What is the attack vector of <= 4.3 web view vulnerability? This is in reference to the vulnerability that Google is not patching, since the WebView in 4.3 and less is part of the OS and not a separate updateable component.

Since some people will not have easy upgrade options from their phone manufacturer or cell carrier, they might consider just staying with 4.3, or some are still hoping their carrier provides an upgrade at some point.  In this case it's useful to understand what one can do to mitigate the risk of the vulnerability.

Is this a vulnerability that any website can exploit just by visiting the website with the standard web browser?  I.e. if I go to someverymalicioussite.example.com and it contains specific javascript that targets the vulnerability and allows remote code execution.

If so, is that risk mitigated by using a browser like Firefox or Chrome (that I am guessing does not use the WebView component).

Or does the vulnerability require installing an app that a developer has maliciously written to exploit the Web View component, to allow the app to perform actions that it wasn't permitted to?

While this is getting attention by the media only now there is already one exploit in Metasploit that explore this vulnerability.

The "single-click" Metasploit exploit targets a vulnerability in a WebView component that's used by the native Android browser, although the component can also be used by other apps.

According to an attack-demonstration video published by Rapid7, the bug can be exploited by tricking a user into scanning a malicious QR code that includes the attack code, which then triggers the vulnerability in the Android browser and gives the attacker command-shell access to the device.

But the vulnerability can be exploited in other ways, too. "A secondary attack vector involves the WebViews embedded inside a large number of Android applications," says an overview published by Rapid7. "Ad integrations are perhaps the worst offender here." In particular, if an attacker could gain man-in-the-middle access to a vulnerable application's HTML connection, or to the cross-site scripting code used by the application, then the attacker could inject the malicious JavaScript code and gain command-shell access to the device.

How to defend against that? As almost anything that harden android you will need root then do :

Completely delete the stock browser using your favorite app or delete the stock browser app and odex correspondent file (for advanced users)
Block all ads entirely giving no chance to an man-in-the-middle intercept and change ads displayed by apps with malicious code. Adaway is a good free open source app that can help and it's avaible via F-Droid.
Using firefox chrome or safari should be safe but if you want even more security and don't really care about breaking some pages make sure Javascript is disabled (no root needed for this step) this will protect you against a large quantity of attacks.


data/app folder showing wrong folder names After messing around with the xposed framework and installing lots of modules, I got into a bootloop (classic !), but I knew the solution was to add a disabled file in data/app/de.rovb.android.xposed.installer/conf/ to disable xposed and uninstall the faulty modules.

The thing is, most of the time when I access this folder, I don't see the correct folder names, which are supposed to look like this : com.xyz.app.*. Instead, I see com.xyz.app.*-1 folders, containing a lib folder and the app's .apk file. I have to reboot into recovery a dozen times before I can access the actual folders.

I'm running CyanogenMod 12S (5.0.2) on a (rooted) OnePlus One.

I have no idea what's happening, and I couldn't find any info on that. Does anyone know why this is happening?

Thanks in advance !

Let's clear up some confusion. Things to always remember:

/data/app contains the APK of an app.

(PACKAGE → package name of an app)

Android 4.x: if the app is installed using Package installer of Android the file name would be PACKAGE-*.apk where * is often a positive integer.

/data/app isn't supposed to have any directory inside it.
Android 5.x: if the app is installed using the Package installer, a directory would be created for the app with name PACKAGE-* where * is often a positive integer. This directory contains the APK of the app with name base.apk.

For both Android 4.x and 5.x, /data/data contains only the data of the apps. All the apps are allotted a directory with name strictly the package name of the app.
For both Android 4.x and 5.x, /data/lib contains only the library (optional) of the apps. All the apps are allotted a directory with name PACKAGE-* where * is often a positive integer.

Now let's head towards the real issue.

When dealing with boot issues caused by an Xposed module, do not wander here and there.

Note:

Device requires to be booted into a custom recovery, data partition mounted there and adb setup in PC.
PACKAGE → package name of the Xposed module here
Unless explicitly mentioned otherwise, the solution would work on Android versions 4.2.1 - 5.1.1.

When you know which module is causing the boot issue

Go to /data/app and remove the APK of the troublesome module. This can be done from GUI on TWRP.

You can use command-line as an alternative

adb shell rm /data/app/PACKAGE*.apk

A less-extreme approach is to disable the Xposed module but not remove it. Head over to data directory of Xposed Installer /data/data/de.robv.android.xposed.installer, go inside conf, and remove the entry for your module from modules.list. It is up to you how you remove the line.

You can pull the file into PC, make changes and push it back.
I'd go for command-line though

adb shell sed -i '/.*PACKAGE.*/d' /data/data/de.robv.android.xposed.installer/conf/modules.list

sed is a stream editor and it is removing any line which contains module's package name from modules.list.

When uncertain about the exact module causing the boot issue

Go to to data directory of Xposed Installer /data/data/de.robv.android.xposed.installer, go inside conf, and remove or rename or revoke read permission from modules.list.
Alternatively, create a blank file named disabled (not disable) inside conf directory. This would cause Xposed Framework to not activate any module during boot. You can create the file using command-line

adb shell touch /data/data/de.robv.android.xposed.installer/conf/disabled
Another alternative, per the framework's developer rovo89 is

  [It is] possible to disable Xposed by repeatedly pressing one of the hardware buttons during early startup. The phone will vibrate twice when the first key press has been detected. Then you have five seconds to press the same button four more times. Each key press will be confirmed with a short vibration; the final one with a long vibration. It creates /data/data/de.robv.android.xposed.installer/conf/disabled, which prevents most of Xposed's actions (e.g. ... no modules are loaded). There's no 100% guarantee that this will get you out of a bootloop, but in most cases it should.

(Emphasis mine)

Remove Xposed Framework as a last resort

Android 4.2.x - 4.4.x

Use the file Xposed-Disabler-Recovery.zip located at /sdcard/Android/data/de.robv.android.xposed.installer/files. Flash that file from recovery mode to disable  Xposed Framework. It doesn't delete the Installer app.

Download the file from official thread, if you don't have one.

That archive, in essence, changes /system/bin/app_process.orig to /system/bin/app_process. You can make those changes on your own using adb in recovery mode.

Android 5.x

The official thread hosts an uninstaller file. Download the one relevant to your CPU's architecture and flash it from recovery mode.

If you're not using the official Xposed Framework then the uninstaller may not work for you. It may even cause unforeseen issues. Best is to search the web for the uninstaller.


How to specify a different audio player for use with Google Reader? When I use the Google Reader app for audio podcasts -- e.g. linked MP3 files -- it pops up a simple player overlay to play the file (shown in screenshot). Is there a way for me to choose an installed audio player to use in place of the one used by the Google Reader app as the default player for the app?  Ideally I'd like the app to pop up an intent that asks me for the audio player to use, like many apps pass off responsibility for a well defined purpose.

The Google Reader app is here.

Google Reader allows choice of external program (via intent) to play audio.


creating new folder hangs current window on pc? As all of you might know the galaxy note 2 (n7100) doesn't provide the usb mass storage option when connecting to pc.

It connects to the pc as a media storage or camera storage option. Upon clicking on it, I am able to access my card and internal memory.

But when I try to create new folder in the card or internal memory, the current working window freezes.

Also reading writing everything works just fine. And I can create the new folder on windows desktop and then copy to card or internal memory it works just fine. But not able to create folder directly in the card or internal memory, as every time working window hangs and I need to re connect the phone to pc.

I was having a similar problem. Just wait for a minute or so and that folder does get created eventually. Of course the workaround is to either:

Create Folder on a local Windows Drive and then copy it onto the phone
OR
Install Custom Recovery and reboot into it and activate USB Mass Storage


How do I share files on my mobile over WiFi? I have an Android phone. Can I share files on my smartphone with all devices on the home network? Which app will let me do this?

File expert app can do this using both HTTP and FTP.


facebook app autoupdate stoping I need to stop auto updating Facebook app and tried these steps.

But still Facebook app is auto updating. After updating and installing the app, it is shown "Facebook app is successfully updated" message in my android phone.

Additional info.

Phone model : HTC Desire 630

OS : Android M

So can I stop auto updating the Facebook app?

For one, I can't open the link. Did you turn off auto-updating in the Play Store settings?
Most apps will auto-update through the Play Store. Turn that off and it shouldn't update anymore.


Can GSM operator affect battery life? I am using samsumg galaxy s3 mini. Couple of days ago, I changed the GSM operator I am using which has more signal strength and internet speed than old one. But I realized my phone's battery life decreased. With old GSM it was about 1.5-2 day. Now It takes about 1 day. When I look battery usage, It seems 'android OS' is most battery consumer.

Is this about GSM operator, or it is just a coincidence that my battery life decrease after I change GSM operator?

Yes, it can. GSM and later phone protocols automatically adjust the phone's transmit power according to the strength of the signal it gets from the cell tower. It's just like how, if you're talking to someone and you can't hear them very well (because they're a long way away, or in a noisy environment), you'll tend to talk louder or shout, but if you can hear them clearly (they're right next to you), you'll talk more quietly. The phone works the same way.

Of course, for the phone, "talking more loudly" means putting more power into its transmitter, so the battery will be drained faster. If you switch to a network that has cell towers further away from where you spend most of your time, your phone will be using more transmit power more often, so it will use energy more quickly. Note that it's the received strength that matters (i.e. how much attenuation there is), not the quality of the signal, so you may find this happens even if you get a better signal overall.

Cell handover, when you move from one cell to the next one, also takes more power, and your new network's better internet speed might be a result of having denser cells in your area, leading to more handovers.

Finally, the worst thing for a phone is being completely out of range, because it has to periodically transmit on the maximum power to try to get a response from a cell tower. (This is why it's especially important to turn your phone off for a flight: once the plane gets out of cell range, all the phones will start blaring out as loudly as they can.) It's possible that your new network's coverage is much better at your home and your office, but during your commute, you haven't noticed that you leave the service area completely, and so your phone starts draining the battery then.

