation? What happens with my phone? Why does it think I'm roaming? Why does the SIM work only with Patched_Modem_I9300XXEMG4? How can I make other ROMs (e.g. CyanogenMod) work?

Thanks, any help is much appreciated!

It sounds like your phone is blocked. You should try to return it if possible. If the IMEI is missing then it is very likely there is a serious problem with the radio or that it is simply blocked. You can't fix this by flashing a different ROM.


Suspicious directory ".MySecurityData" in internal storage I have a Galaxy Note (N7000) device running stock Android 4.1.2. I was browsing the internal storage and noticed a directory named ".MySecurityData", which contains one single directory "dont_remove", which contains multiple directories whose name consists of hexadecimal characters of length 32 (presumably MD5 hashes). All those 3rd level directories contain three directories - ".image", ".thumb", and ".video". A search through find command reveals that all the directories are empty containing no files.

Fact that the parent directory is hidden, directories have suspicious and obfuscated names, and a web search returns no results for ".MySecurityData" has raised concerns of some malicious activity.

Can anyone identify the application that may have created these directories? I'm a paranoid person and usually shy away from installing apps, and double check the ones that I'm installing.

There is also a SQLite3 file inside "dont_remove" (name is again in hexadecimal characters of length 15). A SQLite3 .dump on this file results in following:

PRAGMA foreign_keys=OFF;
BEGIN TRANSACTION;
CREATE TABLE android_metadata (locale TEXT);
INSERT INTO "android_metadata" VALUES('en_GB');
CREATE TABLE medias (_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,album TEXT, from_path TEXT, dest_path TEXT,thumb_path TEXT,file_name TEXT,file_type TEXT,file_ext TEXT,timestamp LONG,rotation INTEGER DEFAULT 0);
COMMIT

UPDATE:

After a grep through dumpstate logs in /data/log, I noticed that the SQLite3 file was being accessed by com.domobile.applock. I've emailed the developer asking for more information.

Using the ls command, you can find out the owner (and group) of those directories. Following this with a ls on /data, and watching out for the same ownership, you should find only one hit, reveaing the package name of the corresponding app – which you then can use on the Google Play website to find the matching app (by placing the found package name after the id= part of the URL).

As access to the /data directory is restricted, the above commands must be executed with root privileges.


Sony Xperia Play CDMA to GSM I have an Xperia Play that was originally with Verizon and therefore using CDMA. I want to use it with the Rogers network now.

I've read that the Qualcomm chip inside supports both types of networks by default. Is it possible to change it to GSM?

Not going to happen. Sorry. While MSM8655 supports GSM - Play Verizon's version of radio software makes no use of it. You can not reflash the radio software because the bootloader is locked. And even if you could - the GSM bands are not "phased" in your phone. "Phasing" is a process of calibrating the phone during manufacturing - without it you would get no 3G, at best you could probably get very poor 2G performance if any at all.


How to fix download notifications? From what it looks like, Facebook is just downloading an update, but it is not downloading anything. Even after multiple reboots and uninstalling Facebook app, it still continues. How to clear this up?

Phone is Samsung Galaxy S3 running Android 4.1.2. With default TuchWiz launcher.

Try:
-Long pressing the notification.
-A small dialog that says "App Info" will appear.
-Press "App Info"
-Press "Force Stop".


What is Plain Vanilla Android? I have an HTC Desire (which I enjoy a lot). However, HTC hasnt updated the device to ICS (they say they will update this year, no specific date).

Can I get a plain android version from Google and install it? What is the difference between the Google Android and the HTC (or other brand) Android?

Technically, yes, you can build the "plain version" of Android: http://source.android.com/source/initializing.html

However, it is difficult to do this for all but a handful of devices (official "Google" developer devices, such as the Nexus line of phones) because every Android phone requires its own drivers and these are not freely available.

This is where projects like CyanogenMod step in: they take the vanilla build of Android, add a few minor features to it, and then try to release it for as many devices as possible. Typically way before any manufacturer gets around to updating the phones (if ever). CyanogenMod 9 is the ICS version of Android, and is tba.

In short, the difference between HTC and Google is that HTC takes the vanilla Android version and then "skins" it with HTC Sense. This is one of the many reasons there is a bit of a delay between when Google release a new version of Android (for example, ICS) and when the manufacturers get around to doing it, because they have to fix their changes/skin to the new version of Android.