In summary, there are lots of factors, so it's hard to predict the effect of changing network operator, but it can have an effect. Of course, that doesn't stop it being a coincidence in your case.


Root Samsung Galaxy XCover 3 how to root Samsung Galaxy XCover 3?

I tried one-click-root-apps as KingoRoot and OneClickRoot but it does not work for me.

I have Android 5.1.1 installed and I can connect to phone from Windows 7 or Ubuntu 14.04.

Is somewhere a guide to do it (I don't want to destroy my phone) or could you tell me how?

Thank you

ATTENTION: For Lollipop root, please vist this thread its still EXPERIMENTAL root applied by me, and as such not gonna include here untill its been verified by users

I currently have the same phone on the same version as you, lollipop 5.1.1, and since it is not a well known phone, their isn't a one click install method. The only methods that I found, keep in mind I have not tried them and as such NOT held responsible for damages to your phone or Mentality

The only root method I have found would require you installing a custom recovery, in this case TWRP, and flashing the SU Binary (This enables us to have root) and then downloading SuperSU for the ability to grant root permissions to apps.

This following method will trip knox and thus making your warranty voided, and here are some facts about the problems with tripping knox

Rooting the Smasung xCover 3 (SM-G388f) KitKat

I haven't used this tutorial as I don't want to trip knox and as such cannot verify the integrity of this method.

Now to the good part!

Preperations

Download the newest Version of TWRP for this phone, Sansung xCover3, making sure to download the version with the .tar extension
Download the newest ODIN version and install in onto your computer
Download and the Phone USB drivers for the phone either, Via Samung Kies3 or from the ODIN webpage
Download the newest SuperSU Binary and put it into the root directory of your device (Internal SD Card Memory)
Install adb and read up on fastboot
Make sure Phone is at least 80% charged and has USB Debugging turned on

TWRP Installation

Turn off the smartphone
Boot your device into Download Mode, to boot into Download Mode press and hold the "Volume Down + Home + Power" together till Download Mode is active. Once entered you will be seeing a warning sign asking if you want to continue, hit the "Volume Up"
Open ODIN and then Connect your phone to your computer via USB Cable
After connecting your phone to the computer, ODIN should say "Added"
Once the device is detected by Odin, click on the button "AP" and select the .tar TWRP file you had download earlier, at the time of writing the current version would be twrp-3.0.0-0-xcover3ltexx.img.tar (9.1 Mb)
Now, click on the "Start" button in Odin to start Flahing, Flashing usually takes 30-50 seconds to complete for the process of flashing the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3. Once the flashing process in completed you will be able to see a green box with the words "Pass" in Odin. During this process the Smartphone will automatically re-boot

Rooting

Once TWRP is installed, move the SuperSU.zip file to your internal SD Card if not already
Turn phone off
Boot into Recovery Mode by pressing and holding down the "Volume Up + Home + Power" simultaneously until the TWRP Recovery mode shows
Once booted into TWRP, Click "Install" and select the "SuperSu.zip", then Swipe to confirm the flash
Reboot phone, if it was successful you should see the SuperSU app installed, if not install the app
Verify root with the use of Root Checker, if it says root status verified then you have successfully rooted your phone, congratulations!

Hope I Helped, if you require any assistance you can contact me


Once you use “Free up space” in Google Photos, how do you keep some photos for offline? Once you use “free up space” in Google Photos, how do you keep some photos for offline?

I selected some photos and tried to share them to Gmail, but it created a link to the photos in online form.

I selected the photos, and uploaded them to Google Drive.

I then made them available offline.

If you share them to Google Keep, you don't have to wait for them to be uploaded like in Google Drive.

The photos get downloaded straight from Google Photos to Google Keep.

You can use folders in Google Drive to organize the photos, and you have labels in Google Keep.

Another way to avoid uploading is to use Google Photos on desktop.

Download the photos on desktop Google Photos, then transfer them to your device through USB.


Can't remove default app for an action in any way The title is my problem. When I clicked on a song download link on the internet (mp3 file), it asked me whether to download or to play it. I clicked on "play" and "remember", which was the biggest fault in my whole life, as now I can't download any song at all.
I tried the following:

Go to Settings>Apps>Music and the clear default actions button was grayed out.
Go to Settings>Default Actions. Music app wasn't there.
Go to Settings>Default Actions>Clear all default actions. Didn't help
Go to Settings>Apps>Clear all app settings. That kinda hurt me as all apps lost data but obviously I still couldn't download songs
Phone restart at least 3 times - nothing
Software update and then all the above AGAIN, still nothing.

I just hope I don't have to reset to factory but I guess that wouldn't work either so I won't try. Do you have any ideas?

It seems that you tried and played (started) the MP3 files in your browser (or may be search). The browser (say Google Chrome) then opened your default MP3 player and played the song. Now it is repeating the same. So, try cleaning the browser setting and resetting the browser.


Switch to another keyboard language using stock keyboard I have an Xperia (SOL21).

How can I fast switch to another keyboard language, using the default keyboard?

I'm mostly typing in Japanese, but usually swiftly change to Swedish and English (on a non-Android device). How do I do it on Android?

I would recommend leaving the stock keyboard and using the Google Keyboard. It does  have a language change key that is great for changing inputs, unlike some stock keyboards. I've set up English (QWERTY), English (DVORAK), and Spanish. Its compatible with Android 4.0+.


Can I use my smartphone as a WiFi network adapter? I have this PC that doesn't support wiFi and I have to use usb tethering.
But I want to see if I can project my phone's WiFi onto the computer, so it can see all the available wireless networks, whilst its still connected to USB.

I don't know how much difference this would be considering, even if I projected my wiFi on to a computer, so it can see available networks (just like a usb wireless adapter, you see these days - except using a phone) but still very much connected to a USB. So I'm not sure what the difference between this and USB/WiFi tethering, but I'd imagine it would be faster.

Edit: I actually want to be able to connect to a wiFi and see other available connections, using my phone and USB. This is to compensate for the fact that my computer doesn't support wiFi and hardware require for it.

USB network adaptors are a very good example, of what I'm trying to want to do, except with a phone.

I have asked similar question. I couldn't get access to PC connected via USB (USB Tethering) from PC connected via WiFi (Mobile HotSpot). Solution was add routing for USB Tethering net on second PC.

$ sudo ip route add 192.168.42.0/24 via 192.168.43.224 dev wlp5s0

Here 192.168.42.0/24 is USB Tethering net, 192.168.43.224 is IP of Mobile HotSpot, wlp5s0 is WiFi interface of PC (Linux). (In my question I had two Android devices, so maybe this step is optional, I haven't checked).

Second, you should flush all the chains in ip table on Android device, e.g through Android Terminal Emulator. Assumed that device is rooted:

$ su
# iptables -F


Restart in safe mode on Galaxy Nexus I have an unrooted Verizon Galaxy Nexus, just recently upgraded to Jelly Bean.

One of the touted features of Jelly Bean was the addition of the "Restart in safe mode" option from the power menu. (Long-press power button.)

However, no such option is available. In fact, it's the exact same options I saw under Android 4.0.4 (Power off; Airplane mode; silent; vibrate-only; sound on).

Is there a setting I missed? Or is this really a hardware option for the Nexus 7?

On the Nexus 7 there's not a separate menu option for "Reboot into safe mode". You have to long press on "Power off" and then the safe mode dialog appears. I'd try that, since I imagine it would work the same way if the GNex supports it.


Installing android 9 or 10 on iphone 4 Is it possible to install Android 9 or 10 on iPhone 4? If no, what are the missed requirements and what is the last Android version that can be installed on iPhone 4?

Is it possible to install Android on an iPhone 4?
Technically speaking, yes. The bootrom of the iPhone 4 has long been exploited. If you want to try, here's a few steps you can take:

Exploit your iPhone 4 using any bootrom exploit
Build a custom Android kernel for your iPhone 4
Write a custom loader with all the necessary configuration and components
Boot it on the iPhone 4

What're the missed requirements?
There could be a lot of them, for example, the storage chip, the CPU, a lot of things can go wrong with this type of exploit.
What's the latest version that can run on the iPhone 4?
None. But if you somehow manage to get Android running on it, I would say you can run up to Nougat. Because your iPhone 4 have a single core and 512mb of ram, this configuration is similar to another device called Samsung Galaxy Star and it has almost the same configuration in terms of ram and CPU cores, and it is able to run up to Nougat.


How to know if phone has been connected via USB? (connection log on the phone?) I'm trying to find out if someone has connected the Android phone (Samsung Note 4) to the PC via USB. Is there a log somewhere on the device showing the timestamp of connection? Preferably without turning on the debug mode?

Preferably without turning on the debug mode?

Sorry! I don't have a solution that doesn't require USB debugging as of now. A workaround is to use a rooted device and run ssh server on Wi-Fi.

Anyhow, if the device has been connected to PC using USB, then it must have drawn some power, miniscule and momentarily it may be.

Setup adb in PC, turn on USB debugging on phone or use the workaround, and enter the command:

For Lollipop 5.0.2:

dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:"

or, to get the most relevant details only:

dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:" | grep -B30 "Device is currently"

The output could be like:

Statistics since last unplugged:
  Time on battery: 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) realtime, 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) uptime
  Time on battery screen off: 22m 13s 363ms (95.7%) realtime, 22m 13s 362ms (95.7%) uptime
  Total run time: 23m 13s 868ms realtime, 23m 13s 868ms uptime
  Start clock time: 2015-08-09-06-50-16
  Screen on: 1m 0s 505ms (4.3%) 0x, Interactive: 1m 0s 758ms (4.4%)
  Screen brightnesses:
  dark 1m 0s 505ms (100.0%)
  Total partial wakelock time: 22m 13s 363ms
  Mobile total received: 0B, sent: 0B (packets received 0, sent 0)
  Phone signal levels:
  moderate 22m 35s 311ms (97.2%) 1x
  good 38s 557ms (2.8%) 0x
  Signal scanning time: 0ms
  Radio types:
  none 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) 0x
  ...
  Device is currently unplugged

I've removed some output denoted by ... since it's not relevant here.

Now, the latest unplugged detail highlights:

Start clock time: 2015-08-09-06-50-16 -- On Aug 9, 2015 at 06:50:16 AM, my device was unplugged from USB
Time on battery: 23m 13s 868ms -- time for which the device has been running on battery since last unplugged

You can do the calculation now, based on your case.

Note that this info has nothing to do with full charge details. It simply tells us the details for the event when the device was connected to a source that supplied it power.
For Android 4.4.2:

dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:" | grep -B30 "Device is currently*"

For Android 4.2.1:

dumpsys batteryinfo | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged" | grep -B30 "Device is currently*"

Note: In the last two cases, Start clock time isn't available but Time on battery among other things.

All of this info would be helpful if only you have not plugged the device into charger or PC since the above battery-stats doesn't differentiate between the two.

Nonetheless, it is still a good lead!


How to remove a decrypted Androis 4.1 phone? I tried out encrypting the phone, but now I want to decrypt it, so I can use again pattern to unlock. How can I do this without resetting the phone?

I only could reset the phone.. cannot remove the encryption.


Cannot update to Lollipop version in moto G(2nd Generation) I didn't get any notification about the OS upgrade, Also I tried from my phone's Settings(Settings->About phone->System update). It resulted same there.

Kindly help me to upgrade to Lollipop version.

As instructed in the Moto G (2nd Generation) - Android™ 5.0  Lollipop - Release Notes :

  INSTRUCTIONS

  For a successful installation, we recommend installing this update
  when the battery in your phone is at least 50% charged and you are
  connected to a Wi-Fi network.

  If you have received a notification
  message for this update:

  Select "Yes, I’m in".
  After the software is downloaded, select "Install now".
  After the software is installed, your phone will re-start automatically.
  Your phone is now updated with 22.21.25

  If you have not received a notification message for this update,
  follow the steps below to manually update your phone:

  Select the Settings icon in the apps menu.
  Select "About phone".
  Select "System updates".
  Select "Yes, I’m in". After the software is downloaded, select "Install now".
  After the software is installed, your phone will re-start automatically.
  Your phone is now updated to 22.21.25

  Additional Information

  If you have difficulty with this upgrade, visit us at
  www.motorola.com/mymotog.


About security of my device Once my friend login his google account in my device.Then he cleared my phone data by using lost my device option.Now how to protect my device from this type of problem?? Help me

The best way to keep yourself from being in such a situation is you should never let somebody else login to your device. They can't use their account to wipe your phone if you don't let them login. Also, if you are going to let somebody login to your device(which you shouldn't do for security reasons), do it via incognito in the browser. If they wiped your phone then you should be fine to login with your google account and get a backup(hopefully).

Just like the only way to make sure your computer can never get malware is to make sure it never interacts with the outside world, the only way to make sure others can't use their google accounts to wipe your phone is to make sure their accounts don't have access to your phone.


To insert contacts into Hangout I am using Kitkat - Nexus 5. While sending a message to A using Hangout, how can I insert the contact details of some other person B within the text message to be sent to A...We had this provision in Android 2.2 Froyo itself where it was shown as "Add contact" or "Insert contact" as options within the message itself.

At this time there isn't a way to attach a contact. You would have to copy and paste the details or use a different messaging app. Hangouts is still lacking in many essential features, unfortunately.


How to re lock bootloader on samsung galaxy s5? I have Unlocked Rooted Samsung Galaxy S5 recently it has been giving me a lot of issues and I want to send it to Samsung for repair meant. I understand that once you root your device you loose the warranty, but recently I was doing research and I found out if you re lock your bootloader and unroot your device you can get your warranty back, so can some one tell me how to do it ? and if you can tell me if there is a way to find out even if your bootloader is locked or unlocked ?

Thank you

First off, you don't get your warranty back, you hide that you unlocked and rooted in the first place (so you never "actually" lost warranty) . I don't know Samsung devices all that well, have you tried booting into fastboot and doing "fastboot oem lock"? If your device doesn't have fastboot obviously this won't work. Usually carriers and the phone companies can find out bootloader status by booting into bootloader with" adb reboot bootloader" or some key combination.

Tip: if you are using SuperSU as your superuser app, there will be an unroot option in it. Good luck!


The amazing expanding "android files" Guys, I've got a Galaxy S7 Edge (Exynos version) which just received an update over the weekend from Samsung. Since then, I've had a really weird issue with the phone suddenly telling me that all the storage is used up and I need to delete/remove apps even though I had over 7gb free just a while ago.

I finally managed to get screenshots from Storage Analyser showing the status at 7.39am this morning and 10.19am - at 7.39am, I had 7.5gb free in internal storage and "android/inaccessible files" was using 8.63gb, however at 10.19am my space fell to 51mb and "android/inaccessible files" was a whopping 15.59gb! Bear in mind I hadn't installed any additional apps over this period...

Any ideas what I can do? I can't seem to see what the additional 7gb was utilised by, is there an app I could use to snoop further? Thanks!

[update] - I used another app - "DiskUsage", which proved more effective and told me the system app "Voice Service" was acting up and taking up 7GB of cache files! I cleared it which solved the problem, but anyone have any ideas why this is the case?

Many apps accumulate junk (ads and stuff) or even updates when you think they are off. They sit idling by, and suck on your battery too. I've used some "cleaners" but by and large they do the same thing.

Try force stopping the app when you aren't using it. If you never use it try disabling it. Some of these things will boot right back up after a restart, reset, or turning your phone off and back on.

Some are connected to other things which won't function if you turn it off.  So far I have been able to disable many bloatware apps that did the same as yours. When I accidentally disabled something I shouldn't have, I updated the app on Google play and the system worked again.
Hope this helped.  Crapps. Hahaha


Delete a homescreen on Motorola Moto G I wondered how I could remove an empty homescreen on a Motorola Moto G with Android 4.4 (Kitkat)..
I tried to de-zoom, like I used to do with my older android phone (galaxy S3), but it doesn't work. ;(

Cheers

You cannot remove home screen in Moto G as it contains Stock version of android. You can do that with third party launchers like Go Launcher, Nova Launcher


Upgrade Samsung Galaxy Tab to Android 2.3.3 Possible Duplicate:
  When will my phone get the Android 2.3 update (Gingerbread)?
  How do I update Android on my device?

I live in Uruguay and I've recently bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab. The device's system is Android 2.2 and I want to upgrade it to 2.3.3 so I can deploy an app I've been working on, that won't run on previous versions of Android.

I've read on the internet that it's possible to upgrade the device by doing it through Samsung Kies or on the device settings. The problem is that the device says that it's up to date and that there are no updates available. I'm positive that the device's firmware version is 2.2 so I'm starting to think that this upgrade is not available on my region.

Does anyone knows how can I upgrade my device or the reason why I can't upgrade it?

Thanks in advance.

Mikywan.

In May Samsung begin rolling updates to 2.3.3 for European devices, starting with Italy.

At this time (June 2011) there is no word of an update to 2.3.3 being available in South America or Netherlands, so you will have to wait some time, or you can go to XDA-Developers forums and follow the instructions to manually update your Galaxy Tab


How to see hidden files/folders on android internal storage over USB I have a windows 7 pc and a Sony Experia Z android phone. I use a downloader app to download files to the phone, and then hook it up to USB to copy to the computer.

The only problem is sometimes the files+folders do not show. I moved the download folder into DCIM folder (the camera pictures folder, which is always visible), and now the FOLDER appears, but all the files inside it are hidden. How can I get windows to show ABSOLUTELY EVERY file and folder on the phone?

Things I have tried:

USB Debugging mode.
A different browser on the windows operating system (Total Commander - Same problem, empty folder)
Windows explorer settings are set to show all files, folders and hidden system files.
Resetting the phone

Can someone answer this? I really need a totally working solution. One time I turned on USB debugging and it worked, but today it has not. I need a 100% solution as this is the only way I can download large files from the internet.

I have no router, no 3rd party internet provider and no wifi. I dont know what the android version is, it is just the default one the "Sony xperia Z" came with, and I cannot update the android version, because I dont have wi-fi.

One option may be to go in with ADB this can usually see the file system without much of an issue. So you can look into how to hook it up to your phone (the link above will get you started), and once you are connected copy the files over command line.

Another possibly easier option would be to put a file explorer app on your phone and and transfer the files locally to another visible location on your phones file system.

EDIT:

This may be a bit of a weird one, but if you put this code: *#*#273283*255*663282*#*#*

into your dialer, it should give a file copy screen which may give you the desired result.

The code is from this post.


Pop up warning your flash player maybe out of date In my office, it seems the router is infected by malware. So when we access google.com and other specific sites, it always show pop up "warning!your flash player maybe out of date", then it will redirect to flash download page. I already downloaded it, the file is setup.exe. And because of my stupidity, I tried to run it. I don't know whether my phone  now is infected by this malware or not. And most important thing, if it is infected, how to fix it?
I read on internet, to fix the trouble we have to reset the router. But tjis is to fix the router. How about our phone? Is it already infected ? And how to fix it?

If all you did is download an .exe file, you've nothing to worry about. It's a program for Windows, and it can't run on your Android phone. Just delete the file you downloaded to make sure no one copies it to a Windows computer by accident.

But if your router is infected by malware, don't use it at all. It can intercept and impersonate every website you use and visit. It can steal any login details you enter on websites and pretend to be you.


How can I prevent the signal and 3G icon from turning it to white icon when my connection to Google server is lost? I have a limited plan for mobile data usage(only 100MB per mounth) so I use mobile data for sending/recieving MMSes and for browsing only. I have mobile data turned off 99% of time. White signal bars are hard to see, so I would like to know, if there is any way to turn the "icons goes white while not connected to Google servers" funtcion off?

You have to edit your Framework-Res.apk. Its a bit complicated and differenct on every phone. So I can't simply provide a guide.

But I suggest you, to ask in your phone forum on xda-developers.


Bluetooth AVRCP only device Is there a Bluetooth device I can use with my Android phone which has nothing more than previous, play/pause, and next track buttons?

There are many AVRCP Bluetooth devices, but they are all also A2DP sinks, which I do not want – I plug my phone's headphone output into my car's aux input.