Where are the default wallpapers in the upgrade of Android to 4.4.2? I have a Xolo Q1010 and i upgraded its android version to 4.4.2 Kitkat. After upgrading, i realized that the default wallpapers of Xolo had vanished. I could only now put live wallpapers. Pls tell how to get back those wallpapers?

Wallpapers often comes bundled with the application (inside the APK file), and usually, those apps are launcher apps. It appears that previously your default as well as stock launcher had those wallpapers. Now that the update has been installed, that launcher has been replaced or updated (in any case the APK is new) too, so your best bet is to find the launcher APK which comes with your previous version of Android.

You can locate the APK inside the stock ROM (if you've one, or download it).


Mirroring content from Android device to Television without Chromecast Besides buying the Google Chromecast HDMI stick, is there a way to mirror the content from an Android KitKat device to a "dumb" (i.e. not "smart") HDMI Television?

Solutions using Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, Blu-Ray players, or other devices are welcome.

The simpler, the better.

I personally use Amazon Fire TV and the Amazon Fire Stick and it works fine. The Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter is supposed to work with Android devices as well.

How to use display mirroring on the Fire TV and Stick (from Amazon's website):

  To quickly start display mirroring, on your Amazon Fire TV remote
  press and hold the Home button and select Mirroring. Then connect your
  compatible device. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick
  Settings, and then tap Settings. Tap Display & Sounds, and then tap
  Display Mirroring.


Android 7 Nougat onwards: hides USB OTG sticks from third-party file managers? Third party file managers such as ES File Manager and RhythmSoft File Manager HD (others will be tested) do not show an USB OTG device.

It does not even get listed.
Only Android's pre-installed file manager does.

Is USB OTG deliberately hidden in Android ≥7?

As explained here How app can access files on USB OTG storages in Android 6.0 (API level 23) without root?, the accepted answer says about the change introduced from Marshamllow

  In Android 6.0, any device that is not adopted is considered portable. […] Third-party apps must go through the Storage Access Framework to interact with files on portable storage; direct access is explicitly blocked for privacy and security reasons.

(Emphasis added)

Which means that the File explorer needs to use Storage Access Framework (requires root as indicated in the question on SO). This XDA post Files by Google adds support for browsing files on USB OTG drives says Files by Google has been updated with this capability (not tested by me).


Find a stolen Android device without sim card I'm looking for an app that could help me find/take pictures & record sound/ erase my data / block device if I lose my cell.

I don't know if is it possible, but will be really useful if the app can work even if there is no sim inside the device/ switched off or have GPS/internet connection disabled.

Thanks in advance!

Cerberus can be activated by both it's web service and via text message.  If you're rooted, it can be integrated into the system apps and so survive a complete wipe.  FYI, NO app will let you track your phone while it's turned off :)

It can also turn on the GPS remotely, has real time tracking using Google maps (looks like Google navigation in a web browser), take pics/record sound & video, sound an alarm, hide itself from the app drawer so thieves won't know it's there, remotely lock the phone with a code, wipe the system, display messages, download the last 10 texts and phone calls, and LOTS more.

Cerberus is $5, and worth every penny. It can be downloaded from Google Play, but the download section on the official site has Cerberus APKs that can be flashed and integrated directly into the ROM.


Redmi note 8 - black screen won't turn on I bought a cheap and broken Redmi note 8, the previous owner told me it won't charge. When I got it in my hands I tried turning it on and it vibrates, turn the led on for a second but no image. (this looked weird as usually phones shows a dead battery logo or something in the screen)
I left it charging for a while to see if something happens. The led light turned on as if it was charging so now I doubt it is a charging board issue.
I saw some videos of a trick of factory reset pressing volume up and down and power buttons for 12 seconds, others mention different combination of buttons but neither of them seemed to work. The phone vibrates a few random times, I can't tell if it's turning on or anything.
Now I think it's either the screen or some problem in the logic board. What do you think? Am I missing something? Is there any way to diagnose either of these things without buying a screen replacement?
Thanks for the help.