Ideally, I'd like something I can mount to the steering wheel so I can change tracks without trying to find the button on my touchscreen.

Alternatively, could I buy a small A2DP/AVRCP device like this and configure Android to not send audio, but still respond to the track controls?


How can I tether my phone's network to my pc? I tried the "Android wifi tether" app and "Clockworkmod", both are not working. I am looking for free solution.

I am using LG Optimus Black and is 2.3 root.

I tried the "Android wifi tether". I can enable the "tether" on my phone and its icon change color too but I cannot find anywhere I can connect to this claimed wifi hotspot network in my Windows 7. I opened the Network and Sharing Center and cannot find any possible wifi. Strange enough, my pc doesn't seems to found any wifi.

I tried the "Clockworkmod" app. It works sometimes but most of the time failed. Some days I can connect my phone's network with it and most other days can't. I tried turn off my anti-virus and firewall too. Here is a example log:

C:\Program Files\ClockworkMod\Tether
"Local Area Connection 2"
Checking arguments...
Setting IP Address, mask, and gateway.
netsh interface ip set address name="Local Area Connection 2" source=static 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.2 1
Element not found.
Setting DNS server.
netsh interface ip add dns name="Local Area Connection 2" 8.8.8.8 index=1
The object is already in the list.
netsh interface ip add dns name="Local Area Connection 2" 8.8.4.4 index=2
The object is already in the list.
Adding Windows Firewall Exception
netsh firewall set allowedprogram program="C:\Program Files\ClockworkMod\Tether\win32\node.exe" name=Tether
IMPORTANT: Command executed successfully.
However, "netsh firewall" is deprecated;
use "netsh advfirewall firewall" instead.
For more information on using "netsh advfirewall firewall" commands
instead of "netsh firewall", see KB article 947709
at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=121488 .
Ok.
Starting Tether...
C:\Program Files\ClockworkMod\Tether\node-tuntap
opening tun device: null

You can use share internet on your smartphone to other devices in 3 ways. WIFI HOTSPOT, USB tethering, BLUETOOTH tethering.

Connect your phone to your Computer using working USB Cable.
Then Go to Settings->Mobile network(Or More)
There you will find a option "Hotspot" or "Tethering"
Then select "USB tethering".
After few seconds you can able to connect to internet on your PC.

Likewise you can Use Wifi and also Bluetooth tethering.

See Official Google documentation about tethering


How do I view apk information in Mac OS X? On windows, I have Android Commander installed so whenever I double click on an APK file, the information about it (ie: package name, version, etc) is displayed. I'm looking for something similar for a Mac OS X. What are my options?

The best and quickest way to use it is to obtain the tool from the Android SDK, called aapt and invoke it from the command line like this:

aapt d --values badging some_apk_name.apk

An example of the output is shown:

package: name='foo.bar' versionCode='1' versionName='1.00'
sdkVersion:'7'
targetSdkVersion:'16'
application: label='FooBar' icon='res/drawable/ic_launcher_icon.png'
launchable activity name='foo.bar.activity'label='FooBar' icon=''
uses-permission:'android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE'
uses-feature:'android.hardware.touchscreen'
main
other-activities
other-receivers
other-services
supports-screens: 'small' 'normal' 'large' 'xlarge'
supports-any-density: 'true'
locales: '--_--'
densities: '120' '160' '240' '320'

This will extract certain but limited values and parse the encoded AndroidManifest.xml (which is binary encoded upon compilation from Java source to APK binary).


I want to receive SMS in two different phones simultaneously The messages sent to one phone meant for it only should also be received by the other phone. What is the way out?

It's easy.
You'll need to use an SMS Forwarding software,
I'm not sure if you want it to be visible however...

If you would like to forward calls,

Open Dialer
Open Call Settings in Dialer
Navigate to, and change the call forwarding number when unanswered.

If you want to forward SMS,

Download an SMS Forwarding software
Enable forwarding of incoming and outgoing sms or just incoming.


"My Apps" in App Market only showing SOME past downloads after a reformat? I used to be able to go to "My Apps" and view all my past apps.  Now that I've done a reformat, though, I only see a SMALL subset of the apps I've downloaded before.  I thought it was supposed to show all my past downloads?

Its been my experience that only paid apps remain in your my apps list after data is erased from your phone. I believe that the list of downloaded free apps is stores in the phones memory so its lost when you wipe it. This is the benefit of services like appbrain.

Edit: As thunsaker points out, if you use Google's Android Backup Service and you have a 2.2 or later device it will save the list of your downloaded app (among other things) and restore that to the Market after a restore.


Galaxy S2 Messaging: persistent badge number I use a Galaxy S2, SPH-D710VMUB (Virgin Mobile) running Android 4.1.2
The default messaging app it comes with has this (very common) feature of showing a little red circle with the number of new text messages in it. When you read your messages the icon disappears and you are left with just the yellow envelope icon.

Lately it has been displaying "3" new messages whether I have new messages or not. It never goes away, always the little red circle and the "3" inside it.
My notifications tab at the top of the screen is properly updated, if I have no messages it does not display anything.
It doesn't seem to affect any of the other apps, notifications or functions of the phone. It's almost as if the icon simply never refreshed or something.
I have already restarted the phone, cleared RAM in Active Applications, etc.

Thanks for your time.

Head to Settings
Scroll down to find Application manager
Scroll to the right until you reach the page All
Locate Badge-provider
Click on Clear data, if you cannot click clear data then first hit Force stop, then you should be able too.
Restart your phone

(Source)


Bought Samsung Galaxy II in China, need to change alerts, etc. to English I just bought my phone here in China and have changed the language settings to English.  I get all my alerts, error messages, ets. in Chinese characters.  Wish I could read them, but since I can't, how do I make my phone communicate to me in English?  I am a total Android newbie having dumped my iPhone and it's lackluster battery for this phone.  As soon as I tweak it a bit, I'll be thrilled.
By the way, pretend I am in kindergarten when explaining what to do, otherwise I'll have to ask my son to help and I really don't want to give him more tech power over me than he already has.

Thanks in advance for the help!

You could get a US/UK Firmware from samfirmwarec.com and flash it with heimdall / odin. But you will lose your warranty and I can not guarantee that it will work (it could even leave your phone in an unusable state).
Flashing can be done with three easy steps:

get your phone in download mode
connect it with usb
configure heimdall/odin and start the process

There are some other things that you need to be aware off, but everything is documented in the links I included. Maybe you son will also help you. :)


my Samsung note 3 not booting up Is my phone is bricked or not?The device is not turning on . I thought it was ran out of power. I connected it to my charger. But instead of charging, it shows a blinking  battery symbol contains a circle. When I turned off the charger, my phone started  flashing with the boot logo untill the end of its battery charge and it is not turning on. I'm not installed a custom rom or rooted it.Can anyone find a solution?
device:samsung galaxy note 3
model:SM-N900

Something got wrong with the power button of the phone. I removed it and turned it on without power button. It booted up normally. Thanks for Robert for mentioning about the hardware issue.


I accidentally checked a "never send SMS" box on my phone, so now I can't find how to change that So I can't send SMS messages on my Samsung On5...is there a way to fix it?

Go to the Settings -> Apps -> to the app which you used to send SMS -> Permissions -> SMS and Click the checkbox next to it


Settings related to reading QR codes I wanted to use the Google Authenticator app to set up two factor authentication. However when I click on the button to scan a QR code, it opens up a camera with 'NAB Banking' at the top (my internet banking app). When I scan a code, it says 'Oops! This isn't a valid BPAY code.' (see screenshot below)

Is there some settings related to using the camera for QR code scanning, that my internet banking app has taken 'hostage'?  (That I might hopefully be able to clear?) I didn't have the NAB app open at the time, and as far as I remember I have never used the QR code scanning from within it.

Versions:

Google Authenticator 2.49
NAB: 3.0.1
Phone: Samsung Galaxy S3, GT-19305, Android version 4.1.2

The solution for your issue can be found on the app's help page. As I already guessed, you need to install a barcode reader app. But not just "any", ist has to be a specific one. And moreover, even my guess for ZXing Reader was absolutely correct – if you take a closer look at the screenshot taken from that place:

Screenshot from the Google Authenticator help page (click image for original size)

Btw: The name "ZXing" stands for Zebra Crossing, but I doubt it can decode the Zebra's natural barcodes :)

As it reportedly works as well in this context, I recommend using QR Droid if you want to use the QR Reader for additional tasks as well. QR Droid has a much nicer interface, offers additional features, and gives you much more flexibility.


Strange issue after restart of one plus two I have a One Plus 2. After restarting my phone the following symptoms have occurred:

No alerts/notification pop up on the screen for emails or anything
I can no longer switch between apps using the right button. It just doesn't do anything, and I have to back all the way out of any individual app in order to make it work.

What I do know:

the touch screen and all buttons work. For example pressing the right button causes it to vibrate
No app has problems loading

As you can imagine this is amazingly frustrating. What could be wrong? Can I fix this without factory reset?

I am using Oxygen OS 3.6.1, model number A2005.

This can be a Oxygen OS bug. on other hand you can have factory reset and test if it helps you or not.


How can I configure my phone to show random background wallpapers from my pictures galery? I know how to set a static picture from my photo gallery as a background wallpaper picture. However, I would like to see a new picture every time I turn the screen on. Is there a way to configure my Android smartphone to do this? Or maybe some app that does something like this?

I'm using a Samsung Galaxy 551, with Android 2.2 (Froyo).

You could try an app like WallSwitch, which can be set to change your wallpaper every time you unlock the device or on a timer. I don't know that there's a way to tell it to pull from "the gallery" in general, but you can just specify that you want to pull from the folders your gallery images are in (works out effectively the same).


Android System problem - Unable to share files, do factory reset I am using a Micromax P362 tablet with Android 4.1 Jelly bean (rooted). This problem occurred a month ago. The app named "Android System" appeared in the 'Downloaded' section of apps. Yet it is not seen in any other app managers (such as Link2SD). When I press in uninstall updates, the app just disappears and all apps hang periodically until I restart tablet. Now the problem is that 'Share via' option is not working and even factory reset option is not working. So, how to make Android system app function normally?

Any help is appreciated

Edit: Another problem is that app permissions are not normally displayed. Eg: Instead of "Internet access", it displays "android.permission.ACCESS_INTERNET"

Apps that can't be uninstalled are apps that come hardwired in the ROM of your Android device. These are typically vendor specific apps or the Google apps.

"Android System" is pretty crucial to your device, so it's weird it's even possible to uninstall it's updates. Every Android device as this, but normally it's not listed. You can see it pop up in your battery usage statistics however, which is totally normal.

To fix your problem you probably need those updates to be installed again, but I doubt that will be possible using the Google Play Store app update system.
You can check, but I doubt it'll be there.

Another possibility is by checking for system updates for your device.
How you can do that depends on the tablet/os version etc, so I can't help there.
On my phone it's in the settings under "About my phone", which has an update check option.


Can I delete Gmail account on Android safely without affecting my Gmail on computer? Can I delete my Gmail account from my phone without the Gmail and Google account (with contacts, photos, etc) being deleted from my computer?

Go to Settings
Go to accounts and sync.
Click Remove account.

This will disassociate your phone with your google account. The Google account will still exist, just not on your phone.


Cannot boot into recovery (Samsung Galaxy S) My GT-I9000 device recently got stuck in a bootloop, and now I'm trying to put CyanogenMod on it, hoping that this would fix the situation.

I can use Heimdall to install the ClockworkMod Recovery on the phone, but as of today, I cannot boot into the recovery!

Yesterday everything worked normally, but once I tried to boot into it today, it got stuck in the bootloop instead of going to recovery!

I'm using the standard Vol up + Home + Power button combination.

What can I do to force the phone into recovery mode again?

Edit: CWM flashed (but unable to start) and honestly I can't remember how I initially bricked the device. I think it's safe to assume that I have a broken ROM on it.

I actually am trying to install a new ROM, so if I could flash it that would be great. But for that I need to get the recovery and ADB working.

I also had a boot loop today, after flashing Semaphore's ClockworkMod Recovery according to these instructions, then trying to boot to recovery mode. What helped me out was the hint at the bottom of that page: to use Replicant's recovery.img instead:

heimdall flash --KERNEL recovery.img --no-reboot

Update: Note that the hint has now been removed with the comment:

  Using a non-Gingerbread-compatible recovery for initial install will result in lost IMEI.


Flashing a New Kernel If I'm going to flash a new Kernel with ROM Manager Pro, do I need to reinstall my MOD, delete my data, or delete my cache?

I am running CM 6.1 and want to flash one of ChevyNo1's kernels but will I have to reload CM and all my data?

No, you do not have to reload or delete anything.

However do make sure you take a NANDROID backup before you install one of those kernels.  You can potentially get into a reboot-loop that can only be broken by flashing another (lower mhz) kernel or restoring to a previous NANDROID backup.

I went from stock kernel to now running the ultra low voltage 800mhz ChevyNo1 kernel.  I couldn't get it go any faster with ultra low voltage without a reboot-loop.

Basically you will start with the lowest processor speed kernel at a certain voltage and work your way up.  So try ULV 800mhz, if it runs stable at 800mhz, try the 1ghz, then the 1.1ghz, etc.  If you're wanting to conserve battery, then try the ULV kernel.  If you're wanting processor speed, the LV kernel should be just fine.  Your mileage will vary because no two Droid processors are made exactly a like (because these kernels are going outside of the processor's design specifications).


problem in google offline speech recognition I own a Samsung galaxy grand 2. I couldn't able to use google offline speech recognition even though i have downloaded offline languages. Is there anything missing ?

This is because you have to enable "Google now" (google serach service).
I had the same trouble and solved it with this trick.

Hope it may helps you too.


Google play store available apps whilst on VPN vs native Google Play Store country I've read a few threads as well as the Google requirements for changing the country in the Google play store. My question doesn't pertain to actually changing countries, it's about how the play store distinguishes the available apps to download.
For example, when using a VPN to the USA(current play store is UK) I am able to download Venmo(which is not available in native UK play store). However I am not able to download HBO GO(which is available in the native USA play store). Why?
I imagine some apps are only available if the native app store is the specific country (where a payment card is required, etc). Are there further aspects aside then IP that PlayStore looks at? Does the app developer play into the requirements?

Don't ask for problem. Ask for solution. Try making two accounts add both to a family group and share both with each. That way you pay once and get both apps on both accounts. Thats what i would do. I recommend sharing with nearby share. (offline)


Galaxy S5 won't connect to laptop (tried everything I could find) Alright so I'm sure this is something that people ask a lot, but mine seems to be some sort of super weird case of "heck you I don't wanna mate with your laptop."

My Galaxy just will not connect to my laptop no matter what I do. I'm starting to think maybe it's just an issue with my laptop but idk how it could be.

The big things I've tried so far

Using Developer Mode to enable USB debugging.
Dialing *#0808# in order to select MTP
Connecting my phone to my laptop through Bluetooth

Some important things to note

When I pull down my phone's notification bar, there is no selection for Connect or whatever.
I have tried to restart my phone after making changes.
My computer doesn't recognize my phone as a bluetooth or connect device (but can pick up my boyfriend's phone as bluetooth)

I really don't know what to do. I just want to move photos onto my computer but nothing I'm finding online is helping at all. Is there any setting in my computer that I can change in order to fix this? I've tried doing every small and big method I can find online for the past month or so.

Thank you.

If it's not detecting your phone via usb , you should try changing the cable, try that


Revoke GPS permission for a system app on 4.0.4 I have a Sony Xperia Miro running Android 4.0.4 - Not Rooted, Stock Firmware. It contains Facebook as system app. Now, i don't want them to track me so i usually have GPS disabled. My question is now: is there a way i can enable GPS but make Facebook think its actually disabled without rooting the device?

No you cannot. To do that, you need access to app ops from where you can disable certain operations on a per-app basis. There is no way to do this right now without rooting your device.


Delayed updates on Facebook I am sending messages on Facebook using my mobile (Samsung Galaxy Pop) wi-fi. Other person is using a desktop or laptop. There is a delay in the update of the conversation ... not real time updates happening like any other chat-box happening between computers.

Would there be a delay in the update of the messages?

Why am I getting delay in update of my messages?

Is it related to Android wi-fi?

I'm pretty sure it's just that the app is buggy.  Push messages have never worked right for me either.  The latest version of the Facebook app (released in the last week or two) is better, but not perfect.


Strange battery graph A friend's Motorola Moto G (titan) on Android 5.0.2 (Stock) shows this really weird battery graph. Does anyone know what's going on here or how to fix it?

Since he is stock, unrooted, and non-swappable battery, he may have a faulty battery!

Every battery has a built-in circuit that reports its charge, temperature, and stability. That's why every smartphone battery has 3 or 4 prongs (contact points), rather than just the 2 for positive and negative. Best case scenario his percentage is just reporting incorrectly, worst case he may have an unstable cell that could combust. I would recommend looking up disassembly videos for the phone, and replacing the internal battery if it is accessible.


What happens if you install another phone's kernel on yours? What would happen if you install a Oneplus 1 for an example on a Nexus 5? Would it cause hardware problems, like my touch won't be recognized or something like that?

And how much tweaking would it need? I don't know anything about kernels by the way.

At a simple level, the effects would be catastrophic. The system wouldn't boot, and you would probably hard-brick OR super-brick. Kernels are the direct system for managing communication between software and hardware, among other things, and the kernel needs to be just right. If the device hard-bricks, a USB jig would need to be used to force the device into a usable state, or just get a new phone. Super-bricks (which are usually Nexus-only, since even a Nexus can recover from a hard-brick easily) will require a new phone completely, whether you like it or not.

Luckily, it's a Nexus. It takes A LOT to break them. It will definitely soft-brick (the primary OS is unusable, and the rest is fine) and probably hard-brick (not too likely), and a very low chance to super-brick.

To sum it up..

No, kernels DO NOT work on other devices
You would be really, really, really lucky to have a usable device. By that, I mean that you would have to be lucky enough to get into recovery or fastboot and install a stock kernel. Then, plain sailing.


How to fix my droid phone that is just blank I have the Samsung droid Charge (SCH-I510) and I tried to load bootloader to it and now the screen is just black.when I insert usb to it,the buttons at the bottom light up but the screen is just blank.I there anyway to connect the phone to a pc so I can flash it I don't care about the files on it.

You have to use ODIN to reflash your phone. Its the last resort I can say for your phone. I was too in same situation. I was having Sammy's Galaxy S which on rooting and upgrading went blank. I used ODIN and refalsh it with stock rom and made my phone alive. Give it a try. See the link here it might help. There might be some problem with your network after recovering.
See  Link. Its for Verizon. Kindly find your appropriate ROM and flash it. XDA forum is great resource for Andy users/developers


Marshmallow only displaying https sites The network connection on my Nexus 6 with Android Marshmallow (rooted) is messed up, and right now the only pattern I can see is that only pages with HTTPS are displaying. I can supply a bug report.

Don't know why, but changing the SIM card seems to have fixed it.


"Brendon's url" and Chinese apps on home screen. Is it a virus? How do I fix it? My tab was charging when I noticed there were notifications in Chinese and unknown home screen shortcuts created. Some were named "Brendon's URL" and the others were in Chinese. The notifications were also in Chinese. Is there anything wrong? Is it a virus? How do I fix it?

Image taken from an XDA forum thread, click to view the larger version.

This is downloaded by "Software Update" App Version 09.05.
Force stop it and disable for time being.


Where is the baseband firmware stored and how does Android interact with it? My searches on the web didn't provide suitable answers to these questions:

1) Where is the baseband firmware stored?

My understanding is that this particular firmware is a RTOS built for the Baseband Processor (BP/CP). BP is part of a SoC, so it uses its own RAM and its own storage for the firmware.

Is the firmware really stored in another eMMC than the Android firmware ?

2) How does Android interact with the baseband firmware?