You can clean battery connector point. Try another battery.
Check display connection.
Connect mobile to computer use USB cable for 20 minutes.
Disconnect mobile and again connect computer. If you see battery icon. then mobile is charging.
Use power and volume button to start mobile in recovery mode. Then select safe mode.


what happens to my google acct if I delete the gmail service? I found a section in my Google acct where I can delete Gmail and Youtube services.

I want to keep my Youtube but thinking of deleting my Gmail acct since I'm not using it anymore.

I still want to use my Google acct since I have $100s worth of paid apps attached to it.

Any ideas?

Thanks

No. Your purchases are tied to the Google account ( if they weren't paid apps are not any more paid and can be used for free )

Google help Delete your Google Account - Google Account Help

  What happens when you delete your account

  Once you delete your Google Account, you’ll no longer be able to use the following:

  Services you have to sign in to, like Gmail, Drive, and Calendar.
  Data associated with your account, including emails, photos, and records of transactions.
  Subscriptions and content you purchased on YouTube, like movies and TV shows.
  Content you bought on Google Play, like apps, movies, games, or music.
  Information you saved in Chrome.
  Your Gmail username. After you delete your username, it can't be used again by you or anyone else.

Edit: You can't use your you tube account either - is linked to Google account ( for tracking your playlists, purchases or rental, off line videos etc. If you log in to your Google account on web you can see your you tube activity , of course, if not disabled )


If I tap and hold on the homescreen, nothing happens I wanted to uninstall and move some applications from my homescreen, but when I tap and hold to get the menu for uninstalling and editing, nothing happens. The icon is selected, but there is no response. This was working fine earlier, but has been broken for the last month or so.

Does anybody know if this is connected to any settings, or would you guess it's an error?

I would guess it's an error.

The easiest fix would most likely to be to:

Wipe the launcher app data
Wipe system data (factory reset)
Return to manufacturer (hardware issue)


Ota images for nexus 5 I want to update my nexus 5 with an ota image because it freezes after I unlock it with the sign code and I can't access the os.So I want to update my system with adb sideload and an ota image that I download directly from Google to see if the problem will be solved.I don't want to erase my data so my question is:Does a flash of an ota image through adb sideload wipe my data?

Google has noted here:

  [Manually updating your Nexus device using OTA binary image files] has the same effect of flashing the corresponding factory images, but without the need of wiping the device.

(Emphasis mine)

On the contrary, by OTA update, if you meant incremental platform/system updates, then even so, user data would not be wiped out.

User data would also not be wiped out if the factory image files are flashed manually (not via the included script) and userdata partition is skipped from flashing.

Note: It is my assumption that the question refers to data as everything created or added by the user (directly or indirectly - via an app or system) since the last time the factory reset was done. Data hence corresponds to files stored in the userdata partition, mounted at /data.
 In simpler terms, data here is everything that would be deleted if a factory reset is performed on the device.


Email multiple pictures in one email When I take a picture with my android phone I can view it then goto "Share" and it will give me the option to email it to someone through gmail but it will only let me send 1 picture at a time. Is there a way to send multiple picture attachments?

Assuming you're using the Gmail app, simply start a new message, then choose Menu | Attach and select what you want to attach. You'll need to repeat for each file, but you can certainly add more than one.


Whatsapp can't use google account for backup My old phone just died on me yesterday. It used to backup the Whatsapp chat history to my main google account, which I also used to register the device.

Now I have a new phone, and I registered it to the same google account. After installing Whatsapp, I tried to restore the google drive backup to the new installation. However, when I try to enter my google account, it tells me "This account already exists on your device"

Somehow after switching apps, Whatsapp assumed I don't want to restore a backup, and now I'm stuck with no history.

Also, when I try to setup the google drive backup on my new device, it gives me the same error when I try to enter my google account; "This account already exists on your device". I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. Is it just impossible to backup whatsapp to an account already registered to the same device?

Did you already add that Google account while setting up the phone? Please check Settings > Users & accounts if that account is already added.
If it is, then try removing it and adding it again.

P.S: It may be called Accounts in older Android versions.


Can I update rooted sgh-i537 to marshmallow? I use an AT&T Galaxy S4 Active (SGH-I537) as my current phone, but I just rom'd my husband's old Note 2 to 5.0.2 and am loving it (mostly because no Google play/Samsung crap/AT&T bloatware). My Active is 5.0.1 right now and I naturally cannot update due to root. I also intend to acquire a new phone by Christmastime (yay Christmas money!), and I have the Note if I brick/fubar this one.