Again, my understanding (which may be incorrect) is that the BP communicates directly with the AP via a serial connection UART trough Radio Interface Layer (RIL). This RIL interact with Android telephony services.

When does the baseband firmware take action ?

3) When the modem/baseband/radio partition is used  ?

It seems to me that it only contains the firmware.

One thing I've found is that this partition isn't mounted during Android runtime. Is it only mounted for modem firmware update ?

Is the firmware really stored in another eMMC than the Android firmware?

No. Baseband firmware, kernel and userspace Android are all stored on the same eMMC (there might be some exception but I don't know of). Some SoCs have boot area partitions which are somewhat isolated at hardware level (usually used for bootloaders) but technically those are also on the same eMMC. So are Replay Protected Memory Block (RPMB) partitions.

  How does Android interact with the baseband firmware?

Your understanding is correct that Communication / Baseband Processors (CP/BP or modem) are completely isolated from Application Processor (AP, which runs Android OS) and they run their own RTOS. Communication between AP and BP can be through multiple possible channels but mostly those are proprietary just like BPs themselves (not sure why: if giants like Qualcomm are keeping backdoors, or hiding their security vulnerabilities, or don't want to put users' privacy at stake). On Qualcomm devices, for instance, its in-kernel implementation is called Shared Memory Device/Driver (SMD).

BP also includes a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) which is used for multimedia processing. Both Modem and DSP have their mountable partitions on eMMC (at least on Qualcomm devices) which they access through kernel using RPC mechanism. This old document states:

  "No new hardware is required. An eMMC card will have 2 partitions reserved for modem storage.
  ...
  All the modem requests will be handled by a user space program and the remote storage RPC client will provide an interface to the user application to receive the requests from modem and also to send the status of requests to modem."

In-kernel implementation includes just an RPC client, while a closed source userspace daemon (Remote Storage) handles the actual communication with the modem. Though privacy advocates have issues with this approach. Since the kernel interfaces of SMD or other communication drivers are not documented, only the closed source binary blobs (HALs, provided by SoC vendors) in userspace can communicate with them (e.g. rmt_storage uses Userspace I/O API), while Android framework communicates with the HALs. Reference implementations of HALs are part of AOSP.

  Is it only mounted for modem firmware update?

No. MODEM is usually first partition on eMMC with FAT filesystem, while DSP has EXT4. Both have entries in fstab and are mounted on every boot. rmt_storage also provides BP access to IMEI which is stored on signed partitions like EFS, MODEMST1, MODEMST2, FSG, FSC along with modem firmware files. All of these partitions have no filesystems but are binary blobs written to raw partitions. So they aren't mounted. All or some of these partitions may get OTA firmware updates from OEM/SoC vendors.

Like rmt_storage, Radio Interface Layer Daemon (rild) is another HAL from vendor which facilitates communication between Android's telephony stack and modem's LTE/3G/2G interface through kernel using control and data transfer protocols like RMNET, QMI etc. Other isolated components including RPM, GPS, Modem Diagnostic Mode and TEE (not sure about SE) also communicate with AP using similar communication channels in kernel (which also include UART) and their respective HALs in userspace. RPM (Resource and Power Management) and TEE (Qualcomm's TtustZone) have also their partitions on eMMC, both contain ELF executable binaries.

RESOURCES:

Android Device Partitions and Filesystems
A Journey into Hexagon: Dissecting Qualcomm Basebands


How to extract alarm ringtone files from my phone? I have an OPPO R11 and I really like one of the default alarm sounds, so I was wondering how I could extract the sound file from the Android system to save it. I've tried downloading ES File Explorer, and so far the only ringtone and notification sounds that I've found are for Google hangouts only. I've searched it pretty extensively but still haven't found where all the system tones are stored.

As far as i know you won't be able to read system directory on your phone without root permissions which also means that you won't be able get ringtones as it requires atleast read permission on system partition


What is this icon in my status bar that looks like a finger pointing at 3 horizontal lines? Can anyone identify this icon?

here again with context:

I can't find anything online and no one at Verizon or Kyocera can identify it either. I need help figuring out what this icon is and what it means.

I have contacted the Verizon Tech's, Kyocera and personally searched online, with no positive ID. Deleted all apps, factory reset, and even safe mode start up, and the icon remains at the top of the screen in the status bar. The only time the icon is not at the top of the screen is when you click on the drop down for the status bar icons. This phone is the newest Kyocera Duraforce Pro-2. Glove mode nor the underwater camera mode have any affect on the icon when switching these two selections on or off.

Any information on what this is would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and help with this.

I mailed Kyocera linking this question and they replied very quickly.

It is a Verizon security app and Kyocera can't do a thing about it. Mail extract :

  Allow us to inform you that this Icon is for a Verizon security application running on the phone, please be aware that this will not affecting its functionality. At the moment there is no way to remove the Icon.

Screenshot of mail below. You would need to chase Verizon for more details as to what it does but being a device tied with them, I guess you have to live with it.

(Click to enlarge)

You can refer to the Tech Support Case Number: 00689640
 and follow up with Kyocera (Phone.Help@kyocera.com)
 if you wish (The person who sent the email is Karla H, Technical Support Specialist).


Clockworkmod doesn't find the update files I recently added a 16GB storage card to my phone and set it as an extension to the internal memory using the built-in tool in Cyanogenmod 13. But now, the recovery can not find the update files anymore. I can only open the /storage/sdcard folder, but when I try to open /storage/sdcard/0 to access the cmupdater folder, it says that there are no files in there. I can install updates using adb commands though. How can I fix this?

For future Visitors: just install the TWRP recovery on your phone(I used the Flashify appfrom the Play Store to install). Look for the folders there. I found what I looked for in /sdcard. With TWRP, it should be very easy to install the update.


Reboot when uninstaling the application LG G4 my LG G4 have a problem with updating software and deleting applications.

Everytime I want to delete an application, system throws me an error

com.android.settings was stopped

I can not get even into application settings...

also, when I want to upgrade OS, files are downloaded but once phone is restarted, I got an "Error" without detail informations about error....

I've tryed to execute this

adb shell pm clear com.android.settings

but it just reboot my phone. No changes.

Have you ever faced same problem ? ... It's a bit anoying, being unable to delete application

Thank you

Have you installed any custom software on your phone recently? If so than that could explain some issues. First of all the bugs you are experiencing with the settings, but also when trying to update the phone. Many of the custom versions of Android do not support the OTA (Over the Air) updates.

However, if you do have stock version of Android there could be numerous issues. My recommendation would be to backup all of your files and simply restore your phone. Sometimes this can resolve any internal issue that Android is experiencing.

Hope this helps.


Why should I trust SuperSU / TWRP / Clockwork / ...? One more phone, same questions. Despite being a developer myself, I am quite a bit far from Android development. However I prefer having something from SlimRoms rather than stock bloatware. But the question arises:

Is there any sensible reason to trust my credentials and privacy to popular software like SuperSU, TWRP, ClockworkMod, custom CyanogenMod builds and so on?

I am also aware that TWRP is open source. Though I have no clue how to build it, and who did it for me with which modifications.

Sorry if the question sounds a bit unethical for somebody.

The same reason that people trust already-compiled builds of Ubuntu, LibreOffice, Linux kernels and mainstream-compiled builds of thousands of other open-source efforts.

Namely that they are being backed by large organisations of people, the code or patch file used to build it is required to be submitted (and is most likely diff'ed against the original build, making the insertion of malicious code extremely hard to hide), and the maintainer is usually a trusted member of the community around said program.


Android calendar data storage & transfer How can I transfer ALL stored calendar data (android, HUAWEI MATE 9 app) to Samsung galaxy note 8? Transfer has  been possible only for last year's data (2017). Not all previous years' data in calendar could be moved to new phone. I have used the "Smart Switch" app on both phones.

Try and use an app called "Copy my Data" on both phones to move calendar data.


KitKat upgrade for HTC Desire 616 I can't upgrade my HTC Desire 616 to KitKat 4.4.4 but my phone is absolutely capable of running this update! How can I update it?

If you are rooted and modified system files you cannot upgrade through official OTA anymore. You can always flash a custom ROM though


How to get rid of annoying pop up ads? When I connect the internet and open any app, a pop-up ad appears randomly.
Ads are still showing, although I did factory reset the phone (all installed apps removed) as well. I also tried to remove the malware app with Avast. Avast detected the issue as well. But couldn't able to remove as well. I uninstalled the malware app which Avast detected. The malware apps installed automatically with another name after uninstalling it.
How can I get rid of that annoying issue?

Some screenshots of that issue have attached here.

Your phone is infected by malwares. If you check your app list, you'll notice that there are unusual apps with sometimes weird names.

To get rid of that, all you have is to uninstall them. There is two methods:

DISCLAIMER: Do it at your own risk, I won't be held responsible if anything goes wrong.

First the root method: You have to root your phone and then using adb shell, uninstall the apps - a bit tricky and risky as well. You need to install ADB server on your PC (search for Minimal ADB and Fastboot).
Open it and tape the following:

adb shell

`su`

`mount -o remount, rw /system`

`cd /system/app`

`ls (this list all apps on your phone)`

Then:

rm "app_name"

You must tape the exact app name + .apk or .odex

Do this to all unwanted apps.
You may encounter with apps that can't be removed (operation not permitted), then you need BusyBox installed (Google for that). just let's know, we'll try to help.

The second method, less tricky but always risky, is to download Debloater, open the USB debugging mode, connect your phone to your computer. You'll see all the installed applications. Just check those you want to remove.

Et voilà.

DON'T REMOVE AN APP IF YOU'RE NOT SURE ABOUT, YOU MAY BRICK YOUR PHONE.


YouTube Download not available I was on vacation in Asia a couple of weeks ago with my old cell phone. I discovered the YouTube offline feature and loved it!

Now, back home, i tried to use it with my newer cell and discovered that there is no download/offline button in my YouTube app.

Why is that? Is it possible that this feature installed abroad, but was actually not available in my home country?
Most important: How can I watch YouTube videos offline?