I'm wanting to update to Marshmallow, but I'm getting overwhelmed by all the "tutorials" and stuff online. Most will remove my root, the rest seem to be for Lollipop. Nothing for Marshmallow.

Can anyone point me to a rom I can flash with, or another way to update and not lose root -- or at least, not have a huge pita to go through to re-root? (Would Kingo root work for it? I believe I used towelroot, but it's been almost two years now.)

You cant update to Android 6 conventionally, nor us a custom rom as the SGH i537 has a locked bootloader. I too am using said phone with the stock rooted Lollipop 5.01.  Im opting for a newer phone with unlocked bootloader though I love my old SG4 Active.


Limited Connectivity - Connected, no Internet When attempting to connect to my school's wifi, I enter my username and password and connect to the network. Below the wifi name it says Connected, no Internet and the wifi icon at the top right of the status bar is there, but with an exclamation mark! I can ping the router, but not google. My Android device is a Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100 and I'm running CM13 (Marshmallow). I've tried rebooting, forgetting network, wiping cache, resetting network settings and also factory resetting. Any help appreciated, thanks!

This is the exact problem I met. Since you cannot ping google I'd guess you're from China, just like me. My i9300 had the exact problem as yours. After downgrading to CM11 everything is fine.

Then I bought a Nexus 6P. Guess what? It has the same problem. After confirming with a friend who works in Huawei, this is actually a Marshmallow feature, or bug in our case. When you cannot connect to google service, Marshmallow would think that there is no internet connection.

Update: Found a possible fix which worked for me:

Create a new user via Settings -> Users
While it is trying to connect the network (which will take some time, or forever in our case), power off the phone.
Turn on the phone again. The "no internet" warning should be gone.
You may need to delete the newly created account.**


How to prevent the Facebook app (Android) to auto refresh/update the newsfeed? I have a lot of news(paper) articles in my Facebook news feed and so I often open up the linked article to read it in the browser.
After that I want to go back to the Facebook app to read the comments on this post which linked to the article, but at this moment is the app refreshing the news feed and the post disappears.

If I read the article fast enough, then I can go back to the post without a refresh.
I did not measure the time frame in which I have to go back, but it feels like a minute or so and it often takes much longer to read the articles.

Some time agao was there an option to adjust the refreshing time, but it looks as if this option is not available anymore.

How can I prevent the auto-refresh in general in the app (I actually know by my self when I want to do a refresh or not), or how can I adjust at least the refreshing time frame?

Close your Facebook app,
Go to your settings, under manage apps, select Facebook. Then clear cache.
Thereafter logout of your Facebook account, then log in again.
That has resolved the issue to an extent here.


Windows 7 Laptop unable to recognize Samsung GT-S7562 and Micrommax A116 Android Device I have two Android phones: a Micromax A116 and a Samsung GT-S7562.

I am able to connect both of the devices on an XP Machine at the office. But at home I have a laptop running Windows 7. When I try to connect it, both of the phones are not getting detected.

I have installed Samsung Kies for GT-S7562 and I have also installed the Micromax A116 drivers on both XP and Windows 7.

I also tried uninstalling and reinstalling all the drivers. But no use.

I need help. Thanks in advance.

Any android phone can be easily detected based on the purpose of connection.Just check and ensure the type of USB driver you download is for the correct purpose.

Basically we have two modes of connecting an Android device to a system.

1.As a Personal user(can be any,file transfer,update,backup etc.)

2.As a Developer(to debug,deploy an application etc.)

1.As a personal user
If you basically want to connect your device for personal use.Then you need the simple USB drivers which can be downloaded from Samsung.Depending on your Operating system you need to install the required file.For Samsung.Contact micromax for the USB drivers as i didn't find any.

Ex:-If you have a windows 7 Operating system then it will automatically download and install the USB drivers and if it's Linux then you need to search for the respective drivers regarding Linux and install based on your procedure.But if it's Windows XP then you need to manually search for the USB driver's download it and install them  as and where required.Once installed you can connect your device and do your work

2.As a Developer:-If you need to connect the android phone as a developer/tester then you need to download the special ADB debug drivers.These drivers are way different from the normal U.S.B drivers as they provide you to test/debug the application on the device but not for file transfer or any other use.
After downloading manually or automatically from the SDK Manager you can connect your device but you need to configure it .Check this site for more details.Once done your device will be detected by the eclipse software and then you can do you work.

Based on the use of yours you can select the choice of connection.

Note:-The basic connection setup is the same for all the devices irrespective of their manufacturer.Although there may/may not be any slight changes based on the Android Version.

The difference is may be you have restrictions/U.S.B drivers are missing in Windows XP machine.So just check whether the U.S.B drivers are not disabled and you have access to the U.S.B as well


Can't add Samsungdive Account My Mobile device is "Galaxy s5570-mini", I want to secure it if it's lost -God forbidden- so I signed up in Samsungdive.com with my Gmail account then I have to add "Setting>Accounts and Sync>Add account>samsung account" in my mobile but I can't find this option !! what's wrong?? any thing is missed ?

Samsungdive.com has nothing to with the "Accounts and Sync" options. Samsung Dive consists of a background App (called uTrack), an Website (samsungdive.com) and an Login/Password, which allows you to remotely locate, lock and/or wipe some Samsung devices.

To pair your device with the Samsung DIVE, enter your login data under

Settings -> Location and Security -> uTrack

(Not sure if this is true for the Galaxy Mini, but that's where the setting is on the SGS)


Jelly Bean update for an Unlocked AT&T HTC One X? Possible Duplicate:
  When will my device get the Android 4.1 update (Jelly Bean)?

Now that the Jelly Bean update for the One X has been made official for atleast the GLobal version: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/htc-jelly-bean-one-series/

Would I be able to update an Unlocked "AT&T" HTC One X when the update is releasaed?

Thanks

Installing the Global version of 4.1 firmware on the AT&T-branded One X model will most likely be impossible due to the hardware differences between the different variants of this handset:

  [AT&T variant] is 0.4mm longer than the international model, and
  features a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (MSM8960) SoC with
  an integrated on-die LTE (4G) modem instead of the Nvidia Tegra 3 [found on the international model]
  which requires an external modem and is LTE-incompatible, and 16 GB of
  internal storage instead of 32 GB.

You will either have to wait for HTC and AT&T to release an official version of Jelly Bean for your model, or take the plunge and root, bootloader unlock, and flash a custom ROM on your own if you want 4.1 sooner.  Instructions for doing so can be found at XDA-developers forums.


Oppo find 7: bootloader re-lock impossible? I tried to relock the bootloader on my Find 7 (which I'm pretty sure was unlocked since I installed a custom rom).

fastboot oem lock
...

After that nothing. Windows console is "stuck".
Any clue?

I see the same behavior on my Find 7.  I also seem to recall the device arriving unlocked.  As far as I can tell, it simply does not support locking the bootloader.

Running unlock just instantly says OK despite the fact that Developer Options does not contain the "Enable OEM Lock" setting at all (on the latest ColorOS 2.1.5i software, which is Android 5.0 — the version where that feature was added).  I also cannot find anything about (un)locking the Find 7's bootloader online other than one obscure Thai site that seems like it is probably trying to get clicks by reposting the same instructions for multiple devices.


Do I have any chance to recover this video? Using Samsung Galaxy ACE s5830
Android 2.3.6

Well I made a mistake. I was recording an important video with my smartphone (the default video recorder) and then I put the cellphone close to my chest. I noticed later that the video stopped but i thought it was saved. seems like somehow the jacket touched a cancel button (not delete) and then ok. odd but it happened.
now i dont find the video.
My question is if anyone knows if i have any chance to recover the video from a place in the SD memory, probaly using an forensic tool to recover deleted files. I mean if the data was being created somewhere in a temp file until its done, It could be recovered but as this is android i dont have idea.
The video was important so I'll try anything.
NOTE: checking in windows, it shows the modification date in the folder DCIM\Camera, corresponding to the moment i was recording. So at least there was access to that specific folder.

thanks

If the video is recorded, then it will be saved to your phone. But for your case, what I guess is that the video is not recorded.


Removing encryption from recovery I'm running CyanogenMod 12 nightly on my G900T (klte). Everything works great except for the default encryption password, which causes my phone to boot loop.

I've formatted data and done factory resets, but /data is still encrypted and shows up as /dev/dm-0.