I am from India where we have this feature and didn't know that it is not universally available
From YouTube help
You can download only in these countries

Algeria

Egypt

Ghana

India

Indonesia

Jordan

Kenya

Libya

Malaysia

Nigeria

Pakistan

Philippines

South Africa

Thailand

Vietnam

Yemen

Reasons not stated but on reddit there is an explanation given two years ago by a user who seems to be from YouTube
Alternate option is to use YouTube Red


rooting gigaset phone I am trying to root my Gigaset phone (GS 160), but I couldn't make it with

http://kingoapp.com (probably the model is not supported)
and
https://towelroot.com (model is not supported)

Does anyone have another tool in mind that could work?

Thanks for your help

Try OneRootClick
they have quite a good range of phones they can root.


Can I use Android Emulator to get the Free apps from Amazon's app store? It is said that we can test drive using Android apps even using an Web based android emulator for Amazon, but I don't see it on Amazon's Angry Birds webpage?

Can we download the Android SDK and use the emulator to use any free apps offered on the Amazon app store?

You can certainly install the Amazon App Store app on the emulator.  First go to the settings and allow installation of apps from unknown sources, then open the browser and download this app.  This will download the app store .apk, which you can then install.

However, if you are planning to download and run Angry Birds (or other games), on the emulator, you will probably find it is too slow unless you have a very fast PC.  It might work OK for less demanding apps.

Also, beware that at the moment Amazon only permits US users to download apps (see How can I get apps from the Amazon app store from an unsupported region?).


Problem rooting Xperia E Dual I am following the below post to root my Xperia E Dual.

  How To Root Xperia E! Latest Update! (Locked Bootloader)*LINKS
  UPDATED* NOOB
  GUIDE!

In step 4 to install Framaroot APK we need to Check the option "Unknown sources" and "Usb dubugging" (in Developer options)

But when I am turning on the Developer option Flashtool is showing an message like below:

08/048/2014 01:48:38 - INFO  - Device connected with USB debugging off
08/048/2014 01:48:38 - INFO  - For 2011 devices line, be sure you are not in MTP mode

I have tried changing the Usb connection mode but problem is not resolved. Could you please help?

Some info:

Operating System Used to flash: Windows 8.1

Have a look for towelroot tr. It might work on your device. It is just an apk you can install and start. It uses a kernel vulnerability. Chances that it works are high if your firmware is older than june.

To your issue: did you enable (usb-)debugging mode? Its in developper options. If you do not see them in your settings, go to AboutDevice and hit build number 5 times quickly. It enables a (secret) menu in your settings where you can enable adb.

On some samsung devices you can change usb mode by typing *#0808# into your phone apk. Without hitting the call button, a service menu opens up immediately. Perhaps this works for your device too. Did you try to do adb shell or adb devices from your commandline?

New devices now usually ask for an ok on the device screen  before you can connect. Disconnect and connect again, watch out for this popup. Did you check the developper menu in settings? There you can also flush the known pc's and their settings. Allowing the popup to sow up again after connecting.


What to do after replacing the phone's battery? I have a Nexus 5 (1.5yo; I know, it's old but still worthy!) and the boy was heavily suffering from short battery discharges. I'm a phone heavy user so I figured out I had depleted the battery's life, and decided to buy a new one.

I used that great iFixIt guide to replace the battery and everything is fine, except that my phone keeps lasting 2 hours and something after a full charge, just like it did with the old battery.

Are there any special procedures I can take to ensure I can have a lasting battery life, or could this be related to the power port or other internals? I feel the back of the phone overheated just like it happened with the old battery as well.

UPDATE: it seems that battery I bought was faulty. After some weeks the phone dropped on the floor and the battery stopped working completely. The new one I got from the warranty gave the phone new life, as expected :)

You shouldn't need to do anything, the time remaining displayed in the phone may be incorrect for a short time (a few days at most), but it should correct itself with a few charge cycles. Wiping batterystats.bin has no effect on the actual life of the battery, but it can have an effect on the display of the remaining life of the battery. Source: XDA/Google

If your phone is getting hot, it is an indication something is not right... and since you replaced the battery that probably is not, and likely was not, the real issue. Either you have a hardware problem, or a software problem, the heating is likely due to the an application not sleeping properly and keeping the device awake, which will also reduce you battery life. I would install GSAM or BetterBatteryStats (paid), and possibly WakeLock Detector (root needed), and try to figure out exactly what is using your battery up. Although more rare, this could be caused by defective hardware as well.


Can't delete app because it isn't there I have an LG L70 and was downloading an app that was about 470 megabytes and then i got a notification saying that there wasn't enough space on the phone to download it so i clicked it and it looked like it wasn't installed. I checked the memory on the phone and the app wasn't there. Did the phone download the some of the app but not finish and still keep the app? Because it still took all the space but it isn't there. I want to delete it but don't know how.

Go to: Settings -> Application manager -> All and search for Download Manager. Click on it and then click on Clear Data.


Android 4.0.4 bluetooth dongle pairing I have a problem with an Android device when it pairs with a Bluetooth dongle. This device (Honda Connect) shows up a dialog asking to put a certain pin on the bluetooth dongle to pair (0000) ... unfortunately this dongle has a different pin and it's not possibile to 'change' such pin (AFAIK). Is there a way to change the default pin from 0000 to a different one?

In the specific case of using Honda Connect (Android device) this problem can be fixed trough Honda Connect WiFi / Bluetooth settings. This form (NOT Android Bluetooth settings) allows to change the pairing code. After this maneouvre (and a soft reset if required) the bluetooth pairing will be completed succesfully without pairing code request.


Prepare SD card for removal from Cyanogenmod 13 HTC Desire HD A9191 I installed CM on the above phone. I wanted to remove the SD card, but when it boots up again the phone says 'Encryption unsuccessful'. It works again if I put the card back in and reboot the phone.

I want to move the SD card to another phone, and have this one without an SD card. I know that it works without an SDcard, but how? Do I need to move the /data partition somehow? How do I do that?

Edit: It was the CM build I used, which was aceopt. The opt part means that it uses the SD card as internal storage. So I need another build if I want to take the card out. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a non opt version of CM 13 for this device, so I'll have to go with 12.

Insert your SD card in your phone, reboot it, then go to Settings - Storage & USB, press "menu" button and choose "format as portable". You should be able to use your SD card on other devices after that.


Rooted device, modified the hosts file and rebooted but still have access to blocked sites I tried to block Facebook on Chrome by changing the hosts file but to no avail. What could possibly went wrong?

Modifying hosts file does not have any effect

I followed exactly what the op did and rebooted, but I could still have access to Facebook.

Just try adding these three hosts name and replace ip address 127.0.0.1

    facebook.com
    www.facebook.com
    m.facebook.com
    mobile.facebook.com

As I checked when typed facebook.com, the site will be redirected to m.facebook.com, so we won't be able to access.


Samsung Galaxy s3 mini continuously rebooting I woke up to find My Samsung Galaxy s3 mini asking me to select a language and time and sign into my Samsung account, like it was a brand new phone. As I tried to do this it kept rebooting. eventually I managed to sign in, but it continues to reboot every minute or so and a few of my widgets are missing. After researching I uninstalled the Samsung push app but it keeps going back to the sign in start page, but it reboots before I can sign in and there is no way to skip it.

I have removed my battery, SIM card and SD card, but it is still happening. I also tried a factory reset, but every time I click on it me phone restarts and nothing has changes.

Does anyone know what is going on or what I can do to stop it rebooting?

First method-

Reset the device (press and hold POWER button for 8-10 seconds).

Second method-

Press and hold VOLUME UP and Home(center) button, then press Power until the phone vibrates. Wait until you see the Android logo then release all the buttons.
Select Wipe data/Factory reset with VOLUME DOWN key, press Power (right hand-side).
Select YES -- this deletes all user data.
After format, press Power again to reboot phone (select reboot system now).
If your device is frozen and unresponsive, press and hold Samsung Galaxy S3 hard reset for 8-10 seconds. The device will reboot automatically.

Third method-

Factory format entering sgs3 mini format code. Enter *2767*3855#.

Note - Warning! All your data including contacts, messages etc. will be lost! Copy all your necessary data/Contacts/Messages etc. to SIM or make backup to your PC before full reset! Take out SIM card before full reset. Source: Hard-reset.com.


How do I get from a Google AMP page to that actual webpage in Chrome? I don't want to disable AMP completely, but if I'm on an AMP page sometimes I want to get to the original webpage. There used to be a link to get there but that seems to be gone now. How do I get to the original web page?

Some AMP pages show the link to go the original source (example)
, while others don't. I am not sure why this happens.

I couldn't find any flags (chrome://flags/)
that forces AMP pages to show the link (on a PC, this seems to do the trick) . But Chrome in desktop worked for me :

If the AMP page appears in a Google search, changing to desktop mode removes the AMP pages as you can see by the missing lightning bolt icons that represent AMP pages. See this search in mobile and desktop modes.

If you are already on the AMP page change it to desktop mode. You can test with the link in first bullet point.

I read about this in some blog, which I can't find now to link. It attributed to desktop mode overriding AMP, since AMP is basically for mobile version (Accelerated Mobile Page).


How can I update the Linux kernel of my Android device? I am using Sony Xperia E Dual with the kernel that identifies as 3.0.8-perf administrator@ubuntu-scm01 #1
and now I want to update it to the latest and the best one.

Please help me understand it can be done.

According to my findings the website https://www.kernel.org/ offers the latest kernels. Are these kernels for smartphones? And does anyone have an idea of from where to get the latest kernel? How do I replace the existing one?

The kernel on your device is tied heavily to the version of the Android operating system you're running. Sony releases your phone with the "stock ROM" (think a "stock" car in stock car racing; no customization, just as-is from the factory), including the stock kernel. Normally, your kernel would be updated when the operating system - your "ROM" - is updated. This would be the only way to get an official (from Sony) upgrade, and so the only way you'd get one supported by Sony. I point this out only to remind you that installing a kernel as described below will possibly void your warranty, as the changes are not tested or condoned by Sony, and may operate your device outside the intended limits, or possibly render it useless.