Is there a command that I can do to remove the encryption? I don't care about the data, I want it all gone. I just want to get back to having /data and the internal storage being stored in plaintext on disk to be able to boot into CyanogenMod.

How can I use adb shell to remove the encryption on these partitions?

The answer for me involved a number of things, but I think one is really the key.

Use the "recovery" Command, bro

This uses CyanogenMod's/AOSP's recovery program to wipe the user data and disable encryption. (found in this answer on Stack Overflow) Boot into your recovery, and then from your computer run

adb shell recovery --wipe_data --set_filesystem_encryption=off

Your phone will reboot into system and things should hopefully work as planned.

If you need to run it from the phone itself (ie: you don't have a computer nearby to adb with):

recovery --wipe_data --set_filesystem_encryption=off

It should wipe, disable encryption, and reboot system.

If All Else Fails

Don't use this method unless the above doesn't work or apply to your scenario.

Destroy the LUKS Header for Filesystem Encryption

You need a recovery which will allow you to drop to a shell as root, so TWRP works in my case.
Locate the userdata partition by looking around in /dev/block/platform/*/by-name/userdata.
Write out a ton of zeroes to the beginning of that partition to wipe the LUKS header:

dd if=/dev/zero of=$PATH_TO_YOUR_USERDATA bs=4096 count=512

I claim no responsibility for what you do with this command. If you screw this up, you can brick your phone by overwriting your bootloader or other critical partitions. Make sure that $PATH_TO_YOUR_USERDATA points to the real userdata partition. Check the size of that partition to make sure you're wiping the right thing. I have a 16GB phone and userdata is 10.4GB, with the rest being dedicated to system, but your phone will be different.
Reformat that partition as ext4 using make_ext4fs $PATH_TO_YOUR_USERDATA.

There might be errors, but usually they relate to not being able to find the internal "sdcard," this is okay.

After all this, reboot recovery again and then run a factory reset just to be safe.

Why Does This Work?

Simply doing a factory reset seemed to not do anything for me, the phone would still see a LUKS partition there. I assume that this is because the LUKS header still existed at the disk level and the ext4 partition was just overlaid on top of it. For some reason, Android prioritized detection of a LUKS partition over an ext4 partition and attempts (and succeeds) to mount that.

Where to Go from Here

(If you know what you're doing, you might also want to wipe system and install your ROM from scratch. Again, I take no responsibility for anything you do with the information contained in this post.)

Worked for me on a klte G900T (Samsung Galaxy S5 T-Mobile). Your mileage may vary.


Cannot change to English UK from English US I recently updated my HTC Desire S to ICS 4.04 and sense 4.6 via the upgrade available at HTCDEV.COM

Since then my default language is English US and cannot change it to English UK via the setting>Language and Keyboard

It also changed my contact number from 12345677 to 123-45-67 which i am quessing it has to do with the US locale?
Thanks

I have had the same problem. Try downloading Custom Locale from the Play Store and you can select your language. Do a reboot once you have changed the settings in the app and it will have reflected it in the device settings.


How can I decrypt my photographs on the SD card? My Samsung Galaxy S3 crashed suddenly and I had to take my SD card out to fix it.

After I got it back and put my SD card into it, I realized that the data which was encrypted on my SD card (photos of my son) are unavailable to view. The files appear broken. I tried to encrypt my phone again with the same password, but it has not helped.

How can I access my files/photos again?

It sounds like the service center did a factory reset, which means you should not be able to recover the contents of the SD card. It's designed that way and is a good thing as it protects data being read if your phone has been lost or stolen.

Any chance you have backups (on your desktop? google drive? samsung’s backup site?)?


Kindle Fire's actual name on the ADB Devices List Not user-friendly When I connect my Kindle Fire and give the "adb devices" command this is what pans out:

aneesh@nb-14:~$ adb devices
List of devices attached
D026A0A0305501NC        device

If there is no other USB device online, I can get away by simply typing adb -d followed by the command, as say developer.android.com, or if there is no other device online, no issues at all!