What you find on kernel.org is the human readable kernel source code for not only smart phones, but computers and all devices using the Linux kernel, such as Android tablets, TomTom navigation systems, or Linksys routers. The version you find on your phone has been tweaked specifically for your phone, with all the drivers needed to make things like the touchscreen and camera work. Most likely you will not be building a kernel yourself from the source code, but doing one of two things, instead:

downloading a kernel built by someone else, who may have used a combination of the newer sources on kernel.org, and the drivers and settings from the kernel released by Sony. This would be installed over the top of your existing kernel on your phone, and to you, the phone would appear the same- think a Windows upgrade that changes things behind the scenes with little or no noticeable changes to the user. A popular feature in custom kernels is overclocking, which runs the phone at a faster speed than it was originally designed, but will probably decrease the life of the phone itself, as overclocked chips run hotter than intended. The risk is something you should research for yourself- I personally slightly overclock both my android phone and tablet.
downloading a custom built version of Android built specifically for your phone. Some of these custom ROMs are extremely similar to the one Sony releases, including maybe the same kernel, or possibly the same interface with a different kernel. Some of the custom ROMs are extremely different, with changes to the user interface, various settings, maybe additional features borrowed from other phones- and may include a custom built kernel, complete with drivers so your phone's camera, wireless radios etc. all fully function. This may (and almost always does) require you to completely wipe the existing software on your phone, as if you were wiping and re-installing (or installing a newer version of)  Windows or MacOS on a computer. It is rare that custom ROMs can be installed as an upgrade over existing, "stock" ROMs. After "flashing" (installing) the new ROM, your phone will behave as if it is the first time you have turned it on. Proper backups are key, and you may want to look into apps such as "Titanium Backup," which save settings and apps that can be restored after your phone has been "flashed" with a new ROM.

As for finding which custom kernel or custom ROM to use, that is entirely up to you, and you should do a bit of research. Most importantly, I'd ask why you want to use a newer version of the Linux kernel on your phone. If there are no issues you can point to that would be fixed with a newer version, and no specific features you could gain from using a custom kernel, there might not be a good reason to change. Sometimes newer kernels can increase battery life by tweaking the way the phone operates, reacts, sleeps etc., but not always. It's possible the 'best' kernel to use is the one Sony currently includes with the version of Android currently on your phone. You may find a custom ROM that includes certain features or changes to the user interface you'd like to see, and that ROM may use the same kernel Sony has made available.

Now, kernels and ROMs are device specific, meaning you'll not be able to use a kernel or ROM as-is built for, say, an HTC or Samsung device, or even most other Sony devices. I would highly recommend the xda-developers forums; a community for users and programmers who have taken to building and collectively supporting custom kernels and ROMs for various devices, as well as toolkits for rooting devices, installing new kernels and ROMs, and backing up/restoring all the software on your phone as a whole (just as you would to backup and restore a computer in case of a hard drive failure). Odds are, if anyone has built a custom ROM or kernel for your phone which is stable enough for the public to use, they have mentioned and linked to it there.

The steps to prepare your phone for a new kernel or completely new ROM vary from device to device. Your device comes "locked"- not allowing custom software without acknowledging that you are taking a risk of ruining your device- and will need to be unlocked first, following the instructions on this official Sony site. Then you will need to install a custom "recovery" (software which loads before Android even starts, and is independent from your ROM), and use that recovery interface to make a backup of your current ROM before making any changes. You then use the recovery to wipe the device and install the new ROM, or just install a new kernel over the top of your existing ROM.

The forum for your specific device, the Sony Xperia E Dual, can be found here, with discussions on how to complete all the necessary steps for your specific device, tools you may need, and custom kernels and ROMs in the two 'Development' forums. I can't stress enough that you try to find a walk-through that you are comfortable with understanding, as you can easily leave your device in an unusable state, or in extreme cases, "brick" the device, rendering it more or less useless. Most ROMs come with a list of steps to follow, and, fortunately, other device owners, and the people responsible for the custom ROMs and kernels can be a helpful resource.

Good luck, and welcome to one of the very best parts of owning an Android device: customization!


What causes my Android phone to heat on low signal I have noticed that 3 of my Android phones heat on low signal (Nexus4, Xperia U, and HTC One) 40~50C. My friend has an iPhone and it doesn't seem to heat as much (30C).

So, why does this happen? Why does low signal drain my battery, and why does it heat too much?

Could it be solved by software? or is it a hardware problem?

Why?
When the phone signals are weak, the android OS constantly scan the area thoroughly. This requires more battery power. That's the reason your phone gets so hot when you are in areas with poor reception.
Could it be solved?
That is the reason it is advised to turn flight mode on when you are is low-signal areas to preserve your battery life.
Is it a hardware problem?
Yes. and that problem is common to all the android devices. So nothing to worry.
Why not iPhone?
For the comparison with iPhone, the specs of android device of each manufacturer varies from one another whereas it doesn't in apple deceives (Not everybody get to produce a device which can run iOS, thanks to the Apple Inc. patents.) As the android specs vary from device to device, it is highly likely that the battery performance will differ from device to device as well.


TWRP not asking me to enter password to decrypt I need to restore from a backup. However TWRP stopped asking me for the password to decrypt. In the terminal emulator I tried twrp decrypt 1234 but got the error "Failed to decrypt data". Whenever I try to use any other feature in TWRP, such as restore, it says "Failed to decrypt data".  and "extracTarFork() process ended with ERROR: 255"
How can I restore from a backup?

Copied from comments:

TWRP needs a working firmware for decryption. If system vendor or
modem is wiped, the workaround is to format userdata in order to
remove encryption completely, so TWRP can mount it unencrypted.

Through experimenting I was able to get it to work by doing the following. First, try reflashing just TWRP in fastboot mode: fastboot flash recovery twrp.img. This may be enough, but if not se bellow . My phone is an Xperia so replace steps 1. and 2. with however you normally would install firmware.
Steps:

download phone's Firmware as ftf
Use flashtool to flash firmware
Use fastboot to flash TWRP
Use TWRP to wipe all data, but make sure not to wipe the backup you're trying to restore!
Use TWRP to install a new ROM.
Setup new ROM e.g. sign into WiFi
Reboot to TWRP again
Now TWRP should ask for password and you will be able to decrypt


How to Delete Lollipop Update From" LG Nexus 5" My LG Nexus 5 shows a Lollipop update prompt. I do not want this prompt to sit on top of the device.

How do I remove this Notification from the home screen?

Download this app : 3C Toolbox  (from Google Play)
Go to :

  Application Manager > Apps Tab > Google Play Services > Manage Button > Permissions Button > Services Tab

then touch : uncheck update.SystemUpdateService

Reboot.

There may be another way availabe for doing this, example :

Go to :

  Lollipop Settings > Apps

and find this Program then, touch for uncheck Show Notification if availabe in Lollipop.

hope this help.


Can I transfer my Injustice game data from my iPhone to my new Android phone? I currently use an iPhone 4, and I'm eligible for an upgrade. I'm considering the Note 3 and the Galaxy S5.  I've been playing Injustice for some time now and I'd very much like to not have to go through all the trouble of re-earning all of the characters I've bought or won in challenges. Will logging in with my WBID on my future phone automatically let me transfer over my game data? If not, is there something else I could do?

Also, if you have any other suggestions for what I should upgrade to please feel free to suggest it.

Man, you're out of luck. Versions of Injustice for Android and iOS differ greatly. the iOS version generally gets updated months before Android. This affects what characters you can buy, what challenges you can complete etc.

I thinks it's safe to say they're incompatible. And from my experience the Android version performs rather poorly compared to iOS.

Considering all of the above I would recommend sticking to your iPhone for playing Injustice.


How to fix sudden charge drop in stand by? I have an android device running Lollipop 5.1 (the brand is local in my country) which has a battery draining problem in stand by mode.

It drains about 10% of battery every hour or so without having any custom launcher
The battery capacity is 1850 mAh
WiFi is turned off. I only use one SIM
I have been monitoring the phone since I bought it, I haven't used it to call someone and my network signal is completely stable and the only time spent on screen is to check battery percentage.

Should I be worried or is it okay for such a device to consume this much battery in stand by mode?

Note: I tried installing launchers which seem to be causing more battery consumption in stand-by.  I uninstalled all third party battery saver apps and turned android integrated power saver on.I also tried factory resetting the phone twice.

Sounds like your battery is trash. Sometimes you buy a new phone and get a bad battery.

Take it back where you bought it and tell them the battery is bad. They should give you a new battery free of charge.


How to save large chat history of WhatsApp in Android phone I'm not able to store my WhatsApp chat of single contact in email chat because of large amount of messages so how is it possible?

Your WhatsApp chats are automatically backed up and saved daily to your phone's memory. You can also periodically backup your WhatsApp chats to Google Drive.
To backup your chats, go toWhatsApp > Menu Button > Settings > Chats> Chat backup > Back Up.
Now, to export a copy of the history of an individual chat or group, use the Email chatfeature instead:

Open the chat for the individual or group.Tap the Menu Button.Tap More.Tap Email chat.Choose whether to Attach Media or not

Note: When sending with media, you can send up to 10,000 latest messages. Without media, you can send 40,000 messages. These constraints are due to maximum email sizes.

Soure: WhatsaApp FAQ


Does kingo root trigger knox on s4? And also I plugged my phone in but kingo root won't recognize it and it says connection to server failed

no it doesnt trigger knox and try another computer to fix the connection error, happened to me


How to enable lock screen widgets in HTC One M8? Update: turns out I was simply being blind, because I'm running Android lollipop... I do have a default widget though, which I don't seem to be able to change or remove.

(Click image to enlarge)

I have recently bought a new phone, a HTC One M8, and I am trying to customize everything. One thing I am used to is lock screen widgets, but I can't seem to enable those. The option simply isn't present in the settings menu.

(Click image to enlarge)

Does anyone know how to fix this?

On my phone I slide my lock screen to the right, and tap the plus button. If you can't find this on your phone, it probably doesn't exist. You can get apps from the app store that customise your lock screen though.