If there is more than one USB device online, then I have to type the name to uniquely specify the device to operate on. The name is some combination of upper-case characters and digits as seen above. Can anything be done to make it name the Kindle Fire in a more user-friendly manner, the way it names emulators?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

What makes this easy is using tab-completion to complete the device ID. Type

adb -s D0

and press Tab. The plugin in your shell will run adb devices to find the full device ID and complete it on the command line for you. You can then type in the rest of the command.

adb is a tool for developers, and even developers don't usually run it by hand from the command-line: both the main Android development environments (Eclipse-based and IntelliJ IDEA-based) have GUI wrappers. There's not really a need for it to be any more user-friendly than it is.


Indic Language (Punjabi) not displaying I have created one mobile website using WordPress in Indian Language i.e. Punjabi. I have used Unicode characters. When I try to open this website on my Spice Android Phone having version 4.0.2, everything is perfect but When I try to Load on  my Lenovo having version 4.2.2, nothing is displaying. only English characters are visible. I am using default browser which is provided by the company not any other like chrome, opera etc..
I cannot understand what is the problem.. it there any setting issue... please help....

If you want to view your website in all devices just put webfonts in the your website. web fonts are embedded fonts that you put on your server and with proper css link everybody can view that without installing the fonts on devices as per following steps:

Downlaod Lohit-Punjabi.ttf  .wof and .eot files from
https://github.com/svn2github/wikia/tree/master/extensions/WebFonts/fonts/Guru/
upload this file (Unzip after upload) to your website's home directory where yous style.css file is present.
Following  should be written in your style.css file:@font-face {
font-family: 'Lohit Punjabi';
src: url('Lohit-Punjabi.eot?#iefix') format('embedded-opentype'),
url('Lohit-Punjabi.woff') format('woff'),
url('Lohit-Punjabi.ttf') format('truetype');
font-weight: normal;
font-style: normal;
}

{
font-family: 'Lohit Punjabi', 'Shruti', 'Sans';
font-weight: normal;
}

For other websites not having web fonts use firefox for android  and then get addon https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/android/addon/gurmukhi-fonts-package. Now you can view all webpages in Punjabi Gurmukhi fonts without any complex procedure or root. This add on has been developed by me.


Are all Android phones good for accessibility? Can you recommend Android phones that are better for a visually impaired person?

This may be the best resource for answering your question: http://eyes-free.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/documentation/android_access/phones.html


Samsung Galaxy S2 Problems - Possibly Hardware Related? I've had my Galaxy S2 SGH-I777 (AT&T) for about 2 months now and everything has been great up until yesterday. I started experiencing some freezing and strange behavior. The phone is unrooted and using the stock ROM.

The problems include but are not limited to:

Random freezing when the phone is locked (by pressing the power button). Always have to do a hard reset.
Random notifications about MTP initialization when no USB cable has been plugged into the phone.
Vlingo Voice command (come preloaded on the phone) randomly popping up/starting without anything being pressed.
Sometimes when I power off the phone it doesn't actually turn off completely but just restarts.
Plugging in the USB cable while the phone is off turns it on (I don't think this is default behavior).
And just recently I've had some strange touchscreen issues. Random letters being typed that I haven't touched etc.

These issues are not constant but occur intermittently. I've already performed a factory reset, but the problems persist. Since I have yet to read about anyone else having similar problems with their phones, this leads me to believe that it's not actually an issue with the stock ROM but an issue with the phone itself and the hardware. But before I take it back to AT&T I wanted to get some input from you guys. Any ideas on what could be causing this?

Thanks in advance.

I am also a user of Samsung Galaxy S2. Mine is rooted but all the indicators of your phone are pointing to a hardware problem. There is most probably a short-circuit like instantaneous electric jumps inside the motherboard. Most of your problems can be answered rationally by uncontrolled electric jumps.

For instance plugging the USB cable (namely a power source) directly starts the phone, indicating that there is a short circuit which transfers the USB power to the power button of the phone whereas they should be insulated.

When you power-off the phone, it restarts. This may be explained with a short-circuit of the phone's battery with the power button.

So on and so forth...


Unlock screen with device manager so im trying to unlock my galaxy s4 screen, using google device manager, or something similar (any suggestion ?). cuz my screen recently cracked a i wanna get backup from all my data and reset it before i change the screen entirely. but an app like "Kies" requires the screen to be unlocked in order to enable any file transfer! can anyone help me?

Unlocking the screen from outside is not possible. (without root privileges).

If you have a custom recovery installed then you can boot into it and make a backup via adb shell